Diary of a Homemaker's Week: Summer Is Here

 

Saturday:  Up early this morning after a very sound night's sleep.  John and I have done exactly nothing at all, though I have tried to keep up with the very minor housework (dishes generated by meals, dirty napkins and cloths in the laundry, folding the last laundry hung dry yesterday afternoon, etc.) in the interest of having an easier morning tomorrow before church.

I've read, explored various blogs, watched videos, napped and am seriously considering going to bed quite early tonight because frankly I'm weary.  We've a long day ahead of us tomorrow.  I think I'm going to spend the evening reading.

Meals:  French Toast, Sausage   John suggested I make French toast last night when we placed the Shabat bread in the fridge. I had nearly half a loaf left of last week's bread and thought his idea a great one to use up the old loaf.

BBQ Chicken Pizza   This seemed a good idea in light of the leftover chicken in the fridge.  I am going to have to come to a decision tomorrow about the rest of that chicken and how I shall use it.  This is meat from that 7.5-pound farm raised chicken I cooked in the crockpot last week, the one that Katie gave me.

Beef Sausage, Potato, Cabbage cooked in Chicken broth    This is something I started doing several months ago when I had a craving for a bit of soup, but John wanted a meal instead.  I had drained off the broth from the crockpot when I cooked that chicken. There was nearly a full pint.  I used that as liquid to cook the one dish supper in and sipped broth along with my meal.  I've had a bit of a sore throat and runny nose from all the dry air lately.  I'm hoping this proves to be just as beneficial to those symptoms as it does to a cold.

Sunday:  I was up very early this morning, my main intention being to do all I could towards family dinner prior to leaving the house for church.  I met my goal.  By the time we'd left home, all I had to do was to put up the children's table and place the cold items into the oven to heat when we returned.  

It was lovely outdoors, breezy and much cooler than it's been being.  It won't last but goodness it felt nice.  I told John if it feels this nice tomorrow, we shall go right on to mow the backyard at the town house, something we're pretty sure Katie won't do today because she is taking Taylor back this afternoon to her daddy.  By the time she's in and has fed Caleb that little boy will be ready for bed.  She's a busy enough evening ahead of her.  

We had a good sermon at church this morning, a lovely drive home with the windows down and I had time to toss things into the oven while John got the children's table set up.  By the time the company came in all was ready. 

Today we had Bess' mom and the three children from across the field.  Jenny had stayed with the grandchildren last night while the parents were out of town for Samuel's birthday.  I figured she'd be about ready for a short break, and she was.  The children all play well together except Millie and Caleb who play like two-year-old children, which means that what one has the other wants so there's always fussing between them.

Katie did a cute little craft with the toddlers of a volcano with red and yellow handprints blowing out of the top.   The three older children were allowed do as they pleased with their artwork on the Father's Day cards.  Taylor drew a cat, Josh a car and we've no idea what Isaac's was but it was a pretty color.

It was, as always, hectic and loud and fast paced.  Jenny took the manor children home in the hopes they might lie down for a nap.  Katie and her children were headed off to take Taylor to her dad.  I cleaned up dishes, picked up toys, and took a nap.  I've got a slightly sore throat.  No other symptoms but my throat definitely feels sore.   It's Senior Supper tonight at church so we'll be leaving in a bit for that.

Meals:  Bagels with cream cheese and Hickory smoked turkey

Gramma's Fried Chicken, coleslaw, mac n cheese, corn pudding, potato salad

at church

Monday:  It was cooler last night, and I slept very well indeed.  I made the bed after I'd had coffee.  No breakfast for us this morning, since we planned to go mow the backyard of the town house.  I cleared my desk and made sure to log in receipts from the weekend into the checkbook while I waited on John to be ready to go.  Then we headed out.

First stop was our local hardware/auto parts store.  It's more auto parts than hardware but they carry just enough stuff on the hardware side to save most of the town gas running to Lowe's or someplace like that.  No gardening supplies but as I said, just enough hardware to keep you from running to Lowe's especially if you're having an emergency.

