IN WHICH WE DECIDE TO HAVE A NO CLOCK TUESDAY...

Today I am trying something new.

I promised myself that I would ignore the clock, the to do lists, and the internets and just...be. I'm going to eat when I'm hungry, sleep when I'm sleepy, and stitch when I'm stitchy. No rules, schedules, or shoulds...just me...a portly spinster floating her way through a non-d-chair Tuesday.

My lap stand arrived yesterday, and I am already quite smitten with it!

I had it put together within minutes, and after filling up my sippy cup and cueing up The West Wing, I managed to stitch for quite some time!

It was exactly what I needed to alleviate the problems with my left arm. With this stand, I don't have to hold my project, and I was even able to rest my arm comfortably next to me with an ice pack!

I completed the bottom curve during last night's session:

When idle, I can plop my project bag on top to protect the stitches....perfect!

I can't wait to try this out tomorrow. I'm sure it will look like I'm moving in when I tote a small suitcase in with me, but five hours is five hours, kids!  And, as my techs have learned...a quiet spinster is a happy spinster, and a happy spinster means a good run on the machine!

I purchased my stand from Miss Bonnie and her husband Mr. Mike...thanks to Miss Vonna, The Twisted Stitcher Her Very Self. I saw Vonna using this type of stand in a Flosstube video and knew it would be just the perfect solution! (Besides...I would do just about anything to be more like Miss Vonna...so this was a good first step!)

You can get more info from Bonnie at: bbagley41@bellsouth.net.

So that's the plan and the news for a No Clock Tuesday, Dearies! I hope that your little corner of the world is wonderfully swell today, and that you will get to do everything your heart desires! Come tell me all about it!

FOUNTAINVIEW...

This is my favorite chair in the pod. I have a view of the fountain, the pond, and all of the ducks and ducklettes playing in the morning sunshine. It reminds me of an old Esther Williams movie.

I am more tired than is usual for me on a Monday, so methinks I will curl up with YouTube on my ipad while Buzzy and Beepy do their thing. Needle insertion went very well today despite poor Buzzy still being sore and bruised from surgery last week, so I am praying for a good run at full speed.

I do have stitching with me...Summer at Cherry Hill...but I don't know if I want to tempt fate by squirming around to hold the q-snaps comfortably. Hopefully we can remedy that this week with the arrival of a lap stand that doesn't require both hands. I spied it on Miss Vonna's blog and got the info from her, so fingers crossed that we finally have a good solution for stitching in the d-chair!

Other than that...no news is good news. I am looking forward to a week of stitching and salads and some pool time. Here's hoping that it stays quiet as planned!

SUNDAY EVENING...

Quiet day today. Mister Lovey and I had a late bagel and then ran errands for a few hours. Then it was home for dinner on the balcony and a little Philly sports radio on the speaker thingie. 

Lovely.

I am contemplating a hot bath and then a little TeeVee and stitchy time before hitting the big girl sleigh bed for a good night's sleep. My snacks and socks and leggings and big tops are ready for chair time this week, so now all I need to do is decide which stitchy projects to play with.

Nothing too new or exciting to report, which is exactly how I like it these days...slow and steady thankyouverymuch!

Happy Sunday to all! Here's hoping the week ahead is full of wonderful things!

IN WHICH WE HAVE A VERY ACTIVE SATURDAY, INDEED

I woke up at the crack o' dawn again today, so we made good use of it and headed to the golfing course to get some fresh air, sunshine, and exercise.  It was just such a picture perfect day today that I didn't want to waste it inside sleeping...(even though that would have been my preference were it not for the Mister tapping his toes).

We played eighteen total holes, and although I did not play particularly well, I really did enjoy myself and managed not to get too terribly worn out.

Now that hot showers have been completed, it's time to hit the sectional for some baseball and stitching. I never knew myself to be such a sports fan, but I suppose all those years of watching Bravo housewife drama prepared me well for the ebb and flow of a game.

Not sure what will strike my fancy just yet. I am leaning toward Red Velvet Cake, since that silk through linen is just so very....soothing.

So that's the report, Dearies. I hope your very own Saturday was lovely and everything you wanted it to be. Come tell me all about it and what your plans are for a perfect Sunday!

FRIDAY...FRIDAY

BUS...BIG BUS...

