This week I have off work.Ive got tons of stuff to do planned. The question is ...how much of my list will I actually get done. I so far on day 1 , have gone to the Amish and filled my trailer with shavings for the horses, strip cleaned all the stalls, mowed all 3 acres of lawn and pulled weeds in the flower bed next to the garage.tomorrow the grandkids are coming over for the day so I dont plan on getting too much done as I plan on spending some quality time with them.Might get a little weeding done on the flower bed near the barn with the kids if their up to it. I also need to finish the workbench area in the garage and staple the insulation up on the walls. Not to mention finish the breezeway with pictures and wallpaper. Then get out the lawn furniture and cushions. Oh Geeze Im tired already, maybe I'll think about this list of mine a bit more another day !!

STRESS !!!!

STRESS !!! Yes we all have it. It comes in many forms...trying to keep up with paying monthly bills, our jobs, spouses or significant other, kids, family in general. So how do you relieve your stress ? Some could go for a walk , eat comfort food, have a hug from a loved one, watch a sunrise or sunset, get a massage. Any thing sound familiar ? Well this week I found my releif for stress...giving back ! I helped my niece's move into their new home...to some it would be stressfull ...moving ..and thats exactly why I helped them. They are two special people in my life and to help them relieve their stress , I did all I was capabable of doing to help them out. Funny as it seems trying to relieve stress for them actually made mine go away !! So the next time you feel stress building up on you, do something nice for someone else and yours will melt away !!

Lately Ive notice I have 'stinky sneakers'..now this isnt because of smelly feet , mine are nice and clean & smell nice? My "stinky sneakers " started out in October as nice, new, very white sneakers. I pretty much wear them most of the time to work , shopping, just about everywhere..except in the barn! I could get stepped on by a horse and that would REALLY hurt.. Well thats my good intention , now & then I come home from work and quick run in the barn to let the horses out or to check on them . After many months of a" quick trip" in the barn... I have "stinky sneakers"... so now I have a new pair of nice, white sneakers for the cycle to start again !!

What have we become? This is Sat night ! Isnt this about the time people are out and about on a Sat night? We are a sad bunch, cause as I log onto facebook , I find not 2, not 3 , not even 4, but 5 people I know, all signed on and its only 9:30 pm. So I wonder is it that we are getting older, then NO ,cause there is a wide range of ages on FB right now. So what is it , the economy, or are we just bored, then it hit me ... its RAINING out!! Yep its plain miserable out and not to mention a bit on the cool side. So its easier to "Hang out" on FB in a warm house in "comfy clothes" and see what you're friends are up to on a cold rainy saturday night...and surprise they think just like you, What are you nuts.. going out on a night like this ?

Well here Iam, been a bit busy lately and havent had much time to get to my blog.Im not sure what Ive actually been doing I just know Im tired alot .Maybe its age catching up to me finally. I pretty much do the same thing every day... go to work, feed horses and do barn chores, clean the house, chase the dogs around, do laundry, go back to work , feed horses again , feed husband and dogs, clean up dinner mess, make hubbys lunch for next day and in bed by 10pm.
oh yes then at work Ive been putting in time having meetings, first to ge t a new contract for the drivers & bus aides and now on a committe to have a "handbook " in place for all the employees at the bus garage.
So I think I would like to do NOTHING at all for an entire day, stay in my p.j.s for as long as I can , get someone to take care of the animals ,feed the husband and wait on me for once with dinner cooked and the kitchen cleanup afterward. Yep , that would be a perfect day for me !!
So what would be your perfect day?

Today I have off from work...Martin Luther day. I work as a school bus driver and since its a holiday , we have no school. Yep, I drive children to school . I gave up a very rewarding job as a research lab tech after 22 years to DRIVE A SCHOOL BUS !! I was burned out and needed a change, after buying a farm that needed a lot of work & taking the summer off, a friend suggested "Why dont you drive a school bus?" That way the hours will work, out so you work till 9 am and back @ 2pm the best of the day is yours and the money isnt that bad either. I thought Id never be able to do that, the driving part, no problem, the kids ... Im not so sure.
So I got the CDL license and 17 yrs later Im still at it !!! Once you get the hang of it , it can be the best rewarding job Ive ever done. I could write a book on some of the things that kids have done & said that Im sure Dad & Mom dont want the world to know...." I woke up and Daddy was in the bathroom and after he came out "he made a stinky". They often say funny things that catch you off guard like when Krystal ( a kindergartener) said to me " Miss Joyce..."Dont ya think this bus is too noisey? Cause its drivin me crazy, they need to use "inside" voices !"
Today I actually miss going into work , doesnt that sound sick ?

Losing a pet is never easy.. especially one that has been a part of your family for 15 yrs !! Thats exactually what happened to my sister and her family today and Im not sure how to ease their pain & make it bearable. You see she also lost her husband only a few years back too, the comforting thing is now the two of them are together. I remember when the girls brought "Brody" home as a puppy, what a "fur-ball"he was. . and those huge paws !! We thought for sure he was gonna big a LARGE DOG !! He only ended up around 15 in. tall and 40 lbs. one of the best natured ones Ive ever met and Ive meet A LOT OF DOGS.
Just when does a person know that "Father Time" has caught up with your pet and to make the decision to say" Its time to go to the vet & have them put to sleep." You dont make this decision lightly and do you be selfish and say just another week and maybe he can bouce back. Or as you watch them struggle more & more daily to get around, eat, sleep, and them come the potty issues, not having control anymore and what was a voluntary process has now become involuntary and they arent aware of it happening.
I was told by a very wise vet many years ago to know the best time to do this is " When the bad days start to out number the good , then its time!" Hopefully when I said this to my sister it gave her someting to know when she needed to do the right thing for Brody.
I just wish I could make the hurt go away!!!!!!!!