...I finished the old year with company in the house. Surprise! And what's more had another who was jockeying to come in for an extended weekend stay.
Well here's the New Year, and John's recognized that we are in a pattern of hospitality. He asked me today if we could just say "No" now and then And I expect he's quite right. It's lovely to have so many assume we'd welcome them and that they might stay an extended length of time, but it's not always the best time for us. Currently our youngest son will be here one or two nights every week until he and his family can settle into the area. In the meantime, he must be in the area to do his job and it makes no burden upon us to have him here. He comes in after work, usually works a bit and then goes to bed. He leaves early and is always quiet. We must now consider him as well as our own work and life schedules and plan accordingly.
His being here means more time with his family. I can't say it's altogether a bad thing but as I reminded John today, "It's a season."
I also feel a bit like I'm paddling hard and a waterfall is looming just ahead. I've been trying to handle company and work Jamberry and take care of long neglected household duties and...Well I figure it's all a bit like starting a new job. It's overwhelming and tiring just at first but it's going to all settle down and just run smoothly after a while. Really. Hope so, lol.
His being here means more time with his family. I can't say it's altogether a bad thing but as I reminded John today, "It's a season."
I also feel a bit like I'm paddling hard and a waterfall is looming just ahead. I've been trying to handle company and work Jamberry and take care of long neglected household duties and...Well I figure it's all a bit like starting a new job. It's overwhelming and tiring just at first but it's going to all settle down and just run smoothly after a while. Really. Hope so, lol.
It's been lovely cold weather all week. I don't mind cold in the winter months. That's the way it's meant to be right? It's unusual that we get extended cold but I've certainly enjoyed it. It makes cozying up to the heater awfully nice and of course, I get to cook the hearty stews and roasts that I like best. Not to mention how nice it is to snuggle under quilts at night.
...I plan my work:
Planning my Jamberry launch party which starts Sunday at 4p and runs through Friday evening. If any of you would like a facebook invite then message me here with your facebook id or contact me via private messenger on facebook and I'll add you in. I've worked on games, prizes, and more.
I spent all of New Year's morning in the kitchen. John asked me to make Chili Mac for dinner. He's no believer in the Southern tradition of eating black eyed peas, rice and greens on New Year's day. Truth told, I kinda miss it but I never noticed in all the years of eating those foods that they brought a bit of help in the money area, so it seems reasonable that any other day would do just as well for the same food, right?
What I did do was make chili and cooked macaroni. I made a pan of mac and cheese for the freezer, put a quart jar of chili into the freezer, fed us dinner and had a big casserole of leftovers of chili mac. I really had not wanted a lot of leftovers but I don't seem to manage that end very well. Note to self, put away twice as much and then combine my chili and macaroni for chili mac.
On Sunday I did two big loads of towels, blankets and sheets. John did several full loads of clothes as the week went on.
I washed dishes by hand and in the dishwasher. All air dried.
I cleaned that oven. Oh.My. Messy and not where I want it but way yonder better than it was. And thanks to the oven cleaner I used I didn't have to deal with the stinky smell. Thank you Debby in KS. There will be a post on this amazing stuff!
Sorted out a pile of paper work and took the time to shred it.
Washed and hung to dry a load of laundry which included that very dirty looking rug from the kitchen. It looks so much nicer now!
Set up a few more outfits for future wears. Stain treated some tops that I'll launder myself. John is convinced ALL my tops will stand up to warm water and dryer. Not true! These particular blouses will be done in a gentle load a little later. In the meantime the stains are treated and they are hung in the laundry area to await the small load of wash I will do.
Pulled out all the clothes I know I'm not going to wear. I'm debating putting some of them in a consignment shop since they are really well made and higher end pieces that were given to me. They are not my style however.
Jamberry has a week of webinars for consultants and I've spent at least 40 minutes every day listening to those and jotting down notes and then doing the follow up work related to them. I'm also trying to build my party list and plan for that. It's more work than I'd thought but work is work is work.
I cleaned that oven. Oh.My. Messy and not where I want it but way yonder better than it was. And thanks to the oven cleaner I used I didn't have to deal with the stinky smell. Thank you Debby in KS. There will be a post on this amazing stuff!
Sorted out a pile of paper work and took the time to shred it.
Washed and hung to dry a load of laundry which included that very dirty looking rug from the kitchen. It looks so much nicer now!
Set up a few more outfits for future wears. Stain treated some tops that I'll launder myself. John is convinced ALL my tops will stand up to warm water and dryer. Not true! These particular blouses will be done in a gentle load a little later. In the meantime the stains are treated and they are hung in the laundry area to await the small load of wash I will do.
Pulled out all the clothes I know I'm not going to wear. I'm debating putting some of them in a consignment shop since they are really well made and higher end pieces that were given to me. They are not my style however.
Jamberry has a week of webinars for consultants and I've spent at least 40 minutes every day listening to those and jotting down notes and then doing the follow up work related to them. I'm also trying to build my party list and plan for that. It's more work than I'd thought but work is work is work.
