Stability Monday

[Twins' Mom]

"True stability results when presumed order and presumed disorder are balanced. A truly stable system expects the unexpected, is prepared to be disrupted, waits to be transformed."
—Tom Robbins

Getting back to our state of stability and normality after holidays, after New Year's, after kids home from school or college is important - This is a great week for more stability in our lives - able to adjust to the unexpected and ready to take on what awaits us this week.

[Twins' Mom]

Ahhhh, dd spent last night with dfriends before the trip to K-town today. Dh and I here honestly glad to see her go because she was so crabby and angry. I went to sleep heartsick about how she was acting toward us. I was awake around 3, tho, with temple biz on my mind - the undone, issues with the wall which fronts the street sidewalk, and slept poorly after that with weird dreams.

Today I'll leave work for dr appointment - follow up w surgeon who did melanoma surgery last summer, and probably need to return to work afterward. Need to do a stop at the cleaners today (put off since last week) and also need to drop off the Dell computer at a UPS location.

And off to s2s now.

[lucylee]

(((Twins))) I think some of the tension w/college-age children is normal, probably. They get a little taste of freedom, then they come home, feel like they're 10 again -- doesn't matter what you as parents do, it still feels "different" to be back in childhood bedroom, etc. -- part of them probably still WANTS to be 10... part of them wants to be 25... it's a tough transition. It WILL get better!

Stability.
That sounds so nice. For me, that would include routines that promoted good housekeeping, good health habits, organization skills with school work... * sigh * I think I will always fall short of my fantasy for myself.
I am sooo thrilled to have all the Christmas stuff put away.

[OKay]

Very thought provoking quote this morning! Thanks Twins!

PODA -
** stay on schedule as much as possible until lunch
** This afternoon I will take DMom to mammogram appt. DDad will go with us, but will stay in vehicle and people watch (one of his favorite ways to pass the time). Loading/unloading oxygen/wheel chair will be minimum. Last week I took DMom to family doctor because her Br*ast are growing! She asked the doc what would cause this to happen. With an ornery smile on his face, he asked her "Are you pregnant?" She isn't on any new medication and doesn't have any lumps that can be felt. Ruling out possibilities continue.....

B: - Bird nest & bacon
L: - Hamburgers, chips and salsa
S: - rib eye steak, green salad, hot roll
Dessert - choice of diced peaches, diced pineapple, chocolate chip cookies, 2 flavors of pudding or 2 flavors of jello....topped with spray whipped cream

[Harriet]

Good Morning. I'm S2S and sitting with first water. On school run I'll have to continue on to the pharmacy that is closed on weekends and pick up a prescription I wish I'd remembered on Friday. sigh.

Today begins the 2nd week of 2012, and with my household care hinging very much on week divisions in this year's plan, I'd better pay attention. Declutter for me this week is Master Bath and Focus Cleaning is Master Bedroom. I'm enjoying tracking what time I'm spending but still not doing a very good JOB of tracking yet. Also tracking what laundry loads happen - that may be temporary, I'm just seeing if there's any benefit. Purchased extra post-it minis to help keep track in the cardfile.

One problem I may have is that I don't know if the Office week decluttering can wait a week here. My desk is piled high, but I know you don't believe me, really. I would take a photo but there's no reason to just depress anyone. I think that's a problem with after-holidays. The chance that, really, a lot of areas have been waiting and a case could be made for almost any of them to receive time.

Thinking of Indiana this morning.

Dee, how are things going?

Hope everyone feels steady, STABLE and confident today.

[bittersweet]

Stability here means getting back into some sort of routine at work - since I've only worked 4 days since December 19th, it's going to feel a bit odd We've switched to using a new database for intakes and releases, and although I had the training on it, that was weeks ago, and training simulations always seem to work better than real life situations.. LOL However - the four days I'm working this week are in the back, answering phones, so I'll be able to get used to the new database a little more slowly than if I was working out front.

Last night I was chatting with dfriend on Yahoo, and jokingly asked her if she wanted to enter a triathlon with me. There's one held in a nearby town in early June. I had her quite convinced I was serious for a while...and then she turned the tables on me, and before I knew it, I'd pre-registered for the CIBC Run for the Cure in late September!! It's a 10k run or a 5k run/walk. We'll be doing the 5k, and the goal is to not only finish, but to run at least half of it. Ummmmm....since neither of us could run a block right now without collapsing, we've got our work cut out for us!!

