Spring Break Week

 Spring Break means no change for me, except Emily took off work this week too, and I didn't see the kids for long periods. 

It's so hard to remember what happened this week, so I went back to last week and read mine and Emily's texts to each other to jog my memory.  

I reluctantly pulled out my tax forms and got logged into Turbo Tax to try to do my own this year.  It wasn't necessarily easy, but that's only because I couldn't follow instructions on the screen.  I just had to enter my 1099-Rs and 1099-INT this year.  The problem I had was getting a copy of the form onto Turbo Tax pages.  Once I found out that you could just type the information in, I was all set.  One page refused to advance because I had one item that needed review.  I went over and over it - there were only about 3 boxes to transfer - and then just left it for a bit.  When I came back, I realized that I had left off an account number from one of the boxes.  I didn't do that on the other ones.  

My favorite one was the Vanguard one where I went on line and told it to transfer to Turbo Tax.  Poof - there it was.  I only had to agree.  Today I do the Social Security one, the last one.  It was so hard to do manually last year, but I think I can plug in all the information and have it magically tell me what I want to know.  Here's hoping, because I've waited way to late.  I wonder if H&R Block is open tomorrow in case I fail.  

Otherwise with this rain and cold, I was content to do what I wanted to in the apartment.  It was so miserable that I decided to order Amazon Fresh instead of going across the parkway to Safeway.  That's pretty lazy, but I just don't care.  I think the prices might be better, and even with the tip, I come out even.  I also ordered cat food and cat litter and didn't have to haul those heavy boxes through the rain.  The cats and I had food and were totally content.  

Emily and I send pictures constantly by text, and sometimes I forget to down load them.  This is one I got over the weekend.  Katherine went to softball practice with friends, so they didn't get any good pictures, but here she looks pretty serious.  They say she can hit the ball and looks really cute in her uniform.  Little pink cleats and a purple glove.  What could be better?

I got a rare picture of Luna, the rescue kitty that didn't really enjoy coming into a house with active kids.  She stayed anxious all the time and ran from people until they decided to make her an outdoor cat, and she seems perfectly happy with her little heated igloo and critters to chase.  I think the raccoons are the only thing she doesn't like out there, but the new kitty and puppy staring at her through the glass door can't be fun either.

I love getting little glimpses into the girls' playtime instead of just hearing, "They're playing upstairs."  They do play so well together.  These pictures made my heart feel good.  They've collected the little Calico Critters over the past few years, and they have what's left of my venture into dollhouse miniatures back in the 80s.  I got a Michael's dollhouse kit and built it pretty much myself.  Mike had more patience so did the roof shingles and the hardwood floors, but I loved working on it.  I ended up needing stitches on a finger and having a friend come over and bail me out when the top floors would stay on the bottom one, but otherwise it was a good experience.  I love miniatures and was able to get a few things, but the furniture was about as expensive as full-sized furniture.  I did do some DIY things - like a little pumpkin, Christmas wreaths, and a pan of biscuits.  I also enjoyed needlepointing a couple of rugs and made some towels.  I guess they didn't make it through the years.  

The bathroom seems to be a popular gathering place.  I see the baby bed almost out of the picture.  it may be a dog kennel  I'm not sure.

That red "leather" chair was always my favorite, and I kind of wanted a big one in our house.

The little flowered rug is one I made.  I really had a lot more patience then.

Emily called and asked if I wanted to meet them at the park yesterday morning.  I think she was surprised that I did and said they were out front waiting for me.  It was so nice and warm-ish.  She went and got Woodrow to romp on the grass, and he just ran wild.  Dogs can't be off the leash at all unless there are no other dogs and no people around, so he mainly had to put up with the leash.

I walked home after a while because they all wanted to walk on the hiking trail, and that was not a biggie for me.  

I did pick up the girls during the afternoon for some time away from home.  I let them choose our outing, and they decided they wanted to stop at another park where there's a zip line.  There were no free benches, so I enjoyed sitting in the car in the sunshine watching them.

They immediately found some friends to play with.

Next, we went to the North Bend library.  It's a little bigger than ours, and they enjoyed looking for some books to take home.  They are so funny about not taking any books that they don't think they will love, like they're going to have to pay for them.  I told them I would take 10 books home and maybe one of them would be really good enough to finish.  They looked dubious and picked their two favorites.  I sneaked 3 more in that I thought they would like.  Mimi know best - or thinks she does!



