Most of you know I have an addiction. I read constantly. I am on Goodreads.com (a great site to keep track of of the books you want to read) I read over 200 books a year. I read romance, spirituality, fiction, cozy mystery, thriller, historical fiction, contemporary, chick lit, the classics, biographies, mystery, religion, non fiction, suspense, history....pretty much anything but fantasy, dystopia and science fiction. I find authors I like and read their books, in order, because with a series, reading OCD is a good thing.
I don't have a house full of books.....well, I do, but I don't. All of these books I read? They come from the library. I have a list of authors and their books, in order. I read 6-8 authors at a time. I use the online search and request through the Manchester library. They are part of a network of libraries, so if Manchester doesn't have the book, I can request from another library. When it arrives, I receive an e-mail notification and I have 5 business days to pick up the books. All you have to do is walk into the library, grab your books, all nicely labelled and check out. Super fast..unless you decide to check the new releases......some books are only available to borrow via Kindle. That works, too...just a few clicks and you have a book for 2 weeks.
There are also websites that have free Kindle downloads. How cool is that? I really like reading an actual book...the smell of the paper, the turning of the pages, the mixed emotions as you feel your right hand getting lighter and your left hand getting heavier......you are getting to the end of the book, which makes you a little sad because it's been a great read, but also excited because you are getting to the end of the book and you are pretty sure the author is competent and no matter the genre, will tie all the loose ends and you aren't quite sure how it's going to end. My Kindle is great for a vacation. It's a lot lighter than a big plastic tub filled with 30 or so books. Why so many? Well, if you are on vacation and sitting on the dock working on your tan, you can easily read 3-4 books a day. I can think of nothing worse than not having something to read at all times. Really, like ALL times. I never, ever, ever go anywhere without a book or my Kindle. Even if I am off to pick up a waiting child from wherever, I have something to read. I can't imagine having to sit for even 60 seconds with nothing to read.
At the moment, I have 9,397 books on my to-read list. I know I will probably never read every book I want to in my lifetime and that makes me sad. There are so many great authors and great adventures to go on without leaving the couch. There is so much to learn and explore. I love reading.
Friday, May 15, 2015
Monday, May 11, 2015
You've Come a Long Way, Baby
Actually, I haven't gone anywhere. I just haven't been here in over a year. I got busy, my computer died, I just wasn't feeling the blog thing. I'm trying again, so cut me some slack, this could be awesome...or not.
So, Mother's Day. Saw lots of posts on Facebook about how wonderful it was, what their kids did, where they went for brunch, etc. Then, all the posts about how fulfilled they were with their children and how being a homemaker was the best thing ever. I sat here thinking...you are either on drugs or you are lying. What kind of crazy person finds any sort of thrill, let alone fulfillment in vacuuming, doing laundry, running errands, doing the dishes....or worst of all...grocery shopping and...wait for it....cooking. (I swear to God if it weren't for my children, I would be super model skinny. I loathe cooking so I just wouldn't eat. But, I am smart enough to realize my children need nourishment, so I cook for them, but I hate every minute of it)
I posted on Facebook inquiring into these women who were making these crazy posts. Was it a lie? Were they just trying to come across as perfect Super Moms? Were they actually being fulfilled by housework? Were they, gasp, actually okay with having people in their houses ALL DAY LONG? People asking them questions and wanting something from them?
Turns out, it wasn't a lie. Some women really do get satisfaction from cooking and providing meals for their families. Some women really do get satisfaction with maintaining a spotless house. (I know, I know, I'm taking their word for it. I don't know the meaning of spotless house) Some women really do get not just satisfaction, but pleasure, from being around people ALL DAY LONG. One even said she would lose her mind if she didn't have human interaction every single day.
Don't get me wrong, I love my children. I would die for them. I just don't want them around me all day long. I love my husband. He works out of state all week long. He is home on the weekends. He, too, is a solitary guy. We are compatible in our solitude. My perfect vacation would be a chair, a cat or two and a never ending stack of books and food that just magically appeared when I was hungry. There would be zero human interaction on this perfect week of bliss.
