Sunday Reflecting

The daily PWYC thread, where we gather to keep in touch, keep accountable and keep motivating each other.
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Kathryn-in-Canada
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Re: Sunday Reflecting

Postby Kathryn-in-Canada » Sun May 06, 2018 1:30 pm

Kitchen is reclaimed, senior friend called, I'm s2s and fed, laundry has been started, my planner set up for the week (with some notes for the following week as well.)

The balcony is weighing heavy on my mind so I've just texted dd to see if I can borrow her shop vac.

CathyS
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Re: Sunday Reflecting

Postby CathyS » Sun May 06, 2018 1:37 pm

Hi!

Very productive weekend here. I have a very sore throat, but I can still do dishes and laundry and burn wood and move piles of triple mix soil... etc., etc. Dh has NOT stopped since he woke up. Yesterday was the same. All 3 of the fence sections that came down have been cut with a chain saw and burned. Dh moved the herb garden from just outside the back door to one of the garden boxes he built. Oregano, thyme, spearmint and parsley all survived. He is now planting what will be our 4th rose bush since we moved in.

We had a bucket of the Colonel's finest last night. It is strange to not have the bright green cole slaw any more. I don't think I like the new one. I ordered potato salad last night and as soon as I had some, I remembered why we don't get it.

Tonight we are having pasta of some sort. Dh hinted broadly that he would like lasagna. I just need to get ricotta cheese.
Dishes never stop.
Laundry never stops.
Paper never stops.

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Sunny
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Re: Sunday Reflecting

Postby Sunny » Sun May 06, 2018 1:44 pm

Hello everyone. It is a few degrees cooler today and the sun is trying to peek through the clouds. We didn't get any of the 80% chance of rain that was forecast for our area last night or this morning; we need rain so much.

Good title for today, Harriet. I have been thinking of changing the days of my weekly cleaning so that I have most of Saturday and Sundays free. I am feeling like I need some specific down time for some quiet activities. I don't really have a set time for relaxing and I miss having enough guilt free time to read, sew or even take a ride for pleasure with dh. Anyway, I'm sure it will all settle into a good schedule.

Harriet, I'm glad your gathering yesterday turned out well. Your fruit platter looks deliciously appealing!

Katherine, so glad the windstorm is over now. That would be so scary to be up that high in the winds.

Also thinking about Cathy in that storm. Feel better soon!

Right now I am hungry for some lunch....
Start by doing what's necessary, then what's possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible. --- Francis of Assisi

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Nancy
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Re: Sunday Reflecting

Postby Nancy » Sun May 06, 2018 2:13 pm

Checking in ~feeling better taking an afternoon off yesterday to recharge my batteries was helpful. Did some drawing and inking this morning, took dog for a walk. Contemplating valcanos and lava in Hawaii to incorporate in my art.

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LadyMaverick
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Re: Sunday Reflecting

Postby LadyMaverick » Sun May 06, 2018 8:30 pm

I am feeling like I need some specific down time for some quiet activities.

Sunny - Let us know how it works out.

I too am making that a priority when I was setting up this week schedule. I have blocked off 3 hours on Friday to be alone. I will have to leave the house to do it but I really feel the need to be able to put 2 thoughts together without interruption.

I am asked by friends at least once a week "How do you do it?" Today several friends asked me that question. I think more friends asked me today because several brought their grandchildren to the special activities at church with them. They were a bit overwhelmed with the constant mental & physical activity of caring for children. I don't have an answer for them other than just shrugging and say "I don't know. I just do it." It seems when you get used to doing something it becomes normal and it isn't such a challenge .vs. just doing it occasionally.

I spent some time this afternoon planning the week. It feels good to have a plan and schedule set up. My goal is not to follow it perfect but it gives me a guideline to let me know how things are going. There are no empty hourly spaces so when something doesn't get done, I know it most likely will not be done this week. If that isn't acceptable to me then I know some changes will have to be made. I have highlighted the hours that I am out of the house so that gives me a quick view of non-negotiables time slots.
1. Know what you want.
2. Go after it relentlessly.

