More of the Same

This week was focused on writing and working on the house. I continued my routine of getting up somewhere between 5 and 5:30 I've been pretty successful in getting about 1000 words written for the book each day. I also finished up the last of the edits on the autoresponder email series.

I had accepted what I thought was a simple edit job for an agency working with a realty company for 4 web pages. I sent the first page off on Tuesday. He didn't like it. Wanted it more upscale. Sent a second one off on Wednesday. He didn't like it. Too upscale. He then sent me the layout of the web pages so I could see what they were looking for both with space and layout. And he sent a creative brief where the client told about their company. Oh. That's what you want. I thought, wouldn't it have been nice to have these right off? But it's my fault. I thought about it, but didn't ask. I thought it would be simple. So Thursday I submitted a third draft. That was acceptable. So I had until the end of Friday to get the remaining 3 pages in. I send them in by 1pm... and didn't hear anything back. I am assuming that meant they were okay or he didn't even look at them.

Arkansas has started a new verified driver's license. They said the old DR would not be acceptable for flight identification or entering federal building. I intend to fly, so I needed the enhanced DR. So I collect stuff to take in--passport, address verification, etc. I get there and wait about a half hour. In the past, there's been virtually no waiting at the Revenue Office. I get to the window. I'd brought a paycheck with stub. That was okay for one address. I had just been to the assessors and assessed a vehicle so I had the bill. No. That was not good enough. Did I have the stamped paid receipt? Yes. I ran to the car and got it. Did I have my Social Security card? um... no. Too bad.

So I went home and found my buried social security card and went back two days later. Wait. Go to window. Present passport and other stuff. She shows me the fine print on the bottom of the Social Security card. "For tax purposes only. Not valid for identification." It's the only Social Security card I've ever owned! She cheerfully explained that I could go to the Social Security office and request a card and wait three weeks or so for it to come in the mail. Or I could use the end of year statement from a 1099 or the SS itself. Oh. The ones we just dropped off at the tax accountant the day before.

So we call. All the wage statements do not have the entire SS number on them. Just the last 4. The only one with a complete number is the SS W-2. And the accountant said her husband had gone in with a trash bill. That was not accepted. It needed to be utility bill like electric, gas or water. But we only have electric, and that's in Tom's name. They don't make this easy. :(

So I will go pick up my SS form and try again.

Sadly this week Nathan decided to leave home live in his car. We hope that he's found another job and things go well for him. It may be an opportunity for him to learn real life skills.

We have put in long hours at the house. We got the larger bathtub surround in and tiled the floor. On Thursday we grouted it all and it looks great. Tom put down the hardiboard on the floor of the kitchen, dining room and laundry room. Even just a uniform floor looks better. Monday the tiling starts. We got the last set of cupboards painted and up and the medicine cabinet in the small bath rehung. For some reason, that was a job and a half--getting mollies and screws in the right places in the wall so it would be centered over the yet-to-be-put-in-place sink. If anyone ever takes it off the wall, it will look like buckshot holes in the back. Should have drawn a smiley face there as well.

I invited my RS presidency for a meeting and lunch on Saturday. We are preparing for our Retreat and I wanted to get approval for the potato soup and for what kinds of cookies I should be making. So I made up several batches. Since the theme is "Create in Me a New Heart," I wanted heart shaped cookies. I tried some spritz cookies. Not heart shaped and a little small. But I tried variations with chopped choc. chips (Still too large and blocked the holes.) Then I used a fluted tube opening which worked pretty well. And I added some peppermint which made the most delicious cookies. I also made sugar cookies and choc chip cookies you could cut out with a cookie cutter. They turned out pretty well. I wanted to dip them partially in chocolate, but I melted choc chips and it never got runny enough for dipping. So it got smeared on half. It looked okay and tasted very good.

Deborah and kids had come up on Friday evening. So she was a help with the baking and such. We tried mini chips and large chips with the cut out cookies. However, we ran out of time and still had three bowls of cookie dough in the frig by the time my meeting began. Nevertheless, we had plenty of cookies to sample.

Deborah came up to inspect her house. So Saturday after my meeting she and Tom went to look. They measured the kitchen and talked with the tenant about updating the kitchen cabinets, countertops and stove. It was well received. So sometime AFTER we are finished with the Spring Park house and Deborah has figured out the cabinetry they will install it.

I was impressed with how well Deborah's kids behaved at church. I don't remember mine being so obedient at that age. We had a great Sunday school lesson on pride and humility and being kind to spouses based on D&C 25-- the Lord's revelation to Emma Smith.