New Years Eve

[BookSaver]

Good morning, villagers ~

Today I'm going to try to start getting back to normal routine. The holidays, getting sick, and having DH home every day have thrown me off so much that yesterday I had to struggle to keep track of what day of the week it was. Finally by evening it made sense, but we've been in a bit of an alternate universe and it's time to get back home.

I forgot to add a DPC to my list yesterday. Maybe just as well. We finally received the first invoice from the phone company with the high speed internet on it. Looks to me like they are overcharging $5 per month, plus the installation was supposed to be free but they're charging. Remembering DH's cell phone fiasco which started with him calling customer service on a holiday weekend and talking to untrained staff, then lingered for months and never did get fully resolved. I have decided to go ahead and pay this bill since it's due on the 5th, but plan to call next week to straighten out the overcharges.

Yesterday we went out to lunch at a local diner, then to The Big City to see the new Sherlock Holmes movie with Robert Downey Jr. I enjoyed it a lot. Not a great story, but I wasn't in the mood for a great drama. I liked the style of the art direction (that steampunk look is fun), and we enjoyed just sitting back and being entertained.

Not sure what DH will want to do when he gets up. Maybe I can finally convince him to help me clear some stuff out of the garage and shed, and have a fire.

[helia]

Hi everyone! We're having friends over for a New Year's Eve get together tonight, my good friend B + family (essentially 6 adults, ages 17+, their ds17 is our ds17's best friend, this family is in one of our church small groups, etc.), friends S and R, and friend A who, like S and R, is Korean and will be cooking and bringing a traditional New Year's Eve Korean soup + Korean dumplings. Yum! Dfriend B is bringing a double batch of chili. We'll provide rice, salad, corn bread, and dessert. Not sure if/what S and R are bringing. Anyhow, we're eating early, around 5:30, with plans to go see Mission Impossible (girls are thinking of seeing Tintin again) after dinner, and finishing the evening at our home again for desserts, games, and just hanging out together. Our physics prof. friend will probably be stopping by later with her new beau, whom we're all eager to meet.

I'm off to a late start today, still taking it easy. I'm off to the groc. store now. The above plans coalesced last night so I couldn't shop for them earlier.

I hope to get in a jog today, but other than that, I'll be spiffing the house and cooking and getting ready for tonight.

[Lilac]

Harriet, help! Dh is coming down with a cold, so I picked him up some Zicam Melts. Question is, did you just take them or did you take them plus other cold remedies? He is miserable and we need to be at the other house and he isn't up to it. Meantime, I am using Airborne and trying to stay out of his way. The upside to all this is, I can go to dd2 and watch the 2 little girls while she takes the boys to buy a birthday gift and drops them off at the party.

[Dove]

Hi everyone!

What a whirlwind week. Loved having dsis & dbil here, & spending lots of time with dfamily. Dnieces & dnephews loved their gifts, we all enjoyed laughing & talking together, & ate delicious meals. Restaurants & stores we visited were bustling with people, & the long driving times zipped by because we were chatting so much. Dh & dbil get along very well & talk as much as dsis & I do !

Dh & I both woke up this AM a little bit sick with sore throats & low energy. I managed to clean up the kitchen & put all the Christmas dishes away, but will leave washing guest sheets & towels & misc pick up & put away for another day. Usually I spend part of the week between Christmas & Jan 1st thinking about plans for the upcoming year. I haven't even given it a thought & may not even get to that today . Think I'll give tomorrow a dream/plan/reflect focus & dive back into normalcy on Monday the 2nd. Must remember to update my Holiday notebook with what worked, what did not, thoughts & ideas for next season, etc.

We are staying in tonight. Usually when we are home on new years eve we nosh on seafood appetizers (crab dip & crackers, bacon wrapped scallops, shrimp) but I think I'll thaw out some chicken soup as a backup.

Hoping to be able to find time later to skim posts from the last week. Right now I need a nap, though .

[Harriet]

Lilac, I began the Zicam melts as the package instructions read as soon as I could, yes. I didn't take any other remedy, except a decongestant/antihistamine when needed, if that counts.

Get Well Soon Vibes to Dove and Lilac households!

