Saturday Sharing & Caring

[DeeClutter]

Next challenge (aside from standing up)

I agree, Kathryn -a challenge here too. Went shopping with dd and thought I'd never make it to the car. Laid down for sort of a nap and knees were aching so bad I couldn't get comfortable. Keep hoping as the weight comes off that they'll feel better.

Have dd's black lab and imagine I'll have her through the evening. DD and dh are going to watch dgs14 race tonight.

Looked for sheets today & couldn't find what I wanted except in a color I didn't want. So will wash the micro fiber ones on the bed & remake it tomorrow (before I go to church) and dbil/dsil will have to make those do. Think they'll only be here 1 night anyway. And looking at weather forecast don't think it will be all that hot anyway. Guess I'll just order a set. I really only need a bottom sheet -mine is ripped out & the top is fine.

[Ivy]

Dee, Microfiber sheets sound nice, to me.

Just ate lunch, took supplements, the jeans are drying, & dark laundry's washing. Next, I'll wash master bathroom rugs. DH vacuumed, dust mopped the great room/dining area & bedroom & walk-in closet floors. We'll sweep/mop the master bathroom floor, too. I got Dgrson out a fresh shower bath towel. I hung his on my bar, where I dry my hands, half asleep, in the night, when I get up. I accidentally used the towel I'd put out for him. After I s2s & shampoo, I'll hang MY bath towel onto the bar I use in the wee a.m. drowsy hours, will put HIS bath towel on my bar, below DH's bar. Our towel bars are double-decker ones in this house. In the old house, they were single.

I'm baby-stepping slowly dusting the great room, then I'll do the dining room & eating bar shelves. After that, I'll dust our bedroom, so ALL dusting & floors will be done (once the bathroom's mopped). We're progressing right along, I'll do kitchen counters this evening & DH will do toilets in the a.m. Dgrson-17 should pull in about 1 p.m. Hoping the freeway traffic's not going to be backed up anywhere, that it flows nicely & he has a safe trip down, too. He's a good driver, has followed his parents' cars down here, twice before or 3 times? We're looking forward to his visit SO MUCH!

OKay, You're so busy! Oh, my! You're alternate caregivers, but just found out, without being told first? I'd be so surprised. Oh, yes, I can see all sorts of emotions along with this, for you, too! What do you do now? Do you go to court or tell them no, or what? It sounds like it could be "sticky", too. Good luck with this situation.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Taking a break now. May nap as well but for the time being I'm icing the knees.

All but 2 boxes in the dining room are done. One is the contents of my nephew's desk, my seasonal decorations. The other is the chandelier so that is dh's responsibility.

Dh got my drop down counter moved and my cookbook bookcase mounted. That corner of the kitchen looks great and now I have an additional 20" of counter space. Every bit counts in this kitchen. Dh then pulled out the stove to mount the mirror but the 'perfect' one we bought is too large. It was advertised as 80 cm which is exactly how much space we have. Turns out it was 80.9 cm. We could mount it turned 90 degrees but it had a distortion when we mounted it that way so we'll take it back and continue to look.

I cleaned behind, beside and under the stove while it was out of position. Then cleaned up the plate that smashed last night (it was behind a cabinet.) At that point, I decided to wash the floor as well. So that is done. Second load of laundry is now finished so I'm proceeding quite well today.

Someone from freecycle came and took almost all our boxes. We still have tons of newsprint, though. Since he left, I emptied another 4 boxes so the supply is building up again. Will put another sign up in the mail room.

OKay you need to say NO!

[Harriet]

OKay, I was trying to understand - alternate caregivers means just in case someone is sick for a while (?), or legally agreeing to 24-7 care in the case of the grandparents being unable to continue? It sounds like the latter. This is unfortunate, because I would assume the powers that be do not look favorably on starting procedures like sending all these forms, just to find out there is no recognition on the part of you, the recipients. I hope that - assuming you and Mr. Okay do say "no" - you can somehow soften this with the DHS people, explaining there was misunderstanding, and keep them from thinking your friends are making poor, ill-advised decisions. (Which, I fear, this does resemble.)

Ivy, yes, and the changes are very negative, I fear. No one is being informed about them - they just keep happening. When I say "mature trees" I mean imposing, historic trees that have shaded the church for decades, or close to a century. Nearly denuded, all the way up to highest limbs. It breaks my heart.

In a reverse of the day, I've now finished Morning Dailies. Our linens washed and new sheets on the bed.

[Cowinkie]

Here I am ...better late than never

Okay, no wonder you are in shock, I would be too. Why they ever wondered you would assume such a responsibility without discussing it with you. I agree with what Harriet said, plus practice the word... NO You can't allow your emotions to get involved with this. You have your own to think about and need to be selfish. This is not your problem, nor your's to solve. You are tender and kindhearted and people recognize that...

To a lesser degree I ran into similar problems while teaching. I was good at handling "problem" kids, which by the way I loved doing so the administration decided to reward me by giving me all the problem children because no one else wanted to. Took me a while simple because I didn't want the kids going to others who didn't want them, but I finally had enough and said a very loud NO. Having my attention divided in so many ways was not good for the kids that were mine to start with.

I've done my routines, worked in the yard, been to the gym and swam twice. Sweetie is taking me out for dinner because I didn't want to cook. We'll get up in the early morning again tomorrow and finish working on trimming the trees. I'll be wearing my bathing suit at 5:15 in the morning. Temps should already be around 80* without the full sun up.

Need to address some house blessing as well in the morning....think Lawrence's camels are trying to sneak up on me but I can see their pointy little ears sticking up over the hill.

