Moving On Monday

[lucylee]

Quick ci:
I am s2s, exercised 30 minutes plus (including 20 minutes walk away the pounds), have gone to town & paid electric bill -- -- $410! I asked dh, "Are you SURE you want me to retire?" DH's response, "You think it will be cooler if you keep working?" and I am now waiting on ds & ddil to bring dgs over.

I guess we will let dmil watch him for the time it takes us to go to Wmart... * where is the "nervous" smilie face? *
Harriet, you ARE right, she'll do much better now than when he becomes mobile... * sigh *
She was SOOO excited when I told her we would bring him over. * sigh *
And dniece can't help out -- she has to teach dance lesson. * another sigh *
Oh well. It will only be about 30 minutes.

My daily uniform (at home) is jeans and t-shirt, basically. I do not go out in the world w/out hose, either... too pale.
I wish I were more like ddil, who is more pale than I, and just doesn't care. If she wants to wear shorts, she wears shorts. If she wants to wear dress w/sandals to church, she wears it. I guess there is some advantage to being 20.

I am using my card file + daily/weekly checklist. It is one sheet of paper w/checklist done in Excel. First column lists all daily chores in three groups -- morning, afternoon/afterschool, and bedtime routines. Then under M-S columns, I put the basic weekly plan. I'm trying to time everything & write in times this week, and I'm noticing the things that "never" actually get done. That's why exercise is my focus this week -- b/c I've been sooo neglectful the past month. I figure taking care of myself physically should be my first concern as I start back to school. Then next week, I'll try to add another focus, like the weekly house blessing, divided over 3 days. That's the plan, anyway. We shall see.

Great counseling skills your dmom had, Harriet. I wish I had known her. Even though she taught elementary & I teach high school, I feel I could have gained a lot of wisdom from her...

Thinking of Indiana...

Sending "feel better" wishes & (((hugs))) to Kathryn...

Raining, drizzley, misty here too, Harmony. Hope you feel better soon. You SHOULD take care of you more! I know that's easier said than done, but do NOT feel guilty for taking a little time to do something nice for yourself.

I have a toothache. Or maybe a gum ache. It is a spot that is VERY tender/sensitive when I floss. I feel like I should probably keep flossing, though, to make sure it doesn't get something in there that will irritate it worse, right? I rinsed w/hydrogen peroxide after flossing this morning.
This aggravates me b/c I just had my cleaning and all was well.

[Sadie]

Hello dear ladies,

It a COOL 86 degrees here!

Had Dbrother out on the porch with me for 15 minutes, it’s the first we’ve been able to be out on the porch in awhile.

Today is laundry day here. That’s my main focus for today. Doing a few little things along the way and taking breaks too.

Wal-mart was filled with back to school shoppers over the weekend. Stressful time for many, trying to shop for class lists. One mother had a melt down over the lack of play-doh on our shelves.

And we seem to have one associate that is acting inapprociately toward female associates. Seems to say things to someone if he can talk when no one else is around. All of the gals here have tried to avoid him and thought it was just our own individual problems until one gal spoke up with what he said to her and we all chimed in with the same story. So going to speak with my immediate supervisor when I go back on Wednesday.

Harriet, wanted to tell you that DH thoroughly enjoyed the trip. He got to meet with his two sisters, who he hasn’t seen in over 30 years. He kept saying he didn’t know if he wanted to see them as there is always a lot of drama with them. Actually it is one that has the drama but she brings it to others. But I kept silent on the matter and prayed that he would want to see them and once we were there, he did want to see them.

DH, sister K and sister D, were removed from their home when they were very young and placed in foster care. Thankfully they were kept together for most of the time and placed with a farmer and his wife. Sister K was placed in a couple of other homes before being re-united with the siblings. There were two other sibling that they found out about, met them back in the 70’s when they all became adults but their lives were so different from the three that they didn’t pursue relationships with the other two.

I like Sister K a lot, I have spoken to her on the phone before and we always had nice chats. When we met, we instantly liked each other and she refers to me as a sister and not just a sister-in-law. She is a widow and is caring for a mentally challenged son while she battles a serious illness. She is doing treatments which zap her energy but is hopeful that within a year the disease will be gone.

Dson 22, Dson21 and Dson 16 all entertained her Dson with games and movies that they had brought with them. So Sister K, DH and I could sit in the lounge of the motel and visit together.

Sister D has lots of drama in her life. She had some physical problems with her home that made it impossible to visit her in her home, so we met in a couple of restaurants with her. DH said it looked like she had lived a hard life. She has married three different men with the same personality, same problems. Her conversation consists of listing all of her woes, she never takes advise about how to better herself, just complains about everything. She listed all the problems her children were in, which included various degrees of crimes and punishment. Jails, prisons, juvenile detention, probation, parole. Then she was offended when DH told her that our sons didn’t really want to meet their cousins as they didn’t want to be associated with criminals.

