Make Monday Manageable PWYC

[Twins' Mom]

Make the day manageable by setting priorities and biting off smaller bites.

Except for Lady and Lord M: GO PLAY!

[Twins' Mom]

I'm needing to get some priorities defined and get underway.

Last night I worked on a Word document with our travel info. M and S have given us reservation #s for tours, etc., I'm adding hotel reservation info, included tour info, setting it up as a day by day document that we can print and also access on our phones.

-take DAR application to be scanned in full
-mail DAR application: do I dare?
-garage, find room for three chairs that need to be removed from the house
-spend 15 min pruning crepe myrtle of water sprouts
-11:30 body work! whoops, I nearly forgot and need to get moving

I've been taking my time because somehow I didn't remember body work. Gotta go....

[LadyMaverick]

Good morning!

I took DS15 this morning to leave for his first ever mission/ski trip. There are 9 teenagers (4 boys, 5 girls), 4 adult sponsors and a 3-year-old in a 15 passenger van pulling an enclosed trailer with all their stuff. Today is a travel day with a 12 hour drive to Arizona.

I asked DH what he wanted to do with our free days. As he thought about it, I asked if he wanted to go on an adventure, we can head out and travel where the road takes us, stopping to eat & rest when we want. He didn't respond but kept thinking. I asked if he wanted to do a project. Same lack of response. I asked if he wanted to relax, enjoy the quiet & calmness while staying at home. DH instantly said YES! So, that is our plan. At least for now. Who knows if it might change.

[blessedw2]

good morning!!!

I can't tell you how wonderful it is to see a "manageable Monday" - it isn't stressful, it's wonderful!
When the world is unmanageable it is amazing how wonderful it is to be able to have a manageable plan again!
thank you d twins!!!

you have a big day d twins enjoy!

d lady - how wonderful for your ds and how wonderful for you and your dh!
Enjoy every moment!!!!

hello all - good morning! Have a wonderful day!

I hired a lovely woman from the garden center to do a drawing for one area in the front. It's $200 which is considered really really cheap for a landscape designer. Her drawing is beautiful and I will say it has helped me dream about finishing my backyard. I hope I can be in this house, for awhile more, to enjoy what this garden is becoming.

I can see it - I can almost feel it - the dreaming process is part of the creating a beautiful garden.

[LadyMaverick]

the dreaming process is part of the creating

YES! How fun that you are going through that process. I would love to hear any details you care to share.

Twins - I enjoyed hearing about your trip and the tour. It sounded wonderful.

10am and DH is still in his PJ's. He is enjoying this relaxing, quiet and calm time. I have been to the garden 4 times this morning because that is my happy place. Hum....I am realizing this week that I don't need to go to the garden to get some quiet and peace. The house is quiet and calm too.

[Harriet]

Hi

I thought Twins' had typed "defending priorities" and I was saying "yes" to that, lol.

blessed, I liked your last sentence and thought it should be quoted and poof!, LadyM had just quoted it. lol

Mystery, that stage of just starting into "adulting" is a tough one, isn't it. It's like a constant reminding of, "yes, this WILL be on the test". Only it's not a classic "test", it's just regular life consequences.

I have a 5x5 from last evening, plus a reminder note or two. Readied my planner pages last night, too.

Laundry is spinning. Hear it, now. bbl

[blessedw2]

enjoy the 5 x 5 d harriet !
I agree the beginning of adulting is a hard one.It takes practice like anything - ups and downs and lots of learning opportunities (the good and the "I am not doing that again" !
It's funny that I remember starting out thinking of when was I going to feel like an adult - I did that for a long time and then suddenly poof I finally felt like I was adulting.

d lady so happy you are able to be on pj time! good for you!

dd younger is planing on moving after d mom comes back here, if my brother agrees to not put her in a senior facility in Florida.( Mom wouldn't have visitors at all - it would be purely financial.) Now dd says she wants to move to north (or was it south) Carolina to be in warmer country and that she has friends there - another time sit back - let her find her way. (jobs are the only thing I worry about with dd) What will she do? I would worry about that here as well. time for me to be supportive and let providence lead her.

timer ready: start

[blessedw2]

took dh for a drive - he loved it.
first meds at the pharmacy, then bank for me. I got him a sprite and French fries - gosh he can eat French fries already.

He did tell me that the ENT said he will have to have the trach the rest of his life. He said he feels good for the first time in a long time.

for a minute, when I came home, I hit a depression moment.
thinking what is the next right thing to do so I don't get stuck - it's cold outside!

[CathyS]

It has been trying to snow here for most of the day. Flakes can be seen drifting down, but nothing is on the ground.

We are having salmon casserole for supper.

[lucylee]

Well I am aggravated! Just lost a long post, and I was SURE I had saved it as a draft!!!

