Well, all told, I heard we got about 9 inches of snow here. WOW! That's really something for this area. The kids' basketball games were canceled on Saturday. Church was canceled and so was the symphony performance on Sunday. Local schools are all closed today. It's a homeschool day for us, though! There's so much snow out there! It never got above freezing all weekend, so it's just sitting there. Today is a high of 38, though, so there's some melting action taking place now. We canceled basketball practices for tonight, too, because parking lots and a lot of local roads are still bad, at least in neighborhoods and parts of main roads.
So it was a pretty quiet weekend overall. I got some scrapbooking done (take a peek at my scrapbooking blog at http://www.kellysscrapbook.blogspot.com/). I had a lot of fun with that yesterday, as I was working on a contest where I had to follow a sketch.
I need to upload photos from my camera, but I'll have to post some snow pictures. Crazy!
The upside of today being February 1st is that we are now officially covered by health insurance once again! Hooray!
Monday, February 1, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
Blizzard of 2010?!?
Got hubby's W-2 this week. Turns out the new salary is $20K less than last year! Ugh! We'll work it out, though.
We're supposedly in for a big snowstorm this weekend, starting around midnight tonight. Some forecasts say 1-3 inches tonight followed by more tomorrow for a total of 6-10 inches! That would really be something. The kids are so excited! Hayden already has his snowsuit on, and the snow isn't starting until around midnight! LOL. Now that's enthusiasm!
It seems every local weather station says something completely different, so I'm relying on Weatherbug and the National Weather Service. I guess time will tell. Apparently, there's a possibility we could get a layer of ice from sleet underneath the snow. It's anybody's guess! I have lots of stuff to go out for this weekend, though, so I will have to watch what happens. The kids have basketball and cheerleading on Saturday morning until lunchtime, we have church on Sunday morning, and I have a ticket for the symphony on Sunday afternoon!
We're supposedly in for a big snowstorm this weekend, starting around midnight tonight. Some forecasts say 1-3 inches tonight followed by more tomorrow for a total of 6-10 inches! That would really be something. The kids are so excited! Hayden already has his snowsuit on, and the snow isn't starting until around midnight! LOL. Now that's enthusiasm!
It seems every local weather station says something completely different, so I'm relying on Weatherbug and the National Weather Service. I guess time will tell. Apparently, there's a possibility we could get a layer of ice from sleet underneath the snow. It's anybody's guess! I have lots of stuff to go out for this weekend, though, so I will have to watch what happens. The kids have basketball and cheerleading on Saturday morning until lunchtime, we have church on Sunday morning, and I have a ticket for the symphony on Sunday afternoon!
Monday, January 18, 2010
New Job!
Steve starts his new job today. He's going back to work for Bay Electric where he worked before this. It's been 4.5 years since he worked there last, and they've been so gracious to invite us to their company picnic every summer since he left, so we've maintained a relationship with them all this time. Steve went and met with them 2 days after he lost his job, and they had an offer letter to him the next day. That was a relief! The downside is that now he makes at least $15K less than he made last year. That's a real bummer because it means a total lifestyle change for us. I'll have to find a way to cut back at least $1,250/month going forward. Not sure where to find that many cutbacks. I think this is going to be a really rough year for us. He's essentially making what he started out making 4.5 years ago, so it's a bit of a step backwards. He is a project manager there, as he was at this last employer for most of the his time there, but right now, Bay only has him working on the electrical side of projects, which is pretty limiting since he's been doing general construction management for so long now. But I think they will expand his responsibilities over time. His first project is a new site in Georgia, and he'll be flying down periodically on one of the company's private jets to oversee that project. That ought to be interesting! They also have a company apartment down there, so if he has to stay overnight for any reason, at least he won't have to mess with hotels.
He won't get to take any vacation this year, so no annual family vacation for us to look forward to in 2010. The kids were really disappointed about that, and so was I. And he only gets 1 week/year instead of 2. Also, the health insurance will cost us more than before because the company is smaller.
Sigh. It's a lot for me to take in. He did get a company car and a gas card, so although he has a long commute to Newport News, at least we won't be paying for gas. We have to pay taxes on the commuting mileage, though.
I think we're gonna use our tax refund this year to go ahead and pay off his van. We only had a little over a year left to pay on it anyway, and that will get rid of a payment of $233/month. That's a start, but there's still a long way to go to squeak by. We have another huge credit card bill this month from Christmas expenses, the dogs' annual checkup at the vet, and the lifetime subscription to TIVO, which I did because our 3-year contract was up, and it was before he lost his job. So we'll have to recover from the last of these big expenses and then figure out how we'll get by thereafter.
