Calming Down

Well, the painters came back and fixed the little things that we were unhappy with and my Mother In Law and a dear friend came and helped me to put all of my "stuff" back where it belongs (mostly) and I have cleaned off most of the dust and found most of the lost items and we are feeling much more "normal". This picture is of the new chair that Gavin and I just put together and that I am currently sitting in! The school nurse called while I was working on this post. He is home from school with a head cold.

We hosted a big party for my nieces' blessing and a celebration for her 2nd, Ella's 4th and Gavin's 8th birthdays on the 7th which gave me the greatest push to put the house back together. The house was packed full of people and love and the kids had a great time visiting, playing, and enjoying the festivities. Even though it was a crazy mad dash to get this place "presentable"... we did not have door handles, floor or outlet/switch covers.. but we had fun.

I started back to school with classes twice a week and next week I will start my field work, hopefully at the school of my choice and in a 5th grade classroom. Work has been more regular, meaning that I am actually getting there (I missed A LOT with all of the work being done) and I have returned to a somewhat normal work out routine at the gym. I am again, the weight that I was last year at this time, so I have 15 pounds to drop (notice I am not going to "lose" them... I DO NOT want to "find" them, again) and have already begun counting points and am watching the numbers on the scale go down.

Right after the party, Ella got really sick with a terrible head cold (again) and was feeling terrible. She shared and last week the stress and exhaustion caught up with me and I went down. I went into work on Thursday and couldn't even read the forms that I was working on so I packed up, headed home, changed into my p.j.'s and collapsed onto the couch. I am still battling the remnants of that cold, but feeling much better. Gavin and Ella both have ear infections and Gavin now has pink eye. It is becoming more and more apparent to me that this family needs to SLOW DOWN and figure out how to DO LESS! If I could just figure out HOW!

After that being said.. we continue on with the month's adventures! We had some good friends, Giacomo & Kate Bono, over for a special Valentine's dinner and had a wonderful evening. We had a teen neighbor come over and watch the kids and sit with them at dinner while the grown ups had a candlelit dinner in the dining room. We made roast beef with homemade gravy, roasted potatoes, asparagus, salad and chocolate bread pudding for dessert. I was not feeling well all day and was on cold medicine that made me loopy. Andy went to the store twice, we messed up the potatoes and had to make them twice (and didn't make enough the second time), I ruined the dip that we threw into the trash and I burned the chocolate on the first go round. I also over cooked the meat (I like it RARE), but amazingly the meal came out wonderfully and it was super yummy. We were honored, surprised and completely flattered when Giac (is that the way you should spell that when it is shortened?) & Kate asked us to be the Godparents for their new little one, Alex. He is four months old and is just a smiley ball of love! We are so excited that we get to have our third baby (without sleepless nights)!

The house is still in a pretty bad state of disarray with boxes here and there, some new furniture that has been purchased and not assembled in several rooms and little piles of "stuff" that have not found a new home. Gavin's new loft bed still needs some tweaking to stop the creaks and wiggles that it is suffering and Ella's room is a complete mess. The flooring is not in yet, but my new cabinet in the laundry room is, but it needs to be painted. I am looking at the pile of paperwork and wondering how much of it is really important and how much can wait until later.

My new laundry room cabinet with cubby for my "dream" trashcans. Simple Human, white, step cans with butterfly lids. Who knew that someday I would have a dream trashcan!

Really big box in the living room containing our new bookshelves for the family room, maybe we will put them together...next weekend?

And, more big boxes in the family room. These contain the new desk armoire that we might put together...next weekend?

This is my plywood floor... the tiles have been ordered, but have not come in yet...maybe next weekend? (you see where I am going with this, right? )
I still feel like I am recovering from everything that has been going on, but I am not sure if the best way to take care of myself is to work on it, or rest some more. I am always torn on this. I know that I will be able to relax when the work is finished, but I am learning that owning a home and raising a family means that the work is NEVER finished. I am learning that life is a project with no end but "The End" and that I will keep on working until I reach that finale. I am learning to enjoy the journey without focusing too much on the destination. I am learning to love the Trek without worrying about seeing the peak, and I am learning to ignore the dirty laundry strewn along the trail!

more on the house

I would do a "real" update with photos and all, but I am too tired...
Tired of the mess, tired of the dust, tired of the noise, the clutter, the confusion and tired of people in and out of my house. I am tired of phone calls and trying to get people to do what they are supposed to do. I am tired, of being tired. The painters came, they sucked, they left. The rooms are painted, but they are not done well. Gavin's bed came it is cool, he likes it. Ella's room is in a shambles as is my family room, kitchen, bedroom and living room. I have not been to the grocery store in 3 weeks. There is dust on, in and around EVERYTHING. The subflooring is going in today and we are most likely going to get granite counter tops and then the floor will go in after that. It is moving along and I know that these kind of jobs are like this, but I just wasn't prepared mentally, emotionally or financially. The Universe is divinely guiding me however and I know that I should just close my eyes and follow.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

I cannot wait to be done with this school thing for the summer! I really want to CLEAN MY HOUSE!!! You know how, when you are away from your kids you really miss them? Well, I really miss having a neat house.

Right now, there are things scattered from one end to the other. The house is "clean" really, I mean... Andy is doing dishes and all of that, and we do have a house cleaner. It is the clutter! There is a lunch box on the bench, sliffpers on the floor under the kitchen table that have been there for a week, a magazine tossed in the corner that needs to be repaired, doll stuff in the family room, legos on the window seat, 2 sloppy piles of assorted books on the coffee table and two more on the window seat, the couch is covered with toys and books and the pillows have not been put in their proper places for 4 weeks! There are cd's on the entertainment center and today, while helping Ella to "find" a purse to use, I discovered that her entire doll/dress up area has been picked up and just "dumped" into the baskets and bins. Nothing is where it should be. I asked her why she hasn't played dress up lately and her answer was, "Do you think I could find anything in this mess?"

I won't go on to tell you about the other rooms but they are just as bad... it's not a lot and you can see the floor, it's just that I haven't been going around and straightening up. I could be doing that now, but I felt that I needed to vent! Well, the clutter will wait and I will go into a massive straightening up mode when this is done. I have even been having fantasies about cleaning out the garage!

Our roommate told us that she is going to be moving out in November (or so), which is bittersweet. We will miss her, we will miss the extra income, but we will relish the children being able to have their own rooms. I know that I will spend most of the winter, cleaning closets, redecorating and organizing. I am looking forward to it all.

But, for now... I am heading back to the books. I have several HUGE projects due at the end of the term and I do not want to wait until the last minute to try to pull them together. I am doing really well in my classes. I am keeping up with the work and scoring high on all of my assignments. Most of the work comes easily, although there is just a MASSIVE amount of it. I am trying to figure out what my school schedule will be like for next year (and the next) so that we can see how it will all pan out and when I will be able to start teaching full time. In the midst of that, we are still debating about baby #3... we don't seem to be able to let that go. I just don't know if now is the time, but do I really want to wait any longer? So there is a lot going on in my head and in my heart. Prayers for peace and answers are always welcomed.

It has been a summer of growth for all of us here at the Huffaker household and there is more to come... We will find our answers and our right path... maybe it is under that pile of books in the living room.....