LEAGUE 2023

FIRST PLACE WINNER.  Lil Miss runs Cross Country and took First Place at League.

I love CROSS COUNTRY.  

Off to Regionals.
~d

 

SUN ROOM FINISHED!

BEAUTIFUL DAY OUTSIDE.  Gentle breeze and temps in the low 70s.  I LOVE THIS TIME OF YEAR when the days are like this.  With the sun shinning, the colors on the landscape change and it reminds me of my childhood when I would play outside for hours.  It would be what I lived for as a child.  Playing in the mud, climbing trees, twirling in circles in the yard until I fell down so dizzy it was funny.  I loved nature.

I've been dusting shutters and dusting the wood floors this morning.  Taped up some cardboard boxes to fill with things from the linen closets.  I'll be gathering some clothes on a rack and hauling it to the COTTAGE.  Do a little laundry.  Back to the main house and continue repacking dishes in the basement and loading the car with plastic tubs.

MY OLE BODY is very weary.  Supper tonite will be hamburgers and steak fries from a Restaurant.  I don't have it in me to make Supper.  Shucks.

On the HOME FRONT:

Hubby finished the Blue room's floor and it looks beautiful. It makes for a lovely SUN ROOM.  Could be a Media room or a Bedroom.  A Studio or a Playroom.  Office or Sewing room.  A Room room or Plant room.  You decide.  May the next owners enjoy the windows that allow the room to be flooded with sunshine.

So very glad this is finished!!!

~d

BEFORE WITH OLD UNDERLAYMENT.  

It looked worse in person with so many bad places in the wood.  

AWESOME AUTUMN

THIS IS ONE OF THE MORE COLORFUL AUTUMNS WE HAVE HAD IN A VERY LONG TIME.  Brilliant oranges, deep greens, sage greens, vibrant reds, burgundies, golds and yellows.  It's beautiful to see the colors mixed together.  The leaves are still hanging nicely on the tree branches so there is a fullness still present.

As I drive from our main house to the COTTAGE and back in the daylight, I am getting a chance to see this beautiful scenery.  I so HOPE it stays for a while as I am not ready for WINTER.  

I worked in the basement this morning boxing dishes as Hubby laid wood floor in our blue room. The previous owners of our 1883 house took what decent wood floor there was in one of the bedrooms leaving underlayment behind.  Not a nice look.  Several years ago, we bought the wood and are just now getting it put into place. Looking good.  

They did the same thing in the Living room and Dining room.  After a few months in the house, we'd have professionals lay wood floors.  Thinking back when we bought the house, we should have offered them way less than what we did with underlayment for floors.  There was a hole in the basement stairwell wall.  Hubby has repaired this.  In the entryway, the initial P was laid in the tile.  We joked and said, we need to make the P disappear.  Our Insurance agent had seen the P on the floor and had asked us what would we do with the P on the floor.  Hopefully clean it up! The P has disappeared.

During the day, I managed to repack the ARABIA FINLAND RUSKA China dishes we have that were stored in cardboard boxes.  The life of the cardboard has gone ka-put.  We bought plastic boxes with lids to replace the cardboard.  I bubble wrapped the China and placed the pieces into storage boxes.

Carrying these storage boxes was difficult as I placed them on the steps that lead out of the basement to the backyard.  We have quite a few large storage boxes for the dish sets that I cannot lift.  Thought it is best to buy smaller boxes and reuse these extra large ones for Christmas Garland and lights.  They are see through which will make them very handy being able to see the contends inside.

In the afternoon, I boxed up canned food, dishes, pot and pans, spices from the Kitchen. Carrying these to the car took some effort as they were heavier than I want to admit.  I loaded 4 potted Coleus plants in the front seat of the car for their trip to their new HOME.  I cleaned some on the interior of our oven.  About 4 in the afternoon, I drove over to unload the goods.

The Coleus plants are on the front porch for now while the weather is still tolerable.  I'll WINTER them in the Utility room or in the storage side of the garage when the weather turns colder. Same with the Geraniums on the porch.  The potted Mums will need planted in the ground soon in hopes they will come forth in the Spring.  There's a cellar door that could have Mum beds on the side.  That would like nice.

