After I blogged about not sleeping (during the wee hours of this morning) I spent a few hours surfing party sites and figuring out what to do for Anna's birthday: games, food, activities, and parting gifts. At about 5am I heard John hit the shower and figured it was morning, so I went back to bed -- snuggling up to Anna, because my room was now quite cool. Next thing I knew it was 7:44. Thankfully, Anna was ready for school so we hopped in the car and got her there before the late bell.
When I got home I made a list of the things mentioned in my previous post and started knocking out the easy ones: invitations created and delivered. Party favor located and purchased. Hamper for new-and-improved laundry room located and purchased and installed. Lampshade on newly functional lamp. Thermostat programmed. Broken ceramics repaired. Laundry in. Trip to Canton scratched (I have to bring cupcakes to Anna's class that day). Calls made. Flowers watered. Dishes done.
Which leaves me with closets and a whole lot of cleaning. I sent the girls up to sort their things, but I know it's on me. My closet will have to wait 'til tomorrow because I am tired (say that Texas-style, please). There is a new layer of fine dust today. I think I need new filters if I am going to get ahead of it. I vaguely recall having a nightmare about clogged filters spewing renovation dust just before I woke up.
Ugh -- I might have to do that tonight.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
To Sleep... Perchance to Dream
Sleep is what I should be doing right now, but cannot. Why?! This bout of insomnia is early, too. Less than three hours into my night and I'm up cycling thoughts round my brain. Maybe if I get them out I can sleep?
This is where the "random thought of Sharon Cliff" comes in. You've been warned:
My room should be cooler. With the windows cracked, the temperature should be lower. I need to actually finish programming the new thermostat so it can start learning how to maintain the temperature I set. (Did you know new thermostats can learn?!) Turned on the fan, pulled window a bit more open. We'll see.
What woke me? I heard Anna get up to use the bathroom, but I think I was already awake. She came in to cuddle. I love that. It should lull me back to sleep. And John's snoring is nice and gentle tonight. I don't think I ate too much or too late. Why can't I sleep?
I want to clean. The kitchen ceiling project wrapped up yesterday (need to blog about it) and the dust should be settled, mostly, by now, and the floors needs another go round and all surfaces everywhere. The blinds need to be vacuumed, every single one. The window tracks, too. The windows need cleaning. I need to get up on the big ladder and dust the very tops of the second story ledges in the family room. And rig up a way to finally get that tip-top window clean (the one with paint smear dating from my big paint with Michele). I need to relieve Kate of vacuum duty this week and see that each room gets properly vacuumed, with crevice tool around the edges and furniture moved. The caulking in the shower needs to be replaced. I think there's a page in my big Home Depot reference book on that. That sounds like fun, doesn't it? I mostly ignore my ugly shower and pretend it isn't there, so maybe the caulking can wait. But I need to work on the sink down in the powder bath, because my usual bleach it routine down there isn't cutting it. And people use that bathroom.
More laundry to do. Then a big purge... big purge. With the cold weather is past, I need to go through the girls' things and set old/outgrown/worn out items for CCA and store usable off-season items somewhere not easily accessible to them so I can stop laundering fleece jammies in April.
My closet needs thinning again and I need to do my own seasonal rotation and organization so I can see the cute things to wear and not what I've been running around in this week. Some of the really cute things I've been hanging on to for the day I get back down a size... or two... will be offered to my friend Karen before they are completely dated. And I need to let go of some old faves that have seen better days.
John's side of the closet needs to be reviewed and organized, since he no longer commutes downstairs in short and polos, and so he can more easily find things to wear each morning at the crack of dawn when he gets dressed. If I do all this correctly there should be less laundry, right? Because right now, I'm washing cold and warm weather clothes and least-favorite items that get worn because the most-favored things are at the bottom of a pile of fleece jammies!
I'd like to find a new laundry hamper. The old one is shot, and it is not pretty enough for the new-and-improved laundry room. Which I need to blog about.
Why is my refrigerator beeping? I noticed it the other day while working in the kitchen. It's a quiet sort of popping beep from the inside. I'll google it. I google everything. Wish I had that google stock.
