Fun and Frolic With Long-Term Love

Shelving!

https://www.amazon.com/photos/share/0x3Lm72Fe1tJynMWig0ZhCyXruVHBAm4kDrY4DSVchf

This has helped a lot.

I heard back today from the radiologist, and my tits are fabulous! No wait, I’m pretty sure they said perfect. Or maybe it was, free from issues. Anyway, no signs of any boob cancer. Yay!

I had my dental appointment today and that went ok, I guess. The orthodontist shaved down the sides of like 6 of my top teeth, so I now have wider gaps between each one. This was done to allow space for them to press down and inward, to combat their desire to go outward due to the lack of a tooth on the bottom. I had read a lot of horror stories on the internet about this sort of thing getting fucked up, where the teeth look like pegs or whatever. Mine actually look okay. I am starting on the second set of Invisalign tonight, and I am really wanting the process over with. Everything got stopped for a while due to my illness so it’s good to be making progress again.

I’m starting medication tonight for yet another bout of BV. The doctor says my vaginal area is all sorts of fucked up right now due to the hidradenitis problem. THAT issue is all taken care of, but now because my entire fucking pussy was out of balance, it has resulted in yet another diagnosis. I am sick of medication, yo. I JUST finished the antibiotic for the infection that had taken over my bikini line cyst. At least it’s all something that can be dealt with, and it won’t effect my menfolk. I’m not looking to date either so it’s more of a big fucking annoyance. Once I get off this new medication, I’m going to go in and get a full panel of STD testing done, since I haven’t yet done that since being with SirGawain. We’ve been broken up for a month now, so this will be my initial test, and then I will do another in April. Hopefully between now and then I will make some progress in therapy and be a datable human being again. Of course, there is the risk that I hit positive for herpes because of my time with him, but I haven’t had any issues that would point to that being the case. Other problems, yes. But no initial outbreak or rashes or sores. So, yay?

I am fucking tired.
 
Today has started off crazypants. The wind is really fierce, so the coats on the Box were strewn across the yard, as were the blankets. I have 3 huge bags already to sort through and my to do list just for the Box could cause someone to have fits. Gah! I have a life outside of it, and that list is nutso as well. I was supposed to color my hair this morning but I have already bumped that off til tomorrow.

I have...let’s see...7 special requests this morning. Things like, a homeless 20-something is starting her first job and needs black boots. (I actually filled that one and now she is trying to figure out when she can make it over for a pick up!) Or a guy living in a motel is on dialysis and needs a queen size comforter because the blankets provided there are thin and scratchy. (Just had a bag of blankets dropped off, so once I have a chance I am going to look and hope for the best!) And oh, a single mom who lost her job recently needs new leggings for her daughter, because her daughter had a growth spurt and has sensory issues, so she will only wear leggings. (A donor in Washington state is sending some.) These are the sorts of things I figure out now every morning. Do you have any idea how rewarding this is for me? Like, it’s amazing. I LOVE this sort of work.

But that’s just a small part of it. I had two cash donations come in, and some couponers brought me a bunch of seasoning packets, so I am planning a “Taco Tuesday” next week. I put up a request yesterday and now I have 10 bags of Mexican rice and 5 boxes of taco shells. So today I am going to take a couple of photos and post a specific request list to make this happen. I want to give out 20 taco packs, complete with those things, ground beef, canned diced tomatoes and some shredded cheese. This is also fun for me. :)

I have at least 4 amazon prime pantry boxes coming today, and two tomorrow, and two Saturday, according to my messages. So all that will need to be unpacked and sorted.

I have a baby supply giveaway going on today, leftover from yesterday. I have bags of warm clothing in sizes 12 months, 18 months, 4T & 5T left. All out of 2T & 3T, and I have diapers in all sizes right now. That is going really well, only now we are almost completely out of baby food.

I sorted men’s hoodies yesterday and now have a handle on what I have for that, but two of my requests this morning were for women’s clothing, and that’s a huge pile of crazy. So I HAVE to sort that today.

And of course, just the regular Box stocking that I do many times a day will be happening.

My son needs new tires on his car, so I am going to have to make that happen. I also need to pay his rent and move his money around. I am shifting my bank trip to this evening.

My youngest wants to go to college this upcoming semester, so I need to print tax information and her transcripts, and she wants some practice worksheets for math, so she can remember how to do fractions before taking the entrance exam.

Yeah, I need to poop and then shower and get moving this morning. Tonight we are playing Pandemic Legacy 2 so I have a limited window of time here! :)
 
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I don't know how you do it all. You are amazing!

