Tuesday Talks

[Elizabeth]

What a day! Spent ridiculous amount of time and frustration on healthcare.gov. Yep, it's annoying and buggy, but I succeeded. Only to get results that I am ineligible and should sign up for Medicaid! I have the option of continuation of benefits at work. BUT it would cost $898!!! To fill out the forms, I had to calculate my income for the year. Very depressing, but considering how little I have made, I have done a good job of surviving. I also got parking reservations for the holidays. That should not have taken so long, but I had to find a lot that did reservations. I did not want to take a chance! I even got a discount for reserving online.

DD11's band concert starts in an hour and 15 minutes. I will go home then head out. I have so much to do, and something to do each night from tonight until I leave. Bleah!

ETA: Just discovered that the estimated unemployment benefits will be more than my average salary for 2013. However, they run out in 6 months. Double bleah!

[Lilac]

This morning I went to dd2s new house. The builder had left insulation, scrap carpet, lots of dust, etc. under the stairs. I knew it was there so had taken a huge contractor strength plastic bag. I got that all cleaned out. Then I looked in the furnace room. Eeeekkkk. Lots of sheetrock dust plus spiderwebs. Cleaned that all up. Then I vacuumed the new floor and mopped. By then it was time to pick up dgd4. Took her to dance, etc. Once dd2 picked her up at 4, I went back to the new house. I mopped the real hardwood floors that are on the main level. Then I vacuumed all the carpet and it is ready to be cleaned in the morning. Whew..... Dgd17 has a music concert tonight but I spent all day doing for them and I need to work on Christmas cards. Dd1 offered to watch the 4 little kids. Dgs19, dgd17s bf and dd2 are going to the concert.

Dd2 and I are going to attempt to finish our shopping tomorrow. I hope so because I want to buy groceries on Thursday. I would like to clean house on Friday since dh will be home Saturday thru Christmas Day.

Dh had his numbers ran. He won't lose any money between now and his birthday from his retirement, since his birthday is in March. One of the guys will lose $80,000.00 if he doesn't retire by the end of the year because his birthday is in August. It is a real screwy situation on how the retirement figures run. Dh wants to talk to a financial advisor and see what our income will be. If it is where dh wants it, he will probably retire in March.

After Christmas I will be helping dd2 move. Also I will be helping her with the closing of her business, packing up, etc. In my spare time, I will need to do as much deep cleaning as I can before dh retires. If he retires as planned, he plans to dig in and get all the home improvements done.

Guess I better get in some comfortable pjs and start on those darn cards.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Elizabeth: Don't forget about the mortgage insurance. If you made it through this year without using it, the next 6 months should be great because you won't be making payments while on unemployment benefits. You'll be able to set aside some of those benefits to carry you onwards when the benefits stop.

I need to get my rear in gear and at least start the Dec. 29th service. Dh is on his conference call now and will be wanting to pack and then go to bed when it is done.

[OKay]

Two hours in Chuck e Cheese with a boat load of 5 year olds. IMHO, people who do that deserve a medal. .....or a sign to wear (as in.... Here's your sign)

DD is going to allow us to send DGD2 Christmas gifts. (actually she will allow LO to send DGD2 gifts) We got those gifts bought after the birthday party tonight. As soon as DD gives an address to send the gifts we will put them into the mail.

Sweet Dreams

[helia]

I don't remember when I last posted. . . I made an emergency run to the high school early this afternoon for dd15 who had left her band concert folder at home. I don't normally do that sort of thing, but I am a volunteer with the band - and I understand it is easier to collect things at one time.

I also got those checks written and in the mail. And I've contacted the accompanist dd15 has used in the past about accompanying her at the district solo/ensemble festival this year in late January. She's up for it again. Yay! We need to mail her a copy of the music on Jan. 6. She gets back into town Jan. 7. This means we need to order the music soon. . . Dd18's good friend had earlier asked to accompany dd15 - but dd15's oboe teacher was not keen on that idea. She wants dd15 to have a professional do it.

I never got to shopping today. Or wrapping. I did get what I think was a tasty meal made and delivered across town to a couple in our church. Dfriend had gotten her chemo today. I got to chat with her for a little while; she seemed to be doing pretty well. She says 2 -3 days afterward is when it hits the hardest. Then I drove dd15's friend home and got dd15 to and from her oboe lesson. Dh arrived home right behind me, and we cooked up some butternut squash and then we ate dinner. Then we pulled names for shoes. (I pulled for ds.) Then, the girls and I cleaned up the kitchen and dining table.

I think I'll do some online shopping and then do some wrapping this evening.

Tomorrow, I think I have the day to do whatever I need to do, which will be to finish shopping for packages, wrap, get package (or 2) in the mail. If my parents are leaving before the package can get to them, I"ll mail it when they get back. I do have book club tomorrow evening. And I think I am picking up ds, but I'm not sure. If so, I'll need to bring a suitcase or 2 so he can pack his stuff. He got his last final, a take home final, today and it is due Thursday at midnight. He said he would try to finish it by tomorrow afternoon. We'll see how that goes. . . . He's done with all his other exams. One of his grades for the semester is in, and it is good.

Kathryn, I forwarded those test/assignment answers to dh and kids yesterday. They got a laugh out of them!

I agree, OK. I remember a couple parties at Chuck E's when my kids were small. Yes, you definitely deserve a medal. Glad you got the rock out of LO's nose. Also glad to know there IS a use for abundant nose mucus. I remember my dbrother doing the same thing at age 4. He also put rocks in his ears. I believe my dmom took him to the Dr.'s for both incidents. Well, I think there were multiple incidents, actually. . .

[Nancy]

One word describes dinner YUM!
Patting self on back.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

December 29th service bulletin is done (which means the order and prayers, except prayers of the people, are set.)

Got a phone call at 9:30. Usually that is ds. Dh only heard one half of the conversation:

me: "No, if I recall, live lice are really hard to spot. What you can see are the nits which will be about 1" down from the root on the shaft of the hair."
<pause as I listen to the response>
me: "if you can blow or flick it away, it is dandruff. If you have to scrape it off with your finger nail, it is a nit, and you have lice."
<pause>
me: "I'm so sorry.. Yes, I understand this couldn't have come at a worse time."

Poor dh, you can see why he'd assume the worse!

It wasn't ds but CM on the phone and the eldest of the boys has lice. He has a presentation tomorrow at school so was still up and in that one-on-one time with him, she realized his scratching probably wasn't dandruff. I feel so sorry for her. Tomorrow she's got the school Christmas concert (she's running it), hot lunch (she organizes it) and lunch duty (she's paid for that too.) I'm not sure I'm ready to offer to let him stay here but it is what I should do. I did offer to do laundry for her.

My head is itching just thinking about it all.

I'm still up. I'm up again at 4:30 a.m. Dh hasn't started to pack yet. Sigh....