Diary Of a Homemaker: Making It A Better Week

Saturday:  John told me last night what we'd be doing for our day out today.  I had no objection.  Would it have been one of my top choices?  Probably not, but it was something he wanted to do and he mentioned specifically why he wanted to be there.  Good enough.

First of all, I slept.  Honey, I slept.  I woke at 10:30 this morning! I seriously thought I was crawling out of bed only moments after John got up. No.  John apparently was up at 8am, took a shower, which I never heard, left the room and had conversations with Katie and Caleb.  I slept through it all.  All.  It might not be remarkable to anyone else, but I figure I must have gotten a solid 9.5 hours sleep last night.  And I'm happy to write here at this morning, I could easily crawl into bed and sleep again tonight.

John said Caleb was feeling better this morning and woke without any fever.  He and Katie were off on their own adventures for the day.

I ate a leisurely breakfast of a hot croissant and had coffee.  This is my Saturday morning treat.  Caleb and Katie also join me in having croissants.  John remains a firm fan of bagels.  The rest of us like bagels but we'd rather have croissants.  As long as I can find them as cheap as I do at the Kroger reduced bakery rack we will have them.

We finally left home just about 11:30. Our destination: church.  There was a car show to benefit the youth trip to Colombia, South America this summer.  We saw some really beautiful cars in a variety of classes.  John assured me it was a much larger showing last year.  I'd say there was about 20 cars there.  It was fun to walk around and look at them.  I was most interested in the 1920's models.  The front seat was snug for two, but the back seat looked roomy enough to fit 3 comfortably.  No rumble seats on these models.  

We went to the food trucks on site for our lunch.  We talked with others we knew, walked around and enjoyed the beautiful weather and lovely breeze.

John also said we were going to Lowe's after we'd been to the car show.  I made up my mind that if I was going to spend a Saturday in Lowe's, I was coming home with plants of some sort, lol.  We went in to price a kitchen sink and to see if they had a sample of another item.

I bought a small Mandevilla, a packet of cosmos seeds, and a small pot of a pretty coleus.  I love my coleus for spring planting because they do so well all the way through fall.  I'll likely add other varieties but this one was especially pretty.  I also bought a small pot each of mint, sage, oregano.  I didn't see chives or dill which were also on my list but there will be other trips to Lowes in my future, of this I am sure.

We came home to find Katie and Caleb on the back porch.  I had bought Caleb a small metal firetruck at Lowe's.  He was so pleased and nearly pierced our eardrums with his rendition of the siren, lol.  He started running a low fever again this evening and he looks a little pale to me.  

All in all, it was a great day.

Sunday:  I slept well again last night, but I groaned anyway when I woke with that early alarm.  Never mind.  It is very pleasant to have a quiet routine on Sunday mornings.  We eat the same breakfast each week, Cheese toasts and coffee.  Katie and Caleb are typically either still asleep or lying in bed watching TV at that early hour.

We went by Kroger after church.  I sailed through the store, very sure of what I was getting and not deviating.  Then home we came with a rotisserie chicken.  It was a matter of less than ten minutes to pop potatoes in the microwave and make a salad.  Sunday dinner: done.

I didn't exactly take a nap this afternoon.  Nor lie down.  I put away groceries. I cleaned out the fridge and put things back in more neatly.  We have no leftovers this week to start our week.  There is meat in the fridge that's been there since yesterday to thaw.  It's still pretty much solid ice.  I must remember to check it first thing in the morning if we're to eat supper tomorrow night.

I puttered around cleaning up this spot or that.  Not heavy housework by any means but just a general tidying.  Then I sat down and closed my eyes for a half hour or so.  I never went to sleep, but I emptied my mind and just sat there quietly with my eyes closed, aware of things around me but almost as though they were at a distant.  It was very restful.

Caleb has not felt well all weekend.  He's not running fever, but he's been clingy with his mom.  He ate a bit of gravy this evening and licked jelly off his biscuit.  Hopefully he will be much better this week ahead.

I find myself feeling a bit anxious.  I'm sure part of it is that I'm tired.  The other part likely has to do with the need to get our materials together in order to get this reno work done.  We do not have to buy lumber, etc.  We do have to get things like faucets and sinks and cabinets and choose our countertops and order those and so forth and so on.  

It's been an easy and pleasant day.  

Monday:  I made John a bigger breakfast this morning.  Easy enough but something I've not done in ages.  We had hashbrowns, with eggs cooked atop once done, a slice of bacon each and toasted biscuits.

