Reflections by AquaLady

I didn't make Matt's top Blogger List because he said I don't update enough so here goes. I'm going to backtrack a bit & do a "week in review".

Sunday: Feast of Corpus Christi

Our dear Fr. Ted gave a homily on the importance & value of Eucharistic Adoration at Mass. Since he came to St. Pius X, he has added Eucharistic adoration EVERY Mon & Tues from 7:30 AM - 7:30 PM. We continue to have exposition every 1st Sunday of the month for part of the afternoon. He told us that his goal is to have 24 hr Eucharistic Adoration 7 days a week. YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!! I love this priest of ours!!!!!!!!!!!!! He is heaven sent!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He said this will take time but for now, he's going to try to extend Exposition on Mon & Tues until 11:30 PM.

I cleaned up some of the Relay stuff that I left in a heap when I got home Saturday. I decorated the deck with our team banner. I just hated to put it away. Then Matt & Sara came home & after Sara left, Matt & I shot some hoops before he headed back to Penn State. Then I had a piece of cake to balance out the calorie loss. Hee! Hee! I didn't do much else...just trying to recoop for the rest of the week.

Mark called to ask about how the Relay went. He's coming home this Friday. Then Jim & Mike returned from the soccer tournament around 9 PM. Mike's team earned 1st place in their division. Way to go team!!!

Monday

I probably shouldn't complain but the library was so cold that my spit turned to ice! Well, maybe it wasn't exactly THAT cold, but I better bring a jacket or sweater from now on, just in case we have more of the same. Michelle is out for the week on job interviews so I get an extra 12 hours to cover till Jeff gets there. Summer session began today so Jeff comes in around 2 & closes up at 9 PM. I like working the morning shift better anyway. I learned a little more about computers today when the IT crew came to do their annual inventory. One of the kids (he's a senior this year) taught me about what things to install to make the computer a little safer. Cool! Michelle put me in charge of the upgrading the laptops. I ask her some stuff & then try to figure things out on my own. I even asked the IT guys to leave me a couple of their inventory sheets so I can make up my own check chart. I wish they hadn't gotten there so late, though. I would have liked to hang around longer but I had to get groceries & get home to take Mike to work. Then I headed to Wal-Mart to get a couple storage containers to put all my Relay stuff away. I have papers all over the place so I figure that now's the time to put it all in some kind of order for next year. OH, & I think I forgot to mention..I joined the Relay Committee. They're going to put me in charge of their newsletter. I'm excited...! This is something I like to do & now I'll have no excuse for not knowing what's going on & when the meetings are scheduled...because, ah, well, I'm going to have to write up all that stuff. I'm also going to remain as Team Captain for the troop but I recruited another co-captain so hopefully that will lessen the load.

I need to get outside & plant some flowers before they ALL die out but I think I'll hold off until it gets a degree or 2 cooler. So, instead, I'm heading to the basement next to do some laundry & clean up some stuff down there in the meantime.

Well, that's it for Monday. Nothing too exciting to report.

Tuesday

Fell asleep on the chair afterwork (didn't get home until about 3 PM or so), then made supper, then scout meeting, then the whole troop went to visit our fellow scouter who broke his leg when he drove into the path of a car & got hit. Then, 'started' some laundry, then watched some TV & finally in bed AND asleep BEFORE 11 pm. Mike was in the basement so I guess he got my clothes out of the dryer. Good boy Mike!

This morning I started another load (but I'll finish this one...Mike's heading to work now). No naps today...gotta keep movin'. Supper is in the oven...I'm making a marinated pork roast. Hey! It was on sale at the grocery store so I figured, why not...! Its hot here too & I really don't want to do anything but I guess I must. Well, ok...I'm going to change out of my work clothes into my other work clothes & hopefully get my fanny moving.

My neighbor has her house up for sale. I haven't had any caffeine since the Relay. I decided to give it up because of something I read about having more energy. Next I'm going to try to cut back on sugar...something my cousin Eva shared with me.

