Diary of a Homemaker's Week: Nothing As Planned

 

Saturday:    I find that these days I'm waking naturally closer to the hour I originally set my alarm for two months ago.  I think this is a seasonal thing.  The light in our room is much stronger by that hour than it was two months ago.   

It was an easy day.   I put dishes away but left all else as was today.  Not even the bed was made.  I've found that the morning has a very real tendency to become a 'routine' and that's something I want to avoid in work on Saturdays.

I made our usual pizza for lunch and felt highly complimented as I sat here with plan in mind and John watching a You Tube in which the vlogger stopped for a pizza.  "That looks good...but I'll bet it's nowhere near as good as yours!"  I was pleased to hear that he's enjoying the Saturday pizza.  I don't know that I'll keep it up come summer just due to the heat factor.  But we shall see.  Maybe I can make a suitable smaller pizza that fits our toaster oven.  Or maybe I'll switch it up to something easy but special for a Saturday lunch like a Pasta salad made on Friday or a signature sandwich.   I'll have to think on this.  And yes, I'm already thinking of hot weather to come!  It gets warm early here in the South, sometimes as early as March we go right into summer temperatures and stay there.

For supper, I made a crockpot dish called Creamy Italian Chicken.  I've had this in my notebook for a couple of years now.  I'm sure I've made it before because I did make notes but I think I'm going to remove it.  It's a simple enough recipe but it lacks something.   I added quite a bit of half and half to it to make it saucy enough to serve over pasta, which was the intention of the recipe.   Here's how easy it is: 1 pound chicken breasts, 1 8 ounce block cream cheese, 1 cup Italian dressing, 1 packet dry Italian dressing.  You'd think it would have just loads of flavor but it doesn't.  I also can't ignore the fact that I kept wanting to add more salt to it.  I find cream cheese salty and the dry dressing most certainly has enough in it.  Mind you all, John and Katie both enjoyed this dish a lot and didn't express a desire to have something more added to it, but that was my feeling over it.

Anyway, we had half left over and leftover spaghetti so I mixed it up and put in the freezer to have as a new meal some other day. I think when I do serve it again, I'll add potato chip crumbs on top.  It needs crunch, which was the only help Katie could give me when I said I wanted to add something to it.

The happiest part of my day was spent contemplating the new month ahead, just around the corner of days from the weekend.  I always find myself happy when planning ahead for a new month and most especially one that might well bring in a new season.   

John was listening to a vlogger this afternoon who travels across two or three states and I found something he said very provocative.  He told his viewers that if they could afford to travel and it added to their quality and enjoyment of life, then stop apologizing to others for it.  That made wonderful sense to me and here's where I want to expand upon it just a little.

I see so many people who have the means to do certain things: they can afford to eat out now and then, or can purchase a newer car, or furnishings, or a piece of sewing equipment or pour money into a garden, or buy whatever books they want each month but then they turn right around and apologize for it.  There's no need to do so!  If it is something adds to your pleasure in your  life, and you can afford it and aren't relying upon anyone else to pay your basic living expenses then enjoy it!  You earned it!  Yes you did!  You were frugal enough in other areas to have room to spare in another place.   Stop apologizing to every one else about it.   

Equally as bad are the folks who will try to shame you because you choose to spend your money in your own way.  I don't know about you, but I worked just as hard as John to save money.  We set the goals and we met them and then we found new goals to meet.  Not one child, relative, friend or stranger ever helped us achieve our goals.   And not one else but us gets a say in what we spend or where we spend it.  That's all there is to it.

We had to cut  our budget hard last year but  John asked me specifically to plan eating out once or twice a month into the budget.  I did.  We didn't go belly up eating out those two meals a month.   Finances are a wee bit easier this year and promise to be a bit better in the future.  I don't want to sit home and dream of the beach or forgo a little getaway to the mountains.  That's why my plans are to increase our travel this year.     Right now we are in a position where we have a little financial leeway and the youth yet to enjoy these travels.  In 20 years will we be as spry?   That's why my plans are to increase our travel this year.  

