Taking Charge ~ November!

Hi Friends! Gosh I really miss having time to "talk" to you! I read along most days...and think about you often.

Kerri! You're amazing! I hope your DH is properly appreciative of you

Zillah, I hope DH's new position (whichever place) is a wonderful opportunity for you!

Honey...what news on the social life?????

We're plugging right along!
We got our new 'frige this afternoon so I've just receently finished putting everything away. This 'frige is quite a bit bigger than our old one and I'm just tickled with it.

DD16 has a new young man (phone)calling these days. We've told her to invite him over next Friday so we can meet him. (She can't "date" him until we've met him and his parents.) What I know about him: He has a pleasant voice and nice phone manners, gets good grades and has never been in any trouble. So far, so good!

DH was out-of-town most of last week. Bleh! He's only "out" for one day this week, though. I'm off on Tuesday because the district where I teach uses the schools for voting places so they give the students the day off. DH is taking that day off, too. I'll be mighty glad to STOP getting political ads in the mail and having to listen to them on the radio!!!

I've a set of tests to grade this evening....and some other random paperwork to organize. The first semester is officially half over...report cards go home this week and conferences are next week. I'm really pleased with the students' progress! I've really got a great bunch of kids to teach!

My own evaluation process ended up turning out very well. My principal made the entire process a positive experience, and it turns out I'm not a horrible teacher at all!

My mother is cooking an early Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow, before my dad goes to TN for deer hunting. YUM! I'm already thinkging "turkey and stuffing!"

I've got dinner for tonight simmering as I type....I think I'll go staart a "What's for Dinner thread for November!

Love to all,
Lenora

in short bursts mostly, along with lots of shouting and tantrums in between times. He really can be the most awful person to work with at times, not that I don't give as goo as I get of course!

I found my Christmas cards - I'd forgotten I put them in the bed drawer with the wrapping paper and odd presents, rather than out in the garage with all the decorations. I've got plenty for this year because I really don't send out so very many. I need to be putting together some kind of parcel for my PILs in the next week, or two at the latest. We got some items (thanks Harrods!) but I really want them to have lots of little bits to open because they've finally learned the thrill of opening presents, and it's almost like watching kids these days. When I first knew them they thanked someone politely for the present and then you'd find it weeks later, still wrapped! They then moved onto unwrapping it at home afterwards, but the year we gave them a whole suitcase filled with wrapped presents they had a ball! And this year and last they've had nobody around to help them celebrate, which is heartbreaking, but I just can't be there for Christmas and CNY.

DH started asking where this year's wishlists are - DS and I both have birthdays before Christmas so it has been a lifesaver for him and my SIL in the past. My parents aren't very impressed, but the kids know full well that they are allowed to put anything they want on the wishlist, just be prepared that some things are only so much wasted ink. I may get some of what's on their wishlist, or I may get none of it! As long as they know that, and I was careful when I first did it to make sure they understood that it wasn't a chance for an attack of the 'gimmes'! So wishlists need printing and the cardlist needs some attention or I'm at grave risk of neglecting them entirely. I don't need to do any decoration shopping this year because we had to do loads last year, starting from scratch again. I'm not getting my usual opportunities to shop midweek and alone, so I really appreciate how working mothers struggle with gift buying. I have a few, but then I realise that DS' birthday is less than a month away and I have usually got the bulk of everything by then, so I can pick out what will be for his birthday and what's for Christmas. But hey, I have plenty of ideas, and I know how to use the internet now I'm in a country that actually has online merchants and I don't have to order from halfway round the world. I have a great cheap bookseller up my sleeve, I have plenty of family game stuff planned and I've even been to a real Hawkin's Bazaar shop Honey, so I'm not doing too badly!

if only work were going so smoothly!

Kerri.

Kerri.

then I had to stop because I didn't want it to overload you or the system. I thought maybe there was a word or two in there that was triggering it. Apparently nothing very obvious. Sorry bout that!

Kerri.

Well, that's where we're headed. Now I know it's actually happening, and I've got over the shock, it's quite exciting. We plan to rent a flat in the centre of Edinburgh, near to the university for a while, then see if there's anywhere we want to, and can afford to, buy something. DH will start working up there in December, travel on Monday, back on Friday and stay with his sister in between. That will be hard . Then he'll find somewhere for us to live and we'll move in January. Phew.

Lenora, glad your assessment went so well. Sounds like your first half-semester has been a really positive experience. Enjoy your day off tomorrow.

Kerri, how's your staffing going? I need to dig out Christmas cards as well, and write a present list so I can concentrate on getting some shopping done. I'm trying to reserve the time when DD is in playgroup for my PhD, but some of it is going to have to go on Christmas stuff, or we may never make it

This week is a really heavy PhD week, but DH is teaching all week and feeling really wrung out after all his interviews and stress, as well has just having had a month solid of being in the lab, so I want to give him some cossetting as well.