I second this sentiment! Reading all of the productive things that you do all day...makes me want to take a nap for you. :p
 
Sheesh...you should start looking for volunteers to help with the Box. There must be more than 24 hours in a day up there :D
 
Honestly, it’s just part of my personality. If I have down time, I need to fill it.

I have actually had volunteers in to help a couple of times now. Both were super cool chickas who I was very happy to meet. One I have worked with a couple of times now with the Box, and she basically came over and organized all of the baby clothes we had received up to that point. She’s done some late night run-overs with items I’ve needed too. Yesterday one of my angels showed up and stayed for a couple of hours - she took all of our laundry detergent pod donations and subdivided them into ziplock bags, and then did the same for the diapers.

When I say “angel” I really hate the religious implication, but it’s a good descriptive term. I have 4 or 5 donors who have asked to be put on notice for specific requests. I have one that will buy new bedding for those who need it, and another who goes and gets snow boots at the drop of a hat. This particular lady had asked to be considered for all children’s coat requests that I can’t fill. So they just wait for an email from me, and then they go and buy whatever it is I ask for. They’re fucking rockstars. All of them go above and beyond with regular supply donations too - a couple of them randomly show up with like, all the peanut butter, or they send me an Amazon Prime shipment by surprise. I definitely don’t take them for granted, and I try to do everything I can to fill requests other ways.

So, an example of a request - I had a woman contact me that I wrote about briefly - her husband is on dialysis and they’re living in a motel so they can be closer to wherever it is he is getting treatment. They don’t have a car, and she walks everywhere. She initially messaged me because where they are staying doesn’t provide bedding, as it’s one of those pay-weekly places that is not the best. Anyway, she asked if we had a queen-sized blanket they could snag, as my Blessing Box Facebook feed often requests them. I didn’t have any used ones in that size right them, so one of my angels bought them a new down alternative comforter and a wool blanket.

When it came to my attention that this lady was walking everywhere and her coat was not weather appropriate, I had another angel give me permission to buy anything I could find in her size, at any price, so long as it would keep her warm. I didn’t need to use this offer, however, as that same afternoon I received a donation of a dozen wool trench coats that were plus sized and looked brand new. DarkKnight drove a couple over to her and let her try them on so she could choose. We also gave her a couple of donated hoodies for her husband, as he pretty much lives in the same one at the moment. His size is definitely larger and he needed new ones.

So yeah. I can’t imagine filling my time with anything more meaningful.

That said, I spent yesterday at a game store in Waynesboro, starting a new journeyman league for WarMachine. I lost both games I played, as I haven’t even cracked my storage cases in over a year. I felt pretty stupid as it was like relearning the game! However, that’s what the league is about so I am excited about it. I actually did win the opening day raffle, and I got a free solo of my choice.

https://www.amazon.com/photos/share/Mpv9D779iA1nKbIGOSjI3X5rwTTuw6I3yYZBjVtw1XG

The organizer took this pic of me. My tits look ginormous. That’s about the only good thing have to say - that and I am glad you can’t see how redneck my teeth look with this big gaping hole on the bottom. I can’t wait for the Invisalign treatment to be over!
 
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Things have been going well with the Blessing Box. I am looking into becoming a not-for-profit. At this point I feel like I am having to continuously pull back and do less. I have a couple of mentors - of a sort - one is my friend in NY who inspired me to have a Box, and a woman here in town who feeds the homeless through her own organization. It’s nice to have some guidance!

Yesterday morning I had this old woman come talk to me while I was refilling, and she told me she had come by last week and took one of the green wool Army blankets, because she is sleeping at the shelter. She said she would be officially retired today, and then she would be able to start getting her social security and there’s an organization that is helping her get an apartment. She was so proud to have a plan! She said every night now, she wraps herself in the blanket and gets filled with hope, because she is ready to start the best years of her life with warmth and a goal. This made me so happy for her! But anyway, she had come back to the Box to “pay” for her blanket - she had two hoodies, a bar of soap and a wig.