Now I'm off for my shower....two swimming sessions don't count

[DeeClutter]

Okay, just read through the latest drama - Hopefully you can soften this and not add it to your plate. And as you said (we all suspect this at some point I think) that you could very well be taking on dgd3. True those children need a good home if needed in the future but hopefully it can be settled in some other manner.

[Ivy]

(((OKay)))

(((Harriet))), I'm shocked about those trees. "Who" is in command of all these changes?

DH & I hung up & put away our jeans, I started drying dark clothes, & washing master bathroom rugs. DH & I sorted the mail together, a dfriend I put up boundaries to had written, but it was a good letter. It's all right now, we'll continue to be dfriends, w/boundaries.
DH swept & mopped the master bathroom. I'm slowly dusting the great room area/bedroom. We're almost completely done w/our work, except for toilets (to be done in the a.m., since dgrson-17 doesn't arrive until 1 p.m.), & kitchen counters, which can be done this evening.
I won't be napping today, as the washing/drying, rugs, etc.. are progressing.
Plan on writing to do lists ahead for the week, to keep in my little nook place where my calorie counter is, OTC pills, etc... I'll also get out my 4" x 6" index cards file folder, to stick to a routine this week. Hoping to get "back into the folder", a. k. a. "back into the box," although the cards aren't in a box. It'll be wonderful to have my SHE cards folder out w/1 to do list. It's amazing how a dgrson-17 coming, can change our routine- for the better. OOPS! I need to get out dgrson's Folgers! He loves it in the a.m. w/International Coffee & hot chocolate, too!
So, all in all, we'll be all prepared, the LOL will be done, etc... We can be ready for the upcoming week, this way, too.

I'm going to "Pamper" my dfriend with fun pen palling now, rather than have too "deep" of letters, making our relationship anew, more fun, & fulfilling. We love each other dearly, we don't want to lose each other, so we're starting with a clean fresh slate. I'll decorate her envelope with quote stickers, get out pretty computer paper, will add a poem I've published, etc... I'm so glad she replied & how everything's okay now, as long as we respect each others' boundaries. It's a part of growing up, when "things" like this happen. I have too much love invested now, than to turn tail & run & never correspond again. She's amazing, too. I'm so glad she wrote. The funny thing about this all is- her letter accidentally got opened up by a Veteran's organization, first. They stamped it & re-sent it to me. Too funny. At least it was a letter, spoken in generalities & not personal secrets. It made me smile, when I read their stamp on my letter from her to me. She'll laugh, too.

I need to run & write some to do lists ahead & need to crochet some more Grannies. You all take care, have a wonderful afternoon & evening, too. Waving to you all.

[lucylee]

(((OKay))) Agreeing with Cowinkie --

You can't allow your emotions to get involved with this. You have your own to think about and need to be selfish. This is not your problem, nor your's to solve

.
My goodness... how anyone else in your situation, caring for grandchildren, would think you could possibly take on THREE more -- one deaf ???
And knowing your situation w/dd and the possibility of even adding another one or TWO to your eventual situation w/her???
This just totally amazes me.
Totally. Amazes. Me.
Wow.
JUST SAY NO.

Dcousin's funeral went well, and each of the children picked a song to be played. Older boy chose Tough, by Craig Morgan. If you don't know the song, please listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNC3mkVgOMo It could have been written for my dcousin. And the boy who chose it (and his dad, her xh -- who sat with the family and was included in the obituary) certainly are the kind of men who thought they were tough, before they faced this. It certainly brought tears... but it was a beautiful service. We did manage to eat with the family afterwards but did not linger long, and * thankfully * dgs allowed us all to take a nap.

DS & ddil have called and reported that no, they (we) are not millionaires, they (we) are "hundred-aires" in ddil's words. LOL! She said dh's dggfather's Civil War medal is worth $200, and the bread bowl (handmade from a single piece of poplar, according to the Antiques Roadshow people) dates back to the 1800s and is worth $150. My ggfather's WWI metal suitcase is worth $40, and the butter mold (not handmade, surprisingly to us, dates back to 1900 and is worth about $35.) They said they had a great time, though, so it was well worth their time.

I must chase a boy...

PS -- Guess what? He has a new word now... you guessed it: "NO!!!" Only it sounds like "Ohhhhh!" * sigh *

[Nancy]

Back from errands & spinning mtg. Had fun! Taking a bit if a breather before starting dinner h. Will grill winds are good nice and calm.

[Ivy]

We're all ready for Dgrson-17's visit. Need to do 2 toilets in the a.m. & kitchen counters tonight or in the a.m. Everything else is done, except could tidy up my end table area where I'm starting to write a letter & am crocheting on Granny squares.

Got out my SHE card folder notebook, for the eating bar, next to the daily "to do" list. Wrote to do lists through the 28th, so won't need to sit to take time to write them all week, while Dgrson's here. Might do this in the future, to plan weeks ahead on every Saturday.

It's still sunny & warm here. It's 73.9* here, at 5:38 p.m. Need to run & plan my particular Gastritis dinner, etc.... Might clean the kitchen counters after I eat, too, then s2s & shampoo then. Want to crochet more, read, etc... Just relaxing things.

I agree with Cowinkie, too, Lucylee & (((OKay))). Not your problem to take on, you have more than enough of your own family responsibilities, etc... Why on earth did they not even "consult" with you first. Blows me away. Am just thinking, "Some nerve." Just my opinion, for what it's worth.

Hoping to get a good rest tonight, like last night, so am rested tomorrow when Dgrson arrives. It'll be so nice to see him. We've planned this for months. Hoping he has a safe uneventful relaxing drive down.