Weekend things

Saturday...

Watching "The Breakfast Club" and updating ITunes on the laptop tonight. Once iTunes is done I can finally finish loading things onto the new iPad. One thing at a time to get what I want.

Sunday....

Did some power shopping today. Target left my billfold a lot lighter, fair exchange, I left with almost everything on my list and a few other treasures.

I've never worn spanxs before. Should have bought them the instant they first came out got sale. With those and a couple of beautiful new dresses I have the body of a goddess. Perfect with my hair regrowing quickly. I felt gorgeous wearing them, and will again soon.

Lots of things on the project list are getting done. Wrought iron dining chairs are now painted white and the seats are now covered in a charming blue toile. Kitchen and dining floors are now covered with dark blue carpet. I'm much safer in a carpeted kitchen where I won't slip if I have a spill while cooking and cleaning.

The kitchen is dark cherry woodwork. It has cheerful yellow walls, counters and backsplash. I have a big cupboard devoted to appliances so the counters are very useful. Antique and crystal containers keep them lovely.

We have a photo of us on the counter by the stove. It was taken at the third oldest MacDonald's, and the oldest one still operating. We were in LA and took a wrong turn. What a neat place to find, it was such a happy surprise.

Enough for now....

Things and Upcoming Plans

Finally, my new stove was hooked up tonight. I immediately brewed some tea, grateful to be able to turn the burners on and off without reaching across hot pans and burners. No more steam burns for me!

I'm drinking spearmint tea this evening, relaxing in the living room. So nice to just enjoy myself, listening to the football game. 

Today I finished cleaning and organizing the front room closet. Now it just contains linens, Christmas items, and a ton of family pictures. Oh, and the last box of Mom's paperwork. Sure feels great to have that chore done. 

Also, I tackled the entry closet. We keep our luggage in there, and it was chaotic. Now it's all nice and neat with all of the smaller bags stored in larger ones. Things like the white noise machine, travel iron and small blow dryers have their own places as well.

Purses and swimwear have been gone through. Any that won't be used until next summer have been packed away.

It feels so good to get things done. The only fall housecleaning things left to do are window washing. That is such a wonderful thing. Knowing all I have to do is basic cleaning until thanksgiving.

Friday...

Cooking is once again a wonderful thing. I love, love, love my new stove! Angel food cake turned out perfectly. Cornbread and a pot of ham and beans was so easy. Today I will tackle making loaves of bread.

Went through more cupboards and drawers yesterday. Got rid of seven garbage bags full of things. Scrap booking materials are set up on a table in a quiet corner so I don't have to keep moving them for mealtimes.

Yesterday I got out for a ride. Spent some time under an awning at my favorite brick and mortar bookstore that closed without warning while the rain poured down. Made it home safely between storms and was comfortable indoors before the thunder and lightening really hit hard. Still, I had a nice time. Went to Michael's craft store as well as a trip to Walgreen's. Was hoping to get to Target as well, but the weather said not this time. It is supposed to rain again today, so my plans are to tackle more cupboards and listen to thunder rumbling.

I'm getting things together for an upcoming trip. Figuring out whether I want to mix and match outfits in one or two colors families, or wear vintage linen dresses, or a combination of the two. Trying to keep it down to one carry on bag as well as a laptop bag is not always easy. Although it sure is easier than standing around the luggage carousel at an airport.

This will be the first vacation that we've taken other than the weekend trip to Black Mesa in over two years. That place was pure heaven. The HootOwl Ranch had food and accommodations far beyond what is shown on their website. Pure bliss, but a longer stay would have been even better.

 Our last real vacation was to LA, where we spent days doing everything we ever thought about doing in that huge Mecca to sunshine and entertainment. Darling Husband was even filmed in an episode of Private Practice. That was a great trip. Disneyland was at the very top of my bucket list, so I got to go while I still had enough vision to make things out. We partied at a Hollywood mansion, and saw a show. Played on the Santa Monica Pier and in Malibu. Yes, I shopped on the Third Street Promenade. Hey, I'm a girl, we do those things.

Enough for now.....

Updating my status

Having a difficult time feeling like writing lately. Not that things are good or bad, just out of the mood.

Darling Husband's Ex, having moved into the guest apartment in April, is back. She had stayed there less than a week before moving in with her boyfriend, but left everything except for some clothing here. Now they have broken up and she returned to the apartment yesterday.

I feel bad for her, I really do. I like her a lot and enjoy her company. It's hard to see her hurting. Her last boyfriend before this one was killed in a car accident. I had really hoped that things would go well with the latest one. She deserves someone to love and adore her. 

The eyes have gotten worse this week, more fading of colors. I know what colors that most things are and it is frustrating that they no longer match at all with what my eyes tell me.

The stove is not here yet. Lowe's called to schedule it for Saturday afternoon. Had we known that their email delivery schedule is someone's joke, we probably would have picked it up ourselves. I'm ready to try it out.

Did I mention that my shrink moved to another town without any notice? Her partner kept the office a mile from here. Now I don't know if I want to travel to see her or switch to him. I like them both. They are easy to talk to, each has a different way to approach things. Time, I guess, to make some decisions.

The weekend is here. We are tackling yard work this week, fallen branches and weeds have tried to take over. I've gotten the patios cleaned up, and plan to water plants and wipe down the furniture this morning. Once that is done I think I will get out the etrike and go or a ride.

Saturday Morning....

The stove is here!!! I am so ready to try it out once it has been connected.

Sunday Night....

