It had been awhile since I added any photos, so I changed my album.  We haven't taken many new ones, so these are just some I snapped today.

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Payton has been battling illness for going on two weeks now.  High temperatures and a sore neck is mostly what his complaints are.   Today was his fourth doctor visit, and at this one they did a blood draw from his arm (horrible to have to hold him down for that one) and they are doing blood tests for Mono among other things, but the doctor really thinks it is mono.

 

According to the doctor if he is up to it he can go to school, but if he is feeling tired he should stay home.   I don't know how this is going to work out with Tim and I both working now.   I have stayed home one day then Tim the next, but we will have to figure something out.   If it is mono I am given to understand that lasts for a month or so.

 

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Got my car back yesterday from the body shop.  I forgot I had to pay a deductible.   I guess I had it in my head I paid the insurance company.   Luckily I had the $500 to pay him.   They had to wash my whole car in the process of repairing the damaged part, and that made the paint chips on the hood apparant to me.   So I want my car to be dirty again soon.  :)  

 

Today is my Share Iowa pick up day.  I forget what I order each month so it is always a surprise when I go to pick it up.   Kind of like getting presents, except I had to pay for them.

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Payton is back in school after being sick for what seemed like a long time.    And only just yesterday did he tell me he was starting to "get used" to his cough medicine.   At first, he cried and didn't want to take it.  We pretty much had to force him.   By the time he doesn't need it, he'll probably be craving it.

 

My sore throat lingers, but I don't think it is going to materialize into anything.    Although after working out yesterday, I was so exhausted when I got home.   Normally I am not quite that worn out.  

 

Tim is trying his best NOT to get sick.  He also has the sore throat, but he has been downing echinacea, olive leaf and orangejuice cocktails like there's no tomorrow.

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I can't believe a logo like this made it past review.

Been dealing with a sick Payton, so not much new to report.    Supposed to have massive snow today.  We'll see.   Also, I feel like making sugar cookies.   I made oatmeal cookies a couple days ago that were pretty ok.   I must be craving cookies.

 

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I don't know how this can happen.   I got last months bill which was $197 or so dollars and I thought that was crazy, so I turned the thermostat down for the whole month.  I thought for sure this month it would be less, where is our power going to?   It wasn't any colder in December as January.   It's a mystery.  An expensive mystery.   I know that most people probably have way higher bills than that (our church can get as high as $3,000 to heat each month) but for us, $200 is very high.

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Stacy is my niece from Des Moines.   Today is even her 23rd birthday.    But I had no plans to call her exactly.   My plans were to drive with Payton, to Omaha to get my art supplies, then drive to get groceries then come home - potentially by 1pm.

 

What happened was my tire tred shredded off at 75 miles an hour on I-29 and in the process snapped part of the rear passenger side panelling off my car.   So no one hurt,  I don't think any of my shrapnel hit anyone else - or if it did they didn't stop to complain about it.    I pull over the car and decide to call Tim.    I have a full size spare at home and I don't want to drive on my dinky donut.   Also I was worried I would'nt be able to get tire changed properly.  

 

So Tim says he's coming.   I get out and start the process of changing the tire.  Got the car jacked up and got 2 lug nuts off.  The other three were too tight for me.   CRAP!  I think.   Then a nice stranger happened along and got the other three loose for me.   He acted like they weren't even stuck on there.   Oh well.   For me they were.  I'm glad he came by even though I am sure Tim would have been able to get them off too.   Tim shows up with my full size spare, and puts it on for me.   I decide I want to go right away to get a new tire.    I also decide to phone into my insurance right away, since my car now needs body work.   I call the number on my card.   And guess who it is?  My niece Stacy.  of all the dozens of people in the call center, it happened that I got her!  Funny.  She knew right away it was me because my info comes up on her screen.   Anyway, that brightened my day.   And my car should be able to get into the shop Monday and if I want a rental I don't have to pay for it, which is nice.   And coincidentally, when I went in to the tire place to have a new one put on they didn't charge me since it was one of their tires and it had been fairly new and still under warranty.   So I saved $100 right there!

I got a job for some commissioned paintings, three actually.   It all came about from a photo of another painting I did several months ago, that I posted on facebook.   My niece Kristine made a comment about it last week (better late than never) and then in turn a friend of mine also saw the painting and she commented as well.  Then I got an email from someone I didn't know who was a friend of a friend and who had also seen it, and she wanted me to paint pictures of her kids.   Opportunities come from unlikely sources.   I'm really excited to start on them, but I have to wait for her to email me the photos of her kids that I can work from, I am expecting them in a few days.

 

I am really looking forward to going to the art store and getting all the supplies.  I haven't bought new painting supplies in a long time, and the art store is my favorite place to browse.  I like the art store better than shoe shopping.

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I got a mega-box of surplus meatballs from my parents.  There is a food manufacturing plant in their town and every so often if you know someone who works there you can get in on the great specials they get.   So basically I got a huge box of a billion large meatballs for $2.00.   Cheaper than catfood, so if I didn't like them they would be catfood.

 

The box says these were "test" meatballs for Quiznos Subs.   I can vouch that they do in fact taste good, so if this was the final test- it passed with me.

 

So anyway I have these billion meatballs.  Last night was the predictable spagetti and meatballs.  Tonight Meatball Subs, but to make them just like restaurant subs I made my own hoagie rolls...

  Now I don't know what else to do with meatballs, but the rest are in the freezer for now.   We could eat these every day I suppose, but I don't want to get tired of them just yet.

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Last night I spent most of the evening constructing pig puppets for Sunday School.    I only had white socks, so I dyed them pink by washing them with a red sweater.   Then I either glued or sewed on the  extras, and used walmart plastic bags for "stuffing" to fill them out.    I was pretty pleased with the results since I have never made a puppet this detailed before.

 

And in about a half an hour we are leaving for our Super Bowl party at Johnnys.  Should be fun!

 

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