Submitted by Sparrow on Fri, 06/20/2008 - 11:13am.
I'm so sorry to hear about your dad, Lenora. It's good that you were able to spend some time with him.
Hi Kerri! Yeah, it's been a bad spring with the black widows. I usually see about one a year and kill it, but this year they're just everywhere. Hairy wouldn't bother me (though they're not--just scary!), but the dangerous part is what worries me. I really don't want my daughter or myself to be surprised by one.
Honestly, I've probably been doing a little too much gardening. I've been neglecting a lot of other things while I've been trying to get the garden in and my house is a disaster. Course, the spiders did add an extra month's work that I didn't expect! I did get the squash in yesterday, along with a couple of basil plants. Rosemary and mint are still waiting, along with another round of broccoli. (Yes, it is the wrong season for broccoli now, but I started the seeds and have the plants so I might as well plant them.) And I have a bunch of onions that have been sitting around for far longer than the 3 weeks the instructions said they could. I planted a few and they perked right up, so I guess I'll try planting the rest when I get a chance.
We were going to go to a birthday party out of town this weekend, but my daughter and I unfortunately got sick. Some kind of chest cold and sore throat. I can't believe how much we've been sick this past winter and spring--I'm really tired of it! I'm going to try to take it easy today and see if we can get better fast.
To that end, my day is light today:
Wrap birthday presents (they'll have to be shipped sometime soon, I guess)
Water plants in pots (lots fewer now that the tomatoes have gone and the squash are planted!)
Sort and wash our yard sale finds (clothes for my daughter)
Wash dishes (didn't get done last night because I felt lousy)
Put away laundry
Submitted by lgunnoe on Wed, 07/02/2008 - 12:44pm.
DH and I had a great day yesterday...loooooooonnnnnng, but great. It was about a 5.5 hour drive to his meeting and then, of course, we had to come home. The actual "meeting" part only lasted about an hour and a half but it was a gorgeous day for driving and, frankly, 10 hours of UNINTERRUPTED conversation with the man-of-my-dreams is priceless. We actually didn't talk the entire time...we had a couple of long stretches of silence...just enjoying being quiet together. It was a good day!
I'm about to run DD13 to a girlfriends to spend the night. DD17 and I are making chocolate candy molds and pretzles for her BFF's graduation party on Saturday. I am by no means accomplished in the art of decorating/dipping so I imagine cleaning the kitchen will be at the top of tomorrow's list
Tonight I have a cheap bottle of wine to finish and plans to make for my anniversary gift: a long week-end away in St. Louis at the end of the month...I'll give you all the details later since DD13 is standing behind me clanging the car keys.
Submitted by lgunnoe on Fri, 06/27/2008 - 11:26am.
...I'm sticking to my kitchen floor! EWWWWWWWwwwwwww!
Good morning friends. I'm off to a slow start today. It's 11:00 and I'm still drinking my second cup of coffee. I did make oatmeal muffins to eat with our fresh strawberry jam. The jam tastes great...but it's runnier than I would want. I'm contemplating cooking it a bit more to thicken it up...of course that means I have to rewash all the jars/rims...If I go that far, I might just process it the rest of the way so I can store it in the pantry instead of in the freezer. I may leave a few jars like they are because it will be FABULOUS over ice cream or on pancakes.
BFF has already been by to pick up her pork. I am, on so many levels, grateful for the relativly low level of family drama in my life. While large, close, extended families can be a blessing...they are also often a source of much pain. Hers is particularly difficult.
YIKES...if I don't get up, nothing will get done! DH will get home around 11:00 pm and I'd like everything to be fresh and sweet when he gets here...(myself included! )
Today's list:
MOP(DONE) I may re-mop the kitchen if I cook later
Dust and vacuum living room and dining room (DONE)
Tidy computer room (DD13)(SLUG. She has a friend over until after dinner.)
Clean my bedroom/bathroom
Laundry: bedding (DONE)
Reprocess jelly (maybe) (DONE)
Nails (at least get the old polish off!(DONE))
...such a little list, but it will probably take me all afternoon to get it done. Sigh.
Hi Sparrow! I'm sitting while the floors dry. I've always said that the idiot who chose (completely) white tile for a family home ought to be boiled in Spic-n-span. This was the model for the development at first and I'm sure the neutral floors were a deliberate choice but MAN they just don't stay loking nice. I don't even have toddlers as an excuse...most of the mess is my own!
"We" also have a blister and a backache! On the bright side...we've got worms! The front flowerbed (and the yard) is about two inches of topsoil on top of clay. If we had been "good" gardeners, we would have pulled up everything in the front bed, amended the soil and started from scratch. Didn't happen. I pulled out several ugly, suburban-development shrubs and have been slowly planting hardy perennials...with the ultimate goal of having blooms from early spring through frost and minimal maintenence! (We're not there yet.) The presence of worms is a good sign. (We also had a handful of toads smaller than the tip of my thumb. DD13 was enchanted!)
Finished everything on my list from yesterday except the laundry. Basement/outdoor dirty work and clean laundry just aren't a good mix. DD17 got all of her laundry done and put away, though, and both DDS helped in the basement. We didn't actually spend an hour downstairs....we did 1/4 of the basement. That ended up being enough to make a huge visible difference without anyone getting short-tempered, whiny, or sulky (me! ) I'm going to tackle the "Christmas" corner of the basement in just a bit....it's not too bad.
Well done on the menu/meal planning/tracking, Kerri! That was the first thing that got dropped around here this spring. Thank goodness that my family is fairly self sufficient, I was pretty certain they wouldn't starve. We ate "on-the-go" much too often, though, and our waistlines are all showing it. You know those people who lose their appetites under stress and lose alot of weight? ....I'm not one of them. I hope to have the afternoon to go through my cookbooks and magazines and find some light, fresh, summery meal ideas. I also need to start reviewing camp food recipes...it's been a while since I fed the four of us using just a propane burner and a campfire!
Pretty short list, today:
Laundry
Basement
meal/menu planning ~ summer and camp
Dinner
How on earth do you get so much done, Lenora? I need to know your secret!
I've offered a bunch of tomato plants and some other stuff on Freecycle, so I need to get those things ready to go. Mostly more garden work for me today. I have got to get these poor squash in the ground! Every morning I look out on my front porch and they're all wilty. Some water perks them up, and then we repeat the next day, poor things. At least the weather looks pretty good today and tomorrow--not too hot, maybe a few thunderstorms. We'll see. I need to do some more laundry and wrap some birthday presents, too. And dinner. Oh dear, what on earth will I make for dinner? Maybe we'll just grill a steak...
Submitted by Sparrow on Thu, 07/03/2008 - 11:20am.
The trip to St. Louis sounds like great fun, Lenora! I remember going to Cahokia with my dad and my sister and just marveling at the amount of work it must have taken to raise those mounds. The arch is always fun, too.
We've got some friends in town for the weekend, so we'll probably be hanging out with them part of tomorrow and/or Saturday. We were going to try to grill out with my SIL and her family tomorrow instead before the fireworks (and see our friends Saturday), but it sounds like everyone's sick over there, so that won't work. Wherever we end up we'll probably be grilling, so I stopped at the store and picked up burgers, corn, and makings for a blueberry pie. (The blueberries go on sale tomorrow--how unhelpful is that?) Oh, and a watermelon, because I always have to have watermelon for the Fourth!
So for today, I need to:
Make a blueberry pie!
Also make brownies, because one of our friends is just not into fruit desserts.
Go check on my garden
Tidy the kitchen
Possibly work on cleaning out the pantry
Put up my 4th of July wreath
Already got an allergy shot
Already went to the store
Maybe drop a registration form off
Maybe pick up a few small fireworks for us to set off
If we get a chance, finish the trellis and put it in the garden. (We did work on it, but apparently it needed more work than I thought.)
...and it started with rain yesterday evening which is why I'm a SLUG on the mulching that was on my list for yesterday. DH did get DD17's box of keepsakes moved to the basement so that ended up DONE.
Today's list:
Make french bread (proofed, shaped, and raising) (DONE)
Dust and vacuum DDs' rooms (SLUG from yesterday)(DONE)
Move DH's winter sweaters (SLUG from yesterday)(SLUG)
DD13 to see Ironman with my sister (DD13's seen it...sister hasn't)(DONE)
Lunch with BFF (DONE)
Laundry: DDs' bedding, shower curtain, bathroom rug (started) (DONE)
Clean doors and woodwork in upstairs hall (SLUG)
Scrub upstairs bathtub, walls, and woodwork (DONE)
Straighten linen closet (maybe) (SLUG)
Dinner: seafood pasta with salad and bread
Visit with daddy
I'm missing my kiddos pretty fiercely right now: missing time with them; missing looking at them; missing talking with them; listening to them.
DD17's Tour Guide's Diary is pretty cool. They're a couple of days behind since they're now in Paris, but it's still great to "follow along." I hope she'll call tonight.
I was so happy to see this thread, but what a sad post to end on. Sounds like you've been spending quite a bit of time with your dad in the last few days which is nice. Hope the pain eases soon so you can enjoy the memories.
I've always marvelled at how Lenora manages to achieve so much, and that astonishment hasn't lessened with me going back to work, because I simply can't find the energy or enthusiasm to do anything much outside of work hours, and I only work during school hours! Adding even basic gardening chores to the list seems nearly impossible on top of everything else.
I can't quite imagine a whole infestation of black widows... spider and infestation are a bad enough combination without them being such big hairy and dangerous spiders!!
Would you believe I still owe Honey an email after over a week - how bad is that! To be fair I wrote a long one last weekend and then my computer died.
I mostly stopped beating myself up over what I don't get done, but it would be nice to have the time to get the enthusiasm to achieve things a bit more often.
....most of Thursday's list ended up SLUG: Aunt Flo arrived in an uncharacteristically vicious mood so I ended up spending the biggest part of that afternoon and the next day on the couch. I did finish the candy for DD17's BFF's party and made a fruit pizza to take to my mom's for the fireworks.
Dh and I watched the John Adams HBO miniseries last week (we Netflix'd it). It was really good. We had read the book last summer. I just finished reading Founding Mothers by Cookie Roberts..Loved it! Perfect July reading. I'm buying a copy for a misogynistic AP American History teacher I know!
I spent most of Saturday afternoon and evening at my BFF's, helping with the graduation party. My BFF is the sister/legal guardian of DD17's BFF...we all met through scouts. Anyway the party was a great success: much fun (and too much food) was had by all!
