Diary of a Hardworking Homemaker's Start to a New Year

 

Saturday:  We did two things this day.  First, we attended one of the sweetest, nicest, funniest, tear making weddings we have ever been to.  It's not a first marriage for either one but the two people are genuinely nice folks, well thought of by many.  We met the groom about three years ago and I liked it him right away.  He's super intelligent and funny and classy.  I don't know the bride, but I've heard remarkable things about her.  They met only a few short months ago and they were immediately smitten.  To see the deep and tender love they had for one another as they took their vows was amazing.  The pastor laughed and cried right along with the congregation who came to see this couple united.  It was one of those sorts of weddings that end up making you feel you were blessed to be there.

Then we drove from the church down to the Georgia coastal town where our son lives to see him and his children.   I realized about halfway through that I'd forgotten my phone at home.  I could tell John just where it was, too...When Kate called later to say she was going to our house to pick up the TENS unit I asked her to check.  Sure enough, my phone was just where I'd said it was.  Good to know.  

Five hours down and we arrived weary and worn to be greeted by bored teens.  Our son cooked a meal for us and made coffee.  We gave the bored children their gifts and after visiting for a few hours we went to the hotel where we literally fell into bed and went right to sleep.

Sunday:  I thought, being so far from home and as near the coast as we were, that the temperatures would be warmer down South but no, they were just as chilly as they'd been here at home.  Glad I took along my new winter coat (so cozy and lovely) and warm comfy clothes to wear back home for the long ride back.  It was a beautiful day, sunny and bright and clear but so chilly!  

We generally stop at a Dairy Queen in a small town halfway through the journey for a break. Today we stopped for lunch since it was gone past noon when we arrived.  I discovered that the $5 meal deal (burger, fries, drink and small sundae) now is a $7 meal deal.  Still a decent value but price hike just as everywhere else.  We ate lunch and hit the road again.  

We arrived home about 3pm.  Six hours today to get back.  We were done when we got home.  We got hit with family trials almost as soon as we walked in.  Not directed at us, but the suffering of a portion of our family over life situations that none of us can control.  It's a hard season to watch anyone walk through and as with most things it affects us as well as them.  But we will all get through.  

I'm trying to find the balance of what to say when I can't be 100% comforting and be truthful, too.  I'd heaps rather say, "This is awful.  It's hard.  It will get better, but no one can predict what day or when and, in the meantime, you just have to go through it," than to say, "It's gonna get better."  Not to discourage mind you but to encourage by telling it as it will be.  It will be better.  One day.  An elusive day we can none of us know, but one day it will be better.  But getting through until then is hard and hurtful.

I cooked a freezer entree from May.  It tasted good.  I also made a salad, frozen peas and sliced bread.

Monday:  I've given up being superstitious about New Year's Day, but I did have fun a week or so ago reading Landon Talks on Instagram in which a lot of Southerners shared the superstitions, sayings/warnings they'd heard all their lives long about New Year's.  Some I'd heard and heard often as I was growing up.  And some of us have held on to a few of them over the years and then discovered that after all, nothing dire or harmful befell us as the year unfolded other than all the usual stuff we'd seen all along.

Today I am nodding at tradition, but not to superstition.  We'll be having Pork Chops, Creamed Cabbage, Black Eye Peas and Rice.  All things I had on hand already.  

Today, I have kept grandchildren, cooked, labored, sorted, fussed, laughed, given advice, cleaned, encouraged, puzzled over things and collapsed in my chair to rest. I have, in other words, lived life.  If we're to start out the New Year as we expect it to continue, then today I did just that.  

I made buns for the simple Hamburger Scramble I cooked at lunch time.  The children all opted for peanut butter jelly sandwiches and the boys ate two sandwiches then ate a bun as well.  Millie ate nothing.  She looked at it, she touched it.  She drank the soda she requested.  Then she asked in her tiny voice "Can I be done?"  I'm not going to fuss if a child isn't going to eat.  I did note that the moment she saw her daddy she asked for candy. lol   There's always room for candy. 

I blew all the dirt and leaves and grass off the porches.  I'm by no means done with porches this week but I started.  Then I sorted out the pile of stuff in the guest room and now have a sizeable donation pile.  

That's pretty much my beautiful, sunny New Year's Day.  I hope yours was a wonderful day of living as well.

