...am doing my best. We are all doing our best. Josh is slightly more accepting of his status. He insisted I write Mrs. Melonie the sweetest response to her sweet letter in last week's comments. Y'all must read what he had to say.
"Mrs. Melonie,
This is Josh. I am getting old. I need a new house. I have a dog and his name is Rufus and Maddie. I need a bird house. Thank you for writing to me.
Sincerely, Joshy Richard Blackstone"
I was asked if Maddie was renamed Rufus. No. They are two separate dogs. However, Josh apparently claims Maddie as his own. Rufus was a very shaggy dog that had been left at the house on the land they purchased. He was being fed and watered routinely but living all alone on his own. Bess and Josh walked up to the house the first day they were here and he walked back with them and here he has stayed. Bess took him to the vet and got him groomed and now he's a funny looking dog. I liked him shaggy as did Sam. Josh keeps saying "Him got a haircut." Yes, him did.
Rufus and Maddie get along just great, though Josh thinks their playful antics is fighting and is often distressed by their jumping about and growling. It's all good doggy fun as far as those two are concerned and as near as we adults can tell. Rufus stays on the front porch, usually in my chair on the front porch, unless he's lounging in the sun. Maddie and Misu live on the back porch quite happily. Misu tolerates Rufus right well and he tolerates her. She does sun herself on the front porch afternoons when Rufus is out in the yard.
They all eat together each morning and it's part of Josh's chores to feed the animals. I have to watch him however because he will feed them multiple times a day. I'm promoting the once a day feeding to him. The dogs are not prone to overeating but the food does draw ants. And Misu will snack endlessly. I'd much rather she got out and hunted a wee bit for vermin that might make it into the cracks and crevices about the house.
After discovering Josh was wandering a little further than before, I told him how Granny used to call us cousins in from the fields where we played. She'd "Yoo hoo!" and we'd "Yoo hoo!" right back. The consequences were dire if we did not. She referred to her remedy as Hickory Tee, aka a switch which she cut from a peach tree that to my knowledge existed solely for the purpose of providing switches, as I never saw it bear peaches.
Sam and Amie spent quite a bit of time with Granny here on the place when they were growing up and Sam happened to tell Josh the very same thing about 'yoo hoo' and the consequences of not calling back that evening. Josh thought "Yoo hoo!" was a funny thing to say but it worked well enough when I called to him out the back door the next day. He answered me right away. Not so much when his Mama called him a bit later. That was another 'venture'. Uh oh. He's not be allowed out without adult supervision since.
Isaac has decided that afternoons are for walking. Mornings are not exercise time, least ways not the walking sort of exercise. That's strictly crawling time. But afternoons between nap and supper is prime walking time. He toddles from chair to chair and from room to room. He very proudly discovered he could place a red wood block on the dining table and then reach it to remove it once again. No table is safe from the red wood block and the subsequent retrieval. I swear he grew an extra two inches just because he's stretched so hard all week long.
I'm not saying it's any harder than before nor any easier but it's more relaxed in some ways than it was a week ago and that's something to be grateful for. Now if we could just develop routines that worked for all instead of just hit or miss I'd say things had settled nicely.
"Mrs. Melonie,
This is Josh. I am getting old. I need a new house. I have a dog and his name is Rufus and Maddie. I need a bird house. Thank you for writing to me.
Sincerely, Joshy Richard Blackstone"
I was asked if Maddie was renamed Rufus. No. They are two separate dogs. However, Josh apparently claims Maddie as his own. Rufus was a very shaggy dog that had been left at the house on the land they purchased. He was being fed and watered routinely but living all alone on his own. Bess and Josh walked up to the house the first day they were here and he walked back with them and here he has stayed. Bess took him to the vet and got him groomed and now he's a funny looking dog. I liked him shaggy as did Sam. Josh keeps saying "Him got a haircut." Yes, him did.
