Robin's Nest

 If there is one thing, I do a lot of it is repeat myself. Not so much to the kids but to SIL. Even when I talk slow and short sentences there is a need to repeat. For example, we have baby gates across most open entrances to keep the dogs from roaming into the bedrooms or down the hallway. Every time she goes through a gate, she has to ask permission and then she asks if she needs to leave it open or close it. The answer is always close it. I am getting good at my script. Today there was a variation. Normally she would prefer to take a shower twice a day. If this did not require my direct supervision and take anywhere from 45 minutes to two hours, I could say yes. But alas it does. Today however, she was not willing to get into the bathroom, much less the shower. She was sure that I had someone in there waiting to watch her. We waited to take that shower. As I type this, she is 7 inches from my keyboard. She has finally been in the shower and had the 1pm meds and pretty much freak...

 It is the Wednesday after the baby's party and we are still in a state of dementia and disorientation that cannot be riveled by anything other than the full blown out episodes of delusions that we have had at times over the past three months. I probably did not help things last night by deciding to clean the pantry and rearrange all the cupboards. This cupboard used to hold a whole lot of half gallon mason jars with assorted baking contents. The small appliances weigh quite a bit less and I don't use them often enough to worry about having to use the ladder to get them. This cupboard used to be piled even higher, so this is an improvement The mason jars landed in here and the baking cupboard moved to the laundry room, yes, the laundry room. It seems that SIL has a sweet tooth in the wee hours of the morning, and she managed to find the chocolate chips, the sprinkles, the Hershey kisses. Funny, she left the red hots alone! But I felt with her being a diabetic it would be best t...

 So far, the goals for the new year have been hit or miss. I focused on keeping the island clear as it makes the kitchen seem cleaner even when it isn't. Most nights I succeed, but some nights I am exhausted emotionally and physically. Or others notice a clean spot and feel the need to "fix" that. Yesterday was spent rearranging furniture to accommodate the dog crates and the weekend overall was busy with Maddie's party and Kim's nighttime fire event. Sunday dinner was to be Chicken and Rice, Broccoli casserole with strawberry shortcake for dessert. Well, that was a total flop. No one wanted to eat it and the kids did NOT like the strawberry shortcake at all. SIL is still out of sorts. The party was Saturday, and it is Tuesday. Glad it wasn't a huge party that could have really been traumatic for her. Perhaps by next week she will be back to baseline for her. She is wandering about the house jumping at every noise, cough or sneeze that happens. To add to the c...

 The old about not enough hours in a day is so real for me. Today is the party for Miss Maddie, it is also Men's Breakfast at the church. Of course, that leaves me to get all the parties here at this house ready and do the regular morning tasks. Surprised? Not me. It would be that way anyway. I just wouldn't have the clean-up from someone else cooking for a dozen other guys. Most times it is just biscuits and canned gravy mess that I am left with. Today he cooked 2 dozen eggs and there was only powdered gravy mix available to him.  Why do some men choose a much too small pot, pan or bowl, for their creations? Wouldn't it seem smarter to err on the side of caution and go with too big? Or and what about reading directions? Or not cooking everything on high? I wish I had thought to take pictures of the piles that he made. The one thing I cannot figure out for the life of me is his obsession with leaving the eggshells on the counter, to drip their remnant contents everywhere. N...

 Our tiny terror is two!!! Happy Birthday to her! She is the youngest grandchild at this point. Probably will be for quite some time. Had to wish this kiddo a Happy Birthday by text as her parents did not answer the phones. That's okay I stopped by to see her tonight and I told her Happy Birthday then. It is Friday and the end of another week! I actually escaped for the whole day today. It was truly by mistake, but it happened. I headed in to take the kiddos to school since my appointment was at 0920 and it didn't make sense to have two of us make two separate trips in when one could do it all. Of course, that was before I realized that the youngest left her book bag at home. After dropping the young ones, I drove as fast as reasonable to get home and return in time for my appointment. That did not work quite as well as I had hoped, and it turns out that people are not very willing to share the road when heading south to Fort Carson. It forced me to call and let them know I wou...

