My Weblog

Well, it must be time for me to do this again.  Let's see, what have I got to talk about?

First, I guess that I should tell you that I've been subpoenaed.  One of my clients is being sued.  So, a law firm here in town has subpoenaed basically all of his records.  It comes to 33 cardboard boxes and 2 4-drawer file cabinets.  I'm actually glad to see the stuff out of here.  It's just the logistics of getting it out of here that has been the problem.  Apparently my client has failed to communicate even the fact that I was subpoenaed to his attorney.  I finally tracked down the phone number for his attorney through my daughter.  He is now considering what he wants to do about the matter.  In the meantime, the opposing attorneys have called me three times and are now starting to call my daughter as well.  Though she is not licensed to represent me, she has asked them to call her, not me, because they upset me when they call.  But, it's not like she needs any more stress in her life either.  I'm pretty angry about the whole thing and I'm to the point to where I don't care who trucks it out of here as long as someone does.  We pulled it all together in the garage and now we can't even park in our own garage!

On the work front, Joe has apparently concluded that his work at the timeshare company is done.  We did finally get a call back from one of the managers but he was drunk at the time so I don't think that accomplished much.  Not only was he drunk, he also was set to leave the company himself, so I think that about does that.   In the meantime, our signings have picked up.  That is a real blessing and between signings and tax income, we might even be able to pay all the bills this month.  There is one lady at the escrow company who regularly does between 6-10 signings a day.  She is due to go on maternity leave soon so the signings will keep up and probably even multiply til she comes back.  What happens then?  Well, I guess that's up to the Lord....but this is certainly a faith adventure.

We're still doing some babysitting.  In fact we'll have the boys for about three hours this evening.  And we took care of them Tuesday and Thursday nights as well.  The Tuesday night gig will probably end next week.  I'll miss the time I spend with them.  They are both such sweet little guys.  Tonight we'll have them here which we prefer.  Joe's gotten better about going to the kids' house since he's figured out he can watch some of his favorite shows via the internet, but because of the timing, he usually has to spend the evening in his "work" clothes and he balks at that.  Changing his clothes into something loose fitting and running around barefoot is something he looks forward to every day, all day long.  And, since I found out that it was carrying the little guy around that was wreaking havoc with my back, I've pretty much insisted he come along to do that for me.

My back has not been without a few twinges here and there but is definitely doing better with Joe doing most of the "heavy" work with Atticus.  It's not that Atticus is heavy...on the contrary, he's still quite small though he is gaining a bit of weight.  But, all I need to do is pick him up to know that he's heavy enough!  He's toddling around pretty well now.  In fact, one of his teachers at day care claims he ran away from her the other day.  He is just cute as a button. 

Will is still being his usual helpful self.  I am so proud of him for the way he has taken to being a big brother.  He's not a hefty little boy--in fact, he's actually pretty skinny.  I listened in wonder the other night as he informed me that anyone who wanted to hurt Atticus would have to come through him!  And, he was definitely totally serious!  He hardly seems big enough to defend anyone, so we'll have to pray for a SMALL bully if that ever happens......He is such a bright kid though.  I was happy to see that he's now reading the Hardy Boy Mysteries we bought him for Christmas.  That's pretty good for an 8 year old. 

At around 6:15 PM, Thursday night, we were on our way for a babysitting gig.  We were going to drive through a fast food place to get ourselves something for dinner and I was wondering what the boys would be eating.  So, we called Jason and left a message to that effect on the phone.  He didn't call back so we called again.  By now it was about 6:30PM.  Apparently he hadn't given a thought to how he'd feed the little guys as he had no answer when we asked him what he was planning on feeding the kids!  I would have thought they would be ready to eat the refrigerator by that time, forcing him to figure out what to feed the kids......

