Diary of a Homemaker's Week: It Was Different

 

Saturday:  John and I bought pizzas and a big Italian Salad last night while we were dropping Caleb off to his Nene.  We brought them home, made an adult beverage and ate with our feet propped up, me in my nightie, him in his pj pants and t-shirt.   

He turned off the tv and while I colored, he went to his computer and played songs from the 1970's.  I was taken back to my junior high and high school days with the selection of music he played.  And I remembered the words still to so many of them!  He played music until we went to bed.

Up this morning after sleeping in and he surprised me when I came out of the room telling me that Katie was home...We weren't expecting her home until after lunch today.  

We didn't go anywhere today, just hung around the house pretty much.  Well, I did make a quick trip into town to the Dollar General where I bought mushrooms to make Katie's requested Beef Stroganoff for her birthday.

We never made it to pie tonight.  After supper Caleb was more than ready for bed, and Katie followed him.  John said, "We never got to sing or anything..."  Nope, we didn't.   Next to the last birthday for June, done.

Sunday:  Nightwatches going on once again.  I go to sleep easily enough but then wake at about 4am...

Off to church this morning.  I just wanted to doze off all the way home, but John took us on a ride before going home, and I paid attention because it wasn't our usual way home.   

Once home, we all had leftover pizza for lunch.  Katie and Caleb went off to take a nap, John went to mow at Sam's. I sorted out the fridge, planned a leftovers supper, made pickles, dried the carrot tops and stripped the leaves off (1.25 cups of leaves), froze the stems to add to veggie broth.  

Later this evening, when John came back, Caleb went outdoors so he could have his turn at 'driving' the lawnmower.  He really does drive it, too.  John is at the ready to help but Caleb is handling the steering.  While they were off down the driveway, I got busy and blew the grass off the back porch.  John didn't mow here, but at Sam's.  However, when he came back, he strimmed around the house and steps and that debris was on the porch.

After supper this evening, the wind picked up suddenly along about 7:30 and the sky got super dark.  I was watching the tormented twisting of the trees thinking we needed to watch for weather warnings, when my phone rang.  It was Sam telling us to get out of the house NOW and go into town.  Naturally I was even more alarmed than I'd been watching the wind blow things about.  Katie grabbed Caleb, jumped in her car and took off.  I waited and waited for John who took his time.  I swear, for someone who hates thunderstorms, more severe threats don't light a bit of fire under his feet.  I came back indoors to find him and told him "Let's GO!"  Do you know that he still turned around and went back into the house?  In the meantime, the wind is swirling around the place from every direction, the skies growing darker and darker. I kept scanning the skies and fussing out loud.  Finally, he got in the car and drove slowly into town.  I prayed all the way into town for our homes and those of our neighbors.

We all met up at the parking lot of the grocery store in town.  Bess is working there, and the owners kindly allowed us to come in and shelter at the back of the store.  I did have to leave Rufus in the car.  Never mind that I'd brought him with us, I couldn't very well take the dog into the grocery.  It was bad enough to be there with the four children running around like hoodlums.  The weather brought only rain to town.  We waited out the warning period and then we all packed up and headed back home.  Here there were a few limbs on the ground and the roads were green with leaves that had been stripped off trees.  Flowerpots were here and there, but only empty ones.  Everything was drenched.  But everything was safe, and the power was on, where it had been off and on and off and on...

Sam apologized for getting everyone out of the houses, but you know, I saw what he'd been watching and the rapidity with which it had moved, and I think he made a good call.  I'm just deeply grateful that we were safe, and all the homes in our neighborhood were untouched.

Monday: John decided to fry eggs. I had a temporary brain glitch when he asked me to get out two more eggs.  The container was looking a bit empty.  Then I remembered that I had two 18ct. cartons right under that container that we'd yet to open.  

After breakfast I began emptying cabinets and cleaning in earnest in the kitchen.  I am seriously looking at those dingy dirty walls...I've almost made up my mind that any color I choose, even if it proves to be a mistake would be better than looking at those walls.  Definitely will debate this a bit harder.  Of course, there are portions of walls that need never be painted at all. And it does seem we'd be most likely to wait until after the renovation than doing it before anyway...I don't know.  Still six of one and half a dozen of the other when it comes to those thoughts.

