Our weekend didn't quite go as planned. Katie didn't make it down after all and so I had a lot of extra food. She wasn't very happy with the change in plans at all and I felt it for her as much as I felt my own disappointment. I put the Key Lime Pie I made into the freezer. When I do see her, she shall at least have that.
Can you believe that we are in the last week of June?! I somehow was under the impression we had another two weeks to go but we don't. Just one week and June is gone and we're into July. That's a little bit scary yet for us. For all that we're thinking positive we don't KNOW and won't until July 1, what the true verdict is: yes or no on the job, yes or no if he's still working with the county, how we will handle the new schedule, etc. Well, we'll know by Saturday week won't we?
I've been trying to breathe fresh life into meal plans here. The truth is everything.is.boring. and I need something fresh all around, in every compartment of life at the moment. New earning schemes, new meal plans, new goal setting techniques...I keep day dreaming of starting out fresh, with nothing, and just build up everything from scratch. Lovely in a day dream but not so practical in reality. But I can feel it's time to make some changes once again. I've gone stale.
Meal plans have gone dull as bread and water. It suffices but there's no real pleasure in the nourishment we're getting. I need new recipes, new ideas. To that end I've been sitting with cookbooks on my lap all weekend. One has a very few interesting recipes but once I print those off I'm letting it go. It's meant to be a 'light' eating book but the meal plans are beyond odd, high in carbohydrates and they keep pairing things like bread and pasta and dried beans or a pasta dish with a side dish of white rice....Golly! That's enough to toss the blood sugars sky high! And oddly nearly every dish in the book makes enough for 12. I could have used this when I was cooking for 7 on a routine basis but now that it's just 2 of us it seems a tad silly to keep the book on hand.
I realized this weekend that I need to shake up my goal planning method. Truth is, I do it by rote and then barely glance at them after. It's not helping me accomplish a thing at all. I've decided to try a new method. Not quite sure what yet, but I'm going to play about with my goals and see what I can work out. Since revamping my housekeeping schedule and finding fresh life breathed into that routine, I'm hoping to do the same with my monthly goals.
I'm a bit bored with the way the house looks. I don't need big changes just small fresh changes. It's time to lighten up a little more, put out some fresh pillows and lighter weight throws and maybe edit a few things. I haven't changed it at all since before Spring and so it feels like a seasonal sort of change is wanted at the moment
I will say I'm rather pleased overall with the work I've done in the yard but still no start on that front part of the house as I'd meant to do. And really the work on the back and side yard was mostly popping plants into pots and then having it rain a plenty upon them all so they are all growing like mad. However, I do want to seriously get on with that front yard work and....Oh dear. Let me get busy with the planning part of my week before I plan it all out right here!
...I plan work:
This week is truly going to be all about planning. Planning how to streamline work day preparations, planning a new method of setting goals, planning the work to be done on the front yard, planning menus that will appeal in summer, planning changes for the house (nothing that costs anything but definitely changing something)... Planning to stock the pantry and the freezer, though why I say freezer is beyond me as it's slap full at the moment.
I have paint to finish up the café set.
I have a planned day out with Mama this week. Not sure why I list this under work...
I walked through the grocery today and looked at the stock on the shelves and came away with no further ideas for shoe box meals, nor any items I really wanted to stock to go in them or on the pantry shelf except whole wheat pasta which I found on sale. I'd said last week I wanted to visit this shoe box idea all over again and sample a few of them to see how they work out. Must start.
Put peaches in the freezer.
Must find a remedy for aphids, they've all but killed the lovely purple petunia despite trying to treat it. It might be a lost cause but I'm unwilling to give up just yet.
Think and plan for new earnings venue. I'm doing okay with the ads on the blog but Swagbucks is slow unless I do a shop and earn and Pinecone Rewards has a new format which disqualifies me nearly every single survey. I've gotten ONE in two months time.
Time for a haircut.