I did perk up yesterday (finally) and managed to get about 2/3 of my front flower bed weeded. I hope to finish that this evening and get that mulch spread ....hellooooooooooo, how long has that been on my list???
DD13 leaves for a week at camp next Sunday...she's going to Cast Iron Chef camp! I'm hoping she'll come home with some tasty recipes that we can try on our camping trip in August. Speaking of that, the DDS and I need to set up the tent and screen house. It's been two summers since we had them out so I'm sure both need a good airing. (Last summer we camped at the Grand Canyon and the summer before DMIL was so sick that we didn't get out at all.) The tent needs waterproofed and seam-sealed, too, but that may have to wait until the weekend, as we're expecting rain off-and-on until Thursday and we need at least two dry days to get that done right.
I've already been to the grocery store this morning and put all that away. I need to get started on some laundry, though. I think since it's so hot outside the DDS and I may work in the basement this afternoon...it's so cool down there...and such a mess!
Today's list:
Laundry
1 hour in the basement
Finish weeding
Spread mulch (if weeding gets done before rain!)
Dinner: grilled Italian sausage sandwiches w/peppers and onions (don't know what else yet)
DD13 to karate
Unload chairs, table, misc stuff from car (still from Saturday)
Looks like it's clouding up, so maybe I'l try to weed first...I may take the fan out with me!
My big kid is HOME! DD17 has been away from home since June 12...on a graduation-gift trip to Spain, France, Monaco, and Italy. They got in about 6:30 yesterday evening. I actually have her laundry almost done...one load left to dry and only her jacket and towels to wash. Of course, it's all hanging/piled in dining room but, hey! it's clean!
On top of that...it's DH and my 18th wedding anniversary! We have no plans for today but hope to get away for a bit later this summer. I am riding to Kentucky with him tomorrow...just for some quality "face time."(Of course since he's driving...I'll be getting "side-of-the-face" time! )
I don't have much that must be done today. The girls and I are having lunch at my sister's with mom to hear DD17's and Dneice 16's stories about the trip. We dropped DD17's pictures off for developing last night and they'll be done around 10:00 this morning. They also exchanged info with the other students on the trip so everyone can exchange photos.
So here's how it looks in a list:
Finish DD17's laundry and get put away
Pick up DD17's photos
Lunch at Dsisters
Dinner...something with chicken thighs
That's my favorite kind of Monday list: short, fun, and easy!
Submitted by lgunnoe on Mon, 06/16/2008 - 12:56pm.
Well, I'm going to try again to keep in touch with my TNH friends. I can't begin to update you on all of the events of this spring, but in a nutshell:
This is my first official "Monday" of summer vacation. My school year finished last Thursday. (June 12)
DD17 has graduated (May 29) and is in Europe until June 29
She earned her Girl Scout Gold Award and we had the ceremony on June 8
DD13 was confirmed in our faith on June 1st. She just finished the 7th grade
My mother broke (compound/open fracture) her ankle on Easter
My dad has been critically ill and is now in hospice
I'm not quite sure how I managed to keep everything going, but I did...am...whatever.
This morning I dropped DD13 off with a friend and I'm taking the next couple of hours to sort out her closet and drawers....I havent even put our winter things away and most of hers need donated, since she is now almost my size and taller than I am! Yep...I am officially the shortest member of the family...again. Sigh.
Anyway, this is the first large block of time (awake) that I've had at home in months...really. I've been running from school to either my parents' house, the hospital, or to wherever the DDS needed me to be since mid March. I have so much that needs done that I'm not even thinking about it all at once. I'm setting one or two tasks for each day and focusing just on that.
So for today:
Clean and organize DD13's closets and drawers (DONE)
Move DDS' winter clothes to basement (DONE)
Bake something to take to the hospice center (Baking)
Dinner with DH...ALONE!
Evening with daddy
Lenora! Thanks for starting this thread--it had been a while! Good to hear how you're doing, too, though sorry to hear about your parents' troubles.
Over here, I'm hopelessly behind on pretty much everything. I'm still trying to get the last of my garden plants in, which should have been done a month ago. My yard and particularly my garden were invaded by black widow spiders and it's taken me over a month to get the upper hand on the infestation. It's not the kind of thing I can work on with my daughter around (she's 16 months old now), so I've been working on that while she naps each afternoon. Which of course means I'm not getting anything else done during her naps and the house is a disaster! I don't even know where to start, but I know we need to declutter in a serious way.
Here's what I'll be doing today:
Plant and work in garden until my daughter wakes up
Laundry
Clean up a cat spot in the living room
Chicken for dinner
There's a lot more I can do if I find time, but realistically, that's probably all that will happen. Good luck Lenora! Anyone else still trying to take charge?
...it's been a hard week, but we've been surrounded by love and support from every direction so we're holding up pretty well. Your thoughts and prayers are appreciated very much.
Hi Kerri, Honey, and Zillah. It's good to "see" you all.
DD13 and I went strawberry picking yesterday afternoon. We almost missed the season, as the local berries will probably not last another week. We made strawberry lemonade and a gorgeous pie yesterday. Today I'm making half-a-dozen tarts to take to the nieghbor/friend where she spends so much time...his girls have two households and dad lives around the corner from us...(when his girls are here, he feeds my kiddo as often as I do!) I'm also going to try a batch of freezer jam.
I have thank you notes to write; I think I'll try to get those done while DD13 is at karate this afternoon..they're portable and the post office is just a couple of doors away. One dear friend of my mother's put a sheet of stamps in my card; she's just that thoughtful.
I still haven't mulched my front flower bed but by the looks of the sky it won't happen today...and from the looks of the forecast It won't happen this week-end either!
DH had to go to Chattanooga, TN and will be home late Friday. Monday is our 18th wedding anniversary...no plans yet, but I really need to get out for a gift/card for my guy. He has a short, overnight trip to Lexington Kentucky next week. Since he's driving, I may tag along just for the car-time with him...we'll see.
DD17 gets home on Sunday evening. We spoke to her on Tuesday afternoon(nighttime for her) and I think she's ready to be home. Goodness knows I'm completely ready to have her home!
So, officially:
Make strawberry tarts (Take to Ron and girls) (DONE)
Strawberry freezer jam (DONE...12 8oz jelly jars!)
DD13 to Karate (DONE)
Write (DONE) and mail thank yous (forgot to take stamps with me)
Laundry (2 loads DONE and put away)
Sweep (DONE)and mop (SLUG) front and back halls and kitchen
Decide on gift for DH
Dinner with DD13 (we bought ourselves steak and shrimp to grill!) (DONE)
Start pork for BFF's family reunion this weekend (long story, but I'm cooking pulled pork for her to take) (DONE)
Do something with my fingernails; (they passed "need a manicure" about ten days ago. I cut them back last week-end but they need a good soak, file, etc. If our Netflix come today, that is probably how I'll pass the late evening.)
Hi Lenora! Mmm, homemade jam and muffins sound wonderful! I keep meaning to look up how to make jam in my crockpot or some other simple way. Allegedly it's pretty easy, and it tastes so good! I know exactly what you mean about the kitchen floor, too. I desperately need to mop mine--I can't believe how dirty it gets now that my daughter tosses Cheerios and drinks down from her high chair.
I'm feeling rather disorganized today, so maybe making a list will help:
Call doctor to make bloodwork appt.
Figure out the sprayer so I can get some Rotenone on my squash plants--squash bugs are making an appearance
Plant rosemary and mint (this might wait another couple of days--it's dreadfully hot out!)
Put away baby clothes (currently they're washed and neatly piled in my living room)
Put away laundry
Wash diapers
Probably stuffed peppers for dinner
I got everything done but the cat spot...but the dishes from the chicken still need to be washed. That'll be the last thing before I head to bed.
Yeah, the spiders are pretty awful. I shudder every time I see one. Our power company really cleaned out the power line cut in the back of our yard, and we didn't clean up our leaves last fall. I think the spiders were disturbed and moved into the leaf litter we left. You can bet we won't be doing that again! There's still a lot of yardwork to be done--we really let things go last year.
I know, I can hardly believe my daughter's that old myself! She's walking (running, really), climbing on all my furniture and trying to talk. It's so much fun!
Hope all who partake have a great 4th of July... great weather to go with all your traditions too.
Lenora, I swear you get more done each day than I get done in a week. I know you're not at school at the moment, but even so. I'm still trying new methods of getting work and home life organised - I mostly don't spend too much on anything that might not work so it's not the end of the world if it doesn't suit me. I did buy a set of 5 skinny A4 drawers today (company money!) so I can take my regime of having a job or two each day of the week to the next level. So I left the office with an almost empty desk. Whether I'll ever organise myself so well that I'm convinced I enjoy housework I really doubt, but every little something is a bonus.
I also bought fruit today and have a dessert planned. It's a blackberry and apple 'crumble'. I'm not sure which of your desserts it corresponds to but there's no pie crust and the topping is just flour, butter and sugar rubbed together before baking. It's lazy enough but I've still been known to leave it so long that the fruit has gone over. The apples will be fine but it would be shame to waste the few blackberries we get.
I've restarted morning pages in the last couple of weeks, only they're afternoon pages now, so I dash home from work and collect DS9 from school at 3.15, then I write from 3.30 until DDnearly12 gets home at about 4.10. It's not perfect but it's helping my sanity come back a little. I hadn't written regularly in over a year and it showed. My menu planning book is showing small signs of improvement. I usually give up by about April and then start in either September (when the kids start school) or January. This year I'm still going in July. It's probably only one part planning and 9 parts writing down what we've had, but I still consider it to be a minor improvement and I'm hopeful it will get even better.
It must be so nice to have her home! Sounds like a great trip! Happy anniversary, too! I hope you do get away some time later on.
I woke up late today, so we'll see just what gets done. I'm still trying to adjust my schedule so I get up and get to bed at decent times and get enough sleep. I really do get a lot more done on 8 hours' sleep than six, but it's hard to give up the kid-free time late at night when I'm able to tackle things more easily. (Well, more easily until I fall asleep!)
My husband is doing some teleconferences and telework today, so he'll be home early. Still working, but home anyway. He's been building me a big trellis for my cucumbers and canteloupes. We stained it over the weekend and he thinks he'll be able to finish it up today. It'd be good to get it in the garden--the vines are really starting to grow!
