brrr. chilly morning!

It's a windy, overcast, chilly morning here in central New York state. Okay, 57 degrees isn't COLD, but with the breeze and the lack of sun, it feels like late autumn.

Here are my morning accomplishments:

Ten push ups and some weight lifting in between coffee number one and coffee number two. (Coffee made from freshly ground beans, oh dear yum.)

Laundry: re-washed a load that stayed in the dryer overnight yet wasn't completely dry, because it just didn't smell fresh.

Wiped down counters, picked up the fluff from a pillow that Little Miss Sunshine attacked.

(She's such a dum-dum. She goes crazy when I turn on the flashlight on my phone and project shadows from my hand on the wall...)

I checked and my passport is indeed processed, printed, and ready to mail to me. Yay! I was getting concerned, and I misplaced the papers they give you with the number to track your passport. It turned out to be a simple as can be to track it without that, phew. After buying plane tickets and registering for the conference we are attending in Norway, it would be a bummer to not get the passport. The little girls applied at the same time as me and got theirs weeks ago.

Last evening, Paul reinstalled the chandelier! The pics don't do it justice, it looks so much better black! Maybe also because now it actually has five working light bulbs in it, instead of the one.


We worked on painting a bit last night, too. Charlotte Claire, Camille, and cousin Danielle helped. We still have to finish up, but we got the downstairs hallway done.

Yesterday, we went out and about. First stop: thrift store. I'm looking for an old bench or chair to chalk paint and put in the foyer. The only chairs there were rickety or ugly beyond my DIY restoration expertise, you know the chairs, with the fabric seats...I am not into recovering or reupholstering, just painting and throwing a pillow on it. The girls were game to go because they were looking for jeans to cut into shorts. We also found a Little Tikes table and two chairs, which yes, you guessed it, I am going to clean up and spray paint. The table, anyway. I got a book I had already read, The Pilot's Wife, by Anita Shreve, she's good, the book is good, and I may have stayed up too late and read the entire thing last night.


Anne will be here any minute, and as much as I'd like to say we're staying home today, we are doing some school...then library...then stopping for some dog food at the feed store, and ugh, we are running out of half and half. We went to BJ's yesterday, the warehouse store. My membership ran out in January, and it's over a hundred for renewal when it't the 2% back rewards membership. So I just stopped going there. I decided to go there yesterday because I had a coupon for a free trial membership, but that is only for those who have never been members...so I got suckered into buying a new one, but for only $65. You get a better deal if you let it lapse for a few months. It's a trap of a store, you fill your cart and empty your wallet like magic, things you didn't know you needed! Like this giant bunny, for Anne!


I did feel evil, buying this huge bunny. But it was only $4.98! And if you could have seen the way her eyes lit up! She named it Little Bunny FooFoo, and it's almost as big as her. Her daddy took the last pic, she insisted Bunny get buckled up too. When he came to pick her up and saw the bunny, ha, I did feel evil, but she liked it so much!!!

Anyway. Time to get moving.

progress pics...

Look at that dusty brass light fixture. I did look into replacing it, but...spray painting is rather rewarding. Paul took it down, Sonja cleaned it up, and I took it to the front yard on a pizza box, and yay!

I know, it's still in it's pizza box, on the kitchen table. These things take time!



I spray painted the brass doorknob...only the one half that shows when the door is closed, then when I re-installed it, I realized duh, that it looked ridiculous...I didn't want to remove the handle again, so I got out the black chalk paint, and painted the outside part. It looks fine. Of course I sealed it with wax after, so it'll hold up okay. I hope. I also spray-painted the brass light-switch plate. And those hooks on the white board.

Instant Gratification is my real name, this is KILLING me, I want it done yesterday! I am not a ladder person at this stage, or rather WEIGHT in my life, so all this high up stuff...I have to wait for Paul, or Suzanne. Slowly by slowly, step by step, inch by inch. During the week days I have small children here, and since they aren't MY small children, I can't just paint when they are here like I did when my own were small.

And honestly, in the evenings, when the small children have gone home, dinner has been served and cleaned up, I am just too tired to jump up and open the paint cans. Also, the teenagers are always gone here and there, and who wants to paint all alone? Paul works hard, so I don't like to nag him too much. Just the right amount ha.

I want to get the painting done, the light fixture back up, and I'm thinking of ordering a bench to put where the cube thing is, and putting the cube thing under the hooks...I have a lovely vintage mirror from the thrift store, which I painted white, ready to hang over the bench I might buy. We don't NEED a bench, but oh dear, it would look so cute. The stairs are going to get new carpeting, a dark gray. One of these days. And the tile down there will be covered with that nice waterproof vinyl planking that looks like real wood. One of these days.