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LadyMaverick
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Re: Sunday Reflecting

Postby LadyMaverick » Sun May 06, 2018 8:45 pm

Reflecting......our church keeps growing. We usually have about 15 children 3-5 year old but this morning we had 21. We did not have 21 chairs available for them. Eeek! We did not have curriculum papers for 21 children. EEEk! When DH and I realized we had exceeded our expectations we did the BIG EYE look at each other and smiled. It is times like this that working together for so many years makes it easy for us to adjust on the fly without saying a word. I told the children to sit on the carpet while DH was reading them the Bible Story. I did some quick shuffling and adjusting to the tables and chairs. I took all the curriculum papers from the children tables and removed all the chairs. I put out plain sheets of paper for them to draw pictures of today's story. I told the children that today we were going to stand and draw instead of sitting. They thought it was great fun. I quickly made more snack cups and drinks to hand out. Thankfully everything went smoothly.

Lessons learned -
** Increase # of curriculum ordered.
** Add more chairs and tables to the room.
** Request the elders add a fan or something to the room. It got stuffy in the room with so many bodies.
1. Know what you want.
2. Go after it relentlessly.

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Kathryn-in-Canada
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Re: Sunday Reflecting

Postby Kathryn-in-Canada » Sun May 06, 2018 9:34 pm

I drove over to dd's and picked up the vacuum from dsil. Dgs was napping, dd was busy so I just thanked dsil and took off right away.

I picked up a diet soft drink at the store and had that while driving home. Had to stop at another store to pick up filters for the vacuum (the deal was I'd change the filter to make sure all the glass was out) and I shopped for a new table while there. Nothing was appropriate.

Once home I went to work on the balcony immediately, which was a good thing. It was sunny and warm but then the sun went away and it got windy again. It was a lot of work, first vacuuming between the tile and the edge of the balcony and then painstakingly vacuuming up the glass in the cracks of the wood tiles. I used a knife to loosen them with one hand while holding the vacuum close by so when it was loose enough, it would get sucked up. A few times the piece flipped out and landed in another crack.

Along the edge when the table landed, I pulled up the first row of tiles and vacuumed underneath.

Before returning the vacuum, I'll use it on the other other balcony and then lay down the green carpet strips that go along the edge. But that's for another day.

After all the vacuuming, I emptied it into a garbage bag and tied that off, put on the new filter. Then I wrestled the table frame inside (it barely fit out there with the movers doing it so I had trouble getting it back in through the door but it was light so I just kept trying different angles.) I took it and the light bag of glass down to the garbage room, got the dolly and came back up and took the heavy box of glass (double bagged as well) down. Since the locker was open to put the dolly away, I took the winter stuff from the car (back-up gloves, scraper, snow brush) and put those away in the locker.

Then I wrestled the chairs (which also don't fit straight through the door) back out onto the balcony and rested them against the western edge so the wind can't get at them.

I've spent a lot of the evening looking at options and there really isn't anything affordable. There are lovely $2000 sets but they tend to be too large. There's a great $555 one but I don't want to spend that much on something trendy. The last table lasted almost 20 years and never was stored inside. The chairs are only 15 years old. And I only have 3 of them now. I had bought the table and five chairs on clearance sale (the sixth was damaged) and then bought the two rocking/swivel chairs that matched. I split the 7 chairs between the balcony off the kitchen at the house and the deck on the back which had the table that just broke. When we moved, I gave away the matching table and 4 chairs and kept the mismatched for here since it worked.

When the table broke the other night I was all excited to get a matching set in the correct size for the space. Unfortunately, that's not made without a glass top so I will end up mixing and matching anyway so I won't give away the chairs as planned. I like sling chairs because they dry fast and I don't have to store cushions anywhere (nor tie and untie them when I use them.)