So, things that might get done (or at least worked on):
Already unloaded the dishwasher
Baby laundry
Still need a shower (due to waking up late)
Finish trellis and put in garden
Send prescription off to mail-order pharmacy (I keep forgetting to do that)
Work on sorting and storing the children's clothes that are stacked in my living room
Work on decluttering my pantry so I can put things away more easily
That's when the fun begins! Actually teenagers are not that awful! By the time we have them, we've had over a decade of parenting experinece and we've grown up a bit, too!
DH and I ate dinner last night at a new little Mexican restaurant close to my dad. Great food, and we got to eat on the patio which was even better. (Perfect evening weather in Ohio is tricky: we go from too cold to too hot/humid and too many bugs pretty quickly!)
I also got an "I love you, too" from my dad as we were leaving. (His moments of clarity are pretty brief and we don't get them every day.)
I'm trying to get my projects done in a "split shift" today. I'm going to hang out with my dad from the middle of the afternoon to mid evening (3:30-7:30ish) so I'm hoping to get enough done that if I don't get back to it, it really won't matter. Some days I come home from seeing my dad and I feel fine...some days I don't.
On the list today:
Clean out DD17's closet and drawers (DONE)
Move D17's souvineers/keepsakes to basement (boxed, not moved to basement) (I have her permission for the above!)
Dust and vacuum both DDS's rooms (SLUG)
Move my winter/school clothes to basement/back of closet (DONE)
Pack up DH's winter sweaters (SLUG)
Wool coats to dry cleaner (DONE)
Outgrown clothes to charity store (we have one locally that supports Big Brothers/Sisters)(DONE)
Visit with Daddy (quiet, he was alseep/unaware the entire time I was there)
Pick up mulch for front flower bed on the way home
Spread mulch (Totally SLUG)
I also have to figure out something to leave DH and DD13 for dinner. I think I'm going to fry up some drumsticks and leave the sides up to them. (DONE)
Submitted by Sparrow on Tue, 07/08/2008 - 11:59am.
Isn't it nice to cross things off the to-do list that have been there a while? Good for you Lenora on the mulch and the basement!
Crazy day here today--I'm taking dinner to a friend in the Moms' Club. I've already gotten my allergy shot, retitled my car (the old car we traded in still had my parents on the title, and the dealer basically threw up his hands and sent it back to me), bought stamps, and made a quick grocery run. My daughter's napping while I eat lunch, cook some rice and corn, assemble the meal, and do whatever else I can squeeze in before she wakes up, I feed her, and we take the meal to my friend. Possibilities include unloading the dishwasher, more laundry, calling my doctor's office, and calling the dealer about how to send the new title back. Then I'll have to come up with some dinner...hmm, maybe we'll grill a steak and have some corn. Whew!
DH has a revolting big toe which has been troublesome for some time. We originally had doctors telling him it was gout, because he'd been told he had gout before, but gout doesn't make a toe go that swollen and black with cracking skin. Sent him for an x-ray and said they'd tell him if it was a fracture, but that was last week and we've heard nothing. One thing's for sure - driving 7hrs in a day doesn't help it any!! Don't put off getting it checked out Lenora, because allowing for misdiagnosis it could take ages to get it fixed and it could get a lot worse before it gets better.
Such a cheerful soul I am today!!
The whole family's been addicted to a computer game called Bejeweled recently (it started with my mother!) so nothing's getting done round here. I did try to look into booking a few days away somewhere, but the website shut down on me. Think I've narrowed down the where though - somewhere around the Glastonbury area... think Merlin and Arthurian legend, Marion Zimmer Bradley for anyone who has read The Mists of Avalon. I'd put money on Lynn being familiar with it and I know Honey went there a few years ago. I watched a Merlin programme the other day and finally connected the dots and remembered that I've always wanted to go to that area. Tend to forget that when I'm looking at holidays!
Don't worry too much about the whole swimming thing... I heard somewhere that you should only have them in before a certain age, maybe 3mths or much later, maybe 18mths because they become more aware of the danger of water otherwise. Something like that. Just enjoying the water early on and not learning to fear it will be a big achievement really. Took me years to get over my father throwing me in when I was tiny... my armbands floated and I didn't. Needless to say he's got all the lifesaving qualifications, so he wasn't being completely stupid and careless... just moderately so! Learning to have fun in water is probably the most important - the actual swimming will follow I reckon.
I guess I could try to do more for dinner than just take some steaks out of the freezer as I've so far done!
Submitted by Sparrow on Wed, 07/16/2008 - 10:40am.
I've seen Bejeweled, though not played it myself. A friend of ours used it to entertain fussy babies. Glastonbury sounds lovely, Kerri! I read the Mists of Avalon long ago. Read the prequels, too, but I recently gave them away. There was just something too depressing to me about reincarnating the same characters over and over just to have them die in new and more tragic ways. I'm sure the area will be fascinating, though! I'd love to go!
Swimming lessons were better today, so I'm hopeful. I asked the teacher if we could move to the wading pool where my daughter could stand, and she said sure. It turned out the reason we weren't in it yesterday was that it was just repaired and refilled and the water was very cold, which was a different reason for not liking swimming lessons! Fortunately, the main pool has a wheelchair ramp down into the water. With such a small class of small children, we were able to move into the ramp area where the water is both shallow and relatively warm--and I was able to get my daughter to stop clinging to me like a monkey! She still spent a lot of time fussing, but she did participate more today and did a little exploring, too. This is progress.
Now she's napping and I'm working (or at least I will be once I'm done here!) I didn't finish the grocery list yesterday, so I need to do that today so we can go get groceries once she wakes up. I also need to make a quick foray to the garden to squash squash bugs before they take over the place.
So for today:
Grocery list
Grocery shopping
Garden check and water
Water front hanging plants
Unload dishwasher
Wash swimsuits
Order flowers for a friend who's having surgery
Change sheets
There's lots more, but I'll worry about it if I get to it!
...in a very modest way. We don't have big plans for the day and what plans we have take place somewhere else so my prep work is minimal!
DH and I now have reservations for a long week-end in St. Louis. Why St. Louis? ...because we had one free plane ticket and Southwest Airlines is offering flights from here to there for $69.00 each way! We (he, actually) also had enough hotel points for three of our four hotel nights and car points for two of the days rental on the car. Travel perks make for budget-friendly travel! We'll be there from the 24th of July until the 28th.
We plan to visit this, and spend a day here, and part of a day here, and of course...if you knew my DH you'd already know that we'll be going here!
Today, though, I have some normal household stuff to accomplish. I need to pour just a couple more trays of candy for the graduation party this weekend, make something fruity to take to my mom's tomorrow evening, tidy up the main floor of the house, and do some laundry...(always laundry, right? ) I also need to make a trip to the grocery store and cook dinner. DD13 has karate this evening, too.
So here's the list:
Finish candy for H's party
Tidy main floor
Clean kitchen
Grocery store
Laundry
Dinner
DD13 to karate
Dessert for tomorrow (something light w/fruit)
Two more thank you notes
Find DD13's immunization records for camp form (it isn't where it should be )
It seems like there was something else on my mind for today...but I can't remember what it was...Oh well...it will either come to me and I'll add it to the list or it won't...whatever!
...I woke up yesterday and realized that the pain was much less, thank goodness. I still can't bear a shoe touching the top of my toe, but I now own three pair of flip-flops (when before I had zero!)and as long as I'm careful putting them on...at least they get me past the "no shoes - no service" signs!
I'm still holding myself to "light-duty." I don't want to risk being miserable next week when DH and I go away...alone... While having to spend the weekend in bed isn't a horrible idea, having to spend it with my stupid foot propped up on a pillow and unable to move would really ruin things!
Today I have much nothingness planned! I may go out and get a bit of sun in the hammock later. I have small roast for dinner so since I'll have th oven on anyway, I think I'll make some bread this afternoon..ohhhh maybe sandwhich buns.
Anyway, I'm a lump today by choice! I'm in lazy, hazy, days of summer mode!
Submitted by Sparrow on Thu, 07/17/2008 - 12:11pm.
Oh good, glad to hear your toe's improving, Lenora! You definitely deserve a break!
We seem to be making a little progress with the swimming lessons, so that's good. Today my daughter was more willing to be held in a kind of "front float" position and even blew a few bubbles. That ended quickly when she inhaled some water, though, poor thing. Oh well. We'll keep going and see how she does.
I've mostly been doing childcare and running around so far today. Now that my daughter's asleep, I need to order those flowers for my friend. After that:
Put laundry in dryer
Change sheets
Work on cleaning out pantry and food storage (so I can get groceries into it!)
Make dinner
Wash a toddler
just this morning...about 30 minutes before my BFF came to go to lunch with me. It's swollen, bruising, and throbbing like crazy. We still went to lunch...although I had to wear ugly flat sandals instead of cute heeled ones. I've got ice on it, but in order to keep the ice on it I have to sit with my foot on the floor which makes it throb more. Putting it up eases the throbbing, but then I can't keep the ice on the bruising...crap.
I meant to get to the camping gear store for seam-sealer and waterproofing spray for the tent, but DH is going to have to help get that done. He'll be home in about an hour.
Bleh. All bets are off until I know how this stupid toe-thing is going to play out. Maybe it's just a bad bruise and will feel better tomorrow...we'll hope for that!
Ouch! I hope it's a lot better tomorrow, Lenora! That sounds painful!
Fun day here tomorrow--we're going to the county fair! My daughter loves seeing all the animals. We have the cutest picture of her from last year (at 5 months old) petting a bunny and grinning. My SIL is also hosting a book party in the evening, so that's pretty much the day right there. Should be fun, though.
Submitted by Sparrow on Tue, 07/15/2008 - 11:57am.
Oh no, I'm sorry to hear your toe is still hurting, Lenora! Did you have it checked to see if it was broken? I don't think it matters what part of your body is hurting--pain is pain. I hope it feels better soon!
It's been a busy day here so far. This week and next my daughter and I have infant/toddler swimming lessons in the morning. We had our first class today. She was OK with being in the water, but not with all of the activities for which she needed to do something other than cling to me--which was most of them. Poor little thing spent most of her time howling in protest as I tried to get her to blow bubbles or float on her back. I think the only thing she actually did was kick, and that was mostly because she got so upset. I'm starting to wonder if this is really a good approach, but I guess we'll give it a few more days anyway. I don't really expect her to learn to swim at this age, but it would be good if she could at least learn to float.
