Saturday: We've had a lovely day out. It was short but so pleasant. John took me to choose my Christmas gift. I'd wanted a pair of earrings as a change from what I typically wear. I love my hoop earrings and wear them nearly every day, but I thought I would get something a little different, just to change things up now and then.
In the meantime, I found one earring of my current pair had a slight wonkiness and in gently trying to correct it, I felt the metal bend and break. Not all the way through but enough to warn me that this pair was well worn indeed.
So today I found a pair of earrings, hoops to replace the old pair. They aren't quite like the old ones, so they are a change. I love them.
After shopping we went to have lunch. We were pleasantly surprised to have our bill come in fairly low today and we had our usual to go boxes to bring home for supper with half our meal. But it was the ride home I most enjoyed because John took a left instead of a right when we were in the next town, and we took the long cut home instead of the usual route. We had a grand time seeing all the changes along the way.
Sunday: I was awake early. Why then did I groan when the alarm went off, roll over and go back to sleep as though I hadn't just spent the last hour lying awake? And I did sleep, hard, for at least a good 45 minutes. It was hustle and hurry thereafter.
We must be in a season of Love in our church. This year alone, four members of one of our former small groups has fallen in love, become engaged or married. This morning when we came in, we were greeted by one of the pastors and a friend of ours was standing next to her with a lovely lady by his side. I was pleased to hear him say, "Meet my fiancé." How lovely! She seems to be a very nice lady. I hope they shall be very happy.
We went after church to get our Sunday Gramma's Fried Chicken. And moments after we left the parking lot, Katie texted that they'd not be coming over for chicken today, they were instead going to take the children to an indoor play space. Considering the miserable wet cold weather, I thought it likely a really good idea to let the children expel some of their energy.
Never mind. We had a great chicken dinner, just the two of us. We snugged into our chairs with blankets and might have accidentally taken naps, which was all too easy when we were all warm and snug and the rain pouring outdoors. Pretty perfect for a cold autumn afternoon.
Caleb came in late this evening. He was charmed by his little Christmas tree that I'd fluffed and set up. In the morning, he will finish decorating it and we'll put lights on it. I've a set of battery-operated star lights that I think will work well.
Monday: Caleb is delighted with his little tree. He also was delighted with my smaller nutcrackers. Then I started finding pieces here and there: beard pieces, mustaches, arms...I decided it was better to put those away. I'd wanted very much to let him play with them. I found the little star lights that I promised him to put on his tree and a few less breakable (so I hope) small Santas that he's also hung on his tree. Overall, he's pretty happy with the tree.
I haven't accomplished much of anything today and I'm not really sure why. I'm up continually puttering around and then I'll sit down to look for a recipe, or do Bible reading, or text someone or make a phone call and those things that shouldn't take more than a moment seemed to stretch out to an hour or so. Sigh. I've given myself over to what is apparently the pace of the day. Sometimes it's just best to do so. I haven't set out to spend the day idling nor distracted but there are just days...
Tuesday: I did a little more yesterday than I'd done when I wrote the day's post, but I was very mindful at the end of the day that I'd done less than I might have done. This morning, I managed to get a few tasks done. I picked up the house, touching on every room except the music room. I've made two meals (lunch was just warming up something already made so I'm not counting that one). I've put the turkey breast frame on to cook after stripping it and I've made a pot pie for supper tonight. The pastry dough is chilling in the fridge. I've cleaned the bathroom, set up my check register for December, cleaned our bathroom really well. I've not been a dynamo exactly, but I have gotten things done and I've been steadily busy all day long thus far.
John has asked if I'd mind if he got a recliner after Christmas. I'm not against recliners entirely, though I do dislike them. I especially dislike those mammoth overstuffed ones that take up the room, but overall, I just don't care for recliners. However, John wants one and has been very patient about waiting on one so I've taken it upon myself to find one that I think I can live with. Of course, I haven't asked what his price point is because I'll tell you the truth, he has NO idea how much a decent one costs and would balk hard over it if he were aware. And we're not talking tip top of the line recliners, just regular old recliners. At any rate, I've been spending quite a little time online looking for something I think I can live with at prices he might consider reasonable. Fortunately, our tastes are fairly similar in that we both lean towards classic traditional looks.
Of course, that's after the renovation work and after Christmas. He could be waiting awhile...
