Home to Chaos

I am finally home and sitting in the middle of true chaos. We went to Texas to finish up my mother's move here to California. OH MY WHAT a job. I knew it would be tough, but thought that the majority of the items left behind when we moved her in November was pretty much all staying there. A lady is doing an estate sale and will be taking care of everything left behind. We ended up filling every inch, every nook and cranny, of a U-Haul trailer again. I sure wanted to take one of my mom's couches and dining room table, but there was absolutely no room. We were loaded to the hilt with memories. I admit, several of the boxes are mine that I claimed, but I just couldn't let go of that beautiful depression ware, and mom couldn't let go of things she got when she was in grade school.

I am really happy to have the ceramic figures I had painted for my dad over the years. I had traded mom for her computer desk. We brought the one from her house that she likes so much. Planned on putting it in son's room, but there is just no way it will go in there at the moment. He has this big desk and needs it there until I buy a chest of drawer for his TV to sit on. Understand, this is the big flat screen TV we bought him for Christmas, which is never in his room because he has it at his friends apartment, which is where he lives most of the time anyway. But back to the point. I pulled out the couches and cleaned well behind them. WOW my little dog is bigger pack rat nester than I am. When I got it all back in place, the corner computer desk that I got from mom fits perfectly in that corner. Two of the figures are still in a box and when I get them out and set up I will post a photo of them.

I am considering renting a small storage space for a few months until I can have a garage sale. I have boxes of items to sale that are in the storage building in the back yard and now have several boxes of things that I brought from mom's. I need to go through my cabinets and sort them out to make room for the new stuff. I am both excited and dreading this job. Excited to have the things, both the memory items and the functional items. Wish I had gotten some of those cookie sheets. I have found that I have neglected my cooking skills for so long that I will have to work at getting them back. Meals have been severely lack luster, but eatable. I will work on that.

My little dog Kit is acting a bit...strange since our return. Last night he laid down in the bed with Buster (mom's dog that we took over) and went to sleep. Normally they both go get in bed with hubby when he goes to bed, so fully expected to loose them when I got up to retrieve my current crochet project. But, no they never budged. When daughter went to bed, she picked up the dog bed, with both dogs still curled up, and took it to her room. I sat in the living room and crocheted for a while, just worn out. Finally after a bit just gave up and took a bath and went on to bed. I guess I was more tired than I thought, because my son came home and then left and I never even heard him. That is just not normal for me. I usually hear everything. Guess that not only has the physical aspects of the past week caught up to me, the emotional ones has too. I think the emotional can be more draining sometimes. And yesterday I had an emotional melt down...may be why I was so tired...over a stupid chair. Mom brought an old recliner when she first moved here. It was the chair my dad always sat in. I was going to store it at my oldest son's apartment until the fall when I take over my youngest son's bedroom. Well, oldest son had problems with having to look at the chair because it was his grandfather's. My "always right" husband informed him that he was wrong about the chair, even got in to a heated argument with younger son about it. Later I found some photos of mom's house and the chair, showed it to hubby and told him he owed son an apology. Long story short, I couldn't leave the chair at oldest son's so now it sits in my van.

Okay, I have rambled on long enough. I need to get done with the computer and get started on the kitchen cabinets so I can get rid of what I don't want, put up what I do want.

Yesterday I went to where a group of local knitters and crochers meet to work on projects and socialize. As I posted yesterday, I found the group through Ravelry. I am always a little uneasy with groups and new people at first, but these ladies were absolutely the most wonderful people I have ever met. They welcomed me warmly and by the time I left had been made to feel like one of the group. I look forward to meeting with them again.

I am thinking it over, and trying to decide if I should start a blog for crocheting or if I should just put everything on this one. I will post information should I add a blog.

Best of plans

Well, I had planned to meet up with a group of knit/crochet people that get together on Ravelry. OH MY GOSH is the greatest place for yarn crafts. However, hubby has taken my car to get new tires and I am afraid the group will have left by the time I can get there. Will see what happens.

Life is looking better.