So yesterday was an atrocious day.  First there is the whole subpoena thing which is just layering on a whole extra layer of stress.  Then I had an llAM signing.  I was just working on getting ready when Joe called and said the 11 had been canceled.  Then I was scheduled for a 2 and he had a 2:30 at the other end of town.  But, then the pregnant lady had gotten behind, so Joe was drafted to start a signing for her.  When I showed up, Joe handed off to me, but I had no idea what he'd finished and what he hadn't.  We stumbled through all that.  Then my 2o'clock was ready to go.  I went out in to the reception area, called the buyer's name, and 4 big guys stood up.  So, the five of us squeezed ourselves into my little signing room.  We no more than sat down before one guy (not the buyer) starts complaining about some "charges" on the settlement statement.  They weren't charges--they were credits!  I offered to have the credits removed but he didn't like that idea either, LOL.  Then, the seller was supposed to be paying $4800 of closing costs for the buyer.  Normally, the escrow officers would have shown the costs on the settlement statement and then shown the credit there as well.  For reasons known only to her, this escrow officer netted a bunch of closing costs against the $4800 and didn't show either the charges or the credit on the settlement statement.  He claimed he knew nothing about that and needed proof of it.  I showed him the document I had been provided.  He wanted to grab it and really look it over and I wouldn't let him (it's supposed to be confidential and I'm not authorized to release it).  He had a copy right in front of him that had been faxed to him by the escrow officer right in front of him!  When I nicely pointed that out to him, he got REALLY nasty and started yelling at me.  Finally, he realized the other three guys were looking at him as though he was out of line, which he was, and shut up.  But at every opportunity, he mouthed off again.  Joe says I should have thrown him out of the room, but I just got quieter and quieter in discussing the documents.  Finally, his son elbowed him and told him to shut up because he couldn't hear what I was saying.  Yay!!!!!  I was a wreck when that was over.  Then I started the phone calls to attorneys.  Finally I realized I hadn't eaten all day and headed to Subway to grab a bite of lunch.  My final signing for the day was a couple who were in to sign their documents for the 4th time.  To make matters worse, the documents weren't complete and I got the great joy of telling them they have to come back Monday (their 5th trip) to sign just a couple of pieces of paper.  They were as sweet as can be and we had a good time, joking and picking on their real estate agent.  We laughed our way through the signing.  The loan officer (yes, there were 5 of us wedged into that little room again) said later that I was the first person who had ever explained the documents to them.  The previous 3 signers had merely read the title of the documents and said "Sign Here".  They were thankful that I'd given them some idea of what was going on..........a pleasant change from the loudmouth maniac who I'd had to deal with earlier in the day.  Then we grabbed a bite to eat and rushed home for an evening tax appointment.  What a day!

Well, enough of this stuff.  I'll post some pages and get ready for the boys to arrive.  We're having Panda Express tonight because that's something both boys like to eat so I don't have to cook.

We toured a historic home in Southern Utah on one of our recent trips to that area. It was there we learned the derivation of the term "sleep tight". I used Kim Hill's Memory Lane for this page. Memory Lane is available at ACOT. The heart (recolored) is from an ACOT retired mega kit. The yellow flower (recolored) is from Miranda's Garden, another Kim Hill kit. The star is from the Christmas Goodies element pack by LaWanna Desjardin, available at Scrapbook Bytes. The butterfly (recolored) is by Wendy Page and is from a retired Elemental Scraps mega kit. The alpha is from the Sleigh Bells Ring kit by Traci Reed and Dani Mogstad. I also used a template (retired) by Nina of Nina Scraps.

I had the pleasure of giving DGS a lesson in pie baking for his Cub Scout heritage badge recently. When I saw this piece of word art, I thought it fit perfectly. I used the January Customer Appreciation kit, Tied Together, from NDISB for this layout. The flower (slightly recolored) is by Amanda Rockwell.

