Diary of a Homemaker's Week: Finish Line

 

Saturday:  Happy Birthday to Taylor...Not really.  Her birthday is next week.  It was also our anniversary, our 30th. It really was. We celebrated on Thursday.  But I will share that John asked if we could celebrate again in 30 more years.  I'm game if we can manage to live that long.

Taylor's party was loud and rollicking and we had a great time.   Sam and the children had gone home and 2 minutes later the heavens opened and we had a heavy downpour for about an hour and a half.  

John and I enjoyed the quiet after everyone went home.  We always enjoy the visits, but after three or four hours, we are ready for a more normal level of noise in the home.

Sunday:  Today we decided to treat ourselves to coffee before church.  We typically don't indulge but the coffee shop at church is a good value and has great tasting coffees.  I really enjoyed that cup.

After church, we hung out and talked to a few people.  I usually talk a little and then head to the car, but today, I out-talked John!

On our way home, Sam texted asking if one of us could stay with the kids while he ran to pick up an item he'd purchased in the town north of us.  I told him one of us would be there.  I had plenty of time to change, make lunch, load the dishwasher, and eat before I left to go to his house.  

While I was there the children gathered around me and started playing.  They even brought me a game to play.  It was worth every second of that hour I spent with them when Millie said, "I like it when you're here..."  The boys repeated the same sentiment, agreeing with her.  God bless them.

Back home, I finished the housework, and then John and I talked and then had a long phone call from Katie who was sharing good news.  

It's been a lovely day!

Monday:  John has had trouble sleeping lately and often has been getting up in the wee hours of the morning. I was surprised when I woke up this morning to find him still in bed.  I lay still as I could to avoid disturbing him.  Finally, I slipped out of the room and prepared breakfast, a marinade to go over chicken breasts, set out items for our Memorial Day meal, made my coffee, and watched three videos before he finally got out of bed.  Poor dear.  I hope he has rested well today.  Rain prevented him from going outdoors to work, which is good.  

Sam ran over mid-morning to borrow mushrooms.  He was shocked when I told him how what canned mushrooms cost these days and went on his Aldi app.  He noted that a 4-ounce can there was $1.39.  I reminded him that less than 2 years ago they sold for 49c.  I offered him some of my dehydrated button mushroom pieces.

John grilled our meat this afternoon.  We opted to have a big late lunch and skip supper tonight.  The food was so good and yet I hadn't purchased a thing as an 'extra' it was all something we typically have on hand.  We decided we needed to celebrate more of these national holidays even if we were home alone.  I don't know that we'll grill out every time or have a big meal, but we want to acknowledge these days as a couple and make them special, rather than let them pass by as 'just any other day'. We celebrate far too little in life.

Thank you, Liz!  I so appreciate your thoughtfulness!

Tuesday:  Last night a storm front moved out of the area after it rained all day.  My anxiety was over the top.  It was just about then I was asked if I could manage a full day, morning to bedtime with the children any time soon.  I thought about it and my anxiety soared even higher.  I determined that the month ahead was going to be super busy and I didn't need to take on anything extra if I could manage it.   Ugh.  But I kept my resolution.  Never say "Yes" or "No" when tired and anxious.

Shortly thereafter Katie texted me with a request.  Isn't it always that way?  She wanted me to 'save a date' and it's not until July.  But I didn't reply to her either.  Sticking to my guns and not committing myself to anything until I'd rested.

I cannot tell you that I faced everything this morning with all good cheer.  Everything in me said I needed to give answers right away, but I waited.  Waited until I'd had coffee.  Waited until I had tackled the hard tasks of the day.  After I'd had time to rest from my morning labor, I checked my calendar.  I had two days this week that might work for Sam.  I asked pertinent questions about his plans and then told him my plans.  They were compatible and we agreed on the day that worked best for ME.  Ideally, I'd consider if it was also best for him but the truth is, given the month ahead (and this date falls in June) it's my sanity I'm most concerned about.  

We worked hard in the rose bed this morning.  I was going to prune back the rose a bit, but then I saw several little trees growing up inside the rose bush and as I got deeper in to try to cut those out I realized some of the main trunk stems were 3 inches thick and a few of those were actually dead.  With John's help, I cut the rose bush to the ground.  I hope it comes back.  I really do.  But if it does not, I won't fret over it.  I'd planted it too close to the house because it was so small when I got it.  Over the years we've had to constantly prune it to keep canes from weaving under the siding or ripping the window screen.  

We managed to prune all of the roses back.  There are three in that bed.  I would like to plant more in that area and replace the pots I have there with more roses.  I may move the potted roses to that bed.  I have three hybrid tea roses in a container and two standards.  Those are floribunda types and bloom throughout the summer.

I got both the clematis dug out.  I was surprised to find that one of them had clambered all the way to the top of the rose trellis, but the other was not doing as well...I bought them at Aldi years ago and each year they have put out a tiny vine and only grown a few inches.  All the rain must have spurred the one to grow.  It was almost 4 feet tall.  I've read they like to get more water than they were able to get in their old home.  I'm hopeful (aren't all gardeners the most hopeful beings?) that they will take transplanting well and be really lovely next year.

After a rest period this afternoon, I got up and got busy in the kitchen.  Making supper, yogurt, and bread, planning tomorrow night's meal, etc.  I need to have an easy meal for tomorrow just in case I get back from Mama's late.

