Vacation Preps

It's been a busy couple of days here. I'm trying to get everything ready for our vacation in a few days. I am bound and determined I WILL NOT be struggling at the last minute to get everything packed!

I think I've got everything done to keep the homefires burning while we're gone. I've posted the "Vacation Rules." After last July's trip , I can't stress enough, "No digging in the front yard!" (I'm thinking of embroidering it on a sampler.) That pit still has not been completely resolved!!

I even posted a surreptitious list of things that CAN be done AS LONG AS THEY'RE DONE BY THE TIME WE GET BACK!!! This includes things like repairing the concrete on the patio, painting the railing on the inside stairway, steam cleaning the carpets, etc. I don't really expect any of that to be done, but, Hey, it's worth a shot!!

Last time, we came home to a new toilet seat (It broke the night before we left.) and a freshly caulked tub. I wasn't surprised by the toilet seat as I had purchased the new one the morning we left and had it standing in the bathroom as a hint. I think it was a matter of personal comfort if they wanted to use the facilities at all while we were gone. The caulking, though, was a pleasant surprise as it had been on the To Do List for months.

I seem to have a pretty good handle on the laundry and ironing of clothing that needs to go with us. I've started the pile of odds and ends that I want to take (You know, a stray book or two that wandered East at some point and needs to find its way home, Ravens souvenirs for the misplaced fans, a stack of photographs for the family [some still do not have email or facebook], and more.) I still need to make a grocery run to pick up those regional faves that just aren't available in the Midwest and to gather nibbles for that 1200 mile drive. I'm exhausted but I think I may actually have my act pretty much together at this point.

Unfortuantely, I won't have internet access while traveling so I'll be busy going through withdrawal and missing all of you. In the next two days, I need to type in advance postings for both blogs. I've come up with a few interesting items for your reading pleasure while I'm gone. So, please keep stopping by.

5 Constructive Things I Should Have Done Today ...

As most of you know, we'll be traveling again at the end of the week. I'll be disconnected from the internet for two weeks so I've been stockpiling some posts to run while I'm gone.

Sometimes, it's hard enough to come up with one post a day but today I created six with pictures and such. Pre-posting is considerably more difficult from a technical viewpoint. Spacing doesn't always publish as planned and often pics will be off a bit. For this reason, I try not to do any creative layouts so there is less to go wrong. Dating needs to be adjusted carefully or the post won't land when and where I've planned. This all takes a considerable amount of time. Time I should have spent on other activities. Activities that are much more vital to getting out of here on this trip this week. (At least The Big Guy would think so!)

So, here's a list of 5 more constructive things I should have done today:

1. Finished all of the laundry so I won't be rushing to wash things that need to be packed the night before we leave. (I guess I could have been doing that AND working on those blog posts simultaneously. After all, I didn't need to carry them down to the river to beat them on the rocks - just down to the basement.)
2. Ironed all of the clothes that are already clean but do need to be pressed. (You've got to agree that would cut into my blogging time! )
3. Gathered all of the toiletries, jewelry, hair accessories, books, etc. that also need to be packed. (It is amazing how long that takes. I also know there will be some I need to add to the shopping list as they will also be needed here at home while we're gone.)
4. Finished the two birthday gifts that need to go with us. (I'd like to be able to load the car without worrying about situating the item whose paint is still wet! Now that would be a novelty!)
5. Shortening two pairs of pants I'd like to take with me. (I have found it awkward to balance a whole pair of pants in my lap while sewing and riding simultaneously. I always seem to drop the needle or spool of thread on the floor and then need to wait until the next rest stop to get them!)

So, we now know what I should have done but I did legitimately do some constructive chores (besides blogging and twittering). I did some grocery shopping, made a good meal for our dinner (Yes, I did make it from scratch!), cleaned the kitchen and bathroom, and refined the packing list. I am making progress.

After all, tomorrow is another day!

Too busy to write, tonight!

Not much time to write tonight. I'm busy trying to get some packing done for vacation. We leave on Wednesday and I spent the day doing laundry, finishing some orders and beginning to make the Easter candy I'll be taking with us to deliver personally. That latter item was the big time-consumer today.


We didn't allow a lot of advance planning time for this trip. We try to do this cross-country drive to visit the in-laws twice a year - once after the Spring thaw and then, again, just before the Fall snows begin. (Twenty hours of driving can grow very long when the weather is rough.) My mother-in-law has been in very poor health for several years now and has been in and out of the hospital several times since New Year's. She's had several falls in the last few weeks so we felt the urge to get out there soon. Less than two weeks ago, we laid out the plan and began making the appropriate arrangements.

Packing this time of year is difficult. It is forecast to be fairly chilly as we leave home but by the time we return in ten days, it may have warmed up tremendously. For this reason, I'm packing both heavy and medium weight clothes. We also pack a fair amount of East Coast goodies they can't buy in the Midwest. That involves making lists and running around gathering those items. I always make gifts to take to the little children and the Spring trip always involves a box of my home-made Easter candy. Two weeks isn't a lot of time to put all this together!

I plan for this rush to be over by mid-day tomorrow to allow me time to write a few blog posts and some other things I want to accomplish here on the home front before leaving. So, I promise something of more interest tomorrow.

In the, meantime, I hope y'all take the time to go out there and be creative!