Hopefully, Crisis Averted

Geez, what a whirl I have had! I can't believe it's Friday already! Two weeks ago, Andy went down to Tucson to take the DOC physical training test to be on his way to be a Department of Corrections officer. Preliminary to even taking a step of the course, they did a basic physical to see if he was healthy enough to exert himself on the test and found his blood pressure was through the roof. It was 220/140! This is the first time he had ever had this turn up; his physical last year showed it slightly elevated but nothing to be alarmed about. So he went to the doctor last Friday. They were so alarmed about his blood pressure they refused to allow him to drive himself to the urgent care. I had of course just put the kids down for naps about ten minutes before he called so I had to roust the kids and pick him up. Then it was straight to the urgent care. Due to the urgent nature of his condition he was taken straightaway into a room there and he had left his cellphone in the car. I then spent the next 3 hours waiting there with the kids which was no picnic, let me tell you. By the time I finally saw him I was a frazzled nerve myself and I would have probably have failed my own blood pressure test. After giving him his phone I whisked the kids home; boy were they happy to run around some and play. But the urgent care decided Andy had to go to the emergency room anyway since they could not get his pressure down with the meds they had on hand. So back again to pick up Andy. He decided he just didn't have enough time to screw with the emergency room before work so he went there first thing after work on Saturday morning. They kept him for about 5 hours, then finally discharged him with a prescription. He again saw the doctor two days ago and he now has 3 pills to take. I am also taking his blood pressure regularly and while it is going down, it still is too high for my taste. This morning it was 150/115. I did read the medications take 2 weeks to take full affect, so we'll see. He is feeling better; he doesn't feel so angry all the time and he feels a lot more relaxed while driving so that's all good.

Now, as soon as I walked into the urgent care with the kids I had a bad feeling about exposing the kids that germ-infested environment. I did keep them in stroller the entire time I spent in the waiting room, but I did let them run around in the building lobby. Hey, it's hard for toddlers to spend so much time strapped into the stroller, but they were reasonably good for the whole ordeal. We took strolls around the building and picked a variety of the flowers the building was landscaped with. But despite my care they found a way to get sick. Tabitha developed a fever Monday morning, pretty much on cue with 48 hours after being exposed. Fortunately that was the only symptom and it never exceeded 100. It did make her cranky as hell for about 3 days though. Tommy decided Wednesday was a good time to get the same thing, but I think he caught it from Tabitha from the timing and his lasted only a day. Boy, Tabitha does not like taking medicine at all! It was even the grape flavored children's Tylenol, but she objected so much she actually made herself gag and throw up! Tommy couldn't get enough of it, he was very cooperative. Ultimately Andy had to help hold Tabitha while I gave her the medicine and I followed it up with a drink right away which helped her a great deal. As of today, they are both fine. I have to say it was a strange little sickness, the only sign was the fever and that was thankfully not terribly high or it would have been straight back to a doctor's office.

With all this going on I have had not a whit of time to work on anything; no jewelry, sewing and obviously no time to blog. I did get a nifty new sewing machine on Monday. Since Andy got himself a new laptop the day before I figured it was only fair. It's not a real fancy machine, at least compared to what I could have bought but it is the fanciest one I have ever owned. It is a Singer, with like 30 pre-programmed decorative stitches and Auto-tension. Auto-tension! I have always had a problem with the tension of the machines I have owned and a machine with such a feature seems like a dream! My last machine, a Kenmore, was a workhorse, but very basic and of course it's tension mechanism was faulty. I did have it about ten years, and retiring it is bittersweet since my mother bought it for me and she made sure I knew it was more than she would normally spend on a machine so it has all that mom-guilt with it. Since Monday my new machine has sat in it's box on the kitchen table, but I am determined tonight to take it out and explore it's wonders. I think some new catnip toys would be a great first project to get acquainted.

Where is this month going?

I mean really, this month is flying by! I guess I've been busy, but my tangible accomplishments are lacking. Housecleaning and chores have been the major bite of my time. My conjecture is that I haven't had as much free time to myself as I have been accustomed to with Andy's new hours. My time after the kids go to bed has been taken up with making supper and helping him get ready for work. By the time he walks out the door, it's about 9:30 at night and that isn't much time for doing much except some clean-up and watching one of my dvr'ed shows. I gotta get my act together and manage my time better, but that is certainly easier said than done!