Rufus and Maddie get along just great, though Josh thinks their playful antics is fighting and is often distressed by their jumping about and growling. It's all good doggy fun as far as those two are concerned and as near as we adults can tell. Rufus stays on the front porch, usually in my chair on the front porch, unless he's lounging in the sun. Maddie and Misu live on the back porch quite happily. Misu tolerates Rufus right well and he tolerates her. She does sun herself on the front porch afternoons when Rufus is out in the yard.
They all eat together each morning and it's part of Josh's chores to feed the animals. I have to watch him however because he will feed them multiple times a day. I'm promoting the once a day feeding to him. The dogs are not prone to overeating but the food does draw ants. And Misu will snack endlessly. I'd much rather she got out and hunted a wee bit for vermin that might make it into the cracks and crevices about the house.
After discovering Josh was wandering a little further than before, I told him how Granny used to call us cousins in from the fields where we played. She'd "Yoo hoo!" and we'd "Yoo hoo!" right back. The consequences were dire if we did not. She referred to her remedy as Hickory Tee, aka a switch which she cut from a peach tree that to my knowledge existed solely for the purpose of providing switches, as I never saw it bear peaches.
Sam and Amie spent quite a bit of time with Granny here on the place when they were growing up and Sam happened to tell Josh the very same thing about 'yoo hoo' and the consequences of not calling back that evening. Josh thought "Yoo hoo!" was a funny thing to say but it worked well enough when I called to him out the back door the next day. He answered me right away. Not so much when his Mama called him a bit later. That was another 'venture'. Uh oh. He's not be allowed out without adult supervision since.
Isaac has decided that afternoons are for walking. Mornings are not exercise time, least ways not the walking sort of exercise. That's strictly crawling time. But afternoons between nap and supper is prime walking time. He toddles from chair to chair and from room to room. He very proudly discovered he could place a red wood block on the dining table and then reach it to remove it once again. No table is safe from the red wood block and the subsequent retrieval. I swear he grew an extra two inches just because he's stretched so hard all week long.
I'm not saying it's any harder than before nor any easier but it's more relaxed in some ways than it was a week ago and that's something to be grateful for. Now if we could just develop routines that worked for all instead of just hit or miss I'd say things had settled nicely.
...worked:
more than I like to do on Saturday but what's a woman to do when the laundry basket overflows with two loads of laundry, meals must be made and little boys need to be watched while Mama and Daddy work on the house? Work! We had a few quiet hours alone, John and I, so it wasn't a completely lost day of rest.
Woke to rain on Sunday. No point in washing sheets when they can't go outside. Instead John did another load of clothes, we shopped for a few minor grocery items, and I commanded everyone to clear the fridge for supper as we'd all eaten dinner out separately. I also worked on games for a Jamberry party this week. Unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher.
Washed sheets and towels one rough and windy day. Laundry and dishes and endlessly emptying trash seem to be the theme of my days here of late. Oh and babysitting. Lots of babysitting. Rocked a baby to sleep one night while running a Jamberry party....How's that for multi-tasking? Hmmm?
Twice I went out grocery shopping. I'm not picking up loads of stuff and so far have spent less than I'd normally spend in two weeks. My first trip out was literally eggs and creamers. The second trip I went to Kroger to purchase Nathan Hot dogs for $1.99, a corned beef, and a few other sales items that we need like coffee and milk.
...made meals:
Bess made this meal and it was delicious:
Low Carb Pizza casserole. The base was eggs and parmesan cheese and then the usual pizza toppings. It was yummy and we had enough leftovers for the next day. I made green salad and Wacky Chocolate Cake
Leftovers night. John, Bess, Isaac and I ate leftovers. Josh and Sam ate eggs and sausage and toast for supper.
Whole Roast Chicken with butternut squash, potatoes, onions and apples, green peas.
Cauliflower Cheese (like a mac and cheese) and big salads, Chocolate cake, milk. The boys ate boiled eggs, tasted the cauliflower, loved the homemade croutons and Josh had carrot sticks while Isaac ate tomatoes from the salad.
