four weird things and christmas planning

Yesterday was a weird day, all around. After seeing my boys off to daycare, preschool and work I drove up to Brimfield. I'll wait while you consult a map and figure out where the heck Brimfield is. Got it? I was making this 2 1/2 hour trip to meet the junk guy at my mother's home. Somewhere between the death of my father a little over ten years ago and her move to an assisted living two years ago my mother managed to turn her small cape cod home into a mess that would rival the set of "Hoarders". Everything in that home was important to her, much of it purchased via late night television shows. Credit cards can be very dangerous in hands attached to an Alzheimer' addled brain.

My sister and I had already removed any items we wanted and there was still what appeared to be an entire household there. So we called 1-800-GOT-JUNK to haul it all away. They arrived with three men and a huge truck, which,believe it or not, was not large enough. Their customer service, however,was really great. So I was watching my mother's belongings being shoved onto a truck; her life, basically being thrown away. It was surreal. But there was nothing left in that house I wanted. We already walked away with the old family photos, all the cleaning supplies, fifty roles of toilet paper, and one juicy family secret. Surprised? Just wait. If you have not yet had to clean out your parents' home just wait. There are secrets lurking in that attic or basement...

So the junk removal was weird. The nosy neighbor who wanted to take everything in Mom's home was weird. I actually saw him taking stuff off the junk truck. What is he going to do with two sets of cheap knives and three table lamps that don't work? I feel bad for his children. Cleaning out his home is going to be challenging...

The earthquake was weird.

I stopped by my sister's house to drop off a few item before I left town. After playing with her sweet dogs the little one went off by himself and started barking and growling to himself. That was weird.

And then, after my long day I received a call while driving home that was more than a little weird. It seems that my new job, which was to begin in a few weeks, has now been pushed off another month due to "restructuring". Great. I am now officially unemployed.

God doesn't throw us more than we can handle, so I know this will all work out. Here's what I will be doing while I wait for my potential new job to start:

• hunt for another job, just in case something else goes wrong with the one I already have. Which really is a bummer, because the job I thought I was starting seemed like a perfect fit for my expanded family.
• pull the new little guy out of daycare, which he just started less than a month ago. Keep him home with me, part time, at least. OK, I am kind of excited about this!
• learn to stretch a dollar. even. further. This kind of sounds challenging.
• Clean out every closet in the house. This sounds horrible.
• Start planning for Fall and the upcoming Holiday season. To do this I am reading an advance copy of "100 Days to Christmas". I have been asked to write a review of this e-book so stay tuned.  It is a collaboration between the author and ListPlanIt.com, one of my favorite list making and planning websites. This new planning couldn't have come at a better time; now that we have two kids and one job (one and a half?),this is the year to plan, budget, and make it great!