Some of my domestically inclined friends think I'm the crazy one. They can't understand how I don't take great pride and feel satisfaction from housework. (I'll be honest, I'd have to actually do it to determine if I get anything out of it). I do the bare minimum so my poor husband isn't bogged down with it when he gets home. My children have chores and they don't like them. My daughter said, why do I have to empty the dishwasher? I hate it. I said, no kidding. I hate it too, but since I'm older, I'm passing the chore onto you. She was a little shocked and said, I thought all moms liked housework. I said, you thought wrong, I hate it. Both kids looked at me for a minute, then did what they needed to. My son said, Mom, I think it's great you told us you hated housework. We can all hate housework. I think I like doing my chores better now, knowing that we are all on the same page and hate it.
I have come up with a theory, though. The domestic gene is not in every female on the planet. I know I"m an oddball because I do not like chocolate. Most women not only like it but crave it. I am not one of those women. Most women like the domestic arts. I am not one of those women. The two traits have to be linked. You either have them or you don't.
I gotta run. The cat knocked over a bag of flour. I'm going to open the slider, get a box fan and blow the flour outside while I take a shower. As long as it's not on the floor when I get out, that counts as cleaning up the mess, right?
So, Mother's Day. Saw lots of posts on Facebook about how wonderful it was, what their kids did, where they went for brunch, etc. Then, all the posts about how fulfilled they were with their children and how being a homemaker was the best thing ever. I sat here thinking...you are either on drugs or you are lying. What kind of crazy person finds any sort of thrill, let alone fulfillment in vacuuming, doing laundry, running errands, doing the dishes....or worst of all...grocery shopping and...wait for it....cooking. (I swear to God if it weren't for my children, I would be super model skinny. I loathe cooking so I just wouldn't eat. But, I am smart enough to realize my children need nourishment, so I cook for them, but I hate every minute of it)
I posted on Facebook inquiring into these women who were making these crazy posts. Was it a lie? Were they just trying to come across as perfect Super Moms? Were they actually being fulfilled by housework? Were they, gasp, actually okay with having people in their houses ALL DAY LONG? People asking them questions and wanting something from them?
Turns out, it wasn't a lie. Some women really do get satisfaction from cooking and providing meals for their families. Some women really do get satisfaction with maintaining a spotless house. (I know, I know, I'm taking their word for it. I don't know the meaning of spotless house) Some women really do get not just satisfaction, but pleasure, from being around people ALL DAY LONG. One even said she would lose her mind if she didn't have human interaction every single day.
Don't get me wrong, I love my children. I would die for them. I just don't want them around me all day long. I love my husband. He works out of state all week long. He is home on the weekends. He, too, is a solitary guy. We are compatible in our solitude. My perfect vacation would be a chair, a cat or two and a never ending stack of books and food that just magically appeared when I was hungry. There would be zero human interaction on this perfect week of bliss.
Some of my domestically inclined friends think I'm the crazy one. They can't understand how I don't take great pride and feel satisfaction from housework. (I'll be honest, I'd have to actually do it to determine if I get anything out of it). I do the bare minimum so my poor husband isn't bogged down with it when he gets home. My children have chores and they don't like them. My daughter said, why do I have to empty the dishwasher? I hate it. I said, no kidding. I hate it too, but since I'm older, I'm passing the chore onto you. She was a little shocked and said, I thought all moms liked housework. I said, you thought wrong, I hate it. Both kids looked at me for a minute, then did what they needed to. My son said, Mom, I think it's great you told us you hated housework. We can all hate housework. I think I like doing my chores better now, knowing that we are all on the same page and hate it.
I have come up with a theory, though. The domestic gene is not in every female on the planet. I know I"m an oddball because I do not like chocolate. Most women not only like it but crave it. I am not one of those women. Most women like the domestic arts. I am not one of those women. The two traits have to be linked. You either have them or you don't.