...I made meals:
Roast Beef, Mashed Potatoes, Onion Gravy, Steamed Broccoli with Cheese
on my own, I stopped for a burger on the way home
Chili Mac
John wanted to stop for burgers on the way home.
on my own. I ate an entrée from the freezer.
Roast Beef Hash...and nope we had no vegetables or fruits with it. Just roast beef hash.
...I saved money:
I bought dinner out on Sunday but paid for it out of my allowance.
In the grocery store, I stuck hard to my list: bread, batteries, paper, chicken. Done.
I washed two full loads of clothes. Miserable drizzly cold weather meant no hanging out of sheets or towels so I carefully timed loads of clothes to dry in least amount of time as possible. I reused the dryer sheet from one load to another.
Bought some Gypsophilia (Baby's Breath) to extend the life of a bouquet of flowers purchased before Christmas.
When Josh said "And now dessert," after cleaning his plate Saturday, I didn't blink once. I had loads of cookies in the freezer from Christmas and I just pulled some out. He had his dessert.
Saved roast leftovers, gravy leftovers, mashed potato leftovers all in one container. We'll have roast beef hash one day this week.
Plenty of cold weather here this week. I've used the propane heater to offset the electric heater so it wouldn't run so very much. At night we've opened bathroom and kitchen sink cabinets for those and allowed heat to reach those pipes. Both are on outside walls and tend to freeze in these really low temperatures we've had.
Well the ants drew a line in the sand at last and John decided to cross it. We've been fighting them steadily in various spots about the house, all non food locations. This morning they were in the shower and all over the kitchen floor. Done. We called a pest control service and will have our first service on Friday.
On a roll with the phone calls, John made another one and we'll get our first quotation on new windows in two weeks. How is this saving money? Both will add to our quality of life overall. No more having to
We went out on Tuesday to do some shopping. Not one grocery hit the cart. We stuck to our list and that's what we purchased. I was very specific in what I needed for my Jamberry items to organize them and found reasonable low cost solutions.
Mixed up the homemade oven cleaner Debby in KS supplied me with. Excellent stuff.
John suckered me in. We have the new tv. We have no HDMI which means no high def and for whatever reason that is mighty important to John. Sam brought in a cable from his dad's house today to try it out. Turns out it was our receiver. This turned into a huge money saver, not because HDMI cables are expensive. They are not. That's about $11 but just watch how this turned into over savings.
John went online and followed all the tips to reboot the receiver. No go. So...next we had to call to order a new receiver. That is replaced free. However shipping is $19.95. UNLESS you sign up for a service maintenance on equipment and then it's $7.99. You can cancel after 30 days but not before, savings $11 and change. So that's $22 so far we've saved. While on the phone the young man told me he could handle billing for me as well and I asked to find a way to reduce our costs. There was a $5 fee we could acquire but I was fishing for bigger savings though I accepted the $5 a month. Total now $82. I thanked the young man but asked to be switched to a supervisor.
The supervisor looked for further discounts and then suggested we switch plans. Savings an extra $15 a month. Total for all the savings: $262. This will pay for our pest control services for the year!
Made roast beef hash. Using leftovers is as important as planning meals.
I mixed up egg salad and pimento cheese for sandwiches.
Made a loaf of cranberry orange nut bread. I used zest and juice from an orange to extend a half bottle of juice I had in the fridge.
I wanted to give Bess something special for her birthday but couldn't think of a thing. Then I found the most perfect quote on a beautiful background. I printed on my home computer and will frame it for her. I think she'll like it.
John wanted to stop for burgers on the way home.
on my own. I ate an entrée from the freezer.
Roast Beef Hash...and nope we had no vegetables or fruits with it. Just roast beef hash.
...I saved money:
I bought dinner out on Sunday but paid for it out of my allowance.
In the grocery store, I stuck hard to my list: bread, batteries, paper, chicken. Done.
I washed two full loads of clothes. Miserable drizzly cold weather meant no hanging out of sheets or towels so I carefully timed loads of clothes to dry in least amount of time as possible. I reused the dryer sheet from one load to another.
Bought some Gypsophilia (Baby's Breath) to extend the life of a bouquet of flowers purchased before Christmas.
When Josh said "And now dessert," after cleaning his plate Saturday, I didn't blink once. I had loads of cookies in the freezer from Christmas and I just pulled some out. He had his dessert.
Saved roast leftovers, gravy leftovers, mashed potato leftovers all in one container. We'll have roast beef hash one day this week.
Plenty of cold weather here this week. I've used the propane heater to offset the electric heater so it wouldn't run so very much. At night we've opened bathroom and kitchen sink cabinets for those and allowed heat to reach those pipes. Both are on outside walls and tend to freeze in these really low temperatures we've had.
Well the ants drew a line in the sand at last and John decided to cross it. We've been fighting them steadily in various spots about the house, all non food locations. This morning they were in the shower and all over the kitchen floor. Done. We called a pest control service and will have our first service on Friday.