I am by no means a big proponent of the 'You deserve it!' mind set that seems so prevalent among some I know.  I could show you just as much of an example on the other page, the one who deserved this and that but never had money for the thing most longed for because they couldn't deny themselves one little thing.  She dreamed of what she'd do if she ever won the lottery but I tell you truthfully if she'd counted up all the things she 'deserved' and couldn't postpone getting she'd find she had already spent the lottery winnings many times over.   More than enough to have landscaped the yard she dreamed of having.  And all that stuff she deserved?  Left behind in two different houses, because she had no desire for any of it.

I challenge you to determine what would make you feel you had a quality life.  Then start giving yourself the gift of that thing in whatever increment you can best afford and don't let anyone, including yourself, shame you for enjoying it!  

Sunday:  The temperature increased a good bit and the house was stuffy last night but the AC wasn't kicking on independently.  I decided to just turn on a fan when we went to bed.

I could tell from my headache when we woke this morning that it was foggy outdoors.   When we left the house this morning (about 7:45) to head to church, the birds were practically screeching their heads off despite the dreariness of the scene.  Obviously the weather change I feel has excited them a great deal and they are suddenly in a frenzy of being territorial and busy at homemaking.  It's supposed to cool down in a couple of days.  I have a feeling from the sound of the birds and the faintly green look of all the trees today that Spring is making it's way into our area.   I still haven't seen a single daffodil blooming in my own yard but I've seen the wild ones roadside at last.

We stopped at the local grocery on our way home.  John had a sudden need of a 'real' hamburger, made of beef.  I found Turkey Spam on the shelf and bought several cans, we got our beef burgers and headed home.  I'd no sooner unlocked the door than my phone gave a text notice.  It was from Sam who wanted us to keep the kids while he and Bess went to check out a sale on tubs at Lowe's.   My first instinct was to say "No thanks" as I looked about at the messy looking house but John said "Might as well..."   Millie, like Caleb has an ability to create a messy play area that is nineteen times her tiny size, but who can resist that dimpled grin and tell her no?  Not this Gramma!  The boys played on our Kindles, both watching videos of Ryan, another little boy whose parents apparently have a day job playing with their own child. Humph!  

After the kids left I contemplated the shaggy looking flower bed that really needs to be weeded and the messy house and the piles of things here and there and sighed deeply.  I did the most bare minimum and then settled into my chair.  I want to feel hale and hearty and gung-ho for work but the truth is I feel weary and sapped and I figured surface cleaning was about as good as it was getting again today.

Monday:  I made myself tackle the vacuuming yesterday afternoon and I wrote out the checks for bills due this first week and I made us supper, which wasn't planned nor on the menu.   While in the grocery yesterday we picked up two Ribeye steaks that weren't huge and were well priced.  I made a simple side dish of potatoes and onions and that was our meal.

I didn't make it far after doing the dishes last night.  I napped and dozed in my chair and finally went off to bed a good hour ahead of time with John strongly urging me to 'Go on to bed.'   I made sure to set my alarm.  Katie had called yesterday evening asking if I could keep Caleb who had developed the same tummy virus that everyone else has had.

So up at the crack of dawn (literally) this morning.  I still am not feeling 100%.  However, necessity is necessity so I blocked off every bit of the house I could from an exploring little boy and waited for him to arrive.   Then it started to pour rain.  I was pretty sure Chad wouldn't be able to work today and basically just waited on his call saying he was keeping Caleb at home.  I made John and I breakfast and started a load of clothes washing.

After breakfast, I put the first half of the load into the dryer and cleaned up the laundry area.  I removed a crate I'd used to corral the laundry detergent, clothes pins and bleach and put out a tray there and placed those things on it.  It looks much nicer, I think.  I sat down to finish off a UFO...A small bowl of pecans remained from over Christmas that I'd meant to shell.  I went to work on them and got a cup of nutmeats.   The laundry was bound to be dry by the time I finished, so I went to remove it from the dryer...

