Today I took Becca to her school to register for 7th grade. She has really sprouted this summer, she is 5'1" now and wears a ladies size 8 shoe! Oh, and she turns 12 years old on September 1st. Where has time gone???  I am so behind on things because of the move, but I wedged in a trip to shop for new school clothing for her.

The store of choice this year was Hot Topic for 'cool' t-shirts. Actually I would wear most of what she picked out, I wonder what that means? I can embarrass my kid? She found these great Converse sneakers with a funky cat pattern on them. I was trying to find a picture online, but so far I have not been able to. Anyhow, they are cool, but not too cute, if you know what I mean. Megan wants a pair too, she goes school clothes shopping tomorrow.

A few things I have learned in the last couple days:

1) When unloading the dishwasher, don't leave the upper cabinet doors open above the washer. Bashing head into said door can cause a very impressive lump and pain.

2) To dry clothing in your gas dryer, it helps to not only hook up the line to the gas, but then, turn the gas on! Duh!

3) Placing a glass display box of minis on top of the washing machine is not a good idea. If the washing machine starts to really vibrate, then entire case will shake off the top of the machine and end up on the floor!

4) No matter how careful you are when painting, you will get some paint on your clothing!

So, the old house, now known as Chouse, is officially on the market. Sunday, Joe and I spent the day painting walls, washing windows and vacuuming floors so it would all be ready for photos and tours this week. This coming Saturday will be an open house. *crossing fingers*

As to the job I am trying to get, I am not feeling very hopeful at this point. The HR woman said she had to talk to my last 5 employers in order to satisfy their background requirements and they have not been able to get anyone at my employer in 2001 to speak to them. The training starts September 2, and that is only 2 weeks away. *sigh* Well, I suppose if I don't get the job, I will have more free time to finish all the unpacking and moving of things.

In terms of moving things from the old house, it is mostly done. All that is left are things in closets and cabinets. All the actual rooms are now cleared out and clean. Joe is talking about having the moving people come a second time and just box that all up for us. I must admit, as tired as I am, that sounds like a darn good idea.

Saturday Becca's Girl Scout troop is having a family beach day. I need to bake some brownies to take for the potluck lunch. Hope everyone is well!

They are everywhere I look. All over the house, every room... And when I go back to the Carlsbad house there are more of them, and where there are not boxes, there are still things to be packed and moved. I am even dreaming of boxes! A few people have asked if we are done. The answer is NO! Yes, we did have movers come and pack some of the stuff, but they only packed the essentials. Anything that could wait, was left for several reasons. First, it is cheaper for me to pack and move stuff, second, it would have taken the movers a whole additional day, al 5 of them working, to pack everything, and finally, this is forcing me to sort things into keep, donate or trash piles.

The done bits... Let's see...all of the living room is done... hmm, maybe it would be easier to list what is left? A big problem here is moving from a 4600 sq ft house to a house under 2000 sq ft. That is more than 50% less space for stuff and we seem to be specialists in collecting stuff. In my old craft room, everything is out except for what I was storing in the closet. Then there is a row of cabinets by the garage, they are still mostly full. The family room is done except for a lamp. The kitchen has most of the food items gone, but there are still dishes, pots and appliances that are used left often to haul over. None of Joe's wine has been moved yet, nor the collection of wine glasses. Oh and there is my china that still needs attention.

Upstairs, both girl's rooms are done, except for the shelf in their closets and any remaining art on the walls. I also have to clear the tops of the desks (built-ins) and the drawers and cabinets that go with them. Most of the linen cabinets are empty now (hurray!) and the bonus room is done except for stuff stored in the entertainment unit, like the kid's DVDs. In the office, there still is the laser cutter (too heavy for Joe and I to move alone, ugh!) and things stored in the closet in there. Then finally there is our bedroom, which still have stuff in the dressers, closets and bathroom cabinets.

Gosh, it sounds like we have not done anything, but we have! Honest! Currently I am trying to crank through 15 0 20 boxes per day and anytime I go to the Carlsbad house, I don't leave till the car is stuffed to the brim with more boxes of stuff.

