Time Waits for No Man. Or Me, Either.

I haven’t really been procrastinating.  Not really.  I’ve just been so busy with preparations for Christmas and all our children and grandchildren being together—you know:  cooking, cleaning, and cleaning, and cleaning, and rearranging furniture—including getting the baby crib and other necessaries from the storage unit, cleaning some more, decorating (albeit minimally), buying groceries, and buying groceries, etc., and planning the Christmas music for the Church Christmas program including choir practices and coordinating with those who are really in charge of the meeting schedule, planning and preparing Sunday School lessons, and did I mention purchasing Christmas gifts and wrapping same?, and occasionally breathing and refocusing.

Honestly, I thought of blogging every few days or so, particularly when I had a moment to squeeze in a look at my favorite blogs late in the evening.

And then, on Tuesday before Christmas, when I thought I had another day to clean and prepare—which I figured would MAYBE be just enough time to finally finish everything—I learned around noon that youngest daughter and her family were actually arriving a day early!!!  Which meant about 3 to 4 hours from that moment!!!!!!!  Never one to panic (yeah, right!) I shot into high gear and enlisted the aid of my two oldest grandkids, who were the only other bodies present, to do things they are not used to doing!  But, because cousin, Baby Cakes, was on her way . . . man!  They were all for the extra hard labor.  Blue Eyes couldn’t get enough of the vacuuming of stairs and entry hall, Miss Noodle vacuumed the living room (we employed dual (dueling vacuums?) vacuums—Noodle had the upright, and Blue Eyes had the shop vac.  It all worked great!)  I forget who vacuumed the dining room and kitchen, but Grandma scrubbed floors upstairs and down till the skin wore away on her old fingers!  (That’s the thing about doing extra cleaning, particularly with more cooking/baking—the mountains of extra dishwashing—and during cold weather, the skin on my fingers disintegrates something terrible!  Cracks form and hurt like the dickens, and whine, whine, whine!  Sorry.)  And, Miss Noodle folded clothes till she thought she’d collapse!  But all toil and trouble was forgotten when Baby Cakes and parents arrived a little before supper.  All hearts were then made merry.  According to the baby’s Mom, said Baby Cakes wailed for miles at the injustice of have spent so many confining hours in the tortuous grip of a car seat.  (Can’t they design a reasonable car seat for little ones that doesn’t make their little sit-me-downs go to sleep?  Seriously!)

Christmas was GREAT!  We did have all our children and grandchildren together for Christmas Eve night and Christmas Day for the FIRST TIME EVER!  I’m soooooooooo grateful for that!!! 

 Someone discovered the GREATEST ball in the world!  It rolls very nicely, smells good and TASTES good!

 Santa somehow knew that this kid needed, really needed a car to sit in and drive.  For REAL!

 Uh, oh!  Thought that pic was a better one.  But Wii is mesmerizing, nonetheless!  For #2 Daughter and her precious brood!  

SIL, Baby Cakes' papa loved playing Mario something or the other along with (my) Young Son, too!

 Young Son on doling out the Christmas gifts duty.

 Youngest Daughter and Fambly

 Oldest Daughter finishing up the asparagus casserole.  Yum!  (There's a sweet potato casserole just about ready for the oven close by.  More YUM!)

 My Borther-in-Law.  

(I don't ever remember seeing him look more like his brother, my husband, than in this picture!)

The day after Christmas, #2 Daughter and her father (my husband—just so no one gets confused) drove half the distance for her children to meet their Dad for his week with them.  Our son had work on Monday, so before husband and daughter made it back home, I drove him to his home.   

Once there were eleven and then there were seven.  But we were not idle.  Son-in-law took the time--and there were some complications, of course, because nothing like that is going to go along seamlessly--to install my Christmas present, a new dishwasher.  He also managed to uninstall the garbage disposal that has been inoperative for years and therefore taking up unnecessary space under my sink.  (The first task, of course, did entail the removal of the OLD dishwasher.)  I can’t tell you how grateful I am for his help in those two tasks that require not only brawn but, quite frankly, a lot of brain as well. 

His wife, #3 daughter, made a fabulous pot of chicken and dumplings—her own variation of my version of my mother-in-law’s take off of her mother’s rendition of her own mother’s chicken and dumplings recipe.  We all lapped it up with gusto!  And, for me, because I requested it before she ever left home to come this way, she made her great apple pie!  I truly savored every bite—and wish for more.          

On New Year’s Eve Eve, we celebrated oldest daughter’s birthday (a day early) with middle daughter’s Pork Adobo Tacos, my guacamole and pico de gallo, and I don’t remember all the rest, other than grated cheese, sour cream, chopped cilantro and chopped green onions to adorn the other stuff. 

Then oldest and youngest daughters, Son In Law, and I played “Settlers of Catan” on New Year’s Eve to welcome in 2011.  It was fun—even if I did the worst of all players, but it was touch and go for the rest of the players throughout the game, and Birthday Girl took grand prize!  We had my homemade cinnamon rolls for her “birthday cake” (she’s NEVER been a great cake fan) the next day.

We had a great spread on Christmas (just to keep you guessing as to the time line—there isn’t one. (Obviously)) Tangenting back now:  Youngest daughter, SIL and Baby Cakes left us on New Year’s Eve, sniffle, sniffle.  They’re over 700 miles away—which is way too far!  The other grandchildren are back from their week with their Dad and their other grandma where they had a second dose of Christmas.  And school has begun once more.