They were very busy this morning.  At least half a dozen men came out while I waited on John to return.  I wished I'd had a book with me but since I was planning to cut grass and not sit at the hardware/auto parts place I didn't go prepared.  Next best thing is to do a mini manicure, filing nails and clipping hangnails, etc.  That took up five minutes...lol

Once at the town house, John was trying to put on a part to the lawnmower that would make it easier to mow.  While he fussed (literally as time dragged on) over that, I got the whole corner flower bed weeded out and raked so it's ready for mulch when I get the next lot bought.  Finally, John gave up as even videos failed to help us figure out how that part was meant to go on.   I insisted we were going to mow that back yard anyway, even though it was now getting very close to lunchtime.  I had wasted a whole morning just waiting to get that lawn mown and darned if I was giving up another morning to the project.

John was fuming by this point, super frustrated with the part, the mowing, the morning, etc.  He took the first round of mowing and nearly made himself sick because he thought he'd work off his anger on the lawn.  Lawn/heat won that round.  John 0-everything else 2.

I took the mower over and got most of a whole smaller section mown.  He brought over a chair for me to sit down in and I pulled it into deep shade.  He took over mowing and he'd nearly finished a section when I heard a man shout.  John looked toward the fence and shut off the mower.  It was one of the city police.  Someone reported us as 'messing about' the house and unauthorized mowing.  We told him who we were and who lived there and thanked them for keeping watch and asked him when he reported back that we appreciated their concern.  We chatted a few minutes more and then we went back to work.  

I confess, by the time we were nearly done today I was overwhelmed by hunger, tiredness, and the amount of work I saw that still hasn't been attended to. I told John once we were home today that I have essentially looked at the front yard and down the driveway to one side and pretty much ignored the backyard and side yard that faces a neighbor.  I was looking over the jobs that require attention and then stepped up on the deck to blow off the grass the mower had blown there.  The deck foundation needs work.  The boards are cement boards and fine, but the underneath side is giving way.  Another job, a big money job that we need to consider having done.   There are bricks and border stones half buried in places, just enough to jack up a mower.  Big, big SIGH.

My haul from the house today was a dozen or so bricks and a perfectly good 5-gallon bucket I found behind the shed.  I was able to finish off my border along the back porch front and corner flower beds with brick.  The bucket will be home to one of the tomato plants.   I laid those brick before I came indoors today.

What's for supper?  What jobs ought I to do once I've rested a bit?  I've no clue.  No more outdoor work for me today.  Not a whole lot of energy left after the morning's work outdoors either.

Meals:  Coffee

Hot dogs with macaroni, fruit

Chicken Fried Rice, Sliced Cucumber, Orange Wedges    I have a bit of food waste today.  The oranges are dry and pithy. Not at all cool refreshing treat as I was expecting.  And the carrots were spoiled at one end!  I've had carrots in my fridge for months at a time and never ever had one spoil.  Three had to be cut down to less than half the original size.  ugh!

Tuesday:  I'm a foolish woman.  I think every single time that I go visit Mama that I'll (a) have loads of energy left to do more (b) might actually do something I want to do.  Silly me.  I was foiled again today.  Ah well.  Call me overly optimistic.

Started the day early-ish.  I had coffee and read two chapters of my current book then John came in and prepared breakfast.  He hasn't made breakfast for us in a few weeks, so it was a nice surprise to have him prepare it.  

After breakfast I did some light housework, just part of the daily routine stuff, then I got ready to go to Mama's.  I made out a shopping list (ha) and made out a list of other things I hoped to do (Ha Ha) and off I went, hopeful one that I am.

Mama wanted to go visit a Farmer's Market.  I wasn't surprised.  There are some things she is seasonal about and since I'd received an email last week announcing that they were open, I was equally as sure that Mama had seen ads running on her tv announcing the opening.  That is a longish sort of journey from her home but one I was willing to make.  I asked what she'd like to have for lunch, and she wanted Pizza.

