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Saturday, April 6, 2013 @ 9:37 am
Good morning and welcome back. It’s been now almost 2 weeks since we’ve
actually written in the blog. Last time
was before the movers got here, and then just now we added to the blog the
pictures that we took on moving day before and after the move, and then we
added a picture from about five days later of the sewing room put
together. We’re at day 12 AFTER the move
and we’re almost done with the exception of Rich’s room which is only half
done. We should finish the rest
today. It would have been done before
that, but I got a 48 hour flu, and then Rich got a 48 hour flu – we’re thinking
stemming from Bud who was in the hospital, because he had the flu and was
dehydrated. Fortunately, we’re now back
in shape and ready to move on past that.
I wanted to write after we got everything done, but I’m not
so much into working at this point before lunch. Just half days – then we’re not so
stressed. Plenty of things have happened
to fill the time. We talked to Dr.
Marvin on Monday on the phone as scheduled at 3 pm, and then we had to cancel on
Thursday because of the flu. We only had
one appointment the week before when we had moved, because about 30 minutes out
on Tuesday, we realized that we hadn’t brought our money for parking, so then
talked to him on the phone, and then on that Thursday we went in. It was a long trip and we were a little
tired, but I think it was just because we’d been working so hard at unpacking.
CS didn’t end up coming down Easter weekend, because we
asked her not to. She had written that
Mark had to take her to Milwaukee because of the pump and she said she’d drive
herself down and that if she had pump problems, she would drive herself back to
Milwaukee. We weren’t going to take
responsibility for that. Afterward, she
said she would have been ok, but we couldn’t make her medical problems the
center of attention with Rich’s mother and Maury and his family coming and we
couldn’t handle the thought of her driving herself 2 ½ hours with medical
problems. I’ve never understood the deal
with being on morphine … just wasn’t accepting that it felt like my problem
with her here as my guest. I had felt if
she were more able to handle it … she would have driven herself to Milwaukee
the first time over having Mark need to drive her. I suppose the problem is mute now because it
is over. We said we could try it in a
couple of weeks after she could affirm being well, and then she suggested
getting together closer to the beginning of May to celebrate Mark’s
birthday. I wasn’t sure then if that
meant that they would both come down and sleep over, or whether it was just a
day trip up to their place to take Mark and CS out to dinner. By including Mark in the arrangements I’m
pretty sure that CS wouldn’t be really staying over as originally planned. We’ll have to check into this further.
We have also had in this last period of time – an outing
with MOST of our sewing sisters. Linda
and us continue to talk several times a day - most days, but she wasn’t with
the rest of us on our first Saturday (which by the way was actually this time
the last Saturday so we could reserve the room). It was a great amount of fun, but not as
much as some of the other times. We did
well with most of it and the girls had fooled me by having a surprise
housewarming party. It was at the time
past my comprehension. I hadn’t even
focused on the stuff they had brought in the room that turned out to be
mine. I had just thought they were using
the table for their extra stuff. I mean
who studies other peoples’ stashes!??
After we had had lunch, one of the twins handed me a stack of towels,
and I felt confused, but then thought CS must have brought them, because she’s
always bringing something, but then through the conversation it became apparent
that everyone INCLUDING the missing Linda had brought gifts. I just couldn’t have been more
surprised.
Afterward I thought I wouldn’t have put something like that
past them, just hadn’t focused on it, especially because Maury and Nikki are
advocating we have a housewarming party in June, and I had talked to the girls
about coming down. It seems possible,
but we were afraid to ask them, because I felt it would be a big imposition on
having them drive all the way down – for what would most likely be just for the
day. I know I go up there often enough,
but we’re a little more prepared for those kinds of travel hours. Plus, everyone always have so much to be
doing. It’s just a huge request. I don’t know we will have to talk to Maury
and Rich again as to their available hours, but it seemed for the girls that
later during the month of June like June 22 or 29th would be the
best. We’ll just have to wait until some
more confirming is done. It would be
pretty much the girls, some of Rich’s fishing/card friends, maybe a few
officials, and family. We’ll have to
check some of their schedules as well.