Anyway... setting priorities, as Twins said... since NOTHING got done yesterday, EVERYTHING needs done today. I'll explain later.
Main priorities today are to
[ ] wash car (at the drive thru carwash)
[ ] go to Wmart for a quick run for this week
[x] change into warmer clothes
[ ] dgrdaughter's softball game tonight (We just THOUGHT we were cold Sat. morning -- it's supposed to be in the 40s when tonight's game is over)

I'm sorry if you were looking for adventure, LadyM, but relaxing and enjoying the quiet and calm at home sounds great to me too, LOL! Although I would not complain if dh wanted to take me to the beach.
I hope your ds has a ball on his trip!

Blessed, I know your garden will look beautiful. I wish I enjoyed gardening and was good at it. I'd love to have a few more flowers, and I REALLY miss my trees in front of the house... but neither of us is any good with planting and pruning, and we know we would be complete failures at keeping flowers looking nice. DH just can't physically do the work anymore of setting out trees and helping me dig, and I am not really a person who enjoys the outdoors that much. I'd just like to replace my trees and have some daffodils and tulips bordering my patio.

I will have to go back and read about Twins' trip and Mystery's ddaughter/child with the adulting situation. I missed everything yesterday. Well, since Saturday evening. Came home from that ballgame and fell asleep. Dgrands must have been tired too -- they were quiet and let me catch up on sleep.

Thinking of your dd younger, also, blessed, as she makes plans for the future.
BTW -- can you explain dh's trach? I'm so confused, because I would have thought that would prevent him from talking and eating or drinking anything -- but it must not be like I picture it, because he seems to be doing so well. YOU are doing so well!!! You are an amazing caregiver!

Adulting IS hard. Even when you're 62.

It has been especially hard around here this weekend. This is why I was out all day yesterday.
My daunt passed away, the one who is married to crazy uncle. It was so sudden and unexpected; we are all in shock.
My dcousin called me Saturday night with the news -- she had fallen in the carport and apparently had a brain bleed. They called 911, but I don't think she ever fully regained consciousness.
Dcousin, oldest girl after me, has really stepped up. She is just like her mom, my dad's sister, who has always been the Energizer bunny. Dcousin and her husband went with duncle to get cemetery plots this morning, took him to the bank to check on their current balance, etc -- daunt always did EVERYTHING, and then took him to the florist to pick out flowers.
Yesterday I met dcousin and daunt at the funeral home with duncle, and we made sure the obituary was done, helped duncle pick out the casket, etc.
I basically just offered moral support -- dcousin is a natural leader and she took charge. I was THRILLED that she was/is willing to do this -- there is NO WAY I could have the patience to deal with my duncle at this point. Plus, dcousin's husband is a saint; he is just like her -- always willing to step up and help out anyone, anywhere. They are younger than I am, but only by about 7 years. They also have grandchildren and jobs, and I know they have their hands full.
(OTOH, they are the ones who have included duncle and aunt in all their family gatherings, and EXcluded my family, so I kinda think it's fine for duncle to be her project now. I told her of course, that I would do whatever I needed to, just let me know, etc... and I was going to meet them to pick flowers this morning, but duncle got in a rush and wanted to get it done earlier than she planned.)
Dcousin is doing daunt's hair for the funeral, and going to duncle's house today to make sure he has clothes ready for the service. She and her mom already picked out the clothes for daunt to be buried in.
* Oh -- I did spend several hours getting pictures ready for slideshow during the visitation, got those emailed to the funeral home this morning.

It's just such a shock. We were all expecting daunt to outlive duncle. They have both been unsteady on their feet for some time now -- lots of times, one or the other would fall and they'd have to call daunt and one of the boy cousins to help get the other one up. But he does have dementia, takes medication, and it is unlikely he will every manage his meds correctly, or that he will remember to eat correctly. He has probably never even opened a can of soup for himself. He has never managed any of their financial matters. It is just a bad, bad situation.
And he lives about 20 miles from me and dgirl cousin, about 15 miles from his sister and dboy cousins.
He seriously needs to be in assisted living, but I don't know how on earth anyone would convince him to go.

Anyway -- that's how I've spent the last 48 hours or so.
EXCEPT -- one GOOD thing -- ds's band played at two local churches yesterday, and we attended both services. So nice. The first church was the one we will likely go to if our church doesn't vote to leave the conference. Packed house, we know a lot of them, and I think we would love the preacher.
At the second church, the preacher is a long-time friend, and dmom went with us. It was especially good for her. Some of the songs held the message that was very meaningful to her in this time of loss. She is going to have a hard time with the loss of daunt. They weren't born sisters, but they've been "sisters" for 56 years now. Dmom was 22 and daunt was 20 when daunt and uncle married. And since they were both married to difficult men... they had a lot in common.
Plus -- dmom ALMOST fell again going to the car after that singing last night. Shaking my head. It makes me so nervous I can't stand it.
Dbro is coming home tomorrow, so he will help dmom at the cemetery and everything. That's a load off my mind.

Anyway -- gotta go wrap up. I already have on flannel jeans and two layers. Need a hooded sweatshirt, gloves, and coat. Brrrr...
"boys" (girls?) of summer??? Ha.
At least there's no SNOW here, Cathy! Although I have watched baseball in the snow before! Dmom says never again. LOL.

PS -- nope -- walmart and car wash ain't happening today.