Where have I been? Hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving!

Wow! I didn't realize I had gone over two weeks since my last blog. now I'm wondering, "where have I been?" My last blog was before Thanksgiving. I meant to post a Thanksgiving blog; I really did. Somehow, it just never made it here.

Actually, I know all too well how it never made it here. I got ambitious this Thanksgiving. I decided to bake. I did my very first pie crust. Actually, the recipe was for three crusts. I managed to come out all my mixing with enough pie crust for two apple pies, one pumpkin, and one huge pumpkin pie. I had enough pumpkin pie mix for one regular pie, and this huge pie I had to put in a casserole dish along with the leftover pie crust. Along with all theses pies, I baked rolls. I can't just go buy rolls for Thanksgiving. NO, I have to bake all morning long.

It's not like I wasn't awake all night. Bigboy brought home the company "bonus" aka, turkey, Tuesday, and we forgot to put it in the fridge. I found it Wednesday night when we came home from the ferry, nicely thawed. That resulted in a purchasing of a roasting pan, coming home and baking this darned bird until almost 3 in the morning. Beginning sometime around ten, Bigboy insisted that one of us needed to stay up while the bird baked. Out of the kindness of his heart, he told me to go to sleep. For some reason, that kindness also needed me to wake up every half hour (to check the bird) until one. That's when he decided we needed to switch places. at that point, I was grateful to have him go to sleep. If he was going to wake me up repeatedly, just let me stay up in the first place. Its not like we were responsible for the entire dinner. We were going to Olympia for dinner with his family. I was only supposed to bring desserts and rolls. I also didn't want to loose the bird to spoilage.

Traffic on I5 was good until just north of Olympia. Eventually, we were creeping to about 35 mph. We discovered the slow down ended as we passed by the new Cabela's showroom. I can't believe the number of people slowing down to gawk at the roof of the new store. Yikes!

Thanksgiving was good for our family. I hope it was for everyone as well. As soon as I have pictures from our Veteran's Dinner, I will be posting them. I have to have pictures come in from people there, since I was working the entire night.

Can I leave the computer now?

I know no one ever said carrying a job while homeschooling two kids, decorating a Blue lodge, running around with the Shriners, teaching Sunday school, and supporting an at-risk group of hyperactive Cub Scouts was easy. Oh by the way, I sew, knit, embroidery, and coming soon: quilting and crochet as well as everything I mentioned before. Somewhere in all that, I do manage to find time to wash laundry, cook, and clean up after everyone.

Earlier this month, I took a job working from home as a Human Resource Representative. My job is to interview, hire, and arrange training sessions for applicants. I really do like this job. I wasn't exactly ready for the work load I've had in the last few days. My "working" days try to run from 6 to 9 am here in my time zone. Most of the applicants I interview are in other parts of the country where daylight is occurring. After nine, I try to limit everything to pre-set appointments. Lately, I've been working non-stop until noon or later.

Now that I'm back down to five hours of sleep or less, I am beginning to remember how exhausting working in the early morning hours can be. Before I became a homeschooling parent, I had a job in food service. My day started at 3 am on a regular basis, and eventually dropped to 1 am before my company lost the contract I worked under. The only part of that gig I miss is the customer base I serviced every day. I don't miss corporate flack, extremely early hours, or falling asleep while driving.

I enjoy being able to converse with a wide variety of people in my new job. Enjoy the fact that I can leave the desk to grab coffee, food, obnoxious kids, whatever. I can let the dog out between phone calls, let him back in between calls, make lunch, do laundry, clean the bathroom, whatever.

As far a homeschooling while I work, I'd die without www.k12.com and the virtual lesson planning, guidance, and personalized pace program. I have never liked having to write out lesson plans or schedules. Mostly because I always ended up off track and never quite sure of where to get back on. Blame it on my ADHD. My kids respond very well to the k12 program. This is a major step up for us from the struggles we've been through in the past. I've never been one to want to fight over schoolwork. eventually, I'll be able to get them to do an entire day in one day.

The nerve of Adsense sometimes.