I haven't heard from Eva since she left for Hazelton for her granddaughter's birthday celebration. We didn't make any plans to meet. I guess its just too much to fit everything in on a short visit. I'll just wait until she returns home.

Wednesday

Hate to say it but the pork roast wasn't that great....just a so-so meal. I made a platter for Mike being as he's still at work until 7. Jim's fixing the neighbor's computer & I'm still TRYING to get moving. I may be one of those people who NEEDS her caffeine. I'm soooooooooooooo sleepy. I just had fruit today...oh, but I was sooooooooooo tempted by that candy bar at the checkout counter. I resisted, of course. I did manage to change into work clothes. The next step is to get out there & do something, anything. Well, I'll give it another try. Would somebody do me a favor & give me a BIG push?

Thursday

I headed up to bed around 8:30 last night but then I felt guilty so I folded a basket of clothes first & then finally shut out the light around 10:30. Where did those 2 hrs. go???

Mike went to work again so I'm here making supper. It's the least I can do to earn my keep. After that, who knows. Matt will be home tonight for the weekend. Maybe he can motivate me.

Ok...time to peel potatoes.

Friday

Kudos for the PUSH & SHOVE! I did it...! I did some work, finally! Kitchen got a good shining & then some mopping. Did a little laundry & even folded stuff AND put stuff away. I don't put Mike's clothes away though. I've tried to train the boys to do their own. I fold Mike's stuff & put it in a basket & the rest is up to him. Of course I insist I need my basket back right away but the clothes don't always find their way into drawers, unfortunately. Sometimes. I make a sign with an arrow pointing to his dresser for which he gets annoyed but hey, oh well. I usually make him bring his other clothes up from the basement (stuff that I put on hangers, sometimes). We have a rack down there that Jim bought when one of the stores around here was going out of business but we've all been known to dress ourselves in the privacy of our sump pump & dehumidifier. Another...oh well.

Today was quite unusual. Jim took the day off work to go get the parts to fix Mark's car but last night Mark called from Boston to say that he wasn't going to make it home this weekend afterall. That's a whole other story...

So, instead, we decided to go shed shopping together. We still haven't decided on what shed to buy but we're making some progress. This time we even got a price quote but we've run into a couple snags as to size & shape & purpose. I think we need to do a pre-inventory of what all is going into this new shed before we get it. That might help us determine what size we need & how much shelving we need. We don't have an attic or a garage so stuff is pretty much down our basement & in closets. My hope is that once we start going through stuff we'll (meaning ME) will come to the decision that I really don't' need it or want it anymore & will finally let go. Well, it's a thought, at least.

Jim took me out for lunch today, too. He fine-dined me at a most exclusion establishment, Mickey D's. I had the Adult Fun Meal...a California Cobb Salad with a fine bottle of purified water & my FREE gift was an actual, working "Go Active" stepometer. Since we left McDonald's, I've walked a total of 1576 steps. I'm on a new roll...to get rid of my rolls. Ha! Ha! But to make matters even worse, Jim goes into the Budget Bakery & comes out with 4 mini pies & 3 sticky buns. ARGH!!!!! How could he? Oh sooooooooo good!

So, I better get off my fanny & get walkin'. It's HOT here again & I still have tons to do, both inside & out. So, where are you going to PUSH me to next...?

Saturday

My burst of energy yesterday lasted almost until the last ray of light shown through the evening sunset. Well, to be more exact, it ended when my neighbor came over to talk. It was a much welcomed interruption, I must say, because I really could NOT have finished the annual planting of the flowers nor could I see that well as it was growing dimmer by the minute. So, we sat on the front porch & talked. What got us to that point, I must add, was the sounds of meowing coming through the front screen door. Barb still hadn't met Muffin & there she was, just looking to be fussed over. So, I reached inside & pulled her out & sat her on my lap. She actually sat so well-behaved as if to show off on what a well-trained cat she can be. Hah! We know better...!