Life is looking better. It has been a really long time since I have posted anything, it is totally disgraceful. But...life is looking better. March 26 will be my last day at work. OH IF YOU COULD ONLY SEE MY HAPPY DANCE. The countdown has begun so let me bring you up to date.

The last week of March is our Spring Break, we will be driving back to Texas to do a couple of repairs to my mom's house and put it on the market. We moved her here to Bako and she has a nice apartment in a retirement community. She is really liking it and I hope that this trip doesn't change that. I do so enjoy her being close and when I am not working it will be nice to spend time with her.

However, that also means that the finances will have to be drastically tightened as while I was working I picked up a car payment. I ACCEPT this challenge however in order to stay home as long as financially possible. I will be spending the first part of my "retirement" creating some menu plans and doing some bulk cooking or cooking ahead. Now, one might ask why cook ahead if I am going to be home? Simple, so I can spend time on other things, like catching up on house cleaning and hobbies. OH HOW I HAVE missed my hobbies. Also, once a month cooking, also called quantity cooking or bulk cooking is the absolute best way to cut the household expenses. When the menu plans are created...and utilized...there is no impulse buying. It is all planned out and only the items needed for that meal are bought. Also, my freezer and pantry is over flowing so I have a wonderful stock pile to work from. I am low on beef, but there is tons of everything else. I also plan to utilize Angel Food Ministries to keep out of the grocery store so much. I also look forward to getting back in to weekly bible study and quilt group.

I will start cleaning this house room by room and purging to the hilt the clutter and excess. Then, will have a massive yard sale. I will be bringing some things from mom's house that I just can't let go to strangers. This will also help get the house ready for the big move this fall. Not that we are moving, my oldest son is moving off to school. I have grand plans for his room. New paint, new flooring, and some work stations for various crafts. I will be getting my machines out of the closet and set up for use. I miss my quilting and machine embroidery so very much and actually hope to make up a few things to try and sell online or by word of mouth. Craft shows are really hard to get space at around here. I will need to get my embroidery machine out next month though as I have found a deep purple window pane shirt to machine embroidery some red hat designs on and hope to have it finished by Mother's Day to give mom. Also, I have a scrapbook project that I started for Mother's Day last year and still sits unfinished. Oh man, when I come back from Texas I will have all the photos. I spent an insane amount of money setting myself up to scrapbook, then got side tracked on other projects and all of that is put away as well. Also, I have some quilt projects and crochet projects as I have a new grand baby, a boy, coming the first part of August. I kind of expect it a little earlier, but will be happy to meet him when ever he gets here and send daily prayers that he is healthy and everything goes alright.

I have also been facing some health problems and that is the what has caused this change in working. For now the main part, the heart problems, is being treated very well with medications. However, when they did a scan of the heart they found a hernia and that problem is still being worked on. So, wait on doctors, wait on results, soon it will be worked out.

We also have taken in my mom's dog, a Jack Russell mix, and he is really funny to be around. He gets along well with Kit and the other dogs so that is the good thing.

Okay, new employment situation, new grand baby, new plans in the work for the hobbies, new plans for organizing the house, new budget to work with, new dog, guess that pretty much sums it all up for this update.

I am off to try for a fourth time to figure out this "easy - beginner" crochet pattern.

I know...but am here now.

Okay, I know it has been almost a month since I wrote, but hey it was like four months before that. I count this as improvement. Now for the updating.

My goals have fallen pitifully far away from the primrose path I planned. I have eaten out way too much, even though I vowed not to. Have been pretty much taking lunch to work though. Not as an excuse, but in my defense, I have been sick for about three weeks now. I probably should take a day to just stop, stay in bed, and gather myself back together, but with my boss that ain't happening. I did get approved to take off for Thanksgiving though so am happy about that.

I do have some recipes pulled to the side that I plan on trying. So that has progressed a small amount. I still need to organize and then do a little of the prep work for it to work the way I want though. I went and got my box of food from the Angel Food ministries. You can google them for mor info, and I will try to put a link in a little later. Overall the boxes seem pretty nice, was more impressed with the people running it. Totally organized, so very friendly, was a real treat to work with. I do have a list of recipes to try that uses what came in the box so that will be fun trying that.

I have to play taxi driver so will check back in later.