I was so happy to see these sunny, bright colors in Pottery Barn the other day--such a delightful change from the gray days of winter. I couldn't resist a few photos and a layout. I used an older kit by Mindy Terasawa called A Mother Is. I used an alpha by Andrea Burns as a clipping mask for papers from the kit. I did recolor several papers for this layout. The stitching is by Amanda Rockwell.

A photo of my favorite two little boys taken by Uncle John. I used Lynn Grieveson's new mapmaker papers, available at Designer Digitals. Most everything else is from Weeds and Wildflowers. The gingham ribbon is by Baer Garten Designs.

Over the past year or so, we have had many a dark moment. But the sight of this little one with his complete innocence, the sunshine in his hair and his ready smile--well that just lights our way..... Everything here is by Lynn Grieveson of Designer Digitals. The paper is from her new paper pack entitled Kiwiana. I've also used her Breezy Flowers and Worn Strips. The photo with it's gorgeous lighting is by his great uncle, John.

DGS Will celebrated his 8th birthday with a family trip to Disneyland. His mom took this photo. I used Jeanelle Paige's Happy Friends Prince for this page. Jeanelle's kit is available at ACOT. I love the bright primary colors--so kid friendly. The alpha is Amelie by Sara Carling (retired). I used a freebie template by Emily Powers that was available on the Hodge Podge blog which I altered A LOT!

This photo was taken by our friend John on one of his hikes. I used Christine Haskell's Silent Snowfall paper pack for this page. The frame is by Nina from her Clarisse kit as are those beautiful swirls down the side of the page. The glitter drops (recolored) are by Nina from her Pimp Your Page set 4. The Metalic bow and the ribbon cardboard element are from Autumn Glitter by Lianne Carper, available at ACOT. The journaling card used for the title is another item from Nina, from her Josephine kit. The star is by Weeds and Wildflowers as is the raffia item. The beautiful Christ mas ornaments (recolored)are by Loreta Labarca in the Christmas Joy and Happiness kit. You can find Nina's kits at NDISB and O Scraps. Christine's paper pack and Loreta's Christmas kit are both available at NDISB.

Well, it's only been about 6 days since I last posted, but I've been told my last post is becoming boring so I guess I'll try to conjure up something to say.

One piece of news.....  Tuesday night, 3 days before the official "cut-off" date of February 15, Joe was fired again.  Once again he told them he really wanted to work for that company.  They told him they would check on sending him back to the remote site.  He was supposed to call them Wednesday, which he did, as well as Thursday and again today, but they are not returning his calls.  We shall see whether that changes or if the good Lord has another assignment for him.  Meanwhile, he has taken all the signings on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday so I haven't had to run around as much which I really appreciate.

We are still on our Daniel's fast--no meat.  For whatever reason, we are finding it easier this time.  We're well past 3 weeks and still holding out pretty well.  We did break down the other day for an In-n-Out burger the other day, but other than that, we're doing okay.  It's been quite a challenge finding meatless meals that will satisfy Mr. Joe.  And, it's time consuming.  But we get more choices cooking at home than eating out which we've just about cut out entirely.  Sometimes I get to eat out if I have a signing late in the afternoon when I would otherwise be cooking but otherwise, it's me, trying to figure out how to cook vegetarian! 

Well, it's not often I get to post about something I've bought.  But, this time I can.  I ordered a little item called a Purseket.  It is basically an insert for your purses.  Just load up the pockets and when you want to switch from your red purse to your black purse, just lift the purseket from one purse to another and you're ready to go.  Let's see if I can put a link here:  http://www.purseket.com/    Did you check it out?  Isn't that a cool thing?  I really like mine. 

I'm out of news for now.  And the site where I grab my pages from to post them is down at the moment.  So, I'll say adieu for now.  Have a blessed evening. 

Lay-away

Okay, I kind of promised in my last post to address this issue, so I'll try to do that this morning though I'd much rather go snuggle back into my warm bed.  For whatever reason, my body clock has had me up and out of bed by 5:30ish for the last 3 mornings.  That's just plain inhuman!

