A fabulous evening outdoors

It’s been raining a lot in my area lately, but today it quit raining long enough for the sun to come out and dry things up a little bit. As luck would have it, I have a friend who needed to thin out her strawberry patch, and she invited me to come out and take some of her extras. As Older Son had to work today, it was just me and Younger road tripping out to the country to pick up the strawberries. It was a lovely drive in the country and I had a nice visit with my friend. But, the fun didn’t stop there.

After supper, Younger Son and I went to the back yard to work some manure into the garden, plan seeds and put the strawberries in. The place the strawberries went was an over grown bed that we never really do much with, so now it’s been all cleaned out and the strawberries have been planted:

Apparently onions thrive when planted with strawberries, and my friend was kind enough to send along some “volunteers” that came up from last year, so we have onions and strawberries. I can’t wait to be able to go out in the back yard and pick fresh berries!

Another extra that she sent with me was an oregano plant. I’m looking forward to using that, and the basil we’ll be planting in fresh spaghetti sauce!

To the left of my new strawberry patch is the rest of the garden that needs cleaning out. We’ll have basil, dill and other herbs to plant there.

While I was busy cleaning out this bed and planting the strawberries, Younger Son was busy with the vegetable garden. Not only did he spread some manure and work it into the soil, but then he planted the corn, peas, carrots and zucini. Last year we didn’t get the garden put in until June was half gone, but we got a nice start on it this year. I want to pick up some peppers and grape tomatoes to plant too. I also bought some blueberry bushes, but they are waiting by the garden in buckets yet, until I can move the rhubarb.   This is going to be a fabulous garden year!

Even better than getting out and getting my hands in the soil was just spending a lovely evening outside. The bugs were minimal, the air was clean and fresh, and the sun did a fabulous job taking its time setting…it was still light out at 9:30 when we finally went inside. I feel so relaxed and content now, even though I gardened when I should have been cleaning house. My house is a wreck, but I feel fabulous!

I’ll post more as progress is made through the summer. I can hardly wait for harvest!

Where is Barbara Eden when you need her?

Holy cow…life has taken be for quite a ride these last two weeks. The end of the school year, combined with everything else that’s going on has left me with my head spinning and my house is a complete disaster. Here it is, Friday already this week, and I have company coming this weekend. Uff da.

I woke up today thinking how lovely it would be if I could have mad skills like Barbara Eden’s Jeannie. I would love it if I could clean my whole house with just a sharp bob of my head.  In my youth, when I spouted off about how I wished something could be different, my Dad would ask me if I had a pile of wish in one and a cow patty in another, what do you get when you rub your hands together? Better to get your hands dirty with work than to rub them together wishing things were different. Well, I’m unhappy to report that Dad was right. Wishing doesn’t quite fix the problem, so I guess I’ll stay up a little later tonight and get everything in order.

In other news, we’ve had a few gloriously sunshiny days. We deserved this nice weather, and I even got a little bit of a sunburn at the garage sale last weekend. Today we have 100% chance of rain, but I’m hoping that things will dry out enough this coming week that we’ll be able to put the garden in.

In North Dakota, we have a LOT of different Seasons, all of which overlap each other. For example, right now it is Spring, but it is also the beginning of Road Construction and Home Improvement Seasons. We have a lot of pot holes in the streets after a long hard Winter…axle-busting pot holes…and it could very well take most of the Spring and Summer for them all to get repaired. Home Improvement Season will be long too. There’s just no end to the work of art in progress that is my home. Thank goodness for my Dad, who has a handle on all things that have to do with home improvement.

Last year I had the roof replaced, the bathroom gutted and redone, and all of my windows were changed out. This will be the Summer of Small Projects. Lots of paint, lots of organizing and much getting rid of stuff that I don’t need anymore. I’m looking at doing some different things with my garden this year too, but more on that later.

Today it will rain and wash away the dust and dirt that covers everything, and make the air smell good. I have lunch with my Sister by Choice today, and work should be light….at least at the Cube Farm. It’s going to be a good day.

The simplest things are the best

Hmmm…coffee. I stopped at Starbucks and grabbed myself a coffee and a sausage english muffin after dropping the kids off at school today. The muffin was great, the coffee went down smooth, and my get up and go has increased significantly. Nice way to start off another day.

While typing, I’m also doing laundry and washing dishes. If I suspend reality in my head, I can say I almost feel like I could be a little like Molly Weasley, only my wand doesn’t work quite so well as hers does. I would love to be able to set my house to cleaning itself while I get on to other more interesting matters. Thank goodness for machines that wash the clothes and the dishes for us!

So, being as I have another day off, I have several projects that I could do, but I’ll probably just end up deep cleaning my bedroom, as well as the living room. The kitchen floor could use a good mopping too. If I’m really good with my time, I’ll be able to squeak in making some relish from the peppers I harvested from the garden before I pick up Older Son from school at 3pm. Younger has a football game two hours away, so I’ll probably just take Older out for supper tonight.

