NOT MUCH TO PUT AWAY

THIS YEAR THERE ISN'T MUCH TO PUT AWAY CONCERNING CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS.  A few Santas, a miniature Christmas tree, some greenery, a few nick-knacks.  The door wreaths will probably stay on the doors until the end of January then Sweetheart wreaths will be out.  I think this WINTER I will hang a Valentine's Banner above the Dining room windows.  💕

DOWN TO HOME BUSINESS.  

DEEP CLEANING will kick in during the cold months at the COTTAGE.  Some cleaning tasks every day.  I'll make progress and get caught up.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

I have my hands full trying to figure out where to put our everyday boxes for everyday living.  The month of January will hopefully be the month that the COTTAGE shapes up and pray-tell there will be nothing just sitting about to stumble on.  This has to take place for living in this small space.  A place for everything and everything in its place.  I dream of the day.

SHAMEFUL.  I fell behind on the laundry this month, so before the New Year rings in, I will be the laundry Lady around here or the wash woman as some say.  I'll take tips.  grins.  The fronts of the Kitchen cabinets will be polished before the bells toll at midnight ringing in a new year. 

I once heard that what you are doing on New Year's Eve is what you'll be doing the rest of your life.  Not sure I agree.   

I am ashamed of myself for not keeping up with the house work even when ill.  That's too rigid and grace has got to abound.  My New Year's resolution is...to be a better housekeeper!  AINT THAT EXCITIN'?  Shall I have fun with all of this?  More music will be heard throughout the house to add some joy while doing tasks.  We must make our own HAPPINESS while housekeeping as it is a HOME BLESSING. 

Who came up with the saying that cleanliness is next to godliness? 

"Cleanliness is next to godliness" is a popular proverb meaning physical and moral purity are closely linked, though it's not from the Bible; it was popularized by John Wesley in 1791 to stress spiritual purity through tidiness, with similar ideas appearing in older religious texts connecting bodily cleanliness to reverence for God. It emphasizes that being clean is a virtue, reflecting inner goodness and respect for the divine, even as Jesus taught inner holiness is paramount over mere outward ritual.

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  Getting our HOME in order is a priority for me.  Decluttering is a must.  Cleanliness is a desire.  Every day, I will work on this a little at a time.  Surely I will make progress.

  
  

  

  
  

  I believe we can make goals and work toward reaching them.  I may be slow, but I'm in motion.  

  Amen,

  ~d

BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY! Amen.

HOW'S OUR DAY GOING TO GO???  NOT TO MENTION THE WEEK.  Wanting a good one with some rest as well as productivity to take place.  Looked over our calendar to refresh my mind about appointments and activities.  The week looks good.  Not over committed. A slower paced week with results anywho.   

Visited with HUBBY to synchronize our week and remembered that we need to get some new tires for our lil cruiser.  Her tires are balding.  Having tires in this condition can get dangerous if the roads are wet and braking takes place.  You might hydroplane in the car.  I don't care to go flying losing control while going across the Flint Hills.  

Better to be safe than sorry.

🩹🤕 TV.  What is it about entertainment these days?  Perhaps I am resisting doing other productive things rather than watching a television series.  There's that 'F' word holding hands with more foul language.  It has gotten easier for me to turn the channel when the 'F'  b o m b goes off.  Sad state of affairs when the script has this word used over and over.  Kate Hudson is the executive producer of a series about a basketball team, THE WAVES.  Right off the bat, there's the foul language.  What a waste of a good story line.  When I let the filth into my HOME through the TV then it's my fault that I did not filter out the junk.

I have say-so over what I 👀 watch.  Boredom, laziness and/or exhaustion contributes to watching way too much TV.  I've got my  number.

HEALTH WISE.  Walking to resume in the morning.  More steamed veggies in a day and salad greens included in the menus.  Water intake.  Some special teas to drink plus vitamin/minerals supplements.  Spending time praying.  I'll weigh myself in the mornings and exercise with light weights.  Sounds like a program.

CHORES.  
THE FRIDGE. 1)The fridge's interior shelves were cleaned.  Items organized and accounted for.  

2) Next the door's smaller shelves will be cleaned and the door items tended to.
3) The freezer needs tweaked so I know what I have on hand.

FOOD.  🦃 The big, beautiful frozen turkey that I have in the utility room freezer needs to be thawed and baked. THEN we'd have an abundance of turkey for a week or so until we got sick of it.  How can anybody get sick of baked turkey? "Not I," said the frugal homemaker.  God bless us one and all. 🦃

FURNITURE.  The 4 wooden dining room chairs will be dry and ready to sit on this week after their overdosing treatment with the furniture polish session.  

I'd like to strip the table.  I'll need to put this on a TO-DO-LIST.  First the front bedroom needs cleared out.  I'm doing this on my own for the time being so it is VERY, VERY SLOW.

