Happy Little Kitty

Today the temperature got into the 70's! It was absolutely gorgeous out. I was fortunate enough to help walk dogs today, so I got to be outside for part of the day. Jason had today off and spent the afternoon tilling the garden. He opened the widows in the house and Zara was soooo happy!! She didn't even sleep into the closet today. She's been busy running from window to window and watching outside. She's been running all over the house as well. She can't seem to sit still. I do love having the windows open. It smells like spring in the house now. Now, if we could only remember to get a new tank of gas for the grill!

Bundles of Cute!

We visited Jason's family this weekend and was able to see our nephew, Ethan, and our new niece, Audrey. Ethan is just so full of energy! He had Jason and me chasing him around the new house. He showed us his toys and we watched part of "Alvin and the Chipmunks". Jason and I definitely got our exercise today!

We both got to hold Audrey. She was really good and slept most of the time. Jason got to hold her while she was awake and she made faces at him. Of course he made faces back.

We also got to see all of Jason's grandparents too. It was good to see everyone and we feel bad we couldn't stay longer. We'll definitely be back for the baptism, whenever Jennifer and Mike decide when to have it.

Meeting

So I had my meeting with human resources today. I have been offered a position with food service. It is a 40 hour a week, 9 months a year position. I haven't had a chance to talk to the supervisor of Maple, (that's right, across the street from the food service I used to work at) so I don't know when for sure the 9 months is. I assume that it goes from mid-August to mid-May. They don't know when I'll be moved, but they were hoping sometime within the next two months. There are some other questions I have to talk about, but I did ask the human resources and union rep about taking a temporary job in racing chemistry during the summer since they hire people for their busy season. They said it could be arranged, as long as my new supervisor will allow it. I do get to keep my health insurance during the three months I'm off, so that was some good news. I will be able to transfer to a lab tech I position or apply for other posted positions, so I'm not without options.

Yes, I have started another blog. I have chosen to monetize it to try to bring in a little extra money. There is a link to the new blog on the side. This blog is not linked to the other one, the biggest reason being that I will not be putting pictures of family on the other site, but will continue to do so on this one. I haven't been putting labels on these posts because it makes it harder for people to find them. I don't want to jeopardize any one I love because some weirdo saw your picture on my blog. I don't plan on making this blog invitation only, but will if it comes to it. Besides, there are lots of pictures to share with friends and family! The best way to do it put 'em on the blog!

A Few Things

First of all, I made my homemade dish soap from Castile soap I purchased at our local "health store". This "health store" is our co-op in town, but it's pretty expensive for almost everything, but they do have organic and alternative foods. I don't shop there, pretty much ever. So I make my soap and I've been using it, but I'm not liking it. It seems to leave a film on everything. Of course Castile soap is made of olive oil, so it wasn't a big surprise. I've tried to add vinegar to help with it, but it doesn't seem to help. So, I think I'll have to try a different recipe.

Second, I have my "official offer" meeting Friday morning. This means that they will offer me a different position, if there is one, or I can take the layoff. We'll see how things go during the meeting. In the meantime, I've been looking for jobs other places. I've also been doing some research for working at home. There isn't much out there, but there are a few things that could bring in a little money. Or at least some rewards that are as good as money.

Third, I'm almost 100% better. I'm still a little congested, but I'm not nearly as tired. The stuffiness gets better throughout the day. I'm sure I'll be at my best by this weekend.

Sick Again

So we had a pretty good weekend. Jordan and Cory came down on Thursday. I think they had a good time. On Thursday and Friday Jason and I helped our friends Pete and Mary move out of there old house and into their new house. Saturday, Pat, Adam and Matt came over to game. Of course the weekend was not without it's down parts.

Pat was sick Saturday night and part of Sunday. Jason stubbed his toe on the cabinet in the kitchen and messed up his toenail. I got another sinus infection Sunday afternoon and spent today at home. Of course both Jason and I visited the doctor today. They pretty much said there was nothing they could do unless we got worse. Here's hoping we get better soon.

Spring?

I would like to think it's springtime. Yesterday was absolutely beautiful! The sun was out, it was warm despite a cool breeze, and the snow was almost finished melting. Until today. That's right, it was snowing today. More like flurries, but it was still snow. And the best part is that it's supposed to snow more tomorrow!

Jason, Zara, and I did enjoy the nice weather while it lasted. Jason opened one of the living room windows and Zara sat and watched the outside all afternoon. I went home for lunch so Jason and I could take a walk in the sunshine. We did help our friends, Pete and Mary, pack up there house so they could close on both their new and old house today. Jason is there helping them unpack now. He was disgruntled that it was snowing, but I thought it could be worse. It could have been the rain we were told we were going to get.

I'm just hoping to get the garden measured so I can start planning on what to plant and where to put it this year. I even bought graph paper so I could map it out!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Happy Saint Patrick's day everyone! I hope everyone is well and having a good day! Our week is busy filling up fast.

First off, we'd like to say welcome to the family to our new niece, Audrey! She was born Sunday night and we couldn't be more excited. Now it's just finding time to go visit her!

Thursday and Friday we're helping some friends move into their new house. Jason actually took the days off, but I need to work so I get to help afterwards. (Maybe all the heavy stuff will be done by then.) Jordan is also supposed to come visit, however she has a pretty bad cold, so we'll see if she decides to come or not. We're also haveing Matt, Adam, and Pat down this weekend for some gaming time. It always seems to pile up on one weekend.

