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.

The Return

I haven't blogged or written in a very long time. Since being laid off, they only typing I do is in little blurbs on Facebook. I've noticed that my typing abilities have become atrocious. So, I thought to myself, self, you need to type more because in your job search you might have to take a typing test. At the moment you're riding the fail-boat on that skill set. So I've dusted off this old blog and I'm going to put it back to use.

Will started his new job in the warehouse today with his new schedule. We set the alarms to go off early because of the pending snow that decided to never show up. I guess I fell back to sleep, because when I woke up at 6:45 he was gone. I was dreaming about a run down bakery with terrible Christmas babka that I was trying to figure out how to turn into a living room. Yeah, I have no idea where that came from either. I hope he made it to work on time. It looks like the 1-3" of snow might fall tonight instead, so we will have a repeat of this morning tomorrow.

Monday is laundry day, but I'm having trouble getting moving today. I plan to do that as soon as I get done here. I also need to clean up the kitchen. We have left over ham and 15 bean soup from yesterday for dinner, so that's nice and easy. Will gets home at around 3:30 now. So many schedule changes. He was promoted twice last week with 2 different schedules. I need to figure this all out and adjust. Until last Monday he was working second shift and we were eating dinner at midnight. I'm so glad that his hard work was noticed and that he's been hired on full time. We can get health insurance again!

Tomorrow I am going to start looking into applying for a civil service office job. The pay looks good, and it's supposed to come with benefits. I need to start somewhere getting back to work. I might not be able to take the tests for the job until April in Harrisburg, so I might be cutting it close on losing my unemployment benefits before this happens. I wanted to do this sooner, but I was still recovering from the 2 surgeries when the last round of tests was available. I'm smart, organized and a hard worker. I learn quickly, I'm polite and I always try to make improvements. I'm a wonderful worker and someone needs to snatch me up and pay me well. I've been watching The Office on Netflix to help remind me of working in an office. Silly, but it works for me.

Someday I hope to move to Celebration, Florida. Will doesn't want to move into that development, so we may just move nearby. I love their little Victorian cottages, except that they are new construction instead of falling apart old houses. I suppose this is a retirement dream. One thing I do know, I want out of this city and to live in a suburb again. I'm ready for some peace and quiet. I'm so worn down from my noisy neighbors and car alarms and sirens driving by.

Still Running Around

Valentine's Day with Will was wonderful. It was a really low key visit which is just what I needed. We became addicted to Katamari Darmacy . This game is so simple and so fun. You roll things up. That's it. Will made me a mixed tape. I couldn't believe it! Now I just wish I had a tape player outside of my car!

We also did some shopping and went out for breakfast. Just spending time together is amazing. It's all the small day to day things that we lack.

I will be moving in with Will May 15th. We've decided that 2 years worth of 5 hour drives to see each other is enough. Also, it will be easier to plan the wedding when we are both in the same state. We should be getting married shortly after I am living there.

Will said that he wants us to live our lives with no regrets, no matter what our circumstances might entail. The only thing I regret at this point is the 2 years of days I've lost being with him. I've been happy every day, but sad at the missing of him.

My friend Josh from Montana is going to be visiting me today. He's been out traveling around. Tomorrow I am taking my first vacation day from work in a year and 6 months. We are going to the National Clock and Watch Museum. I love clockworks. Gears are just cool. I'm looking forward to this adventure and to seeing my friend.

So even though I only got a few hours of sleep after driving home from Will, I ran around preparing the house for a visitor. I even went the extra step and made some mint chocolate brownies. It's good to do something extra for a visitor. Not only does it feel good, it should distract him from all the things I didn't get to finish doing to prepare for his arrival!

Getting Back to Blogging

I've left off the blogging for a while. I've been busy doing things, keeping up with the holidays and all that fun. It was a lot of work for me. I had my grandparents and my Hunny visit. I made about a billion snowflakes from paper to hang all over and I did a ton of cooking. I don't think I have ever been as sleep deprived as I was over the 3 weeks around the holidays this year.




Now I'm wishing I wasn't so productive today. My back is aching! After work I did my every night breakfast/lunch/dinner cooking. Dinner was mac & cheese with peas and hot dogs. I'll be working on eating healthier later.

I also did a load of laundry, vacuumed and mopped the kitchen, cleaned the 1st bath, and started packing. Busy! All this was done before 8!

I watched a History Channel program on the garden of Eden also.

