Unsuccessful IHSW and Birthday Bummers

Yesterday brought the end of my IHSW for this month. I had an extra day due to Monday being a holiday in the States. :)  As it turns out, that was a very good thing since Friday night was filled with kid times, Saturday found me at yet another volleyball tournament and then more kid time, and Sunday I spent caring for and worrying about my mom, who woke up with the flu. Then there was yesterday. Ah, yesterday. Thank goodness I already had the day off, because things started going wrong almost as soon as the day started and only went downhill from there. 

Yesterday was my daughter's 13th birthday. A milestone for any girl, right? Well, let's just say...she won't forget this one any time soon...

We started the day by heading into 'town' (about 15 miles away - it's the closest Wal-Mart, lol) for a birthday cake and some car parts. We have a minivan that has been down with a bad water pump since Christmas Eve and early last week our other car started having fuel pump issues. Our plan was to go to town, get a cake, buy some parts, take DD out to lunch for her birthday, and head home so DH could get to work by 3. Um, yeah. That's not exactly how it went down. Instead...

The fuel pump started acting up in the parking lot of our first stop. DH climbed under the car, banged some stuff, and it finally started back up. This told us, however, that unless he wanted to do that at every stop...there would be no more shutting off the car until we got home. Thereby cancelling DD's birthday dinner. (Bummer #1) Then it was off to the parts store (engine running) to price parts. A fuel pump for the car - parts and labor, approximately $450.00. No thank you! A water pump for the van - about $20 and DH can change it himself. SOLD!

Home we go, pull into the drive, shut off the car, and walk uptown to a little deli for lunch. By the time we eat and DH gets changed to go out and work on the van, it's raining. And cold. And monsoon-windy. We have no garage. We have no carport. Lots of the work is done from under the van and we have no mechanic's creeper. (Bummer #2) As the repair goes on, it's getting closer to time for the littlest boy to head back to his mother's, DD to head to volleyball practice and, unfortunately, is past time for DH to have time to get changed and get to work. He calls off for the day. (Bummer #3) It soon becomes obvious that he can't reach all the tiny little internal areas under the hood that he needs to in order to be able to thread bolts and adjust belts. Guess whose tiny, long-fingered hands got to do that job?? Yep. Sure 'nuff. Now we're both out in the pouring rain and freezing cold wind, he under the van and me elbows deep in the engine compartment, but we get the last bold tightened and the fluids refilled just in the nick of time to get everyone where they need to go, but not in time to have cupcakes and ice cream to celebrate DD's birthday. (Bummer #4)

We quickly drop her at volleyball practice and head to take little man back home. 25 minutes into the drive, I get a call from DD's coach saying she's injured her ankle, it's super swollen, and she can't bear weight on it. Great. We hurry and drop off the sweet boy and rush back home to pick DD up from the school. After taking a look at this:

YEE-OUCH!!!

 ...it was off to the ER for X-rays. 

After an hour and a half in the ER waiting room, and a strong pain pill that made her so loopy she tied a hair ribbon around a styrofoam cup and wore it as a hat, we get word from the doctor...it's broken (MAJOR BUMMER). Only this girl could manage to break a bone on her birthday...her 13th birthday at that! We didn't get home from the hospital until almost 11 last night, and I had to get up earlier than usual to walk her in and get her settled at school. Obviously, this injury has put an end to her current volleyball season and, in my opinion, that's the biggest bummer of all for her :(


Needless to say, you can understand why this is all I got done for IHSW:   

Forest Goddess, pre-IHSW

Forest Goddess, as of 2-18-13

Yeah, yeah. I know. Horrible picture. It's blurry and the color sucks and I'm still too tired to fix it. I promise you a better one at the end of the rotation week. That is, if I get the chance to put any more stitches in...I have a feeling the majority of the rest of my week is going to include a lot of "Moo-ooom...I need (fill in the blank)..." Here we go!