Getting ready for the weekend...have a beautiful day

[blessedw2]

sometimes we all need a little break and that's okay!

dh is working outside,
I finished most of the stairs and hall. dh got me a long handle for the roller. the stairs look so much better.
I officially am taking a break.

I have been listening to Sandra Day O'Connell's book on the history of the Supreme court. It's a little dry for my taste but has some really interesting facts about how the Supreme Court came about and how it operated at first. I hope, as the book goes on, that it she will talk about landmark cases etc.

[lucylee]

Helia -- I would never, ever describe you as selfish!!! I agree -- you have just done and done and done sooo much for everyone else... it's time to do something really nice just for HELIA!!!
(((BIG HUGS)))

I've returned baby basinette to daunt... and Easter gifts for little cousins... which may make them feel they must reciprocate (dcousin said, "I've got * dgs's * -- I've just got to get it all put together; I'll bring it to him this weekend...")
But remember, WE are reciprocating for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Valentine's Day, which we ignored re: little cousins. * sigh *
Daunt invited us to eat with them Sunday, but I really doubt dh will want to. If we do not have obligations w/his dmom, he will be very happy to stay home. He despises Sunday dinners, LOL. Especially on opening day of baseball season! (I don't think the first game will be played till Sunday night though. And the Braves do not start till Monday.)

I think I'm misspelling every word I type that is over 5 letters long. I should go back to firefox; I think it has spell check.

I also
... got dmom's mail, wrote 4 checks to pay bills for them, filed a bunch of other stuff...
... talked to dmom, who said they MAY be able to come home for a week, starting next Wednesday!!!
... scanned an old college paper and got it ready to send to dbro. His NOT-THE girlfriend is studying Walt Whitman. I am not particularly impressed w/Whitman, and can't imagine why he wants her to read my paper, but I guess I should be flattered that he even remembers my paper since he read it twenty+ years ago in HIS college days.
... need to get supper for dmil & us... probably going to a movie tonight.

Waving to all!

[Emptynester]

I was able to finish the rice krispie treats. They cooled off before I was done forming them, but 30 sec in the MW made them good to go. Made nests in the mini muffin tin, added green coconut and 3 jelly beans. Make cute nests. Picture on FB.

Went out and watered all the areas that were dug up yesterday so it settled the dirt. Then scrubbed a few pretty rocks and put them around the tree. Also put out some skulls (cow and goat) to ad to the decor.

NOTE TO HELIA: Bout time you do something for yourself. What with having people assume that they are invited to dinner every week plus all the rest - I'm surprised you haven't had a meltdown WAY before this.

[Harriet]

You will NOT believe it

I shopped at dress shops and bought a dress.

See? I told you you wouldn't believe it.

Note to self - rethink your acceptable weight "range". (I am supposedly over my "range" by only 1/2 pound, but I needed a larger size than I thought and dd had to gently steer me away from some dresses that accentuated the tummy area.)

Anyway, Easter is covered for me, with a dress that is modest but not frumpy, inexpensive but not cheap, covers knees but isn't too long, a color that flatters but is also spring-y, won't need a different slip, covers upper arms without appearing to bind. This took a couple hours. We were just this side of misery. Dd got a trip to bookstore for thank-you.

Back home, however, my ddad thought we took much longer than reality, and was pacing the house, convinced we had wrecked, worrying HRH quite a bit. HRH decided to deal with it without calling me, so that I could finish shopping in peace. No one was happier to see me walk in with a garment than HRH, grateful it was handled!

helia, speaking of your friend who did not think to ask about you, I was reminded of a dear neighbor, now passed. He would turn the conversation around to the other person with great skill. It was such an admirable trait that always made others feel appreciated, and gave him the reputation of a caring neighbor that few around here have forgotten. I hope I always remember his example. I agree with Elizabeth that you don't need to question yourself (hormones), but realize that you are sometimes quite correct in noting under-appreciation, and that is disappointing enough to bring tears. Good job, dd17 and dd14, for getting ready for company on their own.

Nancy, what a blessing to the baby that you can offer a seamless transition for morning schedule. Not many situations could manage that for a child's care. Hope you break out of your funk!

mamapiano, hula-hooping is ever so healthy for her, too. Good skill to keep up.

Emptynester, I wish you'd come get this deer skull dsonil brought back to me after a walk he took. I have absolutely no idea what to do with it. 2-prong. I do not exactly collect this sort of thing, however.

Awww, egg dying and rice-krispy basket making and little candies in plastic eggs. Hope you all enjoy.

[helia]

Thank you all for the continued thoughts and support. . . I don't even know what I would do if I did do something for myself. I do have some books I'd like to make progress in. And I did order pizza tonight for the girls and me, so that was an easy dinner (inspired by OK). And I snacked too much beforehand, but I'm going to be gentle with myself today. I tend to have very high standards for myself, maybe perf***ionism. . .. . Thank you for the lovely Maundy Thursday reminder, Kathryn.