I went grocery shopping yesterday, and I'm already shopping differently. No more convenience packaged items. Instead of baby carrots and apple slices that are ready to eat, I got regular carrots and whole apples...stuff like that. I didn't buy as much as usual, and I shopped only from my grocery list and skipped all the other aisles. I didn't get the kids any snacks beyond a $1 bag of pretzel sticks and a 62-cent bag of marshmallows. They'll just have to get used to less variety.
So anyway, wish me luck trying to figure out a new budget. It's gonna be a challenge!
He won't get to take any vacation this year, so no annual family vacation for us to look forward to in 2010. The kids were really disappointed about that, and so was I. And he only gets 1 week/year instead of 2. Also, the health insurance will cost us more than before because the company is smaller.
Sigh. It's a lot for me to take in. He did get a company car and a gas card, so although he has a long commute to Newport News, at least we won't be paying for gas. We have to pay taxes on the commuting mileage, though.
I think we're gonna use our tax refund this year to go ahead and pay off his van. We only had a little over a year left to pay on it anyway, and that will get rid of a payment of $233/month. That's a start, but there's still a long way to go to squeak by. We have another huge credit card bill this month from Christmas expenses, the dogs' annual checkup at the vet, and the lifetime subscription to TIVO, which I did because our 3-year contract was up, and it was before he lost his job. So we'll have to recover from the last of these big expenses and then figure out how we'll get by thereafter.
I went grocery shopping yesterday, and I'm already shopping differently. No more convenience packaged items. Instead of baby carrots and apple slices that are ready to eat, I got regular carrots and whole apples...stuff like that. I didn't buy as much as usual, and I shopped only from my grocery list and skipped all the other aisles. I didn't get the kids any snacks beyond a $1 bag of pretzel sticks and a 62-cent bag of marshmallows. They'll just have to get used to less variety.
So anyway, wish me luck trying to figure out a new budget. It's gonna be a challenge!
Friday, January 8, 2010
Bad news
We got some bad news on Tuesday. Steve lost his job. They gave us no notice or anything! They just created his new position 6 weeks ago, and I guess they decided they couldn't afford it after all. I think our health insurance ended the same day according to our benefits booklet, so that really stinks. He gave me the news by phone just as I was walking out from having my crown re-done again. I had bleeding problems again during the procedure and had to have an adrenaline injection into my gums to stop it. That wasn't fun! I felt like I had run a marathon. Anyway, it was all very surreal. I thought he was joking at first. In this economy, it's definitely not a good time to be looking for a job, especially in construction. He has such an impeccable reputation in his industry, though. Someone made him a job offer before he even got home. But he went yesterday (his birthday) to interview with his former employer from 4.5 years ago, and they offered him a job to start on the 18th. I think he's going to take it, although the salary is $15,000 less than he made last year! That will mean major lifestyle adjustments around here. That's a big owie, for sure. It's also on the other side of the water, so he'll be back to a long commute each day. Hopefully, they will give him a company car, like he had when he worked there before. That would help cut costs, too, by not having to pay for gas and wear and tear on a vehicle. He has been doing so much traveling lately, and it costs a lot. He had a vehicle allowance at his most recent job, but no direct reimbursement. I imagine we will need to get rid of one of our vans to get rid of a car payment, but we owe more on them than they are worth at this point. Not good. Sigh. We haven't been sleeping so well this week, and we're all sick with colds, too. I have a doctor's appointment next week that I can't miss, and it seems we have no health insurance now. Steve is gonna call the Benefits department today and see how to get COBRA coverage, but of course, that will be a big expense, too. I'm not sure how long the waiting period for insurance is with the new job, but I think it's at least 30 days.
Anyway, it's weird for us right now. Not sure what to do with ourselves. I know everything will work out in the end, though. At he won't be unemployed for long.
Anyway, it's weird for us right now. Not sure what to do with ourselves. I know everything will work out in the end, though. At he won't be unemployed for long.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Holden's First Day of "School!"
Today was Holden's first day of "school!" I stayed up until 1 AM this morning trying to set up a schedule for Sonlight's PK 3/4 program. It comes with just a checklist of things to read and do, but I really wanted a schedule to hold me accountable and balance out the workload. I had tried to put it into a table the way I do the other kids' schedules, but because most of his stories are in treasuries, typing the long names out made it so it wouldn't fit in a traditional scheduling table. So I decided to download the free basic version of Homeschool Tracker and plug it into that to see if it would give me a decent printable schedule to use, and it worked out great! I loved how I didn't have to keep retyping the information...I could just select it from the drop-down menu of resources, and I didn't have to duplicate my efforts. Anyway, I had to do a little tweaking at first, but I stayed at it until I got the first trimester all entered in before I went to bed. Then I added some of the second trimester this morning and got it done all the way through June. So I went ahead and printed out this week's school schedule for him, and he and I sat down and did yesterday's and today's assignments and got all caught up.
