My Weblog

Go to Girl Indeed.........

So, today was my "extra" shift. I worked 9 to 2 as requested. This was over and above my "regularly scheduled" shifts. I finally clocked out around 2:10PM and drove to the Dollar Tree, on the prowl for organizational stuff. At a few minutes after 3, I got a call asking if I could come in and cover because 2 people had called the store and were not coming to work this afternoon. I told the person who called that I'd actually just left the store, so she decided to try and find someone else.......... Afterwards, I was tempted to call and say I'd come back for say 3 hours, but I really couldn't do more than that without potentially putting the store in jeopardy with regard to overtime. I decided I had to just let it go.

When I reported in around 9AM, I was greeted by "she who hates me". (I have to tell you, I REALLY wish I knew why she seems to hate me. I have no clue, absolutely no clue, what I could ever have done to make her dislike me............) I covered someone's first break in Lumber and then I was sent to Outside Lawn & Garden. It was 46 degrees outside. I tried to beg off. I had inadvertently left my coat at home. I realized it after I started my commute, but to come back and get it would have meant I'd be late. "She who hates me" said another person could go out in my place if she had a coat. So, she was spared going out there without a coat. However, I was not. Same excuse, different result........... So, oh goody, I got to spend 4.75 hours outside. Gratefully, it did warm up nicely this afternoon though the wind also kicked up a little bit which made it feel cooler. I REALLY hope I don't get sick because of this. 

When I first got out there, I tried to start the propane heater. The handle on the propane tank just would not turn to feed propane. I shanghai'ed a volunteer with bigger muscles than mine and he couldn't get it open either. Finally I called "she who hates me" and she decided she'd try to find someone to come and help. The guy who came was great. He tried and tried to make it work and he couldn't get it. So, he took that propane tank and headed off and came back with a different one. What a glorious thing to have heat when I was standing there in a think turtleneck and a sweater! I owe that guy!

Apparently it's inventory time in the store. Everyone is walking around with the scanners that are used to record inventory. It seems like everyone is somewhere other than where they usually work. I found the millworks manager up on a ladder in the front end and the HR lady was assisting the gardening person outside. I'm sure there were other odd work assignments as well, but I was outside and completely out of the loop.

So, I got off work and headed to Dollar Tree. I have good news and bad news: There is now a Hobby Lobby on my end of town! I very carefully avoided going near the place. I'm deathly afraid for my budget if I dare going in there........... Maybe someday.

I bought some storage bins at DT. I also got some of those shelves that let you store stuff on top of them as well as under them. I was looking for things I could use like pull out trays but I didn't see anything. They tell me that the inventory changes ALL the time so maybe next trip......... Or, I have one more dollar store in the neighborhood that I haven't been to. Maybe they'll have something. I was also looking for small (about 4 inches square) containers to use for things like small desk items. I struck out on that too. I DID get some pretty gift wrap which I'm going to use to decoupage a container which will be pressed into service. Also got some pretty contact paper. If I don't find "drawers", I'm going to try copy paper boxes or copy paper box lids. I'd just as soon be able to disguise them, if you know what I mean. Serviceable and functional are important, but maybe "pretty" could happen too..........

I didn't buy much in the way of food. I did find evaporated milk for $1 a can. I bought some of that because I've been using that in my coffee the last few days and I've depleted my supply. I also bought 3 pounds of spaghettini for $2. Other than that, no food...........

So, I've hauled the trash bins in from the curb and carried all my goodies from the Dollar Tree into the house. The "solution" I had hoped would work for one of the file drawers in the office did not work. I'm going to have to make do with something else, but at least the something else will contain my various vitamins and meds and get them off the surface of my desk. It's a small win. 

And that's it for now. I have to get myself something to eat and I will have to get myself to bed early tonight because I have to be at the store at 7AM tomorrow. I thought I was scheduled to work Thursday/Friday. I was wrong. It's Wednesday/Thursday. Ugh!

 

I feel dirty.........

I don't know if I am dirty, but I don't know how I could possibly be clean. I attacked 3 of the file drawers. I emptied them all and consolidated the two I thought could be consolidated. That left one empty one that was really hard to access. Then I went after the file drawer in the computer desk, the one I was afraid of. Most of what was in there ended up in the trash. It was a grand mixture of stuff--expired vitamins, a crochet project, old check books, old electronic stuff, and more. But, as I said, most of it is in the trash.

