One more day. Just ONE more day.

I woke up late this morning. 6:33 to be exact. My mother in law has been getting here around 6:40 the last few weeks. (which has been nice, it sure as hell beats 6 am).

She had called me last night to remind me that today was the cut off day for the electric bill. And to have mine ready and she would give it to my sister in law who had hers, and another sister in laws and was going to go before 8am and pay them.

Well, I couldnt find my checkbook. And I couldnt find the bill. and I couldnt get the kids up and dressed. She showed up and I was still searching for my checkbook. I told her just to go, I'd get it to town. She knew that I had to go in around noon for Bretts party, but that I also had to stay till after Bretts game tonight. And driving in at 7 am and driving back home was just a waste of money and deisel.

So she helped me look. We searched all over. Brett had brought home all of his crap from school, and more crap that wasnt his. His teacher is retiring this year so she is giving the kids all kinds of crap. He got it as far as my truck and didnt get it in last night. The entire front seat of the truck was FULL. Papers and books, and workbooks, and packets of papers... it was awful. I understand why she wants to get rid of the stuff. But I also have to say that I am getting tired of it. See Brett has a knack of 'displacing' teachers. Every year we get the same thing. The teacher cleans out her closets and gives all the stuff to the kids. Cause she is haulin butt. I kid you not. This child has set a record with his former teachers. Kindergarten his teacher (who by the way, taught my brother in law and lived through him...) semi retired, but came back as a reading lab teacher part time.
I really hated that, I wanted her for Matt.

1st grade: His teacher packed up and moved to a whole new school district, I mean GONE. and it was her first year. I also wanted her for Matt.

2nd grade: His teacher is another newish teacher, not very old, not near retirement age, but stops teaching and becomes a Math lab teacher.

Now 3rd grade and this one is retiring. She has been teaching since I was in the 3rd grade. and before. But as soon as my kid gets her she throws in the towell.

Now I dont know if its cause I threatened the first two with getting Matt the next year or Brett is really that hard on them.

When I went to the principal a few weeks ago to fill out my teacher requests we were going over it and she pointed out some names. I told her that I trusted her, but wanted to let her know that she shouldnt pick someone she just adores. Cause she will be gone by the next fall.

I dont think she belived me.


Oh, back to my morning.
I did finally find my checkbook. Shoved between the seats of my truck. So I wrote her a check for 200.00. That should be enough to not get it cut off and I would pay what ever else when I went into town today, if it was a big differnce.


I came back in the house, I had a few things I needed to get done before I had to go to town. BUT Bow was asleep, and so was Rayley. It seemed like a good time to play on the computer.
ANd I did. till about 9. Then I got up and cleaned a little. around 11 I decided that I should go ahead and start lunch. Get it done so that when BR got up it was ready and plus I had to leave by 12:20. OH and my mother in law called to tell me that I was 2.61 off on my guess to the electric company. I ended up calling them to find out what next months bill would be and make sure they were okay with the 2.61 in arrears.. No problem they said.

I started cooking hamburger meat for taco's and remembered BR's uniform jeans and shirt. Due to the holiday the laundry service at work was a day off and he was out. So he had put them in the washer this morning and I had to dry them..

Well I walked into he laundry room and the lights went out. The whole damn house. Then they flicked back on.
WHEW!
Then they went back out and BOOM, right back on.
I was just standing there in a daze. I knew I should run around and unplug all my electronic stuff, but I was just dumbfounded.

Then they stayed off.


I thought OH SHIT!
So I jerked up the phone.
it was a cordless.
So, in all my infanite wisdom, I slammed it down on the counter, mumbled something about a dumb blonde, and went to get the other phone. It was in the living room. and is also a cordless. Yep, I am just ate up with the hollerhead today.

I searched for about 15 minutes for a corded phone. Finally I found one in Rayleys room. The kids were using it to tie up a stuffed animal that was 'under arrested'

Rayley was mad cause she needed to pee and the lights were out. I went in with her and then she went to her room. She played in there for a while. Didnt even care the lights were out.

I called the light company.
I was on hold for at least 5 minutes.
Then:
"can I help you?"
"yes, I think I have a problem"
"your calling from ..... and she gives my phone number" ahh caller ID at its finest.
"yep, thats me."
"okay, whats your account number?"
"uhhhhhhhh, (oh wait, there is a glow in the dark sticker on this corded phone with their number and my account number on it), hold on... okay, its 51417-01
(I need to darken this up. the kids have rubbed it almost all the way off)
"okay, and who's name is it under?"
"michelle Byerly........ I already spoke with y'all once today"
"maybe it wasnt me, there is more than one of us"
*lauging* "oh I know, I was getting to the fact...."
"whats your address?"
So I tell her
"okay, so whats wrong?"
"You did get my payment right?"
"yes, 200.00 posted this morning"
"whew"
"is that all you needed?" (kinda rudish)
"actually, I wanted to make sure you didnt cut off my lights"
"no"
"alright then, my lights are out. "
"well, why didnt you say so to start with?"
"I wanted to make sure it wasnt my fault first"
"oh, okay"
"so, since we know its not my fault, I need to report an outage"
"are you sure?"
"uhhhh.... yep.
"okay, where are you at?"
now granted... My first thought is telling her I am in town, at the coffee shop. My house had called to let me know it was dark, BUT I have half cooked hamburger meat on the stove, BR's ONE uniform in the washer and I am already starting to get hot with out the A/C.
"I am at home"
"where is home?" she asks kinda pissy
so I gave her the address again, and my phone number and my name.
"I just wanted to make sure that it wasnt a lack of communication and my lights wernt turned off"
"I'll report it. "
"great!! Thanks!!