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Adventures in Housework
I was going to post about the Facebook posts that made me laugh or that were just awesome. That is not happening today. Why, you may ask? Well, there was something on AHC today about Pompeii. Like, hours of it. I totally got sucked in. It was interesting, well done and just amazing. I abandoned Facebook and spent the afternoon watching TV.
Household tip from Pompeii, 79 AD.... Urine, dumped in the wash water, will help get the grease stains out of clothing. Not sure what it did to the feet and legs of the slaves walking around in the dirty laundry, water, soap and urine.......maybe that is where the idea for adding a "Spring Fresh Scent" came from.
Cooking tip....always try a new recipe before actually planning to use it....I tried a new recipe for dinner tonight. Apparently there was a typo in the baking directions. It was called Cheese Pudding...bread cubes, cheese, milk and eggs, baked for forty minutes at 275 degrees, until browned on top and risen. It smelled good but barely the cheese was barely melted. It had not risen an inch. I turned the heat up to 350 degrees and left it in for 20 more minutes. It finally did rise and the top was bubbly and browned. The bits of bread cubes sticking out were nice and crunchy, but below the top layer, it was all mushy and, well, gross. It went in the trash. Will try it again at 350 degrees and see if it's better. I'm glad my husband made mashed potatoes and corn to go with dinner and didn't rely on my contribution.
Laundry tip.......remembering to take the load of laundry OUT of the washing machine the day you wash it makes for a much better smelling laundry area. No, I didn't use urine as a stain remover, but I bet it wouldn't have smelled any worse if I had. I washed a load Friday night and totally forgot about it. I added a cup of vinegar to the water once the machine filled and let it sit for an hour. Its rewashing now.
Looking forward to a rather boring, mundane week. I'm lowering my ambitions and hope to get 2 things crossed off my To Do list each day, instead of an entire list every day. You would think I'd learn that SOMETHING is bound to go wrong and even the best laid plans will get messed up.
Household tip from Pompeii, 79 AD.... Urine, dumped in the wash water, will help get the grease stains out of clothing. Not sure what it did to the feet and legs of the slaves walking around in the dirty laundry, water, soap and urine.......maybe that is where the idea for adding a "Spring Fresh Scent" came from.
Cooking tip....always try a new recipe before actually planning to use it....I tried a new recipe for dinner tonight. Apparently there was a typo in the baking directions. It was called Cheese Pudding...bread cubes, cheese, milk and eggs, baked for forty minutes at 275 degrees, until browned on top and risen. It smelled good but barely the cheese was barely melted. It had not risen an inch. I turned the heat up to 350 degrees and left it in for 20 more minutes. It finally did rise and the top was bubbly and browned. The bits of bread cubes sticking out were nice and crunchy, but below the top layer, it was all mushy and, well, gross. It went in the trash. Will try it again at 350 degrees and see if it's better. I'm glad my husband made mashed potatoes and corn to go with dinner and didn't rely on my contribution.
Laundry tip.......remembering to take the load of laundry OUT of the washing machine the day you wash it makes for a much better smelling laundry area. No, I didn't use urine as a stain remover, but I bet it wouldn't have smelled any worse if I had. I washed a load Friday night and totally forgot about it. I added a cup of vinegar to the water once the machine filled and let it sit for an hour. Its rewashing now.
Looking forward to a rather boring, mundane week. I'm lowering my ambitions and hope to get 2 things crossed off my To Do list each day, instead of an entire list every day. You would think I'd learn that SOMETHING is bound to go wrong and even the best laid plans will get messed up.
Did You Make the Cut?
I haven't blogged in a while. I have a friend who did the I told you so...and she is right. So, I am back. Did you miss me? Lots of silly, inane and ridiculous things have happened. I will gradually get to those. I have decided to go in a new direction.....intersperse the riveting tales of chaos and confusion from my house with my favorite Facebook status updates. You know, the ones that make you smile. Keep checking back, you never know if you made the cut......so, for the inaugural post of You Made Me Smile Today.....(drum roll, please....)
