Working Wednesday

My List

The items in RED are the ones I got accomplished YESTERDAY!  I was so proud of myself.  Here is hoping that my motivation continues.

Kitchen:

• Wash, dry and put away dishes (ongoing)
• Find the table
• Wash shelves fridge shelves (save door for later)
• Clean off counters
• Clean off Stove
• Clean out microwave
• Vacuum under fridge & behind stove
• DUST
• Sweep
• Take out trash & recyclables

Bathroom:

• Clean top of sink (save inside for later)
• Clean tub
• Clean toilet
• Clean mirrors
• DUST
• Sweep
• Wash towels & shower curtains
• Take out trash

Living Room:

• Clean the top of the Christmas boxes
• Clean off the hutch (file papers, dust, etc.)
• Clean the top of the file cabinet (file papers, dust, etc.) (save inside for later)
• DUST
• Sweep
• Hang decorations
• Laundry

Kitchen:

• Clean out microwave
• DUST
• Wash, dry and put away dishes (ongoing)

Bathroom:

• Clean mirrors
• DUST
• Sweep

Living Room:

• Laundry - only have two loads left! 

I think I can accomplish this list...

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...

A couple of friends have been on my mind a lot recently.  Two have cancer and another lost his mother (known to many as Yoda) and has had some other personal matters that have upended his life.

This gentleman is a huge Star Wars fan, and I mean HUGE!!  So when I saw in my Facebook news feed that someone had made Star Wars snowflake templates I immediately knew what I could do.  I was dreading to cut them out by hand because well, that takes a lot of time, but hey, some friends are worth it!

But I had this awesome idea.  Remember when my hubby got me that awesome craft cutting dohickamajiggy last year for my birthday?  Oh, yeah!  It cuts out intricate designs and it would be perfect for it.  Sure enough, I found the pictures, downloaded them.  I brought them into the software, traced them, and booyah!  It cut them perfectly.  It is up to him to figure out how to hang them, but I am thinking about laminating them so he can use them from year to year.

Since he is always on Facebook, I can't post them on there but since I don't think he knows about my blog, I am safe to write about it.  I cut out about 8 characters and will send them to him tomorrow.  Hopefully he will get them the first of next week.

Now in my family, we are huge Doctor Who fans.  My 13 year old daughter wants all things Doctor Who.  So I am in the process of cutting out Doctor Who themed snowflakes.  They aren't as popular so I am having to work harder at cutting them out than I did the Star Wars.  Currently she is staying at a friend's house and I am going to hang them on her bedroom door.  I'm excited to see her reaction when she sees them!

Tackle It Tuesday

Being on medication sucks.  Especially when it costs more than you can afford and the price is going up again after the first of the year.  I need this medication.  This medication is what keeps me alive and what helps keep my family stress free.

With the possibility of changing medications and not knowing what the could possibly happen I will be limited in what I can do.  Depending on what happens I could be on what I refer to as "house arrest".  At least that's what it feels like.  For me that is a big problem.  I like my independence.  Rumor has it that my parents will be coming to visit to help take care of me and my daughter.

My home is not organized and thus is not as clean as I would like.  I don't like people coming over because I am not happy with the way my home looks.  I guess that gives me a reason to not clean or organize the way I would want.  When I have people coming over I go into speed cleaning mode and that's where I am headed today.

My to-do list looks a mile long and although I do not plan to get it all done today, I plan for today to be "Tackle It Tuesday."  I'm going to stay away from the bedrooms because well...they are disaster areas and will require more time than I have to give them until the holiday break.

I frequently jump on and off the Mama's Mission bandwagon so this month I am hoping to stay on a little longer.

My Mission is to clean and organize (to the best of my ability) before my company arrives in January.

Kitchen:  Cabinets need to be wiped down, counters need to be scrubbed, fridge needs to be cleaned out (which needs to be done monthly anyway), curtains need to be washed, appliances need to be wiped down, table needs found (it's there, just buried under crafting and homeschool items), and last but not least vacuum the chairs.  Sweeping the floor happens on a daily basis, so that is covered.  I also need to tackle the homeschool cabinet as it seems to be the catch-all of things that don't get put away immediately.  It won't require a lot of time but it does need to be done before it takes on a mind of its own.  Prior to my guests I will wash the curtains and put out fresh hand and dish towels.

