Weasel Of Doom

Today turned out to be “one of those days” – no matter what I tried to do, it did not get done. Projects at work – could not finish for one reason or another; projects at home – took forever and still did not get done. I am going to cut my losses and go to bed.

The few things that DID get done:

1. Water utility man did whatever it was that he had to do with the water meter. I felt so bad for him – the previous owner of our house enclosed the water meter in a small closet-like area, and the poor guy had broad shoulders and had the hardest time reaching in to do things. It took him 40 minutes instead of 20 to get everything accomplished.
2. Dropped off the Jetta for timing belt change, water pump replacement, and tire rotation. (As usual, forgot to ask them to spray something on the passenger door to stop the squeaking noise.) Total damage to the wallet – $750. I am spending Bill’s first couple paychecks before he had a chance to earn them.
3. Deposited some checks.
4. Attempted to dig up a flower bed for the free daylilies I am picking up tomorrow on the way to dinner with Shannon. (I *heart* Craigslist.) Time will tell if I did an adequate job on the flower bed. The way today went, strongly suspect that it is not going to be good enough.
5. Cleaned over racks.
6. Washed the glass front door, and windows and sliding door in the great room. Will see how they look in daylight. Expect that I will have to redo them.

On the positive side, we are having gorgeous weather – low 70s and sunny. Of course, it will go back up to 80+ come the weekend. Good thing I have a ton of indoor projects to do!

After yesterday’s happiness, today was a rough mental health day. Too many things to stress out about. I do it to myself all the time. But when I got home, I had a pleasant surprise – our neighbor had pulled out the buck-thorn infestation around the tree by the fence, and cleaned out my front flower/shrub bed, too. And poisoned the ants. We are blessed with good neighbors. And here’s the list of other things that got done:

1. Dropped off the minivan to get the oil changed and the glove compartment latch fixed.
2. Baked tilapia fillets for dinner. Turned out OK. Hard to mess up fish in the oven.
3. In anticipation of Bill’s return, cleaned the fridge and the microwave.
4. Found instructions for running the oven self-clean cycle. Apparently oven racks should be removed prior to the 3-5 hour process. Ours are soaking in the bathtub upstairs.
5. Washed the kitchen floor.
6. Cleaned the downstairs bathroom.
7. Got a load of dishes started.

Busy Wednesday ahead. Water-meter guy coming at 7:30 am, then I am dropping off the Jetta for a timing belt replacement, then a long day at work. But at the end there is dinner with Shannon, so it’s all good.

Husband got a job offer. Assuming everything goes well, I will pick him up in Chicago on July 4th, and he will start on July 6th. While I am (obviously) ecstatic and very happy for him, a little part of me is going to miss being on my own. Will have to try and get a lot more things done before Sunday!

Today my cousin called me just as I was getting ready to leave work, and we ended up talking for an hour and a half. I took the opportunity to exercise and walked while we talked. So, on the plus side, I got some exercise; on the minus side, I did not head home until 7 pm. Things accomplished:

1. Got an oil change for the Jetta in the morning. Found out I needed to replace the timing belt 10K miles ago. Timing belt costs $700 to replace. Was hoping they were exaggerating on the necessity, but apparently not so – timing belts go quickly and without warning, and take the engine with them. Eeek. Then found out that Husband got a job offer, so now we will have money to do it. Scheduled for Wednesday.
2. Submitted FSA Dependent Care and Health Care reimbursements paperwork.
3. Picked up some more size 4 Pampers at Target. They have a deal this week – if you buy two 100-count packs for $30 each, you get a $10 Target gift card. I also had manufacturer’s coupons for $2 and $3, and a $5 Target gift card from long ago, so I did end up saving some money. Tomorrow, back to Target to get Centrum vitamins and a spray bottle of OxyClean. I spend my gift cards on such exciting things!
4. Picked up two books that I had on hold at the library. One of them is Stieg Larsson’s “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.” Because the books are so popular again, it is due back in a week. I better find some time to read :-)
5. Went to Walgreens and finally got the issue of double-paying for MiddleOne’s fluoride medication resolved. They refunded one of the charges.
6. Went through OldestOne’s and YoungestOne’s clothes that are hanging in the closet. As a result, another load of stuff with stains is enjoying a leisurely soak (and a bunch of dirty winter coats is keeping them company).
7. Packed up kids’ winter coats (big bin), infant warm clothes and Halloween costumes (long bin), and baby gear items like sling, car seat cover, etc (another long bin).
8. Hung up all the fall/spring coats and vests (18 months and up) in the study closet.

I look at the lists of things I got done, and yet the house looks like I had barely done anything. Discouraging.

In other news, I finally finished my hearty bean soup today. Tomorrow, tilapia and rice! Also, must remember to drive minivan to work, since I am dropping it off for an oil change at Gordy’s.

Last night, I finally got all my books organized alphabetically by author at around 3 am. Went to bed, and a little bit later we got hit with some very dramatic thunderstorms. Lightning flashing every few seconds, there were ominous thunder rolls that sounded like they were right over our subdivision, and needless to say sleep was not happening. It calmed down by 5 am, I fell asleep, only to be woken up at 8 am by another round of thunderstorms. Eeep. End result: did not get out of bed until 1 pm, and then it took me another couple hours to start functioning at a normal level.