One thing I wanted to accomplish was to find a place for current vitamins and medications. These have sat out on a shelf on the computer desk for a long time. I'm tired of looking at them and they just add to the clutter. I'm hoping I can figure out a sane way to corral them into the file drawer that was previously filled with mish mash. I would have to tell you that right now I am devoid of good ideas as to how to accomplish that.

I finished "the box". I checked--the rope I bought was 100 feet. I'll bet you I don't have 2 feet left! It looks pretty good, though. Maybe even good enough to justify the blister I now have on the index finger of my left hand. Not sure about that just yet. The scary part of this is that I probably have to do at least 2 more boxes to make the area where I'm planning on using them look reasonable. Ugh! But my finger has time to heal before then--I have 2 more boxes exactly the same size, but they still have coffee pods in 'em.

So, now I have to figure out what to do with all the bits and pieces of mixed stuff that are on my desk. I don't want to just open a drawer or cupboard and shove stuff in there because it will fit. I'd like wherever I put things to be reasonable, someplace where I'd naturally look to find whatever I'm putting away. One of the problems I always had with Joe's method of "organizing" was that while his work space always looked cleaner and less cluttered than mine, there was no hope of ever figuring out where he'd put things. This ended up costing us money because we have duplicates and triplicates of some things. To me, being able to recover stuff is at least as important as stashing it...........

I hauled most of the trash to the curb, but you wouldn't know it now to look under my desk. The one trash can I emptied under there is almost full again. I guess I will congratulate myself on that because it must mean I've been working, right?

I now have the grandfather of all headaches. I took 2 over the counter ibuprofen, but that has done no good. I'm not surprised at the headache because I've stirred up a LOT of dust today.

So, I wish I could tell you the office looks better. So far, I can't. It might even look worse. It's in that stage where "things always get worse before they get better". I have days more work to do before anyone would notice an improvement. Ugh and double ugh! And then there are the file cabinets...........

But, I think I've about had it for tonight. I think tonight I am going to allow myself the luxury of a long, hot, soaky bath. I'm pretty sure I've earned it. And tomorrow brings a new day. I hope to have a printable to put up here tomorrow. We'll see if I can get that done.

Tomorrow, back to the work-a-day world.......

Tomorrow, I work. It's a 5-hour shift, but, somehow, though that's the shortest shift, it also seems like the hardest. I always approach the longest 7 and 8 hour shifts with trepidation. But when it's over, it seems as though they are not as hard as the 5 hour ones. I think that is because with every shift except the 5 hour shift, there is a break every 2 hours. With the 5-hour shift, theoretically, at 2.5 hours, you get a break, leaving you just 2.25 hours to work til you're done. But if that break comes just a little bit early, it can stretch that last little bit out to what feels like a long time. However, a 5-hour shift brings in money and I am grateful for it, particularly since I was not originally scheduled to work.

So, today is my last day home. I seem to be doing a lot of detail stuff. Primarily I am working on cleaning out 4 file drawers--in the desk, in the computer desk, and 2 in the credenza. The file drawer in the desk contains my files for "current" year's bills. In truth, however, there are numerous files in there that have not been cleaned out so they are stuffed with prior year's paid bills. Because I claim an office-in-the-home tax deduction, I keep all this stuff for 3 years after the tax return for that year is filed. It's a LOT of paper! And it's no fun going through all of it, separating it all out, organizing it, and getting it into the proper files.

The file drawer in the computer desk is a mish mash of all sorts of things. I'm almost afraid to open it!

The 2 file drawers in the credenza are full of stuff that is dusty and nasty from sitting for a LONG time. Each of the drawers is partially empty and each contains the itty bitty bit of scrapbooking stuff and photo printing stuff I have left from years ago. I am going to sort through what's in the drawers, and then consolidate what is left into one drawer. 

I am scratching for organization containers. I don't have many and I don't want to buy many either. I found two small Amazon shipping boxes. Small Amazon shipping boxes are hard to come by. Generally it seems that Amazon ships stuff in much larger boxes than are necessary and then spend extra money on packing materials and maybe even extra on shipping. Seems such a waste. Anyway, I cut the flaps off the two small boxes I found and wrapped them with colored tape to try to make them a little stronger. 

In one of the bigger spaces, like the credenzas, I may try using the lids from copy paper boxes as pull out "trays". I kinda think they're too big for that, but maybe it's worth a try. 

