It is no longer the busiest season in the pastoral profession, and I assume we all got through April Fool's day unscathed. (Do kids even do that any more?)
Plus -- we of the Northern Hemisphere are all noticing, lots more sunlight! More every day! It's like a miracle!
Although many schools had last week as a Spring Break, the local schools are off this week. So, a teacher friend and another longtime friend and I have a date for breakfast, at a place I've not been before. Yay!
Hoping for dinner maybe Friday with the returning honeymooners. My beloved goes out of town Sunday for this big thing that is supposed to last 3 weeks, and he's in the Swamp of Preparation right now.
What's going on up your way?
25 comments:
Thanks for hosting, Kathy! I hope that everyone had a good weekend, and that the pastoral pixies are getting some much-needed rest.
We had a good Easter, in the end. We went to church with my in-laws, because my FIL was in their Easter play. We had a family dinner at our house. It all went well, but I'm exhausted! I'm on my second pot of tea, and E is getting extra screen time.
Pastoral pixie checking in here. I'm exhausted, yes. I laid down for a short nap this morning, and then woke up two hours later! I think my exhaustion has as much to do with a week's worth of disrupted sleep (thunderstorms, puppy shenanigans, etc) as it does with extra services.
We had leftovers for lunch and supper yesterday, so we are with the "no Easter dinner" crowd, for sure.
Mini is either sick or simply exhausted herself. She got off the bus and put herself to bed this afternoon.
QWP -- good Easter, after all!
Poor Mini! Glad you're catching up on rest, Esperanza.
Finally got my tax stuff all listed, added up, and to the guy, yesterday.
Really lovely weather this week!
Thanks for hosting, kathy!
We had leftovers for dinner on Sunday, but had a proper Easter dinner last night with FIL. It was nice, but I was too tired to really enjoy it. I was glad when I dropped him off at home, then I felt guilty for feeling that way.
I'm exhausted. I'm home today and tomorrow and doing nothing. Except napping.
Hubby has minor dental surgery on Friday, so between his anxiety about that, and my utter exhaustion, we're just a barrel of laughs. Yikes.
Sue! Easter dinner shouldn't be a forced march, for whatever reason. (Although, I suspect FIL really enjoyed the company.)
Rest on up! And, sorry about the procedure on Friday. Fingers firmly crossed -- I can really relate to all dental-related woes. Go on and watch all the cat videos you can find -- or whatever lifts your particular boats. ;)
So, my beloved is going out of town Sunday for this big long thing. I'm sneakily starting to lay in some things he loves, for familiar comfort during the ordeal -- and a couple practical things the B&B might not have handy. A person cannot travel for weeks without decent coffee and tea at hand, am I right? And favorite non-perishable snacks. They might have a fridge and microwave in the room, but I can basically guarantee no cutlery, or paper towels / napkins. A real coffee mug might be welcome. Like that.
Yesterday I did basically nothing. Today, Daisy the puppy helped me to take a nap, and then I got some decluttering and cleaning done. It felt good to do something with tangible results. Then the Baboos got home and the tangible results have vanished.
Ain't that the way it is? (I think that's a song. But in any event, it is the anthem of all with young people about....)
Daisy the Puppy is definitely holding her own in the "erasing tangible results of Mama's cleaning efforts" category.
Well, at least I'm glad that you had a nap with a puppy today, esperanza!
AW: I came up with my own recipe for coconut ice cream, and am quite pleased with the result.
Breakfast with old friends! Mmm -- I got a scramble with bacon, avocado, green chiles, side of black beans. Delish, but so much that it will do for lunch, too.
Think I killed the blog again...
Great planning ahead for your hubby's trip, kathy!! He will appreciate it greatly, I'm sure. Your breakfast sounds heavenly!
You didn't kill the blog. :)
QWP - coconut ice cream. Yum!!
esperanza, I totally understand the good feeling that goes with getting some tangible done after such an intense time of intangibles. Even if it is undone now, you got to see something you started and finished, and that's a good thing.
I have been doing some epic napping followed by good sleeping at night. Apparently, I was a bit worn out.
