Diary of a Homemaker's Week: Fresh Start

 

Saturday:  Just about the time we were leaving home today to head to the park, the clouds came in dark and heavy.  Katie was obsessively checking the weather and telling me how the chances of rain kept increasing.  

When we were leaving home, the temperature immediately dropped 20 degrees and I told John, "We can only hope it's the same in Macon."  

It wasn't.  It was cloudy and thunder rumbled, but it was stinking hot.  Katie and I both were visibly dripping by the time we'd arrived at the spot where she wanted to have the wedding.  The children quickly got hot, red faced and sweaty, grumbled and were restless.  

I barely got Bella in this photo.  This is the ONLY time I saw her smile, after she'd handed Caleb the bouquet and he inhaled deeply.

Taylor looks so lovely in this green dress.  She said she felt like a fairy in it.

Our dear friend Kenneth officiated for the bride and groom.

A friend of the family performed the ceremony and as chaos ruled with children who were antsy and hungry and hot, and grandparents trying to calm them and a photographer who needed us to move often so he could get his photographs, Kenneth told Katie and Cody, "Forget it all.  This is about the two of you.  Someone will handle the kids.  Ya'll just concentrate on this moment in your lives."  And that's what happened.  We three grandparents took it in turn to hustle children.  Sometimes a child slipped up to the couple and stood with them as they exchanged vows, and no one shooed them away.  

Everything seemed to go by pretty fast.  I didn't even hear the vows they exchanged so I asked Katie to email them to me so I could read them. I reckon I'm glad I couldn't hear the vows because I sobbed reading them.  

 I took an ice chest full of ice and soda, water, and juice boxes.  We didn't pass any out before the ceremony though honestly, we could have used one.  We were very glad of those cold iced drinks at the end, though.  Katie posted a picture of Caleb in the trunk of my car. John had left it open then sat down on the bumper and talked to Kenneth and offered drinks to the kids and adults from the wedding.  Caleb crawled right up behind him and stood next to the cooler sneaking pieces of ice.  I thought I had a copy of that photo to share.  He had such a huge grin on his face but I can't find it in my stuff so I must have failed to download it.  

The rain held off until John and I were on the interstate once more after getting well and truly lost downtown.  I realized I had not even been to Macon in over 5 years and boy had things changed.  I didn't recognize anything but the names of the streets I once knew quite well.  It did not help that we couldn't see within 12 inches of us, then the temp dropped 20 degrees and the AC made the windows fog up.  Ugh.  Talk about tensed up, we were TENSE.

Katie called us about 8pm.  We talked to the whole family for an hour or so.  We've exchanged all of the personal photos taken.  I don't know when the professional photos will be ready, but I've shared three that I took.  

Sunday:  This week I will return to doing Thrifty Thursday posts.  I like to concentrate the savings we make in that one post and have the diary for general talk.

We went to church this morning and arrived so early that I slipped into the Cafe and got myself an iced coffee.  I went to our usual seat to join John.  If ever you wonder, he is not a detail-oriented man.  We'd been sitting together for a few minutes, and he reached into his back pocket and got out his wallet.  "Why don't you go help yourself to a coffee?" he asked.  I held up my cup and said, "I have!"  He looked a bit deflated, so I said, "I think it's just lovely that we still think alike."  "How's that?"  "Well, you were thinking of me...and so was I!'  He laughed at that. 

I stood in church this morning during prayer time thinking of how very much I am appreciating this season of life without drama, pain, suffering, agonies, etc.  We've lived with so much drama and trauma the past few years.  It's not that I think we are different from any other person, but it's just awfully nice to have a litany of pleasant things to be grateful for and not be distracted by the heavier things we must bear.  

After church we went to the grocery.  I will share that later, but John felt a bit of concern about my buying so much and I reminded him that it was the last of the July 4th sales at this particular store, that many of the items would not be on sale again until Labor Day when I must stock more heavily for the next 8 months on several of the items.  

We have done nothing but take it easy since we got home.  I will get up in a moment and go work on the checkbook while John's playing guitar, as that is a nice distraction for him and prevents interruptions of my work, lol.  I take my moments as I can get them. 

Monday:  I thought I was going to be keeping Millie today, but plans changed as they do at times.  I worked in the house finishing up a pantry and freezer inventory.  

I've been asked to share about the wedding.  Katie sent me some photos this evening from the professional photographer.  I thought I'd share a couple of those photos.  

Tuesday:  Had Millie here this morning.  She was so much fun today, lighthearted, singing as she played.  It was wonderful to hear.   She and her Grampa share a birthday and there's an especial fondness one for the other between those two.  They giggle and play together from the moment she comes in the door.  Still, I confess it warmed my heart this morning when she soon asked her Grampa, "Where's Gramma?"

