SANDY PREP SUNDAY

[Ivy]

Good Sandy Prep Sunday to you all- especially those in the path of what they call "Frankenstorm" Sandy now. I hope everyone stays safe and gets all their preparations done in time, too.

Dee, Is there a way you could change your reservations from Tues. in PA to another day? Just curious. I don't know how firm you need to be with your plans. Just want you safe.

Nancy, I learned what a fight in the coup or chicken yard was today! Wow! I'm sorry 3 roos are leaving. It sounds like they had a horrible fight.

Harriet, I have had IBS since age 19 and I'm 60 1/2 now, so take Optifiber and a pro-biotic. I have fibromyalgia and it causes IBS, too. So last night, when Kathryn said she had distress and bloating from pro-biotics, I was surprised they did that on some people. So I have no way of knowing if it's something I ate, the FM or pro-biotic. Oh, well.

Oh, I didn't know there was an earthquake off W. Coast of Canada. I hope it wasn't a damaging one.

Waving to Bittersweet, Cowinkie, Scattered, Helia, Harmony, CathyS, BookSaver, lucylee, and Emptynester. And those I've forgotten.

I apologize for not writing a more decent post, but DH's b-day yesterday was a big day, I went to bed at midnight and tossed and turned until 2 a.m. I finally slept until 9:40 a.m. So I'm "off" and late, and I hope to get straightened around today and maybe do laundry. My day's topsy-turvy from getting up so late.

Have a GR8 day and stay safe, you, who are in the path of Sandy.

[Elizabeth]

Good afternoon everyone! My house looks like Sandy visited me already. The amount of party debris is amazing. There is also some sleepover debris from DD10 and her friend, though not too much. One of the cats decided to eat some of the decorations and has been sick in various places. Unexpected load of laundry is running as a result! After this post, I am going to FlyLady's crisis cleaning page. It is not just cleaning that needs to be done, but undecorating as well. I missed church because DD said she was too tired to go, then she decided she wanted to watch a video! I told her if you are too sleepy to go to church you need to sleep, not watch. Needless to say, I am not in her good graces. She has gone back to her dad. Her dad was nice enough to turn on my heater in time for the party. He did show up to see an out of town guest who was there.

I need to do my cruise pictures, but I think I will have to put them off or add them as a chore. Back in a bit with progress reports.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

I had a meltdown. This is even more upsetting because it means I can't count on my body to go any extra distance. Dh feels really bad because he caused it - we were leaving the church 10 minutes past my scheduled time to get home and there were dishes to be done so he said he'd delay our departure and wash them up. The 20 minutes pushed me over the edge and I melted down when I walked in the house.

I'm in bed now and have stopped crying but feel like the slightest thing will push me back to tears.

I thought I had enough extra time built into my schedule today - I was only out of bed for 6 hours but I've been awake for 8 and didn't get a full 7.5 hours sleep last night. I figure it is the extra work my brain has to do when I'm out in a group that overtired me 'early' (I usually can be up 7 - 8 hours before getting physically exhausted and even then I have another 30 minutes or more before mentally I melt down.)

Dh has frozen the remaining hamburg chowder for me. And the pineapple squares were a hit at church - I've been told they are to be my 'thing to bring' for the next while. I'm pretty sure I should have drained the juice (the recipe didn't say) because they were a bit juicy and more pineapply than the ones we tasted last week. The lemon squares I made last night were a complete failure. Something was 'off' either the lemon juice or the eggs and they had a weird after taste so I tossed the whole batch and have pulled all the lemon juice from my cupboard and fridge. I'll use it for cleaning but not for cooking. That's $6 worth that will be poured down the drain, so to speak.

This is an example of not stocking up when things are on sale. Half the bottles I bought were a brand without an expiry date. Two summers ago I was making lemonade all the time but this past summer I was traveling and then sick so didn't make very much at all. So all the lemon juice I had bought in August 2011 to stock up for winter and summer 2012 went bad. I tossed a ton of food a year ago because I was unsure of how old it was and my new policy is to only have a few cans on hand and not buy anything for the pantry closet until I've taken the last container out of the pantry closet and moved it to the kitchen.

I've looked at the hurricane tracking site and what it says doesn't jive with what I hear on the news. For us, flights are projected to have delays for Monday and yet the storm isn't due to hit us until Thursday. It doesn't look like it will even make land until Tuesday (in DC and not NY but our news is only talking about NYC's preparations so I thought I was hitting there.)

Anyway, looks like Dee can't avoid driving into the storm if she's going to keep that booking on Wednesday night. I'd call the theater and see if they are making alternate plans because of the storm.

