April 18: Finishing Off April

 

The contractor pushed hard this past weekend and finished the kitchen.  Now I need to determine what I'm going to hang on the walls and where I shall place things.  I lived with what decor I'd put up for quite some time and only one piece is going back right where it was all those months.  The rest I will figure out as I go and try to determine if they even fit the direction I have been slowly trying to go in for the past year or so.  

The kitchen does look lovely, and I promise you all pictures.  I just got things put back into place (not decor, just furniture and counter appliances) this morning.  And frankly I am tired.  Partly due to a tough night for unknown reasons and that I worked very hard indeed this morning.  But I'm ahead of myself...

Saturday, I spent the day reading a book.  John bought me a lovely vintage copy of April Gold by Grace Livingston Hill a couple of Christmases ago and I thought I'd like to at least honor the month by getting that read once.  It's really a nice story overall and just the sort of thing I needed to read.  I made pizza at lunch time, and Travis sat and ate lunch with us.  He ate very well indeed which always makes me feel happy, lol.  No truly, I do love feeding people and seeing them enjoy the food I make.  

He left fairly early that afternoon and we had the remainder of the day to ourselves.  Sam ran in and brought some Japanese Curry for us.  I haven't tried it yet, but it smelled rather nice when he opened the lid.  I expect that will be supper tomorrow night.

Sunday, we went to church and then over to Katie's after.  I told John we'd stop and take sandwich stuff over and we did.  I would have been better off to buy chicken though.  It was NOT cheaper to pick up luncheon meat (and not from the deli!) and bread and chips.  And I was much amused when Caleb said to us, while his mom was making sandwiches for the three kids, "Next time I want fried chicken, green beans and macaroni and cheese."  

I don't typically take lunch because honestly because it gets very expensive, but we often won't eat at all while we're there and not getting lunch until 3:30 or 4pm when we leave is just a bit late for me.  I wouldn't mind half so much if John would consider that late lunch/early supper, but no, he won't.  He expects something else to eat when we get home.   But anyway, sandwiches were on the menu yesterday and I'm glad we took it and had lunch because it was far more pleasant to come home having already eaten than to wolf down food in a moving car too late in the afternoon!  I'm trying to find a way around a pattern that doesn't suit me in the least.

I enjoyed my time with the children.  For some reason yesterday, Henry had an especial interest to his siblings who were all drawn to come sit next to me and beg to hold him, so I got very little of his time or attention yesterday.  I do love how when Taylor walks up and drawls a long "Hi" out to Henry, he immediately mimics her and returns the greeting.  

Katie sent me home with tomato plants, parsley and dill...I'll be having a garden I guess and that's quite all right with me.  Maybe I shall just go ahead and plant some green beans and carrots as well.  Why not?!

When we got home, the kitchen needed last touches but was pretty much finished.  I expect Travis might have been done a good deal earlier if John hadn't settled in a chair near the doorway and proceeded to talk the man's ears off.  Mind you, Travis holds his own in conversation as well.  They talked and talked and talked and talked some more.  Finally, all was finished and Travis started packing up his stuff to go out the door.  John went out to help him.  An hour and a half later they were still chatting away, and I was just thinking it was time to tell John to let him go home, when Lori called worried about Travis not having yet returned home.  I went to the door and said, "Go home!!"  Travis and John laughed but John had good grace to say goodbye and let the man finish loading up his tools.  

It's nice they like each other so well.  Indeed, I like the man myself, he's very pleasant and he 'fits' when he's here, never obtrusive or awkward.  But he's also very busy and I know he'd spent the whole weekend working with little time off.  He'll be back sometime in the next few days to do the last jobs and then we won't see him for a long while.  However, I can say honestly that having him here has been pleasant and we will truly miss him.

It was late, nearly 7:30 by then and I was worn out.  I dozed off and took a brief nap, then John and I watched a vlogger we save to watch on Sunday and the next to last episode of season two in "Unforgiven" and then I went to bed and right to sleep.  

Which brings us back around to not sleeping well last night.  I woke about 12:30 or so and was in pain, the weather aches sort of pain, not agony but just general misery.  I finally was able to get comfortable once more and went back to sleep but I feel the broken sleep I had last night.  

Despite this, I was determined today to tackle the layer of dust in our bedroom.  I cleaned up the master bath and then I went into the bedroom determined that the furniture, fans, walls, etc. would get dusted and the room deeply vacuumed.  It took over an hour to get it all done properly but it was worthwhile.  And then I cleaned off the dining table and set the kitchen back in order.  All in all, I had a good four hours work under my feet by the time I sat down to lunch.

And now it is time to sort out supper.  I have Chicken Pot pie filling in the fridge that I thawed yesterday.  I'm going to make that for supper tonight.  I think I'm going to top the pie with puff pastry, simply because I've got it in the freezer and I may as well use it.  

One other thing...Did you ever wonder where all this 'simple living' thinking came from?  Do you, as I, think this is a product of our hectic modern times?  For as long as I can remember people have been looking around saying, "I want a simpler life," but it's not a recent idea.  In the 1970's one of Daddy's favorite magazines and one he and I both devoured from cover to cover was called "Mother Earth News".    Therein each month was article after article of people who had changed corporate jobs for acreage and returned to milking cows and gardening, canning and preserving and living the 'simple' life.    So yes, I've been hearing about simple living now for more than fifty years.  And I did truly think it was a product of our modern times.

