Taking Charge! Jan. 2007

Well, we started the year with clean sheets and clean clothes (most of them anyway!)

Our big "take charge" item for 2007 is better physical shape: for all of us! We plan to hike the Grand Canyon this summer and all of us need to get in shape. Details over on the new "New You" thread.

In addition to that, I need to get back to more structured meal planning...that went totally by the wayside all fall.

I'll be taking down the holiday decorations this weekend...though DH and I might try to get the outside lights down tonight or tomorrow (a bit of "make hay while the sun shines"...or in our case "work outside while it's not snowing or freezing rain!"

The DDS and DH went back to school/work today. The dds have been off since 12/21 and DH since 12/23. Time together is wonderful...but time alone today was pretty nice, too!

I have a bit of lesson planning to review to get ready for tomorrow....and I MUST get my finals done by Monday.

Come on, ladies! It's time to TAKE CHARGE (again! )

Love to all!
Lenora

Lenora, I can't tell you how much I envy your chance to take charge - I have only packing and proof reading!

The move and the thesis submission are very close now. DH, DD and I went to our storage unit yesterday and threw away half a ton of stuff, some of which was rather sad, like the table that DH made as an undergraduate so that he could host dinner parties for 12, but is now looking rather shabby! Other stuff was rather cathartic, like our television, which we've decided to finally give the boot to. DH and DBIL take charge of a big van on Friday and drive the stuff from the unit up to our new flat (just by Edinburgh Castle and the Festival Hub, for those who know the place). I submit my thesis on Monday. DBestFriend and I then drive a smaller van up to Edinburgh on Saturday with all the stuff from DMIL's house (we hope it fits!). DMIL brings DD up on the train.

THEN I get to take charge! Can't wait to get settled into the new flat. It's been such a tough couple of months, a bit of straightforward unpacking and settling in is really appealing right now.

How's everyone else? Anyone else going to take charge this year?

Zillah

I'm typing this very laboriously without the use of my left index finger - I peeled it along with a sweet potato

I need to take charge too! Trouble is, when I sit and think of all the things I need to take charge of I get really overwhelmed. I have tried organisation systems but I can't stick to anything. I need to do something though, as my haphazard form of bumbling along is fine right now but I'll probably come unstuck when I find a job (soon I hope).

I'm with you on the menu planning Lenora - I really need to do that. I am trying to reduce our grocery budget even further (yikes) and menu planning will help.

It must feel great to be handing in your thesis Zillah! And how exciting to be moving to Edinburgh!

Oh well. Need to decide on dinner for this evening. Off to revive the dinner thread....

Honey

I'll likely be a no-show for a while (or at best a not-so-regular-show!): I have to give (and grade)final exams, then I get all new students; I have both my state assement for my professional lisence AND my evaluation series with my principal all coming up in the next 4 weeks.

The house may very well fall down around me without my noticing!

Dh and the DDS have comitted to keeping up with everything but meal planning, cooking and grocery shopping...that should help.

My dad had a heart attack last week...and pneumonia... (pneumonia first). He is, thankfully, doing very well and they may consider sending him home tomorrow!

My Christmas decorations are all taken down and most have been taken back to the basement...I still have to figure out where I put my "everyday" kitchen valances... ...one of these years I'll make a permanent place to put them and actually put them there and I won't have to do this curtain-hunt every year!

I'm thinking "smooth move" thoughts for you, Zillah!
...and "poor finger" thoughts for you, Honey!

I'm off to visit my dad, then home to finalize the Teen Foods and Nutrition final, fluff my lesson plans for next week, and do my calendar update/meal plan all before dinner!

Love to all!
Lenora

Lenora, once again you astound me with your ability to cope with so many things at once! Good luck with the exams/students/assessment/evaluation! I'm sure you will do just fine with all of it

I hope your Dad is better soon - was he able to come home today?