Tuesday:  We hung about the house until nearly noon today.  I wasn't even sure we were actually going off but then when I'd started a job (and isn't that the way it usually goes?) and was socked deep into it, I heard John open our closet door and turn on the light.  I looked at the mess on my countertops and said "Well...."  I left it all as it was and got myself ready to go.  

We loaded up the stuff in the back bedroom that I'd sorted out yesterday afternoon.    There were some things I knew I was not going to use in the kitchen any longer and I'd initially set them aside, but I said to myself, "No.  I don't want them any longer.  I got good use from them all these years, but I'm really done with them.  Why shove them in the shed?  Let someone else be as thrilled over finding them as I was once upon a time."  

I didn't have anything I really wanted to use to hold the flour, sugar, and brown sugar, since I was donating the canister set, but I used what I had.  That will do in the meantime.  And that was my purpose.  To let go of what I didn't want and to use what I have until I can do better.

We loaded up donations which left me with just the stuff meant to go into the shed for storage in the bedroom. We headed off to run our errands which included dropping off some bills at the post office.  Bills, I'll add, that are absolutely going to have to have wings and winged feet in order to make it to the offices they are going to by the due dates. I don't know how big city post offices work but our little town offices do not send out mail on Sundays or holidays and only have a once-a-day pick-up.  I got stuff mailed in time to go out with today's mail.  That was the best I could do.  If I must pay fees this next month then I shall have to pay fees.  

It was about halfway to our destination that I remember the stuff meant to be shipped back via UPS that I should have grabbed.

While we were out, Katie texted.  That household has been through the worst lot of sickness.  Ear infections for both the children, and coughs all around.  Katie now has a horrible sinus infection, coughed so hard she threw her back out, then ended up with double ear infections herself. 

Katie called so we could talk to Caleb who looks and sounds as sick as all the others.  He cried and cried saying "I want to come home to you and Grampa."  Bless him.  I've missed him, too, but we keep reminding him that he IS at home, he just comes to us to visit, a fact which made him weep all the harder today.

We got haircuts and dropped off donations.  

When we got home, we discovered the workmen had come by and picked up sawhorses and excess materials.  John said, "I guess they're done."  I told him, "Well I don't think so; they'll definitely be back."  "Why?"  "Because the ladders on the porch are theirs..."  I kid you not, five minutes later we got a call from the contractor asking if the ladders were here.  He told John they'd be in tomorrow to finish things off.  They have a big project job starting next week and they are hustling hard to finish up all the last little things on several jobs.

We had a very late lunch today of bologna sandwiches with tomato soup and mandarins.  I don't think we'll have supper tonight because lunch was so very late.

Wednesday:  I have been busy as could be all morning long.  I'd been meant to have Caleb, but Katie was unable to get him an appointment yesterday, so she has one today, I think.  Lots of sicknesses going about amongst that household.  

I thought I could tackle my closet task I'd put off before Christmas...Well, so I thought.  Instead, I got busy on a whole different but equally as heavy-duty task of emptying and reorganizing the guest room closet.  

John must have been equally inspired because he began working on the music room at the same time. Which meant as I was shoving things out of the closet in the guest room, he was shoving things in from the music room.    

Result: I now have all the things back in the guest room that we'd moved out in November 2022 and have completely reorganized the guest room closet, removed everything going back to the master bathroom, started a new donation pile and added to the 'go to the shed' pile.  It is truth that while the guest room closet is neat as a pin, the guest room, our bedroom and the master bathroom look like someone tossed a bomb into them.  I am taking a much-needed rest break before tackling the next lot of work.

And I still haven't done a thing to my closet...I'm telling you sorting out the house has been intense.  

As we worked this morning the workman was here finishing off the last of the bathroom storage area.  It looks so nice!  He came to tell us goodbye before he left and left his number with John.  We truly appreciated this man and enjoyed his presence in our home.  In fact, we liked both the workmen, but we especially appreciated Travis.  

later:  The messes haunted me.  I've now cleared up the guest room somewhat, gotten all the things put away in our bathroom, sorted out loads of stuff as I put away and condensed things down.  We have a LOT of stuff is all I'm saying and I'm really going to seriously consider how I can reduce some of this down further as the year goes on.  It's nice to have stock in some things but others...It's just clutter!  That's all there is to it.  And you never know how much of it is clutter until you're trying to put it away and struggling to fight off overwhelm.