Two Dollars

We had our tax appointment today. It went better than last year, but was still disheartening. We owe $2.00 for federal taxes. That's right, $2.00. And the great part is that if we were owed that much, we wouldn't get it, but we still have to pay. It just stinks. We are getting some money back from our state taxes, but it's already spent. We have decided that we need to replace our windows this year since the government will give some money back. And of course we're going to send in the window receipts to our local utility provider since they have an incentive program as well. We've decided to replace our windows because we need to. The incentives are just a nice bonus!

In other news, I have started applying for other positions. It's growing tiresome with the union and HR and now my lab mate that is getting bumped is suing the union for not representing her since she wasn't a card carrying member, and Iowa State because when she went to file her grievance, they told her it wasn't official since the union didn't present it. You can read more about it at And yes, the employee with less seniority than her is me. So I sort of made the paper. I do like my job, but it's hard dealing with all the stress of the bumping and the transition to a different job with a new to the job supervisor. (He's been here for a few years, but not as the department head.) Besides, I can always say "no" if I decide I want to stay.

Saving

Since I've been getting food from the Angel Food program, I've had this problem with the citrus fruit we get. Jason's not a big fan of citrus, and I have to be in the mood for it. (Grapefruit are the worst!) So, I got to thinking about the best way to use the oranges and the like without throwing them away. While I was at Walmart yesterday, I picked up a fairly inexpensive juicer. Jason went to the grocery store with me on Tuesday and wanted to get orange juice since he's been sick. He was amazed that a gallon was over four dollars. This is the biggest reason orange juice is only in our refrigerator when one of us is sick. So tonight, I took all of our oranges and the two tangerines we had left, and juiced them. We got about 3 cups of citrus juice. Granted, it's not a whole lot, but at least I didn't waste the oranges, and it will be much cheaper than buying orange juice.

On another note, my "No-Hassle Housecleaning" is starting to get back on track after my bout of illness/surgery. The concept is pretty simple: two 5-15 minute "cleaning bursts" a day (one at night, one in the morning), one 10 minute "focus room" a day (different room each day), and one "clean-for-all" a week lasting anywhere from fifteen minutes on up. I have a hard time with the morning cleaning burst, but have been doing pretty well on the "focus room" and nighttime "cleaning burst". Today's focus room was our upstairs. I decided to get some organizing drawers for the yarn my friend Kate left me when she moved with her family to Galena. Zara loved it! Of course, all the yarn is now organized and Zara can't get into the drawers like she could the boxes.

Guess Who's Sick Now!

So, I started feeling a lot better on Thursday of last week. The antibiotics I'm on made me feel a lot better. Of course, that's the day Jason started waking up with a sore throat and blowing his nose a lot. During the weekend, he started having a lot of sinus pressure with the sore throat and blowing his nose. Of course that means he has a sinus infection. Yesterday he came home and said he was having so much sinus pressure on the left side of his face that his eye constantly watered. He now understood why sinus infections knock me down so much. Today he had the day off and I convinced him to go to the doctor. He has sinusitis...also know as a sinus infection. They put him on antibiotics, a decongestant, and a nasal steroid to help relieve the pressure. I guess he had so much pressure that it was beginning to affect his sight in his left eye. Hopefully he'll get some much needed rest today and the antibiotics will start working. He said he had been sleeping on and off for most of the morning. I'm sure he'll be better by the weekend.

Fun Times in Independence

This weekend Jason and I went to Independence to game with Pat, Matt and Blair. (Kate was not able to make it due to a conflict in her work schedule.) While we were gaming, Jamie and her family were in Waterloo for peewee state wrestling. Jasper is wrestling today. We don't know how many times, but he'll wrestle at least twice. Jason and I met them in Waterloo for supper and we had a good time. Mason had a hard time sitting still and Jasper was very quiet. Jasper did tell us about going to the Dan Gable museum. Jamie told me about how they made the cookie mixes we gave them for Christmas, but their dog ended up eating almost all of them. I guess I'll just have to send them some more!

The group we were with had lunch with Dad, Jordan, and Jordan's friend Corey. We went to Pizza Hut where we waited a long time and had to ask several times for the breadsticks and marinara sauce we asked for. Apparently, that particular Pizza Hut doesn't have real great service, which is why Pat usually calls for delivery. Oh, well! The pizza was really good. Jordan is planning on spending some of her spring break in central Ames. We'll get to see her again in a couple of weeks.

Auf Deutsch

Heute mein Blog schriebt auf Deutsch. Mein Fruend Dan hat einen Gebertstag! Er ist dreiβig Jahre alt und auf Deutschland kommt. Er spielt World of Warcraft mit Jason und mich. Wir getroffen im Colorado Dan und seine Familie. Seine Frau heiβt Stephanie. Seine Kinder heiβt Maya. Sie leben in Utah.

Herlichen zum Gebertstag, Dan!

Still Sick

So this is day three of being sick. I went to the doctor and she put me on augmentin. Apparently this antibiotic is good for sinus infections and to prevent infections in pulled teeth. Hopefully it'll work. This sinus infection is really kicking my butt. I'm hoping to be able to go to work tomorrow.