My friend Christine who posted she's going off the rails of the Crazy Train. Poor delusional woman. She is SO driving that Crazy Train and has been off the rails for years. (Psst, this is NOT a status update, its a status quo)
Tammie couldn't read because she couldn't remember her password. While I do love my Kindle, nothing beats a real live book. They don't go dead and need to be recharged. They also don't require a password. You will all be pleased to know that password or not, Tammie does know how to read and reads quite a bit.
Victoria, a fellow hockey fan, who agrees my husband's "amusing" purchase of a Montreal Canadiens Tshirt was a capital offense. (no hockey pun intended) The fact he actually wore it-a mortal sin. My daughter agrees. She wouldn't look at her father, acknowledge him or speak to him all day, until he put a Bruins T shirt on after dinner.
Donna somehow said yes to her 12 year old daughter having a sleep over with 5 of her friends while in the middle of a phone call. Very smooth, girl child, getting mom when she was distracted. That made me smile, but the awesomeness of the post? She not only let her daughter give her a make over....but she also posted MULTIPLE pictures of her with this makeup all over her face. That's an awesome mom.
The last, but in my opinion, best post of the day...my friend Pauline has a 13 year old son who is a primordial dwarf (he's toddler sized) He was being obnoxious and mouthy (shocking at his age..NOT) and his brother in law put him in the freezer. She posted pictures of his head barely peeking over the top of the door and his feet resting on the top of the refrigerator door. Her son in law was standing in front of the freezer, holding the mouthy little darling in the freezer while holding the freezer door open. I heard first hand that it worked, he really did chill out!!!
My favorite non Facebook conversation occurred in my own house. Our cat George is wonderful and lovable, but when his tail is twitching......back off. The funny episode went something like this.
Sarah: Daddy, George's tail is twitching. Don't touch him.
Michael: Georgie kitty is fine.
Sarah: Daddy, George's tail is twitching. Stop touching him.
Michael: oh, not Georgie kitty loves..OUCH you little turd.
Sarah: Daddy, you bleed on the love seat Mummy is going to be really mad. (turning to me) Mummy, is it THAT frustrating when I don't listen to you? Daddy was really irritating when he wouldn't listen.
Me: CRACKING UP.
There you have it. A summation of some of the things my friends posted that made me smile. Tune in tomorrow. Will you make the cut? Don't worry if you DO make the cut. I will only use first names in my blog posts. Before I post anything personal or identifying, I will check with you first.
My friend Christine who posted she's going off the rails of the Crazy Train. Poor delusional woman. She is SO driving that Crazy Train and has been off the rails for years. (Psst, this is NOT a status update, its a status quo)
Tammie couldn't read because she couldn't remember her password. While I do love my Kindle, nothing beats a real live book. They don't go dead and need to be recharged. They also don't require a password. You will all be pleased to know that password or not, Tammie does know how to read and reads quite a bit.
Victoria, a fellow hockey fan, who agrees my husband's "amusing" purchase of a Montreal Canadiens Tshirt was a capital offense. (no hockey pun intended) The fact he actually wore it-a mortal sin. My daughter agrees. She wouldn't look at her father, acknowledge him or speak to him all day, until he put a Bruins T shirt on after dinner.
Donna somehow said yes to her 12 year old daughter having a sleep over with 5 of her friends while in the middle of a phone call. Very smooth, girl child, getting mom when she was distracted. That made me smile, but the awesomeness of the post? She not only let her daughter give her a make over....but she also posted MULTIPLE pictures of her with this makeup all over her face. That's an awesome mom.