Since I only have an hour before I have to head out the door, I'd better finish this coffee and get moving! First, though, I'm going to check out some of the other threads I'll be using to help keep me on track with those goals I mentioned yesterday.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

I decided to put off exercise until the afternoon. My back has been bothering me and I though perhaps a morning break might be helpful.

I'm s2s and have stripped and remade the bed, tidied the bedroom and unloaded the dishwasher.

Last night I started work on repairing a broken glass ball ornament. It was bought for ds the year he was born and, even though it was stored in its original box, something in the bin poked through and broke it about 3 years ago. We put it aside that first year, and I did the tree on my own the next two years so ds didn't note it missing. This year, he unpacked it and it made him very sad to see a gaping hole in the side so I promised to try and fix it.

The hole is where there is no text or illustration so it isn't completely ruined. But once the sphere was broken, it was very unstable. Last night I painted the cracked areas inside and out with podge. One of the cracks was growing as I held the ball so the repair I had in mind, using a balloon to fill in the inside of the ball to reinforce it wasn't going to happen because the ball couldn't take any strain at all.

Instead, I took the 'netting' from a bag of potatoes and cut a strip of that to reinforce the cracked area, painted it with podge and glued it on the outside. Let that dry overnight and now the ball is much more stable. There is still a 1.5" hole that needs to have more netting put over it and then I'll glue the two remaining large pieces I do have over the the netting. I glued one piece on last night and it is holding well.

So I spent some time strategizing my next moves with that and I'm thinking about what to use to fill in the area over the hole that I don't have glass for. It is solid white so I'm thinking of either egg shell (except the curve will be too acute) or white plastic bag. I will look through my margarine container collection, although it it too thick. Or I could use the hard plastic from packaging and paint it white, if I have white paint.

I'm pleased with my work so far, although to a less committed eye, it looks awful. But my goal was to stabilize the ball so ds can use it in future years, knowing how much he meant to us, right from the start. (The ball says, "A son fills your life with hopes and dreams.")

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Sometimes I love being dyslexic.

We were handed a daily Bible reading guide in church yesterday and I decided to give it a whirl, even if I'm already 8 days behind. So I turned to the first reading, which I misread as 1:1-15 instead of 3:1-15. I was delighted at the irony shown by the guide's editors, starting the year off with the reading: "Meaningless! Meaningless!...Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless!" What a way to start the New Year, contemplating on how 'generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever' and 'there is nothing new under the sun.' Quite the contrast to the usual attitude for the new year, that life is full of possibilities.

I was completely drawn into the reading and thrilled that the first verses were so unfamiliar to me and so challenging. When I realized my mistake I was disappointed to find the intended verses were the familiar "To every time there is a season." Yes, that's true but a bit boring compared to Meaningless!

And when I checked the verses I enjoyed in my NRSV translation instead of my NIV, I was disappointed to see they used the word vanities instead of meaningless.

So today was my lucky day; I not only started off my reading in the wrong chapter but with a more fun translation. No wonder people say God works in mysterious ways!

Oh well, enough Bible fun, now I'm off to do 30 minutes of chores; putting clean sheets on guest beds and watering the plants.

[Harriet]

bittersweet, I have no doubt you'll be maavelous. Just listen for the theme from Rocky and also hear Dori, "Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming. Just keep swimming."

Kathryn, the ornament is lucky to have a sculptor who thinks outside the sphere. I wouldn't have thought of netting, but then I'm not looking at the problem and haven't "slept on it" as you have. The only thinking process help I can give is to remember what a car bodywork guy would do - he would cannabalize another one for parts.

Picked up the prescription and ran next door to the healthy grocery. So my breakfast is an organic apple and I've got a few meals ready for the week. Also asked and finally was able to purchase mint there (they can't keep it in stock but had some not yet put out this a.m.). So I can make HRH his steeped water. Found my ddad a soothing shampoo with aloe and tea tree oil.

Hoping Nancy and Kathryn find their back pain eases.

[Nancy]

Indiana thinking of you!
Harriet how are the hens?
My back is great.

I'm up bs is up a bit today too. Coffee is going. I've had my meds.
Waiting on the heat to warm the place up a bit. Lots of frost out side today the sun is up and it's a pretty day. 33*- 46* today's temp. range.

Getting back into my routines a bit more here this week but I still have to take the tree downstairs.

I gave the kitchen a bit of a polish this morning and the bathrooms last night got a swish, I still need to do the tub however.