Sitting here in the quiet, hearing nothing but the dishwasher and the traffic out front, I feel calm and comfortable. Not only that, but I’m feeling particularly blessed, for the following reasons:

~I’m feeling most especially blessed that I don’t hear the water heater banging any more, and that we had more hot water than we knew what to do with this morning. I’m so grateful I no longer have the worry about that thing malfunctioning and flooding my basement.

~Pretty soon the new windows will be put in, and my house will be nice and warm this winter.

~I got good reports from all of Younger Son’s teachers yesterday, with the exception of one, in whose class he’s getting a C. I don’t take this teacher’s report too seriously as she has been reported to be a menace by Older Son, and other children and parents who’ve dealt with her. If a C in this class is the worst that it gets, life is good.

~The weather has been cold and drippy, but it’s supposed to be back in the 70′s this weekend, so I can get some final landscaping done and get my garden put to bed for the winter.

~I have this day of peace and quiet to enjoy, no matter what I choose to do. Isn’t it amazing how the simplest things are the best?

Did you ever wonder what goes on in your fridge?

I’m cleaning my fridge, and  have to wonder what the heck happens in a fridge. Fridge Things are supposed to sit still and wait patiently for you to return and give them purpose. Fridge Things are not supposed to cavort with wild abandon. They are not supposed to jump off of shelves or act like they’ve been drinking and fall down. They are supposed to sit upright, quietly.

Courtesy of Delaware Online

I’m pretty sure that there’s been some kind of party going on in my fridge. As I’ve been really busy and have neglected the inside of my fridge, the Fridge Things, I believe, took entertainment matters in their own hands. I do also suspect they had help from Older and Younger as well. I’ll have to give the young’uns a chat about having too much fun with the Fridge Things.

I’m taking a quick break as I am expecting a big fight with a particularly nasty Fridge Thing, which protested mightily when notified that it had worn out its welcome. I’m now rested up, I’ve got my bleach, my scrubby and my armor. I probably should have made sure I had a rabies shot too.

If nobody hears from me by tomorrow, call for help!

So much going on…aaaahhhh!

Aaaaahhhh!!!

Yes, it’s been one of those weeks where everything is happening, but nothing of any importance is getting done. Between family being in town, being in the middle of changing jobs, still cleaning up after the bathroom remodel and now trying to get the house ready for company, I’m just about cooked!

The boys are out at the State Fair for the 2nd night in a row, I’m finally getting down to brass tacks and getting some cleaning done. It’s so much easier when there’s nobody here but me. As I was rearranging some furniture in the living room, out popped the printer I bought two months ago and just never did get installed. I keep telling Older Son that I’d get to it, but just couldn’t make the time. So, tonight, I made a command decision to just stop procrastinating and just do it. So, now it’s finally hooked up and ready to go. He’ll be pleasantly surprised when he gets home tonight.

I mentioned that I’m having company this weekend. An old friend of mine is coming to stay with me Friday and Saturday nights, and we’re going to the Sugarland concert Saturday night. It will be the last night of the State Fair, and it will be a good weekend. I’m kicking it off with a pizza party, and perhaps some margaritas…hmm…margaritas!! It’s been a long time since I’ve had a good homemade margarita….hmmm!

What a beautiful day in the park…

Rental for a picnic shelter at the park for a day: $30

Chips, dips and beverages: $20

Availability of sunshine and nice breezes: Spot on!

Cost of good times with old friends, and new, on a lovely Sunday afternoon: PRICELESS!

Today, I met my friends at Oak Park, and some great new people joined in. It was a fabulous afternoon with lots of sunshine, bubble blowing, foot ball throwing, joke telling, and food eating. It’s been so long since I’ve had a nice day like that, I’d forgotten what it’s like to just get away for a while and forget about everything else. I feel so relaxed right now, I could just noodle out and go to sleep. In fact, I was so relaxed, I left completely forgetting to take my stuff with me! (thanks for grabbing my stuff for me Brea!)

Ah, but it’s back to reality time. I managed to get a little housework done before I left today, so now it’s time to get some more laundry rolling and get the rest of the housework done. Before I know it, Monday will have dawned and it’s back to the grind again. Oh, but it was a lovely time while it lasted!

My kids are my parents’ best revenge

I had to get after Younger Son today, and now I feel like crap. I have told him time and time again how to do this particular chore, and he refuses to do it unless pushed

Facsimile of me pulling my hair out, curtesy of Google Images

and prodded, let alone do it right. Once he finally got going on said chore, I heard slamming of things, stomping around and nasty muttering. I’d had it…that was just the last straw, and I let him have it. I told him in no uncertain terms that this behavior was unacceptable and if he didn’t turn his ship around and sail straight, there would be consequences. He finally gave in, just did his job and got it done. Had he just done it to begin with, he’d have been finished a lot sooner.

Parenting is messy. It’s hard and mostly thankless, not that I think I need any thanks…I chose this. It was my decision to bring children into the world and part of that is following through to make sure they have the skills and knowledge they need to be successful once they get on their own. Teenagers being teenagers, aren’t going to blindly follow directions. They have their own thoughts about how things ought to work, and tend to be very black and white in their views. Things are either wrong or they aren’t…not much gray area. I remember being that way, and I am sure that my Mother has most likey just now fallen down in a giggling heap on the floor. I’ve no doubt that she has a detector that picks up on when my kids aren’t at their best, which triggers a manic laughter reaction. She did tell me once that my kids would be her best revenge on me. Now I find myself telling my kids the very same thing. While I can certainly wait to become a grandparent, I’m sure going to enjoy their kids exacting my revenge on my children for me (Muhuwhahahaha!).

