When It Rains, It Pours

Everyone says it...

When it rains, it pours.

or

Things come in threes.

When it comes to me, that's usually the case.

This summer so far has been an extremely stressful summer. First, we find out we have to move and we had less than a month to move. I had to do most of it by myself, but I was very fortunate to have wonderful neighbors and friends that were able to help me. When my husband got home from his month out, he kicked it into high gear and moved all the furniture. I was lucky to have my mother come up too. With an extra car and set of hands, we were able to really kick butt the last few days of the move.



While we were moving, my grandmother had been in the hospital. She had come and gone into the hospital for more than 3 weeks between June and and the first part of this month. Finally, she was diagnosed with Small Lymphocytic Lyphoma. For those of us who do not speak medicine, it's cancer of the B Cells. She will be taking Chemotherapy.



And three - less than a week after we are finally moved into our new house, with my husband gone for a month again, my son fell and broke his leg. He broke the tibia clean through and the fibula in three places. We rushed him to the hospital where they had to take him in to get surgery. They put these flexible pins in his leg because he is still growing. And we have no insurance.


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It's pouring!

But you know what? It's tough...VERY VERY tough. All these setbacks are very stressful and we're wracking up some more debt, but I think I've been handling it well. I'll break down and cry a little, let it out, and then I'm good for a while. I'm not afraid to admit that I have cried a lot recently, I'm not afraid to admit that I'm completely stressed out, what is important is getting out my frustrations and move forward. And now we're moving forward. It's slow...very slow...but we're moving forward.

The rain is a drizzle now and the sun looks like it's trying to come out. :D

Finally Moved!

I have moved a lot in my years, but this move has been the hardest. I think it's because of several things.

1. We had been at the old house for so long.
2. It was just me and my son.
3. When hubby did get home, we had a very short time to move our things.
4. uhaul screwed us over and we didn't have a moving truck. Haters. In the end though, it saved us about $150 for truck rental, so take that evil uhaul.

We are now out of the old house and in the new. We have actually been out officially for two days now, this is day three, but we've been sleeping at the new house since July 2. It's been nice. We have all been so tired that as soon as our heads hit the pillow, we're out. LOL

My mother came up from Austin to help us move and we were able to spend a couple of days NOT moving when we were done. It was great! Very short, but it was nice to see her again. She just left out early this morning...even before the chickens wake up! Ha! I already miss her.

While Mom was here, we hit the "city". She had been telling me about all the cool things that she and my sister have found at a local thrift store over the years and suggested that we go check some out. Especially for things like dressers or cabinets or other furniture items we might need. We found the Goodwill in the "city" and ran in to take a peek. Honestly though, I didn't expect to find anything but old junk that I didn't really want. I was pleasantly surprised however, when we found a tv and PlayStation game for my son, a shelving unit, three pairs of pants for my son, a pair of Tommy Hilfiger jeans for me, and some odds and ends for around $30! The TV was only $3.99!! My son was VERY excited about it. He has been wanting one for a while now and I just couldn't justify spending $150 for one for him. Besides, everything is hi def and blue ray and we have none of that, so a new TV wouldn't even work with our (old) entertainment system. He was thrilled to set up his little TV and video games in his room.

Ohh it looks like I got a little off topic! ha! This was supposed to be about the move! LOL Well, we're officially moved, though I have tons of boxes everywhere and I can't find anything! My furniture is in disarray and nothing is in place yet, but it feels good to finally be done with the move...especially since I've been moving since June 19. As soon as we got to the new house, hubby set up the washer and dryer and I've already done about 13 loads of laundry - and we didn't have to haul the water!!! Mom helped me get my plants into the new garden and found a sprinkler...omg I can actually use a sprinkler now! If something breaks, all I have to do is call the property manager and they will fix it...I don't have to wait a month or two (or three or four) for hubby to get home to fix it. Wow...what a change that will be!

So what does the new house look like? Take a look...

Okay, well it's NOT quite like THAT... LOL But it does look like an alpine ski lodge on the inside, and it looks like a farm house on the outside. It's much smaller than where we were, but SO much nicer! And it's not that far away from where we were. We won't have to change much of anything - phone, bills, etc. And we can pretty much keep our normal routine with our runs to town. Ohhh, and I forgot... the road to the house is PAVED! No more potholes!

Now we will have to see what winter brings us...

Mooooving Right Along

Well, our move is going slower than planned, but it's going.