Just can’t have it interfere with a fishing outing or perhaps Herbalife
outing for Joe and Cari. We’ll talk to
them tomorrow when they are over.
There … we just changed a load in the washer/dryer. We’ve been looking almost forward each day to
washing some kind of laundry load which not only includes clothes, but as well
rugs, curtains, blankets, and linen.
Just seems that everything we own has gone through the washing
machines. I can’t tell you how thrilled
to death we are at having the machines just feet from where we are folding in
the kitchen (on the pass-through counter) and how close that is to the
appropriate rooms WITHOUT stairs!!! It’s
just the most mind-blowing thing ever.
We’ve been really good about the “new rules” we’ve made for
ourselves. Like there is no naked stuff
and we’re getting dressed every day and doing most the normal routine stuff
before 8:30 am which is our bewitching hour with the fireplace. Rich and us made up a rule that it goes off
between the hours of 8:30 am and 4:30 pm.
Sometimes we have it on for less time, especially if we are in the LR
watching TV or whatever else might happen there. Some of the new routines that are happening
is that clothes are put in the washer, dishes are done, we are showered and
dressed to the shoes, the bed is made and the rooms, are picked-up of any late
night stuff including blankets are folded and curtains are all opened. It hasn’t seemed like too much and we’re thinking
Rich has been the biggest problem. He’s
been taking showers after 8:30 am and sometimes eating breakfast later than
that too which puts a little havoc into getting everything washed. We’re trying not to make a big deal out of
it, but it’s been a little problematic.
We’ve had a few difficulties with the house that caused us
to get a hold of the warranty insurance people.
We had one roofer out for leaks who said that it would take about $7,500
to repair the roof, and then one of the warranty roofers came out and fixed it
at about a $300 level. I’m sure the
repairs are somewhere in-between, but it left us unsure of being able to trust
professionals. We have to pay the first
$100 for each incident and the warranty has paid for the other, but nothing
happens that they don’t direct or approve.
We also had trouble after the first time with the dishwasher. The pump taking water out of the dishwasher
wasn’t working and there was a problem with the ring. Rich didn’t want to believe at first the
policies of the warranty people because he was used to doing something
different so even though I pointed out and read in writing – he still held a
negative opinion which cost us time and an additional $65. At this point, the warranty people are giving
us a new dishwasher – the other one was ten years old, and it’s supposed to get
her on the 10th. I’m not sure
if Rich will have to call the person the warranty people gave us to schedule an
install date, but hopefully, it will go in this week. I’ve been pushing Rich. Because I’ve washed all the dishes, I don’t
think he’s feeling the push as much as we are.
I did ask Nikki to help us on Easter which she did kindly, so that was a
big help.
That was another event that happened. Maury, Nikki, the girls and Rich’s mother
came over for Easter. I felt that had
mixed reviews. Having Rich’s mother made
things more awkward, but it turned out fine.
Again, we were grateful for the kids being patient. Rich’s mother wouldn’t talk about anything
other than herself and Bud’s ailments.
But again was in the hospital, because he didn’t drink enough fluids
when he had the flu. Rich’s mom used
whoever would sit down with her and us as someone who hadn’t heard her stories
before. I was again grateful of Nikki
for going through it with me. The girls
came in and out of it, but didn’t say much.
Noone ever does, because for the most part the conversations don’t
include us.
Rich’s mother was funny in asking which of the girls was the
mother. She didn’t recognize Nikki as
being the older woman. But, then she
told everyone she wasn’t going to remember their names so made no point of it
or in getting to know anyone … there weren’t any questions to them. It left me feeling a little depleted and
empty. I had hoped if she at least saw
my family she would be able to have some kind of a reference point, but she just
blew it off. Maury really never sat in
her general area and eventually after dinner, and after Rich had taken her out
to the sunroom for a couple of smokes, she joined the rest of the family in the
living room, but at that point she didn’t say anything and when dessert was
served she held the plate perilously causing me to worry about her cheesecake
ending up on the floor.
I felt embarrassed about not giving her anything to drink,
but I thought it was in Rich’s domain to ask.
