Another busy weekend...

Lately it seems like my weekends just fly by. It doesn't matter if I'm relaxing and reading/watching TV all weekend or if I end up doing a lot of running/working...time always passes too quickly. This weekend was no different than any other, but I can say that I managed to get some "stuff" done.

A little history: My girls (the dogs) have been ornery lately. I came down one morning a few weeks go to discover that one of them had christened the couch cushion during the night and, since it was already considerably dried, I knew I would have a hell of a time getting the smell out of it. I was right. Despite different products used for upholstery and pet stains, the smell of the cushion was too much to handle.

I decided that I might as well get some new furniture since cleaning it wasn't working. So, I had seen some ads on TV about furniture sales in Cedar Rapids. Since my main man Zander is still hanging at the NICU, it didn't make much persuasion to talk myself into a roadtrip. I even got to the NICU in time that Becky said I could feed him! He's such a cutie, but still a stinker right now. With the whole medicine thing and changing of his formula, he's reverted back to the occasional apnic episode. One happened while I was feeding him which threw me for a loop. I wasn't even aware that he had stopped breathing but Becky was watching the monitors and told me what to do. Although I suggested that maybe she should feed him in case he does it again, she said I was doing fine. I was still nervous though. It was only a momentary thing, but it scared me silly. I don't know how Becky & Dave have managed to keep it all together with his previous frequent apnic spells. I'd have been loony. Once we put him back in his crib, she showed me how to read the monitor numbers and I have to admit, I was obsessed at that point, frequently glancing at it to see his heart rate and O2 saturation. After helping to get his meds down him (he hates the taste of them - especially the salt supplement), Becky left to get ready for her evening guests and I headed out to do the furniture scouting. It was a dismal failure. I can't believe the highway robbery going on in the furniture industry. Either the cost of manufacturing furniture has skyrocketed or the vendors are putting a 200% markup on their things. I saw upholstered chairs listed anywhere from $200-1200. That's crazy! I considered the $200 one but once I sat in it, I saw why it was listed on sale for $200. Bleachers would be more comfortable! So, after several stops and attempts to dodge overly-solicitous salespeople, I returned home with nothing more than some exchanged items at a clothing store, a few half-priced books (another benefit of going to CR), and some OxyClean. Sad, eh?

Today dawned early as I wanted to get some errands done before it got miserably hot. I had purchased the OxyClean as a final effort to clean the couch cushion. I needed to soak it in the tub with some OxyClean and hope it removed the pet odors. I would have started the soaking process before going to bed on Saturday but I forgot that Sadie had chewed up the rubber drain plug. *sigh* So, off to Walmart I went this morning which was a failed effort on the drain plug mission. I ended up finding one at a farm store in town but it isn't a perfect fit. It slowly leaked water all day but oh well. While the cushion was soaking I finally got around to doing another project from my long list - splitting the cable feed so I could hook up a TV in the kitchen. It's so annoying not being able to watch the news in the morning while getting ready for work. And, since that required going into the basement, I also got all my tools moved down, the furnace filter changed, and then the kitchen reorganized while also getting all of the laundry done. The cushion was draining/drying in the sun outside by this point. I had hoped to get my dinner table moved back into the kitchen (now that I have room for it in there) but the girls & I collapsed on the couch after consuming some Smirnoff (I consumed the smirnoff - they had water) for a long overdue nap. We woke up at 10:45 p.m. wondering what day it was. LOL (No, I wasn't drunk.) Oh yeah, with the heat today, I finally got up the last set of blinds in a west-facing window. It was a pain in the backside to install (over the kitchen sink), but I hope it helps keep the house cooler. The central air was running all day but still couldn't overpower the heat & humidity. It was consistently 5-7 degrees warmer in the house than was programmed on the thermostat. I'm going to cringe when I see the next electric bill...

All in all, I can't be disappointed by what I didn't get done this weekend. I achieved so much more than I thought I would and I'm really liking not having an obstacle course in the kitchen now that all my tools are in the basement. If only I had another day at home....