Cross One Off Of The Bucket List!

DONE.

And if you think that was way too fast, just know that most of the book was already written and not just within my blog.  I had an equal amount of stories set aside just in case I ever found the time to put the book together.  Thank goodness for unemployment.

When the kids returned from school yesterday and saw that the book was completed, they both got really excited and told me they were going to read it.  I was really nervous.  They don't usually read anything that I write.  So I was happily relieved when Mae kept laughing and saying, "I remember that!"  Then, the best compliment of all was, "I REALLY like the way you describe us.  It fits perfect."  And then, THEN...I wouldn't have even believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, but KENNY read part of it!!!  He NEVER reads my blog.  Like, EVER.  A few pages in, he looked at me and said, "This is actually good.  I want to keep reading and I never want to keep reading."  I nearly fainted.

Now the unfortunate news: I'm pretty sure that writing and editing and reading and re-reading the final version at least six times was the easy part.  I've been reading online pretty much anything I can find that I think my help me get published.  I even ordered a book off of amazon titled "How to Publish a Book."  Yes, I see the irony.  So for now, I'll be sending my completed manuscript off to a whole bunch of places and hoping to hear back from them (but from what I'm reading, that will take at least six to twelve months.)  In the mean time, I suppose it's never too early to get started on Book #2!

Time to write my heart out.

Please be patient with me as I try to write a book.  A lot of it will come from what is already written in this blog, but I also want to put in a bunch of new stuff.  Since there's only so much in me, this means that the blogs will be few and far between.

You are getting very sweepy.

Last night, as Mae and I were working on her family tree assignment and chatting away, I cautiously asked her the loaded question, "So, have you thought about what you want for Christmas?"  I braced myself for a long list of toys that I've never heard of but instead, Mae shot up onto her knees from her previous tummy position and radiance beamed throughout her entire being as she excitedly said, "I want a broom, Steve!"  For reasons unbeknownst to me, she sometimes calls me Steve, but that didn't bug me nearly as much as the fact that she wanted a broom for Christmas.  I said, "Really?  A broom?  Because you know we already have one of those, right?"  She corrected me, "No, YOU have one.  I don't.  Sometimes when you're sweeping, I wanna sweep, too.  We could work together, you know."  Oh...kay?  I told her that if she was a really good girl and went and took a bath now, that maybe Santa-Mom could swing a broom for her.  She did as she was told.  About five minutes later, I heard the running water come to a halt and Mae yelled, "MOM?!"  I yelled back, "YEAH?" and she replied, "I WANT A DUST PAN, TOO!"  Oh, my. 

Handy Mandy. (Get it?)

The first half of the day was spent working out in the muddy rain, renewing the dog's outdoor pen into a suitable living area for them to thrive in from now on.  And this time, I mean it!  Big dogs should just not be indoors.  I suppose there are exceptions, but big dogs who share a home with three cats and like to swim in the pond and jump in the mud puddles should definitely NOT be indoors.  Maybe it's not that bad.  Maybe I just annoy easily. Or maybe it was my upbringing, Dad constantly teaching me that dogs are good animals and dogs are fun animals but only, only, ONLY if they stay out of the house.  You just get used to things, you know?  And don't worry, they have a whole shed with two doghouses and their very own blankies inside.  They're not exactly 'roughing it'. 

 Next up: cooking lasagna and fixing the toilet that hasn't flushed properly in nearly a year.  But those two tasks are very separate, I want you to know.  And next next up:  redoing Mae's bedroom floor.  And probably Kyler's, too, because sometimes I think that life actually should be fair.  Nearly every carpet in our house was disgustingly dirty when we moved in, then add the five animals and two children and one Kenny and...one by one, I will be putting in new flooring.  I might even let Kenny help me.  I might even let him do most of the work while I idly stand nearby and supervise.

In the realization that I am actually sitting here watching daytime television in between paragraphs, I am getting away from this computer, this television and this entire living room.  I have a toilet to fix!

Why I quit my job. Again.

Life has taken another very swift turn, which I would have updated last week except my blog did not want me posting anything, apparently.  So let's catch you up: I came home on a Thursday night after a very long day of work to find Kenny excitedly standing at the front door.  I asked him what was up and he said, "I got a call for a job interview today."  This was good news, as he had been looking for work, so I asked when the interview was.  "It was today."  Based on his non-stop smile and inability to stand still, I assumed it went well, so I asked about pay and start date.  It doesn't seem appropriate to list his pay here, but it is better than mine.  "I start tomorrow."  He then told me how we would be working the exact same hours, including Saturdays.  Immediately panicked, I asked who will put the kids on the bus, retrieve them from the bus and get them to basketball games and wrestling meets on Saturdays.  This is when Kenny got really excited and said, "Quit your job!"  When the kids heard this, they both did a victory dance.  (I think they miss me).  After a very long family discussion, we decided that it only makes sense that I quit my job and find something with different hours.  I liked working for the post office.  I did.  But I would be lying if I said I was looking forward to working in the winter snow, sleet and downright cold.  And last Tuesday, when the hail was pouring down, I honestly called Kenny at work and when he couldn't talk, I deemed it an emergency.  I told him, "You need to know that I am thankful to not be working right now."  I was serious as serious could be.  

So for the past week, I have been cleaning insanely to make up for the six months that Kenny "cleaned".  Organization is once again becoming the method of our household and the calendar now has reminders on it, thus getting the children to all of their never-ending and very important scheduled events on time.  The fridge is stalked and the plants are returning to the land of the living, rather than the brink of death that Kenny has had them skating across since May.  All animals now have been updated on shots, with one going in this very Thursday to be spayed.  The car is in the shop and the Jeep is going next.  As you can see, I have much to keep me busy.

On the night of the day that we decided I would be quitting my job, we laid in bed and I talked about all of the things I would miss and the equal amount of things I wouldn't miss about my job.  I couldn't write it before because I could lose my job, but seriously, if you get bit by a dog while working for the post office, they will fire you because it is "preventable".  So I "didn't" get bit by two dogs.  This is something that I am looking very forward to: not getting bit.  But something I will miss is the exercise.  So I lay there and tell Kenny, "I'm so glad I don't have to deal with dogs anymore.  But I hope I don't get fat."  Kenny, being the loving husband he is, simply patted my knee and said, "Oh, honey.  I hope you don't get fat, too."  This prompted the carrying-in of the treadmill the very next day.  Yes, the same treadmill that I hauled out to the garage just one month ago because, "I don't need THIS anymore!"  So we hauled it in and I plugged it into the nearest outlet to ensure that it worked and...nothing.  I pressed every button on the thing and...still nothing.  So Kenny let out a good grunt and got out his tools.  This is when Adam (his brother) showed up and together, they decided they could fix my treadmill.  After a few choice curse words, with Adam sitting on the belt of the treadmill (the one you walk on, not the one that runs it), Kenny decided to press the power button to see if it was working yet.  Of course, he did this with no warning, so when the belt began twirling at full speed, Adam went flying off of it at full speed.  Highlight of our night!  So now I am back to daily running.  I didn't even realize how much I had missed it!

So that's that.  I'm currently kind of looking for a job.  I say 'kind of' because there is still so much to do around here that I am just not in a huge hurry.  I've missed being with the kids all of the time.  I've missed their sporting events.  I've even missed helping them with their homework.  So for today, I shall clean and cook and Mae has an exciting family tree to work on.  But soon, I will be finding a new job.