Thursday, July 7, 2011

Day 127 of 365

When I leave the house during the day, I try and cram as much into one day as possible.

It goes back to when I was working and my daughter was still at home. Since my husband and I had a couple months off in the summer, we would coordinate all our yearly checkups. The three of us have had back to back eye appointments and dentist appointments. We'd make sure his other two yearly checkups he had coordinated with my others. By doing this, we'd get 10-12 appointments done in two days. Two full days of appointments instead of two full weeks of appointments. Squeaking out the most of the summer is important!

Today was one of those appointment days with the two of us having back to back dentist appointments. Then in the afternoon I got to the movies with a couple friends from work.

Since I was going two different places, I decided I might as well add the physical therapist office in there as a stop and make everyone a batch of decorated sugar cookies.

The internal conversation I had with myself over making these cookies was deafening. 

"I'll make beehive and bumblebee cookies and ladybug cookies."

"No, better skip it. I might eat them."

"No, I'm doing okay with sugar, it'll be alright. But I'll make flowerpot ones I saw the other day."

"I'll make two batches, enough for everyone."

"If I make two batches, I might have leftovers and will wind up eating them."

"No I won't. I made Oatmeal Cookies back on Day 109 and didn't have a problem."

"Yeah, but that was Day 109."

"Can I guarantee that I won't eat any sugar cookies?"

"Yes."

"Really?"

"No."

After 2 days of going back and forth, my willpower overpowered my cookie making/eating urge. So no cookies for anyone because I can't trust cookies. (I really mean I can't trust me.)

As much as I'd like to write that, at the end of this day, after struggling for days on the cookie issue, I have control over the sweets issue, I can't.

For after the movies, I picked up dinner for my husband. And I ordered ice cream with candies mixed in. Not because I wanted it, but because it was such a habit to order. And as much as I wish I could write that after ordering it I realized my mistake, I did not. I ate that ice cream and candy concoction on the way home. Only upon almost finishing it did I realize what I was doing. I was eating something that I have been trying to fend off. Something I didn't even want.

I know better. But I wasn't thinking. My habit got the best of me.

At least I can end the day now knowing that my control over sweets is easier maintained at home. Baby steps, I guess.

Am I the only one who has these struggles?

Thank goodness I have some baby strawberries coming on. No sugar needed there.

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Day 126 of 365

I used to be a perfectionist. Or at least tried to be. A place for everything and everything in its place. But I'm finding more and more I don't care about that as much.

It's like before our daughter was born. Long before hand sanitizers, I was a clean hands freak. I would wash my hands - with soap - all the time. Multiple times a day. Even when they weren't dirty. Before we moved into rental apartments, I'd wash down every single surface. Even if the walls were clean, I'd still wash them down. Heaven forbid I'd ever touch a wall that someone else had touched.

But after the kiddo came around, there was less and less time to be so particular. I still washed my hands with soap quite a bit, but not like before (except I do use more soap than anyone else in the house). And nowadays, the moment I get in the car from being out shopping or out to eat, or really anywhere I might be where I could have touched something that someone else might have touched, the hand sanitizer is the first thing I grab. Thank goodness for those small bottles I can keep in the car. (The Bath and Body Works fragrant ones are the best!)

Trying to work on my house being deep cleaned (although not perfectly) and using hand sanitizers every time I leave the house, yet having fabric scraps all around my sewing room and drooping dead roses in the garden and not having a mopped kitchen floor - it didn't make sense. So I had to rectify that.

At the end of the day today, I'll feel better than yesterday. (Although I don't feel great about having to give myself a shot tonight.)

Kitchen floor mopped. Check.
Roses pruned. Check.
Sewing room cleaned. Check.

My fabric closet is back to where it was on Day 57  and the rest of the room is finally back to normal as well.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Day 125 of 365

Usually when I sit down to type the blog, I already have an idea of what I want to write about. Today I had an idea of what I was going to write about but it didn't happen.

I had planned on writing about how productive I was these last couple days. I was hoping to report that I had mopped my kitchen floor, cleaned up the sewing room, and pruned all the roses.

No such luck.

Did I mop the kitchen? Nope. Get the sewing room clean? I started on it. Get all the roses pruned? Some of them. Get groceries? Yep. Do my exercising? Yep. Eat healthy? Not so much.

My husband went grocery shopping with me today. Which meant we had to go out to eat. (Take the hubby to help, gotta feed him.) We stopped somewhere we never go - Dairy Queen. A cheeseburger, fries, diet soda (with caffeine) and a chocolate covered strawberry waffle bowl dessert has left me feeling icky. Too much salt, too much sugar, too much caffeine. Glad to know my body doesn't like those things anymore! A few miles on the bike helped me feel a bit better,  but the work I planned on doing when we got home didn't happen.

As much as I wished I could report that my rose garden is all nice and tidy, it's not going to happen today. I've been working on it slowly for the last couple days and can't even make a dent in it.

Although I probably could leave it where it stands now and no one would be the wiser...

Monday, July 4, 2011

Day 124 of 365

I like where we live.

When we first saw this house on one of the listings our real estate agent gave us, we passed it over because it was two levels. Even back 12-13 years ago, I was having problems with my knees and wasn't looking to live somewhere with stairs. But she encouraged us to take a look anyway. The owners had just finished the basement, it was in a nice neighborhood, and you could see the river.

