Week in Review ~ 5/21

I do believe that this was the longest week I have ever experienced!  Perhaps if I had known the world was supposed to end, I may not have minded, but I did not become aware of that until Friday.  A little advanced warning next time, friends!

We went to church on Sunday, and as Sunday School was finishing up, they came to get me because Avery was crying.  Her nose was running and they thought she might have a fever.  She eventually perked up so we stayed for preaching since I had to keep the nursery.  After naptime, I went to the grocery store and we cooked out for dinner.

I'm not sure what made the week so long.  School is busy with testing, so perhaps it is the added stress that made it particularly drawn out.  Several mornings I woke up thinking it was later in the week than it actually was.  We planted seeds in my science classes last week after our SOL test, and we experienced major growth.  I was as excited as the students to watch them grow.  I was equally as excited to send them home on Friday.  I already have one husband, one child, 2 dogs, 1 cat, and 38 3rd graders to look after.  Thirty-eight seedlings kind of pushed me over the edge.

I sold several items on  a Facebook group and had to meet two different people this week.  I met one Monday before a meeting for our county budget, which kept me out until after 9:00 p.m.  Avery and I met the other Thursday night.  We had to wait for a little bit which pushed dinner back.  Avery and I dined at Dairy Queen before heading home.  Avery was well-behaved but took a long time eating her grilled cheese and banana.  She seemed to enjoy herself though.

 

On Tuesday night we went over to friends' house who were cooking soft shelled crabs.  Avery and I chose to eat before, but Avery had fun checking out baby Emerson, eating cheese, and playing with rocks.  I had to leave early to get Avery into bed before she turned into a pumpkin.  Early bedtimes are great until you're enjoying yourself somewhere.  Ned stayed a little longer and I caught up on the phone with my friend Courtney.

Ned's Ducks Unlimited chapter had their sponsor party on Friday night.  I picked up Kristin and another wife since our husbands were already there.  Kristin and I filled plates with delicious food, plopped down at the bar, and talked the night away.  My father-in-law finally asked if our rear ends were hurting because we had not moved much.  Driving allowed us to skip out before Ned and Lucas were able to leave, getting us home at a reasonable hour.  Avery was with my parents and I tried to enjoy the quiet at home but the sofa quickly won the battle.

Sammy and Felix were quite problematic on Saturday morning, which disturbed my chances of sleeping in.  When I got up, my mom let me know that Avery wasn't feeling well and was running a slight fever.  She had slept until 8 but woke up fussing.  She seemed better when she arrived home before lunch, but when I went to check on her during her 3.5 hour nap, she had a fever.  She seemed fine otherwise, so we decided to keep our plans of errands and Chik-Fil-A.  Belk was a bit of a challenge without a stroller, but Chik-Fil-A was delicious.  We really don't eat fast food 6 times a week.  I think this was probably the 5th time Avery had been in a fast food restaurant.  She must love the music as I do, because she sang in the car for a good 15 minutes when we left.  She had a few sips of her first juice box (that I'm aware of), which was also her first time having juice undiluted.  Perhaps those few sips fueled the singing as well.  We checked out some storage buildings for Ned, and Avery did a little light reading while Daddy toured a shed.

Avery went straight to bed when we got home, and Ned and I watched the season finale of Grey's Anatomy.

The goals this week are to close on our house, get through our final SOL test on Monday, and keep Avery well.  We see the ENT again on the 2nd, but I'm worried there's an ear issue brewing.  And, for those who were so concerned, the Elephantastic Pink was found about 3 minutes after doing that post!  I may or may not have found it in bags I had looked through a dozen times...bags of toiletries that may or may not have been sitting in the hallway upstairs since we moved in.  At least my toes are back in business.

Lost Elephantastic and Other Randoms

Above is my only known casualty of the move: OPI Elephantastic Pink.  Needless to say, my toes are looking tough.  I know it made the move because my toes got a little scuffed up in the move.  I'm fairly sure I know which room I used it in and can't think of many places where I would have put it, but it's gone.  This little town does not sell OPI anywhere that I know of, and all of my other summer polishes went away in one of my 40 bags.  I guess it's winter OPI until I order some more.

Speaking of the move, Ned made brought the final load yesterday of random odds and ends that I have absolutely no interest or energy to do anything with.  Right now it's in the dining room making it fair game for Avery.  Our lime green office/storage room/cat litter box combination (aren't you jealous?) is becoming quickly stuffed, but that's where I'm hoping somebody will put it all.

Our closing date has been moved yet again, but only until Wednesday.  I'm hoping that since we have an official time, it's for real.  Our buyers' agent let it slip to Ned this week that our buyer hit a major snag in the whole loan process.  By the time she told him, though, it had been resolved.  I'm glad she waited to drop that bomb until after I had taken Avery home to go to bed, or I may have had to put my head between my legs.  I'm finally getting excited about starting to build, mainly because some of the other crazy things in life have slowed down.  I haven't blogged to much about the house because I'm big on counting those hatched chickens, but also because I didn't want our choice to be judged.  However, Ned and I have chosen what we love for our family, and I know that's all that matters.