 It is Wednesday and another month is waning to the end. We have a winter storm warning today and DH was sent to pick up the kids from school early because the roads out here are iced over. A certain young miss stayed here waiting for the other kids to return from school. When he arrived all the way to the school it turned out that the roads in town were fine. So, he is going to hang out there until they get released from school at the normal time. SIL is having a constipation day, so we are tied to the bathroom. My grandbaby is a potty snob it turns out. After some relief was experienced, the dear child pinched her own little nose and whimpered "tinky" and began to gag. Luckily, when SIL is in this state she is very caught up in her own "issues" and did not notice. I removed the child from sight and put her on a little chair next to my computer with an iPad. Temporary solution for sure. Little miss made her own "tinky" and had no clothes here so, she had ...

 Monday starts it all over again. Hopefully with less excitement and sickness than last week. The kids will not have school today. They will have worksheets that I found during paper sorting. We just watched a show that actually kept SIL still for an hour and a half and not sleeping through it either. I put on the original Willie Wonka hoping that another lively show would occupy her mind for a bit. We are having a bit not fun with the dogs. I am so tired of being stuck inside. I hope tomorrow is nice enough to take SIL out for a walk without a ton of winter wear. I should have taken her outside today, but I took the girls on an outing instead. It makes me feel guilty for leaving her out and guilty that they can't run around and enjoy talking about what they did... without her. They could tell her, but I stop them and that steals their joy and mine. She could go if DH would go with us, but alas he wouldn't so I'm the bad guy on either end. The baby and her sister should arr...

 For three plus months now I have been absorbed into the life and times of SIL and her full-time care. Tax season is upon us, and her tax lady started asking for documents that I do not have, nor will I ever be responsible for. It did get me thinking that our taxes need to be in order and soon. Since I was awakened early to the "tapping" of someone on a wall, I thought I may as well get started sorting out papers that have been shoved here and there. Of course, my onlooker had lots of opinion on what I was doing in the dark of the night (0445). Frankly, so did I! It is sorting that must be done. One thing I do love about the early morning is watching the deer come through the yard. Generally, there are about 7 including one buck. As I sat this morning and watched, SIL had already been set back in her chair and it was just DH and I sitting at the table. Sorting had been cleared so meds and cereal could be taken care of. We both had coffee that didn't taste all that great. ...

 Yes, I know technically the week starts on Monday, so if you are new to my blog, it may look weird saying this is the start of the week. However, the new year started on a Saturday so that is my marker for now. My blog, my rules. It is the only thing that I can control anymore, so I will. This morning I was awakened by a bit of a scream in the night. Not an all-out scream, more of a scream of my name. I listened for a bit, then I got up and checked, all seemed well so I laid back down. Sleep eluded me. I had already slept a bit, so that made sense. The morning has been no different than any other. Everybody up before the sun, dogs out the door and SIL with a dozen questions, each one asked before the previous is answered. Then meds and a quick sleep attack. So, I sit here looking for inspiration. It also eludes me. Time for inspiration is over, SIL is up from her nap. I did start thinking about the week ahead and some of the things I could get baked today in an effort to minimize ...

 It is Friday and the end of week 2. Most of it was spent hovering over a bucket or lying listless waiting for the next wave of nausea to hit or taking care of another that was sick. My sewing machine sat idle, the dish ran away with the spoon and poor SIL is ready for things to be normal. Yesterday we had a telehealth visit with the Neurologist, he suggested that it might be time to move into a facility, we declined for the moment. As she stands and stares at me, I wonder what I was thinking. So many days she is okay, not really excited about life, and not willing to learn anything new, but not out in left field either. Today is one of those days. She wants what she wants when she wants it. Sometimes, I can accommodate her wishes and others it has to wait until I finish something. Today it needed to wait and that did not sit well with her. This might sound weird, but I really had to clean both bathrooms and send DH a list of things to get at the store. If I didn't send the list, i...

