17 Day Diet - Day 8

Well, today was Dean's last day.  For some reason, I was not hungry nearly as much today. I don't think I ate enough. I will probably regret that tomorrow. I stayed the same this morning- so, still at 10 pounds. Dean got his severance package today. He is sending me for my hormone pellets tomorrow. I will feel better. I think it is easier to lose weight/maintain where I was, etc, when my hormones are better. We will see.

So, not must to post today.

We are going out of town on Saturday and come home on Monday. We will be checking out a town in AZ. Because we are going to AZ, we are going to go to Opening Day for the Rangers' Spring Training. Yes, it is a splurge. Maybe we shouldn't. Maybe we need the time away together to relax.

Tomorrow is the day

Tomorrow at 1:30 pm, Dean has an exit interview. After that, he is unemployed. For the first time since his first post-college job that started right after graduation, he does not have a job to go to. He was laid off from that job, but went straight to another. When that company closed, he went straight to the next job.

Today, he turned in his computer and his phone. Tomorrow he has two meetings, and that is it.

We are ok. I am not saying we are great, fabulous, or anything else along that line. We are ok.

We know, because it has been proven to us over and over, that God will take care of us. He will provide for us. He does that.

We are open to lots of different things. We have even applied for a job in Shreveport, something we never thought we would do. Dean has applied and is being considered for a road project. If he gets that job, we will go to a border town in AZ and live in a hotel for a few months. The one good thing about that job, is that it is only 3 hours from where the Rangers have spring season. We could go every weekend to a game. Hey, I am looking at the bright side. We do enjoy being together. Staying in a hotel would be as long as we have a kitchen. A separate bedroom would be a huge plus, since I like to stay up later than he does. He would only work 4 10 hour days each week. We would only be about 5 hours from Joy Anna. We could do this.

As I said, we are open. We appreciate the prayers so much.

17 Day Diet - Day 7

Day 7? Wow! The week has gone by fairly quickly. Tomorrow starts the 2nd week on the plan and marks Dean's last day of employment. Again, I am happy I am doing this. It is keeping me motivated and keeping my mind off of the stress of the job or lack of job.

I am down a total of 10 pounds! WooHoo!

Breakfast this morning was eggs. Remind me not to scramble them in an iron skillet when I can't use butter. Yuck. I used Parkay Butter Spray. Believe me, it is not the same! No way. No how. I couldn't get my grapefruit container open, so I missed that this morning, too. My breakfast did not go as planned.

Lunch, was 1/2 a cup of sauerkraut. I was busy, and meant to add to it, but never did.

I am still battling AT&T over the mess from 2008. I tried to get Dean a phone a week and half ago, but it wouldn't let me because of that. Finally, today, we got approval from the President's office to get a phone. We decided to use an old phone for now. We will save the discounted phone for later, when Dean has a job. Because we were out and I was really hungry, we stopped at Chicago Street foods. I had a yummy, yummy supper. A grilled chicken breast, grilled onions and mushrooms and a wonderful salad. Yum! I finished it off with 1 french fry - with ketchup.

I would like a cookie. I can't have one for 10 more days. Then, it is only the one that is in the book. Not sure how good it will taste. It won't be a vanilla sandwich cookie, that's for sure. Oh well. I can do this! A cookie is only a temporary pleasure -feeling better is going to be much more enjoyable.

17 Day Diet - Day 6

Today, I only dropped .2.  I knew it would start slowing down. I don't think I ate and drank enough yesterday. I know I didn't get enough fiber. You know how that makes you feel. Today, will be better.

I need a blender! Making smoothies in the food processor is a pain. If I can't find my old one easily today, I will be patient until we get paid on Wednesday. I will probably buy one then.

Lunch was yummy. It was pretty, too. I forgot to take a photo. I had a can of tuna with a chopped red apple. I am not a big fish eater, but I do like tuna with apple.

My snack this afternoon was two of the cauliflower patties and 1/2 cup of sourkraut.