I am staying up too late and night and paying for it during the day.  It finally caught up with me last night, and I was on the couch asleep by 8 p.m.  Lack of sleep is not helping my dwindling reserve of school patience, either.  It really could be worse, but there are moments that I feel like if one more child asks me to sharpen a pencil or asks if we're going outside I'm going to lose it.  Avery sometimes requires an extra dose of patience and I hate feeling like I have none to give in my little time with her each day.  Four more weeks to go!

Off to do something about these toes.  I keep checking Avery and Felix the cat for pink nails.

Weeks in Review ~ 4/30-5/14

The past two weeks can be very easily described as the week before the move and the week after.  We went into the week before the move very unprepared I felt to actually move.  We hit a snag with our appraisal and were told to wait on packing until it was resolved.  We ended up having to sign a new contract at the beginning of that week.  I did some packing but really just couldn't get started.  I also didn't want Avery living in boxes for so long.  The Thursday night before we started I got really stressed because it looked like we had so much to pack, and it looked like we had so much to move with very limited help.

Avery stayed with my parents that Friday night since we did not need her assistance.  That night Ned and I moved our hanging clothes and some kitchen and linen closet items.  We spent the rest of the night boxing things up.  The kitchen was the absolute worst!

We started our day early on Saturday.  I was at the house by 7 am, and when my mother-in-law knocked on the door at 8, I was laying on the living room floor reading blogs because I had unpacked everything we brought on Friday.  Ned had only one friend helping him move and it took them forever to bring the first load.  I soon realized it was because they packed Ned's truck and trailer to the brim.  They were able to bring all the furniture that came to the house and many of our boxes and tubs in two trips.  Mimi made several trips getting Avery's toys, boxes, and odds and ends.  I made a few trips as well but tried to focus on getting things unpacked.  Ned lost his help at lunchtime, but his dad helped with a few things that afternoon.  By then, I had the entire kitchen unpacked, our bedroom and Avery's bedroom set up, and the furniture in place.

Avery came home before dinner and did not seemed bothered at all that her toys were in a new house.  She played, explored, and ate dinner.  She did have some big tears when I put her to bed, enough that I got her back up and rocked her.  She cried again when I laid her down, but quickly calmed down and slept all night.

We were all a bit tired on Mother's Day and decided against church.  I hate that we didn't go, get pictures, and do all the things that you are "supposed" to do, but I'm working really hard these days at doing what's right for us.  We rested, did some unpacking, went to the grocery store, and had dinner at Ned's parents', which is now right down the street.  Avery took a great first nap in her new room which is all the present I needed.

This week has been busy for us all.  I had conferences, our 3rd graders started their SOL testing, and I finally took myself to the doctor for a sinus infection I've been battling for weeks.  Ned had meetings and also still had many trips to make to the house to get odds and ends.  Each time I get things straight, he brings more stuff home!  We are now down to pictures and a few random things to get, so I am working on the last bit of unpacking and organizing.  We learned early in the week that we would not be closing on Friday, so that gave us extra time.  We would have preferred to close, though.  Our new date is set for next Monday.  The are closing on our house and our buyer's house that she sold in the same day and the lawyers are holding us up.  We're ready to stop paying for two houses so that we can get the next house started.  Avery has adjusted so well.  She fussed a bit until Wednesday night but has been sleeping all night without a peep.

Today Avery and I were finally able to attend a fun play date and got to meet lots of sweet new friends.  We missed out on several and were glad to be free to go today.  She was ready for a nap when we got home and didn't even want to sit with me first.  While she slept I was finally able to pay bills and work on doing some change of address.  Once she woke up I was able to get the laundry room organized and continued with the never-ending laundry.  Lolli and Poppa came for dinner since we didn't celebrate with them last weekend.  She was ready for bed again and I was ready to be able to blog.

I have been terrible about taking pictures the past 2 weeks.  Part of the problem is that Avery comes home from her day at the sitter's a bit dirty from living it up outside.  I still need to be capturing those memories though. 

Ned set up Avery's swing today in a tree in the front yard.  Avery seems a little unsure of the safety.

Peeking at Lolli and Poppa from the front porch.

Can you tell Lolli and Poppa were visiting?  The Avery Show was in full effect.

Pictures of the house to come soon.  Overall we're loving it!

At Least I Packed Avery

I am so proud of how I handled the move.  No major meltdowns (aside from Verizon), no bad moods, nothing lost, nothing broken, and things generally in place and unpacked (note: this only applies post-move, not the Thursday night before).

