My mother-in-law is a piece of work. Oh, yeah. I forgot to say that I have two of them. The one that's giving me fits right now...? We'll call her MIL-1. The one I've mentioned previously will now be MIL-2.
MIL-1 has been out of the picture for several years. We have seen her only four times since Lindsay was born and I was okay with that. The last time we saw her, or spoke to her, was a year and a half ago when I arranged for her to get a ride from Denver to Fort Collins to see Rob graduate. After all, every mother wants to see her son graduate from college, right? Of course she did.
We keep in touch with MIL-1's family and keep tabs on her well-being as best we can, but the family had lost contact with her and no one knew where she was staying or working, no one had a cell phone number for her. The only information we had came from a chance meeting with one of MIL-1's friends who said that she was fine and living with friends.
On Thanksgiving, Jake got a text message from a Denver number saying, "Happy Thanksgiving, Love Mom." He didn't know what to make of it so he gave me his phone, asking who it might be. I said it was probably a wrong number and sent a text message back saying as much. The reply was, "This isn't Rob's phone?" Oh, crap. I called the number and had a one minute conversation with her, enough to find out she was working and living with a friend. She said she'd call me back but I haven't heard anything since, even after several calls and messages.
Today I sent a text message asking her to let us know how she was doing. She responded saying she was fine. I wasn't looking for the easy answer, I want to know her circumstances and sent another text saying as much. Nothing. I called right after that. Nothing.
I've been cursed with two mother-in-laws, neither of them are worth much. Some people might say that I'm blessed. If that's you, you are welcome to them. I'll let both MIL's know they've been traded as soon as you let me know your address so I can send them to you.
Showing posts with label MIL. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MIL. Show all posts
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Sunday, November 23, 2008
It's all about me now...
I haven’t felt like writing – for a lot of different reasons, none of which are really relevant right now. In order to feel like writing again I had to think a lot about why I wrote, who I was writing for, and what I was writing. After all that thinking (wow, did I just smell burning batteries?) I decided that I was going to go back to just writing for me.
In a way, my blog didn’t even start out that way. I was always writing with someone else in mind – what would they think of me? The truth is - I don’t care. There has been so much going on in the past couple of months I haven’t written about that it makes me sad. Like the letter I got in the mail from some deranged republican who anonymously begged me not to vote for Obama. Or the phone call/confrontation with my Aunt Wanda regarding that letter where she denied sending it. Then I asked her, would she please leave me alone about my political beliefs – after all, I didn’t slam her email account with democrat propaganda… That little discussion still has fruit to bear since I’ll see her for the first time since then on Thanksgiving. Oh, the things I am thankful for this year!
And the holidays coming up. Ugh, the stress that’s creating this year. Seriously? My FIL wasn’t going to the cabin this year for Christmas because he was going to be on-call over the holiday – then he went and screwed it up (just joking) and traded Christmas for Thanksgiving. I’d already started making plans with my mom to go to her house on Christmas Day with my brother and two nieces. I haven’t seen them outside of a major family function in years and this is the first Christmas since my brother and his wife divorced. I just thought the whole thing would be nice. Anyway, we’ve got decisions to make. Rob, Matt and Lindsay all want to go to the mountains, Jake knows he may have to work Christmas Eve and the day after Christmas so he’s okay staying home – besides, the GF's family has invited us for Christmas dinner. I don’t want to go to the cabin because I’d already started making plans with my mom – oh, yeah… and I hate my mother-in-law…
Long story, that one. I got a call from her in September asking if I was going to send her some money. I owe her $600, all that's left of a rather large sum of money we owed her for putting a new engine in our car a while back. I started working $100 into our budget and then it just didn’t happen. I didn’t know what to do since talking to her is like talking to a television announcer or game show contestant – they don’t hear you and keep talking. So I did what I always do when life is too much for me. I bury my head in the sand and ignore the situation. Kind of like what I've been doing for the past month about my blog. She called a month later and left another message, this time saying that she hadn’t made me beg for the money when we needed it, she didn’t understand why she had to beg to get it back. Oh, damn! I felt like crap and still didn’t have the money to pay her back but it did decide to take some action rather than ignore the situation. I wrote her a letter outlining why I didn’t have the money, some of our current struggles and apologized for making her beg. I sent her a good faith check for $5. The outcome? Don’t know. She hasn’t called me, hasn’t talked to any family about it, and hasn’t cashed the check I sent her. I thought about sending her a letter saying that I’d be happy to send her another five or ten dollars if she’d just cash the first check I sent her, but that’s passive aggressive and I don’t want to go there.
