Closets

This will be a boring post - but I have to tell EVERYONE (and most especially my sister K.) that I spent the MAJORITY OF THE DAY cleaning out the study closet! Deciding that I couldn't really work on the surfaces of my desk until I tackle the REAL albatross around my neck that's needed serious culling for YEARS. So I did it - took out EVERYTHING and culled and sorted. Have a GIANT bin of Goodwill items; took out tray after tray of recycling; two bags of trash. It's the 'wrapping paper/box/tissue/ribbons/miscellaneous' closet and there apparently was a time when I was sure we would have a critical shortage of wrapping paper; gift boxes; greeting cards; notebooks; etc. Thankfully, J. arrived home after his MRI and has been hugely helpful in carting things out to the recycle and trash bins. It's been quite a job....but it looks FANTASTIC!

AND I found a treasure: my Winnie the Pooh teapot! It's been 'missing' for quite awhile - we purchased it on a trip to The Magic Kingdom years ago and had it shipped directly here. Couldn't risk transporting it ourselves 'cuz it's that special....and there it was - still in the box. Perfectly perfect condition and I (still) love it to pieces. Must have just tucked it up in the closet until I had a place to keep it - so we may have purchased it before we even had our dining room set (which was the last thing we purchased furniture wise for the house). Now I have to make room in the hutch - but I'll find a place. And the hutch and sideboard are two things I spent considerable time culling earlier this week - so I'm sure there's room in there somewhere.

And, ironically, during this winter break, I've started to enjoy cups of hot tea during the day. Celestial Seasons peppermint is currently my favorite....so I can't wait to brew a pot of tea in my cute teapot tomorrow!!

I also made progress on my bedroom closet - still have work to do on that but will be heading upstairs shortly to continue - ESPECIALLY while I'm 'in the mood' to just let stuff go. Seriously...there's so much 'stuff' that I just look at and think 'why did I think I should save this'? Or, in the case of clothes, I know I haven't worn it in years and probably won't - in fact, I've finally parted with an outfit I purchased in the late 80's - a shirt and a little jacket that I got for $10 (total) - and I HAVE worn it - but it's time to let it go. As much as I love some of my clothes, there are ALWAYS new clothes I will love just as much. And I have plenty of things to wear....

It feels so great to get stuff cleaned out! My only regret is that we only have the remainder of this week to continue...and then it's back to the day-to-day drudge that makes projects like this so hard to wedge in. We've made a lot of progress and will continue to work over the next four days and see how far we can get.

I feel so proud of us - we've had the intentions of doing all this for a really long time and it feels so great to FINALLY DO IT.

Now hoping I can embrace that same philosophy and approach for getting into some kind of exercise program in the new year. Here's hoping!

Skittish

I watched Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince last night - by far, the darkest, scariest most un-settling Harry Potter yet. And it was just as good as it was in the theater.

It was a windy night and rainy, too. And the movie is full of sound effects - dark, scary, loud, sudden sound effects.

Chloe went nuts. All night long. NUTS. Growling and grumbling. Barking suddenly for no reason, making me jump - my startle response got quite a work out last night. She finally went to sleep on her pillow here in the study - and proceeded to growl in her sleep.

She takes her role of protecting me very seriously.

I'm going to watch the movie again shortly - sunny, clear, no wind, no rain and a hopefully far less skittish dog (and human).

J. and the boys will be home around 2ish. That gives me 3.5 hours to continue the culling out of every cupboard in the house. :-)

California

It's one of those mornings when I just love living in California....today is crystal clear, sunny blue skies. It's still only mid-50's but it's a beautiful 'winter' day. Not a cloud in sight. The yard and flower beds are still far too wet to really do much - but we did finally remove the frozen nasturtium plants from around the spa. Recovered a handful of seed pods that I will dry and use to replant as soon as the weather's consistently warmer. Nasturtiums grow so easily and look so pretty around the pool - but they definitely didn't handle the freeze a couple weeks ago and wilted and died pretty quickly. Good thing they're easy to replant and will take off quickly once the weather is warmer and a tad less damp.

