Good morning!
Well, I didn't finish the bathroom this past week, but I came close. Got totally sidetracked--by a couple of other projects. One I finished and one I didn't--lol! The one I finished was setting up my next writing journal. On Halloween I finished my previous writing journal--a red Quo Vadis Habana I started January 1, 2022. Decided it was time to get out the refillable cover and go back to another...
...Nanami Seven Seas Standard blank tomoe river paper journal.
They're huge. Took me almost two years to finish the last one--so it is quite an occasion to start a new one. I printed off two sizes of line spacing paper for writing guides on 32# laser printer paper--trimmed them down and rounded the corners. Found my soft green writing mat in case I needed it.
Got a fresh pink sheet of blotting paper. See how well used that white one is? But it is a bit thicker and more absorbent. Is actually a papermaking couch sheet. I still love it after several years...so I tucked it away in the back of the journal, too. Going to try the thinner pink one for now...actual writing blotter paper--lol!
Then I was all set to begin. November 1, 2022. A new journal is exciting.
I had found this etsy shop (StationeryNerd.com) and a while back--in anticipation--ordered a bunch of the coolest stickers I have seen in years. I put two of them in the front inside cover pages...
...and so it began.
I have several more to add to my writing journal or my bullet journal or my five year journal--lol!
Yes, I write in three journals nearly every single day.
I got a couple freebees from them, too.
I definitely qualify as a fountain pen nerd!
A calligraphy nerd and nib nerd? I think so.
The top sticker with the colored pencils actually has a silver holographic background that turned rainbow-colored no matter how I tried to photograph it. Weird, but I thought it was so cool! Much cooler than the actual silver background--lol! And, lastly, watercolor nerd...it is my favorite way to paint--watercolor and ink.
So that little project didn't take too long...but definitely sidetracked me. Much more fun than sorting through Mucinex and Tums--LOL!
Leah and the boys were here briefly Monday and Tuesday dropping things off and picking things up. Allie seemed to be waiting to see if they were coming back after they left. She's very social and loves company.
Tuesday Dagan also came by after work and took the bird bath to the garage for me and brought in a bag of bird seed. He stayed a while and we chatted about the apartment. He told me that Leah will be going down to Minneapolis to pick up all my furniture boxes and bring them up here to store in my garage. Ariel is nervous about possibly their garage getting broken into. Don't blame her. I had mine broken into here. Would be a lot harder now though with the new keypad they installed. I am very grateful to them for picking up what they did and storing it for me.
****
Wednesday I got a distressing mass email from my brother, Blaine, about my sister. Renee had to have brain surgery again. The last I had heard she had gone home from rehab and I thought she must be doing okay...but she had that infection from the surgery and apparently it never went away. The wound on her backside hasn't healed yet, either. Also a screw had come loose in the bone plate...so they operated and took out about a 3-inch circle. Removed the entire bone plate plus a bit beyond it sounded like because apparently the bone had become infected. So she's on strong antibiotics and will have nothing but skin over that hole for about three months so it can heal before she can get an artificial plate put in. Please say a prayer or send good thoughts her way. Thanks so very much if you do.
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I had decided to make a change from my solid white dishes and the new plates arrived on Wednesday--8 inch and 10 inch.
My rainbow dishes!
Leah and the boys were over again on Thursday to bring Gramma some Halloween candy. That time they stayed a while. Leah had brought with their dinners so they got to be the first ones to use the new plates fresh from the dishwasher. I think they got a kick out of picking which plate colors they wanted. Ian reminded me that a rainbow has seven colors--lol! So they're my almost rainbow dishes. ;)
When they left they hauled off all the old white dishes, too--hopefully to sell them.
Later that night the bowls arrived via Amazon delivery. The six bowls to the left match the plates but I found a set of four soup crock bowls with handles that are also four different colors--so they kind of match and I ordered those, too. I am loving all the color!
I told myself that when I started the new journal that I would be sure and get over to the table to write in my journals in the morning like I used to and not be sitting in my chair as I have been most of this past year and a half (feeling extra cruddy all the time). Allie doesn't mind because she loves the bed on the chair by the table so much I can't tuck that chair away or she cries and wanders about the kitchen until I pull it out again--LOL!
Not that she doesn't love being on my chair with me...