Dinner tonight was tacos - minus the taco shells. We go to a local eatery that has tacos for 1.25 on Monday nights. Last week, there was not a lot of chicken in my tacos. Since I was ordering them without the shells, I figured I should get one more. It turned out to be way too much food. I turned into a taco salad. I only ate one chip! I know that was a splurge, but it wasn't too bad.

I am saving a yogurt for a late night snack. I tend to get hungry at night.

I am so glad I am doing this. If not, I would probably have been eating like crazy and gaining more than I am losing. I do not want to weigh 300 pounds by the time of the wedding.

17 Day Diet - Day 5

Today, I dropped 0.8 for a total of 8 pounds! I am still 14 pounds above where I was when we left for TN at Christmas, but I am making progress in the right direction.

Breakfast was left over frittata from yesterday. Yes, hot sauce helped a lot! I used Tobasco Gold Green Sauce. Yum! It really did make a difference. It did fill me up, too. I did not have the breakfast burrito and diet coke I usually get from McD's for Sunday breakfast.

Dean and I went to AJ's for lunch. I had chicken grilled with onions and chilis. Another yum. It had melted cheese sauce with it. I didn't eat nearly as much of that as I usually do, but I was so stuffed.

 Today was so lazy. I did not get in enough food or water I don't think. For dinner I had the last of the frittata. Piled on the hot sauce again. 

Maybe I will feel more creative and motivated today.

17 Day Diet - Day 4

Down another 1.6! That is a total of 7.2. Back to the set point idea - I am now back to where I was shortly after arriving home from our trip to the wedding and North Carolina. The next 15 should go fairly quickly as well. That puts me where I was when I left for the trip. We will see how that goes. After that, it is probably going to be much harder as I have not been much below that in a long time.

I am not really hungry for things I can't have on this food program. I am thinking it might be difficult to go to the Riviera on Monday for taco night. I am debating how to do that. I could get 3 tacos and dump them out of the taco shells and have taco salad. That way, I am still enjoying the evening with friends and family and not blowing it too badly. Can't beat my 3.75 meal on Monday nights! The cheese wouldn't be low fat, but that would be the only real drawback - and staying out of the chips!

I am out of breakfast things, so I need to figure that out. I woke up hungry this morning - a usual phenomenon if I ate late the night before.

And so, I am off to start my day.

I got busy and forgot about breakfast! I drank the glass of warm water with half a lemon, before getting started on some photos. Then, I just got busy and forgot. When I finally realized it, I made a smoothie like the one from yesterday. I had a hard time getting it all down.

I just put a frittata in the oven.
1 cup ff cottage cheese
4 oz ff cream cheese (Blend these til smooth)
6 eggs (Beat in the eggs)
8 oz chopped spinach
half of a large can of mushroom
salt, garlic powder, basil
grated parmesan  cheese
Bake at 350

It made a 9 inch square pan full. Dean is not thrilled with the idea. He may break down and get a tv dinner. I am determined!

Well, lunch was not fabulous. Dean didn't like it at all. It was okay. I think it needed some spice. I almost put red pepper flakes, but I didn't. Maybe if I had done. Also, some cheddar would have helped. I couldn't find any fat free, so I didn't buy any.

Dinner is probably not going to make him happy either. It was ok- we had baked chicken, veggies and mashed cauliflower. I didn't take a pic, because it just looked bland. After dinner, I added an egg to the left over mashed cauliflower. I shaped into into circles on a cookie sheet and backed at 350. I turned them over and kept baking. I liked it that way a lot.

And tomorrow is another day.

Update on the Job Situation

Nothing is happening at all. Referring back to the post earlier in the week, there has been no news. Company A hasn't even bothered to respond to the email. Company B hired 2 other men that Dean knows. You would have thought they would have had the decency to email him back. This is very frustrating.

