getting ready
wednesday, november 24, 2010


so it turns out we're going to have a thanksgiving after all. kitten pretty much made an executive decision that she would spend her food stamps on it if she had to (she did), plus we received some food from taz's school, and we put in a little of our own. we didn't pay any bills last week (everyone was financially short), but we have food not only for the holiday but also to last us awhile.

we're back to being up in the air about the hp movie—we may have the car but not the money. we want to have our dinner, so we'll just have to see what will happen with that. saxy starts the month with his check short a week and kitten's checks will be shorter because of her medical insurance. if she's still on food stamps, my bet is they'll go into the christmas dinner like they have for the thanksgiving dinner.

we've spent all this week doing things to prep for tomorrow and christmas: tried out a from scratch stuffing on monday to determine what changes we need to make for christmas; spent tuesday looking for the christmas decorations (and it's a good thing too; seems they got quite scattered in the garage, and it was a disaster, so things were missing until we finished up today and baking bread); made cranberry sauce and cranberry bread today while saxy and the kids cleaned up the garage and found the remaining ornaments. tomorrow i get to make sweet potato pie, orange baked ham, corn, crescents, and dutch apple pie. saxy will be making collard greens and carrots vichy. i'll probably rope one or two of the girls in to help because of my back problems.

we found our tree and tree skirt, but we'll need to get lights. everything else seems to be okay.

it has been a rough year, and next year promises to open with it still being on the scary side, but we're healthy, we still have a roof over our head and food in our mouths, and we are taking steps forward to being better off in the future than we are now. so despite the stress and worry, i'm thankful we're safe, sound, housed, and fed. And i'm thankful in knowing that things will work out eventually. just have to hang on tight for now, like a lot of other families.

i've also been reminded recently in how thankful i am for dii. i certainly never expected it to last 5 years, much less 9 or 10, which is where it's heading for now. it's a second family, and man have i learned a lot from them about writing, about myself, and a whole lot of things i can't even begin to list. and i am even more blessed by the fact that my little group has touched lives, helped writers become better at their craft, and that a number of them love us enough to come back after they are forced to leave because real life kicked them in the teeth. i have, in a small way, touched more lives than i ever imagined, and most of them in a positive way. and that is just amazing to me.

so it's been a rough year, but it's had its amazing moments, and we're all surviving. all things to be thankful for.

right now, though, my brain is starting to shut down. all that getting ready stuff has me all worn out.