Grown up Daughters...more or less!

For some reason the font seems really small now on Blogger.  I'm squinting as I type this. Changes have been made and I haven't kept up with them...that's what happens, I guess, when you become a part-time blogger...

That happens around the house too - lots of things go on without my knowledge....

The other day I was in the upstairs bathroom washing my hands....I turned to the towel rack to dry my hands and this is what I saw!!

Now, luckily I've encountered this before so I wasn't as startled as I was the first time I encountered a sasquatch in the bathroom!  The first time my face was dripping wet and I had my eyes closed - you can imagine my...um...surprise!!

I was hoping that something would happen in my daughter's room without my knowledge - like a major cleanup now that she's DONE SCHOOL FOREVER!!...but no such luck...let's take a little peek shall we?...

EEEEEEEEEK!! Looks like the sasquatch got loose in her room!!  Closing the door once again before it gets out and renders the rest of the house unlivable ...!!

Sigh...this is the same daughter who drives 4 hour round trips on major highways for her job. Who always looks like she just walked off of a page in a fashion magazine and who graduated university and college with top marks. Ok, having just said that I now understand the state of her room!!

The good news is that after a week of snow, freezing rain, sleet, hail and rain, yesterday we finally had a day of  sunshine and mild temperatures and are looking forward to a week of the same! Any day now the leaves are going to burst open on the trees, I just know it! Spring, after many many delays, has finally arrived.

Which reminds me to check my "countdown to summer" counter - only 61 days til I leave for PEI!! I can handle that! Now that some level of sanity has returned to my classroom with the replacement EA fitting in VERY WELL I am free to plan field trips and lots of fun activities to keep everyone focused and happy til the end of this term.  I have my peace of mind back and you can't put a price on that!

And now... I must go fold laundry because it doesn't fold itself!! Rats...

Funky Blues

I have been in a bit of a funk lately! And I had very good reason to be; you see....

a new EA who started working in my school last October recently accused me, my Dep't Head and one of our VP's....

 of bullying and harassment - yes you heard me correctly...the truth of the matter is...

 she was really upset because she had been declared surplus at the school she used to work at...

 and turned that feeling into a large festering wound that spilled over onto those of us who tried to get her to do her job.

 She also had many personal issues she was dealing with at the time and made a lot of bad choices and decisions. Some illegal ones.

The good news in all of this, yes there is good news, is that her accusations against us were dismissed and she is under a trespass order - she can't come into the school where I work.

 She received a slap on the hand (kind of laughable when you consider the seriousness of what she did which was basically slander and defamation of character) and has been placed in another school!! Scary! She has been ordered to do some training etc and is closely supervised.

The investigation continues with a focus on the other, illegal things that she has done which do not pertain to me or my other colleagues.

It has been a truly horrendous experience, one I hope never to repeat.

I am slowly coming out of my funk. I am lucky to have a "life coach" as a partner and he has stood by me through all of this. Thank you Michael. My daughter, who weighs about 90 lbs offered to go beat her up for me lol,  Of course she was just kidding - we are a peace loving bunch and not exactly strong in the physical department :)

Scrub a Dub Dub!

Good morning!  It's alternating between sunshine and dark clouds today, pretty breezy too. But all of that is AOK because the temperature must be around 10c!!!! Yeehaw!! Spring has sprung at last! Maybe.....

Ok, we won't dwell on the possibility that Mother Nature is rubbing her hands with glee at the thought of dumping a pile of snow on us again but I CAN DREAM CAN'T I???

Oh dear Lord, please let it be SPRING!

On to business.....

I just found $1,000.00!! Yes, it's true! No I'm not losing my marbles though I know some would argue with that. Here's how - because I'm nice that way - I want to share my wealth-building strategies with you because that's what it's all about right?

OK, here goes.
Step One:  Buy a truck for $5,000.00
Step Two: Take money out of your Line of Credit to pay for it.
Step Three: Think that you are taking out $5,000.00 but really only take out $4,000.00 and use savings to cover the other $1,000.00.
Step Four: Forget Steps 1 through 3.
Step Five: Make a payment of $1250.00 on your Line of Credit and check your balance remaining.
Step Six: Do a HAPPY DANCE when you realize you only have $2750.00 left to pay back instead of $3750.00!!

Easy peasy!  You're welcome!

In other financial news I have purchased the lovely pair of appliances shown below for our PEI home. I'm feeling pretty darn happy that I was able to cross off TWO MUST HAVE items for our retirement abode - Dougie the Dodge  and now a washer and dryer!!!!! They are scheduled to arrive on July 5th!  I am paying for them with my tax refund which should be rolling in by the end of this week.  Dougie the Dodge will be paid off by the end of April and all of my savings in May and June will go into my EMERGENCY FUND (which is currently empty!!) - around $5,000.00.  Then all that I can save between July and December of this year will go towards long term savings - my TFSA and RRSPs.

Aren't they pretty?  

This is how we did laundry for the last two summers. (And of course we will continue to use our clothesline as much as possible to keep our electricity bill down).

Unfortunately I only have pictures of Michael hanging the clean clothing on the line. I don't have pictures of how he cleaned our clothes. Can you guess? YES, IN THE BATHTUB!!! I don't know how I let that photo op go by uncaptured! A half naked Michael, very damp, muscles pumping as he scrubbed and scrubbed....leaning over the tub....

Do you think I can still cancel my appliance order??