So today already we've gone to swimming lessons, come back to rinse off, gone to get my allergy shots, stopped briefly at the grocery store, and stopped at the vet's to pick up more (expensive) food for my cat with urinary problems. Now that my daughter's napping, I need to shower all the chlorine and sunscreen off of me and work on my grocery list. (The stop earlier was just for a few essentials--that store is convenient but too expensive to buy everything.) If I actually get the list done by the time she wakes up, we'll probably go grocery shopping and pick something up for dinner. If not, I'll fix dinner here and go to the store tomorrow. I need to throw a load of laundry in, too, and wash diapers this evening. And my daughter needs a bath this evening (and every evening this week) to get the chlorine and sunscreen off of her. If there's more time, there are a thousand other things around here to do, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.
SLUG, slug, slug...I'm a slug with a sore toe. It's just ridiculous that such a teeny tiny part of a body can interrupt everything in such a huge way. I even have a pretty high tolerance for pain.
Needless to say, I've accomplished very little extra around here this past week. The basics are being handled...I do as much as I can then I dump more on DH and the DDS. The girls have christened me your supreme gimpness. DH prefers gimpious maximus. They're so mean!
DD13 is off at camp until Friday. That changes the dynamic around here quite a bit...not the least of which is the phone. DD17 has a cellphone but DD13 does not. (The horror!) She is pathetically and unreasonably required to actually speak in words (as opposed to texting) if she wants to communicate with a friend (we don't IM or chat online, either. ) If the phone rings...it is generally for her and since the BFF(s) know she is gone this week: less phone noise!
I have a bit of laundry to do: two loads of normal stuff and two loads of camp blankets which have been in the basement. I do have a first-floor laundry so once the dirty things are on this level I manage pretty well.
I need to finish my camp menu and make a grocery list for that week. I've already bought a few of the traditional "must-haves" (stuff for smores, pie irons, etc.) and have started a box.
The week-end after the camping trip is DD17.75's party. It's a birthday(18)/graduation/starting college/home from Europe party! I need to start lists for that, too.
This has been good week for thinking...now I need to get the thoughts out of my head and on to paper!
Tomorrow I'm meeting one of the FACS teachers from one of the other high schools in the district for lunch. We worked on a grant proposal last spring and are going to tweak it for a new/another opportunity. I also want to drop off all of my "first day" paperwork for copies. We have a district copy center that copies/prints for us. We fill out a handy-dandy form, paper clip it to a master copy drop it into a box, and one-to-three days later our copies show up in our spot on the copy shelves. It's lovely for me (and provides work oppurtunities for some of our students who have disabilities that keep them from traditional employment.)
Good gracious! It's lunchtime! No wonder my tummy is growling!
Here's the list:
family laundry
camp bedding washed
camp menu finish
grocery list for camp finalized
guest list for DD17's party
start her on creating invitations
begin menu planning/list
revise/update first day paperwork
Print copies for tomorrow
e-mail DD13 (she can't reply...they just get it like "mail."
Dinner: pork roast in crock pot (which is on the DECK!) Keeps the kitchen a bit cooler!
That's my day...I hope my evening will include some hammock-time with my guy l...love my double hammock!
...which is DD's 18th birthday/graduation party on Saturday. We're expecting about two dozen adults and who-knows-how-many teenagers. I'm planning food-food for 50 (they won't all be here at the same time!), and extra munchies for the late-stayers. My mother is distressed that I won't have an accurate head count but I figure the worst that happens is that we have tons of leftovers ~or~ we have to order pizza. Our main food for the "meal" is going to be a taco bar: ground beef, shredded chicken, and all the assorted fixings and sides. Munchies will abound...and of course, there will be The Cake!
We had a great week last week. Great weather, good fishing, fun-and-games for all. I hated to come home, and if DD17.99 hadn't had a social engagement on Saturday, we might have inquired about staying until Sunday. We're completely unpacked, cleaned, and mostly put away; there is still some laundry to put away...but that's a normal thing around here.
Tomorrow I'm going to school for a couple of hours. I"m getting anxious to get back in to my room(s) and start setting up for the semester. My course load is different this year...more like I had the first year so I need to dig out the nutrition and foods lessons that I didn't use last year and dust them off! I'm also going to change the child development course, too. It needs more practical application and less theory.
I'm off to a picnic and boat ride this evening with some teacher friends. DH and the DDs are on their own for dinner (not really, but they will have to get it out of the fridge!) and DD13 has karate. She has her first "belt test" on Saturday morning. I figure DH will go with her while we're getting party ready around here!
Anway, it's always good to come home, no matter how wonderful the holiday.
Submitted by lgunnoe on Wed, 08/13/2008 - 12:20pm.
...one bite at a time!
Today's bite is the upstairs. The DDs and I are cleaning our bathrooms and bedrooms today...I figure if we get the upstairs done today then all it will take on Saturday to be ready is a toss of the dirty clothes, a swipe of the bathrooms and a quick vacuum. Most of the time no one goes upstairs but kids anyway.
DD17 and I also have to look at the decorations and paper goods. My BFF gave us all the leftover stuff from her sister's party so I really think that I have everything we need except cups. We've pretty much given up cola/soda here this summer so I think I"m making fizzy lemonade and iced tea. We also decided not to serve any alcohol, even to the adults, which is sort of a bummer because I'm dying for an event at which to serve my mother's killer apricot brandy slushies. This really is an event for DD and her friends and we don't want to have to "police" a beer cooler or punch bowl!
Sorry about your cold, Sparrow. My allergies have been acting up since we got back, but not enough that OTC meds don't fix it. Parties are always motivating for housekeeping, aren't they?! I remember planning a dinner party JUST to motivate me to get the chaos under control.
I envy you your garden. I planted a few things in pots on my deck...(I have two watermelons growing on my deck!) but really would love a dedicated garden plot in the yard. Unfortunately the only great spot we have for growing vegetables is in the front yard (think soccer field with full sun) and DH just opposes the idea COMPLETELY. My back yard is narrow, mostly shaded and has a pretty significant slope.
Well, my break needs to be over. My kiddos are toiling away and I'm on the couch!
Submitted by Sparrow on Mon, 08/18/2008 - 10:29am.
Ugh, I don't know how I'm going to make it to Thursday. I'm hosting a book party for my sister-in-law Thursday night (she just became a consultant for Usborne books) and I just can't seem to find the time to clean! It's the Olympics--they're throwing a monkeywrench into all of this. Or it's the book party, throwing a monkeywrench into my Olympics watching! I'm not getting nearly enough sleep when primetime coverage goes until 1 every night and then I try to do the cleaning I need to! I know it's not a good way to do things, but when the Olympics only comes around every 2 years (winter and summer) I'm not willing to stop watching to clean house!
Hope the party went well, Lenora! I'm sure it did. My garden is located in the only sunny spot in my backyard, way up in the back. It doesn't get full sun all day, but gets enough for most of what I want to grow to do OK. The soil is heavy clay that drives me crazy. Every year I work in more sand and compost, and most of it's significantly richer than when I started out. It's also on quite a hill back there, but it seems to do OK anyway. The back of our yard is about even with the roof of our 2-story house at the bottom of the hill!
Anyway, today and in the next couple of days I need to somehow:
Take dinner out of the freezer to thaw (right away)
Visit the garden and bring in tomatoes
Write an email to my sister
Work hard on the living room (still a disaster with clothes and papers in there)
Clear things out of the dining room (much better--my husband cleared all his stuff off the table!)
Rinse out the cat fountain
Clean off my kitchen trash can, which looks awful
Clear the last 2 counters in my kitchen and clean them
Vacuum the living room, dining room, and family room (can't do this until the floor is clear in the living room)
Laundry
It doesn't really sound so bad, and usually it wouldn't be, but I lost a week of work time to this cold and then the Olympics started. I only have about 90 minutes in the afternoon every day to work on a lot of this (while my daughter naps) and then whatever time I can squeeze out after the Olympics end. I know it would go a lot faster if I stopped trying to watch the Olympics...but I'm not going to do that unless I absolutely have to. I love the Olympics!
You certainly keep busy, Lenora! Glad you had a great time on your vacation! It sounds lovely. I don't know how you keep up with all this stuff! I'd be completely panicked if I had to come back from vacation and immediately throw a party for 50! Honestly, I probably wouldn't even try. Somehow I have no doubt you can do it in style, though.
I'm sick again with another cold and starting to worry about this book party I told my SIL I'd hold for her. She just became a consultant for Usborne books, so I'm trying to help her out. My house has been a total disaster since sometime in May, so I've been gradually attacking the mess. I just hope I can get it done (or done enough) in 10 more days so people can come over. It's definitely better, but there's still a long way to go, particularly in my living room. I've been sorting toddler clothes I bought at this summer's garage sales in there and I'm really tired of having to apologize for that room every time someone comes to my door (unfortunately, it's the first thing you see when you walk in). So I need to work on that very soon. I need to finish cleaning up the kitchen, too--there are a couple more countertops I need to uncover and clean. Every flat surface in there collects junk and I have to be really vigilant about relocating it. Plus I need to finish sending out invites to this little party very soon so people actually come! And I need to get my husband to clean up the dining room--the table in there is covered with his stuff, since he has no dedicated workbench at the moment.
The garden needs a little attention, too. I really need to get out there and put some fertilizer down. Also harvest--I should have more cucumbers, tomatoes, and pole beans ready to come in. Somewhere in between all of that I'll watch as much of the Olympics as I can. I love the Olympics!
So sorry Lenora...
I'm so sorry to hear about your dad, Lenora. It's good that you were able to spend some time with him.
Hi Kerri! Yeah, it's been a bad spring with the black widows. I usually see about one a year and kill it, but this year they're just everywhere. Hairy wouldn't bother me (though they're not--just scary!), but the dangerous part is what worries me. I really don't want my daughter or myself to be surprised by one.
Honestly, I've probably been doing a little too much gardening. I've been neglecting a lot of other things while I've been trying to get the garden in and my house is a disaster. Course, the spiders did add an extra month's work that I didn't expect! I did get the squash in yesterday, along with a couple of basil plants. Rosemary and mint are still waiting, along with another round of broccoli. (Yes, it is the wrong season for broccoli now, but I started the seeds and have the plants so I might as well plant them.) And I have a bunch of onions that have been sitting around for far longer than the 3 weeks the instructions said they could. I planted a few and they perked right up, so I guess I'll try planting the rest when I get a chance.