J. has already made two trips to various thrift shops - we have gotten rid of SO MUCH STUFF! Feels so great! Have reorganized most of the kitchen cupboards and have been able to move things we use often to places they are easier to get to - and move other things up above the refrigerator (for example) which we can retrieve when we use them (which is not often). We 'recycled' at least 20 plastic 'bottles' - the kind you get at picnics and amusement parks. Why did we ever save them? Also donated two full sets of Pyrex mixing bowls - one set from each of our parents homes. We still have plenty of mixing bowls we use often - but those two were above the fridge for almost a decade and never used. I probably thought I was saving them for 'when the boys move out into their own place and need stuff for their kitchen' - but it's far more fun to buy new stuff when you're setting up your first apartment, so we donated the heck out of a bunch of stuff.

They are leaving for Tulare shortly and I will continue working on cleaning out clothes closets. Mine in particular. J. will have several more bags of stuff to donate when he gets home tomorrow - and we'll still have Thursday for more last minute stuff we are able to part with. H. helped me clean out above the fridge - even with the highest step stool we own, I'm still too short to get into the back of that cupboard - so he helped pull everything out, wiped out all the shelves and the top of the fridge and helped put back everything we moved from other places and stuff we decided to keep. He's been a big help and like a 'new' kid the past couple days....I feel hopeful we're on a much improved path - and yet still on guard because I know just how quickly things can turn bad once again. Will I ever lose this 'on edge, waiting for disaster' feeling in the pit of my stomach? I hope so.

I am sort of thinking of working 1/2 day tomorrow. Don't ask me why....but I know there's stuff I should get moving on and the week we get back will be filled with meetings, Board prep, etc. Never down time. Never. But that's OK. That's what they pay me for...and I have enjoyed a full week of not going in - have checked emails (the red blinking light on my Blackberry makes that pretty easy) and responded to a few - but haven't physically gone in, which is nice. That's been a break in itself.

Santa brought us the Harry Potter movie that I hoped to see in the theatre a second time but wasn't able to make it - so I think I'll spend the afternoon watching that movie while continuing The Great Cleanout of 2009. I feel the urge to tackle cleaning out the pantry, the freezer and the fridge and making menus, shopping lists, etc. We'll enter 2010 well-stocked and with a plan.

I love having a plan.

Culling

I've so many posts in draft stage, I can't keep up...partly censoring what I post 'cuz....well, I just am. Tough times with son #2 and I write a post and then the situation modifies AGAIN so I rethink it. Repeat 70 times in the past couple months and you'll know where we're at.

We've had a hugely bad time with Hunter the past couple days. He and I finally went to 'neutral' territory (Starbucks) and had a good talk yesterday. We were/are seriously considering sending him to the Marine Academy in Texas - yes, really. He doesn't want to go (big surprise). Though sometimes he does. He has been hanging out with some really 'bad' guys - including one that's been in prison for multiple felonies. We're trying to get him to understand that hanging out with people that have been in trouble will almost always lead you to getting in trouble, even though you don't think you will. Hopefully, he's getting that - we also enjoyed McDonald's (the power of Starbucks and McDonald's for a 16 year old boy cannot be underestimated) and talked for a couple hours. My car smells like french fries. We came home with him calm and listening (vs. pissed off and reacting) for the first time in weeks. So I'm hoping for a Christmas miracle - that we've really made some 'progress' and he will wake up this morning at least attempting to be civil. We'll see. Please pray for him - and for us. We are in strange and unfamiliar territory with him - and the things that we've uncovered the past few weeks make everything with we've experienced with B. look like a cake walk in comparison.

It's been a pretty great day here so far - so again, Starbucks and McDonald's will be our hang out and 'chill out and talk zone' for the foreseeable future. He has been allowed to accompany two friends to the mall - two 'old' friends that he stopped hanging out with but invited to the mall with him - and is now at dinner celebrating one of their birthdays. So that's cool. It's a 'treat' that we let him out of the house and it has lightened his mood a bit.