The wig made us both laugh but she said it was in good condition. I would say that stranger things have happened, but no, that would definitely be it! Wouldn’t you know, it lasted less than an hour before someone took it! LMAO

We hosted a Taco Tuesday meat giveaway - and ran out in 6 minutes! Everyone got 2 pounds of ground beef, a pack of 12 taco shells, a bag of Mexican rice, 2 cups of shredded cheese, 2 seasoning packets, a jar of salsa, a can of diced tomatoes and a can of refried beans. This has inspired me to want to do more similar giveaways, centered around having an entire meal that people can prepare at home. I had been given two PayPal donations for the ground beef, and individuals brought me everything else. I had a few couponers who hooked us up! At the moment we have a Fish Friday giveaway tomorrow - but that will be a smaller scale of two cans of tuna fish and a box of tuna helper. I have 50 cans of tuna fish coming from two different donors, and a couponers is dropping off 20 of the Tuna Helpers. The next one I am planning after that is larger - Winner Winner Chicken Dinner - I hope to give away half chickens, with stovetop stuffing, peas, gravy, and maybe biscuits. I am still planning that one.

DarkKnight and I finally had sex again last night - I think it’s been like two months! I love him so much and we always have such a great connection. I had forgotten how intense he becomes - damn he does me hard. So things are ok sexually between us. Romantically too. He still cares for me so damn much - making me chai every morning and afternoon, and reading to me every other night. We’re doing Lovecraft short stories now, and wouldn’t you know I can’t even stay awake through a full one of those. Lol

I have yet to call and get on the schedule for counseling. I doubt I will have the time today. There are two back to back Chemistry labs, and I just taught the kids some stoichiometry on Tuesday, so i have one on one help going on this morning an hour before class and after the lab I have a block of time carved out for kids needing extra assistance.

On Monday I DID find time to start painting my Beth Maddox model for WarMachine. In the league I am in, we have two weeks to finish our warcaster. PunkRock and I are going to play a game against each other here tonight, and then I hope to paint some more after. Being with him helps keep me focused and on track with my games - otherwise I think I would be apt to flake out a lot because I have so many other things to do!

Last night we played Pandemic Legacy and failed to save the world for the 5th game in a row. We are sucking so terribly bad. Lol I am optimistic for the next game. Gotta get that on the schedule!
 
Last night we played Pandemic Legacy and failed to save the world for the 5th game in a row. We are sucking so terribly bad. Lol I am optimistic for the next game. Gotta get that on the schedule!

Do you play with extra roles, or is it just 1 role per person? The 2 player version is really hard if you don't draw a good role combination.
 
One per person. We have four people playing. We had two games that Jacksonville just hit every single time, and we couldn't stop it. Now we have its infection cards with upgrades and it's behaving. lol I am confident we will win the next, which is late May. It's funny because in season 1, our Facebook virus devastated the east coast of the US, and we can't seem to keep this plague out of there now either. We are terrible at our jobs! lmao

Since I have a second to update - today is already starting off great. I've had two deliveries - one of a random bag of canned vegetables, and the other is a bag full of canned peas, for our Winner Winner Chicken Dinner giveaway. I had a message from one of my angels, saying she just decided to fill one of our special requests for snow boots, and they should arrive for the guy on Saturday. Another message from someone asking me if I ever get cleaned out and taken advantage of (my number one question, other than how they can do one themselves). Then a message from a social worker who has a guy who is going on a job interview today and tomorrow, only he has a single pair of pants that he has been wearing for a month, and they are not clean and not appropriate. I had to fill the Box once, and then check and see if I had any pants. I didn't. I was already talking to the angel who got the snowboots, and she immediately agreed to get pants, though the worker went in the meantime to physically get some at a local clothing closet - and she did find something. The angel is going to now purchase whatever the opposite of that is - if the worker got jeans, she will buy khakis, sort of thing.

Not bad for it only being 10:30! I also showered, dressed and set up for my Chemistry lab.
 
The weekend has been good. In the last 24-ish hours, PunkRock and I had sex 3 different times. I am not sure what got into him, but his horny makes me horny and we went like bunnies. Lol We’ve had several meals out together the last few days, and he’s helped me with grocery shopping, and getting supplies for the Box. Oh! and the basement landing in our house, he finally got the walls painted. It’s such a little thing, but it’s been half-pink (the original color) and half gray for so long, it’s kind of become background noise that we don’t notice. Holy crap though, just him painting the walls in there has made such a huge difference! The goal is to get it finished this month - we need to redo the subfloor and then paint the trim. There’s some water intrusion from the threshold - I am not sure what we’re going to do about that yet. And paint the 3 doors that open up into the area. It’s this tiny little landing, but a huge project. Anyway, I am so happy to have it get some attention finally! PunkRockAwesomesauce is amazeballs. <3

