Good morning, friends. Another week has passed since my last visit here. Thank you for all your comments on my previous post about struggling to keep up with every single post on my feed right now, and thank you for understanding. I'm behind again after the weekend I've had.
Outside my window... It's currently 56 degrees and a bit chilly inside. It's forecast to be a sunny day with a high of 72. Perfect weather!
My weekend... Friday evening, the whole family attended my granddaughter's preschool Christmas recital. It was so adorable, I wish I could share photos. We went to dinner afterward at a fun little place with good food, great service, live music, and an open area that served as a dance floor right next to where we were seated. The singer was excellent, and they played rockin' Christmas music in between sets. We danced the night away with the girls - and by danced the night away, I mean until 8pm, lol. We all had a great time.
The rest of the weekend didn't go nearly as well. Get a load of this - my washing machine sprang a leak, my ice maker stopped working, one toilet won't stop running unless I open the tank and jiggle things around - no, just jiggling the handle doesn't work. The other toilet is leaking slightly around the base. Then my oven died. It looked like only one little inch or so of the bottom element was heating, and it was white hot with sparks flying. If I hadn't been right there in the kitchen, I probably wouldn't have noticed and likely would have had a fire.
As if that wasn't enough, I started my car to go to the store, and the engine was making a clicking sound. I recognized the sound from when I had an oil leak many years ago. I turned off the car and checked my oil. It was almost completely empty - way too empty to attempt to drive it, even just around the corner to the gas station to buy more oil was too risky.
*Insert a loud sigh and throw in a WTF here*
I was grounded for the weekend and still grounded now until one of my boys can get over after work to put some oil in my car so I can try to figure out if it's leaking or what's going on. I'm not sure what to do with all the other stuff at this point. My older son is pretty handy, but it will probably be after the holidays before he has time to deal with such a long list of things to see if he can even attempt to fix them or not.
This morning... I'm having a cup of coffee and chatting with you. I'll be getting some beef stew going in my slow cooker in a little while.
I am wearing... Yoga pants and another concert t-shirt. This one from Rockville, Daytona Beach, 2021. I have my robe on over the top to keep myself from flipping the heat on. It will warm up quickly now that the sun is coming up.
I am cooking... The beef stew will last me for the next couple of days. After that, I'll probably just use up some leftover freezer meals. I still need to plan some fun holiday meals and snacks for my girls for Friday. That will be the last regularly scheduled day I'll be watching them until after the holidays.
This week... Today, I'll be putting together a doll crib and highchair that I got for my girls for Christmas to go with the lifelike baby dolls I got for them. I think they will really love all of it, especially with their new baby brother or sister on the way.
I need to come up with some holiday activities for them for Friday, too. I had planned to bake cookies with them, but no oven, no cookies. I'm glad I hadn't purchased all the ingredients yet. Maybe I'll buy some store-bought sugar cookies for them to decorate instead. Other than that and giving them a few of their Christmas gifts, I'm not sure what else we'll do yet. Either way, I want to be sure it's a fun and festive day for them.
I still have a few gift cards to buy and a couple of gifts to wrap. I did a good cleaning while grounded over the weekend, so that's out of the way. We still need to figure out a plan for the actual holidays, too, which is difficult with my new grandbaby due on Christmas Day - not to mention the lack of a working oven.
I think that just about covers everything for me this week. How's your holiday season going?
Looks like that you have an eventful weekend..I hope you will have a great time with your girls.
ReplyDeleteThe weekend was definitely eventful; who knows what the next one will bring!
DeleteYour breakdowns are the definition of "When it rains, it pours." I'm sure it's all discouraging, but your granddaughters are a bright spot. Good luck with it all.
ReplyDeleteThanks, June. It always seems to be when it rains, it pours around here. I'll get through it one way or another. My girls are definitely the bright spot! :)
DeleteYour granddaughter's preschool Christmas recital sounds so cute and fun. I'm so sorry with all the troubles you had this weekend. I hope you can get some oil for your car soon and not be grounded. Do you have Triple AAA by any chance? They would bring you some oil. You can sometimes get a cheap membership from them at this time of year, sign up today, and use them today for the oil. Just a thought. I hope it all works out well for you.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Belinda. Friday evening with my girls was so great. I can't believe I didn't think about AAA. I actually got the free trial last year when I broke down and decided it was worth the fee to keep it, considering I'm driving an old car. Thank you so much for mentioning it!
