The Next-to-Nothing House

Friday, March 1, 2013

Ordinary Days

Kelly has invited us to share a "Day In The Life"....

I know most people will find this insane, but I adore Mondays. Mondays are a fresh start on a week not yet muddled with things we've forgotten to do. It is my day to rein in the disorder caused by the weekend; creating an island of calm after the chaos of a house packed with a husband, three teenagers, a cat, and a dog.
I find it a blessing to be back in my usual routine; a routine instilled in me by my mother. It was her belief that you should have a basic schedule to work from, so to not get bogged down.

Mondays are for laundry, Tuesdays are for grocery shopping, Wednesdays are for ironing, Thursdays are for errands, and Fridays are my big cleaning days. Of course, a random errand may need to be taken care of on a Tuesday, but this schedule is just my starting point....it basically keeps me from going crazy ;)

Here is how my Monday looked...(sorry, this is going to be a long one.)

I'm never happy to hear the alarm go off at 6 AM, but if I sleep any later I'll be late for the rest of the day. After a good hot shower, wrapped in my robe, I go wake up my daughter, Madeline, then head back to my bathroom to dry my hair and put on a bit of makeup. On stay at home days I don't wear a full face of makeup, but I like to look fresh and pulled together should someone drop by unannounced. I hope the UPS man appreciates my effort.

After dressing, I wake up my youngest son, Hayden, and head down stairs to let out Sadie (our miniature Aussi). She is always such a good girl, but the rainy weather is a challenge to even her good temperament. The cold temperatures are enough to make us both want to run back inside, but she is quick to do her business and for that I am grateful.

My day does not truly start until the "gift from God" starts brewing....oh coffee, how I love thee! Just the smell of it gives me the strength to pack everyone's lunches and make breakfast. I call up the stairs to Madeline to get a move on, it is now 7:30 and her bus comes at 7:45. I often meet her at the bottom of the stairs, throw her lunch in her backpack, shove some easily carried food in her hand, and push her out the door. She is chronically late; it has something to do with the masses of hair she feels she must curl every morning. One down, two to go...

Hayden usually shows up at the breakfast table as I hear the shower start, which means my oldest son, Paine, is up. (Madeline and Hayden shower at night, but Paine prefers to in the morning.) As he eats I run through a check list with him....homework in backpack? check....jacket and shoes ready to go? check....any forms needing to be signed? check.... Of course, if any these things are not done I am sure to receive a call from the school with his sad voice pleading for me to bring_______ to him. I try to keep those trips to a minimum. Off to brush his teeth; the two boys pass on the stairs and I pray they don't make eye contact. With so much testosterone in our house you never know when one will take umbrage over a mere look. Obviously, I'm not raising morning people.

Paine is not a breakfast eater and I've stopped trying to entice him to just take a bite or two. He is 18 now and it hasn't worked for quite awhile. I hand him his lunch as he heads out the door on his way to his internship at the Commonwealth Attorney's office. I can't believe he will be graduating this year.
Two down, one to go...

Hayden darts out the door just as the bus pulls up and I watch him run across the street, jacket half on and backpack dragging. Three for three...

I toss the breakfast dishes into the dishwasher, pour myself a much needed cup of coffee, and make my way to my favorite chair. From 8:30 to 9:30 I have my prayer time; I read a daily devotional and a few chapters of the bible. If time is permitting I'll take a few moments to journal my thoughts on the days reading or prayer requests. This hour is vital to my spiritual and mental health. I never give up this hour.

It seems like for the last month someone has either been traveling (my husband) or sick (all of us). It is nice to have a quiet day of washing and folding laundry.

With the washing machine going, I lay out what will be needed for dinner and begin my daily touch up of the house. Each bathroom gets wiped down and that day's rooms get touched up (quick dusting, straightening up, etc...) On Monday's I clean the kitchen and empty the refrigerator in preparation for Tuesday's grocery trip.

I try to enjoy a few chapters of a book, while eating my lunch around 12, but too often I am interrupted with a ringing phone or distracted with email messages in need of a reply. I am chairing a charity event in September and it is starting to eat into my every moment. I've set aside the hours of 1:30 to 3:30 to work on this event and it is making the planning much easier.

The sound of the garage door signals the arrival home of Paine and Madeline, with Hayden to soon follow on the school bus. The quiet of the day is quickly replaced with sounds of rummaging for snacks and the sharing of the days events. Paine will be leaving within the hour for his job at a local grocery store and will not be eating dinner with us, so I make sure he has a substantial snack before he leaves.

As Hayden arrives home, I remove the chicken roasting in the oven and let it rest as I prepare some wild rice and broccoli. It will only be three of us for dinner because Paul, my husband, is in Mississippi on business for the week.