I did start a "new" line of product to sell out at the farmers market. My dad brought down all of my mom's catnip toy supplies so I essentially inherited her product line. I made 20 of the cat toys last week at my dad's insistent urging. He was always going on about how mom could never make enough of them for Kathleen to sell so I made them to get him off my back about it. To my surprise, 9 of them sold just last weekend for a total of $25.00! That is equivalent to selling a necklace or a couple of pairs of earrings, so I apparently am now in the cat toy business. It seems more lucrative than the jewelry right now. Of course, I hate to buy stuff I don't have to so I have bought some catnip seeds and have started growing my own. In the meantime I will have to actually buy some until they grow enough to start harvesting.

I'm afraid that nap time is going to be a thing of the past very,very soon. Once they figure out how to escape from their cribs, life will never be the same. There is no bright side to this that I can see. The kids communication skills are getting better but it still is not a two-way street yet. Laying down the law is not yet an option either but it's not like I haven't been trying. That is still too abstract a concept for them. They are getting pretty good at problem solving, especially Tabitha. Together, they are quite the mischief dynamo. The other day, Tommy knocked down Andy's keys off the nail on the wall with my broom. Then, Tabitha took the keys and used them to open the door to the bathroom. The next thing I hear is the splashing in the toilet so I double-timed it in there and cleared them out of there pronto! I confiscated the keys from Tabitha and put them waaaay up out of their reach. She is constantly trying out objects to open the bathroom door with ever since she saw Andy use my bookmark to do it and realized if it fits in the hole, it can open the door. Gee, thanks Andy!

A Month to Go Until the Terrible Twos are Official!

Exactly one month to go until the twins 2nd birthday! They are already in the full swing of the terrible twos with the screaming and the tantrums. Terrible twos times two! I am exhausted by the time I put them to bed each night. They are great though so I'm not really complaining, but they are a handful. Tabitha's language skills are slowly improving; she is expanding her vocabulary and her non-verbal communication skills have certainly come a long way. Tommy is a little behind her on that, but he asks for less. They are still at the point and scream ah stage. Boy, will it be fun when they enter the "no" and "mine" stage. They are getting better using the spoon and fork to eat with, but they still seem to think the plate or bowl is optional.

Yesterday, me and the kids went to the at-home reception of the "unofficial" wedding of their Grandpa Cookie (hubby's dad) and Melba (life-long friend of my mother-in-law Ellie who passed in November of last year). I wasn't thrilled to go but Cookie really wanted us to be there. It's nearly an hour drive each way and we cannot really afford the gas. I also anticipated absolutely no help with the kids while I was there, and I was not disappointed. I spent a little over two hours there completely trying to keep the kids from drinking strange drinks, playing in ashtrays and playing with things they weren't supposed to like the laptop someone had set up on the table out on the back porch. There I was, surrounded by actual adults, but not one deigned to speak with me about anything other than my kids and that was pretty insipid stuff (Oh, you must be tired, Oh, you have your hands full, that sort of thing. end rant.) Cookie did have his photo op with the kids eating wedding cake so looking back it was worth it. I wish Cookie and Mel all the best. I survived, the kids survived, and lots of new family met the kids so I have to chalk that up to time well spent.

My hubby did take the job at U.S. Security Associates for $11.00 an hour. He also took a part time job with the U.S. Airways Arena security staff to fill out his schedule. He is still technically employed by P.E.S. but I am not sure if he will really do much for them anymore. His new goal is to get a job with the Department of Corrections. He passed the written test which is better than half the people who took the test did. Now he has to get in better shape to pass the physical requirements. He has the discipline, but i hope he has the energy to do it. Hopefully in a day or two when he doesn't feel like his ass is so kicked from his schedule he will get started on it. I definitely have to give him credit for getting his butt out and getting a new job when his hours were cut so much. His new job, along with the child support payments being finished (yay!) and our tax refund should be a good bump for us financially.

And now an update about my jewelry: I finished a new necklace bringing my total to 4 necklaces made from the eBay stuff I got! I made it with all green beads, and a large green pearl drop in the middle in honor of St. Patrick's Day coming up. I also put up the jewelry slide show on my blog page here so everyone can see what I've made. The slide show includes 3 of the charm necklaces I made last month. The weird thing is I had all these things in my head to do, now I feel a bit unmotivated for the next project since I finished the new necklace. I suppose if I actually sold something I would feel a bit better.

About a week later...