I've started reading A Course in Miracles at bedtime. I had a dream last night that involved being given a gold ring that had a snake and a ruby on it. According to dream dictionaries these are all symbols of enlightenment. Maybe I'm actually learning something from the book? I found it profoundly odd.

I'm trying to get ready to spend Valentine's Day with my Hunny. Sachi will not be pleased about the trip, but she will love it once we get there.

What have you done?

Mine are in italics.

Started your own blog
Slept under the stars
Played in a band
Visited Hawaii
Watched a meteor shower
Given more than you can afford to charity
Been to Disneyland/world
Climbed a mountain
Held a praying mantis
Sang a solo
Bungee jumped
Visited Paris
Watched a lightning storm at sea
Taught yourself an art from scratch
Adopted a child
Had food poisoning
Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
Seen the Mona Lisa in France
Slept on an overnight train
Had a pillow fight
Hitchhiked
Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
Built a snow fort
Held a lamb
Gone skinny dipping
Been to a Broadway show in NY
Ran a Marathon
Been in three states at once
Ridden in a gondola in Venice
Seen a total eclipse
Watched a sunrise or sunset
Hit a home run
Been on a Cruise
Seen Niagra Falls in Person
Visited the birthplace of your Ancestors
Seen an Amish community
Taught yourself a new language
Had enough money to be truly satisfied
Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
Gone rock climbing
Seen Michelangelo’s David
Sung karaoke
Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
Visited Africa
Walked on a beach by moonlight
Been transported in an ambulance
Had your portrait painted
Gone deep sea fishing
Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
Kissed in the rain
Played in the mud
Been to Grace Kelley’s grave in Monaco
Gone to a drive-in
Been in a movie
Visited the Great Wall of China
Started a business
Taken a martial arts class
Swam in the Mediterranean Sea
Visited Russia
Served at a soup kitchen
Sold Girl Scout cookies
Gone whale watching
Gotten flowers for no reason
Donated blood, platelets or plasma
Gone sky diving
Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
Bounced a check (it wasn't my fault, really)
Saved a favorite childhood toy
Visited the Lincoln Memorial
Eaten Caviar
Pieced a quilt
Stood in Times Square
Toured the Everglades
Been fired from a job
Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
Broken a bone
Been on a speeding motorcycle
Seen the Grand Canyon in person
Published a book
Visited the Vatican
Bought a brand new car
Walked in Jerusalem
Had your picture in the newspaper
Read the entire Bible
Visited the White House
Killed and prepared my own meat
Had chickenpox
Saved someone’s life
Sat on a jury
Met someone famous
Joined a book club
Lost a loved one
Had a baby
Seen the Alamo in person
Swam in the Great Salt Lake
Been involved in a law suit
Owned a cell phone
Been stung by a bee

May I Please Have Some New Legs?

Busy weekend for me! Friday I just flopped. The work week felt really long. I think I was asleep before 11!

Saturday I was up by 6:30 and moving by 7:30. First task was the yard. I usually do it every other week, but because I went to see Will last weekend I was a week behind. The weed whacker was out of spool so on went the gardening gloves and the edging had to be done by hand. As I went around the yard I was pulling out all the long growth around the edges, alternating hands and tossing behind me. I must have looked like some crazy cartoon character. The little trees have been sprouting a number of branches that are right at the level to poke out my eyes. Blind gardening does not sound like a fun idea. So I took the clippers and cut them back. After that came the mowing of 3 weeks growth. Then the rake. I'm happy to report some of the grass is finally spreading to the bald patch. 3 hours of work with a few good breaks from the heat and the yard looks great. I even tended to the flowers both in the front and back.





I also:
Put away a load of laundry, tidied the kitchen and living room, cleaned the downstairs bath, dishes, and took out my grandmothers chair to be cleaned and set in the sun for airing after living in Amy's basement for 5 years.

Sunday I made Amy a lasagna for her birthday and brought it over. The Butchers were having band practice so afterwards everyone had cake. A rainstorm was rolling in so I made a haste exit to get home and get the trash out before the deluge.

I have still yet to finish the cabinets and free myself from the moths once and for all. It's such a loathsome task I'm finding it hard to get myself to finish it up. I know I will be grateful once it is done, it's just getting myself to do it is the challenge.

I Have an Enemy!

UGGGGGGH! I've been infested with Flour Moths! I must have brought home a bad bag of flour from the store.

