Pancake Tuesday PWYC

[lucylee]

This day has not been quite as productive as I had hoped, but still got a lot done.
DS and family got home before noon and were in quite good spirits, considering all they'd been through in the last 36 hours.

* Ddil and I went to dmil's house and started back with the discard/declutter of clothing. My daunt came over, bought two end tables (marble topped) and 2 lamps from me, and she may come back for two more lamps. I charged her $150 total. Dmom said that was okay. I hate to charge her anything, in a way, but then again, I hate to just give away stuff that is really nice and that belonged to dh's family, you know? Does that sound okay/fair to y'all?
* Dfriend/former caregiver came over and loaded up her entire pickup truck bed w/home health supplies -- bedside comode, shower bench, wheelchairs, walker, etc. etc. I did make a donation of those things, b/c who's going to want to buy used items like that, and whoever gets them will definitely be in need of them.
* Dh's cousin came over and got just a few little tiny items for sentimental keepsakes for herself. She also helped us go through coat pockets and purses and all that kind of stuff.
I threw out enough stuff to fill large outdoor trash can again, and finished sorting through all the drawers and shelves in dmil's room. Now everything has been at least "inspected" and cleared for disposal.
* The housekeeper could not come today; she has the flu. So we cannot actually haul clothes/shoes out of the house until she has a chance to see if she can use anything.

Now... I have sent an email to my other aunt, and she and my grumpy uncle are meeting me there at 11:30 in the morning. I'm kinda nervous about that, b/c (1) he's so grumpy... and (2) he probably will be more grumpy b/c I'm putting them off until 11:30. He's the kind who'd be here before 9:00 a.m. if I'd let him. But dh is going to be very very late getting in tonight and I know he doesn't want a lot of commotion going on much before 11:00... and (3) it does make me nervous to make them pay for stuff, b/c most stuff they would probably just give me -- but otoh -- so far as they know, dbil is still somewhat involved in all this. And they are the type (first aunt especially) that if she gets tired of it, she might just turn around and sell it herself, so I figure I might as well make a little money off it. Plus (4) I'm a little nauseated from overeating my supper just now. So it'll all probably be fine tomorrow.

Also today, went to drug store (again) for dmom... and grocery store (again) for dmom... and JUST AS I WAS TURNING INTO HER DRIVEWAY, she called me and said, "Oh, I just remembered, I'm going to be out of bananas after tomorrow." * sheesh * Two more weeks till she can drive again...
Good news from dmom though -- her kitchen table looked even better than it did when I left it Sunday!!! She had cleaned it off completely, replaced the tablecloth with placemats, and had her place set for breakfast. It looked so nice I took a picture and sent it to dbro!
PIcked up my supper... went to post office... came home.

Will call antique lady tomorrow, also.
And must go to bank & grocery store (again) for dmom tomorrow.

Tonight -- MUST take care of bathroom s/s and water plants. LONG overdue... plants are gasping...

Glad to hear the other granny is doing better, Nancy. Full-time granny duty is HARD work!

(((Lilac))) and dh... I know you must be getting pretty tired of doctor's appts. Hope the allergy shots help.

Hmmm... bet I would LOVE a maple syrup festival. Was just talking to a friend about the maple candy at C racker B arrel. That is one of my very favorite candies.
Harmony -- that was fantastic luck, running into those guys cutting trees!
Yeah... piano in two days. If it works, you should market that method! I learned like you, by reading notes. I'm not an excellent pianist, just play well enough for my own enjoyment, but it definitely took more than two days, LOL.
Also LOL at Harmony thinking of me in her indecision w/purse-shopping. IKWYM!!!
AND LOL @ the spice mix-up. You've had a very entertaining day!!!

IKWYM re: the magazine people, FF. Sometimes they can be so frustrating and confusing with those multiple offers and repeated offers and automatic renewals...
shaking my head...
Hope Mr. FF recovers from gout soon.

Thinking of Twins, Harriet, and any of the rest of you in this winter storm weather. Stay safe!

[helia]

I'm going to bed - but I had to stop by to tell Lilac that that is SO wild that you saw my cousin! It is a small world. Are you sure it was him? Dark hair, maybe a mustache (I don't know if he has one now?), very DJ-ish way of speaking, letter J would figure into his name significantly. I haven't seen him myself for years! I saw his sister at my parents at Cmas.

I feel virtuous - but tired. I ran out to the mall and got dfriend R's birthday gift this evening since we're celebrating tomorrow night. His birthday was 2.5 months ago, but it has been difficult to coordinate 7 schedules. In a fit of desperation, we finally hit on tomorrow night. If not tomorrow, then we can't do it for another 2.5 weeks as the next 2 nights don't work, and then dh will be out of town for a week and dfriend S and ds20 will be out of town the following week. . . .Dh told me to go to the mall while he cleaned up the kitchen. I was back by 9 pm, and then dh and I went to the gym for a short work out. So, that was my evening. I didn't get much housework done today, but I did meet with dfriend (not a close friend, but a friend who initiated getting together) for 2 hours this morning, prepped for a new class, taught the new class, got groceries, put dinner on the table, bought R's bday present, and worked out.

Tomorrow morning, I hope to go with dd16 to open up a different bank account. We're moving her account to our bank which is better but doesn't let young people under the age of 16 hold individual accounts, thus our kids had accounts at a different bank until the age of 16. I'll need to stop by one more nearby store for a small gift for R. I'll also need to prep for class again, although, this lower level class moved more slowly than I had anticipated today, so I ended up overplanning for the day. I know what we're doing tomorrow in class, but crystallizing some details would be good. I'll teach in the afternoon and then maybe I'll work out again - just b/c there will be a lot of food when we celebrate R's birthday tomorrow evening. I might have some time at home to do some laundry and finish the last NY cards, which are dragging on way too long. I may just not send anymore and declare the project finished; I at least have sent a card to everyone who sent us one.

I'm just rambling now. I'm going to bed. Good night friends!

[Lilac]

helia, yes it was J. He is very handsome, well dressed and professional. I overheard the stylist ask him if his airport was done. I didn't hear the whole conversation but it sounds like he is a pilot and it would be convenient to fly from home. He said when he needs to go to Wichita it only takes 1 hour 15 minutes opposed to 4 hours driving time. He has dark hair and no mustache. He gets his hair cut every 2 weeks or so, which explains why he is always so well groomed but you would have to be, in line of work. We were probably 10 ft. apart or less while we were there. I kept thinking "I can't wait to tell helia". Yes, it is indeed a small world.

[lucylee]

Neat cleaning tip I read last night in Good Housekeeping magazine -- I read a LOT while waiting to hear my babies were safe in their travels.
And YES -- a housecleaning tip from ME! I know, y'all are shocked.

Good Housekeeping recommends Cleaning by the Clock -- but it's not what you think -- they weren't talking about the timer, they were talking about visualizing the face of a clock. I thought this is sooo perfect for dmom!
They said if you have a huge mess and you don't even know where to begin (exactly what dmom was saying about her desk Sunday afternoon), then you should visualize the area/room/desk/whatever as a clock and let 12 be one corner. Just clean THAT corner... work your way through 12:00, and then move on to 1:00, and so on. I thought that was really a good idea.

I must incorporate this method some at dmil's.