Magical Monday

[Twins' Mom]

Monday is magical because we get a fresh start every week! We're two-third of the way into the new month already.

How are your January goals coming along? What are your plans for the week?

[CathyS]

Hi!

It's cold and windy here. Dh called from work and thinks he might be home earlier than usual because the phone hasn't rung at all since he got there at 7. They open at 7:30, but he likes that 30 minutes of peace and quiet before his co-workers show up.

Tonight is cabbage roll casserole. That is all that really needs to be done today. Nobody is going to knitting in these conditions with the blowing and drifting. Neither one is "closed" for the day, but there have been a flurry of texts.

All clean clothes have been put away. All dishes are clean. I will put them away when I make my hot tea. Roomba is doing her thing. She had the weekend off. I will spot mop when she is done for the day.

I have a mug of colouring pencils on the shelf beside my desk. I fully intend on having at least one desk day this week.

[Harriet]

Good morning, Twins'. Did you see my Friday evening question? Now that you are home safe, I don't mind bothering you.

Stay safe, Cathy, and have some knitting to take the next time to show!

Have seen some inspirational messages about the holiday, one quote of which I doubt was really attributable to King, but all uplifting.

I awoke with some Desk Day planning and had a smile when I realized I couldn't make the mail with any of them if I tried. Nice to have a day like that.

Dd is home with us for a while, then invited to a movie.

I've found 3 recipes in Dr. Barnard's new cookbook that I want to try, and will make out a grocery list today for when our cold snap (wind snap?) eases. A Pad Thai, a Tex-Mex rice-'n-beans and an Italian burger mixture he says forms well into balls for spaghetti.

HRH has two Beyond patties in fridge defrosting and two in freezer as he continues his quest/experiments to replicate the restaurant plates at home. I knew he must have had a plan for heading to WF yesterday, because it's not our closest healthy foods store.

[DeeClutter]

DD has left to go join the gals from our campground in Tampa at Lawry Zoo. It's really chilly out there today -which is nothing compared to your temps up north! Barely will reach 60 today -I know, BALMY! But not here. And it's breezy again today (but I don't think as much as yesterday).

Hope to perform some "magic" in the laundry room/pantry today. Dh has agreed to help me. Things have gotten so disheveled in there and it's difficult to put things away. I also plan to perform some 'diet magic' by making the cabbage soup this morning. Mainly it's dh and I who eat it but dd does too once in a while. Plan to make a big pot and freeze some portions of it. Dsonil doesn't like cabbage at all -actually he's VERY finicky making it hard to plan meals. Doesn't like stewed tomatoes in anything, doesn't like chunks of tomato in his chili, etc, etc. We're having shepherd's pie for dinner and he does like that. So hamburg's out thawing.

Thought I'd get by without t ylenol today and then suddenly had a pretty ferocious headache. Took some E xcedrin migraine as I'm sure that's what it is -especially when my tummy started giving me fits about 10 minutes later and now I'm having tummy issues as well. TMI

I'm on a 'magical' quest of NOT having a snack for 3 days in a row and making sure I get exercise the 3 days as well. Maybe that will jump start me.

Your use of the Roomba is so inspiring, Cathy. Keep thinking about one for here. Not sure how that would work with the dogs and the fact that dsonil is so messy. But maybe it would help with that. Their new puppy sheds so badly. They thought they were getting another lab but she's evidently shepherd/lab mix.

Sure our 'boys' are exhausted after many, many hours of snow. DS-R works for the town as a supervisor -but is totally out plowing now. DS-A has his own plowing/salting/landscaping/mowing business. Think he has 9 plows and at least 6 loaders, (A lot of his contracts require a loader on site to fulfill their contracts.) But he says the real money is in salting as many of his contracts have a Zero Tolerance policy. Lot of them are medical facilities so are always open and they don't want anyone falling on ice.

when I realized I couldn't make the mail with any of them if I tried. Nice to have a day like that.

I'm assuming you mean because there is no mail today? You have a reprieve.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

So "sparks joy" is the criteria to keep something. Or, that it is needed in order to live the life you envision for yourself. So if you wish to live here in Ottawa, your snow pants may not spark joy but they are needed (-40 with the windchill today.) Same with cleaning supplies.

That said, the goal is to find almost 100% things that spark joy in your home. So a lovely smelling furniture wax, the vacuum that works best for your home/ability, etc.

So, I'm on office supplies. These would be a need for most people so they'd keep only what is needed.