Better jump to it!

Zillah

we have two people coming up for sales training later this week, and another possible to go through the Harrods approval. Just as well... even a customer bringing a repair item could see that I needed a 'Girl Friday' to help out. Today was particularly manic with stock movements though. And we have a confirmed opening date for Harrods of the 15th, whic is less than 10 days away!

I still managed to talk to both my parents though (they're in different places at the moment because Dad's working away on Monday and Tuesday for a while) and catch up with my own husband, also away for a couple of days, run around school collections like a looney, help with maths homework, and all sorts of others. I'm hoping to get these brats to bed in a sec, get myself into a bath, get out and write an email confirming employment info to the second trainee... My father's non-stop comments on the non-stop work is just icing on the cake really. It isn't even about effectiveness really because we just don't have anywhere near enough people to do the work. The normal level of work is probably enough for about 10 people instead of 3, and this pre-opening season is just a nightmare. Still, the shopfit's in progress, so fingers crossed that will go with minimal hitches.

Plus... we got laundry done over the weekend, went to the kids' grading, went to the big local bonfire and fireworks demonstration for our Guy Fawkes celebration here (the BEST fireworks I think i've ever seen, and all set to a medley of Queen tunes blasting out - fabulous. I even went on the Cyclone ride with my kids, much to DH's shock!). It's not exactly balanced, but the kids can see the effort and they mostly understand that this is the way it is for now. I don't think they believe this is permanent.

Kerri.

We are slack Taking Chargers at the moment!

I just need to keep plugging away at the basics. What with Christmas coming, and our move soon after, and the thesis, I HAVE to keep the everyday stuff going or we're going to be in a terrible mess by the end of December.

So today I must vacuum, clean DD's bathroom, clean the sink and loo in the wet room, and do the household paperwork whilst DD is asleep. Also take the money for our veg down the road to the woman who organises it and our parking token back to the church in whose carpark we parked until someone broke into our car and wrote it off

I'm going to check in here again at the end of the day and 'fess up to what's been done or not done.

Anyone else out there?

Zillah

to you, Zillah! Moving is always exciting (and challenging)!

I'm with you on "plugging away" at the everyday stuff. It's just not exciting enough to post.

Tonight I have a meeting for my Kappa group. Dinner's on me: Mexican tortilla soup, cheesy corn muffins, and apple enchiladas for dessert. Dinner for about 15, anyway. I'm headed out in about 10 minutes!

DH has been (man)handling the laundry and the dds have been doing the lion's share of the houskeeping. (That's the ONLY reason I have anything at all under control!) I'm keeping us fed, on schedule, and preping for the holidays.

Love to all!
Lenora

Well, I managed the vacuuming, money delivery and the paperwork . Not so hot on the bathroom cleaning

I won't have a chance to do it today as I have a supervision this afternoon, then this evening DH and I are having a night away as a joint birthday treat. It'll be the first time since DD was born that I'll be able to get up when I want

Lenora, hope your evening went well. I'm with you on the plugging being too boring to post - I hope that by forcing myself to do it I'll actually do the work a bit more!

Zillah

actually it is for DH, for me it's B12 day - no wonder I haven't been able to stay awake recently! So they celebrate with champagne and I get B12, but actually the B12 will give me a far more lasting high than the champagne would, and I won't be desperate for a nap afterwards either!

I'm just about preparing nourishing meals for myself and the kids, DH when he's home. I'm just about keeping up with laundry. Christmas would be fine except I think I'm doing fine then I have a busy couple of weeks, and there we are a fortnight closer to Christmas and things aren't as good as they were 14days ago. I'm not even sure I can spare the time next Monday to sneak out and meet my mother for a few hours to celebrate my birthday, though you can bet I wanna try!

anyway, it's nearly 10pm and I'm going to bed! I got sidetracked for an hour last night looking at (drooling over) cellos after buying some basic theory books for DD - she's had to quit her recorder classes to take extra maths, so rather than volunteer help with the maths I agreed to help with the recorder! I eventually went to bed at 12:30am. I mean I'd already finished my last email to the lawyers at 11:30pm... really should gone to bed then. GOING RIGHT NOW - before I get sidetracked again into spending too long on here.

Zillah - use wet tissues to clean the sink while you're sitting on the toilet! My sinks would probably never get cleaned if I didn't do it that way!

Kerri.

Looking the other way is what I'm learning to do at the moment. As soon as DD goes down for her sleep (or rest, since she sometimes doesn't sleep now) I run to the computer or whatever massive tome I'm trying to incorporate into my thesis, ignoring all the dishes, laundry, uncooked supper etc. I'm doing all housework while DD is awake, since she's no help at all with writing

As for Christmas, who knows! All is steam-rollered by thesis, including that.

Kerri, hope your birthday was good and you got to celebrate it.

Must run and beat the next chapter over the head until it submits to my will.

Zillah