Thriving on Thursday

[Elizabeth]

Hi everyone! Goodness, where is everybody? I had an enormously frustrating day at payroll yesterday, with an insane amount of computer problems. This morning they were still here. I remembered to deliver the auction shawl. I sent some emails, shredded some stuff, and did scrapbooking. I hate scrapbooking and this will be my only one. I would chuck the project, but I need to have it done for the animal org meeting 22 Feb. Another thing I need to do for that meeting is get foster cat Briggs (of the uncertain ancestry) used to a harness. He will be meeting the mayor, who is speaking at the event.

Still pending: scrapbook work, sew buttons on a donate item, Bible study homework, call vet, paperwork, balance checkbook.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Elizabeth, I have no idea where everyone is.

We had a nice lunch and a good time singing. This is a group of people with slight dementia and is a stimulation program for them and day away for their caregivers. We knew one of the attendees (he's the grandfather of the last of my daycare children who have grown up and are in university studying physics now.)

Next stop was the new retirement home. Glad we went. Parking is horrendous (the neighbourhood opposed its zoning application because parking would be limited and inconvenient for guests and staff.) So we have a plan to deal with that. They only have 50 residents for now so don't expect me to get more than 10. I checked out the chapel (4x the size of the chapel at the other place) and confirmed the hymn books will be there (they weren't this time.) Nothing like candles, or a cross, etc. has been purchased yet so the space is like a low, dark, meeting room with an organ in the corner. Most residents are Catholic (it is run by an Italian family) so I may get very few people. Met my friend's parishioner and she's lovely.

We got the car washed on the way home. Off for dinner now and then to pick up gifts for dfs and his wife.

[Twins' Mom]

Elizabeth, does that mean job security for you? i.e. lots to fix? I hope that Briggs will be on his best behavior to met the mayor. I tried a harness with one of my cats once but she did more leading than I did.

Moe had an appt for a 2:30 bath so I dropped him off and then visited dmom. I need to head back out and pick him up soon.

(Dh just got home, I'm not used to him showing up at 5:30 or 6 every evening....)

And I'm off again to get Moses. Now that dh is home, it's busy, busy, busy for me.

[Elizabeth]

Help! I am falling asleep at my desk. Must get caffeine. Some of my computer problems seem to have resolved themselves. Temporarily at least. Still don't have a clue what to do on my current payroll task. Doesn't help that I can't stay awake. I got to bed 30 minutes earlier last night, too.

My computer problems are likely to give me job INsecurity if I can't fix them. Harnesses and leashes are not actually for walking a cat. They are for not losing a cat.

[lucylee]

Oh, we are thriving here! Things are looking up for dh & ds!
Their meeting went sooo well w/dbil. Apparently dbil HAS seen for himself all we have done so far, and all we have yet to do, and he told them he needed to get just a few more "knick-knacks," maybe some towels, etc. and he'd be done, except for the boxes of family memorabilia, which we all need to go through and sort together. Just as I was thinking last night, when he saw the overwhelming accumulation of 70+ years marriage... I think for the most part he is glad to leave us with it. He asked dh & ds if we had everything we wanted out of there, so...
We went back over there again today and loaded up a few more things -- the lamp dh was especially interested in, some more pictures, dishes -- some stuff we just set aside in a bedroom, b/c we think dbil will focus in on the things sorted out in the den. And he told them, "If y'all realize you wanted something and can't find it later, just let me know."
All is well; all is amazingly well.

Made cookies and delivered to dfriend.
Went to post office.
Played w/dgs.
It's almost supper time again, isn't it? No s2s again today, but since I showered at 1:00 a.m., I'm kinda off my routine, if I ever had one.

[Lilac]

Today dh finally was able to talk to his financial advisor who had been on vacation. Dh had recently received a packet of forms concerning his retirement. Yesterday he went to the plant and the HR gal marked all the places he needed to sign or initial. There was also a form that I had to sign that had to be notarized. We went to the office in town and they had a notary. I asked about the fee and she said the company pays her to be a notary so it was covered. Dh went into the PO to mail the packet to the main office. He paid extra to get a tracking number. After they receive it, it will be 7 days before the money is turned over to the financial company.

We then returned the carpet samples to the 2 local stores. We went to the small town 30 miles away and had lunch. We then went to the carpet store. We had brought 3 boards of carpet samples from them and 4 cut pieces of carpet that they have in stock. One of the cut pieces, we just kept coming back to it, at home. But we wanted to look again. The guy who cleans our carpets recommended nylon and the more the better. All 3 places that we went to, disagreed with that. Everything we looked at just didn't meet our expectations like that one sample. We wanted a carpet with more than 2 colors. All the carpet in this house is a solid color. Then when we looked at the 2 color carpets, they almost looked like a solid color. What we wanted was a carpet that had what they called flecks, which is multi-colored. We kept going back to the sample board of the cut carpet in stock sample. We still liked the cut sample color better. It is priced $3.00 a square yard cheaper than the colors that you order but we didn't let that affect our choice. But I did insist on the carpet padding that had a moisture barrier on each side. It is $3.44 a sq yd more than what the on the floor price is of their padding/installation pkg., so we will pay the difference. I think since it is a concrete floor, it is worth the added cost. Plus it feels really nice. They will come Wednesday morning to measure.

