Whew, What A Whirlwind!

The rehearsal party, wedding, birthday party, Thanksgiving Day week was filled with a lot of people and a lot of fun (and a lot of work) and now life is back to normal. I stayed on the keto thing until the night of the wedding. The dress fit and actually looked decent on me, but during the last hour of the reception I ate a cupcake (Maple bacon, yum!) and a slider. I could have stopped right there, but I didn't and the next week was a totally non keto week. Sunday I rounded up the horses and stepped back on the keto wagon, complete with a menu plan using the leftover Thanksgiving foods, since I hate food waste.  So here is the plan which I will probably change because that is how I operate.

1. Hot Brown Sandwiches (TheHub's on leftover hot dog rolls, mine on fake bread topped with a keto friendly mornay sauce), tossed salad  (Used leftover turkey)

2. Spaghetti, tossed salad (Dinner rolls for TheHub) (Used no leftovers except some arugula for the salad)

3. Traditional Thanksgiving stuff: turkey, gravy, asparagus, brussels sprouts, dressing (For me? turkey and brussels sprouts)

4. Faux bean soup, rolls (real rolls for TheHub, fake bread for me) shredded cabbage (Used the last leftover ham. Yes, we had both turkey and ham for Thanksgiving. BTW this soup is incredibly delicious. How do I know? I made it in the crock pot last night and snuck a small bowl for my lunch today.)

5. Mexican spiced turkey (uses the scrappy pieces of turkey) baked in poblano peppers and topped with cheese

6. Faux mac and cheese, collards, lady peas (TheHub gets these)

7. Ball game meal: Brats or Smoked sausage, steamed kraut, buns for TheHub, keto dip with celery, cukes and cauliflower

Now I need to run to the bank for mom. My beloved sister was kind enough to take over with Mom for the past week, so now I need to let her have a week's break. I cannot thank her enough for giving me the gift of time!

Have fun as the Christmas Clock has officially begun!

It's Official

The wedding was beautiful, the weather warmed, the sun was shining, Son2 was so happy, we have a new daughter to love and life is good. And that dress that has kept me from cheating on the keto way of eating? It fit!

Christmas is Coming, The Geese (and me) are Getting Fat

Christmas is rapidly approaching. For the past 2 years I have organized (I use that term loosely) a Blogger Christmas Card Swap.  I thought I would do the same this year, but I am starting it early cause I am a little under the gun right now. Personally I love seeing something other than the blogs from the folks whose lives I read about regularly. If you feel so inclined please join in.

This is the way it works,
You will send a card to 3 randomly picked participating bloggers and you will receive 3 from randomly assigned bloggers. It is a very easy way to connect with those we read regularly or those we might have  never read.  It is still a fun way to connect, and in our crazy world some kind connections are definitely needed.

If you are interested in participating please email me at haljam27@gmail.com.  Be sure to include your name, blog name, and  mailing address.

Feel free to share this with any of your blog friends who might be interested. I am a tiny blog and am just not seen by too many folks.

Blah, Blah, Blech!

Did I finish my list for yesterday, nope. I started cleaning out the designated cabinet in the kitchen and just kept cleaning. A charity truck will be here today so I kept cleaning out and filling bag after bag of things to give away.

I am feeling a little depressed about getting rid of one set of dishes. I really do like them but I never use them. The plates are oversized and do not fit in the dishwasher. I even took one of them with me when I went dishwasher shopping and no dice. They did not fit in a single washer. I was lucky enough to wash dishes  from the time Mom let me stand in a chair to wash them until I was about 25 when we finally bought a house with one that worked. Our first house had one but it was broken and the repair guy could not fix it. At the time we could not afford to replace it, so I washed. I understand it is a luxury, but not one I am willing to do without, and I am no longer going to keep dishes that will not fit.  (Besides, I have 8 other sets of dishes. They are my guilty pleasure and anytime I see a set I like on one of the facebook trading sites it is all I can do to keep from buying them)

The painters will be here early, I am sure, and in addition to painting one of the bathrooms upstairs, and doing touch up painting they are staining some open cabinets I have in the kitchen. Years ago we totally redid our kitchen using just two handymen. I loved it because we kind of designed the kitchen as we went along. The open cabinets were an afterthought that worked very well, but I did not want them stained the same color as the cabinet doors. I told them to leave them raw and I would figure out what I wanted later. Well later has come and tomorrow the raw wood shelves will be stained black on the interior, but the same color as the cabinets on the edges.