Matt & Mike & Sara & a gang of kids were in our basement playing cards, Jim was piling up the newspapers. Even though we have recycling once a month, I still don't get rid of them because I feel that I NEED to read through them first, to catch up on the news. Well, that usually doesn't' happen so at some point I know we will have to part company. Another long story...let's not even go there!

Sara was the only girl there so she came upstairs to talk & played with Muffin. We have a very strange cat. Muffin stuck her head in a soda can box. All that was sticking out was her big butt. Then Sara would move her hand over one of the little holes on the front of the box & Muffin would fiercely, playfully stick her paw out & try to grab Sara. Then at some point she'd poke her nose through one of the holes as if to say "peek-a-boo". So you can just imagine what it must look like around here. Empty boxes everywhere, balls of string, rubber bands...just like the good ol' days of blocks & Legos & Tonka toys & Star Wars action figures.

About my stepometer...I ended the day Friday with 1860 steps. Today I'm going the full run. It's kind of a fun little gadget & remember I said it was FREE at Mickey D's (if you get the Adult Happy Meal). I consider it a worthwhile investment. As for my caffeine withdrawal through the week, well, I didn't experience any headaches like I used to get in the past, just sleepy but that could have been a blood sugar thing being as I'd eat when I came home from work & my system longed to shut down for a break. I'm not sugar free if that's of any concern but I think I am trying to consciously make an effort to cut back. I succumbed to the lure of fresh coffee brewing & have gone back to my usual morning cup. Last week when Jim was at the soccer tournament with Mike, he went shopping at a gourmet coffee shop & bought me a new flavor to try...chocolate peanut butter. I really can't taste the p.b. or chocolate. It just tastes like plain ol' coffee to me. Oh well...I guess I'm not much of coffee connoisseur. I just drink the stuff to stay awake!

I forgot to tell you about our trip to Lowes yesterday. On our shed-shopping venture, Jim & I stopped at Lowes for one of those little hand-held cultivators for digging around in the garden. Mine came apart. I asked Jim about soldering it back together but he suggested that we just get a new one for 3 bucks. Actually, I think he's right. Till we find the soldering kit & the solder & the tools & find a work area...yep! 3 bucks is a good bargain indeed. We walked around the store a bit looking at screen doors (we NEED a new one in the back) & at siding & I got sidetracked on a lot of other household gadgets but finally settled on buying a new mop. I would have still been there trying to decide which one to get if it hadn't been for Jim. So, we choose the "Quickie Home Pro Twist Mop with spot scrubber". I gave it to Mike when we came home. I don't think he was a bit impressed. OH well...

Jim & Mike are off at a soccer tournament today at Juniata H.S. No goofing off for me today. I'm feeling pretty alive & energetic again so already I was outside finishing up on planting my flowers. My Father's Day gift to Jim is going to be finishing the project. Now that's a gift, let me tell you...!!! I would also like to clean up inside a bit but yeh, let's not go overboard here. OK?!!!

My cousin Cathy shared some info on organization. I loved the part about clutter control but I don't think its in my vocabulary just yet. But maybe someday I'll get it together. I would love to have a central place for all my paperwork. I used to have the computer in our bedroom but then stuff would get all messed up & it wasn't comfortable sleeping. Now I have it in the living room & although it's handy, I need paper control here too. What I need is an office. Maybe once we get the shed & I start moving stuff our of the basement, I can relocate downstairs. There's only one problem with that idea though. That's where the boys hang out so if I want to do office work, well, then I'm sort of in the way. Another possibility would be to relocate to Matt's bedroom but with him coming home every weekend again I'm can't exactly do that either & besides, it is HIS room & I don't feel comfortable taking over his space. Life was so simple before computers... or was it??? Well, whatever...

Ok...back to planting. Later!