For someone who has not dealt well with how the cable changed this week as far as how the guide, DVR programming, etc. look, I have sailed into this new house thing.  I think Ned has been extremely amazed.  I'm expecting a present any day now.

With all that said, I've been feeling pretty good about things.  Until this morning, when I got a text from Ned that read, "Did you want the clothes in the washer?"  Hmmm...that can't be good.  Rarely does one put clothes in a washer without turning it on.  We haven't lived there since Saturday.  I'm fairly confident I hadn't done laundry since at least Thursday.  Not many ways that this can turn out well.

Luckily, the person buying our washer (who also owns the house we're living in) did not make it to pick them up today and did not witness this slip in my Suzy Homemaker self.

It took Ned telling me tonight what was in the washer for me to remember putting it in.  Last Thursday night, Avery had a massive blowout that I was unaware of due to a severe sinus problem I've got going on.  Unaware of it that is until I was running her bath and realized I had poop all over me, and she had poop all over her.  I stuck our clothes in after she went to bed, had a nervouse breakdown about moving, and never thought of them again.

I still say that if that's our only problem we did just fine.  The actual state of the clothes, though, is yet to be determined.  But, we've got phone and Internet once again, so if I want to tell you how the stinky clothes are doing tomorrow, I can do just that.

MIM (Missing in the Move)

Have no fear...we didn't kill each other, pack ourselves up, or move across the world. We had a great move Saturday and have almost everything out of the house and unpacked, although we found out today that our closing was pushed back. Fantastic. We're still on track to sell, and at least we're here and surprisingly settled.

The reason for the absence is that although Verizon continues to tell us our phone (and therefore Internet) has been turned on, it has in fact not. I am starting to raise my voice. I had high hopes of blogging tonight, but Verizon told me they were coming without actually telling their people to come. I'm typing with my thumb on my phone and am now awaiting service on Thursday. To borrow a phrase from Oprah, Verizon is not accentuating my pleasing personality.

Lots of updates and pictures to come, though it could be by carrier pigeon!

Tiny Wheel Tuesday

Tuesdays should not involve wheels that look like this.  Now that I think of it, no day of the week should.

Yesterday and today were filled with lots of housing-related appraisal stress that Ned and I didn't see coming.  Stress and concerns that put packing on hold, so it's been a rough week.  I left school today needing to run to Franklin and meet someone who was buying one of my Vera bags.  At the intersection leaving school, I kept hearing someone blowing the horn, but I assumed it was the person opposite me with his flashers on.  Nope, it was a co-worker blowing at me to tell me I had a tire going flat.  Fantastic.  I headed right to my parents while calling Ned.  Meeting this poor woman was now out of the question, and we hadn't exchanged numbers so I could get in touch with her.

Ned got on the road before being reminded that OnStar will send someone to fix a flat, bring gas, etc.  I pushed the blue button and set it up, but Ned continued on his merry way.  Meanwhile, my mom offered to go get Avery.  Ned decided to let the pro, who arrived in about 30 minutes, handle it.  Would you please check out that spare.  It's not even full-size.  I had full-size spares on my Explorers.  Do they think because it's a crossover it can operate on a Prius wheel?  (Sidenote: Not knocking Prius...after putting $70 in the tank yesterday and driving 60-70 miles per day, I could use a Prius...or Avery's Cozy Coupe).  Anyway, I decided against driving my leaning Buick that could not travel over 50 mph and let Ned have that fun.  He reported a slightly lopsided drive and a challenging time getting in the driveway.  Ned located the lovely nail I ran over, and we're hoping to patch our 2nd tire since we've had this car.

I have to sing praises again to OnStar for their fantastic service.  I rank their manners and politeness right up there with Chik-Fil-A employees.  I even got 2 follow-up calls making sure that I had been taken care of.   I like knowing that Avery and I have someone watching out for us on the many miles we cover each day.

In our family it's better to laugh than to cry, so we've been joking about my favorite Ron White story about his van becomming a tripod when a wheel completely came off.  Here's hoping the Buick is back on all fours tomorrow.

Week in Review ~ 4/30

We all had a quiet day on Monday.  Ned was off and got up with Avery so that I could sleep in a bit.  Avery and I stayed home all day, and Ned worked on moving some things into our storage unit.  Avery took a pretty good nap after her busy day on Sunday, and we got outside a few times.  I am having a horrible time with my sinuses, and even after staying up too late, I couldn't fall asleep.  I finally got on the couch at 1 a.m. and stayed until Avery got up.  I just couldn't get comfortable in the bed and was worried I was going to bother Ned.