Today is the Winner Winner Chicken Dinner giveaway, beginning at 11 am. The package includes, chicken, instant stuffing, a can of peas, a jar of gravy, and 6-8 dinner rolls.

https://www.amazon.com/photos/share/YGICQ88aUXba5SEKvRMWMABNn7pyF1GWFvcYwWQvZmK

I have 20 to give away. The cool thing is, we had so many donations, we are fully funded for a Saturday Italian food dinner this week (spaghetti, sauce, ground beef and a bagged salad) PLUS another one that I haven’t decided on yet! I had a goal of doing one meal or meat giveaway a month when the year started, and we’ve already done Taco Tuesday and a Free Fish Friday. Now I have chicken, the spaghetti and money for another! Like I said, this thing has taken on a life of its own!

A local news station did a spot on us and it was a complete shit show. The reporter interviewed me for 2 hours, and the clip they used was when she asked me what’s the worst that could happen, and I said someone cleaning is out or smashing the Box. They then focused on the Box being made of glass. When i saw it I was very annoyed - I talked about community building and neighbors helping neighbors, and amazing donors and how uplifting it is to give back. Instead they make it look like I want people to come challenge me and break shit. The joke was on them though - I received ZERO bumps in likes on my page because of their news story. Lol They are less relevant than the newspaper! Lol I just checked and my page has 822 likes. I don’t think that’s bad for a single month of existence!

DarkKnight is going to be traveling for work soon, and I am going to try and go with him, since it’s up in western New York. I really don’t want to fall into the drama going on with my brother and his felony charge. (Did I post about that? My mom swears he was stealing to get cigarettes. Ok, yeah right.) I didn’t see anyone for Christmas though so I do want to go up there. We will see about the timing - he thinks it will be sometime in February, but not the week of Valentines Day. We already have plans for that - DarkKnight reserved us spots at a local tea house and then we’re going to do an escape room, I think. PunkRock and I are going to make reservations either before the holiday or right after to go see the Terracotta Chinese warrior statues which are at an art museum in Virginia - we’re going to go down and stay overnight. They also have a cat art exhibit going on at the same time, which makes it even more attractive of an idea. Lol

Hey look, it’s me!

https://www.amazon.com/photos/share/TWh9fpFbugE6mRWscgEW235CRN700lLaYrW9DcAbH6m

I have 20 lbs to lose again. All I seem to do is yo-yo. At the moment I don’t have the time to focus on counting carbs or anything, so this is me for now. So I am at the weight I was when I met WarMan, which is ok, I guess. I’m not happy here, I want to be down to what I was when I met PunkRock, which I had achieved last year. Sigh.
 
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I want to share my evening wrap up post for this past Monday. I think it kinda sums up how emotionally overwhelming my Blessing Box can sometimes be for me. It really is the extremes sometimes - Monday was heart breaking, and then on Tuesday I received an unsolicited check in the mail from a local business. To say I was pleasantly surprised would be an understatement! Anyway, here is the post - I changed the my name and the name of my street at the end:

Today was...a day like most others, I suppose. However, it really shook me on a couple of occasions. I pretty much worked non-stop on the Box, whether it was sorting, organizing or refilling. Or handing out chicken dinners. &#55357;&#56898; Today was a bit different in that I had two very moving connections, that left me having to take a break and sit for a bit, because I was really overwhelmed emotionally at those times.

I want to talk about it, but for those of you who just want me to come to the wrap up quickly, let me do that first, because I am probably going to go on too long. (You've been warned!)

Needs:

OUT Toilet paper
OUT Shampoo/Conditioner
OUT Diapers size 5
OUT Warm winter gloves
Laundry pods

Box requests:

Plastic grocery bags (like a Walmart bag)
OUT Gallon size Ziplock bags

For all of these items, please bring them directly up to the porch and either ring the doorbell, or put them into the overflow bin.

We went through a little more than half of the chicken dinners, so tomorrow they will be available again. So for those of you who thought you had missed them - nope! Come ring the doorbell and we will get you one! If the sign is on the Box, we have them inside.

Oh! Before I forget - it's going to be bad weather tonight, so in a bit I will be bringing in all of the shoes, clothes, blankets and coats. They will remain inside until it clears. If you stop by in the snow tomorrow and are looking for something specific, ring the doorbell and someone will help. Remember that I teach on Tuesdays, so it will probably be my daughter. &#55357;&#56898;

Ok, so that's the end of the update, and now back to my blubbering.