So, do you remember layaway?  You'd go into a store and pick out something you really wanted and needed.  But, it was something for which you did not have the money.  So, you'd give them a deposit, say $5.  Then in a week or a month, you'd come back and give them another $5.  And you'd keep making those payments weekly or monthly, until you'd paid for the item and could take it home and enjoy it. 

Well, I heard a sermon the other day that tied this to God's promises in the Bible.  God says, for example, in Psalm 128:1-2, "We fear the Lord and walk in His ways.  We will eat of the fruit of our labor; blessings and prosperity will be ours."  Well, that sounds like a promise doesn't it?  And we know that God does not lie, so that promise is ours.  Because we fear the Lord and walk in His ways.  If that promise is ours, then we are blessed and we are prosperous.  Our bank account may not show it right now, but it WILL show it if we are faithful.  Faithful in praising Him.  Praise is the layaway payment that brings our blessing and prosperity from promise to reality.  Praise (and an attitude of gratitude) are indications of my faith in His promises, and there is little God wants from me more than He wants me to trust Him.  So every time I praise Him for my prosperity and my blessing, I am making a layaway payment on that prosperity and blessing.   The Bible says, prophetically, in Isaiah, referring to Christ's sacrifice on the cross, that " By His stripes we WERE healed".  So, 2000 years ago, when Christ bore the sins, sicknesses, and curses of the world and went to the cross, my back was healed.  So, every time I praise Him for my healing I demonstrate my faith in His promise of healing and come just a little closer to "owning" that promise in my own life.  That makes "In everything give thanks" and "rejoice always" a lot easier to accomplish, for me.  And, really, if I can't bank on God's promises, (assuming I am living according to His laws), what kind of God is He anyway????!!!!  So, this layaway concept has helped me make practical sense of a concept I've been trying to understand better.  I love it!  The Lord and I have a little "layaway" session throughout the day these days.  I just can't wait to make enough "payments" for those promises to be mine!   And as I exercise my faith by saying "Thank you, Praise you" for that which I have not yet seen, my faith grows stronger in the process!  It's a win/win situation.

So, if you are related to me, please don't call me and ask me how my back is doing.  Instead, just call me and ask me if I'm still making my layaway payments!  'Cause, otherwise, if I get it right, I will simply tell you "it is healed, praise God" and discuss it no further.  If I actually start to describe symptoms, please stop me! 

Actually it IS getting better.  Tuesday evening we had the boys while Jennifer and Jason attended a class.  We grabbed a quick sandwich with Jennifer and the boys.  Then Jennifer went on her way and we took care of Atticus while we waited for Will's Cub Scout meeting to be over, then took both boys home and more or less supervised bath and then put them to bed.  Now, I say "more or less" supervised bath because Atticus was just worn to a frazzle and I didn't even bathe him.  And, Will decided to take a shower, went into the bathroom long enough to steam up the mirrors, but suddenly began wailing that the water was cold before he had a chance to wash up.  So, I hoped steam cleaning worked for little boys and put him to bed too.  But, I had a new concept.  I truly believe much of the problem I've experienced lately comes of lifting and carrying at least 20 extra pounds in the form of one darling little boy.  So, Tuesday night I sat on the floor with him.  That way I didn't have to lift him when he wanted "uppies"--he could just crawl or toddle over and plop down in my lap for a hug or a snuggle or just a quiet moment.   And I had Joe along to carry him to and from the car.  My back was much better Wednesday and Thursday than I would have thought.   So, praise God, perhaps in the meantime, until I can really work out and strengthen those back muscles, or until I make enough lay away payments, I think I have found a way to minimize the problem!

Joe has still not had a sale.  But we know he is working where he's working for a reason, and he won't be leaving there until his purpose for being there is accomplished.  That may be next week or it may be in the year 2017.  But in the meantime, we are praising the Lord for "opening a door that no man can close".  When it closes, it will be God's will and that's good enough for us. 