We were going to go to a birthday party out of town this weekend, but my daughter and I unfortunately got sick. Some kind of chest cold and sore throat. I can't believe how much we've been sick this past winter and spring--I'm really tired of it! I'm going to try to take it easy today and see if we can get better fast.
To that end, my day is light today:
Wrap birthday presents (they'll have to be shipped sometime soon, I guess)
Water plants in pots (lots fewer now that the tomatoes have gone and the squash are planted!)
Sort and wash our yard sale finds (clothes for my daughter)
Wash dishes (didn't get done last night because I felt lousy)
Put away laundry
Wednesday already?
DH and I had a great day yesterday...loooooooonnnnnng, but great. It was about a 5.5 hour drive to his meeting and then, of course, we had to come home. The actual "meeting" part only lasted about an hour and a half but it was a gorgeous day for driving and, frankly, 10 hours of UNINTERRUPTED conversation with the man-of-my-dreams is priceless. We actually didn't talk the entire time...we had a couple of long stretches of silence...just enjoying being quiet together. It was a good day!
I'm about to run DD13 to a girlfriends to spend the night. DD17 and I are making chocolate candy molds and pretzles for her BFF's graduation party on Saturday. I am by no means accomplished in the art of decorating/dipping so I imagine cleaning the kitchen will be at the top of tomorrow's list
Tonight I have a cheap bottle of wine to finish and plans to make for my anniversary gift: a long week-end away in St. Louis at the end of the month...I'll give you all the details later since DD13 is standing behind me clanging the car keys.
Waves to all!
Much Love,
Lenora
(((Lenora)))
So sorry to read about your Dad passing, Lenora.
Love,
Honey xx
So sorry
My prayers are with your family. I'm glad you were able to spend some focused time with your dad -- that time is precious!
Shaun
www.redseahomeschool.wordpress.com
MUST MOP!
...I'm sticking to my kitchen floor! EWWWWWWWwwwwwww!
Good morning friends. I'm off to a slow start today. It's 11:00 and I'm still drinking my second cup of coffee. I did make oatmeal muffins to eat with our fresh strawberry jam. The jam tastes great...but it's runnier than I would want. I'm contemplating cooking it a bit more to thicken it up...of course that means I have to rewash all the jars/rims...If I go that far, I might just process it the rest of the way so I can store it in the pantry instead of in the freezer. I may leave a few jars like they are because it will be FABULOUS over ice cream or on pancakes.
BFF has already been by to pick up her pork. I am, on so many levels, grateful for the relativly low level of family drama in my life. While large, close, extended families can be a blessing...they are also often a source of much pain. Hers is particularly difficult.
YIKES...if I don't get up, nothing will get done! DH will get home around 11:00 pm and I'd like everything to be fresh and sweet when he gets here...(myself included!
)
Today's list:
MOP (DONE) I may re-mop the kitchen if I cook later
Dust and vacuum living room and dining room (DONE)
Tidy computer room (DD13)(SLUG. She has a friend over until after dinner.)
Clean my bedroom/bathroom
Laundry: bedding (DONE)
Reprocess jelly (maybe) (DONE)
Nails (at least get the old polish off!(DONE))
...such a little list, but it will probably take me all afternoon to get it done. Sigh.
Hi Sparrow! I'm sitting while the floors dry. I've always said that the idiot who chose (completely) white tile for a family home ought to be boiled in Spic-n-span. This was the model for the development at first and I'm sure the neutral floors were a deliberate choice but MAN they just don't stay loking nice. I don't even have toddlers as an excuse...most of the mess is my own!
Love to all,
Lenora
sorry to hear this
My thoughts and prayers go out to you and your family Lenora - so sorry to hear this -
Andrea
http://blackcatchronicles1.blogspot.com/
Sadness
My darling Daddy passed away peacefully about 10:30 last night. We were expecting it...but not even close to being ready.
It hurts.
sorry Lenora
I'm sorry to hear about your dad Lenora!
We've got mulch!
"We" also have a blister and a backache!
On the bright side...we've got worms! The front flowerbed (and the yard) is about two inches of topsoil on top of clay. If we had been "good" gardeners, we would have pulled up everything in the front bed, amended the soil and started from scratch. Didn't happen. 
I pulled out several ugly, suburban-development shrubs and have been slowly planting hardy perennials...with the ultimate goal of having blooms from early spring through frost and minimal maintenence! (We're not there yet.) The presence of worms is a good sign. (We also had a handful of toads smaller than the tip of my thumb. DD13 was enchanted!)
Finished everything on my list from yesterday except the laundry. Basement/outdoor dirty work and clean laundry just aren't a good mix. DD17 got all of her laundry done and put away, though, and both DDS helped in the basement. We didn't actually spend an hour downstairs....we did 1/4 of the basement. That ended up being enough to make a huge visible difference without anyone getting short-tempered, whiny, or sulky (me!
) I'm going to tackle the "Christmas" corner of the basement in just a bit....it's not too bad.
Well done on the menu/meal planning/tracking, Kerri! That was the first thing that got dropped around here this spring. Thank goodness that my family is fairly self sufficient, I was pretty certain they wouldn't starve. We ate "on-the-go" much too often, though, and our waistlines are all showing it. You know those people who lose their appetites under stress and lose alot of weight? ....I'm not one of them.
I hope to have the afternoon to go through my cookbooks and magazines and find some light, fresh, summery meal ideas. I also need to start reviewing camp food recipes...it's been a while since I fed the four of us using just a propane burner and a campfire!
Pretty short list, today:
Laundry
Basement
meal/menu planning ~ summer and camp
Dinner
I might as well get started on it!
Love to all,
Lenora
Uh, let's see...
How on earth do you get so much done, Lenora? I need to know your secret!
I've offered a bunch of tomato plants and some other stuff on Freecycle, so I need to get those things ready to go. Mostly more garden work for me today. I have got to get these poor squash in the ground! Every morning I look out on my front porch and they're all wilty. Some water perks them up, and then we repeat the next day, poor things. At least the weather looks pretty good today and tomorrow--not too hot, maybe a few thunderstorms. We'll see. I need to do some more laundry and wrap some birthday presents, too. And dinner. Oh dear, what on earth will I make for dinner? Maybe we'll just grill a steak...
Sounds like fun!
The trip to St. Louis sounds like great fun, Lenora! I remember going to Cahokia with my dad and my sister and just marveling at the amount of work it must have taken to raise those mounds. The arch is always fun, too.
We've got some friends in town for the weekend, so we'll probably be hanging out with them part of tomorrow and/or Saturday. We were going to try to grill out with my SIL and her family tomorrow instead before the fireworks (and see our friends Saturday), but it sounds like everyone's sick over there, so that won't work. Wherever we end up we'll probably be grilling, so I stopped at the store and picked up burgers, corn, and makings for a blueberry pie. (The blueberries go on sale tomorrow--how unhelpful is that?) Oh, and a watermelon, because I always have to have watermelon for the Fourth!
So for today, I need to:
Make a blueberry pie!
Also make brownies, because one of our friends is just not into fruit desserts.
Go check on my garden
Tidy the kitchen
Possibly work on cleaning out the pantry
Put up my 4th of July wreath
Already got an allergy shot
Already went to the store
Maybe drop a registration form off
Maybe pick up a few small fireworks for us to set off
If we get a chance, finish the trellis and put it in the garden. (We did work on it, but apparently it needed more work than I thought.)
Have a happy Fourth!
Cold and dreary today
...and it started with rain yesterday evening which is why I'm a SLUG on the mulching that was on my list for yesterday. DH did get DD17's box of keepsakes moved to the basement so that ended up DONE.
Today's list:
(DONE)
Make french bread (proofed, shaped, and raising) (DONE)
Dust and vacuum DDs' rooms (SLUG from yesterday)(DONE)
Move DH's winter sweaters (SLUG from yesterday)(SLUG)
DD13 to see Ironman with my sister (DD13's seen it...sister hasn't)(DONE)
Lunch with BFF
Laundry: DDs' bedding, shower curtain, bathroom rug (started) (DONE)
Clean doors and woodwork in upstairs hall (SLUG)
Scrub upstairs bathtub, walls, and woodwork (DONE)
Straighten linen closet (maybe) (SLUG)
Dinner: seafood pasta with salad and bread
Visit with daddy
I'm missing my kiddos pretty fiercely right now: missing time with them; missing looking at them; missing talking with them; listening to them.
DD17's Tour Guide's Diary is pretty cool. They're a couple of days behind since they're now in Paris, but it's still great to "follow along." I hope she'll call tonight.
All righty then! Time to get back at it!
Have a great day!
Lenora
Lenora
Lenora, really sorry to read your sad news. Thinking of you and your family.
Zillah
That sounds like an awesome
That sounds like an awesome vacation Lenora! I think I remember you doing it before, right?
Hope your foot is feeling better -
Andrea
http://blackcatchronicles1.blogspot.com/
Hugs Lenora
I was so happy to see this thread, but what a sad post to end on. Sounds like you've been spending quite a bit of time with your dad in the last few days which is nice. Hope the pain eases soon so you can enjoy the memories.
I've always marvelled at how Lenora manages to achieve so much, and that astonishment hasn't lessened with me going back to work, because I simply can't find the energy or enthusiasm to do anything much outside of work hours, and I only work during school hours! Adding even basic gardening chores to the list seems nearly impossible on top of everything else.
I can't quite imagine a whole infestation of black widows... spider and infestation are a bad enough combination without them being such big hairy and dangerous spiders!!
Would you believe I still owe Honey an email after over a week - how bad is that! To be fair I wrote a long one last weekend and then my computer died.
I mostly stopped beating myself up over what I don't get done, but it would be nice to have the time to get the enthusiasm to achieve things a bit more often.
Nice to check in with you ladies again...
Kerri.
Monday ~ Again!
Good morning!
....most of Thursday's list ended up SLUG: Aunt Flo arrived in an uncharacteristically vicious mood so I ended up spending the biggest part of that afternoon and the next day on the couch. I did finish the candy for DD17's BFF's party and made a fruit pizza to take to my mom's for the fireworks.
Dh and I watched the John Adams HBO miniseries last week (we Netflix'd it). It was really good. We had read the book last summer. I just finished reading Founding Mothers by Cookie Roberts..Loved it! Perfect July reading. I'm buying a copy for a misogynistic AP American History teacher I know!
I spent most of Saturday afternoon and evening at my BFF's, helping with the graduation party. My BFF is the sister/legal guardian of DD17's BFF...we all met through scouts. Anyway the party was a great success: much fun (and too much food) was had by all!
