5 thing Friday - light bulbs, savings account, spray paint, yard tasks, relax

 This week feels like its been one misadventure after another.  Maybe the universe is telling me to sloooowwww down.

Thinking I was being efficient, I replaced the flood lamps out on the patio one day.  Then came out the next day to discover that one of them had exploded.  {I had ignored the little voice in my head that said the bulbs I used were not the right ones.}

these are in fact, the right ones

Usually I will take the broken/used thing I am replacing to the store with me to get the right one.  This time I had merely used what I had on hand.  Big mistake.  A trip to Lowe's to compare bulbs and buy the right ones was was what I should have done to begin with.

I did find the right ones - and the spray paint for the bathroom fixtures. Side note: Lowe's is where you should go for spray paint.  They have a huge selection, you can peruse the colors at will, and some old grumpy dude in the paint department won't have to come unlock the paint "cage" for you.

Once I was back home, I turned off the breaker to the patio, carefully carefully unscrewed the remains of the bulb, and replaced it with the right ones.  Crisis managed.

It was past time for me to deal with two old savings accounts that had minimum deposits in them, languishing and about to go into dormancy.  Closing one of them felt surreal.  Mark and I had used this account for 8 vehicle loans.  The closest branch to me was Round Rock, and was not worth the drive or the extra paperwork/memory to maintain it.  Turns out that closing an unused savings account does not impact your credit score.  The other savings account is tied to a refi we did on this house many years ago.  I could use that one as an emergency fund.  Or not.  I make the best financial decisions I can on my own, after all. 

Ok, this is the exact paint color I was searching for the re-do the lights in the master bathroom.  Its a beautiful shimmery cross between silver and gold, called Satin Nickel.

I think it will be perfect for spiffing this light fixture.  Again, I will cut off the power, pop off the light cover, spray it, then replace.  And now that I have my handy dandy ladder, I won't have to stand on the actual bathroom counter to reach it.  This might be on my short list of things to do today.

I have been doing a repertoire of spring tasks in the backyard: repotting plants, wiping down patio furniture, sweeping, replacing the garden hose, adding soil to the raised beds,

raking tons of leaves.  Yesterday during all of that I lost my one functional hearing aid, then spent a frantic 20 minutes on my knees in the lava rock section frantically going over every square inch.  Finally found it sitting atop a pile of leaves to be scooped up.

I accepted that as my nudge to stop for the day, built a firepit, then sat with my wine to decompress as dinner was cooking in the oven.  There are only so many tasks I am going to get done in one day.  Today I will clean and store the firepit and make me a spot to relax in my anti-gravity lounge chair.

My sweet potato experiment is going well.  She likes her pasta jar and spot in the window, apparently.  I will leave her here and just watch her grow.  Yesterday I potted an agave and whenever I am done with cleaning up the oak leaves and pollen out back, I will move all the plant babies back to their spring/summer homes.  But for today, the To Do list has been scaled back, and I am looking forward to some reading time in my lounge chair out on my swept patio.

Happy Friday!

Gina

Pros and cons: thinking about retirement

 I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about how retirement will play out.  I am starting the process, even though I know that I'm still a couple of years out from making big changes.

Having my own desk at work feels unusual for me but I kinda love it

Over 30 years, more or less, I have worked hard to get to get to where I am right now with a great shift (Saturday through Monday), a boss who values me, an easier workday, increased pay, and maximized benefits.  And work provides me with intangibles, too, like socialization and a sense of purpose.  My weekends bookend my days off, which are easier traffic-wise and in setting appointments. Those four days off provide me with lots of rest, free time to work on my hobbies or my home, and time to meet up with friends and family.  There are several reasons for me to keep working, and not one I can think of right now to stop.

This was an epiphany of sorts to me.

I can plan for retirement in the future, but I will continue working this job and this schedule until I am ready to pull back.  A lot of what feels unlikeable about my day-to-day living is like burnout, and I can take steps to improve that.  In every job, no matter how much you love or value it, there are going to be challenges.

Anyway, that's where my head is today.  The week ahead holds a book club meeting, starting a new book (The Frozen River), continuing the photo project, getting my desk organized, and doing a bit of yardwork.  Missing from the list will be worrying about the future!

