Belated Vacation summary

The vacation got busier around day 4 and I never did have time to post again while I was there - or I suppose I should say I never had time that I didn't prefer to use other ways.  LOL  Like sleeping !

As I recall I spent day 4 returning shoes, buying glass, and getting my hair cut.  I then picked up Dane and he and I spent several hours running errands.  We dropped off clothes to Salvation Army, drove by  my friend Julie's old house, and the old house my grandmother lived in as a child, on Lillian Hwy in Millview.   Such a neat house with a great view... it would ALMOST make me willing to live down there again if I could have such a house.  LOL    Which brings me to another point - it's HOT in Florida in July!   Dane and I also did a little shopping at Wal-Mart where he introduced me to the various computer games and helped me strike up a conversation with a VERY nice man.  (wink)    We spoke briefly on the joys of the old computer systems (Atari and Trash 80's) and games we grew up with - which Dane seemed to regard as from the dark ages.  Nothing like a teenager to make you feel your age. (grin)

Thursday, I drove to Mobile and spent the day with my friend Dawn.   It's so neat to see how her life has changed over the years.  I remember helping her move several times during med school - and now see the same books (Geez they were heavy!) on her bookshelves in her VERY nice home.   With two active girls, I'm not sure how much time she has to read them anymore, but they're still there!  4 year old Faith was with us, and not pleased to be spending the day doing grown up stuff.   Although she was well behaved for the most part, she tried not to talk to me, and I was not allowed to "look" at her.  It made for an amusing afternoon!   I guess I'm just not as much fun with the younger kids as I used to be.

Friday most of the wedding party got together (with their families) and we all went to the Naval Air Museum.   Boy has it changed from the hole in the wall I remember as a young girl.   So many aircraft - from early crafts to SkyLab!   Very very cool place.   That evening was the rehearsal, which went quite well.  

Saturday was a LONG day which started with decorating the hall and ended about 13 hrs later, shortly after the bride and groom drove off for their honeymoon.    The wedding went well, despite most of the party getting the giggles during the ceremony.   Leonard made faces at the bride (I found out later he was telling her to open her eyes or something) and then, just after I had composed myself again, I looked up in time to see the groom blowing in the bride's face during her vows!   I nearly lost it then.  I found out later that there had been a gnat flying around her face and he was trying to blow it away, but of course I couldn't see that.   LOL 

I spent Saturday night through Monday afternoon with Dane and Erin, along with Theresa - one of Cindy's other bridesmaids and also her long term friend.   Erin kept life interesting Sunday - she was so overtired and overstimulated from the reception that she had a hard time sleeping.  She also had a stomach ache.  Poor baby.  Neither one of us slept much that night, and we both took a nap that afternoon - though I suspect mine was longer.  LOL   Dane played computer games and Theresa and I paid our respects to the Moose at McGuire's that night.   We figured it was the least we could do - given how busy that meddling moose has been the last few years! 

My personal feeling is that God (or fate or whomever you credit with the master plan) kept throwing Noel and Cindy together for years and they were both too clueless to figure it out.  (LOL)  So he took things into his own hands and pulled a little Moose-capade on them!  

I did get to go by and give Leonard and Tammy their wedding present - and am so glad they liked it!    I really didn't know what Tammy's decorating style was, but I knew they both enjoyed being on the water, so I took a chance.    Soon they'll be able to hang them in their new home.   Wow, so many changes this year.

Well, that's about all on the vacation update - and it's gorgeous COOL weather outside, so I'm heading back out to mow my yard.    Hope everyone else is having a great day today too.

 

JULY 24TH, 2004

Happy Birthday to Me,  Happy Birthday to Me,  Happy Birthday to Meeeeeeeee, Happy Birthday to Me. 

Gotta say it's been a hell of a year;  quite a roller coaster ride!   As I've frequently been reminded - a birthday beats the alternative, but I sure wish they'd slow down just a little. 

It was a quiet day - I slept in, went to lunch with Carla and Bekah (YUM), then took myself shopping at Big Lots.  I mostly bought groceries and such, but did pick up a few little extras. ( A portable radio/cassette player/recorder and a 1000 piece puzzle.)  It's been quite a while since I've done a puzzle, but this one looked really cheerful, and I'm all for happy/cheerful today. 

I think I need to start saving up for a real vacation.   Something really interesting and different.   Maybe a tourist ranch or something like that, where I can get outside and wander without a schedule but have a nice plush bed and meals prepared for me.   Throw in a hot tub and it sounds absolutely wonderful.  :-)    This is definitely something to think about...

Anyway the birthday is officially over now - time to start the countdown for the next one.

 

Reporting in from Vacation-land

Wow!  Day 3 was busy busy busy, but I had a great time.   We got off to a slow start, but then, after a bit of shopping, I went to visit my brother Leonard, his new wife Tammy, all the assorted children, and Jenny the dog.  What a fun time!

 

I brought the kids a toy apiece that they could play with with the other children.  They set up Billy's first, the "Octopus".   It's a very cool gadget that goes on the end of the house and has eight 2ft long skinny foam arms that whip around spraying water everywhere.   A definite hit with both kids and dog.  Miranda and I played with her new circus book, and then we played a hand of Disney UNO (Kaitlynn's) and a round of Disney Memory (Mikayla's).

 

When I left their house, I went by Beall's and bought shoes for the wedding!  YEAH!!! One last chore off the list AND I like the shoes AND they were on sale!  LOL 

 

Then I had dinner and spent the evening with Noel, Cindy, Dane and Erin.  We also had a lot of fun.  Erin entertained us by figuring out how to walk in my new high heeled sandles.  (Slides)  Amazingly she eventually managed it!   Dane, Cindy and I played a round of Phase-10 and watched the new TV series "The 4400", which was VERY cool by the way.  ;-)

 

I got one picture of Erin in my sandles looking up at her big brother as he looked down at her - I sure hope it comes out!  I've already titled it in my head - "The long and the short of it".

