Wait? What? August?

Holy Crap!
This summer has flown by! We have less than a month until K4 starts her sophomore year of high school! That's crazy! (Eww... and it means school shopping!)
So, I know I was gone for a little while. Sorry about that! I was in crazy mode working on my edits! Got those sent back in, but will have at least one more round before my book comes out!
We had Baby B on Saturday night. He'd stayed Friday night with K2. (Mom and Dad had their first weekend away and had no cell reception!) K4 and I picked him up Saturday afternoon. He had a blast with K2, J, and Baby C! We did some running around, played in the backyard for a little, and then he came into the living room and plopped down on a bean bag and said he needed a nap. I picked him up to try to figure out what was wrong and he threw up all over me and the floor. Wasn't sure what was up at that point. Checked the juice I'd just bought to make sure it was good. It was. He bounced back a bit and was hanging with That Man and I as we worked on my new ride (more on that in a bit). He was sitting in the front seat and ended up throwing up again. And then again, and again. Poor baby! We felt so bad for him! It wasn't as bad of a night as we expected. He was up early and hungry. Thankfully feeling better! Mom and Dad came to get him shortly after noon. They felt really bad he was sick, but we wouldn't have called anyway. Been there, done that. Plus we could have reached them in an emergency, but some puke isn't an emergency.
And NOW... K4 has it... She is currently moaning and has thrown up several times already. Poor baby! That Man and I made a run for Gatorade, Ginger Ale, ice, and soup. We're kind of afraid. I mean, I was puked on several times. He cleaned up puke several times. K4 quarantined herself after the second time Baby B threw up and she's in rough shape right now... So...
So, my new ride! I got a fantastic deal on a 99 Jeep Wrangler. I love her! Her name is Polly after my momma. She is fun to drive, has a sweet convertible top, and is a 5 speed. She needs some rust tlc... more than we thought (we just found something unpleasant tonight and I'm a little scared!) We took care of the one spot and discovered another in the process. Ugh.
I'll post a picture of my new ride and my new book cover within the next few days!
Behave!!

Yeah...Well...

So... the cold thing has hit me...
I'm trying so hard to soldier through. Taking meds (forgive me for typing errors). Using a ton of tissues. Wishing I could sleep for sixteen years. I'm showing up for my job and doing my best. (I'm not sure the folks I'm working with feel the same. I'm training in retail for the next few weeks, so I'm bugging the guys in the store and trying to learn how to do all of that stuff...)
I'm tired...
I'm trying so hard to do everything I have to do. My feet are killing me. I purchased new shoes tonight. New shoes that cost more than I wanted to spend, but they feel so nice on my oh-so-sore-feet! I hope I feel the same way tomorrow.
I need to go to bed...
But... I still love my new job...
Behave!

Puppy - Week One

We've had a whole week with Elsa!
Look at how big she's getting! Gained two pounds and some inches!
The biting is still an issue, but this will pass. She's done well the past two days, even with Baby B here. Potty training is going well, too! She can now go up the stairs, but not down. A trip for baby gates is in our immediate future. We needed them for Baby B anyway, though we've been successful at blocking off the living room in a way he can't escape.
Baby B and Elsa are so adorable together! Elsa must look at him as a sibling and Baby B copies her movements. When Elsa puts her paw up, he puts his arm up. Too stinking cute!
Other than that -
It's Thursday. The kids were supposed to go back to school today, but all three of us woke with a splitting headache and nausea. The headache was so bad that even with pain reliever on board, it hurt to move or find a comfortable place for my head. The second dose helped more and I was able to grudgingly leave the house for a grocery store run. My tire was very very low and I had to put air in it or face changing a flat. No gloves and the stupid machine was frozen so it took a long time to warm up enough to actually kick on the compressor to give me air. I was so very cold!
Job interview yesterday. When I parked, I ended up sliding into the pile of plowed snow. I think I looked like a stupid jerk as I slid and spun before sticking the 'burban in four wheel drive. Ugh! I am very hopeful for this position though. I thought the interview went well. I liked everyone I met and I'm excited about the position. Fingers crossed!
That is all.
Behave!

Lost...

I have no idea what day it is...
So that cold I mentioned on Sunday... well, turns out it's the flu. Yay me! I'm on day 5 - doing better today, but still not right. I spent a lot of time on the couch today - in between editing, setting up job interviews, and moaning. It's been a long week. Monday night and Tuesday morning, I dragged my sorry butt to job interviews. I have no idea how I think they went. My head hurt so badly on Monday, I could barely focus, but I was glad I went.
Yesterday it was extremely cold here. So cold they closed schools yesterday and delayed them today. Yeah, ridiculously cold. Temps are supposed to be on the rise now. Hopefully.
And...
Our new puppy's name is... Elsa.
She's a princess from Frozen (which I haven't seen yet, but K4 has). After holding her, it really suits her. We did do it the fair way though - each of us chose two names and we put them in a hat. I think her name was meant to be Elsa, because obviously that's what was picked! Still 3 weeks until we can pick her up and it's killing us!
That's all for now. I have to moan some more.
Behave!