Today he has been offered a position in a very rural area of AZ.  It would be temporary for about 4 months. We are hoping to get more information like will they pay for lodging or would it just be straight salary. It is not the kind of position he would really like to have, but it would be a job and it would get his foot in the door with this company as well as giving us time to look for something else if we need to look for something else. 4 months in a hotel could be interesting. I guess I could finally finish my novel. Maybe write another one.

Keep praying!

17 Day Diet - Day 3

Good morning! Day 3 has dawned. I think it dawned way earlier than I wanted it to. I did not sleep well last night. Part of that could be stress from Dean's job situation. Part of it could also be that there were more episodes of Downton Abbey on Hulu. Oh well. I only watched one more last night. Even after I got to bed, I didn't sleep well and woke up several times. Oh well, today is a new day. Lots to do.

On the diet, I have dropped another 1.6 pounds! It was a little over 4 yesterday, but it didn't save the amount, so I am not certain. I will just go with 4. That totals 5.6! Woo Hoo! Motivates me to do a more. Today will be an easy day with food for breakfast and lunch. I have the food from yesterday prepared and in the fridge for today.

After lunch I had a yummy smoothy - strawberries, sugar free cheesecake and a little bit of almond milk. 

I was really hungry today. I drank plenty of water, so it wasn't that. I ended up eating another portion of the breakfast casserole for a late afternoon snack. I am glad I did as I went to an event, and there was nothing I could eat. We  met Joy Anna for dinner and worked on the wedding. I had a grilled chicken breast that had mushrooms and a chili. I also had some squash - I know not on the veggie list, but it was better than anything else they had. I had some sliced tomatoes, too. I also had a little queso. It was not low fat, but I had a little on my chicken. It was a really yummy meal.

Arches

 Arches are the challenge for the week - the one above is my windchime from my kitchen window. The one below is a door in our neighborhood.

17 Day Diet - Day 2

Woohoo! I dropped over 4 pounds in one day. Yes, I know it is water. I know I lose really fast at first. A long time ago, someone talked about set points in weight loss. It does make a lot of sense. Because I maintained 15-20 pounds lower than I am now for so long, I will drop this first 15-20 pounds very quickly. I think this especially true because I gained this last 15-20 so very fast. I hope it gets off quickly. I need to feel better.

Today, I have groceries, so no excuse to not rock this program.

Breakfast
I adjusted the recipe from yesterday. Today, I did 6 oz of ff cream cheese, 6 eggs, and all the rest of the salsa. It was about 6 tbs -maybe a little more. Today, I got it all really smooth before pouring it into a sprayed pyrex dish.  I divided it into 4 very large pieces. I will have breakfast for the next three days.

I want to make smoothie bags - put all the ingredients into a ziplock, so they are ready when I want them. If I get a chance. I can't claim that idea. I got it from Pinterest.

Lunch
YUM! I really, really likes my lunch. I looked at a lot of different recipes for the 17 day diet.  I combined and adjusted and came up with a chicken soup that was really yummy! It sort of reminded me of something you might get in a Japanese restaurant - sort of a combo - the broth, mushrooms, onions, cabbage - yum!

Chopped 1/2 of a large yellow onion
Added 1Tbs olive oil in a my cast iron dutch oven
Sauteed onions until they were almost clear
Added one large can of mushrooms, drained
Add 1 Package of Onion Soup Mix (bought the one with lowest sodium)
Cooked until it was sort of a roux
Slowly added 1 Large container of low sodium chicken broth
Chopped about 1/4 head of cabbage (a large head) I think it was between 2 and 3 cups
Added 1 pkg grilled chicken pieces


I let it all come almost to a boil, before turning it down to simmer for about half an hour. I liked it a lot. I will keep it in the refrigerator for lunches. I do much better when I don't have to worry about prepping something. I now have 3 days of breakfast and at least 3 days of lunches in the fridge


Dinner was also an adjusted recipe.
It started with a dip for the chicken and the onions. I put 2 Tbs of FF sour cream and 1 egg white and a little water. I started by dipping the sliced onions in the mix. I put them on a sprayed pan. Then I did the same thing to the chicken strips (breast for me and thigh for Dean. On the chicken, I added seasoning and grated Parmesan cheese. On the onions, I added salt, pepper, Louisiana hot sauce, and some Parmesan cheese. I was hoping they would get crispy, but they didn't. They were really good though. I topped the chicken with the onions, and steamed some fresh green beans.