I was surprised at how excited he was! He just turned two last week. I asked him if he wanted to sing some songs first, and he said yes and climbed up to the bar and sat beside me like Haylee does for school. It was so cute! I put the disc of Wee Sing Nursery Rhyme songs in my laptop, and we did a couple of them together. He clapped along and smiled and really enjoyed them! Then we read a couple of storybooks and a couple of bible stories. He was really interested in the Picture Book Classics. He really paid attention and pointed to things in the pictures and named them. I could tell he really enjoyed it! The book of bible stories was way beyond him and far too long to hold his interest. I might reschedule those for the end of the year when his vocabulary is a little more advanced, and I'll just substitute the Rhyme Bible Storybook for Toddlers to use right now. I think that's more his speed at this point, and it has very coloful illustrations and short rhyming text. I remember reading that to Hayden when he was this age.
So anyway, all in all, it was very successful! I think I'll do his school with him in the mornings when he is fresh, before I start school with Hayden and Haylee.
Hayden and Haylee are both sick with a nasty cold, and I have to get some serious dental work done this afternoon. I've had two crowns on the same tooth, and it fell out again last week. I think I'm gonna have to get an implant today. Not fun. Maybe they can try recementing this one again. I'm not sure what the problem was. They used a post to support it this last time, so it wasn't supposed to be able to fall out. The dentist says the base of the tooth may have cracked this time, in which case I'll have to do a partial denture or an implant. I just turned 38, so there's no way I'm getting a denture! I don't want a metal crown, either, because it shows when I smile. It's shameful how much money I've had to spend on this tooth already, between the root canal, the first crown, the recementation, the second crown, and now the implant alone will cost over $2,000. Sigh. Always something.
I was surprised at how excited he was! He just turned two last week. I asked him if he wanted to sing some songs first, and he said yes and climbed up to the bar and sat beside me like Haylee does for school. It was so cute! I put the disc of Wee Sing Nursery Rhyme songs in my laptop, and we did a couple of them together. He clapped along and smiled and really enjoyed them! Then we read a couple of storybooks and a couple of bible stories. He was really interested in the Picture Book Classics. He really paid attention and pointed to things in the pictures and named them. I could tell he really enjoyed it! The book of bible stories was way beyond him and far too long to hold his interest. I might reschedule those for the end of the year when his vocabulary is a little more advanced, and I'll just substitute the Rhyme Bible Storybook for Toddlers to use right now. I think that's more his speed at this point, and it has very coloful illustrations and short rhyming text. I remember reading that to Hayden when he was this age.
So anyway, all in all, it was very successful! I think I'll do his school with him in the mornings when he is fresh, before I start school with Hayden and Haylee.
Hayden and Haylee are both sick with a nasty cold, and I have to get some serious dental work done this afternoon. I've had two crowns on the same tooth, and it fell out again last week. I think I'm gonna have to get an implant today. Not fun. Maybe they can try recementing this one again. I'm not sure what the problem was. They used a post to support it this last time, so it wasn't supposed to be able to fall out. The dentist says the base of the tooth may have cracked this time, in which case I'll have to do a partial denture or an implant. I just turned 38, so there's no way I'm getting a denture! I don't want a metal crown, either, because it shows when I smile. It's shameful how much money I've had to spend on this tooth already, between the root canal, the first crown, the recementation, the second crown, and now the implant alone will cost over $2,000. Sigh. Always something.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Scrapbook Stuff
So I mentioned that I got a subscription to Storytellers Club monthly scrapbooking kits for Christmas. I wanted to post the first layout I did using the free trial kit that I got. Here is a photo. I'd love to hear feedback! I used a page from the "Just Add Water" theme and a page from the "Family" theme in the kit. This was a camping trip we took to the Colonial Williamsburg KOA a few years ago. We spent the day at the pool and the evening by the campfire. Let me know what you think! I used a matching sheet of the paper to cut out the flowers and suspend them with pop dots over the prints of the same flowers underneath. I thought it turned out pretty cool. I love the papers from Storytellers!
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Family Emergency & Holiday Stuff
It's been ages since I've posted. That's mostly because my mother suffered a devastating stroke on Halloween. Actually, it was the night before, but she wasn't discovered until the afternoon of Halloween. She was paralyzed on her right side, was unable to speak or communicate in any way, was blind in her right eye, and deaf in one ear. It pains me to think of all the hours she laid awake in that bed, unable to move and wondering what was happening to her. And this was just a few days after her 74th birthday.
