Another new blog.

I miss the outlet blogging allows. I miss being able to type out my feelings, and then moving forward with whatever decision I have made. But, alas, my other blog is locking me out due to lack of attention. When it is done with it's temper fit, maybe I can properly remember it's password. LOL.

We are in the new house, new ward, new schools. We have been here five months now, and things have really settled down for us. Kailey is doing well, if you don't count her grades. I have no idea why she just doesn't care. The only passion I have seen from her over school involves not wanting to retake the CAHSEE, and who is dating who this week.

Bill's business is doing okay. I am waiting for the day when our income is more than the taxes, payroll, materials and insurances it takes to do the job. As the county jobs increase we will be doing better.

Hunter is having a few difficulties adjusting. I am thinking he wanted to impress his new friends with how cool he can be, and is losing sight of what is important in the meantime. He is on track for grade 8 1/2. It is a special program to integrate him into high school, on the high school campus, but he won't be allowed any of the fun of high school til he shows an improvement. Alas, Chandler will be right there with him. Sigh. I have no idea what derailed these kids. They all got decent grades as small kids, and now... Cameryn and Tyler both do well. I hope I can keep them motivated for good grades.

So, Bill has been doing 2-3 repo houses a week. This keeps him,two journeymen, and two laborers busy. He usually can take off one or two days a week for important stuff...lunch out, grocery shopping, and urgent trips to WalMart. So, we invited Brittany to come stay a few days while her SO is out of state working. She came yesterday, and her and the kids had a good time bonding. She brought her sewing machine, and really impressed them with her mad skillz. I have no idea where she got it because I hate to sew....and I don't think I have touched one in over 30 years. Anyway, one of his journeyman pulled a dummy yesterday, and fell off a ladder.He had secured it on a drop cloth...and it slid down the wall, with him still on it. He called in today. This journeyman's laborer was hired because he is the husband of a good friend of mine, and he was desperate for work..the first day or two. He has been late, left early, or hasn't shown five of the eight days Bill scheduled him. This morning it was definite that he really didn't want to work. He told Bill he wanted more hours, and Bill told him he had to show dependability first. He is more desperate for a paycheck, and I refuse to just hand those out willy nilly. So two guys down. He then asks Brittany to come join him. Sigh. There go my plans for hanging out together today. Bill is very apologetic, but it can't be helped. We are again looking for employees. Where do you find the guys who want the paycheck, but are willing to work for it?? Okay, I concede, painting sucks. But, it can pay the bills, and dare I say, become a career. We have never been rich, but we have never missed a meal, either.

This is the first time Brittany has spent time with us, since her unseen departure almost two years ago. I am taking baby steps. Her SO will be out of town off an on for the next six months. This bodes well for their financial situation, and maybe more visits for us. She said this morning that if needed, she would be happy to work with Dad more often, and just stay with us while Tyler is in Colorado. I didn't want to scare her off with my exuberant cheering....so I waited til I was alone in the bathroom. :D Tonight we grill another tritip roast in her honor. She has never tasted our own little bit of Heaven. I think she will like it.

I love no sugar added Klondike ice cream sandwiches. I can set it down and it doesn't melt all over the paper towel. Plus, it tastes good. Since I delivered Tyler seven years, 11 months ago, I have dropped 48 pounds, with 32 in the last 18 months or so. Talk about slow and steady wins the race. LOL I do notice that most of that weight was after my diabetes diagnosis. Maybe, I can lose more, and totally get rid of the diabetes?? Wouldn't that be so cool?? I still have bad days where I swear the sugars are stewing my brains, and coherent thought is a pipedream.My tummy hurts, and I ust feel like crap all around. But they are becoming fewer and further between.

I am no longer employed, and I see it as a blessing. I was working for the same repo company that Bill paints for. I would go in when the house was totally remodeled, and clean it. In the beginning I had issues as I got into my rhythm. But once I did, I was told I was one of their better, more dependable cleaners, and I rarely got call backs. I started in August, right after we moved here. The middle of December I got a call back. I was surprised, and when I got out there, I had forgotten to take down the ceiling fixtures and clean them. Sometimes I just can't see very well and it wasn't til I climbed up on the ladder that I saw they were actually very dirty. I was embarrassed, and vowed to do better. Soon, I was getting a complaint on every other house. I was so perplexed, because I was doing everything I had been doing all along. What was going on?? The week between Christmas and new year, Bill came to help me with a house to boost my confidence. I was feeling rather low at this point. It was raining that day, and in my contract it states I don't have to do the outside windows in the rain. I sent Cory out to do them anyway, much to his chagrin. Bill and I scrubbed the rest of the house (Cory is sloooow) and when we left, we agreed it looked really good. Yeah, I got a complaint. Debris on the floor and the windows looked terrible. Bill and I were both so baffled. I went out a few days later, cleaned the windows again(totally more effective in the sunshine) and swept up a cup of dead roaches. I called boss in Arizona and told him the only debris I could find were the dead bugs, and as we had cleaned them up originally, I absolutely had no control of more coming out and dying. He agreed, and said I was doing a bang up job, keep it up. The next house was perfect. It was old and tiny, and I spent four hours cleaning the wall heater. Yuck. But the next one I tried to clean with the painter there. Bill works for one project manager, Dennis, and I had four, Dennis, Brent, Neal, and Russ. This was Neal's house, and he was rather laid back on keeping to the schedule. I was frustrated because as I clean I mentally lock off each room and do not enter them at all. And this big galoot was walking on my freshly mopped/vaccuumed floors. I complained, made Neal mad, and he told Chris, my boss in AZ, that he did NOT want me on any more of his houses. The next house was built in 1904, and had at some point, homeowners who didn't care. I used goo be gone on the stone tile in the kitchen, spraying and scraping on my hands and knees for hours. Chris called said Brent complained, and I just lost it. I sat and cried, and called Bill. He was as confused as I was because I had been doing so well, and he didn't see what I was doing to get so many complaints all the sudden. After crying (tears do not act as a good cleaner) and scraping for another hour, I called Chris back. I told him I was done. I was apparently not cut out to clean houses, and even though I gave it my best shot, I couldn't do it. Part of the problem too, was they kept assigning more than one house in a day. With an hour travel at least, and four-six hours on each house, this was killing me. He said he was glad I called, because he was trying to build the nerve to call me and tell me it wasn't working. So, basically I quit right before I could be fired. I called Bill back, told him I had quit, and he was quiet. We depend on every dime right now. I knew he was upset, but not at me. More at the situation which neither of us understood at the time. Bill was praying on the way home as to what we should do now, and how are we going to make it?? He got a very strong impression telling him that "Now she can be a mom" He felt such peace, and knew me quitting was the right thing. It certainly explains why all the sudden I couldn't do it. :D

Off to take care of my two sick little girls. Hopefully Cameryn's tummy ache will go away soon. She has had it for three days now. Tyler's is just sympathy pains. :D