My inner domestic diva

With just a couple of weeks left until I return to working full-time, the domestic goddess in me is showing her head. I have completely resisted being a housewife. Really. I don't enjoy housework. The tediousness of ordinary cleaning and maintenance don't interest me much. Sure we could couch it in terms of taking care of my family, but that doesn't really make it any more interesting for me.

We've had a few areas where stuff from moving has sat mostly untouched since it was dropped off more than three months ago. Even having company over didn't inspire me to do anything with it. Yet, the idea of staring at it for the next two years while I am working seemed to kick my butt into gear. The two boxes in the bedroom are now gone. The miscellaneous kitchen items in the room for which we have no plans (aka the formal living) held the items for which we had no plans. Yesterday, in a fit of domestica goddessia (a very rare condition), I made some snap decisions about what stays and what goes.

But that is not the half of it. I did laundry yesterday as well. That, in addition to patching the bigger nail holes and getting rid of all the gold paint in the bedroom (two coats of Kilz) and putting up one coat of pretty blue paint and then changing my mind about where the paint is going to go. Oh, and I made dinner from scratch.

If I can muster a few more domestic fits, this house will great shape by the time I start work.

Back to work now.

Lost Claim

The 60 days to review our moving claim has come and gone. So last evening, while watching 24, I remembered to ask Jack about the status.

Butterfly Wife: So Jack, what's going on with our moving claim? (asked all super casual)

Jack Bauer: Oh, on the 5th it had been 60 days. So I followed-up with the moving company.

BW: And?

JB: They lost our claim. (said all calm and nonchalantly)

BW: WHAT?!?!?! LOST?!?!?!? Now what?

JB: I sent the claim again along with all the email conversations.

BW: AND???? They don't think they get another 60 days, do they?? (steam is visibly coming out of my ears and nose at this point)

JB: (continuing to remain calm and collected) No. The woman at the moving company has it on top of her list to do.

BW: (head spinning, eyes shooting out red lasers, steam billowing from every crevice on my head) AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! (and a whole host of other gutteral sounds seemingly emanating from my vocal cords)

JB: (still looking forward and calm)

BW: Well, she just be better be glad she's dealing with Jack Bauer and NOT me! Because if she has to DEAL with me, she'll be begging for Jack Bauer when I get done with her!

OK. So then I busted up laughing. I mean really, that is one bad-ass comment, but you know me, I'm 99% about diplomacy and the art of the subtle persuasion.

But this is the first time we've PCS'd and the first time we've watched 24 together.

Goings On

Let's see. In the last week, I got my first sales as a Tastefully Simple consultant and scheduled my Blast Off Party for next Wednesday. I am still super excited about this opportunity to meet new people and make a little extra money on the side. Thank you to several of my readers for placing orders with me and helping me get my business started! :D

If anyone would like to be added to my e-mail list to get my TS website, please e-mail me at butterfly.wife.life AT gmail.com

On the job front, I was not selected for the job I interviewed for. That was difficult. I'm not sure, but I think I have been offered nearly every single job I've ever interviewed for. BUT after a short cry, I decided I just needed to move forward. So moving forward I am. And I have another interview tomorrow with a different company. It should be a more challenging job and thus more money. I did go to the temp agency last week. The person I interviewed with sounded like she could find something for me. I agreed to work locally for $8/hr. Uggg.

No news on the house selling front. We lowered the house below what we owe and still nothing. But who really is thinking about buying a home two weeks before Christmas? And I heard yesterday about some planned layoffs in Middleville. Uggg.

And I did meet a super special blogger last week. She is just as special in person as she is online. :D

Giving thanks

Yeah, I've been a little neglectful around here. I've been busy doing the same thing day after day. Searching for a job is the toughest job I think I've ever had. You see, our house in Middleville is still unsold. No offers have been made. And we are running out of savings to keep paying for it. We are already talking to our banks about this. This is a very depressing situation.