...I plan meals:
Chicken Salad plates (Lettuce, tomato slices, carrot curls), Chips, Pickles and Lemon Meringue Pie
Italian Pepper Steak over Brown Rice, Green Lettuce salad, Plums
Hot Dogs, Potato Salad, Coleslaw, Grapes
Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce and Mozzarella Cubes, Green Salad, Crusty Cheese Bread, Tiramisu Cups (sugar free)
Taco Salad, Corn Muffins, Pineapple with Whipped Cream
on my own x2
...I plan my leisure:
Start a new book.
I love to do those 16 square Sudoku puzzles. I have quite a few of those puzzles on hand so I'll plan to spend time working on one of those. It's a real brain teaser.
Spend time on the porch each day. I've got a fan to use for the gnats...
I think I want to take up embroidery. I have some plain white cotton pillowcases and there are patterns all over the web and Pinterest and I even have a book. I'd like to sit quietly and work with my hands, I think.
11 comments:
On Swagbucks the mobile apps videos have been resetting at 9 PM Eastern time and sometimes they are giving double and triple rewards. So we start them at bedtime most nights and they are often running all night and earning so it can be run on your free time on your internet. You can run them on a GoPhone which is what my husband is doing. It cost $50 at Wal Mart and has paid for itself many times over in earnings.
We are looking forward to Friday when we head out to the lake for 10 days. It is our tradition to spend 4th of July there and we love it. Our oldest son's family will come for a few days so we get to see the three oldest grandchildren. They have never stayed at the lake with us and we are looking forward to fun sun and water time with them.
I also have let go of some cook books. Why keep them for just a few recipes. My blueberries have done well this summer- a surprise considering the late freeze that affected peaches and blueberries big time. We are still eating out of our freezer so I won't be putting much in it. I hope by the end of this year all the veggies have been eaten but since it is just the two of us that may be a lofty goal. No plans for July 4th- maybe dinner out. Hope you have a Happy 4th and fingers crossed for good news on the job front.
I know you've moved things around here to change up the look of your house, but I rarely do that. Saturday we switched out chairs from the living room to the den and it made such a difference. I also bought 2 pillow covers for 50 cents each at Goodwill. They fit the pillows that came with our couch and will make a welcome change.
Good luck with your plans.
Terri,
I've been a reader on your blog for a pretty good while though I've only commented a couple of times:) Anyway,
I just culled my craft room and have lots of embroidery supplies and a couple of books that I was going to donate. I would love to bless you with them instead, if you would like them. If that seems weird, or you prefer not to give me an address, I understand. I would just love for you to have them though! At my cost, of course, for the enjoyment I've gotten out of your blog. My email is sdriskell19@gmail.com. I'm hanging onto them until I hear from you.
Sally from Kentucky
I like the embroidered pillow cases but my husband does not like them at all. So I give them to people that love them. I do do flour sack t-towels and such though. I would like to get back to crewel. My fingers feel clumsier than they did in my youth. Like most of us I have arthritis but even though slower and sometimes the stitches are not as perfect the embroidery still gets done.
I understand your feelings. Stale is a good word for how I am feeling in so many areas too. I have changed up a few and from doing that I know the energy that it can generate. Now to find ways to energize other areas. I am so bored with the same jewelry at this time!!! I am going to go through my jewelry and either change some out to use differently or get rid of some of it. Many things are pretty but I seldom if ever use them now. I have a friend with a little family owned used store that could use more stock. Anything good we want to give away and can find no one else that want it goes to them. ...and when I give it to them I can shop their store!! :-)))
I realized I have been holding on to some decorating and other things and although they were nice ideas they are not what I want for my life now. They have been taking up too much space in my life and mind for too long. They say to think of our junk as how much sq. feet of our living space it cost us too. Too much! Out they need to go to hopefully bless someone else. Same with some of my books. I started a notebook to list books I give away I love but don't want to keep. Information on author etc + info from the book I want to remember or such. Just a paragraph. Helps me to be able to get rid of it if at least I have some I information still.
The pictures of your home are so pretty. Sarah
I hope that if you find some ways to break the *stale*, you'll share. I'm a terrible creature of habit and I tend to do the same thing regularly.
We're still playing the "should we downsize?" game around here. It would be so much easier if our little city (less than 10k) had what we were looking for. But they don't. So that means moving to a nearby town. I love it here and I don't want to move! At the same time, I really don't want a 2600 sf house & 1/3 acre yard to deal with, either. We pray every night for wisdom and help in deciding.