Pictures are migrating to the wrong paragraphs, and I'm wasting valuable tax time, so I'll come back later and finish.

Rain All Day Long

 This could be the title of half my blog entries.  I don't really mind it unless I have to go out in it.  I only had a brief walk for a block after school, and that was okay.  I kind of enjoy opening the blinds and seeing the rain.  It's never heavy, just a constant drizzle to go along with the gray skies.  It was a good day for doing my thing at home and having a fire and coffee.  

Today was a copy of yesterday, but it was warmer, and the sun did shine briefly.  I cleaned another cabinet and just did the usual daily chores.  I couldn't find any books to download that looked good, so while I'm waiting on all my holds to be ready, I just picked a book of short stories called simply "Stories" and compiled by Neil Gaiman.  I don't know who he is.  I just know that they're a little weird.  Two of them just went on and on saying nothing so I skipped them, but overall they're nice to listen to while I do my jigsaw puzzles.  I found this spring-themed one and did that.

I love those colors.

It's hard to do a puzzle without something to listen to, and it's hard to listen to an audio book without doing something mindless, so this pleases me.

I had the girls over briefly in the mornings and saw their Spirit Week choices but didn't take pictures of the first of the week.

Wacky Day was Katherine's favorite, and she got into the spirit of it.  Graysen, on the other hand, thinks she's just a little too old for that silliness.  This is after school.  Just a teeny bit hyper.

Once Carly checks in upstairs, the three of them have a fun time.  They're telling Google what songs they want to hear.

Graysen's teacher, Mr. Harper.  They've sure had fun with him this year.

Today was Fan Day or Sports Day, something to celebrate your team.  The girls had some pretty blingy Seahawks shirts, so they wore those.

I think the girls are almost ready to walk home by themselves, but I still feel like I need to watch them cross the street!  They're always so busy talking, they don't notice if I'm there or not.  Lots of buds on the cherry trees.  It will be beautiful in a week or so. 

Katherine was telling the others that the second graders got to go to Camp Rea[A-Lot today, and we couldn't imagine it.  Then I found a group of pictures on Facebook and copied a few.  So neat.  Katherine is in the red tent in the background.

That looks like it took a lot of work to set up, and they loved it.  As long as it was reading camp and not math camp.   They had S-mores for their snacks, of course, but that was pretty apparent from Katherine's face.  Such sweet friends.  They play every afternoon that they have free.

Today was softball for Katherine, so she and Graysen went to have a playdate with Harper and Ellis and go to softball from there.  I saw her outfit, and I can't wait to see her in it.  I saw a pink helmet and a pink bat and a bright purple glove in her bag. 

The babies are growing up.  Gus is such a sweet kitty and very happy.  I wish he didn't have such a grumpy face.  And that yawn!  That's more of the inside of a cat's mouth than I want to see.

Nice weekend coming up.  Not that I work that hard during the week, but I do still like the weekends.

Doctor Visit

 My appointment yesterday wasn't until 11:00, so I had time for all the procrastinating and piddling around I needed.  Noreen called to ask if I had seen the snow, and, of course, I had not.  I was almost afraid to look, but when I did the street was clear, and there was just enough to almost cover the grass.  When I started driving, there was a big chunk of it that fell off the top onto the back window.  Still no problem.

My doctor's building is on Fury Street, appropriately named because the little parking lot for the vet's office, the doctor's building, and a physical therapy clinic is so tiny it's hard to find a place to park.  And half of those places say "compact."  I didn't have any trouble yesterday though and found one with no problem.  

Almost a good job of parking!  I probably didn't need to snuggle the front end on the curb though.  I'm still liking my little car, even though I do miss the old one a lot.  I tend to bump my head on this one more, but it's so nice and has more bells and whistles than I'll ever learn.  One of my jobs today is to clean up the dirt on the back floor.  Katherine came home with a cup of grass that they planted in school and proceeded to drop it upside down on the floor.  She didn't care.  Grass is easy to find, and she knew I would clean it up.

Big fat snow flakes.

It's my second visit, and I love how warm and friendly it is from the front desk to the practitioners.  I  met a new doc-to-be who first talked to me and then came in with Dr. Gil.  He had a lot to listen to since no one can trace my problems to a reason.  It turned out to be a nice fun visit, and we got some good ideas.  Doctors are so young now - Kendra and Ryan, for Heaven's sake.  They sound like preschoolers, but they have a lot of knowledge and, better, a lot of patience with me and an interest in finding out how I can get back to my normal self.  