Mama doesn't want to go into restaurants very much anymore.  The place where she wanted to get pizza doesn't have dining in anyway.  I reminded her that the last time we'd had that pizza for lunch we'd made a huge mess of ourselves and the car.  She insisted that was really what she wanted.  I agreed but told her we'd run to the dollar store and buy paper plates and paper towel so we could eat with less mess.

So we did that and then went to the fairgrounds and had our pizza lunch.  We sat in the shade of a huge oak tree.  It's one of our favorite spots to have a picnic lunch.  We contemplated the crowd that was camping at the fair grounds for the week long rodeo.  

Then we made the long drive down to the Farmer's Market.  Once there Mama bought a lot of produce.  Peaches, squash, tomatoes, green tomatoes, butter beans, black eyed peas, a cantaloupe.   She shared most of this with me.  I declined cantaloupe only because the bulk of them were the size of a medium watermelon and Mama chose the smallest she could find which was a little on the small size for a cantaloupe.  She eats cantaloupe daily this time of the year and I didn't want her to give up any of her morning portions.  The market didn't have very many peaches available just yet.  Most of their crops are later cling free crops of peaches.

We also had peach ice cream, the first of the season.  We ate that in the shade of a huge old pecan tree.  Then we headed back to her home.  We admired crops (it's all rural farming for miles and miles around) and noted what homes were new and which were no longer standing.  We spent a half hour talking about which color crepe myrtle (just coming into bloom) we liked best.  We rode along back roads and back roads off of back roads.  Mama says she puts half a tank of gas every two months in her car now, so she wanted to get a good long ride in.  I accommodated her.   I stopped to fill up her car, which was smack on half a tank and then took her home.

By this point the temperature was about 100f.  I realized that the produce I was given, for which I'm very grateful, could NOT sit in the trunk of my car for an hour or two while I did other shopping I'd planned.  The AC in my car was on full blast and still sweat trickled down my face and back.  The AC works just fine but the car sitting for three hours in climbing temperatures takes a long while to cool off.  I was tentatively thinking perhaps I might rush and get in one store on my journey today if I hurried hard when John called to remind me that today was run-off day and I needed to go cast my vote.  

That was the deal breaker.  I came right on to our town and went to vote, then came home.  No prescription picked up.  No going to Walmart for flour and cleaning supplies.  No picking up Kroger's best sales for this week.  No shopping at Cato, which I haven't been to do in over a year. No stopping at Lowe's to pick up the necessary mulch and the longed-for annuals to plant here at home.

I've decided that I just need to have a Terri Shopping day.  Not a day that is partly devoted to Mama and her desires and not a day when I go out with John who often feels it is necessary to cut short any shopping day I've planned once he has purchased what he's wanted.  I'm going out to have a shopping day all on my own, without any one but myself to consider.   It's true I might not have the energy to get it all done.  And it's just as true that as the temperature climbs I'll be less and less inclined to keep going, but at some point I have to be able to acquire the things on my long running shopping list, at least in part.  The advantage is that I can visit most of these stores early and those few I can't will wait until I  am out another time.

Once home this afternoon, I shared with John some news I'd gotten and we discussed what this might mean for us legally.  It wasn't good news and I believe it was designed to be this way just to throw one more kink into what has already become a determined effort to create chaos in my life.  Not a thing I can do about it.  I shouldn't even have been surprised that it should be so.  Just one more page in a long saga.

John shared with me that his mower threw a belt when he went to mow Sam's yard, so he spent the bulk of his morning repairing that after another trip to the auto parts store.  He said there was a receipt for the new belt in his car.  Ho hum.  I think it's a good thing I decided to set up a fund specifically for mower repairs this summer, don't you?

I went out this evening to water the plants in the back yard and on the back porch.  The bird that built her nest in my bag of soil is attending closely to her little family.   She let me know that my presence about the back porch wasn't appreciated even if I did keep my distance and cut a wide swath around the bag of soil.  I conceded that she deserved her privacy but pointed out that I really needed to use soil and would appreciate her vacating the premises as soon as family was ready to fly.

It was still plenty warm outdoors and I was wringing wet when I came in, but at least all those plants out there got a good drink.  Tomorrow I'll be sure and water the plants on the front porch just as heavily.  The plants will need it with this heat.