[Ivy]

Kathryn, I'm sorry you had a meltdown. I hope you get your rest.

Dee, I hope you will be safe traveling in the storm, if you still go. Prayers going with you.

Elizabeth, FlyLady's Crisis Cleaning page is great!

Nancy, Sorry you missed church.

I'm achy from the trip 1 1/4 hours up, sitting in the cafe for 1 1/2 hours, and the 1 1/4 hour ride back home. I'll baby-step my day. My brain doesn't feel like it's functioning and I'm overly tired. Not a good sleep, slept too late, and the day is still caddywampus.

PODA:
1- Put out hot spots
2- Do a load or 2 of laundry
3- Finish a letter I started, which is the last.
4- Write DH a grocery list.
5- Crochet on a C'mas gift afghan

I'll do what I can, when I can, and not obsess if it's not done. I need to be good to myself and not beat myself up because I'm not the White Tornado cleaning Mr. Clean guy everyday. I need a day to veg out and relax, too.

Have a good afternoon!

[CathyS]

Sending Kathryn, the maker of delicious lemonade, a big hug.


I have all the laundry done for this weekend.

Before we go away, I need to do the bed sheets because I love coming home to a freshly made bed.

I told Mike the cases will be locked before I go to bed tonight. I've washed all the new slips, camisoles, socks and underwear and they need to go into the cases somewhere without adding weight.

[Elizabeth]

First set of crisis cleaning is done. For my first break, I called an old college friend. We may be able to get together over Christmas if she travels to Alabama too. Yeah! For my second break, I am going to watch a mindless episode and crochet. I am still not done of course, but I am on track. I think I will snack as well, I am sort of hungry. I wish someone would call wanting to go out to eat tonight, but it is not likely and it is not really in the budget. I need to do some household chores today too, like balance the checkbook and pay bills. Off I go!

[lucylee]

Well... ddil must have taken me at my word... no phone calls from her (or anyone else) today.
Read the papers, napped, washed dishes...
Now it is time to s2s AND color my hair.
Tonight, after visiting dmil, dh & I are going to Wmart, b/c tomorrow I have school open house from 4:30-6:00. I bet there won't be half a dozen people to show up, but of course that makes no difference. I'll have to be there regardless, and with the World Series going on, dh doesn't want to wait till afterwards to go to Wmart.

I probably need to take clothes to ironing lady tomorrow, too -- which means I have some laundry to do tonight.

Also need to get another set of papers graded tonight. I'm trying really hard to do one set per night. These are longer reports -- autobiographies -- approx. 2 pages each -- and they take a little while longer to grade than just the short answer things.

FINALLY got all the book reports graded!!! That was horrible, b/c I had to plow through all the copied-from-the-Internet mess they tried to pull on me... * sheesh * There may still be some that got past me, but I found quite a few. Maybe enough to make them think next time.
In the midst of all that, I lost track of which ones were turned in early. * another sheesh * I give them 10 bonus points if they turn in major assignments a week early... but I forgot to mark them as they came in... and now I'm in a mess with that. My solution is going to be to put them on the honor system. Tomorrow, I'll just go through the papers and ask them if they were early or not. Since they did oral reports, if they lie, MAYBE someone in the class will "out" them, LOL. Then when I get through, I'm going to give the rest of them 5 points just for being honest. * sigh *

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Getting moving after my 'nap' (I slept about an hour but rested for almost 3 more and am just now feeling like I can get out of bed.

Dh is starting dinner so I'm going to go downstairs and see how I can recover from the 4 hour hole in the middle of the day.

[lucylee]

Waiting on hair color now...
ONE MORE BOX of the "right" color... and then the hunt is on for the next "right" color.

[Twins' Mom]

Lucylee, a reasonable plan. I do feel for your team and your fellow fans! Same miserable year here, punctuated by snatching defeat from the jaws of victory...

We have been to ATL today to IKEA to look at their couches and assorted other stuff. I've had a headache since I got up this morning, so took ibuprofen when we got home and slept until nearly 5 p.m. I got soup going before I sat down to CUOP tho.

Getting "boo-ed" is having your doorbell rung by neighbors, who have left behind a some treats and a note that you've been booed. They're long gone, of course, and you're supposed to pass it on. There's a sign that you put on your door once you've been booed, and you then boo someone who hasn't been booed yet.

I am going to read the newspaper. I need to do a ton of clean up here but it will wait.

Well, rats, this was about 45 minutes ago. I forgot to post. Haven't finished newspaper, but ddogs have notified me that they need a walk.