...but I disturb her sleep when I get up and down for coffee or to head to the bathroom.
Anyways, I had been puttering with the bathroom stuff, cleaning pens, doing laundry, and testing nail polishes...when some orders arrived with supplies for switching over my two rollie carts. Talk about side-tracked! I started emptying...the rollie carts...
...also things out of my desk.
The plan is to move the priority supplies for journaling and letter writing into the two rollie carts from both my desk and Grandpa's desk. Some of it was already in one of them. I want the things I use regularly nice and handy once I move and have no desks.
Therefore, the bin I had on the table (one out of two clear ones left from the bathroom) is still on the table--untouched--surrounded by piles from the desks and rolly carts--LOL!
Allie wondered what in the world was going on. Humans are such a baffling lot.
I did get the terribly dusty rollie carts emptied and ready to be scrubbed down.
Was also testing out lipsticks and lip glosses in the midst of all this--and finished with those. (Most went in the trash.)
Washed a lot of various sizes of drawer containers.
Had to take a lot of breaks...
...love seeing the partridges...
...as does Allie.
It was so windy the last couple of days they had warnings out and when I filled the water dish outside it would be full of leaves an hour later. The birds didn't mind drinking around them. The sparrows even bathed among the wet leaves. :)
Oh, I also made beef soup on Saturday.
Love the new crock bowls! So much classier than my using my big Pyrex measuring cup--lol!
Sure--I tell myself I have to be up at the table to journal every day and then I fill the table up like this--lol! I've had to make sure I have a little clear spot where I can write.
The rollie carts are still empty and dusty. (I keep spelling them rolly carts but spell check doesn't like that--I might miss some--what spelling do you prefer?) I reached an energy and pain wall yesterday. The table currently looks exactly like the last photo above. Oh, but I did clean and purge the medicine cabinet on Saturday, too. Way quicker than I expected it to be. So I did get a lot done this last week. I do a little at a time and take lots of breaks...but eventually if I do that a few days in a row I run out of spoons altogether--LOL!
This week...
Friday morning I have my infusion and possibly the Covid booster. Honestly--I truly, truly do not look forward to feeling so sick for days again. Any excuse and I would postpone it again--lol! Maybe the Pfizer one won't be as bad? One can hope.
Other than that--working on the rolly carts...and hopefully finishing up in the bathroom. Those are the projects I want to work on this coming week. We'll see. My body is the boss of me, as you know.
I had between 5-10 hours of sleep each night last week so I was at least functional. When I have insomnia worse than that where I get nothing but naps...well, it wipes me out.(Although when you've only slept five hours and been up three times...that is more like a series of naps, isn't it--LOL!) Fingers crossed for at least five hours of restless sleep. ;)
For over 20 years I've been used to being tired all the time. Used to being in pain all the time. It doesn't take much to get pushed into non-functional status when you physically pay for everything you do. I'm used to that. But keytruda has gradually pushed my body into an even lower level of tolerance for any activity...a new level of exhaustion and pain. And yet I am getting better. Hard to wrap your mind around when you are feeling worse and worse--LOL!
Anyways, my level of being able to detach myself from my body has therefore improved, too. Survival, Baby! Someone always has it worse. (My poor sister, for example.) So I take things slowly and keep plugging away...motivated by the move...and waiting for the next scan in January. Lovey, dovey Allie was truly meant to be. Fall is always invigorating to me. McFamily is truly a love-lifeline. Plus I am 96.3% a very stubborn (and usually optimistic) Swede. Life is good.
Till next week, folks.
Love and gentle hugs from Fargo.
15 comments:
I'm so sorry to hear about your sister. The serious physical problems she's going through is really heartbreaking. My prayers and positive thoughts are going her way.
I love your new rainbow dishes - they are so festive and cheerful. And your beef soup looks fantastic! Autumn is always an inspiring time to cook.
The photo of Allie sleeping is so sweet!
Pretty new dishes! You got some really cute stickers! I hope you have a good week! It is nice that Allie likes everyone!
The journals are beautiful, Rita, and I was amazed to read that you write in multiple ones each day. Those stickers were really nice too. My favorite was the watercolor nerd and that does describe yourself, but then so do the pen and stationary nerd ones.
