Monday, April 15, 2019

The Week Ahead

from a magazine ad
Welcome to this week's Happy Homemaker post! It's Monday...
The week opens in front of us, bright new and shiny as a penny, and what will we do with it?

The weather in Aurora CO
it was one of those good days yesterday... cool temps and hot sunshine. Some people had on shorts and capris, some like me had on chords and sweaters, which only means one thning, it's Spring!
Today the temps are warm, but temps are only one part of weather here, the big indicator is sun. Thin atmosphere and sun means the feels like temp is much warmer.
I actually saw daffodils in a neighbor's yard this weekend, must be hardy ones as it snowed about 3" on Wednesday. It's mostly gone now, and people are mowing and spreading chemicals.
Pine pollen is high and I have a sore throat and earache.
a white lights tree, with silk forsythia picks stuck in for spring color
To Do this week
I have to do something about Milo's hair, maybe brush him or trim again. He's not due for his monthly bath but he has been playing a lot and may have picked up grass debris.
My art quilt group meets this week, so I need to finish the abstract I've been obsessed with to show
I have to drink much more water and don't know how to make myself.
There are home chores like laundry that always  need doing
Must mail packages to far away friends. Going to the post office here is a hike. Doing anything here is a hike.
I mopped the wood floors yesterday because of the salt from recent snow tracked in

Reading
I finished the Jude Deveraux book and it was good to the last word! That was on disc, and kept me in the studio immersed in the storyline while working. I tried one in a series called Miss Dimple (?) but didn't like it, so I'm now listening to a mystery involving a dog walker (Death by Chocolate Lab ) and it's clever. Good reader, which makes a difference in books on disc.

At night I'm reading the new Rhys Bowen book and she is so good, I find it hard to put down. It's kind of a slice of life story, set during WW1. Her writing reminds me of Maeve Binchy and Rosamond Pilcher, rich imagery and likeable characters coping with real problems and joys.

Watching
we watched Mrs Wilson... very engrossing. Well done and acted, real story too. Sad to say, real story.
I think I liked best that all the families eventually met and became one unit.
When I was younger and dated someone seriously I'd have a girlfriend "vet" him for me... meet and tell me if she thought he was harmless, know what I mean?

American Idol is great but I want to vote but it's only online or by text now.
Project runway is good but they are trying too hard to make it "new!" and "cutting edge" and all I want is to see the challenges, and have Christian Serriano go away

Survivor is confusing, what are they doing with all the cast offs???
Amazing Race starts again soon, and I'm pretty jazzed about that.
The fun characters of Charleston finally return in Southern Charm soon.
Call the Midwife is fab this season, so glad they continued it.

I chased a rabbit down the youtube hole last week and ended up watching Maori dancers. Wow, now those men are scary. That's who every  country should hire for soldiers. I find cultural differences so interesting, especially dance. I watched the difference between Maori, Tahitian, Hawaiian, and Polynesian dancing and music.

Making
I'm purely obsessed with my current sewing project. The blue/green scraps sent by my prior bee mates in MD, have gone together well, and I've been adding 1/8" strips of warm colors to give definition to the piece. I'm learning a lot about the design element "line" this way. For those non quilters out there, I'm sewing tiny scrappy pieces together into units, placing them on the wall the way they'll go best, then figuring out how to sew them together into one unit. They are all different sizes so they must have parts added in, or shaved off to make them fit. And look good.

As I'm sewing I see mountain peaks emerging. Repeated throughout the piece. The warm corals/golds/pink strips are giving your eye a place to travel, and remind me of wild flowers.

Learned last week
We did a little exercise at the new coffee group, to get to know each other. The woman on my right grumbled how she hated that stuff. Well, I love that kind of thing! Anyway since I don't really know anyone the man on my left suggested we two do it. You had to find out at least three facts about the new person.
He was a terrific interviewer and we both wanted to say unusual facts. I told him I was a wench at the Renn, Fest in Fl for many years, I moved from Florida to Canada for a bit, why we moved from MD to CO, about my dog. He told me he wanted to be a vet, went to SUNY but didn't get into a domestic Vet school so he changed careers, worked for Disney and while there was Tweedle Dee for a bit, etc.

So while other people kept it very surface, he and I had a tacit agreement to make it more fun. Sometimes all you have to do is ask the right question, or just let another person know you're interested in them.

We'll see how the group goes this week! I saw some people from the group around the neighborhood and it made a big difference in how I felt about the place, feeling more connected.

Milo
Milo has a big social need too. He is so much better behaved when he's regularly meeting dogs. This weekend we stopped to chat with a neighbor who has three standards. He was interesting and his dogs were too. He let the 2 yo out first, and Milo recognized a fellow teen. Then he let the mother out who for some reason chased Milo growling and snapping til we stopped her. Milo is always fast, running from us, cutting back and forth impossible to catch unless he wants to, so that came in handy when he was escaping the jaws of death! He was much better after that... she took him down off his high horse reminding him he's not all that. Everyone knows the feeling when they realize they are just one of many, not the most important, they ARE important but they are just one of many. Milo got a reminder this weekend, and he was less cheeky to us after that.
Don't get me wrong, he wasn't frightened... he knew she was correcting him not attacking him because they both ran back and then hung out, sniffing and dog chatting. She just let him know who was gonna be top dog of the two of them.

Eating
Like I said, I need to drink much more water. I also need to make some tea to have cold for the week. My current favorite is to mix constant comment with decaf green tea bags to make iced tea. I also have bananas that need to go into muffins. Luckily I have left overs from the weekend for lunches this week to spice up  our people chow.