I managed to get all my water in and plenty of green tea, but I have yet to exercise. Maybe I will go walk tonight. Maybe. I need to plan better tomorrow for that.

Less than a week now.

Things are still up in the air.
We will call his company he currently works for company A. Company A is the company who called last Friday with the potential job. We would like the location and the continued benefits. That position is now on hold pending government approval. We are concerned that if it delays more, Company A will have already laid him off, bought out his vacation, etc, and they may not want to go through the expenses of hiring him back. This could be a problem. They could just transfer someone who is still with the company. He emailed yesterday asking if there was anything he could do for Company A while the decision was being made, so that he doesn't lose employment and benefits. Still no response.

Yesterday another company - Company B - reappeared. This company he interviewed with last year for a job out in the middle of nowhere outside of El Paso. He turned it down, because Company A had told him they wanted to relocate him. Later, he interviewed with Company B about jobs in other locations. He emailed back and for with them for several weeks about a position in Maine. Then, it just dropped. After he got the lay off date, he emailed them back, but never heard anything. We figured they decided he was just not a fit for the position they had.

Yesterday, another company - Company C - called. He has worked with Company C here in El Paso at the border. Company C is involved in the project in them middle of nowhere with Company B. C told him that that project manager (he had interviewed for deputy project manager last year) had walked off the job. C told Dean he might want to check on that position.

Dean emailed he would be willing to interim to help them out or to discuss a permanent position. And so, now the ball is in their court. It is not the location we would like by any means, but it would be a job for probably 18 months to 2 years.

And we keep looking . . .

17 Day Diet - Day One

I have gained more than 20 pounds in the last couple of months. It started with a very long trip and eating out for every meal for about 3 weeks. We eat out too much anyway. When it is just the two of us, eating out is just easy. It doesn't help when I am stressed, because I tend to eat even more. I have to do something. And so I am starting day one of the 17 day diet. I sort of like that it has a number in it - it gives the impression that I can do it for 17 days at a time. It helps more that my birthday is the 17th.

Since our plans fell through and we didn't take a road trip about a job, I decided to go ahead and start today. Of course, that meant I had no food in order to start. I will go to the grocery store before lunch - I hope.

Breakfast:
I am not really crazy about eggs. If you can drown them in butter or even ketchup, I can eat them. I like quiche with lots of cheese and sausage. That doesn't really work on this either. I made a quiche with 2 eggs, 2 Tbs ff cream cheese and 2 Tbs of salsa. I mixed it with the mixer and poured into two small dishes and baked at 350. We'll see how that goes. I would change it by pouring it all into one dish. I might do it where it makes a whole pie plate and then cut and store for later in the week.

And they say the best laid plans go awry. Dean called and invited me to lunch today. We were going with someone else, so they chose. We went to Denny's. Not the easiest to do, but I did a salad with chicken and cranberries. I used a minimal amount of balsamic. I had errands to run this afternoon, so I went a little later for groceries. Dean went with me. Probably not the best plan when I am trying to buy healthy. He even added hushpuppies to cart. He can eat those on his own. By the time we got home, his blood sugar had crashed and he wasn't feeling well. I had to hurry supper. We had already cooked chicken breasts and asparagus. I added chicken noodles to Dean's. It was okay. I wasn't crazy about the chicken. I sort of masked the taste with a little ff sour cream and salsa.

After the Ash Wednesday service at church, I was hungry. We snacked on carrots and water. Yay us!

I did not get in enough exercise.