On Tuesday Avery and I met Kristin for an early lunch.  Avery was very well-behaved, so she'll get invited to girls' day out again.  We delivered Mexican to Ned and the lady who works for him since Ned's mom is away this week.  Avery took a good nap and was awake but quiet in her bed when Lolli arrived for a little visit.  They played while I fixed dinner.  After dinner I went to check out our rental house.  I had high hopes of taking notes, paying attention, etc.  I enjoyed seeing the house and visiting with our friends who own it, but I took no notice of some of the things I really needed to pay attention to.  Oh well!  We should be able to get in again this weekend or early next week, and I can send Ned in for spacial issues.  I started watching The Voice, and Ned actually left it on that instead of Deadliest Catch.  I think we're both hooked.

Ned hopped out of bed to get Avery up Wednesday morning without me saying a word, so I was able to sleep until he needed to get ready for work.  Avery was kind of fussy, which I attributed to wanting to be outside all the time.  Our house was being appraised that morning so I was trying to straighten up and wait to get the call that the man was on the way.  He was in and out quickly.  That should be our last hurdle to clear before I can feel a little more confident in packing and knowing we've sold our house.  Avery took a super-short nap, so I left her in her bed for a good while.  She talked some and was quiet some and seems to be enjoying her crib a lot these days.  Lolli came and picked her up so that Ned and I could go off for our date night.

I got up Thursday morning when Ned did and got busy enjoying my quiet morning at home.  If I could pick any form of Mommy time, it would be time home alone in the house.  I need it every so often to recharge, and I'm so thankful that we have family who helps me with that.  I watched some TV, did laundry, baked banana bread, and worked on a photo banner for the blog.  I bookmarked a tutorial way back in December or January and had not tried it.  This was my first experience with Picasa, and the program and banner seemed pretty easy to use.  I don't know how much editing I'll do to my pictures, but I do have some other things up my sleeve for Picasa (another winter bookmark).  Just this week I signed up for a "mom" photography class this summer to learn more about my camera and how to get the best shots, so maybe there will be some editing info in that.  I picked up Avery right after her nap because they were calling for bad weather.  I was so relieved that the storms missed us tonight.  Avery and I played outside, then she played some more with Ned before he went off to a dinner.  Avery ate a big dinner, we played downstairs, then she went to bed.  I started my next book on my Kindle while waiting for Ned to get home, then we watched Grey's Anatomy.

Our Friday did not start off super-early to watch the royal wedding.  I was perfectly happy with the clips I caught on the Today Show and did manage to see the kiss.  Avery was sure William and Kate were waving to her.  We did some things in side and then did some playing outside.  Before lunch we went to CVS to pick up pictures I printed and got some lunch while we were out.  While Avery napped, I watched my soap and then read more of Something Borrowed.  She took a good nap and then stayed happily in her bed, causing me to get a little behind.  When I went in to get her, she had her feet propped up on the side of her crib.  We set off for Walmart later than I had hoped, which put me making The Pioneer Woman's enchiladas much later than I expected.  As sometimes happens, nothing could make Avery happy halfway into my cooking.  I was rushing because I thought I had to meet someone to sell a purse, and enchiladas have a lot of steps.  At one point, I leaned down to hug Avery and she pushed my legs down to sit on my lap right on the kitchen floor.  I hate that the time of day where she needs me so much falls at the cooking hour.  I eneded up giving her something else for dinner to help ease the tears since dinner and Ned were running late.  A little food perked her right up, and she even enjoyed some of my enchiladas.  We took a nice walk then Avery made a few laps in her beloved car.  After she went to bed, I finished Something Borrowed.  I thought it was really good and read the majority of it today.  I'm not sure if I'll convince Ned to see this one in the theatre, but I'd like to see it at some point.

Ned got up with Avery on Saturday since he was going fishing mid-morning.  Avery and I got a few things done around the house.  We tried to make The Pioneer Woman's Chocolate Sheetcake (can you tell I treated myself to her cookbook?), but an unnamed male had somehow mistaken my new, unopened buttermilk for some he used to fry fish in weeks ago.  I didn't feel like going out for more, so no sheetcake.  When Avery got up from her nap I made a green bean casserole to take to my parents.  Ned was late getting home, so Avery and I headed to Lolli and Poppa's and he came later.  We had dinner with them, and I learned that no is not a word frequently used there, as Avery got sad lips when I told her she couldn't drag Lolli around the house for the 10th time.  She is quite the star of the show in that house.  We put Avery in her pajamas and left a little after bedtime, but Avery was still awake when we got home around 8:15.  She went right to bed though, and I worked on getting pictures in picture albums.  I was WAY behind...like before Thanksgiving behind.

This should be the big moving week!  Our house does not indicate that we will be moving in one week.  I do have a plan though and keep reminding myself that even though we will move next weekend, we have until next Friday to have everything out.  Spring break came and went in the blink of an eye, and now it's time for testing in addition to moving.  We have 6 weeks of school left, but I'm focusing on getting through these next 3 weeks.  Hopefully I'll be able to report next weekend that we are settled in nicely and that Avery is adjusting well!