At the Vista house, things are starting to settle into a routine. I have what I need to cook, clean, do laundry, change sheets and towels. The girls rooms are mostly set up and useable. Our bedroom is in good shape. Our only real problem are the bathrooms. It seems when they put the glass doors on our shower last summer, they did them backwards, so they leak when you take a shower. Whee! And Megan's bath and toilet are not draining at all, it looks like they may be blocked with construction debris so we have to have a plummer out for that. Oh, and the hot water is hooked up backwards in our shower too, so it starts out the hottest temp and goes colder as you turn the knob! How fun! For that I will have to call the plumbing contractors we used almost a year ago and try to talk them into coming back and fixing it. I am not looking forward to that phone call, because I expect they will try to wiggle out of doing anything.

So that is where we are. Boxes, boxes and more boxes. Please give me a few more weeks before you ask if I am done! *grin* I don't know about you, but I need another cute animal picture!

The new USB kitten, plug it in, and it is cute!

There is a light at the end of the tunnel. Tomorrow the movers arrive, bright and early. Today I am trying to sort and pack what ever I can. I have a large pile to donate to charity, a large pile for the trash folks, and filled a lot of boxes. All the stuff is out of my craft room, all the stuff in the computer room is packed up, and the kid's playroom is done as well. I am working on sorting through all of Becca's and Megan's room today and then will tackle my closet.

Last night I went over to the Vista house and finished cleaning and sorting the garage, so it is ready for boxes we can unpack immediately. I can't recall it ever being as clean as it is now. Yeah!

We went and got each girl an inexpensive desk for their rooms, so they have a place for their computers. I will miss the built-in desks they have had, in the hall, where I could keep an eye on them online. Becca has also picked up a more teen-like bedding set for her bed. She is really intent on being more grown up, or at least looking that way. I can't believe she will be 12 years old in a few weeks. Time flies too fast.

Friday, I have a repair guy coming by to do some patching so I can do touch-up painting and on Saturday I have maids coming by to help me clean the house so it ready for the real estate photographers on Monday. Busy, busy, busy.

On the job front, I seem to still be in the running. The employer has contacted at least of one of my previous employers and at least one of my personal contacts. So far, so good.

Otherwise, not too much going on. My grandma is coming up on her 103rd birthday in just a few days. I need to get an order in for some pretty flowers for her. Hope everyone else is well!

I think it is time for another cute animal photo....

A pygmy owl

I seem to have a special ability to bash up as many limbs as possible when moving. So far I have given myself a nice gash and bruise on the back of my left leg by not moving quick enough while slamming the car door. Then yesterday, while rushing through a doorway with a heavy box of stuff, caught my arm on the doorframe, scratching it up and bruising it. Only two limbs to go!

The job of sorting through 30-some old boxes from storage is done. It was fun finding so many treasures. Now I am trying to clean and organize the garage for storage. There are so many spiders in there, it is cobweb mecca. I have listed the furniture we were using to stage the old house in Craigslist. It is the first time I tried to sell anything there and I was amazed with the response! The only item that didn't have people totally jumping all over it was a coffee table, otherwise people are snapping up things. The washing machine went to a family with 9 kids, who just had their washing machine break down yesterday. And the green couch is going to a couple just moving into a new house. It is nice to see things getting good homes.

We were thrown for a bit of a loop. The bed we bought to stage the master bedroom was going to be the one Joe and I kept to use. Our current king sized set is just too big for the Vista house. However, I discovered it is only Full sized, not Queen as I thought and that is just going to be too cozy for long term for the two of us. So we want to trade with Becca, who has been using a Queen that I used for myself at the old apartment. She is not a happy camper, despite the fact this is a totally new set and new mattress and she will get new bedding of her choice. It is not the size change, she claims, she just likes the wood and design on the Queen set more than the Full set. Arggh, teenagers! She is so critical of everything lately, and moody. And she has grown like a weed this summer. Hormones I guess. Ugh!

Tomorrow I meet with the movers to figure out what we are doing with that, and the realtor who will be selling this house. Then at lunch, my friend Jo is coming down to have lunch with Joe and I, and see our house before it is sold.