I folded a load of t-shirts and put some blue jeans into the wash machine.  This was going as I unloaded the back of the car.  First I carry the boxes to the porch, take a break then carry them into the Living room.  They will sit here until I have more time to distribute them into the Kitchen after we get over to live here.

Driving HOME, I got to thinking about going to MENARDS to buy some smaller storage tubs for other dishes that are in large tubs.  When I got HOME, I told my Husband that I needed to go buy some tubs.  He needed some more supplies for the house so he came with me.  He is working so hard on the projects.

A quick trip to Manhattan and back again.  I took the storage tubs to the basement to repack the China.  Our Thanksgiving dishes were stored in very large tubs too heavy to lift easily.  I rewrapped these this evening in bubble wrapped and placed them in the smaller storage tubs. Needed to take break as I am out of gusto.

If I could work like I have been for a full year, I think some weight would physically come off of me as I have NEVER worked this hard before ever.  Not physically.  It has been a learning time for me.  Tomorrow, I will continue to rewrap Thanksgiving dishes into smaller tubs and take them to the storage unit.

The clothing rack that is in the Kitchen bump out must be hauled over to the COTTAGE tomorrow.  The rest of the Kitchen things plus the dishes in the basement.  The Basement is getting emptied.  That's exciting to me knowing how full it was a few months ago.

With so much chaos in the world, HOME LIFE is for me.  Praying for so many about much.

LIFE GOES ON and so must I.  We hope to have the house on the market next week.  
~d

ORGANIZING, VACCINES AND ALIENS

MY INTEREST IN BEING ULTRA ORGANIZED became a interest of mine during C O V I D when I was isolated in the house.  Wondering what was going on in the world and staying away from daily practices of being out and about made time to stay indoors at HOME using the internet more than ever before.  AND THE VIDEOS WERE A PLENTY.

GATHERING ORGANIZATIONAL IDEAS kept my attention long enough making me be envious of how so many were experts at this task of taking untidy clutter and turning it into WHAHLAH beautiful.  Where did I go wrong with being organized that had no pazazz?  There was NO take your breath away moment that made me about fall down because I lost my balance saying, "WOW.  LOOK AT THAT!!!"

My organization in the fridge and pantry lacked that ah hah moment.  Cleanliness should be a priority along with easy access.  Did I have that in the cabinets, pantry and fridge?  Somewhat, but not to the place I was seeing on videos.  Where was that saying that not all that glitters is gold?  What happened to not everything you see is real?  Truthfully, who can keep their fridge looking like what I was seeing when others get into it and have their messy way that's not as concerned of order than I, the main housekeeper?  Some of these video results look as if no one lives to tell the truth about this being a functioning HOME.  

Still I gathered organizational ideas and tried to incorporate it into my HOME.  Take it all with a grain of salt.  We do not see behind the scenes of these gurus that make these videos.  Where is the CZAR?  Do they have a life with family members that occasionally have jelly on their fingers while getting into the cabinet looking for Cheetos to munch on?

Constant clean-up on aisle one.  Calling all custodians to the rescue.  You are about to have an accident. I'm 68 and last night as I was eyeballing the two stacked boxes of greens in one area of the fridge moving them to the upper level of the shelving...the lid fall off of one of the containers that was upside down to preserve the greens in the box dumping the contents of green slime in the fridge interior, onto the door and onto the floor.  Me, the one that wants order inside and out of the fridge MADE A HECK OF A MESS.  Reality check.  Messes happen.  This was a green mess and a half.  

Where's the ladies of these videos when this sort of chaos takes place in my Kitchen???  They are off in their corner of the world making more videos to entertain others and making some money while doing that.  Clean-up on aisle one will be at my own expense.  Thank you very much.

AS  C O V I D raged on, I continued to watch how to organize my home.  Great ideas out there and I do not regret taking the time to get better informed about just how others are doing this magic in the real world.  How to use the space one has to the most efficient manner possible was a winner.  Different techniques of folding towels and clothing advanced a notch in my think tank.    