WEEK-END WRAP.  We made a split decision to make a quick trip to MANHATTAN for a sledge hammer which Husband needed for building special braces for the front porch to support the roof while rebuilding the porch.  Off we went like a bolt of lightning.  Sometimes I get around rather quickly and today I did.  Just like that I was in the car.  

I drove while admiring the beautiful countryside.  Iced Tea, Lunch, Menards, Target and Hy-Vee. Back HOME we went.  Unloaded our spoils and I went for my chair to put my feet up and eat a bowl of Special-K cereal for a light supper.  Popcorn to follow.  Watched a movie and called it a night.

Here comes MONDAY.

Better safe than sorry,

~d

 

AUTUMN HAS FALLEN

Source internet

AUTUMN HAS FALLEN.

MUMS CATCH MY EYE IN THE FALL.  The beautiful array of colors bedazzles the porches throughout communities, farmhouses and beyond.  I thought this image was gorgeous with the urns and containers holding the colorful blooms.  OH SO PRETTY.  Nature at her best.

I've noticed that I truly am a FAN of the variety of colors that plants and flowers have to offer.  They add such charm and interest that I can't help but want some on my porch.  I am one of those peeps that admires what they do to a HOME's entrance which is the first place that draws attention to the place.

AUTUMN HAS FALLEN FOR SURE.  As we drove to a community to watch a CROSS COUNTRY event, the landscape has changed from middle of the road greens to bright ones blended with oranges, yellows and browns.  We're having a beautiful FALL so far with the calendar AUTUMN in 6 days.  SO that's close enough to say it's AUTUMN.  

OUR AUTUMN has gracefully snuck up on me with SEPTEMBER half over.  HALF OVER!  I have to stay focused on our yard work and house repairs as the time slips right on by.  My Iced Tea breaks in the middle of the afternoon need to include sitting outside on the porch watching the world pass me right on by.  The mornings are cooler and the sounds of AUTUMN with gentle breezes feeds my soul with peace.  I so like this part of AUTUMN.

This week I plan to cut back the Coleus that is in the front porch urns and replace them with deep red Mums.  I'll see about keeping some starters from these plants to winter for next spring.  I have to figure where I will house them though.  This is a challenge in our small COTTAGE.  Perhaps in the SHE SHED on a rack?  

ON THE HOME FRONT:  Waiting for the vacuum cleaner part to come in the mail before I will know if I will be able to reclaim my Kenmore vacuum which is a beast of a cleaner.  The little BLACK AND DECKER I have has been thoroughly cleaned and I will vac the upholstered furniture this week to come and clean the house.  Eager to get this done with AUTUMN CLEANING before the HOLIDAYS come.  

There will hopefully be a deep cleaning to my satisfaction.  I have watched lots of videos about DECLUTTERING and cleaning to see how others do this task.  This is my HOMEWORK I do with coordinating actually cleaning.  HOMEWORK.  I've been at it for some time and yet I am still not to the place I want to be.  I keep on keeping on.

I have plans of BABY SITTING the youngest Grandchild this week over at his HOME while HUBBY will remain at the COTTAGE working on the Bathroom remodel.  When I return HOME, I'll pick up the vacuum and go to town as they say with cleaning the furniture.  Another Cross Country Meet will take place and I hope to watch it.   

Yesterday, we went to one with 132 High School girls on the Varsity Teams running 5k.  Very tough course.  GRAND placed second!  So proud of her.  Watching the students run the course is enjoyable to me.  Usually the runners are finishing up after 20 minutes and then we leave.  They put in the training and practices and we the spectators get the pleasure of cheering them on.   

St. Louis Grandson has started Cross Country as well as a Freshman and he did well in his race as well.  Placed 7th in his race.  He grew up being a dedicated video game player so I am very pleased he has taken an interest in an out door sport where he is actually using his entire body to get some exercise instead of being semi-conscience in front of the computer screen.

MID-September.  I am needing to walk this week.  I'll be doing it like a SPORT, but at a slower pace and hopefully enjoying the scenery as I go.  The temps are where they should be to assist me in encouraging a pleasant walk.  I believe I will course a trail throughout town to where I change up the challenge some of walking a mile a day.  

NO DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENTS THIS WEEK.  PTL.  I hope it stays that way.  

So some planting of mums, transplanting Coleus, AUTUMN cleaning and general tidying.  I really need to continue clearing out the garage with this beautiful weather that we are blessed with and WALKING.  The car will get some more work done on it.  Shocks done and more to do.  New tires are in the future plus a wash.

AUTUMN HAS FALLEN and with that leaves will have to be racked and bagged.  That's pretty good exercise isn't it?