Meals:  Eggs, Toast

Pizza, Peach Ice Cream

Beef Shish Kebab, Rice

Wednesday:  Slept in this morning despite my intention to be up and off early.  I know why I slept in.  We pulled the blackout curtains across the windows yesterday due to the heat and I never pushed them back open.  The room stayed dark and we both slept late.

I made a quick, light breakfast, feeling since we were both going out to do tasks that meant we'd be hot that we wouldn't want a heavy breakfast.   Made the bed and skipped housework entirely in favor of getting going before it was too much warmer.  I barely made it.  At 10am this morning it was already 91f.

I wanted above all things to do some fun personal shopping but I couldn't deny the need to do the necessary stuff and I decided first to get all that done first and then to concentrate on the things that were going to be the hottest to do.  Finally I decided upon my destination and that meant Warner Robins and not Perry which was where I wanted to go.  However, every thing I needed was within three miles of the pharmacy where I picked up our prescription.  And since this is the season of high gasoline prices, I figured I'd do my part and shop the area where everything was conveniently near rather than the stores I liked best.

I had a brainstorm to try Tractor Supply and skip Lowe's.  It was a good brain storm.  Same price for mulch as at Lowe's with the bonus that they actually have someone who will load it up for you.  I found an item Bess needed for her garden and a huge roll of weed mat.  Spent a pretty penny there and loaded my car trunk full.

Off to Walmart where I picked up myriad laundry and cleaning supplies that we were out of or very nearly out of.  I haven't bought cleaning supplies in nearly 1.5 years so if prices were up, I couldn't say.  Perhaps they were.

I grabbed a 5-pound bag of cornmeal and a 25-pound bag of flour while I was in the store.  I wandered in the home goods section for a wee bit looking at black out curtains for the living room, more guest towels to use as arm rest covers, and specifically for slipcovers.  

I'd decided that since I was having a harder time finding fabric to cover the ottomans that I'd buy slipcovers.  Wow.   The clingy unpleasant 'snug-fit' was cheap enough but I know from experience the fabric is shoddy, looks cheaper than cheap, and never 'clings' as it's meant to do.  The tailored cotton or cotton duck type prices took my breath.  Anywhere from $80-$259.  For one!  And I needed two of them.

As I wandered, I stumbled on the newly moved sewing section with a sparse selection of fabric but one of that sparse selection was a partial bolt of a heavy woven navy cotton fabric.  And there was just enough to cover my two ottomans for $25 total.  True I have to do the sewing but that I can easily do.  And knowing I've saved myself at least $145 didn't hurt a thing.

I've been in the market for some time now for a mirror with more magnification power.  I have a 3X but it's not quite enough.  I'd been looking online at various places, and at those mirrors that came highly recommended, but I found one today that suited me just fine for $7.  The least expensive has been three times that amount, and the reviews were iffy.  This one doesn't require a power cord or batteries and has 5X magnification.  I'm not unhappy about that savings either!

I knew by that point that I was winding down fast, and the hope of Cato was just a wisp of a dream and forget all about Ross for Less and HomeGoods.  I grabbed a basic white tank and t-shirt from the piles there in Walmart.  I seldom get more than a season of wear from either one as I'm so prone to staining so why buy more expensive ones?  I looked for a straw bag, but I am looking not just for a specific size, but also one that zips or snaps closed.  No such critter.  On to checkout I went and once the car was loaded I headed back to my little hometown.

I stopped off at Katie's to unload the bags of mulch and after calling to check on her (nasty migraine last night kept her home today) I came on home.  I unloaded my car and John thankfully came out and hauled it all into the house.  It was 1pm and the temperature was 101f in the shade.  

I showered after I got home to cool off, handed off my clothing to John who wanted to run a load through the wash anyway (he'd been off to mow half the yard over at Sam's without any mower issues (YAY!).  I had leftovers enough to serve us lunch and was grateful for it.

