Getting Ready

E. and I went to Mom's today and did a lot of work.  It was Bulk Day.  We got rid of a lot of stuff which needed to be discarded.   The garage is half emptied of boxes now.  We also rearranged the furniture in the sitting room next to the kitchen.  Sunday there will be an Open House.  I hope that we spark some interest in someone.   When I got home I worked on my bookcases.  I now have 3 boxes of books to donate to a charity tomorrow.  I still have some cookbooks which don't have a home in a bookcase.   Eventually, I'll need somewhere to put them.  I want to move the long low bookcase to the LR where the piano had been.  I'll rearrange the books after moving the bookcase and put in the cookbooks and isolate other books.  There will still be a problem of too many books and no place to put them.  I'm not sure how to solve that problem yet, unless I discard more books for charity.   I'll see if I can part with a few more books which I haven't read in a long time.  It's 12 minutes past midnight.  I need to get  that accomplished before 8:00am tomorrow.  I'd better go to bed and set the alarm for an early rising time. 

MJ and PSM

We played MJ today.  I won 2 games.  Tonight was the PSM meeting.  I brought my quilt top to show the gals what I worked on when I went on the retreat.  They loved it.  We had a nice time together tonight.  We always find something to laugh about. 

Task Accomplished

Today I got the closet cleaned out of clothing I no longer need.  I now have several bags to donate to charity.   I'm collecting other items which I'd like to give away also.  I have to go through the Hope Chest yet.  I'll take out the remainder of the winter clothes and put away the summer things.  I may find things I've stored away that I'd like to donate as well.  The next thing will be to go through the hall closet and donate some coats I no longer  wear.  I  hope that I can get all this done by Thursday.   Tomorrow I'm playing MJ for a few hours and the PSM meets again.  I'll have to accomplish what I have planned in the morning hours.  My entire home is a work in progress because of all the things I've acquired from Mom's home.  I can't wait until the LR/DR area is livable again.  I may even have the Pinochle players play here on Saturday.  My turn to host is way past due.  That remains to be seen.

A Restful Sunday

It was a restful day.  I needed another one.
  I caught up on my magazine reading.  Now I can give them to someone else to read.  I went to church this morning at a later time than I usually go.  I decided to take it easy getting ready and not to rush to make the earlier mass.  Both cats slept all afternoon and let me alone which was the only reason I was able to look at magazines. 
 I spoke to a friend this afternoon who had cardiac surgery recently. This evening another old friend called and we chatted.   She said that if I ever get lonesome to call because she gets lonesome too.  The only time I find that I  do get lonely is in the evening.  She's the second friend who told me to call so I'll have to do that the next time I need to reach out for human contact.   Right now I'm going to see if there's anything of interest on TV.  If not, I'll do something else.

Help!

I need a cleaning lady!   I'm getting too old and tired to do it all myself.  Can't wait until it's all done.  Maybe by next weekend, after the charity comes to get stuff, things will be in order again.  I can't wait. 
Hope that there's something good on TV tonight.  If not, I'll listen to music and knit or just read.   Also need to gather the things I'll need for the pastel class which meets tomorrow.  There's always something to do or to be done.  I've been enjoying doing nothing all afternoon.  That's good sometimes, too. 

Progress

The chair has been taken.  Hooray!  It'll go to someone who can use it.  He needs a hip and knee replacement.  The power chair is just what he needs.  I'm glad that someone  can get more use out of it.  I'm also glad that I no longer have it in my LR.  I'm tired of vacuuming cat hair off of the upholstery.  The next thing to do is to roll up the area rug and toss it.  As soon as my back is back to normal, I'll do that.   I'm making progress, slowly.

ZZZZZZ...

ZZZZZ... That's about all I accomplished today.  I've been so tired lately.  I think my mother's explanation for that is probably true.  "You're tired because you're doing too much", she would say.  I haven't  stopped for very long ,to just rest, since she died.  Today was definitely a day of rest for me.   I did nothing else.  I'll have to get up early tomorrow to do what I should have gotten done today.  I plan to go to bed for the night, shortly.  

Evening Is Here

Just returned home from The Daughters of Mary meeting.  We prepared card stock ornaments to hang on the Giving Tree for the Christmas Season.  The weather kept many people away.  There were not too many of us present.  We still had a nice evening, however.
Today was a slow day at home.  I didn't accomplish too much.  The food shopping did get done although I wasn't the one who did it.  I decided to order things on line and have the store deliver the items.  It worked out fine.  Everything arrived by 12:40pm this afternoon.  The main reason I decided to shop this way is that I didn't feel well and didn't want to carry 14 lbs of cat litter and bags of groceries because my back has also  been bothering me.  I'm glad that I did it this way this time.  I may do it again for another occasion. 