On my agenda today -

*Laundry catch up
*Packing away decorations and putting them in the loft
*Working on my list of goals/plans for 2007
*Finding a book to read - I have several unread ones but can't seem to get into anything and I HATE not having a book on the go!

Honey

must be time to re-read the earlier chapters of Simple Abundance again to get myself enthused about clearing up because I've got vacuuming I was itching to do over a week ago (once my SIL and her long black hair left - there's enough hair left for a whole new person!) but somehow it hasn't been done yet.

I have a car full of stuff for the tip because we no longer have a shkip to chuck things in at work and my bins will not take the excess this time. But it was wet, windy and dark when I got home after collecting the kids today so it didn't feel any urgency. I'll go tomorrow maybe, since DH is back late tonight and can take the office while I'm out.

my decorations got put away though, and when the tree went away I used the area to angle the IKEA chair and squeeze in the newly found music stand and a small wooden stool for DD to practice at (and me!). It's in the bay window so it's well lit and because the music stand is up permanently it gets used. Nowhere else has space. Not many other adjustments have yet given me the pleasure that one has. Small pleasures!

Lenora - hope your dad's feeling stronger. I imagine he'll be a little fragile for a while with all of that trauma. Feed him up and coddle him as much as he'll allow!

Kerri.

this is all pretty pathetic, but hopefully it means we're getting on with life rather than talking about it I suppose.

I've sort of got a couple of sickies in the house. I say sort of, because last night DD was all stuffed up with cold and clearly had the start of the nasty cough my parents had all week, and DS started throwing up out of the blue. Today DD was still blocked up this morning but DS seemed fine and now they've got some friends here (whose parents may well come and hunt me down if they get sick!). So I'm not sure whether this will die down enough for us to have a fairly normal week or whether I can expect utter chaos. I've never yet had to work when the kids have been ill.

Actually I realised the other morning on the way into work that I've never EVER worked through the winter. I worked a couple of weeks out of one Christmas holiday in university and swore I'd never again spoil my Christmas break that way. Other than that I did temping every summer, and even the months before I had DD when I was working for DH's former employer (now our franchisor!) I worked from March to August in a country that has no seasons and it's always daylight between 7am and 7pm. No wonder I get wound up having to go back into the office at about 4pm some days when it's dark and very often seems deserted (everyone in the other offices around us works odd hours anyway). I've had all kinds of working experiences but it didn't occur to me that I'd never worked right through the winter before.

I'm going to write some delayed morning pages in a bit. I wrote one sheet last night but felt that snatching some sleep might be beneficial instead... I then spent the next 3 or 4 hrs getting up to see to DS and his upchucking every 40mins or so I think!

I've never felt so out of control of where my life is going as I have in the last few months. I feel like I'm just being borne along on the tide, and that the only thing I can do is to try and keep my head above water until it's time for me to reach the shore and take back control of all our lives. With a second shop opening on Tuesday, a huge increase in the number of deliveries needing to be made and only a tiny intake of staff to cover all this, even the keeping my head above water part isn't easy. We've got some plans though. Our accountant, one of my best friends, has found ways to help take some of the load off us with regards to our accounts and payroll, which has been causing increasingly large problems for us. It looks like we may be able to take on a more senior sales manager to take some of the load off DH so he can spend some time helping me to set up the office side of things and new delivery systems which I just don't have time for as things currently are. I'm hoping my own role will have been dramatically reduced by the end of the year, particularly with DD going to high school in September when I think she will need more support than she currently does. At the moment she's relatively self-sufficient and confident with a good size group of friends, fairly popular with almost all the teachers and her small size makes her a pet rather than a threat. I think that could change in high school where she may not be able to get away with being small and cute. She may just appear very infantile and naive, and attract some negative attention. I hope that's not the case, but she's the absolute opposite of street-wise, which would kind of be fine with me, but it makes her very vulnerable I think. DS will probably also need some emotional support when he's back to being on his own in school - they were both overjoyed when we came here to find that they'd be in the same school. Their closeness is great in many ways, but their lack of independence from each other can be a disadvantage.