It is in the kitchen. It has not been connected. I keep looking at it. Perhaps tomorrow....

Yippee, I love new things!

I'm getting a new stove tomorrow. It's white with black grates, and plain knobs on the front, no buttons. The contrasting surface and ease of use will be world changing for me. No more burns from reaching over hot pans to turn knobs. It does not go with the other appliances, neither is it a high end appliance. That's more than alright with me. I just need something simple that I can cook on.

That wasn't my only treat today, although it is the largest of them. 

First was a six pack of DogNSuds rootbeer. When I grew up in a small town in Indiana, there was one drive in, the DogNSuds. Simple place, small menu, amazing memories of many hours spent there. One sip from the brown bottle brought my youth back, no pause, just mental pictures right then of friends, my '71 Challenger Convertible, music on cassettes. Wow.

The next treat was a vase of StarGazer Lillies, Pink Roses and Baby's Breath. The entire house smells like them. Pure heaven. I am truly spoiled by my Darling Husband. Hopefully, I will never take getting them for granted. It is so precious to me to see him come through the door with those fragrant flowers, smiling broadly as he hands them to me and kisses me.

Only Tuesday and so far it's a great week. The house is clean, laundry caught up. Mending is done, except for a dress which requires a new zipper. That is far beyond my capabilities, even with multiple magnifying glasses.

Just got my hair done and had several inches cut off. Now, it's up to shoulder length. Very pretty. 

My knee buckled a couple of times today when I bent it as I was sitting. Made me queasy when it happened, but thanks to Celebrex, I didn't hurt then or for hours afterward as it usually does.

Wednesday morning... I awoke at 5 a.m. The email said the stove would be delivered between 1 a.m. and 1 p.m. Today. I need to get in the tub and get my day started.

Enough for now.....

Labor Day

Still awaiting the trip to the grocery store. It's been put off for too long. There is just a cup or so of milk left in the fridge, we are out of trash bags, and the closest thing there is to snack on would be the nearly empty box of frosted flakes. Yep, time to restock the cupboards.

I received apology flowers for the first time in my life. They are truly lovely, and they smell heavenly. The bouquet is half again as large as the ones that Darling Husband brings me every other week, and the vase is exquisite. I can smell the flowers in every room of the house. Lovely. They worked, and I had already forgiven him when they arrived.

Finally got the ancient HP computer reformatted. XP and then the Vista reinstalled, followed by the belkin setup. There is no reason to load up all of my website favorites and photos since there are other things to go online with. I plan to use it to read to me and play music in the front room while crocheting with the giant floor stand magnifier. Reloaded the kindle app on it and now have to re-download 1441 books. Other than adding books I won't use it with the Internet.

Trying out new (to me) apps on the iPad this weekend. The Braille Institute has one called the Big Browser. The huge letters and search bar make it easy to find things. I am, however still hunting for a back button. The only thing I can figure is to reload the original page and go from there again. Still, it makes web pages easy to hunt for.

Another app is Read My Facebook. It reads the posts without all of the bs. No pics which means you cannot comment on how adorable a poster's latest what/whoever is. Maybe that's not a bad thing. YouTube videos are not in the feed, so it would take another browser to hear what friends are listening to instead of hitting a direct link.

Also, I'm playing with several magnifying apps this weekend. Reading the menu when we went out for breakfast this morning was made easier by several of them. I'm withholding judgement on which is best until the new iPad with a better rear camera arrives the day after tomorrow.

Ups lost my new bra on Friday. It was on the truck for delivery. They delivered my new faucet around 2:30. Around 6, it went up in the tracking that there were carrier issues, and delivery has been rescheduled for Tuesday. I have excellent service from ups, they are my go-to guys for shipping. I hope it gets here soon. I was planning to wear a dress this weekend that required the new (strapless) bra.

It is so nice to listen to football games again. I love to hear the games on TV. Even with a big screen I cannot make out what they are doing, so I pretend that I'm hearing games on the radio like I did as a child.

Enough for now....

Holiday Weekend

The front room is nearly completed. After a long period of chaos and redecorating over the redecorating, the end is in sight.

What is left to do is cleaning paint from a doorknob, putting away the supplies and straightening the closet. Such a relief to have a lovely, usable, enjoyable room again.

Today I plan to go to the grocery store. The list of about 25 items will take hours to find and purchase. We are out of or low on so many things, it is time to restock the freezer and cupboards. It really is a pleasure to be able to cook again with more confidence than I have had in a long time. The newest grocery list contains more ingredients than convenience foods. I'm looking forward to doing some real cooking.

Last night was steaks, mashed potatoes and baby peas. Actually, it was one steak, split between us. Trying to remove the first one from the broiler, I dropped it on the floor. As a result, the dog got a steak of her own. Oh well...

The house is clean, laundry finished and put away, the litter box is all that is left for the moment. Yesterday I found the last of the toys scattered around the house from our grandchildren visiting over the weekend.

They are growing up so fast. The oldest just started first grade and got glasses for the first time. The youngest turned three a month ago and is getting ready to start preschool with her hello kitty backpack. They have so much energy, and are a lot of fun to spend time with.

My oldest called the other day. He's getting ready to housesit for a friend out in California. He was astonished that it will pay more than he makes now after being at his job for more than twenty years. Family business, he is 32 and everyone there starts out pushing brooms and working their way up. He's taking a sabbatical to go out there and wants to do some exploring. I think he will enjoy himself. 

With the Labor Day Weekend here our plans are to relax and enjoy ourselves.