Well, for pity's sakes. I am on the pavement today, Dearies. Tuesday's procedure was hard enough, but yesterday really took it out of me. I gutted it out, though, and managed to have a full treatment despite Buzzy's protests, and I even came home and made a good dinner for Mr. Spinster.

But today? Today I am...hazy, at best. My poor arm is looking more of a hot mess than ever, my head is full of cotton balls, and I just want my Mommie.

Or my Stewey.

I always dream of him when I'm not feeling well, and last night was no exception. In my dreams, he is always as funny and ornery and sweet and incorrigible as ever, and although I know it's not physically possible...I still smell baby shampoo when I cuddle him.

OK...enough of that. On to the stitching! Here's an update on Red Velvet Cake:

As soon as I finish the paper and my second cup of damn good, I'm going to get right back to this. The silk through linen is just...delicious, and exactly what I need today. Methinks I will take a hot scrubby shower, have a little breakfast, and then tuck myself into the Happy Chair for the duration!

The weekend is almost upon us, so come tell me all about your plans for it. I am hoping for some fresh air, sunshine, pool time, and lots of stitching. How about you?

UP AT THE CRACK O'DAWN

It's 6:45 and I am awake.  

6:45am...as in the morning!

I'm not sure what has me up so early, but I'm going to take advantage of the peace and quiet and play with Red Velvet Cake:

I've already had one cup of damn good, and the paper has been read cover to cover, so I suppose there's no reason at all why I can't enjoy a little early morning peaceful paradise...right?

Buzzy is just forlorn today and looking like a truck hit him, but we're going to do our level best to go to chair time today. Because I did not get a treatment Monday, I really cannot afford to skip today....that would leave too many days in between treatments and land me in the hospital.

Nope. Not this spinster.

I have some lidocaine cream that I've never used, so I might dab a bit today to help keep me off the ceiling during needle insertion. I normally just tough it out because the pain only lasts a few minutes, but today might be the exception to the rule.

(I don't use the cream because the folks at the Access Center told me that it breaks down the skin eventually, and that the end result is worse than the poke.)

So that's it...some stitching, some more damn good, and then chair time. If all goes well, I am hoping for a good dinner on the balcony tonight...little steaks and salad and a popsicle for dessert!

Here's hoping that your very own Futzingday is...futzy! Come tell me all about it!

POOR BUZZY...

I am home from my procedure...tucked nicely into the Happy Chair with a cup of damn good and my magic blanket for company. My sister took me to the appointment and supervised, since she is able to walk into a medical facility, have a conversation with the care team, and remember details without the help of sedatives, an oxygen mask, or an air sick bag.

My poor Jersey Boy. He tends to go off the deep end at the first thought of anything medically related, and practically had to be revived when he got the text yesterday to come fetch me early because I had infiltrated.  Squeamish doesn't come close to describing it...he flat out passes out at the thought that I'm going to eventually remove a band aid:

(My sister, of course, wanted to know if she could remove the stitches, but clinic policy prevented them from allowing her to do so.)

(I, thank goodness, have enough sedatives coursing through my veins that I was, and am still a bit oblivious to the competence and/or sadistic tendencies of my caregivers.)

On a happier note...my nails were quite the hit with my lead nurse, Dennis. I don't know if it was the color, or the fact that fingers and toes match quite nicely, thankyouverymuch, but he didn't stop talking about them from the moment I hopped up onto the surgery table until the moment I wobbled down.

Buzzy got a good and thorough cleaning. He was 70% blocked in two places up near my collarbone and shoulder, so with today's angioplasty should be back to full strength. This narrowing is all a very natural occurance, apparently. The body is not meant to have a vein and an artery affixed into a fistula, so it is doing its level best to shut it down. The best way to prevent this is with regular maintenance, which in my case means a little roto-rootering every three months.

No complaints or worries, though. I got a turkey sam and a box of apple juice for my troubles, and now I get to take it easy for the rest of the day.  Certainly beats a sharp stick in the eye.

I'm going to go enjoy the rest of these twilight drugs, Dearies, and hit the big girl sleigh bed with a book and my sippy cup. If all goes well in that department, I might try to get a little stitching in before the evening draws near.

Thank you for all of your well wishes and happy thoughts! They were just what the doctor ordered today! Cheerio and all that...come tell me what's new in your corner of the world!