On a rainy day in the spring, we took a drive to look at the house. It had carpeted non-steep stairs to the beautifully finished basement. It had a big backyard with nice shade trees, a couple of places for a garden, and a view of the Snake River from the kitchen, dining room, and living room.

We bought it.

We had been living in the country for many years. We were used to the open spaces and the quiet. The down side to living in the country was being since my husband doesn't drive, I would have to chauffeur him back and forth to his school. For several years we lived 10 miles from his work. I'd take him the 10 miles to work, turn around and backtrack to go 15 more miles my work. Then at the end of the day, I'd have to do the same. At that time he was also coaching sports, so I'd be making runs at 10:30 at night to get him after basketball and football games. Some of those late night drives were in blinding snowstorms. Thank goodness those days are long behind us!

This house we live in now is in a town of fewer than 900 people, and is less than a mile from his work. The librarian from his school lives across the street and gives my husband a ride to school every morning. We're close enough that he'll walk home in the afternoons if the weather is cooperating. Most all the folks in our neighborhood are retired. We get the benefit of city water, sewer, and trash.

But I think I appreciate this place more on the 4th of July than any other day.

Our town has a very nice fireworks show that is launched from the park by the river. So on the 4th of July celebration night (the 3rd of July this year) we don't even have to leave the yard. No crowds, no parking worries, no hauling chairs. (The only hauling of chairs we do is when we bring the chairs from the back patio to the front yard.) Two chairs, one bottle of mosquito spray, and a blanket is all we need to enjoy the fireworks from our front  yard.

And the camera.

Happy 4th of July to all!

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Day 123 of 365

Laundry, kitchen cleaning, and roses was how I planned on keeping myself busy today.

In addition to our laundry I had to wash the kids' quilts before they are mailed. They're all nice and fresh, packed up and ready to go out the door on Tuesday. Boy, I love my clothesline!

In line with upping my cleaning time, I focused on the kitchen today. Wiped down all the counters and cabinet and drawer facings. I vacuumed rugs, shined the sink, and cleaned the vents in the refrigerator. I polished up the stove and microwave and cleaned the drawer under the oven. Still have the mopping to do, but otherwise the kitchen is back to its shiny self. It was quite a long cleaning session, especially when I tried to sit down to do some of the work. I looked dorky rolling myself around the room in the office chair. A back saver, but a dork creator!

I planned to work in the roses, too. I took a quick look around to see what needed to be done and realized they were looking a little rough. The storm we had Day 119 night knocked those climbing roses from Day 117's picture off the trellis and I hadn't stopped to retrain them. They weren't the only roses that had fallen over. I have one bush that looks like it might have been split in two and lots and lots of blooms around the garden that are damaged. The rose garden is going to be an even bigger project than the kitchen, so I'll be saving it for another day. Maybe tomorrow.

My Melody Parfumee roses aren't looking too bad, though.

Saturday, July 2, 2011

Day 122 of 365

I really am not interested in taking a break from making the baby quilts for charity. I do enjoy it quite a bit. There are a couple other sewing projects I want to work on, too. I'm not sure I'll be doing any more quilts or those other projects anytime soon.

There's a little problem with the gardens and the house.

The garden problem is an obvious one. We had to let the high school kid we hired to help us around the yard go and our daughter hasn't been home much. My husband doesn't like a schedule or responsibilities in the summer and with my back (and other body parts) being on the fritz, it's getting difficult to keep up with the weeds and the rose pruning. But the gardens are in desperate need of some attention so I'm going to have to spend more time out there when I can.

The house is just as big a problem.

I've really slacked on the cleaning. I'm not a clutter person, so it's not like there are dishes in the sink or clothes or books or magazines all around. It's the cleaning part. The mopping, the scrubbing the toilets and sinks, the vacuuming, the washing of the windows. Physically it's been tough to do those things for quite some time. And again, our daughter hasn't been around much to help out. When I was working we used to have a cleaning lady come once a week, but that was because we just didn't have much time to clean. But now it's not about the time, it's about the ability to do the work. And having the cleaning lady come back wouldn't make good financial sense.

So now the gardens and the housecleaning need to take priority over the sewing. It's a priority I'm not sure I can maintain. I already tried giving up the sewing on Day 80 and that time it only lasted until Day 96. We'll see how long it lasts this time.

I will certainly miss my time in the sewing room and miss turning out quilt after quilt. I finally finished up the last of my charity baby quilts to send out to Quilts for Kids today. I'll be sending off five quilts to them. I made two from my own fabrics on Day 101 and Day 107 and three from their free fabric kits on Day 120, Day 121, and today.

Friday, July 1, 2011

Day 121 of 365

I came oh-so-close to giving up yesterday.

After that darn pain clinic appointment I was tempted to stop by and pick up something really greasy and salty for dinner like Carl's Jr.

But I didn't.

When I got home I was tempted to make something really big and unhealthy for dinner.

But I didn't.

I was very tempted to make a batch of cookies and eat my heart out.

But I didn't.

I was tempted to give up the bike riding for the day and break my consecutive days of riding record.

But I didn't.

Instead, I
*rode the bike.
*went into my sewing room and got to work finishing up yesterday's quilt.
*started on another baby quilt.
*boxed up some fabrics to give away to a lady in Minnesota who makes lap quilts and wheelchair and walker bags for veterans.

And today, I
*mailed that box of fabrics.
*rode my bike - a little over 20 miles total for the week. My exercise streak is now up to 75 consecutive days!
*finished another quilt.