Road Trip!!!!

My grandma has been in and out of the hospital and a rehab facility since Thanksgiving. It's been frustrating for my Dad (they are in Arkansas, and obviously, I'm not, lol) as he tries to deal with all the medical staff and decisions and etc and work full-time all the while he and my step-mom try to get a Bed and Breakfast up and running. So, I'm packing up the kids and their school books and myself and heading out to help in whatever way I can.

I'll be headed up to Jacksonville and then on to Nashville and then Bentonville (in NW Arkansas) at the end of March. I'll be there for a while, as long as necessary, anyways. I kept trying to figure out a good time to head out financially and timewise (appts and etc.) but I got a call from my cousin offering to keep the girls in Nashville while I go out there. I guess I figured that I wasn't really NEEDED, and there was always something going on down here, you know. But when she called me today, she really seemed concerned for my dad and my grandma. She has a preemie newborn and two older children in public school, so she just can't pick up and go. So, Miguel and I talked about it and the planning begins. Other than seeing my family, I hope that I get to meet up with a few of my online friends along the way, so give me a shout to let me know if you are up to lunch or coffee or whatever if you're in those areas. And pray for my sanity, k? I'm normally a "fly-by-the-seat of my pants" kinda girl, but I plan on doing school thru this one, since we don't know how long we'll be out there, so I've got some serious planning to do. Oh, and if we have to stay past the 15th of April, I'll be putting my oldest on a plane back home for testing. I don't normally test my children, but since he'll have to take standardized testing to get into college, I figured I might as well get on with it. Of course, now I'm smacking myself for not waiting one more year, but oh well! :p

Exciting news around here...well, if you like flushing anyways...

Almost nine years ago we bought our first home out here in the Acreage. We thought we'd love having the big yard, and we do, and we thought that having a well and a septic tank wouldn't be all that big of a deal, we were wrong. About a year after moving in, our drain field began to fail. Eventually, it just plain gave out and we resorted to pumping our septic tank every year, or more, babying it too keep it from being too bad. It's not been fun for us, but the price tag to repair/replace it ran about $5000. I don't know about you, but that kind of money is just plain hard to come by for us.

Finally, a plumber friend of my husband has taken pity on us and, in trade for some computer work, is helping us repair the drain field. We are basically bartering for most of the stuff, except the rock and sand for the bed of the drain field. But even that we are getting at a great price because of a friend who works for a company that provides that kind of stuff. We've bartered for everything else and done some work ourselves. I'll have to get some good pictures to post during the process. :) Maybe I'll end it with one of me flushing my toilet with sheer abandon, LOL. Okay, maybe not, but I will no longer fear nasty back up once it's done! The strange things that will bring a smile to a grown woman's face, sigh...

So, is it bad that your 10year old can recognize "White Wedding" in the first few notes?

I'm thinking it may not go over so well in our homeschool group, sigh...


Yes, we have Rock Band 2 and we play it, well, way too often, apparently. LOL.

My 13year old son just mentioned he wasn't born to play 80's metal. Well, no, DUH! You weren't born until 1995. He figures he's was born to play Eric Clapton, "slow hand". HA! That kid!

Actually, he's doing quite well teaching himself guitar. I'll have to see if I can figure out how to post some of his recordings. He's been searching out guitar tabs online or in some of our books and teaching himself. It's fun and interesting. Or not, but I can pretend, right? And it will last until Football tryouts and practices start, and then he'll obsess over football. LOL. Then he'll be showing me a bazillion and one plays that he's drawn up and tell me all the reasons that it will work and I'll be all like, "yeah, great Jake." As it all goes WAY over my head.