The last, but in my opinion, best post of the day...my friend Pauline has a 13 year old son who is a primordial dwarf (he's toddler sized) He was being obnoxious and mouthy (shocking at his age..NOT) and his brother in law put him in the freezer. She posted pictures of his head barely peeking over the top of the door and his feet resting on the top of the refrigerator door. Her son in law was standing in front of the freezer, holding the mouthy little darling in the freezer while holding the freezer door open. I heard first hand that it worked, he really did chill out!!!
My favorite non Facebook conversation occurred in my own house. Our cat George is wonderful and lovable, but when his tail is twitching......back off. The funny episode went something like this.
Sarah: Daddy, George's tail is twitching. Don't touch him.
Michael: Georgie kitty is fine.
Sarah: Daddy, George's tail is twitching. Stop touching him.
Michael: oh, not Georgie kitty loves..OUCH you little turd.
Sarah: Daddy, you bleed on the love seat Mummy is going to be really mad. (turning to me) Mummy, is it THAT frustrating when I don't listen to you? Daddy was really irritating when he wouldn't listen.
Me: CRACKING UP.
There you have it. A summation of some of the things my friends posted that made me smile. Tune in tomorrow. Will you make the cut? Don't worry if you DO make the cut. I will only use first names in my blog posts. Before I post anything personal or identifying, I will check with you first.
Saturday, January 11, 2014
Trying New Things
My daughter wanted to take ice skating lessons. Sounded like a good idea. She would get 5 weeks of lessons, free skate rental for the lessons and free open skating with skate lessons for the duration of the lesson time. I asked her if it would be okay if I took lessons at the same time, as the two of us could have something to do together.
We took our first lesson today. It was 35 degrees and raining when we left the house. We got off our exit, it was 31 degrees and still raining. Made it to the rink, hopped out of the truck and almost went on my butt right there. We signed in, got our skates and headed to the locker room we were assigned to put our skates on.
At lesson time, Sarah went off with her class. My class was meeting at the other side of the rink...and on the other end of the rink. Um, how was I going to get over there? I skated a few times as a kid on the lake. Stopping involved either grabbing a post on a dock or skating into a snowbank. That was way back when I didn't realize I could hurt myself. Today I was a wee bit more tentative. I made it to our meeting spot with no mishaps, because I held onto the wall all the way around. No brave moves here! There were a few other women in the class, one had skated before but wanted to learn to go backwards, another had never been on skates and another was like me, had been on skates way back when.
First thing we learned? How to fall. We were told to put our hands on our knees and then touch our toes and sit on the ice. I glanced left and right, the women on each side of me were doing exactly what we were told. I can't touch my toes on a good day on my own two feet, let alone on skates. Okay, hands on knees, I can do that. Touch toes......my brain said sure, My back said, are you kidding me? I managed VERY ungracefully to get down on the ice. Then, the instructor said, get on your hands and knees and stand up. No problem, I can do that. I got on my hands and knees and went to get up..not as easy as you'd think but I was doing it. All of a sudden, 5 heads whipped around to stare at me. Apparently, not everyone else's knees make noises like that. Two more people joined the class. Our instructor had us all do the falling down and getting up again. I opted to skip the second practice.
Next, we went across the ice. Push, push, glide. No problem. Push, push, gli..stop. Push, push, gli..stop. Even weight on both skates when you glide called the instructor. Push, push, glide. Push, push, glide. Hey, I've got this! Thankfully, we only went from side to side. We didn't have to worry about stopping or turning, we just grabbed the wall, turned around and off we went in the other direction. Once we mastered that (and so far we were all on our skates with no falls) we had to do something called swizzles, where you push your feet out and then pull them back in and push them back out. The instructor did a great job and every time she brought her feet together she would glide with speed across the ice. I was able to push my feet out but when I'd bring them in, I'd come to a screeching halt. Push, push, glide. Push feet out, pull feet in. Stop. Push, push, glide. Push feet out, pull feet in....OH IT'S WORKING I DID IT ONCE!!!!. I dropped my hands and looked down at feet and WHOA, LEAN BACK, LEAN FORWARD, HOLY CRAP, I pulled it off and didn't fall. Phew, that was close.