I have no idea what I will be doing since they are going to be in two different areas of the house. I might wind up in the laundry room because it is not in anyone's way. I guess this will be a day of some work and maybe some rest. Fingers crossed!

To do: Whatever I can, but I am not going to worry about it today.

Overestimation is My Middle Name

Yesterday, I got caught by a web of distractions and odd things I needed to do so I never even set foot upstairs. I have painters coming tomorrow to do some touch up work there, so getting it finished today is not an option. For the most part I feel like I am in a bad 70's shampoo cycle; lather, rinse, and repeat, and repeat, and repeat.

My body is rebelling and telling me it is not young and my pack mule days are over. If I did not have so much to do I would start listening to it.

Dark hole bedroom
Vacuum floors
Move small night table into the room
Wash bed pillows (This only got done because I had brought it downstairs the day before)
Wash Throw pillows
Leave room, shut the door, and don't set a foot back in it until the day they fly in.

Son3's former room
Clean his personal belongings off of the furniture and box everything up.
Hide the boxes in the closet.
Pick up all the crap that was underneath the bed I moved into the dark hole room
Clean the linen closet
Wipe down woodwork
Wash Windows
Dust blinds
Wash curtains (if I am feeling industrious, only. I can take them down and shake them out and they will be fine)
Wipe down all doors (there are 4 stupid doors in this room)
Look in the walk in closet and slightly rearrange so Son1 and DIL1 have somewhere to hang their stuff (Cleaning it out totally is on Son3. He can decide what he wants and what he wants to send to charity)
Vacuum carpet
Clean sink and vanity for Jack and Jill bathroom

Laundry Room/Pool Bath
Do 10 things in the laundry room
Clean fixtures in pool bath
Mop bath floor
Wash mirror
Check and remove any errant spider webs
Tidy cabinet under the sink

Butler's Pantry
Install cup hooks and hang cups

Kitchen
Clean and wax 2 cabinet door and one drawer front (keep going if the urge moves me)
Clean out the small appliance cabinet
Remove dish towels from drawer, vacuum drawer and neatly replace dish towels and hot pads

Do We Really Live in a Pig Sty? Evidently, Yes

Today I have class until 11 o'clock so the morning will be spent getting dressed and doing some sort of studying. After that I need to run by the grocery store, run to the printers to pick up the invitations for the non-rehearsal dinner,  and then it is home to change into work duds and get moving on to my new not so favorite thing to do__deep cleaning. Though I am not yet finished, I am closer to being done than I was. I figure I only have a half of a day to clean and I am just not as quick as I once was. This is my tentative list for the day.

Dark hole bedroom
Vacuum floors
Move small night table into the room
Wash bed pillows
Wash Throw pillows
Leave room, shut the door, and don't set a foot back in it until the day they fly in.

Son3's former room
Clean his personal belongings off of the furniture and box everything up.
Hide the boxes in the closet.
Pick up all the crap that was underneath the bed I moved into the dark hole room
Clean the linen closet
Wipe down woodwork
Wash Windows
Dust blinds
Wash curtains (if I am feeling industrious, only. I can take them down and shake them out and they will be fine)
Wipe down all doors (there are 4 stupid doors in this room)
Look in the walk in closet and slightly rearrange so Son1 and DIL1 have somewhere to hang their stuff (Cleaning it out totally is on Son3. He can decide what he wants and what he wants to send to charity)
Vacuum carpet
Clean sink and vanity for Jack and Jill bathroom

Kitchen
Clean and wax at least 2 more cabinet doors and 2 more drawer fronts.
Clean out flatware drawer,  empty and wash the dividers and replace stainless.
Clean out the baking cabinet

Butlers Pantry
Rearrange all alcohols by type
Neaten up the glassware cabinet
Clear and clean bar top
Remove everything from shelves, wipe shelves and replace items
Get rid of anything I never use (except MIL's china) Goodbye sushi set

Laundry room
Do 10 things. (I might count something as trite as stacking the laundry baskets as one of the 10 things. I am dragging today.)

I know without a doubt I will not get everything on this list done, but I have to have a list. Mainly I have to have Son3's former room ready to put the bed in just in case my teeny tiny friend with the big ass truck can take a side trip to the lake this week to pick up said bed.

On a very positive note, for the past 4 years I have been griping about my dishwasher. The racks are held together with zip ties and I had to use 2 orange nylon bags to weave new bottoms for the flatware containers so the knives and spoons would not fall through. Last night TheHub and I bought a new one and it will be installed Saturday. Usually I go by myself, but this time he went too. I am glad he went because his negotiating skills are much better than mine. (Probably because he does that at work all the time) I am also thankful every single appliance dealer in town is having a sale which provided us with great price matching options.