I cleaned my kitchen sink within an inch of its life this morning. Scrubbed and scrubbed. Sorry, Flylady, but the fact that it shines does not really make me smile. I tried, though.

Tomorrow is trash day so I have to drag a bunch of trash to the curb. I already took the 3 bags of shredding out there. I know the kitchen trash needs to go out. One trash can under my desk is full, and there are 2 smaller trash cans in other parts of the house that need emptied as well. I hate trash day! 

I ALMOST got my new filing system set up last night. ALMOST. I still need about 3 more files in the file box. After I worked on it for a long time, I began to wonder if it isn't too bulky for me to use routinely. If so, I guess the file box will make a good storage container for something and the hanging files I labeled so nicely will go back in the big file cabinet. I suppose I'll do the last 3 files and try it out but I no longer hold a lot of hope for it.

I haven't touched the box I've been working on wrapping with rope. I'm starting to wonder if I'm going to have to buy more rope just to finish it. Geez....... And this was supposed to be a quick and easy DIY! But the tips of my fingers feel better (no longer sore from the hot glue) so I guess I should try to get that thing finished up or at least to the point where I really AM out of rope. That way, if I need more rope, I can buy more tomorrow.

So, that's about it for now, just cleaning and purging and organizing like a hard working housewife. I'll be glad to run a cash register tomorrow just for the change of pace, LOL! YOU be BLESSED today!

 

Bor-ing!

This being home all day every day is getting boring. I am having a hard time motivating myself to keep going, keep doing. 

I can't seem to get myself interested in anything for more than a few minutes. I started watching a movie but it's kind of blah. I have been watching home improvement/organizational videos on youtube and I'm tired of those. I've worked on this darn rope-wrapped box til I want to throw it in the trash. And, so it goes.........

The business side of my kitchen is looking pretty good. I'm sure, if I were motivated, I could go out there and find a few more things to do, but blah!

The box is about 5-6 rows of rope wrapping away from being finished. BUT, my fingers are sore. That rope is resistant and I find I have to hold it in place for long periods of time til the glue cools and sets. And, yes, I've burned my finger tips repeatedly, though not seriously. But, if you burn the same fingers just a little over and over it begins to be less fun.........

I have produced 3 bags of shredding today and I think the bin with things to shred still is 3/4 full. I kinda decided to stop because it's dark outside and I don't really want to carry the shredding outside to the trash bins, but I also am finding it treacherous to navigate around them while they're piled up here in this room. 

I paid some bills, but I'm tired of that now. Besides, everything that should be paid in January has been paid. I don't want to rush into paying bills I don't have to pay...yet!

I finished setting up the files for what I hope will be a workable filing system. 

Everything that came out of the wall units is now back where it belongs.

I've assembled a few things for the organizing bag for my van. A lot of what I need will have to be purchased over time. So, unless I want to go work in the van in the dark, there's nothing more I can do with that.

And so on and so forth...........

There's plenty to do but I just don't have the motivation to do it. I think maybe I need to go to bed early and that way, after a good sleep, I can get up and start fresh in the morning. Hopefully my attitude will be improved by then............

I came to blow off steam..........

This morning I have been shredding. I've shredded about two bags full so far. Mostly I've been shredding things from that table on the other side of the room. That is Joe's side. And a table I have declined to explore since he died. And now I am angry.

For the duration of our marriage, I was absolutely unable to establish a clear line of communication with him with regard to finances. I was trying to keep our records, manage our budget, etc., and found it absolutely impossible because I just could not pry information out of him. Finally, I, the accountant, threw my hands up in despair, handed over everything and said "Here, you do it."

I never had any idea what had come in in any given month nor what was expected to come in the next month. I blamed it on the fact that he worked on commission, not a salary, and on the fact that I just didn't know how to deal with that. You see, I thought his income was totally unpredictable. We had a lot of debt that he had brought into the marriage. But, having no idea what income was coming in, I never knew how much I could actually pay on the debt. It was a totally frustrating and scary time.

Well, guess what I just discovered............ A MOUNTAIN of paper representing spreadsheets galore of commissions earned and signing income, by client, by day earned. Spreadsheets whose existence were never even disclosed to me! THERE WAS NEVER ANY REASON FOR ME TO BE TRYING TO OPERATE IN THE DARK. All he ever had to do was to share those spreadsheets with me. And he wouldn't, or didn't. 