Bathroom:  As with all bathrooms they need to be cleaned much more frequently than they actually do.  Mine is no acceptation.  It need to get rid of items that we either a.) no longer use or b.) have never used.  The tub, sink and toilet need to be wiped down.  The shower curtain and liner needs to be washed.  The shelves need to be dusted and the floor swept and mopped.  It won't take a lot of time but it will require time.

Living Room:  Now this is by far my biggest obstacle.  Part of this room will not be tackled until the holiday break but the rest of it can be and I will this week.  I hate to dust and it always is the last thing I do so that is what I will do first.  My hutch needs to be cleaned off, the file cabinet needs to be organized (or something), the printer cart needs to be cleaned off, and well the white elephant in the room (a large white utility closet in the corner) needs to be gutted.

So that is my personal mission for the month.  I would love to get most of it accomplished before the end of the week but with Mama's Mission of the Month, I need to remember to pace myself.  Time to get started!

Stinker-Doo, I miss you!

Last night I said goodbye to one of my best friends - my handsome, sleek and sexy, lovable, bedtime buddy, Stinkie.  Growing up I had so many cats that I got to the point that I was desensitized to their passing, but Stinkie is different.  Stinkie was mine (or I was his).  

We had our routines like everyone does and those are what I am going to miss the most.  In fact, some he hasn't done for months but it seems like just the other day he was doing them.    

Mornings were...interesting.  He was definitely a morning cat.  He knew that I was not and usually let me sleep but once I started to stir, he encouraged the "wake-up" process.  He would sit on my nightstand and nibble my fingers.  Not hard, but just enough to say, "Hey you!  It's time to get up."  He would butt heads with me or pet himself with my outstretch hand.  Then if I still didn't get up he would wait it out by "holding me down."  He would lay on my side, his paws out stretched across my rump, his body following the curve of my body.  I don't know how many pictures Kevin has of him doing that but know we have plenty. 

For a while, he thought that after I got out of the shower he needed to reapply fur to my wet legs but more commonly would wait until I started to brush my teeth to pester me.  He would sit on the closed toilet seat, reach out with his claw to grab my hand just to get some of my love and attention.  He wasn't mean or rough but he would just let you know he was there.  Sometimes he would even stretch up like a dog with his paws on my legs. 

When I finally would make it to the kitchen sometimes I would find little slips of paper like business cards or a receipt in the food or water dish.  That was Stinkie's calling card.  I don't know what it was supposed to signify but it was just one of his little quirks.  Frequently those slips of paper were originally on the shelf above our stove or off the coffee table.  We would also find strange things such as unused feminine pads or used q-tips there too.  It got to the point that that was "normal" but our pet sitter would frequently say, "Where does he find this stuff?"

Stinker was not always well behaved.  He would chase one of the other cats or do something he wasn't supposed to and I would scold him - typically telling him to "go lay down."  He would slouch down and crawl away chattering or "talking" back.  I always thought of him as saying "I didn't do it" or "Sorry, Mom, I didn't mean too." 

During the day he really didn't do much other than sleep.  But don't most cats?  You'd find him sleeping on our bed, in a window or the back of the couch but most recently he would be curled up in the curve of my orange couch.  He wasn't one for snuggling unless you were in bed which was fine for me so I think our bedtime routine is what I will miss the most. 

While Kevin and I watched TV he knew that my "routine" was to go to bed around midnight.  When it was time he would stare at me from the hallway telling me it was time to go.  He wouldn't meow but just stare.  The routine carried on from there.  If I didn't do the typical routine of take my meds, brush my teeth, go to the bathroom, then off to bed, he wouldn't come to bed.  He would just sit in the doorway and wait.  Once I climbed into bed, he would stretch up and dig his claws into the top of my nightstand.  When he started doing that I scolded him, but now I am glad he did. I now have a little something to remember him by. 

The silly cat loved to butt heads with me, nibble on my fingers (or Kevin's) and when his bedtime "playtime" was over he would curl up on his purple pillow and go to sleep.  Believe me the pillow was not an intentional thing, it just happened and it stayed.  He was like a king on his throne.   

Stink was and will always be "my pretty boy."  His slick black and white fur made him one handsome devil.  Top that off with his red collar and his suave demeanor and he was ready for the party.  Not that he was a party cat, but he was dressed for one. 

Although I will no longer be able to snuggle with him at night or enjoy his company while I take a bath, he gave me and my family many memories.  Thanks for nine wonderful years, Stinker-doo!  I love you!