Monday, August 15, 2011

When Threre's Too Much To Do...

When there's too much to do
Don't let it bother you, forget your troubles,
Try to be just like a cheerful chick-a-dee
And whistle while you work
Come on get smart, tune up and start
To whistle while you work.
~Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 1937

This week I prepared for a seasonal consignment sale, one I have not done in previous years but have shopped. The problem the last few years is the one I have been doing in the fall is very late in the season and I just did not sell much two years in a row. I think it is because shoppers have already done most of their shopping by then, so this year I was determined to sell in two earlier sales and see how I do at them. My drop off time is tomorrow late afternoon for the first one and next week I take what is left over to the second one.

Having gone through the Princess's wardrobe, there is not much that she needs this season, because I bought too much in larger sizes last year and she did not grow that much. One of her friends is seven years old and they are just about the same size, so other than shoes and socks, she does not need much of anything. I will look for some some special stuff, but I will be selling more than buying this time around...I hope I will be selling more at least.

I am hoping the sales will offset the cost of the Landmark books I bought from a friend recently. I received three large boxes with 78 books. I had to clear two 36-inch long shelves in my homeschool bookcase. Some of the no-longer-needed homeschool materials were listed for the consignment sale, but some I am holding on for a bit longer as we finish up and others, like readers, I will box up to give to the Princess for her children.

I still have a couple of book sets to find a home for and the shelves in the Princess' bedroom are overflowing with books as well...sigh! She does love to read though. I often catch her trying to hide a book under her covers when she should be sleeping. I am very thankful for that, but then I have to be a parent, because tomorrow morning begins a new day with morning chores and lessons.

I am getting side-tracked.

My husband planned to have Thursday and Friday off as comp time for working through last weekend, but at the last minute he had to work Thursday and would take Monday off. That would have been fine as the Princess and I have errands and her piano lesson, but as I was within ten minutes of leaving the house, the piano teacher called to say not to come and not only that but asked if I would stay with her the night because she had not slept in a week and nothing was helping her to sleep, even things she had used successfully in the past. My husband came home late that night and I kissed my daughter good-bye saying I would see her the next day.

She has been away with her father for a trip to Florida years ago and her father is often away. However, this was the very first time that she was home and I was not. It felt strange.

I stayed up talking with my friend and praying over her. She finally seemed sleepy, so we said good-night very late. I woke with the sun and read a book until I heard her stirring near 10:00 AM. Yes, she had finally slept. I stayed a couple more hours and arrived home at 1:00 PM to a very talkative Princess...as if I had been gone for so very long.

Saturday we all rested most of the day. I should have done many other things but I read most of the day.

Sunday was our 24th Wedding Anniversary so I decided to wear my wedding dress to church. It is a white cotton, tea-length, A-line dress, not fancy with lace and pearls as one would expect, but simple and comfortable. A couple of the women unknowingly mentioned it looked like a wedding dress and I confirmed it had been. (My husband is certain I have alienated the women at my church for certain now since I still fit into my wedding dress from nearly a quarter of a century ago.)

As a family, we did an outing today that I will post separately after I go through the photos.

The rest of this week I have to make mayonnaise, ranch dressing, granola, and yogurt. I need to pickle sweet peppers as we have so many banana peppers. Just over a week ago, I cut up my pickle-sized cucumbers and let them pickle in the left over sweet pickle juice; they taste delicious! Right now I have too many zucchinis and large cucumbers, so I have to decide on what to do with them. We made our first rabbit meat pie this week and it was quite tasty. (Honestly, most people would not have been able to tell it was rabbit as it does taste so much like chicken.)

Homeschooling has been going much better, but we got off schedule because of the days my husband took off and not having the needed library-borrowed book on New Jersey, but generally I am very pleased with our new approach.

So, I am a busy woman, but not frazzled I am both surprised and very pleased to say! Now if I could just catch up on the housework...(whistling).

~ My Lord, thank you for the little ways I can save us money so that we can spend a bit extra for outings like we did today. Help us all to be very careful with our time as well. Help us to keep our priorities, Your priorities. And thank you for giving my friend the ability to sleep again. Please help her to fully recuperate soon. ~