Early Tuesday

Some people have days of the week underwear. I don't. With this in mind, I'm trying for days of the week posts this week only. Even if I had days of the week underwear, it would never be worn on the correct day. I could not even imagine trying! With everything I do, I'm always trying to get there but never quite succeding. Imagine my surprise this morning when I left the house on time and got to class early! By early I mean 15 minutes early. I have no clue how that happened.

Today is my busy day, too. Two classes in the morning, deliver papers, 2 classes in the evening and work until 9pm.

I have a new class these days. I teach Senior Citizens. It's an interesting class. They like to dance and have choreography. I haven't choreographed classes in 20 years! It's been a challenge and fun to come up with moves. We usually have 20 minutes cardio and 20 minutes strength. It's a sweet bunch , they like to tell me I'm doing a great job (3rd class today), and tell me they don't care what they do they just want to move. Then they proceed to tell me what to do for the next class, specifically.

Audrey and I have struck a deal on the paper route. She folds and prepares the night before, I deliver, and all proceeds go immediately into her savings. She's not allowed to actually have the money until college. I don't mind walking the neighborhood. We used to live in town, walk to get the mail, videos, school, park and pool. We are only 5 miles out of town now but it makes a difference. At one time, while pregnant with Audrey, My Handsome Prince, Emma and I were out on one of our walks to the hardware store. There was a sign out front of the house next to the hardware store, advertising for sewing help. I immediately went home and called. They turned me down upon discovering I was 8 months pregnant. Can you imagine?! Anyway, for some reason, I was determined to get that job! I walked, again, over to the studio with a recently finished, totally machine pieced and quilted quilt. She hired me on the spot. It was a great job. I learned to sew and design custom window treatments. I gave birth sometime soon after starting, MHP had a couple surgeries, and during this time the couple bought a playpen, a bouncy swing, and other baby paraphenelia so I could come back to work. There were some questionable things about the job, like the cleanliness of the studio and house, but for the most part, I loved it. We talked books, listenened to music, even took some trips together. Emma would get dropped off from pre-school and the daughters of the owners would take both girls. And they would pay them to watch my children and pay me to work for them. After a while, they got busier, our lives changed again with MHP's leg, the place got filthier, and I had to quit. I cried. I cried again when a good friend of mine was hired to take my place, and again when she offered it back to me. I ended up working there again for a short time but it was not the same. By that time there were two other employees and it was not the family I had originally. It is no longer a business and I walk by it everytime I deliver papers.

This is the building I worked in. It looked a little better (not much). There was a pool and trampoline in the yard that the girls would play on with the owner's girls. My sewing machine was at a window and I could watch the girls play.

On my 30th birthday, my boss called and offered me the morning off or the morning off in their hot tub with tea delivered and child care. I can remember thinking my 30th needed to be more significant than that but later realized it was perfect.
This is the apartment attached to the house. It has always looked like this.