~d

Shriveled Lemons and Rotten Peppers

Doesn't sound very appetizing does it, but this is what I found in the fridge when cleaning it out.  The blueberries and grapes were next to petrified.  Putrified.  Lettuce and Spring Greens were mushy and not well suited to eat due to being past their prime inside plastic containers.  Spongy apples and celery beyond limp.  The stench was not pleasant.  Peppers with fuzz mounds.  Out you go.  

My stash of fruits and vegetables have been there since before Christmas.  6 weeks ago since I was well enough to eat salads and desserts where I didn't side step the jello and 7-up.  Crackers. Sometimes I crave crackers with cheese.  

Deliberately desiring to eat better.  Greens and fresh fruits.  Smoothies full of nutrients.  Sounds really good to me just about now.  My dear Husband has taken very good care of me as I was ailing.  Very good care.  I love him so.

Planning to make another trip to market to purchase fruits and veggies in the near future.  I still want to wash the inside of the fridge and inventory the freezer contents.  Longing for more order and having my pantry better accessible.  Not a biggie.  Needed to say the least.  The weather will need to be less wet if possible.  I have a few days before that will happen.  Trying to stay well.

Some television was watched today.  Youtube.  Watching parts of the IMPEACHMENT TRIAL.  Hear and there.  I have to be careful when making comments about D.J.T.  Some do not like to hear that he is a bit of a bully.  Doesn't like to lose.

As of October 2019, he called some republicans human scum.  Those who criticized him are scum.  To what degree is he willing to take criticism?  He has said he has all the information and the managers of the Impeachment Trial have none...If he doesn't allow documentation and witnesses during the Impeachment Trial how will he have a fair trial?  Tis unbalanced.

As their strategy unfolds, it is a drama that will be recorded in the History books.  Impeached President may remain in office and successfully be re-elected for another term.    

There is a danger that he will do something truly awful in which he will not be allowed to be investigated by Congress.  A dictator awakens.  Congress will no longer be needed for checks and balances.  I pray this does not happen.

Petrified and putrified,

d      

        

Deep Cleaning

This past week, I have been deep cleaning in the Master Bedroom, wondering how on earth did the Bedroom get so much fuzzy dust in her and especially under the Bed.  After the room is cleaned, it will be much healthier to sleep in.  I am shaking my head at how much yuck was under our Bed.  It wasn't that long ago that I cleaned out from under there.  

It's absolutely eye opening and jaw dropping how much dust accumulated.  Gross me out.  We had empty picture frames, framed pictures and boxes of framed photos neatly stacked under the bed for safe keeping.  Using the extra space as best we can.  When I pulled them out to dust under there, the fuzz was awful.  Not sure where this dust all comes from.  I lost my composure.  UGG.   

The pictures, photographs and empty spare frames will have to migrate to another place in our HOME instead of under zee bed.  

Temporarily the pictures for now are propped up against a Hall Wall.  The photos will probably go in the Guest room.  NO MORE ANYTHING UNDER THE BED.  Having it cleared out will make the cleaning much easier and I need easier as I age.  

E a s i e r.  AMEN.

I have been preparing our Master Bedroom for a recovery room for when my Husband comes home from the Hospital this month after Thyroid surgery.  It has taken me a-back how dirty our Chambre was.

Until I redo our Bedroom, there are white panels that hang for curtains with white shutters on the bottom half of the windows.  I laundered the five panels, washed the windows and cleaned the shutters.  Our windows have deep sills, so these were washed as well.  

The floor is completely swept clean and polished.  Under the radiators wiped clean.  The two radiators that are in the room will be wiped down this week-end.  Tonight I hope to Scotch Liquid Gold the two Night Stands that have intercut details on them.  Q-tips work great for the detailing.  Everything that rest on these stands need a thorough dusting.

DE-CLUTTERING makes sense to me and the less sitting out will make the cleaning easier. 

I took the bed comforter off the bed today and washed it.  Will allow it to air dry so she won't shrink.  The white sheets will be washed and bleached tonight. 

After this week-end the room should be ready to go.  Ready for when He is resting and recovering at HOME.

Having this cleaning all done before the actual surgery will be a help.

The radio was on as I cleaned and tuned in to a station that broadcast DAVE RAMSEY.  I have never listened to his radio program until this week.  I liked what I heard.  As I cleaned, I was hearing some good information about finances.  I need all the help I can get.

www.daveramsey.com

Now, Dave Ramsey is kind of like Heloise of old, except he deals with financial matters that many take to heart.  He helps many clean up their financial messes.

SO with dust mop in hand, I became a smarter woman.  More informed.  Sweating to the sound of Dave Ramsey's nasally voice over the radio saying, "I'm doing better than I deserve."

Hope you have a pleasant week-end.  

Time for a Coffee Break,
d