She was taken to the hospital and stayed there for about 2.5 weeks. My sister went to be with her the week or so, and I flew there with Holden to help her the last week. Before I left, I was able to get her transferred to a rehabilitation hospital. She has been undergoing intensive physical, speech, and occupational therapy there. She has improved by leaps and bounds. I have to hand it to her...she is a strong lady, and she has a wonderfully positive outlook. She is now re-learning how to walk with a walker. She is speaking pretty clearly, though more slowly, and she still struggles to find the right words. But at least she can communicate now! She has regained sight in her right eye, and I think her hearing has come back, as well. She has pretty much regained most everything except the use of her right arm. Her right arm only works in the shoulder and upper arm. She can't lift it by herself, but if someone supports her elbow to lower arm, she can push with her upper arm and shoulder. They sometimes place it in a sling so she doesn't injure her arm, and then she can push with her arm, like to maneuver a walker that's been specially adapted for her. She's doing great! They think she may eventually get the use of her arm and hand back, and obviously, that would be wonderful!
I'm so glad I was able to go and help her. She needed a lot of assistance in the beginning, and she wasn't getting very much attention at the first hospital. I enjoyed spending that time with her so much. I was only able to go because my dear friend came over every day in my absence to do lessons with Hayden and Haylee, and Steve came home extra early every day so she wouldn't have to spend all day here. It was great to be able to focus my attention on my mom and not have to worry with what was going on at home. That was such a blessing.
So I came back and sped through entertaining for Thanksgiving. It went really well. We had 4 extra adult guests for dinner and a baby. We all had such a lovely day together. My mom got to go home on a day pass to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner at home, and my sister-in-law arrived that week to help my mom out and make dinner that day. She is still there spending time with her at the hospital until the end of next week. So my mom has been very fortunate to have continuous help from family. That's wonderful! I talked to my mom on Thanksgiving Day, and she really enjoyed seeing her home again. They expect her to be home by Christmas for good, but if she is still making progress, then they will continue to keep her. They are really happy with her progress so far.
Now it's on to Christmas! This time of year always speeds by. I love the holiday season! I really get into the Christmas spirit. I had the best Black Friday shopping day ever, and I didn't even go out early. I got a lot of great deals online that morning, and then I didn't go out until almost lunchtime, but I hit the mall and got almost everything else I needed there. The deals seem to abound this year! I had all my holiday shopping completed by the end of the day, but the Cyber Monday came. More deals abounded online, so I did a little more shopping. I don't really have the money for any of this stuff, but we're going to be dipping into savings for bills this month anyway with my unexpected trip to AR, so I'll just wipe it all out that way.
I'm so excited because Steve let me join Storytellers Club as my big Christmas present! I signed up yesterday. I will start with the December Ultimate Scrapbooking Kit, but I also ordered the January, February, March, and October 2009 kits at a steep discount. That should be plenty to get me started! Each one makes up to 16 layouts, so I will definitely have enough materials to keep me busy. They are seasonal kits, but you can definitely adapt them for any occasion. I just LOVE the papers! Very good qualty, double-sided prints with a different print on each side, plus Bazzill textured cardstock perfectly coordinated to the colors of the prints. Then there are chipboard embellishments, ribbons, and other goodies to go with it, plus a pen. I love how everything in the kit coordinates perfectly. I really have a hard time finding cardstock solids in the craft stores around here that actually match the prints that are available, so that was the part that really sold me on doing the club. Steve says I can do it for a year, so that's really cool! My stuff ships today, and I should be getting it some time late next week. If you're interested in checking it out, try the free trial kit first. http://www.storytellersclub.com/. And they are having a pack sale right now on past packs. Monthly ultimate kits are about $33 including shipping, but the past packs are on clearance right now for $13 for the first one and $10 for each additional one, plus $6 shipping on the whole order. You don't have to be a member to take advantage of this sale, so check it out: www.storytellersclub.com/packsale. That's definitely a deal!
We went on a kids' discovery cruise field trip yesterday on the Spirit of Norfolk. That was fun. I took some people from church with me, and we all went to the zoo afterwards. It was really cold, but we had a nice leisurely afternoon in the company of good friends, and that's always a great way to spend a day.
Now I have to get everyone focused on schoolwork again. We're really just now getting back into the swing of things since I've gotten back from my trip. The kids are really distracted, so I know this whole month will probably be a struggle.
I got my tree put up this weekend and put lights on it, but I haven't added any of the decorations yet. I did wrap some presents, though. I've been so busy!
