Random Thoughts (Good and Bad) and Jury Duty

I wanted to post again, but couldn't get my thoughts into a cohesive article type thing, so this is what I'm left with...

When you do a blog hop and follow someone who even puts "followsback" in their hop link... they still might be lying. Live and learn. Done with blog hops.

I've not watched all of the Dark Knight. I don't like it. Working in a gamer-geek atmosphere, my co-workers all raved about it and watched it several times. I can't get past how Batman sounds like he has marbles in his mouth. I admit Heath Ledger was amazing, but if the Joker drove him to death, I certainly don't want him in my nightmares.

I am completely caught up on laundry. The only stuff that's dirty right now is what we have on and enough in the sorter for maybe half a load. What's even more awesome is that I don't have any big piles of clean clothes waiting to be folded or hung.  It's all done. Well, there is a small pile of clean clothes that my husband folded for me the other day when he asked what he could do to help when I was looking a bit overwhelmed - then Rhiannon sat in the chair the clothes were in and they fell onto the floor where she swore she'd pick them up and put them away since they were mostly all hers anyway... yeah they're still there.  And now I'm out of empty hangers. I'll go put those things in the people's cubbies they belong to later.

The new puppy is so annoying. She has peed on my bed twice and I've done my best to keep her off the bed today, but she got on it anyway, and peed on it and puked on it as well. I just changed the sheets and washed the comforter.  ARGH  So yeah I guess I'm NOT done with laundry. Oh and she has needle like claws which have scratched two holes in the comforter which I love and took forever to find since we both had to agree on it. She's currently on the back porch and may stay there overnight. It won't kill her, she IS a dog.  Not happy.

 I'm working tonight. Overtime. 6th night in a row. This should be date night.  I should be watching movies with my husband.  But I'm working so I can try to get caught up on the house payment.  I have managed to get sort of caught up on everything else, so I don't have fear of them turning anything off.  No reconnect fees. I did still have to use the overdraft in my checking account, but only a little, and I'm not letting it get out of hand. We've gotten ZERO extras in the last couple weeks or more. Only buying what's on the grocery list from the menu plus stuff for breakfasts and school lunches. Well, I take that back, I spent 3 dollars on 2 packs of hangers and a small trashcan for wet garbage inn the kitchen. We're still really behind on the house though, and every little bit helps. 

We will not be going to the beach for our 20th anniversary afterall.  Rhiannon's big payment for her band cruise is due that month, $200, besides we'll more than likely still need to put more money toward the house payment to get caught up. In addition there was a letter in the mail yesterday...

I have been called up for jury duty. I admit I had a little breakdown when I found out. I asked my employer how that worked, and they said I had to use my PTO (paid time off) for it... well I only have about 16 hours of PTO right now (so yeah good bye anniversary trip). I was like, "I'll Lose My House!" so decided to file for financial hardship... but after calming down and talking to a few people, I think I'm going to have to pull myself together, pretend to be a grown up and figure this crap out.  The night before I go in for the first meeting, I'll get off work 2 hours early and use PTO for that (rather than taking the whole night off, which isn't necessary).  Then try my damnedest to fall asleep asap around 1am so I can get SOME sleep before having to get up at 7am, get ready and be to the courthouse by 8.  Then if it's like it was when Christopher was called up, then I'll call the phone number each night and if I have to be there the next day it'll say, then I'll leave work early that night to sleep and get to the courthouse again. The only big issues are vehicles and child care.  We know the van will get Christopher to work and back, but the tags are expired. The transmission is shot, so it won't go over 40 mph and only in 2nd gear. But he works about 2 miles from our house, so that'll work for now. The truck is just going to be too expensive right now to fix with the house behind behind. Just have to get tags renewed and pray to God the van starts. 

As for the child care, that's only an issue if Christopher has to go to work at 6am on a day when I have to be at the courthouse. Hopefully, we'll be able to work something out with his HR person (who is actually below him in rank) and make sure that doesn't happen.  If I'm really really lucky, I won't even get assigned to a trial, or if I do, it'll be with someone I know so I can get out of it or something.  I don't mind doing my civic duty, but seriously right NOW?!  It's just not the best time for me. I feel sorry for jurors of big cases where they can't even go home or see their families.  It's horrible, and there really ought to be a better system.  It seems so archaic.
Oh and the letter says they'll compensate me... get this.... $10 a day that I have to actually be there.  Unreal.  And it doesn't come til after the 3 months or whatever time allotted is and then you send in vouchers and they mail you the money ...later. 

Ok, there's got to be something good I can post about.

The chicken and bean burritos from my Menu Plan post were a HUGE hit.  Super easy to make since they use cans of chunk chicken.  Cleanup was easy too cause I used my iron skillet to cook everything in, rather than my huge chicken fryer skillet. We finally had taco salad for dinner the night after Christopher's birthday since he had to work 10-10 on his birthday. Waiting was good though cause I was able to get two more home grown tomatoes out of the garden. So we had two red ones and two yellow home grown tomatoes. SO GOOD!

I put the fridge that was definitely dead on freecycle in case anyone really wanted a non-working fridge and a guy came and got it a couple days ago.  It is SO nice to have an appliance-free back porch again.  Of course this means something else will break down soon so it has to go on the back porch in its place. That's just how it works here.  There's been a broken appliance on that porch for more months than not since we moved in two and a half years ago. But right now, it's empty! YAY!

Faelyn tried out for Small Ensemble in chorus, but says she bombed. While it's sad that she bombed, I think it's awesome that she tried out. I know she wants to be able to sing like her two older sisters, but I'm afraid she has my singing ability (i.e. badly). Well, she doesn't sing *badly*  just not choral like.  Rhiannon and Corina sound like Susan Boyle when they sing, whereas Faelyn can sound like Taylor Swift or Miranda Lambert...  which is better?  Well, I guess it depends on your taste... and if you're a chorus teacher.

Zoe's 3rd grade teacher has had all 4 of our girls as students. She seriously could be the twin sister of the woman who plays Rizzoli on Rizzoli and Isles. She used to be on Law & Order, gravelly voice..  well this teacher even has the voice..  it's kind of disconcerting.  But she's an awesome teacher and I am so glad she has Zoe. By the end of last year I was seriously contemplating homeschooling Zoe or doing that K-12 online school for her.  But this year she's doing awesome and is more confident and happier to go to school and is in a good mood when she gets home. She's been working hard on her math homework, and today she came home and said she got 100s on all her tests. SO GLAD!!

Tomorrow (Saturday) Christopher and I are BOTH OFF WORK!!!!!!  WOOHOO!!  That doesn't happen often!  He's not even scheduled a get together with his guy friends!  We do have to re-bag the garbage in the back of the pickup truck and haul it in the Explorer to the dump, and mow the yard. But that's pretty much it.

Ok off to take care of Rhiannon's folded clothes and our bedsheets. Hope y'all have a great weekend!!

Patty