However, today I took a brief moment to read a small book of Laura Ingalls Wilders earlier writings and discovered that she was writing about 'simple living' and returning to the 'old ways of simpler times' long before Mother Earth News publishers were a twinkling in the eye of a mother or father.  She was writing about this in the very early 1900's!  

I don't think simple living is a product of modernism.  I think it just must be a heartfelt longing for a time in life when we ourselves hadn't so much information, intelligence, knowledge, stuff crammed at us.  Simple times really denote a longing to return to a carefree (relatively speaking) childhood of simply accepting that each day is a brand-new day.  

Adulthood brings with it a lot more than responsibility, doesn't it? It's not going away, no matter how much we wish it!  Life will never again be as simple as it was when we were children.  We can however choose to make each day as peaceful, calm and chaos free as we can humanly manage.  We can choose not to add stress to ourselves or others.  We can choose to approach every single day as a brand-new day and be grateful at both the beginning and the end of it.  

I hope you've had a lovely day!

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April 27: Clearing My Head

 

I might ought to title this one "Work, Work, Work!"   I couldn't sleep Friday night for thinking oh so many thoughts about the weekend and the week ahead.  I planned meals and planned tasks and planned things I felt sure I hadn't any time for at all.  I thought ahead into next month and realized it's a five week stretch this time between paydays...which bears thinking about.  

What I Did This Week

 

It seems at the end of every single week, I realize it's Friday and then I feel this surge of...not guilt, nor frustration.  But I have this sense that the week flew by, and I have accomplished absolutely nothing.  I'm going to track what I do each day this week and just prove to myself that either that feeling is true or it's false.  Let's see how this goes.

April 24: Happy Reminders

 

I looked out our bedroom window this morning and remembered three different people in a matter of seconds.

Nancy gave me the deep red antique rambling rose that is blooming right now outside my bedroom window and in front of the back porch.  They were on the property when her husband's grandparents settled that spot.  She gave me two different roses but only one has survived.  The one in front of the back porch I rooted myself.  

April 23: Put It Back

It's meant to rain tomorrow (happens we got a small shower today, as well), and Friday we have Travis coming in, not to mention all the House Blessing cleaning and planning that I do on Fridays.  So today we headed off to Sam's Club to do our every other month shopping.  

Y'all...The number of things I looked at, considered and then carefully put back on the shelf was great.  John said to me on the way home, "I started to wonder if you were going to buy anything.  You just kept putting things back."  Well, I put things in the buggy as well, but not nearly as much as I'd thought I might.  I had looked at preview ads for the grocery stores yesterday, so I'd have the prices fixed in my mind before shopping today.  It proved to be a good strategy because it made me very mindful of what I'd pay routinely if I didn't go to Sam's Club and most all of what I bought was a better purchase than I could get at the regular grocery.

April 22: Fragrant Spring

 

Privet, China Berry and Honeysuckle are all currently blooming and they make the air fragrant and lovely, something you can almost taste but not quite.  It's a time I look forward to each Spring.  I am not nearly so allergic to these things as I am to the earlier, heavier pollinators.  I love to just take great deep breaths and enjoy these fragrant days.

Speaking of fragrance, back at Christmas time I went on the hunt for a new scent.  I ordered samples of several scents and liked several but one really stood out hard for me.  It was called Love by Coach and it smelled faintly of strawberries and died to a lovely herbal citrus scent with a light musk undertone.  But pricey!  Gracious goodness it cost a lot.  Then Katie offered me a sample she'd gotten of another scent, and I liked it quite well.  It was more affordable, so I ordered that one.

April 21: How Pretty!

 

The true way to live is to enjoy every moment as it passes, and surely it is in the everyday things around us that the beauty of life lies. ~ Laura Ingalls Wilder

Hello loves.  I decided to take Easter Sunday as a day off.  Saturday was busy so I didn't feel I'd had a proper weekend and didn't work ahead on my usual post of goals and meal plans for the week.  

Friday night we drove over to church to participate in Communion service.  It was a lovely service with a powerful worship service and a short but even more powerful sermon.  We sat and talked for a few moments with friends before driving home.  The weather was wonderful by the time we'd headed home and the sun setting in a haze of amethyst, pink, pale coral.  The soft air, the green trees, soft blues of woods beyond us. It was a beautiful ride home.  

April 18: Friday Frenzy

 

I have had to sit down and cool off.  Rest was needed too but cooling off and getting a cold drink were top priority at the moment.  The kitchen looks like a bomb went off.  The bedroom is torn up because I haven't yet put new bedding on the bed.  The living room is as neat as I can make it and any other messes at present are being fully and totally ignored because I am already overwhelmed.

This morning, John wanted French toast and since I had half a loaf of homemade bread that was dryer than we care for it to be, it seemed a good idea.  From there the day sort of turned into a cooking frenzy.  I put the ham into the slow cooker (it doesn't fit, but since it's in a plastic liner bag I'm hoping for the best.  Perhaps some of the liquid will cook out and the meat will shrink enough I can properly close the lid.  If not, then it can continue as is until the very full oven is emptied.

