Here's a yarn smile for everyone. I actually tossed this onto the floor to take a pic and that's how it landed. What are the odds? It's the Mason-Dixon After Dark Nightie in progress. Doing the front and back at the same time (hence the two skeins). Yarn: Ornaghi-Filati Gong. Needles: Addi Turbos US 8, 32".
LOVE the stitch definition...
Alright, from here on out, it's some of what's going on at Casa 5elementknitr.
We first came to Parker, CO around Nov. 06. We were looking to buy a business and there were two around here (ish) that we flew out to see firsthand. It was also our first trip with just Hubby and I since T was born May/01. It was a whirlwind of a trip. We flew into Denver Tues. morning, spent the night in Colorado Springs (the site of the second business we came to look at) and flew out of Denver Wed. night.
We fell in love with the Parker/Castle Rock area. We knew we had to live there. We searched different businesses for over a year and finally settled on buying the FedEx route in Parker. I know, who knew those were for sale? Turns out the FedEx Ground guys are all independent contractors. Not FedEx Home or Express, they are employees.
We took a second mortgage on the house in Tucson, used it to buy the business and moved to Parker. A year, almost to the day, after we came out here the first time. We still love it.
We bought our house in Tucson in Jan/03 for about $130K. We sold it in Apr/07 for about 215K. Tidy little profit only the money was already gone, used to buy the business and move. And, if you're doing the math, we paid for two domiciles from Nov/06 - Apr/07. We are strapped to say the least.
We figured any money I'd make from a job would get sucked up in childcare so I've been a stay at home mom. We are paying around $600 a month for health care. Health care we never even use. We are all insanely healthy. But, you can't go with out it because, healthy or not, if there's an accident (broken leg or whatever) you're screwed. Like 10's of 1,000's of dollars screwed. So we pay.
We finally decided I had to get a full-time job with benefits. Again, anything I made, we knew would be sucked up into childcare but we figure the benefits would be worth it. (Not that they are exactly free either but at least not $600/month.) So I got a job at Target. As a cashier. Not exactly where I saw myself at age 37 but whaddya gonna do? And I shop at Target all the time plus the Target here has a full grocery store so we figure the employee discount wouldn't hurt either.
Well here's the dilemma. I'll be making $8/hour and any hours I work Monday - Friday, I'll be paying $10 an hour for childcare. Minimum. (Not like I want to go bargain shopping for childcare. It'd be dumber (and more dangerous) then bargain shopping for a tattoo.) The employee discount is only 10% and I won't be eligible for any benefits for 6 months.
Once Dave's parents move out here, whole different story. They'll watch the kids and I can work whenever. But they've just put their house up for sale in Tucson and with the market what it is.... who knows when they'll get here?
It sucks. Total Catch-22. Why is health care so god-awful expensive? Especially for really healthy people? When I run the world....
1. Health care won't cost nearly as much. It won't be free, I'm not that Utopian.
2. If you don't use the health care you're paying for, then you'll get at least a partial refund of the bucks you put out.
3. Free health care for kids. (I know. It's contradicting what I said in #1, but, they're kids.)
Speaking of people who should get refunds....
Karen, the midwife that delivered Davis got out of the midwife scene a few years ago. It cost her something like $16,000 or more to get out of her malpractice insurance! It was like they were holding her hostage. She couldn't stop being a midwife til she paid. The reason being that even though she was no longer in the business, someone whom she'd previously helped through a delivery could come along in the next 10 years (or whatever the statute of limitations is) and still sue her. So I say, when that time is up and there's no lawsuit, shouldn't the insurance company give her the money back?? Just sayin. Insurance companies suck ass.
Frustrated and going in circles about it, Ruth!
