I'm not crazy just yet. But, gosh, if I think about all the stuff going on right now, I might be crazy soon. We close on the property Aug. 4. The real estate agent came by and gave us comps for our house that we're in. At the moment, we decided to rent out the house on the property and stay here and then put the house on the market in February. We still have our house listed on Craigslist, too. I can't wait until we get settled again. It's a little unnerving. Not to mention, all the little projects that need to be done around our house so it will look perfect for that potential buyer. STRESSFUL!

And then there's Pete's mom. A bed opened up in the nursing home and she is scheduled to go in next week. I think we'll be going up there and then, who knows?--we might go up to Maine if Pete's dad is up to it. Again--things are in limbo.

One thing I'm looking forward to is my trip to Barcelona! I've booked the aparthotel and bought my ticket. I'm so excited and can't wait to see my friend, Diane. It looks like an amazing city. I've heard it's very cosmopolitan. Ooh la la.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

My parents left this morning. We took them out for breakfast at the Waffle Shop. I think they liked it. It was a very stressful week with Pete gone and my parents here while I worked at the hospital. My parents took the kids to their camps while I worked. I was able to take off a few minutes early and pick up my daughter from camp so my parents wouldn't have to drive the 20 min in to get her (since I work 2 min from Penn State). I wonder how single parents do it---work and take care of their children. Surely, it's not meant to be that way.

Pete, his sister and his dad found a nursing home for Pete's mom. There's not an opening right now but they say the average wait is a month. It's a swanky one--$180,000 a year. I think the long-term insurance will pay about half of it. What do people do that can't afford that? Pete's dad is already planning to spend time with his grandchildren once he can travel again. In some ways, I'm dreading it--he's not the easiest guy to be around. But, it's been sad because he can no longer travel with Joan so the kids don't see their paternal grandparents much. We haven't been there since March. The next few weeks are full of uncertainty.

We close on the 23.7 acres on Friday. I'm excited and nervous. Change is always hard but not always bad. I dread getting our house ready to sell but I wish I had someone that wanted it. We've been painting all day today. Unfortunately, I bought the cheaper paint and it's not doing a great job covering the old paint. Lesson learned.

I'm beat. It's been a long week, but I survived. The kids have been exhausted. We have it so easy the other weeks of the year. I'm very spoiled by not having to work. (my kids are, too).

This week flew by. I knew in some ways it would. I filled in at the hospital and the kids were in art camp for a half day. I was lucky, our baby sitter was in town and she helped me out. Pete was very busy with a manure conference being held in town. He had a presentation so before the conference he wasn't a lot of help, and during the conference, he was non-existent. I did see him around 8:30 every evening. We also had a couple of guests staying with us this week, too. And then Friday a couple looked at the house. So, it was a busy week without a lot of down time.

And then there was the call from Pete's dad. It seemed that my mother-in-law had a meltdown at the doctor's office. She has Alzheimer's and my father-in-law has been taking care of her evenings and weekends. His only break was when he went to work M-F. After witnessing the melt down, the doctor recommended she be put in a psychiatric ward so they could regulate her meds. After that, then they could decide if she went home or on to a nursing facility. Instead, she went home and now Pete, his sister and their dad are looking at nursing homes next week. It's so sad, but necessary. My father-in-law hasn't had a break in a long time and it shows.

Oh, I'm scheduled to work next week. After my husband told me he had to go to Boston, I almost had a break down! He was supposed to be the flexible one next week to take the kids to their camps, etc. It's so hard not having back up for situations just as this. I called my parents on Thursday and asked if they would come up and help out for the week. Thankfully, they said yes. What a relief. It's a two day drive and they should be here Sunday night.

On a happier note, I took the kids to see Despicable Me today. It was so funny. Some slapstick and some adult humor. It's so fun to hear your own kids laugh out loud. I'll have to buy that one when it comes out.

I'm still just filling in at the hospital and hoping for something permanent to come along. It would be nice to have a real job with set hours. One of these days..maybe.

We accomplished some stuff around the house this weekend. Why is it you can live in a place and know there is stuff to do, but only do it when you want to sell? We still have some things to fix, but I'm not stressing yet. We've even had some responses to our ad on Craigslist. Now, to sell it....

Yesterday we also had some time for fun. Clayton did a kids race. It was a 1/4 mile run for 5-6 year olds. Kendall has been away since 10 am Sunday. She was at a birthday party and then sleepover. I missed her! Clayton missed her, too.

I have to keep it short. I've got to be at work by 7:30 AM. Just 10 days more to work and then I'm done for a while. It would be nice to have something that's a regular thing.

I have a lot going on right now. I have to work the next two weeks at the hospital. It will be a whirlwind. The kids are in camps for the next 3 weeks. We made an offer on 23.7 acres and now need to sell our existing house or we will be scrimping by for a while. There's a house on the property and we will move into it for now. Ugh.

I feel like I've got so much to write about but really no time. Arkansas was long, but great. I always love going home and don't do it enough. My sister is moving back to the area where we grew up so it means I can be in Fayetteville more when we go back. She's going from being an employer to an employee and I think it's a little frustrating for her. At least now she will have a salary that she can rely on. I hope she can find a balance.

Speaking of being an employee, I really want to work more when the kids go back to school. First of all, we now need the money! But also, it's important for my psyche. I'm just not good at being a SAHM. I need people.

I've been running more and more lately. It's so good to be back at it. I did the Firecracker 4K on July 4th. My time was 24:34 (close to that). Yay! I need to get faster though. Oh well, one run at a time...

I'm back from Arkansas and still tired. It takes two days to make the drive. We had great weather and no construction on the highways so it wasn't bad.

My husband made an offer on some land while he was back home for a week. So, if anyone wants a house, let me know! But, it means going to Barcelona will have a little guilt with it now that my husband says we need to save money. :( He never worries about that when he's flitting around in the woods. Oh well.

Better go for now. I've got lots to do around here.

Happy 4th (tomorrow) everyone!

Kelly