Back from the doctor's

Okay, it's back from the doctor's office, but I'm not entirely trusting of it at the moment.  That virus made me a bit nervous. 

It's been a busy week, even without a computer though. 

After my lovely weekend alone, a friend called to break the news that her daughter-in-law passed away during the weekend.  Now I can't stop thinking of her and the family she's left behind.  Even though I didn't know her well, I know her family well and my eyes keep tearing up for them.

Sometimes funerals are full of happy thoughts and memories of the deceased.  This one will be more along the lines of it being too early, she was too young, there should have been 60 more years of life to live, etc.  It's going to be a tough one. 

Pray for the family and for her partner in particular.  He's too young to be in this very adult role and my heart goes out to him.   Read this

Family-less Day

My laptop (with all access to work files, homework assignments, ability to watch movies, listen to CDs, etc.) is currently at the doctor's with a nasty virus. Well, I'm hoping it isn't that nasty that it can't be cured relatively quickly without harm to some of it's functionality and files.

However, no pictures for now and limited posting because this old machine is SLOW!

I've just had the most lovely weekend that I've spent in a long time. And it's all because I've been alone. All alone! I celebrated Family Day by kicking my family out and it's been great. I can't remember when I've had three days without them and without friends too. I don't want people to think that I never get away. Once a year I get to go to Kelown with friends and spend days drinking wine and eating yummy picnics.

But this is different. I eat when I want to eat. Sleep when I want to sleep. Clean when I want to, play the piano, I even picked up the cello again. And maybe the lack of computer was even a good thing.

I get many hours to myself during the week when the kids are at school, but in the back of my mind I'm always counting done the hours/minutes until they come home. If I go out, I have to remember to be back home by a certain time. And even if I have a full day alone, I'm trying to cram in enough stuff that I can relax a bit too. You can't actually rush relaxation. It doesn't work that way.

So on the first day I slept in until 8:30. That's not late, and that's the latest I slept all weekend, but the lovely thing was waking without an alarm clock or the sound of others moving around the house. I opened the curtains and woke with the sun.

I also went to bed earlier than usual. That was unexpected. I think I missed my family most in the evenings. The night is long without them. The first night I went out for dinner (ate food they wouldn't have liked) and then went to Rosa's to watch a movie because it was really weird to be alone in the house like that. By day 2 I was better. I launched into projects and finished a dress and blouse in one day.

And now they are coming home. They should be enjoying the museum in Wetaskawin right now and maybe I should go to our museum this afternoon and go through it at my own pace. What luxury!

But I'll welcome them home too. I think I'd be mighty lonely if this lasted for long. Three days is not long though. I'm thinking that I should do this again next year. Happy Family-less Day!

Falling from the plan

I'm way off the plan now and all because we missed the potluck on Saturday.  The plan is apparently too tight, relying on leftover meat from previous meals.  Lots of meals rely on other meals happening as planned. 

Whatever.  We still eat.

Chicken and hot sausage in a creamy sauce, mashed potatoes and salad. 

Weird potato balls

I really dislike Tuesdays, starting at about 3:30.  It's gotten a bit better since January, but this is how it usually goes.

At 3:30 I start looking out the window and watching for the girls, as if seeing them two minutes before they arrive at home will make things go more smoothly.  It doesn't help, but I sort of brace myself a bit.

I have snacks ready for grabbing on Tuesday and my mouth frames the words before the door closes behind Alice.  "Leave your coat and boots on - it's piano lesson day!"

No one likes Tuesdays. 

"Do you have something quiet to do for an hour, Alice?"

"I don't have a book!  I've finished them all and now there's nothing to read!"

Library day is Monday and by Tuesday she is always done her books.  We do still have books in every room in the house, but we go through this every Tuesday. 

"Find a book, any book or some crayons and paper and let's go." 

"Beth, are your fingernails trimmed?  Have you done your theory? Grab your books - let's go!"

Within fifteen minutes we have to be in the van and if the traffic is perfect we can make it in time.

Then we quietly sit for an hour while Beth plays the piano.  I always have a book, but usually my head is resenting that I've been dragged away from supper prep.

We get home between 5:30 - 5:45.  Before January, I would run in the house and grab some heated suppers for Laura and I (Yvon would have been home for about 10 minutes, enough time to take something out of the crock pot and fill bottles with milk) and the two of us would continue on to her choir practice, eating in the van and always be about 15 minutes late.  Oh, so relaxing.  Luckily Laura recruited two new choir members and now one does the drives three girls to choir and I only have to pick them up and deliver them to their homes.  That now gives me an hour at home to actually sit at the table with my family to eat. 

Tuesday still has to be a crock pot meal or we'll eat very late.  Tonight:  crockpot chicken, carrots and corn, apple sauce and odd potato dumplings. 

They were kind of good actually and a first time thing for us.  I picked up a soy-free, wheat-free processed package.  It was an add-water and boil affair.  I'd be willing to try it from scratch next time. 

And this is Alice's plate again. 

Besides being symmetrical, I can't remember what she said it was.  A face maybe?

Travel

This weekend we went to Arizona. 

And to Australia.

 And to Spring.

I'm planting some things under my lights today.  Because spring will come again.  It will.  Occassionally I feel it in the air and in the light that's returning to the late afternoons. 

Dinner last night

Nothing special, but I was doing some work yesterday and I finally managed to fit a walk into my day.

And it was Valentine's Day.  That means many parents send their kids to school with plates of cupcakes and cookies to share with the class. 

And two of my girls get a box of Smarties from the teachers desk rather than risk an allergic reaction to some lovely homebaked and well-meaning gift.  Smarties.  Peanut free and nothing special. 

So I sent them to school with their own treats that were safe and better than Smarties. 

I'm glad I anticipated that this year, because sure enough, I got a call from the school.

"Alice's class is enjoying Tim Horton muffins to celebrate.  I called the shop and they said they don't know the ingredients.  Can she have one?" 

Don't they have to have the ingredients in the building somewhere?  I would have thought so.  However, she still had her decorated goodies in her lunch bag and was happy to eat them instead.  Yay me!

Anyway, this was supper.  Beans, rice and pulled pork with an apricot BBQ sauce that Beth said was so sweet her teeth hurt.  And that was a good thing apparently!

And Alice said that I'd promised to photograph her plate sometimes.  She made a food tree to share with you.

What's for Dinner...and again

It was not on our plan, but if I didn't have a plan neither of these meals would have pulled together so easily.

The plan was to go to a potluck dinner with the church, but at 4:30 our volunteer (and much appreciated!) plumber was still not ready to leave. I had SO hoped to have my first bath in the clawfoot tub last night, but the tightness of the space made installation of the plumbing much harder than anticipated.

In any case the roasted potatoes were planned, so all I had to do was steam some brocolli, cut off some pork from the meat planned for Monday and make a few sauces. Red wine and mushroom gravy (for the adults) and creamy sause made by Laura for the brocolli. It was all yummy.

Although I wasn't originally thrilled with this ranch dressing earlier in the week, it's been great on our food this week. Good to have on hand.

Tonight the huge pork shoulder in the crock pot was still not cooked to soft perfection, so we ate leftovers.

Wilted cabbage, fish, creamed corn and the rest of the roasted potatoes with pineapple spears for dessert. The ranch dressing was stirred through the cabbage and was really, really good. Even the kids needed no prodding.

I'm liking the meal plan so far. Tonight I'll have to plan a week to tack onto what I've already done.