I did show her the two bottles of alcohol we had (Rich had gotten for
gifts), and then she had a couple of glasses.
I was really grateful after she left, so that I could talk to the kids,
but they didn’t stay long either. They
had decided to hunt for Easter eggs the night before so they weren’t going to
do it that night, and on the way out, they’d stopped and found a couch at a
saver’s place, and they had to go back and claim it or lose it.
I was so exhausted that I could barely stand up. I’d done all the good Ann stuff before like
sweep and Swiffer the floor, get the table ready and make sure the house was
all in place. Rich did all the cooking
and again Nikki helped me clean up after dinner. Rich took his mother to visit Bud, and then
after the kids left we fell out in sleepiness on the recliner. I don’t have much more recollection of that
day. I do know that nothing was as bad ‘feeling-wise’
as the moving day itself. We were in
tears we were aching so badly. I thought
we’d kept more still, but there was still a lot of movement. Our back ached as well as our legs, ankles
and knees and Rich coddled us to bed and gave us extra medicine and an
icepack. It was a very shaky night. Fortunately, I don’t see that as going to
happen again.
Jade is the first one to claim an overnight and that’s probably
going to be arranged, most likely it would be better the weekend Maury’s girls
aren’t there. Jade wants to bring a
friend, and we thought that would be ok.
We had originally thought two weeks making it This next weekend, but
Rich is going to be fishing from Thursday to Sunday, and I don’t think I could
handle all the cooking for the girls while Rich was out. It just be too much. I know that Jade needs a lot of attention and
we’d have to go overboard in making sure she was comfortable with the house and
her options here. One of the things that
made Easter go well was that Jasmine had gotten a long board crossed between a
surf board and a skate board, and she kept dragging people out to watch her. That got the girls outside and more familiar
with the area, and some took the walk around the block. The kids hadn’t brought Lady and Max, but
when they had before the dogs stayed out in the sunroom and then the kids also
took them for walks. I’m thinking the
same will go for this weekend with Joe and Cari. I told them to feel free about inviting
Ramsey and that we’d hope he’d stay out in the sunroom to give our cats some
space. It’s really nice out there and I
think it helps that you can look out three sides of the room PLUS into the
house through the sliding glass so everything would feel more in order. Ramsey won’t have company over, but we’ll see
how it goes. Maybe the weather will be
nice enough that we are all out in the room.
I think though he will settle in and like Max and Lady – enjoy the trips
around the block. There are others as
well from the neighborhood that walk their dogs and it’s a nice friendly
gesture, as is this morning when Rich is out on the street working on his
boat. It gives others a chance to know
us and say hello.
As mentioned, Rich’s office is the last room to be done and
it is already half way through. We did
two loads of clothes today (rugs too), so that we are giving ourselves a little
bye here in the morning. It still seems
that we’re very weak as to standing up and getting things done. We’re ok after we start, but need frequent
breaks. Again we’re doing real well at
following the Flylady so are not as concerned about taking breaks and working
for shorter periods of time. There is in
unpacking both the physical, and as well the mental part of trying to find
place for all your things for the first time.
It takes some kind of patience we sometimes have to work through. We have the confidence that if we just keep
moving that it will get done in a manner that we like, just maybe more than
patience some courage to be moving without feeling pain. The pain part is always the hardest.
We’ve given ourselves some breaks this week in that several
days after we’ve done some kind of work/movement during the day – to be at
night spending time in the sewing room pulling together ironing restacking
projects. We’ve opened a few of the bins
and found a lot of disorder. I’d like to
have most of what we’re doing stacked in either the scrap piles (bundles), or
the 6 x 6’s, or the regular fabric fold with the larger fabrics. There still seems some kind of calm in
ironing and folding fabric – and just looking at all the great fabrics.
Hmm, Rich just came in here to mail a check and neither of
us knew where the stamps were. That can’t
be good. Maybe this is a problem of not
having finished his office. I just wish
we had more stamina. Even writing today
is somewhat difficult in that our arms and fingers and mind are a bit
mushy. I suppose from being out of
practice. I will admit that a lot more
has already happened then used to happen when we lived in the apartment. I’m up and down all the time, like a few
moments ago I got up to see where Rich was at with the boat, and stopped by the
sink to catch a few morning dishes. I
think it’s the same for getting up and down to change loads, fold and then put
all that away. It’s just that kind of
movement in the past wouldn’t have been made.
