Woo! We made it to Tuesday and I actually got some fairly good news about the van. It turns out that the motor did burn out, but they're going to be able to get the window closed without having to replace it. The best part? They're willing to do it for no more than $20. I'll take it. Eventually I'll have the money to get the motors replaced but for now, I'll just be happy having the window closed.

It's actually late on Sunday night, but I have my menu planned and what may be a crazy day for tomorrow, so I'm going to post this now before life gets in the way and I go and forget.

Whew! We made it! It's Friday! I wish I could say that I've had a super productive week, but it's just not the case. I did get bits done here and there but not as much as I would have liked. Oh well, sometimes we all have those kinds of weeks. I did have a productive week when it came to some self-realization, though. I haven't decided quite yet if I'll write about that or not.

I will, however, write about what I'm going to finish today. I'm going to be doing something that I'm hoping will relieve some stress for me. Ever since I started having problems with the van, I've been fairly phobic about actually driving it. Well, today, I'm going to confront that fear. I'm actually taking the van into the mechanic's to have them go over it and to tell me what, if anything, needs to be fixed. I say I'm hoping that it will relieve some stress because if the list is too long, I'm going to be fairly freaked out..lol!

After that, I'm going to be running into Grand Ledge to do some quick grocery shopping. I have the boys coming over on Sunday for their Spring break and I have a yummy very kid friendly menu planned but not all of the things I'll need to create it. Plus, I want to pick up some Easter treats for them.

So, wish me luck! I'm so hoping for good news today!

And here we go, writing Tuesday on Tuesday. It's a good feeling to be caught up at least in this. I have a bit of a chasing my tail feeling right now. You know, when you feel like you've been working and working and working but just aren't getting anywhere? It's not just the house but also finances. Ugh. Well, no use fussing over it here. I'm doing what I can and that's all that I can. I need to focus on what I can control versus what's just sucking right now.

So, I bet everyone thought I was going to say the wall is my tackle for today. Well, you'd be partially right. I will be moving in there soon to get to work on it. My main tackle today was to make some phone calls and to catch up on my blog posts. This post will get me all caught up so, yay me! on that. I've already made my phone calls so that's done as well. I had to call my former university to see why they hadn't mailed me out my tax form. They claim it's because they didn't bill me in 2009. Ok, just because you mailed me the bill in 2008 does not mean I didn't pay you in 2009 for the Spring semester of 2009. Sheesh. So, they're going to mail that out to me tomorrow. I also had to call the mechanic and get the estimate on the van. We're looking at $75 for the tie rod and then another $59.95 for the front end alignment. Yick!

If any of you are looking to donate to a worthy cause, you should check out the : Help Katrina Get Her Van Fixed So She Might Actually Get A Real Job Fund. It's not tax deductible, but it is a fine and worthy cause. *grins*

So, my tackles for today are really done which opens me up to do some more cleaning and organizing. Which reminds me, I gave you guys a day off for Valentine's and another because I just didn't show up...This means I need to give you a really good challenge for today. Hmm...let's see....

How about junk drawers? Do people still have these things? I don't because well, up until now I've had a junk room. How about junk closets? See? I know that a lot of people have these spaces that they shove things when unexpected company is coming or just because it's convenient or because they don't know where else to put it. It might be your basement, a hall closet, a drawer in your kitchen or really just about anywhere. I want you to take 15-30 minutes and just start to go through whatever area this is for you. During that time, just pull out anything that is clearly trash or something that can find a new home. That's it. Don't over do it. I want you to actually set a timer and stop when it goes off.

That's it, folks! I'm off to battle another section of "The Wall" while I listen to some good music. I need noise today. See everyone later!

Yep, I know it's Tuesday, but life got the best of me yesterday and I decided to enjoy the time with my boys instead of posting here. I hope y'all can forgive me for that. I know you can because you're just fabulous, understanding people.

But, today is another day and the boys are back at their Dad's house. I'm trying to not let hormones and them being gone dictate my day, but you know it's awful hard sometimes. Sometimes you feel as if the world is just out to trounce you. The thing is, you have to keep going. As they said on Meet the Robinsons - Keep Moving Forward. That's what I'm going to try to do today and I'm going to start by creating a menu plan. My cupboards are getting pretty bare from a trip to the IGA plus that scary tie rod issue. I'm hoping to get the tie rod fixed on Friday but still no big driving because then it will need a front end alignment and the budget can't really handle one, let alone both. So, I'm hoping to get back to the IGA (I never thought I'd say those words.) on Friday after the trip to the mechanics.

Monday - Mac n Cheese w/ tuna and peas
Tuesday - Sizzle steak sandwich w/ tatos & veggie
Wednesday - Chicken w/ rice
Thursday - Hamburgers
Friday - Omelettes
Saturday - Sloppy Joes w/ leftover hamburger from Thursday
Sunday - BBQ Crock Pot Ribs

See you back in a bit with the pictures I took yesterday. I can't see much of a difference, but maybe you can!

I have declared this summer to be my summer of organization. As part of that, I've decided to start participating in Tackle it Tuesday, hosted by 5minutesformom.com. So here, we go..my first Tackle It Tuesday Project!





Yes, I decided that I was going to tackle the disaster that had become my van. This van is a sure indication of how bad my depression had gotten this past year. In the past, it never would have gotten this bad. I decided that I would ask the boys if they wanted to join me outside while I worked on this. Ben decided not to, but Roger was right there and wanted to help!


See how he had to climb up on stuff just to get into his side of the van?!?

It took us quite a while and we stopped and took a break after tackling the middle section, but....I am proud to announce that we got the front 2/3 of the van done (which was my goal!)!




We still have to take it someplace to sweep it out, but wow! This is a huge difference!