Long time no see, I'm busy, but I am back!

It's been awhile. Not having a home whether it be apartment, house, or what have you, really took its toll on me. It took a toll on Amanda as well. We sofa hopped between two friend's house and her parents'.  Things were especially hard when we weren't with the cats. And, we were busy. Amanda was working, we were looking at houses and signing documents, shopping, helping with the family Xmas party, and really the list goes on. Then there was the signing and closing of our house and the big move! We are exhausted. We have a lot of stuff still to do, for instance, we need to finish painting. But I am getting ahead of myself.

The photo above is a picture of our little house. When my parents showed my Grandma, she said it looks like a Ginger Bread house. I suppose it does. It has a bedroom upstairs. Living, dinning, small kitchen and bath with a small bedroom are on the main floor. The basement is partial finished with a family room, an extra bedroom, laundry area and small storage area. The house itself is 81 years old and has good bones, an old coal shoot that's been sealed off, and a small entry way. Oh we have a garage and a nice, small, back yard. We're planning to do a  little gardening this year, if we can manage it. There are a lot of little things to fix within the house; a lot of big things too. We'll need to replace the washer and dryer- we can get some at the ding and dent center. We'll also need a lawn mower- can pick one up from a thrift store, hopefully. And we will need a garden hose. Our bathroom needs a little work, we need to paint some more, fix the broken window sills, and repair the stair rails for both sets of stairs. Eventually we will tear out the stairs and build new, redo the bathroom, and Amanda would like to build onto the back of the house to give me a bigger kitchen.  It will take us years, I expect. But first, I'm cleaning out cabinets, tearing out the old contact paper, and putting fresh down so that I may feel secure in knowing there is a clean place for my dishes. 

There was a great deal of stress before and during the move. There is still a lot of stress. I think we are trying to settle in and having trouble doing so. Point of fact, we have to unpack and arrange our house, do minor repairs, and we are simply and utterly exhausted. Amanda parents aren't even fully moved in. They are living in the basement. Her Mom is sick and her Dad is not exactly the most helpful of people, certainly a grump, but still lovable. Sorry, I'm a bit numb and tried, and well exhausted and my day has hardly begun. I have the first tinges of being sick and that's kind of pissing me off.

In other news, my Grandma turned 90 this December 1st. Then she tripped in her bedroom and fell, breaking her shoulder blade and three of her upper ribs. My parents have been staying with them to help around the house and help Grandma with things, mostly Grandpa. One of the jobs my parents took care of for my Grandparents this weekend was to cut wood and pile it near the back door. Grandma needed to be able to get to it easier for when they aren't there. Anyway, they worked for two hours and got at least a cord of wood cut. However, Dad also almost cut my Mom's hand off with the chain saw. He got a little close and thankfully, only nicked the back of her hand. She is okay and Grandma sewed up the glove, but my Dad is a little stressed, I could tell, even though he didn't say it. My parents are tired too. We've all just been going and going and going. Apparently my Aunt Laura isn't doing so well either. 

On top of that, we've had a broken toilet, which is thankfully now fixed, since it is the only one in the house. (We plan to put in a second one in the basement) And my cell phone died. Literally.  It has had problems for awhile and I have been patient with it. But last week it decided to fight me when I tried to charge it. Then one day, it simply wouldn't turn on or charge at all. Well, I bought it refurbished and had it for two years. It is time to take it to be recycled and order a new one. We can't do that just yet, we have to wait until Amanda gets paid again. I don't mind that much. 

In all of this you'd think I could be content to try to work on the house, unpack, and recuperate, get some writing done, but I decided to go back to school again. No, it's not a creative writing MFA, although I would like to pursue that eventually. I am attending the Woolston-Steen Wiccan Seminary.  I've been thinking about this for a while, a couple of years actually. Tuition is much cheaper than I thought it was going to be and I got a full scholarship in turn for service. So, I work for the school for 15 hours a week in lieu of paying tuition and if and when I am able to pay it myself, I will do so. They also have a sliding payment scale. anyway, my classes begin January 2nd and I am looking forward to them. I don't get to take an elective class until after my 30 day probationary period, but that's okay with me. 

All right, that's about all I can manage today. I have a list of stuff to do today and its looking like I may need a nap somewhere in there. Pictures of the inside of the house will come eventually. I'm not sure where my camera is and we're not unpacked and settled yet. It will take me some time, but I am hoping to get caught up on blog reading as well. I've missed you guys.