I thnk my motto  will slow and steady with moderation...not avoid temptation...LOL
I meani will need energy to stand inline for hours later that night.

Amy

I just checked the roof polls im going to keep voting today   though i m just sititng here for a while. maybe youoculd cross post to the main board?  

Bj --that is such good news that you have a place to move into.  My friend son has autism and I know some of her struggles with schools.  I hope this one really works for you and him as wella s the rest of your family.  Thats awesome of you to get help with joannes roof.


debbie-  Im so sorry your feeling down.  this weather really doesnt help either.  try hugging someone it may  make you feel better and give you that warm feeling all over.


So I  know what you all mean by things working out.  I had a roomate move in with me in august because she needed a place for her and her daughter better than where she was, and i was struggling after beingout of work for my RNY for 2months.  Well I got home thursday morning and she had packed up her stuff and had most of it out and left me note that she was moving out.  After getting a hold of her  i found it wasnt me shes moving to be closer to her friends and boyfriend ( in NJ) but it was a last minute decision and she didnt know how to tell me.  So my aunt has been struggling financially and really not sure what she was going to do so after much thought ( i love her but sometimes she can really drive you nuts) i asked her if she wanted to move in with me.  She does so it will help  both of us . I may even learn patience better with her here...LOL.



Amy

Thank you...you are a very good friend!  Hope to see you soon as well.  Take care and I am pulling for you as well.  You are right 2008 seems to be bad for all - that only means that 2009 has to improve for us!

Debbie

BJ, I think we have a good chance of winning the roof repairs. Debbie sent in a very good story on it. We will keep that in prayer. We will know by next week.  I may have some resources to help you with needs for your new house. Let me know what your needs are. As for food, Debbie and I have plenty to share. My freezer is full. I have not cooked that much since Bob has been ill. Please stop by and pick some up. I know it has been hard for you. I have seen alot of God's work around me lately. Not just with myself but many of my friends. Just to name a few: Ms Helen from Uncle Willies was laid off and replaced with a 20 year old. She is 84 years old. She was hired by Royal Farms 4 days later. You and my son both found rentals and I found a car I could afford after being without one since July. I have had many days where I have felt the world was closeing in around me but my faith has kept me going. One of my friends told me yesterday that I could have a pile of sh== in my front yard and I would think it was gold. I have always had a positive attitude no matter what. One of my favorite saying has always been " Everything is going to be alright " I know it will be now if we just keep our faith. I will keep you in prayer. Please know I think of you daily. See you lighter. Joanne

Hi all, I am going to respond to several threads with this one post as I am laid up with bronchitis, my daughter passed it on to me last week, and I think my son is coming down with it, UGH!!!

First off -- JOANNE -- your roof will be fixed regardless if you win the contest or not. My fiance is now back up here with me, he is a roofer and says he will come fix it, doing the labor for free. I don't know what kind of materials are involved but we will have to figure out a way to get them covered, maybe we could try for donations from a local organization? He came back up here from Maryland on the promise of a job from his old employer up here, but that fell through and there is just NOTHING out there right now. So he has plenty of time on his hands to do your roof, I already asked him last night.

Second -- KATHY G. -- we are so with you and Ed about the money/work issues up here in Long Neck. I am very scared that we will not make it through this winter -- we have even been going to the food banks at this point. I am working part-time but my income is already slated to pay bills we were behind on.  I have told my kids that it is going to be a lean Christmas.

And finally, my update . . . you guys know I have been very unhappy with our elementary school, have to fight with them to get the right supports in place for my son with autism and type-1 diabetes . . . well we are now 3 months into the school year and the school continues to violate special ed regulations and drag their feet, and I have just had it with them. I have been looking to move out of my mom's house (for several reasons as you all know!) but things are really coming to a head with this school situation to the point where the stress is affecting my son detrimentally, and this of course affects the rest of the family as well.

When I got my part time job in September, I made myself a promise that I would get the kids out of this house and this school district as soon as possible, and I began a passive search for rentals that I thought I could afford. I haven't had much luck -- even though the rental market is hot right now as people have left the area in droves -- either the houses are still above my budget, or the school district is wrong, or the neighborhood doesn't look like a good place for my kids.

Two weeks ago I made a wrong turn into a residential neighborhood when running an errand, I got hopelessly lost and wound up at the end of a dead-end street and there it was -- a house with a "for rent" sign. The dead-end street is a real safety plus for my kids . . . plus it is located in a quiet, wooded neighborhood -- the yard is no-maintenance (totally covered with ivy!) and there is plenty of room for the kids to play outside. And, inside the house there is a family room (separate from the living room) which would give the kids some space to make messes and stay out of the adult's hair LOL. I called the rental agent thinking it would be out of my price range but apparently it has been sitting empty for so long that the owner is desperate to get someone into it. Now, my credit is absolutely SHOT due to my divorce years ago . . . but we managed to get approved anyway!

So -- even though right now this is a huge strain and taking every dime I have set aside -- I signed a lease and put a security deposit down on it last week, December 1st is our move-in date and I am hoping to be able to come up with the rent by then -- we will just be squeaking by.

I probably won't move the kids in until after the Christmas holidays because the transition will be tough on my son . . . but the best news of all is this will put us in a school district that has the highly-touted autism program where the teachers are better-trained. I am scared to death about making this move and worried about finances but it seems like this house was "meant-to-be" for us so I am going on faith right now that things will work out, that my fiance will find work, etc.

-BJ