Long week

So much has happened. 

Last week Duane was away for the weekend doing Search & Rescue (SAR) training.  Because a storm was expected & we were worried about icy mountain roads, he stayed with our friend JT.  JT is no closer to the SAR training than are we in BB, but Duane didn't have to navigate windy icy roads at 5.30 AM.  

We got about 5 inches of snow in that storm (& i shoveled it all from our driveway).  I wish i was a better photographer, because the almost-full moon on the snowfall that night was stunning.  Duane would know how to capture that, but i was limited.  I only do normal light settings or use a flash.  I guess i should learn how to do the longer exposure stuff.  

I decided to attend that Baptist church again, but to ask permission to sit in on one of the children's services.  I think one of the best ways to know what a church believes is to hear what they teach the children.  It almost backfired on me, for i couldn't find the person i knew to ask this permission (& i didn't have a "Plan B" - i didn't want to sit in the regular service).  But someone else found her for me.  I enjoyed the kids, there were six of them between ages seven & nine.  I didn't really do anything because i didn't want to step on the toes of the woman in charge.  Toward the end i helped with the craft some.  And yes, i've a better idea of what they push in this particular church.  

Duane is at their men's breakfast today.  I'm not quite sure why he wanted to do this at first, & then i strongly encouraged it.  I think, maybe, just to give him some more exposure to what they believe & what i was taught as a child.  (He just got back.  Said it wasn't bad.  He liked it better than the similar Lutheran men's Biblestudy.)


I just found that what i'd said last post about my comments being removed from that blog was not accurate.  I don't know how it happened, but i got a f/u email from that post.  There were only 4 comments, 2 were mine.  I don't know what i read later that had other comments & i got mixed up.  But i was wrong about being eliminated from the discussion.  


I had a busy week at work.  I did SIX hours of work!  Yeah, that's what happens when you're disabled.  I was exhausted after six hours.  But happy to do it.  I'm happy that i can.  My life would be so much more of a grey color & lifeless if i couldn't work a little. My ILs also had company (family) this week, so we didn't sleep where we normally do & i didn't get a lot of sleep.  I was pretty tired when we got home on Thursday.


I've learned that five women i know are pregnant, learned it in the past week.  I'm struggling with the "poor me" syndrome & feeling that life isn't fair.  Well, it's not!  But my whinging about it won't change it.  I need to change & accept.  It is hard & a struggle.  

Oh, i finished the sweater for my MIL for her BD (which was the 28th).  It is quite big & bulky on her (tho it is meant to be) & the top i got for her to wear underneath was too small.  On the neckline i took the easy way out & did a crocheted scallop instead of ribbing.  And i did just one of the horseshoe pattern down the sleeves rather than have the whole thing in pattern. 


Oh!  And joy, joy, joy!  I've found someone to help me in the house & especially with cooking.  Her name is Rebecca & she came yesterday.  The plan now is to have her come every Friday.  I'm having her do a little housework (bathrooms & vacuuming), but the focus is making meals & having the kitchen clean when we are done.  Yesterday we made:  2 meatloaves (for Duane) & enough meat balls for 2 meals; 2 shepherd's pies (all veggie, so mostly for me); 3 Vegetarian Mexican Lasagnas; a big crock of marinara  sauce to use for spaghetti, lasagna, etc.  Each of these (meatloaf, shepherd's pie, lasagnas) is enough for at least 2 meals.  Except, when i cook the meatloaf for Duane i'll be cooking shepherd's pie for me.  So it isn't exactly 9 + meals done.  But all told - with leftovers - it probably will cover close to 15 or more meals. 

Oh, we made lunch too.  Smashed potatoes (Pioneer Woman recipe) 

& macaroni & cheese (also from PW).  

(My mac & cheese didn't look like this image from PW!)  I'd tried to prepare the night before, so the potatoes had already been boiled.  Also the macaroni, which was a mistake.  I think i should have baked the potatoes just a little longer, but the M&C was inedible.  I struggle with GF pasta.  It either is too hard or turns to mush.  This turned to mush in the M&C & all i could taste was the starch.  But Rebecca tasted the sauce before we added the mac (& i didn't tell her in time, but i planned to put only half the mac in this) & she said it tasted fine.  (I used corn starch instead of flour in the recipe.)  So it will be good if i can ever manage to master good GF pasta.   

After i took the cost off of what is done in cleaning, i figure that if we get 20 meals a month out of what we're doing, it costs $16/meal for the labor (cost of the food not included).  But if i get more than 20 meals out of it, this cost goes down.   Less than what Duane & i would spend eating out, but not as cheap as if i were doing it myself.  Still, i think we got 4 times as much done yesterday as i would have done alone.  Even then, the dishes would not have been done & would have sat, bugging me, for a week or more.  


This is not a permanent thing, either.  Her husband has been notified that due to budget cuts he will not have a job (as a school teacher) here any more.  They are applying to jobs off the mountain & hope to have new jobs next fall so that they will be moving in the summer.  This isn't a bad thing (for me, i think they're disappointed).  If she & i can prepare enough, & i can gain more confidence in the kitchen, then when i hire someone else it can be for fewer times, like every other week, or every third week.  


I'm pretty tired.  Rebecca did much of the work, but some of the time we did it together as well.  I pushed myself pretty hard, but after she left i didn't have anything i had to do, & Duane put the Mexican lasagna in the oven for us.  And, i'm spending most of today resting. 

It has been a long week +.  

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