And discovered that the sheets were still wet and what's more they were cold from being fluffed around in the dryer.  Ugh.  I called out to John that the dryer wasn't working and went out to hang sheets and all remaining  clothes in the windy damp outdoors.  John, in the meantime, ran down a checklist to see if he could pinpoint the problem, then ordered a repair kit for $38.  He told me that if this failed to work then we'd just go ahead and buy a washer, dryer and dishwasher all at once.  He debated how we'd pay for it.   I reminded him that I thought savings would do just fine.  After all, this wouldn't be a vanity purchase or a simple want.  It's a real need and if we can't use savings for real needs then what's the point?

I finally wandered off to town to post my bills and checked at a thrift store that was closed to see if  metal chair I thought was cute in passing really was as cute as I thought it.  I called the number on the door and the man wanted $10 for it.  I told him I needed to go get change but asked if he'd meet me there.  "Just slide it under the door," he said.  "And if you don't have change, go on and take the chair and stop by later to pay me.  Someone else might come along and get it while you're gone."   Well.  If that isn't a nice old fashioned way to do business I don't know what is!  Not only the honor system but trusting a customer as well to return and pay later.  I was just across the street from my bank so I got cash there and placed the money in an envelope and slid it under the door with a note stating what I'd purchased and leaving my phone number for reference.

I plan to repaint the chair (which is already three colors) and use it in one of my flower beds.  I think it would be just lovely with a big pot of petunias or geraniums in the seat.    While I set it in the flower bed, I went ahead and started weeding a portion.  My hip is aching something fierce now because of it but I got that one bed half finished which is nice.

There was a nice heavy breeze and a break in showers...My clothes blew completely dry except for the hemmed edges of pillow cases and the things I'd hung on the drying rack outdoors.  I brought all of the things indoors and hung up the pillow cases, just set the rack in the middle of the entryway and let those dry indoors.  

This afternoon, I puttered around folding clothes and tidying up but not really getting into any big tasks.  I was impatiently awaiting the arrival of the mail because my first Stitch Fix box was due to arrive.  Well...I am soooo impressed with how well the stylist nailed  my style and the fit of every thing is perfect.  John hung over the box and watched me try things on and he was pleased with the quality and look of every thing even the two pieces I was least sure of.  In fact, he talked me into keeping the pieces and trying them both on and if I still felt ambivalent after wearing them,  he said, "Then give it away."   

One surprise was a sleeveless top in a blue and white print.  I feel very self conscious about my upper arms but as I looked at the top on me, I realized that my angst is mostly in my own mind.  I turned this way and that and the top fits so well, that it's just flattering.  And unless I am flapping my arms no one is ever going to see the jiggly bits!  The other...I'm still ambivalent about but we will see.  I know why I dislike it but then again, I had on a pair of jeans that are actually too big which added to the overall look of not fitting well.  I think perhaps with skinny jeans or capris, I might be far happier with the top.  In my box today,   I received 5 pieces and they average about $30 each with shipping, styling, and the discount for keeping all five, which is more than affordable.

Each piece comes with a recipe card  that shows you two different ways you might wear it.  The stylist actually suggested more ways to use two of the pieces to make still more outfits and what pleased me most was seeing that she had really read my note saying what my style was and how I typically kept pieces in my closet for years but wanted that little creative edge, too.   Happily one of the outfit ideas included something I had already planned to purchase independently, feeling it would give me good mileage in my wardrobe and now I'm even more convinced of it.

I have a referral code if you're interested in trying this service.  As I said before I've opted to be a quarterly customer, rather than a monthly one because I felt that best suited my budget.  Essentially you take a quiz about your style/personality and then put in your weight, height, sizes in various items and then you have a multiple choice portion where you can choose what you prefer overall of several options.   You also choose the price point you feel most comfortable paying for items, too.  So far... I'm impressed!

After trying on every thing and admiring the fit, I hung them in my closet.  As I did so, I removed 7 items that I haven't worn these past two years or seldom wore and put them right in a box to donate or moved them to the house clothes drawer.    Actually, I'm thinking I might well go back this week and remove a few more pieces...Truth is the pieces I removed I seldom to never choose when I'm making up a monthly set of outfits to wear.