The guest room closet needs to be cleaned out and the room prepared for whichever set of grandparents will be staying there. I think the crib I can't give away can fit under my king bed, and the pictures can be stored in another location. Do I like the rocker in there? Do I want to move it back downstairs to the family room, and if so, should I rearrange the furniture down there? lt's been awhile. I'd like to try the antique furniture "recipe" on the icebox and scratched kitchen table. The camel saddle bag needs to be taken off and vacummed/beat. Where will I relocate the mola that was in the hall bath? I like the idea of the playroom upstairs -- I've got colorful prints up there already. The smaller mola would actually make a cute pillow. What is going on the new shelf in the bathroom?
What about Anna's birthday?!!! In my focus on preparations for her baptism next weekend, this week's birthday snuck up and now it's four days away with nary an invitation tendered. She insists that this year (following two years of family celebration) she must have a friend party, and it must be on her birthday. We've narrowed down the possibilities to an at-home party for late afternoon into evening on Saturday and now I must negotiate invitation calls with the moms. So proud to be so last-minute. Mother of the year...
Wondering how my friend's husband is doing, post-op. And how she is. And the kids. Wish I were closer. One of my former YW had her tonsils removed last week. Hope she's feeling better. I'm bringing lunch to a friend later today, also recovering from surgery, and wonder if I will pick something up or make sandwiches? Egg salad sounds good.
The fridge just beeped six times. Weird. Don't really want to deal with it. My very brief google search made my brain tired... a couple of suggestions to unplug and re-plug, someone posted something about how they cleaned the circuit board with alcohol and a q-tip. I really don't want to deal with it.
I need to get back to the gym. I hate the gym. It's not so much the gym itself, but I try to avoid mommy time and I hate getting "haven't seen you for a while" commentary from trainers. I would like to get back on the weight machines. I hate cardio.
Where am I going to put the second set of grandparents? I can convert the daybed and trundle in Anna's room and offer the girl's bath and have all four of us use the master. Or do we move out of our room (and closet) and then have all four use the girls' bath with them? That would be nicer for guests, but a lot more complicated with John's early morning work schedule and church meetings. I think we'll have to stay put.
Back yard needs weeding. Front bench cracked -- do I want to make a quick and crazy run to Canton on Friday to replace it? I am afraid it is only a matter of time before someone sits and crashes.
I ordered new lever handles to replace the worn and shiny brass ones on our interior doors. Once they are switched out, will I need to replace shiny fans? I'm not a big fan of they shiny but they still work.
Will I ever find a lampshade I like for the lamp in the front room? I should just bring the lamp with me to check out the one I saw last week at HomeGoods. It would make me feel better about not having the chair done for that room. Wish I'd found the fabric for the wingback chair earlier. Now the reupholsterer is backed up and it will be weeks...
I hate it when a plan with a self-imposed time frame is thwarted. Does it really matter? No. But with so many of the house projects done now, I am antsy to get all these things in order. I really wanted it all done before Anna's baptism. Oh, waaahh.
It should be enough to clean and organize and throw a fabulous birthday party on the fly and try to take care of the things I can control. That's plenty.
The fridge just beeped again.
This is where the "random thought of Sharon Cliff" comes in. You've been warned:
My room should be cooler. With the windows cracked, the temperature should be lower. I need to actually finish programming the new thermostat so it can start learning how to maintain the temperature I set. (Did you know new thermostats can learn?!) Turned on the fan, pulled window a bit more open. We'll see.
What woke me? I heard Anna get up to use the bathroom, but I think I was already awake. She came in to cuddle. I love that. It should lull me back to sleep. And John's snoring is nice and gentle tonight. I don't think I ate too much or too late. Why can't I sleep?
I want to clean. The kitchen ceiling project wrapped up yesterday (need to blog about it) and the dust should be settled, mostly, by now, and the floors needs another go round and all surfaces everywhere. The blinds need to be vacuumed, every single one. The window tracks, too. The windows need cleaning. I need to get up on the big ladder and dust the very tops of the second story ledges in the family room. And rig up a way to finally get that tip-top window clean (the one with paint smear dating from my big paint with Michele). I need to relieve Kate of vacuum duty this week and see that each room gets properly vacuumed, with crevice tool around the edges and furniture moved. The caulking in the shower needs to be replaced. I think there's a page in my big Home Depot reference book on that. That sounds like fun, doesn't it? I mostly ignore my ugly shower and pretend it isn't there, so maybe the caulking can wait. But I need to work on the sink down in the powder bath, because my usual bleach it routine down there isn't cutting it. And people use that bathroom.
