Thursday, February 22, 2018

Thursday Already!

Goodness this week is flying by.  I really want to thank each one of you for your sweet comments on my last post.  When I say that I feel that you are all my friends, I truly mean it.  I'm so grateful for this online community we've formed and hope that someday I can meet each of you in "real" life.

I don't have lots to share today since I just posted a few days ago.  Usually I'm a once a week blogger but I found I had a few spare moments this morning and thought I would say hello.

We've had bitterly cold temperatures all week.  Below zero every night and not warming up much during the day.  It's supposed to be in the 20's today and everyone is thrilled with the "warm-up".  More snow is predicted Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  Yippee!  I've stayed inside as much as possible.  Each day I have made myself go out to run a few errands because if I let myself stay home, it gets much too easy to not want to go anywhere.  I'm somewhat of a hermit at heart.  Or a homebody.  Homebody sounds better than hermit.  :-)

Sandra over at "farmgirlsam" on my sidebar encouraged me to work on my "Cozy Memories Blanket" again.  She is really flying on hers.  I have 9 of these nine patch squares done, so I got them out and started another one.  I don't know why I put it away in the first place. It's a wonderful way to use up scraps of sock yarn and each small square finishes rather quickly.
 Two more pair of mittens done since Monday and a few rounds on Dennis' socks, but not enough to show you.  They are turning out to be the slowest socks I've ever made. 
I thought I would share this little corner with you today.  Our bedroom is on the left and the hall bath on the right.  The picture was painted by a friend for us.  He knows how much we love the Oregon Coast.  Although he is from France and this is actually painted from a boyhood memory of his!  It looks so much like the ocean shore in Oregon with it's little inlets of roiling water among the rocks.
Under the painting is a table that Dennis made for me the first Christmas we were married.  It has held a place of honor in each home we've had and I'll never part with it.  We were SO poor back then and he just used scrap wood. Can you see the crosses he put in each leg?  I keep my seaside keepsakes on it.  A starfish, shells and driftwood we found on the Oregon coast.  A sand dollar from Hawaii.  (We bought it in a gift shop. Cheating!) Ha!  The gorgeous Japanese glass float that Teresa, (Teresa Kasner on my sidebar), gave me.  She knew I had been looking for one and generously gave me one of hers.  Even though we don't get to the coast very often since Mandy left Portland, it still has a piece of our hearts.  Dennis absolutely loves the Oregon coast.  We already have camping reservations for September to spend a week there in our little trailer.  We're looking forward to that.
Not much has been happening here since I last posted.  A lot of my time the past few days has been spent arranging meals for all of the sick people at church.  We're also going to do lunches and dinners for Bill for a few months until he learns to do some cooking or makes other plans.  Myrna did everything for him for 62 years.  I was wrong in their ages when I wrote on Monday.  They married at 17 years old and then both went on to get their PhD's! Isn't that amazing?  Especially considering it was 62 years ago.  Women didn't typically do that back then.  While she was sick she taught him how to do laundry and clean, etc. but the cooking hasn't come easy for him, so we're going to take care of him for awhile.  I have seven ladies, including me who will do 2-3 meals every 2 weeks for a few months and see how it goes.  Our church family is such a blessing to us.  I really don't know how people survive without one.

Another thing I did on Monday was this.
Now, it may not look like much to you, but I took everything out of the refrigerator and scrubbed the entire thing from top to bottom.  I can only do one project like this a day because my back starts screaming at me if I push too hard.  It felt so good to have it clean and organized again.  It wasn't disgustingly dirty, but I feel better knowing it's clean.

Another thing I've been doing for about a month now is menu planning.  I have never, ever been successful at planning meals in advance.  Mandy is amazing at it.  She plans her menu each week and then grocery shops off of that menu.  Me?  I just buy the same things week after week.  Well, that was getting pretty boring.  So the first part of January Dennis and I sat down and brain-stormed our favorite meals.  We dredged up things that I hadn't made in years, because I was in a rut of making the same meals all of the time.

I'm really enjoying it!  What a surprise!  I plan two weeks at a time, blocking out days that I know we usually go out with friends or special events like the Sweetheart Banquet at church.  Then I plan my shopping off of that after I check the pantry to see what I already have.  I just look at the menu in the morning and take meat out of the freezer.  No more three or four o'clock panic of what to cook for dinner.   I know because it's written down.  And it only took me 58 years to figure it out!  Ha!  Hat's off to Mandy for encouraging me to do this for quite some time now.  I love it.

I am also trying to do one housework item per day.  Today was bathrooms.  I used to be able to whirlwind through the house in no time and do it all in one day.  But again, my back won't let me now.  So one big thing a day and I sweep the wood floors every morning because of Chloe's hair.  The house always stays presentable and that makes me relax.  It never looked messy or bad, but I knew what I had and hadn't done.  Dennis offered to get a cleaning person, but I don't want to do that as long as I can do it myself.  I just have to pace myself and realize that things have changed.  I don't have my 30 year old back anymore!  :-)  Do any of us?  Ha!

Okay ladies, I'm going to go empty the dishwasher and then do some knitting on that block.  I don't know why I stopped!  I'm really enjoying it.  I hope you all have a most wonderful day, filled with God's blessings.

"Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."  Romans 8:39

Blessings,
Betsy

17 comments:

  1. I enjoyed this post, Betsy. It was fun to see your ocean painting and your collected sea shore items on that wonderful table Dennis made for you. I'm glad you love the Japanese float I gave you, I remember it had neat etching from the sand on it. I am having an unexpected "day off" from volunteering at Multnomah Falls.. apparently the parking lot is icy and snowy so they didn't want me to come in today. I am going to work on my blanket! ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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  2. Your nine patch is so lovely it may inspire me! Maybe I'm a hermit too. I find I need to get out though. I LOVE the painting you were gifted. I love the table your Dennis made for you. The crosses are so great. Its gloomy here. But one thing made my spirit soar yesterday. Al told me she was in a meeting and she said a whole rosary for Zach her brother during the meeting. I saidWHY ? what's wrong? She said nothing. She just decided to pray for him more during Lent. That made me so so happy.

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  3. Love the table Dennis made for you - how wonderful that you still have it after all these years. Like you, I used to go through the whole house like whirlwind - a cleaning frenzy. I am no longer able to do that (and I don't want to either - lol). Your post reminds me that I need to pull out my scrappy blanket.

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  4. Love your mittens, that is one thing I have not tried to make yet...
    LOL Have you got ice yet? ooof we did yesterday, the back yard is almost sluchy mud now, It is melting quit fast .

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  5. Great minds....I just cleaned out my fridge too!!! It was a very satisfying job.

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  6. Preparing meals for one is difficult, so I hope your church family will continue to support Bill as he learns to adapt to his new life. The painting is gorgeous!

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  7. I'm so glad you're feeling well and enjoying your time at home, Betsy. I know what you mean, I'm a homebody too, and I will happily stay home for days on end. I like it, but I know it's better for me to get out some too, so I do try to do it. I'm glad to hear the menu-planning is going so well for you! I've been doing it the same way as Mandy for years and it works great for me. I know exactly what I need to buy and hardly ever buy anything I don't need. I save a lot of money this way too. I hope you continue to enjoy your new plan. Take care and have a good weekend!

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  8. Your table with the beachy keepsakes is lovely.

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  9. We also love the Oregon coast and go every year. It is strange to go without the kids. I had two meals to take in this evening for the church and I felt funny yesterday so made a really large stew and a cake. So glad as by nightfall I was really sick with the flu. Hub's was able to deliver a nice meal and I did not have to burden our lead compassionate service leader.

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  10. I have never been to the Oregon coast but pictures and descriptive writings on blogs I visit makes me want to visit, maybe one day. I love your table Dennis made for you, made with love no gift could be better. Have a great weekend.

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  11. I too am trying to get at least one cleaning project in. Right now I'm working daily on seeding my radish pods. I just finished the last handiwork to donate to a fundraiser, so my hands are getting a break from that. My house stayed cleaner when my kids were toddlers vs. teenagers.

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  12. Love your little corner that is made more special because of the table your husband made. You are making great project with your blanket. Wishing you a most lovely day filled with many blessings sweet friend. :)

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  13. Good morning Betsy, Thank you for sharing your life with us once again! Guess I had better not complain about the snow here! Thankful we are not homeless like so many. The table Dennis made you is so special. I would not part with it either. It is wonderful that you have such caring people in your church. My 78 year old back and shoulders are not cooperating either but it is hard to accept reality, isn't it! Your clean refrigerator looks wonderful! I will gladly let you do mine! Have a good day and try to stay warm and cozy. Nancy

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  14. It is always such a great joy to see your precious posts in our inbox and to come and visit with you here. I have been thinking of menu planning...it is not something I have ever done, either, but I have good intentions of doing it. :) I am so proud of you for doing it so successfully! The painting by your friend is just so beautiful! I can surely relate to not being able to clean the house in one setting...no, I surely don't have my 30 year old back anymore, either! Just so thankful we can still do what we can, even if it may take us a bit longer. God bless you, sweet friend. Praying for you every day!

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  15. A busy week and glad you have your meals planned. I've been doing that as well. I shopped yesterday without buying any meat. No hamburger on sale this time. Shopped sales. I need to clean my fridge as well. I had a sweet cleaning lady come in and clean our bathrooms. I got so behind in some of the bathtub cleaning with all the hard water. Annoying! I need to keep up with that! Keep in touch as I'd love to see you at the coast sometime when you are there in Sept. I love the beach as well. Thanks for sharing your days with us! It's been chilly here all week and a few snow surprises as well. Raining and a bit warmer today! I think the snow has left the vicinity! But I enjoyed our bits of it! Happy week my friend!

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  16. Betsy it was so good to catch up with you. I am so far behind reading my friends blogs I fear I am losing touch a bit. Hope you have a productive week this week like last week was. Hugs.

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  17. Always so good to visit with you Betsy, and to hear what is going on in your life! You stay so very busy with all your knitting projects! I find it is easier to clean the house in segments as well, instead of all at once. I love getting big projects done like the refrigerator or oven or microwave in short segments too, much easier! I love the shelf that Dennis built for you when you were first married, what a special treasure! Hugs to you today sweet friend!

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