Monday, October 7, 2019




Life is coming together



After years of surviving the chaos of being a newly single Mom, surviving the bankruptcy that ended my marriage along with all the emotional baggage that brought to me, things are starting to look up. We’ve moved again and the house is going to be rented. My mother and I decided that it would be mutually helpful if my son and I moved into her 5 bedroom house. It is very odd to me to be living in my childhood home but the benefits to my moms health and my health are evident. I am grateful that I am able to help out and, to be honest, I’ve been grateful for a little backup myself! I am not good at asking for or receiving help so this was a big lump to swallow. I actually am able to feel safe and feel better about being able to help my mother out. I also notice a benefit to her concentration and mood as well as my own. I am in the process of letting “things” go. It’s been a good thing!!

My next undertaking will be to FINALLY go back to school. For my masters degree or doctorate, I haven’t decided. What I have decided is the field of study. I can’t tell you what a relief that is! My goal is to be done before my son finishes high school and since we are nearly halfway through his freshman year, I’d better get a move on!

Hope to blog more- it’s nice to get my thoughts out!

Friday, July 12, 2013

It's so hot here that...

If you weren't already aware of this, the Phoenix area is really hot in summer. It averages well above 100 degrees Fahrenheit from May through September. Our summers are very long! Then we have this phenomenon called "Monsoon season" where we get these torrential thunderstorms that last just a short while and cause flash floods.We also get severe dust storms that they are now calling Haboobs. The last huge one made national news and left a 1/2 inch of dust on my front and back patios. You'd think that living in this heat all my life I would be used to it but I am not! I hibernate and run from air-conditioned place to air-conditioned place. We used to play outside in the summer and I wonder how we did. My parents had a drinking fountain outside for us and most of our friends had pools. I think we were underwater most of the time.
This heat affects everyone's moods as well, in my opinion. People can be downright crabby when they are hot! (Myself included!) I am amazed to say that though I work nights and I am currently being treated for clinical depression, the essential oils do seem to be helping! My downs are not so deep and my recovery from them is faster. I've added some subliminal tracks to my essential oils and my energy is increasing. I hope this is the road to getting my life back on track! I am tired of living in a construction zone!

Tuesday, June 4, 2013




I've decided to out myself - I am struggling (again) with clinical depression.  I am working on getting it under control with medication and am now adding essential oils to the mix with the help of my sweet and cool friend Kirsten (Kish).  I had post-partum depression following my third miscarriage and post-partum depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder following Aidan's birth.  That was so weird!  This time the strain of divorce, bankruptcy, moving 3 times in 4 years, changing jobs and new responsibilities with the single-mom role and home remodeling role have just worn me out.  I did the things I had to do and let my emotions take a back seat during the survival mode time.  The remodel has been on hold while I am struggling to do the basics of life.  The great thing I take from this is I am surviving and am now able to move on! 

Truth?  I am SICK OF IT!  I am ready to be done with this chapter in my life.  (Which tells me my medication is working and my God is in control.)

I'd love to hear your thoughts and encouragement!

Sunday, August 19, 2012


I am not a good blogger.  I try to remember how to get onto this site and forget quite frequently.
 
     I am still remodeling this house (ugh) and am getting overwhelmed by it for the last 6 months or so.  I just hired a professional organizer to come and help me this week.  I told her that I would have to do it in stages because my first goal is to get the projects done!  I want all the supplies for each project organized and in the places that I need it.  I would first love to finish my bathroom and the kitchen and then the living room.  After that it will be baseboards and trim.  I want to be done by Christmas - I think that's reasonable!  

     I just applied for an extra income job for the flu season.  I think I will pay off my 2 miniscule credit cards and then maybe save the rest for a down payment on the house.  I am still in "Rent-to-own" mode.  Yes, I'm remodeling a rent to own.  What you don't know is that my mother owns the house and I have paid for all upkeep and repairs since I moved in as our plan was for me to buy it from her.  Thank goodness for mothers!  
 
     I am still enjoying having less responsibility at work and working as a floor nurse.  It's so nice to be mostly done with work when I leave!  I have occasional classes and continuing education but nothing like what I had with the education role.  Ah.  How nice and sweet it is!  I get to work to try to make individual patients happy instead of an entire department of nurses and techs!  Need I say more?  Love my people (nurses) but we (including me) can be a difficult bunch to please!
 
     Still debating the NP role.  Not that I will or won't do it but WHAT I want to do it in!  In this instance my PA friends have it much easier.  
 
 

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

STILL working on the house.

Wow, home improvement is a long-term project. I would have liked to do one thing at a time but SO much needed to be done that I had to tackle it all. My goal for the summer is to finish organizing the kitchen, finish laying the flooring, and put all the baseboards up. I also need to finish a few little painting jobs (doors, closets, touch-ups) and am amazed at how much paint the closets are soaking up. I also need to finish putting up curtains and window treatments.

How overwhelmed do you feel reading all this? I should tell you how much I have already done and you would feel better!

Aidan is enjoying having a house though not enjoying the construction. We'll get there. The job is good and it's nice to work just the three nights a week.

Aidan will be starting the first grade in August. How time flies. I remember his birth like it was yesterday - really. I guess it doesn't help that I am constantly seeing other births so it is always brought to mind. I feel so lucky to be a mom to such a sweet little boy. He has his moments, but he really is sweet at heart.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Moving again

Ok, apartment life was not for me. We are moving again. My mom purchased a fixer-upper for me to live in until I can buy it from her. I am working frantically to get it ready to move in. I have been painting, scraping wallpaper, and generally testing things out. I will soon be learning how to do some simple plumbing (EVERY faucet leaks) and staining concrete.

Monday, April 5, 2010

Packing and Denial

I am done with denial. I have to move and there is no choice. I am packing my heart out and purging along with it. I am trying to teach Aidan this art, but when it comes to toys he has a hard time. LOL.

I am nervous about living in an apartment. I have not lived in one since 1992. I am looking at the positives as much as possible. No yard work, call for exterminating and maintenance as needed, smaller space to clean. ONE story!