I packed up cabinets.  I have one portion of the last wall of cabinets started, have set up my island as a temporary home for dishes and appliances I know I can use just now. It's a minimalist kitchen.  I did leave out my skillets and pots but the larger baking pans are put away.  This time of year, I seldom use a proper baking sheet or 9x13 pan anyway.  It heats up the house far too much to turn on that oven.  I try to rely on the toaster oven, microwave, slow cooker and bread machine anyway.

As I started clearing out the cleaning cupboard, I realized I had four milk crates stacked to use as shelving and those would make great bins for packing those items up in.  I only needed two of them, so I have two more I can pack with things from that upper cabinet.  I have three more boxes, but I'm thinking we will certainly not need any more than those three.  

I worked and worked and worked and then I mopped all the hard floors and then I worked some more.  John came out of the music room, where he'd been practicing music and said "For goodness' sake!  Will you sit down and stop now?"  I replied I would, but I needed to heat something up for our lunch...But I did sit down shortly thereafter, and I was more than happy to stay there.

About 3:30 we'd just had coffee and Bess came in.  She brought all the bags of food from the school bus run.  We went through bags and divided things equally between us, but here and there I made sure there were three of items I felt the three kids would especially all want one of or an item I recalled Sam saying he especially liked.  Still, we ended up with a ton of fruit cups, juice boxes, loads of produce (carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, orange slices) and half a bag of Mozzarella cheese sticks.  

Bess took the pantry bounty and put it all away for me.  She looked at my supply and said something that simply warms my heart because I heard something similar from Katie years ago.  "Doesn't it make you feel good to see it all and know you're covered?"  I smiled and said, "Bess, it does bring me some comfort and that I've been able to help you all and Katie over the years more than once with necessities has made it that much nicer.  It's not just my comfort but all of ours I think of as I stock that pantry.  And I'll tell you now, if you ever need something, just ask."  We laughed remembering how we all pretty much lived off my pantry and what we could all find here and there in the stores during the pandemic.  "We never went without toilet paper!" Bess ended and I laughed with her over that.  I had always made it a habit to keep about a year's supply on hand at all times.  

After the bountiful blessing, Bess asked only to take a Dr. Pepper from the closet.  I gave her two and told her to give one to Sam who enjoys one now and then, too.

As Bess was leaving, Katie got John moving on hanging the new blind in her room.  I've had it for more than two weeks and she was more than ready for the room darkening effect it will have in her room.   

The AC has worked hard today.  Though the temperature was in the low 90's the 65% humidity had a 'feels like' effect of 100F.  We went through the house, closed the blinds, pulled the room darkening curtains, and turned on all the fans to help move the air.  When Caleb went to bed, we opened the rooms we have to keep shut during the day.  I've tried leaving those doors open, but he simply will not leave the contents of those rooms alone.  He wants to go in and he doesn't want to come out.   This is an issue in the music room where he wants to turn equipment on and play with knobs on amps and guitars.  Also, a problem when he wants to run across my bed, and then remove the contents of every side table, desk and dresser in the room.  Much easier if less economical for the AC to keep those doors closed.

Tuesday:  Some mornings, I just don't want to wake up at all.  It's not a weariness thing.  It's that I've woken so many times in the night that all I really want to do is sleep in.  I finally dragged myself from bed along about 8:20 this morning.  Not exactly the sort of 'early' morning hour I had in mind when I set my plans for the week.

Nevertheless, I got plenty done.  We had breakfast, Caleb and I unloaded the dishwasher, then he, John and I went outdoors to attend to a few minor matters.  One of my glass jars with sweet potato rooting had fallen from the porch rail.  There were weeds growing up under the porch and out through the wire mesh that surrounds the porch.  We sprayed those.  Then Caleb and I went about watering the plants.  He did the horned worm/beetle squishing for me.  We straightened up the patio a bit more and I filled his water table.  

When we came indoors, I tackled cleaning out the upper portion of the cleaning cupboard.  I was so upset with myself.  I dropped a full box of brand-new lightbulbs and shattered them.  There were at least 8 bulbs in that box. I felt sick.  Lightbulbs aren't cheap these days!  I got everything packed up except for food and the few appliances and utensils we are currently using.

At this point, all I have to do now is just wait on this contractor to finish his current job and be ready to do ours.  Not that I'm anxious about getting this done or anything, lol.  

I've made lunch, started supper and confess I feel more than a wee bit tired right now.  Caleb is raising all kinds of fuss in the bedroom where he's supposed to be taking quiet time.  I expect he's showing out for his Mama...sigh.  John's gone off to the room to close his eyes for a bit.  I may mosey out to the porch and see if it's tolerable out there.  Quiet would be something restful just now.

