summer 2011

summer 2011

Paul and I, all 16 kids and Ashley, Benjamin's wife...Christmas 2012

Paul and I, all 16 kids and Ashley, Benjamin's wife...Christmas 2012
family

Tuesday, August 9, 2022

recap of a Monday....

 Yesterday was one of those days where I was happy just to putter around the house.  I cleaned out a kitchen cabinet, then another one, then another...oh, so nice to be organized, it almost makes me feel like a normal person!  Oh, I can clean something out, and get it all nice, then what the heck!  It doesn't take long before it's shambles, in spite of me promising it'll stay neat.   

In the busy years, when I was knee deep in small children and my only breaks were nursing a baby, with a few toddlers perched on the arms of the chair too, if I was lucky...more likely, they chose the nursing time to drag a kitchen chair across the floor, heading for the salt shaker or the sugar bowl, or perhaps took the Desitin into one of the bedrooms and finger painted with it.  

In any case, I was BUSY.  From the time I got up in the morning, til the time I got in bed at night, it was non stop.  Feeding, consoling, washing up, cleaning, going off on adventures, appointments, cleaning, washing clothes, putting them away, then afternoons giving way to dinner times, and oh my dear LORD, I have to make dinner AGAIN?  And yeah, there were days I was fork prying frozen chicken pieces apart under running water, because there was nothing thawed for dinner.  You could just put them in the oven, and take them out every little while and pry, but you had to get the styrofoam package off first. :)

Anyway.  Back then, it made sense to put things back with no rhyme or reason...and honestly, for YEARS, even the peanut butter always got put in a different place.  I didn't like it that way, either.  So it's been a real work for me to be organized.  

I wasn't TOTALLY unorganized though.  I kept their clothes nicely.  I hung most everything up.  And I kept the floors clean, I do not like crumbs or sticky on the floors, at all.  The kids always ate at the table, and were washed up before getting down, so we kept the food mess confined.  There were toys scattered, but at least it wasn't yucky in here.  

Anyway.  I do like cleaning and organizing cabinets.  When I open the cupboard, and it's all neat, I love it. So yesterday, the girls had the let's do something vibe going here, mostly Miss Camille.  When I finish this...we can go somewhere.   When I did finish, I sat in my chair with a coffee, put my feet up, and...Sonja and Char wanted to stay home...I kind of did too.  Cam was bummed.  She wasted her WHOLE morning, waiting to go somewhere.  oh dear.  We went somewhere.

They have such different styles...Char, the tomboy, Sonja so lovely, Cam with her country girl dress on...
It was fun, we got Lydia an outfit for her birthday, and some headbands and a necklace.  It was absolutely pouring out, so we dawdled, waiting for the rain to stop.  
Miss Camille with Orange Guy...

Anyway.   The days go by too fast.  Now, I have to leave to take Camille to physical therapy, then Kathryn is coming over with Achilles and Rhys, and we're going in the pool...and at some point, we're going on a mission to pick up an old electric typewriter for Cam...she's writing a book, and has wanted one for a while...I found one that seems to still have ribbons available...for twenty bucks.  

Have a really good Tuesday...be good!


5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh, the chicken in the styrofoam!! I finally have a microwave that defrosts 5 lb to a level I can get it torn off the foam, but it is still pretty frozen. Ok if I only need to put in crockpot, not ok if I have to cut it into chunks. But at least I have options for those days I haven't come up with dinner until last minute. Can you believe that sometimes I forget I have to make dinner?! I get busy I guess.
Valerie

Mari said...

I remember those busy days with nursing babies and toddlers too! Not nearly as full of a house as yours but still busy. And when my grands come over, I'm reminded of how quickly kids can get everything out! :) I like to clean out cupboards too. Makes me feel good! Glad you got that done and still got out and had some fun.

Terri D said...

How is Camille's therapy going? I've said it before... I don't know how you did or still do it. I didn't have kids. My boys were 16 and 20 when I got them so it's hard for me to even imagine having little ones. My cupboards could use some organizing if you would like to pop down for a few days!! :) Hugs!

16 blessings'mom said...

Valerie, I somehow CAN believe it. You must get forgetful, sitting around relaxing all day, ha.
Mari, busy is busy, and yes, those grandchildren, wow. They are so much fun though!
Terri, Cam is doing well in PT, she works hard, and does a lot of the exercises at home too, she's getting a little stronger. However, the knee that was dislocated most recently buckles on her occasionally, she has to be careful. Your cupboards are probably more organized than my "after", ha.

Unknown said...

Hi Della 👋

I can’t even imagine how busy you were. I looked after my 4 grandchildren all at once all by myself and they were quite small, it was just for several hours and I was exhausted! You were such a champ!! 🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳

Camille’s country dress is just so sweet and feminine 😊 I too love it when I clean out the cupboards…….the panty has been calling my name for a while 🙄……but it is lovely to have it all tidy and organized. I even put the spices in alphabetical order 🙄 You know how lovely big THAT lasts. Anyway it’s lovely to get it done.

800-1000 people!! Wow!! It will be bags of fun though I’m sure. Enjoy!!

Marilyn from Canada 🇨🇦