It’s been a long, useless week at work, Faithful Readers.

It’s been the kind of week that leaves you feeling completely worthless, because you are continually busy but nothing really worthwhile can be accomplished. Today, I gave up worrying about it and, as I told my friend at work, I just needed to change the way I was thinking and be grateful any little thing gets done. Something is better than nothing, no matter how small the task.

So, I plod along and pick up little chores between other things that land on my desk. Gratefully, tomorrow is Friday and I will have a nice long day to get serious amounts of things don’t at my house.

I’d like to say that I’ve eaten supper and now I’m sitting here contemplating my next move here at home. What is really happening is I scarfed down some bean chips (chili lime flavored… yum!) with some red pepper hummus, and now I am slurping a nice glass of white wine while studiously procrastinating. It’s all about the spin… lol

There is a serious butt-load of housework to do, plus all of the outdoor stuff that needs doing. Prime example is the last tote full of paper I found in the basement that needs dealing with. I also need to put away my stuff from the shawl I made. Laundry is hollering at me from the basement. I just need to pick something.

As for the outdoor chores, that can wait until Saturday morning. The lawn got mowed last night, and that will have to suffice for now.

Well, I blathered on now for a good ten minutes, just long enough to finish my nice glass of wine (Apothic White, for any of my wine lovers out there), and now it’s time to get up and do something.

Thank you for stopping by while I take a few minutes just to hang out with you guys. Here’s hoping you all find small pockets of meaningful work in days where everything gets thrown up in the air like confetti. Small victories count. Blessings all!

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Small victories

It’s been a long, useless week at work, Faithful Readers.

It’s been the kind of week that leaves you feeling completely worthless, because you are continually busy but nothing really worthwhile can be accomplished. Today, I gave up worrying about it and, as I told my friend at work, I just needed to change the way I was thinking and be grateful any little thing gets done. Something is better than nothing, no matter how small the task.

So, I plod along and pick up little chores between other things that land on my desk. Gratefully, tomorrow is Friday and I will have a nice long day to get serious amounts of things don’t at my house.

I’d like to say that I’ve eaten supper and now I’m sitting here contemplating my next move here at home. What is really happening is I scarfed down some bean chips (chili lime flavored… yum!) with some red pepper hummus, and now I am slurping a nice glass of white wine while studiously procrastinating. It’s all about the spin… lol

There is a serious butt-load of housework to do, plus all of the outdoor stuff that needs doing. Prime example is the last tote full of paper I found in the basement that needs dealing with. I also need to put away my stuff from the shawl I made. Laundry is hollering at me from the basement. I just need to pick something.

As for the outdoor chores, that can wait until Saturday morning. The lawn got mowed last night, and that will have to suffice for now.

Well, I blathered on now for a good ten minutes, just long enough to finish my nice glass of wine (Apothic White, for any of my wine lovers out there), and now it’s time to get up and do something.

Thank you for stopping by while I take a few minutes just to hang out with you guys. Here’s hoping you all find small pockets of meaningful work in days where everything gets thrown up in the air like confetti. Small victories count. Blessings all!

Renovation procrastination…the struggle is real

Faithful Readers, I’m still avoiding getting on that ladder. I have to admit, though, I’m pretty successful while dwelling in avoidance mode.

I got the big ladder out and got it all set up where I need to paint next. I climbed up to get something off the wall so I can begin, only to realize it’s nailed on:

This horse shoe has been hanging above my kitchen door from the back entry for a long time. I’m not sure how many years, though I know it’s less than 10, because I was divorced almost 10 years ago. It’s been there more than 5 years, because Younger Son put it up for me, and that was before he graduated from high school in 2014. The color on the wall has been there maybe 12 years, or so, which I’m sure of because that happened before the divorce a few years. I can’t believe I waited so long to paint. Good bye “mocha”… hello “washed denim”!

I’ve come to a place in my life where I mark time by before and after I was divorced. I’m sure it’s a common thing to remember events by he milestones in life, but I find it a little confining. Not sure why, but there it is.

To continue with my procrastination story, there are some bits that needed painting in the trim color, so I removed screws from those pieces and painted them. It took a whole 30 minutes. That’s a good thing, but it means I still have to go get back on that ladder now.

Hmmm. So, it’s a good point to take a break and blog some more. Procrastination achieved. 👍

Ok… time to get back on the ladder, take down the horse shoe and get painting.