More laundry to do. Then a big purge... big purge. With the cold weather is past, I need to go through the girls' things and set old/outgrown/worn out items for CCA and store usable off-season items somewhere not easily accessible to them so I can stop laundering fleece jammies in April.
My closet needs thinning again and I need to do my own seasonal rotation and organization so I can see the cute things to wear and not what I've been running around in this week. Some of the really cute things I've been hanging on to for the day I get back down a size... or two... will be offered to my friend Karen before they are completely dated. And I need to let go of some old faves that have seen better days.
John's side of the closet needs to be reviewed and organized, since he no longer commutes downstairs in short and polos, and so he can more easily find things to wear each morning at the crack of dawn when he gets dressed. If I do all this correctly there should be less laundry, right? Because right now, I'm washing cold and warm weather clothes and least-favorite items that get worn because the most-favored things are at the bottom of a pile of fleece jammies!
I'd like to find a new laundry hamper. The old one is shot, and it is not pretty enough for the new-and-improved laundry room. Which I need to blog about.
Why is my refrigerator beeping? I noticed it the other day while working in the kitchen. It's a quiet sort of popping beep from the inside. I'll google it. I google everything. Wish I had that google stock.
The guest room closet needs to be cleaned out and the room prepared for whichever set of grandparents will be staying there. I think the crib I can't give away can fit under my king bed, and the pictures can be stored in another location. Do I like the rocker in there? Do I want to move it back downstairs to the family room, and if so, should I rearrange the furniture down there? lt's been awhile. I'd like to try the antique furniture "recipe" on the icebox and scratched kitchen table. The camel saddle bag needs to be taken off and vacummed/beat. Where will I relocate the mola that was in the hall bath? I like the idea of the playroom upstairs -- I've got colorful prints up there already. The smaller mola would actually make a cute pillow. What is going on the new shelf in the bathroom?
What about Anna's birthday?!!! In my focus on preparations for her baptism next weekend, this week's birthday snuck up and now it's four days away with nary an invitation tendered. She insists that this year (following two years of family celebration) she must have a friend party, and it must be on her birthday. We've narrowed down the possibilities to an at-home party for late afternoon into evening on Saturday and now I must negotiate invitation calls with the moms. So proud to be so last-minute. Mother of the year...
Wondering how my friend's husband is doing, post-op. And how she is. And the kids. Wish I were closer. One of my former YW had her tonsils removed last week. Hope she's feeling better. I'm bringing lunch to a friend later today, also recovering from surgery, and wonder if I will pick something up or make sandwiches? Egg salad sounds good.
The fridge just beeped six times. Weird. Don't really want to deal with it. My very brief google search made my brain tired... a couple of suggestions to unplug and re-plug, someone posted something about how they cleaned the circuit board with alcohol and a q-tip. I really don't want to deal with it.
I need to get back to the gym. I hate the gym. It's not so much the gym itself, but I try to avoid mommy time and I hate getting "haven't seen you for a while" commentary from trainers. I would like to get back on the weight machines. I hate cardio.
Where am I going to put the second set of grandparents? I can convert the daybed and trundle in Anna's room and offer the girl's bath and have all four of us use the master. Or do we move out of our room (and closet) and then have all four use the girls' bath with them? That would be nicer for guests, but a lot more complicated with John's early morning work schedule and church meetings. I think we'll have to stay put.
Back yard needs weeding. Front bench cracked -- do I want to make a quick and crazy run to Canton on Friday to replace it? I am afraid it is only a matter of time before someone sits and crashes.
I ordered new lever handles to replace the worn and shiny brass ones on our interior doors. Once they are switched out, will I need to replace shiny fans? I'm not a big fan of they shiny but they still work.
Will I ever find a lampshade I like for the lamp in the front room? I should just bring the lamp with me to check out the one I saw last week at HomeGoods. It would make me feel better about not having the chair done for that room. Wish I'd found the fabric for the wingback chair earlier. Now the reupholsterer is backed up and it will be weeks...
I hate it when a plan with a self-imposed time frame is thwarted. Does it really matter? No. But with so many of the house projects done now, I am antsy to get all these things in order. I really wanted it all done before Anna's baptism. Oh, waaahh.
It should be enough to clean and organize and throw a fabulous birthday party on the fly and try to take care of the things I can control. That's plenty.
The fridge just beeped again.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Progressive Girl
Does this remind you of anyone?
Yesterday at church I heard that the Parker kids think I'm like her. (Or she's like me?) I told my friend Michele, who said a few people in her house think so, too.
