Monday PWYC

[lucylee]

Slow start to Monday morning here. I had a very busy Sunday, though, so I feel I deserve it, with the combination of the weather and my virtuous day yesterday.
Yesterday --
* church
* lunch
* allergy shots
* wrote check for paper man
* read newspaper
* CVS
* Wmart
* dmom's -- to deliver CVS & Wmart stuff, went to nearby cafeteria to get takeout for her lunch, AND we totally straightened up/organized her "office" desk. Filled up a small trash can with all kinds of junk... receipts from 2011, for example. The large desk calendar/blotter was 2008!!! It's very neat and usable now, with a fresh year-at-a-glance calendar/blotter, and everything looks sooo much better. Kitchen table was straightened out on Saturday, and although there are still a few papers there, it's no longer the HUGE embarrassment it was before! I asked her if she could keep it this way. I have serious doubts, but she is hopeful and optimistic.
* came home, cold, exhausted, took a very short nap
* went out to eat
* saw movie -- Old-Fashioned. (It IS a very sweet, Christian-based movie, although a wee bit slow moving, but that is sorta the idea, you know? LOL. It was definitely a "feel-good" movie that I would recommend to anyone.)
* talked to ddil on the phone... nervous... nervous (ME, not her!) Could NOT convince them they would be better off to drive home last night in snow than to start out today in ice. I am VERY nervous b/c I think they are on the road now, and it is going to be a LONG drive on pretty hazardous roads, if the weather reports are to be believed. Here we have nothing but rain so far, but they will be driving through Kentucky/Tennessee. It would have been sooo much easier last night, but you can't tell them anything.


So today...
* Wmart for us
* Other drug store for us, and dmom
* Bank for dmom (Bank may be closed though, for President's Day) Hmmm... just saw that BookSaver says yes, closed.
* Put away groceries
* Take dmom's rx to her

Lilac, I saw your post re: dh's allergy shots. I am very glad to hear he has some strategy to deal with this now! As you know, I've been giving myself allergy shots for years now. Started out the school nurse gave them to me, but finally I learned to do it myself and I am completely amazed at how easy it is, and how wonderful it is not to be tied to the nurse or the doctor's office schedule! I do them in my outer thighs, one each leg. Sometimes it stings just a tiny bit, sometimes I barely even feel it. My allergies are mostly trees and grasses, but lots of other stuff too. I still take an OTC antihistimine every day of the world, but the difference with the shots is that now the OTC meds WORK. I don't think I have had a bad attack since I started taking the shots. Used to be, every spring, I would have at least one episode where I would have laryngitis, and basically had to just dope up with enough Benadryl to knock myself out and lay with a cold cloth on my itchy swollen eyes. I still occasionally have to get a steroid shot "booster" sometime in the spring, but I have been sooo much better since I started taking the shots.
I've been re-tested a couple of times since I started this, and they've adjusted my meds, but I just can't tell you how much difference it has made for me. I should have done it YEARS earlier. I may be on these shots forever, but as long as I am getting results, I don't care!

Now, about that movie... Yeah... we saw it. (Fifty Shades of Grey.) I think dh decided he wanted to see what all the fuss was about.
Really, my take-away on it (and his) was that there are a lot of crazy people in the world.
I just thought the girl was stupid. Just plain stupid. Why would anyone put themselves in a position to be degraded and abused like that? She DOES sorta stand up to him (probably more than his previous partners) but still...
If y'all want a spoiler, I'll tell you how this one ends -- but since there are two more books, we know this is not really the "end" and there will be much more to come. Friends who have read the books tell me that she ends up changing him, and they end up getting married and having a family. But still...
Also -- the movie does tell that his "habits" are rooted in an abusive relationship w/one of his mother's friends, when he was only 15. But still...
LOL... (I realize I'm saying, "but still" a lot.) It's just a ridiculous movie.

The nudity is not really over-the-top -- you don't actually see anything more than her bare breasts -- and the violence is pretty much off-camera, not really graphic. Lots of images of her rolling her head in ? ectasy ? I don't know... in stupidity, I guess.

Actually, I was much more disturbed by reading about a horror film last night. There was an article in the paper about other movies that had been very popular despite controverial subjects -- Brokeback Mountain, Rosemary's Baby, The Exorcist, a bunch more (I haven't seen any of these, btw)... but there was a certain horror film I had never heard of and stupid, stupid, STUPID me -- I looked it up on Wikipedia. The newspaper story didn't even describe the plot. I wish I had NOT read the plot. It has to do with a mad scientist sewing people together, but I will spare y'all the rest of the details. * shudder * Kinda made me nauseous. I actually prayed for the Lord to erase those mental images from my mind! (So far that prayer has not been answered but I was able to sleep w/out having nightmares.)

So glad you saw The Imitation Game, Twins! We loved it! I hope it wins a lot at the Oscars.

Well... I better get busy with this day. DS just texted and said they are on the road and interstates are not bad, but they are not in KY yet. I'll be praying a lot today for their safe travel.