Chicken Fried Rice, Snow Peas, Oranges. This was the meal Josh pronounced as "Yucky food" when his mom asked if he knew what we were having for dinner, lol. He ended up eating a bit of it despite that.
Hot Dogs, Sweet Potato fries. I kept this one simple and easy on me.
Whole Roast Chicken with butternut squash, potatoes, onions and apples, green peas.
Cauliflower Cheese (like a mac and cheese) and big salads, Chocolate cake, milk. The boys ate boiled eggs, tasted the cauliflower, loved the homemade croutons and Josh had carrot sticks while Isaac ate tomatoes from the salad.
Chicken Fried Rice, Snow Peas, Oranges. This was the meal Josh pronounced as "Yucky food" when his mom asked if he knew what we were having for dinner, lol. He ended up eating a bit of it despite that.
Hot Dogs, Sweet Potato fries. I kept this one simple and easy on me.
...saved money:
In experimenting last week we found a whole wheat bakery bread we like rather well. Added that to my list of acceptable breads to purchase. This has a softer crust which is more friendly for little boys.
We stuck to a list of necessities for our purchases today: dog food, 1L bottles of soda, half and half, newspaper, bread and picked up a prescription.
Combined errands when we left the house.
I hung the sheets and towels out to dry on the line. Despite it being rough and windy, after four hours they were still damp and I figured they were as dry as they were going to get. I brought them indoors and put into the dryer for half an hour and that finished them off completely.
Went to run errands and went into Walmart for eggs and lettuce. I came out with a little bit more naturally but not so very much that it concerned me. I spent about average for a grocery trip and $14 of that was two shirts to put into my house clothes drawer.
I have been using up produce left and right. Cauliflower, snow peas, a hidden bok choy, bell peppers getting a tad wrinkled, apples that were a little wrinkled, butternut squash. If it's in the house and edible I'm using it. Now to figure out how I might best use those sweet potatoes I've done nothing with thus far. I'm thinking sweet potato fries which both boys should like rather well, I'd think. Or so I hope. Josh pronounced all food as yucky, sigh. He is not the sort who lives to eat by any means. Isaac on the other hand never met a food he disliked. In fact, he is on best buds status with all foods.
John and I decided to take command of the laundry situation. I am hanging out all the heavy jeans and towels and quilts, etc. We may be doing more laundry and using the dryer more but ultimately we're doing all we can to save money.
We went to Kroger to shop. I'd downloaded some digital coupons which I can use up to five times on items and we purchased those. I picked up my free items (a bag of tortilla chips, a Lindor egg) and Nathan hot dogs for $1.99 each which is an unheard of price for those. I used digital coupons to save on coffee and sweet potato fries (and yes, I know perfectly well I had sweet potatoes at home. Just shhhh!). I love shopping at Aldi and getting a buggy filled with food for $120 but I find it just as gratifying to go into Kroger and come out with over $25 in coupons and sales on items. There's something about all those minus signs at the bottom of the receipt that makes me feel I've done my good job.
I hung the sheets and towels out to dry on the line. Despite it being rough and windy, after four hours they were still damp and I figured they were as dry as they were going to get. I brought them indoors and put into the dryer for half an hour and that finished them off completely.
Went to run errands and went into Walmart for eggs and lettuce. I came out with a little bit more naturally but not so very much that it concerned me. I spent about average for a grocery trip and $14 of that was two shirts to put into my house clothes drawer.
I have been using up produce left and right. Cauliflower, snow peas, a hidden bok choy, bell peppers getting a tad wrinkled, apples that were a little wrinkled, butternut squash. If it's in the house and edible I'm using it. Now to figure out how I might best use those sweet potatoes I've done nothing with thus far. I'm thinking sweet potato fries which both boys should like rather well, I'd think. Or so I hope. Josh pronounced all food as yucky, sigh. He is not the sort who lives to eat by any means. Isaac on the other hand never met a food he disliked. In fact, he is on best buds status with all foods.