That’s all for now but I’m going to make an effort to write regularly. I love the idea of having an online journal.
In a way, my blog didn’t even start out that way. I was always writing with someone else in mind – what would they think of me? The truth is - I don’t care. There has been so much going on in the past couple of months I haven’t written about that it makes me sad. Like the letter I got in the mail from some deranged republican who anonymously begged me not to vote for Obama. Or the phone call/confrontation with my Aunt Wanda regarding that letter where she denied sending it. Then I asked her, would she please leave me alone about my political beliefs – after all, I didn’t slam her email account with democrat propaganda… That little discussion still has fruit to bear since I’ll see her for the first time since then on Thanksgiving. Oh, the things I am thankful for this year!
And the holidays coming up. Ugh, the stress that’s creating this year. Seriously? My FIL wasn’t going to the cabin this year for Christmas because he was going to be on-call over the holiday – then he went and screwed it up (just joking) and traded Christmas for Thanksgiving. I’d already started making plans with my mom to go to her house on Christmas Day with my brother and two nieces. I haven’t seen them outside of a major family function in years and this is the first Christmas since my brother and his wife divorced. I just thought the whole thing would be nice. Anyway, we’ve got decisions to make. Rob, Matt and Lindsay all want to go to the mountains, Jake knows he may have to work Christmas Eve and the day after Christmas so he’s okay staying home – besides, the GF's family has invited us for Christmas dinner. I don’t want to go to the cabin because I’d already started making plans with my mom – oh, yeah… and I hate my mother-in-law…
Long story, that one. I got a call from her in September asking if I was going to send her some money. I owe her $600, all that's left of a rather large sum of money we owed her for putting a new engine in our car a while back. I started working $100 into our budget and then it just didn’t happen. I didn’t know what to do since talking to her is like talking to a television announcer or game show contestant – they don’t hear you and keep talking. So I did what I always do when life is too much for me. I bury my head in the sand and ignore the situation. Kind of like what I've been doing for the past month about my blog. She called a month later and left another message, this time saying that she hadn’t made me beg for the money when we needed it, she didn’t understand why she had to beg to get it back. Oh, damn! I felt like crap and still didn’t have the money to pay her back but it did decide to take some action rather than ignore the situation. I wrote her a letter outlining why I didn’t have the money, some of our current struggles and apologized for making her beg. I sent her a good faith check for $5. The outcome? Don’t know. She hasn’t called me, hasn’t talked to any family about it, and hasn’t cashed the check I sent her. I thought about sending her a letter saying that I’d be happy to send her another five or ten dollars if she’d just cash the first check I sent her, but that’s passive aggressive and I don’t want to go there.
That’s all for now but I’m going to make an effort to write regularly. I love the idea of having an online journal.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Meal Plan for June 23 - 29 and MORE
There is a method to my meal planning madness. The goal is to feed my family, for a week, for $100 or less. This is out of necessity, not some desire to save tons of money. So far I've done okay. I have back up food in my freezer, and I budget a little extra for quick stuff from Schwans. This week I went to the store before I had everything planned out and I spent almost $100 for less than the full week. I have a reunion coming up on Saturday and I still have to buy the food for my dishes - lucky for me, they are pretty simple.