 What a disgusting week it has been so far. Tuesday the youngest got sick she vomited well into the early morning hours of Wednesday. I started in the wee hours of Wednesday and continued till this morning. The dry heaves we're awful so I forced myself to drink water. Not great but better than dry heaves for sure. DH wants me to get tested. I tried to explain while COVID is horrible and around, all the other viruses and stomach bugs are still out there too. I just happened to find one. Personally, I say he is jealous that I my have been lounging around in my PJs for days now. Eating bon bons and sipping champagne. NOT!! I am a control freak, it is driving me crazy not to be on the other side of the door running things! The children have been kept home in an effort to not spread this bug but who knows how we got it! Maybe it won't help but I feel better thinking it will. Even the dogs miss me. I took a shower hoping I would feel less germy and slightly human. Still waiting for t...

 My goodness, I never gave much thought to writing things in a formal record such as a Bible. Last night I received a lesson from SIL. Okay, not really a lesson as she was asking me on what to do. I have no idea. She has even registered the deaths of her pets. Who am I to decide if that is right or not? Apparently, she thinks that I am the one to decide. I think I am not the one to decide. The oldest had homework and it was all on the computer. I dislike computer homework. I am not competent enough to help them. Soon, I may have to return to homeschooling them as we are considering moving. It seems that south Texas is looking appealing to DH. I will have to do a little research into what is available for work and such but moving the kiddos in my opinion would require at least a brief period of homeschooling. Then there also what to do with SIL. I am not sure that DH has taken her welfare into consideration. We will have to discuss that. I cannot imagine that I would be on a sailboa...

Today started as early as any other. The plan was to drop the kiddos at school and head to the pharmacy to pick up some meds. My first mistake was leaving in a rush. I didn't take my ID so no going to get those meds. Not willing to waste a trip I headed to the little Walmart market. Originally, I planned to pick up just some yogurt for the kiddo's lunches. The kid's do not like yogurt with the fruit that is visible, aka homemade. Someday I will figure out how to make it palatable to them. The trip turned into a "I am here I may as well pick up what I know I'll need" moment. That could save trips later. Yesterday I grabbed 3 gallons of milk. Soon I was leaving with 8 boxes of spaghetti noodles, (yes, I know I can make them) 12 cans of spaghetti sauce, 4 1-quart containers of yogurt, 6 large jars of cinnamon applesauce. Oh, and when I started unloading my basket at the car, I discovered that I had shoplifted a pack of 3 x 5 index cards. Yes, I did return them. I...

It is Sunday morning, not too early, but early enough to get a list for the day made. It seems I always make a really long list and only get a few things accomplished. That is better for me than when I made a short list and did so much more than what was on it... it was then that I started writing the extra stuff I did on the list and checking it off. It kind of felt like cheating. The night was full of ups and downs, get up, lay down, rest, repeat. I have an advantage over others in this department, my own personal greeter. Yes, yes, I know Walmart employs many of these and it is no great shakes.    However, how many people have one of their own at home?! Not many I dare say! Today is the first day of making sure I support others, but I don't get mired down in the muck. Back to the list. I have a large 5 subject notebook that is handy for recipes, lists and general notes. It is too bulky to carry everywhere. When I last went to Dollar Tree, I found a smaller one that is ...

  It was a good day to try something else. So, I tried my hand at a different donut recipe. It was, eh, so-so, I mean as far as donuts go. I have definitely had better. The ones that I cut into the traditional donut shape cooked a little too long as they were very dark. It just seemed like they were missing something. All of them. I did cut some into a shape to fill with something and when they cool, I will try. I had lots of help during this little adventure. All in all, they were a success. The recipe made way more than we could or would eat. I will let you know how well they keep. In the future I will make a half batch. While I did look forward to the traditional shape, I found the puffy pillow shape to be my preference. Another detail I will pay closer attention to is having frostings and fillings ready before starting the dough. That was my "try something new" for this past week.  SIL is particularly needy this weekend. The fact remains that I am the main entertainme...