Thank goodness this month is almost over! At least February is the shortest month of the year, even on leap year. The kids finally got over their stomach flu last Friday, but I was not in any shape myself to go anywhere, including my sister's farmers market. They are starting the terrible twos a little early, though. I understand that is really the frustration in the gap between being able to communicate and what they want, but I do a pretty good job understanding the body language and pointing. Sometimes the thought they want to communicate is sort of complicated and they just throw a fit, but now I am starting to figure those out also. Tommy likes to tell on his sister, or maybe feels it is his duty, and that usually involves a full-on scream fest complete with not wanting anything including what he was just holding. He did that to me the other day out in the yard. I was around the back and they had gone to the front (it's all really a wrap-around yard so it's one big yard) so I was going to check on what they were doing. Tommy comes around the corner and starts throwing a humongous fit when he sees me, complete with throwing down his toy, plopping his butt on the ground and stomping his heels and kicking. I have no idea what that's about so I try to see if he's hurt or something but he just keeps going so I shrug my shoulders and go on to see what Tabitha is doing. She is sitting in the middle of my garden. A short sprint later gets her out of the garden. By this time Tommy has collected himself and is pleased with himself now that I found out what he was trying to tell me. I'm starting to see how this sibling rivalry thing is going to go. Tabitha goes the more direct route; hitting, scratching, biting, taking the toys, that sort of thing. Tommy will be the one trying to get Tabitha in trouble while he keeps his hands clean. I gotta figure these things out early or else I am going to get played like a fiddle by both of them.

Thank goodness my melancholic fog is starting to lift. I finally have my jewelry in a slide show on the blog, yay! That took a while to figure out and download all the pictures. All of the pictured jewelry is for sale at the farmers market on Saturdays and Sundays. I would also sell them online but I would only be able to do it by check or money order. Now I have so many things I want to make I need to prioritize them; right now it's like I have ADD. I'll think of something to make, then see a picture or look at a book and want to do something else. Then I'll look at my supplies and get pulled in yet another direction. It's like a mental list of 5 things that all have a gold star next to them. One of my biggest problems is wanting to do so much I wind up doing nothing because I'm paralyzed by indecision. I still try to work though, at least in the prep area. I finally mounted my wire wizard bending jig on a board so I can clamp it to the table for stability while I bend wire to make repetitive shapes. I couldn't very well screw it directly to the kitchen table, but on the board I can C-clamp it on for stability. I have only owned that thing for about a decade and managed to not lose it through 3 hurried moves in the last 4 years. I think I needed to finally feel like I was in a permanent place before committing to attaching that thing to something. I did give my bead supplies a do or die priority during all the moves because they would be the one thing I would regret the most not being careful with, not to mention they are my highest value capital investment in both actual material value and potential value as finished product. I think I'll do the project that's been banging around in my head the longest first; it involves to stuff I got from eBay a few weeks ago. It's like I have a creative burst, then I need to rest until I get the urge again. I'm starting to burst again so I better get to work....

There's Vomit EVERYWHERE!

Oh my freakin' God! It's one of my worst nightmares come to life! The twins both have a stomach flu and I haven't done so much steady laundry in years! On Sunday, we (my sister, my nephew, my dad, me and the twins) went to Denny's to celebrate my sister's birthday. It was a great time; the kids were pretty good and we even got a free dessert from another patron because I helped him with some paperwork he brought but couldn't read because he forgot his glasses. Two days later, not such a great time. It started Tuesday morning. Tabitha started throwing up in the morning, after breakfast. I should have known something was wrong when she didn't eat her pancakes which she usually eats with gusto. Tommy finished hers off. Then she didn't finish her morning bottle. Little clues for the clueless. Then right after I changed her after breakfast it was the Niagara Falls of vomit. All over the kid's room. Oh, the stink! Rinse and repeat with the mid morning snack. All over me, and her room. I think I had worn that outfit all of 20 minutes before having to change. No more milk for her. Tommy so far was fine. Then, that evening Tommy started in on the fun. More laundry. Lots of towels. Now, both kids are on a clear liquid diet plus crackers. All day yesterday, all day today. This they keep down. I won't mention the horrible mess in the diapers. As of tonight, Tabitha seemed O.K., Tommy couldn't keep his supper down. Ugh, more hosing off the couch cushions. At least they settle down fast for sleep. I'm worried about dehydration but since they keep some down I think that part is O.K. but I'm definitely keeping watch. I guess I'll see what tomorrow brings. I'm really hoping Tabitha has gotten over it, but since Tommy started about 12 hours later I figure his will last about that long after Tabby is better. I will tell you, twin toddlers vomiting without notice where ever they may be is NOT cool. It's a first for them so I hope I can go another two years before it happens again. By that time I can reason with them to stay put and use the provided receptacle if they feel they need it. And then they could actually tell me how they feel, all I can do is guess right now and that just sucks.