I'm definitely rambling now, so I'll go and ramble on paper!

Kerri.

Can you remind me what ages "high school" includes in the UK?

...the month, that is!

Happy Monday friends. It's a holiday here in the US (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day) so the DDS and I are all off. DH had to work, though.

My dad is doing really great; thanks so much for your thoughts and prayers.

I'm in pretty good shape for exams...the tests are ready and everything else is graded and up-to-date. My Teen Foods classes have a written exam, but it is "open notes" and each student will have a cookbook to use as a reference, too. As an "intro" class, using resources was an important part of what they needed to learn! For my "On Your Own" class, I only have 5 students who have to take the final. (Juniors and Seniors who get "A's" for both grading periods are exempt from the exam.) I have drafted a set of oral questions for the students to discuss "roundtable" style. We'll see how that goes! Much of that class is about giving students the oppurtunity to develop their OWN guidelines, goals, and values. I really can't (wouldn't) grade on value-based decisions.

My plans for today at home include making a meal plan for the rest of the week and...of course...laundry! I had thought I'd put up my Valentine's Day decor...but we're having the interior of the house painted next week!!!!! WHOOOOO HOOOOOO! DH and I plan to get out this evening to finalize the color choice. I'm leaning towards Butter Up from Sherwin Williams (which is our painter's brand-of-choice).

Once the walls are done, we're going to start making decisions about flooring!

O-Kay! I'm off to reboot the laundry then into the depths of the freezer and the pantry shelves in the basement...if I don't report in tomorrow, send someone to rescue me!

Love to all!
Lenora

Actually, for once the house (including my room! Woohoo!) is reasonably tidy all-at-the-same-time, though there is a lot of hidden clutter!

In the next few weeks/months I want to try and establish routines of some kind to keep on top of things more effectively than I have up to now. I hope to be back at work soon so I really need to work on this.

This week, I want to work on tidying up on a daily basis. I am sure most of you do this anyway but I am a late starter! I am very untidy and I end up taking hours and hours to tidy up all my paper and books and other mess and put everything away once a week, when I KNOW half an hour a day would be enough to keep straight. So...this week I will try to have a quick tidy in each room every day. Don't have a lot of rooms so it isn't too onerous - just my bedroom, the bathroom and loo, the living room and kitchen. DS does his own room.

I have another goal for this year (which kind of ties in with homeschooling too). This is the last year of homeschooling and I want DS to work on life skills - cooking, washing, ironing, budgeting etc. He already does quite a bit indoors, tidying , hoovering, looking after the dog, but there a few specific skills I think it would be good for him to have.

Now I have to go bed because one of my goals on the other thread is to be in bed before 12

how the proposed new age limit of 18 for schooling would affect homeschoolers. Not that it will affect you guys because it wouldn't come in for a while - I remember thinking that DD will be 17 and DS would be 15 if it does get introduced when they're talking about it.

High school here is the September they're 11 (going on 12) until age 16. In Singapore DD would still have 2 full years of primary school to go (partly because of the different academic year, Jan-Dec) but she's going up this September, much to her bemusement when I told her earlier this month what year her friends in Singapore were just starting! DD will only turn 11 on Aug 19 so she'll likely be the youngest again. In Singapore DS was the youngest because his birthday is in December!