Meal Plan for June 23 - 29
In other news...? I'm frustrated with my mother-in-law (but how many of us aren't at some point). I just can't deal with the selfish attitude right now and I'm even having bad dreams about the situation I've found myself in with her. I woke up to one this morning and when I'd doze off I'd end up right back in the same dream, so upset with her that I was crying. I cry when I get angry. There is nothing I can do about it, I just start to sob. It's a frustrating personality flaw that I have.
I found a Queen Anne Wing Back chair at a garage sale this weekend. They had a matching pair for sale and I only wanted one, which they agreed to sell me for $5. Since I was on a bike ride with Lindsay, I promised I'd be back after I got home and went to the ATM. I called Jake to come with his truck - the Altima could never haul a chair - and when I got back to the sale, the man told me to take them both - for $5! I had to think about where the other would go, but I took it. They are old and tattered, but that was what I was looking for. Queen Anne Wing Back chairs are expensive and I hadn't found a nice one for under $250. So now I have a comfy chair at my desk to curl up in to read a book, watch a video on my little television on my desk (the only place in the house to watch a video) or Netflix online, or write... whatever! I'm so happy. Lindsay gets the other chair. She's made a place in her room but we've found a spot for it right next to my desk - she can watch movies with me or just curl up and read her own book.
I tried to load some photos of a sleeping girl and my 'clean' desk. Clean is a relative term when it comes to my desk. Anyway, I'll load some later - if google cooperates.
Easy dinner tip: Calzones, REALLY! Refrigerated pizza dough cut into quarters, fill with ricotta and mozzarella cheeses, pepperoni, thin sliced veggies of your choice, pinch close with fork, poke holes to vent and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Adjust your fillings to taste but serve pizza sauce on the side, it just works better that way. Great easy meal!
Meal Plan for June 23 - 29
- Monday - Chicken Stir-fry with eggrolls and rice.
- Tuesday - Crab and Red Pepper Alfredo over angel hair pasta with broccoli and cauliflower.
- Wednesday - Chicken Fried Steak with mashed potatoes and corn.
- Thursday - Spaghetti and garlic bread.
- Friday - Chicken strips and parmesan garlic french fries.
- Saturday - Family Reunion, Watermelon/Strawberry salad, potato salad and baked beans.
- Sunday - I have no idea... Kraft Macaroni and Cheese with Hot Dogs?
In other news...? I'm frustrated with my mother-in-law (but how many of us aren't at some point). I just can't deal with the selfish attitude right now and I'm even having bad dreams about the situation I've found myself in with her. I woke up to one this morning and when I'd doze off I'd end up right back in the same dream, so upset with her that I was crying. I cry when I get angry. There is nothing I can do about it, I just start to sob. It's a frustrating personality flaw that I have.
I found a Queen Anne Wing Back chair at a garage sale this weekend. They had a matching pair for sale and I only wanted one, which they agreed to sell me for $5. Since I was on a bike ride with Lindsay, I promised I'd be back after I got home and went to the ATM. I called Jake to come with his truck - the Altima could never haul a chair - and when I got back to the sale, the man told me to take them both - for $5! I had to think about where the other would go, but I took it. They are old and tattered, but that was what I was looking for. Queen Anne Wing Back chairs are expensive and I hadn't found a nice one for under $250. So now I have a comfy chair at my desk to curl up in to read a book, watch a video on my little television on my desk (the only place in the house to watch a video) or Netflix online, or write... whatever! I'm so happy. Lindsay gets the other chair. She's made a place in her room but we've found a spot for it right next to my desk - she can watch movies with me or just curl up and read her own book.
I tried to load some photos of a sleeping girl and my 'clean' desk. Clean is a relative term when it comes to my desk. Anyway, I'll load some later - if google cooperates.
Easy dinner tip: Calzones, REALLY! Refrigerated pizza dough cut into quarters, fill with ricotta and mozzarella cheeses, pepperoni, thin sliced veggies of your choice, pinch close with fork, poke holes to vent and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Adjust your fillings to taste but serve pizza sauce on the side, it just works better that way. Great easy meal!
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