But I am working on looking at the bright side of things. Jack Bauer is home with me. We live in a big spacious house with gorgeous views all around. I've met some wonderful people here and the area is very comfortable, homey; I feel at place here. We live close enough to my parents that we can drive to see them, my sister, my nephew, my 99-year-old grandmother, my uncle, my cousin, and his wife later today for Thanksgiving. I even get to see my old hairstylist, who still cuts my mother and my sister's hair, to come in special on Saturday just to tackle the hair that was cute in July but needed some up keep that I have neglected. And to cover inches of gray. (I'm 36 and my temples have gone completely gray. I shouldn't have this much gray!) Of course, I am most thankful to have a loving, healthy, and supportive family.


So I am also working on letting go of what I can't control. And having a little faith that things will work out. Two signs that I needed to have faith have come into my life in the last week. First, I was at the spouses' club luncheon last week when I sat next to the woman who is in charge of employment readiness on post. I spent three hours with her yesterday learning how to make my Army civilian resume work to get a job on post. Her middle name that is part of her email address? Faith.

The second was this past Monday when I was attending a Tastefully Simple home party. I've never seriously considered doing direct sales until I came across this company. Part of the consultant's email address? You got it, faith. So I am taking a little leap of faith -- little only because Tastefully Simple doesn't require much of a buy in -- and signing up to be a consultant.

Focusing on having faith and being thankful for the abundance I already have is going to save my sanity through this difficult time.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Found!

Naturally, the toaster oven was located in a box labeled "Basement: Christmas." And there were in Christmas items in the box. At least it is found.

Jack Bauer is threatening to do a real AAR regarding this move. Perhaps, he can do the next one on his own while I go off to a spa.

On an unrelated note, remember to vote tomorrow if you haven't already.

Something positive about PCSing

Alright. I must admit that I am not fully unpacked and I still cannot find the toaster. But I know it is here somewhere and it will be found.

Moving is one of the most stressful life events and as active duty military families we knowingly undertake this adventure with great frequency. And as a stressful event, when little things go wrong, they affect us, perhaps, more deeply than they would on any given Tuesday.

So while it totally sucks that the floor lamp, which sat over my right shoulder lighting the night while I wrote my blog posts and helped illuminate my IMing sessions with Jack Bauer while he was deployed, is now broken beyond repair, it is still just a lamp. Now our living and lighting situation is different here in Cav Canyon, and it is much darker while I sit with my laptop browsing the Internet at night. A floor lamp would be really nice. Right now I cannot afford to go out and replace it. (Our house in Middleville has not sold and I don't have a job. Yet.)

The boxes that have been unpacked contain things. While I love my fiestaware and think some of it is irreplacable (well, because some of it is), they are just dishes. While I love the Waterford and Tiffany & Co. crystal that fills a cabinet, it is all just a bunch of empty vessels, as beautiful as they might be. While I consider my TV to be one of my bestest battle buddies and I actually cried when it was boxed up back in Middleville, it is completely replaceable. Granted, those things all arrived intact.

But here's the thing that makes me view this move as a success. My husband and I have a wonderful home to come to every day and we get to spend every single night together. After 28 months and 5 days of living apart, I cannot begin to express how truly blessed I feel to have him home (any home) with me, because I know that not everyone is that fortunate. The doggies and kitty are all back together under one roof. And we had to move here to this beautiful part of the country in order for all that to happen.

This move is about people not things. And dogs are people, too.

BBLLLLLLAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

I scream.

I find myself in a predicament of unprecedented proportion, well, at least for me anyway. I am on one side and the dogs are on the other, tethered to me by a six-foot leash. Between us lies a three-foot rattlesnake sunning itself on the trail floor in the late afternoon rays.

The dogs have no clue of the snake's presence. But the snake is acutely aware of the dogs standing over it. The path is essentially blocked so I yank on the leash and the dogs turn round. Bear steps on the devil's creature, which hisses as it turns to the offending paw.