Oh and on the job front, they called this week to collect a lot more info for the background check. Apparently, they don't use a firm to do the background checks because they are nonprofit, so they save money by doing it themselves. So I seem to still be in the running, we will see.

A good part of today was spent at the old house, preparing us to move in. Currently there is a wall of boxes that have an accumulation of junk that has been in storage for years and not sorted through. So today I started to dig through them, finding all sorts of surprises.

The best discovery was my rag doll Annie, that my mom made me back when I was about 7. She was my favorite toy, other than my beloved teddybear, and basically it was her and my teddy that I had to have where ever I went.  Anyhow, I thought she had been lost along the way and was really bummed over it. She looks tired, dirty and worn to the average eye, but she is well loved and still looks perfect to me.

Yesterday we took the girls to see the American Girl movie about Kit Kittredge, a girl growing up during the Great Depression. It was really a fantastic movie, and all four of us loved it. It really shows what it was like then, and yet is wholesome and fun, with a Nancy Drew like mystery that Kit solves. I really recommend it, even if you don't have kids.

Friday the girls took the second part of their scrapbooking daycamp. They had a fantastic time and came home with a bag full of goodies they made. Among other things, they made a checkbook cover, a "purse" from cardboard and scrapbooking paper, and a cute little album shaped like a birthday party hat for party photos. The teachers have been very impressed with both Becca and Megan, saying the girls could even teach the class!

Speaking of compliments, the agent who had been trying to sell my old house told me that several other realtors had called her and asked who had staged our house, because it was done so nicely! I guess I did a professional looking job! The compliment really made my day!

This evening, we are going over to have ribs with our neighbors across the street. They are new to the neighborhood and very nice, with a 5 year old daughter. The mother, Jenn, and I have become very friendly. Turns out we have a lot in common, including a love of all things Tasha Tudor. She even owns a corgi! Anyhow, I am hoping it will be relaxing. I know I am going to sleep well tonight!

For your enjoyment, a cute animal picture (No, I didn't take this photo, found it on the internet). Th.is is an endangered Pygmy Rabbit.

Yesterday I went and did the 1-1/2 hour test for the diamond grading position. It was pretty intense. I was shown how they segment a diamond for examination, how a consistent reference is used so everyone starts examination at the same place on a diamond, lots of terms, how to use a binocular microscope, how to view a diamond with one, how to turn the diamond, how to clean it and then how to identify various types of natural markings and then how to note them in a 2-dimensional manner, using three different colors of ink! Ack! My little brain! So then, after getting all this information I was given a diamond and told to examine it and note the markings as taught, while two women with clipboards watched me and took notes. Talk about stressy! Ugh. I hate people watching me work!

I was pretty discouraged when finished, I dropped the diamond once, then misunderstood one part of the directions, and then mis-marked a flaw, because I was nervous and trying to move along. When I finished she asked if I had any questions, and jokingly I said "Was I a total disaster?" She said "That' classified." Which made me laugh. I told her that my husband would be amused to learn that the answer to whether I was a disaster or not a disaster was classified information. Anyhow, she told me that HR would be given the test results and I would be called if they were interested.

On top of all this, I found a flat tire on the car! So had to take that into the shop to be replaced too. It was a new tire in May, but luckily it turned out that it was a seal problem between the wheel and the tire, not a puncture in the tire, so in the end, it didn't cost anything additional to fix.

But when I left the job testing, I was feeling pretty down. At the time I thought the tire was going to cost a lot to fix and I knew of a number of mistakes I had made in the technical testing. So I was gearing myself up to do more job hunting and resume work. In addition, I have been getting menstrual bleeding just 10 days after my last period ended, along with cramps. Twice in the last week, and I have been worried I might have some bad problem, like cervical cancer again, or worse. I have an appointment to see the ob/gyn, but there was nothing free till the 14th of August!