Caleb and I unloaded the dishwasher together.  We try to include him in certain chores.  He helps unload the dishwasher.  He can easily set items in a drawer or on a countertop where the appropriate cabinet is.  

John also has him help pick up his room each morning and to empty trash cans.  Caleb's main job is to drag the filled bag to the back door spot where we typically put it until we can carry it off.  He can take his plate to the table if I don't fill it too full as well as put his plate on the counter next to the sink once he's finished eating.  And he can put his clothes on a shelf in his room until an adult can come sort and put them away properly.  

John has said as he gets a little older he plans to teach him to use the washer and dryer and asked that I teach him how to make simple meals for himself.  I don't think he's quite ready for those things just yet.

I took Caleb outdoors, where we moved the pink three-tiered planter to the front patio.  I planted out the new herb plants. I added the mint to the old mint pot and put sage, oregano and basil in the three-tiered planter.  

I took time last night to go over my bank statement and reconcile my check register.  Honestly, my worst month ever of not keeping up with this task and the number of forgotten transactions that I failed to write down is utterly ridiculous.  Thank goodness for the cushion we keep in that account.  I have now got it reconciled and know just where we are.  Sheesh! What a mess!  I don't know why on earth I failed to attend to this very necessary and important task for the past month.  Was I in a fog?

I have a plan for supper. I've tossed around all sorts of ideas, but I've finally settled on something that I think will be delicious and not too heavy.  John will be out and it will just be Katie, Caleb and I.

 I plan to go outdoors this afternoon with Caleb.  It is warm out there.  The AC has been coming on since mid-morning.  We'll play around front this afternoon where the shade of the house covers the patio. I'll refill Caleb's water table.  I found an old paintbrush and will let him 'paint' the patio or the sides of the house if he likes.  

I took time this afternoon to order canning salt, pectin (low sugar type) and citric acid.  Hopefully this will be the bulk of what I am missing in order to get myself set up for food preservation purposes.

Tuesday:   I've been thinking and thinking about the upcoming renovations.  We can survive just fine with one bathroom for two weeks which was the guesstimate on the time frame.  Not a problem.  Packing things up won't be so horrific either.  

The kitchen...Now there's a story.  Also, a two-week time frame for the work to be done.  There is a load of stuff to be packed up in there despite all the work I've done to reduce things down.  I've asked John if he'd put together the second island, so I'd have a place to store some of the stuff coming from the other cabinets.  

I suppose if we both worked outside the home and typically ate out three or four times a week, it wouldn't be half so difficult to figure out.  But I cook from home for all but 1 meal each week.  That's 20 meals a week every week.  I even make our bread here at home!

I don't want to add to the expense of the renovations with a lot of take-out food.  Not to mention that we're very limited in our area.  We can get subs, burgers, pizza, fried chicken, Mexican and Chinese but all but the burgers would be at least a 30-minute drive to pick up. Then there's 30 minutes back.  It hardly seems worthwhile, agreed?  Burgers we could only buy for lunch, as the hometown diner closes by 2pm.

No, I'll have to rely on the slow cooker, toaster oven and microwave. I could use the bread machine, too, as it's portable.  For meals, I've determined that my very best bet is to fill a cooler each day with what I'll need from the fridge/freezer.   I can cook easily enough with the toaster oven, and slow cooker.   We will eat a lot of cereal and toast for breakfast, sandwiches for lunches.  I figure I might manage one hot meal a day with the previously mentioned appliances.   

So, having figured out that I'll still be cooking at home and how I'll go about it, I've now bumped hard against the question of WHERE will I cook?

In the dining area?  How can I keep Caleb away from hot things?  Do I really want to be messing about with cookery on top of the carpet?  I have tile in my bathroom.  But do I want to cook in there?  There's only one outlet.   I would have water handy if needed.  Should I set up at the opposite end of the kitchen?  What about dust and such?  We aren't having sheetrock work done in the kitchen, but there's bound to be dust of some sort.  And I wouldn't want to be in the way of workers.

I'd thought perhaps the back porch could work despite the heat. I could run a multiple extension from the outdoor plug, but it's likely workmen will be using that plug for their tools and they'll possibly be cutting and such.  And certainly, that porch would be the entrance they'd utilize.  There are no plugs near the front porch at all.

My mind spins with these thoughts at night.  I'll be very nearly asleep and then I'm wide awake trying to determine where I'll cook and what sort of meals I think I can manage and where I will stack all the packed-up things and reminding myself I need to get boxes, lots and lots of boxes, so I can pack up that kitchen entirely save the few items I think I can use in my tiny toaster oven.   I know it will all get sorted but in the dark of night, when I'm already tired, it all seems more than a bit much. 