IN WHICH THE SPINSTER GETS...SMITED

Well, well, well.

Looks like my little turn on the sassy horse was all for naught.

Turns out there really IS something wrong with Buzzy...so much so that I infiltrated and had to leave treatment a full fifteen minutes after I got there. The top needle just wouldn't go in, and then even after it did, it decided to blow the access and send the blood into the surrounding arm tissue where it just doesn't belong.

Ouch.

So it is a really good thing that I will have it roto-rootered tomorrow, and despite the fact that I positively dread this procedure, I need to suck it up Buttercup and get on with it. There's just too much fun to be had for me not to feel well enough to have it.

I'm home, in jammies, and doing laundry, and as soon as I finish the paper, I'm going to stitch.

I'll try to touch base with you tomorrow afternoon or evening.  If not...definitely on Futzingday!

DAMN, DRAT, AND PHOOEY

Surgery tomorrow on Buzzy at 9:30 in the morning. The nurse practioner doesn't like numbers she's seeing from labwork, and is convinced that Buzzy is somehow blocked.

I think it has more to do with her own performance review and that numbers on a page sometimes have nothing to do with how I actually feel, but I'm nothing if not compliant. Besides...I respect the uniform and years of training she has beyond my own, so off I go.

But I'm still mad about it.

My days "off" are so very precious to me that I resent anything that takes them away from me, even though I know that sometimes I need to be a big girl...pull'em up...and just get on with it without complaint.

So that's it for now. Today I need to pack my snacks, comb my hair, and go have a good treatment followed by a salad and some stitching.  

Tomorrow will get here soon enough...

SUNDAY...SUNDAY

We've just had a lovely brunch, watched the final of the British Open, and are now getting ready to go to campus for a little golf if the weather holds out. I did a huge grocery shop yesterday and spent the morning organizing and chopping and portioning so that we can grab and go this week and try to be healthy. 

I'm bushed!

But I know the exercise and fresh air is good for me, so off I go....

WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE, JOLLY RANCHER POPSICLES?!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEAR DAD

I posted this ten years ago, but I think it still says everything I'd like to say about my dad. Today he would have been 86. Seems impossible to imagine sometimes.

Several of you have asked me if he knew my Rich. The answer is...yes, he did, and he liked him very much.

This is Dad. Mr. Robert P. Rich. He would have been 76 years old today. This probably explains why I have been fighting off the boo-hoos all damn day long. I miss him so much I think I think my heart will break.

This man was a hero. He was a kind and gentle soul. He lived in "houses with women" all his life.....first Grandma and Aunt Lou (because his own father died so young) and then Mom, me, and Chrissy. He used to joke that even the dog (Charlie) was "fixed". This probably explains why he was the way he was. I don't think I ever heard him raise his voice or say a bad thing about any one or any thing. He was funny and ornery and had twinkly eyes, especially when he was hiding cookies in his shirt pocket. You could talk to him for hours or just sit and watch a football game on a Saturday afternoon, and you'd come away feeling better about yourself and the world you lived in. You could depend on him for anything and knew that no matter how much you had royally screwed up, he was still your dad and he loved you.

He loved chocolate and Snyder's hard pretzels. He always smelled nice and he always combed his hair the same way. He didn't like guilt or mean people and he quietly went about making his little corner of the world a wonderful place. He never bragged or lectured. He never hit or grounded. He talked and explained and made you want to be a better person so that he would be proud of you. He hugged and patted your cheek and always let you know how special you were, even when you felt like the least special person on the planet.

Dad could do math in his head and Chrissy and I called him Rain Man because of his ability to do this. He went to Notre Dame and graduated as an engineer, but spent all of his working life as a management executive for Westinghouse. Chrissy and I never knew how "powerful" or "respected" Dad was until he died and his former collegues wrote to us. We found out that this man we loved wasn't just our hero....he had fans all over the world.

The men that came to the funeral told us that our dad was the smartest guy they ever met and the women told us that they all had secret crushes on him. Turns out that this guy we thought was a "nerd" was actually a very popular fellow and could be the life of the party.

Dad married the love of his life on May 23, 1964 and he held her in his arms the morning she died on November 12, 1987. Dad loved Mom more than anything in this world and he gave life to Father Hesburgh's words: "The greatest thing a man can do for his children is love their mother."
I think that the reason why Chrissy and I remain single is that we decided that we saw what perfect marriage was and we weren't going to settle for anything less.  