Since I've never taken more than 1 pill and a vitamin all my life, this handful of pills I now have to take is confusing as to when and what with, etc.  We worked out a schedule to see if maybe I/m having low blood sugar in the mornings. causing my early fatigue.  I'm to still work on walking more and longer.  More sunshine will surely help my mornings and walks.  I got a couple of referrals to schedule and new labs ordered.  The AFIB I will probably have the rest of my life, so we left cardiac issues for another day.  

The lab was closed for lunch by the time I got through, so I went and bought a bag or two of groceries and came back.  I love having the clinic within a couple of miles and to now have a lab on site.  It was snowing again when I came out of the grocery store and really cold, but it was nice to have it almost over with.  The girl in the lab didn't panic over my small veins and did a good job of not hurting me, and I was on my way home to study all the new homework I was given.

The afternoon was too busy for doing much, but it's going to be a good day today, even with the rain I hear.  I'll see the girls briefly this afternoon but might ask for them to stay and eat supper with me.  Graysen picked out some ravioli in the dairy section of Safeway Friday.  It's stuffed with vegan sausage, and she thought she would like to try that instead of just cheese.  Keeping my fingers crossed they life it.  

I heard from  our Texas friends, and it was so good to reconnect.  It make me laugh and realize how much I enjoyed being with them.  They were certainly good friends to Mike when he lived there.  

I need to take the time to write actual emails instead of just quick texts.  Today may not be the day for it since I have so many things on my list to do.   

One good thing about having your daughters grow up is that they take more interest in face creams and can recommend ones that work for them.  And vice versa.  I bought a ROC overnight cream in CVS when we lived in Thomaston (I remember who the clerk was that first time) and found it hard to spend the probably $12 it cost then.  It's always been my standby over the years (25) to go back to when I try the newest something else.   Emily recommends Moisture Surge by Clinique.  Her mother-in-law gave her some of that, and she seems to like it.  I bet it's more than $12!  Mama and Grandma used Pond's Cold Cream in the little white jar all their lives, and Mama's face hardly wrinkled at all into her 90s.  There's no magic out there, and I'll just take a few wrinkles here and there.  

A Nice Easy Sunday

 All my days are pretty easy nowadays, and that makes me happy.  I got a few things done - one load of laundry, making a week's worth of breakfast muffins, and doing all those things that just had to be done.  I cleaned one bathroom, straightened the other, took my meds, and did a little kitchen work.  

Elise had come over and cleaned out my under-the-sink cabinet and my pots and pans cabinet while I decided what to put back in and neaten up.  I feel like I have a pretty good idea of what's lurking in the back now. 

It's not pretty, but it does the job.  The kitchen we moved from was probably 3 times bigger than this one, but somehow I have everything I need.  I keep a few things I don't use often in the hall closet or garage, and it's pretty efficient.

 She was supposed to come tackle my rolling shelves and lower pantry today but didn't show up.  I have to be firm on tossing some of the spices that seem to have been hanging around for 10 years or longer.  I know they're not supposed to have retained their flavor, but if they smell right, I'm not tossing them.  I don't really want to spend a fortune on new ones  

This is one of my favorite things in my kitchen.  It holds all the spices and flavorings and baking things in just 5 or 6 inches of wasted space.  When I moved to this apartment, there was a little scare that it wasn't going to fit, but we talked it into sliding right in.  

I put together this cabinet last summer, I think, and it's my second favorite thing.  I keep extra coffee and the girls' snacks and dishes in the bottom section.  They can come in and get their little bowls and help themselves.  They love having their own space, and only a few times have I seen some extra cookies being grabbed.

I put the spices I use the most in this shallow drawer since I didn't have anything special in it, and I think I'll keep them there.  It's much easier than rolling all of them out and easier to read the labels too.

My friend Mary came over to visit this afternoon and to play a game of Scrabble.  She also brought in some snowflakes, but we just ignored them.  I went through a phase of playing Scrabble on the computer but just haven't even done that lately, so I wasn't too confident.  We enjoyed it and ended up with scores so close we called it a tie.  I started off strong, and then she overtook and passed me while I sat there with a rack full of vowels, but I went for the kill on the last play with a Z word in the triple space.  It's so nice to have a friend who likes to do different things.  She plays bridge a lot, but I feel like I'm too rusty to get back on that horse.  Both of us would like to get a Mah-Jong set and learn, or relearn, how to play that.  You do need a minimum of 3 though and ideally 4 to make it more fun.  Maybe if we play in the pool area this spring, we will drum up some interest.  

