Blah....

last week the youngest screamer came home from school with some sort of rapid attack stomach thing that knocked him flat.  It lasted about 3 days.  3 days of me griping at him about not eating.  3 days of him making rush trips to the bathroom (and it wasn't vomit).  By the end of day 3 he was hungry and everything was more solid.

I was so certain we (Tanker, Eldest and Myself) had dodged the bullet.

Ha!

Yesterday (almost a week later), Tanker and I got hit with it.  Tanker still had an appetite.  I was having flashbacks to my pregnancy with youngest screamer...flashbacks that involved food smells and me hanging out at the trash can while cooking.  Yeah.  The males ended up fending for themselves while I practiced mouth breathing to keep from having to smell.  Dinner for me was an orange.

Today I am more human.  All the males are out of the house so I've not had to yet test whether or not food still stinks.  Mainly because I'm not hungry still.  Water and flat Sprite are my friends today.  Unfortunately Tanker has class until late and won't be home until nearly midnight....this means I cook tonight.  Crap.  No, no crap...please no more crap.  Sigh.

I also get to clean the kitchen from yesterday's male sponsored fiasco.  Yay.

That might just be the only thing I do today.  And it might just wait until after I take a nap.  I'm exhausted from a lousy night's sleep and an early morning.  I hear the quilts a'calling.




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What the Polar Vortex Has Taught Us....

Us being me and mine.

The Polar Vortex (hereafter referred to as PV) has shown us a multitude of things (and no, it's not "over" as so many have been saying...ie weather persons locally).

It has taught us that the decision to not buy this house (and to move closer to Tanker's chosen educational institution) is a really, really, really good decision.  It's not the ice or snow...no really big problems with the road per se...it's the wind.  The wind this year has been something else.  No big surprise.  PV has brought several days of doozy winds.  PV bringing said winds has allowed us to learn that this house, newly "built" on top of an old foundation (original foundation is strong, btw), leaks like a freakin' sieve.

The "energy efficient" windows leak (improper installation or insulation...likely both) so badly you can sit and watch the mini blinds sway.  There is a nice, rather large, gap between the floor and the baseboard in the dining room area that sends a breeze flowing across the floor when the wind is blowing from that direction (currently PV has some nice gusty winds blowing from all directions...she's bipolar).

The finish work is shit in this house as well.  Carpet (new and expensive) is coming up at all the thresholds, the "floating" wood floor is floating alright...you should see the waves when you walk across it...drywall tape and seams popping through the paint job (oh, which was applied over drywall dust so it has interesting texture in some spots), there is no caulk around any of the bath related stuffs that should be caulked, the bathroom sinks both leak and I can't use (because I can't get to them due to the size of the refrigerator) a good chunk of the kitchen cabinets.  Poor layout and more.

I know...it seems like I'm reaching...but for the price we pay monthly AND the end asking price on this place, I frankly expect it to be worth it.  It is not.  I giggle because this is supposed to be the landlord/builder's crown jewel...his big ticket building.  Prime vacation home property.  On the surface, it's beautiful and wonderful.  Just what many would want in a vacation home.

PV came along and showed us all the things that a vacation home owner would not have noticed just yet.  And I think that landlord/builder knew that these would be issues that would pop up eventually...probably the reason he wasn't overly keen on a one year lease (he wanted 6 months).  I'm keeping track of issues and will hand him the list when we inform him (in May or June) that we will not be purchasing.  Will he be happy?  Likely not as his crown jewel with flaws will be on the market in a neighborhood with houses the same size with more amenities (hello, private dock and a garage with more land) and a cheaper sell price.

The screamers have been a hard sale with the next move....they love the school (as do I) and are tired of moving (as am I....for now) but they've come around.  They enjoy being able to go out and do things....we don't get to do many things now because of location AND having to make sure that extra cash is always available in the event of the one working vehicle needing something/anything so Tanker can get to and from school.  So, sharing with them the monetary and thing doing benefits was a necessity.  It worked.  They are on board and ready to go now....patience is not their forte.

As it is, the hunt is sorta on for a place in the desired area.  There are several that would work...now to just hope we have the same options come time to move!

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Pay No Attention....

to the puppet on the public stage.  Re-elect him then sit back and watch the show.  Do nothing until it's too late.

It's damn near too late.

Maybe it is already.

Too many just don't care.  Period.

Those that prepare...keep doing what you can.

Those that don't...sorry.





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Been Derelict....

in my clearing out the kitchen/storage duties....still.

There have been some fairly important decisions being made about other stuff and that particular area has been put on the back burner (again)....fairly easy to do when all I have to do is shut the door and not look at it.  Also, the gathering of paperwork and writing of letters concerning the "stolen" taxes just seriously burned out my brain for a few days.  Slowly getting back to my normal.