Dd2 really has an attitude about this carpet. We have lived here 3 years and 2 months, which is almost a year more than she did. She did not have this carpet installed, so I don't know why she acts like it is terrible that we are changing it. This carpet is a solid color of very light beige, it shows every footprint and all the vacuum cleaner marks. It is high quality carpet with a cushy feel to it, but every single stain than has ever been on it, has reappeared. I refuse to pay money to have it cleaned and it looks like new, for a short time and
then those stains start coming back. Dh said he is going to ask her if she wants this carpet after it is removed since she is so attached to it. We have been told that if we removed the carpet and padding, then replace the padding with new and have the carpet cleaned, it would be close to new. That is a lot of work, plus the carpet will still be a solid color of very light beige. No thanks. I have decided that I am through mentioning carpet to her. Period.

Dgd18 dd2's dd, had her wisdom teeth pulled today and did real well.

While we were gone today we received a call and didn't recognize the number, so I checked to see if there was a message and there was. The lady lives several hours from here. Today she had opened a church newsletter from a very, very small town 12 miles from here and in it was an envelope with our return address and it was to one of our credit card companies in St. Louis. She wanted to know if we wanted it returned to us or for her to just drop it in the mail. I tried to call back and haven't reached her. We want her to mail it again, it is a bill and needs to be paid. I do appreciate her honesty. She could have just trashed it.

It is suppose to be in the 70's Friday and Saturday and in the 60's Sunday through Tuesday.

Anyway that's what is going on around our neck of the woods, as Al R oker says.

[Harriet]

Trying to catch up.

Ramblin', I'd had the same haybale thought Lady M did. In these situations, I'm sure you could go take a look at the bale ahead of time to get a concept of what you're doing.

I am using the original 3x5 card system and find it is perfect for me right now.

That warms my heart.

Hot rollers - I seldom use them but my hair trim was poorly finished up by hairstylist who insisted on wetting me so much that she then felt she had to blow dry to the point of dog-groomer fluffiness (frizz). So I used the hot curlers for the first time in a long time. Must admit, they do have their purpose. Hair was better - not best but better. One warning - my previous ones eventually began to shed the flannel-like cover over each one's middle, and it came off in powdery bits, so that I looked like I had added one of those odd powder colors to my scalp.

Sadie what a good idea about gifts to send. And hey, if you are seeing improvement it could be that the time you spend with the pulley is some of the wisest you spend all day!

About a newborn's first days, etc, - the dr who delivered dd35 used to make a speech to folks and say, "This is only one day of the baby's life, don't get excited. Everything doesn't have to be perfect today." I believe in that situation I would wait, make sure everyone knew I wasn't upset (we don't want the little family upset), and make a big deal of the day I did see the baby, with camera in hand.

LadyM, what vaccination is it they are worried about? I don't mean to be dumb, but there are many vaccinations. None of their grandparents had had vaccinations when they first reached out to hold them, I imagine, unless they are way younger than me. (Of course, I don't know who "they" are.) How would I prove to anyone now that I was vaccinated against something? I personally know that I saw a lot of needles, but how could it be proven? My resistance to the MM in MMR is, as suits my age, through exposure and illness....right? I believe that was what I was told when taking dd35 to the pediatrician.

((Dee's dgs!))

((Dee's dd!))

((Cathy!))

[Nancy]

Dd stopped by we had a chat a minor issue came up with a good ending. No yarn mtg. Here instead I went on a walk.
Grands were excited about coming after school & coming to stay later. If felt ,ike slring out today so we had recess outside. Did chores home work and enjoyed the time.

[lucylee]

I still use hot rollers, probably once or twice a week. The rest of the time I just scrunch w/some creme-gel and call it good. Or I put it up in a big clip or ponytail, as is the case now. Finally put on some make-up b/c I think we're going to a movie when college basketball game is over.

Poor little dgs... he fell asleep in the drive-thru at the bar-b-que restaurant, and has been asleep on the loveseat in the den ever since. His eating habits today have been sporadic to say the least... but ds says this is currently the norm. The 'terrible two's' seem to be taking a lot of effect in a power struggle over what to eat. * sigh * Anyway, he has always been remarkably healthy, so I am telling myself this is a phase and he will grow out of it.

[helia]

Hello all. I don't think I've been here for a couple days. I finally buckled down to get ready to teach at the moms group this a.m. I'm still so far behind in other things, though. Teaching seemed to go well. We had a lot of really nice discussions. These women are so thoughtful and so open and unpretentious. It's a real pleasure to teach them. Some of the leaders told me afterward they really liked the introductory material I included. This is a standard "lesson" (not sure what to call these - we tend to call them "teachings") that is part of the curriculum we've developed for the parenting series. This is my first time teaching this particular lesson, so I changed up a few things in the preliminary section but left the small group studies the same. I did go way overtime, though, and dismissed the women back to their small groups for sharing and prayer with only 10 minutes left in the morning. Ack! I kind of went 20 minutes overtime. That is not unusual, though. . .

With 40 minutes at home after moms group, then off to work, home at 4:10, shoveling some snow out of the chicken coop and then off to Hebrew class at 4:55, I was pretty exhausted when I finally got home at 6:15. I made teriyaki (with soy-vey brand sauce! We like that brand) chicken, rice, and roasted cauliflower for a quick, simple, and tasty meal. I think dd16 appreciated it. The kitchen is now clean and the table is wiped off. I just sent ds a list of email addresses he was requesting. I should grade my paragraph quizzes next, but I'm extremely tired. I'm considering going to bed now, at 9:00 pm, and getting up super early to get ready for work.

Tomorrow will be another day out and about all day: WW 9:30 - 10:00, dfriend B here to walk and visit at 10:15. Not sure when we'll be done - I'll suggest 11:30. That will give me a little break before I head out again. I'll head out to work at 12:50 and be home around 6:10 pm as I tutor after work until 5:45 on Fridays.

Good night friends!