Time Out

This past weekend I was supposed to go on a family trip to visit Scott's grandparents but at the last minute, I decided to stay home and take a personal time out. I was stressed about the backlog of projects/chores around the house and I was growing annoyed with my lack of progress due to the almost constant interruptions from the kids and I occasionally need some solitude to recharge my batteries (or to keep me from going totally crazy). I missed my family the second they left and I thought about calling them to come back to get me, but I know I needed this time. It was just an overnight trip so I had about 34 hours to myself. I thought I'd catch up on some sleep but could only manage a brief nap on the couch before I got busy taking care of projects uninterrupted! Whee! I spent my time vacillating between a loafing teenager and Martha Stewart.

Some Productive Things I Did:

• Shampooed the carpets. This was long overdue after all of the gatherings we have had this summer. I was disgusted at the amount of dirt and dog hair that I removed from the floors...  After moving things around in the living room I decided to put the bamboo mat away for now (the dogs like to click around on this mat no matter that we are trying to hear the TV or sleep) and I also finally decided to get rid of my lovely overstuffed RED cottage rocker. I got this fabulously comfy chair 9 years ago when Emi was a baby. When we filled our living room with the red sectional pieces a couple of years ago, the red rocker was relegated to the library, but it never quite fit there. And it got more use as a catchall instead of seating. I moved it to the entry when shampooing the carpets and after seeing all of that space, decided it had to go (before I changed my mind). Scott's mom is coming to get it tonight so it won't be far and it will be loved. I plan to finally, finally get some big floor pillows for the library and hopefully add a nice hanging light in that area this fall...
• Laundered the couch pillow covers. (and almost ordered 3 more!) (I still might!). These faux-sheepskin pillow covers are the ones we have!  Soft, sturdy and washable.
• Washed bed linens and remade beds without the pressure of having to remake the beds in time for nap time...
• Mowed front lawn with REEL lawn mower.  This led me to dig up about 75% of the crab grass that was invading our front lawn (hard to mow crab grass with REEL mower).  Now our front lawn looks like it was attacked by moles when in fact it was attacked by Nols...
• Mowed 1/2 of the big back yard with REEL mower.  The chickens seemed to appreciate this quiet, gentle mowing...
• Began propagating (hopefully) forsythia and chaste berry plants.  Basically clipped some shoots off of each plant, dipped them into the rooting hormone, shoved them into planters and watered well. They are in a partial shaded area that is very close to the hose. I didn't cover them with plastic like I've heard is recommended but I've gotten lucky with this method in the past. *fingers crossed*
• Dehydrated my first pineapple (I prefer the hydrated version but I'd like to preserve some healthy snacks for my family when the cold, cold winter comes along). I dried out chunks of about half a pineapple and the yield was small. Might do pineapple rings in the near future. On the plus side, my sun room still smells like sweet, sweet pineapple...
• Cleaned the kitchen completely and laundered the tablecloth. This might not seem like a big deal but our dishwasher is on the fritz and with 3 kids, there are always dishes in the sink. I would wash a batch of dishes then go outside and play (mow, swim, rake, weed, move the sprinkler) and then repeat the process.
• Performed minor surgery on Emi's Rabbit Doll (she's been waiting patiently for months to have the hole in her back sewn up)
• Started work on a photo book of pictures from our recent visit. I got the photos uploaded to shutterfly, took the default book created and began editing it.
• Folded and put away 4 loads of laundry...uninterrupted...

Not So Productive Things I Did:

• Ate peach ice cream while watching parts of Marley & Me and Shawshank Redemption (I HAD to take frequent breaks from the work outside because it was once again 100+ degrees) and all of The Men Who Stare at Goats.
• Took a couple of dips in the pool (followed by a catnap on the floating lounger). I can report that my pool and backyard were thoroughly enjoyed this weekend. It was soooo quiet and peaceful...ahhhh! And my backyard sounds like a jungle or rain forest when there are no small children running around like banshees.
• Made the mistake of checking out an episode of Jersey Shore while folding laundry...I could not turn away. It was like a train wreck and I wish I could unknow the stuff I know about "Snooki" and "The Situation".
• Did not take pictures. Right after the family left I found myself in the back yard with so many things to photograph but Scott had the camera with him. I had to just enjoy what I saw: a mama bullfrog watching over her tadpole babies; an orange dragonfly flying over the pond of matching goldfish;  Chicken Run (the ladies kept walking towards the front gate to check on me while I was in the front yard or in the house); birds gathering around the sprinkler; sunset; sunrise...
• Thought about locating my mandolin...DID locate the mando-learning DVD and quickly put it away before it harshed my mellow.

Do I have any regrets? Not really except I wish I'd gotten a good solid nap in on Sunday. The catnap in the pool wasn't enough so I fell asleep during Breaking Bad.

Friends, this week is supposed to be the hottest so far!  Going to have to make salads and sandwiches and hang out in the pool until we get pruny in order to survive. I hope your week is filled with lots of cool things!