I made up my mind this evening, as I worked in my closet that now is the time to let go of these 'waterfall' tops and cardigans that I dislike, the shoes that I simply can no longer wear because they hurt my feet or wrench my knee, and the things that are simply too big, like the white tee shirt I wore today when I left home.  

I think a white tee shirt is a classic piece, but a too big shirt is not attractive and there's much about the one I have at present that makes it not a good fit for me.  The sleeves aren't three quarter length but they do hit me mid-elbow, which pulls the eye right to the widest part of my body, the hips.  I am short waisted so that sleeve length is all wrong for me.   I noted also that the shoulder seam fell well away from my shoulder line and this too added to the general bagginess of the shirt.   It is a good quality heavy fabric and it's the length I prefer but truth is I avoid wearing it because it's such a poor fit.

All in all today wasn't a bad day.  I hate to admit it but a little something new is often a great boost to the morale!

Tuesday:  Rainy and cold this morning.  Where is that lovely spring like weather?  Doing what March does, it's switched gears.  It's days like this that remind us the last frost date for our area is mid-April and sometimes even then we're not quite ready to plant.   But I confess after spying the two blooming iris against my shed yesterday I was more than ready to get my hands in the dirt.  

After a slow start to my morning, I did take up the duster and work in the entry area and then cleared and cleaned my desk  this morning in the kitchen.  It's not nearly enough work, I admit that but it's all I could muster myself to do this morning.   Then I settled with a cookbook and my recipe notebook and fresh post it type tabs that I got last week and went to work looking over my most favorite of cookbooks.   I'm not tagging every single recipe that sounds good but just those that appeal at the moment so that when I want to make something new, I can open a cookbook and look at what's tabbed already.

After a half hour or so,  it was time to do the checkbook totals for the month.  I was pleased with the results.  I don't balance to the penny but if I'm within $50 I'm fine with it.  I was within $14 this morning and I won't spend time tracking that down.   There's always a good chance I made a mistake. My bookkeeping method is not standard even though I was trained as a bookkeeper.  My method suits us and how we use our register to track savings areas  that aren't in a separate account.  I also use a sort of 'sinking fund' method for groceries, medication needs and gasoline. so those balances drop all through the month, creating still another mess of figures to be cut up with.  I can tell you about where I am in each category so it works fine for us, but I do pity the poor soul who tries to figure out why my register balance is less than 1/3 what the bank assures us our balance is!

I went back through my closet again this morning when I'd tired of all those things and removed more items.  I placed some in my house drawer and may move a few more there, as well in the days to come.  I'm culling hard those pieces that I seldom choose to wear or dislike and so avoid.  I have a big stack of empty hangers.  I'm not contemplating still more pieces to remove.

I put chicken on to boil for the Baked Chicken and Dumplings.  I've already altered our menu plan this week.  Sunday night's supper kicked an item off this week's list and then Josh and Isaac's request to have a pancake supper on Friday evening kicked out another meal.  I'm going to try and stick to plan for the rest of the week.  So I took out chicken to cook up this morning for the casserole dish for supper.  I'm going to skip coleslaw and make a Waldorf salad.  I have some apples that need to be used and I know that John likes Waldorf salad.  

I had to chuckle.  On Sunday while we were in the grocery John tackled the reduced clearance shopping cart and bought instant oatmeal.  I make oatmeal using old fashioned oats but "It's just $1..." he said.  I forbore pointing out that I buy the entire tub for just at $2 and get many more servings than in that box of instant.   Yesterday as I went to put it away, I thought "Wait a minute...this was reduced...Why?"   Because it was expired in late January.   So I added the box to my box of expired things we must use up and chuckled because I've worked so hard to empty that thing out and here he is purchasing items that must go into it, lol.   

Then I checked into the social security website to see if there were any updates.  I ended up having to call in.  Wait time was 1.5 hours.  Yes, really.  BUT it means not traveling to go into an office so there's that.  I hung on until my call was answered and they are reprocessing my benefits to reflect spousal benefits.   Good to know.