What really chaps my cookies is that I had to be the heavy even when their father lived here. He rarely ever disciplined them, unless it was an extreme circumstance. Otherwise he was just the “good time” parent, and he had a tendency to do their chores for them, rather than make them do it themselves. Less confrontation and responsibility that way, you know.

The good news is that I have really good kids. They don’t get into trouble, they get good grades, and generally do what they are told. As things go, I could have it a lot harder.

Now the storm has cleared off and everything is back to normal. Hopefully things will stay that way for a while. I might take on the responsibility of having to be the heavy, but I sure hate doing it.

My to-do list is so daunting, I need a Vincent Price voice over

After getting home at 1am last night, and didn’t fall asleep until about 3:30, I was surprised that I was up and at ‘em by 8am today.  It’s ok, though. It’s going to be a big day, and I needed to get up and cracking if I’m going to even get half of it accomplished. Today Older Son is going to Nana’s to help her finish taking stuff downstairs that’s left over from last night’s organization orgy, so it will just be me and Younger Son getting stuff done today at home.

As discussed in a previous post, the carpenter who is supposed to be doing the remodel on my bathroom delayed until tomorrow. I haven’t heard from him yet that he isn’t coming tomorrow, so I will assume that his sister’s surgery went well and that all is a go for Wednesday. Uh…hmm. Hope I didn’t just jinx it by saying that out loud.

Nobody does menacing like Vincent Price!

Anyway, as I am operating under the assumption that the bathroom project is getting under way tomorrow (please, oh please, oh please!), there are certain things that I need to get accomplished before that can happen. So, in the spirit of getting the ball rolling, here is today’s very special edition of (cue Vincent Price echo, crashing thunder and lightning)…  The To-Do List.

• Scrub out fridge (there’s been a code-four pickle juice spill…Yummy)
• Do final general pick up and cleaning of upstairs
• Get Younger to mow and edge the lawn
• Do more laundry until my washer and dryer beg for mercy
• Shopping trip to Menards/Wally World to buy a new pedestal sink, bathroom fan, plastic big enough to cover the bedroom/living rooms doors and the kitchen (to keep demolition dust off), expanding spray foam for the crack in the basement wall, and new weed eater.
• Call the plumber and make an appointment to get my external hose fixed.
• Call sand and gravel company to put an order in for landscaping rock.
• Bake Banana Bread…I’ve got some bananas that need to be used up.

If I get all of that done today, it will have been a hugely successful day. I can do it, but I guess I’m going to need to quit flappin’ my gums on the internet and get the show on the road!

To-do list successfully avoided!

So, it’s already Sunday evening and I put nary a dent in the ominous to-do list from Hell. Oh well. To-do lists are a bit like laundry and dishes in that they don’t run away, they just patiently wait for your return.

I did manage to make it to my Parent’s house today to help mom clean out one of her bedrooms. My mom’s been stowing things away in this bedroom for quite a while and now needs the space, so we did some organizing. Not everything got cleared away, but we put a good-sized dent in it.  Ah…there’s where my dents went!

I also took myself and Younger Son to get hair cuts. He hadn’t had a haircut in months and couldn’t take it any more. I have long hair and only ever get it cut once a year, and today was it. We had a nice lunch, and then I  bought the boys’ new prepaid phones (as their old ones had died).

Tomorrow, I’m hoping will be a more productive day, but at least it wasn’t a complete loss!

Saturday morning and already so much to do

Well, sleeping in was a big success today. Younger Son was up at 8:30 which was early for him, but he just got done spending time at an Air Force ROTC camp where they had to get up at the butt crack of dawn, so that’s not too surprising.

I have a multitude of things to accomplish today, especially since the whole week flew by and not much got done. No outside chores today as the weather is wet and cold. So, here is this weekend’s to-do list:

*Laundry

*Grocery shopping

*Standard weekend cleaning for main living areas of the house

*Organize desk and set up new printer.

*Pull everything out of the hall closed and paint it. Prioritize items and get rid of what we don’t need.

*Pull what’s left in the entry closet and paint it. Also needs a new coat hanger bar installed

*Need to make a trip to Menards to get a coat hanger bar. Also need to shop for a small pedestal sink for the new bathroom.

*Organize laundry/utility area

*Pack up old clothes to take to charity

*Open all boxes in basement. Throw what needs to go and organize the rest for garage sale or give away.

*Go to Mom’s and help her organize her stuff and clear out a couple of bedrooms. She asked for the help, which was a surprise, and help she will get.

*Fix shed door that now decides it doesn’t want to shut.

*Bring lawn mower and boys bikes back from Mom and Dad’s.

Uff-da. The sad thing is that there is way more! I guess I will have to amend this to being this week’s to-do list! But, it’s only 10:50am. No work begins until Noon today. It’s Saturday, darn it!