Diary of a Homemaker's Week: Get It Done

 

Saturday:  We've had a lazy day at home.  I've read, caught up on emails, watched "The Croods" with John, made pizza, and read.  It's been a lovely restful day, just what we needed after our whirlwind last weekend and before the whirlwind that will be next weekend.

My biggest takeaway from this movie is the dad's admonition to "Don't ever stop being afraid."  Reminds me of how John and I were about our trip last week.  I'm so glad we got over being afraid and enjoyed ourselves.

Sunday:  It's been two weeks since we've been at church.  I avoid going at all costs on major holidays.  I prefer less crowded pre-holiday services like Good Friday Communion or Christmas Eve Candlelight service.  I also don't go on Mother's Day if I remember to skip it.  Just personal preference.

Of course last weekend we were in Florida.  We did listen to that service on the live feed on our way home.  But to go in and sit in service, see familiar and smiling faces, was just lovely.

After church, we drove over to Katie's.  She only lives about 10 minutes from the church.  I noted the door was open when we arrived.  I saw Caleb at the glass storm door.  I wish you could have heard the squeal that escaped him when he saw us pull into the yard.  It made us both smile.   We spent time with Taylor, Caleb, and Bella today and thoroughly enjoyed our visit with the family.  I took dinner along.  Everyone ate well and left little. I found the children picking bits off the leftover chicken, lol. 

On the way home, John stopped and bought us an ice cream sandwich.  It was lovely to eat ice cream on our way home.  The temperature was in the high 80s and ice cream suited the sunshine and blue skies.  

I'm going to go play in the kitchen for a little while. I want to make muffins and determine what we can have for supper tonight. I hope your Sunday has been as pleasant as my own.

Monday:  I'm taking a rest break.  I had a crud night due to some major reflux issues last night.  John kindly made breakfast and the bed. 

I blew off the back porch and noted that doing that small task made it look better.  I contemplated the rails and rafters and floor.  They are dirty and need a good cleaning.  I wasn't feeling that ambitious today.

A plant stand blew over on top of my Asiatic lilies.  I cleaned up the mess and found two pots of dead plants to pull out of that flower bed.  I walked along beside the house and decided to weed the huge iris bed about the Sweet Gum tree.  An industrious squirrel had apparently dug up a gladiolus bulb and planted it in that bed.  I left it.  Who am I to argue with a squirrel.  Perhaps that spot will be a good place for a blooming glad.  And if not, then no harm, no foul.

My legs felt like jelly by the time I'd finished that bit of weeding.  Absolute jelly.  Two weeks ago I weeded for hours and had no trouble at all.  Did the beach make me wobbly?  I sat on the back porch and admired the sunny morning, the cool breeze, the birds singing, and the iris blooming next to the shed.  And then I realized with a gasp that the trees behind the shed were no longer young saplings.  

They are true trees and even if they shed their leaves it's doubtful I shall ever again look across the field beyond them to the tree line on my brother's property.  I don't know why I'm surprised.  They've been growing now for more than 25 years.  It's much like being shocked that a friend's young children are now grown men and women.  

After I'd rested a few minutes, I walked out to the shed.  I found that the plant the Google app said was Monarda was no such thing  It's a beautiful Sweet William and it's wonderfully pretty. Once they begin to bloom they will keep it up well into fall.  One more plant that is worth the cost of seed.

I opened the door and was dismayed at the seeming chaos inside but I pulled things out of my way, got into the back corners, and started organizing.  After a half hour, I'd made a noticeable difference there.  All of the baby things are neatly stacked on one side.  I still want to move the barium barrel from the back towards the front.  I usually store my larger nutcrackers or the Christmas tree in that.  I swept out thousands of dead lady beetles and a pile of glitter and dirt.  

I must get busy once more.  There's housework to be done and meals to prepare. I've rested long enough for just now.

later:  I've just taken a late lunch break.  John has gone off to mow and I've been busy.  I got the kitchen cleaned up and the dishwasher unloaded.  Then I got a notebook and went to inventory my supplies in the bathroom.   I started an inventory notebook to try and keep better track of what we have.  I plan to do this through the house for every area where we might have stored something we've purchased and use often.  

That task took a good hour or more. I made lunch, and while I waited on things, I also worked ahead on supper. I stopped working when it was time to eat...but I'm not done for the day just yet.  I've more tasks to attend to.  A woman's work...and all that good stuff.

Tuesday: I spoke with Lily this morning.  Her travel plans are complicated.  She's flying into Orlando.  Sam is picking her up there.  Rather than stay in a hotel Lily wanted to know if they might stay here.  I assured her we'd be glad to host her and her friend who is traveling with her.  I worry that the girls will find it boring here in the country but they're only here for three days.  No one dies of boredom and with family visits and such, she's unlikely to have time to be too bored.