Anne will be here soon. I've cleaned up the house a bit, and am on my second cup of coffee. Miss Sonja K. actually went to school this morning. She got a ride from her friend, as she cannot get up those steep school bus steps yet. I told her to go to the nurse and call me if she needs to come home. She is amazing though. She has barely taken any of her pain meds, she didn't even take an acetaminophen this morning. She just pushes herself. I am quite proud of her.

Anyway...today is cloudy, the rain is coming this afternoon. The sunshine was nice, but ha, shh, it's easier to watch Miss Anne when it's rainy(she always wants to go outside)...except when she wears her cute little rain boots, she suggests we go stomping in the puddles...

just brilliant...

The sun shining, not a cloud in the sky brilliance is not something we see too often here in central New York state. That deep beautiful blue of a sky on a sunny day, oh joy. And three days in a row! We almost felt like we live in Southern California!

Sonja and I were alone for most of yesterday. Paul had to work on the camper, and do some other errands. So we went out onto the deck, put on some sunscreen and dug out the sunglasses, sprayed ourselves with a little misting bottle, then got too hot and went back inside. We repeated this little ritual three times.

I went to town to pick up some chicken wings in the afternoon, then Paul grilled steak for dinner. Steak, because why not? How often are there only THREE people home here?

This morning, Sonja was doing well enough to navigate the deck stairs on her crutches, so the three of us went to church. We left right after, instead of staying for lunch, wah, because Paul had tomato and pepper plants to put in. Last year we didn't even plant a garden because of his work schedule, so it's nice we can do it this year.

Sonja and I enjoyed the sunshine on the deck some more today, with cold brew coffees with chocolate almond milk...


The girls returned from their camping trip. Some stopped in for a chat, Paul's truck and the kayaks came home. Sleeping bags and tents and extra snacks were put away.

Shh, we had steak AGAIN. It was actually some nice chuck roast, which I had planned to put in the instant pot with some gravy mix, but Paul likes grilled meat much better, so he sliced those roasts thinner, and I marinated them in vinegar, olive oil, a bit of red wine, and steak seasoning. They were still a bit chewy, but yummers. We had jasmine rice (not me!), and fresh cauliflower, steamed and soaked in hot Buffalo sauce.

Sonja is doing better. She still has a long road of healing, but she's quick and nimble and is learning to get around on those crutches. I don't really mind waiting on her. Getting her pills (antibiotics, blood thinner), filling her water bottle, serving her dinner. She's seventeen years old, and hasn't needed my help for much in a long time, so I don't mind.

Having all the kids gone this weekend (except for Sonja K.), has made me realize in a very strong way that: it's coming. It really is coming. The day they all move out, and it's actually quiet in here. I told Sonja today that I wish wish wish I could go back in time and visit my mother more, when she was so lonely. She went to kidney dialysis three times a week for NINE YEARS. I visited her at dialysis ONCE. Granted, I was knee-deep in small children and babies when she was going through her dialysis years, but still. She passed away when Charlotte Claire was a new baby.

Anyway. I did go visit her at least once a week, and took her out and about and brought her here. I probably couldn't have done it more, but my point is that now I feel her pain. Just a glimpse of the future, and the quiet is coming.

Well, then again, maybe not. We have five grandchildren, and two more on the way, so I'm sure it won't get too quiet for too long, ha.

Anyway. It's been a brilliantly glorious weekend, lots of down time, and it was nice. Sonja is climbing the walls, but I didn't mind it one bit.

peace and quiet are not overrated...

I should just get up earlier in the morning, I love the quiet before the day starts picking up steam. Today, I am reveling in this beautiful weather. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and the exhaust fan is on because Miss Sonja K. is sleeping on the couch. I spent some time walking around outside this morning in my bare feet, emptying and cleaning the water table, straightening things on the deck, then...well, we have two dogs, who are SUPPOSED to poop over in the side woods, but they prefer the yard sometimes. So, especially when the weather is dry and sunny, it's good to get that taken care of.

My girls are all going camping tomorrow. Except for Miss Sonja, of course. And Jonathan has plans for the weekend which include a mountain hike in the Adirondacks. So lonely me, here with Paul and Sonja. But the weather forecast is unbelievable, warm and sunny today, tomorrow, and Sunday. We've had a cold and rainy spring, so this is very welcome. Our pool isn't open yet, but the new part did come in the mail. We have poplar trees (cottonwoods), which shed the fuzz in the spring, it looks like it's snowing cotton here. The pool gets filled with it, you can't even run the filter without being right there to empty the basket every few minutes. I really want to cut some trees down. Between the leaves that line the bottom of the pool, and the shade from those trees, blah. I like the sunshine in the yard!!!

