Mother's Day

Today is a big day for many people. I am no exception. I have two little boys who both drive me crazy and make me wonder why some people choose not to have children (maybe the two go hand in hand). I didn't think I would become a mother as early in my marriage as I did, but looking back I wouldn't want to change a thing. The boys are close in age, and they are best friends. Over the weekend, they have kept busy with their super hero costumes and imaginations.

I've also been blessed with an amazing mother of my own. When I was younger, she worked only a few days a week. She made clothes for me and I still remember one home-made mermaid costume for Halloween when I was in kindergarten. There was a lot of time spent in the kitchen and garden. To say I've learned a lot from her would be an understatement. 

The days she worked, I would go to my grandma's house. She is also a wise person who has impacted my life in positive ways. Being a farmer's wife, Grandma had plenty to do, and encouraged us kids to play outside. Unless it was raining, we were outside in the sandbox or riding bikes.

 Mother's Day ties in nicely with my new book. The major theme to the story is wanting to become a mother and having family. I was lucky enough not to struggle with having children, but many of my friends have. Children can bring so much joy, it's hard seeing the people who desire it the most not have the opportunity. 

Friday night is my book launch, and I am both excited and nervous. At least I've done one before so I know what to expect. Hopefully the weather is great and we can be outside on the patio at Triple R. If not, they have a nice room where we can go. Hope to see you there!

Plumbing is not my side job

There are some things nice about old homes. They are built stronger in some ways than new homes. I think back in the 60's when my house was built, the builders used better materials than they do now. Out bedroom has the old thin wood flooring that is hard to find. There is a now unusable laundry chute. 

Then there's the headache of old technology and the fact that things get old and at some point, they need to be replaced or fixed. We've said after this house, and once the boys are out of high school, we're building a house and not fixing any more houses up. We'll see about that.

Enter my Friday night. I was doing some laundry, and found at the end of the washer cycle some very wet clothes. The washer was not draining all the way into the sink, and the sink was clogged. I did my best to open the drain with a wooden spoon handle that was in reach. No progress led me to more ideas. The plunger came out, and I had to try to get one side of the sink covered to make a tight seal for the plunger on the other side. When that didn't work, I realized there was a hose in the sink. Thinking it might work as a snake, I shoved it down the drain. Maybe a little too hard. Water started to leak out of the pipe under the sink.

 This wasn't your normal fiberglass sink. It's concrete and the left side has the old washboard in the side of the sink. I called Brian down to see if he could do something about the pipe leaking, and after some grumbles about old houses, he said the trap needed to be replaced. He started to take it off, and I headed back upstairs. A little while later, he came up and said we had to replace the whole sink because when he tried to get the trap off, the whole drain broke out of the sink. 

I guess I just wasn't meant to do laundry on a Friday night :) 

Better news: my book launch for Trying is scheduled for May 15th at Triple R in Kimball. I'll provide some snacks like I did at the launch for Moving On. Feel free to stop out and watch for more info.