HEY...I AM STILL ALIVE YOU KNOW!

Okay, am being a little over dramatic, but hey, that is where my life is at the moment. Well, feels that way at any rate.

Time is short, but made a goal of updating the old blog, well one of my goals for the month any way, so here is a short and to the point version of my usually long winded rambles. So, take a gulp of what ever is in your cup (mine is full of water after 5...yeah me...uh mm, if I am at home) and take a bite of your favorite delight (watching my bites carefully these days as I attempt to retrain my thoughts on food) and settle in for the storm that passes as quickly as if I were back in West Texas.

Okay, I get philosophical when I have had a little adult drink (okay, I admit it, it has too be in my genes from some where but I am a total light weight when it comes to alcohol...I'd make a cheap drunk for sure) or in tonight's case, worn out sleep deprived. It has been a hard few months physically but more so emotionally.

Now, the updates.

I have completed cleaning out my freezer, fridges (yes plural - I have two) and my pantry. Even though I already had enough on hand to feed a small army - well at least this family - for about 3 months, I went grocery shopping and spent $260.00 for more. In my defense, the bulk of it was in actual grocery items (produce, meat) and hardly any prepared items. I was tickled to death to find a brisket. A REAL brisket, not the little butcher trimmed fits on a dinner plate style this area is known for either. No sir, a REAL TRUE BRISKET, which I wish had been at the Texas price from the Super Walmart - WHICH WE STILL HAVE NOT GOT OPEN HERE. I get distracted easily, wondering off on little side excursions, so just do your best to follow along, there is a point in it somewhere. Now that I have done the cleaning out and organizing, I can move on to planning the menus. It really works great if you can make yourself sit down and go through the heavy thought process of creating and then putting it on paper (I know, it is only a matter of typing it in to a computer) to make it real, validate it so to speak. For some reason, I need (am compelled strongly) to write things out. List for this, or that, things to do or buy. So, expect for the week end of Sept. 18, after doing all the cleaning and buying, I do not intend to eat out or order in any meals. Am even taking lunches to work, until later this month when I get my box from Angel Food Ministries. More on that topic another night though. I have a stack of cookbooks and pages of recipes to try in order to change things up in the kitchen a bit. I find, the day is just not long enough for my grand style plans. But, I will prevail. Some day.

Goals for the week:
1. Plan menus using what is on hand.
2. Drink more water.
3. Play games less.
4. Get the laundry done.
5. Complete one scrapbook project.

1. Will work on this during lunch hours, of course am taking my bag with me to work on while I sit out the day waiting to be called for jury duty. Wednesday is a pretty calm night around here so I plan to do some extra cooking tomorrow evening to just be pulled out and heated for the evening meals.

2. Self explanatory here, need to loose more weight and live healthier. Water is the hardest thing for me. Well, next to actually getting in to the gym I am paying for and not using. I need to take in way more water.

3. I am actually about to the point to where I can let myself have a night or two off from my latest obsession, Animal Crossing. Won't even go in to how bad that has been.

4. Clothes...mountains of clothes...have over taken parts of this house. I am very close to just tossing most of the piles out and starting fresh. I mean really, some of these clothes have not been worn...or even missed...in the past 6 months or more that they have been laying in the laundry room. My house coat is in there and I know for a fact I haven't used it lately since it has been about a million months since the temperature was actually cool enough around here for it. Of course, not only do we melt from the day's heat, it would seem that a good majority of my part of the world is on fire...literally.

5. Now that football season is in session once again, I hope to spend some quiet evenings getting back to my scrapping. I jumped in to that particular little adventure and took off only to squat and drop. I get ill thinking at how much money I spent on the toys, notice I didn't say wasted...never is wasted, as I will use it. I have grand visions of handmade Christmas cards this year and at the rate I am going they may be finished by Christmas of...2020. Man, two songs just popped in to my head with that thought. Why did the year 2020 sound so far away when I heard that song (in the year 2525, if man is still alive...was part of the lyrics) but now it seems so very near? Back on topic...scrapping. I did buy some paper and will get my Cricut out this weekend to cut out lots and lots of 3 inch circles to send to my oldest daughter. She rarely asks me to do anything for her...a very independent sort she is...but she did ask me to make these for her class room to use with the math game boards.

