Tinkering Tuesday

[Lilac]

Do you need to tinker with something today? If you do, please join me.

[OKay]

Good Morning!

Lilac - how is the moving process going? I am so very impressed how much effort you and DH are putting into preparing the new home before you move it. From ceiling to floor each inch of it is becoming yours and having your own special touch applied.

I am being a slug. Laying in bed with LO snuggled up against me. The early morning sounds of this home are pleasant to my ears. I can hear DGD11months "talking" and coow'ing as she wakes up for the day. DSon is preparing her a bottle and gently talking to her. I'll snuggle here awhile so LO will continue to sleep then get up and let DSon get ready to go to the hospital. If all is still going okay, DDIL should come home later today.

DGS5 will go to a private school from 9-2 today then has Tae Kwon-Do lessons at 4:30. Not sure how all this will be juggled, but I'm sure it will get done one way or nuther. The biggest obstacle is getting the 3rd car seat into their van. Once that is done all 3 children can be mobile at the same time.

[DeeClutter]

Tinkering....hmmmm....well I'm 'tinkering' getting ready to go on our 2-day get-away to friends in Brandenton. Going to meet dbil/dsil for breakfast first. Think we're about ready. I'll try to pop in later today/tonight from friends' house. Have a great 'tinkering Tuesday'!

[lucylee]

I hope to be tinkering w/my Electr*lux this afternoon. After all these weeks, it SHOULD be back today. Guy that runs local S*ars apologized PROFUSELY for it taking so long, and said, "I hope you'll give S*ars another chance, Mrs. Lucylee."
I haven't had time to vacuum the past few weeks, anyway... so it's not that big a problem for me. But the house IS really beginning to show the need for a vacuum cleaner, so I'm hoping it will be back today.

I'm also tinkering -- or rather NOT tinkering w/my eyes. I look a little like a rabbit, I guess, today -- NO EYE MAKE-UP WHATSOEVER. All I'm wearing is rx creme, C*taphil moisturizer, and my M*rle N*rman base. Gonna try that a few days before I go back to putting on color, mascara, etc.

Hope you all have a wonderful day!

[Lilac]

I need to tinker with my moving plan. I have decided that I need to quit taking things over to the house and putting them away. Friday will be here before I know it. So now I need to concentrate on getting things packed, that are on things that need to be moved. Those things being 2 hutches full of P faltzgraff, plus all the R aggedy A nn stuff on the dressers and bookshelves. So I have today and tomorrow to accomplish this. Thursday I want to vaccum and /or dust all the furniture, plus vaccum around it, under it, whatever.

I bought a washer/dryer set yesterday. It will be delivered next Monday. The salesman tried his hardest to sell me a much higher priced set. I pulled out my C onsumer R eport buying guide and the one on sale that I wanted was second on the list and a recommended buy. He talked me into the extended warranty where they come once a year to check it out and can test it to see if something is wearing out and replace it. Trouble is the price he gave me was just the washer. The dryer was $20.00 cheaper. But I just went ahead and did it. Since they just don't make things like they use to, it gives me 5 years that I don't have to worry about buying another. Also, if I don't like this for any reason within 90 days, it can be returned, no questions asked.

Yesterday dd2 and the 2 little girls came a little early to wait while picking the boys up from school. Dgd2 looked so cute. She had pigtails in and she has some curl to her hair, so they were each in a little spiral. Then she had little bows that were quarter size or a little larger and they looked like roses. I asked her where they had bought them and she said H ome D epot. Actually it was T arget, mom said. Then dgd2 went to her old room and said "I need the light on in my room". Once the light was on, she wanted someone to get her a doll off the shelf. About a foot from the ceiling there are shelves all the way around the room. Perfect for my R aggedy A nn collection. I am seeing that this might be a problem, if those kids think my things are theirs. The problem being, they are rough on stuff. When the boys came in, dgd5 proceeded to eat a T ootsie R oll pop. I was all right with that until he bit into it and it went all over the floor. I started to clean it up and dd2 told him that it wasn't their house anymore and he couldn't make messes like he does at home. Duh! Those kids make messes and instead of them being promptly cleaned up, it just gets ground in and/or tracked elsewhere. Drives me nuts. She wasn't raised that way. For some reason she has let her ex in the past and her kids just run over her. No one else in the world would get by with that from her. I just don't understand her. Then as they were getting ready to go, dgs5 went outside and found a little ball under a bush and brought it into the house and threw it 3 times. It hit the wall twice and the window once. It was a soft type ball but I am not so sure he didn't put a small dent in the wall. She is so unobservant that she didn't even notice that the walls were freshly painted. I was hoping by moving there I would be more relaxed around them but I am finding that I still want my house to not be tore up.

Rant ahead, warning.

