Almost Feb Already!!

I have one more day to go before I can say we made it through January with out any missed school for anyone. Amber does have a sore throat but it is not strep yet.

I worked at the school today in the ERR. It was only half a day. I like some if the kids in there. They are all special needs kids. One of the boys is very big and a big handful. Some days he throws things all around the room. He has something called Fragile X. He threw a fit when he couldn't use the computer this morning so that is how I started my day there. Out of all the classrooms those teachers are probably the most seriously underpaid. I like the playground, the office and the library better. At the moment it is better than the crosswalk.

Sunday we surprised Melissa with a birthday party at my mom's house. So what I did was I got her a bowl from Cost Plus import store from Japan with Japanese writing on it and chopsticks. And she loves Kyoto Japanese Steak house so I got her a gift certificate to go there that was on top of the bowl. She has taken Japanese for 2 years and enjoys Japan and the Japanese culture. So she really liked it. David and Melissa are not married yet. David had proposed to her once before several years ago but I guess something happened and she has not worn the ring for a long time. He found the ring over Christmas and I guess he decided to propose to her again in front of all of us and it was very sweet. She said yes after some confused hesitation. She really was not expecting it. So it was a surprise in the end for us all. But there is no date at the moment. But we teased them and said they had better beat Kailyn to the alter then.

My husband is a junk collector. I am trying to prevent him from following in the line of his father. He is always determined to recycle other people's cast off stuff. Yesterday he brought home a shed in pieces in the back of the dump truck. It is sitting in the front yard. We have a garage full of stuff that needs to go away. Some yard sale stuff, someone's old 60's freezer I refuse to use(we lost a bunch of food in a previous freezer that was newer), DI stuff, stuff for the dump. A bunch of crown molding that is too much for us to use, a bathroom sink for a motel room. In the shed is a bunch of other people' s used sprinkler heads and other sprinkler parts at least 2 bikes for everyperson in this house. He has brought stuff home from his bosses rentals of stuff people have left behind. I was teasing him last night and said he just needs to store some of that stuff on the piece of junk utility truck he owns and become the town junk seller. But that would mean parting with it. I have a horrible time when we remodel things in the house because he drags junk home wanting to use it. I would rather wait and get what I really want and if we don't have the money, I will wait longer. Sometimes he admits to being a hoarder and then sometimes I just hit a nerve and he continues in denial. If he didn't have a dump truck he had access to, he wouldn't be bringing home all this big stuff. First time he dumped pavers he found in the side yard the dump truck bed hit the roof of the house and almost took out the neighbors fence and this time the shed parts gouged the front porch. Good thing we don't have gutters, they would have been damaged. Ugh. I have made some head way his year. We have a new sofa and bed. AND computer. I am holding out for a new dresser now. He knows what I want and he is OK with it we just have to wait until we can get it. He went through some of his stuff and parted with some of it. That is progress. However small it is a step in the right direction.

Last Monday something sad happened. Lee Joe forgot to pick up Amber when he was suppose to and picked her up an hour later. She didn't have access to a phone. We don't have cell phone's for the girls yet. So she stood outside the High school in the cold and the dark until he got there. She was in tears. He felt so bad. It was only a matter of time before one of us did that though. So he has been extra diligent on the schedule since. He has had no side work and it has helped me a lot in the transporting kids efforts.

Amber needs helping earning or collecting money so she can go to San Francisco with the Band in April. They will be performing and at workshops so it isn't just for fun. We have $100 down and $350 to go. She is going to try and earn some of it but her classes keep her very busy and we want her to keep her grades up and driver's ed and band keep her busy after school as well. So if anyone wants to help her out, any little bit helps.

Do I say a lot or what?