Thursday, July 14, 2011

Distractions!

I have wondered so many times about being diagnosed as an adult ADD case. Have I ever been diagnosed? Have I ever even seen anyone to diagnose me? No! Do I really think I'm one of those with adult ADD? Not really, I think what happens is that there are too many distractions in life and I apparently don't have enough focus on any one thing to stay on task. I'm sure there are many that will understand this.

It goes along like this: I go to the kitchen to get a drink. I see a stack of unread mail and go to open it---not getting the drink. Take the mail into the office area to read the mail--seeing something on the computer screen blinking. The unread mail gets put down and the computer is checked. Oh great, I have mail. Open the email inbox, see something of interest I go to that web page. That site makes me think, "Ooooh that is so cute, bet Kim and I could come up with directions and digitized design similar to that for the website." Let's check yahoo to see if she's online. Yep, chat for a bit, show her my idea taken from website idea. I have completely forgotten the mail, email, the drink.

Chat a while longer, start testing designs for her. A needle breaks, go get upset at machine, walk out of the room and find a sock the cat that has drug up the hallway. Go down the hall and pick up the remaining laundry and go to laundry room. On the way, see dishes in another room that were never taken to the kitchen, go back to that room to get the dishes. See a new computer game that DH has put onto that computer. Sit down and start playing the game (forgetting the dishes). Get bored with that and head towards the living room. Oh great, one of my favorite shows is on tv. All right, its a marathon. Get totally wrapped up in it.

The dogs come up wagging their tail and woofing. "Do you gotta go outside?" Take the dogs to the back door and let them out. Gee the table never got wiped off last night. Suppose I should do that. Go to kitchen and realize, I'm thirsty. Go to get a glass from the cabinet and there are none there. Empty the dishwasher, reload it. Go look for other dishes. Hmmm, wasn't I in here before to get these? Take them back, finish loading the dishwasher. Take the dirty dish rags to the laundry room. Hmmmm, why didn't I start this load earlier? etc., etc., etc., etc.

Seems like I have this kind of thing happen all the time. I have this "to do" list that is so long it could probably wrap around the house several times. My "I want to try that" or "to be made" or "make or find a pattern for this" list is even longer! I go to "research" or find a tutorial or pattern for something and then I find blog after blog to read through and find fabulous ideas for everything but what I'm looking for. Distraction: fabulous blogs from awesome "normal" people that write about their passions and share their knowledge with others. Is this distraction a bad thing? No, but it does keep me from doing what I intended to do in the first place.

I have an extensive stash of fabric. I decide to straighten up the stash and try to organize it a bit better. While going through the fabric I hit the DISTRACTION! And what exactly would that be? "Oh look, how cute that fabric is!!! That would be so cute as a ______ for ______." Now all I have to do is find the pattern for it. Is that a bad thing? Well, it isn't IF you find the pattern, put it with the fabric and put the rest of the fabric away. But that rarely happens--at least not in an organized fashion.

I start going through the patterns looking for something specific---and DISTRACTION: "Oh this would be cute, I forgot I had this pattern. OMG this is adorable, when did I get this? That would be so cute for.... Oh and this would fit.... I really need to find the right fabric for this." Now when you have so many patterns that you have them sorted by category and then sizes (who cares which company its from) and you have enough to fill an entire filing cabinet PLUS some, its easy to forget patterns that you have. Or when your children haven't been toddlers in 20 years you forget what baby and toddler patterns you have. So you start going pattern by pattern pulling out the ones you think you want to make "NOW." So much for looking for "the" pattern for the particular pattern.

Now I have a ton of fabric on the table because the "other stuff" never got put back up. I have about 10 patterns I want to make "NOW" sitting on the table. I look at the mess and try to figure out what I'm going to do now. I sit down in my sewing chair, swivel around to the computer and DISTRACTION: I see a really cute quilting pattern that would be awesome for..... But I'm not really a quilter. I play around at putting things together. Maybe I can watch the Quilting Quickly section .... and find an easy way to do that quilt. Oh that is awesome. That's so quick and easy. But if I make it will .... really like it? Probably not; but maybe I could make it and if they don't like it I could always give it to someone that really needs it. Now what fabrics would look good put together?

While at the computer, Kim buzzes me and says she has some new designs that she needs tested. Oh what a cute idea for a baby bib or bib and burp set. I've got the diapers already, I think I'll go ahead and test on them. The tests are always almost perfect if not perfect the first time. I'll just find the fabric to make the coordinating bib with. What's this? Is it another DISTRACTION I see coming my way? Ah, yes it is! Now I have cloth diapers and onesies sitting out on the table, too. What was it I started looking for in the first place?