However, today things got a bit better. I had a call from the diamond place and they said they were doing a background check on me and needed to confirm some information! Since a background check costs money, I must have done well enough on the test! Thank goodness! And then I found out the tire would not cost us more money! Yeah! And finally, I think I am getting my period early, so it is looking more like premenopause stuff than an icky cancer problem (but of course I will still see the doctor and make sure all is good!)

I have also lined up three different realtors to come by this week and give us a proposal for selling our house, and hope to have someone hired by the beginning of next week. I am also working on starting to move extra stuff to the old house and clean up this place so it shows well.

Tomorrow after realtor stuff, the girls will go to the rescheduled scrapbook daycamp. I think I will go with them and get some of my own work done as well.

So, that is my world at the moment!

I got a call this week asking me to come in for a full, one-on-one interview for the diamond grading position. Woohoo! So I went in today and did that. The woman who interviewed me was super nice and has worked with GIA for 10 years. She helps to train new diamond graders now, but started out as a diamond grader herself.  I also learned she is from the same part of Germany that Joe is from! How cool is that?

The building I went to today was the building the lab is in, where I would work. It is a bit like entering Fort Knox with steel and bars, security guards with guns and double locking doors like you see in prison movies. And there were weird drain-type plates on the floor of all the rooms, like 10 or so per room. I was not sure what they are for, maybe to send some sort of knock-out gas into the rooms in case someone tries to rob the place?

Anyhow, I think the interview went well and I found it very interesting. She has asked me to return on Monday to take a 1-1/2 hour technical test where I will be shown how to use their microscope, how to look for flaws and then be asked to try it out myself. Apparently it is as much a test to see how well I can be taught, take feedback and learn, as to how I manage with a microscope.  So, so far so good!

Joe and I took the girls to see Journey to the Center of the Earth the other day. It was fun, but the it broke so many scientific laws that I dread to think what kids will be telling their science teachers after seeing it! But the girls loved the movie, so much so, that they talked Gene into taking them to see it again today, but this time they watched the 3D version.

They were also supposed to go to scrapbook camp this week, but not enough kids signed up. But the store said the girls could come next week, when they do a repeat of the camp they went to earlier. They said they would have someone do the part 2 crafts with them, while the other kids did the part 1stuff. So I guess it will all work out.

I have busy sewing, and made a second green grocery bag, this time using a cute linen fabric from Japan that has hedgehogs, chicks and lambs on it. According to Becca, my resident Japanese expert, it is kawaii, which is Japanese for uber cute.

A close up of the fabric

I also made a cute little holder to put in cut off threads when sewing, using a tutorial I found online. It was really easy and fast and is great for when I am trimming threads when I sew or do needlework. It is about 3 inches tall.

Tomorrow I am off to a mini meeting and am hoping to get some miniature work done on a chocolate shop I want to make. Mmmm, speaking of food, I am off to get some dinner for all of us! Have a great weekend!

I am doing better with the news that we will have to sell our house and move back to the old one. I guess you have to go through all that mourning stuff... anger, disbelief, whatever it all is. For the time, we plan to stay at the current house, so the girls will be able to stay near friend, neighbor and school as long as possible.

In more upbeat news, I had a call on a job I would like to get. Down the road from us in the GIA (Gem Institute of America), which is a nonprofit organization that established the criteria for grading diamonds (color, cut, carat, and clarity), as well as teaching various classes in gems and jewelry making. They have opening for people to work as diamond graders, in which they will pay you as you are trained. I think I would be very good at it, it really is just another type of quality assurance. The other perk is that any employee is allowed to take other classes there, tuition free! So I could further my studies in metalsmithing and jewelry making. (For those who are not aware, I took classes for two years in this area while in college and really enjoyed it!)

So tomorrow I go in to fill in a full application, be interviewed and see a short film about the organization. Wish me luck!

I have also started a blog specifically tied to my creative and artistic work. It may duplicate some of what I post here, but it have the day to day details of family and life.  If you are interested in checking it out, go to Wyldhare's Hollow.

In other news, the girls are taking a scrapbooking camp again this week and they are really looking forward to it. They did one last month and had tons of fun and made several new friends. I plan to go and do some more of my own work while they enjoy.