I don't think I make it secret that I cry pretty much every day because of my work here at the Box. I meet amazing donors, and their generosity is inspiring, so I get all teary. I meet incredible visitors who are in need, and are overcoming many different demons - homelessness, addiction, domestic violence - so I get all teary. I'm a mess sometimes, but they're happy tears, for the most part, because I am proud of the people in this community that I am meeting. Today's crying was different.

Honestly, I don't want to get too personal about the women I met today, as their stories are their own. However, both of them hit VERY close to my heart. Both were older, and facing incredibly shitty life experiences.

One lady is unexpectedly raising her granddaughter. She was dressed impeccibly, driving a nice car. Never in a million years would I pick her out of a lineup as someone who was needing assistance, or who would be ringing my doorbell, asking for a free meal. She told me that this Box is her lifesaver, that she has no idea what she'd be doing to feed herself and keep things going for her granddaughter without it. She hugged me, hard, teary and emotional, and all I could do was give her some chicken. It felt so ineffectual, after hearing about everything. Afterward I went inside and closed the door and just burst into ugly crying myself. Of course, I immediately had several visitors and donors show up, so I was able to recover quickly and move on, and resolve to push forward out of my foolishness.

The second lady visited me in the afternoon, and I still haven't recovered. I saw her when she was coming up the sidewalk, when I was refilling the Box. She asked me if I was BlueBird, and when I said yes and walked over to her, she herself burst into tears, and I had to hug her for quite a while before she could talk. I thought she was there for the free chicken dinner, so I invited her inside, but it turned out she had zero clue about the meal. Instead, she told me her story, how she is taking care of her husband who has severe medical issues, and they're living on social security. They don't qualify for food stamps, and they don't qualify for food bank help. More than half their social security amount goes to rent, and a quarter of it goes toward the medical costs not covered by their insurance. She has to decide every month between food or diapers or medication. She has had a surgery that has left her incontinent, and she needs another to correct it, but due to her husband's issues, she can't take time to go do it, or take the time recovery would require. Plus, the cost is too much.

I believe I posted about the huge stack of adult diapers that were donated recently, and some of those I sent off with a social worker, who promised to get them into the hands of those that needed them most. This visitor was one of the people who benefited from that donation. She tracked me down, not knowing anything at all about the work we are doing, just to say thank you, for giving her some dignity this month. Now she doesn't have to worry about wetting herself in public.

I could see the determination and strength that both these women use to get through the day. They're clearly doing the absolute best that they can, but it isn't enough, not nearly enough. I don't know how to help them. My tears today were in response to that desperation. I sent both ladies off with chicken (yes, even the second one, who it was a surprise to, and who was really worried that maybe someone in a worse situation would come by and wouldn't get any because of her - that upset me so much I gave her two chickens!) but they both needed so much more. They both just seemed so alone in their struggles.

I know the answer to all of this is to just keep swimming - you do the best that you can, with what you've got, for as long as you are able. The little bit of help that the Box provides will suffice because it must. These women, along with all of our visitors, aren't really alone. I have DEFINITELY learned that in the last month - our community is amazing. However, these women are living their lives right beside us, and they are struggling so very much, so much more than any one human being should have to struggle. I never would have given either of them a second glance elsewhere. They're absolutely alone in their private pain. Oh, does it hurt that I can't do more. I am resolved to keep this Box going, so people like this - for families like this - can be connected with others who have the means to assist them. I personally can't do a single thing, but I can continue to be a conduit and a bridge. If you keep giving, I'll be here on BlueBird Avenue. <3
 
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So yeah. I am busy with the Blessing Box and sometimes it is fairly intense for me.

Right now I am feeling anxious about the Journeyman League for WarMachine. This is the second week and I haven’t played a single game since the kickoff event. PunkRock says we can play each other tonight, but I am not optimistic. There is a painting contest and my entry is due on Saturday. I’d say my model is half finished. I hope to spend time painting on Friday.

Last night we played Pandemic Legacy and lost for the 6th time. I am getting really really tired of that. We had a clear path to winning, but we hit too many incidents is all. Sigh. Early June starts next week. Morale is definitely low. We played 2 games of Guillotine after, and I won one of them. That was fun. DarkKnight skipped those games, as he wanted to go relax.

Today I have classes to teach. Last week’s quiz was brutal and I ended up using this week as a redo of the lesson. So no lab today, just quiz retakes!