The boys are coming home from camp tomorrow.  We've seen nothing but the bare edges of Isaac hidden behind a bus seat in pictures, but Josh is grinning from ear to ear, sunburned and healthy looking.  He looked happy.  

Tomorrow they will be home.  John and I plan have plans tomorrow to get the car serviced.  I am hopeful that we'll get home in time for me to take the kids to the library.  It will be our last chance to enter activities and books into the system before summer reading ends.  

Right now, I'm enjoying a thunderstorm.  The rain is just pouring down.  I'm so very grateful for it.  I've set plants down under the eaves to get watered.

I'll tell you what needs a fresh start...My poor little tomato plant.  It had grown so much, bloomed like crazy and was looking lush and healthy.  This evening, I went to shut the blinds, looked out at the patio and the plant was bare except for two tiny leaves and a very large and fat horned worm.  Son of a gun!  I had planted basil and marigolds with the tomatoes this year determined to do things the most organic way possible.  Forget organic!  I want tomatoes and NOT a crop of green horned worms!  So I sprinkled Sevin over the tomatoes and bell peppers and we'll just hope for the best.  Will my poor tomato survive this?  I don't know.  I can only hope.  I'm absolutely sick over that loss.  

Wednesday:  We got up early with the intent of getting our car serviced today.  We stopped and grabbed breakfast at McDonald's which is a real treat.  I love a Sausage McMuffin!  When we walked into the repair center the young men behind the counter all stopped and stared.  One of them finally said, "What...There's no doughnuts today?!"  You see we usually stop and pick up a couple of dozen for them.  John and I both laughed out loud and apologized.  Two mumbled something about being on a diet anyway...Honestly they were like disappointed children.

We discussed it later today and both agreed that we'd take doughnuts in from now on and let diets go hang.  We enjoy treating others and it's not a costly thing to do.

I read most of my book while I was waiting...In fact, I got down to the last two chapters!  It was one of the Aunt Dimity series by Nancy Atherton and I absolutely enjoyed it.  I knew they had a few more of the same series on the bookshelves at the library in Butler, though by no means all of them.  I'll definitely be looking to read more of this woman's works.  They are mysteries but gentle mysteries not horror or murder based, at least that book wasn't.  I got another of the series this afternoon after I turned in my first book, but I sat right in the library and finished reading it before I turned it in.

John and I sat on the bench outdoors for a bit.  One thing about Warner Robins is that it's always got this really nice westerly breeze and it blew off the initial humidity and made sitting in the shade on a bench a lovely experience.  We sat together and chatted about this and that until our car was ready to go.

I asked John to go by the discount grocery on the way home, but we had lunch here.  I read for about a half hour and then it was time to go take the boys and Millie to the library.  

That didn't any of it go as planned.  For one thing, Isaac was whiny and broke out into genuine tears about having to leave home.  I assured him he could stay home; no one was forcing him to go.  He took himself right indoors without so much as a 'nice to see ya'.  Josh came along but sort of sulked.  I could look at both the boys and see they were genuinely worn out. 

I tried to talk to him a bit about camp and discovered that while they had a good enough time, Josh didn't think he wanted to go again next year.  I asked if Isaac had enjoyed it and Josh replied, "I think he'd rather have stayed home with mom and dad."

That comment segued into a conversation about Sam and Bess and the separation etc.  I told Josh that we were there to listen, were not passing judgement on either parent or their situation but were there for him and the other two to talk to if they wished.  I got a bit of an insight into how Josh views the situation and feel he was being honest about it.  But then he clammed up and I assured him that we could drop the subject.  I certainly didn't want to press any issues or make him feel disloyal or uncomfortable.

The library in Butler apparently holds a very loose schedule for their presenters.  This is the third program we've attended there and the third time we had a half hour late start due to late arrivals.  The librarian was completely flustered, and the presenter was a bit demanding about why the chairs hadn't been set up etc. when she did arrive.  I thought her rather rude.  The woman had been run off her feet from the moment we arrived and was trying to settle children there for the story time to play with various toys while she also waited on customer after customer.  Here this woman was extremely tardy and was fussy because she felt the librarian was unprepared!  Why, I wanted to ask, hadn't she arrived 15 minutes early and seen to it that things were set up herself?!  I was not impressed.