Now I'm enjoying a homemade iced coffee and the AC.  I am a little sad I didn't get to do the 'fun' part of shopping, but it will keep for another day.  At least now the necessary part of the shopping is done, and I can toss that list.  I was glad to get out on my own.  I need to make a point of doing that at least once every couple of weeks.  

John has left a world of grass on the bathroom floor.  I noted it last night when I was in there and I was too tired then to sweep the floor.  I'll try to get that done this afternoon while supper is cooking.

Tomorrow is a home day for me, except the program at the library with the boys.  This week is nearly flown. I've barely been home, but I know that this isn't always the way of it.  

Meals:  Kielbasa, Toast

Leftovers: Fried Chicken, potato salad, corn pudding

Hamburgers and Chips with all the fixings.

Thursday:  We woke very early this morning.  John was beyond amazed that I myself came out of the room before 6:30. He's accustomed to getting up very early on his own.  We were literally up before the sun but it wasn't too far behind the trees.

I finished my book, Daphne Deane by Grace Livingston Hill.   I read Hill's Marcia Schuyler over the weekend and went right from one to the other.  The last book was Hill's first book, written in 1908 and was based on her grandmother's life if I remember correctly.  

I made a simple breakfast, did light housework and headed outdoors to clean up the patio.  My work list for the back porch this week has not been touched at all, but the patio was something I knew I could improve if only by cleaning and rearranging so that's what I worked on this morning.  I repotted the last tomatoes, have a plan for my last hanging basket on the front porch, refreshed the Hummingbird food and blew off the debris from the front porch.  It looked much nicer just tidying it up.  I'm satisfied with it.

Indoors, after cooling off, I picked over the frames of the chickens I put in the slow cooker last night.  One of the frames was from a Bbq chicken from the deli.  It was smoky and it seasoned the whole pot of broth.  I'll keep that in mind in the future.  

The broth is meant for Katie, per her request of having me make broth.  She was sick this week and wanted broth and she got one container last night that I had already set aside.  The rest will go to her and be put in her freezer.  

After that I showered, put on makeup and made us lunch then the boys and I headed to the library.  Today there was a reptile rescue show and the library was packed.  We've been the only ones who've shown up for the programs and we've been part of a small group but today there were dozens of children and a dozen adults in the place.  This was awesome and not so good at the same time.  Awesome because I have been a bit sad that more people haven't taken advantage of the programs offered. And not so good...

You see, it meant that when it came to seating, I was separated from Josh and Isaac who were instructed to sit on the opposite side of the librarian's desk.  I didn't think much about it.  The boys are generally well behaved.  But at one point, mid-program, I see a little boy behind the librarian's desk and then on top of a table and then wandering the adult book aisles.  I peered hard between rows and around folks and was pretty sure that little boy was Isaac.  And it was.  I went to find him and brought him back to my side of the library to sit on my lap.  He wiggled.  He whined.  He kicked the chair in front of us.   He begged to go sit with Josh once more.  He was duly threatened and allowed to return to where he'd been before.  

That's when I got in trouble because he took the most circuitous route he possibly could to return to his place.  The speaker reprimanded me for his wandering.  He was right, but he'd also asked for quiet and with it 105f outdoors I thought it was the lesser of two evils to let Isaac return to Josh.  I should have known better in thinking he'd just ease right along the aisle and return.    While the speaker was on a roll, he reprimanded a woman with a restless toddler and did ask her to exit the library and she wandered around outdoors with the child).  The librarian gave me a sympathetic look (she was the one who separated us) and she corralled Isaac and stood guard next to him thereafter.  

I took the boys over to the next town to Dairy Queen after the program since they were pretty much rushed from the library.  Our library has a help issue like every other place and they are open only for those days when a planned program is in force.  But only for the hour that the program goes on. 

The boys were unsettled by the restraints of being quiet and still at the library and so they naturally weren't happy being strapped into car seats in the car.  They argued gently all the way over to the next town.