I didn't see any of the family today.  Karen was there visiting, so I know they had fun.  Snow is predicted for the next 3 days, but I don't think the temps will get low enough for any to stick.  I'm always being surprised though, so it may be all white tomorrow.  I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow at 11:00, so I'd just as soon drive on dry roads.  I dread going.  My doctor is lovely.  She listens and asks a lot of questions, and we got comfortable with each other in October.  But there is just something about going to the doctor, even for a follow-up visit.  I can't say I'm great, but my symptoms of fatigue and muscle weakness may be a little better.  I'll be glad to have gone when I get home, but it's still no fun!

I spent some time this afternoon trying to catch up with some emails and texts.  I haven't talked to friends in Texas in a couple of years, so I'm hoping to hear back from them.  I'll catch up over the next few days with others and try not to let myself lose touch with my old friends.  

I'm listening to a Ruth Ware book now, One By One.  It hasn't caught my interest yet, but I'm only 20% into it, so maybe it will get better.  I'm ready for some of the newer books that I have on hold to be ready.  I went on a binge of reading mainly two authors last month and tried to get all their books on audio.  Ann Patchett and Anne Tyler.  Once I find someone I enjoy, I just poke around until I find all their books and maybe even a movie or two.  

It's so late now.  I didn't realize my weekend was over.  I'm going to go see if there's anything white on the ground.

It's Been A Long Time

 I'm sorry I got out of the habit of jotting down some of my memories, because it's really hard to get back in the habit.  I know I need to change the title of this blog, but I'm not sure how to keep it concurrent with this one and don't really know what to call it.  Oh, well.  I'm sure not keeping much going in Alabama and doubt I'll ever go back there, but this is familiar.

There's too much to catch up on.  I'll just say that this winter hasn't been any more fun than the last ones.  I'm just not a cold-weather person.  I do know what to expect now, and I'm okay with it, especially since no one much expects me to spend much time outside.

My babysitting responsibilities are much less, and I miss seeing the girls more, but I'm just not getting over whatever is making me so weak and tired.  I have an appointment with my doctor Monday, so we'll once again try to shed some light on it.  

Ryan and sometimes Emily walk the girls to school in the mornings with the pup Woodrow, and I think they all enjoy that but not as much as I enjoy drinking my coffee in my pjs and knowing I don't have to.  

Hopefully after this week, things will perk up some, and we'll start seeing more signs of spring.  When the sun is shining, it's pretty pleasant even in the 40s, but the windy and rainy days are nice only for being inside.  

I'm not sure what I'll remember from the past few days, but I'll check my pictures and texts to Emily where I tell her some of the things the girls say and do after school.

Yesterday was the last day of March and not a pretty one.  Both girls walked to math with their Roy, so I didn't have to pick them up until 3:00 - it was early pickup Friday, so they had math at 2:00.

They were pretty perky and giggly and happy as we walked home.  I just love it when one or both of them will throw back their head and just laugh and laugh at something the other one says.  

It was better than the day before.  Here are two ways Graysen has handled injuries from Thirsdau amd yesterday.  

Thursday was "kind of a bad day" she said on the way home.  Nothing seemed to go right.  She spilled chocolate milk on her favorite fleece jacket and was not sure it would come out.  She wouldn't have been so worried if she hadn't lost its twin a few months ago and was told to PLEASE be careful with the new one.  It's washable, we found out.  Then she jammed her finger playing Four Square at PE.  I think this injury would have been nothing on a normal day but 1) her math exit exam was harder than she thought,  2) it was her left hand she hurt, and she's left-handed, and this made it hard to write  AND 3) she felt like two of her friends were purposefully trying to get her out by pushing the ball too hard.  She got sent to the nurse, but the nurse only gave her ice and didn't let her stay (until the math test was over?) and no one seemed very sympathetic about it.  I think it all stemmed from her feeling like she didn't do well on the test.  We had a lot of talking and only a few tears (some of them mine (ha), and she was more cheerful by the time she went home.  