Aside from that little crisis, Tabitha's language skills are improving and it's obvious both of them are understanding a lot of what I am telling them. I think they choose not to listen to some things, like don't touch the T.V. buttons and don't climb up on the table. Most of the other stuff I have baby-proofed like the cabinets, drawers and the oven. Tabitha has figured out how to open doors so now I have those doorknob covers on all the important doors. I have had to reverse the knobs on the accordion closet doors I don't want the babies to get into. They have a magnetic attraction to go outside so I have been very militant about always locking the back sliding glass door which they also recently figured out how to open if it is unlocked. That drives my hubby crazy since I am so automatic about it I often lock him out after the babies have gone to bed and he is out back grilling dinner. I trained myself to do that long before they figured it out just to have one less thing to generally worry about. I can't wait for life to get back to what I call normal.

My hubby is starting a new job today with another security company. Mike at PES (his old company) won't let him actually quit and told him that he would work around his new schedule. They really don't want to lose him, but what can Andy do when they are only scheduling him 18 hours a week? Also Andy heard from another company he applied to so he is going there for an interview tomorrow. I think Andy would work at all three companies if he could swing it, but I really don't think that would be feasible. His new job he started today is a dollar less an hour, but it is full time. If he can get a day or two from PES to round that out we would be O.K. If the company he is going to interview with tomorrow hires him at full time with better hourly I hope he would go with them instead but I am sure he will make the right decision on this. He is very focused on being able to support us and I trust him to do what needs to be done. God knows I am not about to get a job and get the kids in a daycare. I just can't make enough money(high school diploma only, if I could get a 9/hour job I would be lucky) to make working actually worthwhile after paying for the childcare, and other expenses associated with me working. Not to mention I am getting far too old for that crap. I'm almost 40 with twin toddlers; I don't see how working a crap job and then taking care of the kids wouldn't put me into an early grave. They completely exhaust me just by themselves. Then there is losing a child to suicide which has given me a complex that isn't easily unraveled without serious long-term counseling not affordable at my socio-economic level. I know I am post-traumatic about it. I deal.

The Lost Month

February is not my favorite month. I'm glad it is so short. It has nothing to do with the weather, or the post-holiday blues. It' s the month my daughter committed suicide. February 9th is the anniversary of her death, three years ago. She was 13. I thought I was going to post something to my blog on that day, but I just couldn't bring myself to the keyboard, it's still too emotional for me on that day to do a whole lot that's meaningful. I still miss her terribly. She was just in the eighth grade. She would have been 17 this year. The babies keep me really busy which has probably been my best emotional rehabilitation but I still sometimes call Tabitha Cassie by accident. Then I get a little sad. I have a little shelf I have put pictures and mementos of Cassie on and I look at it every so often. I need to dust it but it's not high on my priority list to do by myself. February 17th is the anniversary of her burial so between the two dates it pretty much does this month in for me. Sigh. Time heals all wounds, so they say. I'm still waiting on that but it is getting a little easier, I suppose.

This month has also been tough on Andy. He is getting very little in the way of hours from work. He only worked 36 hours in the last two weeks and we are really going to feel that by the end of the month. He has been applying at all sorts of other security companies around the valley like crazy but no one is hiring. Some of the applications have been pretty insane too. I have never seen applications like these in my life either. Some of them have pages of questions, like "If you starting college tomorrow, what courses would you take?" "What does failure mean to you?" "How would your best friend, college roommate, parents, describe you?" and my favorite, "If you went back to age 18 years old what would you do differently?" I don't see how those questions are relevant to reveal answers to before even an interview. For a job that pays 10.00 an hour. It's not like these are applications for sensitive, high paying jobs. It just goes to show how far labor rights have eroded in the last couple of decades to the point such intrusive questions can be asked. This last application included all sorts of releases also to do every sort of background check imaginable: criminal, credit check, MVD report, and some others that weren't very specific, just that you were expected to sign your life away before even being considered for the job. Wow. I figure they feel they have the power to ask these questions since if you don't agree to them, you can't even get a crappy job and they will find someone who will consent to these questions. I wish I had some law expertise so I would know if it was even legal for these companies to subject potential employees to this level of prying. It's sort of like practicing discrimination on an individual basis by gathering so much information up front they can find anything to deny you a job if for some reason they just don't like you regardless of evaluating if your skill set matches the job. I think it completely violates the spirit, if not the letter of the law. End rant.

