My Chore List...

I accomplished much yesterday... and I was howling by the end of the day! It felt like my Hyalgan finally gave up the ghost and quit working inside my knee. I did several loads of laundry, getting all the bedding including blankets and quilts washed and dried and put away. It was quite a task for me, and DH had to help at the end to save me the extra steps on the stairs. He finally had to rub my knees down with his Biofreeze. That stuff works great... along with some rapid-release Tylenol! =)

Today... I went to the post office. I had to pay our box rent! We've been here a year now... that is hard to believe! When the clerk asked me if I wanted to pay for 1/2 a year or a full year, it felt so good to say "a whole year, please." That's a leap of faith... but I think it's safe to say that we will be here... we haven't heard anything to the contrary.

I am slowly getting ready to go to CT for the family reunion... I am so looking forward to getting away with DH without having to worry about the phone ringing and changing our plans. We went away last September and other than our 1 day trip to Maryland, we've not really been anywhere since then. I often tease DH that he's got me living up in the "hollers of PA" and I don't want to leave! It's an easy, stress-free life (for me)... no one to impress, no one to have to keep up with... we just live a sweet simple life... and we are happy like that! I love being able to be barefoot for most of the day... wearing my faded baggy jeans and a t-shirt... or a comfy sweater on cooler or cold days. I love that DH loves that I am home... I feel very blessed to have that opportunity... and that I don't feel the need to have an identity other than his wife. It suits me just fine after all those years of corporate life. Funny, that the highlight of my week is to go to the post office to renew our box rent! Like I said... simple things!

Thanks for reading... be blessed!
~Suzanne

Simple Woman's Daybook...

FOR TODAY (June 29th, 2009)...

Outside my window... the fog has lifted and the sun is out... the birds are singing in the cherry tree.

I am thinking... of all the things I want to accomplish this coming week.

I am thankful for... my hardworking husband, my sweet puppy Nolli-dog and our cozy little home.
From the kitchen... there are fresh baked cookies in the cookie jar, dinner is planned and there are some good leftovers in the fridge.

I am wearing... khaki green shorts, a white lace tank and I am barefoot.

I am creating... organized closets... mine is finally done! All my shoes are unpacked!

I am going... the Armstrong family reunion this week! I am excited about that!

I am reading... the usual blogs, news articles, and my bible.

I am hoping... to get all the right things packed for our trip... I will be making lists!

I am hearing... the birds outside, fans in the windows, Nolli sleeping right behind me.

Around the house... there are a few chores to be done... cleaning the bathroom, sweeping the kitchen floor... some bedding to be washed.

One of my favorite things... is how Nolli has become even closer to us... wanting to be near by in the evening, needing to be on the bed while we watch tv before we go to sleep.

A few plans for the rest of the week: to get the house all cleaned before we go... to gather up our pictures to share and to be able to depart quickly and easily for CT. when it's time to go.

Thanks for reading... be blessed!

~Suzanne

Sweet Sunday Love

I remembered to take my Ambien last night... I slept so good... 8 1/2 hours! We went to bed early, so I woke up early. I puttered and read and let DH sleep. I got cold and went back to bed... and DH said he was hungry and was going to go have a bowl of cereal. I feel back to sleep... and 30 minutes later, he woke me up to pankcakes! Yummmm! That is Sweet Sunday Love!

Thanks for reading... be blessed!
~Suzanne

A Semi-Lazy Day...

I have tried to get a few things done today... laundry being one of those many chores on the list in my head! But... I had a hard time sleeping last night, I fell asleep just fine, but tossed and turned and was wide awake at 2:00am... too late to take an Ambien! I puttered around until 4:45 and crawled back into bed, turning on my bed warmer and got all cozy and fell right out! I slept until about 8 and then dozed off for an hour at 10.

We did do a couple loads of laundry today... (just what you wanted to hear about, so exciting!) We also did a little shopping and had carmel sundaes after... and got to see part of the air show that is going on at our small airport. The parachute jumpers were fun to watch, it's one of DH's favorite things since he was in the Air Force. That was one of our highlights today...

The other was as I was coming back up from the basement and came outside to sit for a few minutes to enjoy the cool air and the flowers... my usual little resting spot in the midst of doing chores... when our little resident doe came walking down through my neighbors houses... and stood at the creekside, eating and munching on all the new greenery over there. I quietly called DH on his cell phone and told him to come outside. We sat and watched her for quite awhile... when all of a sudden... from behind our house, come her two little twin fawns... still with spots! It was so cute to see them frolic across the grass. That really was the highlight of our day! I just came back from the basement a few minutes ago... and Mama was still out there feeding.

We are suppose to go to church tomorrow... but DH is not feeling well. It's been a stressful week for him and he worked an 18 hour day yesterday. We had a picnic to go to after church... but I don't think he should go. He needs to rest and recuperate from such a hectic week. It means that we will miss church 2 weeks in a row as we won't be there on the 5th either. If DH gets the pictures he took with his phone uploaded, I will share the pics of the new babies in our yard!

Thanks for reading... be blessed!
~Suzanne

A rather mundane list...