My heart pounds as I back up along the trail, dogs apparently intact and unbitten and utterly unphased by the encounter. I, on the other hand, need to learn a thing or two from the dogs, as I am freaking out about it. Poor Jack Bauer, he had to listen to me for the next 45 minutes of the walk screeching and rambling on about the devil. By the way, we saw another five snakes dead on the road during the rest of our walk.

Hours later, I think I have recovered. But I will not be walking on that path in the afternoon. Also i need to make sure I get us a vet and locate the nearest 24-hour animal hospital.

The Kindness of Strangers

Last month at the SpouseBUZZ Live Event at Hampton Roads, someone (I think it may have been AirForce Wife) introduced me to a woman who was manning a booth who just happens to live close to our new duty station. What a cowinkydink! We exchanged contact information and went our separate ways.

Honestly, in the chaos of the move, I completely forgot it.

But she didn't.

We exchanged a few e-mails and said we'd hook up once I got to town.

She brought us dinner our second night in the house. Home-cooked food that I didn't have to cook has never tastyed so good. Baked chicken breast, pierogies, salad, fresh rosemary and dill bread were all perfection. A lovely plant (that she promises is brown-thumb tolerant) and a ginger-pumpkin loaf for breakfast topped off this incredible gift of generosity.

While I woofed down all the pierogies, there was enough chicken left over to make chicken quesadillas for lunch the next couple of days.

Must remember to pay this one forward. It was an incredible welcome to the area.

Phase 4 AAR

All the household goods were delivered on Tuesday.

We had spent the night at a hotel in town. We got up early to get some muffins, coffee, sodas, etc. But as usual, I was trying to do too much in too short a time so the morning was off to a frantic start. We did arrive at the house with about 10 minutes to spare, scooped the cat into the laundry room for her own protection, and put up the signs for each room.

0800: Waiting. Waiting.

0815: Jack Bauer calls the moving company. The movers are loading the truck and we are told not to expect them soon.

0816: I begin to wander around.

0900: I stop wandering when the movers arrive with 4 crates on a flat-bed truck. That cannot be all of our stuff. Turns out, it's not. There is another crate and our sofas and chair-and-a-half. Phew!

The first thing I am asked is if I have done this before. I don't take this as a good sign. Either they want to take advatnage of me or they don't know what they are doing. There are three of them and no one seems to be in charge. Luckily, I am in a completely bossy mood so I tell them what to do but they don't listen. I try to show them around the house so they will know where things go, but they are not interested. This is not going to go well.

Jack sets up outside with a clipboard and pen and checks off numbers as boxes are moved into the house. I stand inside and direct the stuff to different rooms. After about an hour of this, I am convinced we have dyslexic, memory-impaired thugs unloading our goods. I remain patient but firm with them and that seems to work sufficiently enough.

By 1130 they have all 4 crates unloaded and into the house. They leave to get the remaining goods and tell us they will be back by 1300. I run out to get some lunch for me and Jack. Those monkeys can feed themselves while on their 1.5-hour break.

So lunch. Yeah. We live about 12 miles from town. So a quick run to get lunch when I have no idea where a sandwich shop is takes about an hour. It is almost 1300 by the time I get back to the house. We are able to sit on our barstools (some of the first things to be unloaded) at our kitchen counter and eat our Schlotsky's Deli meal in peace and quiet for a ferw minutes.

1300: Our neighborhood remains silent. Since we are expecting them to do a full unpack for us, I don't want to start opening boxes.

1330: Two hours after they left, the movers return. With TWO crates and our sofas and chair-and-a-half. Now that makes more sense. We all get back to work. Jack's checking, I'm directing, and they are putting things in the wrong rooms. How nice. I get that straightened out with the oldest of the movers (who tells me that he is retired from the moving business, but is ust helping out today).

