Multi-tasking

It was one of those days. 

I sat down this morning to check my email with a cup of coffee and a bowl of cereal. The dishwasher was already cleaned up because while the kettle is boiling, I put away the dishes and start loading up the dishwasher again. I just barely finished my cereal when the dog wanted outside again. I noticed the clothesline with the laundry hanging from yesterday. (It had rained late in the afternoon yesterday before I remembered I had some clothes drying on the line). I brought those upstairs and proceeded to gather another load of dark wash. I came down to finish reading a blog posting. My Sweetie announced that he was going into town to take in a compressor to his brother's place. I helped him load the compressor into the van and then went into the backyard to gather all the bags I wanted taken into the recycling facility. He could take those in for me, since I had sorted them all the day before.

Off he went while I went back to reading my favourite blog. My dad and "Dee" called on the Blackberry. It is my Dad's birthday today and the card I sent him had just arrived, so he called to thank me. "Dee" and I chatted and I was reminded that I was making a birthday dinner for my son's GF tonight. The meal was planned, but my dining room was still a mess after having pulled everything out from under the staircase. After I finished talking, I tackled that problem area. I put back only the ironing board, two table leaves, and one box of mason jars under the stairs, cleaned off the table, and "dealt" with the remaining boxes and bins by moving them into different areas of the house. I was just finishing up, when my Sweetie came home with the mail. 

One of the envelopes contained a wedding shower invitation. This was one of the personal phone calls I needed to make today. I made a phone call to one friend who was supposed to be home after a long stay in hospital, only to learn that she had gone back into hospital after being home only one day. That was upsetting news. I called the second friend to accept the invitation to the shower and have the chat that I had intended. In the back of my mind, I knew I should call a third friend and my daughter, but I will call tomorrow. I hung out my load of dark wash and made myself lunch. 

While I was in the kitchen, I looked for the cake mix I thought I had in the pantry. It wasn't there. I knew I would have to make a cake from scratch so I looked for a recipe in my files. While that was baking, I peeled the carrots and potatoes and left them sitting in water on the stove. After the two cake layers were cooled, I turned them onto plates and put both of them in the microwave (so the cats and the dog wouldn't get them), and I left for Amerstview to go to the bank and the grocery store to pick up some broccoli, bread and milk. I intended to put some money inside a birthday card as her birthday gift. Once home, I made the dressing and stuffed the chicken and placed in the roasting pan in the oven. I washed and cut the broccoli and had it ready to go. I set the table, threw up a very few decorations, and iced and decorated the cake. By now it was five o'clock. I wouldn't cook the vegetables until 5:15, so I went back to the computer and finished reading the blog I started this morning and commented on it. After dinner, I brought in my laundry from the clothesline and placed the rest of the chicken in the crock pot to make a nice rich chicken broth overnight. It is now 10:00 and I am going to watch one hour of television before bed. Goodnight all.