So yesterday afternoon, after Suzanne got off the bus, Charlotte Claire, Camille, and I went to the library for a few new stacks of books. Then to Kohl's so I could pick up one teeny tiny thing that I ordered online. If you ship to store, you don't have to pay shipping. And the thing was a new bra, so not actually teeny tiny ha. The thing is, they have the same lines for returns, and for pick-ups. Some of the returns are complicated with Kohl's Cash involved, ect. So it took a while. Then, to Target to pick up a 'script of Xarelto for Sonja. This stuff is expensive! I googled it, over four hundred bucks! So I called the pharmacy, and our insurance coverage made it only $61. I guess she's at risk for blood clots with the surgery and all the lying around during recovery.

We enjoyed Target. I let Char get a silly t-shirt, and Cam found a lovely dress on the clearance rack, a women's size x-small. We didn't even look in the girls' section. They're growing up on me. We also skipped the toy section, apparently I was the only one who wanted to look at toys.

Then, Price Chopper for a few fresh veggies and some blueberries, some donuts (6 for $2.99!), some chicken and cheese and coffee and and and. What fun, I was walking along, and who did I see? My sister! It was so fun! She gave me one of her Oreo coupons. We dawdled a little, but I wanted to get home to Sonja, and the girls were being super patient. Then in the parking lot, who did we see? Abigail!!! I wanted to go in the store all over again, to walk with her and shop with her and talk with her! But we had to get home.

Home...ah home. I didn't have to make dinner, because they had already eaten various assorted things here, and I bought chicken strips AND olive loaf, the girls made sandwiches in the van.

Move more, eat less. That's my life. My goal. It's no fun to be fat and lazy and to hate getting sweaty. It's no fun to have things that rub and chafe and jiggle. So I don't give up. I do my push ups and avoid sugar like the plague. I subconsciously believe that if I was trim and fit and could move without aching and creaking, I would not have a care in the world. But shh, I also have this belief about if I lived in one of those big houses with the huge-0 industrial stoves, and an indoor pool. I'm not actually wasting my days pining for the house, but I'm not giving up on the idea of getting really fit.

Instead of pining for the dream house, I try to channel my energy into making this place nicer. That is also hard when you're lazy like me. I would prefer to sit on the deck in the sun, thank you. I would prefer to sit in my chair and blog, thank you.

Anne is coming over today, my little break is over. Her big brother Davian is coming over in a few hours, he has a half day of school and is getting off the bus here. So we'll have a nice day here. A busy day.

home from the hospital...

Well, here we are, home from the hospital with a nice quiet time to boot. The kids are doing schoolwork, and Sonja is sleeping on the couch. She is just worn out, it's a lot of work to get from that hospital bed in the small city to the couch out here in the country.

Evelyn Joy came to my rescue and stayed the night with her. But I got up nice and early and went back up there, bringing Charlotte Claire and Camille with me. The dr. was in the room when I arrived, and he asked if Char and Cam were sisters of Sonja. I said, "Yes, Sonja has ten sisters." The dr. looked surprised, confused...then one of the nurses said, "Wow, all girls, no boys?" Well, um, there are five of those too. I kind of love doing this, but I kind of hate it too, because all of the sudden I went from being just a normal mom to an anomaly. I grew horns. One of the nurses put her hands in the praying position and said that I had earned myself a spot in heaven (if only it was that easy, ha!). The dr. then said, "You have 15 kids?!" No, I said, 16, there's Sonja, too. It was actually quite funny. He is a very wise dr., and to see him so flummoxed...:). Then Evelyn walked back in from the restroom, he hadn't seen her yet, and he was like, wow, another sister!

The transfer from her bed to the wheelchair was difficult, she was shaking and in tears. No weight bearing on the left leg, and it's extremely painful for her to move it around, even if someone supports it as she gets seated. We didn't know how we were going to get her into the van, so Paul left work and came to the rescue. He got her settled in the back, lickety-split.

Paul is back to work, Evelyn is back to work, Joseph and Bethany came over so Joe could help get Sonja into the house, they've gone home so Joe can go back to work...and here I am in the quiet. The sun is shining, finally, the birds are singing, and I have no small children here. I have to go to pick up a prescription for Sonja, but am not going to leave until Suzanne gets home from school.