DeleteWow, it never rains but it pours, eh? I hope everything gets fixed soon! In the meantime, enjoy your beef stew, yum!
ReplyDeleteIt always seems to work that way around here, unfortunately. I'll make it through one way or another. :)
Deletewe get to see our grandson's preschool Christmas program this week, I cannot wait!!
ReplyDeleteThey are so cute. Have a great time, Karen. :)
DeleteWOW! That is crazy how many things went at once! UGH!!!! I hope there's a simple (re: cheap) way to fix most of them because that is A LOT! We had 3 of our grands over on Saturday for a mini Christmas party while their parents went shopping. We found some cute plaster 'village' houses for them to paint at Five Below. They really enjoyed doing that. We also had some cardboard Christmas ornaments that they colored in with felt markers that I found for a good price at Hobby Lobby. If you have a mini crock pot, you could melt chocolate and they could dip pretzel sticks in and then put sprinkles on. Just some ideas of things we've done with our grands.
ReplyDeleteI hope your week gets better! At least you're not dealing with the snow like we are here. It's been a terrible 'autumn'!
Thanks, Bijoux. It's funny that you ended your comment that way because with all that's going on, I was just thankful that I wasn't dealing with snow, floods, summer heat, or hurricanes. I have a lot to deal with at once, but it always seems to happen that way around here. I'll be waiting for my son to check things out before calling anyone for repairs, even if it takes a while. Luckily, none of it is an emergency situation. I did get oil for my car today, so I'll definitely be going out tomorrow to check out some of the stuff you mentioned for the girls for this week. I'm glad you had fun with your grands on Saturday. Thanks for the suggestions. :)
DeleteOh Ms Martha. My word. I wish I could wave a magic wand and fix everything that broke on you. Glad to read you have a slow cooker. That's cool. Do you have an air fryer? Or an electric pressure cooker like an Instant Pot?
ReplyDeleteGlad to read that you had a wonderful time and to be honest, 8PM is super late to me. I've long done been in my jammies by then.
Hoping your stuff gets fixed soon. Please don't worry about keeping up on blogs. We get there when we get there. I've been unplugged all weekend and it's been great. I'll get there when I get there and what I don't get to, that's okay too.
Soup/stew and leftovers sound good.
Thank you, Ivy. I sure wish I had a magic wand too, lol. I do have an air fryer, a microwave, and thankfully, my stovetop still works fine; it's just the oven itself that died. I don't even use the oven that often anymore, so I can easily survive without it for now.
Delete8pm was very late for me too, lol. I'm usually in my jammies by sunset at the latest. But I made it through the special occasion. :)
I love your attitude! Thanks so much for taking the time to visit me and leave such thoughtful comments. Big hugs! :)
Oh Martha it is frustrating when things stop working and all at once like that is unbearable! You poor thing. -Christine cmlk79.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteThanks, Christine. I'll make it through. :)
DeleteOh my word! That is too much going on, especially in the Christmas Season. I hope the car issue especially can be taken care of soon.
ReplyDeleteOf course, it happened right at the holidays, isn't that just the way things go? I did get oil for my car, and no signs of a leak, so it's just something I'll have to keep a close eye on. The other things are inconvenient, but can wait if necessary.
DeleteWTF is exactly what I was saying as I read this. That is a lot to be dealing with all at the same time. I always tell TBG when that happens here do NOT ask what next. I hope things calm down and get taken care of. Enjoy your time with your granddaughters.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lori. It's definitely a big WTF with it all happening at once, but after everything I've been through in recent years, it doesn't even faze me all that much. I just hope my son will be able to handle most of the repairs - eventually. I'll definitely be enjoying the time with my granddaughters, no matter what :)
DeleteI agree with WTF too. I can relate since our house is now 30 years old and things are going bad at the same time. Have fun with the Grands!