Lenora - I was trying to look at the paint shade and can't quite decide whether I have the right colour. The name sounds like something that might be a soft yellow, but the colour I see looks more like a flesh colour - is that right? I have to say I'm an absolute convert to yellow walls. The kids' room in Singapore was my favourite by far - everywhere else was too dull. When we moved here we found lots of strong colours rather than the cowardly choices most people like me go for. We have a strong yellow in the kitchen, office and master bedroom and I'm still not sick of it. I convinced my mother to use yellow in my old bedroom too because it's north-facing, and I made the mistake of going with white many years ago. The yellow is lovely and so much warmer in that long dark room. Sorry, monologue on yellow wall paint! The colour I saw for Butter Up was similar to one we had as an accent colour in Singapore and it worked really well for the alcove and feature wall we had it on - a bit darker I think, and then the other walls were the paler shade.

have you ever noticed how many times we talk about establishing some kind of routine?? We know it's the secret to making life easier but it always seems so hard. DD's having a judo grading in another 10 days and if she gets the level we expect she'll be moving into the later Friday class while DS stays in the earlier one. What that means is I'll have to get my act together on meals and feed them something early in the evening. It will also mess up my previously brilliant grocery shopping slot! I think we probably have more routines than we realise, because they are the bits that fit naturally into our lives without needing to be forced in with a shoehorn. I guess all routines and habits have to start with a little positive activity though, so I'm going to get the kids to talk about meal ideas for the week and especially for Fridays when they'll need something a bit lighter.

I heard Sweet Home Alabama on the way home today and remembered why I love to play bouncy music. Must be time to break out the Ally McBeal record or something and find my smile again!

Kerri.

I'm not doing it but at least I found the place I can grumble all that's not getting done - some days progress is extra slow!

Since we're not going back for CNY this year (no flights and even less time) I've started planning or thinking about what we'll be doing here. I had a brilliant idea... along with all the other new, clean, fresh ideas that we normally have for CNY I'm tying in the newly organised and spiffed up kids' rooms. Since we'll be saving on flights anyway I thought it wouldn't harm to splurge a little on bedding and accessories, and organising tools. I found the teen version of Julia Morgenstern's book that she wrote with her daughter, and whilst my DD is still only 10 I think more of it applies than doesn't. She's not a little kid any more and although she acts babyish her powers of reason are quite considerable, when she cares to exercise them.

I have yet to figure out what on earth I can cook for Reunion dinner, an I'm thinking of inviting my parents out (or maybe here) for dinner on the first day - can't be for Reunion dinner really because the whole idea for that is communal eating and my father hates the whole idea. That said, we must avoid conflict, punishing children or raised voices in the first days of the new year so maybe seeing my father isn't a good plan!

my painful payroll issues have been vastly relieved by outsourcing this to a company linked to my accountant. They will also be getting our backdated accounts up to speed and sorting us out some new tidy systems for future accounts so that we can draw up all the complicated reports we want at the touch of a button. This is a huge amount of pressure off for me (payroll and DH (accounts) so hopefully we can concentrate on some of the other important things that have been neglected. My priority must be more staff. DH has been doing much better recently because he put up an ad in the shop window. We had an asylum seeker DH wanted to hire, but he couldn't come up with the paperwork we needed to see so he hasn't come back. If he has the right paperwork I think DH would still offer him a job and considering this poor guy has been an asylum seeker for 12yrs I think he probably deserves a break... if he's kosher (excuse the mixed metaphors - he's definitely not Jewish!).

time for an early night since DH isn't around again tonight. Yesterday we had another container to unload and today I sliced my finger on one of the plastic straps round one of our larger products, so it's time to rest and recuperate I reckon... before the weekend!

Kerri.

...sounds so good, Kerri...I think I'll do that too...when I have time!
I'm wrapping up everything that needs done for my state assessment on Monday... so everything else has been rather neglected.

DH and the DDS had a great day outside yesterday, they added three rather large (5-6 feet tall) snowpeople to the landscape. I was inside "chatting" with Lynn and making hot cocoa and chili.

