Monday, December 31, 2007

Christmas When Your Mother Visits


This time I was the mother spending Christmas with her daughter in her own place she shares with her boyfriend. I have nearly bitten my tongue off so many times, wanting to keep my mouth shut...hearing my own mother's voice (and Thumper's, from Bambi) "if you can't say something nice, don't say nothing at all"...and realizing I did not want to be a meddling mother who visits. However, as anyone who knows me, that isn't easy and things slipped out...and I was swiftly reminded that it's her house...heh heh.





Not wanting to having people over for dinner tomorrow in a messy place, I shut my face and got to work, hearing someone else's voice "if you're not part of the solution, then you're part of the problem". I cleaned the floors, did my laundry(and some of theirs), cleaned the kitchen, bathroom, vacuumed and tidied up the rooms of junk, Christmas stocking stuff that has spread all over, bits of trash like candy wrappings, wrapping paper, gift tags, ribbon, or twist ties from some random gift...you know, the usual, bagging it up with the emptied wastebins from all the rooms. And I started packing my suitcase. Not because I am ready to leave, but because I am going to be busy over the remaining days so thought I should get a little organized.



Now I can relax and dive back into Stephen King's Lisey's Story while waiting for my darling daughter to come home from work and head out grocery shopping with her and the other.

Thursday, December 27, 2007

Slothful Christmas Vacation

highlights...

  • board games - Trivial Pursuit (Pop Culture DVD edition); Scene It; Family Guy Monopoly; Pictionary
  • video games - Family Guy for PS2 and some Nintendo Wii games.
  • chocolate, lots of chocolate
  • deep, delicious naps
  • snuggling with kitties, mostly Squirrel, the kitten, because McGee won't cuddle with anyone, and Irelyn is a bitch most of the time
  • movies, movies, movies on DVD and digital cable
  • prowling the net, mostly Crackbook (Facebook)
  • more eating
  • novel reading indulgence

and some of the usual holiday chores...putting up and taking down the tree, cooking and cleaning up the mess that goes with it, laundry, tidying up the candy wrappers and wrapping paper...

Oh what a glorious slothful Christmas Vacation...and I don't return to work until January 7, 2008.

Thursday, December 06, 2007

My First Pottery

This is what came out of the kiln this past week...I started with bigger pieces but they ended up being tiny bowls...I have some much better pieces coming out next week I hope!

Saturday, December 01, 2007

First Night



T'was our first night in the new apartment last night. Here is a snapshot of the move...part one...



the cable internet guy did not show up for his 4:15 appt. when I called them they told me there were bigger problems all over and he can't come. and then I made another appointment for Monday.

the satellite receiver won't work, as I think it is the wrong cable in the wall. so have to sort that out on Monday as well. I do have internet access though...I'm borrowing from a neighbor...

the phone works - yahoo! now I am waiting to see if the buzzer works too, as my friend K. is coming over to help me with the last two bins of heavy stuff in the car. Then we are going shopping.

the boys have settled right in, and love playing all through the apartment. They are passed out on the bed here last evening. Now they are wrestling on the floor...

I ordered pizza last night but because my buzzer wasn't hooked up until today, I had to go downstairs and meet him. I didn't care at that point, as I was damned hungry!

I had to SCRUB the brown stained kitchen sink. The former tenant did not clean it at all. It took me two different cleaners - Vim with bleache and CLR (which did nothing) and an hour's worth of elbow grease to get it glimmering again, as it should be. I hate a dirty sink. Clearly someone left old dirty water in there for a length of time, according to the ring around the sink.

the sun shines in my aparment during the day, which is going to be nice for my plants when I bring them home from the office. I can even see the stars from my living room window and balcony. I am hoping to also see the northern lights once we get a clear night. There are no lights behind my apartment building as it faces the woods and a hill.

I love my new apartment and cannot wait to get settled once the movers bring my stuff on Monday afternoon. It will be a piece of work alright, but I will plug away at it, and hopefully be unpacked by the weekend.

the carpets were cleaned either the yesterday or the day before and the apartment was like a Roman steam bath...so I opened the windows and the dry air outside wasn't long claiming the moisture. The windows all open, and have screens on them, so when I need to cool off the apartment, I can easily do so. I also have a door to the balcony, not patio doors either. The cats have discovered the wide window sills too, to sit on. I may have to get a bird feeder to see what we can attract for them to watch.

the baseboard heaters are covered in a wooden casing, which is nicer than the ugly metal. The blinds are metal slats, narrow ones, and in excellent shape. I have curtains for that window, green ones. Good thing I brought my own curtain rod as there is no sign of one ever having been there. They must have plastered over the holes the last time they painted.

Time to get back to unpacking...

 
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