I got my period early yesterday. Ugh. When it is over, I will schedule an STD test, so I once again have a baseline. Still not looking to date - I have had zero time to follow up with my therapist and I am determined to not do a damn thing until I get a whole string of sessions in. At this rate I will be off the market for months and months, but right now I am comfortable with that.
 
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BB, I didn't check in on polyamory.com for about 6 weeks so I've been catching up with blogs. I missed the beginning of your Blessing Box journey. I find you so inspiring. Needing to take your injured daughter in made it impossible to foster kittens, so you took on a different volunteer job! You're an angel.

I volunteered for La Leche League as a Leader, doing mother to mother support for new mothers who are breastfeeding, and also homeschooled/unschooled my 3 kids during the same time (25 years), but with my current health problems it's all I can do to keep my house semi clean, laundry done, help Pixi, who is handicapped, with her personal care, make food and clean up after cooking, do some limited socialising with friends, and try to maintain relationship with Pixie and my bf Kahlo... I can't volunteer, and my part time job doing childcare has gone by the wayside. I feel really bad to be so ineffective now, at age 62. I am so glad to read of people like you who care about others and do real things in the community to make a difference for those in need.

I also had to catch up on your breakup with SirGawain because you haven't healed from the WarMan stuff. :( I hope you can get to therapy and gain insight and healing from your issues with that, so you can move on to more personal happiness.

It's important to continue self care when caring so much for others. You are worth it!

Carry on with your great work and love yourself too!
 
I have the note to call the therapy office on my to do list tomorrow, so hopefully it happens. :) I know it has been a while so I am probably going to have to go back through their intake process again. It’s ok though - I am positive it will be worth it and a good idea for me to go. I am not suddenly going to wake up and be all better.

Still haven’t scheduled my STD testing, so that is also on my list.

Today though, I spent the morning sorting and stocking the Box, and getting special requests out of my overflow room and into the hands of those that needed the stuff. Then PunkRock came upstairs (he has 5 days off in a row) and he enticed me back down to his bedroom and we just had a round of amazing sex, a short nap, and then round two. I am tired again now, but from where I am laying and typing this, his ass looks amazing. Lolol

Seriously though, I need to get cleaned up, and then I need to get dressed and go back upstairs to restock the Box again. I have been ignoring it this afternoon, obviously! After that I have to go grocery shopping.

I went and saw The Shape of Water the other day, and I highly recommend it. My daughter and I are supposed to go see the Greatest Showman or whatever it’s called with Hugh Jackman. I don’t think that is happening today though - probably Tuesday afternoon/evening at this point.

I did a spaghetti dinner giveaway on Saturday and ran out in 25 minutes. This coming Saturday I am hoping to give out big packs of meat, so recipients will have 7 days of meals - like, some ground beef, a pack of hot dogs, some chicken, a pork roast, and some ham steaks, etc. It will depend on how much we get in donations. I hope I can make it happen!

Recently I was asked by another community organization to come and speak to a church consortium in our area about strong up a network of these boxes in our town. OMG I hope this happens! My Blessing Box Facebook page hit 1000 followers today and we have definitely seen an increase in visitors. Keeping it stocked is a full time job, not to mention sorting all of the donations, updating the page with an accurate list of what we need in donations. Some days I am overwhelmed, but other days it flows really smooth.

My youngest turned 20 yesterday and we collectively decided to buy her a TV. She was so excited and happy. I love my daughter so very much. DarkKnight helped her set it up last night in her room.
 
Wow I am really sucking on updates here lately. My time is seriously not my own anymore - the Blessing Box takes up so much of my day! Thankfully, I have inspired another one in town and I am sharing resources and offering lots of encouragement, in the hopes that its existence will take some of the pressure off of mine. It’s not really likely though - the neighborhood it is in is soooo very different, so they are serving mostly children who are running feral due to their parents being strung out on drugs or not home at all. They go through a lot of snack type things, and so far, not a lot of meal prep stuff. Still, I am excited to have a partner!

I have received lots of messages and even donations from others on this board and I have to say THANK YOU SO MUCH. I really appreciate the support. Did I post about our last meat giveaway? We had a line and ran out in 2 minutes! We gave every visitor 7 different meats - a chicken griller, a pack of hot dogs, kielbasa, 2 pounds of ground beef, a ham steak, a 2 pound pork roast and 2 cans of tuna fish. It was really an amazing experience. This week on Friday we are going to give out stuff so people can make chili. All of this is only possible because of the donations I receive, so I appreciate all the support! Right now my overflow room is really stocked full - we have a single donor who messaged me and told me that it was her personal goal this past weekend to fill us up, and holy crap, did she ever!