Our main living spaces are now yellow! And not a pale, wishy-washy yellow, either...it's pretty darn yellow. My "Butter Up" color really looks different on a big scale! I totally love it in the back hall and kitchen...I "sort-of" love it in the living room/dining room area, and haven't at all decided if I can live with it in the foyer...the high two-story walls make a huge unbroken expanse of yellow! (These spaces are all open to/connect with each other, hence using the same color.) I'll have to get new window coverings soon...my current ones REALLY don't work with the new wall color. All the rest of the "stuff," is stil in the basement, but I want to clean it all (including the silver service) before any of it gets put back...and that's not gonna happen today! DH's BIL is coming in a couple of weeks to do the floors, too. We're ripping out the despised ceramic tile and replacing it with oak! Yippee!

I hope you are all "taking charge" with gusto!

Much love,
Lenora

Well that's over! And THANK heavens! It sucked.On the bright side, I resisted the urge to whack my assessor over the head with a meat tenderizer or impale him with a steak knife! (Both frighteningly close at hand! )

My yellow interior has really grown on me and I'm very glad I chose a more vibrant color. With the DDS doing such a great job keeping things tidy, I'm able to sit and enjoy it even!

DH is out-of-town until Friday, but I've got chicken in the oven for the girls and I for dinner. It's almost done and I have no idea what I'm going to serve with it, though....

I'm still LOVING the food diary site. I've lost 11 pounds as of this morning!

Have a great eveing, freinds!
Love to all,
Lenora

It's COLD!

We're in the middle of an Arctic Blast and the wind chill is hovering right arond -25 degrees F. Too cold for anyone to be out so we're off school today!

We had a nice, quiet afternoon and evening yesterday. DD11.9 and I snuggled on the couch to watch the Superbowl while DH and DD16 were working/playing on the computers. As soon as I heard there would be no school today, my ambitious plans for laundry and meal planning went right out the window, so I'm working on that today.

I was scheduled to have a pre-observation conference with my principal today with my first observation on Wednesday...I'm not sure how this day off will affect that. I guess I'll find out soon enough. The prep work is done and lessons for this week and most of next, so it's good either way.

DH was gone most of last week, he'll be gone 2 days this week...and he's out three days next week. Makes feeding us less complicated, but I just like it better when he's home!

Well, I totally need a shower so I guess I'll be off!

Love to all!
Lenora

DH has just cycled off to DSIL's house to make some more shelves. If we don't get more of these boxes (I just typo-ed 'poxes', which about sums it up!) unpacked soon I may start climbing the walls.

Lenora, well done on getting your assessment out of the way without bloodshed! And those 11 pounds. Kerri, how's the staffing going? Sounds like a very good plan to outsource your financial stuff. Honey, How are those goals and plans now you have a new job?

What I really need is a new routine. I have an extra day a week to be homemaking now that the thesis is in, and as DD doesn't have any playgroup yet and we have no friends for day-time meeting, we're drifting a bit. I'm thinking to try Monday for main housework, paperwork etc. Tuesday there are a couple of mother and toddler groups we're going to try (three on Tuesday morning in this area. Why?). Wednesday, Thursday, Friday need to have swimming, library, errands, outings etc.. With a brief housework moment on Friday. I'm sure it will soon start to fall into place.

Right now I have the kitchen to get back into shape and . . . yes . . . you guessed it . . . more boxes to unpack!

Zillah

It sounds like you're well on your way to establishing your routines. Good for you!

We're off school again, so I've decided on a "project day" today. I had moved all my knick-knacks, china, silver, crystal, etc. to the basement when we had the painter here...and I haven't put any of it back. Well, today's the day...only I'm going to wash/clean each piece before it goes back in the china cupboard or on the walls.

Not only will it take a good couple of hours....it will take at least twenty trips up-and-down the basement stairs (good for toning the rear-end!)

With my new yellow walls, there are a couple of decorative things that don't "go" anymore. I'm going to gather them up for a trash-and-treasure sale at church and then start looking for whatever will replace them. For certain I need new frames for the DDS' portraits, a new floral arrangement to go in the vase on the piano, and new candle shades on the dining room light fixture. None of that will get purchased today, though, because I'm not going out in this cold!