The oven currently holds sweet potato fries (for lunch), Sam's two pans of chicken, 1 pan of sausage balls, macaroni and cheese.  On the counter, I have bread in the bread machine, biscuit dry ingredients ready to mix, dry ingredients and grated carrot ready to make muffins for Easter morning breakfast and the beginnings of a bowl of tuna pasta salad (seemed a good idea while I was making mac and cheese to use half for the salad).   And the makings of lunch are also sitting on the counter.  The sink overflows with dirty dishes and more will be coming from the oven and lunch...

I found myself working too frantically.  The truth is we're going out this evening to Easter communion services at church.  I'll have to have my supper and be ready to leave before 5 pm today.  And for whatever reason, this fact makes the day feel overly short and so I find myself working too quickly and too hard and feeling very overwhelmed.  So this sit down and cool off period is truly very necessary to calm the panic I was beginning to experience as I juggled too many things at once.  None of this can be done tomorrow because we'll get up early, leave and be gone until afternoon and by then, I shall be interested only in having lunch (hence the tuna pasta salad) and quite probably a nap.  

My big push is because I'm thinking that just perhaps tomorrow and Sunday Travis will be working his way about the walls where the stove and sink are.  It would make sense that while he waited on one set of walls to dry from a second coat of primer he'd go ahead and work around to getting these walls cleaned and a first coat on those walls especially since he has so little need to repair anything in that area.  

One thing I asked of John a couple of weeks ago was to go about and tap in all the tap screws then fill the holes.  John-like, he put it off and so Wednesday, I was doing something in the kitchen when I saw that Travis had simply painted right over six tap screws in one area.  They weren't even in a straight line.  I felt like crying.  I went to John and told him what I'd found.  I will say a million times that Travis does careful work and he's very precise, but one thing he and his crew member never did in the bathroom while painting was to remove tap screws and fill the holes.  Had there been a speck of paint left I'd have had John repair them and we'd have painted over but no paint for touch-ups, so I strategically hung a picture over those and try to ignore them overall.  But these tap screws were down near the edge of the counter and there was going to be no hiding them.

Well John still did nothing until later that evening when he finally realized how upset I was.  I pointed out that it was a lot of money going out and I wasn't too keen on a 'good enough' job of it.  I wanted a great job!   He stirred himself and had the screws tapped out and repaired in a matter of 15 minutes.  Yesterday morning, we stood together and went wall to wall in the kitchen and he filled the others we found.  I think there were six more.

I know John does a most excellent job with filling and spackling and that was why I specifically asked him to attend to the task.  I wasn't asking him to fill every single hole in the wall where I'd previously hung a picture.  After all, some of those things are going right back up in the holes that are left behind, but over the years, I've had shelves and heavier items hung on the wall that required some bigger than average screws and left unsightly holes behind when they came down.  John has never fussed over my hanging pictures or anything else on the walls which I appreciate about him.  He just asks to be the one to hang them because even with careful measurements, I tend to have a crooked eye.

later:  The bed is still unmade, but the dishes have either been washed or are in the dishwasher.  I need to vacuum the floors and make that bed but I'm calling it done from here.  All the baking is done.  The ham is still in the slow cooker and starting to smell very good.  The day is done for me.  After I do these two jobs, I will spend the next few hours resting with my feet up.

Have a happy Easter weekend everyone, even if it's just a gathering of two like ours.  

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April 17: Spring Sprucing Continues

 

The other day when I stepped into the living room, I noticed how horribly stained the seat cushion was on one of the kitchen's chairs.   I also noted that the paint job on the entry shelf was shoddy looking.  I have to buy a paintbrush, but I found the paint I'd used and there's plenty of the paint left....

April 16: Spring Sprucing

 

The yards are freshly mown and looking rather nice.  The front porch furniture has been fully wiped down and the floors blown free of debris.  I washed and hung the heavy winter quilt on the line to dry and air.  I dusted the living room and fluffed a few areas that had been bothering me, and I culled books from two shelves.  

I pulled a total of 18 books.  Of the 18 I pulled not one of them has ever been read!  Of the 18, I deemed one as a duplicate, one as an absolute keeper and 16 I am very much reluctant to give up.  But I feel I am also compelled to then start reading my way through that stack of 16 and determining if indeed, I truly do want to keep them or let them go.  And remember, that is just two shelves.   I have 11 more to work my way through!

April 15: Sunshine in My Eyes

 

This morning, I got tired of feeling overwhelmed and determined that I'd just do what I could, working steadily and resting when I got tired.  And that is what I did.  Did I accomplish loads?  Nope.  I worked steadily though so there we are.  I can honestly say I am coming to the end of this day having done what I could.

The mess in the kitchen sitting and front entry are really pushing my buttons.  I will not move a bit of it though as it's all right where the painter placed it and there's no point in putting anything back until we're done with the current section.  And then we shall put it all back and move out the next lot!  I was thinking about it this morning, and the next sections are mostly items on the walls or counter.  Not such a lot of either one, so there is that blessing.

April 14, 2025: Come On In!

 

Apparently, we have put the welcome sign outside our door. And we've assumed others have their welcome signs out for us as well.  It's a very sociable sort of Spring around here.  Travis got his lunch and sat down to eat at the table on Saturday with John.  We went to church and had our own little group in the midst of the sanctuary after service that sat and talked.  Then we headed over to Kate's where we stayed far too late and too long, just being sociable.   Sam ran in today after lunch and sat down and talked until the kids were due home on the bus.  John is off this evening to Men's meeting.  