I've been cleaning out closets, etc. all day. Stacks/bags/boxes of stuff for J. to take to Goodwill, etc. this week. Feels good to just 'purge' - stuff we haven't used in decades. Stuff from our parents homes that we've never touched - and I'm at the point where I want 'space' and 'less stuff' so I've been taking advantage of that momentum all day. (I owe it all to my sister who started my morning with a great email confirming that she has finished the LAST BIG PROJECT at her house and finally feels things are 'in order'). Wishing she lived near here so she could help me get that here...but progress was made today and it feels good. Desk is still a wreck - but we did cull out so much today! Now just have to haul it away tomorrow. And we are definitely NOT trying to convince ourselves we should garage sale some of it - 'cuz we finally accept that we won't. We just aren't motivated enough and would rather give it to local charities to sell at their thrift stores than box it up and have to deal with a garage sale in the 'future'. It will never happen - so away stuff goes.

We are officially attending our annual New Years Eve party - and all of us are going. I'm trying to plan what to bring and have several ideas about what to make.

J. and the boys are heading down to Tulare for a one night visit with the cousins. It's a quick trip 'cuz J. has an MRI scheduled on Wednesday afternoon that he can't reschedule. I'm a bit 'nervous' about being in the house alone these days....no real defined reason except H.'s 'not so great friends' may come around looking for him and I don't like them to know I'm home alone....but I'll be OK. I have a very protective/noisy dog who sounds like she'll rip your head off when you hear her (and can't see her). So I'll let her bark her head off when anyone knocks on the door and probably just not answer. I want to see New Moon again - and I received some JCPenney gift cards for Christmas so I might go look for a couple new work outfits. And possibly treat myself to lunch or dinner 'out'. Tired of holiday dinner leftovers which it feels like we've been eating forever....

I made chicken and dumplings for dinner and it's FINALLY ready - just after 7 and we're eating. It's just the two of us - if I'd known it was going to be just the two of us, I probably would have suggested we go out...but oh well. MORE leftovers....

Post

Christmas Eve services were beautiful, as always. Except for having to constantly remind H. to get the iPod ear bud out of his ear, it went well. He kept saying 'but it's not ON' to which I replied (repeatedly) 'then there's no reason for you to have the bud in your ear - leave it out NOW or I will take the iPod and you won't get it back like your phone, car, etc.'. He finally upon threatening to take yet another possession and restrict it's use took the damn bud out [swearing in a Christmas post doesn't feel right but I can't help it 'cuz it is what it is] and left it out. I'm such a Scrooge.....the kid is trying my patience BIG TIME....

Christmas came and went too quickly....but as hoped, it was a pleasant, fun morning. I was actually up first - which is rare for Christmas day. Could be because I was also the first to bed - and I hadn't finished my 'Santa' duties in setting up the scavenger hunt. Had to place the clues and the treasure throughout the house before everyone was up. The boys loved the hunt - and H. said 'ahh, this is a thinking man's game'. The clues required some thought to decipher where the treasure was - and he liked that, I think.

Chloe had a blast - she got two new toys and was so excited, she carried them in her mouth BEFORE we'd detached them from the cardboard backing! We removed them from their cardboard backer and tossed them up into the dining room and she ran back and forth dozens of times 'fetching' - until she was panting and exhausted and had to take a break. She loves Christmas almost as much as the boys - and her two new toys have been her treasure. She also loves curling up on the couch with her mama for a nap!

The boys enjoyed the morning and the day passed pleasantly. We stayed in our PJ's for most of the day, which felt decadent. Finally got dressed after napping for two hours. Dinner was Raley's Sierra Tender Roast - three different cuts of pork that are tied together. Delicious! Au Gratin potatoes, sweet potatoes and green bean casserole, rolls and sparkling cider. Pie for dessert. It was delicious.