Happy birthday, Dad. We miss you.

BEHAVING MYSELF ON FRIDAY...FRIDAY

I got the center chair today, so I'm trying to distract myself from my rather chaotic view. Do you suppose that I am the only person who feels compelled to get out of my chair and tidy those bloody shelves?

😳

But I am doing my Buzzy/Beepy thing instead and minding my business and doing my job as a compliant, bathed, happy, quiet patient.

(The bathed part is apparently the most important, and I was told that I am among the favorites because I know my way around a good strong body wash, a twice daily scrubbing, and the liberal application of Secret deoderant.)

Hmmmm.

Who knew that simple personal cleasiness could make me so popular? All this time I thought it was my charm and sparkling personality, but all it really is is that I smell like soap most of the time.

Mister Lovey Spinster and I played a total of fourteen (!) holes of golf last night befrore it got too dark to continue. I was rather pleased with my stamina, but am definitely paying for it today with soreness and fatigue. The good news about this is that my day today involves nothing more than chair time, and if I play my cards right I should be able to sit quietly and stitch.

I brought Red Velvet Cake back out to play:

Pizza for dinner tonight, and maybe a movie or two, depending on my energy level after treatment. I am determined to feel good enough to get organized for the weekend, though, so I suppose I better hope for the best!

The weekend is here, Dearies! Here's hoping that your little corner of the world is perfectly swell and that you're doing something fabulous! Come tell me all about it!

THURSDAY...THURSDAY

We seem to have this quiet relaxation thing down. Yesterday's treatment went very well for me, but not so much for the machine. The poor thing was more beepy than usual, and was sent back to the workshop for computer repair.

I felt well enough to play golf, but alas, it was league time at Notre Dame and there were no times available, so Lovey and I opted for dinner and Netflix viewing instead. (We had grilled chicken kabobs on rice and watched all of the comedians in cars and elsewhere.)

Today is promising to be equally as nice...a nail appointment for me, work for Lovey, and then we tee off at 5:30ish. If the weather permits, I hope for a float after...then dinner....then stitching.

Next year we're going to plan a vacation during this week, I think. Lovey is literally twitching himself into a snit without anything to watch and he's driving me a bit batshit. I love this man, I really do, but Spinster needs some stitchy time in the Happy Chair without having to participate in the evening's TeeVee selection and viewing! The only good thing about this is that he now knows what it feels like for me to go without needle and thread for extended periods....twitchy, indeed.

So that's the report for a Thursday, Dearies. The weekend is almost upon us, so I'm keen to hear what's on your agenda.  Something fun, I hope!

WEDNESDAY...WEDNESDAY

Slow but steady progress on Summer at Cherry Hill. I am hoping that today will be another excellent treatment time, much like Monday was. My tech positioned the needles just right, and I was in a chair that has always brought good luck, so I ran at full speed for the entire session.

No stitchy time last night, unfortunately. Lovey and I settled in for a movie called "Rememory", and I had to pay attention to the plot. I thought it was very good, and it starred one of my favorite actors...Peter Dinklage, aka Tyrion Lannister from Game of Thrones. Lovey was not as impressed, but it occurs to me that a viewer of "Glow...the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling" might not have too many legs to stand on.

Today promises to be another pretty one...sunny and breezy with low humidity. If at all possible, I hope to get out there any enjoy it this afternoon when I come home. 

That's the report for a lovely Futzingday, Dearies! I hope yours is swell and that you get to play with something that blows your skirt up!  Come tell us all about it!

IN WHICH WE PLAY THE GOLFING...QUITE WELL INDEED

Today was quite simply the most beautiful day...breezy and cool with low humidity and big fat puffy white clouds floating across a pretty blue sky. Mister Spinster and I just returned from playing nine holes over at Notre Dame, and I had the second best round of my life.

Aside from my old lady underpants creeping up my heiney at the very end, I was actually very comfortable out there today, and I whacked that little ball with abandon.  I scored a 53. If you are a golfer and know things, you are probably scratching your head that I would be happy with this score, but my normal is somewhere in the mid sixties...so 53 is worthy of a celebratory cookie with our Jimmy Johns tonight.