There Is A Light At The End Of The Tunnel

A lot was accomplished today.  I stayed home all day and straightened up.  I worked in the LR/DR and the bedroom.  I still have  art supplies from Mom which I have to find a home for in the craft room.  I organized the vast amount of paperwork that I have for Mom and me.  The desk is cleared off, finally. I put some books in a box which I'll donate to whoever wants them.  I could probably sort through the books and find more to donate but I'm not ready to do that yet. Tomorrow I'll go through the magazines and get rid of the ones I no longer want or need.  E. said that she can take the magazines into work for people to read.  I'm glad that I don't have to toss them after one read.  Tomorrow I'll do some food shopping and later in the day I have a meeting.  Friday is our Quilt Guild Meeting.  When the meeting is over I'll return home to vacuum and dust.  Someone is coming to pick up the recliner on Saturday.  I'll then roll up the rug and toss that.  It's threadbare now.  I plan to rearrange the furniture when the rug is gone.  Can't wait!

Spaghetti For Me

Tonight I had spaghetti for dinner.  I haven't had it in a week.  I enjoyed it very much and I have left overs for tomorrow.  Thankfully, I don't mind leftover pasta.  That'll make tomorrow's meal easy. 
 Spoke to a friend a little while ago.  She's just tying up loose ends at work.  She said she'd call me later when she gets home.  We had a nice chat. 
   I started to watch the news but it was too depressing so I decided to skip it for this evening.  Music is much more soothing to me today. 
 I don't know yet if anyone will be coming for the recliner tomorrow.  I haven't been called.  I made arrangements with another charity to come by in October.  That will make more sense than waiting until December for the pickup.  Where would I put all the stuff until then?  I don't have a garage that I could use for storage until December.   I can't wait to get rid of the extra things that I no longer use.  I'll have more room which is a much needed thing these days.   Well, I think that I'll get ready for bed and then just relax and knit or crochet for the rest of the evening.  Bon Soir!
Bon Nuit!

Tuesday's Tasks

Today the dryer vent was cleaned  out.  I did the banking and went to the post office.  I also made several necessary phone calls.  I managed to put away some stuff.  My back was bothering me for awhile so I stopped bending and picking things up to put away and rested for awhile.  My back feels better now so I'll give it another try soon. The PSM isn't meeting tonight so I may knit while I watch TV or listen to music.  I may even practice my crochet stitches on the scarf I'm suppose to be making.  It's not going to be a scarf if I have anything to say about it because I haven't started out on this new craft in a beautiful, smooth way.  It's just practice as far as I'm concerned.  When I get the stitch down pat, I'll make something I can admire. 
   I thought about Mom often today.   Maybe her spirit is nearby. 
  Sandy ventured out to the LR area this  morning and this afternoon.  He kept Coco in his sight at all times.  He's still not ready to let her get near him.  Hissing still occurs when she tries to be friendly.  The difference is that now they both hiss.  He retired to one of the other rooms later this afternoon while she napped in a nearby chair.  
 It's 5:00 pm and time for the early evening news.  I'll watch it now because  I don't like to watch it before I go to bed.  It'll also be time to cook supper soon.  I'm making spaghetti.  So, Arrivederci.
(I probably didn't spell that foreign word correctly. Phonetically it's ok.)

Getting Rid Of More Stuff

E. stopped over today.  She helped me go through 3 boxes of Mom's stuff which I acquired.  She took some of the items, much to my relief.  Now I don't have so much stuff to find a home for.  I will have to find a place in the "all purpose/craft" room for the art materials,  I think that that is doable, however.  
Tomorrow the dryer vent guy is coming here.  I have a few phone calls to make during the day, and I'll go to the post office and the bank.  If I can get all that done in the morning I can see that the LR is straightened up in the afternoon.  I have someone coming for the power chair the next day.  I hope that they decide to take it.   The wheels of progress turn slowly.  The bookcase in the DR will be the next place that I purge things from.  I need room for art books which belonged to Mom. 

A Fruitful Weekend

What a weekend!  Got an entire quilt top done this weekend.  The quilters who attended were very helpful to each other .  If you had a question or a problem which needed attention there was someone present who could help you.  I was happy to get home as the accommodations weren't what I would have liked.  It was a camp which we stayed at.  The bunk bed was hard as a rock.  May be comfortable to kids, but wasn't comfortable to me.  However, you get what you pay for and the price was right.  It was half the price of the last retreat.  The accommodatoins were better the last time, but we didn't like the food.  I'd prefer not liking the food to not liking the accomodations.

Another Busy Day

It was a busy day.  Aren't they all?   I took Coco to be groomed this morning and picked her up this afternoon.  At noon I had my hair done and the young student also did  my makeup.  I gave her a nice tip.  
 This evening I've been collecting the items I need to take to the Quilt Retreat.  I hope that there's room in the car for everything I'm taking.   I'm bringing shorts because it's suppose to be in the 70's for the next few days.  I'd better bring something warm just in case.  
 When I return from the retreat I'll work on my LR/DR.  I'll organize the paperwork and go through the boxes.  Perhaps I can get rid of some of the things  I can't use.  I want to see the light at the end of the tunnel.   After those 2 rooms are done, it's back to the bedroom closet.  I have a charity coming in December so I want to go through the closet and get rid of items I haven't worn in a year of more.  I'm hoping to end up with a lot of extra space in the closet.  Where I'm going to store what I'm donating will be a problem.  I guess I'll have bags of clothes around for a month and a half.  It's a good thing I'm not hosting Thanksgiving.  I want my house back!!!!

