I knew on Friday when I stepped outdoors and the South wind blew in my face that indeed the predictions of rain were quite right. Glad I've asked the kids to come play here today. They'll want the extra room to run and play indoors with all this rain.
John and I spent Friday evening watching a rather fun series that he'd found called "The Tenth Kingdom". It's a fantasy with time travel and fairy tale characters but with a funny sort of twist to it. I didn't mean to get caught up in it but there you are. You just never know what will capture the imagination, give you the giggles, and be intriguing all at once. It's been a lovely little stress reliever from all the news and police chase videos and such that are his usual fare.
Now that I'm feeling more comfortable with my routine housekeeping, I am looking at other areas of life and determining what needs to be dropped or altered a little or a lot to make my life function more fully. I'm looking at personal habits, work habits, how we live, and how we spend...I'm literally looking at every area.
Work:
Last week's List of Three Things went very well. I made a list with 21 little tasks to do and I managed to get 18 of them done. One I skipped only because I'm not sure I really want to use the item after all and the others were just oversights. I was rather pleased when I went through my list and found I'd come that close to completing it. I'm looking forward to creating this week's list.
We are in Zone 2, the kitchen, this week. Though Fly Lady has the kitchen as a separate item, in my home the back entry and laundry are tied into the space as well. I will include those two areas in this week's work.
This week I must work on my prayer for our friend's wedding. In fact, getting myself ready for the wedding in all ways is on my list. I have to find a dress (I've ordered two, Katie loaned me two to try).
I want to really concentrate hard on keeping a running prayer list. I've not stopped praying for others but for the past two or three years, my list of people requesting and/or laid on my heart has been much shorter, and then it dwindled down to one or two. Now I am feeling a deep urge to pick that up once more, though. I do best if I have a list of names before me to run through a couple of times a day. Then as I work a name will present itself and I'll pray as I'm working.
I need to keep Caleb on Friday and I thought I'd pick him up and bring him here to spend the night on Thursday. I plan to visit Mama that day and run errands and it's just a little further to go fetch him.
Choose one area of my personal/financial/work life and examine it deeply. Brainstorm ways to be more productive and also to eliminate excess in every area.
Plan a family gathering for Easter Sunday weekend here.
Have the kids over to play (Saturday). This went well. Today was a day when they happily played for hours on their own and then took up their tablets after lunch.
Kitchen:
I want to make muffins and waffles this week. I never did that last week.
Meals:
Hot Dogs with Baked Beans
Leftovers
Ham, Potato Salad, Collard Greens
Chicken and Rice Bake, Green Peas, Peach Salad
2 meals I didn't make last week:
Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans, Coleslaw, Corn Muffins
Chef's Salad, Tomato Soup
Something made with leftover ham or Meatloaf...
I'm trying to make smaller portions and not have as many leftovers. I have no objection to eating them but I'd rather have smaller portions and not freeze/eat leftovers quite as often as we seem to do.
Personal/Leisure:
I'm doing a little better with self-care. In the past week, I've tended to my pedicure, given myself a manicure and I'm clean-shaven once more. I have also been brushing my hair with one hundred strokes morning and evening. I don't know if it's doing my hair a bit of good but I do know that it makes me mindful of my need to take care of myself in other ways. I'm reading more and I'm a little less anxious and tense.
I need to lose a few pounds. It's only a few (ten or fewer) but it's not as easy as I assumed it would be to do this. I've obviously got to be more intentional in this area. I don't have a date that I've set to meet that goal. I won't try to lose it before our friend's wedding. I'll lose it the same way I gained it: a little at a time.
Set up a wardrobe for the coming week or so. It's warming up. One day last week I realized that having a thick sweater was a bit too much, but a lighter-weight one would have been nice. I got hot and ended up exposing my upper arms since I had on a sleeveless top. Time to at least bring out the warmer weather things but I'm a bit leery of packing up all the warmer winter things too quickly.
It's pollen season. And it's everywhere. But I still want to try and get outdoors for a few minutes every single day. I expect mornings will be the very best time, while things are damp and heavy and less likely to blow about.
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4 comments:
The pictures you select for your blog posts always bring a sigh of pleasure and contentment at the peaceful images. The good old days weren't always good but in light of what is going on in this world today, they sure seem a whole lot better. Sermon over...ha!
It's good your List of Threes is working out. May have to explore this process. All activities in our lives need reassessment from time to time. Even at seventy-seven I am still learning how to manage the dailies and long-term goals.
Well, I'm off to peg some laundry on the clothesline. A pleasure, not a chore.
Your tv environment seems to be similar to mine - lots of police chase videos, hours of just watching planes take off and land over and over again, court videos, and on and on. It does get old. I usually have my nose in a book or in my phone. We occasionally watch a series we both like but that's rare. We are caught up on Reacher which we liked (and I read all of the books) and started Shogun but not sure we'll finish that one. It's a lot of subtitles which I don't mind but it's not that entertaining to me. I tend to watch my picks - an episode of a series or two or perhaps a movie I want to watch - after he goes to bed. That gives me a little me time with less sirens, engine noises and arguing of people I'm not interested in.
I bet Caleb and John (and you) will have a grand time with the sleep over. Always special when it's at grandma and grandpa's house as a treat.
It is fund raising time on PBS and it is a wonderful time to hear great music. Last night we discovered a new to us pianist, Lang Lang. His interpretation of all of the music he played was enchanting. I hope to run across more of his music on PBS in the future.
Donna most of those pictures are from the 20's and 30's and I too appreciate the peacefulness of them. No one with a grumpy face doing their work. Modestly but prettily dressed. There is much to admire there. I'm on the look out for more such pictures I might use in my writing. As I've gotten older I find I want to slide a little further back in time, from the 1950's to the 20's and 30's despite the depression and flappers and such. I guess every generation has their foibles to deal with.
I find hanging laundry and folding too, a very peaceful activity. I also like to wash dishes, though admittedly more in the cooler months than the summer because hot water just makes me that much hotter.
Lana, I shall keep my eye out for any videos that might have Lang Lang. Thank you for mentioning him.
Karla, I was so hoping it would be dry for Caleb's visit so he could spend the maximum of time outdoors. Katie is naturally very reluctant to have him outdoors alone in her neighborhood, though it is quiet. The backyard is not easily visible from the front of the house where her office is. The yard is not fenced either. I've encouraged her to let him play on teh front porch since she has a ring doorbell but she's worried she'll be distracted by work and not see him slip away.
However, my point was that I was hoping the weather would cooperate but no it's meant to rain from Friday through the weekend, so ugh. At least I've thought to tell Sam that I want Millie over that morning I'll have him.
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