Take me as I am

Over the course of a 57 year old friendship, I have always made sure my house was clean and presentable when Ann came.  Not that she was judging me at all- it was just how I rolled.

Once fibromyalgia came to overshadow me and steal my spoons over the last 22 years, she and I made a pact that we would visit each other no matter what state our home was in. Or else it would never happen.

As we grew older, we realised that things like neat houses sometimes were very scarce, and we agreed that visiting each other was too important to us than worrying about our homes' presentation. So we chose to each be hospitable and not worry about the extraneous.

Since developing fibromyalgia, I have had to rethink my own standards of cleanliness. My standards now are in order of priority and are non negotiable:

A clean body. 

Clean bed.

Clean clothes.

Clean dishes and kitchen.

Clean toilet and bathroom.

With no spoons during most days of a flare, it has been imperative that I reassess what's truly important in my life. God, family and friends were an easy choice. But not just any family and friends, I prefer kind,  like-minded people like Ann, who just takes me as I am.

The kettle's always on!

In our house, I think apart from the computer and our TV, the most used thing is the kettle. It is on from the moment we open our eyes until we close them. And often in between.

Tea soothes one so much. Anything from bad news, loneliness, a coming together for fellowship, a celebration, or a pick me up for depression. Certainly it's a helpful balm for dissolving pain killers and such, and it's a comfort in times of illness or pain of fibromyalgia. Oh yes, all these things and more is an excuse for a cuppa at our place and so the tea kettle is nearly always warm!

Such is our love for tea that even our kitchen curtains have kettles and tea cups on them. 

My plans for today are:

• Clean kitchen
• Order groceries online and pick them up
• Go to chemist
• Cook steak, mashed potatoes and salad for dinner

Ending the chapter

So today we put our fifth wheeler up for sale. We were travelling round Australia but 3 months into it, I tore my meniscus in my left knee and I couldn't manage the 5 steps into the fiver. Eventually I became housebound and 3 months later, we decided to sell it and rent again.

We live in a country township which is quite a distance from my family and friends, so we have made a point of having them over each weekend.

Today my old friend from school days, Ann and her partner are coming to see us. We met when we were 11 and we are both 67 now. I am so grateful to God that we are still close. After seeing the house and a cuppa, we will be going to the local pub for a meal.

Yesterday and today I didn't take the new diabetes medication called Forxiga. It gave me thrush and a kidney infection. Plus my sugars went from 9 to 10-12.3! Fasting... still you have to try don't you?

So on my to do list today is

1. Tidy the house
2. Enjoy my friends

Oh, and check the advertisments to see if anyone has responded to the ads for the fiver. It's sad that we didn't manage to travel like we hoped, and selling the fiver is ending the chapter.

Our first guests

As you know, we had guests yesterday and today. They were the first to use our guest room and they confirmed that the new bed and mattress were very comfortable.

We ended up going out for dinner at the town pub, and we had a very nice time with lovely food as well. After the meal, we came home and had a game of UNO and retired around ten o'clock. Which was late enough for me, as I suffer from chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia. 

When I woke up this morning, I found that the cat had vomited on our bed, and I had to wash our doona and get it dry in time for bedtime tonight.

My pain was at a high level today so I didn't feel well enough for church. Besides, it gave me more time to be with our guests who were loving our new home.

Today I didn't follow any lists. I did the washing and meals and I plan to have an early night. But tired as I am, I still am glad that I was able to practise hospitality. I sure enjoyed having our first guests! 

We must make memories

There's widespread flooding everywhere today.  One of the roads is impassable still. Fortunately, we are staying home today as we have guests coming this afternoon.

With all the thunder and weather changes, it is playing havoc with my fibromyalgia flare. I am in considerable pain today and I long for a nana nap already: it's only 1pm!

So far I have done a load of washing and am using the dryer. We have had breakfast. Xena has been fed. I will soon be making a ham and cheese toasted sandwich for our lunch. We will be having a big meal for tea tonight.

I am following Saturdays' List as I plan to go to church tomorrow. 

Still on my to do list is:

1. Lunch
2. Change over the washed clothes and put in dryer
3. Cook the defrosting chicken for our roast dinner

I am really looking forward to having my guests come, but I am forcing myself not to go back to bed.

The struggle is real. But I feel if I don't practice hospitality and have people come see us, that my life will be the poorer for it. 

So today, I am taking some paracetamol tablets with my toasted sandwich, and pretending I am having a good day. It's all part of making memories...

We are it!

Tomorrow night we are having guests for dinner. I am pacing myself so as to not use all my spoons today and be unwell tomorrow.

The last couple of days I have had severe fibromyalgia and have had to push myself to get to doctors and chemists. I have let the dishes go a bit and there's about 4 loads of washing to do today. In spite of my resolve to use the dryer, the weather's been so nice today(28C) that I have hung a load of clothes out on my clothesline. 

Today is the second day of my new diabetes medication: (Forxiga). Yesterday I felt a bit nauseous on it, but today is a bit better. My sugars this morning were still high: 9.2. But I guess it will have to be at least a fortnight before I see any change.

The doctor said my magnesium levels were low but he just kept on talking about the other results... I am wondering if I should buy some magnesium tablets. Apparently cramps and muscle/joint pain can come from lack of it...

Tomorrow I plan to serve roasted chicken, potatoes and vegetables in chicken gravy. Followed by creme caramel for desert. I can prepare that tomorrow..

For today I am following the Fridays' List and my to do list looks like this:

1. Do a load of washing
2. Wash dishes, let dry and put them away
3. Cook pork chops in the slow cooker for dinner. I will serve them with Spanish rice and veg

I have run out of spoons already, so I will try to have a nana nap in order to be able to finish the days' few chores. I really don't feel like doing anything, but we Sacrificial Home Keepers can't always act the way we feel: exhausted. So, we push on because we know the Fairy God Mother isn't coming: we are it!