Grant me serenity....

Just when you think things are going smoothly, something comes along to trip you up.  The process of moving and squaring things away is a lesson in changing what you can and accepting what you can't because just when you think things are settled, it turns out not to be.  This weekend I discovered my bank sent my rent, not to my landlord, but to nowhere.  They cut a paper check instead of paying his account and sent it to nowhere, literally.  There was no address.  They sent the check anyhow.  This is the problem with automated systems.  A person might have noticed there was no address and stopped the process to figure out what was going on.  The mechanical system, however, just shoots things out. 

I discovered this on Saturday morning after my landlord contacted me to let me know he hadn't received our money yet.  The bank put a stop-payment on the check they cut and said the money would be back in my account in 3 - 5 business days.  In the meantime, I am sending a personal check to cover this to my landlord so that, once the money is back in my account, he can go ahead and cash it.  The next step from there will be to figure out how to do this so it NEVER HAPPENS AGAIN. 

Also on Saturday, we discovered the tree in our backyard was trying to make an entrance into the neighbor's yard.  It's a lovely mulberry tree that just sort of leaned over the fence.  Big Guy would take care of it himself, but there's some sort of line there that the tree is also leaning on, so I think someone professional needs to take care of it to prevent death and/or loss of limb (HA) and property.  However, it's a holiday weekend, and, as with the bank, that means NO ONE is working until Tuesday without serious overtime. 

For most people, this is a relaxing time.  For me, it turned into a frenzy of 'crap I cannot control'. I don't like sharp changes in plans; I especially don't like sharp changes in plans of things I had already marked off my list.  My reaction to that loss of control and inability to change it RIGHT NOW was to take control elsewhere.  As such, Big Guy and I emptied the dining room of boxes and then refilled it with boxes from the family room.  We then sorted the place out and got the furniture arranged (mostly) to our satisfaction.  I need a wireless adapted for my computer before it can go on my desk but then we are settled in the family room.  We have a mishmash of hand-me-down furniture from friends, family and second-hand stores which, surprisingly, almost looks like we planned it and matches the woodwork here beautifully.  I have no idea how we managed both the coordinating furniture and the coordinating woodwork, but go us. 

In the end, this means Tuesday will be a busy day.  I'm OK with that as long as everything gets sorted out.  I want everything back to settled, so I can get down to the very serious business of settling in and sorting things out.  We need to get settled in so I can get Little Guy into a routine and start homeschooling the little booger.  He desperately needs a routine and regular schedule.  This past month has been sorely lacking in that department, and I am starting to feel like a horrible parent.  But again, I need to look at this as an opportunity to change what I can and accept what I can't. 

It's just difficult. 

Bookstore Plans and Dreams

Life is full of surprises. I think (though I am not sure) that thisis a good thing. Life changes and moves and very rarely do things ever stay the same. I am convinced that most of our lives occur for a reason even if we are never truly sure what that reason is. Our life has been moving non-stop and keeping up with the plans we are attempting is never an easy task.

Big Guy, as you know, was laid off in November. After much twisting, turning, and scrambling (and with the much needed and much appreciated help of friends and family) we made it through the holiday season, got our financials sorted out, and are continuing to march forward. I told Big Guy, though, that he needed to figure out what he wanted to do and where he wanted to go from here. To that end, we've started to look at putting the bookstore in order.

This is exciting and nerve-wracking. We've always talked about doing this, but more of a "when we win the lottery" type thing. Never very seriously. Now, we've got the business registered as an LLC and we are moving forward with a business plan and trying to get funding. I have no idea if we're going to be able to pull this off, but I would really like to. I don't even want to end up a nation-wide franchise. I just want a nice, cozy little book store that we can share with friends and family. I know the ultimate goal would be to make money on it, but we also want to do what we enjoy.

If we can do this, it would be a great opportunity for Big Guy to do something he loves. I could still teach on a free schedule, and when I'm not teaching, I can work in the book store. Little Guy can still be homeschooled and still get hands on experience with math and reading. So, we'll bust our butts getting this put together, hopefully give us a chance to move out of where we are and into a better place. I just have to keep reminding myself that everything happens for a reason and, for better or for worse, this is happening too.

List of things to do

Final exams for my class were yesterday.  There's always a lightening of the spirit in the air when the class ends.  It's an end to routine, an end to the day-in-day-out.  The students are happy and excited because, for most of them, they've come to the end of their first class in college. 

For me, the end of the month means a three day break before I go back to school.  I always fill those days with grand plans that never seem to come to fruition.  For example, right now, I'm thinking that I'll get the laundry completely folded, the laundry room swept and mopped, the kitchen swept and mopped, and the family room picked up and vacuumed.  I'll also work on the blog and finish reading my book. 

Now, I know that two of those items will definitely happen.  Two others, I know, realistically, are only semi-likely to achieve completion, and the final two items are not likely at all and will take a miracle to happen.  Hey, at least I'm being honest with myself.

What I need is a plan. I need to put together a list of things to accomplish.  So, here goes my list for today:
1 - Get up (This does deserve a spot on the list because, dammit, it's hard sometimes)
2 - Make coffee
3 - Do my blog stuff - write and post the entry, EC stuff, etc
4 - Little Guy's breakfast (or lunch depending on his wake-up time)
5 - Make grocery list and menu
6 - Pick up the family room and vacuum
7 - Give Little Guy a bath and fold Laundry

The hope is, if I make a list, I will follow through.  And I am nothing if not a constant lesson in "hope springs eternal".  I admit it, this is all probably a pipe dream, but some day I will not get distracted.  Some day I won't wander off halfway through a task because something else caught my eye. I just hope it's not because I'll be old and blind. 

Now, obviously I've accomplished #1 and #3.  Little Guy is working on #4 and I still need to do the second item on the list.  So, I feel like I'm off to a good start!  I think, once I get caffeine in my system, following through the other items will be easy!  Wish me luck! 

Original photo by D. Sharon Pruitt