What will you tackle today?

[Harriet]

We had a very nice meal at an actual restaurant - very unusual for me, but I am allowed now. Mexican with a "cantina" style and Day of the Dead tiles on the walls. lol - boys liked them. I've been there only once before, when dd27 was in HS, so it's been a while. So much food I couldn't eat it all.

Then to Goodwill where we shopped mostly for clothes for our different reasons. I helped find the youngest boy a stonewashed denim shirt and bought that for him, bought dsC a Manga tee he wanted although he admitted it was not practical, just very rare. So, into the cart of the eclectic Grandma. Tried to find something for WonderBoy, but he was volunteering at the library and so couldn't give any opinion.

For myself, a sweatshirt in gray which needs unordinarying, a vivid top with parrots embroidered on black that has no purpose except "speaking" to me that embroidered parrots are deserving of a plan. And a midnight blue Claiborne shirt for HRH which he didn't want so I immediately claimed for cotton fabric.

I also bought a painted jewelry box of multiple drawers that I will use for sewing notions. It has a broken mirror inside (camouflage easy) And there's a drawer knob missing but is only the more interesting for that - shall I find a decal, or use a fancy button, who knows. To tell you the truth, I think I shopped briefly for this very piece a few years ago and abandoned the idea because it was expensive. Now one is dinged up a bit but has character, needs a pardon, and doesn't break the bank.

Back at home, more linens into the wash and HRH wants Mexican cornbread for supper.

Nancy, changing the master bed linens was hard on my wrists, fingernails yesterday. I think the bottom sheet had shrunk.

Cathy's dh's appt sounds very positive, so glad.

[MysteryWoman]

Hello! That was quite a mountain of posts to CUOP from yesterday! You'll forgive me if I have no replies.

I am tackling the tray table by my chair in the living room. I still have some financial paperwork to file, some affirmations to put on my desk along with my nutrition notebook and some leftover paper napkins to put in the kitchen. Other than that, I have things for working on a grocery list, which is the next task, a folder for planning something I'd like to do over the next couple of weeks, which I'd like to keep handy so it stays top of mind, and today's financial statements to file.

Today's dinner will be pizza or sandwiches, whichever others prefer. I'll find out when DH gets home from picking up DD at work, although they have apparently decided to stop at the ice cream shop, so I guess it's going to be an "eat dessert first" kind of day. I really need to get that grocery list done; otherwise, I'm not sure what tomorrow's dinner will be.

I've got DC working on a paper that's due tomorrow. They wanted to go to their girlfriend's to practice their speech(es) also due tomorrow -- they have to do an impromptu speech; they're to be prepared for any of three topics and will be told which when it's time to make their speech. Anyhow, I said I would take them to their girlfriend's once the paper was done. I'm more concerned with the paper getting done than my vow to not drive DC; if it takes dangling this carrot, so be it. I told DC that I knew plenty of people who trashed their grades over relationships, and I did not want them to be one.

Harriet, I have seen sewing boxes that look like jewelry boxes with a pincushion where the mirror would be.

Well, they're home with the ice cream, so I will sign off. Have a lovely evening and sweet dreams!

[CathyS]

I had the amox...

then dh said he was hungry and did he have time for a sandwich, so I started supper earlier than usual. After supper I laid down. I explained to dh that I have been faking feeling better than I actually feel, and it was time for me to lay down and rest for a bit. So he fed the cats and cleared the table.

I will be having the heavier pain med tonight because my left side feels like it's twitching. I also told dh I would be having the heavier pain med between 8 and 9 so I don't "pass out" too early. This is the one with the warning sticker that says "do not drive!" and "May cause dizziness or drowsiness" .

[lucylee]

What will (did) I tackle today? Not much.
Y'all -- Until DGS left for his doctor's appt this morning, I had not been alone since Friday night's ballgame. One or the other dgrand was here 24/7... church, funeral, church meeting all happened, but I was in a supervisory position for the great amount of time, and dgrands and others were present from Friday pm till 11:30 am today. So when DGS left, what did I do? Went back to sleep. I told dmom, after I've had them for a while, it just takes me about a day to recuperate! (I hope dmom takes the underlying message that I just have to have some time alone... plus the fact that having dgrands underfoot for this length of time would drive her insane.) I love my dmom and I love my dgrands, but I just need a little time alone.
BUT... OTOH... when they are not here, it is easy for me to be sad. Like today -- I had to pick up DGD after school, and she was in a definite pre-teen mood... SMH... I finally had to talk pretty straight to her. But after ddil came to get her, I sat outside for a few minutes and I just felt... sad. I thought, now is the time I wish I had dh here to talk to about them... about how exhausting they are, and how proud of DGS we are, and how we feel about his health problems, and how we wonder if DGD will choose to play basketball this year or not... just everything.
Have to see if dbil and dsisil can do ds' birthday next week... that still makes me kinda sad too. I'm just as glad we missed my birthday.

Sorry to be such a downer. Tomorrow will have to be busy --
Believe it or not, I am going to a "Chair Yoga" class at church -- 10:00 a.m.
Then I HAVE TO vacuum -- bug lady is coming Thursday --
Church tomorrow night.
I also need to go to the grocery store for bananas and do a Wmart pick-up tomorrow.