Anyway, by 1500 things are mostly in place in the house. They start to put things back together. For tools, they have a philips-head screwdriver and two allen wrenches, which of course, don't fit our screws. Jack manages to find his own tools, including his sets of allen wrenches and the furniture manages to get back together somehow. Even the dining room table slides appear to function just fine.

We double check to make sure we have all the numbers accounted for. We only have to search for a few numbers and they quickly turn up.

Then we begin to note the damage on the stuff not in boxes.

• Floor lamp from Pottery Barn: Base sheared off.
• DVD stand: a crude cut made to the backing making it into two pieces. Will need to be covered in order to be usable. Of course, the hardware would have to show up before it could be used at all.
• Queen mattress: Pillow top with multiple slashes on it from thugs opening boxes with reckless abondon.
• Vacuum cleaner: Filter is missing from the front of the unit, making it completely unusable (perhaps it is packed in a box somewhere). FOUND!
  
• Black shelves: One piece that holds up the unit broken. I suppose the 4-shelf unit could be used as a 3-shelf unit. That is if the hardware shows up somewhere.

By this time, I am tired (we are at a killer elevation here) and I want these people out of my life for good. The apparent man in charge asks if we want them to unpack. Uh, no thank you. I would like some of my stuff to remain intact. They will come back in a few days to pick up the boxes and packing paper.

With the movers gone, Jack and I set out to make our bed and find a few essentials, like the coffee pot, but we are exhausted. After Jack picks up the dogs from day care, we go out to a good Mexican restuarnt close to the house. We collapse on the couch to watch Dodgeball. The doggies are so exhausted they barely stir when a neighbor shows up to deliver our garage door openers.

And finally, after months of sleeping in hotels and in strange beds, we get snooze for a few peaceful hours in our very own bed. Back to work unpacking in the morning.

Operation Eagle Eye: Phase 4

Final Phase of Operation Eagle Eye to begin promptly at 0800 today.

Expectations: All household goods will be delivered and unpacked by careful operators. All packing material and boxes will be removed from the premises. Identify every blue tagged item and account for every box. Inspect all dishes and glassware for nicks, cracks, dings, etc. Assure recently reunited kitty remains inside the laundry room and undisturbed.

Personnel: Black Bear 6 (AKA BW) will be in charge of internal direction of goods. Black Bear 7 (AKA Jack Bauer) will be in charge of checking off numbers as the goods are unloaded from the truck.

Equipment: Lightning-fast eyes to catch all possible moves by the operators to get past BB6 or BB7 without proper direction. Signage labeling all rooms including those indicating "DO NOT ENTER" for the laundry/kitty room. Clipboard and pen for careful review of documentation.

Sustenance: Coffee and muffins for AM energy and pep. Sandwiches and sodas for lunch to keep the operators going.

Other pertinent information: Doggies are safely off premises for day care.

Almost home

While we were back in C-ville, Jack started looking on AHRN.com (Automated Housing Referral Network) for a place to rent. (Yes, our house in Middleville is still not sold; think that is going to change soon? Yeah, us neither.) One house in particular seemed to suit our needs. Jack was in touch with owner of the house through a few e-mails.

We checked it out a couple days ago and decided to drive by a few others that looked like they would suit our needs.

The house is just lovely. Three bedrooms + den, 2 full baths, large master suite with very large soaking tub and walk in shower, great kitchen/eating area/family room (perfect for how we live), washer/dryer, 3-car garage (i.e., extra storage area after getting both cars in the garage), 1.5 acres of low maintenance yard, and a formal living room that we don't know what to do with. AND it is within our BAH.

Down sides? It is about 12 miles from post. The yard is not fenced (we'll set up a couple of dog runs; we wouldn't be able to leave the dogs outside unattended anyway due to local wildlife). The painting inside, well, is, um, interesting. The master bedroom is a steely gold, one wall in the master bathroom is bright purple, the formal living room has a sponged yellow on it that does not go all the way to the ceiling or even cover much of the wall. And it looks like it was done by someone who has never painted before. Of course, paint is easily fixed.