I cannot even tell you how upsetting this is. I have so much stocked in my pantry. I don't know if I will have to get rid of everything I've stored or not. It's disturbing and scary and icky and expensive! I thought they were only in the 1 stand alone cabinet and I cleaned that all out and plastic containered everything and it was fine. Then I went away for the weekend and came back and they are attacking a different cabinet. Hopefully they are just there. I will get more containers and clean out that cabinet and pro actively clean the other cabinet and that should be the end of that. I hope. I tossed 2 trash bags of food the last time. 2! I'm too broke for this. This pantry stocking has been my life line. So very sad! Not to mention gross!

32 years of life and this is the first time I have ever seen this. There have been a lot of problems with food this past year. I think the standards are getting entirely too low. I wish people would get it together and be more concerned for peoples well being. Now, I've lost so much food, and I will have spent over $100 buying cleaning agents and plastic containers. All on top of having to replace all this food. All on top of I already can't even pay all my bills. The spiral moves on downward.

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.

Moving Forward

Will was here this weekend and we worked on the house. And we worked on the house and worked on the house. We also made steak on the grill. I cleaned up around the outside of the house and Will worked on repairs inside. Will sanded down the tops and sides of a bunch of doors and then sealed them. I still have 2 more to take care of this week. He also managed to unseal almost all of the windows! After 6 years I can finally open windows in this house! He also helped me by doing the trim for the lawn and shot weed killer along the fence.

I mowed the lawn (I'm getting pretty good at this) then I raked up all the destruction from the shredded vines and grass. I swept up the front porch and sidewalk, the back porch and the walkways around the house. There were a million billion trillion of those helicopter seed pods from the trees. Then I dejunked the back porch.

Will had brought me flowers and Shawn was over and her and I got to throw dirt around an put them in the planters. So far they are still alive. I don't know for how much longer though.

It doesn't sound like all that much, but it took all weekend to do. I am exhausted. I couldn't even force myself to do anything today. So I had tea and read a book on my newly cleaned back porch.

All I've really been doing is working on the house. I clean and clean and work on projects and I still feel like I'm getting nowhere. Gah!

Quickie

Yesterday I managed to mow "vacuum" the lawn. I find it easier to deal with if I pretend I am just vacuuming rather than doing yard work. Picture this: I was wearing a fluffy skirt, tee shirt, a newsboy cap, black and white striped socks and ballet flats. That's proper lawn mowing attire, right?

There is something stuck on the back deck, I got most of it off but I think I'm going to need to scrub it. I also noticed that the primer is not holding up and I am going to need to use paint very soon. I should start that this weekend if possible before it gets too hot out. There is a possibility that the paint I used for the front might be ok still, but I'm really not so sure. I also need to get some gloves so I can take down the vines that are growing like crazy, as well as get out the weed whacker to do the edges.

With everything I need to do inside, it's hard to fit in the outside stuff too! The only inside work I did yesterday was to get a shower with Sachi and to do the dishes. I am committed to getting the tables done today. They are really getting on my nerves. Little by little things are improving. I am almost to the point where I can get to finish up the empty rooms and shut the doors on them until it is time to do the repairs.

I'm feeling pretty sinus-y today, but I think it's because of all the blooming and lawn mowing going on.

Tons and tons of work to do at the job today. I just cannot get ahead of it. I'm drowning in paper now for weeks. This is adding to my exhaustion and taking away from my home work time.

I still have some meatloaf left for dinner tonight, but I'm going to have to defrost something for dinner tomorrow to go with the mashed potatoes. I'm leaning toward stopping to get some hot dogs, frying the mashed potatoes and eating them with baked beans.

Ouch?

Happy Earth Day! This morning my cat peed on my "green" grocery bag... Ironic?

I woke up today quite sore in my shoulders and upper back. I guess all this cleaning is catching up to me. It's good to know I'm getting a work out though. Here is a recap of yesterday's actual progress:

Washed the coffee table, Dusted the TV, Put one blanket in the dryer and one away, cleaned up some random items, did the dishes, made this soup:

Cream of Celery Soup
INGREDIENTS:

* 2 tablespoons butter
* 2 1/2 cups chopped celery with leaves
* 3 tablespoons finely chopped onion
* 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules Mix with some water.
* 4 cups milk
*2 tablespoons Butter to add to soup after milk is in
*A few dashes of Pepper
*A few dashes of Garlic Powder

PREPARATION:
In a 2-quart saucepan over low heat melt butter; add celery and onion and sauté until celery is tender. Stir in the flour, bouillon, and salt until mixture is smooth and bubbly. Stir in milk gradually, stirring constantly; bring to a boil.
Boil, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes.
Makes 5 cups.