ReplyDeleteExactly Terry. My house is a little more than 40 years old now, and everything just seems to be falling apart. All the damage from the hurricanes last year didn't help. I will definitely enjoy the grands no matter what :)
DeleteMy word Martha you have been invaded by the Grinch and all his extended family.
ReplyDeleteJumpin' catfish I'm thankful you have a crockpot for cooking
Many wishes for easy repairs.
Hugs Cecilia
Thanks, Cecilia. I guess that's what I get for having no decorations outside besides a Grinch guarding my front door, lol!
DeleteUGH. It sounds like an Appliance Conspiracy. I've had several Decembers very similar to this, and it's The Worst. It's enough to make you set up a tent on the beach, isn't it? Hang in there, my friend. Fingers crossed that repairs are possible, inexpensive, and speedy.
ReplyDeleteThat's a lot, too much for one person to deal with. I am in awe that you could blog so nicely about it all. I like your idea of store bought cookies and decorating them. It's the time together still and something they will remember.
ReplyDeleteNo one would blame you for getting store bought cookies to decorate. They'll still look very special, especially made by your grands. As far as dinner for a family on Christmas, many stores now offer dinners already made and all you have to do is heat up in the microwave. Still cheaper than going out to eat. Take care and try to enjoy a stress free holiday! I've learned the easy way out is sometimes the best for me. Love, ma
ReplyDeleteOh, Martha, you've truly been through the wringer!!! Hope everything can get fixed/straightened out before Christmas. I do love what you're getting the grands for Christmas. I know they'll be thrilled. May this week be a much more peaceful one for you. Blessings!
ReplyDeleteBless your heart ❤️ 💙, Martha. Sending you much love and warm 🫂 🤗 hugs. Don't let stress affect you. Do what you can, dear friend.
ReplyDeleteI have to say, my 0 degree weather and 6 inches of snow, all outside, is way better than the fun you are having! Too many things going wrong at one time for you. I'm trying to keep the bird feeders full and chipping ice out of the plastic bird bath a dozen times a day because they eat seed, they need water. My only outdoor exercise for now, lol.
ReplyDeleteI hate it when things quit working. How awful. I hope all these things work themselves out with little expense.
ReplyDeleteHave a blessed day and week, Martha. Big hugs. ♥
Yikes, what a mess. At least with the toilet you didn't just leave it running. (Unlike my upstairs neighbor who did leave theirs running until it flooded us downstairs. That was a good month's worth of cleanup work. Had to tear out half a bathroom and half the kitchen.)
ReplyDeleteTotally worth it to bring in the repair people. They'll get it all fixed quick (although, could be expensive).
That is just TOO MUCH! Even one of those things would undo me but all of them at once? I would have suggested getting away somewhere although your non-working car eliminates that suggestion. One of my toilets is ghost flushing which is annoying at 2 a.m.
ReplyDeleteThat's a whole lot of aggravating stuff to happen. i hope things improve and you have a wonderful week.
ReplyDeleteWow, that is definitely a lot of stuff going wrong all at once. Praying that your family can help you with the repairs or something...somehow it will all come together, but I can well imagine the frustration you must feel. I hope that your time with the little girls will be a time of fun and just doing things that you all enjoy. Sometimes we just have to come up with a Plan B and be thankful for whatever we can do. Still, (((HUGS))) and prayers might help. Take care my friend. I'm sure it will all work out and you will have a wonderful Christmas. The baby is due on Christmas? How exciting is that? Sounds like your Christmas will be anything but "boring". (((HUGS)))
ReplyDeleteOh, I am so sorry to hear that it all hit at once! Be careful with the leaking toilet, I had to have my bathroom floor replaced last year due to an improperly installed toilet. A "professional" install it too! I couldn't see the leak, but the floor got soft and my son step through in one spot. My oldest son was tricky. Asked me how much it was to repair, just to know in case it even happens to them, to be ready. Then he sent me the amount for my own floor!
ReplyDeleteThe cookies that come naked are a good idea. The Dollar Tree has some cute small gingerbread house kits too. Small enough not to be overwhelming.
When it rains, it really pours!
ReplyDeleteGood thing you had some fun with the girls.
Happy Tuesday, Martha!
I am so frustrated for you. I hate when things break and/or don't work!!
ReplyDelete