If you looked around my house, you would know I've never been a big spender. My bedroom set was purchased in 1975. The dresser in the spare room was given to me for my daughter some 30 years ago. The beds in the spare room were purchased in 1970. My living room couch, love seat, and the wall units in the living room and dining room were given to me by a friend. The dining room table and chairs came to me 3rd hand. I purchased my kitchen table and chairs on clearance. And half of my office furniture was given to me by a client; the rest is from the time when I had my own offices down south of town or from purchases I made at a VERY deep discount from a company that was going out of business. You won't find any designer labels in my closet. My vehicle, when we got married, was a 7 year old Mazda I bought used. And this house is certainly never anything more than middle class housing. That's what I have to show for my life financially. Does that sound like someone who is crazy with money? 

I can only think of one reason why he would knowingly ignore my pleas for information and cause me so much fear and worry. It had to be "leftovers". Leftovers from his previous wife who WAS crazy with money. And that makes me even angrier, because I am NOTHING like her. NOTHING. If he were here, he'd be getting a royal ear full right now and maybe being invited to leave this house! 

But, he's not here. So I will complain to you and to God and then I will just have to get past it and move on with my life. But, right now I am angry, so angry, and hurt.

headache from hedoublehockeysticks

I thought it was all about all the dust I've stirred up today. Now I wish that were true. Instead, I blew my nose this afternoon, and, presto, bloody nose. So, I am nursing another infection in my left sinus cavity. I hate this. I really do. And it just keeps happening. I'm pretty sure my sinuses are not formed "correctly". In any case, I've dealt with this same problem since my daughter was young. So, I guess I'll be back on the antibiotics again. I know if I don't do that, I'll end up with a sinus infection which is more miserable than an infected sinus............

I have continued on working on wrapping my box with rope. I've now done 8 rounds. At least 24 more to go, I think. 

I decided to clean out the credenza behind my desk. At least, the center section. I pulled out some things and put some other things in more sensible order. I still have some room in there but I'm not going to hurry to just stuff things in there. Since the credenza is right here in the corner where I "nest", I want to be sure that what goes in there is stuff that I want to access easily while I'm here nesting. My Lord, everything in there was dusty. Phew! 

If I clean out the two big file drawers in the credenza, I will have cleaned out all of the credenza. I think I will tackle those yet tonight. 

There is a big discussion among organizing folks about whether you should clean out "hidden" spaces or "visible" spaces first. In my case, I think that clutter in visible spaces occurs because there is too much in the hidden spaces and thus, no sensible place to put the stuff that is visible. At least, that is part of the problem. So, that's my defense for working on these "hidden" spaces. I think it's a good one........... Of course, you couldn't call all those glass shelves in the wall units "hidden" spaces, could you? After all, they're behind glass doors! 

Anyway, I've taken some ibuprofen and as soon as that starts working on this headache, I'll be back at it.

Slow going...........

I think this craft project may not be finished til November. Okay, okay, exaggeration. February, mid to late February. I have fairly heavy sisal rope. I originally bought it for the tree project. I thought it would work to tie up bundles of branches for the trash guys. We apparently didn't need it for that. So, I figured I own it so why not? Well let me tell you, this is slow. The rope has a mind of its own. The idea is to hot glue a bit of rope to the box and then "wrap" the box, over and over, with the rope, hot gluing as I go. Well, the rope is contrary enough that it does NOT like being wrapped around corners. Hence, I have to sit here and hold it in place til the hot glue becomes cold glue and actually holds the rope in place. I've probably spent a good 40 minutes on it so far this morning and I have 4 rows of rope in place! I figure there are likely at least 36 more rows to do........... 

Other than my fight with the rope and the box, my day has been sort of an ADD day. You know the type. Find a tool in the kitchen, carry it to the garage. Come back through the kitchen into the dining room and notice a coat hanging on a chair. Hang up the coat. Glance around and see that things you moved to clean the behind-the-couch table are still sitting where you put them so you could clean the table, so you put them back where they belong. You notice that in the entryway, the goggles you bought for paint scraping are on the little bench there. You walk through the living room, through the office, and outside to put the goggles with the rest of the "painting project" stuff. And round and round and round. To my eye, several rooms look neater. I guarantee you, though, that you wouldn't walk into any room and ooh and aah over my fabulous organizing or housekeeping skills! 

I did a little bit on setting up a new file system for everyday living. Something I hope will help me control the clutter on my desk. Oh how I hope this will work! I also found a container of pens somewhere in my travels and decided I'd test them to see if they still work. They do and a container of pens is on my list to add to my organizer for the van. 