I do think my emotions are a little off, and I'm not completely sure why. I had slight depression around this time the last 2 years, but it was earlier and the approach of spring eradicated it, maybe a little SAD? So, this seems a little late for SAD. If any of you know if emotions out of whack is a perimenopause symptom, I would like to know. I might google that.

The egg dyeing party was a success! I was downstairs and out of sight, present but invisible. I was not nearly as productive as I wanted to be, but I did do devotions, took care of a couple quick emails, and did some laundry, which I need to switch now.

Actually, the girls are still coloring eggs. Dd14 bought a Ukrainian egg kit, and they are going to town with it. I will take photos eventually.

I think I'll look at a couple camping spots that dfriend S2 asked me to look out for our small group camping trip this summer. Then, I will clean up a bit and find a movie that I want to watch.

[blessedw2]

a dress d harriet... how lovely!!!

d helia what a cute idea - egg decorating.
maybe it is a combination of SAD's and hormonal. hope you feel better soon. Sending you some sunshine!!!

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Helia: my SAD is certainly acting up as winter is dragging on and on this year. This past week is a bit better weather wise (except the weather forecast is so inaccurate that I can't look forward to good days, they just come out of 'nowhere'.) But even so, my emotions and energy level are still in the extremely low range.

Emotions took two big hits this afternoon so now I'm a wreck and just want to go to bed and pull the covers over my head.

First was going through my memory box in view of dejunking. Over the years, I've allowed myself one archive box of 'childish mementos' (things I kept stored away, so not appreciated regularly, but that I didn't want to dispose of.) I have lots of mementos from childhood that are displayed and/or used so the need for this box is a bit dodgy.

I'm rather pleased that it didn't hold too much but it did have my campaign and computer companies button collection, my postcard collection, which includes my grandfather's postcard collection, and all the wedding cards and congrats cards when dd and ds were born and christened. It was tossing the cards from the kids' births that was hard (because, to me those little babies are 'dead', replaced by adults I like but that don't feel like my 'babies.') Tossing the wedding stuff was easy because dh is still with me. I've photographed the buttons and will make a decision on those in the near future.

The postcards I've postponed dealing with. They are a 3-fold problem since they involve a postcard, a letter and a stamp. And since my grandfather's are over 100 years old, they may have more value than mine which are only 40 - 50 years old.

So, after a little cry I finished up my work in the basement and came upstairs. Within minutes we got a phone call from California, letting us know that my Ancient there has died. She wasn't family but a wonderful, feisty, spirited, woman who inspired me, amused me, and taught me about grace under pressure. She always had a smile on her face, something I have to work on. Dh met her at his church in Aptos and I met her on my honeymoon. She made such an impression that just 10 months later we named dd after her. Thankfully, we've been good about calling and visiting and dh talked with her on her 97th birthday just two days before she ended up in hospice. We knew there was a problem because a doctor answered the phone and the call was short, but dh could hear the smile on her face. We were the only ones that talked to her on her birthday, she was too crippled to answer the phone and needed someone to pass it to her. So our timing was perfect.

We had a good chat with the woman who called. Our dear friend didn't have any children of her own and her relations lived across the country. But this woman had adopted her as a 'mom' and 'grandma' for the past 40 years. She knew who we were from the stories our friend would tell of our visits. I last saw her in 2010 or 11 but we had the kids in tow so she had a chance to see them as adults after watching them grow up.

Unfortunately, after the call came many more tears. And then having to call the kids and let them know.

Dinner is done and I'm going to clean up as quickly as I can and then head off to an early bed. I've had a headache all day and it isn't going away.

[Nancy]

Did the other section of the ex. bike after dinner it's great for stress relief.
Two times I found humming helped the baby go to sleep the granny was glad to hear that and said she will try it as well. The baby is fighting sleep this week and seems to be in a diff. behavior pattern than the first week she was here. Dgd is adjusting some what too. I ended up holding them both this afternoon in the rocker!

I'm back in from doing evening chicken chores, filled the big fount for their water noticed we have 15 more min. of day light now.

H. said he will be working next weekend they have to do plant maintenance. Wondering if I need to get a list of things I like to do for some "me time".

[Elizabeth]

Hello again. I have gotten cat food, gone to the knit/crochet group, gone to church, and a LOL is drying as I type. I have downloaded and printed the online crochet patterns I ordered. I have to hide them from DD11, not because she doesn't know about them, but because I want to do her vest before starting on stuffed animals. I still have to finish the hairpiece for DD's Easter basket and eat DINNER (yes, it is 9:00 here!). I should also update Quicken. I have tried to get hold of my friends for lunch tomorrow, but have not had any luck. Definitely time to eat. See ya!