I hope you feel better soon, Cathy! (((HUGS)))

Mystery, DGD was definitely in an "eat dessert first" mood. She had an ice cream cone while I had a late lunch -- hamburger and fries for me -- and then she wanted french fries and cheese dip. (This is very popular at a particular drive in here in Tiny Town. I prefer my fries with no dip.) Then we came home and she had a bowl of rainbow sherbet, orange juice, and a pancake-sausage corn dog thing. She is surely going through a growth spurt. She is hungry all the time!

I'm thinking about supper also -- I guess I'm about as bad as DGD. Sigh. I may get a shrimp salad from the Mexican restaurant, Harriet. You've kinda "flung a craving" on me (in the words of the late Jerry Clower.)
MMMM.... your cornbread sounds so good, too, LadyM!
I may just stay home though.

Speaking of your moles and gophers, LadyM -- the internet man told me that it is harder to get rid of squirrels than rats, also. He said squirrels will not eat rat poison, so when they are chewing up wires under the house, the only way to get rid of them is to block all their access, and that is VERY hard to do!
I have not noticed moles in the yard -- dmom has a constant battle with them. My problem is fire ants, but I did cancel that service that was treating the yard every three months. After dgd stepped in a mound, I decided I'd try to treat them myself.

I'm as far as I can go with topic review. I've enjoyed the bull stories too. I believe I remember this correctly -- dmom said once when I was little, just a toddler, I think, we were at the barn with my DGF and they lost sight of me. I was in the pen with the bull, petting him. They got me out pretty quick, but apparently he did not bother me. My grandfather always treated his cattle like big pets anyway. This bull was probably the white-faced --something Hereford? -- but before he died, he had switched to raising Charolais.
I have a friend who raises cattle (with her husband) and she has bottle fed three bulls during an ice storm a few years ago -- brought them into her living room! Those bulls still let her pet them and treat them like great big dogs. She won't let her husband sell them, LOL!

[Nancy]

I have the feels like Monday feeling today.
A bit of headache off and on here.
Got dinner nearly done now.
DD called and Dgd is in a mood of pre-teen as well only she is old enough to drive.
I was mostly listening... as her phone was cutting out.
I spilled a freshly opened soda dang saved half of it.
Did 15 min. on the Creativity room.

Have a nice evening.

[blessedw2]

good night sleep tight.

[Lady Maverick]

LucyLee - I recently used this ant treatment with shocking good success after only one treatment. I sprinkled a little around the mound, and by the next day, there were no ants anywhere. I keep expecting them to return, but weeks have gone by, and there’s still no sign of them. Over the years, I’ve tried many other treatments, but none worked well, and the ants always came back.

Hum....I wonder if it works on moles/voles?

[lucylee]

That's exactly what I'm using, LadyM! Thanks for the vote of confidence! DH used to treat the mounds with this regularly, but it has been a while since we've used it. I'm hoping the ants built up a resistance to whatever the pest people used and now maybe the Orthene will be effective. I'm going to check on them every month or so and see how it turns out.
(Don't know about the moles and voles, though.)

Sigh. I gave up on supper. I'm just sitting around watching TV and talking to DS on the phone. Thankful dgs missed practice today -- there were two fights (one started by the 8th graders, who ought to just be proud to be there!) It got so chaotic that the coach sent them all home. DGS said it's too bad; he said he'll have to run tomorrow just like the ones that were fighting. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

[Harriet]

Cathy, yes, do get some rest. I hope the pain reliever helps tonight.

lucylee, that's a shame that your dgs will have to endure the punishment too, when he wasn't even there at the time.

Mystery, it's wise to keep an important project file together and close. You never know when you'll have a brainstorm or a chance to work on it. You don't want part of your thoughts at one place, part at another.

The cake of cornbread was a hit. Agreeing with LadyM you can't keep it around long sometimes. We'll have about a third of the cake left for lunch tomorrow. HRH even had a serving of cornbread and milk, which is my favorite, not his.

The linen closet is reorganized and looks very neat - spent time on this as if we are set with enough linens for a Manor House but really don't have that much. Just nice to have things in order, all sets in stacks neatly, can see everything at a glance. I even did a load of laundry of all my red kitchen linens that are used so often: potholders, mitts, dishtowels. Feeling good about the linen closet finish.

[lucylee]

I'm not too worried about dgs, Harriet. First, it's just not likely he's going to strain himself to keep up with the running, if there is punishment involved. He'll probably just sit down when he gets tired and say he can't go anymore if it comes to that. Plus, the coach knows he was sick today and had a doctor's appointment, so he will probably be a little more patient with dgs than if he had been involved.
Actually -- who knows what will take place tomorrow? DS said there was no way HIS high school coach would have sent them home early like this in the same situation. They would probably have been running until several quit the team and others would be throwing up and passing out. DS's coach was a really hard-line, "old-school" type coach.
This coach is in his first head coaching job, and so far, has been relatively laidback. He's not the type that screams and throws things. I'm sure he will have something to say/do about the trouble, but I just don't know how to predict him.

I did my 15 minute walking routine but did not get into the shower early enough... so I'm going to shower in the morning. I don't know how intensive "chair yoga" will be, but I may have to shower again before Wednesday night class. Right now, I need to work on prep for that some more.