Post Christmas...

Christmas was wonderful. And yes, that feeling I posted about stayed until late evening when I realized it was time to go back to reality!
It's Thursday already. Yay for short weeks!
Today was my 2 year anniversary at the day job. Unbelievable that I've been there that long. I got a delivery of beautiful pink flowers and was thanked for my service. And it was a crazy busy day.
The snow didn't last long, but it was cool while it did. Now the wind is howling as we watch another storm roll in for the weekend. Yay! Hello, winter!
I also seem to have received K4's illness. Joy. At first I thought it was the flowers, not that I'm allergic, but smelling them constantly all day... well, I'd hoped that was why my muscles were aching, my head and throat hurt, and my sinuses filled up. Apparently not. While the flowers are now in my house (being eyed up by the cat), my symptoms have gotten worse. I feel like I've been up for four days straight - every muscle aches, my head feels detached, I'm sneezing and my nose is running.
Still...I'm doing laundry, the dishes have been washed and put away, lunches packed... and I'm done... I'm catching up on email and thinking about how to get through the day tomorrow.
This time next week, I'll be deep in baby shower / housewarming / wedding shower mode, finishing up my term as president with transferring some official documents, and it'll be 2013. Then, the official wedding planning begins. We'll be having Christmas with K5 somewhere around there, and then the new grandson arrives. Also, my adopted sister's baby girl is due any time now and I need to deliver the baby gift.
Oy! I'm going to bed...
Behave!

It's Only Wednesday?

Geeze. This week!
Remember me talking about K4 coming down with the flu on Saturday? Turns out, it was a highly contagious flu. Took out four out of five of us - that man and I only hours apart on Monday. (I woke with K4 at 5am on Saturday, then when she got up again - around 9, the man helped her out. I got it at 5 am Monday morning and he got it around 9 - how's that for precision?) What an awful day! I won't go into the gory details, but there was moaning involved. If K2's going to get it, she should have woken up with it this morning, but so far so good. (K3 had it Thursday, but a milder version) Anyway. That's something I do not want to repeat ever.
This morning we woke to the freezer door being left open overnight. So far, no one has fessed up. I guess it was the ghosts, or maybe aliens. (Unless the dog and cat had a party overnight?) Luckily, Mother Hubbard's cupboard is bare at the moment, so nothing of importance (except a almost empty bag of ice) was sacrificed. And, bonus, tonight's dinner was pre-defrosted. The poor compressor was chugging like it was on its last leg, but finally evened out and made everything frozen again, which is a definite relief.
Oh! And it's only Wednesday! Cripes!
And I'll stop there, because you definitely do not want to know what my cat has been doing (or not doing) this week, and I know you don't want to hear about the kid arguments (saving those for Summer Survival).
Behave!

Weekend Wrap Up...

Birthday weekends are awesome! You get to begin celebrating early and continue all weekend. Which I did.
Saturday was a good day - slept in, stayed in my jammies all day, read, wrote. The man made a fantastic dinner and cleaned up. We had good conversation and laughter. The 'rents stopped by with a present for me and I didn't do anything I didn't want to do.
Today was working on the sidewalk. We have to "bring them up to code" because our town is repaving the roads and all sidewalks have to be repaired and stuff. Our deadline is looming. The man was out there grinding cracks and slinging cement. We "think" they're about done, but have to have the code guy come out and check. Our repairs weren't nearly as bad as we thought - not like other property owners, which is lucky for us, but still work.
I made major writing progress. Did laundry, grocery shopped, made dinner, swept the floor (a million times, because of all of the dust).
The bad thing about today is that my kid is sick. We thought she was having an allergic reaction to face paint from an event she went to last night, but a fever of 102.5* (with motrin on board) says differently. Now she's coughing. I can hear her misery and it makes me sad.
And...tomorrow is Monday. Again. I really could use one more day of sleeping in and relaxing...
Behave!

The Flu...

I have it and I'm not happy about it.
I'm out of tissues. I hate the way the medicine makes me feel. I'm tired of snot and aches. I'm digusted that I've lost two (going on three) days to these stupid germs.
I must go lay on the couch and moan now...
Behave!