I'm ready to build a blanket fort and go inside and suck my thumb!!!
I love embroidery. I've been doing it since I was young. All the older women in my life did it. I still compare myself to them and I know I shouldn't. I have their things all over my house and they were truly artists with a needle. I find myself picking up a table scarf and staring at it for minutes at a time. I'm in awe of how beautiful it is. I've also done a lot of cross stitch, but my eyes sure aren't what they used to be!! I finished one that I started many years ago and when I pulled it from the box, I found myself wondering if the squares were always so small!!
Lana, Being lakeside sounds wonderful...
Delorise, No peaches at all in our county as of now. The peach shed hasn't even opened.
Grammy Goodwill, I think it's awesome that you moved things around. We seldom move big pieces of furniture but it made a huge difference in October when we moved some chairs and things about. I think I need to remove my quilts from the chairs and maybe look for some solid pillow covers to use. That will be change enough to make it look fresh.
Sarah, I love to embroidery but haven't done it since I was in my early 20's.
Sally, thank you. I sent you an email with my address.
Debby, LOL I know I sew better these days with BRIGHT light, lol. I'd like to do tea towels too I think...and maybe the pockets of aprons and such. I'm thinking how I'd incorporate this into something that would be lovely.
Perhaps it's the summer doldrums that are in the air. I too have been bored out of my gourd with cooking and menu planning. I've just gotten to where I really do not enjoy it at all anymore. I think it's all of the work it requires and causes in the kitchen. LOL
I love embroidery but have never really taught myself to do it. I have a new-to-me sewing machine - I need to come up with some projects for that. It's been 23 years since I've sewn so hopefully it's like riding a bike!
I had a couple of ideas for a shoebox meal - Quick and Easy Shepherd's Pie. You could have a can of beef stew, a packet of instant mashed potatoes and perhaps a can of Veg-All to the box. Maybe a can of pears or something to have a side. The other one was a Frito Chili Pie or Tamale Pie - canned chili, either Fritos or Corn Bread Mix, a can of corn and taco seasoning maybe? Just a couple of ideas!
Obviously, these recipes would need to be tweaked for health reasons for many of us but I came across this site while looking for meal inspiration and just simple, good food. Thought I'd share. It's an old blog post for sure, but one that's worth bookmarking!
http://www.mommyskitchen.net/2008/06/old-fashioned-classics-soul-food.html
The doldrums are funny things. I have found so many times when I'm in them, that I was doing the very same things, & eating the very same things this very week last year or 2 (or more) years in a row. (Thanks to FB "On this Day"). And yet, that's what we eat this time of year.
One little thing that really helped us this weekend (last of June as I write this); my oldest girlfriend called and said she needed to get out of town after 2+weeks of caring for ailing family members. After lengthy convos between the us and the hubbies we met and took off with a general destination in mind. Just an overnight trip of 28 hours. We drove 3 hours away (with a stop for dinner on the way) and stayed the night and then after breakfast we just headed in the general direction of our goal. My directive was we stop wherever we wanted, when we saw something interesting or unique and I took lots of fun photos. 18 communities in 28 hours and we did make our final destination of Gavins Point Dam on the SD/NE border. It was a lovely, coolish day and we had a blast. We were home by 10:30 pm and have spent today relaxing and still have 2 more days to enjoy of this holiday weekend. I feel reenergized and I bought an antique/vintage stoneware honey pot in just the blue I was wishing for for my kitchen table for decorating. My gardens are being neglected this year so I guess I will have to concentrate more on the inside and on cooking.
I know not everyone can take a spontaneous trip but maybe just a day spent in a nearby town or doing tourist things in your home community would be fun. A Staycation. :)
Oh, embroidery! My grandmother taught me when I was young. My other grandmother made me a set of dishtowels to put in my hope chest when I graduated 7th grade. I used those towels up, but they're packed away in my hope chest still.
Over the past few years I've accumulated some towels and patterns in order to make dishtowels for my nieces for Christmas. Now that I get to reclaim my house and my evenings, perhaps that will happen sooner rather than later.
Post a Comment