For me, they definitely spark joy but often fall into the sentimental category as well. Of the pencils I kept, I can tell you where several are from (Vienna, Wisconsin, Northern Ontario, Kitchener, Ontario.) The pens I kept are almost all from places/people we've visited. Trade show giveaways from our friends or pens from the cruise ships and airlines.) The exception to that is the gel pens. We both like writing with these and I have have a blue, black, and red one in each of the four mugs.

There are some other sentimental pens. My Cross pen, my Dad's Parker and Papermate fancy pens, and others that were given as gifts. I made sure each was working and many required refills, but I had the refills on hand for all but three. I need another Parker refill and the same refill for two difference 'presentation' pens that dh and I were given (the case is inscribed.) The fact that both pens have the same refill gives me hope it is common since these pens are 'no-name' pens.

I have been discarding things. Among the discards, three dozen pencils, many pens, a box of paper clips (I kept only the ones that give me joy - seriously), and a letter opener. Three letter openers are enough, one for the kitchen, my desk and the office. My desk one is sentimental. DUnc made it for my aunt during the war from a strut of an airplane and engraved it with her initials. The one in the office is silver and from my parents' home. It is from Quebec City and I suspect I know when my Dad bought it for mom. Sadly, the silver one I bought dh when we started the company is long lost. It must have been caught up in papers and tossed. He still has the card I gave him with it, though.

Harriet commented on me duct taping boxes.

The one I was doing yesterday is the tray box a case of V8 came in. The box is being used under the cedar chest in the front hall. I can slide it out and put my purse in it, out of sight (its home used to be on the cedar chest.) But the cardboard box can be seen from certain angles. By duct taping it with black tape it finishes it to look shiny and black textured, and the black makes it disappear into the shadows. I also put felt pads on the bottom so it will slide nicely.

I duct taped an empty aluminum foil box this morning to make a holder for rulers and slide rules. Dh has several which are longer than 12" so I cut the end out of the box, covered it with tape to reinforce and finish the rough edges and use it to hold the rulers on end. Konmari is about storing things so they are visible and that means subdividing drawers to stand things up. The fancy dividers may look better but they are never sized for one's particular drawer so there is wasted space. By resizing or even building custom cardboard boxes, I can make my drawers most efficient.

Since this is such a long post, you can tell I've been working a long time on pens and pencils. That's all I've done over the last 2 hours!

I'm having breakfast now and then will s2s and get back to work. Office supplies (not including paper) are almost done. I also have to start the dishwasher so I can get those mugs cleaned and put things back where they belong.

Dee: do not buy a roomba if the dogs have 'accidents'. The roomba will merrily go over it and the spread it all over the room(s) it is working in.

[Twins' Mom]

Yikes, 20 degrees here, feels like 13 in the wind. Muffin will have to wait awhile to walk, she's been to the back yard several times time, once to bark at the guys next door. SLC is getting 5 to 8 inches of snow today. I missed seeing snow there this year, except for some flurries.

I have a list going for the day, but am slow getting started.
-return two phone calls re: colonoscopy
-groceries, including colonoscopy prep stuff (yeck.)
-laundry catch up
-see dmom
-start processing SLC info - from library and course information and notes
-

I didn't count on dh being home today because it's MLK day. He just now went to the office for awhile so the TV is off now and Gr room vacated so I could straighten up.

[DeeClutter]

Dee: do not buy a roomba if the dogs have 'accidents'. The roomba will merrily go over it and the spread it all over the room(s) it is working in.

Oh, that is not a pretty picture. Right now they don't have 'accidents' but always a possibility. Seems I remember somebody posting something to that effect happened to them not long ago -maybe before Christmas.

[Nancy]

I am posting from the stat bike today. I have dumped ome of the trash cans.. I was up on time today. 35* z40* today's temp. Range. I need to pay attn to the home blessing. Waving to everyone.

[CathyS]

There was a picture on FB just before Christmas with a Roomba spreading a dog mess around a room. Yuck. No dogs here. Just one very spoiled cat.

Lots of school bus cancellations here.

Re-heating some soup for dh for his lunch.

We have had the delivery I was waiting for. My car is in the garage. I thought about taking it out and reconsidered.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

I'm still not showered. Dh called so I talked with him. The phones are acting up so it took 3 tries to connect with him. Just now I had to run to the office to get a call coming in even though two extensions are right next to me. Neither rang, but the handset that isn't part of the cordless did ring.

I've got the kitchen cleaned up. Had a snack. Watered the plants and refilled the radiator humidifiers. They took 3 quarts and the plants took an extra watering can full of water. Things are soooo dry here.

I need to get moving because this is a full day without any distractions except the ones I create for myself.