At the end of the 30 minutes, I was a lot more tired than I anticipated, my quads were letting me know they had done more work than they were used to, but I hadn't fallen. Instead of holding onto the wall to get back to the door off the ice, Sarah and I actually skated to the door. It wasn't pretty and it wasn't fast, but we were gliding! We both agreed it was fun and we are looking forward to out next lesson.
Beginning skating advice is good life advice. Push, push, glide. Work hard, push yourself but always remember to glide. You can't push all the time, you need to take a break and assess the situation before you push again.
We took our first lesson today. It was 35 degrees and raining when we left the house. We got off our exit, it was 31 degrees and still raining. Made it to the rink, hopped out of the truck and almost went on my butt right there. We signed in, got our skates and headed to the locker room we were assigned to put our skates on.
At lesson time, Sarah went off with her class. My class was meeting at the other side of the rink...and on the other end of the rink. Um, how was I going to get over there? I skated a few times as a kid on the lake. Stopping involved either grabbing a post on a dock or skating into a snowbank. That was way back when I didn't realize I could hurt myself. Today I was a wee bit more tentative. I made it to our meeting spot with no mishaps, because I held onto the wall all the way around. No brave moves here! There were a few other women in the class, one had skated before but wanted to learn to go backwards, another had never been on skates and another was like me, had been on skates way back when.
First thing we learned? How to fall. We were told to put our hands on our knees and then touch our toes and sit on the ice. I glanced left and right, the women on each side of me were doing exactly what we were told. I can't touch my toes on a good day on my own two feet, let alone on skates. Okay, hands on knees, I can do that. Touch toes......my brain said sure, My back said, are you kidding me? I managed VERY ungracefully to get down on the ice. Then, the instructor said, get on your hands and knees and stand up. No problem, I can do that. I got on my hands and knees and went to get up..not as easy as you'd think but I was doing it. All of a sudden, 5 heads whipped around to stare at me. Apparently, not everyone else's knees make noises like that. Two more people joined the class. Our instructor had us all do the falling down and getting up again. I opted to skip the second practice.
Next, we went across the ice. Push, push, glide. No problem. Push, push, gli..stop. Push, push, gli..stop. Even weight on both skates when you glide called the instructor. Push, push, glide. Push, push, glide. Hey, I've got this! Thankfully, we only went from side to side. We didn't have to worry about stopping or turning, we just grabbed the wall, turned around and off we went in the other direction. Once we mastered that (and so far we were all on our skates with no falls) we had to do something called swizzles, where you push your feet out and then pull them back in and push them back out. The instructor did a great job and every time she brought her feet together she would glide with speed across the ice. I was able to push my feet out but when I'd bring them in, I'd come to a screeching halt. Push, push, glide. Push feet out, pull feet in. Stop. Push, push, glide. Push feet out, pull feet in....OH IT'S WORKING I DID IT ONCE!!!!. I dropped my hands and looked down at feet and WHOA, LEAN BACK, LEAN FORWARD, HOLY CRAP, I pulled it off and didn't fall. Phew, that was close.
At the end of the 30 minutes, I was a lot more tired than I anticipated, my quads were letting me know they had done more work than they were used to, but I hadn't fallen. Instead of holding onto the wall to get back to the door off the ice, Sarah and I actually skated to the door. It wasn't pretty and it wasn't fast, but we were gliding! We both agreed it was fun and we are looking forward to out next lesson.
Beginning skating advice is good life advice. Push, push, glide. Work hard, push yourself but always remember to glide. You can't push all the time, you need to take a break and assess the situation before you push again.
Friday, January 10, 2014
Organization...The Ever Elusive Concept
On Monday, I put Christmas away. It's always bittersweet. I am sad to see the season be over, but I am ready to get my house back. I will also admit I'm not a fan of the 21 plastic tubs up the stairs. Some are heavy, as I have lots of books that get packed away to make room for Santas, snowmen and nutcrackers. It's always challenging to figure out how to pack the tubs so that everything fits. I'm always moving things from this tub to that tub and crossing my fingers that the lid will latch.
