Sunday, January 01, 2006
Christmas Eve was a work day for Beth, Steve, and I. I had big things in my garage for years that I wanted carted away and had no way to do it. Christmas Eve was to be the day.
James brought his truck over for us and drove my car to his house. Beth, Steve, and I started to work loading things up.
The biggest thing was an old couch of Beth's. It had lots of wood and was very heavy. When I cleaned up some, I had a lot of trouble scooting it across the garage to the garbage corner.
Steve alone picked up one end and put it into the truck; then, he picked the other end up and slid the couch fully into the bed of the truck. Effortlessly done. I cried. I mean, literally, I cried. I had struggled with this problem, knowing I needed help to get this done, but it had not been done for so long because I wanted to do it independently. Now Steve had done it so easily. He tried to help me with my tears. "It is all in the pivoting. You just need to find the pivot point." I knew that he was a very fit male, half my age, but still I wanted that power.
But what is is. I tell myself that often and it applied here, so we worked on. We loaded a mattress, box springs, two doors, and lots of other stuff. Beth and Steve went through practically everything in the garage, consolidated things, pushed it to the back, and swept the floor. A good job.
We drove to the dump. The Chester County dump is not really a dump. It is just the place to take your garbage so they can take it to the regional dump. There are 6 huge metal bins. One for recyclable aluminum, one for cardboard, one for furniture, one for wood, one for metal, and one for household garbage.
Beth and I took some things down to the household bin while Steve started unloading the furniture. The bins are tall, maybe 6 or 7 ft. high. He had gotten one end of the couch in the bin and was trying to tip the other end over the top. I helped him push and it went over. He said "Oh, I wouldn't have been able to do it without you." Maybe he wouldn't, but more likely he was trying to make me feel better.
We cleaned out the truck bed and then picked up Mother's folding table at Janice's and took it to James's where we left his truck and took my car.
Steve had driven over there and we left with me driving my car. Steve is a laid-back surfer dude and he drives rather slowly. I know the back roads so I was driving faster. I heard him in the passenger seat muttering "Mary Andretti."
We went to Goodwill in Jackson to buy some things to complete the doll bed they had been making. Emma wanted a bed for her American Girl doll Josefina. If you know about American Girl dolls you will know that they and their accessories are very expensive. She was already getting some things for Josephina for Christmas so Anne asked Steve and Beth to make her the bed Emma wanted.
They had brought the basic framework in pieces in their luggage from Florida. Both Beth and Steve are old hands at Goodwill so they went to work and it did not take long for them to buy a little shelf unit, a curtain in a Southwest print, and a shearling foot massager. I bought for $4, a boxed set of four Spode Christmas Tree plated. They had a small chip but usually they cost $20 each.
I could not imagine that they were still there on Christmas Eve but Beth said that people shopping at Goodwill do not generally know what Spode is.
Back home Steve took apart the shelf unit and used the back for a decorated head of the bed. They put the bed together and painted it the same color as the American Doll bed in the catalog.
Meanwhile Beth took apart the shearling footwarmer. She used every piece of it except for the motor. The shearling was used to make a sheepskin rug, also like in the American Doll catalog. The scraps were used for the inside of the round bolster pillow. The foam inside the footwarmer was perfect for the mattress. The curtain became the coverlet.
It is a very cute doll bed.
Meanwhile I started cooking. I made the Ballpark Macaroni and Cheese from a Rachael Ray recipe, a Caramel Apple Cheesecake from a Paula Deen recipe, and a green salad to take to James's.
We picked up Mother at the nursing home and got to Montezuma just a little late.
It was a wonderful Christmas Eve. Good food and good fun with good relatives.
Those attending were:
Mother
Julia, Frankie, and Jay
Me, Beth, and Steve
June, Harry, Alvin, and Abigail
John, Charlotte, Jennifer, Tony, Billy, Barrett, Cindy, Chelsea Paige
Janice, Keith, Denee
James, Rene, Brittny and her husband
June took Mother back to the nursing home.
