House of happiness

We love our new home, but it sure gets cold up here. This morning we woke to 10C and the windows were running inside. Thank goodness we have a large reverse cycle air conditioner/heater.

Today I plan to vacuum and wash the floors, dust and clean the bath and toilet. This will have to be after the usual morning chores. God willing, I will have enough spoons.

On today's to do list is:

1. Clean the kitchen
2. Make our bed
3. Do a couple of loads of washing
4. Dust
5. Vaccuum and wash the floors
6. Make a slow cooker bolognaise sauce for spaghetti tonight.

I have chucked out some leftover cake for the birds. It is like an airport here this morning. 

I am planning on getting some plants in baskets to hang along the front verandah. Currently, I am doing a google search to know which ones would be not only pretty, but hardy. Our house is a house of happiness and the plants can reflect that...  

Like a beetle on its' back

Today I have woken up tired. Fibromyalgia and angina are vying with back pain to see which is going to be the one to send me back to bed.

So far I have taken my medications, made some toast and tea for our breakfast and thrown some fruit bread out to our delightful birds.

I was planning on following Mondays' List but instead I will be following Thursdays which is a day of rest. God willing, I will be able to do Monday's List tomorrow..

I have a pre cooked slow cooker meal in the freezer for dinner tonight. So no need to cook. I don't like using frozen dinners, but I learned years ago to accept what is and not be a perfectionist...

We are experiencing thunder and rain and I am wondering if that is what is causing my renewed fibro flare, or if it was making the effort to go to church yesterday. Whatever it is, one thing is for sure: today I am as weak as a kitten and as helpless as a beetle on its' back! 

Another day in Paradise!

This morning I came into the loungeroom to find our cat Xena propped in front of the back door eyeing off the birds feeding in the bird feeder. She looked at me as if to say "I was just watching!" But she spoilt it all by immediately prancing around saying, "Out!"  yes, she talks...

As any cat owner will tell you, when you live with a cat 24/7 they get to imitate words and Xena knows, bed, food, out! She tells us "Out!" when she wants to be let out, she knows who Dad is and she even calls me "Mum!".... with the same inflection my own children used years ago! lol

My fibromyalgia flare is lessening and I have a few extra things I want to achieve today apart from following Sylvia's Saturday List. 

1. Go through our clothes and fold/hang them as per Marie Kondo
2. Cook a Shepherd's Pie with peas as side dish for tea

First, though, I am going to get dressed then fling all the windows open. Today the air quality from nearby fires yesterday has improved with rain overnight. I do love fresh air.

If I can achieve all these things, I will be happy. Not that I can stay sad in this place. No matter what comes my way, it's a nurturing place and every day is another day in Paradise! 

It has to be enough!

Since moving here, there is always something to see in our backyard. It's like a screen saver: it's always changing.

This morning I found some rosellas enjoying the seed Chris put out for them. They were later joined by some King Parrots: green headed girls with red and two shades of green in their feathers, with the boys red headed with the same two shades of green feathers. 

We were woken up with a kookaburra laughing outside our front garden and he was later joined by some magpies warbling. If you love birds, you would love our place! 

I am in need of a nana nap this afternoon to tide me over till tea time. We saw a new doctor recently and we needed to get our blood tests done today. We fasted for these ones and in spite of my drinking heaps of water,  the phlebotomist couldn't get any blood- in three tries, nothing.

So Chris had to drive me to another clinic 20 minutes away and she got it first go. I was praying and sweating as my veins are very tricky. They wimp off at the first sign of a needle.

My spoons are all gone so very little is on my to list:

1. Rest
2. Cook chops, veg and mashed potato for tea

It's not much of an effort, but it's all I can do today. It has to be enough! 

What a drenching!

There's nothing nicer than being in bed listening to the rain on a tin roof. Especially if you don't have to go out in it...

Last night and this morning we had heavy rains and more is expected today. Next week we are going to be in the middle 20C's or 68F's. With all the bushfires around us, it is much needed and prayed for.

I took this picture from our back door just after I fed some bread to the birds that frequent our garden. I love the smell of the rain! We are getting some relief from the heat with a top temperature forecast for 21C or 69.8F. 

It was my plan to go to church this morning, but with all the storm activity yesterday my fibromyalgia's flaring and I honestly can't make it. Hopefully, next Sunday will be better.

Usually, I listen to the Bible on You Tube and worship and rest at home when I can't go. Which is often, unfortunately. 

I will be hanging up the clothes I took out to wear there this morning. Later on I will cook some curried sausages in the slow cooker, which is my favourite way of cooking when I am in a flare.

There are a few dishes in the sink soaking in hot soapy water as per Sylvia's Sunday List. I will attend to them later on after I have had a rest. 

It isn't ideal that I am seeking to go back to bed so early in the day, but such is the life of a chronically ill person. I no longer feel any false guilt over it like I did in the early days of finding out what my new normal would be.  I can only get through this flare by resting...

So list of to do's today:

1. Hang up clothes
2. Set slow cooker going with sausages for dinner
3. Rest

And last but not least, I will be rejoicing as more rain falls giving our parched land a drenching!