The Last week of July: BOILED DOWN

Speaking of boiling, it has been inSANEly hot the last three weeks, with at LEAST another week of 100s every day.  It is miserable.  MISERABLE!

When I get home between 5-6, it is absolutely STIFLING, so I persuade Asher to come inside with the promise we will go outside when the sun is going  "night night."  At about 8:30-9:30, we go outside.  I really can not handle all that sun and heat.

The BIG project has been my semi-annual sale.  I sell fall/winter and spring/summer.  This time, it has been out of necessity as I have not been paid for 8 weeks of work due to a mistake in one of the offices.  My paperwork for payment was never filed (ouch).  So my son's wardrobe from last year has paid for : Car Insurance, Water bill, groceries, gas for two cars, postage for mailing all this stuff, Matt's anxiety prescription and babysitting.  I am so grateful I have this to rely on, but I am super nervous about the future, as he has amazingly less to work with wardrobe-wise.  I just do not have the time to go store to store for RBS like I have been able to in the past.
  As for the girl clothes, they are Taylor's that I was hanging onto, but as of January, I decided absolutely no more babies unless we get a big surprise- or adopt- which I would love to do.

I got my first annual review.  Two pages of documentation distilled to one sentence that looks good to me.  Yay for excellence.

Today, I finished up my last summer job and got the award, along with my partner for BEST CONSISTENCY in classifying and rating departmental assessment reports.  This is a very exhausting procedure that requires hours of intense concentration.  I don't think I have been so tired after work since I worked in a factory.  I am not even kidding. 

Asher is such a joy, the communication barriers we have overcome have truly helped us all to have much better days.  This is really important considering that Matt and I switch off single-parent duty.  It is really hard never having a "break" when you are at home.  Asher is funny.  He does NOT like to go to sleep until Matt and I are both home- which is about 11:30 pm, then he does his happy dance, touches me "moooommy!" and then Matt "daddy" and will soon fall asleep.  Last night, though, we were all up till 1 am cleaning our range and refrigerator from our old house.  This was important to our family too, as they both sold.  This will relieve some of the "WOW, we are supposed to go to Myrtle Beach from the 7-14 and I don't get my back-pay till the 16th!!!..." stress.  We did not make a killing, but we will at least be able to get there and back and have food.  Best-laid plans, eh?!

I got a new calling at church-  I am teaching in the Relief Society.  I am actually so grateful for this.  I have never been in the RS more than 10 times EVER and have felt totally secluded from other adults.  Teaching in Primary, then Young Women for 6 consecutive years does that to a new convert.  I am better for those experiences, though, that is for sure, but it is time I had a new calling.

Valerie went to NC to stay with her grandparents W and comes home tomorrow.  While I am glad she is so anxious to be home, I am sad her week consisted of day-after-day of sitting on the sofa with a remote control.  Poor kid.  She definitely has an appreciation for the way our family does things now.

Matt is still doing very well at work.  Tomorrow will be his first day off in 12.  I am so grateful he works so hard for our family and never complains.  In fact, he goes about it all very cheerfully.  He has a good attitude when it comes to work, that is for sure.  It is from digging all the ditches and post holes with his dad and brother growing up ;-)