Tag: being silly

The Chronicles of Narnia

I have to say: For some reason, I was utterly disinterested in reading The Chronicles of Narnia when I was a kid. We read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe in fourth grade, and I enjoyed it. But I never felt a desire to read the other books. I loved other series, but had no interest in that one.

However, now that I’m three quarters through the first book, I’m starting to reconsider. I’ve actually liked this book, and so find it interesting how these stories all tie together, though with different main characters for each book – perhaps that was what had disinterested me back then, a lack of a stable main character. In this case, Narnia is the stable main character, in a way, though it is always kind of the blanket holding everything happening, as opposed to the everything that is happening itself.

Does that make sense to you, too??

Post-a-day 2022

Errands

I was struggling to get out of the house and get my errands done earlier today. Just as I was getting near the point of I must leave Now, my cousin reached out to me and my mom. She let us know that she was in town for the week and would like to see us, if possible. After a few further messages and a quick phone call, I hopped in the car and went and picked up my cousin.

She only had until about five o’clock, and it was already almost 3pm. But I picked her up – and she left her baby with her husband and in-laws! – and she went and ran my errands with me.

It sounds silly, perhaps, but I think we both had a really great time just being together again, and with no other real distractions, no one else for us to have to think about or check in upon. One of my errands happened to be to my mom’s office to pick up some pie, so my cousin got to see my mom for a little bit, even.

I dropped her off at their dinner reservation near 5:30pm, after a lovely time together, and with an intention of going to pick her up in the morning to come hang out with me at the house while I get things done here, both for the slumber party and for my trip. If the timing works well, she and I also will go to this wonderful shop that makes fabulous natural body products – oils, scrubs, lotions, soaps, etc. Then we can have some lovely tea/tisanes at the house together and just be all hyggelig together.

Thank you for this lovely day, God. Amen.

Post-a-day 2022

Travel

We are going to Mexico to visit his family. He is going for three weeks, and I am going for a week and a half. However, both our packing ended up looking like we’re moving there for a month (or two). Oh, the comedy in packing when driving somewhere versus flying… he leaves by 2:30am at the latest (within the next hour). I fly down on Friday. My carry-on had better be just a few little things, because my clothes, excepting the outfit for the plane, are all packed and in the car already. Lord, guide me, please.

Dear God, please, keep him safe in his travels today especially. Keep us both safe throughout all of our travels. Thank you for this life. Help us to bless the world through the gifts that you have given to us. In your name, I pray. Amen.

Post-a-day 2022

Hurts

At lunch for my brother’s birthday today, they were all taking about how they’re sore and how they have bruises all over their bodies, both in unexpected places. That’s about how it goes with aerials!

I’m definitely sore tonight, but I also did almost no physical activity of any kind today. I walked to and from the car a few times, including at the restaurant for lunch. I sat a bunch at lunch and for work (studying) later. I lay down on the sofa to nap, then later this evening to watch a movie. And I walked around the house a bit, as well as out front a few times to see the Christmas lights my man was putting up (at last – there’s no time like the present!). So, it makes sense that I’m quite tight tonight.

I just asked for restful, relaxing sleep for us all tonight, please, that we be rejuvenated tomorrow and pursue and fulfill your will. Also, as usual, please, get my man home and into his bed safely tonight, and help me let go of some of my fears of his working out so late at night. Please, grant us peace. In your name, I pray. Amen.

Post-a-day 2022

Getting ready

Family is coming over tomorrow for dinner. We spent today doing things on each of our to-do lists (which I had made the day before yesterday). Still no gas, so we have new oil space heaters from The Home Depot that he picked up during his several errands today. We have cute, seasonal-ish tissue boxes around the living space, now. I reasonably handled everything that I’d brought from the apartment, and so the dining room is cleared out and cleaned up. I handled whatever else I’d had sitting around the living spaces. I got my man to help remove the broken tiny lightbulb in the little chandelier in the dining room, and then replaced it with the brighter bulb and put the thing back together – looks and works great now. I set up the red and white towels and napkins and dish towels and rugs my mom dropped off yesterday for us to use as Christmas decor… and then I took most of them back down and out them in the washer, as they had obviously been in the storage unit for a few years (or more), based on their feel and sniff-scent (which is when you only can smell it up close, not a radiating scent). I poured the kettle of boiling water into the freezing cold wash, just to help however I could. Then I hung them all out to dry overnight. The big towels are resting atop parts of the oil heaters now, as they are big fluffy towels that likely wouldn’t be dry by tomorrow afternoon otherwise. (And yes, I know what I’m doing here, as I spent years drying my clothes on such heaters. Never cover the front part.) I set up the decorations I liked from the tubs my man pulled down from storage in the garage, including a little village and two tree skirts – yes, I did the one, then found a nicer one, and so put it just in top of the other, saving the effort of picking it back up – and a funky punching-bag-looking, triangular sandbag Santa and a few other little things to put around the house.

I also made a wreath from the scraps I’d picked up the other day at the Christmas tree lot. Hopefully, we can find the old door hook and hang it on the front door tomorrow.

And I wrapped all the little gifts I’d had stashed for my man, and I put them under the tree, atop the pretty little skirt.

I set up the two power strips for the village and for the lamps and internet extension and tree lights. And I put lights on the tree, as well as a single ornament I’d found of a red fire truck, old style, and a few candy canes. I left the rest of the canes for my man to dress the tree, though. I’d wanted to decode it together, but realized that neither of us has any ornaments, anyway. So, candy canes, down separately will do. He was in the room when I did the lights and candy canes, anyway. Sure, he was vacuuming, but it counted well enough for this hurried night of to-dos.

Oh, and I also put away and tidied some clothes in the spare room, put some things away, put some things in the give-away pile, made a Santa hat for our St. Francis statue in the kitchen, put various beverages tidily in our outside fridge, cleaned up the drink area of the garage, and fed us a bit.