This is really, really good. I think next time I might double the recipe so I can have more! It's a great way to use celery that is getting droopy. Less waste, more yum!

I've noticed that I always have all these grand plans for getting things done. I need to learn that after a 9 hour day at work, I just don't have all that much energy or time left. It's also becoming clear that while I love the results of all this cleaning and doing, I can't wait until I get it all down to the point where it's just lighter cleaning on the weekend. I feel like I have no time for me to relax at this point. It's getting to be exhausting.

This is why someone needs to be home just to take care of the house. I also, for all intents and purposes, consider myself living alone. M is never home for the most part. I don't even have really anyone else to clean up after and this is feeling crazy. I skipped cleaning for a week when the world was collapsing and now it is like there are a million more things to do. I've got to hold on until I can get all the excess left over junk out. Then fix the empty rooms, shut the doors and not think about them.

Today I plan on doing the tables and mowing the lawn. Shower for me and Sachi and that is it! Left overs for dinner. Maybe even watch Gosford Park.

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...

Work In Progress

This will probably be a blog in parts today. I feel some momentum coming on. Here's the problem though. At work, I feel so darn tired! Brain fuzzy, I just want to crawl under my desk and snooze. However, when I get home I feel all wound up. The joy and exuberance of being home. I find it hard to go to bed. I don't want my home time to end and my work time to begin.

Being tired at work is not an ideal situation. There are too many things going on. I need to be on top of things. It also causes me to make bad food choices. Like today, I ate McDonald's, even though I had packed a lunch. I felt mentally that I needed a lift for being somewhere I didn't want to be. This cannot continue. It is destructive to my waistline and my wallet. I need to find strength.

I did my Small Thing today. Organize your baubles! I pulled down the jewelry hanger my grandparents had gotten me for Christmas and put my jewelry on it. I've been meaning to do it forever. Now it is done and I actually have my earrings paired! Wooo!

I have a load of laundry in, and next I will be doing the bills. My motivation for the bills is that the Roomie needs the current due balance. She is out applying for some waitressing jobs to help her along. She hasn't been able to pay me anything in over a month and she was already past due at her last payment with a carryover. I love her and I hope she gets this night job. Sadly though, helping her is sticking me financially. This happens to me all the time! I don't know why.

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!

My First Post!

Happy Easter!

Or as a friend of mine likes to say, "Happy Ham for Jesus Day!". We were at the diner yesterday and realized that all the religious holidays have a serving of ham attached to them. Why? I'm not sure. Maybe Jesus was really fond of pork? If anyone has the answer to this, please tell me!

So, the purpose of this blog is for me to post about my dreams and reaching them. I've found that if I have a written account of what I am trying to accomplish it motivates me to stay on course.

So just what am I trying to accomplish? My end goal is to move to Virginia, get married to Will, and leave the work force to become a happy housewife.

Being a housewife is the only thing I have ever wanted to do since I was a little girl. Unfortunately, it has not been able to happen up to this point. But Will and I are in agreement on this dream and we are working towards it.

A year ago, Will and I met at the New York Comic Con, and it was love at first sight.
Ah, nerds in love! An amazing twist of fate. Someday I'll probably blog this story, but not today.

So, here are my dilemmas. Will is currently going through the divorce issues, working it all out. He has about another 4 months of separation to go through first. Just to let you know, I had nothing to do with this. He was already going through this when we met. I won't go into details, but his marriage was not a good one, things happened that could no longer be forgiven, and they are both happier now and are able to maintain a healthy relationship for their 2 boys. I honestly feel that them being able to work through issues for the good of the children is a priority. The kids come first above all else.

I own a house that I need to sell to move. A year of long distance relationship is a hard road we have traveled, but it has worked so far. It's given us both time to work out ourselves, our issues, and our dreams together. Communication is key. And due to the distance, we have worked on that well.

My house! Is a brick semi Victorian, about 108 years old. Its the right side of the picture. It needs a bit of work done to get it ready for sale. I started on this about a year ago, and I still have a million things to do. I also started purging and packing a year ago. I still have a bit of that left as well. But, I can tell you so far I have gotten rid of about 15 full carloads of stuff to Good Will as well as a UHaul truck of stuff to the dump. I will be clutter free in the future. Clean House has been an inspiration to me.



First posts are always so long! Today's to do list includes:
fix the front door knob
clean the living room
clean the fridge
trash out
laundry
make bed
ready for work items: pack breakfast and lunch, pick out clothes, set coffee, shower
pay bills

That's a lot! And It's already 2:30 and I'm still having coffee!