C O V I D  was a very controversial time with what was going on.  Still many argue about what the government/deep state were actually doing on the world theatre.  Some say we were being manipulated to see just how far the masses would take instructions from the government. Others had no questions as to how serious all of this was.  Mask.  No mask.  Vaccine.  No vaccine. Closing churches.  Services in the out of doors.  You cannot sing to now you can sing. Businesses were closed and when hair salons opened no hair dryers were allowed to be used. Only x amount of shoppers in the stores at a time to the stores being open again for your business.  Come on in. Stand 6 feet apart and don't shake hands.  Wear your mask.  Don't breath on me.  

Curbside service was a hit.  Ordering things on line was all the rage.

Weird times.  C O V I D  was advancing in the United States.  In February of 2020 we had gone to Oklahoma for a family visit before the orders to stay home were placed.  Driving back from Oklahoma after hearing the term social distancing for the first time in my life with a toilet paper shortage starting, the small towns we went through appeared to be like ghost towns.

We settled in and waited out what the next move would be.  

I had moments where I was alone in the Living room very upset with what was going on in the world health wise.  The isolation bothered me and made me sad.  SO many reported as dying. People were dying left and right.  Morgues were full and could not handle the funerals.  The Hospitals were full and people were turned away.  Debates about what to do.  Our President's vanity got in the way as his bronzer rubbed off on the mask looking unattractive so he did not honor wearing masks.  

Looking back at this era, many think differently than before.  Debates about the vaccine continue.  I put off taking the  c o v i d  vaccines as long as I could until Hubby came back from getting his hair cut at the Barber Shop where a young man shared the horrors of what  C O V I D was like having experienced it.  So we decided we'd get vaccinated.  Made an appointment at the Pharmacy and got the JAB.  First Jab then a month later the second one, but when I heard you needed a booster before the year was up, I said no.  Did that mean frequent shots?  Yes.  FAUCI had publicly said that with receiving the vaccine you would not get the C O V I D.  The story kept changing.  You won't get it as bad when having the jab?  

I had been hearing both sides about the controversy jab.  I overheard an elderly woman talking to another about how older people she knew had very bad effects from the vaccine and she chose not to comply.  

My Brother and Sister-in-law both had the two vaccines then the two boosters.  C O V I D got them.  The same with my elderly mother.  My Mom got it.  My Sister and Brother-in-law took the jabs and boosters still got C O V I D.  My vaccinated brother got C O V I D.  My Son who had the jabs got it.  Hubby and I did not have the 2 boosters and we got a milder case of C O V I D.

After we took the two jabs in March and April 2021, eight months later we both had serious eye issues.  My left eye hemorrhaged twice in December and my Husband developed PVD requiring emergency surgery.  Then we got C O V I D in July of 2022.  What's up with that?  

B I L L   G A T E S  and his early comments about vaccines for population control comes to mind. What exactly is in these vaccines that have not been thoroughly tested?  What is in the vaccines that was deliberately placed in them to do harm to people of all walks of LIFE?  What has been placed in the vaccines for ethnic cleansing?  Killing more people of certain races and age groups. Killing the older generation comes to mind.  Birth control due to sterility for the younger generation comes to mind.  Making people sick with radio frequencies comes to mind.  Ethnic cleansing comes to mind.  Creating cancers that alter quality of health comes to mind.  Falling over dead comes to mind.  New world order comes to mind.  Depopulation so the elitist rule and reign comes to mind.  The future forecast comes to mind.  I still have a mind for such a time as this.

THROUGH  THE YEARS, v a c c i n e s  have helped so many.  Hubby was bit on the top of the head by a bat and I cannot imagine him NOT taking the vaccine to fight rabies.  We took the polio vaccine as children.  When we were children we did not have to be concerned about what all was in the vaccine.  No baby parts.  No nanoparticles.  Through time, things have changed and I know the contents should be monitored.  ETHICAL vaccines do exist, but are not promoted by mainstream doctors and facilities that give vaccines.  Why not?  Ethical vaccines are vaccines made without the use of human fetal tissue.  