Well, gotta run. I'll post some pics from Halloween later.
She was taken to the hospital and stayed there for about 2.5 weeks. My sister went to be with her the week or so, and I flew there with Holden to help her the last week. Before I left, I was able to get her transferred to a rehabilitation hospital. She has been undergoing intensive physical, speech, and occupational therapy there. She has improved by leaps and bounds. I have to hand it to her...she is a strong lady, and she has a wonderfully positive outlook. She is now re-learning how to walk with a walker. She is speaking pretty clearly, though more slowly, and she still struggles to find the right words. But at least she can communicate now! She has regained sight in her right eye, and I think her hearing has come back, as well. She has pretty much regained most everything except the use of her right arm. Her right arm only works in the shoulder and upper arm. She can't lift it by herself, but if someone supports her elbow to lower arm, she can push with her upper arm and shoulder. They sometimes place it in a sling so she doesn't injure her arm, and then she can push with her arm, like to maneuver a walker that's been specially adapted for her. She's doing great! They think she may eventually get the use of her arm and hand back, and obviously, that would be wonderful!
I'm so glad I was able to go and help her. She needed a lot of assistance in the beginning, and she wasn't getting very much attention at the first hospital. I enjoyed spending that time with her so much. I was only able to go because my dear friend came over every day in my absence to do lessons with Hayden and Haylee, and Steve came home extra early every day so she wouldn't have to spend all day here. It was great to be able to focus my attention on my mom and not have to worry with what was going on at home. That was such a blessing.
So I came back and sped through entertaining for Thanksgiving. It went really well. We had 4 extra adult guests for dinner and a baby. We all had such a lovely day together. My mom got to go home on a day pass to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner at home, and my sister-in-law arrived that week to help my mom out and make dinner that day. She is still there spending time with her at the hospital until the end of next week. So my mom has been very fortunate to have continuous help from family. That's wonderful! I talked to my mom on Thanksgiving Day, and she really enjoyed seeing her home again. They expect her to be home by Christmas for good, but if she is still making progress, then they will continue to keep her. They are really happy with her progress so far.
Now it's on to Christmas! This time of year always speeds by. I love the holiday season! I really get into the Christmas spirit. I had the best Black Friday shopping day ever, and I didn't even go out early. I got a lot of great deals online that morning, and then I didn't go out until almost lunchtime, but I hit the mall and got almost everything else I needed there. The deals seem to abound this year! I had all my holiday shopping completed by the end of the day, but the Cyber Monday came. More deals abounded online, so I did a little more shopping. I don't really have the money for any of this stuff, but we're going to be dipping into savings for bills this month anyway with my unexpected trip to AR, so I'll just wipe it all out that way.
I'm so excited because Steve let me join Storytellers Club as my big Christmas present! I signed up yesterday. I will start with the December Ultimate Scrapbooking Kit, but I also ordered the January, February, March, and October 2009 kits at a steep discount. That should be plenty to get me started! Each one makes up to 16 layouts, so I will definitely have enough materials to keep me busy. They are seasonal kits, but you can definitely adapt them for any occasion. I just LOVE the papers! Very good qualty, double-sided prints with a different print on each side, plus Bazzill textured cardstock perfectly coordinated to the colors of the prints. Then there are chipboard embellishments, ribbons, and other goodies to go with it, plus a pen. I love how everything in the kit coordinates perfectly. I really have a hard time finding cardstock solids in the craft stores around here that actually match the prints that are available, so that was the part that really sold me on doing the club. Steve says I can do it for a year, so that's really cool! My stuff ships today, and I should be getting it some time late next week. If you're interested in checking it out, try the free trial kit first. http://www.storytellersclub.com/. And they are having a pack sale right now on past packs. Monthly ultimate kits are about $33 including shipping, but the past packs are on clearance right now for $13 for the first one and $10 for each additional one, plus $6 shipping on the whole order. You don't have to be a member to take advantage of this sale, so check it out: www.storytellersclub.com/packsale. That's definitely a deal!
We went on a kids' discovery cruise field trip yesterday on the Spirit of Norfolk. That was fun. I took some people from church with me, and we all went to the zoo afterwards. It was really cold, but we had a nice leisurely afternoon in the company of good friends, and that's always a great way to spend a day.
Now I have to get everyone focused on schoolwork again. We're really just now getting back into the swing of things since I've gotten back from my trip. The kids are really distracted, so I know this whole month will probably be a struggle.
I got my tree put up this weekend and put lights on it, but I haven't added any of the decorations yet. I did wrap some presents, though. I've been so busy!
Well, gotta run. I'll post some pics from Halloween later.
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