April 13: Plans and Ambitions

Josh didn't get to go to the library with us on Saturday.  He has had fever and ailments all week and on Saturday broke out in a rash (Roseola).  It's a viral ailment and probably going through the schools.  He didn't even come out the door to greet me but he stood in front of the open door and waved to me.  

Millie wanted to know if we could go have 'fun' after the library and I told her I felt I needed to do something that Josh could share in, so suggested getting a tub of Rainbow Sherbert.   Isaac asked for drinks and when I stopped at the freezer case to grab a pizza for John and me for lunch, Millie wanted to know if she could take Pizza home, too.  I hadn't planned to spend so much there but that's the way it is with the kids.  They know too well I won't say no if it's reasonable, but I tend to forget that even reasonable can add up to a good bit. Sam texted me just as I turned into the road home that he was making lunch.  Well, he's got supper now, too.  

April 11: What's It All About?

Hello dears.  I didn't write yesterday because the day was a little off putting, odd, strange.  I don't really know how to explain it was all those things, but it was.  The whole darn week has been 'different' not in a bad way but in a way that has left us feeling we're not really sure just why we are where we are.  I'll explain in a bit.

April 9: I know it's Today

 

Yesterday afternoon, after I had written the last post, I fell asleep here in my chair and I slept like I'd died for two hours very hard.  I woke myself nodding to 'yes' to a vlogger John was watching who was saying, "I won't be here next week, will you film for me?"  And that was my first bit of consciousness, lol.  I was sleep drunk when I woke, completely unable to fully come awake or speak, but eventually I was fully awake.  I spent the whole afternoon though yawning loudly and feeling tired.

We sat down last night to watch a pastor we enjoy that holds a Tuesday evening service, and my eyes closed again.  A bit after 8pm John insisted I got to bed.  'After all,' he said, 'you've only just finished your weekend!  You were up extra early on Saturday and Sunday, Monday and today.  Go to bed and sleep late in the morning.'   

April 8: Things That Needed to Be Said

 

First, let me say that all potential jurors got dismissed this morning at about 11am.  All we did for the two half days we were there was sit in the hallway and talk.  I suppose, if nothing else, it was rather neighborly.  I met four other women and had good conversations with each.  I'm not a great conversationalist, partly because I don't hear well when there is a lot of noise.   The hallway in the courthouse is marble so you can imagine that a conversation of 100 or so folks can be rather overwhelming when you're trying to sort one quietly spoken voice out of all the others but yes, I did carry on conversations.  Not one person I spoke with lived near me.  Three lived on the western side of the county which is about 30 miles from us (we're on the far eastern side) and the third lady lived there in Butler.

April 7: Changing Scenery

Saturday morning, I was looking out the kitchen window as I waited on my coffee to brew.  The grass was green, the trees were green, and we'd been completely closed in once more, our blue house in a sea of green.

Yesterday as we drove over to church, I marveled at the way the views across the river swamp have changed.  From the road going across the swamps the hills rise, and I could see every shade of green imaginable on that hillside.  But it wasn't only the variety of greens I saw that stunned me.  It was the realization that just since Thursday that same view had been altered to a fully leafed forest!  No more peeking tender leaf buds, these were full leaves.  Still tender and beautifully green but full leaves. Talk about a change of scenery!

April 6: The Weekend Behind, The Week Ahead

 

I've become very aware of new patterns evolving over the past month or so.  It started with the intermittent fasting and it's been giving me reason to think harder than usual about my time in the kitchen and about how I eat.  I'm tossing more food than I have in years.  Why?  There are several reasons.

I'm not making the sort of food that freeze well as leftovers.  As I get more and more accustomed to what the app considers a 'good meal' and what it considers a 'low' meal, I'm cutting back on certain components that have seriously compromised flavor and texture.  Frankly if I feel a meal is 'Meh' when I'm done with it, I do not feel inclined to freeze the leftovers...and I'm totally going to avoid eating those leftovers!   The few recipes I've tried from the app have been super bland and not good.

April 4: Control What I Can

 

Hello all.  I'm sorry I missed posting yesterday.  I went to visit Mama and frankly it was not a happy visit.  I cut it as short as I reasonably could, but I lost my temper more than once and got unpleasantly snippy at the last point.  As you all know, my relationship with my mom has always been rocky at best.  I took the bait she offered and reacted in a way that I felt was less than I'd have liked.  It did not help in the least that she gave a sort of sly smile when I bit that dangled bait.  I knew she felt she'd 'won' something.  For the life of me I can't understand why she wants to be the way she is, nor why I'm not better at controlling my reaction to her actions.

April 2: Houseful

 

It's warm out there, 86F as I write.  And boy does it feel like spring sprang forward and grabbed a bit of summer to pull forward.  The bees are buzzing about, the roses are budded up and I think every tree has at the least tender leaflets if they haven't put out full leaves.  It is quickly getting into the season of doing things in the early part of the day and sheltering indoors for the latter part.

