I do believe yesterday the final Christmas decorations came down. Now, however, I have spent the weekend trying to efficiently combine and store the decorations. My idea is to put them together by location and store them in LIFO order (last in, first out.) However, I find myself ridiculously tied to the original boxes things came in or were stored in.
Having more or less completed the task (final clean up still to be done, but that'll be another day) I'm not sure I've accomplished much more than replacing cardboard boxes that have served the purpose for lo these many years with plastic, see-through tubs that still have boxes of decorations in them. And I'm not sure I've conserved any space; there are many things that have been stored in cupboards where they are used for decorating or put in tubs in the basement. AND I put a bunch of stuff in a 3' x 3' box for the flea market. Yet, the Christmas closet is filled to the gills. What's wrong with this picture!!!
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Home Alone
It's a dreary gray Saturday, and the rain has changed to snow. Tom went up to Lansing for a meeting, and is staying to have dinner with Tommy. Glad they've connected, but don't like being home alone for most of the day on Saturday. If it's during the week, no problem; I love having the house to myself. But for some reason Saturdays are a different matter. Maybe if it were sunny it'd be a different matter.
Met with Leslie Knecht Driver today to engage her decorating services for some things. Our family room is, as Tom is wont to call it, "a bowling alley" from front door and foyer to the fireplace. Simple suggestions that will make a world of difference, from changing lamp shades and moving some pictures very slightly to changing out a rectangular coffee table (oak and granite; I really like it but she's got the eye) for a large round one and adding an area rug to soften the bowling alley effect. The coffee table will replace the kids' train table in the basement that I got at a Mom2Mom sale a couple of years ago for my distant future grandbabies. Tom should be pleased about that; he's not thrilled I got it in the first place, and doesn't like using it as a coffee table -- works for me (especially since the top flips from a kiddie town scene to a plain white top) but oh well. Not sure where it will go; maybe the flea market, or "on loan" to someone if anyone is interested. Will change out a kitchen chandelier and the dining room one; have always disliked both. Will put the one of the very first pieces of real furniture I purchased back in the late '70s-early '80s -- a champagne colored wing chair with ottoman -- in the parish flea market this summer. Tom will be pleased with that too! We have a surfeit of furniture, and the second piano from his folks this past summer has usurped its place in the family room so it's stuck in the living room where it's rather out of place.
I think the whole process will be fun.
Think next weekend I'll put the winter decorations (snowmen and pine trees mostly) away. It's time to THINK SPRING!!!!
But for now, guess I'll go back to working on family finances. (Or maybe take that chair to the basement myself first.)
Met with Leslie Knecht Driver today to engage her decorating services for some things. Our family room is, as Tom is wont to call it, "a bowling alley" from front door and foyer to the fireplace. Simple suggestions that will make a world of difference, from changing lamp shades and moving some pictures very slightly to changing out a rectangular coffee table (oak and granite; I really like it but she's got the eye) for a large round one and adding an area rug to soften the bowling alley effect. The coffee table will replace the kids' train table in the basement that I got at a Mom2Mom sale a couple of years ago for my distant future grandbabies. Tom should be pleased about that; he's not thrilled I got it in the first place, and doesn't like using it as a coffee table -- works for me (especially since the top flips from a kiddie town scene to a plain white top) but oh well. Not sure where it will go; maybe the flea market, or "on loan" to someone if anyone is interested. Will change out a kitchen chandelier and the dining room one; have always disliked both. Will put the one of the very first pieces of real furniture I purchased back in the late '70s-early '80s -- a champagne colored wing chair with ottoman -- in the parish flea market this summer. Tom will be pleased with that too! We have a surfeit of furniture, and the second piano from his folks this past summer has usurped its place in the family room so it's stuck in the living room where it's rather out of place.
I think the whole process will be fun.
Think next weekend I'll put the winter decorations (snowmen and pine trees mostly) away. It's time to THINK SPRING!!!!
But for now, guess I'll go back to working on family finances. (Or maybe take that chair to the basement myself first.)
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
On the 45th Day of Christmas ... my decorations are still up ...
On the night of January 17 I began to sneeze repeatedly and repeatedly. And now, on the evening of February 8, I'm still hacking away and feeling fatigued. For a few short days in there I actually thought I was getting over the flu -- I was back at my desk on January 24, and back in my bed on the afternoon of Feb. 3. Had worked late on Feb. 2, and about 7:15 felt like I hit a brick wall. Went home, coughed all evening and was wiped out. Had to finish an annual report for work the next morning, but went home when that was accomplished. Could barely crawl out of bed the next day, and was truly too sick to go to the doctor. Finally made it on Feb. 7, got antibiotics, and VIOLA!!! (yes, I know it's supposed to be Voila! but some of us in the Megnin family say VIOLA!) Drugs are wonderful things -- am still tired and coughing, but feeling so far ahead of where I was yesterday it's not funny. So maybe for the rest of the evenings this week I'll get after the remaining decorations.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Birthday Bonanza
Yesterday I began my 58th (!) year, having completed 57 years on this mortal coil. The day started out with a text message from my brother Bob; such a nice beginning to my 2011 "day of note." Tom is down with the flu, and he croaked out, "Happy Birthday. I know this is tacky, but I ordered a cake for you from Country Market; would you pick it up, please?" So much for dinner out, but no matter. I decided in the morning rather than be on the receiving end, I should celebrate by giving. Not that there was all that much opportunity, but still, it's a better perspective to have on one's birthday.