[Elizabeth]

Good morning everyone! This weekend, I got the lockbox installed on my car, finished the animal org scrapbook, finished the donation crocheted baby dress, and bought DD13's valentines and birthday present. Yep, as of now DD12 is no more, she is DD13. I also made progress on the second kitchen table (the first was already done). I made church, but not Sunday school. While at church, I had to fix a plumbing issue and was drafted to youth group in the evening, if the youth director was late. I agreed to the latter because I could be the second adult (min 2 are required), and when the youth director made it, head on to my Bible study, which has restarted. Well, the church van had major issues, so YD never made it. In fact, parents had to be dispatched to retrieve kids form another city. I never made it to Bible study, but at least youth group was not cancelled. The person in charge of the Wednesday night study said it was ok if I came late, so I will be joining the lenten one. I probably will not be able to continue Wed night studies, because my time is so limited by my commute.

I have a new foster cat, this makes 6 adult cats in my house. Her former foster has become ill to the point she is moving to be closer to family, so all her fosters are being farmed out. She has seen a lot of changes in the past few weeks, but she stopped hiding after one day.

FlyLady's zone is bathroom and one extra room (which for me can be DD's room or the sewing room). In DD's room, I need to affix her new cabinet to the wall. There is some general clean up, but not too bad. The guest room is hardly used, but houses a cat station, so I will make sure kitty litter is swept up. I put the one with the prescription diet in there at dinner time so no one takes her food. Sewing room had a massive cleanup recently and is still in good shape. I should probably continue kitchen work and there are lots of LOLs to contend with.

Here is what I need to get done ASAP:
Thank you note
Call financial person
Pictures of baby dress and Anna dress
Email lawyer re delay
Recheck library book/actually read library book
Child support paperwork
Wrap DD's gifts
Calendar synch
Email animal org board

[Nancy]

Dump trash x
Finish knitting mitten thumbs x
ToddelrN is here now.
Gather eggs fed check on chicks. x

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

I'm busy today but there's so much to do I don't feel like I'm making progress.

Did get the humidifier and the radiator water containers all cleaned. That took several hours, although some of that time was just soaking time.

Had to prepare something for CM who has been asked for receipts from the church for her 2013 tax return filing. Got that printed up, signed, scanned and sent.

Plants are watered for the week and the clocks wound. Still need to refill the vitamin dispenser.

Guest suite is tidied and cleaned (just spiffed) and the keys are returned.

Last load of laundry is waiting to be folded and stored away and then the guest cleanup will be done. Dishwasher from breakfast has been unloaded.

Dinner tonight is planned.

I have my class and will walk there so will get my exercise in that way. I'm already up to 7K steps so that will put me well over 12K - a good start for the week.

I still have lots and lots of paperwork.

[helia]

Hello! I'm popping in during a transition time. I'm just home from meeting with my supervisor and getting my new class assignment. I need to leave again in about 12 minutes, Hebrew class. My class schedule is the same as last session, which is very convenient. That means that I can continue going to Hebrew class, keep tutoring A at the same time, and keep my meeting time with my mentee every other Wed. afternoon. It does mean that the transition time from moms group to payroll will continue to be tight on Thursdays.

I've accomplished many of my goals for today, but not all. The list doesn't look too long, but these things all took 1.5 - 2.5 hours each. .
Big Goals accomplished:
- picked up the dogs from friend's home in neighboring village (1.5 hours)
- went in to work to meet with my supervisor (1.5 hours)
- finished Hebrew translation for class today (2.5 hours)

Still to do:
- Hebrew class at 5 (about 1:20 with travel time)
- finish am routine - make bed
- wash out ski masks
- collate moms group steering comm. responses and figure out a time for our next meeting
- dinner: leftover lasagna casserole, salad, rolls
- perhaps go to the gym tonight? Otherwise, I'll work out plans for my class tomorrow and then relax tonight.

Dd16 is tutoring in the big city with our church's youth group tonight, so it will just be dh and me for dinner.

OK, I'm off!

[Harriet]

The laundry of darks was drip-drying before I would leave.
Also 2 bills and one letter ready for PO.
Thought I'd wait until HRH was back from meeting, but it was getting late so we took off. PO, grocery run were successful. Thought of a relative along our way and called, but they didn't need us to pick up anything.

On way home, just because a few people at grocery had been so pessimistic, we picked up sandwiches at fast food. Normally I wouldn't have done that, but you do get a "what if" attitude.

We saw powdery snow for about 10 minutes, starting on the way home. That was probably it for snow.

Here at home, HRH wasn't back yet and I got a little worried. Called dstepson, who is very wise. He said he would allow me to worry at 5:00. Until 5:00 I was not allowed to worry. (smile)

Sure enough HRH was back about 10 minutes later, certain he had said to me that he might check on his step-mother after work. (No, he never said that at all.)

