Calling all country music songwriters!

In need of some material? We're living it right now. The kids came home Wednesday night to start their 4 day weekend, and I thought we would be able to carve some fun time in somewhere, but the deployment fairy "Jody" has gained entrance into our lives yet again, and it looks like no fun will be had. Up until a few minutes ago I thought it was Sunday already thankfully, but nooooo, it's only Friday. Yep, it's been a long 24 hours.

Yesterday started out well. After starting a pair of socks with some on-farm spun alpaca, I decided it was the most fantastic thing since heirloom tomatoes, and I just MUST go back and buy it all (there were 2 more skeins of that particular hand dyed batch), I have a lot of Christmas gifts to knit! So off we went to the yarn store, and I couldn't believe it - the kids were good! I prefer NOT to take them unless it's a "fiber emergency". One of the gals at the store let them wind the balls and they couldn't stop talking about it!

Finn getting to spin the "thingamajig"

Loch had a "oopsies!" moment and had to untangle

They are pretty familiar with where yarn comes from and even know the difference between synthetics and natural fiber, probably thanks to me being somewhat of a fiber snob.

They did however, want to know what an alpaca was. Loch even asked if it was "like a llama", which impressed me. I told him that it was similar to a llama and showed them a photo.

They liked this one because it looked like Sprocket!

I told them about the reason alpaca wool is superior to other wools, that alpacas are "new" to our country, and also filled them in on the differences between them and llamas, and they were pretty interested to learn that llamas are fierce guard "dogs"! I wish we lived somewhere they could experience them first hand, someday...

Speaking of Sprocket...

this is what happens to a herding dog with no JOB - worthless!

After that, it was all downhill. We had a dinner date with BFF and her kids last night after music lessons. While at lessons, Finn started complaining he was hungry and didn't look too good. We left there and just as we got out of the car at the restaurant I heard the characteristic belch and whipped a bag in front of his face just in time - sick! I have never had to deal with a child vomiting anywhere outside our own home, and I guess my lucky streak is over, and my friends who have are probably laughing at me now. I am prepared, though - every time I have been to the hospital for surgery (which is actually many times!) I snag every one of those blue sick bags and stash them. I've got a stash in my purse and in the car LOL. He actually had to use it yet again on the way home, another first for my car. I am however, very proud of him in that he never missed in the car or the house! When we got home he was so cute, he got the "sick chair" (beanbag) out of the closet, set it up in the bathroom with some books and his little stuffed penguin. He was sick about every 20 minutes from 6 pm until 12:50 pm - I remember the time since I didn't go to sleep until about 3 am for fear that I wouldn't hear him if he needed me, even though he was in bed next to me.

Here he is at about 9 pm, I was thankful he fell asleep but it didn't last long.

I'm not much for coddling my kids, but I felt really bad for him, they don't get sick often, so it really surprises and worries me. Luckily he was better this morning and I was able to get all surfaces in the house sprayed and wiped down, but when I moved on to the laundry...

P.O.S.!!!!! After 5 years of nothing but problems, it's officially dead. I'll be damned if I'm going to spend hundreds of dollars on "gotta order a part" for it to "not be fixed" yet again! This will have to wait for hubby to get back.

Which brings me to this...

The kids thought this was great fun... glad someone liked it. Earlier, I had Loch give me all his quarters and he made me write him and I.O.U., hahaha, but found that apparently laundromats have changed in the past 20 years LOL. Check out the above photo, see the card? Yep, it's a laundry "credit card". I had to swipe my credit card in a machine and it spits out a loaded prepaid "washing card". WTF?? I should consider myself lucky that we found a place in the "good side of da hood" to do our laundry. I had no idea where laundromats were even located at here until this, and lemme tell ya, it ain't good! It's not a college town here, either, so they are pretty much all located in "other parts of town". I guess I should consider myself lucky then that I don't have one in my neighborhood LOL.

So let's sum it up. As of today, we have one bad muffler on hubby's car - rendering it illegal for use, part of the backyard fence is broken, my car desperately needs new tires, washing machine is broken, sick kid, property taxes are due, and a partridge in a pear tree! But for some reason, I'm not freaking out. Last deployment I was beside myself with near panic attacks from all the stuff that broke down.

What's the difference this time? Knitting - and YOU! Seriously, I have been so busy knitting I'm just ignoring everything else, and last deployment, I wasn't blogging yet. I really feel you all have helped me stay connected in what otherwise is basically 7 months of being alone with 2 kids. Not going to get sappy, I'll save that for a post when I'm feeling sappy-ish... but thank you all for your blogging, commenting, and just being out there, it helps many more people than you think!

This time, I'm going to do what every irresponsible person would do: spend money on new tires, and get us home for the holidays for a much needed vacation. To hell with the rest for now!

My new outlook:

The washing machine is broken. So what? The world won't end, consider myself lucky there is such a thing as a laundromat, use it until hubby gets home and either fixes it or we find out how to buy another, cheaper, "old school" kind that actually works

The Forester's muffler is shot. Well, it's hubby's car, not mine. He's not even here right now.

The Outback needs tires - ok, I'll get them, I have over a month to do this, it'll work out.

Sick kid - yay! I'm thinking "better now than on vacation"!

Property taxes are due - yeah, whatever...

Don't feel bad for me, this is a breakthrough, I'm learning to cope! And before you think "what a string of bad luck...", it could be way worse, like last deployment when every major appliance in mine & my tenants house broke, my ceiling caved in (really!), and the siding and fence blew away in a hurricane. This stuff happens to every military spouse everywhere, everything always happens on deployment, I think it's a test of some kind. Well I'm going to pass it, damnit!

Come heck or high water (speaking of we are having tidal flooding LOL), we are going home for Christmas! When people ask "where are you going when you get through deployment?", instead of saying "Disneyworld!" like the commercials, we will reply "we're going to Minnesota!" - where "it could always be worse"... (probably only Minnesotans are going to get that LOL)

One coping strategy that is going to happen in 45 minutes: kids are going to bed early tonight!

So do I have the makings of a good ol' country sob song? :)