Went to morning Mass. My "birthday twin" Mimi (who turned 80-something) and I were remembered in the intentions, and seranaded by the congregation at the end of Mass. In turn, the three of us ladies in the office put candles in a doughnut and sang to Mimi when she and the ladies were finished stuffing the flyers into the bulletins. Dad & Claire called and sang Happy Birthday and chatted for a bit. Dolores stopped by with a card and carnations. Elizabeth came in with popcorn toppings, popcorn, and a carrot cupcake. Cindy gave me a bottle of wine and bought my lunch. Julie brought me a potted hyacinth. Throughout the day there were greetings on Facebook, in my email, and more text messages.
When I picked up the birthday cake, I also got a steak and some snow peas, and fixed a nice dinner for Tom and me, complemented with the wine from Cindy. The mail brought some cards and a package from Eva. I got some more birthday calls, and talked for quite a while with Eva. Tom and I ended the evening with cake.
It was low-key and wonderful, all around. I truly, truly am blessed by good fortune and blessings, and all good gifts of friends and family and people who care.
I really want to thank you, Lord. Amen.
Went to morning Mass. My "birthday twin" Mimi (who turned 80-something) and I were remembered in the intentions, and seranaded by the congregation at the end of Mass. In turn, the three of us ladies in the office put candles in a doughnut and sang to Mimi when she and the ladies were finished stuffing the flyers into the bulletins. Dad & Claire called and sang Happy Birthday and chatted for a bit. Dolores stopped by with a card and carnations. Elizabeth came in with popcorn toppings, popcorn, and a carrot cupcake. Cindy gave me a bottle of wine and bought my lunch. Julie brought me a potted hyacinth. Throughout the day there were greetings on Facebook, in my email, and more text messages.
When I picked up the birthday cake, I also got a steak and some snow peas, and fixed a nice dinner for Tom and me, complemented with the wine from Cindy. The mail brought some cards and a package from Eva. I got some more birthday calls, and talked for quite a while with Eva. Tom and I ended the evening with cake.
It was low-key and wonderful, all around. I truly, truly am blessed by good fortune and blessings, and all good gifts of friends and family and people who care.
I really want to thank you, Lord. Amen.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Wow! No longer a walking zombie!
It's amazing how you can wake up after days of being ill and realize you actually feel like a member of the human race again! Yay hooray! However, I continue to have a pretty bad headache in the a.m. Wonder if it's dust -- a horrifying amount of dust has accumulated on the carpeting under the bed. Am in the guest room (didn't want to share the bugs with Tom once he got home). Definitely something to be said for hardwood floors -- when our ship comes in I'm going to recommend we put hardwood floors down instead of wall-to-wall carpeting.
The guest room is next to Eva's room, and for the second morning in a row a musical alarm has gone off in her room. There are Christmas boxes all over in there (guess what my project for the week was going to be!) and when I went in I couldn't find the alarm. It must have been going off every morning since Christmas at 8 o'clock, the last time she slept in her bed and the time to get up to begin our annual Christmas ritual of being up, opening gifts, having breakfast and being out the door by 10 for the trek to PA.
The guest room is next to Eva's room, and for the second morning in a row a musical alarm has gone off in her room. There are Christmas boxes all over in there (guess what my project for the week was going to be!) and when I went in I couldn't find the alarm. It must have been going off every morning since Christmas at 8 o'clock, the last time she slept in her bed and the time to get up to begin our annual Christmas ritual of being up, opening gifts, having breakfast and being out the door by 10 for the trek to PA.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Sick in Bed
I guess the tree falling over was a blessing in disguise, otherwise it would still be up. As it is, the decorations are laying on tables in the kitchen and family room.
Around 4:00-4:30 on Monday I had a sniffle that I could tell was not an allergy sniffle -- how is that? but I can tell. Got home and felt myself sliding downhill. Elizabeth came over for sewing, but after an hour of me sneezing an incredible amount, she offered to go home, and I readily agreed. To bed immediately thereafter, and have been there since. Lord, I hate being sick!
Around 4:00-4:30 on Monday I had a sniffle that I could tell was not an allergy sniffle -- how is that? but I can tell. Got home and felt myself sliding downhill. Elizabeth came over for sewing, but after an hour of me sneezing an incredible amount, she offered to go home, and I readily agreed. To bed immediately thereafter, and have been there since. Lord, I hate being sick!
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
A Truly SUPER Man
On Christmas evening we honored my Dad's 90 years of life by sharing memories from family, friends, neighbors and employees of Dad's. (His 90th birthday is on January 2, 2011. It's not too late to send your memories of him!)
At the end, my kids and their cousins said in amazement, they didn't know they actually KNEW Superman! Among the memories shared:
As a young teen, he had the presence of mind to direct his younger brother out of harms way when a bull charged the two of them on the family farm.
