Barely Managing

Yep, that's me...barely managing. It could be worse. I could not be managing at all. So, I'm at least thankful for what I am able to do.

For the last week, I've been crazy tired. Sleeping 12 to 14 hours and still waking up exhausted.

The pain has settled in to my joints again. I'm dealing with pain in my neck & left shoulder, which makes it difficult for me to find a comfortable position to get to sleep.

Showers have become less a source of getting clean lately. Now, I rely on that hot water to ease the pain and stiffness.

After I get going, I don't dare sit down. Otherwise, the pain and creakiness settles in and makes moving difficult.

I'm also on day three of a headache. It ranges from mildly annoying to painful. I thought that it was caused by the pain in my neck, as it seemed to radiate up my neck into the back of my head. This morning the pain was at the top of my skull. It was then that I realized that it's likely caffeine withdrawl, as I haven't had a bit of caffeine since Saturday.

Despite it all, I have been able to keep after the house. Most days I get the beds made. Some days I manage to make dinner. Thankfully, Tim has taken up much of the slack there. Mostly the laundry gets folded right away, though it can sit it baskets a few days before I decide that it's time to use my energy there.

Thankfully, I am way ahead of the usual schedule for Christmas preparations. We still need to decorate the family room tree. But, other than baking, which will likely fall on Tim's shoulders this year, we are pretty much done.

Ultimately, I'm rather pleased with my ability to manage while enduring the pain and fatigue. Previously, it would have knocked me off my feet. Go, me!

One Wonderful Week

My wonderful, pain-free, energetic existence lasted for a week.

Fortunately, it was enough to get the living areas of my house back into order. It should be easy to keep up until the next reprieve.

I hauled out bags of items.

Helped install the roman shades in the office. Those windows were completely bare since November 2010, because I had no energy to find window treatments. Plus, we couldn't even get to the windows due to all the stuff that had accumulated. I'm quite happy to report the office is again a serene place to curl up on the couch for a good read.

We replaced the horrible roller shade in the bathroom for a less repulsive mini-blind & installed a new curtain rod to hang the new valance.

Cleaned out the mud room, which has become a temporary storage area for items out of the real storage area.

Cleaned and culled my cookbook shelves.

Rearranged the kitchen cabinets. Replacing the spring/summer dishes with the fall/winter set.

Unfortunately, the family room is not quite up to par. There are still remnants that need to be hauled off to the Good Will.

Thanksgiving Day ended up being the day the fatigue & pain decided to reappear. Fortunately, I had enough energy to clean up after our Turkey Day dinner & put the dining room back in order. Haven't been able to do much besides make beds since.

It's been disappointing. I'm trying very hard not to get discouraged that I'm having to take life a bit at a time again. Napping when I need it. Counting on Tim and J to pick up the slack where I'm not able.

It's hard, particularly when the bare Christmas tree is standing in the living room mocking me. It's a symbol for my inadequacies.

All I can do is a little at a time. It has to be enough.