On another note, there looms a j-o-b interview (first round) for me.  Tuesday.  And it's not fast food or retail related...so positive thoughts on that would be most welcome.  It would be the perfect fit for my future plans but we all know that Murphy lives with me so expecting the unexpected is expected.

Just thought I'd drop a quick life update in here today...have a bigger post planned for later (maybe tomorrow) about the "fairly important decisions" and how they relate to our preps and plans.  We're still not 100% sure how but that's why I have you lot...you get to point out the holes!

Have a good weekend all....I'm off to work on some more lists...HA!

So Far....(and a Giveaway of sorts)

this winter we've been spared the worst of the weather here in our little piece of KY.

Last night resulted in a bit of ice and about 1.5" of snow.  Sunday is shaping up to bring more (as of yet undetermined amount) and some seriously, seriously cold temps (-30 windchill...in KY?  Weirdness).  We're as ready for it as we can be, so no worries.  I might even thaw out one of the 4 (yes, 4) big turkeys in the fridge and roast it up so we can have all the turkey goodness (leftovers, soup, etc) that we missed out on Thanksgiving due to celebrating elsewhere.  Sounds like a plan!

The funny thing is, where we are in KY, doesn't usually get to bad this early in winter (that I remember)...normally it's mid-January before we see any serious threats/action.  Dang that global warming...oh, excuse me...climate change.  Sure, we had ice and snow my Senior year of High School (and the year following) that knocked out electric for a bit...but overall this year seems colder earlier to me...and with more snow.  But like I said, we aren't overly worried as we have alternative heat/cooking sources and plenty of supplies to see us through.

Good thing too as we discovered that, despite being fairly heavily traveled, the road that runs by our house is not one to get "taken care of" as quickly as we thought.  Bonus to that is that it's been fairly quiet today...surprisingly.  But then you would think not too many folks would want to be out in the middle of a lake fishing with such crazy low temps and windchills....you would think.  Still, there were several vehicles playing to and fro on the road to the marina today.  A road with a huge downgrade that is shaped like an S with a sheer rock face on one side and a 90ft cliff on the other...covered with snow and spots of ice.  Dedicated fisher-folk or idiots?  Your call.

Tomorrow is supposed to be semi-nice though, so I will finally get around to taking all the holiday decor down to the basement along with a few unpacked boxes that contain items not vitally important to our survival.  I'm determined to downsize and clear out that spare room but have decided that taking everything to the basement so the room is cleared and usable is more important right now.  The plan is to bring up a box or two every couple of days, go through it and ready the stuff that isn't staying for donation.  Tanker will then drop it off on his once a week trek to the City for class.

Here's where it gets fun....for you.

Is there something home-related that you've always wanted that you've never gotten because you couldn't justify the expense or make yourself buy it?  If so, comment below with what it is....if it appears in one of the boxes, I'll mail it to you...free of charge. 

This of course means I'll be emailing you at some point if I've got it so that I can get your address for shipping, so don't be surprised if in 3 months you randomly hear from me.  There ya go...spread the word.  Seriously...you have NO idea how many boxes remain in that room and the sort of stuff that is in them (ahem...entire sets of silverware, candle holders, glasses, kitchen gadgetry, etc.).  So the more the merrier!

ETA:  If you don't feel comfortable posting a need/want in the comments, email your wishlist to me at phoenixflats AT gmail.com

(P.S.  Don't forget...click an ad if you would...the one below this post works.  You don't have to actually look at it or buy anything...just click.  Danke!)

Ugh....Just Ugh!

I swear, going over the budget and working out the numbers is going to be the death of me.  Why in the world I ever thought a career in Finance would work out is beyond me.

Math R hard.

I hates it.

It is not my precious...it's a filthy little hobbits.

Okay...geek-freak out complete.

The good news is that I've pretty well got everything worked out.  Thankfully.  Or I would have eventually found myself offering up a child sacrifice to Mammon.

Oh and the gofundme is gone.  We will do it all on our own.  It is our responsibility to deal with.

Also a decision that was made after seeing how a friend in "desperate" need whined about how though the need that was not a need but a want was met, it was not met fast enough to suit.  This hurt because I assisted in meeting some of the "need" and did a pass on items for my own spawns' holiday to do so (it was only two books worth but still).  It also brought to light (because it finally happened in a way that hurt) that we overlook our own needs so often that it puts us in a bind, like now.  A fiver or ten spot here and there adds up...and after looking over the financials from last year, I realized how many of those went elsewhere and not to our dwindling savings.

Not this year.

No, we won't be going full selfish mode.  But we will do a double check on where we stand before we offer help from now on.  There will be deep thought put into monetary donations from this point on.

That being said....next week a trip into town with several bags of outgrown but entirely serviceable clothing will be made so that they may find their way into the donation bin.  There will, hopefully, be several boxes of kitchenware and the likes as well.

The purge is underway.

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