Now add in the keeping of extra children...Anxiety mounts.  Sleep eludes.  

And that's just my thoughts on the kitchen.  

I am watching videos on the Nesco Smart Canner.  I don't know if I'm going to actually attempt this any time soon.  I am feeling a bit overwhelmed at present what with Caleb, the two-week period before school is out and more children descend upon us, the reno work that is as yet unscheduled but likely to be inconvenient no matter how much it is looked forward to, and just life in general.  However, when I do finally feel the time is right, I'll know well enough how to use this appliance and be more than ready to tackle tasks with it.  I'm also collecting recipes to try in it.  Ruth Ann Zimmerman's baked beans, Lana's easy chili...It all sounds like it would be so welcome on the pantry shelves. I only wish it was all there right now...

I've been blue this evening.  I had Millie for less than two hours, today.  She refused to leave John's lap. Later I found out she hadn't been well.  Apparently, Caleb's little fever of unknown origin hit her as well. She did come and sit on my lap for a bit, but truth is truth.  The two 3-year-olds both want a lap all to themselves and if she's on John's then Caleb is on mine.

 I'd really like to know her better and spend more time with her.   Millie is resistant to enjoying Caleb's company though he does all he can to welcome her and court her favor.  Mind you, this is how Millie has always been.  She loved everyone except Katie for the longest period and now it's "Tatie Mama" who she seeks out.  Hopefully when Sam is in office more often come this autumn, I can spend more time with her.

But yes, I am blue.  Not just over Millie, but over so many things at the moment.  Overwhelmed.  Anxious.  Caleb had a rough afternoon with lots of hard tears.  I felt like I could tune up and cry right along with him nearly every time, too.  

John took me out of the house this evening.  We carried off trash and then rode miles and miles over lovely country roads, full of privet and honeysuckle scents, saw deer grazing in a field of wheat raise their heads like any other cattle to watch us pass by.  I looked at people sitting on their front porches or walking about their yards looking over flowers.  I saw pink and blue in the sunset sky.  It was all like a great deep sigh of relief for me.  We live in such a lovely place with such beauty all around us.  And this little change of scenery was likely good medicine for my blue-ish soul.

Wednesday:  What a lovely and pleasant day we had today.  I started out waking earlier than usual and this gave me time for shower, make-up and even a bit of work on the checkbook before I exited the room.   Caleb was delighted to see me which was a change from yesterday when he was all peace with John but immediately upon my appearance in the room he went on strike against every single thing.  

He played happily so I was able to get a good start on tuna pasta salad and a couple of dishes for later in the week/weekend.  We went outdoors and after a bit of trying to keep him limited to the back porch, I gave up and told him, "Just stay where I can see you, Okay?"  This works fairly well but he is prone to duck behind a car or rosebush and then say "I see you..." but I can't see him, lol.  I finally just went on to the Sweet Gum bed and started weeding that and lo and behold, he stayed right under my feet there.  Amazing.  If I'm doing nothing, I can't find him.  Just let me get involved in something, lol.

We came indoors after he'd gotten hot and sweaty and I prepared lunch, including a lovely cold smoothie of bananas and strawberries which he seemed to enjoy.  He went down for quiet time, I finished up my dishes I was making, then cleaned and cleared the kitchen before heading back to the bedroom to work on the rest of the checkbook work.  Do you know what else I didn't do last month?  I didn't stop and figure out what categories my funds were coming from for last month's credit card bill!  And I seriously overpaid from my allowance for last month.  Good thing, though, since I owe quite a chunk of money this month, sigh.  Not sorry I made any of the purchases I did.  They were all planned but it would be helpful if they were billed in the same month in which I purchased instead of the month after, you know?  It throws things out of whack.

I took ten minutes to stretch out on my bed and rest.  Yes, I really did.  Again, it's amazing how tense my body is and how much that ten minutes of lying stretched out on the bed relaxes me.  If I think about it I also have my legs raised.  This is supposed to help drain lymphatic fluids that collect in the legs.  I don't know a thing about this, but I've been reading about this in 1950's books and magazines for years and of course, with the way things trend, there are now many experts touting the benefits of this all over again.

When I went to Caleb's room to open the door, I found he was sound asleep.  He didn't take a long nap, because I'd heard him playing around in there as I was lying down, but I figure in the end, he had 15 minutes of sleep.  He amused me when he came out to snuggle in my lap and said "I'm tired..."  At that point he gave a mighty yawn.  I told him he could lie down again if he wanted but he refused.  He wanted to watch TV.  And he did lie down to watch it but no more sleep for that little fellow.