After a float in the pool, I am hoping for some stitchy time on the sectional. This is a non sports week, so poor Rich is a bit twitchy with the teevee viewing selections. I might have to give him oxygen or a sedative or...heaven forbid...intruduce him to Bravo and the Housewives.

So that's the report for a summer Tuesday, Dearies. Here's hoping that yours has been lovely and perfect in every way! Come tell me all about it!

TUESDAY...TUESDAY

MONDAY...MONDAY

AND THEN WE HAD A PLAN...

Paper.

Laundry.

Stitch.

Period.

A NOTE FROM VP OF SHIPPING AND MORALES, MR. BOSCO O. WILLOWSWAMP:

Dear Friends:

As we near completion of the Spinster Stitcher 10 year t-shirt order fulfillment, will the following customers please return email my Aunt Tubby with the following information?

Thank you for your assistance,

B. Willlowswamp, Esq.

Please send your shirt color and size: Ms. Angela Leasure

Please send your mailing address: Ms. Sarah Godfrey, Ms. Ann Bergeron, and Ms. Debbie Hudson.

HALFWAY HAPPY CHAIR...

I've got a bad case of "all the feels" today, so am just going to put on some Adele and stitch a skirt. Sometimes you just have to run away from reality, so run I shall.

But slowly, and with a big heavy machine in tow. (😐)

The weekend is upon us, Dearies, and in these here parts it's going to be a scorcher. If you are going to be similarly affected, please stay cool and safe and hydrated, but do something fun and come tell me all about it!

INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING

Friends, for those of you outside the United States, here are the charges to add for shipping:

Canada: please add $20

Europe: please add $30

Austrailia: please add $40

These prices are for a large flat-rate Priority Express International envelope. This means that there will be plenty of room in said envelope if you have other goodies from the US that you would like to have included. 

For example, if you order something from the House of Stitches and would like me to go over and pick it up for you and include it with your t-shirt to save on shipping...I am happy to do so!

Likewise, if you need something from the Michaels, JoAnns, or Hobby Lobbys...shoot me your list and away I'll go!

If you're here in the US and not near those places and need items...don't be shy! I am happy to help in any way I can, and if it means shopping for stitchy goodness for you, I'm in with a grin, Dearies!

Hope this all makes sense and that you know how much I appreciate your support! As of today, there are a total of 40 t-shirts sold!  I am just tickled pink and thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Damn good mugs coming next week!

Superpower items in August!

WooHoo!

ORDER DEADLINE...FRIDAY

Just a quickie today, Dearies!

I will continue to take orders for the Spinster Stitcher t-shirt until noon EST on Friday. This will allow us the weekend to get them organized, ordered, and ready for shipping the following week.  If you placed an order via mail, can you please send me a quick email to give me a heads up so that I reserve one for you?

For those interested in a damn good mug...stay tuned! I think Mr. Spinster has come up with some fun options!

And finally...Superpower items are being sourced as I type this. Car decals, magnets, tshirts, totes.....all in the works!

Thank you so much for your support! I haven't had this much fun in quite a while!

DECISIONS...DECISIONS

I've created a wonderful dilemma for myself...two lovely projects that I'd like to bring out to play:

Glendon Place

Red Velvet Cake

Brenda Gervais

Summer at Cherry Hill

What's a spinster to do? Both call to me equally, amd both are in my seasonal frame of mind, and both are mounted on q-snaps and ready to go. But there are only so many hours in a day, and despite my best efforts, I have not yet spontaneously sprouted a new set of limbs (or organs, for that matter!) that would speed the process.

(pondering...pondering)

MONDAY...MONDAY

Ugh.

I am just plain tired this morning and hurt from head to toes.  I suspect that this is the result of the Spinster Olympics this weekend, but man o' manachevitz...I am beat!

Ten minutes to departure for D-chair time. My bag is packed and ready to go with the essentials...

(book, headphones, socks, drink, snacks)

(The neck pillow, tushie cushion, and blanket stay in their bag in the car.)

I'm hoping and praying for a quiet, pain free treatment today. Last week was a bit brutal and this here portly old gal could really use a break!

Thank you for your t-shirt orders, Dearies!  If you asked me for shipping charges, I should have them for you tomorrow after a trip to my friendly neighborhood post office!