More later… I’m going to need to procrastinate some more later. Blessings!

Home renovation isn’t for the faint of heart

It’s been in my To Do List to paint my entryway, kitchen and hallway for quite a while. I bought the paint, and it’s been sitting in my kitchen gathering dust for a long time waiting for me to get myself together and get going.

I have two days off in conjunction with 4th of July, so I took this as a great opportunity to get started. Last night, all things (and there were a LOT of things) were dislodged from the entry and put into my kitchen and spare room. Disgorged might be a better word. There’s stuff everywhere, and it looks like I’m going to be downsizing as I put things back. I can’t believe I had all that stuff stored in that little room!

Having emptied the room, I opened the can of paint and began. It felt scary and fantastic to put those first brush strokes of paint on the wall.

Holy buckets… the paint is called “washed denim”, but went on very purplish. Luckily it dried darker, but still has quite a purple cast to it. I like it, but both of my kids were put off by the color when I sent them pictures. Good thing I’m an empty nester…LOL.

There are a couple of crappy things about painting a room. First, the rest of your home looks like a bomb blew up in it for having the contents of the room you’re painting having to go somewhere else.

Second, there is the problem of heights. I am not a fan of ladders, and now that I have a bad knee, and terrible balance, things get a little dicey trying to reach high places like the ceiling over a stairwell.

There are some good things about painting a room. There is the obvious bonus of getting a boost from having a new color in your environment. Change is a good thing, and paint is one of the cheapest ways to make a big change without breaking the bank.

It’s a good opportunity to change the organization of a room since you have to put things back in it, once the paint is dry. It’s also a great time to evaluate what goes back in the room. If you haven’t used something, time to downsize.

So, as much as I love blogging, I must confess that I am really just avoiding getting on that ladder. I quit earlier than I wanted to last night, just because the idea of getting on that ladder to do the high places was so daunting. Sunshine streaming in the windows helps a little, and I’m not exactly sure why.

Home renovation isn’t for the faint of heart, so I best screw my back bone into place and get on with it.

Maybe I will finish my coffee first. 😉☕️

Here’s hoping you all can dig down and find that place where bravery dwells when having to do something that scares or intimidates you. The results will be worth it. Blessings all!

Olympic Coffee Slurping

… a.k.a. procrastination. I’m a champion in this particular sport.

I was supposed to go to Curves this morning, but I over did it yesterday. So, I stayed home and did yoga this morning, and I feel better for having stretched out.

It makes me feel a little accomplished that I actually got up and did something right away this morning, but I have been sitting on my couch for the last hour blissfully slurping coffee, soaking up morning sunshine and reading blogs for an hour. I can’t decide if that should go into the “Feeding My Brain” category of worthwhile activities, or if it is just plain slothfulness. I think it goes solidly into the category of “Feeding My Soul”.

I have so much to do today. The laundry and housework won’t do itself, and there’s a bunch of that to get through before I leave the house this afternoon. My Flirt and I are going to look at mobile/modular homes at an indoor home show that are way too expensive, but are fun to walk through anyway. Then it’s off to see Rodney Carrington at 4 Bears Casino in New Town. We are staying over night, so I need to get packed.

I just really want to sit still, slurp coffee, and read.

I wonder if it is a product of getting older, that I am just less willing to be in a hurry, and feel like I want to curl up with a good book more than I want to get out and about. It could be due to the weather… winter always makes me feel like hibernating.

Regardless of what I want to do, I’d better get off my backside and get something done.

Well, maybe after I finish this last cup of coffee ☕️

Here’s wishing you all the space and time to just sit still and be, whether you are slurping coffee, some other delicious beverage, or nothing at all. Sometimes just sitting still and doing something quiet to feed your soul is just what the Dr. ordered. Blessings all!

Finding light in dark corners

You’ve heard me talk about procrastination quite a bit over the years in the blog. I’m a pro…just saying.

Yesterday, I had the whole day to really dig through some things and get rid of the stuff that I don’t need or want. Instead, I puttered around my house, just going from here to there, and back again, doing little things. I did manage to get the underside of my TV stand cleaned out, as well as the middle of my china cupboard. What I also should have done yesterday was clean out the bottom of the china cupboard.

But I didn’t. I found some very creative ways to avoid it.

Why, you ask? What could be so terrible in the bottom of the china cupboard that you can’t clean it out?