Last Tuesday I went to dd2 house to pick up boxes. The house literally looked like a bomb had went off in a house full of boxes of household items. You couldn't walk anywhere with your foot touching something else. She commented that she needed to get it cleaned up because they were having a sitter Friday night and dgd15 was having the cheerleaders over for a slumber party Sat. night. Wednesday night dd1 was there and nothing had been done. Thursday instead of cleaning, dd2 decided to lay tile on the hearth of the basement fireplace. Friday they ended up taking the 2 little girls to his brothers house, so his neice could watch them there. Sat. morning she called at 9:30 and was washing dishes. I didn't hear from her again until 5:00. She called in a panic. Dgd15 had slept until 11 and then they had to go shopping for dgd15 gift exchange. When she called me she had dropped dgd15 off, so she could participate in the Christmas parade. The cheerleaders were then going out to eat and then to her house for the night. She wanted to know if dd1 and other dgd15 were at my house. I told her that dd1 was grocery shopping. She didn't ask me to come help her but told me that her dh could help move boxes the next day. What she was implying was could I help her and he would then help me. I told her I was moving boxes as I packed them. I did not offer to go help, even though she was whining about how could she clean with the 2 little ones. So she called dd1 and wanted other dgd15 to babysit while she cleaned. Dd1 told her that she was at a friends for the evening and that dd1 was going to a Christmas play that evening. Dd1 didn't feel guilty. I felt terribly guilty but I had told her in no uncertain terms when they decided to buy that house and move 6 1/2 miles from town that I would no longer be running over to babysit at a moments notice and that I wasn't going to be her housecleaner every time she has some kind of event. I meant it and I knew that if I caved this time, I was opening myself up to a continuing problem. Neither dd1 or I talked to her on Sunday. When I talked to her yesterday, I asked how the slumber party went and she said it went great. Her dh had came home and helped her clean. Dgd15 had not made her bed, vaccumed her room or cleaned her bath. I can't believe she let her get by with that. Dgd15 had not even asked permission to have the slumber party there, she just volunteered and dd2 then went along with it. She should have at least made her help clean up that mess. Dgd15 probably thought grandma would help afterall. Well grandma didn't and I think now dd2 knows I was serious. I just couldn't believe that she would mess with tiling when she really needed to clean. It's been over a month now and they still have boxes in the garage to unpack. Dd2 continues to fly by the seat of her pants. Rant over.

Sorry about the rant. After I wasted that much time on it, I posted anyway.

Well the morning is getting away, so I better get busy.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

(((Lilac))) You are under a lot of strain these day and we welcome rants here. Although it 'wasted' a lot of time to write that all down, it probably will 'buy' you time later in the day if you can let go of the negative feelings and focus on the positive lesson that came from Saturday. You stood your ground and didn't 'save' dd2 when she expected you to. Dd2 survived just fine without you. From now on in, remember that when you tell her NO. You know she'll be fine so there is no reason to feel guilty.

I think you need to make a new rule that the grandkids have to clean-up/help clean-up any messes they make at your place. So the next time the tootsie roll breaks all over the place, show them where the dust pan and brush is and have them clean up at least part of every mess. It is your house now and you can tell them that you want to keep it clean and pretty looking and they are to help you.

It wouldn't hurt to invest in a feather duster and a carpet sweeper or little electric broom and have the 2 year old 'dust' (especially along baseboards and chair feet) and the 5 year old run the broom in the halls and centers of the rooms, every time they come to visit. My dd had a very tall boyfriend who was always pressed into dusting for cobwebs if he came over during zone 4 week. It was embarrassing for her, but only took 10 minutes and then I'd do things like drive them to a movie so it was quid pro quo and they understood that. He'd also help us put up the shade structure covering until ds got tall enough to take over that job. Some may say that I was using slave labour but I preferred to see it as teaching them life lessons about taking care of their property.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

I'm up. The bed is made, my SAD light is done and I've had my tea and chocolate. I'm not dressed but my clothes are laid out for the day.

I'm still in a mood.

[Twins' Mom]

I've spent the last hour on a long email for temple business but it covered several areas. I need to get rolling today - enjoying having this morning free because dmom's doc appt was cancelled (again.) Going to talk to her about changing doctors - her own doc died a couple of years ago and the practice had brought in a nurse practitioner to handle his patients - now she has been out on some kind of medical leave for the last two months and won't be back until January. A woman friend at our temple just started a new practice and several friends are seeing her and satisfied - she taught geriatrics as a specialty as part of UT's medical dept at a local hospital previously.

Must be packed and ready to go when I go to bed tonight as dh and I will need to leave here at 4:15 in the a.m. for shuttle to ATL tomorrow. I have a running list going for the day but right now I'm giving myself an hour and fifteen minutes for a power nap. After that I'll go like crazy for the rest of the day!

Yes, Lilac this is a safe place to rant away. Kathryn's idea of getting then involved in clean up is good modeling for them and dd2.

[Lilac]

Twins, I so agree with Kathryns wise advice. Have a great trip to DC.

This has to be the best place in cyberspace to be a part of. Thanks to all of you.

[bittersweet]

I've been up since 5am - not sure why. I just woke up and that was it *sigh* I'll probably need a nap later, but in an hour, I have to corral all nine kittens for a trip to the vet. Just shots and checkups today (I think), and possibly making some spay/neuter appointments.

This morning has been fairly productive so far. All downstairs critter care has been done, some kitchen tidying, dishes are washed, and the furball gong show is underway. All the kittens except Jiggs were in the foster room, but DH must have gone in there for something when he got up to use the washroom, cause we now have Rhemus and Buster (who is actually Busterette, it turns out) ripping around like nobody's business.

Having only gotten about four hours sleep, I may hit that "wall of exhaustion" thing soon. I'm hoping it holds off until after the vet appointment. If not, I'll reschedule for next week. Whatever else I do, though, I MUST go grocery shopping today! We're out of quite a few things, and almost out of several more. Besides...if it doesn't get done today, I don't have another day off until next Monday.

Interesting weather factoid: Two years ago today, Leduc, Alberta (just south of Edmonton) was officially the coldest place on the planet at -46.1C (almost -51F)!!!

Yep...definitely getting dozy here...time to get up and do something to see if I can wake up again.