Today we thought perhaps the painter might be by, but we saw nor heard anything from him.  No worries.  We are a side job, not his main employer.  As it was, we had two of the children from The Manor here while Sam took Isaac to an appointment.  And about lunch time, Katie and Cody stopped in with Bella, Henry and Caleb.  They joined us for lunch.  Sam took his kids home because they were going to get haircuts and then had a planned afternoon at a sports center plus an evening out in addition to all that. 

April 1: Blooming

There are days I don't even know what hit me...

Last week, out of the blue, John started talking about getting the kitchen painted.  I was "Oh okay..." and pretty much paid him no mind.  On Friday, he called one of the contractors who worked on the house in 2023, and he stopped by on Saturday to give us a quote.  

TODAY, we bought paint and supplies, and I think the painting will begin tomorrow!  My head is awhirl!  John is, by his own estimation, a proficient master of procrastination but golly gee, when he makes up his mind, there will be no blade of grass safe in his path.  

March 31: April Showers

 

It's just rained.  All the predictions said we were in for storms, but all we've had is a bit of rumbly thunder and brief, not heavy, showers.  The sky has finally lightened up, not as though it's clearing, but as though the sullen part of the day might be over.  The rain is appreciated as it will dampen the pollen and prevent it floating quite as freely through the air.

March 30: April's Coming!

 

I got a few things done last week and officially I won't be worried any further about what was on March's goals list or weekly to do lists.  Either it was done or left undone, and I can't be bothered to turn and look back.  I did my best.  I was so grateful to finally get my feet back under me and lose that malaise and fatigue that hit me after that bout of flu.  I'll take my wins and forget the losses.

And now it's time to begin a whole new month.  Someone on some short reel on Instagram was saying, "The year's one quarter gone!  Now's the time to get busy..."  Phooey.  There's still three quarters of the year remaining and unless you have a target date for a deadline, let's just plod on and do what we can.  I don't know if I've share it before, it's likely I have, but we have a family motto that is in plain site in our living room.  "It's better to do something and fail, than to do nothing and succeed."  

March 28: Spring Break

 

Spring Break officially begins next week for our children, but Caleb had an added day on this week and so his Mama brought him and Henry over to play at Gramma's house.  Henry fights to get down on the floor these days and spends most of his time either grabbing his feet or rolling over onto his stomach and trying to get his knees under him.  He'll be seven months old here in a little over 10 days.  

I watched as he and Caleb tumbled together on the floor on a blanket.  Later I asked Caleb if Henry had finished his botte and Caleb said, "I think so."  He tried to take him from Henry, who wrapped both hands tightly around it and wouldn't let go!  Henry is a strong little fellow.

March 27: Grocery Day

 

It's incredible to me that we're nearly done with this month...I'd love to ask where it went but I recall too well that for at least two weeks, I struggled with fatigue (residue from that flu) and then for two weeks I have struggled to catch up with all the things I wanted to get done this month.

Today, I headed to the grocery store.  I went alone which was rather nice.  I just went to Aldi and concentrated on produce and eggs, but I did pick up a ham (shank end to divide and bake in whole portions and a boneless sliced ham for sandwiches).  I also got some chicken tenders and a package of breaded veal patties.  But everything else was indeed produce as I'd intended.  We are now stocked and should be good for another two weeks or so.  And I am down only another $130 which means I've spent around $250 this month and that's something to sing about. (Alter that to add in the $67 I spent on Amazon Sub and Save.  Still, I have about $180 left which is nothing to sneeze at either.)

As I said, I was on my own today, John saying he didn't much feel like leaving home.  I don't mind when I get to go out alone, but I find more and more, now that we're in the habit of just being at home so much, that I am prone to say, "Oh I don't need that..." or "Why would I buy this?" and putting things back.  Not just food.  Other things, too.  I'm just not that interested in shopping.  I am, honestly, more interested in getting things that will have a more lasting value in our home, like those curtains I hung yesterday in the guest room.

John shocked me into complete silence yesterday.  He actually contacted one of the workmen who helped renovate our home and asked if he'd paint our kitchen...Wow!  When he hung up the phone he said, "We'll just take the money from the bank and be done with it."  Double Wow!  I wasn't expecting that to be on his radar any time soon.  I'll be so pleased to get the kitchen squared away at last.  

John is off mowing again, this time over at the Manor House as he calls it.  We were much amused on Saturday when Josh said to John, "I think it's time for you to start mowing over our way.  The grass on the secret path is getting pretty high."   John laughed about it later, but it did light a fire under his feet to start his mowing season.  I can't recall starting it this late in years and honestly the grass here in our yard didn't look bad.  In fact, we haven't heard any neighbors mowing their lawns just yet, either.

Today, while I was driving along the roads, I noted that Dogwoods are blooming and Wisteria (which grows wild and free here, taking over like Kudzu).  Wisteria always reminds me of my friend Shirley, who died in 2020.  We were driving along country roads and noted how pretty the Wisteria was along the way in different shades of white and purple.  She said, "Why it's a variable jungle!".  She meant to say it was a veritable jungle, but her slip-up was far more apropos and every Spring when I see the Wisteria I think of that moment with her and laugh all over again.  

I also noted that Tansy was blooming in various places.  Spring flowers, like autumn ones come mostly in purples and golds.  Speaking of purple, when I went out to get in the car this morning, I noted that the purple iris has started to bloom.  I am tempted to go cut another bouquet, but the previous one didn't last too well in the house.  I think it was just too warm in here for them.

