Blessed We Are

We have recieved some very nice gifts the last week or so.  My friend Michael's daughter gave Audrie her shelf and bin set.  She had outgrown it. Joe gave her this school chair that he repainted for her. It used to be Arianna's, but she outgrew it.  And Kim sent her an armadillo from Missouri.
It took us a few days to motivate into tackling the toy box and putting everything in the bins. Both little kids had a lot of fun helping as you can tell from the pictures.
It wasn't all for the kids though.  I got a lovely bottle of lotion that smells very nice.  We are indeed blessed in our friends.

One For Another

It was so quiet at work today.  I liked it a lot.  No one was whining.  Every one was working.  The poor UPS driver got inundated with packages from the last several days.  I counted 48 outgoing.
While my co-workers were behaving and working, my child chose today to beg.  He seemed to be under the mistaken impression that because he wasn't asking for money daily that I should give in today.  He learned otherwise.  I am still working hard on my boundaries.  I don't care what the story is.  When he is in treatment then I will consider helping.  While he is making different choices I will not.
In fact I had this conversation with my friend Michael.  Her sister is also an addict and does the exact same crap.  We as relatives give in a lot because we are relatives and want to believe the best.  Always.  And then we learn over and over and over that we are just being used while the addict chooses addiction rather than recovery.
So I traded drama at work for drama in the family.  Seems like that is the way it works.

Fall Routine

Looks like our routine is going to change for the fall.  Wes needs to change his visit day due to his school schedule.  Audrie will probably not have speech therapy after her birthday as she is doing so well and won't need any more.  Papa is back to being retired.  The day time is getting shorter and it feels like bedtime is earlier.
I'll have to give it all some thought as to keep life interesting and not hibernating for the season.

Seriously

So everything is all nice and quiet on the home front.  Life cannot handle that so work goes to hell in a hand basket.  Too much whining, lying, and deflecting going on.  I just want to go to work and do my job.  And I want all my co-workers to go to work and do their job.  I know it seems like a lot to ask for, but seriously just do it.  It's not hard.  Just do your job and let the rest go.
And now back to breathing and ahimsa.

Benefits of the Quiet

Quiet on all fronts at the moment.  Got to like that.  And I have seen a wonderful benefit to it.
It allows me the time to get to know some great little people in a better way.  I had time to write a note to Mikala and get it in the mail.  I was able to help with two fundraisers for Warren and Megan in Milaca.  I had time to search out a great book for Cameron.  These are the next generation of my family that I am trying to make a connection with.  :)
This tells me a couple of things.  First and foremost is that my little kids are becoming a little more self-sufficient and don't need me every minute.  Got to like that a lot.  It seems I have a little more time and a  little more expendable cash.  So not only is the quiet a benefit in itself, but it has fringe benefits and I like it.

Really?

Seems Tanya has been trying to get information the round about way.  After midnight the only place to buy beer in BG is Shell and that is where Jodi works.  So Tanya is a frequent customer.  Her comments to Jodi are definitely of the trying to find stuff out and putting her spin on the events that transpired at the beginning of the year.  Jodi would just tell her that she hadn't heard anything.  Jodi stayed out of it.
Jodi would have stayed silent except I commented on knowing something she didn't think I could know and she wanted to know how I knew.  Then she told the rest.  Just sounded like more of the same to me.  Tripe. And why if her wish is for us to leave her business alone is she even relating any of this to our friend?  More of the same games that she has always played.  Glad that for the most part I am out of it.  I just find the behavior annoying.

Just Between Friends Swap Meet

My friend Heidi gives me hand me downs for Audrie.  She finally told me that she gets most of Isabella's clothes from this swap meet that happens twice a year at the Expo Center.  Well this was the weekend for it.  So I pawned off Audrie on to Jodie and went and checked it out.  I spent $115 but got a haul.  I won't have to buy clothes for either kid until next summer.  I just love this coat that I found and it was a splurge compared to the rest of the clothing.  There was tons of other supplies, toys, books and little kid paraphernalia.  I was in the market for clothing so that is all I really looked at.  Quite happy with what I got and what I spent.