My husband usually helps me by being a tub lugger. The rule of thumb is as soon as a tub comes upstairs, the lid comes off. Once a tub has been packed and ready, the lid goes back on so he knows what he can take downstairs and what needs to be stepped over or around. However, this year, I did it on a weekday and Michael was not home.
I was proud of myself for having everything packed and all the tubs put back downstairs. On Tuesday, I started putting the regular stuff back where it belonged. On Wednesday, I brought the trash cans in from the curb (Wednesday is trash day) and continued working on putting order to the chaos. I realized I was missing about 12 books, some antique bottles, a sailing trophy and a few items we had picked up in our travels over the years. I knew I had emptied every tub but had some extra newspaper and 2 empty boxes that I had thrown out. Could I have accidentally thrown out the missing items? I got that uneasy feeling but didn't have time to worry about it.
Thursday, I decided to tackle the tubs. I HAD to find my stuff. I know it sounds trivial, as it is just stuff, but it is MY stuff and I like MY stuff...some old books from my grandfather, a trophy from the first sailing series I sailed as a married woman (yes, when they announced the skipper, my dad, and then me as crew, they used my married name and I yelled, hey, I was Dad's crew, who is this other Michèle chick...and my husband said, sweetie, we are married, you aren't Michèle Nolin anymore, you are Michèle Wood. Go get your trophy. Okay, so it took me a while to get into the married groove), a really cool loon sculpture we found on a ski trip to Mont Tremblant and a hand blown glass piggy bank I purchased in Austria, filled with Austrian shillings.
I went into the cellar and stared at the 21 tubs packed to the brim with Christmas decorations. I grabbed the first tub and started poking through it. Nothing. As I continued to search , I realized that I didn't do a very organized job packing, but the Christmas decorations were all put away and I wasn't dealing with repacking, I needed to find the missing stuff. I struck gold on Tub #7. The books, the bottles, the trophy, the bank and the loon, all there, wrapped in newspaper. Apparently, I'm my own worst enemy. I didn't follow my own rule and caused myself stress and extra work. But, I found my things and could breathe easier.
After putting everything back, I went into the kitchen to make a cup of tea. I happened to glance at the dining room table and saw 2 gingerbread men, a contruction paper snowman and 3 Santa hats on the table. They had gotten missed. I was NOT digging into the tubs again. We shall see how long the orphaned Christmas decorations float around the house, getting moved her and there.....stay tuned!
My husband usually helps me by being a tub lugger. The rule of thumb is as soon as a tub comes upstairs, the lid comes off. Once a tub has been packed and ready, the lid goes back on so he knows what he can take downstairs and what needs to be stepped over or around. However, this year, I did it on a weekday and Michael was not home.
I was proud of myself for having everything packed and all the tubs put back downstairs. On Tuesday, I started putting the regular stuff back where it belonged. On Wednesday, I brought the trash cans in from the curb (Wednesday is trash day) and continued working on putting order to the chaos. I realized I was missing about 12 books, some antique bottles, a sailing trophy and a few items we had picked up in our travels over the years. I knew I had emptied every tub but had some extra newspaper and 2 empty boxes that I had thrown out. Could I have accidentally thrown out the missing items? I got that uneasy feeling but didn't have time to worry about it.
Thursday, I decided to tackle the tubs. I HAD to find my stuff. I know it sounds trivial, as it is just stuff, but it is MY stuff and I like MY stuff...some old books from my grandfather, a trophy from the first sailing series I sailed as a married woman (yes, when they announced the skipper, my dad, and then me as crew, they used my married name and I yelled, hey, I was Dad's crew, who is this other Michèle chick...and my husband said, sweetie, we are married, you aren't Michèle Nolin anymore, you are Michèle Wood. Go get your trophy. Okay, so it took me a while to get into the married groove), a really cool loon sculpture we found on a ski trip to Mont Tremblant and a hand blown glass piggy bank I purchased in Austria, filled with Austrian shillings.