I did perk up yesterday (finally) and managed to get about 2/3 of my front flower bed weeded. I hope to finish that this evening and get that mulch spread ....hellooooooooooo, how long has that been on my list???
DD13 leaves for a week at camp next Sunday...she's going to Cast Iron Chef camp! I'm hoping she'll come home with some tasty recipes that we can try on our camping trip in August. Speaking of that, the DDS and I need to set up the tent and screen house. It's been two summers since we had them out so I'm sure both need a good airing. (Last summer we camped at the Grand Canyon and the summer before DMIL was so sick that we didn't get out at all.) The tent needs waterproofed and seam-sealed, too, but that may have to wait until the weekend, as we're expecting rain off-and-on until Thursday and we need at least two dry days to get that done right.
I've already been to the grocery store this morning and put all that away. I need to get started on some laundry, though. I think since it's so hot outside the DDS and I may work in the basement this afternoon...it's so cool down there...and such a mess!
Today's list:
Laundry
1 hour in the basement
Finish weeding
Spread mulch (if weeding gets done before rain!)
Dinner: grilled Italian sausage sandwiches w/peppers and onions (don't know what else yet)
DD13 to karate
Unload chairs, table, misc stuff from car (still from Saturday)
Looks like it's clouding up, so maybe I'l try to weed first...I may take the fan out with me!
Have a great Monday, friends!
Much love,
Lenora
Big day, today!
My big kid is HOME! DD17 has been away from home since June 12...on a graduation-gift trip to Spain, France, Monaco, and Italy. They got in about 6:30 yesterday evening. I actually have her laundry almost done...one load left to dry and only her jacket and towels to wash. Of course, it's all hanging/piled in dining room but, hey! it's clean!
On top of that...it's DH and my 18th wedding anniversary! We have no plans for today but hope to get away for a bit later this summer. I am riding to Kentucky with him tomorrow...just for some quality "face time."(Of course since he's driving...I'll be getting "side-of-the-face" time!
)
I don't have much that must be done today. The girls and I are having lunch at my sister's with mom to hear DD17's and Dneice 16's stories about the trip. We dropped DD17's pictures off for developing last night and they'll be done around 10:00 this morning. They also exchanged info with the other students on the trip so everyone can exchange photos.
So here's how it looks in a list:
Finish DD17's laundry and get put away
Pick up DD17's photos
Lunch at Dsisters
Dinner...something with chicken thighs
That's my favorite kind of Monday list: short, fun, and easy!
Have a great Monday,
Love to all,
Lenora
Monday June 16 ~ UPDATED 4:40 pm
Well, I'm going to try again to keep in touch with my TNH friends. I can't begin to update you on all of the events of this spring, but in a nutshell:
This is my first official "Monday" of summer vacation. My school year finished last Thursday. (June 12)
DD17 has graduated (May 29) and is in Europe until June 29
She earned her Girl Scout Gold Award and we had the ceremony on June 8
DD13 was confirmed in our faith on June 1st. She just finished the 7th grade
My mother broke (compound/open fracture) her ankle on Easter
My dad has been critically ill and is now in hospice
I'm not quite sure how I managed to keep everything going, but I did...am...whatever.
This morning I dropped DD13 off with a friend and I'm taking the next couple of hours to sort out her closet and drawers....I havent even put our winter things away and most of hers need donated, since she is now almost my size and taller than I am! Yep...I am officially the shortest member of the family...again. Sigh.
Anyway, this is the first large block of time (awake) that I've had at home in months...really. I've been running from school to either my parents' house, the hospital, or to wherever the DDS needed me to be since mid March. I have so much that needs done that I'm not even thinking about it all at once. I'm setting one or two tasks for each day and focusing just on that.
So for today:
Clean and organize DD13's closets and drawers (DONE)
Move DDS' winter clothes to basement (DONE)
Bake something to take to the hospice center (Baking)
Dinner with DH...ALONE!
Evening with daddy
Waves, hugs, and love to all,
Lenora
Oh good, a new thread!
Lenora! Thanks for starting this thread--it had been a while! Good to hear how you're doing, too, though sorry to hear about your parents' troubles.
Over here, I'm hopelessly behind on pretty much everything. I'm still trying to get the last of my garden plants in, which should have been done a month ago. My yard and particularly my garden were invaded by black widow spiders and it's taken me over a month to get the upper hand on the infestation. It's not the kind of thing I can work on with my daughter around (she's 16 months old now), so I've been working on that while she naps each afternoon. Which of course means I'm not getting anything else done during her naps and the house is a disaster! I don't even know where to start, but I know we need to declutter in a serious way.
Here's what I'll be doing today:
Plant and work in garden until my daughter wakes up
Laundry
Clean up a cat spot in the living room
Chicken for dinner
There's a lot more I can do if I find time, but realistically, that's probably all that will happen. Good luck Lenora! Anyone else still trying to take charge?
Thank you, friends
...it's been a hard week, but we've been surrounded by love and support from every direction so we're holding up pretty well. Your thoughts and prayers are appreciated very much.
Hi Kerri, Honey, and Zillah. It's good to "see" you all.
DD13 and I went strawberry picking yesterday afternoon. We almost missed the season, as the local berries will probably not last another week. We made strawberry lemonade and a gorgeous pie yesterday. Today I'm making half-a-dozen tarts to take to the nieghbor/friend where she spends so much time...his girls have two households and dad lives around the corner from us...(when his girls are here, he feeds my kiddo as often as I do!) I'm also going to try a batch of freezer jam.
I have thank you notes to write; I think I'll try to get those done while DD13 is at karate this afternoon..they're portable and the post office is just a couple of doors away. One dear friend of my mother's put a sheet of stamps in my card; she's just that thoughtful.
I still haven't mulched my front flower bed but by the looks of the sky it won't happen today...and from the looks of the forecast It won't happen this week-end either!
DH had to go to Chattanooga, TN and will be home late Friday. Monday is our 18th wedding anniversary...no plans yet, but I really need to get out for a gift/card for my guy. He has a short, overnight trip to Lexington Kentucky next week. Since he's driving, I may tag along just for the car-time with him...we'll see.
DD17 gets home on Sunday evening. We spoke to her on Tuesday afternoon(nighttime for her) and I think she's ready to be home. Goodness knows I'm completely ready to have her home!
So, officially:
Make strawberry tarts (Take to Ron and girls) (DONE)
Strawberry freezer jam (DONE...12 8oz jelly jars!)
DD13 to Karate (DONE)
Write (DONE) and mail thank yous (forgot to take stamps with me)
Laundry (2 loads DONE and put away)
Sweep (DONE)and mop (SLUG) front and back halls and kitchen
Decide on gift for DH
Dinner with DD13 (we bought ourselves steak and shrimp to grill!) (DONE)
Start pork for BFF's family reunion this weekend (long story, but I'm cooking pulled pork for her to take) (DONE)
Do something with my fingernails; (they passed "need a manicure" about ten days ago. I cut them back last week-end but they need a good soak, file, etc. If our Netflix come today, that is probably how I'll pass the late evening.)
That's it for now!
Love to all,
Lenora
Maybe a list will help...
Hi Lenora! Mmm, homemade jam and muffins sound wonderful! I keep meaning to look up how to make jam in my crockpot or some other simple way. Allegedly it's pretty easy, and it tastes so good! I know exactly what you mean about the kitchen floor, too. I desperately need to mop mine--I can't believe how dirty it gets now that my daughter tosses Cheerios and drinks down from her high chair.
I'm feeling rather disorganized today, so maybe making a list will help:
Call doctor to make bloodwork appt.
Figure out the sprayer so I can get some Rotenone on my squash plants--squash bugs are making an appearance
Plant rosemary and mint (this might wait another couple of days--it's dreadfully hot out!)
Put away baby clothes (currently they're washed and neatly piled in my living room)
Put away laundry
Wash diapers
Probably stuffed peppers for dinner
Wow, good progress!
I got everything done but the cat spot...but the dishes from the chicken still need to be washed. That'll be the last thing before I head to bed.
Yeah, the spiders are pretty awful. I shudder every time I see one. Our power company really cleaned out the power line cut in the back of our yard, and we didn't clean up our leaves last fall. I think the spiders were disturbed and moved into the leaf litter we left. You can bet we won't be doing that again! There's still a lot of yardwork to be done--we really let things go last year.
I know, I can hardly believe my daughter's that old myself! She's walking (running, really), climbing on all my furniture and trying to talk. It's so much fun!
Hi guys
Hope all who partake have a great 4th of July... great weather to go with all your traditions too.
Lenora, I swear you get more done each day than I get done in a week. I know you're not at school at the moment, but even so. I'm still trying new methods of getting work and home life organised - I mostly don't spend too much on anything that might not work so it's not the end of the world if it doesn't suit me. I did buy a set of 5 skinny A4 drawers today (company money!) so I can take my regime of having a job or two each day of the week to the next level. So I left the office with an almost empty desk. Whether I'll ever organise myself so well that I'm convinced I enjoy housework I really doubt, but every little something is a bonus.
I also bought fruit today and have a dessert planned. It's a blackberry and apple 'crumble'. I'm not sure which of your desserts it corresponds to but there's no pie crust and the topping is just flour, butter and sugar rubbed together before baking. It's lazy enough but I've still been known to leave it so long that the fruit has gone over. The apples will be fine but it would be shame to waste the few blackberries we get.
I've restarted morning pages in the last couple of weeks, only they're afternoon pages now, so I dash home from work and collect DS9 from school at 3.15, then I write from 3.30 until DDnearly12 gets home at about 4.10. It's not perfect but it's helping my sanity come back a little. I hadn't written regularly in over a year and it showed. My menu planning book is showing small signs of improvement. I usually give up by about April and then start in either September (when the kids start school) or January. This year I'm still going in July. It's probably only one part planning and 9 parts writing down what we've had, but I still consider it to be a minor improvement and I'm hopeful it will get even better.
Baby steps, as those Flybabies say!
Hope you all have/had a great holiday weekend.
Kerri.
What a good day! Happy anniversary!
It must be so nice to have her home! Sounds like a great trip! Happy anniversary, too! I hope you do get away some time later on.
I woke up late today, so we'll see just what gets done. I'm still trying to adjust my schedule so I get up and get to bed at decent times and get enough sleep. I really do get a lot more done on 8 hours' sleep than six, but it's hard to give up the kid-free time late at night when I'm able to tackle things more easily. (Well, more easily until I fall asleep!)