I think I began typing this post up two weeks ago.  Since much has occurred in the mean time, I’ve apparently not posted it before today, so I’ll do that now and catch you up (or me up?  Hmmmmm???) a little later on what’s happened since. 

Maybe.  * * * SMILING * * *

(ThIs wHolE tHinG miGht NoT maKe eNny sEnse.  BuT ThEn, yOu migHt HaVe fiGureD iT/tHaT ouT.)

The Bat Cave, or The Pit of Despair, Take Your Pick

Over a week ago now, while cleaning what was once upon a time my mother-in-law’s kitchen—in preparation for the family gathering on Thanksgiving Day—I discovered a cavern. This cavern was so deep, it required a flashlight to discern its depths and *shiver, shiver* ghastly contents. As the original occupants of this lovely home have returned to their Maker in years past, you need to know that I suspect no one has lurked in this “Bat Cave” for years. I don’t think the entrance has been broached in over three years, at least.

The task of cleaning the rest of the very large kitchen (which I’ve envied for nearly 40 years now) has fallen to me on various occasions, and I’ve done a fairly thorough job of it for the most part. After my MIL had brain surgery more than 11 years ago, now, the ladies hired to help with housework, cooking and looking after the in-laws (at least two of them) did a valiant job but had their hands full in the “taking care of” department in many instances which also included chauffeuring to doctor appointments, etc., etc. Hence, deep cleaning, serious deep cleaning of the ‘Bat Cave’ was over-looked. Perhaps it was even “off limits” as its contents were under the FIL’s jurisdiction and not to be trifled with.

So, after who knows how many months, years, of surface attention, if any at all, the Bat Cave and surrounding environs were finally thrust open to view. Now one fact you might need to keep in mind—which has gone unmentioned heretofore: this house containing this kitchen, containing this Bat Cave (convincingly disguised as a corner kitchen cabinet under the counter) is located in a farming area. Because it’s in a farming area there tend to be field mice that frequently seek shelter from life’s little difficulties where they can.

And also in the interest of full disclosure, when one of the women hired to clean house, etc., took little interest in the cleaning aspect, I discovered one weekend, that some rodents had apparently held some sporting events in this kitchen for some time and apparently considered the area behind the microwave oven as their outhouse. Sorry to alarm your sensitivities, but the truth sometimes is disgusting. That said, you may begin to understand why I began calling this particular corner kitchen cabinet under the counter as “The Bat Cave”. In the furthest reaches of the back of said cave, I found a treasure trove of guano—so to speak.

I’d wager no one had, in recent history, ever put light on the subject and found the heaps of “stuff” in the back corner—on both shelves. So, with a trusty flashlight and a long broom and mop I harvested a pile of poop. Dust filled the air in the small space and I coughed, sneezed and shivered through it all. I thought of calling in archaeologists to carbon date samples to determine the age, etc. of the pile, but didn’t want them traipsing around during the Holiday interrupting our family gathering. So, after a relatively good sweep, I sprayed the heck out of that cabinet with Clorox spray cleaner, and mopped my way through as best I could. Had I been able to really enter the cave a far as needed, I’d have done a far better job. The adjoining cabinets also received proper de-junking, spraying and mopping. Before all was said and done, my husband had taken several truck loads of garbage off to the dumpsters from our daily use of paper and plastic dinner ware and utensils, as well as what was cleaned out throughout the house.

Oh, and lest I forget…I caught one mouse in the laundry room closet the night I set out the trap. I suspect there are more lurking about, however, and will have to set out more traps next time I’m in the neighborhood.

One day, for Jeanie in Paradise, I may take better pictures of the very large, enviable kitchen I’d like to transplant to my own home. As you know, Jeanie invited us into her kitchen and I could possibly invite you into the one that’s now much cleaner than my own. Hmmm. Let me see. I could thumb through the pics we took at Thanksgiving . . . maybe . . . yes. Let’s try these on for size . . .

This is #2 daughter, Amy with her #2 son, AFT. (Ain't he cute?!!)

They are standing at the entrance from the den.

This is a better Den's eye view, if you will.

These are, from l to r, #1 daughter, Jana, little AFT, Amy, and the foot and legs of BIL, David, or Amy's hubby, Darren. Can't exactly tell from the shoe. Ooops! Yes I can! It's gotta be Darren! Look at the plant magazine in his lap!

That mystery woman is chopping sweet potatoes and putting them in the pot to cook for Thanksgiving Dinner. (Ugh! She's the same woman who crawled into the "Bat Cave"!!! Yikes!)

This is one of the most important spots in the kitchen, it's the business end. Many a delicious, and great meal has been prepared here. My mother-in-law was a fabulous cook. She taught me lots about Southern Cooking. You can tell I learned a thing or two by checking out my profile!

This charming Gent, who didn't want this picture taken (can you tell?) is my one and only!

This is the other important end of the kitchen--the one where most meals were/are eaten.

This lovely lady is #3 daughter, Sarah.

So, you didn't get to see EVERYTHING in this large, wonderful (clean, though you can't tell that for sure from these pictures) kitchen I wish were in my house. Except for the "Bat Cave" of course. Jeanie, do these picture count? And since you probably did notice . . . the kitchen is mostly part of the den. I really like that in a kitchen/den combo!