All in all it's been a decent enough if unmotivated sort of day.  The rain meant to come in all day long was just a steady drizzle until evening and it has poured since.  Turned off cold, too.   Hello March, you fickle thing you.

Wednesday:  Since Monday John has researched machines and priced them in various places and talked over purchasing new appliances over and over again.  Finally yesterday he said, "If it's not raining tomorrow we're going to go look and buy a dishwasher, washer and dryer."  He'd apparently considered my advice to use savings from the bank where we keep our checking account to make the purchase.  For one thing, that particular savings account pays out a miserably small amount on a rather tidy sum annually and it has yet to make it to 75c a year.  I pointed out that we'd earned in the 10's of dollars on other accounts that were much smaller and then said to him, "You can pay with your new credit card and I'll pay it off the moment the bill comes in.   Just like that we'll see a better return on our funds than we've had in 10 years!"   I guess I sold the idea to him, but I was stating the obvious.

So this morning we rose and readied ourselves, had a decent breakfast and were getting finished up to leave the house when Sam came in to do his class.  When told we'd be gone, he asked where we were going and when told where and  he wanted to know why we'd go buy new appliances?!

Mind you his pointing out that we'd ordered the repair kit for the dryer and that the washer wasn't even broken were arguments we'd have pointed out to him if situations were reversed, but...BUT...John and I know that at the ages our appliances have reached they are only going to wear out and we are reluctant to continue to put money into them.  I miss having a dishwasher.  It does seem I can't get my own dishes half as clean as they are in the dishwasher and I'm super careful.    As well it's rather irritating to have to make do on a rainy day with washing that needs to be dried, as I did on Monday.  Granted it worked in my favor that day but would it have worked another day this week when we again do laundry and the air is full of the pollen that makes me feel so ill?   

However, John and I  also discussed this very subject two or more years ago.  It was our plan all along when John retired to replace each of those appliances.  Sam bought our refrigerator for us when he came out of the Navy.  Our stove was replaced about 10 years after we moved in here as well.   We know that we will eventually need to replace those too, but not just yet.    But the washer, dryer and dishwasher have been in this house since we moved here, 25 years ago.  John's theory then and now is that if we replace them now, they should/could  quite possibly last us until we're 90.  

The only thing that stopped us doing this last year was living off a much lower salary than we'd had while he was working, we felt we could manage another year or so if we just hung on tight.  So we did so.  This year we can see there is an easing in our finances and we're ready to take the plunge now.  

Now as it happens I'm feeling rather spendy at the moment.  I ordered white jeans, two pairs of inexpensive shoes and new napkins for the house just yesterday, just joined Stitch Fix, we ordered a lot of stuff to maintain our mower (which we also plan to try and replace this year) and here we are buying not one but three new appliances.  Still, I had no qualms at all about our shopping and neither did John.  Seldom are we so in agreement with this much spending.

I researched each model that John had picked out.  I conceded that since he is the main laundry person, I would agree to whatever he chose as long as reviews agreed that it was a worthy purchase.  There was a cheaper model in another brand that he might have chosen, reviews were equal on both models so I stuck to my original promise.  He was to choose which he preferred.  As it happens he chose a simpler model over all that was just slightly higher than the lowest priced ones.   

The second part of our agreement was that we'd choose whichever dishwasher I felt would best suit me since I am the sole dishwasher with and without a machine.   I found an Amana right away that was lower priced than anything we'd looked at in the past two months which had very good ratings and reviews and the bonus added benefit of being manufactured in the US as well as being a simple basic model.  It has a second spray arm which I didn't have in my previous dishwasher and the utensils basket was off to one side which I think makes fitting in dishes to be washed a great deal easier than having the basket stuck in the middle as it is in both mine and the model at Katie's house.  Agreed on both accounts and so we made our purchases all of which will be delivered for free (something Lowe's wouldn't do) in about two weeks time.