I should like to think then that we are getting better. Maury has commented each time out this last
couple of weeks what bad shape I’m in and how we need to regularly
exercise.
I know that if I were to walk around the block, I would need
to use the walker and rest. I’m hoping
that we will become involved in some of the outdoor work. We’ve been toying also with getting the lawn mower. We think it would take at least 4-5 efforts
of being up and down to get it all done, but that would help with the exercise
and give Rich more support for not having to do everything. We’re
especially thinking for those weekends like this next upcoming one where he has
to be away or spend more time getting the boat ready. I used to mow and enjoy it though definitely
was when we had the physical stamina to be always on the go, especially at
work. Just I’d like to build ourselves
to at least that strength again.
Anyway as to the sewing room, we found that we could pull
the ironing board out in a triangle angle to the 90 degree tables and that we’d
still have room to move and we could be listening to music, though it’s pretty
impossible to bring the ironing table out to the living room. Maybe on the plus side it will give each
other a little private time within the house since we’re both here so
often. I did miss Rich by the end of
last night and found ourselves happy to join him even if we weren’t interested
in his shows. We haven’t really been
watching TV for the shows, we’ve been just listening to the Sirius channel
called, “The Coffee House.” Really
nice. Maybe we’ll turn it on again now …
we need to take a few moments to fold the towels J
Ahh that’s done now and they’re all put away … we decided to
put on some 60’s music to help us find a little more up-music. Maybe that will inspire work J … the last trip wasn’t
bad. We put away dishes, emptied the
garbage and washed the container, and then folded and put away things. It’s pretty much the extent of what we can do
for one up. I am sure we’re building
some endurance points. I have to give
ourselves credit … while it looks like we’re not doing much … stuff is
happening under the seams. Just doesn’t
happen all on its own. I’m afraid that
Rich is already taking things for granted … If things are being cleaned
everyday am I really doing anything?
Blah … that kind of thinking would be wrong. We ran into a little problem while being
sick. I was the first and he thought we
were just sloughing, because all we wanted to do was sleep … he pushed if we
were going to earn our house money we’d still have to get up and dressed and do
“our stuff.” We did, but shoes and
everything we were sleeping on the couch.
After he got what we had the next day he was singing to another tune. He got in about 18 hours of sleep. All we could do was shake our head. He knew he was sick, but assumed we’d just be
cheating. That really doesn’t seem very
fair.
Mmm, 11:30 am – lunch
time AND we have good Italian leftovers from eating out last night. It was our second date night! The first was a Mexican place, and now this
one … the latter was more expensive, but the first one there wasn’t any
leftovers. We’re having Fettuccine
Alfredo – WITH broccoli which might sound redundant, but it is still good! Rich is probably going to be down on me for
not saving it for dinner, but he didn’t say I couldn’t have my food! HMPF!
AHA! He’s come in and
seen the food AND didn’t say anything as he took some hamburger out for
dinner. He said he’s been at ACE twice
already and is now on the phone with Marine batteries at Walmart. Good to check that out before taking the trip
…. He’s been out on the boat and has a long ways to go … whoops … no luck
there. Oh still on the phone. OK … he’s gone again … going to Walmart. They have one of the batteries he needs … he
had planned on buying an extra. Guess
not. Then he called his son and said he’d
be there life 4 pm to see his Grandson.
That means he’s leaving at 3 pm.
In the meantime he was saying how he couldn’t get everything done in
time. He hasn’t finished loading his
boat, or fixing his lines, or even checking out everything by getting it in
water before the contest tomorrow. We
gave him back-up thoughts … worse thing is that you’ll figure out your boat
tomorrow and might be fishing on your own and not in the tournament. He’s just not allowing himself time enough to
be having fun with it. Sigh … that’s
about being Rich though and we’re much more into being Ann.