 

Today (Day 4) I read for a little while then went out to visit with my grandmother and Uncle Pat for a few hours.  I tried to get my hair cut, but Aunt Libby's stylist isn't back until Wednesday, so I took her first appt.  I went by Hobby Lobby, Beall's, Fantastic Sam's and Subway before coming back to my folks house and crashing with a book around 1:30.  By 2:30 I was asleep and slept for nearly 2 hours.  I think I'm starting to get the hang of this whole vacation gig. LOL   I did call and try to track down my house/dogsitter to make sure that all is well.  I'm trying to go by the "no news is good news philosophy" but I do miss my boys.

 

Well, that's the entire scoop from vacation-land.  So far, so good!

Second day of vacation

Well folks, yesterday was my first day of vacation and I spent it mowing the yard, cleaning the last of the house, dropping stuff off at the Salvation Army, picking up my dress, picking up some new audiobooks for the trip, returning Tony's jigsaw (that I borrowed to put in the dog door), and paying the electric bill before I left town.

 

THEN I got in the car and drove to Florida!  My 5.5 to 6 hr drive was closer to 7 hrs and I was SO tired when I arrived.

 

Day # 2 started with breakfast, a shower and a great visit with my youngest brother and niece.  Two items of clothing and a new book later, she decided I was pretty cool.  LOL 

 

Then I fell asleep and napped all afternoon!  Yikes! Talk about a wasted day.   I'm going to Leonard's tomorrow afternoon after lunch for a visit with him and his new, blended family.   Hopefully I'll also get a chance to meet Dane tomorrow or Monday.  Going to be interesting having a nephew who's taller than I am! 

 

 

Weekend cleaning goals vs reality

The following is from a note I posted on www.OrganizedHome.com I posted the original note last Friday and then updated it tonight.

UPDATE:

MY GOALS:

Get all decluttered clothes donated this weekend to Salvation Army (after doing tally for tax return). -NOT DONE. But, I did get the paperwork to do the tally. Worth too much as deduction not to do.

Declutter all surfaces in dining and living room. HALF DONE. Dining room done.

Vacuum and shampoo sofa, loveseat, and armchairs. NOT DONE

Get last of bedroom clutter in proper place - or disposed of. NOT DONE

Got to concert/firework show Sat night DONE - but didn't stay. Didn't feel well.

Make SURE the dogs have figured out how to use the new dog door(installed by me with my very own hands! Hooray!) DONE

Mend bedspread so it can FINALLY go in the laundry!!! NOT DONE.

Return items to hardware store that weren't needed. DONE!!!

If time allows - get piece of replacement glass for picture frame and shoe shop for my brother's wedding. HALF DONE. Got the glass but not the shoes.

So, didn't do too hot on my original goals. :(

In my defense, I cleaned my TV room top to bottom - reorganized closet and TV center, and dealt with major dust that gave me an incredible sinus headache for nearly 24 hrs. Felt so bad I really didn't get much of anything done during that time.

I HAVE turned the corner on my house however. The kitchen has remained tidy for 2 wks now, the TV room is clean. The dining room is 95% there, the bathroom still needs to have everything scrubbed, but that'll go quick. The floor in there is clean, and I washed the shower curtain and liner and they will go back up in the am, so I can take my shower. The computer nook, while still not where I want it, is much better. To reclaim the dining room I had to deal with old computer, and declutter a sideboard, buffet, side table and full dining room table - so feeling REAL good about that! The kitchen had been clean except for the refrigerator and I decluttered the top and front of it, then realized the seals were growing science experiments, so cleaned that while I was at it. YUCK. The laundry is all caught up AND put away, except for the problem linen in search of a home.

End evaluation - Didn't do all that I wanted, but I'm very pleased with what I have gotten done.

Dog door! Hooray! It's not stylish but it's sure as heck functional :-D 

View 2 of kitchen 

View of my CLEAN kitchen - for two weeks now!!! 

The final push for cleanliness...

yes, this is it! The final effort! The last mile! The grand slam! Yikes, OMG, what have I committed myself to?! LOL

I want a CLEAN house to come home to when I get back from vacation - that means busting my butt this weekend to get every room in my house (except the kitchen which just needs a good sweeping) done. Most of what's left as far as neatening is the final clutter control effort. I've made huge strides on this the last few weeks, so it shouldn't be too difficult.

The big stuff is vacuuming and shampooing all the furniture. I blew it by not working on this a little at a time for the last few weeks - but it's also one of those projects I just like to do all at once and have it over with for a while.

On other fronts, Midas is totally cool with the dog door and trots his little butt in and out as he pleases. T came in it when I raised the flap a little bit, so I think he will eventually decide it's not TOO scary.

Well I'm off to clean the bathroom... send out search parties if I don't come back!

Just call me "Carole the Builder"

That's right folks - I installed a dog door with own two inept hands - and it looks pretty good, even if I do say so myself!

Midas went out it several times with food as an incentive. T went in and out the hole in the door with no problem but is a little freaked by the plastic flap. Hopefully he'll not get himself frightened by it. If he does he'll never use it. :(

On other fronts, the dress for my brother's wedding is in being altered, and I had my next to last Remicade treatment today. I had a reaction to it again :( , but told them as soon as I started to feeling it and they just turned it all off, and then hooked up some more fluids to dilute it down as it was going in - that seemed to do the trick and I was fine for the rest of the treatment and got in a very nice nap while I was there, too. They'll be so glad when I'm done - life is always a bit more exciting when I'm there for them! LOL

Gotta run - it's late and I have a very early morning tomorrow.