Oh heavens, how did I get off being organized to vaccines?  Hey, LIFE happens.

ON THE HOME FRONT:  My 'ole body hurts so much, I think I could cry.  Stiff and sore all over. Somewhere in here, I strained my left neck muscle.  Slowly recovering.  I continue to carry all those neat things out of the basement and carry to the car to unload at our COTTAGE and into storage.  This morning, I did a switch and carried boxes with KITCHEN goodies.  Just as heavy. Not as far though since they were already by the back door.  Hubby helped.  

I potted three containers of coleus.  Pat myself on the back.  They look beautiful.  Will take them to the COTTAGE tomorrow.

I drove the Kitchen boxes over to the COTTAGE and carried them to the porch.  As I lifted one of the boxes to take on into the Living room, I let out a cry.  THIS IS HARD!  I calmed down after I got the box inside and sat to cool off.  This is a HARD MOVE for me.  We're doing this thing, but it is HARD.  If we had stayed at a slower speed and done this over more time, I would be moving slower, but we are aiming to be out of the house come MONDAY so I have to stay on track and be ready to be gone.  All that my Hubby has lined up to do makes me weak in the knees.  Striving to HIT OUR DEADLINE.  Still, this is great exercise for someone like me that wants to lose weight. Cross training for free.  

I did some laundry, looked through an old magazine, paid a utility bill then drove back to the main house.  Hubby wanted to go to MENARDS to buy three stools for a Breakfast nook he will create this week-end so off we went.  I had a GOODWILL DONATION drop to do as well.  Ate supper and drove back to the main house where I promptly took a nap.  Exhausted and hurting. Woke and took it easy the rest of the evening thinking about what we will need to do. Back to clearing out the basement, I think.

I still grub up on organizational videos, videos about health issues, and researching what's going on in the world to a point.  Are aliens about to invade our earth?  I don't think so, but I do believe that there are people who would like to fool others into believing that and will use methods to deceive.
  

HERE WE ARE MID WEEK.  Have mercy.  

~d

  

KANSAS SKIES

 ~d

I CAN HEAR MYSELF THINK

SILENCE IS GOLDEN AT TIMES.  This time it is.  I can hear myself THINK.  I woke to a quiet house as my Husband had headed out very early to go to the COTTAGE to wait for PHONE/COMPUTER SERVICE to be arranged today.  Yesterday, we went over to the COTTAGE to shuffle boxes out of the Living room so the technician could access the wall space behind my blue wing chair.  

This week, the television may get hooked up and I'll have wifi to use for computer time.  I still need some quiet time to myself as I thrive on it.  I love being with my HUBBY, but still I need quiet time to get revived.  Time to think and pray.  It is like a healing balm to my soul.   

Yesterday, my sweet daughter came over to the main house to DEEP CLEAN the upstairs bathroom.  Lil Miss cleaned on the Bedrooms as I babysat lil dude who played a mile a minute. He wore me out in a good way. 

Of all the toys he could have played with he loved the telephone.  It wasn't linked up so he could not call 911 or Japan.  It still lit up and made noises though which is one thing I think he really liked.  He would jabber holding it up to his ear.  He liked to pretend it could take pictures like his Momma's. 

Potty training is taking place in big boy undies so no slacks were worn while at Grandma's.    

His Grandpa managed to get him to take a nap after awhile.  The grand baby is one of these children that when he is fighting sleep he gets extremely wired and doesn't want to slow down. You haven't seen an energized child that fights sleep until you've had the privilege of watching someone like him.  He is so much fun to watch and he is jabbering as well.  Some words are forming to where I can understand his jibber jabber.  He says UP!  very well.  Please is just about understandable. 

 

After the cleaning crew left to go HOME, we took a car load of belongings to the storage unit then went over to the COTTAGE to do the shuffle.  Unloading the car in less than 5 minutes.  Another record!  The COTTAGE got shuffled and we sat to visit about our progress.  The COTTAGE Living room is small, but it felt cozy with the two wing chairs, a love seat, a buffet to set the television on, the old antique walnut chest and the dumb waiter table that the telephone will sit on.  

