Cleaning closets

Today I am cleaning my closet.  My sister is going to get a big old bag of clothes and I'm going to enjoy going in my closet again.  I read several years ago that if you didn't wear something for a year, you probably would never wear it again.  I took that to heart and every fall and spring I go through my clothes and giveaway or throw away those that I don't want or are in bad shape.

Is it sad that I enjoy doing this?  Sometimes it's like finding an old friend that I hadn't seen for awhile.  Most times I wonder what was I thinking when I bought it in the first place.

I even have B on this schedule.  He moves older items into his "work" drawer or chucks them completely.  He is so slim now, we really don't have anyone to pass his clothes down too.   I don't think anyone will ever write a sentence like that about me!

Hi ho, hi ho, back to work I go!

For my favorite reader!

I got an email today from a certain special someone who reminded me I hadn't blogged in awhile.  It's been a busy bunch of weeks, and that is no excuse!

So here's the latest in our crazy little lives.  We have had wonderful visits from my family and friends from away.  My sister and niece, my friends from my old pre-marriage work,  my dad and then my oldest niece and her boyfriend ventured down for the first time by themselves last weekend.

When I first got married and moved "away" I used to cry when anyone left at the end of a visit, or when I left from visiting up north.  As the years have passed, the tears slowed down.  Until this past weekend when my niece left.  I was doing fine, we hugged, said our good byes.   And then she hugged me again and I lost it.  I miss her so much and having her to myself for a few days reminded me of those years that she and I hung out all the time.  She has grown into such a fine young woman and it was a treat to get to know her boyfriend a little better.

So, besides the visits, I've been helping dad find a rental car for an upcoming trip, Christmas shopping, and working.

The other big news in our lives is that B's mom has been diagnosed with breast cancer.  She has had surgery and we are waiting to see what the next step will be.  We ask for your prayers for her healing and wisdom for her doctors.

So, life has been pretty intense and I don't see it slowing down anytime soon!  But I do promise to do better and keep on writing!

Weekend Visitors

I am eagerly anticipating a wonderful, whirlwind of a weekend.  My sister, her daughter, one of our friends and two of her daughters are making the 4 hour trip south to spend the weekend with me and B.  They want to go outlet shopping on Saturday - the girls all have money they earned during potato harvest burning a hole in their pocket. 

I love all these girls and can't wait to spend 48 hours with them.  B will, once again, retreat to his man cave - his beloved Red Sox will be playing.  He is excited for another house full of females for the weekend, but he also loves to just chill with the game on.  And we will let him, probably.

We're going to order pizza and chicken wings from our local favorite place.  We'll blow up air mattresses and have snacks for the girls to raid at midnight.  We'll chow down on tasty breakfasts and I will probably cry when they all leave me.

I look forward to these too brief moments and cherish the memories we all make. 

Comfort Food Kinda Day

What's your comfort food?  I love chips and brownies and apple pie.  I love spicy, warm food and I love to cook these kinds of foods in the fall - not sure why.  Once the days start getting cooler, I feel like nesting and staying home and just kicking back and today, that's just what we are doing.

We went to our church's Saturday night service, so we slept in this morning and have just vegged all day.  B is recovering from bronchitis.  His beloved Red Sox are in the playoffs and their games aren't until 8 p.m. so he's trying to rest up to stay up.  Plus he has to work tomorrow and needs to be up by 4:30 a.m. (Just thought I'd point out - it's a day off for me!!)

So in honor of this stay-at-home, nesting, vegging kind of day - I've got chili in the crock pot and chocolate peanut butter chip brownies just came out of the oven.  Can't wait to indulge!

What are you doing today?

We didn't make any plans for this weekend.  We have no visitors this weekend and I have Monday off, but B has to work.  So last night, we had a little date night.  We went out to dinner, later than normal for us...we even had to wait for a table.  It was fun to just sit and chat while we waited.  After dinner, we went and bought B's mom a 70th birthday gift.  Then I had something to return to a local department store, so B hung in the vehicle listening to baseball stuff and I did a little shopping.  It was a great way to end my work week.

This morning, I felt like doing a little cleaning - the kind where you have a bag for Goodwill and a bag for the dump.  We are on "break" for breakfast right now, then we will get back at it.  I am a hoarder and but I'm ready to get rid of things...lots of things.  Thankfully we have a Goodwill nearby and our dump has a Trash & Treasure building that we can leave things in.  It makes me feel a little better to give things to those places rather than just completely throw perfectly good items away.  Oh, and we also have laundry going!  That was piled sky high - we sure go through a lot of clothes for 2 people.

I think we are going to go see a movie this afternoon, then who knows where this day and weekend will take us. 

I'm not usually a go-with-the-flow kind of gal, but I'm kinda liking this weekend without plans! 

It's Friday!

This is a first for me, writing on here before work!  I'm celebrating the fact that it's Friday morning, it's going to be a 3 day weekend for me, and I only have 8 hours of work until that starts!

Now, to decide what adventure we are going to go on this weekend.  Hiking?  Leaf peeping?  Shopping?  Movies?  Or maybe all of them! 

I'm ready for whatever adventure we decide to embark on....but until then, it's off to the coal mines! 

What I discovered this weekend

I am back to work after a wonderful weekend with my forever friends.  They surprised me with a little birthday party - cuz I'm a half century now and they thought they should mark that occasion, I guess.  We wore party hats and they gave me depends....fun was had by all!

Anyway, during this weekend I learned a few things:

1. Each of us nodded off at least once while we were sitting up talking - some at the dining room table.  I'm thinking it's because we are so tired and nothing to do with our age.
2. If you don't turn your furnace on in October, your house is cold.  I don't think I need to say much more about this one.  We are trying to just use our little electric fire place until it gets "really" cold.  We just wrap up in a blanket....all of us did this weekend.
3. I don't sleep as much as my friends.  They all were in bed by at least 11 and up by 6:30 a.m. or earlier.  I, on the other hand, didn't fall asleep until after 1 a.m. either night and was up at 7:30.  I need to figure out how to get more sleep, or how to make myself fall asleep earlier.  
4. We all go through the same things - two of my friends are going through health issues with their moms.  I've been there.  
5. I'm getting forgetful.  This weekend alone, I forgot my phone in the car and had to go back to get it.  I lost my debit card in Old Navy - and thankfully it was right where I dropped it when I went back an hour later.  
6. And finally, two days is not long enough to catch up with friends you haven't seen in over 6 months!