Diary of a Homemaker's Week: Lovely Days

 

Saturday:  I was sitting here leisurely enjoying my Saturday morning coffee when I got a text from Katie.  I knew she would be here for a little while today but I'd somehow not planned on lunch...I'd planned to have the children from across the field this morning, but those plans changed to the afternoon so I'd been focused on what I might make for supper tonight instead.  Sigh.  I scrambled to think of a meal idea for lunch and decided that having Gramma's Fried Chicken today was my best bet. 

 

I've no idea what I might do for lunch tomorrow, so my mind is spinning...

Monday:  I didn't have time to write more on Saturday and had no energy come Sunday evening. 

Saturday the day rocked and rolled.  John wanted a big breakfast, so I cooked sausage and he fried eggs.  After breakfast, John wanted to hook up the new water hoses and set up the new reels we'd bought for them.  I started cutting back the rosemary bush and I took loads of limbs off it, both dead ones and the ones that were blocking the steps and poking through the rails onto the porch.  

We don't typically work on a Saturday but we did this week.

I had Katie, Cody, Bella, and Caleb here until 2:30, and then it was down to just John, me, and four grandchildren.  Taylor was spending the night and Sam's three stayed to have supper with us.  I made their favorite meal: Pizza.  Turns out that Taylor doesn't eat cheese, just pepperoni, bread, and tomato sauce.  Who knew?  I could have made her breadsticks if I'd known.  

Sunday, I slept in late.  Very late.  John said Taylor didn't get up until nearly 9 and I was almost 10 coming out of my room.  John made me a big breakfast.  

Does anyone else experience a stomach lurch at the thought of breakfast some mornings?  I did, but I wasn't about to spoil John's 'gift' to me of cooking breakfast.  He hadn't counted on Taylor eating a second breakfast so I shared with her, which meant I could eat less and not hurt his feelings.  

Katie and Cody brought hot dogs and buns and chips and Cody grilled hot dogs.  I had slaw and baked beans.  It was a nice lunch and I loved that I had only to dump and season the beans and shred the cabbage.  It's awfully nice to have someone else cook for you!

I had a lovely card from Sam and family, a nice message from Bess, and calls from Amie and Jd.  It was a record Mother's Day in which I heard from all of my children in some way.  

After Katie and her family left, John and I went to Mama's.  I took her flowers and a card.  We visited there for about an hour and a half and then headed home.  I felt rather worn out by then.  I mentioned to John that I was hungry.  He decided to treat us to ice cream.  I got a small strawberry Sundae and it was delicious.  I love strawberry ice cream but I seldom indulge.  When I buy ice cream, I tend to purchase chocolate, John's favorite.  If we go to Dairy Queen we typically get a small plain cone.  Since it was Mother's Day, I thought I would have a real treat. 

How many of us forgo our favorite treats to have what another likes best?   I love to eat fish, but that is a strictly solo lunch.  John is not going to eat fish and the only 'fish' in the restaurants we go to tends to be Salmon, which isn't my favorite.  You can blame that on having grown up with canned salmon!  I like canned salmon just fine (John also won't eat that).  I prefer Strawberry ice cream but I tend to buy only vanilla or chocolate.  

John is careful to note what I really like and often will surprise me with something that he knows I'd otherwise forgo in order to provide his favorites.  I think I'll keep this man of mine.

I made a quick meal when we got home that required little effort.  That's why I keep frozen convenience items on hand!

Today, the need to clean the house was apparent.  I've been in every room of the house except the laundry area.  I worked hard for a good three hours.  The children do a grand job of picking up toys but a weekend is just a different thing even without the children.  I don't pick up as I would during the week and tend to ignore things like sweeping and dishes in the sink.  

I don't know what sort of mess the children left outside.  Katie and Cody took the playhouse home for Bella and Caleb to play in.  I know there were toys inside it that are now loose and need to be gathered up, but it's pouring rain today and I'm going to let that job wait. 

This rain is doing great things for the newly transplanted items.  And it should make it easy to get the weeds out of the back porch flower bed.

Tuesday:  Last night John went to a men's meeting.  I stayed home and had a solitary meal for my supper.  Not a problem.  I ate fish tacos which is something that John would never have enjoyed.  

I also put on the movie "Persuasion" and watched it from start to finish.  How lovely!  I felt I'd treated myself well.

I have done next to nothing today simply because I did so much yesterday.  I mended a kimono topper and watched "Operation Petticoat" with John. We missed the last five minutes of the film easily.  What a shame!  Hated missing the ending, even though we do know how it ends.  It's one of the best parts of the film.  The channel just cut it off and went right into another film.  Phooey.

Katie is feeling a bit nest-y this week.  She's been cleaning, rearranging, and fretting over the lack of things for the baby.  She is always ready to nest super early, far sooner than most.  She does this so early because the last six weeks (well ahead of her) are such a miserable time.  I dislike it because she starts to panic over what she doesn't have and can't see how she can be ready for the baby's arrival.   She wants all the things she'll need here for birth here in mid-pregnancy.   

Later:  I wasn't satisfied to call this day a day of doing nothing.  I went into the kitchen, pulled all the produce I'd purchased from the fridge, and began to process it for meals this week or for the freezer.  Now I can say I've accomplished something today!

Wednesday:  Primary elections are open for early voting this week so we went to the county seat to vote.  Then we ran a few errands: bank, auto parts store, post office, getting gas for the mower, taking off trash.  I like when we get a lot done on a trip out of the house.  It makes me feel there was a real purpose in using that gasoline.

I came to a conclusion last week that three-quarters of my current unhappiness over myself is that (a) I disliked my hair, (b) I was doing too little self-care, (c) I LOATHE the clothes I've been wearing about the house, specifically the capri pants I'd ordered, (d) some of my clothing is simply too snug for comfort, reminding me that I've gained.  