Wednesday: Cody stayed until late last night. Not horribly so. They actually set a phone alarm so that neither overstays on a work night. But it was late when he left to go home. I didn't want to roll out of bed at all this morning. And of course, due to how tired I am feeling, Caleb wants to be right in the epicenter of my attentions.
I puttered and felt blessed to get that little bit done. Most of my puttering was hunting down Caleb's clothing which is apparently at the other house. Katie has bought any number of pants, because the skinny jeans she'd just gotten him weren't cutting it for a little boy attempting to go potty on his own. So, she purchased looser pants, sweats and soft knits. And the school kept them to have on hand there, then she bought more, and they are apparently at the other house, not here. I was rather desperately in need of a spare pair of pants this morning. John hurried and did a load of laundry, but we were still scrambling when we discovered he had a whole two pair extra here aside from what was used this morning.
It was cold this morning, beyond frosty. Katie had laughingly told Cody to hurry last night when he left because she said, "The temperature and my age are equal and that's COLD." It went even lower last night. When we got up this morning it was 27F.
The world was frosty white and the sun doing all it could to heat up and melt the stuff. Rufus came trotting briskly up the driveway and looked mighty happy over the cooler weather. John had on the propane heater to try and offset the running of the electric heat. It felt like a proper winter (for us, I know it's laughable to those of you who live north of us) and it's so hard to try to explain to Caleb that it's too cold to be outdoors. He, like Katie before him at the very same age, wants to go pet the cat every single morning when he's up. We convinced him he could go see her and then come right back in, but when Seneca arrived, he felt surely it was time to go play. I looked out the windows at him as he played and soon discovered he'd stripped off his winter coat entirely. It was a whole 33F at that point...Boys!
Eventually he was sufficiently cold to come back indoors. And that's when the need for attention began to manifest. If I wasn't actively paying attention to him then he vied for negative attention to make up for it. I gave up trying to get a thing done and just focused on him, but not until after I'd gotten a pot roast started in the slow cooker.
Speaking of the slow cooker, I've mentioned before how very happy I am with my slow cooker since I got that West Bend. I set the metal pan right on the stove top and browned my meat, then put the pan on the base. I love the convenience of being able to do that! No extra pan to clean up...and I almost didn't take advantage of that because I had a frying pan set out to use but remembered that I could use the slow cooker pan on the stove top before I began using it.
And so the day has gone. Poor little boy has no concept of 'later,' 'next week', 'soon'...We've learned to say nothing or be very specific with him about when. I set up the calendar to show him when he'll be going back to school but before he understood, he looked at me and said very sadly, "I weally wiked school...It was such a nice school..." Lord, the child nearly broke my heart. I took down the calendar and showed him the day (it was Tuesday) and pointed out all the things on the calendar that he had to look forward to between now and next Monday when he goes back to school.
Truth, I was pleased that he was accepted at Montessori and thought it would be a grand thing for him but the delay in starting and the director's insistence that he only come on the days that she is there and that it be just part time...I'm not sure if that's the best schedule for Caleb. He handles schedules fine, but this type of thing is hard on him where things are open ended.
Now I am going to end. I've a cup of coffee to sip and frankly I feel in deep need of a quiet sob session on my own while I have a few minutes. I used to fight these weepy sessions back, but you know ever since I read that it's the body's way of righting itself, I'm giving in now and then and letting them go. And I do feel much better for it!
later: Caleb has been stuck to my lap for hours today. Proof of point about his inability to understand time: Sam came over today on his tractor and told Caleb he'd give him a ride 'sometime'. I didn't hear that part, but Caleb came running in the house to put on shoes and jacket and hat and went running back outdoors. Sam repeated that he'd said 'sometime' and not today. Caleb didn't understand. What he did understand was that he'd been told he could ride on the tractor. I'll give him points. He climbed up in his Grampa's laps and didn't say one word in protest while Sam was here, but his eyes filled with tears. Then Sam, seeing him upset, got upset and left. After he was gone, Caleb sobbed and sobbed.
And from there he was really stuck to me. If I felt like crying earlier, I certainly did at that point where he was so upset. I know that Sam was upset that he'd disappointed him, and Caleb was upset, and John was upset at the misunderstanding because Sam has no idea of Caleb's inability to think in terms of time at all. If you mention it, it's right now and only now. In a way, I wish I lived as solidly in the moment as he does, but on the other hand, he is so often disappointed by his "now" mentality when others think in terms of later, soon, etc.
