Looking Up from Rock Bottom

Oh, what a chaotic morning! The boys are all in fine form this morning - whining, teasing eachother, and being a general nuisance. I've been on the phone multiple times, trying to figure out this insurance stuff. Yesterday I spoke with our insurance carrier that we used prior to getting on through Paul's work and found out that they won't touch me now because I've had a stroke. So I had pretty much concluded that I'm just going to have to take my chances and go without insurance until I can find someone that would be willing to take me. Well, then Paul said this morning that he just didn't think that was such a hot idea and I agree - it's taking a terrible risk. But at the same time it's an awfully big jump in premium prices - I have a fuzzy feeling that we're going to owe Loziers at the next payperiod. Paul has barely worked at all the past 3 weeks and they're still taking out the deductions - so, I don't know. We could go ahead and keep our insurance the way it is now and then if, by chance, I DID find someone willing to cover me more cheaply than BC/BS we can drop it. And then the other thing we have to decide is if we just want to switch plans - plan B has a higher deductible, but I guess I'd be willing to do that. And then I'm dealing with the boys' insurance, two of whom's is tied up with ours - argh - I hate, hate, hate this! But hey - it won't be long now and the government will be taking care of me, right? No more worries! In case you didn't catch it, that was heavily laced with sarcasm. We have dealth with government agencies now since Ben's birth (special needs benefits are tied up with government agencies) and I know, personally, how screwed up they are. Nobody knows what the person in the next cubicle is doing.

On to other news: it rained all day long yesterday. It wasn't supposed to. The weathermen missed that one. Well, Paul had called his dad and asked him to bring out some digging machine - back hoe? skid loader? - and they were going to work on the basement. But they couldn't because of the rain. So now that is sitting in the yard, along with the pick-up and the other mini-van. He also brought out some cement blocks that have been setting on Paul's brother's property in Council Bluffs for a decade and a half. Paul is collecting blocks right now, trying to buy as many used ones as he can get his hands on. So, we got 40 more, which is helpful. What wasn't helpful was that George (Paul's brother) saw a quick way to make some money off us and refused to just give the blocks to us, insisting that we buy them. It's cheaper than buying new, but it really chafed at Paul to do that. But there's a lot of bad history with George, anyway. I think Paul would have just as soon gone and purchased new blocks, but his dad had already hauled George's here, so we were stuck paying for them. George is probably my least favorite person on the planet, by the way - hard to believe the same set of parents that spawned him, spawned my beloved husband, too.

Dorothy came out, too, and so I got my laundry all folded as I talked with her. She brought me my birthday cake - danish layer! Oh, it is the best cake I have ever had in my life - 12 layers of yellow cake, vanilla pudding, and strawberry jam, covered in the most delicious frosting. She always decorates it up so pretty, too. Then we ended up going to Pizza Hut for supper and, as a result, missed church.

Well, I had more to write, but I'll have to do it later. Will is angling for usage of the computer. I'm actually in the middle of painting the boys' bedroom today. David is upset because the blue paint that HE picked out is not the blue he had envisioned (Cowboys blue). And our supervising teacher, whom I have not heard from since August, just called and asked if she could come visit us today! Argh! I'm in paint clothes, I don't have anything baked to feed her, I have no make-up or bra on...the day can't go anywhere but up, right?!

More later, when I'm hopefully a bit less stressed...