My husband is doing some teleconferences and telework today, so he'll be home early. Still working, but home anyway. He's been building me a big trellis for my cucumbers and canteloupes. We stained it over the weekend and he thinks he'll be able to finish it up today. It'd be good to get it in the garden--the vines are really starting to grow!
So, things that might get done (or at least worked on):
Already unloaded the dishwasher
Baby laundry
Still need a shower (due to waking up late)
Finish trellis and put in garden
Send prescription off to mail-order pharmacy (I keep forgetting to do that)
Work on sorting and storing the children's clothes that are stacked in my living room
Work on decluttering my pantry so I can put things away more easily
Hmm, I think that's enough!
Wait 'til she's driving!
That's when the fun begins!
Actually teenagers are not that awful! By the time we have them, we've had over a decade of parenting experinece and we've grown up a bit, too!
DH and I ate dinner last night at a new little Mexican restaurant close to my dad. Great food, and we got to eat on the patio which was even better. (Perfect evening weather in Ohio is tricky: we go from too cold to too hot/humid and too many bugs pretty quickly!)
(His moments of clarity are pretty brief and we don't get them every day.)
I also got an "I love you, too" from my dad as we were leaving.
I'm trying to get my projects done in a "split shift" today. I'm going to hang out with my dad from the middle of the afternoon to mid evening (3:30-7:30ish) so I'm hoping to get enough done that if I don't get back to it, it really won't matter. Some days I come home from seeing my dad and I feel fine...some days I don't.
On the list today:
Clean out DD17's closet and drawers (DONE)
Move D17's souvineers/keepsakes to basement (boxed, not moved to basement)
(I have her permission for the above!)
Dust and vacuum both DDS's rooms (SLUG)
Move my winter/school clothes to basement/back of closet (DONE)
Pack up DH's winter sweaters (SLUG)
Wool coats to dry cleaner (DONE)
Outgrown clothes to charity store (we have one locally that supports Big Brothers/Sisters)(DONE)
Visit with Daddy (quiet, he was alseep/unaware the entire time I was there)
Pick up mulch for front flower bed on the way home
Spread mulch
(Totally SLUG)
I also have to figure out something to leave DH and DD13 for dinner. I think I'm going to fry up some drumsticks and leave the sides up to them. (DONE)
Well, that's the plan!
Have a great day!
Much love,
Lenora
Isn't it nice to cross
Isn't it nice to cross things off the to-do list that have been there a while? Good for you Lenora on the mulch and the basement!
Crazy day here today--I'm taking dinner to a friend in the Moms' Club. I've already gotten my allergy shot, retitled my car (the old car we traded in still had my parents on the title, and the dealer basically threw up his hands and sent it back to me), bought stamps, and made a quick grocery run. My daughter's napping while I eat lunch, cook some rice and corn, assemble the meal, and do whatever else I can squeeze in before she wakes up, I feed her, and we take the meal to my friend. Possibilities include unloading the dishwasher, more laundry, calling my doctor's office, and calling the dealer about how to send the new title back. Then I'll have to come up with some dinner...hmm, maybe we'll grill a steak and have some corn. Whew!
how's the toe Lenora?
DH has a revolting big toe which has been troublesome for some time. We originally had doctors telling him it was gout, because he'd been told he had gout before, but gout doesn't make a toe go that swollen and black with cracking skin. Sent him for an x-ray and said they'd tell him if it was a fracture, but that was last week and we've heard nothing. One thing's for sure - driving 7hrs in a day doesn't help it any!!
Don't put off getting it checked out Lenora, because allowing for misdiagnosis it could take ages to get it fixed and it could get a lot worse before it gets better.
Such a cheerful soul I am today!!
The whole family's been addicted to a computer game called Bejeweled recently (it started with my mother!) so nothing's getting done round here. I did try to look into booking a few days away somewhere, but the website shut down on me. Think I've narrowed down the where though - somewhere around the Glastonbury area... think Merlin and Arthurian legend, Marion Zimmer Bradley for anyone who has read The Mists of Avalon. I'd put money on Lynn being familiar with it and I know Honey went there a few years ago. I watched a Merlin programme the other day and finally connected the dots and remembered that I've always wanted to go to that area. Tend to forget that when I'm looking at holidays!
Don't worry too much about the whole swimming thing... I heard somewhere that you should only have them in before a certain age, maybe 3mths or much later, maybe 18mths because they become more aware of the danger of water otherwise. Something like that. Just enjoying the water early on and not learning to fear it will be a big achievement really. Took me years to get over my father throwing me in when I was tiny... my armbands floated and I didn't. Needless to say he's got all the lifesaving qualifications, so he wasn't being completely stupid and careless... just moderately so! Learning to have fun in water is probably the most important - the actual swimming will follow I reckon.
I guess I could try to do more for dinner than just take some steaks out of the freezer as I've so far done!
Kerri.
Lessons were better today
I've seen Bejeweled, though not played it myself. A friend of ours used it to entertain fussy babies.
Glastonbury sounds lovely, Kerri! I read the Mists of Avalon long ago. Read the prequels, too, but I recently gave them away. There was just something too depressing to me about reincarnating the same characters over and over just to have them die in new and more tragic ways. I'm sure the area will be fascinating, though! I'd love to go!
Swimming lessons were better today, so I'm hopeful. I asked the teacher if we could move to the wading pool where my daughter could stand, and she said sure. It turned out the reason we weren't in it yesterday was that it was just repaired and refilled and the water was very cold, which was a different reason for not liking swimming lessons! Fortunately, the main pool has a wheelchair ramp down into the water. With such a small class of small children, we were able to move into the ramp area where the water is both shallow and relatively warm--and I was able to get my daughter to stop clinging to me like a monkey!
She still spent a lot of time fussing, but she did participate more today and did a little exploring, too. This is progress.
Now she's napping and I'm working (or at least I will be once I'm done here!) I didn't finish the grocery list yesterday, so I need to do that today so we can go get groceries once she wakes up. I also need to make a quick foray to the garden to squash squash bugs before they take over the place.
So for today:
Grocery list
Grocery shopping
Garden check and water
Water front hanging plants
Unload dishwasher
Wash swimsuits
Order flowers for a friend who's having surgery
Change sheets
There's lots more, but I'll worry about it if I get to it!
Pre-holiday prep today
...in a very modest way. We don't have big plans for the day and what plans we have take place somewhere else so my prep work is minimal!
DH and I now have reservations for a long week-end in St. Louis. Why St. Louis? ...because we had one free plane ticket and Southwest Airlines is offering flights from here to there for $69.00 each way! We (he, actually) also had enough hotel points for three of our four hotel nights and car points for two of the days rental on the car. Travel perks make for budget-friendly travel! We'll be there from the 24th of July until the 28th.
We plan to visit this, and spend a day here, and part of a day here, and of course...if you knew my DH you'd already know that we'll be going here!
Today, though, I have some normal household stuff to accomplish. I need to pour just a couple more trays of candy for the graduation party this weekend, make something fruity to take to my mom's tomorrow evening, tidy up the main floor of the house, and do some laundry...(always laundry, right?
) I also need to make a trip to the grocery store and cook dinner. DD13 has karate this evening, too.
So here's the list:
Finish candy for H's party
)
Tidy main floor
Clean kitchen
Grocery store
Laundry
Dinner
DD13 to karate
Dessert for tomorrow (something light w/fruit)
Two more thank you notes
Find DD13's immunization records for camp form (it isn't where it should be
It seems like there was something else on my mind for today...but I can't remember what it was...Oh well...it will either come to me and I'll add it to the list or it won't...whatever!
Have a great Thursday!
Love to all,
Lenora
Toe is better!
...I woke up yesterday and realized that the pain was much less, thank goodness. I still can't bear a shoe touching the top of my toe, but I now own three pair of flip-flops (when before I had zero!)and as long as I'm careful putting them on...at least they get me past the "no shoes - no service" signs!
I'm still holding myself to "light-duty." I don't want to risk being miserable next week when DH and I go away...alone... While having to spend the weekend in bed isn't a horrible idea,
having to spend it with my stupid foot propped up on a pillow and unable to move would really ruin things! 
Today I have much nothingness planned! I may go out and get a bit of sun in the hammock later. I have small roast for dinner so since I'll have th oven on anyway, I think I'll make some bread this afternoon..ohhhh maybe sandwhich buns.
Anyway, I'm a lump today by choice! I'm in lazy, hazy, days of summer mode!
Love to all!
Lenora
Oh good!
Oh good, glad to hear your toe's improving, Lenora! You definitely deserve a break!
We seem to be making a little progress with the swimming lessons, so that's good. Today my daughter was more willing to be held in a kind of "front float" position and even blew a few bubbles. That ended quickly when she inhaled some water, though, poor thing. Oh well. We'll keep going and see how she does.
I've mostly been doing childcare and running around so far today. Now that my daughter's asleep, I need to order those flowers for my friend. After that:
Put laundry in dryer
Change sheets
Work on cleaning out pantry and food storage (so I can get groceries into it!)
Make dinner
Wash a toddler
That'll probably be as far as I get today.
I think I've broken my toe...
just this morning...about 30 minutes before my BFF came to go to lunch with me. It's swollen, bruising, and throbbing like crazy. We still went to lunch...although I had to wear ugly flat sandals instead of cute heeled ones.
I've got ice on it, but in order to keep the ice on it I have to sit with my foot on the floor which makes it throb more. Putting it up eases the throbbing, but then I can't keep the ice on the bruising...crap.
I meant to get to the camping gear store for seam-sealer and waterproofing spray for the tent, but DH is going to have to help get that done. He'll be home in about an hour.
Bleh. All bets are off until I know how this stupid toe-thing is going to play out. Maybe it's just a bad bruise and will feel better tomorrow...we'll hope for that!
Have a good evening, friends!
Love to all,
Lenora
Oh no!
Ouch! I hope it's a lot better tomorrow, Lenora! That sounds painful!
Fun day here tomorrow--we're going to the county fair! My daughter loves seeing all the animals. We have the cutest picture of her from last year (at 5 months old) petting a bunny and grinning. My SIL is also hosting a book party in the evening, so that's pretty much the day right there. Should be fun, though.
lost posts
having computer issues and posting problems....
testing, 1,2,3...
