Holy cow! It's been almost 2 years since I have posted anything here! That's got to change.
Lots has happened since March 5, 2013. My sweet baby boy graduated high school and sang at the graduation! Baby Girl became a teenager last summer and is just like me. My first born moved in with some friends but that didn't work out (the move or the friends). He also lost a job and found another he really loves.We moved in with Dad for economic reasons as well as just because Steve and I decided we would feel better if we were around more often and Dad has gotten where he needs someone with him more, emotionally more than physically, but still.
I have worked some unofficially as a receptionist/office manager/bookkeeper. It really just reinforced to me that I have too long been out of practice. I also worked seasonally at AC Moore and am currently still the crochet instructor. I am also now a certified crochet instructor level 1! I completed the Level 1 Crochet Instructor course through the Craft Yarn Council. I just got the email today that my certificate and pin are being shipped tomorrow!!!!
Steve has lost the last 20-ish pounds he needed to lose. It's funny how much he and the kids are so different since moving to Dad's and out of the moldy house: Dorinda and Stephen are no longer having as many problems with allergy flare-ups. Gideon and Dorinda are both having an easier time keeping their eczema under control and Dorinda doesn't breakout in a rash of fever blisters after being sick that included a fever above 100. Stevie has actually put on weight! He's been a size 28 waist since the 7th grade. He is actually having to get bigger pants, not just longer.
My differences have been more subtle. I haven't lost weight or otherwise gotten healthier. I have had less trouble with depression at least as far as frequency goes. I sleep better. And I am able to do baking much more often! I also have had fewer colds/allergy problems since the move.
Dad has been through 4 funerals in the time since my last post. He's lost 3 brothers and a nephew. He is the last surviving brother now. It has been very hard on him, but with the last 3 happening all within 4 months, I think he appreciated us being here even more.
There has been adjusting and big time. Dad is a heavy smoker and started out using a kerosene heater as supplement heat. The smoke is bad, but we're somewhat used to that. The heater though was awful! It stank and even smoked one time and it didn't really save any money on fuel. So, we finally got him talked around to stop using it. It's better now. And the sound of the furnace coming on and running is a very comforting sound to me. I like it better than the little tick-tick-tick sound that I lived with for almost 20 years. Dad goes to bed super early and gets up accordingly. That took some getting used to as well. However, we all feel better about being able to keep a better eye on Dad and Dad is tickled to have the house full of people again. I didn't truly realize how lonely he was until we moved in. I could use less of Bonanza, Gunsmoke, and Walker, Texas Ranger. I feel like I should have saddle sores sometimes. Oh, and The Rifleman for 3 hours on Saturday mornings! Holy moly there's a lot of cowboys.
My childhood home (where I spent a big chunk of my childhood living on and off) is now gone. The state finally bought the property for the highway and the house is now officially gone. There's nothing left but the maple tree. At least as of the week of Christmas the tree was still there. I hope that it will still be there this spring so I can get Mama to collect me some seeds so I can try to get one started. I would love to have a child of that ancient tree at my house.
Steve is continually evolving display space for his armor & weapons. Between him and the boys we have a little bit of an arsenal :) Swords and axes and maces, oh my! Love it! Dorinda finally has her own room and loves being able to close the door any time she wants to. I'm still working on getting a way to store yarn and still have it accessible. My yarn stash is no where near what it once was. When we were moving I found that the mold had gotten into a huge amount of it so there was a lot that was thrown away. Another big chunk of it was donated to various Girl Scout events. I now have a tote box with some in it in the storage building, but it's not very accessible and it's mostly scraps of various weights/types of yarn from other projects. Both the boys are working now. They are well on their way to independence :)
So, that's been my last year or so. I'm looking forward to this year. It's my last time preparing for high school. Dorinda is getting ready to start on her Girl Scout Silver Award and the boys are preparing to get me one step closer to being an empty-nester.
One of my goals this year is to document more. Whether it's here or in a paper journal, there needs to be a record of my crochet projects and adventures if nothing else :) I've also got to take more pictures. I have always been a terrible picture taker. I have very few Christmas morning pictures and as the kids got older, even the birthday photos got scarce. Snapshots just don't happen with me like I remember Mama doing with us :( I feel like my time is very limited with having all 3 kids together so I want to make the most of it.