I did all of our taxes, and we managed ok refunds. PunkRock’s actually hit his bank account today, which was super fast! However, yesterday we received an additional form, so we are going to have to do an amendment. It shouldn’t affect things too much, but it still blows to have to do extra work.

I have to teach today and I so don’t want to get out of bed, but the Blessing Box is pretty empty and I have to grade quizzes. Ugh.
 
Set 6 of 27 on my aligners started last night. It wasn’t too bad - they’re targeting my bottom front two teeth this week. Ouch. I have to go to the dentist next week to get my next batch and I am already feeling sick about it. Thankfully I am too busy to think about it much.

Yesterday was a pretty typical day here at my Blessing Box - before my first class started, we had 5 drop offs and deliveries and during my first hour and a half Chemistry session, I walked out to discover a huge pile that was probably from about six different donors. It is so amazing, but also exhausting to deal with! I not only have to collect it all and bring it inside, but then I have to unpack it all, inspect expiration dates, mark UPC codes and then try really hard to figure out how to make it fit in the small space I have for storage! Some stuff needs to be broken down into smaller amounts, like the large bags of dog food, and canisters of laundry pods. Those have to go into ziplocks.

Let’s see, my messages yesterday - I had a new mom of a 5 week old who needed diapers and wipes, and food, as her maternity leave calculations were way ambitious - she forgot to subtract the cost of her health insurance, so her 5 week check actually totaled to be more like a week and a half. When she showed to pick up, I talked to her like 20 minutes, and also gifted her a baby backpack. Her 12 year old son was there and he is special needs so we talked about his education.

I had a second mom request diapers, wipes, formula and clothing. She was freaking out because her premie baby girl is coming home from the hospital tomorrow and originally the doctors told her it wouldn’t be until the end of the month. I gave her options to get formula (WIC, her pediatrician would have samples, the hospital should give her a little) and I gave her a small can. She made an appointment with WIC for Monday. Yay! I contacted one of my angels, and she ordered this mom an entire layette - like a crazypants amount of clothing. It should all be arriving on Saturday and Sunday. I talked to this mom for a bit as well, she is really sweet and seemed very overwhelmed. She has two other kids but handling a premie is new to her. <3

This particular angel actually ordered me a ton more stuff to stock the Box, as well as two more special requests that I fielded - a guy needs work boots for his outdoor job, and a homeless grandmother living in the shelter has been back 4 times now, looking for a zip up hoodie. She’s living in the shelter and is feisty as hell. I love her. So anyway, I had a lot of back and forth messages with this angel.

Someone is moving out of state and they gifted us a ton of furniture. I have a list of people looking for some, so I matched them up and DarkKnight and my son did 3 trips in my SUV to pick up and then deliver some of it. Right now the rest is in my living room. Lol We are delivering a kitchen table and chairs tonight. A sewing machine is getting picked up today. All of these required messages back and forth.

I had a pickup of a huge bag of food for a family of four who needed meals and snacks to get through til the 7th.

One lady asked for women’s vitamins for her teenager and those were delivered yesterday, so she is coming over today to pick them up.

Oh! Also, we have a donor who travels to a warehouse sale a few times a year to get adult diapers, and I am going to go with her. She has donated to us before. These bags of diapers are like $25-$30 in the store but at the sale they are $5 a pop, and if they are open thy are 3 for $5! I had some conversations with my Office of the Aging social worker, and she sent messages to all of the satellite offices to let their clients know they could prepurchase through me, and we would hook them up to save cash. I am going to have a sponsorship drive going as well, in a week or so, for $5 donations to help out those who can’t even afford that. I am really psyched about this. I am personally sponsoring the one lady who came to visit me a short bit ago. $30 will cover 6 month’s worth of diapers for her.

Of course I also spent some time messaging with the other Blessing Box lady - I hooked her up like crazy yesterday. She said today she pretty much broke even with stuff going out and donations coming in. Yay! She said that some of the local teenagers have been yelling and puffing about how they are going to smash her Blessing Box and destroy everything. She had her 18 year old son sit out with it for a while, but then it turned rainy so hopefully that calms down. This has always been a fear for this location in town, unfortunately. The kids are all out of control.

That said, there is some back and forth between my youngest daughter and this 18 year old. I told him my daughter was single and when I showed my daughter some pictures, she liked him right off the bat. Apparently they are now Facebook friends and have been messaging non stop. She says she is learning how to flirt. Lmao They are going on a real date soon, apparently.