Goodness, it's 4:30...I need to plan supper and get it going.  I don't think we'll have a big meal tonight since we ate another very late lunch.  I've put it off too late to get anything cooked in time to eat, so I shall have to go peruse the fridge and see what I might make.

Then I'm going to sit down with the genealogy notebook and work on another section.  My goal is to get all my notes on the proper pages and to make them legible.  It's a long and arduous, but very fascinating, task.

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March 26: It Was Time

Yesterday afternoon, I worked on the patio a bit.  Moved a few pots around, contemplated what I'd like to plant in the empty ones, blew off the porch and patio again...And then John came along and mowed and blew loads of stuff onto the porches and patio.  I loathe doing a task and then finding it was all for naught and it definitely all went to naught yesterday afternoon.  Phooey.

March 25: Purposeful

 

A few weeks ago, I received an email from Chabad.org about an 18-week course called Project Purpose, based on the book "On Purpose" by Rabbi Mendel Kalmenson.   I signed up right away.  Why?  Why am I seeking Life Purpose at this stage of life?  Because it is a new stage of life that's why.  I pretty much could figure things out as I went through the other seasons.  My purpose was to be a good wife, raise good people, make my work meaningful, be a better person, a better Christian.  Here at 66, I can say honestly that I still want my work to be meaningful, to be a better wife, a better mother and grandmother, a better Christian...but what else?  What have I missed?  What will lead to a full and fulfilling senior season?

March 24: The Fridge Doesn't Lie

 

Hello loves.  

We had a rather nice, if unplanned sort of weekend.  Friday night I'd announced my intentions to spend all day Saturday working in the current genealogy notebook.  John laughed because I made plans

Turns out John was right.  I had a text from Sam of some troubles in his household and he asked if the kids could come here.  I said "Sure, I'll send them home after lunch."  But when lunch arrived, they asked if they could have quiet time here with us and then it was snack time.

Done, To Do, Meals, Links, etc.

 

I thought I'd keep this first post of each week which goes out on Sunday afternoon, so you all can see what my intentions are for the week ahead, what meals I've planned, where I could share links I found interesting during blog reading, etc.  It just seems a nice way to start the week.  I'll also briefly catch you up on my weekend.  But officially, this is not a Journal entry.  It's sort of a getting my head together for the week sort of post.

March 21: Why I Never Wear Red.

 

I am sitting here tapping out a post as I wait for our time to leave to arrive.  John has finally agreed to go on a date.  It's not really the sort of date I had in mind, but I made no special request, so he planned what we'd do.  We are going out to eat and he's already chosen the restaurant which sounded good to me.  

A date...For whatever reason I was remembering my first 'date' yesterday.  Ready for a bit of life twist sort of tale?

March 20: Frost Warning

I woke this morning to pounding rain.  It was dark enough out the window that I simply rolled over and went right back to sleep.  When I rose at 8:30, it was windy and sunny.  Through the kitchen window, I saw brilliant blue skies.  I wondered if I'd dreamed the rain, so I asked John, "Did I hear rain this morning?"  "You sure did! And it was no light shower either."  

March 19: Spring Sprang Sprung

 

I know it's not yet Spring, but there was another sign of the changing season today.  I was working with the potted plants on the patio when the propane gas truck rumbled up the drive.  I spoke to Rusty for a few moments and then he went off to check the tank.  He came back and said, "Y'all are fine for now.  See you in September!"   Officially, winter is over, when we no longer need to keep putting propane in our tank.  I always look forward to this moment each year, just as I look forward to the last week of September when Rusty rumbles his truck up the hill once more.  

Journal for March 18: Time to Change

                    This is a photo of Isaac at about 2 running across the back yard to the blue house...

I've been thinking for quite some time that I am terribly bored (and quite possibly boring) with my current mode of posting. I'm tired of scheduled posts and I don't know how on earth you all manage to read that too long end of week post about my days.  Some of you deserve medals, for sure!

I think I'd like to live up to my blog name "Journal" and write a daily entry, at least five days a week.  I'll include meals I made, homey doings, thoughts I've had, goals I make, and all the usual things one might include, or at least I do, in a daily journal entry. 

Meal Plan for the Third Week of March

 

Seriously...The THIRD week of March.   This month is going quickly.    For that matter, this day has skipped right on by, too.  Anyone else still adjusting to the daylight savings time change?  I used to be up most mornings between 6:30 and 7:30 a.m. but these days it's more like 9am.  I'll be glad when my body catches on to the switch in times.

In the meantime, I am late with this week's meal plan post.  I didn't get it hammered out until about 10pm last night.  I wrote it down on my planner pages before going to bed.   Just before I wrote down the menus for the week, I noticed a package on my dresser and realized with a sinking feeling that I'd been blind to it for a week. It was supposed to go back on Sunday of last week.  Ugh.

This morning when I got up, I focused on getting out of the door to take the package to mail off.  And while I was at it, I might as well run into Dollar General to pick up a needed over the counter item...which turned into wandering the store aimlessly, saying "Oh that's cute!" and plopping it in my buggy.  I spent some money.

Anyway, here are this week's meal plans. 