Signings....oh yes, there have been signings.  Joe did two outside signings yesterday.  Thursday I actually got to stay home all day!  Wednesday, we had an interesting experience.  I had an outside signing at noon, then was scheduled for a 4:00, a 5:00, and a 7:00PM.  I planned on handing off as many of the late signings to Joe as possible because I was supposed to be cooking dinner Wednesday evening.  Well, I got a call a few minutes before 4, telling me Joe had lost his keys.  He's very methodical about things, and always puts them in his jacket pocket and zips his jacket pocket closed, but when he went to leave work for the day, he had no keys!  The keys he lost included the ONLY key to the Mitsubishi.  I told him years ago that there was only one key to that car but he did nothing about it.  I'd tried to have a duplicate made, but apparently you have to buy the key blanks from the Mitsubishi dealer at an exorbitant price, then take it to a locksmith or hardware store to have your key duplicated.  So, anyway, I took the 4 o'clock signing while he scurried around the resort trying to retrace his steps and figure out where he'd lost his keys.  The 4 o'clock signing ran a little long because I had a "chatty Kathy" real estate agent along for the ride and she wouldn't shut up--who pulled her cord anyway?  Someone else took the 5:00 signing because Joe called the escrow company and let them know he couldn't get there.  I had planned on doing it, but with my prior signing going a little long, and the people getting antsy, having someone else do it was a blessing.  Someone finally volunteered to bring Joe home from work and we went to the 7:00 signing together, after hurriedly gobbling down a couple of fried egg sandwiches.  He did the hard work and I notarized the documents because his notary briefcase was locked in the car!  The guy who brought him home picked him up Thursday morning and helped him "break into" the car where it was discovered he'd laid the keys on the passenger seat and then covered them with documents!  What fun all that was! 

One thing that was kind of funny happened during the 7:00 signing.  Joe's been doing signings for more than 20 years and is considered an expert.  I've been doing them for 3 years and am still somewhat of a "new kid on the block".  Particularly in that Joe will work himself to the bone to cover every signing offered to "us" before he will send me to do one.  So, while I've had my notary for more than 3 years, he really hasn't let me use it much except when I first started and we had more work than he could cover and recently since he's taken this job.  Well, the real estate agent kept saying the settlement statement was wrong, and Joe must have had a senior moment because she had him convinced it WAS wrong.  I looked at the item in question, thought about it for a second, and explained it--it was NOT wrong.  Now, imagine the "new kid on the block" having to do that with the "expert"!

So far, I have completed two tax returns and the phone is ringing and ringing and ringing.  I am having a hard time keeping up with the phone calls as I don't seem to be able to stay in one place long enough to do that sensibly. 

Joe got his 1099's in the mail.  He was actually surprised at how little he made last year.  I was not and was actually surprised that he was surprised.  I've cut back and cut back and cut back throughout the past year til there really wasn't much left to cut.  Hopefully he will start work pulling together the numbers for our return shortly. 

Well, I have mucho to do today, including some tax clients to satisfy, so I have to get busy.  I will post a few pages, though, since I haven't done that in a while. 

Every now and then, throughout the year, when my husband wants to see me smile, he pops this song into the CD player. The harmony makes my heart sing and the words make me want to cry, or is it the other way around? I LOVE it. I used Gina Jane Johnson's Miracle of Christmas for this page. The burlap alpha is by LaWanna Desjardin and can be purchased at SBB.

This photo was just taken at a random stop along the road between Nevada and Mexico. I was amazed at the number of snowbirds we encountered--all along the Colorado River and all along the border. I used a new kit by NinaScraps, Clarisse, available at NDISB and OScraps.