We then went out to lunch.  I wanted to go to the new Chili's which was packed out and we agreed to go on to our favorite Mexican restaurant.   I think they've had a change of products there but the service was a great as ever and the food was still fresh if it tasted a little more tomato-y than in the past.    And then we headed home.

Oh and I wore that one shirt that I was absolutely unsure of today, styled it in my own way and felt fabulous all day long.  There's nothing like feeling rather nice about how you look on a brilliant sunny day to just add that bit of extra something to your outlook.    As I wear these pieces from Stitch Fix, I will share them in photos with you all in a separate post that will be coming up this month.

Back home, we sat down and chatted for a bit but the lovely day outdoors, sunny and cool enough to make work pleasant, kept calling to us.  We both got up and went outdoors to work.  I finished weeding the flower bed in front of the back porch, moved somethings about, raked mulch in to cover the bare places, and removed the rocks that had bordered that bed.  I could  begin to see how it might look really pretty this year which is my great hope.  I missed having it pretty last year!

Then I went to work on the corner bed between back porch and patio.  I got about half that bed weeded.   Maddie has really made a huge mess of that bed and the other one, too with her digging things about.  I need to replant the hydrangea since she's dug out from one side of it.  Though I divided daylily just last year I can see they are coming in thick and heavy again this year and will need to be divided again.  The whole bed needs to be dug up and redistributed so that there are less hills and dales in it.

I worked around the Rosemary bush which is now about 5 feet tall.  The rock border around it was long lost under the bush.  I pulled all those rocks out and discovered that two of the branches brushing the ground had rooted and had strong growth.  I pulled up those and planted one at the other end of the back porch where I've been wanting another rosemary bush anyway.  The second went into a pail of dirt and I'll pass it on to Bess.  I'll make sure she puts this one right in the ground.

I said I would stick to menu the rest of this week but I was wrong.  We both had a good sized lunch and then worked in the yard and had a little reflux.  I didn't think my planned meal for tonight would do either of us any favors since we were already experiencing that side effect.  I had plenty of leftovers in the fridge and we ate some of those.  

One of the expired items I used yesterday was a box of Pineapple Jello.  I must have bought that on a whim a couple of years ago but had never made it.  I put some of the expired pineapple rings in it and used the drained juice as my cold liquid.  It's really good!   I was glad of that.

Thursday:  I decided to really get to work on the kitchen today.  I cleaned and scrubbed and worked hard for nearly 3 hours and when I quit, I had done a portion of the tasks I wanted to get done this week.  The kitchen feels fresher and that was my goal.  

John had a lunch out with his former partner/best friend and I wanted to head out somewhere myself.  I am still not feeling 100%, and I decided to stick close to home.  I went to the next town over and did something I do about once every two or three months.  I just walk about and look at the shelves and think about long term storage and immediate usage and pick up a few things for each.  

I had noted in the sales sheet that they had bone in breasts for 88c a pound.  I remembered Lana's comment about buying bone in on sale, which I have done in the past but somehow forget.  88c a pound is a long way from $2.99 a pound so a big savings right there.  Each packet had 4 very large breasts and I simply repackaged them into single packets and put them in the freezer.  I was hoping to find a good buy on brown rice but they had only the par boiled variety.  It cooks quicker but doesn't last nearly as well for longer storage.  

I looked hard at canned meats today.   We've been stocking corned beef and chicken and tuna but I wanted to see what else might be available.   I noted that canned chili was a possibility for a longer term storage item but they also had tiny cans of roast beef in gravy.  I'd like to try that before I stock up on it. I should have bought a single can today but I didn't.  I got distracted.  I found Turkey Spam and bought the last they had of that, 3 cans.   

My big score was a dozen wide mouth quart sized jars.  They had only 2 sets. I left one for someone who might need them for canning.  I only use the larger jars to make yogurt or for storage.

It was a beautiful day outdoors and nice to ride with the windows down.  I took my lunch over to visit with Elizabeth but found the spot occupied and a funeral going on several rows away.  I visited with another lady today, an Alice Matthews of 'quiet and gentle spirit'.  The little plot next to me had four big cedars, probably 100 years old each that had been planted in the four corners.  I contrasted the older part of the graveyard with it's trees and yews with the more modern front part and I think truly they sacrificed a great deal in making room for more and more graves and less room for lovely trees.  I think we've lost something in the lay out of our modern day, space efficient graveyards.  