And it is on to day 2!

Is it time yet?

I remember going to GA camp when I was in middle school. We went to Lakeview Baptist Encampment north of Longview. We always had so much fun. One night was skit night or talent night or something like that. We did this skit one year called "is it time yet?" The premise of the skit was for the four of us to sit in a line of chairs with our right leg crossed over our left knee. Every minute or so, the person on one end would ask, "is it time yet?" The question would be carried down to the end of the row. The last girl would look at her watch and reply, "no it is not time yet." This went on for a few minutes, before the answer changed. This time when it got to the girl on the end, she said, "yes, it is time." At that time, we put our right leg down and crossed our left leg over our right knee. A pretty useless exercise, you must admit. We did see the humor in it.

Now, as adults, we are asking God if it is time yet. In this case, we are asking if it is time yet for Dean to find a job. We have been asking this for a while. As the time has dwindled, are we finally getting close for Him to say, "yes, it is time?"

It was such a simple thing we were wanting to do then. It is much more difficult and much more important to us now. Can it really be that simple of a thing? Can all the anticipation and dread be taken care of with just a, "yes, it is time?" I hope so. I am thankful for the One who gives me hope.

I have been waiting to do much of anything toward a move. If for some reason, we ended up staying here, I didn't want the house packed - except I would like to have refrigerated air ;) I have done a little sorting and going through. I even did some packing last year when were supposed to get a transfer to South Texas. I cleaned my closet this week. I am doing a little, but not nearly enough.

On Friday, Dean got a phone call. There is a possibility of a position for him. Great! He would need to be there on the 29th! I know there is no way I can be ready to go with him then. I do not like us being separated. We have been together way to long to sleep apart. We would have to give notice here anyway. What do we do about Joy Anna and place for her to live until the wedding? If the position is what God has for us, I know all these things will fall into place. I know we will be able to find a house, get packed and moved, and have Joy Anna taken care of. Again, He gives us hope. I start thinking about all that it is going to take when he finally says, "it is time!"

I wish it could be just as simple as crossing the left leg over the right . . .

Angles and Arches

Today I went downtown to photograph angles and arches for the photo challenge. I did not have anyone with me, and I didn't want to pay a quarter every time I stopped to take pic, so I didn't take as many as I wanted.

 

Another Week Has Passed

This week has proved the old adage about time and toilet paper true - the closer you get to the end of the roll, the faster it goes. Just as the closer we get to the end of the job, the faster the days are speeding by. Keep praying, friends!

 This little cutie was at the salon when I had my hair done on Wednesday nights. Thank the Lord for family night at salon where Joy Anna works. I was able to get my hair cut colored and highlighted.

 Below is the next installment on the angle project. This is the awning at the Honda dealer.

Angles

This week, we are doing angles in the photo challenge. This is right up my alley! I like doing architecture photos and angles are usually a big part of that. I went downtown today to look for some angles, but it was sprinkling. I didn't want to take my camera out in that, so I looked around for some things closer to home.

 The pic above is a palm tree trunk that has not been shaved.

 Like all the right angles in the gate above.

Cute pillows angled on the bench.

Valentine's Dinner

Dean and I have been married for almost 30 years. Today was our 32nd Valentine's Day together. Dean's favorite meal to eat (which is also one of my least favorite to cook is "Fried Chicken, Rice & Gravy." Getting him to tell me anything else he wants is next to impossible. It makes such a mess to cook. Tonight, with lids, bowls, skillets, and plates, I used 12 different pieces. There were a few measuring cups. I didn't even count how many utensils I used.

Because everyone else is jumping on the food blog bandwagon, I thought I would share our dinner with you - recipes and photos included.

Pinterest offers tons of recipes for things that we have been making. Some of them have a twist and others are the recipes we've been using. One of the ones I made today is a copy cat of Cane's sauce. Because we have been making it for a while, I didn't pin it. Here is the recipe:

1⁄2 cup mayonnaise
1⁄4 cup ketchup
1⁄2 tablespoon garlic powder
1⁄2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Combine all ingredients. It will start to look and taste right as you blend them together, but it is best to let the sauce sit for a few hours before serving.