I'll go to IKEA after the accountant on Wednesday and buy something there. They have a number of options that work well. Smaller than we had, but that's better and we seldom had 4 people out on the balcony for a meal (it is too windy most days to eat out there!) The table is almost more for show, than to be used. Looking out and seeing the furniture on the two balconies gives one a sense of space beyond the apartment - a place to go. I love have plants out there for the same reason.

I still need to wash up the dinner dishes and then I'll head to bed. I slept well for 4 hours until dh got up and then again for another 4 hours after he left. It is a cool east wind now so that means that the bedroom is lovely and cool again tonight. So I should sleep well.

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DeeClutter
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Re: Sunday Reflecting

Postby DeeClutter » Sun May 06, 2018 9:44 pm

Not so sure I'll sleep well, Kathryn. DD brought home a large size iced coffee from McD's tonight. I drank most of it and have had equally appropriate trips to the bathroom. Too late it dawned on me: CAFFEINE! :? DD's gone to bed -she's really tired and it's back to school tomorrow for her,

Worrying some about dh. Dsonil told dd when she talked to him tonight that dh is experiencing stomach pain. I texted him and said a little birdie told me he's not feeling well. His statement? "I'm tired". Told him not to "make me come up there". Even so I'm keeping my ear to the ground in case dsonil calls dd later. :roll: I'm sure he's tried to do too much after being in the hospital for nearly a week. At any rate I know I really need to get my ducks in a row so that I CAN go home if I need to. I'd just get in the car and go, but no one wants me to travel alone. And I get that.
Begun is half done -SO! JUST BEGIN!!

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Harriet
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Re: Sunday Reflecting

Postby Harriet » Sun May 06, 2018 9:49 pm

Thanks for kind words on fruit platter creativity, lol! My skills are rudimentary. I told the ladies there that I am "youtube taught". But I'm grateful to find something I can maybe start taking to potlucks to join in, that is not p-r-e-d-i-c-t-a-b-l-e, and not overlooked beside rich foods, and something I/we should actually eat. Usually there is exactly the same purchased plate of exactly the same fruits under plastic wrap, unceremoniously cut open right before eating and hardly touched. Fruit is like a "guilt plate" :( on the buffet table. I will say... ... no more carving baskets except for special occasions!

LadyM, also investigate your ability to photocopy the curriculum you have already purchased. Many publishers are fine with minimal copying by their regular purchasers. Of course, not to a great extent. But these things are expected, and they hope that growing attendance is seen as a credit to their product, too! Also some online freebies would be available interim, in b&w line-drawing types. I hope the fans are a 8-) cool comfort!

I can't believe (and HRH couldn't believe) I went back this evening for the evening study. This in response to the phone counseling :roll: I had to do earlier in the week, when one person lashed out at the luncheon "publicity" when evening study numbers are dwindling. Well, duh. The evening study is booorring slides and video, so who is surprised? I decided to go and tough it out to prove some kind of solidarity I guess.

Arriving last, I had to sit on a wooden step at the back of hall for a while, became miserable on the hard surface and took the opportunity between slideshow portion and video portion to move a chair around (oops, too loudly) and take a seat at the front where nobody likes to sit. Turned out it was minister's chair and I had not gotten there early enough to know he had risen from it to lead. Oh, well! :? But I redeemed myself by answering his central question correctly, so I guess I was made uncomfortably alert enough to pick up on his clues, lol. I must have said 4 words. But from then on it was "as Harriet said" and "what Harriet was trying to tell us", :lol: . So, I did fit right in with the plan somehow, even if I was late, rude and loud :oops:

Dd19 says I am "on call" this week as she threads her way through exams to start bringing home some things from her dorm room. Yipes. As I said in Decluttered Home, we are unprepared for integrating a room-full of her life (with further accumulations) back into our house! Ah, summer!

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DeeClutter
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Re: Sunday Reflecting

Postby DeeClutter » Sun May 06, 2018 9:59 pm

Seems like your dd19 JUST started this year at college. It's slipping by all too fast. I'm sure our dgs18 is probably at home by now or at least will be soon.
Begun is half done -SO! JUST BEGIN!!


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