Good thing she's cute.
Yesterday at church I heard that the Parker kids think I'm like her. (Or she's like me?) I told my friend Michele, who said a few people in her house think so, too.
Good thing she's cute.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Squirrel?
I've been trying to come up with a delicate way to describe the apparent demise of Rambo squirrel, and I've come to the conclusion that it can't be done. So if you are at all squeamish, just scroll down and read the nice post on bread you'll find below this one.
Two days ago I came home to find a rather large, almost certainly dead squirrel on the road in front of my mailbox. Obviously the victim of a hit-and-run, yet strangely intact. It was not pretty. I hesitantly took stock of the situation. I'm not gonna lie, the part of me that creates horror movie plot-lines in my sleep whispered to me of the potential for a stunned rodent to recover ("he's only mostly dead") and that was more disturbing than reality.
A few quick peeks to desensitize myself and I couldn't help going for a closer look. No movement. Probably dead. So then I'm hauling out the tape measure to document its size. I don't know why. (If you're wondering, the unofficial length from the safety zone was eighteen inches.)
What to do with dead squirrel? I didn't want to leave him out there in the road, and I certainly didn't want to get any closer, but it didn't seem like a job for animal control. So I walked away.
I'm not sure how I feel about that.
And some time later Rambo was mysteriously gone. Of course, I can't be certain it was Rambo Squirrel. And who knows where he went? But it stinks of sequel.
Two days ago I came home to find a rather large, almost certainly dead squirrel on the road in front of my mailbox. Obviously the victim of a hit-and-run, yet strangely intact. It was not pretty. I hesitantly took stock of the situation. I'm not gonna lie, the part of me that creates horror movie plot-lines in my sleep whispered to me of the potential for a stunned rodent to recover ("he's only mostly dead") and that was more disturbing than reality.
A few quick peeks to desensitize myself and I couldn't help going for a closer look. No movement. Probably dead. So then I'm hauling out the tape measure to document its size. I don't know why. (If you're wondering, the unofficial length from the safety zone was eighteen inches.)
What to do with dead squirrel? I didn't want to leave him out there in the road, and I certainly didn't want to get any closer, but it didn't seem like a job for animal control. So I walked away.
I'm not sure how I feel about that.
And some time later Rambo was mysteriously gone. Of course, I can't be certain it was Rambo Squirrel. And who knows where he went? But it stinks of sequel.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Our Daily Bread
This morning the first thing that popped into my head was that I should make bread.
It so happens that I often get impressions right there on the border of sleep and waking -- and in the moment I can't be sure if it is inspiration or random thoughts bubbling up. Either way, why ignore it?
Our stake president has encouraged us to ask in prayer each day what the Lord would have us do that day, listen, and follow through with the impressions that come, however insignificant they may seem.
Henry B. Eyring put it this way:
A morning prayer and an early search in the scriptures to know what we should do for the Lord can set the course of a day. We can know which task, of all those we might choose, matters most to God and therefore to us. I have learned such a prayer is always answered if we ask and ponder with childlike submission, ready to act without delay to perform even the most humble service.
So I am trying to act on impressions I have, including those that come unbidden. Even if I'd rather make cookies. Which is why today I ended up making bread... and cookies.
As I rolled out the bread dough and shaped the loaves, I experienced a distinct feeling of pure satisfaction. It was enough for me to pause and contemplate how much I enjoy baking and working in the kitchen and wonder why don't I do it more? I pondered my relationship with domesticity as I turned the loaves into the pans and set them in the oven to rise.
I washed and dried the Kitchenaid bowl and beater and started on the cookies. I chopped and mixed and stirred and felt good as I spilled flour and pecans and re-dirtied the kitchen counter, a few of the dishes I had just washed, and several more.
The bread came out, the first trays of cookies went in, and I waited.
I waited for an impression -- who needed bread today? But except for the memory that my friend Michele won the bidding on my 100% whole wheat bread at our Relief Society service auction, I got nothing.
Anna's after-school snack was fresh bread. "Mom, you make the best bread in the whole world." Middle-school Kate came into the house purring, "Oooooohhh, did someone make bread for me? It smells so good!"
And I was so glad I had made bread.
And the thought came to me that, perhaps, making bread today was for me.
Thanks, I Needed That
I spent the weekend in Salt Lake. I went to see one of my favorite people sealed to her husband in the Jordan River Temple. It was a five-tissue affair.