Overall, it is perfect for us to unwind and relax.

We drove by a couple of other places. The first was off a dirt road that was in desperate need of improving (in fact a sign in someone yard looked like a campaign was being started to do just that) and our wimpy, decidedly un-Texan cars would crack under that kind of abuse and likely get stuck any time there was a rain. The next place we drove by was in a very crowded neighborhood right off the of the main highway. If I thought we lived on top of each other in Middleville, this place was at least twice as bad.

With limited options, we just decided to go with the one absolutely gorgeous, more-house-than-we-need with lots of breathing room. The lease is now signed. The utilities are almost completely set up. Movers deliver next Tuesday.

First day on post

Yesterday, while Jack Bauer was working on in-processing, I spent the entire morning wandering around post with the doggies. I started by looking for a good cup of coffee. I found one at the mini mall. Uh, mini? Yep. I think it was 1" scale. The coffee is good enough and sufficient to power me for a few hours.

I had a map with me but I didn't want to rely on it. I believe that the best way to learn a new place is to get lost. So every time I stopped, I unfolded it and tried to figure out where I was.

I really fought my inner voice that told me I shouldn't be going on some of the more remote roads. If there wasn't a marked sign with "RESTRICTED AREA" or "HIGH SECURITY AREA" or "RESIDENTS ONLY," I took the road. For the most part I had no idea where I was going or what to expect. I figured if I was caught some where I wasn't supposed to be, someone would tell me. But of course, that never happened. It was all a bunch of worry in my head.

I found the stables, the ranges, a ton of picnic areas, the dog park, the museum, the historic part of the post, the cemetery, and the entrance to two of the marked canyons.

In the afternoon, I was told, was an appointment to get me transferred to the correct Tricare region. I was expecting this to take 15 minutes. Ha! An hour and a half later, I emerged from a power point presentation (what else could have been done) explaining all the nuances of getting health care on this post, which has a health care center not a hospital. (Mind you the hospital in town is also a "health care center" so does that make it not a hospital? I digress.)

Trying to distill it down into something workable, I think I am supposed to call the appointment desk after 7:30 AM M-F for appointments; if they are full and I need to be seen that day, I call the advise nurse; if it is after hours, I call the PCM (I was hoping for more acronyms than there actually were; darn). Bottom line: YOU MUST CALL SOMEONE FIRST IF YOU DON'T WANT TO WIND UP WRITING A CHECK.

At least we made it someone interesting by sitting in the back row and giving each other running commentary.

Boy, I can't wait to sit through that presentation every single time we move!

After that 90-minute session that could have easily be summed up in 5, we went to look at a house and drive by a few more. Come back tomorrow and I'll tell you all about that.

Texas Road Rules

1. Don't drop your cigarette when forcing cars off the road.

2. When traffic on an interstate highway comes to a complete stop due to accident/construction/armadillo crossing, you are free to drive off the side of the road and on to the service road, but only because you all drive Silverados.

3. Because you drive a Silverado, you have the right of way. All the time. Regardless of other perceived rules of the road. Especially in the parking lot of a Wal-Mart. It is perfectly acceptable to drive the wrong way and play chicken with a dorky Honda CRV from some other state. Dipshits should have known better than to mess with Texas.


4. For those 5 people not driving a Silverado, beware of tumbleweeds. The small ones could get caught under your car. The large ones will take out your car, especially since it is bigger than your Toyota Solara.

Calling all moms

My baby Bear appears to have stepped in some gum and got it mushed in between his nails, pads, and hair real good and tight. And of course, he is super wiggly and won't cooperate letting me just try to pick it out. Not sure he'll let me try ice.

Some people (yes, people on the Internet. How reliable can they be???) suggested peanut butter to let the oils break down the gum and then the dog gets to lick it up the mess. Of course, I'm not sure I really want to try that in a hotel room or my car for that matter. Sounds very messy, but the breakfast buffet will probably have some.