I was reluctant to leave that peaceful spot but drove slowly home.  I mused that there are so many roads I seldom go down any longer, now that John is home and in charge of driving more often (by his choice).   But I didn't take the opportunity to wander down any of those long remembered roadways today.  Instead I headed home, wanting to put the ice cream in the freezer before it went soft.

This evening, I went out and raked up 100, 000 sweet gum balls from the back flower bed and contemplated the hundreds of thousands more that litter the grass in the back.  I didn't bother to load up my piles of swept up things today.  I felt all in all I'd put in a good day's work all around.   Rufus kept me company as I worked and when I went up to the back porch to sit down and rest he all but crawled into my lap.  Some days that little dog is super affectionate.  He almost always 'bows' at my feet when I come out which makes me feel like a queen and he a faithful knight, but today and yesterday he's been especially happy to see me outdoors and has made his pleasure known by being more loving and less proper.

It was a good day, a lovely day and I'm well pleased with all that got done.

Friday:  I don't know if it's the change of light in the mornings or the warmer weather, but John and I are both ready to go each morning.   I continue to have bouts of discomfort and every now and then a sort of all gone feeling, but if I take care to rest when I feel so, then my energy bounces back.  I'll go with the new rhythm and respect the wishes of my body.   But this morning, there was no pause for a good little bit and somehow I got all I wanted to do today accomplished and one more job besides.  

I began by starting bread dough and then  getting breakfast on the table, something I'm not wont to do usually.  Truth is I sort of like to eat around 9am.  John is often beyond starved at that point.  He started laundry well before I began breakfast this morning, as I took time to straighten up our room and bath before exiting the room.   So naturally just as breakfast was ready to go on the table, he went out to finish hanging the big load of laundry.  

He complained gently over our usage of clothes this week.  I reminded him he'd last washed clothes last Thursday and we'd not washed a load of clothing since.  This soothed him a bit.  I went out to feed the animals so they'd stay out from under his feet and to help hang the clothes so that I could put the plated breakfast on the table before it was cold.

After breakfast I was determined to clear out the fridge and determine what we had and what needed to be used over the weekend.  It was an easy task, just really a matter of organizing everything so I could see what was what. I have was able to plan meals for the weekend based on the contents of the fridge.  

After sorting out the fridge I did the dishes and swept the floors.  I sorted out the mess upon my desk which seems to gather things like any proper hot spot does.  Then I went into my closet.  A wire cube shelving unit that fits the narrow alcove perfectly, had popped two of it's sockets and I knew it was going to tumble to the ground if I didn't attend to it.  While I was pulling things off it, I determined that more decluttering of clothes and shoes was in order.  I tended to that as I put things neatly back into the closet.  I felt happy with all I'd gotten done.  

I'll be keeping the three children from across the field this afternoon and evening and  wanted to be as rested as I might be before they descended upon us.  I think now I can do that without feeling frustrated that things are being done.   The boys requested pancakes for supper tonight and I'll serve it with scrambled eggs and some thin slices of fried Spam.  

My white jeans arrived while I was puttering about the house.  I tried them on and they will need to be shortened by about an inch and a half.  Anyone else have that 'in between' problem of technically being petite but legs are too long for petite lengths and too short for average lengths?  I decided if I'm going to bust out the sewing machine next week I might as well try and alter that white t-shirt.  I tried it on again and if I shorten the sleeves by about two inches, I think it will look much nicer.  It's that sleeve length that is twist and tween that really does make the shirt appear to fit so poorly, because hip and bust and waist are just fine.

The parts for the dryer also arrived and John has it up and running.  Our plan is to have it for now if we need it and to keep it on hand in case someone else needs a dryer.  We think it would be a great help even temporarily for someone who might not be able to get one right away.

Well, that's our week...How was yours?   Tell us all about it!