I have a plan!

We woke up to a windy, drizzly, cool morning. It's more like Rainy Valley than it is Pleasant Valley today. Neil braved the cool air and crawled out of bed to turn off our paddle fan. It's one of those pull-up-the-covers-and-stay-in-bed kind of mornings. Even Maggie agrees with us on that point.



But, Neil has to go to work and I can't go back to sleep, so we start our day. After seeing Neil off to work and having my breakfast and coffee I check to see what the weather man has in store for us this week. It may be rainy today but there are promises of sunny skies and mild temps the rest of the week. I had a decision to make...should I be lazy like the weather or should I try to get something done? I then get into my Pollyanna frame of mind and come up with a plan. "Make hay while the sun shines," or more like, "Do chores when it's rainy outside then you can play when the sun comes out." I didn't have to think this one out too long. I suddenly had a burst of energy when motivated by promises of play days to come.

I don my most colorful and happiest of aprons and pull out the vacuum cleaner.




With that chore finished I retrieve my broom, mop, and mop bucket and get the kitchen and baths swept and then mopped. My plan is going great and I'm thrilled to get so much done without interruptions. But then...RING...RING...RING...!!!



A friend called to chat for a little while. I think I really must suffer somewhat with ADD. Now I've lost my cleaning motivation. But I look at the clock...



... and it's Read-aloud time! Yes, Taylor is 18 years old, and we still enjoy read-aloud time together. This is one of the things that I will miss most about homeschooling after he graduates next month. My three children and I have shared so many pleasant hours with books during our 16 years of homeschooling. There aren't many classics we haven't read with a few contemporary books thrown in for fun. I fix a cup of my favorite tea to enjoy during the read. It's funny, I love my hot tea very sweet with real cream, but I want my coffee unsweetened and black. Oh my, I'm off track again...



...the phone rings again. Neil calls to see how my day is going. He's so proud of all my morning accomplishments when I brag to him about how much I've gotten done already.

It's lunch time now... I check out the frig...hmmmm... left-over potato dumplings, an apple, and a glass of cold milk. Yum! (I won't mention the two little Hershey's Nuggets I had as a follow-up.) It's hard to think of the next meal as I finish eating this one but I have a photography class tonight so supper has to be ready early. I'm thinking Chicken Pot Pie. I pull out a favorite recipe. Let's see, I have already put a couple of chicken breasts in the crock pot. I don't have the cream of potato soup called for. I'm wondering if I can make my own? Think I'll try. I've also got to make up pie crusts for the filling to be poured into. Okay, Sherry, just remember, if you get all your chores done today, you can play tomorrow. Yes...yes...yes...I'm motivated to get going again!