I hope you do not have any side effects from the infusion and Covid booster. I haven't had the Omicron booster and not sure if I will get it. That said, we did get updated on the other current flu and pneumonia vaccines. No one looks forward to getting sick and you certainly have had your share of those experiences, Rita.
The rainbow dishes looked great and made me rethink our white ones. At the time, we thought they would go better with the Pyrex French white pieces in our collection. A future color change might be needed. The soup looked good in the new crock bowls!
To answer a question you left in a comment on my recent Friday Funnies about the monks wearing orange robes. Perhaps, the description of Tibetian monks is not totally accurate, but they were some type of monks. All 3 men were wearing orange robes and sandals and had shaved heads. We had previously seen monks of this type and heard they were Tibetian, so that's what I based my description on. It was rather odd to see this trio in a Best Buy parking lot.
Your life is more active then mine but that's ok I struggle through each day writing comments can be frustrating due to how much my hands shake
Hi Rita. So sorry to hear about your sister. I will pray for her. I love the rest of this post! You have been busy and have so many fun things going on. I love your stickers. I am a sticker nerd myself! I also love your fun new rainbow plates. Wow, they are sure bright and cheerful. I am glad that things are going pretty well. I got the Pfizer booster after getting Moderna all the other times and yes, I did feel that Pfizer did not make me feel as rough as the Moderna vaccine. Let us know how it goes. I hope you got the letter I finally got in the mail. It should be there today or tomorrow. See you again soon!
Love the colorful dishes. It's good to have happy colors when the season changes to blah.
I love the idea of keeping a daily journal. Sadly the carpal tunnel from working at the PO all these years has left it tough for me to write for any length of time. Typing is much easier, but it lacks the creativity. I tried coloring books for a while, but even colored pencils were hard for me to use, and the markers didn't leave much in the way of blending. What can I say, I'm a high maintenance artist! :)
I too am sorry about your sister's troubles. Hopefully the antibiotic will do the trick. And your colorful dinnerware brought a huge smile to my face. Great to see all that color, and to hear that Allie and you are really happy together!
Good morning! Happy Tuesday! I love your stickers and your cheerful dishes, especially the soup crocks. I don't think it matters if you use rollie or rolly. Whatever you like and the hell with spell check. I'm sorry about Rene. I got the bivalent COVID booster on Sat morning. I had a sore arm for a little while. I know it will be worse for you. A friend from work had COVID last month, along with most of her family. They were all so sick. We are waiting for Tropical Storm Nicole. The last I saw she has the potential to turn into a hurricane.
Love,
Janie
I'am roughly a 1/3 Italian, 1/3 Norwegian , 1/3 German, with a touch of Irish thrown in there for good measure.. lol I like the spelling 'roly' lol .. Hang in there sweety! Much love and a letter coming your way soon! Hugs! deb
"Although when you've only slept five hours and been up three times...that is more like a series of naps, isn't it--LOL!"
Preach, sister!
Three journals? I have never even had one!
Your books and journals just blow my mind. Fantastic. And I'm wild about your colorful dishes. They're just so darned happy! And that beef soup/stew looks great.
I'm especially worried about your sister and add my prayers to others. Your family has gone through a lot, between that and your ongoing battle. Hang in there. Grab the rest when you can. And loving the Allie pix. She's so pretty!
Hello Rita! I love reading your newsy post this evening and I am adding both you and Renee to my prayer journal. I am in awe of your journals and pens and paper. You have taken writing in a journal to a whole other level!
Dear Rita, yes, life is good. I so agree. And I am so glad that your attitude remains so optimistic. You don't seem to see the glass as half full or half empty but as simply a glass of life with only a sip taken out of it! that's uplifting to all of us who care about you.
I will pray for your sister Renee, just as I pray for you.
Like you, I sit at a table (the round kitchen table) each morning to write. I do the morning pages suggested by Julia Cameron back in the 1990s. I've been doing that since 1996--28 years--mostly faithfully, but every so often I've taken a week or so off--once six months--and then returned because I missed them. They sort of anchor the day for me.
Take care. I'm so, so happy for you that the move to Leah and Dagan's home is getting closer and closer. Peace from Dee Ready.
Sorry to hear about Renee. That sounds like she's dealing with so much. Your stickers are all beautiful. I can see why you got sidetracked. The watercolor nerd one especially caught my eye. Love all the vibrant colors!
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