~PLEASANT DAY~

I FELL ASLEEP AROUND 9 and woke up around 11 last night.  It's a mistake to do this as I could not fall back to sleep.  Getting up, I decided to wash a couple of large mason jars to store asparagus and strawberries in.  The fridge will have to have some more stuff shuffled so these jars fit.  I had placed 6 jars of various nuts in and they do take up more room. Perhaps I'll get this figured out as I day dream about the COTTAGE FRIDGE over at small town America when the time comes.  

I was cleaning out the fridge bins at 1 in the morning.  Something was stinking and I had to get to the bottom of it.  Disinfected the drawers and all is better.  

When I was over at the COTTAGE today, I gathered a few more large mason jars to bring back to this main house to store celery and carrot sticks in.  That's 6 jars of nuts, a jar for asparagus to stand in, strawberries, celery and carrot carrots.  Maybe I need one for blueberries mixed with raspberries and blackberries.  Shall see if I can make this work.  I may go so far as to get smaller jars and store ketch-up, pickles and mustard in.  That's scary for sure.    

l definitely need to shuffle to make room for the larger jars.  With working at having healthier eating habits, the mason jars will help with storing food as well as making the inside of the fridge more organized with eye appeal and healthier snacks.  This all made me think of a few years ago when I was laboring at making my fridge more HOUSE BEAUTIFUL like Pinterest showing the inside of gorgeous fridges that are out of this world stunning.  Is it possible for me to have such a fridge???  Dunno.

SO ORGANIZED

Hubby and I got up early to go work at the COTTAGE this morning.  Our Granddaughter had agreed to pull weeds out of the two front flowerbeds that were greatly grown over with small trees and weeds.  She did a super job that made me smile.  It looks so much better like someone cares about their flowerbeds.

Hubby mowed the lawn and I stayed inside shredding old papers and checks.  23 years back isn't needed these days.  I went down memory lane again as I read old checks and statements when the kids were still living at HOME.  All are grown now with children of their own.  Today is my oldest brother's 71st Birthday.  Several of the statements had checks to him for his yearly birthdays.  Kind of ironic seeing these.  I wondered what he is doing in heaven today on his birthday?

SO many medical checks were written over the years.  Pause.  So many.  My paper shredder was busy as it chewed up hundreds of pieces of paper.  Hundreds.  More to go.  Having a hay day at this task.     

Tidied on the Tv room and made progress on the COTTAGE.  After Grand went HOME, Hubby and I continued working inside.  Hubs worked at tearing out the old floor in the Bathroom.  The temp outside raised to 97 degrees.  Inside the COTTAGE, it was very comfortable.  Being there allowed me to know first hand what cooling the place would be like on a super hot day.  Nice.

By 4 we were tired and ready to go HOME.  Not sure about supper tonight.  Veggies are needed. Noticed as we drove HOME, the Northern skies looked hazy like a late night thunderstorm will blow in to add some excitement to the night after being so active and worn out already.

After I rest up a bit, I will return to the upstairs Bedroom and gather more storage boxes to carry down to the main floor to load into the car for another round of taking storage boxes to the COTTAGE.  I have to make the Bedroom comfortable for guest coming the 4th of July.  

I pray I can get this done.  Stay steady moving things out of the room and out of this house. Much to do...so do it.  

I hope and pray that we make great headway on the COTTAGE.  The Bathroom is getting gutted and the ideas are swirling in my head.  Hopefully by the end of July the Bathroom will be up and going and  the Pantry completely painted and loaded with Pantry items.  What a nice thought that is.

Found this on the internet and paint colors come to mind.  Whaalaah.  So pretty and peaceful.

When I sit in the COTTAGE TV room, I look around the room and think what we will be doing to it in the near future.  Think the Living room and TV room will be painted CALM by Benjamin Moore.  Lovely, quiet, soothing color.  I need soothing when the world I live in is chaotic.  Peace be still comes to mind.  The TV room will be a quiet room to read and write in.  Think and pray. Sit and relax.  Write out bills, listen to music, surf the internet, write letters and look at magazines.  Maybe watch television in the TV room.  Grins and a movie or two.  Popcorn!