So I have altered my hairstyle ever so slightly going just a wee bit longer.  I started doing self-care on a more routine basis.  I ordered new capris.  And I'm setting aside everything that is simply too snug and if I don't have replacements that fit, I'll order those too.  

I keep trying on my clothing and I am still in that space between two sizes.  I do have a few pieces that are the next size up, mostly due to oversight, and the truth is I am not quite the next size up or the next lower size down.  I mean underthings and tops and pants.  I am firmly in between.  This means that nothing is going to look exactly right because none of it exactly fits.  

The capris I ordered earlier in the spring are too large, to be honest. The sizing is not the issue.  The colors are off.  The navy pair are more royal blue.  And the burgundy is closer to rusty red.  I only like the black pair but need more than one pair.  I've been telling myself I could make do.  Well no, no I can't.  They are such ugly colors and they clash with all of my tops.  So when I ordered new capris last night, I ordered only black ones.  

Just as a contrast, this morning, when I got ready to go to town I felt so much more comfortable with myself, because what I wore fits and looks good.  Ugly clothes do not make me happy even if I am 'just at home'.  I like to feel I'm looking nice. 

I have been in the guest room this afternoon, shifting the bed ever so slightly, closing up the toy box, and giving the room a good look.  I ordered a small mirror to hang over the sewing machine and rearranged the chair and try I have in the room at present.  I looked long and hard at the room and decided it needed more artwork.  The walls are far too empty.  

I could use a small table to go with the chair and replace the TV Tray, or alternatively, replace the telephone stand and sewing machine with a matched set of tables and use the telephone stand with the chair.  I'd then move the sewing machine to a different wall entirely.  But I remain undecided on all of that so I shall wait. I was certain about the mirror and found one that was affordable.  It's an old mirror.  I suspect the frame around it is not original and is handmade. I will reserve any further ideas about it until after I receive it.

Now I am going to take a sheet of paper and go through the house room by room and make out a list of things I want to do in each.  It's one of my favorite things to do and then I'll make a sub-list of that one with all the things I can do for free with what I have to 'fix' my wants instead of thinking I will buy everything (which I won't!).  

And while John is outdoors, it is an excellent time to work on the big freezer and do an inventory of that.

Thursday:  Sam ran over today to pick up some things I'd printed for him.  We negotiated babysitting (he has three school programs on three days back to back to attend next week, and I have an appointment one day during the same timeframe), and then he talked and talked and talked.  

I would do much to save my son from the heartache and confusion he is dealing with.  But I cannot.  It is something he must go through, though we all may question 'Why?'

Tuesday when we were watching Millie and Isaac while he picked Josh up from an afternoon school program, I noted that he was not cleaning as fanatically as he was months ago.  Not that the house was dirty.  It was not.  It just looked lived in, less controlled and that tells me that my son is at that stage where he is more accepting than before.  He has less need to control his environment than he did when his life fell apart.  

When he came home he told me of a trouble he'd had with one of the children and I could see it was of great concern to him.  I saw that he was doubting his ability to see these little people through this place and time and he felt he'd failed all around.  I wanted, oh how I wanted, to be a little glib about it, to assure him that whatever he dealt with now was just training for the later years when their troubles and hurts were bigger, but I couldn't do that.  It would have belittled his concerns and perhaps made him feel he was being foolish.  He isn't.  He's just being a parent and what he's going through is perfectly normal.  I've been there.  John and I have been there.  

I went outdoors this afternoon to blow mowing debris off the porches and watered the plants.  Then I pruned the rose bush and weeded that flower bed and Baby Tree's little bed.  I took some cuttings from the pruned limbs to try and root.  I ask myself where I plan to plant another rose bush if these take hold and I don't have a clue but they are so lovely for so many weeks in the Spring and they are antique roses so they hold well for that bit of time.  And they are FREE to me.

Now I am cooling off.  I have a supper plan.  I have a glass of ice ready in the freezer to make John a cold drink when he returns from mowing Sam's.  I think I'll go read another chapter of one of my books.

Friday:  It's raining today and the clouds are so heavy it's gloomy indoors.  No savings in electricity today for me.  I turn on the lights when the house is dark and dusky indoors at this hour (11am)!  No, I don't turn on lights in rooms where I am not, except in the kitchen.  We tend to leave that one on since it's a fluorescent light.  Since it's wide open to the main living area, we appreciate that extra light coming into the room.    I will hang the expense and SEE the room around me.  

I was up nearly as early as John this morning which surprised him.  I hadn't meant to be up that early but I had a very good night's rest behind me and I felt refreshed when I woke.  I came into my day quietly though.  I put in my ear pods and caught up on my favorite vloggers for about 40 minutes while I sipped my coffee.   Then I finished putting breakfast together.  

Today is the day we change out sheets and towels.  John has that laundry all done.  Alas with the rain we must dry indoors today.  Another 'expense' we're willing to make since it's meant to rain for the next 36 hours.

Last night Amie contacted me asking if I'd received my Mother's Day gift.  I had been given a tracking number for it and discovered it was in the mailbox.  John went to fetch the mail when I told him the gift was down in the box.  

It was the most beautiful mulberry silk scarf, long and wide enough to use as a light summer cover-up.  It is hand-painted with beautiful flowers and bluebirds.  I gasped when I opened the package because it is truly the most lovely thing I think I've owned since John bought me the silk wallet when a colleague at work went to China and asked if he'd like something.  

The rest of our day won't be anything to write about I'm afraid.  It's raining heavier than it was this morning when we rose.  I suspect it's going to be a day of reading and watching movies.  We have a  Coffee House meeting this evening, so we'll eat our larger meal midday today.  I need to get busy making that.

I hope you've had a lovely week.  

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