On a roll with the phone calls, John made another one and we'll get our first quotation on new windows in two weeks. How is this saving money? Both will add to our quality of life overall. No more having to
We went out on Tuesday to do some shopping. Not one grocery hit the cart. We stuck to our list and that's what we purchased. I was very specific in what I needed for my Jamberry items to organize them and found reasonable low cost solutions.
Mixed up the homemade oven cleaner Debby in KS supplied me with. Excellent stuff.
John suckered me in. We have the new tv. We have no HDMI which means no high def and for whatever reason that is mighty important to John. Sam brought in a cable from his dad's house today to try it out. Turns out it was our receiver. This turned into a huge money saver, not because HDMI cables are expensive. They are not. That's about $11 but just watch how this turned into over savings.
John went online and followed all the tips to reboot the receiver. No go. So...next we had to call to order a new receiver. That is replaced free. However shipping is $19.95. UNLESS you sign up for a service maintenance on equipment and then it's $7.99. You can cancel after 30 days but not before, savings $11 and change. So that's $22 so far we've saved. While on the phone the young man told me he could handle billing for me as well and I asked to find a way to reduce our costs. There was a $5 fee we could acquire but I was fishing for bigger savings though I accepted the $5 a month. Total now $82. I thanked the young man but asked to be switched to a supervisor.
The supervisor looked for further discounts and then suggested we switch plans. Savings an extra $15 a month. Total for all the savings: $262. This will pay for our pest control services for the year!
Made roast beef hash. Using leftovers is as important as planning meals.
I mixed up egg salad and pimento cheese for sandwiches.
Made a loaf of cranberry orange nut bread. I used zest and juice from an orange to extend a half bottle of juice I had in the fridge.
I wanted to give Bess something special for her birthday but couldn't think of a thing. Then I found the most perfect quote on a beautiful background. I printed on my home computer and will frame it for her. I think she'll like it.
...I had my leisure:
We were given a smart tv. I have Amazon Prime. I have watched several shows on Amazon such as an old Doris Day tv series. It was not such a terrific show, lol, but I tried it. I also watched a PBS production on the Bronte sisters "To Walk Invisible".
Mostly the week has not been about leisure. I'm working hard and late every day just now but I'm going to slow down a bit soon, I'm sure. I have plenty of spare time to fill up. I know I do because I often sat around doing nothing and feeling bored. The house is pretty much what I want it to be except the big stuff and I need money for big stuff. But in the end I am having fun and that's something more than I thought I'd get from this.
Mostly the week has not been about leisure. I'm working hard and late every day just now but I'm going to slow down a bit soon, I'm sure. I have plenty of spare time to fill up. I know I do because I often sat around doing nothing and feeling bored. The house is pretty much what I want it to be except the big stuff and I need money for big stuff. But in the end I am having fun and that's something more than I thought I'd get from this.
4 comments:
I love your Jamberry wraps and will check them out when my nails have time to recover. I’d worn acrylic/gel/solar nails practically continuously since the late 90’s and they wreaked havoc on my poor nails but they’re on the mend.
You are super busy! But I think you’re right ... it’s a season of life. Probably difficult for John because it’s so different from your former household routine. But it sounds as if he’s settling in nicely as well.
I think with anything we pursue, the key is balance ... being sure we devote equal/adequate amounts of time to spouse, family, leisure, personal time, community, church, etc. Not always easy. But hubby and I have noticed things seem less hectic when we try.
Have a great week!
Jeff jokes about declining on hospitality too but we never too.
It’s usually fun but it can be tiring after awhile.
I’m glad you had some freezer cookies for little Josh. He probably thinks you’re a magic grandparent to always have dessert.
We have had a lot of company lately, too, with more on the way for this weekend. I know that it brings extra hustle and bustle to the family, but I'm so grateful that I am able to still entertain in this small house. I had my doubts when we first bought it. The camper has been a blessing--it's our guest house.
I totally agree with Carolyn, above. It's all about balance. If I had people here constantly, I would end up staying up later and later, once they retired, to get the "alone" time I absolutely have to have. I noticed over Christmas, I became completely worn out from doing that, plus the Christmas bustle. So, I'm hoping I can maintain my balance, and do both--get a little space more than occasionally, and have people in occasionally.
I know you will find your balance:)
Carolyn I'll take you up on your offer and get with you in a couple of months or so about Jamberry, lol. I never turn down an offer! Your 'in balance' comment makes me think of something Granny said often which was in the same tone "Everything in moderation". I try to temper the super busy with a bit of much needed quiet out times.
Rhonda, I do love having cookies in the freezer, lol. I wouldn't have thought of them had he not been noticing stuff on the counter which I'd not seen. John had cleaned out his lunch bag and left the container of cookies on the counter. I didn't know they were there and it wasn't until after his nap that he again asked for a 'green' cookie and I again said "I haven't any green ones." He went to the little container and said "Right here!" Well....Guess who had his green cookie after his nap?
Becky, I wish we had a camper for a guest room! lol. I expect we'll see more and more of the family now that Jd is back on the east coast near us and with Bess and Sam moving into this area.
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