So we spent more time with Sister K than with Sister D and of course Sister D had to keep texting Sister K that she didn’t like that.

Sister K also talked with DH about health situations, they both suffer from anxiety. Like DH, she is on meds for it but also draws on her faith to help her through. I think DH felt better knowing this might be a hereditary thing, and he can battle it like his sister does.

DH also got to see a mentor of his. A man and his wife that helped DH learn one of the trades that he still uses to this day. They were so very happy to see him and the success he has had with his life. They want to visit us one day.

DH had a great time and has said he wants to go back again. He said I was a wonderful woman. I can only say that prayer and persistence work! And thank you all for your prayers for us.

[lucylee]

That is just sooo wonderful to hear, Sadie... sooo glad dh had a good time & the trip was so successful for all.
Prayer does change things, doesn't it? Maybe it changes US to face the things, but it truly is a blessing to know others are praying with us.

Where IS that dgbaby??? They should be here by now.

[Harriet]

DH had a great time and has said he wants to go back again. He said I was a wonderful woman.

There it is.

[lucylee]

Dgbaby has arrived! DS forgot the swing! Ooohhh... could be trouble... we shall hope for the best.

[Cowinkie]

Ex-Stinky here...

Harriet I have been considering coconut oil and will pick up some when I'm near the health store. If nothing else my very dry skin should benefit from it

Sadie I love the way you write. Congratulations that you're DH thinks you're a wonderful woman...we already knew that here Sounds like your DH appreciates your understandings of his fears and anxieties. I'm sure having you with him helped to calm his worries and therefore enjoy his visits even more.

I have decided to let my hair go ah-la-natural this afternoon. See know reason to primp and fuss when I'm only going to go back to the gym in the morning and become stinky again. This class is called Body Works Plus Abs..though the concept is not new to me, the instructor and specific workout is. It is a real grinder, but I was able to keep up ....for the most part...with the rest of the class. I was also motivated by the fact that several of the gals appear to be older than me

off to get heart checked. Need to remember to tell the nurses that I have a normal but unusually slow heart beat. I can always see the shock in their eyes when they read their instruments and my pulse is only registering at 45 beats per minute

[DeeClutter]

Found a recipe (by just listing ingredients I wanted to use) with broccoli, brown rice & cheese. Sounds simple enough -just hope it tastes good. That's what I'm taking to potluck tonight. If all the others are carb laden, then I'll at least have something. I'm trying hard to think of dishes to take that are more diabetic friendly.In a community that's almost all 'older' people you'd think that healthier dishes would abound. Not so -most just make something that will stretch. Thus lots of pasta dishes or desserts.

[ellyphant]

Amen to what Lucylee said about prayer!

Tree cutters have come and gone. We are minus 9 trees. Half of those were dead or dying. It's much more light and airy out front now! Kathryn, this doesn't change our view that much as there are still plenty of trees to block us from the road. In places we can see the large corn and soybean field across the road. From the end of driveway, there is a nice view of the next ridge over. With the new openness out front, I did sit and look at a magazine on the front porch--this was money well spent! I was even inspired to paint the benches of our picnic table while I was outside!

BTW, one of the tree fellows got bit by a snake and came to the door to ask for a band-aid. I insisted that he also pour peroxide over the bite. He said that he gets bit about once a week!
Whatever they pay him, it's not enough! He also said it was just a black snake and that they are good to have around. Guess the snake and his relatives are keeping us from being overrun with mice.

[Harriet]

Good for you on both the property work and the peroxide, ellyphant. HRH thinks everyone who gets blacksnake bit should call their dr's office and ask advice, because he understands some drs either want to work you in at their office or suggest Urgent Care. That's what he has anyone at the plants do (rare that it happens - usually to someone working outside near loading dock). It's true there's no poison, but the injury is prone to bacterial infection, and drs like to have someone look at it and determine how deep, how bad, etc. I remember Ken in Canada telling dd13 he didn't want her to even pick up the turtles that sometimes cross our driveway, because she would be coming into contact with bacteria. (Report - many turtle visual examinations since, but no elevation. )

[sherinjoy]

Sadie - Your stories of your trip are so loving and inspirational. I'm happy to hear that your DH enjoyed the trip and told you that you are wonderful - YOU ARE! Thank you for sharing the wonderful benefits of prayer and faith.

Hi to everyone else! Just checking in quickly, trying to stay on task today with my list, so easy to get distracted.