J. and the boys are heading to Oakland to visit J's brother - taking him a Chinese food lunch. I have finished wrapping the last of the Christmas gifts I need to ship (sorry K. & B. & niece H.) and I hope to get to the post office today to get them officially on their way. As always, there's a lot of post-Christmas tidying to do - including needing to work in the freezing garage to sort through stuff before we put the Christmas decorations back up in the rafters this time next week.

I'm enjoying cups of peppermint tea in a vain attempt to stay warm. It's not even 65 degrees in this room and I have on layers and a blanket....I've even turned up the heat and it's still too cold in here. We're looking into adding insulation to the house...we need it. I think the builder took a lot of short cuts and adequate insulation is definitely something I think he skimped on. It's below 60 degrees in many of the upstairs rooms - especially those over the garage - and we really need to find the $ to fix that. Oh, the never-ending list of things requiring money.....right? The joy of home ownership.

We have no plans this week - hopefully attending the annual new years eve bash with friends but we never know about that until sometimes the day of....so we'll see about that. H. doesn't hang out much with the son of our friends anymore...so he may not be on the invitee list - and I don't really want to leave him alone on New Years - so if he's not included, we probably won't go. But it will all work out....just have to stay flexible. We're still working on a lot of culling out - more Freecycle posts today, most likely. The boys haven't mentioned going to San Fran - we probably will but we can't make plans until we know B.'s work schedule, which he'll pick up sometime today. They both have their Christmas money to spend but they're both being so conservative about it - H. doesn't want to 'use it too fast'. Hmmm....

I'm working on moving game files onto an external hard drive - which takes HOURS to do. And then I need to work on setting up the 'file' for all the songs that are on my computer that I want to move to my new, sleek, beautiful iPod Touch. AND I want to workout using my WiiFit Plus 'game' that Santa brought me. A new year...new goals....yes, again. But there's always an opportunity to start over and begin anew - and this time of year certainly highlights that for me.

Still eight days of vacation 'left'....I love that about the winter break....two glorious weeks!! The first week's almost over but there's STILL ANOTHER WEEK!!! Yippee!!

Hope everyone's Christmas was merry and bright! And I hope my family in OKC has dug themselves out of what will be known as the Oklahoma City Blizzard of 2009! Love ya'll!

Eve

It's approaching 3PM and J. is upstairs busily wrapping. I realized this morning what was missing - the master chart that I've made every year since we've been in Tracy. The list of gifts we've purchased and the status of each - wrapped? From who? etc. So we created that pretty easily and now J's following the 'plan' and wrapping away. He's almost done - making this evening so much easier. We will return from church and be pretty much 'done' other than setting up the scavenger hunt and bringing the Santa stuff downstairs. This year, we've even decided to bring down gifts from us to each other BEFORE we go to church. The boys like the big 'impact' of having very few things under the tree and then 'WOW' on Christmas morning - but with parents who are close to 50 (me) and 60 (J.), something's got to give. There are only so many trips up and down the stairs we can make after a long day. We will enlist their help in getting those items under the tree - and then the excitement will start to build. They'll realize it's really here! Even Chloe's getting excited - she's been running around doing her torpedo dog imitation a good part of the day. She has presents under the tree, too. :-)

We had to hustle out this morning to get one more gift for H. - to keep things even. The list clarified what's what and we were short...so we picked up another item from his list. He will be surprised - pleasantly, I hope.

I have the scavenger clues written. Need to start the printing of clues, labels for envelopes, etc. Will set it up in the wee hours of the morning. It'll be fun.

I have pork ribs simmering in the oven - they will go with homemade chowmein - a filling, easy dinner before we go to church. Then home for the Santa Clause and cocoa.

Our two closest grocery stores were all out of eggnog so B. went merrily to the store he works at and got some. He also picked up a few other things I needed - which was a big help. He can't be without eggnog - it's his once a year splurge (calorie wise) and he loves it. And having made eggnog lattes for everyone at work the last day we were there, I have to agree they are pretty darn yummy. I'll make them tomorrow morning, as well as pumpkin lattes! Yummy!

I hope your Christmas Eve Day/Night is full of excitement and blessings! I've got to go wrap gifts for J.!