Heigh-Ho Heigh-Ho, It's Back Upstairs I Go

I did not get as much done yesterday as I had planned, so I need to go back to the dark hole some call a bedroom first thing out of the chute this morning. Our entire second floor is a never used space that does nothing but collect crap and dust. Because we are having a guest who is not typical for our entire family gathering the usual accommodations are not going to work and our whole paradigm has shifted.

Typically Son1 and DIL1 stay in the guest room, which has its own bathroom. Son2 stays in his old room, which shares  a Jack and Jill bath with the dark hole some call a bedroom. It has never been a problem because no one ever sleeps in the dark hole, mainly because it has no bed in it. Then Pip has a teeny tiny room that once was my office. (Not sure what will happen when she outgrows the youth bed which actually fits in there) Son2 has his own digs so I have no worries about his sleeping arrangements.

The bed left years ago when whoever used it as a room moved out and took their furniture with them. By the time he was about 10 Son3 was the sole occupant of the entire upstairs and that room became his "office", with a desk, desk chair, a foosball table and a couple of sling chairs. Basically he did homework and hung out with friends there.

Until now there has been no need to do anything with the former bedroom other than stash whatever needed to be out of sight away. But now the great reconfiguring is upon us. Since DIL1's mother is coming for the wedding, I am putting Son1 and DIL1 in Red's (Son3) old room and her Mom in the dark hole. They can share the bathroom, leaving Red and DIL3 (the newlyweds) the guest room with their own private bath. Which means I am moving Son3's double bed to the dark hole and need to get a queen for his old room.  The only reason I don't put DIL1's mom in the existing real bedroom is because typically Pip gets scared and her youth bed moves into the room with her parents. The dark hole is not large enough to accommodate a queen bed plus a youth bed without moving the desk out. There is nowhere else to house the desk which we put together in the room and will have to be taken apart to get out of the room. I am just not adding that task to our current chaos.

Thankfully all I have left to do in the guest room is clean the bathroom, put out fresh towels, and dust! Whew!

Anyone coming through Birmingham and need a place to stay? Looks like the hotel is open for business

And the cleaning list for today is:

Dark Hole Room (I ran out of steam and had a few distractions yesterday)
Vacuum carpet
Wash windows
Dust blinds
Wash woodwork
Wash doors
Wash light diffusing bowl on overhead light
Dust desk
Dust bookshelves
Move double bed from Red's old room
Clean sink in the Jack and Jill  bathroom

Stairwell
Dust banister and rails
Wash woodwork 
Check for and remove any errant spider webs

Upstairs Hall
Do that spider web thing
Wash woodwork
Wash doors facing hall                 Hall is halfway done but I need to clean up and go vote
Dust mop floor
Vacuum rugs

Laundry room
Do 10 things

Kitchen
Clean and wax at least 3 drawer fronts
Clean and wax at least 2 cabinet doors
Clean interior of breakfast nook cabinet

What a Difference a Day Makes (None, Still Cleaning)

Continuing my cleaning for company journey, today I am starting in the laundry room. moving to the dining room, then heading upstairs. Do I want to? Nope! But I pretty much have to get things organized so I can move a bed and night stand from one room to another.

After I get Son3's (AKA Red) former bedroom emptied I will have to run to the lake place, grab the queen bed from the guest room there and truck it back home to put in the hopefully ready room. (Wednesday or Thursday , fingers crossed) I am finding a little resistance to my plan but I am lucky enough to have a teeny tiny friend with a big ass truck. Martha told me to just give her a call and we will have a little adventure, so I will call her and get the room set up myself. It is easier than arguing about it.

Dining Room
Move wedding flowers to laundry room
Wash windows
Wash woodwork
Polish all furniture
Dust chandelier and vacuum shades
Clean corner cabinets interiors
Polish coffee set
Remove any errant spider webs
Clean dining room door
Dust mop
Vacuum rug
Pick up anything not belonging in the dining room and re-home
Arrange Thanksgiving arrangements

Laundry room
Clean space for wedding flowers so they can leave the dining room table
9 other things

Dark hole bedroom
Get the baby bad taken down and put in the closet
Move the soccer table
Vacuum carpet
Check for and remove any errant spider webs
Wash windows
Dust blinds
Wash woodwork
Wash doors
Wash light diffusing bowl on overhead light
Dust desk
Dust bookshelves
Move double bed from Red's old room
Clean sink in the Jack and Jill  bathroom

Mom
Of course now that I am in the middle of this major cleaning she decided to alter a dress for the wedding. I just got a phone call and since she doesn't drive anymore she NEEDS me to come (right this minute) and see if it will work. BTW my beloved sister and I have been talking to her about altering this since August. Yep this makes me really happy.