On the only bright side so far of this month, the babies are healthy and their talking skills are slowly coming around. Tabitha is so stubborn about not talking, even though she knows the words. Tommy is much more forthcoming and happy to tell me what he wants. He is much more practical. Tabitha is stubborn about it because she likes the attention. What else should I expect from twins, each vying for my attention in their own ways? I know at some point Tabitha's stubbornness will be undermined by the sheer force of human nature to talk and it will just come. I cling to that when she is throwing a tantrum for something or just pointing and saying "AHH".

And lastly for today, I did our taxes yesterday and amazed my hubby with the amount we will be getting from the Feds. I have been trying to explain to him about the Earned Income Tax Credit for a while now, but only by actually doing it could he see it was worthwhile. He still doesn't understand how we get something from the Feds when we haven't paid any out of his paycheck, and I try to explain that it is generally a subsidy for the poor to raise kids in a manner not completely destitute. The refund will really help with us getting back on our feet after this time of short hours for him. I wish I had gotten this done sooner, but late is better than never.

Bummer, the Cards lost!

As I'm sure everyone who has a t.v. in the world has now heard. Hey, they had a good run while it lasted. Leave it to the Cardinals to allow the longest drive in Superbowl history, 100 yards. If they had made that touchdown and not been intercepted they would have won the game. Though they fought the good fight after that it just wasn't enough to pull it off. Well, there is always next season.

Ashley was acting weirder than usual this weekend. She was constantly talking to someone who wasn't there. I don't mean in that talking to your self mode, but really asking questions in that tone you would use to actually ask someone, not the rhetorical tone like when you talk to your self. When a 4 year old talks to an imaginary friend it's considered normal generally. I think when a 17 year old talks to an imaginary friend it's called schizophrenia. I am afraid for the kids when she comes over because I don't know if and when she is going to snap. I would not be the least surprised if Andy gets a call one day, or we see on the t.v. that she has committed a double homicide on her mother and her roommate. I have heard she has had some real nasty fights with her mother and I think it is only a matter of time before something tragic happens. I just don't want it to be at my house. She is a big girl, over 200 pounds, and strong too. I think Andy does not feel as physically threatened by her as I do, hence the feeling I am over reacting to her presence. I have had enough tragedy, thank you very much.

Keeping the kids out of my garden seems to be a hopeless task, but I will persevere. Tommy purposely stepped in the garden, for the attention I guess. He squished a couple of my tomato seedlings. I hope they pull through and spring back but I am not holding my breath. Otherwise it is looking great and after about a month it's really starting to look like a garden, not a bare patch of ground. Tabitha seems to have more respect for the garden; she likes the idea of flowers growing. She makes this cute squinched face with a sniffing sound to signify flowers, which she makes when pointing to the little plants in the garden. She pats them like little pets, to show she is nice to them. Tommy is mostly interested in using the garden to get my attention. Kids will be kids and I'll just have to be patient.

I did a few hours of research online last night and could not find any definitive post about removing the finish off of vintage glass pearls, but I went ahead and decided to try out acetone nail polish remover, and it worked like a charm! I had half a large salsa jar of these beads and poured in enough polish remover to cover the top. It just melted the finish right off the beads. I still have to do some clean up; I really should have used less pearls at a time, with more acetone since I have congealed lumps of the coating that gathered in the solution. I am going to strain my vintage glass beads with a fine strainer and get the plasticy lumps out and give the beads a good cleaning. The ones that still need some more treatment I will set aside and use some fresh acetone nail polish and give those another go. I did find out acetone does not hurt real pearls with all my research last night so I might find out some of my glass pearls are real; that would be cool. I just can't believe that after all that Googling not one place on the whole web had the instructions on how to remove the finish from vintage glass pearls. It's not like those things don't get worn out and salvaging them just for the pretty glass beads they are underneath is a bad idea. It's just not out there as something people can do. Well, I'm off to go work on those now and by tomorrow I should be making stuff with those newly cleaned beads!