A Pretty Good Deal

The lamp was finally installed today.  It cost 4x more to install the lamp than the lamp itself cost.  I was told that it was $128. because the guy showed up, then they put on the cost of installing the light.  Pretty good deal.    Sounds like the plumbers rates.  The next time you teachers show up to tutor a student, add $128. because you showed up to the cost of the tutoring fee.  What's good for the plumbers and the electricians is good for the ...(fill in the blank).  

A New Craft

The Prayer Shawl Ministry Meeting was interesting tonight.  One of the ladies taught another gal and I how to do single crochet.  I need lots of practice before I'll produce anything worth looking at.  It's not as easy for me since I'm just learning the technique.  Hopefully, I'll catch on without having to think about what I'm doing so much.  It's kind of tedius now.  I've put it away until we meet the next time.  In the meantime I'll get back to my knitting. 

Home Again

Today I returned from the shore.  I didn't have my computer yesterday so I had to skip writing for that day.   Yesterday the dryer vent was cleaned out.  We got a good report about  how it had been maintained.   I turned the certificate in for the vent cleaning and then went to meet my college roommate at the local Red Lobster restaurant where we enjoyed a fried shrimp dinner.  It wasn't good for our cholesterol, but it was good to the pallet. 
 Today the inspectors came through to check the smoke detectors and the carbonmonoxide detector.   Thankfully, they came early and I didn't have to wait around all day.  I left the shore area and returned home at about noon today.   I made an appointment for Coco to be groomed on Thursday morning.  I will have my hair done that afternoon.  The rest of the day will be spent getting ready for the weekend quilt retreat, and cleaning my house.  I also have some paperwork which needs to be done.   Tomorrow, which comes before Thursday, someone is coming to install the outside lantern which I purchased more then a week ago.  I have a doctor's appointment in the afternoon.   I'll try to get a head start of some of Thursday's chores.  I wish that I had a magic wand which would remove the boxes from my LR and put each thing in it's proper place.  Unfortunately, there is no such thing in existence.   Manual labor is all that will be getting that done.  Help!  Someone, please Help!

A Special Quilt Show

This morning, after church, I met a friend at a quilt show in Stockton, NJ.  It was a lot of fun seeing all the quilts on display.  We voted for one to win the Viewers Choice award before we left.  I won a door prize and took some chances on a  few "Chinese Auction" items.  I took a chance for their Raffle Quilt this summer.  Diane and I watched someone demonstrate a new Viking (Ruby) machine.  We were given a chance to win that machine in a drawing also.  What a beautiful machine it was.  It is an embroidery machine and a regular sewing machine.  You can do 'Quilt As You Go" blocks with the machine and then put the entire quilt together.  What a prize winning that would be.  You wouldn't need a Long Arm to do your quilting for you.  We had a nice time in the country.  Seeing what everyone else has done is very inspirational for me.  Now I have to get back to sewing and quilting here. Next weekend will be my first opportunity most likely. 

Champagne Taste

Today was an adventure.  I went to a Steinway Event at McCarter Theater and looked at baby grand pianos.  It was a lot of fun. ( Now I can say that I performed on the stage. )  The piano I liked the most was out of my price range.  Since I'm not a performer, and don't want one for a concert, I'm not disappointed.   The piano which was in the style I liked was also a  bit too expensive. It, too, was a Steinway & Sons piano.   It was explained to me that Steinway not only makes the pianos for perfomers, but also makes them for institutions like schools.  These are called "Boston".  They were less expensive and had a real rich sound.  This piano would be for an intermediate to advanced piano player.   It does not come in the style I want  but was less expensive.   The third type of piano they make is called an "Essex".  It was made for the home and  for a beginner to intermediate player.  This type came in the style I preferred and since I'm only an intermediate player, would be good for me.   It was the least expensive of the three.   Did I purchase this piano, you ask?  No, I can't afford that one either.  However, now that I know what I want, I know where I can find it when I'm ready.  I can dream, can't I?

"What A Rare Mood I'm In..."

Today we had a deluge.  I went to church this morning.  After mass they had adoration.  I stayed for a few  minutes but went back this afternoon and stayed for 2 hours.  The adoration was followed by benediction.  It's not like the "old" days.  There were hardly any people there for the benediction.  We sang without the organ.  I could here myself singing and a few other people.  Luckily I knew the songs from choir during elementary school.  I'd like a good old fashioned first Friday of the month mass followed by benediction with the organ playing the music for the congregation.  I'd like the church to be filled like it use to be. 
  After leaving the church I stopped and had a bite to eat at a fast food restaurant so that I wouldn't get caught in all the rush hour, Friday night traffic.  On the way home I listened to the radio and looking forward to being home commented that here come the lonely hours.  My alone hours with Sandy and Coco.  Thank goodness for them.  I have friends and plenty of activities,  I just don't feel love.  Family love is what I'm talking about.  I miss being part of a larger family of relatives.  I miss Mom, Dad, Danny and having P's family around.  The holidays will be quite different this year.  We will make the best of it however.   Feeling all that has created the rare mood I'm in.