| | Summer Solstice is quickly approaching which only means one thing....I let the months escape me again!
Alyssa's 14th birthday came on June 1. Her party was pushed back to the following Sunday because that is the only day that both Gary and I have off at the same time and when he isn't asleep(read details later). She opened a multitude of gifts that I had been hording since Christmas. She has become really addicted to 'Mama Mia' and was amazed when one of her gifts was a box of old ABBA cassettes. It's a good thing that this Mama never throws anything away. She recieved music, clothes, a Brain Age 2 game, a fashion video game, a herb garden kit, a lava lamp, a new Ren-fest gown sewn by me and her first wand. [I make them and she wanted 'something special' so there you go].
Birthday tradition also states that the honoree can chose their favorite meal. Hers was an Chinese resterant in Denton which surprised both of us. I thought that we be spending a mint at a trendier place of her choosing. We took her shopping at Walmart in Denton for summer clothes and bought her a new swimsuit via Land's End as part of her day. There is NO shop locally that sells her size because both her and her sister's torsos are so long. Even the woman at Land's End thought that I measured it incorrectly. That's what happens when you're 14 and 5'7"(Jessica now is 16 at 5'11-1/2!) I'm officially the shorty of the family.
 Alyssa 14 and growing
 Jessica...don't ask about the rabbit-toothed smile. I don't know either.
 Lightning 6yr-my not-so-little piglet awaiting cake!
Gary and I pass each other via our shifts at Walmart. He now works graveyard shift while I work evenings. He took initially as a supplemental job but when his sister learned of this, well all of a sudden they had no work to do at the shop. Oh well.
Now Walmart nation-wide is severely cutting hours and laying off all of their full timers. Our small store is now exception. Poor Gary went from 33hours to 20 which means he works only every other day and is now supplementing that with remodeling work. If it wasn't for my freelance writing and my online shop at Etsy (http://www.othilldesigns@etsy.com) some things would be going by the waste side like cable, phone, etc.
We started a vegetable and herb garden to cover some of the costs, make our own bread,laundry soap,etc and spend a lot more time clipping coupons, checking out circulars(Walmart will take competition ads for a 200 mile radius) and storing canned and dry goods as if Armaggedon was happening tomorrow. After all, who knows how far Wally World will cut us?
Our small town is suffering immensely. Thirty year old companies are folding up, fast food chains and retail stores aren't hiring this summer, former oil field employees and truckers fill the food stamp office and more people are moving away. Bowie has always suffered due to the fact that our city council doesn't push to bring in new business, we're not on the interstate and the people who can have always commuted to the cities of Denton, Dallas and Fort Worth for their livelihood. So getting worse for Bowie is a major stab in the heart.
Jessica and her hormones has also played a large role in my stress. Asperger's, hormones and being 16 do not mess well. She gets frustrated, aggravated and plain ol' anger. She slams doors, screams and at her worst moments has hurt both Gary and myself. She actually dislocated his middle fingers by slamming a door on his hand. Since starting her on a full fledged GFCF diet and different set of vitamins, she has calmed somewhat. SAM-E is a wonderful vitamin for her mood and it's OTC. Which is a good thing since we have no insurance and can't afford to visit a doctor at $60 a pop.
So stress, angst and good dose of minor depression keep me away from blogging these days. Hoping to relieve some of it this summer by taking on a teaching job. I think winning the lottery and getting out of Walmart would do a lot for that! 
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| | Posted 6/17/2009 12:39 PM - 60 Views - 10 eProps - 5 comments
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