Things accomplished:

1. Washed windows (both bays, two in the great room, and the garden window) and glass doors (front door, sliding door, back door). That took most of the day. Still need to wash all of those from the inside, but at least on the outside they are cleaner than they were before. Discovered that I cannot figure out how to remove the screens of Stanek windows. Will have to wait for Bill to get back and show me how it is done.
2. Made more brown rice. Go me! White rice is quick to do, but it takes 45 minutes for the brown one, after it starts boiling.
3. Moved the kids furniture back into their room.
4. Two new bins: bedding, blankets, towels, burp clothes that we are not using anymore are now stored under the toddler beds.
5. Washed and put away the kid clothes that were soaking.
6. Did a load of my laundry.
7. Went through Sergey’s side of the closet. Pulled out some stuff that he has outgrown and put aside all the pants with holes in them. When Karen comes, will sit at her feet and ask for mending advice.

Time to go to bed, I have a 7:30 oil change appt for the Jetta!

The adventures in housekeeping continue. Today, I

1. Talked to my family on Skype. Sergey wanted to know when I was coming to pick him up. Told him, “August.” He is the only one who misses me.
2. Cleaned the boys’ bedroom. Washed the windows; dusted the blinds, the fan, the shelves, and the dresser; cleaned up the more obvious dirt spots on the walls. Then I lugged the beds and chair out, and spent the next hour and a half trying to figure out how to use my borrowed (old) Hoover SteamVac. Part of it was my stupidity, part poor design of the vacuum and pathetic instructions (the stupid latches to keep the lower tank in place – what bastard thought of them, and what bastard illustrated the locking process, because those latches (a) were very difficult to attach, (b) refused to stay on, and (c) from the picture in the instructions, it is impossible to figure out how to actually lock them). Eventually, I did get to have a go at the carpet. Some areas got really wet, others didn’t (because apparently I ran out of washing solution but, contrary to what the instructions said, the vacuum cleaner did NOT automatically turned off). Overall, a really frustrating and time-wasting experience. So ix-nay on using the Hoover for carpet washing — my new plan is to rent a Rug Doctor or a steam vac once Karen comes to stay. I am going to need the moral support ;-)
3. Washed the garbage bins which were soaking for the last couple days.
4. Mowed the lawn.
5. Unearthed access to the water meter in the basement in preparation for a visit from the Utilities Dept on Wednesday morning.
6. Washed the screens from the windows in the great room. Yay for a tub with hand-held shower head, very handy for such purposes.
7. Replaced the light bulb in the shower stall. This gets its own mention because it’s a pain in the butt to do.
8. Went through 12 mo, 18 mo, 24 mo, and 2T clothes bins. Clothes with obvious stains earned themselves a trip to the washing machine for a day-long soaking.
9. Washed, dried, and put away the load of 6-9 clothes.

And now I am going to sort through two bookcases of paperbacks (this falls under “fun things I like doing,” sad but true) and go to bed.

That would be because the nice officer who pulled me over for speeding let me go with a written warning instead of a ticket. Mental note to self: in the future, avoid Main Street :-)

Got a couple things accomplished today:

1. Got a bunch of old newspapers from the library at work, to aid in window-washing this weekend.
2. Paid a visit to two Half-Price Books stores (getting busted by police in between) and found three books I was looking for.
3. Went on eBay and ordered an arm band ($2), case cover ($6), and screen protector ($1) for my iPod. Did not realize that the armband is going to be shipped from Hong Kong, so it will take a month or so to arrive. Oh well, lesson learned.
4. Washed, dried, and put away the 0-3 and 3-6 clothes that were soaking all day. Some stains went away, most did not.
5. Went through 6-9 clothes, and got another load soaking. I have LOTS of 6-9 clothes, for some reason.
6. Took down hardcover books and put them back in order.
7. Started a “going to try and re-read these and see if I still like them” pile of paperbacks.

Oh, and my attempt at soup turned out OK, albeit way too spicy. Will definitely have to eat it over bed of rice, as per suggestion in the recipe. Oh, and no idea how it could feed 6-8 people. My guess is it’s more like four servings. We shall see…

Another late night. You’d think I will learn, but nooooooo….

1. Picked up some more books from the library, since I had a book waiting for me. Always a fun to-do item :-)
2. Started sorting through baby clothes. Went through 0-3 and 3-6 months. So tiny!
3. A load of baby clothes with stains is soaking in the washing machine.
4. Went to Target to buy more storage bins and a baby gift. Looked at cases for my iPod Touch and decided that $30 for an arm-band is a bit of highway robbery. Time to check out eBay, I guess.
5. Went to Pick’n'Save to get groceries I need for the Hearty Bean Soup I am going to attempt to make in a slow cooker. Had to use the self-check out lane. Hate.
6. Went to Walgreens to figure out why they charged me $16 for Sergey’s fluoride prescription if Bill already paid $18 for it earlier. Will have to go back there tomorrow, so I can talk to the manager. On the plus side, they did take my Big Bag-O-Expired-Meds.
7. Wrapped the baby shower gift and wrote a card to go with it. Decided to go with honesty and suggested the mother-to-be to enjoy the last two months of peace and quiet :-)
8. Prepped the veggies for the slow-cooker extravaganza in the morning. Had to chop an onion. Still crying. Bonus: while searching for available ingredients in the pantry, discovered some potatoes that have given up the ghost. Threw them away before they could get any worse. Stinky! Mental note to self: must organize pantry. Who knows what other food products have quietly expired there.