Oh and the other big news is that Becca *finally* finished everything she needed to do to earn her Bronze Award in Girl Scouts! Go Becca! You may recall pictures I posted awhile back of her working on a garden for special need children. That was a big part of earning this award and she spent something like 10-12 hours in the dirt, doing some hardcore physical labor.

Hope everyone is well. In closing, for a bit of a grin, here is a picture of my dearest husband, taken back in the 1970's. I especially love the blue scarf and sunglasses. A regular James Bond!

So, lots has been going on here. Our biggest decision, in recent days, has been to put our house up for sale. Just typing those words makes my stomach knot up, but after days of thinking of possible alternatives, it seems to be the best and most logical decision. The biggest problem has been the old house. It isn't selling and we have been dropping and dropping and dropping the price and still nothing. We started at $599K and just this week, dropped it another $20K, so now we are at $449K.

Even with the statistics on home sales, we have dropped it much more than overall prices have been reported to have dropped. We had counted on being able to make some profit, after paying off the debts on it, and now we are hoping we can break even on the loans against it. I can't complain, we are in much better shape then most. We do have a roof over our heads, and we can put food on the table. But we have also tried to be very careful in our investments and choices. And even with all that, things are falling apart.

Our plan is to sell this house, pay off the debts on the old house, and then move back into the old house. I don't mind the house, I did after all pick it out back in 2000 when we moved in, and it is in a lot better shape than it had been, but it will mean returning to a school district that is very poorly rated and seems to just try to push kids from grade to grade, regardless of how they are doing. It was that school district that just shrugged their shoulders when Becca tested at a 2nd grade level of math skills while in 5th grade. We ended up spending over $8000 to send her to private tutoring at Sylvan to help her catch up and get back on track. The school offered nothing more than to tell us that her teacher thought Sylvan was a 'scam' and would not cooperate in any help they asked for.

For now, I think I can keep them in the good school district for one more year, but after that, it will likely be impossible.

Joe and I are looking for work, and are hoping to sell both cars and trade down to something smaller and more gas efficient. Meanwhile, we will stay in the Carlsbad house, till we have to leave. The hardest part will be to get this place in shape to show to prospective buyers and keep it that clean. The girls, especially, are not the best at neat. They do seem to be taking it all well, however. They like the old house, it is where they have spent most of their lives, and they especially like it now that it is cleaned up. They would still have their own rooms.

So if I am not around much this summer, it will probably be because I am busy running around trying to deal with two homes and big moves.

A big thank you to all you idiots who took loans you knew you could not afford and all you people who pushed people to take them. Thanks for destroying the value of all our homes, even if we were careful in the loans we accepted and have been diligent about paying our mortgage payments. Oh, and don't forget to keep whining about how horrible it is, so congress can refinance you for being bad credit risks you lied about your income.

So summer is in full swing here. The girls are loving being able to stay up later. I am loving being able to sleep in and not be up at 6 am to make lunches and haul kids to school. It is a win-win for everyone. Both girls have had post school birthday parties to attend and this week they both attended a Scrapbook Day Camp this week, which they loved.

The local scrapbooking store, which I only discovered a few months ago, is huge and has an amazing selection and huge area where you can go in at anytime to work, while they are open. For the kids camp they had the kids make an "About Me" album and they also decorated a photo frame About 20 kids attended. I went on the last day for 3 hours and decided to try my hand at scrapbooking, having never managed to do it before now. They gave a 15% discount to mom of kids in the camp. I managed two full pages and did some work on a few others. This is the results of my time:

Tomorrow Joe and I hope to get over to the Scottish Highland Games. We were going to take the girls today, but they snuck out of bed last night to play on the computer. Joe found them online at 11 pm when he got up to get a drink. They had never tried that before. Hopefully, losing the trip means it won't happen again either.

Next week I hope to work on some Girl Scout badges with the girls. We will see how that goes. Becca is finishing up work on her Bronze Award, the highest award you can get in Juniors.

I am sure there is a lot of addition news and witty comments I could be making, but I am a bit tired, so I will leave it at this tonight. Hope the weekend is nice for everyone!