I reserved a uhaul truck June 21st for the 4th of July weekend since hubby was going to be home for the move. He was coming home on the 1st and we were supposed to pick up the uhaul on the 2nd. The first came around and uhaul had not called me to confirm my reservation, so I called them. What do they tell me? That there are NO trucks. No trucks? Are you kidding me? I have been seeing trucks running around town for the past two weeks. Don't tell me there are no trucks. We have moved a LOT in the past, and we've used uhaul a LOT, and usually, if there are no trucks, they shuttle a truck up from a nearby area. NOPE. They told me that there are no trucks and they will put me on a wait list. Hello?? What the heck is a reservation for then?? SHEESH! So after that bit of a setback, we went to plan B and decided NEVER to use uhaul again. We'll go to their competitor in the future. Ryder, Penske, or Budget. Screw uhaul.

Well, we spent the entire weekend loading up furniture in our old pick up truck. It's a 68 Jeep Truck Flat Bed, has break issues, light issues, and now a power steering leak. Great. It's a really good thing that I was able to take lots of the smaller things over to the new house over the prior weeks with my car. What really helped a lot was when my most wonderful neighbors let me borrow their truck and even had a friend bring hers over to help one day. They are the GREATEST people ever!

By the 3rd, we had emptied the house of the furniture (there wasn't a whole lot), and started working on the garage. Hubby has so much in there and I hadn't packed anything in there. I've been too busy working on the house. Our old landlord kept calling us while we're moving stuff over, even though Hubby told him to leave us alone so we could get our stuff done. The old landlord has someone else packing and moving stuff for him - we don't have that luxury. We need every minute we can get to do this and don't have time to waste on idle chit chat.

The 4th was spent the same. Packing, moving, and cleaning. My mother flew up from Austin to help (and visit) and we spent the day cleaning the house while Hubby worked on the garage.

By the time it was dark we were all too exhausted to go anywhere to see fireworks or anything, but a few people around the area shot some up into the sky and we were able to catch a few sparkles.

The 6th was spent hauling things from the garage to the new house and Mom and I dug up some of my plants to put in my new garden. I was so mad when our old landlord told us we had to move - I had just planted my garden and hubby just built my greenhouse. The plants were finally taking off. *sigh*

While hubby was trying to get our lawn mower on the truck, our old landlord calls again to ask annoying questions about the utilities - like we were going to set them up for him! As if! I think he is too lazy to do it himself. He asked Hubby if he could buy his truck for next to nothing. Hubby laughed and said, first, it's not his truck, it's mine, and I was not going to sell it - especially to him. Second, it's a collectors and I'm certainly not going to sell it for cheap. He wanted to buy our truck so he wouldn't have to "mess up" his new truck. Sheesh! Then he assumed that he would be hauling water from our neighbors. Hubby told him that HE would have to talk to the neighbors about that and work something out with them. I'm rolling my eyes here because our neighbors are wonderful people, but I don't think that they would appreciate the landlord just coming over and filling up without asking. Next the landlord asked Hubby if he minded if one of his moving guys could bring a load up to put in the garage. That's why he got mad. Hubby told him NO! We are busy, we're not out yet, and legally, we have until the 20th to move out. Besides, the garage is still full. Hubby expressed to him that we have been busting our butts to accommodate HIS schedule. We have been working our butts off to get out as soon as we can, but we can only do so much. We don't have the luxury of having someone pack and move things like he does. Hubby then told him that if he or anyone of his move guys comes up before we are out, he will call the police. The old landlord got mad and said that he didn't have to jump down his throat. Hubby then told him that he will only say it one more time and that he will not say it again, we will call him when we are out. Stop calling us and bugging us with tons of stupid questions that waste our time. We're trying to work with him and it's been a miracle what we've done so far, but really, we still haven't even seen a written notice that he wants us out. Legally, we're still occupying the place and according to state law, he's in violation of many laws. He has been the whole time, but that's an entirely different story.

Hubby had to ask for another day off to finish this move, and they were not very happy about that. In fact, they were mad. I just hope this doesn't jeopardizes hubby's job. So today we HAVE to be out. Today we HAVE to get hubby's drivers license changed to the new address because he won't be home again for another month. So it's going to be a crazy crazy day.

