Love is in the Air! ... and other topics

Hello Friends! How time flies ... I guess not many interesting things happened since my last post. The only change of any interest is that I was let go from the temp agency almost a month ago. No reason was given other than "the client doesn't need you anymore". Just like everywhere else, jobs are hard to come by (especially in rural areas). I'm looking for work, but no luck yet. I'm still trying to qualify for unemployment to hold us over in the meantime.

Anyway, enough of that - now onto the LOVE part. The wonderful ladies at Rants From Mommyland posted a question for another reader about what she could do to help her marriage, because the flames were burning a little low. So far they've gotten 350+ comments. That post & the comments made me think about what I might be able to do in this area (because hey, who doesn't want to be reminded that they're loved?) So what I ended up doing was writing my husband a letter, starting with telling our story of how we got together until we got married. Then I summed it up by telling him what I appreciated about him. Seriously, my husband is one of the gentlest, patient, forgiving & loving souls I know. And I'm WAY better at expressing the gentler emotions by writing them than trying to remember what I wanted to say anyway. Plus this way he can hopefully remember why he married this crazy woman in the first place!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to all my family & friends!

Yes, I said it. MERRY CHRISTMAS! I am a Christian and as such, celebrate Christmas in a religious sense. I don't think poorly of others who have different beliefs, but I think lumping everything together under Happy Holidays is a bit ridiculous.
Anyway, my 2 week Christmas break started at about 2:15 today. The AMMP, Geek Boy, Brainiac & DeeDee still have school through Friday. Guess who's doing last-minute shopping & wrapping tomorrow by herself? (That's okay, it's what I prefer.)
But for now I'm listening to the Jazz Holidays station on Pandora radio & waiting for everyone to get home. A group from our church is going caroling tonight around town & then having potluck treats after we're done.
Christmas Eve we have the Candlelight Service, and our family will be providing some of the music. Our church choir will be singing as well. Christmas Day will be spent opening presents in our pjs, listening to music while drinking hot chocolate, watching movies & having a yummy dinner of roast beef, baked potatoes, glazed carrots, rolls & pie.
We are planning to visit my family in ND during the 2nd half of the break. Hubby & the kids go back to school on Jan. 3rd & I go back to work on the 4th.
Enjoy the time you have with family & friends, and I'll see you back here in 2012!

I Got a Job & family update

Well, I finally got hired as a machine operator for the Schwan's ice cream plant in Marshall. I started 3 weeks ago. I've been working 3 - 4 days a week, so it's not full time. But it's better than not working at all! Right now I'm hired through a temp agency, in about 3 months I can apply to become a permanent employee. In a week or so I should get insurance through the temp agency, so we'll finally have medical & dental for the family again. If I am hired through Schwan's they have better, lower cost insurance so that's a definite plus.
In other news, the AMMP, Geek Boy & the Brainiac had their first concert. It went well! School is going well for the AMMP & all 3 kids. DeeDee just got glasses for reading, she was getting headaches from eye strain. Hopefully she remembers to bring them home with her at the end of the day. (She has gym class last period so she wouldn't wear them for that time.)
That's it for now, thanks for reading!

I need a J-O-B!

Hello there! Just a quick update - everything is pretty much settled into the house now. Last week I applied for a couple of jobs in the neighboring town, but I haven't heard anything yet. I can't remember if I've said anything about the AMMP's job not providing health insurance. For complicated reasons, they have a Health Savings Account instead. If we were to buy insurance for our family, the monthly premium would be $720/month! The HSA has $7000 in it, so obviously that's not going to be enough to cover it. However, we can use it like a flex plan for Dr. visits, prescriptions, eyeglasses, etc. The jobs I applied for will have full benefits after 30 days, so PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE keep me (and my family) in your thoughts & prayers. Besides the benefits, we really need for me to have a full time job so that the AMMP's paychecks don't have to be spread so thin.
On a completely different note, it's Homecoming Week at our school. The kids have really been getting into it. Geek Boy is even going to the Homecoming dance! Friday is a burger feed at the school, pep fest & Homecoming parade (including the marching band). I can't wait to see what the AMMP has been able to accomplish with the band!
That's about it for now ... more updates to come!

Getting our house in order ... literally

Hello there everyone! We've all been here together in one house, with all of our belongings, for almost 2 weeks. Last week was a short one for me, as I went back to North Dakota for a HS Alumni band concert to honor our band director, who unfortunately passed away last spring after battling cancer. It was an amazing experience!
The AMMP & the kids got a lot of boxes brought into the house while I was away & even got a few unpacked. However, most of the unpacking & organizing is my job. And I really don't mind that, seeing as that way I'll actually know where stuff is. So when AMMP or one of the kids says "Where's this or where's that?" I'll actually have a general idea.
This house is smaller than the last one (4 bedrooms down to 3), and our girls, who are now sharing a room, need to do some major downsizing of their belongings. I even got rid of a few kitchen items (GASP) - because anyone who knows me knows how much I like love freak out over kitchen gadgets.
We finally got a washing machine this week (long story, but for 4 yrs we only owned a dryer). So now of course I have to do everyone's laundry. First of all let me mention that I pretty much loathe doing laundry. Luckily our children are old enough to fold & put away their own clothes so I just have to wash & dry them. Secondly, I have to haul the stupid, smelly laundry from the 2nd story where the bedrooms are down to the basement where the machines are. Repeat in reverse when laundry is done, ad naseum. Yesterday I was actually out of breath from going up & down steps most of the day. The important thing is yay, clean laundry again! And once I catch up (hopefully this weekend) Geek Boy will once again be in charge of his own laundry. The Brainiac & DeeDee are in training.
My amazing wonderful Mother-in-Law (no joke folks, she's awesome & we get along great) is coming here this weekend to bring us a slightly used couch she found at a thrift store & help us arrange the living room. I'm so relieved, because we've had boxes & tv stands, a computer desk & chairs along one wall since we moved in. Now it will finally be dealt with!
We got our phone & internet hooked up last week & will get our tv service hooked up on Sunday (but probably not in time for the football game, much to the AMMP & Geek Boy's chagrin). Well, that's it for now - stability in the house means a more stable me, and I know my whole family would say a big AMEN to that!

Almost Together Again!

Hello there to my followers! Quick update here, we found a house to rent in the town where the AMMP is teaching. The landlords are so awesome, hubby & the kids moved in on the 22nd & they aren't charging us rent until September! The AMMP & all the kiddos are adjusting well to the new school. They've all made friends & are doing pretty well in their classes. We even went to a church service & met our new pastors. They are very interested in having the AMMP get their church choir going again. Anyway, I have been furiously packing, sorting & cleaning for the past month or so. The rest of my family, plus AMMP's awesome aunt will be heading back here this weekend so we can get everything loaded into the moving truck & down to the new house. I can't wait to be with my family again - and be able to rest knowing that I won't have to wake up the next day & do more cleaning or packing! Peace to you all, I will post again when we have internet in the new abode!

NEW JOB!!!!!!

The Absent Minded Music Professor finally got a job! He's now the 5 -12 band director in a small town in southwest MN. Now we're in that chaotic in-between stage ... trying to pack as much of our stuff as we can, but we don't even have a house down there yet. However, the kids are registered for their new school & it seems to be a great situation! Please pray for us to find a house soon, thanks!