Tuesday, May 12, 2009

OK, seriously, I really NEED three-day weekends!

Had another great one, but over WAY too fast. I'm half-seriously strategizing how I can get 4-day work weeks and still keep my salary the same. Whaddya think? ;-)

Saturday I got up and headed to my mom's apartment after our Coffee Walk on the beach. I got there around 11:30 (I was shooting for 11 so not so bad!). For her Mother's Day present, she wanted me to clean out her closets so I did! She has lost probably 50 pounds (definitely over 40) over the past two years and had a LOT of stuff that was WAY too big. So we sorted stuff to go to a friend, Goodwill and consignment shops. I also grabbed a few historical things (including all the letters I wrote to my parents when I was in France for a semester in '82 -- Vickie, did I really say "neato" that much?! LOL) and got some cute earrings that she never wore but that are totally my style. Both closets are now totally neat, "empty" and organized. I am seriously going to do this to my closets this weekend. I have WAY too much stuff that I never wear and/or that, while it fits, it doesn't look good so I will never wear. I wear the same stuff over and over...it's crazy to have all this stuff that I don't use.

After about 3 hours of that, I grabbed a snack (my splurge -- fresco style Taco Bell) and headed to Zeph & Dave's for my weekly gardening extravaganza. Yippee! I first watered all the containers (which, of course, hadn't been watered since I was there the week before) then dug in. I cleaned out about one-tenth of their backyard...in two hours. I found nice flower beds under piles of dead leaves and weeds. I (hopefully) saved a rose bush (I'm good with roses -- had over 15 old rose bushes at the first house I owned and I taught myself about them). That poor girl -- she was suffocating in weeds and no sun. I pruned her down and I think she'll be ok. Now she just needs some friends planted in that area to keep her company. :-)

I pulled out a huge clump of bulbs (not sure what they were, but they can be replaced...they were old and too clumpy) and I trimmed and raked like crazy. It took me only two hours to completely fill up the garden waste trash barrel for the house...it was overflowing! So I had to stop there and that was probably good for my knee (which had been hurting last week and is a little crackley). I felt good seeing all the progress...even though I've got at least 10 more weeks probably to clean out the rest of the garden...then we start planting! ;-)

(I seriously think that my next career is going to be cleaning out and organizing of some kind...it is INCREDIBLY satisfying to me to do both the closets and the garden.)

After I was finished, I went home and showered and then we came back to Z&D's for a barbecue. We just love hanging out with them...we're in total "couple love". ;-) We had so much fun that we didn't leave for home until 1 am. YIKES.

Sunday we had to get up early and go get my mom to head to PD1's house for Mother's Day brunch. PD1 invited the immediate family over and everyone pitched in something. It ended up being about 20 people, I think. Both of DB's girls were there and all the grandkids. It was really great...yummy (though fattening) food, relaxing, chatting with family. All good!! :-) Cutie Pie (soon-to-be-6-year-old granddaughter) made me a set of three magnets that say "I (heart)", "MY", and "Helen". I treasure this!! Sooo sweet. Then Smiley (who informed me that she does not want to be called Smiley on my blog, but either "Princess Cutie" or her full name!) brought me a rock that she "found in the back yard and washed off to give to you". Sooo cute too! :-) I spent time lying on the sofa talking with PD2 and her hubby and DB and my mom and also spent a long time coloring with the grandkids -- I almost forgot how, but it was fun! :-)

We got home from the festivities in time to watch the recording of Saturday Night Live from Saturday which I thought was one of the best/funniest episodes in a long time.

I'm back on the wagon this week...hoping to have 4 perfect food days. One and a half down...two and a half to go!

DB has hernia surgery on Thursday so I'll be working from home some of the day. Send good thoughts so he heals fast! :-)

3 comments:

Vickie said...

you have to be very UNfunny while he is recovering - the oldest could not even be in the same room with my husband for a couple weeks - laughing killed.

I do not remember you saying neato at all - so maybe you just wrote it?

My husband wants to work full time in doggy daycare - so you have permission to want to be an organizer.

That sounds like a GREAT gift - and one that many moms both need and want. Don't you find it very easy to sort out other people's stuff? I don't have much of a problem with my own - but other people's is so simple.

Laura N said...

Your weekends are so full! You did some good work with the closet & garden cleaning.

Hope DB's surgery goes well. Keep doing well on your food plan!

Bea said...

Man that was a neato post. Just way cool. Lord forgive us.

I read your post as if I were drinking a big glass of cold water on a thirsty day. I also love to clean closets, and I uncovered my new (last year's) rose bushes and found cute little green leaves. I also have a thing for old rose bushes. Our house is 70+ years old and I inherited two. I planted two more. I envision pink and yellow roses entwined in one corner of the yard. We'll see. Currently they are only knee high. Very cheerful post.

Good luck with recovery. No lifting or coughing or moving with out the binder. Best thing since pain pills.