My self-imposed deadline would be that it would be nice to
have the house done before Joe and Cari get here tomorrow. We did talk to Thom, and we messaged with
Laura. April is pretty busy for their
family – she and Mike are now engaged!!!!
I believe they are getting married in August. We’re pretty excited for them. She also said that we might be able to get
together on a Sunday in May so we’ll go for that. Where’s Thom?
That’s a good question. Again we
talked to him and he’s back in DC as his brother learned first from Thom’s
Dad. It seemed appropriate in that he
was staying at his Dad’s. Thom is going
to try working it out with Duyen and he, she and her sister have moved in with
her Uncle. It is reported thought that
the uncle is getting a divorce and his wife is now out of the house – which makes
it easier to get through this next transition.
I hope it works for them. There’s
not much else we want to say about all of these moves, except to say that life
will work out as it tends to do if you wait long enough and participate
in-between. Right?
We’re back though to hoping that we can get together with
Laura, Mike and Austin as had been happening before Thom was in the area. Thom hadn’t been receptive to always
returning calls so we missed opportunities to share time with he and
Austin. I think Austin loses out the
most, but Laura said he’s handled the first weekend with his Dad being gone
again pretty well. I just don’t like
that part – that of Thom not being there for Austin. Time will tell.
I’m not sure if we mentioned it before but we have another
thing that we wanted to mention before we sign off. We figure we have a few more moments before
the dryer stuff is ready, then we’ll close and head toward the back room. BUT, Rich and us have a deal … we are going
to be collecting a “miniature house collection.” This is the blurb and pictures we left as
markers in FB. J
“This morning we've got
everything in household order including dressed to the shoes. We're back into
following Flylady. We've got a lot of Domestic Goddessing to do ahead of us and
figured we might get a head start. The super fun part? Rich says that we can start a relatively inexpensive collection
for doing well with "our chores" at the new place. We're looking at
the Lemax Harvest Crossing collection and our first piece will be the
"General Store." We are talking mostly under $30, but it's going to
be so much fun ... we've got ledges separating the kitchen from the LR and
we're planning on building a village there and throughout the house. That's
right us ... keep your eye on the prize! Hehehe Life's so gosh darn fun!
WooHOO!!! Windfall! We
had talked to Rich about the $1 saved for the little houses for each day we
were able to be doing the housework (Domestic Goddess Building Stuff) and in
getting dressed every day including shoes and fixing hair :) I think he was pretty impressed ... What he THEN decided was
that for every ONE pound we lost (life change), he would contribute $3 toward
the little house fund. To make that clear he said that it would mean in one
year, I COULD make $365 PLUS losing 100 pounds would be an additional $300 -
just we would get it day by day ... and he said that if we lost one particular
pound like going from 283 to 282, I'd get the reward, but no matter how many
times up and down PAST 282, I would only get rewarded for that number once.
HMPF! Seems there is a bit of a trick to it! Weigh-in starts tomorrow.
Officially then the first time we count cleaning and dressing $1 too. Oh my
gosh we're so excited. IF we lost 100 pounds in a year AND did the work every
day, then we'd have $665 which would buy about 22 little houses. I'm not
thinking it's going to be that big of a number, BUT there are always birthdays!
WOOHOO!!! He's obviously playing with our younger parts who LOVE to be treated!
Eye on the prize!”
So far we are on day 23 of having everything happening right as to
domesticiing and getting dressed. It’s a
pretty amazing transition. We’ve also
lost 5 pounds, but we’ll have to keep our eye on that part. Weigh-in’s are on Monday … AND we found this
terrible part. Basically like this first
piece is $30, but mailing cost is $16, so that means we need $46 SOOOO we have about $38 saved of the $46 (82% of
goal for first building). I need 8 more
days – or until about April 14th if I can hold a five pound loss, or
I could order by Monday if I weighed in at 7 pounds lost, or some combination
in-between … Don’t think we’re going to make the weight and am afraid to weigh
in-between, but it sure is worth thinking about, hmm?
OK, better get going … buzzer is going off J
(16,370/3,491)
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