Probably a bunch of things. You see, I have many nooks and crannies where I stuffed things away just to put them somewhere. Also, I have a tendency to put things away to keep them safe, and then I never find them again. Oh, they are very safe, indeed…even from me!

I have a sneaking suspicion that there are a bunch of pre-divorce items lurking in the bottom of that cupboard, and I don’t want to deal with them. I have finally had a little bit of peace and it’s upsetting every time I have to deal with those things again. For instance, while cleaning out the middle of the china cupboard, I found several pictures of my ex husband, with the boys. I quickly stuffed those away in another pile of pictures so I don’t have to see them again for a while.

However, in my cleaning out of nooks and crannies yesterday, I was reminded of something. This thing, which is something I need to remind myself of, constantly, is that there is light even in the darkest of corners.

I found some interesting things that I hadn’t seen in years, and was glad to find. Pictures, without my ex husband in them, of my kids, and of other family members and friends. Batteries, which I sorely needed, and now don’t have to go buy. Paperwork that I thought was lost, but only put away. So many things that I needed to see.

The reality is that I found very little nasty dark little things in those dark, dusty corners, and found quite a bit that I needed or enjoyed. It wasn’t as painful as I always think it’s going to be. There were more blessings than not.

The bottom of the china cupboard is next, tonight, and I’ll be throwing a whole bunch of nasty little dark things away, and keeping the treasures that I find. Hopefully it will be a short expedition!

Here’s hoping that you find much unexpected light in the darkest corners of your space, and that you find many treasures to make your day. Blessings all!

 

Welcome to the procrastination zone!

I am procrastinating. I’m not even doing laundry while writing this blog post. Cup of coffee #2 is tasting super good. I may even make time for #3.

The house looks like a bomb blew up in it, and I have more laundry to do than three households. Life has been pretty busy during October, and I’m so exhausted I could sleep for three days straight and probably not feel adequately rested.

So, with all of this work that needs to be done, what am I doing? I’ve missed my blog, and it’s the thing I make the least time for these days, so I thought I would play a little catch up here. While I would love to say that catching up here is equal to getting something done, the truth is that it’s purely a selfish activity I want to do for myself. Hey guys! What’s new with you?!

So what’s new here? Not much. Work, work, work… with a side helping of extra crap I have to get accomplished. Having two jobs is enough, but the fabulous new job I got this last January has turned into a giant sucking Hell-Hole-‘o-Doom, and I’m actively looking for a new job. I won’t get paid as much anywhere else, but I will most likely be happier. I’m in the middle of rearranging my finances so that I will be able to live a more sedate life. I want to have a life where my job doesn’t take it over to the point of having nightmares about it on a daily basis.

The good news is that my 2nd job is pretty good. Working at The Big Red Box Store (heretofore to be known as TBRBS) just enough to provide a little extra cash has been awesome. I don’t work that many hours, but it’s just enough. I have a lot of friends there, and it has been a kind of sanctuary there when days at my primary job have been super awful, which is pretty much every day now.

I have had a few questions rolling around in my head lately…

1. Why do I have so much crap?! I can’t imagine why it was a good idea to buy it at the time, and now I have mountains of stuff I don’t want or need. It’s been my weekly goal to piss off the garbage men by putting a bunch of stuff on the curb. Whatever people don’t just take, the garbage guy has to deal with. I’ve been a little lax about it in October for being so busy, so it’s time to get back on the wagon and hall that junk out!
2. What the heck is it with Christmas that it has to begin by the end of September every year? At TBRBS, the one whole back wall of Seasonal was covered with outdoor Christmas decoration stuff…lights, etc, when Halloween stuff came out. In the next week or so, all of the Halloween and Thanksgiving stuff will go on clearance, and Christmas will bust out in all of its consumeristic train wreck glory. Ugh…It’s two months away, and I am already tired of it.
3. Why do I feel like I want to sell everything and just go be a hermit? Lately, I have craved so badly to just go off by myself somewhere and just sit in the quiet. I get very little quiet time to myself, and it’s gotten to a point that when it’s quiet in the house, I don’t even feel like moving. I think getting a new job that doesn’t require me to work weekends will help. The search is on.

Enough of the questions rolling around in my head. Time to finish my coffee, put my big girl panties on and just get on with my day. I have a bridal shower to attend today for a lovely young lady, and I have a great afternoon to look forward to. I may even throw some laundry in so I can feel like I am getting something done while I am away from the house this afternoon.