Now I need to run to Mom's so I can come hope and get some serious cleaning done.

Like the White Rabbit, I am Late!

Today I am copying Bless at My Two Cents and creating a to do list. The wedding is the 18th, but people start arriving at my house the 14th. I have a ton to do between then and now. so I thought I would make a daily list of what I need to accomplish. Maybe putting it out there will keep me focused, since there will be some sort of universal accountability instead of my usual "well I will just do it tomorrow" attitude.

This is what I really, really do need to get done today.

Living Room
Check for and get rid of any errant spider webs
Gather random items that should not be in the living room and put them away
Clean the music book bin.
Get the hair dryer and blow the dust from the piano interior. Requires an additional set of hands, none available
Dust and polish the side tables
Dust chairs and vacuum upholstery
Shine piano, piano bench and wipe keys
Wash  floor vases
Wash windows
Wipe down woodwork
Dust mop floor
Damp mop floor  Decided to wait until I am ready to wax the floors (After dining room is cleaned)
Polish candelabra
Clean switch plates and outlets
Vacuum rug
Vacuum lamp shades


Foyer
Clean mirror
Dust picture frames
Dust and polish chest
Dust and polish bench
Wipe down woodwork
Wipe down front door
Wipe down interior door
Wash windows
Dust mop
Damp mop Waiting for another day
Vacuum rug
Clean switch plates and outlets
Dust chandelier and clean shades

Laundry room and pool bath
This area is in such chaos I am just going to list "do 10 things".  It is going to be a work in progress so any 10 things will be an improvement. Then every day this week I will do 10 more things. Maybe by the time they get here it will be passable (Notice I did not say perfect) Let's just say I did 10 very small things to improve the area. I am tired.

Black hole that is supposed to be a bed room but just gets junk put in it
Take soccer table apart and move downstairs for neighbor who is taking it off my hands (Requires another set of hands, none handy
Gather stuffed animals and move into Pip's room
Gather anything no longer used and get ready for a major Goodwill haul
Move blocks and Brio set to Pip's room
Bring Thanksgiving decorations from closet to dining room
Move baby bed (take apart and store for possible future grands)

And now I need to get off this silly computer and get my rear in gear so I can accomplish these goals for the day.

I am calling it quits, now it is time to make tomorrows list

Glimpse at Flowers

My almost DIL is without a doubt the single best person I have ever known. (Sorry Son2, you are a great guy but not as wonderful as she is!) This incredibly sweet and thoughtful woman decided she wanted something unique for her wedding flowers. She lost her dad about a year ago and has fond memories of him playing Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring on his guitar for her. Since she wanted paper flowers, what could be better than making the flowers from the song's sheet music.  We searched and found it online, printed it and made copies on an ivory parchment paper.

Beautiful paper, yes! Pliable, meh, not so much. So for the past two weeks I have been in a flurry of cutting, gluing, and wrapping, wrapping, wrapping floral tape around stems created by braiding 3 chenille sticks together. The calla lilies were pretty easy once I figured out how to make them, but the roses? I honestly had no idea how I was going to make them, all 30 of them. It involved a lot of trial and error, mostly error, to figure out how to create something that looked like a rose. In the end it required making a center bud then gluing each individual petal one on top of the other, to get a realistic rose, or at least what a realistic rose would look like if the petals looked like sheet music. And even though it did take me much longer than I estimated, I am so glad I did it. It was truly a labor of love for the woman who makes my son his best self.

And now they are done: 27 boutonnieres, 14 honorary attendant bouquets, 1 matron of honor  bouquet, 4 Mother/Grandmother long stem roses, 2 flower girl basket arrangements and the bridal bouquet.  I am sharing a pic of the bride's flowers and you will just have to trust me on the rest.

I am rarely content and super critical of everything I do, but I was really pleased with this. I am not much of an arrangement designer and this was way above my pay grade, but I actually like it.  And now that I know I can do it, I don't have to ever try this again.

No more flowers or flower construction mess so I have to start cleaning like mad for the peeps who will be staying here.