I had to go shopping yesterday evening for 20 pounds of ground beef, and have it broken up into 1 pound packs. The chili giveaway is today at 11 am - I’m handing out bags containing the ground beef, a can of kidney beans, a can of diced tomatoes, a seasoning pack and a box of cornbread mix.

And then of course, all the back and forth trips to actually stock the Box!

Whew!

Today PunkRock has off work and we have an electrical contractor coming over to give us a quote on the work we need done in the art studio. This month we are doing the new conduit and meter outside, and the new electrical panel. Plus some new wires & outlets at table height inside.

Yesterday was our four year anniversary of our first date. We went to the local Mission BBQ to celebrate, since that restaurant in Glen Burnie was where we had the original one. :)

DarkKnight and I had a sleepover last night. We are still plugging along at short stories written by HP Lovecraft. There was a particularly good one last night! I love that he reads to me still. He is so super romantic!

I haven’t had sex in a week and I am super horny. PunkRock told me to hit him up this morning so I am going to go do that soon. Lol
 
Well we have one electrical quote and I need to schedule some more. Both sets of federal taxes have come back now, so we have the cash, we just need to get it done! The quote that was given to us last August has changed a great deal - the most recent guy did a more thorough inspection and was able to show us that the work we THOUGHT we needed isn’t required at all. The other company quoted us for a meter replacement outside, but this guy actually opened it up and showed us that it isn’t rusted through and it’s working fine, so no reason to even touch it! We added a bunch of outlets and overhead lighting onto the scope of work though, so his quote ended up being $50 more than the one done months ago. I need to call today and get the original company back out.

Lab today in Chemistry. I really should stop messing around in my phone and go get dressed. I need to set it up. I also haven’t filled the Blessing Box this morning, and there was just someone there.

PunkRock and I went and saw the Florida Project at Film League last night. I liked it until the very end. It took me out of the movie and actually kind of irritated.
 
Wow! Hello ice! I canceled my orthodontist appointment today due to the weather, and then spent part of the morning salting, scraping and then salting the sidewalks and driveways again. It’s still coming down. Sigh.

Last night was straight up crazypants with people coming nonstop to the Blessing Box. I would fill things up, and while I was walking back up to the house, 2 cars would pull up. It was the first time I honestly just gave up trying and just took an hour off between 8 and 9 pm because I was exhausted. When I went back at it between 9 and 10, we were still slammed but things did finally taper off and I could stop the restocking. When PunkRock sent me a photo at 5 am though, the Box was looking empty. Apparently people were preparing for the storm!

I am tired now and curled up on the couch. We’ve had a couple of drop offs but so am hoping visitors stay home today so I can concentrate on organizing and sorting. Honestly I kinda want to go back to bed for a nap. DarkKnight took the day off work to go with me to the ortho, and he made me breakfast so it was waiting when I came back in from battling the elements. He’s asking what I want to do today, and honestly, it’s not about what I WANT to do, but about what I HAVE to do. I didn’t unpack anything at all from my deliveries yesterday, and I need this day to get the overflow room into shape. Maybe in a little bit. Right now I am enjoying my rest on the couch.
 
I had my ortho appointment today, and it was an absolutely terrible morning. Because it was a reschedule, neither of my husbands could take me. This means no Valium. I awoke at 3 am and was just dizzy, nauseous, all around awful-feeling. I did manage to get myself there and I survived, but WOW the level of terror that now overtakes me when dealing with the dental office can't be minimized. It's really, really bad, guys.

Well, now I have my next 8 weeks of aligners, and I am home. DarkKnight made me some chai, and honestly all I want to do is curl up in bed and cry. PunkRock should be home soon, but snuggling will have to wait, as we have our original electrician coming back from last August to give us a quote on the basement redo. I can't wait for this nonsense to be over! We will need one more proposal and I am hoping to schedule that next week some time.

My daughter's cat Stuart goes to the vet on Monday, and I am not looking forward to it. He's 13 now, I think? He's old and overweight. He's due for 3 different shots, an exam and senior bloodwork too. Estimate is $290. Gulp. Of course my daughter can't pay it, since she is still not able to work, with her broken foot and all. She goes back to the orthopedic surgeon on Valentine's Day, and we'll see what he says about her driving again. I hope it happens soon. She has a love interest - he was over here yesterday to help with the Blessing Box, and she wants to go out with him, but he doesn't have a license and she can't drive. lolol It's ridiculous.
 
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