As for me, I'm trying to behave during all of this. It's easy when things get busy or stressful to make excuses and eat a donut, but oh no, I am not going to. I just made some eggs, bacon, broccoli. Sonja fell asleep before she ate hers.

Shh. I think I'm going to change into a tank top and go out and sit in the sun...never mind the things I SHOULD be doing...

a day in the hospital....

This fine morning, which started somewhere after 4 a.m., because I have this thing wherein when I know I have to get up, I keep waking up to check what time it is, was frazzle from the word GO. I made my coffee, while Sonja huddled on the couch under a blanket, nervous, and not ready for this day. We had to stop and get gas in the van, of course, and I had to hit the ATM because I already owe Camille and Jonathan, and they weren't up to hit up for another few bucks, for the parking garage.

We were only five minutes late. And you know how it is, hurry hurry hurry, only to get there and wait wait wait. Sonja had her blood pressure and pulse and temperature taken, got an I.V. put in...then we waited some more.



She was still smiling though.

I waited in the waiting room, the surgery was to take two and a half hours. It went well, considering. Dr. said there was lots of broken cartilage behind the kneecap, which was tilted and totally on the side. She had the "new" tendon installed, and Dr. said he had to stretch it quite tight to hold that knee in place. I know, barf-a-licious, right?

I sat in the waiting room with a book I had already read and had brought accidentally. So I watched mindless t.v. and read articles on my phone. I also listened to the fellow waiting room people. One guy, 84 years old, lives out in the same neck of the woods as we do. He still works, he's a logger...he had on John Deere suspenders, said he has an American flag on his mailbox, and it's been there since the day "The Boy" deployed to Iraq. He then said, "I hate the government." Then the lady with the, "I just want to drink wine and pet cats" shirt came in. Life is stranger than fiction.

Sonja got moved up to a room in the ICU, and while she napped, I told her nurse I was stepping out for a little ride...coffee, mmm-hmm. And a salad from Wendy's. I brought Sonja back some fries and nuggets, and she nibbled them a bit.

Evelyn is staying the night there at the hospital with her, which is nice for me. Being there all day is tiring, and I wouldn't be able to sleep in a chair.

I'll get up early and go up there, and bring her home as soon as I can.

We started painting our foyer yesterday. Paul had taken down the chandelier, finally ha, and painted the ceiling. So I spray-painted the chandelier yesterday morning, along with the door handle, the coat hooks, and the light-switch cover, all black. Jon painted the downstairs hall ceiling, while Sonja and I started the foyer painting. It looks nice, but is half done. We just got tired, and we knew we had to get up early this morning. So it's half done, and who knows when we'll get back to it?

My whole life is just Under Construction, ha.

And here it is, 9:15, and I am ready to shower and head to bed...oh, I'm getting old!!!

weekend away bliss...

Me, Margaret, Evelyn Joy...


Abigail, then Mirielle and Emily.


Margaret and Mirielle, then me, Marg, and Abigail.


That's our friend Karen in the pink sweater.


Me with Mirielle, Em, Ab, Ev in the front with Mirielle, me in the middle of them, Margaret, and Karen...then Emily and me.

The place where we stayed was very Magnolia-ish, and there were Joanna Gaines' magazines stacked on the cute little coffee table. We stretched out and enjoyed the fireplace and the coziness. Saturday morning, the five daughters went out back for a HIT workout, while Karen and I started making the bacon and eggs. We put pork in the crockpot for pulled pork nachos, which were delicious when we returned from our day of exploring the area and wine tasting.

This morning we got permission for a late check-out, which was perfect for a rainy day breakfast in front of the fire: scrambled eggs with peppers and tomatoes, bacon, strawberries, and lots of coffee.

We stopped at a cider place, then at a winery...the skies cleared up, and we sat in the sunshine for a few hours talking, eating popcorn. A stop on the way home for a coffee, and a nice long drive.

Home...ah, home. It's nice to get away, but always so nice to come home. My sweet little girls, there are still our daughters at home (five on weekends), and then Jonathan. It's nice to get home to Paul too, of course:)

Paul grilled pork chops and burgers, I made some spinach, the kids warmed up some leftover salt potatoes, and Camille made homemade crepes. I helped by heating up blueberries and adding some sugar and flour and water, boiled them up so they thickened. I didn't have any, but Cam said they were yummy.

The week will be a crazy one, Sonja has pre-admission testing at the hospital tomorrow, then her surgery on Wednesday.

I love these long days and late sunsets, summer is coming!!!