Harmony, when you say, "My house is not cleanable in 1 hour like the plan says." which plan are you meaning? As far as your question about "the P and P plan the way they designed it", my cards are arranged so that I do their later plan of tasks grouped on cards, yes. Now, here is where we get into how LITERALLY we take the meaning of the word, "do". As far as the Basic Weekly Plan as P and P laid out, my Errand Day has taken the biggest beating of change - I can't stop this incessant running out for something every day. With my first Basic Weekly Plan, circa 1987, I was just perfect with it.

bittersweet, I am so impressed by your planning for Focus Cleaning. Woo Hoo for you, really, you inspire me. It makes me think of going back to my 2009 type of visual on that.

In 2009, I made out a side-by-side schedule of declutter and Focus clean in Word for our house and a second one for my parents' house, matching up the different rooms in each to the general Focus rooms. I really had to have it in writing back then because there was so much responsibility at the other house with my mother's illness. I taped it all to the inside of a cabinet of my desk and that was probably as visually organized I as have ever been regarding cleaning rotations.

Indiana, how are your legs doing today? So frustrating, especially when you are taking the advice of the guy who gets the big bucks.

Happy Belated Birthday, Ken in Canada and Twins Dad! An excellent day, that one!

Dd13 just got an invitation to go bowling this evening... ....the mother is calling me back. I would need to pick her up at the bowling alley at about 11... ... This is not our usual plan for NYEve at ALL. Driving at 11- 11:30 tonight? Hmmm

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Car rental escapade is over.

Turns out the car in the parking lot wasn't the one dd had rented (in winter in Canada, with all the salt and sand on the roads, all cars look the same colour so this chocolate brown one looked black to the car dealership staffer.) So dd called the other rental location who confirmed that the car had been found LAST NIGHT and the guy who called us and left a message asking us to return the car, just didn't bother to call back to let us know. Nor did they bother to call us to let us know. ARGHHHHHH! The levels of bad customer service are so deep on this one.

Our guests are running late, but called.

I've had a small lunch. Will probably eat junk food for most of the day. Did have some cheese and milk for lunch (as well as fruit and veggies and lemon bread!)

[Twins' Mom]

I had a long nap and since then have done some work on the religious school books and emailed the bookkeeper and others about it. I never did a.m. routine so I'm working on that next...also still in pajamas. Another board that I read sometimes has coined this as "Slugweek" and I'm all over that.

-clear kitchen counters
-reboot laundry
-empty dishwasher
-upstairs make the bed
-bring down dirty laundry

I'm thinking I'll use some time this afternoon to do some craft area clean up. Dh and I will both need to s2s before we head out tonight, I think dkids have decided to stay home altogether and have a bro/sis movie night.

[Nancy]

Well our local paper had a headline and photo of the local Sears store that is one that will be closing now the closest one is 60 mi. away bummer. They were not sure how many folks were going to be out of work because of this. The last time we were there I noticed how it was in need of updating in the ladies room. Sigh!

s2s x
Floors have been spiffed.
Grands are here.
Brunch done.
Mail processed h. is fussing that stuff is late and he can't pay on time when stuff comes late don't know what I can do about that not much to nothing!
Make crab dip x
Lunch is over kit. spiff under way now.

Back from a hike in the field with dgkids.

[atlanticflyer]

kathryn surprised you had such bad service with enterprise, we use them personally and for work and they have always been great!

staying in tonight, drinking wine and watching the hockey game, canada versus US, sorry but rooting for Canada

[Harriet]

Can't believe it but am back here to tell - I had an errand to run!!! (What was I just saying... ) The unthinkable happened and dd13 has misplaced her (personal) copy of the C.S. Lewis book she is reading for Accelerated Reader, and she needs to test as soon as she's back at school - probably Monday. Had to rant, but ultimately also had to go out and grab a replacement at library before 5:00 closing. Was still able to combine, because we needed her science fair supplies too, and most local stores are on the library's schedule of holiday closing, so getting to Home Despot before they also close at 5 helped, too.

Science fair-ing anyone? It's a "garden-variety" project here, lol. We bought paperwhite bulbs, 2 pots, zinnia and radish seeds. Already delivered here is the lava sand for the experiments.