New lady working out fine

I was nervous all day yesterday. I interviewed about 5 ladies, all with their own cars, for the position. I followed my instinct and hired the one lady , Mrs. T, based on my gut feeling. She struck me as calm, quiet, confident and dignified. Her English is not as good as some of the other ladies, but I had a good feeling from talking to her. She arrived slightly ahead of schedule this morning, and she was a workhorse all day. She was very concerned with anticipating my needs and pitching in wherever needed. I hope she enjoys working here.

The worst part of the day was giving notice to Mrs. L. I explained that I need somebody 5 days instead of 2. It really is the truth. If she stopped bringing in her granddaughter, I would still not keep her for the 2 days. I want someone 5 days. I don't know how she took it. She got quiet. I will hopefully find out from my neighbor how she is doing, and if she wanted to be set up with another job or stay home with the little one for those days.

Tonight is Open House night at the elementary school. We just finished the project my son was doing for his 3rd grade class yesterday and turned it in. He had to make a city building for the Rocksaboxen project. I think we did a good job with this one. I have experience making cardboard buildings for the missions my older kids did. In California, all kids have to make a mission in 4th grade. I used my old roofing technique of peeling the top layer off of a cardboard box to expose the corrugation underneath. 2 pieces of that laid on top as the roof look an awful lot like a tile roof. And I got a piece of grass-type mat from the train store, along with 3 nice looking miniature trees and doors and windows. I can't wait to go to the school to see how the other families made their projects.

In other good news, I have gotten a lot of compliments lately on my body. The ladies at the employment agency said they could not believe I had 6 kids in the shape I am in, and that I am over 40 with a kid in college. They asked how I stay in shape and about my complexion and stuff. One of the neighbors also said something about my weight loss and being so thin after the baby. And last but not least, my husband told me I looked "hot".

I drove past a medical office for a plastic surgeon this morning that was called "Body by Dr. X". Hmmmm. My body is not perfect. I have a flabby tummy with 500 stretch marks that no matter how much weight I could lose, it would never look youthful and flat. Did I ever want a body by Dr. X? I answered a resounding NO! I don't want to live life as a cut-up version of myself. Maybe this seems an odd line of thought, but in Southern California, many people see plastic surgery as a necessity. By avoiding the surgeon, one is practically a maverick. I don't expect to look young forever. I can still manage looking good in my early 40s, but when I start aging for real, I hope I remember to cherish my hard-won age lines, and not hate myself for them. I loved every inch of my grandmother when I was young. I'm glad she looked like herself. And I think I am worth just as much. Those who love me will continue to love me as I age. I will not have a body by XYZ. I think that is a *good* thing.