Be sure you use mayonnaise and NOT miracle whip. Miracle Whip is my favorite, but it does not work in Cane's sauce. We usually don't put as much ketchup either. Thankfully, that was for me and not Dean. At least, I didn't mess up his Valentine's dinner. It didn't even look right, so no pic of that.

Next was the fried chicken. Frying chicken in the iron skillet is the best. I usually use eggs and buttermilk in the wet batter. Here, the buttermilk is so thick, I add in some plain milk as well. In the flour, I put salt and pepper. Yes, I do double dip when I fry chicken. Wet, dry, wet, dry and then in the oil. Put the top on the skillet and let it fry. Yum!

 Dean eats thighs and I eat breasts. I was using strips, so I started the thighs first since they take so much longer to cook.

I also made the 7-up biscuits from Pinterest. I use the recipe, but I don't roll them out. I do biscuits like my nanny taught me. I pinch them off, pat them into biscuits, dip the top in the butter in the bottom of the pan and then place them in their spot. So, if you don't like to roll out, this works great.

Ingredients

• 2 cups baking mix (I used Bisquick)
• 1/2 cup sour cream (I used light)
• 1/2 cup 7-Up or other lemon lime soda
• 3 Tbsp butter, melted

Instructions

1. In a bowl, combine the baking mix and sour cream. Add the 7-Up and combine. The dough will be very tender.
2. Sprinkle some additional baking mix on your working surface and shape dough into a 9 inch square.
3. Cut dough into 9 squares. I like to use my pizza cutter to do this.
4. Pour 2 of the Tbsp of melted butter into a 9 inch square baking dish. Be sure the butter coats the bottom of the pan.
5. Bake at 450 degrees for 10-15 minutes until golden. Brush tops of biscuits with remaining melted butter. Serves 9

Long grain rice (Mahatma only for Dean) was cooked in the microwave - perfect every time. I also made gravy. I haven't made gravy much lately. I wasn't sure it was going to work. I managed to get it right, and it was so yummy. I only made the small skillet full - a good thing because it saved me from having more for dessert. What? I can't help it. I like gravy. When we first got married, we at lots of biscuits and gravy. Not the fancy biscuits above, because we would not have been able to afford the sour cream and 7 up. We didn't even use baking mix. Scratch all the way!

So, below you get to see the whole meal. I know, I know. Nothing green. No veggies at all. We had salad for lunch, so cut us some slack. Besides, this is our 3 times a year meal. We certainly do not make a habit of it.

Open and Close

The photo challenge this week has been things that open and close. I have always liked photos of doors and gates. Because they do open and close, I decided that I would find several to photograph.

Open and close really has meaning for us right now. A door closed when we found out Dean was being laid off. Now, we patiently wait for another door to open for the next stage of his career. It will happen. Maybe not as soon as we would like for it to, but it will happen.

Because we hear it so much, I wanted to find out about the quote that talks about doors closing and windows opening. I found two references. The first was

When one door closes, another opens; but we often look
so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we
do not see the one which has opened for us.
Alexander Graham Bell 

The second is Maria in the Sound of Music when she says, "When God closes a door, somewhere He opens a window."

Right now, we are looking for that window. We know the door is closed, and we are not looking at it long and regretfully - believe me, I did it long enough with the first job here. I am not doing it again. 

We are looking as hard and as diligently as we know how. As soon as we find what looks like a window opening, it seems to get slammed shut. As I have stated here before - God is never late - He is always on time - His timing is not always our timing. We do have hope, because we have seen him work in so many ways so many times. We know that one day soon, the door/gate/window is going to open wide and we will be able to walk into the light on a path that has been prepared for us. 