Wednesday:  Between cleaning out the kitchen and just living, we've produced a lot of bags of trash lately.  Last night, after I'd done the handwashing from supper (Katie rinses dishes and loads the dishwasher items), and John had drunk his coffee, we loaded up the trunk of the car with four bags, two boxes and a handful of items picked up on the way to the car.  The trunk was full.  We took those things to the dump and off we went on what I thought might be the 'round the block' ride which can be lengthy enough since the second leg of the block is about 5 miles away.  

John did as he did last time and headed across the river instead of turning just before we got to it.  We drove to Roberta and then down past the high school and middle school and the courthouse in Knoxville (2 miles from Roberta but essentially the same town) and he continued on his way.  It wasn't until we'd driven nearly 13 miles that he asked me "Uhm...Where am I going?"  I laughed and told him we were nearly in Byron.  We happened to come to a four way stop and I pointed to each road and told him where each road led.  He opted to turn right, and we headed to Ft. Valley, along a lovely winding uphill and down dale road that goes past a pristine little church that looks quite old.  

I looked up the history and the original buildings were log cabins and set up in 1848 but the current church, plain and simple, was built in 1922.  It sits among an old grove of cedar trees and has a pretty little graveyard attached.  Y'all know how partial I am to the older graveyards...It reminds me a good deal of the church I grew up in, built along about the same era and only a little more plain than this one.  But there is something homey and peaceful about these old churches that draws me to them.

We went on into Ft. Valley and stopped at Wendy's to get a Frosty, then drove to my favorite spot in the cemetery there in Ft. Valley to sit near Elizabeth's grave.  We had the windows of the car down and it was very pleasant by 8pm and quiet with birds singing and no traffic noise.  It was lovely to sit there and talk quietly about this and that.

We drove home with the windows of the car down.  I was surprised at how nice it was outdoors because it had been another hot day.

Did you ever have a conversation with someone, say a husband, and you've talked about the subject off and on for a week or so and then suddenly you realize that they haven't heard a word you've said?  That indeed their own thoughts on the subject, which has been under discussion are not the same as yours at all?  It was a fairly serious matter, and I was sick with shock when I realized that we had opposing views.  And in fact, we ended having words over it.  I happen to feel very strongly about my position on this matter and made it plain that I do and I wouldn't back off my opinion no matter how uncomfortable it made him.  But yeah...Frankly that lovely evening ended with tension.  And isn't that just the way it seems to go at times?

Between ice cream and my emotional turmoil, I didn't sleep last night.  John is the opposite sort.  Emotional turmoil drives him first to prayer and then right to sleep.  Were it only so with myself!   We didn't end the evening with hard words nor accusations, but we were both pretty stuck to our personal convictions and there we are.  I made it plain then that I knew how hard my position was for him, but I expected him to back me up...It's not a moral or political issue.  It's personal and deals with family matters.

Up early this morning despite seeing 3am...I made a simple breakfast.  I went out and caught another fat green horned worm eating off my tomato plants.  UGH.  So far, the damage has been minimal but at this rate of finding one a day, I'm worried I'll come out and find my entire little tomato crop gone.  I've gone over leaves and stems well each day and picked off anything that looks suspicious.  I know what they look like in moth and larvae stages as well as mature.  I think I'm just going to have to resort to using Sevin on them as was recommended.

After puttering around with my flowers and tomatoes, I came back indoors to work on various things.  I barely puttered in the house today.  Truth, I don't feel up to puttering.  No, nor working hard either.  In fact, after lunch, I pretty well stopped for the day.  I have two meals under my belt albeit simple ones.  Supper is partly cooked in the crockpot and will be partly cooked on stove top.  I just need to determine what my side dishes shall be.  

Sounds like Caleb finally went off to sleep for his nap.  He's been very upset these past two weeks as his routines have been upended.  Katie's home and he wants to be with her but that means spending too many hours in his room with the tv on because that is where Mama is.  I feel rather at loose ends myself, though it's still a concerted effort with all of us to attend to his care, but yes, his routine has been upended and that hasn't set well with him.  I miss my own routines with him, so I can well imagine he's truly upset since routine is his whole basis for security.  However, there's nothing to be done but step back and let his Mama be his Mama.