Overall this move has been hard on us all, we're physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted, but I think in the end it will be a good thing. We won't have to haul water and hopefully we won't have to use as much wood. The new house, well it's not really new, is MUCH nicer than where we were. I guess we'll all be happy when the move is all over.

Then we can unpack.... oh joy.

The Move

This move has been exhausting me.

I've had to pack 8 years all by myself and I'm still not where near where I would like to be at this point. I have managed to get 8 loads of boxes to the new house and I will be working on that little by little this week.

Hubby is supposed to be home Friday. When he gets here, I think we will get a whole lot more done... at least I hope! He has his workshop to pack up as well as the barn. Oh joy.

Yesterday Dustin and I were sorting through some things to give away and we took them to our neighbors. Ironically enough, we met one of our neighbors for the first time yesterday. Instead of packing, like I should be doing, I spent 3 hours talking while Dustin played with her kids. On the way back to the (old) house, he said he didn't want to move now. They are home schooled too, like Dustin, and apparently like the same kind of games as Dustin. It figures. We meet a new friend just as we're leaving. Thankfully we're not going very far away.

Ohh... so on to the new house...

It's still remote. We'll still have to deal with snow, but who doesn't in North Idaho?! LOL It is much much smaller than the old house and there are NO closets. Seriously. I have no idea where I am going to put all my clothes. It is backed up to an out cropping of rocks that are like a mountain/cliff thing - very cool for climbing. And there is an outhouse. Seriously. There is an outhouse. The house itself was built (at least that's what I think) to be a Y2K home - off the grid. At one time it was set up with solar panels and gas. It actually gets sunshine most of the day...we don't get much sun on the old house. I am hoping that it is better insulated than the old house, but we will still have to heat with firewood - though hopefully not as much. It is off a main (and paved - YAY) road. Most people traveling that road live out there and it's a sort of main east west thoroughfare from the highway to a town. I have yet to see a new neighbor... I can't see any other houses...though I know they are there....somewhere. lol

I will most certainly miss the old house - okay, maybe not the house so much, but definitely the mountain. I will miss my old (and new) friends up here and the quiet dirt road (but not the potholes), and I feel like a large part of my life is over. But with this new chapter of our lives, I do think some good will come out of it. I won't have to wait a month for hubby to come home to fix something if it breaks, I won't have to haul water, and I will (at least we think) stay warmer. I believe it's a blessing in disguise for a lack of a better term.

On to packing... catch you on the flip side!

Moving!

Well, we're moving.

We have been in our current home for 8 years now and have loved every minute of it. Even though we have had to haul our water and heat with wood. It has been a very peaceful place for me. Our landlord has decided to move back in here and so we must go.

Though sad and annoying at first, I believe it to be a blessing in disguise. I will definitely miss this house, but now we have an opportunity to find something where there is no need to haul water. I don't mind heating with wood though - if it's set up properly and is efficient. lol

Ohh and we can still keep our mailing address! So there will be no need to change bills and such!

So ends another chapter of our lives and a new one begins. New adventures await...

Attention! Watch Out!

I don't normally pass around all the "beware of the such and such virus going around". Normally I don't, because there are always bad viruses and trojans going around.

I will make an exception for this one however, because if you fall for it, you pay for it.

Hubby called me up and asked if I had installed a new malware program on his computer while he was home last. When I said no, he asked if I knew what it was.

It's called MS Removal Tool.

I hadn't heard of it, but it sounded fishy. Immediately, dropped it into Google and quickly found that it is indeed..bad.

What it is:
MS Removal Tool is a FAKE anti-virus program that mimics one of Microsoft's legit tools.

What it does:
The program MS Removal Tool takes hold of your computer and doesn't let you use it. Programs won't run because this program tags every thing as a virus, or everything is infected. You can't ctrl-alt-del and kill the program, your (real) anti virus programs do not see it as a threat - I think because MS Removal Tool tells it otherwise.

It will even give you a fake blue screen of death!

It will ask that you purchase the program so that it can clean your computer.

DON'T BUY IT!!

What to do:
Shut down and reboot into safe mode with networking. Usually you press F8 to get to the menu to choose safe mode.

Download a program called Malware Bytes and use it. I suppose you can use another malware program, I just found that this one seems to work pretty well. It should (no promises) get rid of the MS Removal Tool.

Hubby's computer is happy again.

Make sure you keep your anti-virus program updated and run scans regularly.

Anniversary Disaster...

or not...

