We had a lovely time alone last week. I enjoyed it thoroughly. I got several tasks done and I rested well. I am still amazed at how easily we fall into our old routine of work and creative pursuits.
I missed Caleb and Katie like crazy...Seriously.
Caleb goes to school three half days this week. There will be plenty of free time and plenty of time to fall back into our former routines. I was telling Caleb on Thursday that he'd be going back to school on Monday and Katie said, "No Mama. Not until December. He'll be home all next week. They are closed." Ugh. Not because I don't want to see him...I just hate that he has to miss another week of school. He honestly thinks we aren't telling him the truth and that he's not going back to school. I think I'll fix him up a calendar page so he can count down the days until he's back in school. If weather is pleasant, we'll be spending LOTS of time outdoors and if not, then we'll figure out how to give him enough time outdoors to burn off some energy even if it's just on the porches.
Work:
Technically Zone 4 which is porches and patio. Thanks to Seneca, I've taken up the spent plants. She started me off by ripping two or three from the pots and scattering the soil I'd planned to reuse all over the yard. I didn't want to lose more soil, so I got busy and took up the plants last week and put the pots of soil in places where she'd be less tempted to dump them.
However, there's plenty to be done. I would like to decorate a wee bit outdoors for Christmas. How? With what? No clue. But I'll guarantee that cleaning up a wee bit could only help improve the looks of things.
The trees...Caleb' wee tree is ready for him to decorate and put his own star on top. My own tree...lying in a chair because I have absolutely NO clue where the stand/pot is that goes with the tree. Nor what I used to last put it up because last year we were reeling and just put up Caleb's wee tree. I looked all over the shed for anything resembling a tree stand with no luck at all. John keeps saying we'll buy a new tree. I keep reminding him that this tree is only about two years old. I looked online at old blog posts and in all my photo files. There are no pictures of the tree at all, except one in which I cut off the bottom portion entirely.
I dug around on Pinterest and found a theme that I think will be nice this year. I'm ordering one set of ornaments and will use what I have for the rest of the decor. I think it's going to be so pretty...I'm excited over it. Ha! I discovered that the 'great number' of items I thought I had on hand don't exist...Now where on earth are those? Mind you all it's not that they are lost anywhere in the shed, because ALL of the Christmas things are together in one section of bins. I don't have Christmas item in any other place. Sigh. I suppose I'll just go with the flow...
Finish off my Christmas shopping.
Address and sign Christmas cards.
Look up cake recipes.
Plant garlic, even though I've left it late. I have a ton of leaves in the backyard, so I can layer over the top as mulch.
And I'll keep it to this, as I'm sure I'll be plenty busy trying to keep Caleb interested in being at home. Perhaps I can get Millie to come at least one morning. They play well together these days since he's had to learn to play nice with Bella.
Kitchen:
Is the contractor coming this week? Who knows...
Make bagels. Make up biscuits and muffins and put in the freezer.
Harvest the lettuce in the garden bed. Yes! I finally have something harvest worthy!
Menus:
???Will we go out???Stay Home??? We have leftover turkey, so we'll eat.
Gramma's Fried Chicken, Potatoes and Gravy, Peas
American Goulash, Salad, Bread and butter
Ham and Potatoes au Gratin, Steamed Broccoli, Sliced Tomatoes (if they are still decent, Waldorf salad if not) Biscuits. Mama sent ham home with us, so I'll be using that to make our dinner in the slow cooker.
Pot Roast with Vegetables, Salad, Corn Bread
Something that will use up the last of the fried chicken. No inspiration at the moment. I never leave it as is, usually skin and debone it but I just have no clue at this moment in time.
Personal/Leisure:
Set up outfits for the next couple of weeks.
Pedicure/manicure.
Find something to read. I've been without a book for a week now. I'm ready to get lost once again.
Get back to journaling. I've let it slide for a week or so. Time to get back.
Start listening to music daily. Another habit I'd picked up and then just let drop.
If I ever get my tree up, take time every day to look at the beautiful lights.
Watch sunsets. And sunrises, too, if I'm up early enough.
4 comments:
Setting up a calendar for Caleb is a good idea. My oldest daughter travelled quite bit when Zoe was a little older than Caleb and she got a calendar for her so she would know where her mom was and when she'd be home. I was glad when Alana changed jobs and was staying home.
Nineteen degrees here tonight. Brrr! Close to fifty a couple days this week. Bipolar weather.
Lana, I never put up Christmas decorations until December (that's next weekend!) and I take them down around New Year's. When we were kids, my sister and I took down the tree while watching the Tournament of Roses parade. We are not doing outdoor decorations this year. Over the years, we have not done them too often, but we no longer climb ladders. A lot of my neighbors have paid people to put them up. That is SO not me!
I knew Greg wouldn't be helpful in getting outside lights up this year, so I asked Bradley and Silas to help me. We got about half the front of the house done when B fell off the ladder (on the porch, and not far, but scary!), so we were done. Greg and Nick finished it on Thanksgiving morning.
The boys helped me drag all the outside decorations totes from the shed at the shop to our garage, but I've done nothing more outside, and nothing at all inside. Tomorrow I'll start on the indoor decor and the tree. My sister has been posting pics of her homemade decorations all week, so I really want to get started on mine.
Jess and Layla are coming over early tomorrow morning to assemble some fruit charcuterie boards. They're bringing the fruit and platters, but assembling here where there's a bit more counter space to spread out. Jess's goes to work with her for a surprise baby shower for a coworker, and Layla asked to make one to take to her other family this weekend. Will they really be here by 6:30 a.m.? We'll see...
Been below freezing with winds all week. Hubby said maybe this weekend if it's not raining to put up outside decorations. I am still playing catch up on housecleaning after being sick and potassium dropping (which dropped because my folate dropped). Still have 6 rooms left out of 17 to clean. I will decorate when I get the house cleaned.
I always had a calendar for the grandkids in preschool. Helped teach them how to read a calendar also LOL
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