Have just heard from Sam that I shall have the three children again tomorrow.  Looks like Gramma day care has finally started.

Thursday:  It's quiet time just at the moment and boy is it necessary time.  The house has been filled to the brim with trauma, drama, screeches, screams, tears and tantrums.  Sigh.  At one point, I felt like running away.  Too much noise is just overwhelming to me.   And then there was the noise of the adults trying to get children to calm down, stop, don't, quit, cut it out...

Lunch was the quietest the house has been all day long.  Quiet time is not exactly quiet but it's closer.  Millie is singing softly to herself in the Quiet space.  Isaac is playing in the chair with two flying stuffed animals.  Josh has on his headphones and is quietly watching his Kindle.  Katie apparently coaxed Caleb into taking a nap.  If only John could bring himself to shut off the tv...However, I know too well that is 'hideout' to keep him from hearing all the ruckus overall.

I made pizza and lemonade for lunch.  The children all ate like healthy horses. Isaac had three slices of pizza; the rest all ate two.  The two oldest boys had two big pieces of watermelon while the littler ones had one.  Then they ate cookies.

I have found out more and more that yes, Caleb is a perfectly normal three-year-old.  Boy has Millie proven that to us.  First, she had an accident having failed to get to the potty in time.  Then she was livid two hours later when I suggested she go potty.  Tantrum ensued.  Caleb is so tenderhearted that immediately on seeing how upset Millie was, he started crying.  Later that afternoon she had a minor owie.  Grampa was soothing her and missed her cue that she wanted to get down.  Tantrum number 3.  Caleb was taking a nap at the time and slept through it thank goodness.  

Of course, he had his share of tantrums though his were minor today compared to what they might habe been.  He is actually on better behavior when the kids are here. Just about the time the two little ones were quiet, the two big boys wanted to play loud and boisterous games.  John kept turning up the tv, I kept shouting for everyone to be quiet...I told you all it was a regular zoo.  

I think to myself each time I have the two three-year-olds together, "There's three adults to two small children and it's taking all we've got...HOW do two people handle 15 3-year-olds?"  That was the situation at Caleb's nursery and no wonder they wanted to 'thin the herd,' and send home the one they saw as the most trouble.  

Friday:  We were planning to leave super early this morning to get groceries.  We didn't even get out of bed.  I lay awake from 3-4:30ish and I guess we both decided to sleep in after that.  I'm not saying I didn't sleep.  I did sleep, soundly for two different periods.  There was just that mid-stream waking period.

My shoulder was so painful this morning and I know full well that lifting two solid weight three-year-old children yesterday onto and off the potty did the damage.  John put the TENS unit on my shoulder/back this morning.   When the timer went off and it beeped, Caleb looked up and seeing the TENS unit in my hand said, "You're charged up, Gramma!"  That made me laugh.  I went around all morning wondering if he really thought I could be recharged like his Kindle...and wondering as well how it would be if we could.

It was already getting might warm when we left home.  We decided to go to Publix as they had the most on sale of the items I had on my list.  We stopped in town first so I could buy stamps.  As we pulled into the post office parking lot, I pointed out the grocery store parking across the highway.  The parking lot was filled, and people were even parking down the side streets to go into the store.  I was so proud!  I was afraid people would assume the new store would be a waste of space, as it had become.  However, everyone in the post office I spoke to was as enthusiastic as I felt at having a hometown grocery once more.

Our former grocery closed about two years ago.  People were super offended by the gambling machines, the poor selection of goods, and the lack of care of the store in general made people just stop going in.  We all wanted improvement, but instead, the store shut down.   The new owner is interested in creating a going concern.  Bess works in the meat department and was so pleased at how the public had responded.  When we came back into town today, the place was just as packed as it had been when we passed it earlier in the day. 

When we'd had lunch here at home, unpacked all the groceries and I'd split and put away all the meats, I went out to water the poor looking tomatoes.   A horned worm the size of my middle finger had eaten one of the tomato plants down to nothing at all...and then I found a smaller worm in the soil that I knew to be one of the life stages of the horned worm.  It made me sick...I'm going to have to dust with Sevin for sure.  

I feel ill (as in testy and unsettled, not as in sick), between heat, horned worms, concern over what I've just spent at the grocery (and prices were considerably higher this week despite the sales) and what seems to be sinus issues. 

I've no clue what we intend to do tomorrow.  It had better be air conditioned, wherever we end up!  How was your week?