So round and round and round she goes and where she stops, no one knows........... But I do know one thing: I have to get something to eat SOON. All that walking in circles will burn up the last bit of blood sugar in your system............

I think today is a declutter day........

I have a few details to deal with with regard to the 3 wall units in the dining room. And then I can move on to something else. At the moment, it would seem I've put things back in a more space-efficient manner than I had originally used. I have just about everything back in there and I have a couple of empty shelves. And it still looks good and far from "overstuffed". In fact, I have a huge serving dish I've always used for pasta when I had a crowd. Of course, crowds are few and far between these days, but that dish is something I won't get rid of. I LOVE it. So, it will find a new home in the wall units. It has been sitting on an angle in one of my kitchen cabinets and I always worry it will fall out! Not ideal storage, right? Unlike the fancy things (crystal, silver, my few bits of pink depression glass, etc) that have always lived in these wall units, it's not fancy. But, like the things in those 3 wall units, it is well-loved. So, it's going on display.........

I WISH I owned some of those display stands for plates. I don't actually have plates, more like large serving platters. Some of them are quite pretty and I'd love to see them placed at the back of the glass shelves (thus freeing up more space in the wall units). They'd be so decorative there. But, I think I'd need something pretty heavy-duty to accommodate most of them. Well, I looked on Amazon and found something that might work. It's added to my wish list............

So far this morning, I've finished unloading the dishwasher and right now it is being used as a dish drainer for a few things I've hand washed. 

I think I will concentrate today on decluttering. I am trying to figure out the most advantageous space to clear out. I think it will probably be someplace in the office, though kitchen cabinets are in contention. I've just decluttered a kitchen drawer. I should decide where to go next. I could also probably gain some valuable real estate by decluttering the closed cabinets at the bottom of the wall units. Another priority area is under the master bathroom sinks!

By tomorrow at 8PM I should receive the "tool bag" I ordered for the van. So, on Monday I will work on doing some organizing with regard to the van. 

I work on Tuesday and I will have to get my schedule then. I know I work three days next week, but I've no idea what happens after that..........

I did do some work on the desk yesterday, but I'm afraid you'd never know it unless you looked at the trash cans underneath it.

I haven't ventured out to see if the trash guys took my trash or maybe they were already "gone" by the time I got my trash cans to the curb at 8:18AM. I guess I should check on that, hmmm?

I DO have a craft project hanging fire. I want to try covering a box with some heavy jute twine. It will then be used for storage. If this works out and is not too much of a headache, I have a couple of boxes in the garage with which I'll do the same. It's kind of neat to turn trash into treasures, right? And I can certainly use some storage boxes to help straighten up and organize various areas of the house. I already own the heavy jute twine, a glue gun, some glue sticks, and the empty box, so I have everything needed to give this a try. The empty box I'll be working with is the box in which Amazon ships my coffee pods. So, I'll have a continuing supply of identically sized boxes to use for the same purpose. They might look pretty good, all lined up on a shelf in all their rough, textured, rustic glory.

Well, that's all I have for now. More later, I'm sure. I need to post here and imagine you all telling me I've done a good job. It will help me keep going..........YOU be BLESSED today!

 

 

I THINK I have my body back..........

It seems I can move again. Though the back went back in place yesterday afternoon, my muscles were weak and whining in my lower body all evening. But, today, I feel "normal", achy but "normal". So, maybe I can do some stuff today!

I have to deal with the rest of the dining room wall units, including the crazy crooked shelf. I hate the idea of unloading things I've just cleaned and put back in there, but I don't know any other way to deal with this. But, I did get everything for that unit washed and ready to go back in, so that's good. I still need to wash another load of dishes in order to clean out the last of the three wall units. Between this cleaning chore and cooking, I think this will be my 5th load of dishes in 3 days and that doesn't count all the stuff I've hand washed in between. The worst of it is that, so far, I've not found anything to declutter! Don't get me wrong--it's not that I use this stuff a lot, but it IS precious to me and I am not willing to let it go. But, I think when I get to digging in the closed storage beneath the display shelves, things might take a different turn........

I did get that 10 pounds of ground beef cooked and all bagged up in ziplock baggies. However, the rule these days is that NOTHING goes in the freezer without being double wrapped. So, I will need to drop my ziplock bags into some suck 'em up bags and get that stuff into the freezer. I just stuck it into the fridge for overnight.

