Confessions of a (Former) Packrat

I am the first to admit: I have always hated to get rid of anything that might be remotely useful. I have referred to myself as “the queen of making do.” I grew up in a fairly large family, and one just never knew if “things” discarded would ever be replaced. Then, for a decade, I was a single mother of two with a very limited income…and again, there was that feeling of “what if I need it later?” This began to change when I met my current husband, and he came over to help me move some living room furniture one day. It started small, as these things often do, and has gradually taken hold in my life, and, by extension, my husband’s (although now, I am more likely to sell, toss, or donate unneeded items than he is).  We bought a new home in November, and the desire to keep the environment clean, in good repair and free of clutter is becoming ever more central to my way of living.  It is joined by a growing desire to “go green” in small ways I am just beginning to grasp and incorporate.  More about that later.

I am discovering that clutter is debilitating.  It just saps my energy and overwhelms me. So…I have begun to take my life back. A few years ago, I got rid of outdated and worn out clothing (with the “help” of my daughter who decided to clean my closet when I was not at home one day. It made me so angry…but she was right.) I had so many clothes, I could lose garments in my own closet.

The Nesting Instinct

I made a comment to a friend recently that perfectly sums up what is happening with regard to getting settled in our home. I said, “It’s just like the nesting instinct expectant mothers get…without a baby.” Jay is on Spring Break this week, and when he is not studying for a test coming up next week, he is unpacking, cleaning, and working in the yard (once it dries out; we’ve had some rain.) Yesterday, he unpacked five or six large plastic crates and several boxes. It is so nice not to have to walk around those.

Speaking of babies….Lauren just called and said her visit with the OB/GYN went well. She had a sonogram, and her due date is October 20. She had thought it would be in December, and I thought it would be in November. The baby is doing well, and in several more weeks, we will know its gender. Dylan and Ryan both have well-child checkups (and shots for Ryan) today.

Another Blessing

My grandmothers were both very wise women. They told me, “the more often you count your blessings, the more blessings you will have to count.” That is a statement I have found to be true. I’ve recently discovered yet another blessing. My daughter is expecting her third (and last) baby. He or she will likely arrive in November or December. We hope this one is a girl, but most of all that he or she will be healthy and happy.

Keeping watch

In addition to everything else that we did yesterday, we took the girls to the vet for their annual checkups and shots (feline leukemia and distemper, this time; they need their rabies shots again next year or in 2010.) Darla has had an allergic reaction to the shots in the past, so this year, she was given an extra injection to help prevent illness or problems. The extra injection had an antihistamine in it, so she was sleepy and tired yesterday. We watched both of them closely yesterday afternoon, and they seemed fine, other than perhaps a little sore. They’ve both gained a little weight, but are not overweight.

We need to have them spayed as soon as we can, to further protect their health. They are not allowed outside, so they don’t have any injuries that a lot of cats get from fighting and such. We don’t even allow them out in the back yard, because they can easily climb the fence. It’s hard to believe they will be six years old this September.

We will find a vet closer to home in case of an emergency, but we do plan to keep our current vet, since he and his staff have cared for the girls since they were just babies.

Special Days

February’s chill cannot overcome the special days for our family this month. Today is the anniversary of my maternal great grandmother’s birth.
Tomorrow, of course is Groundhog Day. (I’m expecting six more weeks of winter.) On the 10th, my neighbor will celebrate her birthday; the 11th is the anniversary of my grandmother’s birth; the 14th is my birthday and it’s the first birthday of my grandson, Ryan; the 15th is the birthday of one of my friends’ son; the 16th is the birthday of one of my cousins. The 28th is Dylan’s fourth birthday. Quite a lot going on for a short month.

It feels much more pleasant to be making mortgage payments than it ever did to pay the rent. I have a real sense of “paying ourselves”. I’m going to work on our taxes this weekend, if I have time. If not, next weekend for sure. I’ve already taken care of some of the bills for the month. Again, much more pleasant than it used to be.

We have met one more of our neighbors. She is a keeper, as well. She came to visit last Saturday, and we chatted for a while. Again, good neighbors are a gift.

At LAST….

I’ve migrated my blogs to the NEW version of Blogger. I’m going to spend some time looking at all of the new features, and it is likely my template(s) will change. Now I can go through all of the e mail tips I’ve been saving to see which ones I want to use.

We’ve been inundated with rain (5 inches on Saturday), sleet, ice…and snow is forecast for tonight and tomorrow, into Wednesday. Passing strange, in this part of the country. I did not go to work today, and may work at home through Wednesday, depending on how fast the weather clears. Bill Engvall has a comedy routine about how the State shuts down when ice and snow occur in places where it is unusual. And he’s pegged it: schools close, businesses shut down, people stock up on all kinds of necessities in the event of power outages. If this were Chicago, it would not be news; it would just be winter. Down here, it’s major news coverage. The news calls this “Ice Storm ’07.” My goodness. I just call it c-c-c-cold!

Lauren has just five more weeks until the baby (to be named Ryan, which I think is a wonderful choice) arrives. I worry about her driving on icy roads, so I hope things warm up quickly.

The induction phase of the South Beach diet is almost over. On to Phase Two in just a couple of days. That will last as long as it takes to lose the desired amount of weight, then Phase Three will maintain weight loss.