Hubby now has a bladder infection, so dental surgery will likely be delayed. Poor guy, he's feeling feverish and generally awful. Antibiotics have been acquired and are onboard doing their thing.
Sue, I haven't made it through a day yet without a nap. I just can't seem to catch up.
Today's small mountains conquered: oil change, "stuff" donation dropoff, supper cooked, Baboo outgrown clothes gathered to sell (hopefully) or donate tomorrow.
Tomorrow: zoo field trip. Our city is known for being weird. The zoo fits in well. It started as a wildlife rescue, so all the animals are special (ie, one-legged peacock). And there is an abundance of say, white wolves, but complete absence of typical zoo animals. Weirdest is the train, which passes by vignettes in clearings, most notably a UFO complete with aliens. Completely weird. I'm going with Mini's class. Sweet's class also has a field trip tomorrow, to the state history museum. Baboos and I went there last summer, on our City Bus Adventure, so hopefully she will feel comfortable rather than bored.
Oh, Sue. UTI's stink. Sending good vibes. Also glad you're catching up on sleep. (And, temporarily spared dental surgery, on this week after a hard week.)
Esperanza -- Field trip mama! Oh, that does sound like a weird (but maybe wonderful) zoo adventure. Not getting the UFO part *at all*, but who doesn't love a one-legged peacock?
A big wet "atmospheric river" storm is coming in tonight. I mean, we are still below ideal rainfall for this rain season; but it's a little weird to be expecting so much, so late.
Stew is in the crockpot!
Dinner out with the in-laws and our newlyweds tomorrow, after the belated honeymoon trip! In the rain, possibly. But it's close to public transit, and our co-father found the place, so my stressed beloved did not need to worry about that.
Beloved leaves Sunday, with a loaded car, apparently. I have some additions, things a person might need over 3 weeks away from home in a room. (Yes, he may be able to come home on weekends; no, nobody knows at this point.) There's a microwave and fridge; but my experience is, no cutlery; no suitable container for heating soup or whatever. None of the snacks or treats from home; no decent coffee, or selection of teas. There is a market nearby, but at best, he'll buy the bare basics. He's worrying the big; I'm packing the small.
W: Sweet was awake from 1:11 (she said that was when she woke up) until 4:45 a.m. That's A.M. In the middle of the night. Playing with legos, which is what woke me up. She said she wasn't tired. I said, "you need to get some rest for your field trip tomorrow." She said, "I'm too excited!" Ugh. Then I had to wake her at 6:00 to get ready for school.
AW: Even so, it sounds like her field trip went fine. She was in a group led by the special ed aide that helps her when she is in class. (Different people help her at different times of the day, depending on if she's in the regular class or pulled out for extra help).
AW: Mini's field trip was fun, too. One legged peacock, one horned goat, some refugee zoo animals from Hurricane Harvey, a duck whose wings wouldn't fold up, and a turkey named Stanley. A place for everybody.
W: I am tired.
Oh my goodness, esperanza. What on earth, Sweet?! I'm relieved that her (and Mini's) field trip still went well, after all that.
Kathy, have a lovely dinner with the family. And it sounds like you're doing well, helping your husband prepare for his big trip!
Sue, I hope your sweetie is doing better!
W: Mr. Q was taken down by his first (and worst) migraine in a long time. At least is during his spring break, but how miserable to spend it in pain and dark room rest!
AW: after having several days of rotten behaviour from E, she really was great today. I think that it helped that this morning was just the two of us, like it normally is. And then we walked to a nearby restaurant for lunch (I've been curious about whether it was close enough for her to handle, and then she had the idea to walk it), which meant both a quiet house for Mr. Q, and a lot of fun for E and me.
W: MORE SNOW. This is ridiculous.
AW: my sister came over in the afternoon, and quietly entertained E in the basement, so that I could haul a bunch of clothes (and a 3/4 full box of diapers, cleared out from the back of E's closet) to a local women's shelter.
So, in spite of the weather (and my love feeling under the weather), I managed to clear out more room in my house, and find a good home for the unused diapers and the giant pile of kids' coats and bathing suits I've amassed. (They were excited about both.) And so many pairs of outgrown shoes, no longer cluttering my closets!
