Catch Up (& Mustard)

Whenever I say "catch up" as in "I've got to catch up with my to-do list..." my hubby invariably quips "what about mustard?" Silly guy.

Today's accomplishments:
* I tossed 500 Avon brochures in neighborhood driveways. 400 of these were from past campaigns I didn't get to toss due to weather, funeral plans, and general lack of motivation. They're still valid, though 200 of them expire next Friday and say "last minute Holiday gifts." Oh well. At least I got them out of my office!
* I paid our bills.
* I paid my mom's bills.

Lord, I hate financial stuff. It's getting more complicated all the time, too. I remember when paying bills and keeping track of the budget was easy. I got paid X amount, I deposited it in the bank, I wrote checks for the bills and hoped there was enough left for groceries and a little fun. It's not like that anymore. Now we have direct deposit and automatic payments, debit cards, and I just can't keep track of it anymore.

I bought a brand new copy of Quicken to help me manage my money. One week and an automatic online update later, I'm hopelessly lost. I think I set up our accounts wrong. I'll start over and try again.

I've tried to get my husband to manage our money and pay bills instead. He isn't interested. I don't blame him.

I Need Flylady

I need to go back to Flylady. I like Flylady, but her advice sometimes hasn't seemed to fit my needs in the past. I'd read the daily missions and kind of chuckle -- those things weren't big issues for me and I felt a little smug about it. For example, she'd say we ought to go into the bathroom and toss out all the empty shampoo bottles and shriveled up ends of soap bars. But I'd already done that a couple days ago, because I always cleaned the bathrooms on Thursdays, HA!

But I've gotten away from my own routine and my house is a PIT. Okay, it's not as bad as some, I guess, but it's so damn depressing to feel like I'm shoveling snow in a blizzard. I have more of Flylady's "hotspots" than I know what to do with -- the dining room table, kitchen counter, corner of the kitchen, downstairs hallway, boxes of stuff on the steps...we are just rearranging our junk these days. So I'm re-subbing, and will make myself accountable.

Animal Issues

We adopted my mom's cat. Mom's cat is OLD. I think she's 16. She does not get along with our cats At All. Our cats are just curious; this old biddy acts like they are attacking her every time they come within four feet. Mom's cat has peed in my closet, on the bathroom floor, and her favorite thing now is to pee on the towel we put next to our leaky shower stall. Well, it could be worse, but it's kind of a downer to always have your bedroom smell like cat pee. Kills the mood, you know?

The dogs are doing well, except I'm kind of miffed at Rocky (black lab mix/mutt) who just chewed the handle off a snow tube my son got for Christmas. It wasn't even blown up yet. He left it on the porch, and Rocky decided it was nicer to lie on than the cold tile floor, and had something fun to gnaw on too. Mind you, he wouldn't be on the cold tile floor if he hadn't ripped open both the back and seat of our wicker loveseat. Dummy. Our German Shepherd Dog, Maverick, is much more sensible and would never be caught doing something so undignified. Good thing they're both so lovable.

We have chickens, too, four of them -- two barred rocks and two buff orpingtons.



This is our first year with them; we got them last spring and they've been laying eggs for a few months now. You'd think a family of four could use up four eggs a day, but we don't. We have a big surplus in the fridge, we give them away to friends, and the older ones are enjoyed by the dogs. Maverick in particular likes his daily treat of egg mixed with glucosamine powder; it helps his hips.

Silly, dirty things! Their coop needs cleaning, badly, but we've been putting it off because the weather's so cold.

Sometimes I wish for a less complicated life...remember boredom? I used to be bored. I remember feeling bummed because there wasn't anything much to do, having lots of spare time, hours to read or listen to music or just stare up at the ceiling daydreaming.

But I guess this is true...be careful what you wish for. It goes both ways.