As I posted my previous blog, I am finding I like the idea of dropping Adsense. They have decided my blog deserves links including "cheating wife" and "phone stalker." I really do not need people thinking I endorse this kind of stuff. Adsense can put up all the pro-homeschooling, Christian, Lutheran, Freemasonry, Shriner's Hospitals for Children, time management, personal organization, Boy Scout's of America, home improvement, feng shui links they want. I didn't finish the list because I could add more but I know you get the picture. I will not have links such as "phone stalker" and "cheating wife" on my Adsense links. Thank you.

If you happen to be more technologically enabled than me and know how to handle this, please let me know.

Is this my imagination?

Shhh, it's quiet today. My kids are actually doing schoolwork today. If I take a picture, I may just curse the schoolwork. Therefore, I won't take or post any pictures. The quiet doing of schoolwork is a Kodak moment in itself.

Normally, we are in a much more boisterous school environment that looks much more like:

Two children are sitting on a unabashedly orange sectional sofa produced in the age of hippies and flower children. No, not sitting, laying because no one child can handle sitting. Sitting would mean minding your manners and we can't have that. Mom might just like the idea of us minding our manners. Voices are color coded; as if you can't tell who is who.

"Keep your feet off me."

The feet of Bigfoot stay on sister.

"Bigfoot, keep your feet off your sister."

"I SAID, Keep Your Feet Off Me."

"BIGFOOT, Keep your feet OFF your sister!"

The feet of Bigfoot come up off of sister and slap down on sister.

"OWWW! I SAID, KEEP YOUR FEET OFF ME!"

"I didn't have my feet on my sister. I'm trying to do my schoolwork, and BEADGIRL won't let me."

"So, keep your feet off your sister and do your schoolwork."

"I am keeping my feet off her. I am doing my schoolwork and I'M THINKING!"

"Then there shouldn't be an issue. Thank you."

"Mom, I need help with..." the phone rings.

It's the husband needing something for someone. Yes I can send an email off to whoever. What do you want to say. Type email. "This is what is says read email to him. Okay, anything else?" Sign email as "Terri speaking and typing for dh."All email is signed this way. Everything from masonic related email, to writing to his parents. "Yes, I can call this person. What do you need?" take notes because I can't remember everything he wants all at once. "Yes, I can take the car into have it looked at. Okay. What boat will you be on?" As I think, I'd get the car in if you'd give me the time to catch up to everything else I have to do. You'd think homeschooling means being at the complete disposal of everyone all the time.

In the mean time, the TV has now been turned on. There is more sniveling and nagging. Now for the:

"Mom, I'm hungry." You'd think I starve Bigfoot. At basically twelve years old now and entering a size THIRTEEN shoe, I must starve him. All he has done for three years now is grow.

"Can I do this first for your dad? Let me send this email off, then I can feed you."

During the email typing, "Mom, I'm hungry."

"Yes, I know. Do your school work and I can feed you. I can't feed you if you continuously tell me you're hungry."

"OKAY. I'm doing my schoolwork."

Wow, Blessed are we who have a quiet day of schoolwork. I do like this. I never knew I could get as much done as I have today if they can quietly do their own schoolwork.

Hot Wheels or clothing?

I would like to know when hot wheels became clothing? Is that when these pocket cars of breeding proportions became eligible to stuff in a dresser? No joke, this is my almost twelve-year-old son's bottom dresser drawer. The entire drawer filled with pocket cars. I found this drawer of is dresser this way as part of the following agreement I made with both of my kids:

I will do ALL of their laundry and clean their rooms in exchange for the following: NO fighting amongst themselves, controlled behavior, and fully completed schoolwork.

So, as I'm getting ready to bring his much needed pants into his room for putting away, I found not only hot wheels in the dresser, I found snacks (wrapped fortunately) in the top drawer. I found Yu-gi-oh cards, all three of his belts. I'm talking about the belts that are missing in action every time he has pants so baggy they are making the "gangstas" look well dressed. Sorry, my child, belts are a requirement when you are 5'2 and have a 26.5 inch waist. Please remember, he is ALMOST twelve.

I'm not busy! I'm NOT, I'm NOT, I'm NOT!!!