John and I decided to take command of the laundry situation. I am hanging out all the heavy jeans and towels and quilts, etc. We may be doing more laundry and using the dryer more but ultimately we're doing all we can to save money.
We went to Kroger to shop. I'd downloaded some digital coupons which I can use up to five times on items and we purchased those. I picked up my free items (a bag of tortilla chips, a Lindor egg) and Nathan hot dogs for $1.99 each which is an unheard of price for those. I used digital coupons to save on coffee and sweet potato fries (and yes, I know perfectly well I had sweet potatoes at home. Just shhhh!). I love shopping at Aldi and getting a buggy filled with food for $120 but I find it just as gratifying to go into Kroger and come out with over $25 in coupons and sales on items. There's something about all those minus signs at the bottom of the receipt that makes me feel I've done my good job.
...had my leisure
uhm....I drove to banks and post office and then to Perry all by myself one day and ate out the most miserable lunch I've had the misfortune to have on my own. A barely warm potato, cold broccoli and a very very chilly seating area to go with greasy fried fish which took upwards of 40 minutes to arrive. And that was at a so-called 'fast food' place.
Treated myself to a bag of Orange Lindor Truffles. Heaven. I've had one and then tucked the bag away for those most especially desperate moments when I must have something that is solely my own and only mine.
John and I had a rather miserable date on Sunday following church. We made up for it Thursday with a lovely breakfast buffet at a fancy little place. Lovely meal and a nice morning out.
John and I had a rather miserable date on Sunday following church. We made up for it Thursday with a lovely breakfast buffet at a fancy little place. Lovely meal and a nice morning out.
5 comments:
Last week I saw Nathan'S hot dogs at my Aldi for 2.69. I am so glad to know they have them at such a great price. They did not seem to be a special one time item.
I played "Catch Up" and read quite a few posts I had missed, ending with the recent ones of the kids coming to stay with you and the fun of the grandsons. And then this week we got a "HELP, Mom/Dad!" phone call. We ended up keeping our youngest grandson for 3 days/2 nights. And I thought of you doing much of the same (only with the parents' help.) I love having him here but mercy! He is a busy little body! And would be outside for hours if Grammie could allow the time and if the weather was a bit warmer and less windy. The only damper was the second night he woke having a nightmare and it took over 2 hours to get him settled back into deep sleep. I was not my best today because of it. Mommy & Daddy were home again and he'll sleep much better in his own bed tonight I'm sure. So will Grammie. :)
Oh, this just gave me such a smile. Please thank Josh for me, for writing back. He sounds like such a kick in the pants! :D His comment about getting old and needing a new house... heehee. Adorable.
Rufus sounds like a good dog to have around, and like he fits in well with everyone.
Lana, My favorite Aldi also started stocking them. Their pricing is very good on them but the Kroger price beat it, which happens occasionally these days.
Melonie, so glad you got a kick out of that. I thought his comment that he was getting old was pretty funny as well, lol.
Kay, so glad you stopped by! I love having old friends stop in to visit!
Almost two years ago, my daughter and her three children had to stay with us for a month. It was dificult at times, but I, like you, told myself that it is just a season. We had other things to manage, like not having an extra bedroom. We still have two teens at home. We put the mom and three boys in the dining room with a make-shift bed. Often the oldest boy slept on the couch in the living room. Meals were handled by both of us adult women. We’d plan together and help each other. It was spring, so the boys wanted to be outside a lot, so one of us would watch kids while one cooked, etc. There was so much laundry! Bath times were busy. But, you know, we came through it just fine until her house was available. One of daughter’s friends said she and her mom would have argued constantly. I took it as a compliment when my girl thought that was odd. We didn’t argue once - never have. I also slipped off for a little quiet time in my room at times. I jokingly told the kids that I was off duty after a certain time at night. They’d have to ask mom for whatever it was they wanted. That worked like a charm.
Good luck. I enjoy hearing about your and Josh’s “ventures.” Please give us updates on the work on the house, if the kids don’t mind. We are all hoping for the best for them!
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