Things around have evened out a little bit. I tried not to be too big of a monster when DH got home... ok, I confess, I was a bit of a monster! But I got my point across... and he really understood how much it bothers me when he blows me off. He doesn't do it intentionally, he does have a lot of work stuff going on... he just doesn't get it that certain things need to be a priority at home. And some of it is the fact that I take care of a huge amount of things that should be his to take care of... and when I don't do those things, everything comes crashing down... plate spinner style. I can only spin so many plates before I get tired and lose the rhythm of the spin.

DH left very early this morning... on the road at 4am... and has no idea just how long this day will be. When he called me yesterday and told me what his day would look like, I immediately went into the kitchen and started preparing his meals for today, packing extra sandwiches, a casserole portion, salad, extra beverages and added extra blue ice to the freezer to keep the extras cold. He already has 1 hour of overtime scheduled for today's ticket, plus emergency inspections and repairs for a major client, 2 other jobs to do and then the usual "stupid drive" to turn in his tickets and time card and uniforms to his supervisors home office. (Yeah... the supervisor gets to work from home and count all his "admin time" while DH has to do all the extra stuff on his own time... tell me that's fair???)

We are looking forward to this weekend, we have a church picnic on Sunday after church. We are going to try and get all the laundry done... and do my required house cleaning to go on a trip... (I have to have the house fairly clean and in order, otherwise, I will fret about what is waiting to be done upon our arrival back home, so then it's "why go away?" for me.) We are looking forward to going to Connecticut next weekend for the family reunion... and it will be my first. We cannot leave until Saturday morning, which means we will arrive car weary and rumpled, (with white dog hair) not the best way to meet new relatives. I will try not to be nervous. In fact, I will start to make a list of things that need to be located and placed up on the porch for the packing to commence starting on Wednesday. I will start packing our main bag and keep things on the guest room bed so that we can literally grab it and go, come next Saturday.

We are also working on a little landscaping project... We discovered some 12 x 24 inch pavers along the side of the house on the north... where it's very steep and uneven and quite hard for me to navigate. It's the area where we keep the grill and have a table and some chairs set up. It has a nice view of the stream and the bridge... but very hard for me to get up and down with my knees the way they are. DH has started digging it up and placing the pavers as a stairway. We need 4 more... and cannot find anyone who sells them. So... I went to the local brick and rock seller... (who happens to be the son of our landlord) and they said they could have them made for us. (Custom order)... when I told DH that, he asked me about how much it would be... and I didn't know... she never told me. Well, I called her and asked, she didn't know but would find out and phone me back.... sheeesh! I should have seen it coming! $8.36 per paver!!!! Holy cow! I had no idea, but then, nothing is exactly cheap up in these parts... it's not like we live in a metropolitan area and can get most anything we wanted like in Maryland! I'm going to take my time in picking those babies up... and at that price, it should come with a few free bags of pea gravel too! I will post pictures when we get it finished!

Thanks for reading... be blessed!
~Suzanne

I'm a little better, now...

I woke up today, feeling a little more like my sane self instead of my "boxed-in, angry, upset nagging housewife" side. I worked on getting the car cleaned out yesterday and de-furred for our trip to Connecticut next week. DH came home and finished the vacuuming of the car for me... and we discussed all the urgent issues I've been having. He got busy and got a few things done for me, including one that wasn't on my list... the sidewalk on the north side of the house. I have to go out and buy a few more paver stones to finish it, and then I will be able to go down that side without fear of falling or tripping as it's steep and has lots of tree roots.

It's going to be hot, humid and hazy today... I closed up the house and pulled the drapes to keep it cool in here as long as possible. I think I'll be hiding in the bedroom tonight with the air conditioner if there is no breeze blowing through. I have a few projects that I want to work on, but if it's gonna be hot, I'll wait!

Thanks for reading... be blessed!

~Suzanne

To Kiss or To Kill...

I am at my wits end with most things these days... it's not good to be gone from home for 3 days when it's not planned or prepared for! I have spent my time since coming home from the hospital not resting, but cleaning and grumbling. It has gotten to critical mass stage here. I understand that DH was stretched very thin while I was gone, but coming home to a dirty kitchen and a man that has no inkling or idea that I would have liked the assistance without having to ask, would have been nice.

The other thing is that is weighing very heavy on me... is the fact that when I tell DH that I need something done... if it's not for my immediate needs, it doesn't get done. I have never in my life witnessed someone who is so stupidly unaware of the things around him and how I ask and ask ask to have things done, and it goes on ignored. Anyone got a match?????

I would do these things myself, but I am not capable of doing some of it... my knees don't work well and my back has become a bit of an issue. If I did what I wanted to have done... I'd be in bed only to face an even bigger mess later. I guess I need to find a young teenage boy that wants to earn some extra money... that's what I did in Maryland. My good friend Mary has two young grandsons who love to work and earn money. I would set up a time with her and then DJ and Shane would come over and do the work I needed... moving my closets from one floor to another area 2 floors down... hauling boxes for me, cleaning my car out... all good chores. I am still waiting for boxes to be hauled down to the basement... and I would eventually like to unpack all of my shoes and handbags that have been boxed for a year. Then there is the mess on the garage floor... and the dirt that he can't be bothered to sweep up or the stack of cardboard that he can't seem to let go of! Or the huge messes in basement, I cannot take it anymore!

That thought of going on strike has occurred to me... but I think I would still be left with a huge mess. To kiss him or kill him.... hmmmm.... When Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!

Thanks for reading... be blessed!
~Suzanne