The Best Laid Plans...

We have visitors coming from the States tomorrow - yay!

Our visitors are a couple we know from Georgia & their 4 year old son.  In preparation I have kicked my oldest son out of his room & sent him to live with his pigpen brother upstairs.  I am finished with the preparations in the converted 'guest bedroom'. 

Today I had this list of things to do:
* Take kids to school
* Get groceries
* Mop the main floor
* Clean the 'guest' bathroom
* Go to lunch with my friend Lineke
* Pick up kids from school
* Go home to a nice clean house!

Here is what I did:
* Took kids to school.
* Bought groceries
* Came home to put the groceries away.  Realized that the refrigerator needed some rearrangement.  Ever try to load a fridge that is full of coconuts?  Decided that I first wanted to peel the carrots that were in the fridge already (as they were taking up space in the vegetable drawer) & put them in water so they would be ready for snacks. 
* Remembered that I had heard the washing machine stop.  Oh yeah, the sheets needed to be hung on the line outside.  Battled gale-force winds to get the sheets on the line.  They were almost dry by the time I hung them up, but I left them out there anyway.
* Started peeling carrots. 
* Discovered ants walking along the kitchen counter. 
* Decided to wash dishes before dealing with the ants.
* Had to put away dishes in drying rack first.
* Threw the dirty dishes in the sink & gave them some soap & water.
* Finished peeling carrots - put them in the water in the fridge.
* Dealt with the ants.
* Noticed the groceries still waiting patiently in my eco-friendly grocery bags;  fished out the cold items & packed them into the freezer & fridge.
* Looked out the window to see if the sheets were still attached to the clothesline.  Was in luck - they were flapping merrily.
* Decided to rearrange the snack cupboard before unloading the new additions from the grocery store.
* Thought of a clever way to cut one of the boxes of cookies so that it would fit perfectly in the cupboard.  Using my sons left-handed scissors I cut the cardboard, as well as my pinkie.
* Dropped the scissors & took the bleeding finger to the sink.
* Held it under cold running water without looking at it.  I am not good with blood.
* Grabbing my finger tightly, I manoeuvered a paper towel off the roll & went to lie on the couch so I would not faint.
* Held my finger & paper towel up in the air while trying not to think about veins & arteries & body parts.
* Did some calming yoga breaths.
* Tried not to dwell on medical care in the 3rd world.
* Wrestled open two Band-Aids & the Neosporin with one hand & my teeth.  Decided to write to Johnson & Johnson later to alert them to the fact that I could have bled to death in the time it took me to get their Band-Aids out of the wrappers one-handed.
* Got my finger fixed up.
* Decided to rest on the couch & eat some pumpkin seeds while recovering from this near-traumatic event.
* Flipped on the TV to keep me entertained - after all, I was being forced to lie here on the couch with my hand in the air.  Look - CSI: Miami!
* Watched CSI: Miami.
* Decided I was well enough to begin mopping.  Went to fill the bucket with water.  Couldn't put the bucket in the sink because of the dishes in the bloody dishwater. 
* Ran new water, washed dishes one-handed.
* Eyed the groceries that still hadn't been put away - decided to blow them off.
* Filled bucket with Citrasolv, vinegar & water.
* Mopped half the main floor.
* Got the sheets untangled & brought them in off the line.
* Started another load of wash (guess I forgot to put 'Laundry' on the list).
* Went to lunch with my good friend Lineke - a well deserved break after all I had been thru this morning!
* Had a glass of red wine.
* Decided there was really no point to making useless to-do lists anyway!
* Picked up the kids.
* Now it's dinner time.

Plans for this evening:  make a list of chores to do tomorrow morning...