Esperanza, sure hope everybody sleeps well after so much excitement! Regugee animals at the zoo!! And, no, about legos in the night.
QWP, hope Mr. Q is better, but sounds like a pretty great day anyway. What the fireplace, about more snow...
Killed the blog!
Dinner with the kids and in-laws was great! The still-newlyweds have a couple friends who work there (it seems like they have a friend or 2 who works everywhere), so they sent out some little complimentary extras -- champagne for all; plate of yummy little cookies for dessert. We left an extra-large tip.
We got a bunch of tapas and shared -- a couple orders of tiny unusual rellenos; a salad with cabbage, pistachios, and something; squash cubes with this fabulous sauce; broc and cauliflower, seasoned; and I don't remember what else. The little plates just kept coming for a while, one or two at a time. Then, two big "family" pans to share -- paella, and a pasta dish with roast duck. Besides the cookies, we also had chocolate flan, and a fruity sorbet with cream.
Well, this was news -- At dinner, I heard for the first time that the trial will not be 3 weeks, as I believed. After the 3 weeks, they will take a week off, and go back for 2 more weeks! Sheesh.
xoxo
W: Mini was invited to a birthday party, at the friend's house, two hours long. I dropped her off (after I took her inside, I mean). When I returned, it was obvious that all the other parents had stayed with their kids and were visiting in the living room. Awkward. I never felt like I fit in with other parents in our old town, because I was much older. Now it feels like I don't fit in here either, because....I don't know. I feel out of step. Why did I need to stay and hover? (Full disclosure: I probably would have stayed with Sweet at that age, because of her anxiety and propensity for social awkwardness).
I would have dropped off, too! With all the preschool friends, the standard is to drop off, but welcome parents to stay if they wish (except for the kid whose family does big birthdays with the whole Filipino community invited as well: the understanding there is that there is a lot of food for the adults as well). But it seems to vary between the different friend groups. You guys are still pretty new and finding your groove there (and you don't actually have to be friends with all the kids' parents, as you know). (By the way, with the school friends, I'm also the older mom, which was a surprise to me, because I was an average-aged pregnant woman in the PNW. I guess it's the difference between high and low cost of living? And a bunch of cultural factors? But I was not prepared for how uncool I'd feel among the preschool moms.)
W? I've been feeling pretty quiet since last night. There was an awful tragedy in our province, a few hours north of here, and I'm still grappling with it. So far, it doesn't sound like I know anyone who was affected, but the province's population is small, and everyone's shaken.
In previous town, it was always an all-family situation. I don't know how I came to know that, but at least I knew, even if I was old. (I had babies at 33 and 35. Most people in previous town had babies in their early 20's. Cultural factors, rural area). It seems like parents here already know each other, probably from extracurricular activities (dance, soccer, etc). Baboos (and I, to be fair) are supremely uninterested in such things. Sweet doesn't have spare energy. Mini *hated* it the one time we tried it. I would have felt awkward and out of place had I stayed, so I might as well have felt awkward only for a few minutes and otherwise dumb and happy at home, right?
Hugs for the tragedy. Even when you don't know someone directly affected, it's hard.
Esperanza -- it's OK! I liked hosting "all the family who want to come are welcome" birthday parties, but never meant to force anything. Parents who drop off are still valued parents of friends! At other parties, occasionally I stayed, but often dropped off. Like, my daughter lost her first tooth at Robert's b-d party, where she was dropped off -- she had the good fortune to be attended to by two dental professional parents! (Still in a little touch with that family, even a couple decades and change later.)
My beloved packed the car and took off for the office, to do more work and load more stuff, and then make the long drive to where his long trial starts tomorrow. Sigh.
Hugs, Kathy. Do you have any plans for how you're going to spend the time when he's away? Good thing you have the option of sending Clyde to doggy daycare, so that he can visit his puppy buddies when he gets lonely for his man.
AW: plans are coming together for an out-of-town weekend with a group of my oldest friends and all our kids. It turns out that it'll work better for Mr. Q to stay home. (E, my sister, and I can then share a vehicle, and we'll stay at my bestie's apartment.) Mr. Q is excited about the idea of having a weekend to himself (he's already scheming about doing a construction project while we're gone).
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