marking time

we're planning to head east thursday for a delayed christmas. in discussing our schedules for the week tim mentioned that he will be fixing/serving a meal for work wednesday night keeping him there late (8?9?) so he wasn't interested in leaving at 7:00 thursday morning. 7:00!?(yikes!) 8 sounded early to me.......


i'm still asking questions:

who else is cleaning/organizing/shifting things around to make room where there had been none??

my kitchen counters have been cleared.


all of this (well not the turntable-that's new, but once again i didn't think of 'before and after' til i was midway through the project)

came from here

aahhh - order.








i have tackled other cupboards and closets over the past few days, shifted some furniture, took a load to the goodwill, baked muffins - i'm quite pleased with myself actually.

we're looking forward to relaxing with family for a short couple days. i'm guessing there will be another round of shifting things when we get home.

i had hoped

to sign off today with christmas greetings, pack my bags and head out to visit family in central iowa.


this map has changed all that.....
tim did pack his bag, but headed west, to work, (confusing charlie who'd been told he'd be going to see grandma and what else does the suitcase mean but road trip!?) where he will be probably til friday....

there have been a flurry of phone calls - should we?? can we?? will you?? our plans have been postponed. we'll make the trip next weekend. christmas will come and go this year via phone calls. once, long ago, we opted to think we could beat the weather and spent christmas eve in a motel in hutchinson, mn. as much as we look forward to gathering with family, these days we just don't risk being on the road in bad weather.

i have plans to clean a couple closets, catch up on some reading, nap. it will be the perfect time to do the paperwork for a couple garden club awards. i hope you'll all be warm and dry for the next few days.....

today

i'm giving you an old colorado picture because i didn't take any pictures this past weekend and i know many people who really need a picture in every post....

for the last 5 (?? how is that possible??) years we have spent the 3rd weekend of september hiking in colorado with our daughter, son-in-law and eventually our grandson. due to aidan starting school this year we rearranged and went to wyoming in july. charlie and i did head north to the kahl's for the funeral of a dear woman, a family friend, on saturday.

left here before 7am friday. left there around 9am sunday.
i saw aidan's school. chuckled at the continuing saga of a boy who desperately wants to sleep with a dog who just as desperately doesn't....
visited with some old friends and enjoyed the companionship of family. but i missed seeing the aspens and elk.
we are home today with slashing rain, a north wind and 50 degrees. tim is in lincoln 'til thursday afternoon. we slept in this morning, i've already cleaned the freezer and bagged some pasta sauce. i have tomatoes simmering to go into the freezer after while, a closet project waiting for me and the siren song of several neglected books thrumming in the background.
when i realized tim was going to be gone i marked these dates to do the seasonal closet assessment. i've been looking forward to it. it needs to be done and i was excited to tackle the project. but who wants to spend a shivery day getting in and out of clothes for several hours?? so i'm modifying my plans. garments will be sorted and piled. adjectives applied and decisions made. there are things i don't need to try on to know that ,yes, this time they are going. i will take my dog, blankie and book and do some serious couch time. isn't that what rainy days are for??

you have to wonder

how much of this is genetic? i refer to distractions.
friday being my day off i had been making plans for the day all week. baking, wrapping, cards, plates for the neighbors, squeeze in a walk with charlie if the weather cooperated. it was going to be a wonderful day. thursday while processing the january martha stewart for the shelves at the library i opened to her feature spread on closets. the closets (that's right - not 1 but 2 closets) look great. tim has been drafted to add a shelf in one. and i have a start on another one with a bag ready for the goodwill. i tweaked a couple drawers as well. i did get some baking done late friday afternoon.

monday morning

another week gone - this one busy and productive. tim decided to start the bathroom renovation - i thought we were still in the talking stage - so we are about 1/2 way through with the demo.... there are large plate mirrors - 3 of them - that i want to save and reuse probably just 2 of them. they have to come off the walls before we can start anything too wild in there. the main focus is to use a closet that backs the bathroom to install a tub. so the contents of that closet had to be shifted and the place where they landed required another shift and the piles disrupted in that shift....but it's all done. everything has a new place. of course, once you start shifting its amazing how many other, unrelated things call for attention and the job seems to multiply before your eyes. but it's done. and with warm weather around the corner i needed to get these last few "inside" jobs done before the outdoor work claims my free time. i've ordered some plants. i've got projects formed in my mind. same story, though. there are certain organizational details that need attention so that when the time comes i'm just plain ready to start the fun stuff. i have done a few things in the garage but honestly it's been too cold too spend much time out there. i'm hoping for an honest spring. in past seasons we have gone from 40/50 to 70/80 degrees. too abrupt. too soon. we'll see.