After dinner, I load the dishwasher and sweep the floor...I do not like coming down to a messy kitchen in the morning. Hayden starts his homework as Madeline showers and I pray he won't need help with Algebra; the math expert is in Mississippi. No help needed tonight....thank you God!

Hayden is in the shower as I, finally, get to sit and watch television or catch up with my favorite blogs.

All too soon it is 9:30 and my bed is singing it's siren's song.

Children tucked in snug in their beds... Sadie in her crate after one last trip outside... My teeth brushed.... Face cleansed and moisturized... Alarm set... Prayers are said...Goodnight.

And how was your day?

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Old South/New South

It is one of those cold, grey days, making you want to throw your hands up in disgust. Spring has been teasing us with little glimpses of her coming glory only to retreat and leave us believing she'll never arrive. The tulips and daffodils, just peeking from the ground, have been sprinkled with a fine coat of snow and I have retreated to the comfort of my favorite chair. Warm weather may allude me, but a cup of tea is an eternal friend.

Having spent the winter immersing myself in seed catalogs and sketching planting blueprints, I am especially anxious for the return of warm weather. The restrictions of our neighborhood association are stealing a bit of my happiness, but I'm determined to create the garden of my dreams. Roses and peonies top my planting list for the sheer joy their frilly loveliness brings and, with careful planning, I'm sure to be able to hide more than a few vegetables among the flowers; vegetable gardens are not on the "approved" list, along with fruit trees. I still wonder what possessed me to believe this was the best neighborhood for us!

I grew up in the country with a large vegetable garden, a fruit orchard, and Mother's roses. To lie beneath an apple tree in full bloom is to catch a glimpse of heaven and it was my permanent residence in the spring. Charlotte's Web will forever be linked in my mind with apple blossoms after having spent a week beneath the old, red delicious in the side yard. Unfortunately, this is a pleasure I've not enjoyed for far too many years.

While an apple tree is not an option, I make do with a petite, flowering cherry and a lovely first edition I'll Take My Stand by our much beloved Twelve Southerners. Not a bad trade-off by any means. Compromises must be made in order to blend our old southern ways in this new, every changing, south. Now where to find those antique roses....

Friday, February 22, 2013

New Beginnings

When I was a little girl, I remember what a special treat it was to have my cousins visit. It was rare for them to make the long trip to our little Kentucky town and I relished every moment they were with us. While the adults sat beneath the shade tree, sipping iced tea and catching up on the happenings in one another's lives (days before Facebook), the children would gather in the side yard to play games.

Many a summer day was spent playing Red Rover, Red Light/Green Light, making daisy chains, and Freeze Tag. As the day wore on, we wore the signs of a hard day spent playing; popsicle stains, grass stains, skinned knees, sunburns, and granny beads were evidence of a day well spent.

How lucky I was to grow up in that small, southern town, in a small, southern way. Three television stations; one movie theater; a couple public pools (in town and too far of a drive to make it a regular event); one McDonald's (also in town); one roller skating ring (you guessed it....in town).....there wasn't much to do and I was lucky for it. I now live in a much larger city, population a little over 300,000, and, while not on the same scale of a major U.S. city, it is often too big and busy.

My children have had very different childhoods from mine; I often feel regret over that. They have grown up with five multiplex theaters within a few miles of our house, 100's of television stations, multiple city pools, a private neighborhood pool, any fast food restaurant you could imagine at every turn, Rupp Arena just down the road, private baseball leagues, private lacrosse leagues, etc... Unfortunately, I can't say they are any happier for it. I am sad to admit that we got caught up in the "American Dream" and lost what made our childhood so special.

Since New Year, I've been thinking about the direction I want to take this blog (hate that word) and this is what I've decided....

The Next-to-Nothing House is about family, faith, friendship, traditions, food, heritage, and those simple pleasure not found for purchase in any store.

I wish to share with you family stories in the hope you will be able to identify the thread which binds us all into a greater family.

I wish to share my faith. Faith in a God bigger than any challenge we may face. Faith learned at my mother's knee, from my father's simple prayers, and from many a fine preacher.

I wish to share the recipes passed down through my family. Recipes as simple as fluffy, buttermilk biscuits and as complicated as a multi-stepped raspberry chocolate mousse cake.

I wish to share my heritage. My family arrived in Virginia in 1613, left a legacy in North Carolina, touched history in Tennessee, and, eventually, made their way into Kentucky shortly after it became a state.

Many family traditions can be traced back to those who came before. I hope to share those traditions with you.

I wish to share our lives with you in the hope that we can all learn something from one another.

Welcome to The Next-to-Nothing House...

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Happy New Year!

Saturday, December 29, 2012

Time Flies

It is hard for me to believe so many months have passed since I posted last. Our family has been through multiple changes and life is just starting to resemble something close to normal. I look forward to sharing our journey with you, but for now here are a few pictures from Christmas. Enjoy!

A twinkle of lights peeked through the front door...