When John came back from mowing across the field's house, Caleb went out to greet him and the two of them drove the mower down the hill to the mailbox.  It was plenty warm by then and once the mower had been cleaned, we all came indoors once again.  John went off to shower and Caleb settled back in front of the tv, lying on the ottoman to watch.  

Tomorrow we will be out of the house. I hope things go as smoothly then as they have today.  

Thursday:  Up early again this morning.  I woke before 7am.  It was daylight outdoors and I suppose now that is true on the west side of the house as well as the east side, I shall continue to wake fairly early.   I have no issues with this at all.

John wanted to take our car to be serviced.  I made sure to do light housework prior to leaving the house.  I knew what we'd have for lunch.  

Caleb would get a happy meal at the fast-food play space next to the tire center where we have our service done.  It was a pleasant play time for him and he really enjoyed himself.  On the way home, he said he was tired.  He ought to have been.  He'd been up and down steps and down the slide and continually active, plus two decent walks.

One of the things I love about Caleb is that he is so friendly to everyone.  He waves and says, "Hi, I'm Caleb!"   People are generally very pleasant to him.  

We stopped to pick up Gramma's Fried Chicken at the grocery, as well as a prescription and two can openers.  In the past two weeks I've had three can openers bite the dust.  It's made opening a can of anything an agony and I'm not even kidding, lol.  I've always preferred a manual can opener and the last one we purchased at Walmart, a no name brand that lasted very well but when it was done, it was done.  I had a cheap spare that I kept at the baking center, and we used that for about a week and then it was done.  And then we pulled the picnic can opener from the picnic bag and that worked once then quit.  I found myself wishing we had one of those little military can openers, P-38, I think it's called.  It was hard work to open the cans with it, but it did the job more easily than the can openers we were using did.

I'm just sorry I haven't any need of a can opener just at this moment, because temptation is to open a can just to have the pleasure of being able to open a can easily once more.  

I said I knew what our lunch would be.  I have a plan for supper as well.  I haven't produced a thing for my household today.  I've done no Zone work this week save the cleaning of the storm door glass.  

John suggested we make a long journey tomorrow rather than on Saturday to visit a cabinetry place. I imagined the long drive down and back with Caleb and trying to keep him occupied and quiet while we looked and talked things over.  Then there is the fact that he will be making two fairly long car trips on Saturday and Sunday.   It seems unfair to give him a third long trip on Friday.  I pointed this out to John, and he agreed.  He'd quite forgotten about the trips for the weekend.

When Katie came in this evening, I was ready to speak sharply to her.  Well thank goodness for a little boy to make me laugh and diffuse my temper.  I'd dressed him in a really nice button-down shirt that was printed with dinosaurs all over.  It's one of his new spring things that he'd not yet worn.  Katie said, "Well don't you look handsome!"  And Caleb very casually puts his hands in his shorts pockets and said, "Yes" and strolled off...Katie and I both burst out laughing and my sharp temper was dissolved.  I approached Katie in a much nicer mood than I might have done, and the matter was over without hurt feelings or anger.

Friday:  We woke to thunder and pouring rain early this morning.  I saw the light on in the living room and knew Katie was up, so it must have been about 5:00am.  She leaves here three days a week for the gym.

I also knew Caleb wouldn't be happy if he was awakened by the thunder.  John got up a little later and showered.  I relaxed and went back to sleep.  I knew he'd be on assignment if Caleb woke.  I woke up about 7:30 and got ready for the day.  I stripped the bed and bathroom and was greeted joyfully by Caleb who is always delighted to see me each morning.  Second breakfast is always his favorite.

All the usual Friday home keeping chores followed breakfast. We've been busy doing laundry, remaking beds, cleaning baths and rooms and behind Caleb's many toys scattered here and there.  

About 11:30 he told me he wanted to go to bed.  He said he was tired.  I made him lunch and sent him off to his quiet time.  

Supper is cooking in the crockpot. I have something of a plan for weekend meals which are very loosely planned any weekend.  I still need to sweep the baths out and clean the second bath but housework is pretty well done.  Now it's weekend relaxation time.  I'll take up my book, Castle on the Hill by Elizabeth Goudge and a cup of coffee and just chill.  Tomorrow we are off to look at kitchen cabinets and gather quotes.

And that was our week.  How did your week go?