Today I've been steadily working on various little tasks.  And here it is now 5pm and John's asking what's for supper?  There's a question...What is for supper?  I used one meal Sunday night that I hadn't planned to use then, and didn't have items for another menu plan as I thought I did...So I'm two meals short on my plans. This week's meal plans have not gone well.

Wednesday:  Today I gave up.  

I have been trying to slog through the book, Jesus Through Medieval Eyes for weeks (months) now.  Parts of the book are interesting. Parts are just so much rhetoric related to the modern-day world that I was distracted from the author's subject matter about the portrayal of Christ in art and writings from the Middle Ages.  To be honest, I almost finished it.  I did.  I have less than two chapters to go but I just can't bring myself to continue with it.  

What I didn't give up on was my vision of a clean, neat home.  I painted and wore at least as much as I put on the items I was painting.  I don't know if I want to wear more paint this week.  

Sam and Millie stopped by this morning. He had a minor accident while he was working in the yard over the weekend and was hurt enough to stay abed.  John told me about it Monday evening but said that he seemed okay.  I meant to check in on him yesterday.  I'd already determined I was going over to visit him today, so I was glad to see him here this morning.  He said he was feeling much better and had plans to work in the yard again.  

I got a late start on work this morning with the visit.  John hauled the headboard from the guest room outdoors and I sat in the sun to do my painting.  Let me tell you all something.  It was hot.  And humid.  And it was warm enough outdoors that the AC came on well before noon today.  We are getting into the warming season here!  

Yesterday's breeze that blew about me as I sat resting on the back porch was warmer and had fewer cool undertones than any breeze we've had yet this year.  I will continue to work outdoors for as long as I can but my periods outdoors may be getting shorter and work relegated to the early morning, not the latter ones.  

Thursday: I had tentative plans for today which didn't work out.  I'm not complaining.  Days so often don't go as I'd planned.   We hadn't started work this morning when Katie texted me asking if they might come out to visit.  

I hung the pictures in the guest room and then asked John to put the headboard back in place.  I'm so glad I painted both frames and the bed black. The room looks lovely.  It's a much calmer, more sedate room now.  

I have dreams for that room but not until I find all the elements I want to use. For now, this is looking better. I will look for a mirror to hang above the sewing machine and get some furniture polish or wax to go on the sewing machine.  

I thought Caleb would love playing outdoors but he wasn't feeling it today.  He wanted all of us to go outdoors with him, and then he sat with us on the porch and didn't play at all.  He was afraid of a beetle that had wedged itself into a crevice on the porch floor.  John finally poked the bug and he fell through the crack entirely, but Caleb was still uneasy about him.  

He ate and ate while he was here.   Katie went into town to get a couple of items to round out our lunch.  The poor little boy came indoors just as upset as could be because "Mama didn't even wave goodbye..."  I reminded him that she'd TOLD him goodbye, told him she'd be right back and he'd said "Okay, bye!"  No solace for him until she returned.  Silly little boy.  After lunch, he picked up all the toys he'd brought out and they were about to leave.  As they were leaving he started crying in the car.  Katie said "You're just tired..." and he wailed, "I am too..."

John and I did nothing after that.  I replanned supper since we'd eaten my planned supper for lunch. I read a chapter in The Rosemary Tree and felt compelled to take a ten-minute nap before reading emails and trying to fight these grammar programs to make sensible sentences.  

I fussed about these programs last week.  I don't know how on earth I've written a legible word in the past 30 years of writing because according to these programs I haven't a clue how to write a proper sentence.  It's very frustrating to me.  I thought I'd found a way to turn it off but alas, no such luck.  

Friday:  We have been busy this morning and I think we're both ready for a spell of quiet work and rest.  Just our usual Friday cleaning went on but intensified because I actually made out my work plan for next week and while I didn't feel up to weeding or a session in the shed this morning, I was determined to make the morning work hard.  

John did three loads of clothes and vacuumed.  I stripped the bed right down to the mattress.  So he washed the mattress pad, winter blanket, etc.  I have put on the summer spread and shams decided to skip using the handsewn shams I'd been using, and took the velvet covers off the throw pillows.  

John wasn't the only busy one.  I've been steadily cleaning, making meals, planning weekend food, and all the usual tasks.  Truly, I am not yet finished.  There are floors to sweep, clothes to fold, and when the mattress pad and winter blanket are dry, I've got to pack them away and then clean up my closet which is destroyed since I emptied out the trunk to get to the summer stuff and the other mattress pad.

It's been a busy, pleasant week with a busier weekend ahead of us.  I hope that you and yours have something good in your plans to enjoy, even if it's just a good book or a movie.  

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