Busy with errands and swimming lessons
Oh no, I'm sorry to hear your toe is still hurting, Lenora! Did you have it checked to see if it was broken? I don't think it matters what part of your body is hurting--pain is pain. I hope it feels better soon!
It's been a busy day here so far. This week and next my daughter and I have infant/toddler swimming lessons in the morning. We had our first class today. She was OK with being in the water, but not with all of the activities for which she needed to do something other than cling to me--which was most of them. Poor little thing spent most of her time howling in protest as I tried to get her to blow bubbles or float on her back. I think the only thing she actually did was kick, and that was mostly because she got so upset. I'm starting to wonder if this is really a good approach, but I guess we'll give it a few more days anyway. I don't really expect her to learn to swim at this age, but it would be good if she could at least learn to float.
So today already we've gone to swimming lessons, come back to rinse off, gone to get my allergy shots, stopped briefly at the grocery store, and stopped at the vet's to pick up more (expensive) food for my cat with urinary problems. Now that my daughter's napping, I need to shower all the chlorine and sunscreen off of me and work on my grocery list. (The stop earlier was just for a few essentials--that store is convenient but too expensive to buy everything.) If I actually get the list done by the time she wakes up, we'll probably go grocery shopping and pick something up for dinner. If not, I'll fix dinner here and go to the store tomorrow. I need to throw a load of laundry in, too, and wash diapers this evening. And my daughter needs a bath this evening (and every evening this week) to get the chlorine and sunscreen off of her. If there's more time, there are a thousand other things around here to do, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.
Tuesday!
SLUG, slug, slug...I'm a slug with a sore toe.
It's just ridiculous that such a teeny tiny part of a body can interrupt everything in such a huge way. I even have a pretty high tolerance for pain.
Needless to say, I've accomplished very little extra around here this past week. The basics are being handled...I do as much as I can then I dump more on DH and the DDS. The girls have christened me your supreme gimpness. DH prefers gimpious maximus. They're so mean!
DD13 is off at camp until Friday. That changes the dynamic around here quite a bit...not the least of which is the phone. DD17 has a cellphone but DD13 does not. (The horror!) She is pathetically and unreasonably required to actually speak in words (as opposed to texting) if she wants to communicate with a friend (we don't IM or chat online, either.
) If the phone rings...it is generally for her and since the BFF(s) know she is gone this week: less phone noise!
I have a bit of laundry to do: two loads of normal stuff and two loads of camp blankets which have been in the basement. I do have a first-floor laundry so once the dirty things are on this level I manage pretty well.
I need to finish my camp menu and make a grocery list for that week. I've already bought a few of the traditional "must-haves" (stuff for smores, pie irons, etc.) and have started a box.
The week-end after the camping trip is DD17.75's party. It's a birthday(18)/graduation/starting college/home from Europe party! I need to start lists for that, too.
This has been good week for thinking...now I need to get the thoughts out of my head and on to paper!
Tomorrow I'm meeting one of the FACS teachers from one of the other high schools in the district for lunch. We worked on a grant proposal last spring and are going to tweak it for a new/another opportunity. I also want to drop off all of my "first day" paperwork for copies. We have a district copy center that copies/prints for us. We fill out a handy-dandy form, paper clip it to a master copy drop it into a box, and one-to-three days later our copies show up in our spot on the copy shelves. It's lovely for me (and provides work oppurtunities for some of our students who have disabilities that keep them from traditional employment.)
Good gracious! It's lunchtime! No wonder my tummy is growling!
Here's the list:
family laundry
camp bedding washed
camp menu finish
grocery list for camp finalized
guest list for DD17's party
start her on creating invitations
begin menu planning/list
revise/update first day paperwork
Print copies for tomorrow
e-mail DD13 (she can't reply...they just get it like "mail."
Dinner: pork roast in crock pot (which is on the DECK!) Keeps the kitchen a bit cooler!
That's my day...I hope my evening will include some hammock-time with my guy l...love my double hammock!
Have a great day!
Love to all,
Lenora
On to the next thing!
...which is DD's 18th birthday/graduation party on Saturday. We're expecting about two dozen adults and who-knows-how-many teenagers. I'm planning food-food for 50 (they won't all be here at the same time!), and extra munchies for the late-stayers. My mother is distressed that I won't have an accurate head count but I figure the worst that happens is that we have tons of leftovers ~or~ we have to order pizza. Our main food for the "meal" is going to be a taco bar: ground beef, shredded chicken, and all the assorted fixings and sides. Munchies will abound...and of course, there will be The Cake!
We had a great week last week. Great weather, good fishing, fun-and-games for all.
I hated to come home, and if DD17.99 hadn't had a social engagement 
on Saturday, we might have inquired about staying until Sunday. We're completely unpacked, cleaned, and mostly put away; there is still some laundry to put away...but that's a normal thing around here.
Tomorrow I'm going to school for a couple of hours. I"m getting anxious to get back in to my room(s) and start setting up for the semester. My course load is different this year...more like I had the first year so I need to dig out the nutrition and foods lessons that I didn't use last year and dust them off! I'm also going to change the child development course, too. It needs more practical application and less theory.
I'm off to a picnic and boat ride this evening with some teacher friends. DH and the DDs are on their own for dinner (not really, but they will have to get it out of the fridge!) and DD13 has karate. She has her first "belt test" on Saturday morning. I figure DH will go with her while we're getting party ready around here!
Anway, it's always good to come home, no matter how wonderful the holiday.
Love to all,
Lenora
Eating that elephant....
...one bite at a time!
Today's bite is the upstairs. The DDs and I are cleaning our bathrooms and bedrooms today...I figure if we get the upstairs done today then all it will take on Saturday to be ready is a toss of the dirty clothes, a swipe of the bathrooms and a quick vacuum. Most of the time no one goes upstairs but kids anyway.
DD17 and I also have to look at the decorations and paper goods. My BFF gave us all the leftover stuff from her sister's party so I really think that I have everything we need except cups. We've pretty much given up cola/soda here this summer so I think I"m making fizzy lemonade and iced tea. We also decided not to serve any alcohol, even to the adults, which is sort of a bummer because I'm dying for an event at which to serve my mother's killer apricot brandy slushies. This really is an event for DD and her friends and we don't want to have to "police" a beer cooler or punch bowl!
Sorry about your cold, Sparrow. My allergies have been acting up since we got back, but not enough that OTC meds don't fix it. Parties are always motivating for housekeeping, aren't they?! I remember planning a dinner party JUST to motivate me to get the chaos under control.
I envy you your garden. I planted a few things in pots on my deck...(I have two watermelons growing on my deck!) but really would love a dedicated garden plot in the yard. Unfortunately the only great spot we have for growing vegetables is in the front yard (think soccer field with full sun) and DH just opposes the idea COMPLETELY. My back yard is narrow, mostly shaded and has a pretty significant slope.
Well, my break needs to be over. My kiddos are toiling away and I'm on the couch!
Have a great day!
Love to all,
Lenora
Going crazy
Ugh, I don't know how I'm going to make it to Thursday. I'm hosting a book party for my sister-in-law Thursday night (she just became a consultant for Usborne books) and I just can't seem to find the time to clean! It's the Olympics--they're throwing a monkeywrench into all of this. Or it's the book party, throwing a monkeywrench into my Olympics watching!
I'm not getting nearly enough sleep when primetime coverage goes until 1 every night and then I try to do the cleaning I need to! I know it's not a good way to do things, but when the Olympics only comes around every 2 years (winter and summer) I'm not willing to stop watching to clean house!
Hope the party went well, Lenora! I'm sure it did.
My garden is located in the only sunny spot in my backyard, way up in the back. It doesn't get full sun all day, but gets enough for most of what I want to grow to do OK. The soil is heavy clay that drives me crazy. Every year I work in more sand and compost, and most of it's significantly richer than when I started out. It's also on quite a hill back there, but it seems to do OK anyway. The back of our yard is about even with the roof of our 2-story house at the bottom of the hill!
Anyway, today and in the next couple of days I need to somehow:
Take dinner out of the freezer to thaw (right away)
Visit the garden and bring in tomatoes
Write an email to my sister
Work hard on the living room (still a disaster with clothes and papers in there)
Clear things out of the dining room (much better--my husband cleared all his stuff off the table!)
Rinse out the cat fountain
Clean off my kitchen trash can, which looks awful
Clear the last 2 counters in my kitchen and clean them
Vacuum the living room, dining room, and family room (can't do this until the floor is clear in the living room)
Laundry
It doesn't really sound so bad, and usually it wouldn't be, but I lost a week of work time to this cold and then the Olympics started. I only have about 90 minutes in the afternoon every day to work on a lot of this (while my daughter naps) and then whatever time I can squeeze out after the Olympics end. I know it would go a lot faster if I stopped trying to watch the Olympics...but I'm not going to do that unless I absolutely have to. I love the Olympics!
Hi Lenora! Busy busy here!
You certainly keep busy, Lenora! Glad you had a great time on your vacation! It sounds lovely. I don't know how you keep up with all this stuff! I'd be completely panicked if I had to come back from vacation and immediately throw a party for 50! Honestly, I probably wouldn't even try. Somehow I have no doubt you can do it in style, though.
I'm sick again with another cold and starting to worry about this book party I told my SIL I'd hold for her. She just became a consultant for Usborne books, so I'm trying to help her out. My house has been a total disaster since sometime in May, so I've been gradually attacking the mess. I just hope I can get it done (or done enough) in 10 more days so people can come over. It's definitely better, but there's still a long way to go, particularly in my living room. I've been sorting toddler clothes I bought at this summer's garage sales in there and I'm really tired of having to apologize for that room every time someone comes to my door (unfortunately, it's the first thing you see when you walk in). So I need to work on that very soon. I need to finish cleaning up the kitchen, too--there are a couple more countertops I need to uncover and clean. Every flat surface in there collects junk and I have to be really vigilant about relocating it. Plus I need to finish sending out invites to this little party very soon so people actually come! And I need to get my husband to clean up the dining room--the table in there is covered with his stuff, since he has no dedicated workbench at the moment.
The garden needs a little attention, too. I really need to get out there and put some fertilizer down. Also harvest--I should have more cucumbers, tomatoes, and pole beans ready to come in. Somewhere in between all of that I'll watch as much of the Olympics as I can. I love the Olympics!
Whew! Busy, busy! Better go get to work!
EWWWWWWW! Spiders!
Yikes, I'm glad I haven't had THOSE to worry about.
I can't believe your DD is that old already. Gosh, this year went by so fast!
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