The new week is upon us and we're off like a herd of turtles! Methinks I might sekect a new stitchy piece to play with tonight! The mood is striking me to rotate, so rotate I shall!

Here's hoping that things in your neck of the woods are wonderfully swell today. Come tell us what's blowing your skirt up!

SUNDAY MORNING STATE OF THE SPINSTER UNION...

No stitching yesterday, but I hope to remedy that today!

The Chicken Sisters back in their roost after a night on the town, the paper is ready for perusal, and Lovey is patiently waiting for me to get it in gear so we can go to the golfing.

Yesterday was just...wonderful. After a few cups of damn good and a bagel, we headed out to the course and played eleven holes. I was limping along for the last two, but still managed to have a great time and get some exercise. Then it was home to the pool for a float and then onto the balcony for chicken fajita burritos. After cool showers it was back to the sectional for a movie...this time it was Twelve Angry Men, which I enjoyed very much. 

Who knew one pitiful little portly spinster could have so much fun in one day?

We're going to try to have a repeat performance today, but it's going to be considerably warmer, so I better get moving so that our floating time coincides with the warmest part of the afternoon. 

Happy Sunday, Dearies! I hope you are doing something that makes your heart sing! Come tell me all about it!

PROGRESS!

Remember how I said that I was going to start rotating projects every Sunday night? But, I think I also said I reserve the right to stay with a piece if it's still striking my fancy.

This is still striking my fancy.

I think I might try to finish the blue area before moving on to something else, since I seem to be in a decent rhythm and can move pretty quickly through it.

Rich is due to return from New Jersey this afternoon, so there is tidying to be done, makeup to be applied, and hairs to be arranged. I always like to have things in order when he comes through the door, and if I could pull it off I'd do the potroast and pearls just like a 1954 Westinghouse ad.

Now where did I put my lipstick?

Hot and humid still in these here parts, so methinks there might be some pool time to get my exercising in. It's a bit cloudy out there today, but that just means I will have the water all to myself.

Speaking of...

My nails got spiffed up yesterday with a color called "Water Park". I like it, but can only imagine Stewey's horror at a 52-year old with blue nails. 

(Sometimes I think I do these things just to see if he will come haunt me.)

(And yes...the fact that my fingers do not match my toes is indeed a very large problem. As soon as the order arrives from the Amazon.com today, I will remedy that toot sweet.)

That's the Thursday report from the friendly confines of CS2 today, Dearies! I hope you are off to a roaring start and that whatever you do makes your heart sing!

HAPPY AND SAFE 4TH!

   

DEAR FRIENDS *****EDITED*****

Later this week, I am going to launch a project that I have resisted for a very long time.  As you probably figured out from my preview, I have created a Spinster Stitcher logo that is going to be imprinted on t-shirts, and I am going to sell them on this here blog.

I am also launching the Spinster Stitcher Stitchy Store, and hopefully every month or so will have a different stitchy-related item imprinted or embroidered with something fun. I'm thinking tote bags, blankets, travel mugs/sippy cups, journals, etc. 

*****Sorry to confuse...the t-shirt is the only item that will have my logo. All of the other items will have a "generic" stitchy related logo. I just wanted to do the t-shirt as a 10year thingie.******

Here's the problem...

Last year at this time I was the recipient of a level of generosity that I still have not been able to wrap my brain around. At one of the very lowest moments of my life, you all opened your hearts and pocketbooks and (quite literally) put a roof over my head.  CS2 is my home because you secured it for me. I thank God for that (and you) each and every night when I put my head down in the big girl sleigh bed.

There are funds remaining from that miracle, and they are in reserve for my eventual trip to Indianapolis for a kidney transplant, but it turns out that kidney transplants...while covered by insurance...are damned expensive. My portion of the adventure will be quite a bit, so I am doing as much as I can to prepare myself physically, emotionally, and yes...financially.

All of this is my long-winded way of asking for your forgiveness if you are in any way offended that I come to you with my hand out after I was given so much, and to tell you that all of the proceeds from the sale of items on my blog wiill go into my kidney transplant fund.

If this does offend you, please come talk to me about it. If I have completely miscalculated here and am risking ruining a 10-year relationship with you...I will scrap the whole damn thing and will find another way. 

So that's the plan, Dearies. I hope your very own Monday is off to a swell start!  Come tell me all about it!