Breakfasts:

Sourdough Pancakes, Bacon, Sausage.  I thought this was going to be some protein pancakes I'd made.  I call them protein because I add oatmeal, flax seed meal and hemp hearts to my flour.  Next time I make those, I will grind the oatmeal and try using all oat flour.  Eventually I may buy some almond flour to use in the mixture as well.  I'm trying to find a less carb-y option for making pancakes.

In the meantime, I thawed these overnight in the fridge and put them in the oven this morning.  I realized they were sourdough the moment I tasted them. Oh well.  Oddly enough my meal tracker says sourdough has protein, so it worked out.  I served mine with sliced banana, a drizzle of maple syrup and 1/3 cup plain yogurt.

Mushroom Omelet, English Muffins

Cranberry Muffins, Boiled Eggs, Cheese Cube

Oatmeal x 3

Lunches:

Haluska:  A new to me recipe, Pennsylvania Dutch the vlogger said.  It wasn't bad.  Again, surprise on the food tracker.  They say the no yolk noodles have a protein count.

Tuna Salad

Chicken Sandwiches

Grilled Cheese with Tomato Soup

Leftovers

Supper/Dinner:

Mongolian Beef Roast, Broccoli, Rice.  This is the roast that I've had too long in the freezer (the second one).  I knew it was smaller than the other but was convinced I would get two meals off it.   I had planned to divide the meat in half and season it separately, making one more Hispanic flavored for tacos, but this is a good bit smaller, and bonier. 

The Mongolian Beef is excellent over rice.  I'm debating on that part.  On the other hand, I could skip the broccoli and rice, and we could fill tortillas (I have low carb ones) with the seasoned meat, pickled onion and radishes and I could serve it with cucumber.  All depends on how hungry and ambitious I feel come time for dinner.  

Southwestern Beef Soup, Pineapple Salads

Roasted Chicken, Spring Salad (Lettuce, green onion, radishes, carrots, green peas), lemon vinaigrette, Greek yogurt Muffins.  I am so hopeful that this chicken will be better than the last one.  Oh, that was one tough bird and just didn't taste good.  This is a HUGE chicken, just like the last one but I plan to cook it a lot longer than I did last time.  Fingers crossed.  

BBQed Chicken legs and wings, Cauliflower au gratin, Green Beans

Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole, Broccoli, Sliced Tomatoes, Leftover yogurt Muffins.

Bonus Meal: Chicken and Dumplings with mixed vegetables.  I figured I'd have the thighs left at this point and the chicken frame.  It's a bonus soup meal for me this week which I don't mind at all.  John won't complain either if dumplings are involved.  I'm curious to try making dumplings with the Greek Yogurt dough and see how they come out...I'll let you know.

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To Do List: Ambition Begins to Lift Its Head

 

Hello all.  I am finally beginning to feel like life is worth planning once more, lol.  I will say that whatever flu I had, that one knocked me for a loop.  Do any of y'all say that? That something has knocked you for a loop?  It means you were completely put off your game.

I felt well enough on Friday that when I noticed the front door was a bit of a dirty horror (from the doorknob down where all the shorter people handle the door) that I went right on and cleaned it from top to bottom.  

Journal of Another Week: Second week in March

 

Saturday:  John is 'testing' me...I explained to him we'd be changing our eating somewhat and he's convinced that all of a sudden, I'll turn into some health guru feeding him things like spirulina and hemp hearts (which he's already been eating for years by the way) and chia seeds.  Does the man even know me at all?

What I have done is up our vegetables, try to decrease our fats and monitor the carb counts a little more closely.  Does he want ice cream?  Have it I say.  It's in the freezer.  When it's gone it will be gone, and we'll buy better smaller portioned ice cream when we do want it again.

The First Grocery Shopping of March: Aldi and Amazon

Although I shopped on March 5th, it really wasn't a 'shopping trip' but just a fill in for milk, eggs, and bread.  We didn't pick up impulse items nor snacks that day.  We stuck hard to the original list.  I spent $42 total that day

Today we went to Aldi.   My focus was produce.  We didn't need much dairy and didn't really want meat except Corned Beef.  It felt good to walk past the aisles and say, "We don't need that, we've plenty at home...

Meal Plan for Second Week of March

 

I will need to go buy some produce this week for sure.  I'm down to some frozen peas and canned green beans for the bulk of my vegetables at present.  However, that will have to suffice.

This week I'll share my plan for breakfasts and lunches.  

Breakfasts:

Oatmeal x 3.  With apples and pecans, with blueberries and walnuts, with strawberries.  I have fresh apples, frozen berries.

Sourdough English Muffin breakfast sandwich.

To Don't: Second Week of March

 

I'm slowly finding my way back to something resembling energy.  I spent the last two days of the past week in the kitchen making meals, cooking ahead, etc.  I managed to get a bit of minor housework done but for the most part, I rested and rested and rested.

I'm finally starting to feel slightly better.  There's a lot of congestion still in my head and chest but it's slowly breaking up.  Eventually it will clear.

Journal of a Slow Week: Stopping Point

 

Friday:  Reset.  

I wrote a long whiny bit to fit this day and after letting it sit for 36 hours, I have erased it all and we shall begin again.  

I was sick.  Nothing earth shattering there and nothing remarkable.  When I sort of 'came to' so to speak the state of my kitchen distressed me horribly.  I whined and wept a little and pushed through and got it cleaned up but my gosh...

Spring Goals for March...And Beyond.