Today is my birthday, it's also my anniversary with my wonderful hubby! This year we celebrate our 11 years!

We had decided to go to our favorite sushi restaurant in "the city" as our anniversary tradition has been for the past 5 years. I also wanted to hit the fabric store on the way down (or back) to get some fabric to make a long infinity dress. So expensive in the store ,but I can make it a whole lot cheaper! Then I wanted to check the craft store for some more yarn.

On the way "down" to "the city" we stopped, I found three beautiful colors of fabric to make this dress - I'll have three and for less than $50! YAY!

The afternoon was casual and we were taking our time as we made our way to our favorite sushi bar when suddenly our conversation settled on driver's licenses.

"They expire on your birthday, right?" My son asked and I shook my head thinking they expired on the end of the month. Or was that the car tags I was thinking about? They were due in May too. I mean, I'll just renew my license tomorrow when we did our normal shopping, but did it really expire on my birthday? So I pulled out my license and sure enough, it expires on my birthday.

Well crap. I wasn't near the DMV. I was certain that if I let my license expire that I would have to take a drive test... and I am not sure I would pass one. I mean, sure, I can drive. I drive well - beyond well I thin, but having someone I don't know in my car testing my skills was sure to make for a disaster. And I KNOW I can't pass a parallel parking test.

So I HAD to renew my license TODAY!

I freaked out and told my hubby to find the nearest DMV office. Luckily, there was one about 2 blocks away from our favorite sushi bar. Perfect, I'll go in, get my license, and go have sushi.

Oh no. It couldn't be that simple for me.

I went to the office and there was a line out the door. The wait was 6 hours!!!

Crap. Crap. Crap!

I told me hubby that we needed to immediately head back to our little town where we do everything because there would be no wait. But we had to hurry because they close at 4.30 pm and it's a little over an hour drive from "the city" to "town".

He looked at his watch and proclaimed that we had time to eat sushi and would head back. Of coarse I argued with him about that. When we eat sushi, we're there for a good two hours at least, stuffing our bellies with raw fishes and rice.

We could at least do sushi takeout. That was okay, right?

Wrong.

We drive up to the sushi bar and guess what?

It's CLOSED! Not just for the day, or the week, but it's closed for good!

It was fortunate that I had actually found another sushi place online yesterday, but we couldn't find it. Forget it...let's just go to "town" and do my license then go eat Chinese at our favorite Chinese restaurant.

By now I am kicking myself hard. I knew my license was going to expire this year. They even sent me a reminder. I meant to do it last Wednesday, but I was preoccupied with other things, and by the time I remembered, I was already home and they were closed, and hubby was coming home.

Oh, but we couldn't just get to "town" yet. I was starving, I still had to check the Walmart in "the city" because the Walmart in "town" didn't have what I needed, and I am not driving back to "the city" any time soon. I had to make a quick stop.

As soon as we got to "the city" Walmart, I ran into the store, hubby trying to catch up, and my son tagging along telling dad he didn't want to see me upset on my birthday. (Bless his heart!) I was already in the back of the store before they were even inside. LOL I had my arms full of the things I needed and there they were, standing at the register with a Triple Chocolate Cream Cake.

Ohhh!! For me?? I smiled, grabbed a bag of Lindt Chocolates for a snack, and a drink, and ran through the check out and back to the car, but I was a nervous wreck. I really really really didn't want to have to do a drive test tomorrow.

Hubby was totally cool and collected the whole time, and my son was patting me on the back telling me that it will be okay. (How sweet!) But still, my nerves were on end. I dug a ball of yarn and crochet hook out of the bag of newly purchased items and set out to crochet. For some strange reason, it calms me. I crocheted all the way to the DMV in "town".

We pulled up and I looked at my watch. 4.15. Phew! I got there in time, but my new license picture sucks! lol

From there, we went to our favorite Chinese place - no sushi in "town", and I sat down in relief as they brought us some hot tea. Hubby then produced a gift bag with some pretty little things he had picked up during his travels. And most ironically, a mood ring! LOL It turned green on me, which, according to the chart that came with it, meant I had mixed emotions. Gee, ya think? LOL

We had a casual late lunch, early dinner and afterward, I just wanted to go home. Hubby built me a fire in the wood stove, dished out some cake, and then we crashed on the couch - well, I crashed in front of the computer.

Disaster diverted. Birthday and anniversary saved. Now my mood ring is blue - calm and relaxed.