Culling

I've so many posts in draft stage, I can't keep up...partly censoring what I post 'cuz....well, I just am. Tough times with son #2 and I write a post and then the situation modifies AGAIN so I rethink it. Repeat 70 times in the past couple months and you'll know where we're at.

We've had a hugely bad time with Hunter the past couple days. He and I finally went to 'neutral' territory (Starbucks) and had a good talk yesterday. We were/are seriously considering sending him to the Marine Academy in Texas - yes, really. He doesn't want to go (big surprise). Though sometimes he does. He has been hanging out with some really 'bad' guys - including one that's been in prison for multiple felonies. We're trying to get him to understand that hanging out with people that have been in trouble will almost always lead you to getting in trouble, even though you don't think you will. Hopefully, he's getting that - we also enjoyed McDonald's (the power of Starbucks and McDonald's for a 16 year old boy cannot be underestimated) and talked for a couple hours. My car smells like french fries. We came home with him calm and listening (vs. pissed off and reacting) for the first time in weeks. So I'm hoping for a Christmas miracle - that we've really made some 'progress' and he will wake up this morning at least attempting to be civil. We'll see. Please pray for him - and for us. We are in strange and unfamiliar territory with him - and the things that we've uncovered the past few weeks make everything with we've experienced with B. look like a cake walk in comparison.

It's been a pretty great day here so far - so again, Starbucks and McDonald's will be our hang out and 'chill out and talk zone' for the foreseeable future. He has been allowed to accompany two friends to the mall - two 'old' friends that he stopped hanging out with but invited to the mall with him - and is now at dinner celebrating one of their birthdays. So that's cool. It's a 'treat' that we let him out of the house and it has lightened his mood a bit.

I've been cleaning out closets, etc. all day. Stacks/bags/boxes of stuff for J. to take to Goodwill, etc. this week. Feels good to just 'purge' - stuff we haven't used in decades. Stuff from our parents homes that we've never touched - and I'm at the point where I want 'space' and 'less stuff' so I've been taking advantage of that momentum all day. (I owe it all to my sister who started my morning with a great email confirming that she has finished the LAST BIG PROJECT at her house and finally feels things are 'in order'). Wishing she lived near here so she could help me get that here...but progress was made today and it feels good. Desk is still a wreck - but we did cull out so much today! Now just have to haul it away tomorrow. And we are definitely NOT trying to convince ourselves we should garage sale some of it - 'cuz we finally accept that we won't. We just aren't motivated enough and would rather give it to local charities to sell at their thrift stores than box it up and have to deal with a garage sale in the 'future'. It will never happen - so away stuff goes.

We are officially attending our annual New Years Eve party - and all of us are going. I'm trying to plan what to bring and have several ideas about what to make.

J. and the boys are heading down to Tulare for a one night visit with the cousins. It's a quick trip 'cuz J. has an MRI scheduled on Wednesday afternoon that he can't reschedule. I'm a bit 'nervous' about being in the house alone these days....no real defined reason except H.'s 'not so great friends' may come around looking for him and I don't like them to know I'm home alone....but I'll be OK. I have a very protective/noisy dog who sounds like she'll rip your head off when you hear her (and can't see her). So I'll let her bark her head off when anyone knocks on the door and probably just not answer. I want to see New Moon again - and I received some JCPenney gift cards for Christmas so I might go look for a couple new work outfits. And possibly treat myself to lunch or dinner 'out'. Tired of holiday dinner leftovers which it feels like we've been eating forever....

I made chicken and dumplings for dinner and it's FINALLY ready - just after 7 and we're eating. It's just the two of us - if I'd known it was going to be just the two of us, I probably would have suggested we go out...but oh well. MORE leftovers....