This is a time to DOWNSIZE and forge ahead in LIFE as a 66 year old.  Wife, mother, grandma, mother-in-law, daughter, sister, cousin, friend and neighbor.  Hello world.  

Add some pearls and away you go.  Classic.

Today as I was daydreaming, I was thinking about doing some sewing.  It's been years.  Years and years.  New dresses come to mind like a classic sheath dress.

Welcome week-end.  Pray it is a blessed one.  Amen.

~d

     

    

    

FRIDAY

I slept so good last night that I am refreshed this morning.  So good.  Slept throughout the night.  No tossing and turning.  Snug as a bug in a rug.  Corny saying, but it fits.  When you have restless nights, sleeping soundly means a great deal.  I know.  I am sleeping well.  Thank you, Dear God.  

Blessings to you out there in blogland   This morning I am sipping on a protein drink for breakfast.  I'm still working on Easter Treats for my GRANDS and other family members.  The first batch of treats will hopefully be in the mail this afternoon.  I have yet to brown wrap the ones traveling to Missouri and Oklahoma.  I can only work a little at a time before my back starts acting up.  So I sit and do paperwork.  Staying busy.

I'm jumping for joy...my snapshot pictures are all boxed up and stacked in the closet ready for round two after I get some other projects completed and can come back for more dealings with the pics.  I have put some childhood pics in yellow envelopes to give to my children so they have a few pics in their possession.  Then when I return to deal with another round, I will work on making up picture books for shelf life, making more copies and framing some.  

This morning, I cleared out the upstairs linen cabinet again.  It just wasn't working.  I'll get back to that after the Easter Treats are wrapped up and in the mail.  At the pace I go, it'll take several days to neatly place supplies back in this cabinet. 

We did buy some primer a few days ago so I can forged ahead prepping the dining room to paint it.  I'll clear out the crystal out of the china cabinet, sort through all the pieces, relocate elsewhere in the house and put some into storage.  Turn loose of some pieces.  After this, I'll empty the two curio cabinets that are full of my Blue Willow dishes.  These will temporarily go under the dining room table for safe keeping while painting.  The Blue Garland dishes will come out of the bottom of the sideboard.  I think I will probably box up for now.  

I wanted to downsize the dining room furniture, so I will be turning loose of the two curio cabinets and after I get the room painted, they will not go back into the room.

This in a way is a big deal to me, because turning loose of pieces of furniture that I really enjoy and like pulls at my heart strings .  Hanging loose doesn't come natural to me.  

The dining room chairs will go on top of the table and then I will cover them with painter's clothes.  Shuffle the furniture out away from the walls and cover them.  Start painting primer along the window trim and walls.

Just getting to this place has taken much thought on color.  The paint sample has been on the wall for months and I can safely say, I will go with this one.  Benjamin Moore Baja Dunes.    

It's in the same family as what we used in the living room.  I think it is a very nice, warm neutral and will be more down to earth in the decorating scheme of things.  The trim will be Benjamin Moore Cotton Ball. 

The day meals have been thought out.  Sounds easy enough.

Breakfast is a chocolate protein drink with yogurt and organic 2% milk.

Lunch will be good ole pigs in a blanket and some veggies.

Supper will be home made pizza and salad.

Snacks will be bedtime milk.

I record my food intake on My Fitness Pal in the evening after supper.  I can see if I stayed within the calorie count under 1200 calories.  Most days I have stayed on target.  Not always, but close.  It is helping me to stay focused.  

So, here I be on a Friday planning on a productive day.  Amen.  I hope I will be.  The skies are grey today and we're expecting stormy weather this evening.  Hubby will be working in the carriage house to make room for the good car to sleep in there during the storm.  I know he will say we have got to get rid of so much stuff and I agree.

2021 will be a year to downsize and continue getting more orderly.  Seems to be my mantra.  That's our hope.  I pray we are successful.  

I have a 5 year plan.  Imagine that.  

All the best,

🏡d