My African violet has made a seed pod! In all my years with A. violets before, I never saw a seed pod form. I looked it up on the net and it is a little rare, not terribly rare. I know my dfirstmil always propagated from leaves. I found this site with an explanation of what to do to grow them. But I don't know that I want to get into it. Even if you can handle the little dust-like seeds correctly, it takes a minimum of 3 weeks for germination, and then very slow growth in 3-oz containers like bathroom-size plastic Dixie cups. (After 19 weeks, the little plant leaves will finally touch the edges of 3-oz pots.) Also this is a simple violet, purple single-blooms, so no one would get very excited about its babies. Even the instructions in the link assume you would have a special violet you want to propagate, to go to all the trouble. I'll think about it.

[Harriet]

Wow. Slip-sliding away, lol. I let it sleet a little too long with the hens watching the show - should have shooed them in when I said so. Getting out to them and closing their door was a study.

I started out at the kitchen steps/walkway and was turned back by common sense. Realized I'd better let someone know I was trying this in case I did a pratfall, and dd and I eventually got me down the front steps to grass corner, around the house the long way to the hens and back again. The grass was easy. Tomorrow there will be places around the henhouse that will be troublesome, even in grass.

Earlier this afternoon I had checked hens' water and given them extra feed, gathered eggs. If necessary, they can spend a day in their house without us.

School tomorrow here would be ridiculous.

[lucylee]

Brrrr... this is not fun at all. I think tomorrow will be fine for us, though, and then just colder and colder and colder until the weekend.
Can't really complain here, b/c although temp was hovering at freezing, we just had light rain on our errands, and dmom said she could do without her rx until at least tomorrow. So now I am back home, in for the night, had some nice hot chilli for supper, and all is quite cozy here -- EXCEPT for the knowledge that ds & family are out there driving in all this mess.
I'll need to go by the bank for dmom tomorrow, also.

Tomorrow's high is predicted to be 34, but only a 10% chance of rain/whatever... so maybe by early afternoon, all will be well for more work at dmil's house. I have my aunt lined up to come over, and one of the caregivers, and had already spoken to dh's cousin and the other caregiver -- so maybe we will get things distributed a little better tomorrow and start making some progress. My dmom still doesn't feel like getting out, so I told her I would send pictures via text message.
DH is just really, really anxious to get this done! He wants all the clothing out of the house and carried to local charity group on Thursday, antique lady contacted and told that if she cannot get out there by the end of next week, everything goes to auction -- and then he wants everything packed up and taken on its way to the auction ASAP.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

It is still cold here. I'm getting tired of it. The temperature has been pretty static for the past few days. Really static on our weather station and I expected heavy wind when I went out today but it turned out to feel less cold that I expected. When I got home I had dh check and sure enough, the weather station lost connection with the outside gauge.

It took all my will power to go to class. I'm so tired of putting on an extra sweater, mid-layer coat, overcoat, boots, head/neck wrap, hat, glove liners, gloves, and mitts and then taking my walking sticks just to walk anywhere. No wonder I haven't been outside doing things since Friday.

The walk wasn't too bad (less wind than I anticipated) but my eye lashes still froze on the way home.

First class was interesting. Second class was bearable (I had a cup of tea and 3 cookies at break to give me a caffeine and sugar rush.) The other students had questions that weren't really answered so we discussed it between ourselves after class.

My friend wasn't there so I could stay later and walked home without going through the field (the path was quite snow covered on the way there so I was glad to stick to the sidewalks. They are easier to negotiate without my glasses on and I can't have my glasses on because they fog up with my mouth covered.

Helia The biggest issue with jogging in the cold is footing. On skis you are expecting to slide and you have poles for balance. Running you won't have the poles if you hit black ice. At this point, I'm seldom going out without my poles since there's so much ice hidden under blown snow.

I reconciled 3 credit card accounts before I left for class. Still have to pull the chits for one month but that's it and I can cross that off my to-do list.

[Sunny]

Hi everyone! Our weather was fair today, temp near 70*, rain forecast for tomorrow. I feel sorry for all you who are dealing with freezing rain, ice and snow and cold temps.

Lucy, Ikwym about your ds and ddil traveling today. Ddil#3, dgd17, color guard and marching band (in two buses) were on their way home from FL overnight/today. I texted with ddil and she said it was all rain until they crossed into VA, then all snow. They were due home (at the school) around 3 pm, finally got home safe at 7pm. Took them 4 hours to go the last 30 miles to their hometown! Good wishes for your ds and his dfamily!

Thinking also about Twins', Harriet, Dove, Lucy, etc. be safe and warm!! Kathryn, I'm sorry you had to be out in your cold weather! And I know there must be others.....

Dh and I kept busy today; Cleaned out one bedroom closet, reorganized the things that went back inside. There are some things that ds#3 will be taking home when he visits in April.....(he doesn't know it yet ) I also cleaned the shelves and washed all the cups, etc. in the cabinet by our back door; the Holiday mugs are now back in there and the everyday mugs are in kitchen again. I also made room for my vitamins on one of the shelves. Cleaned the kitchen counters and wiped appliances clean.

Now we shall see what tomorrow brings! Sleep well everyone!