Afterward, we all headed over to her sister's house to eat. The sun was shining, the sky was blue, and I sat outside with Lauren, Ryan, Michael and Adam and laughed and laughed and laughed. Later I sat inside and laughed some more with Tammi, Bobbi, Jacque, Breanne and the babies. Then more laughing with Erika, Adam, Brent and Nikki. It felt so good.
I've known Erika, and by extension, her family, for over twenty years. Because I'm old like that. We've kept in touch by phone and summer visits and I often ask about her brother and sisters. And I lurk on their family blog.
So I didn't mind too much when Erika started telling tales about me in college. With such a long history stuff like that just rolls off.
Here's her fabulous family, back in the day. Erika's the innocent looking one front-row, center.
Love you guys!
Afterward, we all headed over to her sister's house to eat. The sun was shining, the sky was blue, and I sat outside with Lauren, Ryan, Michael and Adam and laughed and laughed and laughed. Later I sat inside and laughed some more with Tammi, Bobbi, Jacque, Breanne and the babies. Then more laughing with Erika, Adam, Brent and Nikki. It felt so good.
I've known Erika, and by extension, her family, for over twenty years. Because I'm old like that. We've kept in touch by phone and summer visits and I often ask about her brother and sisters. And I lurk on their family blog.
So I didn't mind too much when Erika started telling tales about me in college. With such a long history stuff like that just rolls off.
Here's her fabulous family, back in the day. Erika's the innocent looking one front-row, center.
Love you guys!
Friday, April 16, 2010
Come Fly With Me
I'm not at the Grand Canyon.
But check me out -- I'm blogging from a plane! The novelty of WiFi on this, my first flight with laptop, sucked me in and I coughed up $10 to check my mail and surf. I wanted to insert a cool plane/sky/WiFi graphic into this post but I can't figure out how to upload one from the web so you get a random photo from my files instead.
It's not easy being green.
I keep running into this problem -- so much technology, so many options, so little skill. I should sign up for another session at the Apple store. Maybe this time I'll know enough to know what I want to know and learn something I can't figure out on my own.
Did I mention I can blog mid-air?
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Rambo Squirrel
Have I written about the crazy squirrel who lives in our yard? He's big and he's bad.
He attacked the little flags I put out for national holidays. John saw it. All I found was the shredded remains of a flag, leaning drunkenly against the next. I suppose Rambo squirrel just didn't like the looks of it. Or maybe he needed a new bandana?
Normal squirrels flee when you approach. This one has been known to stare me down when I go out to check the mail. It's unnerving.
And I'm pretty sure he stole the bulbs I planted in the front beds a few weeks ago. He may have taken out the ones in back, too, but I can't really blame him for those since I forgot to water back there under the magnolias. And next to the fence, where the ground is stony. I call it gardening by parable (Behold, a sower went forth to sow...) and hope there were a few good seeds that will bring forth fruit. Squirrel notwithstanding.
I haven't seen the glorified rodent for awhile. I wonder if it has something to do with the fact that our live oaks out front are about half the trees they used to be, thanks to the combined efforts of the freak snow this year and enthusiastic tree guys attacking the storm damage. Moved on to greener branches?
Last week I drove past a freakishly large squirrel downed in the road, creepy little feet up. It was a few doors down. I didn't think much of it at the time. But now I wonder...
He attacked the little flags I put out for national holidays. John saw it. All I found was the shredded remains of a flag, leaning drunkenly against the next. I suppose Rambo squirrel just didn't like the looks of it. Or maybe he needed a new bandana?
Normal squirrels flee when you approach. This one has been known to stare me down when I go out to check the mail. It's unnerving.
And I'm pretty sure he stole the bulbs I planted in the front beds a few weeks ago. He may have taken out the ones in back, too, but I can't really blame him for those since I forgot to water back there under the magnolias. And next to the fence, where the ground is stony. I call it gardening by parable (Behold, a sower went forth to sow...) and hope there were a few good seeds that will bring forth fruit. Squirrel notwithstanding.
I haven't seen the glorified rodent for awhile. I wonder if it has something to do with the fact that our live oaks out front are about half the trees they used to be, thanks to the combined efforts of the freak snow this year and enthusiastic tree guys attacking the storm damage. Moved on to greener branches?
Last week I drove past a freakishly large squirrel downed in the road, creepy little feet up. It was a few doors down. I didn't think much of it at the time. But now I wonder...
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