...I expect I'll be seeking out a quiet spot. Family in this weekend. Family coming in next weekend. I'm looking forward to having my dear family back in the state but they are house hunting and trying to a sell a home and dragging about the baby and dog and frankly it's a little stressful for them and a little stressful for us. So in order to keep stress levels as low as possible, I mean to relax, rest and plan for the coming weekend. I'll not be pushing myself hard to accomplish a whole lot of stuff. I've done plenty of that in the past week or two anyway, which my 'to do' list this past week reflects.
I reminded myself when overwhelm threatened me this weekend to enjoy this as part of my 'new season' and if that means decreased project work and resting up to spend time with family, then I'm going to do just that. It's times like this I recall my promise to myself to grab hold of the things I cherish and enjoy them.
...I plan meals
John works a 36 hour shift Sunday and Monday and will work again on Thursday. I'll be on my own those three days which means I will try to rely on leftovers. So a brief meal plan this week. I'm still using the cookbook I chose from my bookshelf last week. Recipes with an * are from that book.
Speedy Beef Burgers*, Onion Fries*, Pear Salad, Cherry Crisp
Foil Baked Chicken*, Black Eyed Peas, Coleslaw
Taco Salad, Whole Grain Chips, Banana Coconut Bake*
We're certain to eat out while getting groceries. It's John's choice that day.
...I plan my work
I'd love to plan for NO work but we all know that won't happen in an average run home and mine is average just like your own.
It is my wild hopes to get mulch, which isn't so hard to put out as it is to load and unload. However, John is never cooperative in that task as he loathes hauling mulch in the car...Not that we have any other option, mind you. So I'm on my own with this one. And since I'm hoping to get mulch, I'll hope to get a big bag of soil as well, so I can get more plants so I can pot more flowers and herbs, so I can...uh huh, work!
...I RELAX...
10 comments:
EEEK on the copperhead! I just raked a huge pile of accumulated leaves on the side of our shed yesterday and never thought a thing about it! Shiver!
We don't have any poisonous snakes in our area, thank goodness, but I still dislike them. It's good that you're being extra cautious.
We once filled up the back of our Suburban with hay bales. What. A. Mess. Mulch I don't mind too much but I have to have hubby to go along for the hauling and loading. One time we had 10 yards delivered. BAD IDEA! All of that had to be shoveled and hauled and we still had five helpers at home.
Meals-I have some lunches and a breakfast planned out with friends and family. Other than that I am winging it I guess. I kind of wrote out a meal plan but I am pretty clueless about how to cook for one day after day.
Chores-I wish we could get the outside work going but it is still weirdly cold for SC. My big heavy plant dolly in the garage is still in there and I don't know what the outcome with that will be since I cannot get it out and hubby will not be back for 15 days. I may be taking them out pot by pot.
Leisure-probably too much of it. I plan to watch whatever chic flick movies I want and cooking shows on TV.
The vintage pictures you used in this post were fun to see. I especially liked the one with the woman on her porch, and the sudsy dishwashing picture. Curious as to what magazines and years they are from.
My rose bush/flower bed seriously needs mulching. It has been too long since it was mulched. The mulch always seems like so much when getting it ready to spread, but we usually run out before we have a nice thick layer on.
Going to Home Depot to buy big bags of mulch or potting/top soil usually puts my husband in a grumpy mood because I want to stop, admire, and consider buying every plant between the entrance and the big bags of soil/mulch. Finally, several years ago, before my knees got bad, I just started going by myself so I could just take as much time as I wanted and if the bags of soil had not been rained upon, I could just lift them onto the cart and take them on home in the trunk of the car. My husband was fine with loading them out of the car and putting the mulch down or carrying the bags of soil to where I could open them up and shovel/dump them out. After my knees got bad, I found I could no longer lift the big bags, and lo and behold, all I have to do is ask the garden assistant if someone could load the bags onto the cart and into my car for me. It never occurred to me to ask for help with that before.
There have been little garter/garden snakes around here this year. I am not afraid of them, but I would not like to pick one up by mistake while pulling weeds and vines. The other day I noticed one of our big neighborhood hawks down on the ground in the yard across the street. I was worried that he might have caught one of the squirrels, rabbits, or finches that are so much in our yards here that they think they are pets. The hawk was frightened by a car that passed by. As he flew up out of the yard he had a snake in his talons!
It is finally starting to feel very Spring-like here. Happy Spring!
Snakes, blech. Not a fan, not a fan at all.
Menu plan - like John, when my husband works he is completely away from home (typically 3 days at a time), so I only plan for meals when he's home. If it's just the kids & myself, we have simple meals such as scrambled eggs or frozen ravioli.
*Cabbage Rolls, Squash
*London Broil, Roasted Potatoes, Salad
*Bean Soup, Cornbread, Salad
*Oven-Baked Chicken, Mac & Cheese, Green Beans
Goals - Besides the usual of housework, taking care of kids, & exercising (I work out at the gym 1-2 hrs/day Mon-Fri)...
*Grocery shopping (I go once every 2 weeks)
*Update budget for next pay period (2 weeks)
*Go through kids' clothes for items to sell at kids' resale shop
*Make list of needed summer clothes for kids in their current sizes and purchase what I can at resale shop. Check out Facebook buy/sell pages for any remaining needed items.
*Make a new donation pile for Goodwill (go through my closet and purge!)
*Clean oven
*Change bedding, do laundry (I do laundry once a week)
*Start working on gift for a sibling's bday
*Review YTD medical claims
Fun - gym, lots of alone time this week - yippee, "coffee date" with some girlfriends (I don't actually drink coffee)
Best wishes with your company.. and prayers to them with selling their home and buying another. I agree , all of it is very stressful.
Try to rest .. the to do list will be waiting for you , when they are all settled.
Your menu sounds good.
If you have an old sheet, put it in your trunk and put the mulch on it, this would catch any spills
Lowes has a roll of plastic near the garden dept door that you can take to put under messy items, too.
Thought about you Saturday as I drove through and stopped to purchase strawberries on my way to Tazewell. I do hope one day we can run into each other.
Janell
Will you pick up the things you ordered from the store when you go get the mulch? :) Lots of loading and unloading. Yes please ask for help to save your ankles and body. I know my thoughts are of working outside! It is really calling me. I have to make sure I get what needs done inside before heading out. I get too tired after working hard out there..and dirty! :) .. to want to do hard work later inside too.
It will be so wonderful to have the family closer again. I pray they find just the right neighborhood and home for them. Sarah
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