The injury yesterday was narrated in an excited but disgusted voice.  "I FELL today.  Really hard right on my face."  Oh, no, how did that happen.  "I was just running back to line after recess and fell and slid right in front of NICKY" the only boy she's ever admitted she liked - from kindergarten until now.  I asked what he said when he saw her.  She laughed and said, "He said What the heck?"  And you?  "I just got up and hopped away" And she showed me how she did it, all the while laughing so hard.  

When life is going along just fine, your little mishaps are easier to take, I guess.  

We jumped in the car and headed to their house because Katherine had a friend coming over at 3:30.  It was good to see Augustus again.  That baby kitty has about doubled in size.  He's still the sweetest, cuddliest thing and so cute, but he is always going to have a grumpy face, it looks like. 

After Makena got there and she and Kate headed upstairs, I asked Graysen if she would like to go to the grocery store with me.  I had a few things to get, and this way I would get it over with and have company too.  She saw this as a good way to be in charge of what snacks I bought, so off we went.

We don't shop together often, especially with just her, and it was so much fun.  We had an order from Ryan to get coffee, so we went first to look for that.  I could only reach one bag on the top shelf, and she had a lot of ideas of ways I could get it, including standing on the side of the shopping cart, which I immediately rejected.  One more big stretch, and I was able to snag it.

She was excited about a few things and asked for them but was okay if I didn't get them.  She got Goldfish and Salt and Vinegar chips (Mimi, we always get the party size!)  We usually get a box of cookies and chose lemon Oreos, but she wanted to try the mint chocolate ones too.  Everything for the cats was next, and she helped with that.  She did ask for some JoJo fries from the deli, which I had never heard of, so we got a bag of those. 

By the time we checked out, I was wilting, and she loved emptying the cart for me.  The person in front of us was hoping she got by with less than $100, and Graysen asked if we would too.  I asked her to guess, and the checker went along with us.  After eying all the cat stuff, she said, "I don't think you're going to make it."  Their soft food, hard food, and litter were over $60.  I was excited to see less than $200, and Gray was excited to see that we saved $40 by using the Safeway Club card.

It took us just a few minutes to get home, but we halved a Jojo, and she had a couple of the mint Oreos.  We had a near disaster just as we got home because her little animal - dog, cow? - that she keeps with her always was missing.  She looked and looked, but it was pouring, so I told her I would look at home.  I could tell she was sad, and I did a good job of looking but no cow/dog.  I then remembered that she didn't have on her coat when I let her out, so I called to see if she had it.  I did NOT want to go back to the grocery store to look for the jacket and the toy.  Emily asked Gray if she had her coat, and she said she did, and - guess what? - her beloved pet was in the pocket.  Smart Mimi!

With just that little effort, I was so tired when I got home I could hardly get the groceries put up and left a few things in the car.  It was nice to snuggle in and get some coffee and relax, but it was a good day.   

I see why I don't write more.  Just this much has taken a big chunk out of my afternoon when I could have been listening to a book and doing a computer puzzle.  I'm resisting any naps since I'm not able to sleep all night if I do.  I don't mind waking up in the middle of the night and staying up a while.  No one cares, and I feel like I've been gifted a few extra hours.  But the cats want it to be morning and pester me for food.  

I really need to get those taxes done, but I just realized I didn't received a 1099-R that I need because it went to the wrong address and got sent back.  So now I have a good excuse to wait until the deadline while I wait for it to get here.  If they had made their website user friendly, I could have printed it, but no such luck.  They refused to take the phone number that hasn't been changed in 20+ years.  

Snow Boarding

The latest adventure for the family includes snowboarding lessons.  I'll have to take their word for it since I'm not going to actively seek out snow and coldness.  It looks beautiful though, and they're all having such a good time.  

I contribute by staying in the warm house and taking care of the babies.  They're both as sweet as can be, but their play-fighting drives me crazy.  I want them to be nice to each other, but the rougher they play, the more fun they have.

The kitten's name is Gus. and I'm okay with that, but they call the dog Woodrow after the Lonesome Dove character, and it's not my favorite.  I call him George.  I need to get used to calling him something, because he needs correcting every few minutes.  No chewing the pillow/blanket/table legs/stairs/my computer/various items of clothing and shoes he finds.   No biting - my fingers/the cat's head.  Yard is for pooping, not the living room.   He's constantly in trouble but doesn't know why.  Good thing he's so cute and cuddly.

I cant seem to get the motivation for  blogging any more.  There are some good snowboarding videos, but I'm not sure they will work on this new format.