So, here we go, into another week. Hope it goes well...
linking to
happy homemaker monday


18 comments:

easyweimaraner said...

I love the falmingo lamp ...it is so beautiful... I think I should buy new flamingos for the garden... I really should ;O) I also have to drink more water but even the imagination to drink margaritas makes it not really better... water is watery LOL

Sara said...

I will admit that I'm more like the lady who didn't want to interview each other. Probably reflects my shy and introverted side. Lots of teacher in-services included "touchy feely" activities and I usually felt so uncomfortable. I'm much better if someone else starts the conversation.

Sandee said...

I just love it when I get to see Milo. I had to chuckle about him getting more dirty. It happens in the fair weather. That's a good thing.

Have a fabulous day and week. Scritches to Milo. ♥

Rebecca Knox said...

Glad to hear that spring is finally springing in Colorado and that the sunshine is warm! Yeah! Here I just got done digging some day lilies and hostas at a friend's and transplanting them. We'll see how they do. I always enjoy reading your posts and seeing your arts and crafts. You are very talented! Hope you have a great week ahead and blessings! <3

Luludou said...

I too have to find a way to drink more water. All I drink is water and green tea (don't like the other drinks ... too sugary) but I don't drink enough.
funny flamingo lamp.
Have a great week

Laura said...

So sorry that your allergies are bothering you. I love Call the Midwife and they are doing such a great job with integrating the old characters with the new. Love the colours in the piece you are working on. I have mixed feelings about the exercise you described. For me, I love to learn about people as am always amazed by what they have done. However, I feel somewhat uncomfortable with the kind of exercise you described as it's a fine line between revealing nothing of significance and something that feels "too private". One opener I will try is "I used to collect seal poop for a job I once had." I too should drink more water. I find it more palatable if I've added fresh lemon juice and it's cold. My friend finds it more palatable if it's warm. Wonderful how we are all so different.

Shellie Almond said...

Praying you feel better! As much as I love spring the pollen and allergies that comes with it is no fun at all! I have a slight obsession with flamingos!!! I love the lamp! Praying you have a blessed week Happy Easter!

Rebecca said...

I have an herbal tea that I love iced, and it helps me drink more water. Other than that: you could try infusing water with fruits or herbs (such as mint). The refreshments person at my guild was putting things in the big jug, and it was surprising that it made a difference: lemons (obviously), but even whole cranberries! I like cucumber water. Also, as someone above mentioned, temperature is important. I like my water refrigerator cold, but no ice. Find your comfort zone!

Julierose said...

Sounds like you have a really chock-full week ahead...i am counting down the days til my last (hopefully!) eye laser surgery next Monday...hugs, Julierose**

sonja said...

i too love Call the Midwife and they are doing such a great job on the new season. love the color of the red sweaters the bicycle riding midwives wear! i keep 5 containers, bottles of water in fridge in square bottles, or colorful NPR gift containers. i love green tea and found one brand with ginger in it, matcha? I make a sun tea, some call it indian tea if it's hot enough outside, or micro a glass of water, after hot, i put in any kind of tea bag mix appealing to me and after steeped, pour into a jug and add water to dilute to drinking over ice. Cucumber and lime squeezed into water and refrigerated ie very refreshing when i am wilting.

Jean said...

Glad the weather is being a bit more cooperative around there and that you are feeling better connected in your neighborhood, makes a big difference. I seem to drink more water if I drink it out of a water bottle, not sure why. Hope you have a wonderful week ahead!

Tails Around the Ranch said...

What a fabulous flamingo lamp! Enjoy a beautiful spring day.

Jodi said...

I haven't watched AI from last night yet... was a little to busy today at work to try and watch. Love the quote at the end. Have a great Monday!

Mary in Peoria Handmade said...

As usual, an interesting post. Love the Flamingo Lamp! You have a healthy social life with your art group and coffee group. I so enjoyed Mrs. Wilson but sorry it was so short. The warm colors in your scrap piece make the colors pop. Very cool. Have fun. mary

MissPat said...

Okay, I can definitely see you as a Renn Fair wench. You could walk right up to people and engage them in a conversation. Exercises like your coffee klatch matchup make me uncomfortable. I'm more of an introvert and have trouble socializing with strangers. Hope this was the last of the snow, but know more is always possible. We are boomeranging between 70 and 30, so each day is a surprise.
Pat

Sandra said...

Love your sewing project too, how pretty :) Glad the weather is cooperating a bit more with you.

Have a wonderful week!

Ann said...

I use an app that tracks my food and water to ensure I drink enough water. And I now have a couple of water bottles with a straw inside. They have a loop to hold onto, don't leak when closed, and are easy to open. That makes it easy to take them everywhere.
Call the Midwife still interests me after all these seasons.
I'm glad you joined the newcomers group. It will help to know more people in town.

Lisa said...

I love forsythia and think I need a few bushes in my yard soon. They are so cheery. It's great you had such a good introductory conversation in your coffee group. Our temps have been in the 80s, but we're expecting storms this evening and the temps will fall back into the 50s and 60s for the rest of the week. I read John Grishams Pelican Brief and then watched the movie. It's a good think I read the book first. If I'd watch the movie first I would have never read the book. The book was hands down better than the movie. Milo's encounter sounds a little scary since you never really know how other dogs will react. Cabo does well on our walks and wants to meet EV.ER.Y.ONE! Hope your week is going well. I'm up to my eyeballs with work and final wedding details with little time for TV or much else.
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