Okay, other than that, my budget has been hit hard for larger items. I know have a car payment for my new (okay its a 2007, but new to me) Nissan Quest. Along with it goes gas payments, then insurance, youngest daughter is getting confirmed, next round of figure skating classes are starting soon (for youngest daughter) also had to buy her a new flute.

It never ends.

I guess that is about it for now. Will post more this weekend. For now, it is time for a nice warm bath (warmth to relax, certainly not because it is cold) and then to bed. The fires have the air quality in the "Beyond horrible" range and it is sure doing a number on my throat, nose and ears. I AM SO READY FOR WINTER.

Nothing new.

I haven't posted in a while so thought I would pop in a minute. Nothing new as far as crafting going. Have just been so busy around here with other things. We are in the middle of getting a new roof, now have two holes in the ceiling where feet have come through that will have to be repaired as well. Hubby is doing all the work himself, it is really hard on his body. He sometimes fails to realize that even though he has been finished with chemo for a few years it still changed his body and his physical condition.

On another note, I have been watching some co-workers bring their Nintendo DS to work and play at lunch. Realize that we are agriculture based so our office is out in the middle of nothing. At any rate, they have been playing a game called Animal Crossing. I simple game that is quite addictive. We bought it for the Wii system and for daughter's DS at Christmas. I had never played it as I only played some casual style games on the computer. Big Fish is my game friend. At any rate, I went to a game store and bought a used DS and Animal Crossing for me. I would have just used my daughter's , but in order for both of us to play we each have to have the game. It is kind of fun to sit with her and we go visit each other's town. I then decided to play it on the Wii and am now hooked totally.

If you have never heard of these, which unless you have kids in the house you probably wouldn't have, the game in a nutshell is take your character around the town to gather things (such as fruit, shells, fish, bugs) and sell them to pay your mortgage and buy things. There is a lot more to it, but that is it basically. The game keeps moving in time even when you aren't playing. For example, you pick the fruit from a tree, three days later it grows back. Plant a fruit, it grows a tree and you get more fruit. If you remember to water it. You can also shake a tree and some times money or furniture falls out. Like I said, it really is a silly game but oh so fun to play with.

I bought a couple of other games to go with it: SkipBo, Uno pack and a word game (crossword, word search, anagrams) most of the games are geared toward younger minds but Nintendo has figured that out and are coming out with games with a bit more mature interest. The personal trainer cooking one has recipes and how to techniques for cooking, another cooking on is based on one of the TV chefs. Out new this week is the personal trainer walker that has a little arm band you wear while you walk. This records your progress as far as weight loss. Along those lines we had bought the Wii Fit, which for me was way too much Yoga in it. But it was fun for a while, with running in place, hula hoop and such. Still younger minds mainly. However, I just purchased the new Sports Personal Trainer for the Wii that is supposed to be better. I comes with resistance cords and hand weights to follow the program with and it will track you progress. Plan to break it out this afternoon and give it a try.

Enough about the games. This is a holiday week end, Memorial Day, observance of all those that gave their all to keep us free. My dad was vet from WW II and so I am very patriotic when it comes to country. I may not agree with what the current leaders are doing, especially in my home state of California, but I do support the military and am thankful for the job they do. So, I have Monday off and plan to play with my paper crafts. Today however, I have to hit the grocery store, Wally world for household stock, the dollar store for my trash bags and resealable bags, probably Sam's Club as well. I have to clean out the nasty fridge full of left overs and do some laundry (okay a lot of laundry) as well.

Have got to get going or will never get anything done because sitting at the computer makes me want to play games or scrap. Which by the way, I am taking a Disney class this week to make an exploding card thing. Really kind of cool. Will post photos when I am done.

Oh and by the way, with the way my schedule has been going will probably only be posting on weekends for a few weeks. Oldest daughter from Texas is coming out the first part of June so will be busy with them, but getting lots of photos of grandson, who turned 6 yesterday, so will have those to make in to layouts.

Thanks for checking in and feel free to leave a comment.