Lace curtains are hanging on the four Living room windows.  The plaster 123 year old walls need repaired and painted as there are some cracks, but for now it is a very comfortable room.  Small, but practical and useable for two older peeps who enjoy watching late night television.  THE GILDED AGE will be on October 29th and I hope to watch it in the comfort of my blue, velvet chair in the COTTAGE.  

The carpet is beyond being able to clean it with age old stains, but we are considering pulling up the carpet to reveal the 123 year old hard wood underneath.  This will come later.

TODAY, I will reload the car with boxes full of donations for GOODWILL in Manhattan.  We need to make a money run to the bank as the funds are running low again in checking.  We seem to be going through the retirement money way too fast.  After the trip to Manhattan, I will load the car again for a storage unit drop.  Daughter plans to return to the main house to scrub Bathroom floors.  As she works I will babysit the lil guy once again.

Today is MONDAY and there is much to do as we are busy getting the house ready to sell.  The basement is where I will be working at clearing out.  Hope to have it completely cleared out by THURSDAY.  We have made a dent and it is noticeable.  

Sitting in a nearly bare house is kind of pleasant as we have been working at emptying her for months.  A little here and a little there has made a dent.  We're getting there.  FINALLY.

I noticed that Suzanne Somers died yesterday a day before her 77th birthday.  She made her wealth off of selling the THIGH MASTER equipment and of course I had one of those so many years ago I forget how long.  Turned loose of it.  I missed having it so when I saw one for sell at a thrift shop for a couple of dollars I bought it.  Haven't used it yet, but I have one.  grins.  

Suzanne took a tumble down some stairs along with her husband a few years ago.  There were no handrails to grab ahold of when declining the stairs.  She said when she began to fall she reached for a handrail that was not there.  Her neck broke and surgery was required.  She will admit that after this, she found God.  So if anything GOOD came out of this trauma, she found GOD as she had to learn to walk again.  

https://www.survivornet.com/articles/cancer-survivor-suzanne-somers-gratitude-discovering-god/

I don't believe it was the breast cancer that killed her.  She died in her sleep.  For 23 years she combatted breast cancer using alternative treatments instead of CHEMO.  23 years of using supplements and changing the way she eat is quite a run to stay alive.

She was quite a force.  Listening to her share about her life growing up with a alcoholic father that belittled her, but overcame the difficult childhood is heart warming and encouraging.  She developed the will to overcome and overcome she did.

Striving to use things more natural instead of using products with so many chemicals in them, I remembered to take a teaspoon of cold pressed extra virgin olive oil this morning along with a teaspoon of organic coconut oil.  Here's to HEALTH. 

I have rubbed olive oil in my hair for hair treatments leaving it in for a few hours before shampooing it out.  It is also really good to rub on skin when so dry.  

When I took the coconut oil it reminded me of the Mounds candy bar without the candy bar. Coconut oil is also great for rubbing onto skin.  Small amounts goes a very long ways.  

AS THE MONTH OF OCTOBER PASSES, I do think about miniature candy bars for Trick-or-Treaters.  To satisfy the sweet tooth, the coconut oil is a better alternative for me!

Blessings,

~d  

17 STEPS TO SUCCESS. MAKING THIS MOVE AS EASY AS POSSIBLE.

After months of packing, carrying boxes to the car and unloading, sorting through every nook and cranny, loading up and unloading pieces of furniture in the PT CRUISER, more packing, buying moving supplies, cleaning as I go, shuffling, another donation drop, repeat, repeat, repeat.  I can finally see results.  

The upstairs of the house is bare.  Three fourth of the main floor is bare.  The basement is 3/4th bare. House projects are coming to completion.  I can breathe easier. Getting close to wrapping this BIG MOVE up.  

Here we are mid October. Before the snow blows we would like to sell the house.  Praying for the buyer.   