June, Harry, Alvin, and Abigail were staying at the Americana Inn. Alvin and Abigail were leaving the next day for a vacation in Gatlinburg and Nashville. Abigail likes country music.
James brought his truck over for us and drove my car to his house. Beth, Steve, and I started to work loading things up.
The biggest thing was an old couch of Beth's. It had lots of wood and was very heavy. When I cleaned up some, I had a lot of trouble scooting it across the garage to the garbage corner.
Steve alone picked up one end and put it into the truck; then, he picked the other end up and slid the couch fully into the bed of the truck. Effortlessly done. I cried. I mean, literally, I cried. I had struggled with this problem, knowing I needed help to get this done, but it had not been done for so long because I wanted to do it independently. Now Steve had done it so easily. He tried to help me with my tears. "It is all in the pivoting. You just need to find the pivot point." I knew that he was a very fit male, half my age, but still I wanted that power.
But what is is. I tell myself that often and it applied here, so we worked on. We loaded a mattress, box springs, two doors, and lots of other stuff. Beth and Steve went through practically everything in the garage, consolidated things, pushed it to the back, and swept the floor. A good job.
We drove to the dump. The Chester County dump is not really a dump. It is just the place to take your garbage so they can take it to the regional dump. There are 6 huge metal bins. One for recyclable aluminum, one for cardboard, one for furniture, one for wood, one for metal, and one for household garbage.
Beth and I took some things down to the household bin while Steve started unloading the furniture. The bins are tall, maybe 6 or 7 ft. high. He had gotten one end of the couch in the bin and was trying to tip the other end over the top. I helped him push and it went over. He said "Oh, I wouldn't have been able to do it without you." Maybe he wouldn't, but more likely he was trying to make me feel better.
We cleaned out the truck bed and then picked up Mother's folding table at Janice's and took it to James's where we left his truck and took my car.
Steve had driven over there and we left with me driving my car. Steve is a laid-back surfer dude and he drives rather slowly. I know the back roads so I was driving faster. I heard him in the passenger seat muttering "Mary Andretti."
We went to Goodwill in Jackson to buy some things to complete the doll bed they had been making. Emma wanted a bed for her American Girl doll Josefina. If you know about American Girl dolls you will know that they and their accessories are very expensive. She was already getting some things for Josephina for Christmas so Anne asked Steve and Beth to make her the bed Emma wanted.
They had brought the basic framework in pieces in their luggage from Florida. Both Beth and Steve are old hands at Goodwill so they went to work and it did not take long for them to buy a little shelf unit, a curtain in a Southwest print, and a shearling foot massager. I bought for $4, a boxed set of four Spode Christmas Tree plated. They had a small chip but usually they cost $20 each.
I could not imagine that they were still there on Christmas Eve but Beth said that people shopping at Goodwill do not generally know what Spode is.
Back home Steve took apart the shelf unit and used the back for a decorated head of the bed. They put the bed together and painted it the same color as the American Doll bed in the catalog.
Meanwhile Beth took apart the shearling footwarmer. She used every piece of it except for the motor. The shearling was used to make a sheepskin rug, also like in the American Doll catalog. The scraps were used for the inside of the round bolster pillow. The foam inside the footwarmer was perfect for the mattress. The curtain became the coverlet.
It is a very cute doll bed.
Meanwhile I started cooking. I made the Ballpark Macaroni and Cheese from a Rachael Ray recipe, a Caramel Apple Cheesecake from a Paula Deen recipe, and a green salad to take to James's.
We picked up Mother at the nursing home and got to Montezuma just a little late.
It was a wonderful Christmas Eve. Good food and good fun with good relatives.
Those attending were:
Mother
Julia, Frankie, and Jay
Me, Beth, and Steve
June, Harry, Alvin, and Abigail
John, Charlotte, Jennifer, Tony, Billy, Barrett, Cindy, Chelsea Paige
Janice, Keith, Denee
James, Rene, Brittny and her husband
June took Mother back to the nursing home.
June, Harry, Alvin, and Abigail were staying at the Americana Inn. Alvin and Abigail were leaving the next day for a vacation in Gatlinburg and Nashville. Abigail likes country music.
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