No big plans for dinner tonight: DH is gone and the DDS and I have fresh sliced ham and roast beef for sandwiches. I made a delicious crab soup last night...that's probably what I'll eat.

That's all from me for now.

Have a great day, friends!
Love to all,
Lenora

Zillah especially... how's it going up there?? Have you bought any thermals yet?? It was cold enough here today so Ihate to think wat it's like up there!

Our staffing... well I've had a few application forms for the office job, some very strange ones, so I shall have to apply myself to those and pick out some for interview. And then figure out how to properly interview people AND how to be a boss. Don't think I'm going to be much good at that. The files are all going down to the bookkeeping people tomorrow with DH so it'll be a bit weird without those until we get them back. Hope there are no disasters in the meantime - can you tell it's making me a bit nervous!?!

We're moving soon to a bigger space just across the other side of the room. It was going to be downstairs in a massive tiled space but the current occupants are stuck there so we've come up with an alternative for now. Just as well since it's cold enough upstairs with carpet tiles let alone being downstairs with ceramic tiles!

I finally flipped and bought myself a new vacuum cleaner - there's exciting! My moter commented on how I seem to 'go through' vacuum cleaners, because this is my second here and I'm on my second in Singapore too. To be fair I've spent less on three of those vacuum cleaners than she spent on her upright Dyson, but it has lasted her nearly 10yrs. I hate uprights and the cylinder Dysons haven't reviewed well so I chose a Miele cylinder, and no more bagless. When they say that bagless vacuum cleaners SUCK I didn't realise exactly what they meant! I ordered it online so it should be here in the next few days and hopefully I won't have to swear at another vacuum cleaner for a while - the Miele was a somewhat more expensive than my other 3 (about the same price as all of them together in fact!).

so much talk about vacuum cleaners! So pathetic!

Lenora - glad your assessment went well and you passed without criminal charges! Nice to find another yellow enthusiast. I'm trying to convert everyone to the joys of yellow on walls. Improvise what goes on the piano... maybe it's time to have something completely different rather than a sightly different version of the same thing. My mother put just about everything on our piano when we had one, especially spider plants which drove me crazy, but looked very nice against the black. I know what you mean about DH being home or away - I try to see it as the best of both worlds, since I can't change it. I do more writing when DH is away and mostly I get to bed earlier. As you say, food is much easier because we often cheat and have soup or something. Not that DH is fussy or a meat and potatoes guy (or meat and rice perhaps!) but in my own head I make more effort for when he's home rather than 'just' for me and the kids. Seems silly really, but I know most women feel that way too, though it doesn't make much sense really.

DH just called from the supermarket (he needed to fill up the car) - he's bought a pre-cooked chicken because he's in the mood for chicken wraps! So much for making more effort. Between that and the number of times we've ended up eating out while he's been home the effort has been pretty minimal after all.

2nd iron transfusion today (out of a total of 5) and I'm not keeling over exhausted this time, just a slightly sore arm. Hopefully after the 3rd one (next Wednesday) I will be feeling full of energy! Better schedule my B12 too since the kids are on holiday next week - I'll need all the energy I can get!

Kerri.

I was thinking about the need to start a March thread on Thursday and realized that we never started a February one! YIKES!

...are we all out there Taking Charge or are we all to busy/crazy to post?

I know which one I am!

I don't have time for a big catch-up post, but I miss being here more than words can say, so I'm going to try to be more regular in checking-in and posting my challenges and accomplishments.

We went to church this morning, then I hit the grocery store. Did a bit of school prep this afternoon and just finished feeding the family: roasted chicken, stuffing, green beans, rolls. DH has been gone most of the last two weeks so I've really let "meals" slide. The DDs and I just seem to grab whatever is easy/fast/looks good.