My man ran a bunch of errands, handling a lot of important stuff for us both, and giving the dog a fun adventure. He put the stove back in its nook against the wall (even though it doesn’t have any gas yet). He built what I estimate to be about 35 feet of fence on the side of the house – and it looks good. He pulled out all the Christmas lights for the house, starting to sort them and ready them. He tidied his stuff a bit on our back patio, and a bit in the house, too. He helped me light our Advent candles on our newly-placed-out advent wreath from my mom, while I sang the lovely German song for lighting the Advent candles (and he joined for the last chorus!). And now he’s at the gym, working out and then taking a hot shower.

Tomorrow, I have to tidy the office, especially my desk; put away the hang-upside-down board (obviously, the right words are not coming to me so late at night right now…Inversion table! Got it!); wash dishes with my ridiculous boil-pour-dip method of using the water kettle to handle our lack of hot water; set up the German cookies and chocolates I got; clean all surfaces; work – yep, still have to get those few hours of coding stuff in!; take a nap; fold the napkins and put all the towels back, once all are dried… and that might be it…. Oh, and hang up the wreath on the front door! I also would like to tidy more in the spare bedroom, and handle finishing touches on everything.

My man has to work his whole work day – he’d have taken the day off, but his boss is already off tomorrow, so he’s just rolling with it – and he also has to put up the Christmas lights on the house, finish tidying in the back, and finish tidying his things inside the house. Hopefully, he’ll also get a nap!

We can do it. I know we can. God, please, help us do it with grace and ease, if you will. Thank you for everything. In your name, I pray. Amen.

Post-a-day 2022

Flight time

Tomorrow, we fly.

First, we fly in an airplane with my love. Then, I head quickly down the road a couple minutes to fly on a high ropes course.

We jokingly said I ought to parachute into the ropes course place. Surprise! How bizarre would that be? Haha

Anyway, must sleep now. God, give me this needed rest, please, to refresh me for tomorrow. Amen.

Post-a-day 2022

Fence-building

And so, the fence has two gates that open up to allow a six-foot mower to drive through, now, as well as a full-enclosing side bit. So, no dog escapes anymore, pup!

I cooked us three soup on the side of the grill, making a big pot of beef stew that, apparently, smelled amazing as soon as I started cooking the garlic and onions. 😛 It turned out surprisingly good for how last-minute and thrown-together it was as a recipe. My soups tend to be super bland, and I worked hard to have this one not be. Turns out to be good as it was, though better with a touch of extra black pepper – then it was great! I’m delighted by the outcome. As I mentioned, my soups don’t tend to be very good period, let alone quite tasty. So, yay! And it fed the chilled, hard-working boys (read, “men”) who were building the fence for their second day of work today. Very grateful to my brother for coming out again to help my man make it happen. Yes, my man could do it all alone, but setting a time and having help for that set time sure does make it happen a whole lot faster than the several months of its not happening so far. 😛

Also(!), while they were finishing up the fence, I brought inside and set up the very nice stationary bicycle gifted to us by the chiropractor in whose office my mom works (but for someone else). He was getting rid of it, and let us have it for free. Hopefully, it can help my man get in some cardio while he has to sit with his laptop all day for work! So, yay, again!

Thank you, God, for all the blessings of today. Help us to pursue and fulfill your will tomorrow. In your name, I pray. Amen.

Post-a-day 2022

Rainy Days

Today, my brother was scheduled to help my man build part of a fence. It’s roughly a two-day job, according to my man, but this was meant to be a start.

However, when it poured rain last night, and the yard turned into sludge and a pond, my man was wanting to cancel. But I held firmly to the fact that he still could get a lot done today, with my brother’s help, despite the rain. So, they got to work this afternoon.

By the end of it, they had placed the posts and poured the concrete that now needs to sit for a day or so before the rest of the building can take place. They also dug out and ripped up loads and loads of viney roots from the ground where the fence needs to stand. And, frankly, if it hadn’t rained so much, those roots would have been an absolute misery to dig and pull out. Yes, it was messy this way, but it was less physical effort for the labor. So, the rain was a bit of a small blessing, after all!

Separately, one great anecdote came from their work today. They ended up pulling up one root that was about ten feet long. It looked like a whip from nature. And yes, it did crack, breaking the sound barrier, like an actual whip. (!!!) What’s more, when they first pulled it up, my man was so excited at how it was like a real whip, he went ahead and snapped it right there to see if it would crack like a whip… forgetting that they were presently surrounded by loads of water and mud, and subsequently shooting that water and mud everywhere. My brother especially got covered in spots of mud and muddy water. It was silly and stupid and wonderful. 😛

Post-a-day 2022

Bath time

I was drying clothes at my friend’s house the next neighborhood over tonight. I lived with her and her husband and baby at the start of this year for a few months, and I always love visiting. I have, tonight, been officially dubbed, “Naahh,” or “Nannah” by the baby. She knows who “Hannah” is, and has known for months, but can’t quite say it herself yet.

Nonetheless, I went to hang with her after she finished being bathed by her dad and he just left her to play in the bath a while (seems to be the normal now, as she’s old enough to be left semi-alone for a few minutes in the low bath). She eventually handed me the water gun that had recently been added to her bath toys, and wanted me to shoot it… at her. It was ridiculously adorable. She squealed with delight and giggled and wiped her face off after I stopped. She then proceeded to tell me, “Duck!… Wall!… Beah!” and I obligingly shot each named item in turn. (That last one was a bear pacifier, for those who don’t quite know the two-year-old words. 😛 ) I also added in her feet from time to time, whenever her toes popped up fully from the water.

It was a great bath time.

Post-a-day 2022