Here’s wishing you all a lovely fall afternoon, with much procrastination. Take time for yourself…it’s something worth doing. Today I took time to do something we don’t get to do very often in North Dakota. I went into my back yard barefoot in the mostly still green grass! Simple things feed your soul…Blessings All!

Where does one start?

I have a day off, and so much to do, I can’t even start. Well, I can…It’s just tough to know where to begin. Maybe I’ll hang out with all of you for a while and procrastinate a bit. 🙂

Really, if I had been super intent on getting things done, I would have gotten out of bed at 7, when my alarm went off. Instead, I chose to lay around for a few hours, listening to the radio and playing on Crack Book. It was awesome, but I have been doing that in the morning way too much. There’s a lot I could get done in the morning if I just get up an hour earlier, rather than laying in bed listening to the radio and playing on Crack Book. Hmm… a new goal/good habit to be met/cultivated by the 1st of the year, I think!

In other news, I did finally find a new home for my kitty, Harley. He has been with us for almost 5 years now, and he’s part of the family, but allergies have reared their ugly head. I’ve always been slightly allergic to him, but my Flirt is deathly allergic to him. Silly man can’t help but pet him on the rare occasion when he comes over, and within an hour, his airways are shutting down. This week he gets his shots updated, and then he is off to live with an old friend in my home town. I’ll miss him, but I think he’ll be happier where he’s going. I have no doubt my friend will spoil him rotten with all kinds of people food, let him outside, and not fuss at him for getting on the counters.

In other news…my new kitchen is coming! My poor old kitchen is ugly, falling apart, and needs updating badly. I was able to get a home improvement loan, and am spending the money on a custom built kitchen. It won’t be anything fancy, and I will have fewer physical cupboards, but the way the new cupboards will be arranged will actually give me more storage, and better ways to organize. The skinny cupboard to the upper right of the stove? That is a 12 inch wide spice rack. I’li also have a built in dishwasher, which will only be 18-inches wide. Excuse me, while I go mop up the drool….I’m so excited! I’ll take before and after pictures and post them here like when I had my bathroom remodeled. Oh… the bathroom is getting an update too. It’s been 5 years…time to repaint!

What else is on my to-do list? The basement. I have accumulated a bunch of crap that needs to be gone through and thinned out, so that’s got to be done. I also need to paint the ceiling and floor come the spring time. If I am lucky, I will have saved up enough cash to get new basement windows. This on top of just keeping everything going. My regular housework is definitely falling behind.

So many home improvement projects, and so little time to get everything done. Given my Two Year Plan, it’s time to get on the stick and get stuff done.

Speaking of which, my house isn’t going to clean itself. It’s a really lovely day outside… I need to go make a choice between mowing the lawn and working inside the house. Uff-da! I guess I better hurry up and pick something. My Flirt’s coming to get me soon, as we have a whole day of activities planned. One thing we are doing is looking at mobile homes. I think I like the idea of taking my house with me wherever I go…more on that later.

I hope you all have a fabulously restful and relaxing weekend. If you have to choose between 50 different tasks, pick the one that makes you the happiest to have it done. Me…I think I’ll go putz around my kitchen. 🙂

The Universe has a twisted way of making you move forward

I got a call from Older Son while I was at work today. Apparently, condensation from the air conditioner is dripping down through the furnace and all over the floor in a part of the basement we generally don’t pay much attention to.  It just so happens that this area butts up against Older Son’s room, and now his carpet is wet. Ugh…I will count my blessings that it isn’t a lot of water, just only enough to be a pain in our keesters.

Well, it just so happens that I have a lot of work that needs to be done in the basement, as you’ve read in many of my previous blog posts, and I have successfully avoided every single opportunity to get it done. It’s a particular skill of mine, avoidance. Do you know that I very craftily made my way through a four-year BA degree without ever once having to take a math course? I’m always on the look out, consciously and unconsciously,  for ways to avoid things that might be unpleasant, time-consuming, or might require tough decision-making (as is with my basement).

So, now I can avoid it no longer…the basement must be dealt with (cue Vincent Price’s evil, echoing laughter…we haven’t heard from him in a while!).  As with all large projects, I supposed a “to-do” list is in order, but I think I might have to take a more than cursory look at the issue before I drag out the dreaded “to-do” list.

The good news is that I have so much to gain by just diving in and getting it the heck done. I’ll keep you posted on the progress…