Wednesday:  I took Mama to her pre-op appointment this morning.  The appointment took longer than she thought it would, but it was about average for a doctor's visit, in my opinion.

I took her to lunch, which we ate in the car.  She is seldom interested in going to eat in a restaurant these days.  Finding a shady place to eat is problematic especially in Warner Robins as we did today.  I do not think we'll be going back there in the future. The traffic upsets her.

It was hot and I was so weary.  As usual, I'd overplanned my day and skipped about 3/4 of my planned errands.  I forced myself to go by the grocery because we needed fresh produce.  Last night had proven how empty the produce bins were!

John was so sweet this afternoon.  He didn't talk to me about his day until I'd had a tall glass of water and a cup of coffee.  He'd set up the coffee machine for me so all I had to do was push a button. After about 40 minutes he asked if I had 'decompressed' enough to talk.  I appreciate his thoughtfulness in giving me that space to relax and draw my home's peace about me for a little while.

Thursday:  Last night, we watched "My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3".  We enjoyed it.  It's free on Amazon Prime just now.

We woke very early this morning.  Neither of us wanted to get up at 5.  My hips hurt but I didn't want to take pain medicine that early in the morning.  I decided to lie on the bed in the guest room which has a firmer mattress than ours.  It relieved my pain.  That room is much cooler than our room, too.  I got chilly, wrapped up in the comforter, and went right to sleep.  I slept another four hours.

It made a late start to my day.  I was ambitious with my plans but waking so late meant the day was warm.  I decided to work in the house and skip the outdoor work today.  I wanted to give the kitchen a deep cleaning.  I worked and worked and worked, then made lunch and worked some more.  

While we were eating lunch, John commented that managing my time was not my forte.  He was not mean or ugly, but I wanted to be offended.  As I tested that statement in my mind, I came to the conclusion that he was right.  I see a job I want to do then visualize the end result.  And somehow, I skip over the processes necessary to get to the end!  I did it with the rose bed earlier this week, which is still unfinished.  I didn't quite get through with the kitchen either.

My plans for tomorrow just changed.  Katie needs a sitter while she goes to her OB appointment.  Cody has to do training so we'll be heading out early in the morning.  I won't be working in the yard tomorrow either.  Oh well.  I'll get to see Caleb and spend time with him.  

John's put on "Pillow Talk" for us tonight.  If New York could still be like that...I'd head north and stay awhile!  (As long as I had oodles of money to pay for it all.)

Friday:  We left home early this morning to head to Katie's.  Katie said Caleb has not been well, not sick but not himself.  He looked pale and tired but he seemed to feel just grand today. I took him a small bag of blueberries, a treat I know they seldom think to buy at that house.  I hoped whatever he had was not catching because he insisted both John and I eat one of the blueberries and he licked them both before handing them to us, sigh.  It was a sleight-of-hand move that I saw too late.  

Katie is doing well and the baby is fine.  She's trying to stock baby supplies, mostly formula, wipes, and diapers but she does have a registry with a few other things on it.  We admired the new crib.  It's a mini crib, meant for small spaces, and will transform into a toddler bed and then a twin bed head and footboard.  

Caleb was pleased to see us.  He talked and played steadily with a constant laugh while we were there.  Katie brought lunch home and we all ate, while she attended a Zoom meeting online.  She'd rearranged the living room since we were there last, had done the same in her room to accommodate Baby H and they put a new vanity in their main bath.

John is not happy with his new glasses.  He will not even put them on.  The trouble is that he likes his old glasses better.  The new glasses work fine and look terrific, but they are slightly larger than his old ones and don't fit the same.  He thinks they are too apt to slip.  So we went back to the eye doctor so he could look at frames there.  As I suspected, he was shocked at the prices and all he got a quote on was frames.  I offered to measure the old glasses and look at Zenni for something similar in size, but he wants to look in person, so we'll go to Walmart next week.

After we left the eye doctor, I asked to go by HomeGoods to see if I could find a shade for the old lamp we both wanted to keep.  It requires a larger shade and the size had proven difficult to find elsewhere, even at Amazon.  

I found my lampshade and admired their way of labeling them.  You have small, medium, large, and X-large. It made it so much easier to narrow my search once I knew I was looking for an X-large.  And it was affordable.  I am so happy to replace the badly broken shade on that lamp!

I found 3 bath rugs that matched and that too proved to be affordable.  I picked up a metal plant stand for the bathroom to put at the back of our shower where we can sit shampoo and a soap dish. We've had it sitting on the shower floor since we got the shower.

Last I got a paper towel holder for my kitchen counter. I wanted one of the upright ones in wood.  I saw several I liked a lot that were solid wood which is what I wanted, but the one that had a wood dowel and a marble base was cheaper by $5.  

What makes me happiest is that every item I chose today has been on my list of things to look for since the end of December when we finished renovating.  Things are finally starting to move towards the finish line.   And it came in well under the bit of money I'd tucked away months ago to buy those things.

I'm trying to come up with a lower-carb option for supper tonight that includes chicken.  We had burgers for lunch and I don't want to have a heavy carb count with our evening meal.  

I added another date to my calendar when I got home today.  It is Katie's next OB appointment at the end of the month.  I have about four days with no notation on them.  June is here tomorrow and we open the month with a banging big day.  Here I come!

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