Having graduated from Syracuse University at the age of 20 in 1941, he was still considered too young to be commissioned as a 2d lieutenant in the Army, despite completing 4 years of ROTC. He went back to work the family farm for the next year and a half. During that time, he threw a drunken neighbor (his father's age) off the property when the man attempted to assault his sister.
After the War, my father eventually became a partner in a barrel stave mill. One time a tree fell on one of his employees on a logging job out in the woods. Dad lifted the log off the man and freed him. Later on, two other guys tried to move the log and were unable to even budge it.
One time in the mill, a white oak bolt fell off the conveyor belt. My father easily hoisted it back onto the belt, a feat no other man could manage.
There were many written tributes from former employees, thanking Dad for giving them the opportunity to provide good lives for their families.
My father used to have a rather heavy foot as he travelled the 65 miles between his stave mill outside of Kittanning PA and our home in Seneca PA. Unlike here in Michigan where the roads are straight and flat, and one can easily cover 60 miles in 45-50 minutes (I was late for a soccer game of Tommy's) the roads in Pennsylvania are curving and mountainous (well, hilly is what I always thought, but having now lived in the Midwest, they do qualify as mountainous.) There are no direct routes and certainly no highways, so for the approximately 5 miles of the trip on I-80 he would "put the pedal to the metal" and on multiple occasions was stopped for speeding. Once he told the cop he figured they "would give a guy about 10 miles over the limit," to which the cop replied, "Sir, you were misinformed," and proceeded to issue another speeding ticket. One day on that stretch of I-80, Dad saw a cop being assaulted by a guy he'd pulled over. Dad stopped, got out, and without giving it a second thought, slugged the assailant and effectively broke up the altercation. Sometime later he received an official commendation for his assistance to the State Police. From then on, if he was stopped for speeding, he somehow was never issued another ticket.
When I was about 11 we were visiting my grandparents on the farm in upstate NY. Sitting at the dinner table, we heard a loud crash outside when a car full of teenagers plowed into the row of trees across from the house. My dad rushed out and began pulling kids out of the wreck and administering first aid. My uncle remonstrated with him, saying that it was against the law in NY state to do that (now, mind you, this is what a young kid remembered.) My father said the heck with that, he wasn't a citizen of NY, the kids needed immediate attention, and he was going to take care of them, which he did.
In these and so many other ways, my father truly is a SUPER man. Taking care of people has been his way of life.
At the end, my kids and their cousins said in amazement, they didn't know they actually KNEW Superman! Among the memories shared:
As a young teen, he had the presence of mind to direct his younger brother out of harms way when a bull charged the two of them on the family farm.
Having graduated from Syracuse University at the age of 20 in 1941, he was still considered too young to be commissioned as a 2d lieutenant in the Army, despite completing 4 years of ROTC. He went back to work the family farm for the next year and a half. During that time, he threw a drunken neighbor (his father's age) off the property when the man attempted to assault his sister.
After the War, my father eventually became a partner in a barrel stave mill. One time a tree fell on one of his employees on a logging job out in the woods. Dad lifted the log off the man and freed him. Later on, two other guys tried to move the log and were unable to even budge it.
One time in the mill, a white oak bolt fell off the conveyor belt. My father easily hoisted it back onto the belt, a feat no other man could manage.
There were many written tributes from former employees, thanking Dad for giving them the opportunity to provide good lives for their families.
My father used to have a rather heavy foot as he travelled the 65 miles between his stave mill outside of Kittanning PA and our home in Seneca PA. Unlike here in Michigan where the roads are straight and flat, and one can easily cover 60 miles in 45-50 minutes (I was late for a soccer game of Tommy's) the roads in Pennsylvania are curving and mountainous (well, hilly is what I always thought, but having now lived in the Midwest, they do qualify as mountainous.) There are no direct routes and certainly no highways, so for the approximately 5 miles of the trip on I-80 he would "put the pedal to the metal" and on multiple occasions was stopped for speeding. Once he told the cop he figured they "would give a guy about 10 miles over the limit," to which the cop replied, "Sir, you were misinformed," and proceeded to issue another speeding ticket. One day on that stretch of I-80, Dad saw a cop being assaulted by a guy he'd pulled over. Dad stopped, got out, and without giving it a second thought, slugged the assailant and effectively broke up the altercation. Sometime later he received an official commendation for his assistance to the State Police. From then on, if he was stopped for speeding, he somehow was never issued another ticket.
When I was about 11 we were visiting my grandparents on the farm in upstate NY. Sitting at the dinner table, we heard a loud crash outside when a car full of teenagers plowed into the row of trees across from the house. My dad rushed out and began pulling kids out of the wreck and administering first aid. My uncle remonstrated with him, saying that it was against the law in NY state to do that (now, mind you, this is what a young kid remembered.) My father said the heck with that, he wasn't a citizen of NY, the kids needed immediate attention, and he was going to take care of them, which he did.
In these and so many other ways, my father truly is a SUPER man. Taking care of people has been his way of life.
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