I was meeting Shannon for dinner at Bakers Square by UWM at 8:30 pm, and there was stuff to catch up on at work, so I did not get home until a little before 11 pm. Shannon and I had a good dinner (YAY for free pies), then went for a walk and got back just as the downpour started, so the drive home was more like a swim ;-)

Still, a few things got done.

1. Started filling out reimbursement forms for dependent care and medical expenses. January through May took care of the daycare reimbursement limit. I wish we could put aside $5,000 per dependent instead of per family.
2. Picked up the rest of fluoride prescription pills for MiddleOne.
3. Went through some coupons.
4. Renewed our Zoo Pass. Oh, and a few days ago I signed up OldestOne and MiddleOne for the free Lego Magazine. Had to make OldestOne two years older than he is so that he could get the regular version. MiddleOne shall receive the Jr one.

I did not fall asleep until 5 am last night, so needless to say the day did NOT get off to a good start. Still, some things did get done:

1. Dropped off plastic bags at daycare, and had them pay our May bill with OldestOne’s advanced deposit money. I think there is enough there to cover the June bill, too. Yay for not having to part with $1,500 (between the two bills).
2. Went to Menards and ordered ball tops for Dad’s staircase. They should be here mid-July.
3. After work, went to Toys R Us and grabbed the last promotional plastic bin with “diapers + book + beach ball + coupons” of size 4 Pampers. Going to make the bin the upstairs toy container.
4. Went to Wal-Mart and bought three bins for toy storage, plus some shelf liner for the upstairs bathroom.
5. Filled garbage and recycling containers with soapy water. Will let them sit until Thursday or Friday night, hopefully all the dirt will soak off.
6. Filled out customer satisfaction surveys for Wal-Mart and Toys R Us. Those things take a long time!
7. Did two loads of kids laundry.
8. Vacuumed upstairs and downstairs.

Having decided that cereal for breakfast and dinner is NOT going to encourage my family to let me fend for myself again, I cooked some brown rice tonight. My plan was to eat it with peas. Easy, right? Enter a can of Clear Value peas and the Pampered Chef Smooth-Edge Can Opener. 15 minutes later, the can remained resolutely closed. (And yes, I googled for instructions on how to use the stupid can opener.) Fortunately, I located an old-fashioned can opener at the back of the infrequently-used-kitchen-utensils drawer, and dinner was saved. Yes, people, there is a reason why I stay away from the kitchen :-)

Things which got accomplished today:

1. Went to Menards to try and order ball tops for my Dad’s staircase. Said ball tops do not appear in Menards’ computer system. They will try and get a price quote for me; in the meantime, I sent an email to Colonial Elegance, makers of Amazing Disappearing Ball Tops of Doom. They are a Canadian company, so odds are they will be helpful, eh?
2. Went to Wal-Mart and priced out plastic containers for toys and clothes.
3. Went to Target and discovered that the clothes containers I use are on sale, and thus cheaper than Wal-Mart’s. Bought four.
4. Went to the library and picked out some books to reward self for accomplishing things.
5. During all that running around, talked with my cousin. Surprisingly, we had a good talk. Those of you who have heard me rant about our relationship will understand why this got its own line item.
6. Cooked dinner. Looks like it is going to be brown rice and canned peas for the next couple days :-)
7. Washed two loads of bedding. Karen, you will sleep on clean sheets once you get here. Of course, that assumes I will unearth the guest bed (and the rest of the guest bedroom) by then.
8. Sorted through the mail and paid the bills. Good thing, too, because there were a few nasty-grams about past due amounts in there. Incidentally, Madison Medical Affiliates, how about embracing the 21st century and offering online bill payment?

2 am. Beddy bed time.

Now that Bill and the kids are safely in Russia, I am trying to get things done. I slept most of the day Saturday, but was productive on Sunday. Here’s what got done over the weekend:

1. Organized the linen closet/medicine cabinet (Saturday night). Now have a giant bag of expired meds. Will have to stop at Walgreens and ask if they would dispose of them properly for me.
2. Went for a run on Sunday morning. Realized I am so out of shape they need a new shape to describe me.
3. Took down Christmas lights (and there was much rejoicing among the neighbors). In my defense, I was keeping them up because birds made nests there.
4. Cleaned the gutters, including a particularly disgusting one on the side of the house.
5. Mowed the lawn.
6. Vacuumed and cleaned cars’ interiors.
7. Swept the garage floor.
8. Washed the cars.
9. Did three loads of laundry and put the clean stuff away.
10. Cleaned the kitchen counters and tables.
11. Got the dishwasher going.

And now it is almost midnight, so off to bed I go!