SATURDAY WENT SOMETHING LIKE THIS...loaded the car full and drove to the COTTAGE to unload. From the COTTAGE we went to one of our storage units to place some odds 'n ends in there getting them out of the Living room.

Drove back to the main house and worked in the basement collecting things to donate to GOODWILL.  Boxes filled the car and we drove to the Manhattan GOODWILL making a full carload of donations.  Lunch was chicken tenders from RAISING CAINS.  Sat in the Menard's Parking Lot to eat before going shopping for potting soil, paper towels, bottled water, contractor bags.  I wanted to look at their smaller vinyl storage boxes as we have large cardboard boxes full of dishes that are falling apart.  The dishes in smaller boxes will be easier to handle as older peeps.

I didn't buy any boxes, just got some idea what I will have to spend to store dishes in the COTTAGE cellar.  I think I will take one of the plates along with me next week and do some measuring to make sure the plates will fit.  I'd like order throughout the COTTAGE.  Lots of order.  

From Menards we went HOME and we loaded another car load of boxes.  I drove over to the COTTAGE, went to the storage unit and unloaded all by myself the car load in 6 minutes.  A record.  Then drove HOME.  A round trip took only 45 minutes.

Hubby is doing some painting in the basement stairwell.  Tonight I will load the KITCHEN supplies up.  Taping some boxes and away I will go.  This was a very good day for me concerning packing and getting things out of the house.

With days like this, the basement will cleaned out in no time.
House projects are getting done.
Giving thought to how to get things out of the Carriage House quickly.  Thinking about renting a small moving truck that can be backed up to the Carriage house garage door.  If I load the smaller items on this truck alone then unload it at the storage unit, I'm not sure I could walk the next day.  After Hubby gets the basement stairwell finished and I have cleared out the basement then maybe he will see eye to eye about getting a small truck to fill up.

TONITE as I rested, I could finally say, "IT IS COMING TOGETHER."

1) loaded the car full of things to take to the COTTAGE.
2) drove to the COTTAGE and unloaded the car.
3) reloaded the car with things to take to the storage unit.
4) unloaded car.
5) drove back HOME.
6) loaded a car load of donations for GOODWILL.
7) drove to GOODWILL.
8) donated load.
9) lunch.
10) went to Menards for supplies.
11) drove HOME.
12) reloaded car with boxes.
13) drove to one of our storage units.
14) unloaded the car.
15) drove HOME.
16) made boxes and filled with Kitchen supplies.
17) count my blessings and rested.

WE WILL NEED A VACATION AFTER WE LEAVE THIS PLACE.  Post moving blues might decide to visit us as we have been extremely busy fixing the house up and taking months to clear off the property.  MONTHS.  This is the longest drawn out move I have ever participated with. SO very different than any other.  There have been 23 moves since I met my Husband, dated, got married, started a family, bought our first house and moved and moved and moved.    

This phase of LIFE will come and go.  After we get moved this time, then I will do a serious double take about the THINGS we will KEEP.

Praise the LORD we have THINGS.  Praise the LORD.  Praise the LORD.  PRAISEEEEEEE THE LORD.

~d

HAVE YOU THOUGHT before THERE'S NO HOPE BECAUSE OF GENETICS???

               GENETICS 

loads the gun,

BUT 

lifestyle 

pulls the trigger.

Think about it and get back to me, ~d

GOING FROM HAVING MUCH TO HAVING WHAT IS NECESSARY

 

I will willingly DOWNSIZE to being a minimalist and call it good.  That void that I have tried to fill with THINGS has been dealt with.  God helped me with that. 

Moving out of the house and placing it on the market is a priority.  After we turn the keys over to the realtor and settle into the COTTAGE then we will begin the hard work of going through everything and deciding what to keep or turn loose of as we settle in and call the COTTAGE HOME.

As we continue to carry things from the basement to the car then haul things over to storage unit and the Cottage, has me rethinking what to keep and what to get rid of.  Another round of letting go.

Tis Friday and I'm concerned about how the time is getting away from me.  Lord have mercy. 

HAPPY THOUGHTS and life goes on 

because it needs to.

~d