My weight loss plan took a lower number on the priority list for the past couple of weeks so I'm hoping to at least not to have gained any when I weigh-in tomorrow. Aunt Flo showed up today so I can expect her to join me on the scale, too. I'm putting losing the next ten pounds back up on the list. There are 11 weeks until DH's birthday, so that's the "goal date" for the next ten pounds.

Students (and teachers) have already started counting down the rest of the year! Once I know that I have a contract for next year, I'll look forward to summer a little more. It would be wonderful to keep a similar schedule to what I have right now! There is actually a position her in our little 'burb school being added. I'm still debating even applying for it though...I really like where I am right now!

O-Kay! Must get up and change a load of laundry...some things never change, huh?

Love to all,
Lenora

Well, busy or crazy? Wouldn't really like to say in my case! This week is almost the first since we moved here that we're not going away or having someone to stay, thank goodness. Goal for this week, therefore is to have an utterly straightforward, get all the things that should be done done, kind of week

Specific extras include getting some fabric to make DD some night-dresses, finish making her dressing gown, visit one of the coastal towns which we think might be a good place to buy a house and visit the estate agents there, write some thankyou cards, do some mending and, well, I think that'll do for the moment.

When do you hear about your contract, Lenora? How about that local job? DH has loved working fifteen minutes walk from our flat, it's increased the quality of all our lives

How's everyone else?

Zillah

I miss coming here too... and I even miss being home to the extent that I finally treated myself to Home Comforts to kickstart my spring cleaning (before CNY on the 17/18 Feb - back to being a slob now!). I've decided that staying home half an hour after dropping the kids off and getting the house straightened is making a huge difference. As is my new Miele vacuum cleaner - the honeymoon with that is still on, for now. Home Comforts has definitely given me a small shot of motivation but we all know that it rarely lasts long. Still, even when the motivation wears off I'll still have a reference book and I got it about half price, and at worst I can always use it as a doorstop!!

Zillah - have you looked in Aberdour? I've got a cousin who's been living there for years now so she must like it. She actually went to uni in Aberdeen though so I think she must be accustomed to the lousy weather! Now there's a woman who can get you set up with playgroups. The only thing I find odd is that she and her husband still have a nightlife with two kids. So maybe that's a good place for babysitters!!!

I have to go get DD from her extra maths class... not long now till her big end-of-primary-school exams. And te school info is due at the end of March which is even more worrying.

Kerri.

Ha ha ha. Sorry, in a funny mood tonight It looks very pretty from a brief glace at their website. And it has a harbour, which is a big draw for DH. OK, it's on our list! Next step is the day trip

Kerri, you have my dream vacuum cleaner (can you believe I have such a thing!), DMIL had one and I miss it every time I vacuum.

Zillah

from Edinburgh. I can't personally comment on it though because we arrived after dark and it was absolutely bucketing it down and it had been freezing in Edinburgh for the week (late August!). We were assured by the local (my cousin's husband) that it really wasn't normally like that! I know there's a local kids' playground there because my cousin involved herself in either getting it built in the first place or gettin it resurfaced or something. Her kids are a bit older than yours (the eldest is just school age) but it seems she's been quite involved from what I've heard. It'd be nice to have two good reasons at once for visiting the next time!! There's always an ulterior motive somewhere!!! Oh yes, part of the reason my cousin and her husband like it is also the harbour because they have a little boat and do a lot of sailing.

my Miele may not be the same of course - it's the S5210 and it's a bagged cylinder vacuum. So far it has helped me turn my living room carpet from grey back to red and slay some elephantine dust bunnies under our bed - I love it!

Kerri.

You're not putting plants or flowers on top of a grand piano, right? Because those tops need to go up and down, and water or dirt in the mechanism is an expensive problem to fix!

...are silk, Becky! I have less-than-great luck with indoor growing green things.

I'm trying though...I've had an aloe plant since last summer and have managed to keep one of the plants from MIL's memorial alive, too! (It's not on the piano! )

The piano is an upright, and I found butter-yellow silk roses, stems of berries and some swirly-twigs which look lovely in a glass vase with river rocks of green, beige/yellow and reddish-brown!