I think I need a desk day. As I've marched round and round from room to room I've found things in other rooms that ended up on my desk. I need to deal with this stuff before it totally overwhelms me. Also, I began working on getting my files reorganized for 2017 a couple of evenings ago and I want to move ahead with that. 

By now, I desperately need to vacuum. I can see quite the build up of black dog hair on my carpet. I don't know if I dare try that today or not. I'll have to see how the back holds up throughout the day and go after the vacuuming very carefully, I think. 

Do you remember that someone rifled through my van last week? Well, I had a neighbor knock on my door yesterday to give me more bad news. Seems I'm not the only one who has experienced problems. Her boyfriend's Harley was knocked over in the driveway and she says that will cost them $3000 for all the damage that was caused. I'm told the folks on one side of me (the side where they just planted grass) had their tires slashed. Also, someone had their windshield broken. I guess, in the grand scheme of things, God protected my van pretty well. It does still give me a feeling of being "unsafe" which I don't like, but what happened to my van merely meant a little cleanup that was past due anyway. No big expense. Thank you, Lord!

I got a call yesterday from the store. It seems this "go to girl" thing is working. I picked up a 5 hour shift for Tuesday. Do you remember when we started this I figured I needed about 20 hours a week just to survive. And that's what I've been praying for. Well this extra 5 hours takes me to 19 for next week. Anybody want to take bets on whether they ask me to stay an extra hour? 

I placed an Amazon order yesterday. I'd been nursing that order for days. I deleted some things and added some things and generally gave it time to make sure I should actually buy what I had on my order. Most of it is organizational stuff. I'm pretty excited to have a "tool bag" on order (for less than I could buy it at the store). I plan on putting quite a few things in that and stashing it in the van. First to go in will be some jumper cables that have just been lying around on the floor of the van. It will be nice to have a designated place for those. When I was working on cleaning out the van, I found instructions for how to "jump" a car. I'll be putting those in the carryall with the cables. That was a nice find. 

Well, today is crack 'o' dawn trash day. And, I just have time to get my full bin to the curb. Gotta run. YOU be BLESSED today.

 

keeping on keeping on

Around 1:30PM, I laid down and managed to get somewhere close to 2 hours of sleep. And, Yay! When I got up, two more vertebrae clunked into place. I think everything is back where it's supposed to be, but 6 vertebrae out of place would probably be a good reason for all the pain I was having last night. I'm still sore, but it certainly beats the way I felt last night.

Needless to say, I have not been able to do as much around here as I wanted to get done. Between sleeping off and on throughout the day and moving VERY slowly and carefully, I have been pretty slow today.

The most important thing I HAD to get done today was to cook that 10 pounds of ground beef I thawed yesterday. Five pounds of it has been transferred to ziplock bags. Another 5 pounds is sitting in a colander in the kitchen, draining and cooling down. I did use two dutch oven sized pots and I think doing it that way worked to contain any grease splatters.

I am having problems with the wall units. I have washed everything that goes in the middle unit and most of what I can wash in the dishwasher in the end unit is washed. I do still have some crystal glasses to wash. However, I've been taking the glass shelves out in order to be able to get to the mirrored backs properly. All of a sudden, I can't get one glass shelf in the middle unit to seat properly. It's literally sitting in there at about a 22.5 degree angle, pushing against the side of the unit. This means I'm going to have to pull out the shelves that are okay and shuffle them around. Obviously, one of them must fit since they came out of there. It's a bit mysterious to me, LOL. I do not like lifting those heavy glass shelves, but I sure can't store anything breakable on an angled shelf. And that doesn't even take into consideration how goofy it looks!

Dinner tonight is going to be very simple. I am not up for standing in the kitchen any more than I have to. I made some bean salad about a week ago and I still have some left. It turned out really well and THAT's dinner. 

I had wanted to go to Trader Joe's today to get milk and coffee creamer. I don't think that's going to happen. They close at 9PM, I think, and it's 6:30PM now. And, I've been up long enough that if I use the sense the good Lord gave me, I need to go lie down again. So, maybe I'll run to 7-11 later just for an emergency supply of milk. I can use canned milk in my coffee tonight and, actually, I really like coffee with canned milk. Fortunately, I replenished my supply of canned milk on my last Smart & Final trip.

So, I wish I could tell you I accomplished MUCH more in the house today, but that would be untrue. I'm giving myself grace and being grateful for what I HAVE been able to do.