The bathroom storage space is nice to have, but it's now full except for a way up high shelf I can never reach, lol.  I don't have a door on that space, and I won't miss having one.  For the most part anytime the bathroom door is open, the space is hidden behind it.  But I think that while I could probably make it look nicer if I bought matching bins to sort of hide things.  I believe they have some on sale at Target...and I do have a gift card I could use...

Thursday:  Oh dear...Shall the endless organizing, moving, shifting, fixing and putting things to rights once more ever end?  

I have done nothing more to the porches beyond adding stuff to the back porch and blowing the debris from them.  

But inside?  I've worked myself to nubbins every single day.  

Today we got up really early.  We both woke about 5am and here we are at 5pm with nary a nap between us.  After I'd done minor housekeeping, made breakfast, etc., we headed out to make the Amazon and Target returns and to pick up a Target pick-up order which included matching bins for the bathroom.  I threw in a trip to the chaotic Kroger I don't really like but I treated myself to a Chai Latte with a decaf Expresso shot.  That's the only one I've had since the weather turned cold.  It was lovely.

I was bit smacked by the meat prices today.  Seriously, this store seldom marks down much but bakery items.  The meat markdowns today included two filet mignons for $25 (not for me!) and a 1.17-pound package of the thinnest sirloin I've seen for $10.  What?!  No thanks!  There was no sign at all of the on-sale ground meat.  Our state is not included in the current ground meat recall, so it must just be another of the Kroger sale unavailability thing.

We came right home from the store and ate lunch here after I'd put groceries away.  I sat in my chair for a bit but then told John I had to get into my closet today and get it sorted.  I went ahead and prepped and started my roast Chicken and Vegetables cooking before I went to the closet.  I told myself I'd work two hours and if it wasn't sorted by then, I could quit.  It took me 1 hour and 59 minutes.   

I am pleased though.  The wire cube unit was put back together and is sturdy and level.  John determined that the floor appears to be uneven in that cubby and it probably had been throwing the whole thing off balance causing it to rock its way apart.  He's satisfied that it's now solid as it will be.

I reorganized the whole unit.  I finally made myself give up a pair of someday shoes that I've held on to for years and have worn exactly twice in all that time.  I organized the clothes that I have hanging and sorted those.  The ones that don't fit due to their shrinking (2 tops) or my outgrowing them (we won't count) or which I can wear but don't because they are itchy/fit awkwardly, etc. are out of the closet and in the second pile of stuff to be donated.

I even vacuumed the part of the floor that is visible and moved out a few items to go into the newly sorted guest room closet.  Whew!

What I didn't do was fill the new bins I'd purchased for the bathroom.  However, I have almost filled the new kitchen trash can.  So, there's that, lol.

Goodness that chicken smells good.  I hope it gets done soon.

Friday:  What a joy to hear that little boy call out "I'm here!" when he arrived this morning.  He pulled every single one of his trucks and cars from the room and now has them lined up in the living room.  At present, I've sent him outdoors to play.  Is it quiet time?  It is.  But the morning was so cold that he had no option really but to have quiet time all morning long.  I'm going to let him enjoy the fresh outdoor air, which will no doubt do him a world of good, this afternoon.

I have done my Friday housekeeping, including baking a loaf of bread.  I've also taken time to lay out all the necessary ingredients to make tonight's supper and have prepared the salad.  I'll probably add some shredded carrots and some finely sliced red cabbage for extra nutrition before I serve the salad.  

I had a few minutes to myself this morning which allowed me to fill the bins I'd purchased and now the bathroom storage looks neat as a pin.  I'd like to get some lidded bins, something that looks decorative to hold the stuff in milk crates or cardboard boxes on the floor, but this made a nice start.

Our week is pretty much done, except finishing off this day with Caleb.  I have no desire to work on any of the porches at present and none to do anything more this week, either.  It's been a good week, a busy week, and I have worked hard.  I'm going to enjoy this bit of time to relax because next week is coming and I can only imagine that it too shall be filled to the brim with more work, fresh projects, more organization and decluttering and getting things in shape for this brand-new year. 

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