 

Hello you all.  I'm not really ready to tackle March just yet, because my ambition at present is heavier than my strength to do.  However, my mind is active as can be as I move about my house trying to reclaim it from the last week of February failures.   I thought I'd just list all my ambitions down, which I am sure will be far too much to do in March alone.  However, if that is so then I shall repost the things I didn't do for April.  How's that?

I'm going to set this up a little differently than usual.  I'm going to go space by space in my home and tell you what I hope to accomplish in each and why.  Some of the things listed will be purchases I want to make so that definitely won't all get done at once.  Some are repairs that will require a bit more effort.  That's why I don't expect everything on this list to get done this month.

To Do List for the First Week of March: Pollen Season

 

I know this is late and all of my first of the month posts likely shall be.  That's just the way it goes at times.  I'm not going to let it bother me.  Don't let it bother you either, okay?  My chief goal since last week has been to get well and fully recovered.  

I was not horribly sick, beyond the two- or three-day blur of sleeping countless hours but I do find that illness takes a heavy toll on me, my sleep patterns, etc. these days.  Katie texted us on Friday that Caleb woke with fever.  She ended up taking him the pediatrician since he was already whooping with his annual allergies, and this stuff has been a chesty sort of illness.  

Journal of My Days: Sick Bed

 

Saturday:  We had another night of freezing temperatures.  I will say that these super cold mornings make that cup of hot coffee so enjoyable each morning.  I've always had coffee in the mornings, even as a child, but I swear that the older I get the more I enjoy it.  Sometimes, even when I want to 'lie in' as my British friend says, I will go ahead and get up early because there is coffee.  

What I Learned in the Pantry/Freezer Challenge 2025

 

I'm already thinking about Pantry Freezer Challenge 2026...  Seriously, I know I'm (almost) done with this year's pantry freezer challenge, but I'm already looking ahead to next year.  There are a few things I want to change about how I managed this year so that I can do better next year.  

1.  Meat.  I had more than enough meat on hand, except hamburger meat.  Truly we rely heavily on ground beef and chicken to help keep our budget under control and I had not realized that I had so little on hand.  Thankfully we had several roasts on hand that I'd 'saved' since I knew them to be the more expensive cuts.  But I want to be more mindful about my supply of ground beef and that means I need to buy at least nine pounds a month.  How do I figure that?  

Final Week of the Pantry/Freezer Challenge

 

I didn't think I could do it.  I didn't think there was any way I could possibly manage 8 weeks of the Pantry and Freezer Challenge, but here we are.  Only the last meal will use meat that was purchased in the past 6 weeks.  Everything else is from the pantry or freezer.

So, while I was ruminating about what to make with all the older freezer items in weeks past, I more or less just ignored the pantry.  Oh, I'd think to grab a few things here and there that I knew were expiring like cranberry sauce, pineapple, tomato soup, black beans, but I completely ignored the wealth of canned meats on the shelves and the variety of other things that might be used to nourish us as well.  

To Do List: Last Week of February

 

I know February is the shortest month of the year, but anyone else feel like it was about as long as could be?  Mind you, we had a lovely mix of weather: cold and warm, wet and dry, cloudy and sunny.  Variety was there, but the weeks just lingered and lingered...Or so it seemed.

And may I confess that the older I get the harder I find it to take the cold?  On Thursday when I was out with Mama, I stopped to refill her car with gasoline and despite having on several layers of clothing, I was chilled to the bone by the time I hopped back in the car.  That wind was cuttingly cold.  Brrr!  I still shiver just remembering how cold it was.  

Journal of My Week: Winter Again

 

Saturday:  We went to the Homeless Outreach this morning.  It's funny...Two years ago, John asked me to go along with him and I was in such a poor mental/emotional state at that time that I literally felt pain looking at the unfortunate people who came to be served.  A year into John's role as worship leader for the pastor who oversees this ministry, I realized as I looked around the room how many faces had become familiar to me.  I noted which children had grown.  I watched various folks and noted who looked better than they'd looked a few months ago and who was looking the worse for wear.  

What We Really Ate This Week: Seventh Week of the Pantry and Freezer Challenge

 

Saturday:  Breakfast Sandwiches.  I used canned Spam slices as my breakfast meat.  I still haven't restocked breakfast meats.  I only have one more can of Spam, too.  I always make a sort of well in one bread slice, then crack the egg into it and then I layer cheese on another bread slice and I lay Spam flat on the pan with the toasts and bake it all at once.  It's really quite a hearty breakfast which is what we needed today.

Coffee Chat: Dandelions and Daffodils

One morning a couple of weeks ago we were headed out to an appointment.  We had to leave early that morning and I was hurrying across the yard.  I was stopped in my tracks by a strange little flower in my path. It was perfectly round and white.   I leaned to look closely at it and realized it wasn't a flower at all, but a Dandelion gone to seed.  The fluffy seed ball had captured moisture from the fog that morning and looked much more substantial than the seed heads do in their dry state.  It had been completely transformed by that coating of fog and was unrecognizable as a dandelion.  

Last Grocery Shop for February

 

John and I went to Sam's Club today.  I will confess I spent a little more than I'd planned but there was nothing frivolous about the shopping.  I looked for a whole lot more that I never found at all.  We have yet to make it through the whole store.  We always end up too tired!