Photos around El Paso

I really want two specific photos here in El Paso. I am on a quest to get them. One of them, I could have probably taken this morning, if I had not gone to church. Another one, I attempted tonight, but the clouds and sunset were not right. I took a few others that I liked.

Less than 3 weeks until unemployment happens

After today, there are 13 work days left for him. Yes, I will confess I am concerned. We talk and laugh about it, but it is more a nervous laugh.  We don't know what is going to happen. Dean just keeps saying that he will find something. I know we still have 13 days. I know God is never late - he is always on time. Unlike Dean, he doesn't tend to be there early very often. And so, yes, I am expecting him to provide. I am expecting him to take care of us. And yes, we do still have a few days.

We have watched the calendar as we have sent out numerous emails and resumes. We have gone through headhunters, online data bases and referrals. We have even written down names of companies off trucks we see near post and contacted them. We have sent in required/requested document.s We have been diligent in our search. We have updated the resume, personalized the cover letters, rewritten the cover letter and on and on and on. As of today, there has been no real progress.

There have been a couple we thought would be interesting - one overseas, one for a non-profit. We have done what we could to make sure all important information has been sent in to them. Nothing.

And so, we keep praying. We keep sending out the resumes. We keep hoping.

A different photo project

This month we are doing concepts on the photo challenge. This week is open and close. I have been wanting to do a series of gates and doors here in El Paso. I went out for a little while and looked around. I saw the gate below, but I couldn't stop just then. I went back later and parked across the street. This little cutie was crossing the street and ran right up the steps and then turned to look at me.

Because we really might not be here a lot longer if Dean finds a job somewhere else, I am trying to get in some photos that I have wanted to take. 

Asarco is a copper plant that has been closed for years. They want to tear it down, but it is an El Paso icon. I have a couple of ideas for photos of Asarco, but I have not been able to find the perfect location. The location I would like to shoot from is not accessible or safe. So, these are just playing around shots. I am going to go back to this location and see what else I can do when I have more time and at a different time of day. 

Babysitting

A couple of weeks ago, Joy Anna was sick. She was scheduled to babysit. I got to do it in her place.

 

While I was playing playdoh with the cutie above, the boys were watching cars. Yep, even the tiny one.

I had lots of fun with kids.

Product photos

Product photos allow me to exercise a different creative direction. I get to call on my past experience with props in theater. At this location, I get to surround myself with beautiful jewelry.

 

I know the watermarks really distract, but since these are ads for a company, I really want to make sure they don't get used by anyone else. 

Waiting and waiting and waiting

Waiting gets harder every day. Maybe because each day moves us closer to the last day of February. Too bad they couldn't have let him stay through March - one of those months with 3 pay periods surely would have been nice. Oh well, it was not to be.

Finally, with all the searching, there is a job that is actually appealing - not just a job that will do as so many of them have been. It is across the country. It would be closer to Eric but so far from Joy Anna. Unless we find one in Little Rock or Monroe, LA, we are going to be a long way from at least one of them. He has applied for the job. Applicants are accepted through Friday.

I need to be motivated to move forward with prepping the house for whatever - clean out, getting rid of things, having a garage sale (to get rid of things and hopefully, make some money), packing up. Even if for some reason we stay here, we have to find a different house. I can't live another summer without refrigerated air, at least not comfortably.Instead, I would rather stay in my pajamas and do nothing except read. Not the best way to be, is it? And so today, I will try. Put forth the effort. Make it where it is more pleasant to come home for Dean and Joy Anna.

We did get some good news yesterday - Dean's test for diabetes was the best it has ever been. Since we only have insurance for another month, we are going to have to figure out how to get his meds. They are finally all working together and lowering his blood sugar. His neuropathy is worse, so they are sending him for a test. Hopefully, they can help that situation.

Today, I need to get moving. I look around and it is overwhelming. I have always heard the way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time. And so, one tiny baby step at a time, I will try to eat away at the chaos and craziness that has overtaken us in the last month.