The boys were fine at DQ and took turns tasting each other's ice cream.  They had to have a taste of mine too, but they shared their own choices bite for bite.  They always want a LOT of food and larger sizes but as Josh said to me before he finished his Blizzard, "This is a lot of ice cream."  I said "Yes, I know.  That's why I said you could only get a small one."  

Next week there are two programs we'll attend in Butler.  I've warned the boys that we won't be buying treats next week, but I thought perhaps I might pack a treat bag to carry with us and then pass it out to them after the program.  The treats are as much a part of this summer as the library are. If it's cooler I might let the treat be a half hour or so at the shady playground. 

Katie came by this evening with paperwork that John needed to sign.  She and Caleb stayed for dinner.  Since I knew they were coming, I planned ahead an easy to prepare dinner for my return.  That worked out just great.  

Caleb was in a great mood.  He was ecstatic to be here and ran to John with nothing short of sheer joy on his little face.  He didn't eat as he usually does.  Katie said he's been off his meals.  I expect he'll eat normally until the next growth spurt.  He played.  He colored with washable markers.  I turned over this sheet of paper so he could have a clean side and a complete meltdown occurred.  I looked at the clock.  It was 7pm.  His bedtime.  It's so easy to tell just when his day is done.  But I also see that there are things he wants a certain way and he doesn't want Gramma thinking for him.  Don't touch the toys he's set up until he's gone.  Don't flip over his paper so he has a clean side to color on.  Oh and don't go greet him outdoors.  It's acceptable to answer the door if he knocks (usually because it's locked) but he wants to say "Hey!" first...I'll try to keep those things in mind.

I made bread in the bread machine tonight.  I don't like the odd square loaf it makes but with this heat wave on we'll be using the appliances and not the oven.  I used the toaster oven to make supper.   John and I have planned a date day out.  That means we'll have to hustle and do housework in the morning.  I'm looking forward to this date as a reward for all the hot, hard work we've been doing these past few weeks.  

Meals:  Cheese Toast, Orange Julius

Hot Dogs, the last of the potato salad, coleslaw, strawberries for me, grapes for John

Enchiladas, Corn on the Cob, Green Salad, Pineapple

Friday:  We were up about our usual time this morning.  Light breakfast and then we socked right into housework.  We wished Katie a happy birthday.

We had plans today to go out to lunch in the town in the foothills.  It's about the same distance there as if we were to drive over to our more usual area, but it's the foothills that draw us.  The long views over that way are just lovely and rural all the way between us and the town.  It is slightly (very slightly) cooler today.  Katie jokingly referred to it as a 'cool snap' last night as the temps were expected to drop by 5 degrees.

We had a lovely ride up and a good lunch.  I was a wee bit disappointed in my lunch, but it was a new dish that I was trying.  I won't purchase that twice.  Overall I found it a bit bland.  The ingredients were fresh as could be, the sauce and herbs helped but it just didn't have much flavor overall.  Not a biggie.  The soup that came with the meal was quite good and comforting and I enjoyed that.  John had 1/4 of a burger left and offered it to me.  I happily ate it and said to him, "I should have ordered the burger!"   John almost always orders a hamburger wherever we go.

We had a lovely ride home and enjoyed the views all the way back.  And now here we are relaxing with nothing left to do this week but keep cool.  I love when we've pushed to get chores done so we have a bit of a rest leading into Shabat in the evening hours.  

I need to think of something for supper, but doubt John will want anything much. It's always a tricky balancing act on days when we've eaten out and don't have leftovers to figure out what will fill us but not leave us feeling overfull.  It's got to be enough of something to last us through the evening, or we'll end up snacking.   One day I may do something brilliant and keep smaller baskets in my freezer.  One will be marked "Light and filling" and another will say "Soups" and a third will say "For snacky eating" lol.

When we came in from our little trip out, I stood on the front porch and folded the freshly dried laundry.  There was a pretty nice breeze out there.  Misu came and laid down on top of my foot while I worked.  She seems to appreciate my doing home-y sorts of tasks while I'm out there.

And that's the end of our week.  How was yours?

Meals:  Strawberry Muffins, Cubes of Cheddar

lunch out

not sure yet, nor even sure what my options might be