OH! and I found an arrangement of calla lillies (silk) in glass with the fake "water" to go on the desk in the foyer. They are the perfect height and color. I haven't found/made a swag for over the front door yet. I saw a cute wooden sign that said "Because Nice Matters" and if I could have something similar made that is just a tad less "rustic" I'd hang that...I loved it!

MIssing you all, so thought I'd pop by for a quick 'hello!'. I've been having some health problems, and with working full time as well I am exhausted a lot of the time and not spending much time online. The job is going well though, and I am enjoying it. Oh, and guess what?? I am going to bed most evenings at 9.30!!! I haven't gone to bed that early since I was a child

Love to all

Honey x

I've been wondering if you'd started your job. How's it going? How's DS coping with an absent Mama?

Kerri, yes, I think that is the vacuum I'm missing We went for a budget option, which was sensible, but I do miss the Miele experience.

Lenora, I'm not much of a house-plant expert either. Can't think why. Outside? Fine. Inside? Dead in a month!

Not doing too badly on the list of extras I posted at the beginning of the week. I have the material for DD's night dress (pale blue brushed cotton). Finished the dressing gown (a much longed-for red one, turned out very cute ). Written the thankyou card. And done a little darning. It's great to have one of those catch-up weeks.

Zillah

good grief!! You wanna be the next Cheryl Mendelson or whatever the British equivalent might be?? I have had mostly budget vacuums until now and kept wondering why I got so frustrated with them so fast - hopefully the gloss won't wear off this one too quick. I hope though that I've learned enough about what I love and loathe in a vacuum to have made the right choice this time. Fingers crossed.

I reckon the plant thing may be to do with plant choice partly. Mum's always had a neon green thumb but when I went to uni my entire jungle of lush green foliage plants died within weeks. She can grow African Violets dead easily but I've never managed to keep one. It's partly fitting the plant to the way you tend plants (moisture loving azaleas if you mist and water frequently, cacti if you're forgetful!) and partly fitting the plants to your own environment - where do you put plants? Is there enough light, too much sun, too hot, too cold, too dry... My mantelpiece is a wonderful showcase for plants, but it's in a darkish north-facing room, so I can't pick plants which need lots of sun, but my kitchen windowsill has completely different needs. I've found that juggling the plants around often helps. It also helps me that my house has exactly the same aspects as my parents' house, so I know that what works on my mum's south-facing kitchen windowsill will probably work on mine, but that her north-facing windowsills are usually somewhat more restricted. Some plants are easier than others but don't believe just because everyone says a houseplant is really easy that it will thrive under your particular conditions. And the other thing - live and learn. After 3 dead ivies I have resolved never to buy another in spite of them being virtually unkillable. For me they die faster than any other plant ever has. In the garden I'm too lazy to be successful, and in the house I have had my share of disasters, so this is mainly my observations rather than the words of an expert - I'm sure you guys know that by now though!

Honey, nice to see you popping in. Even when we can't come by as often this place is still a sanity saver. I think the exhaustion is mainly due to your health and you'd manage at least 10pm or 10:30pm if you had a normal level of energy (as if I'd recognise normal energy if it came up and bit me!). Have you had a barrage of blood tests too to check that you aren't anaemic or have thyroid problems as a result of your other problems which are contributing to the low energy? If not go and request some. My friend did that a few days ago because she had been feeling seedy for a while.

I still find it really weird how much the lives of all of us have changed in the last year or so. Small wonder we can't even manage a monthly thread - should we try for quarterly!?!?!

thanks to all of you for being here because it's lovely to be able to com and hear you voices when I can find a spare minute. I'm getting soppy - must be time I got an early bedtime as well!

Kerri.

the problem with cacti is that you tend to get in the habit of ignoring their existence completely!

Kerri.