The Snow is Back

We woke up to 4" of snow today. I guess Will didn't have time to shovel the sidewalk before he left for work so I had that task done before 7 am. I hate to shovel snow. It's my least favorite chore to do. Luckily because I got it early there was only a thin path of trampled on icy bits to scrape up. Thank goodness I still have some pain medication for my back, because I'm sure I will need it after doing this. I am also going with the notion that since I worked up a sweat, this counts as my exercise for the day.

Last night I finished knitting Brenda's scarf. I just have to tuck in the strings and try to repair that bit that started to unravel for no reason what so ever. It's a long skinny scarf. Striped black, white, and pink with the center of the scarf white. I think it came out really cute. Now that this is done I can work on putting away the photos from our wedding. After that I will be working on a small blanket for Sachi using left over navy blue and bright pink yarns. Yeah, the colors don't really work, but it's for the pup and she doesn't care. I'm going to use it to learn how to do a new stitch. So again, it's for the pup and doesn't need to be perfect.

Dinner tonight is just left over fridge stuff. I'll have to think of an actual meal to make for tomorrow. I'm considering Shake and Bake pork chops because I think I saw some hiding out in the back of the freezer, with some mashed potatoes and steamed cauliflower to got with it.

Will got home late yesterday, because he got in late. So that was his door slamming that woke me up after all. I managed to get up with him at 5:30 this morning, so my day is off to an early start, but besides shoveling it's slow moving.

I need to do some general cleaning in the kitchen today, finish the scarf and get a nice long shower. I'm going to try to start a new habit of lotioning myself after the shower because the dry skin in this winter heat is getting to be a bit much. It's a good habit to develop, if I can stick with it.

Still At It

Wow how time slips by! Sad to report that all of my dear friends are having terrible and dramatic changes in their lives. Most of my time has been spent listening, feeding, comforting and offering small bits of advice. I love them all dearly and I truly hope they feel better soon. I know they all have their strengths, and with just a little diligence and careful planning and execution they will all be able to rise above these troubles.

I've been carrying on with at least keeping this house clean if I can't repair it. I am in love with my new mop and Spic and Span. I hated Pine sol's smell, and I'm sure that's what lead to my slacking off on mopping.

Will's flowers are doing well. The box in the front is growing like crazy! They look so cheerful. The pots in the back are not fairing as well. There was a massive storm and I was not home at the time to move them. The pink ones looked completely like a lost cause. But as of today I have 5 blooms that have come back. Nature is amazing. The blue and purple are still ok, but they are just ok. Not really sure what I need to do to make them as good as the ones in the front though. I have no idea what I'm doing!

In the summer time I am not generally hungry for dinner and I often skip it. I find that I actually feel better when I do. I think sometimes in the warmer weather the fullness makes me feel a little sick. But I have a fridge full of left overs that I can take for lunch. So my new plan is that I will continue to make meals as needed. If I am not hungry, then they become lunch to go to work with. Much better than a bologna sandwich. As an example, tea and toast and jam is usually just the right amount for an evening meal for me these days. Maybe cereal, or some cheese and crackers. I really just don't need much at night. But for lunch I had a good amount of spaghetti and meat balls so you see, my meals are still there, just kind of flipped around.

I need to get back on track of paying the bills. I have the money, it's just pure procrastination that is keeping me from sending them out. This must stop tonight.

I cleaned the kitchen and took care of the plants today. I'm going to toss in some laundry and do some bills. That's about it for tonight.

Yesterday I vacuumed the furniture, cleaned the kitchen, made dinner, cleaned the first floor bath, and did some dusting. Shawn needed a place to find some peace and came here last night. I made some dinner for us out of just throwing things together. It actually turned out good! I chopped up onions, peppers, celery, carrots and peas and cooked them down in some oil. I added shredded chicken, salt, pepper and adobo. I cooked up some rice and then made a packet of chicken Dijon sauce to put on top of it all. I love that I keep a fully stocked pantry.

I really can't wait until I can be home to take full and proper care of the home. It's all I really want to do. It gives me so much peace.

Gray and Pink

When I get home I will post a picture of the tree with bright pink blooms outside my office against the gray sky of today. It's such a gloomy day I am going to make cream of celery soup today.

On Saturday, all at the same time, I baked 2 batches of chocolate chip cookies, biscuits, a meatloaf, steamed cauliflower, made a giant pot of mashed potatoes and a huge bowl of egg salad. Yes, all at the same time. I have serious issues.

I brought some of the cookies in to work today to share. I am listening to some Frank Sinatra and I need to get some of this on disc. I have some vinyl but until I get the burner, I'll need to get more anyway. Paragraph that makes no sense precedes this sentence.

I did bunches of cleaning this weekend and realized just how much I really need to do. I started on the dining room. I need to mow the lawn, I had forgotten to charge the battery. I pulled 4 boxes out of the house to donate. 1 box of trash came out of the basement. Still so much more to do down there. The box room might get looked at today. I did some dusting and I dread how much more needs to be done. Coffee table and dining table are the goals for today. I vacuumed and cleaned mirrors. Bathrooms fell by the wayside. Lots of laundry done and put away including bedding and extra blankets. I need to wash all the curtains. *sigh* I need to be home and not at work. The front porch needs so much cleaning and flowers and a little table and bench cushions. If I wasn't so worried about my neighbors...

It's all the small things

Spring has sprung! This picture was taken outside of my work this morning. It was the first sign of spring that I have witnessed. It took me by complete surprise! I cannot wait until warmer weather arrives and I no longer need a big, bulky coat. I'm at a plateau with my weight loss and it becomes more discouraging as the season is changing. But I'm sure that when the time is right it will happen.

I ended up not feeling very well yesterday. A bit queasy and uncomfortable. So not much actually got done. However, I did return about 1/2 of my CD's to where they belonged. I'm hoping to finish that tomorrow. I've been frustrated trying to find them when they have been all scattered about.

I started reading some blogs and websites that I've added to the sidebar that I find to be inspirational. One in particular, Home Sanctuary, has an interesting feature called Small Things. You are given one small task a day to complete. I'm going to try to keep up with it. Today's was to clean the microwave. I did it, and I'm glad that I did because it needed it.

On my way home from work today, all of my gages on the dashboard of my car stopped working. They were all pointing to the bottom! I went immediately to the dealership. Lucky for me they were able to take a look at it right then. They agreed that it would be too dangerous for me to be driving about like that. Somehow the electrical wire that powers the gages had moved and gotten pinched. Completely unexplainable. I'm so relieved that it is fixed and that it only cost me $20!

I found some frozen meatballs in the freezer the other day and I took them out to defrost. So vermicelli and meatballs it was! I haven't had pasta in a while so it was a nice change. There is a bunch left over so I get a night or 2 off cooking and can get caught up on some other things when I get home from work.

Also, I started to store my left over morning coffee in my carafe in the morning. When I got home today I was able to have a nice hot cup of coffee with no waste! Which is good because coffee, as well as all the other groceries, has gotten a bit pricey to be so wasteful with it.

Tomorrow, I absolutely must pay the bills and find my donation slip so I can get my taxes done. I have to make an appointment for next week no matter what!