First thing's first. I have to get this off my chest.

Sabrina, I'll miss you! I'm so shocked you got voted off the show. For those of you who don't follow Dancing With the Stars, or haven't found out yet, you can read on it here.

Sabrina is extremely talented. She has a fabulous track record of working to inspire kids in physical fitness. There was still much grace for her to learn on the dance floor.

As for Dancing With the Stars, I always end up wishing the first two to go could stay for just one more week before they have to leave. There is so much to learn in ballroom dancing, that I just don't feel some of these people learn everything that can keep them on the show in the less time they end up having. This season has seen some great attitudes about leaving the show. I was quite put off by Lelia Ali last season when she came in third place.


And now, Ladies and Gentlemen: Back to Life.

The washer died Monday night. Not knowing any better, I washed one of my husband's work shirts, forgot to put it in the dryer Sunday night, and so by the time I woke up Tuesday morning, I had this WET shirt to press. Normally, if I forget the dryer stage, I can pull it from the washer and press his shirts dry, or at least relatively dry. This was no where close to dry. I couldn't press it anywhere near dry for the life of me. As blessings would go, he was able to procure a dry, new shirt for yesterday. Today, the wet thing was dry enough for him to wear under a coat. According to him, it was dry by midday.

We skipped taking the kids to karate last night and opted for buying a newer washer and dyer at our local appliance store. They wonderful gentlemen delivered them today. I'm now washing hubby's work clothes. Next in line is all the hand washing I've neglected to do on a regular basis since my HE machine died. This new machine has a handwash cycle on it. It'll definitely be used well.

I'm not busy! How can I be busy?

In organizational leadership, there is a trick to getting anything done. Just ask the busiest person. For some reason, I can't figure out why I was asked to step up as the new committee chair of my son's Boy Scout Troop. I am seriously considering taking this position. His troop is one that needs help in the mentorship department. I'm a good candidate for this gig since I've grown up in the Scouting community. This will only add to my schedule, a gazillion phone calls, meetings, phone calls, and meeting. Did I mention the phone calls and meeting?

It's not the amount of time this will take that I'm worried about.as long as I have time to blog and play computer games, I have time for anything that needs me.

Technological update: I'm still trying to figure out how to RSS feed this blog with my Yahoo 360. For some reason, when I tried to RSS this over there, it system couldn't find it. I'd like to know how to RSS feed both of them to each other.

Oh, and Happy Halloween! We'll be at the Given's Community Center in Port Orchard, WA. Lon is working with the Kitsap County Shrine Club. You may even find me there too. I do plan on taking pictures.

Have fun!

Hello, Can you hear me now? Verizon meets Dr. Seuss

Remember, I'm technologically challenged. Yesterday, I was trying to call my husband on my cell phone and for some reason there was no sound on the ear piece. I kept saying "hello," to a call that had definitely gone through. Where was my husband?

He was on the other end of the call, telling my he could hear me. It went something like this:
Dial number.

"Hello."

"Hello."

"Hello."

"Hello."

"Hello."

"Hello, I called you up to say hello. Can you hear me Joe. I'm sorry, I cannot hear your call. I cannot hear your call at all, and I know why. I mouse has but the wire. Goodbye."

"Hello." Hang up. Redial.

"Hello."

"Hello."

"Hello."

"Hello."

"Hello." Hang up, redial.

"Hello."

"Hello."

"Hello."

"Hello."

"Hello." Hang up. Receive text message: "come and find me since all you want to say is hello."
Pick up husband from the ferry. explain that for some reason I have no sound on my phone. turn phone off, turn back on. Call him again, turn phone off, remove battery. Replace battery, make new call and have perfect sound. By now, I'm freaking out because my phone is brand new, and I don't want to replace it already. I haven't even had it a full month. my previous phone worked so well I was a poster child for both Dr. Seuss and the Verizon ads. I was, and am not in the mood to return this phone for being defective.

How can I hear him on the other end when my bluetooth is in my pocket and on? Somehow, my bluetooth turned itself on while I was driving and took over the sound on my phone. Of course I heard nothing. I wasn't listening.