A New Year.....New Beginnings

So, New's Years went ok.  Son and fiance came up, bringing granddaughter with them on Saturday.  We had tons of food, good meals, lots of snacks.  We played a new game granddaughter gave us for Christmas...."Deer in the Headlights".  A lot of fun; lots of laughs.

Celebrated New Year's on Sunday because they were leaving for home Monday.

They left about 1:30pm.  We cleaned up a bit and.......took a nap!!  Holy crap!  I feel like we were running a B&B for the past week.  I'm seriously getting too old for this.  BH agreed with me that next year, we will make the rounds.  Leave for the Cities super early in the a.m, spend some time at their home, have anyone who wants to, meet us there; have lunch, open gifts, have some laughs and then.......head back home.  All in one day.

We did this for about 4 years after daughter moved here from Washington state.  Mainly because the grandkids were so young, we thought it important that they enjoy Christmas Day with all their toys rather than being uprooted for the 3 hour drive up north, most likely staying for a day or 2, not being able to play with their toys for all that time!  Cruel and unusual treatment!

But then we got tired of the quick turn-around, the 6 hour round trip drive.

But I think we're now tired of the grocery expense, people not showing up with no communication, people showing up hours or a day later than planned, helter-skelter sleeping arrangements, and tons of (did I mention?) expensive groceries either going in the freezer, being thrown out, or BH and I eating gobs of snack foods every night just to get rid of them. Not to mention the 20#s I will pack on that I really, really shouldn't.

Anywho, Wednesday I decided we've had enough "joy" for one season....it's time to undress the house and put everything back to normal.  And so we started.  Finished up Thursday, did a bit of housecleaning through on Friday and some laundry.  Saturday we went to daughter's and undressed her apartment.  Good thing we did.  She told us she had a nagging sore throat.  By Saturday night, she called to say she was running a temp of 102, ached all over, had a pounding headache and was horribly congested.

So I gave her my "Dr. Mom" advice and told her to "call me in the morning".  Which she did.  Fever is maintaining at 100 degrees, headache is just a slight nag, just achy and still congested.  So I checked with her today and will do the same tomorrow.....and the next day.....and the next day  till she's just about over everything.

I got back to knitting the day after Christmas.  Working on the vest.  Got both sides done; will start the back probably today.  I like it!  Except for the armhole bindings and the front binding that yet need to be done.  I don't like bindings.

And even though every piece of furniture is back in its natural place, I have not uncovered and set up the spinning wheel yet.  The basket of fiber is sitting next to my chair.  No wheel.  Maybe later this week I'll get back to it.

I did remember this morning that I have about 15 bobbins of spun yarn that has yet to be skeined and washed!  How I forgot about them, I'll never know!  Yikes....that'll take a couple days.

And I'm seriously thinking of setting up the sewing machine again (all had to be taken down and put away so the spare bedroom could be....a.....spare.....bedroom again.  For the guests.  Why the sewing machine?  Because we were shopping Saturday for essentials....because we got a couple of "mucho dinero" gift cards that were burning holes in our pockets.....and I need pot holders.  I mean, one of them you have to fold in half to grab a hot pan, because there's a big hole in the middle.  God help you if you forget about that hole!  Trust me.  I've experienced it.

However, upon perusing the "kitchen linens" aisle, I found nothing to my liking.  No. No. Royal blue will not do.  No.  I don't use oven mitts....therefore, a set of 2 oven mitts I do not need.  And, no thank you, but I do think $3.00 for a pair of very thin, lightweight, small pot holders is a bit over priced.  Ehhhh....I think I'll make my own, is what I told BH. 

So I best get at it.  Because, not only do I need pot holders, but there's a pair of his favorite pajama bottoms that need the waistband elastic replaced.  They've been folded up and hidden in the closet since....the first week in December.   Of 2012, smartypants.  I heard that!