it's the little things...

I feel like making it 8 months out of the house before losing my mind was a pretty good run.  We're about a month past that and probably have almost two more to go before we're back in.  I'm honestly thinking of starting a GoFundMe campaign for my mental health care costs.  I try to go to sleep at night but just get angry and think of how I'd go on a tirade Julia Sugarbaker-style.  (Instead of, you know, slightly misplaced anger at strangers in a parking lot.) Also?  I waffle.  I try to calm down and think that none of this is a big deal in the grand scheme of things.  So many people are going through much worse.  At least I live in a safe place.  I don't feel the need to flee my country to bring safety to my children.  We have food and jobs and our general health.  But then I think that if I don't get mad we will literally never move back home.  NEVER.  And I want to scream.  So here's where we are.  We...

I saw this comic strip one time where a dog was complaining that he or she was always good, never great.  I don't know why "good girl" flows so much better than "great girl" but it does so that's what you tell them.  This morning, though, I told her she was a great girl.  And she was. We got Maggie about 6 months after we got married.  We knew we wanted a rescue, and I really wanted a Boxer.  I don't know what it was about her little ad that I liked over the others.  I am so sweet and I just roll with the flow where ever I go. Everyone who meets me says that I am just the sweetest little girl! You see, I was lost...and I got picked up by the county animal control. They put me in a large cage with lots of other dogs...but, that did not bother me...I just waited there because I knew that someone would come and see how sweet I am and get me out. Sure enough, one day a nice lady showed up and got me out of there. She put me in her car and I had a lovel...

Hey, Buddy!  You're 3!  I can't believe my baby is three.  Sigh.  These days you go by a lot of different names other than your own--Buddy, Buddy Bear, Buns, Jojo, Joj. I think Jojo came from the Power Puff girls' Mojo Jojo.  I'd change it to [your name] Jojo.  And then dropped your name altogether.  Daddy calls you Super Son sometimes.  So, Jojo, what are you like these days?  Mostly awesome with a little bit of the whole "threenager" thing sprinkled in.  Oh my, speaking of sprinkles I guess I should start with a story from when we went on vacation in the Hill Country a few weeks ago.  You met your first love.  It was so funny; as soon as we got to the campground, we went to the pool.  You quickly found an age-appropriate little girl to woo.  After we changed, we went to the playground.  There you flirted with 3 sisters.  The oldest one (who turned 14 while we were there) is the person you say you're g...

To say I've fallen off the blog wagon would be an understatement.  Ho hum.  So, 2 months have gone by, and I have to say that my positivity is waning.  Being in relatively good spirits while being out of the house 7 months was a good long run. I think (in addition to just the length of time) it's because we've spent too long doing tasks that don't have a lot of gratification but are necessary.  Like electrical and plumbing.  Definitely want those but you don't get terribly excited seeing new pipes and wires.  Ok, I did get excited to see that the kitchen fluorescent lights had been replaced with can lights and pendants.  So what's been happening?  We have windows (except for a few downstairs) and siding and exterior paint.  The garage is almost completely done--need a few trim pieces and the garage door.  Everything inside has been sealed.  We have ductwork but no AC units.  All the flooring has been removed.  We've made...

I can't believe I used to blog so much. Of course, that was pre-children. Anywho, it's been awhile since an update. We're still working on the exterior so that it's secure before moving on to the interior.  And, you know, we've had more rain in the last few months than we've probably had over the last 5 years.  But!  Other than where windows need replacing, we have exterior walls!  And our covered patio was rebuilt. And we have lots of interior wood replaced including all the rafters.  So basically everything that was above the 2nd floor ceiling has been replaced.  It wasn't just a quick shingle replacement.  Really, it's like a 3rd of our house has been rebuilt.  And then nearly all of the interior will be.  This is the kitchen looking into the laundry room. And the attic above our bedroom.    So things are really coming along.  We've had a few days without rain (even though it looked like it cou...

Last week, exactly 3 months to the day later, demo started on our house. They've made a lot of progress since then, and we usually stop by almost daily to see what's happening. It's interesting to see the guts of your house. We also have electricity hooked up. Finally. So many hoops to jump through before you can even make the request. I wanted to post pics here but just don't have time to upload everything right now. I'll put some on FB. Doing a lot of shopping these days. Lots of decisions to make but I love it. So, yeah, if you hate shopping? Don't ever (re)build a house. One interesting thing is that everything inside the house was black/grey because of all the soot and ashes. Now everything looks clean because of drywall dust. And from the outside? Time just keeps rolling on. Spring is here. Flowers and bulbs are blooming. Can't wait to get back home.

We remain in the tentatively exciting stage. How long can one remain there before that tentative excitement wears off? We'll see... We're in the apartment now. I hadn't lived in one in YEARS. It's really not bad. Definitely more space than the hotel and it feels more "ours" than the grandparents'. It really is a beautiful property--so wooded and quiet. Overall, everyone has settled in. I've tried to make it feel like home with some decorations, art, photos, etc. But still, it's much more brown than I normally go for. The only thing I don't like is how tiny the 1-car garage is. I mean, yes, we have a garage. But we have to park in it because we only get one other space. We'll see, though. As time goes by we may need to store some things in it. Still haven't gotten our clothes back but that should change tomorrow. There was an issue with a check from the insurance company not making it to us so we had to wait to get t...