I went into the cellar and stared at the 21 tubs packed to the brim with Christmas decorations. I grabbed the first tub and started poking through it. Nothing. As I continued to search , I realized that I didn't do a very organized job packing, but the Christmas decorations were all put away and I wasn't dealing with repacking, I needed to find the missing stuff. I struck gold on Tub #7. The books, the bottles, the trophy, the bank and the loon, all there, wrapped in newspaper. Apparently, I'm my own worst enemy. I didn't follow my own rule and caused myself stress and extra work. But, I found my things and could breathe easier.
After putting everything back, I went into the kitchen to make a cup of tea. I happened to glance at the dining room table and saw 2 gingerbread men, a contruction paper snowman and 3 Santa hats on the table. They had gotten missed. I was NOT digging into the tubs again. We shall see how long the orphaned Christmas decorations float around the house, getting moved her and there.....stay tuned!
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
You Know, One of THOSE Friends...
We have all said it...we all have them...one of "those" friends. You know the type. You love them yet you sort of hate them at times. They tell you when you are being whiny, ridiculous, wrong, a jerk. You say you are going to do something and if you bail out, man, they ride you like nobody's business. They aren't afraid to get in your face. Quite frankly, they piss you off. You ask yourself why you keep going back for more of this crap, that you have enough on your plate without their input.
Then, you stop and think for a minute. Why are you mad? Because they pointed out things about you that aren't flattering, pleasant or nice...and you know they are right. Hearing such things is never fun, it hurts, it makes you angry and you hate it. So why DO we keep such people around?
They don't leave. They won't leave. We can't get rid of them no matter how hard we try. They are always there. No matter what. Yes, those "people" that drive you up a wall are also the ones that are there to share your joys, your triumphs, your happiness. They are there to pick up the pieces when something bad happens...be it being stood up for a date, not getting that job or something way more devastating. Those "people" aren't annoying. They are true friends. They are there when you need them, they are there when you want them. They say what you want to hear and they say what you don't want to hear. They are there and they speak. They are there and say nothing. They know when to listen. They know exactly how many times you are going to ask how stupid am I and at that magic number, look at you and say, enough wallowing. Shut up and get over it. They risk your anger and hurt feelings to tell you something you don't want to hear, because they know it's for your own good. They want their friend to be the best person possible.
Next time one of "those friends" says something you don't like, stop, listen and reflect. Are they always there, no matter what? If the answer is yes, no matter how hard it is, listen to what they have to say. It's important.
I have a bunch of "those" people in my life and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Then, you stop and think for a minute. Why are you mad? Because they pointed out things about you that aren't flattering, pleasant or nice...and you know they are right. Hearing such things is never fun, it hurts, it makes you angry and you hate it. So why DO we keep such people around?
They don't leave. They won't leave. We can't get rid of them no matter how hard we try. They are always there. No matter what. Yes, those "people" that drive you up a wall are also the ones that are there to share your joys, your triumphs, your happiness. They are there to pick up the pieces when something bad happens...be it being stood up for a date, not getting that job or something way more devastating. Those "people" aren't annoying. They are true friends. They are there when you need them, they are there when you want them. They say what you want to hear and they say what you don't want to hear. They are there and they speak. They are there and say nothing. They know when to listen. They know exactly how many times you are going to ask how stupid am I and at that magic number, look at you and say, enough wallowing. Shut up and get over it. They risk your anger and hurt feelings to tell you something you don't want to hear, because they know it's for your own good. They want their friend to be the best person possible.
Next time one of "those friends" says something you don't like, stop, listen and reflect. Are they always there, no matter what? If the answer is yes, no matter how hard it is, listen to what they have to say. It's important.
I have a bunch of "those" people in my life and I wouldn't have it any other way.
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