So, I went and took advantage of the battery on my puter. There was nothing else to do. 45 minutes later I realized they were NOT coming back on anytime soon. And I had to LEAVE! and soon. I went and got my makeup, then tried to decide if I should try to fix my hair or just wear a baseball cap.

Then I realized that I had to take my picture for the yearbook today. (hey, we make the dang thing, we can put us in there if we want.. I aint real sure I want...)

So I decided to try. I have to flat iron my hair. There aint no two ways about it, but I was able to manipulate it into some sembalance of order. kinda.

Then I dressed Rayley. who couldnt find shoes to match the outfit so she changed again. and then again.

And then I had to find Bretts cleats. they were NO where to be found. I am SOOO glad its the last game!

I finally found it all. THen I headed out. I had put BR's clothes on the porch to dry. and kissed him goodbye before he woke up. Plus it was already 80* in the house.

Bretts party went fine. They had ice cream floats. He was also awarded "funniest" by his classmates.

We messed around town, well, truth be told, I paid bills, got my inspection sticker and my tags for my truck, another 115.00 dollars, till Bretts game time. And I had to run into walmart and buy the stuff for Matts party tomorrow and as we were getting ready to go in my mother in law called. She was telling me about the lights being out. Seems my Brother in law had ran home during lunch and found they were out. He got all kinds of upset and called my sister in law to find out why she didnt pay the bill. Since she was working an hour from home she called my mother in law to find out what the hell was going on. When my mother in law called she got about the same response I did. But at least they KNEW the lights were out by then.

It was such a pretty day that noone can fiqure out what happened. maybe someone ripped all the copper off a substation again.
The lights were out for miles around my house.

Bretts team had a good game. Brett got thrown out stealing second and struck out once. they lost by one point to the undefeated team. Brett was coming back up to bat, but the coach sent a kid to steal and he got tagged out for the last out of the game.

After the game was the trophies. Bretts team came in second, so their coach presented each one with a trophy and when it came to Brett he said "and this award goes to the player that had the absolute best catch of the season. It was an all start catch, he saw the ball and he threw up his glove and started running backwards. He caught it and got us the game winning out! Brett Byerly!!"

I was very proud. He really could have done better this season. He knows he could have, but he did do pretty good.

after it was all over everyone was coming up to him and telling him they did remember his catch and it was a great one.
He was a little disapointed that noone remembered his in the park homerun on a walk, but as we were leaving another parent did walk up and tell him that his coach should have also commended him on that!

We came home and I made the boys clean out all their junk from my truck. As I walked up to the steps I saw that the second to the bottom step was broken. I guess thats something else to fix. I cant belive that BR didnt tell me about it. But that might be why there were 4 missed calls on my cell phone and a text message saying 'answer the *#(&%()# phone'. Its been messing up here lately and had reset itself to vibrate. I never knew it rang.

Since I had turned off the AC when the lights went out it was hot as hell in here. 87 degrees.
I heard that they finally came back on around 3. now I have to cook the pork loin in the fridge and the 1/2 cooked hamburger meat too.

Of course during the 'big clean' the boys piled all their crap in the living room. I was trying to make them get it cleaned and Rayley got a headache. A puking, screaming headache. And Bow was wanting to go to sleep. He wanted to nurse so bad. But she was puking and screaming. The boys were horsing around and I was about to pull my hair out.

I did get her settled. I put her in the tub, got Bow settled in and threatened the boys that if they didnt get it cleaned up right then, I wouldnt let them go to school in the morning. And if they didnt go on the last day they would fail. I told them it was a state law. They eventually got it all cleaned up. And as they were going to bed they reminded me that they were out of jeans. Actually they TOLD me they were out. They hadnt told me this BEFORE tonight. at 9:23. PM. Or I would have washed them some this morning. talk about HIA syndrome...

Brett did get back his Math Taks test results. he missed commended performace on it by one question. But he did pass. So he got commended in reading and almost in Math. Not bad.

Rayley's head did ease up. So she is getting some sleep. The boys are all settled in and Bow is snoring like a pig in the sunshine.