The story time proved to be more along the lines of preschool stuff, so Josh was bored stiff.  Honestly it was beginning to look like my planned day out was a disaster.  I had one last thing I hoped would turn it all around.  And you know that flubbed to, because that was just the way the day went.  I wanted to take them to The Strawberry Patch and get peach ice cream.  I'd checked online earlier to be sure the place was open, and it assured me it was.  It was NOT.  Those two kids were so disappointed.  I told them no fears, I'd run into the grocery store and get them a box of popsicles, Banana popsicles to take home as a treat. Imagine what a heel I felt when I discovered the store was OUT.  There are always dozens of boxes in stock.  Not today!  I grabbed a tub of Rainbow Sherbert and was headed to the checkout when I spied a lonely box of Banana Popsicles tucked at the back of a top shelf.  I grabbed them, honestly not even sure how I reached them, and the kids got both a tub of Rainbow Sherbert and popsicles.

Thursday:  I felt a bit let down yesterday afternoon.  My head ached from lack of sleep the night before and heat and disappointment.  After supper, we watched our usual Wednesday evening church service and about 8:15, I went and crawled into bed to watch videos until I fell asleep.  

I got up this morning and saw a rather alarming text on my phone when I got up. I was too groggy to comprehend it but later discovered it was sent in error.  Still, that icky feeling in the pit of my stomach didn't go away for a long time.  Trouble continues in some quarters and I'm so concerned about people I love being deeply hurt in a situation that has the potential to go two ways.  It can all go very well or it's going to be a horrible train wreck...and my anxiety level is screaming that the train is about to hit a mountain.

I have been busy today making various things in the kitchen and trying to get the house squared away because tomorrow morning, I am off very early once again, leaving by 8am, so I can care for Caleb while Katie goes to her appointment.  

One of John's friends came by and left a dozen ears of corn for us.  Isn't that lovely?  Then Katie texted that her former boss reached out to her.  He's just opened a new agency and wants her on board.  This is a blessing as the man who bought his former agency has no clue how to run the business and refuses to listen to sound advice from those who want the business to succeed because their livelihood is involved in his success.  So that's another new start coming that will be much appreciated.

I'm relaxing now.  I've worked so hard today. John's gone off to mow. He looked amazed when I said I planned to sit and do nothing the whole time he's gone.  And I have mostly done nothing. I printed out my credit card bill, washed up the dishes in the sink, finished prepping the two main entrees and started a pan of potato salad.  I've put away a few things and I've sat down several times. Yep!  I've been relaxing.

Friday:  We are home again and quite worn out.  We had Bella and Caleb this morning while Katie went to her OB appointment.  Bella's 4th birthday is this weekend, and I took her gift along.  So glad I did because as simple as the gift was, it proved to entertain the children for hours until the playpen was delivered by a friend of the family and then they took the playpen and turned it into a house, a crawl space and 'bunk beds'.  But the gift that provided endless entertainment?  A simple little tea set with a milk jug, sugar bowl and spoon, teapot, four each of plates, cups and spoons.  

I told John if in real life I'd had to drink as many cups of 'coffee' as though children gave me today, I'd have been a jitterbug by the time I left, lol.

I made the children a simple lunch of peanut butter and honey roll-ups, corn chips and fresh sliced peaches.  I was happy that both children ate most of their meal.  We watched the Mighty Paw Patrol movie.  We drank endless coffee.  We took the little piggies to market, counted fingers and toes, and made an unending supply of cake and ice cream and had a couple of impromptu birthday parties, lol.  It was fun.

The sweetest two things said today was that Caleb announced he had a 'new name' and when John asked what his new name was, he announced that it was the same as Cody's.  He told Grampa he had a daddy now, which choked John up.  And later he announced that he used to be a little boy but now he'd 'growed into a man'.  Gracious!  Just two weeks ago he assured us he was going to stay a little boy and now he's gone and got to be a man.  Whatever shall I do when I see him next and he's middle aged?

I am having some common side effects of eating a higher protein, lower carb diet, though the past two days feel a bit carb heavy to me.  I've a tummy upset and a slight headache.  Nothing that I can't live with mind you but it's nice to know that this is 'normal' and not something to worry over.  I don't know about you all, but I am very reluctant to look up ongoing symptoms when I feel fine otherwise because I know too many who get all caught up in the 'might be-s' rather than what it actually is.  I tend to wait and then after putting two or three things together look up what I changed most recently and possible side effects.  So this morning I looked up effects of a low-carb diet and ta da...Symptoms are mine.

Katie brought us lunch, which she usually does when we keep the kids.  After we'd eaten and visited a little with her, we headed home.  We've decided that we're done for this day.  Tomorrow we will do Friday work as quickly as we can so we can enjoy some of the Sabbath day.   

Do you have plans for the weekend?  Did you have a good week?  Tell us all about it in the comments.

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