Tuesday, December 23, 2008

I feel like I have been kicked while I was down.

I keep thinking that I should write an update here about what is going on, but I am finding it hard to be upbeat and positive even though I know I should be. I last reported how thankful I was that our power had been restored. I was SO thankful!

Then, we went to a Christmas party Saturday afternoon/evening. That was fun until we went to leave and my two year old threw up all over herself, the floor and then me. Ugh! My mind is thinking about how this will probably run through the whole household and I am going to have to deal with puking for days. All I wanted to do is get home and bathe my daughter, shower myself and launder our clothes. As we approached our road, hubby says, "uh oh, I don't see any lights on our street." Sure enough, we had lost power AGAIN. I called the power company and they were saying that it would be on my Christmas Eve night. I just wanted to cry! Luckily, there was still hot water left and Barry powered up the generator so I could at least give Rachel a bath. Poor thing, she is still too little to know not to puke all over herself, so we were up until about 5am dealing with changing PJs and bedding every 1/2 hour or hour. Then she finally fell asleep soundly. Of course, Abi woke up at 7am throwing up. [sigh] The sickies have run right on up through the ranks and it has not been fun, especially with no way to do laundry.

To make matters worse, it was freezing cold outside with horrendous winds and sub-zero windchills. We ran a kerosene heater all night on Sunday and woke up to a house that was 43 degrees. We each had at least 6 heavy blankets on us a piece so we stayed warm as long as we were in bed. All the kids huddled around the gas fireplace and the kerosene heater and we made due. Then the generator stopped working. No more water and no more space heater! I sat there depressed until my sweet BIL and SIL invited us over to their warm home with power up the road. They had dealt with the same sickness and so we didn't have to worry about spreading germs. I can't tell you how wonderful heat, and warm showers feel after going without for days.

They must have been our good luck charm, because that night, the power came back on. Yeah! Our house is now warm and toasty and we have water! The stress must have proven too much for my body and now I am sick. I have so much to try and catch up on and no energy to do it. I keep thinking that maybe by tomorrow I will feel human again and be able to get lots done and save our handmade Christmas. As it stands now, I have gobs of unfinished presents. The bad thing is most are for kids and I fear that I will have nothing to give them on Christmas day.

I am praying that this is it. No more bad stuff needs to be dumped on us. I don't know that I could take it - I am beyond overwhelmed. Right now as I type a new batch of freezing rain is coming down. I am praying with all my might that it doesn't take down anymore power lines. No one deserves that. Hopefully, by tomorrow I can write a more uplifting post. Hopefully, by then I will feel more uplifted.

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