Do any of you moms out there have any advice on how to remove gum from hair?

Hitting the road

The chapter called C-ville is closing.

Now we are off to OFDSville. Heh.

I hope I have some good Internet access on the road and once we get into town. I'll check back in when I can.

Catch ya soon.

Graduation Day

Today my super spectacular husband graduates! Yay!

Then shortly after that we get to start packing up and loading up the cars. Although we had very little use for two cars this summer, two are definitely needed for getting our stuff to its destination. (Linda - no, the town where we are headed to is not called OFDS, or our first duty station. Heh. Just a few more days to the big reveal.)

I just finished up a big project yesterday and it feels soooooo goood to be done. Feel like I really accomplished something. And I got paid to do it. Even better. Woohoo!

Gotta go get dressed for the big graduation ceremony. Catch you later.

Why do I do this?

Here were are about to leave for our new duty station and embark on a big trip and whole set of unknowns once we get there.

And Jack Bauer's parents came to town to see him graduate.

So why is it that I took on a big project that had be work nearly 40 hours in the last week and really needs to be done before I leave in three days???

There is a hundred little things that need to be done before we leave, but I can't remember what they are right now.

This makes me grouchy! At least I don't have to babysit the in laws. But I do like spending time with them.

Right, right, right. I'll do what I can and that will have to be good enough. The less I worry about it, the more I'll get done. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I am sure I have a million other little sayings that would apply to this situation, but I can't remember them right now.

I'm off to do the USPS address forwarding things. At least that is one thing done. Can someone remind me what the other 99 are?

Time in C-ville is winding down

Fall. The temperature has dropped. The windows are open all day and all night. Change is coming.

Just a few more days left here in C-ville. My time living in a hotel with no oven is coming to an end. I've struggled with changing from struggling to feed just myself to struggling to feed me and Jack Bauer. My jeans got tight. It is back to Weight Watchers when get to our new home.

Change is around the corner.

Our time here has really given Jack and I the opportunity to know each other again. We shared nearly every meal together here. We've watched a lot of TV together; I've started watching more news and he's started watching more Project Runway. We've spent a lot of time laughing. Some things haven't changed at all, like our perpetual debate over what to do for dinner. (Neither of us likes to make that decision. It is a discussion that can begin shortly after breakfast.)

Hopefully some things won't change. But I am really hoping for our new home to have a proper kitchen. With an oven.

Banned items

Now that I am out Middleville, I am getting things ready to move out of C-ville. Which means, I am go through the boxes I brought back with me.

When I went to empty the house, I knew I had to collect all our liquids and decide what to do with them. I brought most of them back here; I would hate to have to buy all these cleaning supplies once we got to our next station.

But there were several items that I totally spaced on.

Batteries. There are in stinkin' everything. EVERYTHING. 4 AAA batteries. 20 AA batteries. (I know what you are thinking, and NO, these are not from those items, so shush! Besides, I was thinking ahead.)

Matches. 19 books.

Bic Lighter.

Fuel in Coleman stove, which has probably been there for years and years and years. Luckily they let me empty the container and rinse it out. Won't say how.

No stray bullets were found. And while I was told that no chemicals were allowed, I was able to convince them that OxiClean and Cascade powder were not in that category.

For a first PCS, I think that is pretty good.

Thoughts on an empty house

Well, now the house is empty. I honestly thought I would have a stronger reaction to locking up and leaving than I did. I wasn't upset at all. We lived there for almost six years. It was a good house to us. And it is house filled with charming details.

But I wonder about it being a house filled with memories. In some ways I think the memories attacked to the things that the filled the rooms rather than attaching to the walls, the floors, the ceilings.

Maybe it is like a cute vase filled with a gorgeous flower arrangement from someone you love. Once the flowers are gone, what specialness does the vase hold? It is time for someone else to put their flowers in it.

So. Do you know anyone who wants to buy a cute little four-bedroom, 1.5-bath house in Saint Louis, Missouri?