Christmas Mystery

How is it that every single year, we can't find the gift tags? We buy them around this time (a couple days before Christmas) EVERY SINGLE YEAR and we can never find them. Somewhere in this house are thousands (well....ok...hundreds at least) of gift tags longing to be in the Christmas wrapping box where they belong. They are nowhere to be found - so once again, I am getting dressed and heading out for 'last minute' stuff - including, once again - gift tags.

We are heading into the last of the Christmas Crunch - still have loads of wrapping to do. Still a bit of shopping. And a trip to the bank to fetch money for the scavenger hunt for the boys. Clues to be written, envelopes to be labeled. I need to get going on that. I keep the clues to as few words as possible...and then have to write myself a 'legend' and a 'key' so I don't forget where I've stashed the cash. Otherwise, we'll find money around here one of these days from a forgotten clue.....

I'm going to CVS and/or Walgreens to see if I can find Snuggies for me and the boys. It's below 64 degrees in this room right now and even I am freezing. Heat is cranking away and it should warm up soon - but I'm wrapped in a Pooh throw and it's hard to type and keep warm at the same time.

We continue to attempt to keep son #2 firmly in our grasp. He did mention that he really needs to go Christmas shopping soon....so we might let him go to the mall - timed, mileage checked on the car and only to shop for an hour or so. Not to 'hang out' at the mall - just get there, shop, and come straight home. Or he may be accompanied by his father. Oh, he'll love that..... [and I refer to both 'he's' when I say that]. I think J. will take him. Safer that way -

B. went snowboarding with friends yesterday. He has 'jury duty' this week, which means he has to check a website daily to see if he needs to report. So far, he hasn't - and it really doesn't look like he will. They won't hold court Thursday or Friday so if he makes it through today and checks the website tonight and is 'clear', then he's likely done. He asked for most of the week off work - worked his 16 hours with two 8 hour shifts on Sunday and Monday - so he's off until next Sunday. He does love his 'down time'. And I can't blame him for that....

The cleaning crew was here yesterday so the house is tidied and sparkling. We are culling things out like crazy - I've been posting things on Freecycle and have given away Pokemon cards, Shrinky Dink paper and some bead kits. I love the concept of Freecycle - but the execution is a pain. People write back things like 'where in South Tracy?'. Uh, are you saying you WANT what I just posted 'cuz I'm not giving you my address until I know that you are 'committing' to taking what's been offered. They want something and say 'well, I can't get there until tomorrow'...well, then, I'm going to give it to the person who can come get it now 'cuz I'm not scheduling my day around you picking up something I'm giving you for free. It gets to be more of a pain than it's meant to be. Still, it's nice to know these things are going to homes where some child will be thrilled. The mom who picked up the Shrinky Dink paper yesterday was ecstatic - her daughter LOVES them, as did H. in his wee years. Culling his room has sure been a trip down memory lane....

OK - warm enough to head upstairs and get showered and ready to head out for errands. The last of the Christmas madness is about to ensue. Fasten your lap belt snugly and securely around your person. Everyone hold onto your hats. Keep your arms and legs inside the car at all times. This ride may cause extreme motion sickness and wooziness. You will feel better when it's over - and it will be over before you know it. Once the ride has come to a complete stop, you may exit and proceed with your normal life. This ride happens only once per year and there's a reason for that....so sit back and embrace the celebration and joy that's created by massive consumerism and spending more than you planned. That's what makes it magical....because no matter how sucky they past few weeks have been; no matter how much angst and concern and anger and frustration there has been in this house the past few weeks (and boy, howdy, there's been plenty of all those things lately), there will be peace and smiles and joy here on Christmas morning. For at least an hour or so, all will be right with the world. That's the miracle of Christmas. And that's what I'm holding onto at the moment. Christmas is coming and it will be magical - regardless of the recent drama in this house. It will be Christmas....and I love Christmas.

New Year's is only one week away - wooziness will happen again but thankfully, the shopping will be over.