I've forgotten. And there is another full day of not getting anything done--but I have tons of ideas. Guess I need to write some of these ideas down before I forget them altogether. Now where did I put the last "working" notebook? Oh yeah, its on the shelf. Which one is the current book? and OMG its yet another DISTRACTION! I start looking through the ideas books. Oh yeah, I remember when we started working on this embroidery set. I wonder if Kim and I ever got this set of designs finalized and finished? I wonder which hard drive these designs are on?

And I wonder why I never get anything finished. I wonder why I start looking at things a month or two ahead of time for the grandbabies "events" and never get anything completed on time (if at all). My children think I'm a horrible grandparent because of this trait. And I probably am. I procrastinate and then I have all these DISTRACTIONS that get in the way. Oh and we haven't even talked about the daily distractions of doing laundry, dishes, normal housework (oh yeah, that's how this all started) and then of course there's the "One-eyed Monster." What you're not familiar with the one-eyed monster? Sure you are, most people call it the TV! Y'all excuse me while I go find another DISTRACTION to keep me busy again!

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

The day of OMG's!

Lordy, Lordy, Lordy, what a day! I just don't know where to begin even! The daughter of a friend of mine (her children and my children grew up together) that just had her first grand child--although the baby decided it was time to be born, baby Emma was still premature and mother and baby are in separate hospitals. Poor Rachel had not even seen Emma yet the last I saw on fb. OMG I can't imagine having a baby and not being able to see or hold her.

One of our best and dearest friends from the Krewe of Harlequin died last night and we did not find out until today. What a way to start the day--learning that a dear friend lost the battle of his time on earth. I've cried off and on all day from that. OMG I can't imagine how our krewe will be continue with court costumes as it has for the past 36 years. OMG is this why he kept trying to get DH and I to be there for all the cutting and making of head pieces, and court costumes last year? Did he know that he was possibly training the next ones to be able to continue with this for future years?

Today marks the one week mark of when I had back surgery--with a total of 50+ staples in my back. The three drains are gone--they were gone of course before leaving the hospital. I was admitted to the hospital on Wednesday of last week and released on Saturday--with my trusty muscle relaxers and pain killers in hand. I've actually done quite well. I'm able to walk most of the time without my walker and have gotten to where I'm only taking 1 pain killer in about 12 hours (unless it gets excruciating) as opposed to the 2 every 4-6 hours that they were prescribed. OMG how it hurts to stand or sit; and even more so to lay on my back.

My 21 month old grandson came over and found the tile and grout cleaner that was used to clean the tile and grout in the living room today. Only thing is, he found it by picking it up and spraying it in his face! We spent a panicked 10 minutes with DH standing in the shower completely clothed trying to flush DGS's eyes and skin with water; Trying to find the poison control center phone number--finally had to put poison control center in computer search engine to find a number to call. Why is it that the number that should be most prominent on a chemical is the number not listed ANYWHERE!!! Spent the same time trying to calm DD who thought her son was being drowned--because he was screaming so much with us trying to flush the chemicals off him. Did I mention I just had back surgery 1 week ago and I'm not supposed to be doing anything "normal" like bending, twisting, lifting, etc. and I couldn't think of ANYTHING but making sure this baby was ok. My second DD who is "due any time" was trying to calm the sister down, calm the grandson down, get me to go sit down, trying to find the phone number, and she feels like crap and is so ready to have this baby--but the baby keeps saying she's not ready yet.

I got up this morning and found all the plates that had been stacked up last night and were sitting in the kitchen on the counter were NOW on the floor--upside down with 2 of the 4 plates broken. Thank you animals that think that they are my dishwasher! OMG how am I supposed to get this cleaned up? I HATE having to rely on someone else to do everything that I've been doing all this time. I hate having to wake up DH just to tell him, "um honey, we have a problem, our plates from last night are all over the kitchen floor--can you go clean it up?"

My paperwork from the school office was never submitted for my retirement paperwork to go through! OMG this is like less than a month before my retirement is supposed to be finalized and it was never submitted!?! And of course the people in the office that have control of this are on vacation, out of the office or just ignoring the phone calls. Did I mention I've just had surgery and can't just hop in a car and go take care of this?

It has felt like there were so many more OMGs for today; but I don't know how many more could you fit into one day? I appreciate y'all letting me vent! I will be back (hopefully tomorrow) with all the "stuff" I'm currently working on! Until, hopefully no more OMGs for the day.