Anyway, his difficult day just got worse and in getting worse he finally came to me and spent the rest of the day sitting on my lap, snuggling, hugging, leaning in. I spent a good five hours with him on my lap. I wasn't upset with him for being so clingy, but I felt a bit done this evening. After supper tonight, when he'd gone to his room, I slipped into our room and took a few minutes to go over the checkbook, then started addressing Christmas card envelopes. It was very peaceful to sit in my room alone and do that task. I updated the address book using the old one as my guide. It took me all of 20 minutes perhaps, but you know it was purely restorative. I came out to watch tonight's church service with John.
And so ends another day.
Thursday: Not sharing family woes but honey I've had them today. I have a raging headache. I'm weary of the world at large and am now pulling together a quick supper, one that was not on the menu, but which will suffice. And I feel the need to shut down and let the week just burn itself out, so I'm ending this week's blog right here.
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9 comments:
Regarding the recliner. I think you have the classic husband vs. wife view of a recliner. I felt the same way, but eventually gave in some years back. In terms of things that my husband loves in life, it's 1. me 2. the cats 3. his recliner.
In an upright position it looks like a beautiful wing back chair out of a country cottage, when husband is in it, he is as happy as a pig in slops. Last year he had shoulder surgery and couldn't sleep in his bed for weeks. He was happy sleeping in the recliner. One of the best furniture purchases we ever made.
As for Sam giving Caleb a ride on the tractor, couldn't Sam have taken 15 minutes out of his schedule when he saw how upset the little guy was? Clearly, by now, the whole family is aware that Caleb has some real issues that he is struggling with.
YES to what Anne said! There are so many recliners that don't look like enormous piles of tires.
Search for "high leg recliners" and you will see lots of great options. La-Z-Boy has them, but I think they are overpriced.
If you trust the furniture shipping process, both Wayfair and Houzz (especially!) have lots of nice options. Just be sure to read the comments!
I have personally purchased furniture and bath vanities from Houzz, and the packing/delivery has been excellent every time.
Good luck with your search!
On Wednesday when it was 22 degrees here the contractor showed up and took out our entire front door assembly. Yup, a 7 by 6 foot hole in the front f the house. The heat ran continually for hours and finally the hole was closed back up ny mid afternoon. The work is all done and I have beautiful railings at the front door to make comeing and going easier. This will be life changing for me.
In regard to chairs, my grandparents went to the furniture store about every 4-5 years and chose a new chair for themselves. Grandma was four feet ten and Grandpa was a tall broad shouldered man. They sat in every chair there I think until they had found what they each wanted and bought new chairs. They did not resemble each other in any way but they were comfortable. I did not understand that at all when I was younger but now it is very important. But, let John go to the furniture store and try recliners until he finds the one that fits him and is comfortable for him whether you like it or not. Life is too short at this age to sit in a fussy chair that we do not like! We have a pair of Lazy Boys at the lakehouse that will likely last forever but they were bought by a little old lady in the partnership many years ago and they are silly little recliners that only she is comfortable in. I hate them every time we go. Please don't make him suffer the same just to have something that you like the looks of.
We also bought from La-Z-Boy and I recommend them highly and buy all our furniture there. They are higher but have great sales so start watching out for them.
I did not like recliners until I got ill and spent a few months doing a lot of sitting. Being able to lift my legs was a blessing. Now the husband and I have matching ones and although they are not pleasing to look at, they make up for it in comfort.
I am sorry yesterday was a tough one.
Lana makes a very good point about trying recliners before buying. About 4 or 5 years ago we replaced the mismatched chairs in our library. I really wanted something that was attractive but they also needed to be comfortable. We sat in every recliner in our local furniture store and finally purchased leather recliners that look quite nice. They sit up off the floor a bit on legs so they don't really look like recliners when the foot rest is down. We spend our evenings together in the library and we both are very happy with our purchase.
I will keep all this advice and refer to it in the future.
Anne, the part about Caleb is a sore subject with that person. NO, he can't make a moment and won't. Please feel free to draw your own conclusions on that statement, you're probably right!
Hi Terri, Just wanted to say, “hello,” and offer a virtual hug. Take care.
After getting some new living room chairs/recliners, we learned the hard way to stick with La-Z-Boy. Actually not as expensive as our mistake and well worth it. We've owned many, new and used, and never had one wear out. The mechanism is guaranteed for life, and we've had them worked on. I understand about not preferring recliners; but after several foot surgeries where I had to sleep in them for awhile, I'm super thankful for them. Blessings . . .
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