It's a part of the Vegas area that tourists seldom see--a winter playground, a place to go for relief from the heat in the summer. I used the new collaborative kit by Amanda Rockwell and Saxon Holt, Winter Shimmer, for this page. I actually blended two papers together for the background. I also used LaWanna Desjardin's Purple Glitz Glam Alpha, available at Scrapbook-Bytes. You can find Winter Shimmer at Scrap Artist.

Is there anything sweeter than a sleeping child? Well, maybe a sleeping grandchild! I used Amy Teets' new kit, Sleep Tight, for this page. Sleep Tight is available at ACOT. The alpha (recolored) is by Kim Christenson.

On December 16th, we celebrated a momentous occasion--Atticus's first birthday. He looked so darn cute in the crown his Mommy bought him! I used a new kit by Genevieve Sass for the papers and for the cupcake. The kit is called Celebrate. The hearts, used as a clipping mask for papers from the kit, are a layered template by Chere Kaye. I also applied a liberal sprinkling of Rachel Young's Multicolored Sequin Spills! This is a rare two page layout from me!

That's it for today.  I just had an error message flash across my screen and I'm scared to death this whole thing is going to crash before I can post it!

More warfare

Well, if I could, I'd spend the day in a hot bath.  It's such a wonder what it does to my back.  Unfortunately, the effect dissipates within about half an hour.  Do I need to tell you specifically that my back has continued to bother me?  I had the boys on Saturday for about 6 hours.  Although Joe was here, he really didn't stick with me close enough to be much help.  When Atticus wants to be picked up, he wants to be picked up now, not 4 or 5 minutes from now when I finally manage to yell loud enough for Joe to hear me and come and pick him up for me.  To be fair, he DID hold him and amuse him for much longer than usual, but when it was my turn, I really felt abandoned.  Sunday I paid for it, big time.  I was in a lot of pain all day.  I did what I could--I took muscle relaxers, I took mega doses of Ibuprofen, I wore the back brace nearly all day, I laid down and rested my back.......  But, by bedtime, I could easily have dissolved into tears if it would have done any good to cry about it.  Until you live with back pain, you don't realize how important those back muscles are.  You use them for everything--digging laundry out of the hamper, sorting the laundry and getting it into and out of the washer and dryer, bending to put things into or take things out of the dishwasher, bending to get a pan to cook in, bending to get an ingredient out of the cupboard or fridge, even bending to put on your socks and shoes.  Forget making the bed!  It ALL hurts!

So, we're still at war.  We are at war on the financial front and on the physical front.  Yesterday, I actually got a little bit of cleaning done in the house with much prayer and praise for help and strength.  And, I decided I will make a concerted effort to strengthen my back muscles.  Honestly, I was standing at the sink Sunday night, peeling potatoes and in the process of peeling 2 potatoes, I felt three vertebrae go out of place.......  Perhaps if I can strengthen the muscles, this will decrease.  So last night, I did a very few very careful yoga exercises that use the back muscles.  And I'll do it again today sometime.  I am putting "legs" to my faith, doing what seems impossible and praying that God will be as good as his word/Word and finish the work.  One day down, a lifetime to go--thank the Lord for His faithfulness.

Joe got written up at work yesterday.  He was written up for going the entire month of January without a sale.  It is unfair, of course, since only yesterday morning, the Regional VP stated publicly in the sales meeting that January is always a very slow month.  But Joe has been warned that he has to have 2 solid deals by February 15 or he's gone.  As he told me this, I was instantly reminded of Revelation 3:8 where Christ says:  "See I have placed before you an open door that no man can shut".  So, I figure either Joe will make two sales between now and February 15, OR his work at Wyndham is done, OR they will change their minds about the deadline.  We (and our budget) would much prefer the two sales, but we'll just wait and see how the Lord works this out. 

Well, I have to sign off abruptly.  I just got a call to go do a signing at the Escrow company.  I'm clean, but I now have to change into "professional clothes", do makeup and hair and be out of here in an hour.  Have a blessed day and remind me to tell you next time about making payments on lay-away.