Gina

5 thing Friday - bathroom spiff, paint storage, keychain, going out, Spring

I didn't spend a lot of time feeling sad this week - too busy with things here and there.  I feel like this week's To Do list will not get completely done - and that's OK.  We are "springing forward" this weekend and I want to make sure I get a nap in today!

The light fixtures in my bathroom, repainted by me many years ago, are showing their age and a bit of rust on the corners.  So I will be spiffing them up with a little spray paint in this pretty silvery champagne color.  Which encouraged me to do a bathroom refresh all around.

I took everything off the vanity, cleaned it up, put back only the things I wanted sitting out, added a couple of faux plants.  I also stored all of the personal care things that were sitting on the ledge around the tub and added a pretty 3-wick candle (not shown). 

 A calm and clean uncluttered space was just what I was after.  Even faux plants can soothe!

I don't know if I ever showed the method I have for saving touch-up paint from those big painting projects.  These screw top plastic containers work well to organize the bit of paint with product info in case I need to buy more.  Each container has a small stainless steel mixing ball inside, too.

I had one more to add from the last big paint job.  They all live in the cleaning closet just off the kitchen.  Hopefully, they will stay fresher in here than their original can in a hot garage.  {every time I open this closet I am newly pleased with the fact that it isn't stuffed full of crap I don't want!}

I pulled out my clear crossbody purse to go to a show downtown and I found this silver keychain clipped onto it.  I polished it up and discovered "Jim" engraved on the back.  I had picked this up when we cleared Mom's house - I don't remember if she ever told me where it came from, but I suspect she bought it for him as a gift.  It lived in a small dish in her office for years.

With my '60 penny and a silver "evil eye" charm, it made the perfect talisman to navigate an evening out at the Paramount Theater to see the Vitamin String Quartet.

I found parking nearby, walked alone to the venue, found my seat, and enjoyed a show.  The music was all contemporary and the show was high energy.  Music of  Bridgerton, Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, and more - a varied mix with some music I did not recognize.  These solo dates have been a lot of fun, but I think I will change them up.  I have one more symphony to attend, then will look for things closer to North Austin that are budget friendly.

Beer and talk time with a friend at Meanwhile yesterday.  The weather has been unreasonably pretty with average temps in the low 80s.  Everything, and I mean everything, is blooming.  March winds are knocking all of the oak leaves and pollen out of the trees, so pretty soon it will be time for me to re-rake and clean the yards.  But not today.  The rest of the day I have:

*a meeting with retirement team to talk pre-planning

*lunch with Grayson (peep #4)

*pick up a few filler groceries and meal prep for three days at work

*get gas, do light housework, change out two floodlamps on the deck

*nap

Happy Friday!

Gina 

Chocolate Chip cookie dough to keep on hand

I had forgotten about this particular recipe card for cookies until I had a sweet tooth attack lately.  Its a hybrid recipe - created by me from a couple of other recipes.  It might be my favorite cookie - crisp chewie and so buttery. They should be famous!  This time I was out of my favorite dark chocolate chips, so I used a mix of white chips and semi-sweet chunks.

Gina's Famous Chocolate Chippers (ha!)

1 1/2 sticks butter - melted, slightly browned, and cooled

3/4 c. each white sugar and brown sugar

1 1/2 t. vanilla extract

1 egg

Mix all of that together and add:

2 c. flour

1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

then

1 c. chocolate chips of your choice

(the beauty of this recipe is no mixer is involved, you can mix these up by hand, and the dough isn't sticky so it releases from your scooper easily)

Pre-heat oven to 350. Chill the dough for 20 minutes, NOT LONGER. Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet (I use a Silpat) and bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

I use a 1/8 c. measuring cup and make dough balls to freeze on a plate.  When they are frozen I pop them into a gallon size ziploc and store in the freezer.  From frozen, they take a couple minutes longer to cook.  When you take them from the oven, slam the cookie sheet down a couple of times gently and the cookies will settle and look perfect. (see above!)

I took some over to The Girl, warm from the oven, and told her they were from a new place called G's Treats.  Located in the suburbs, the woman only has one oven.  They were a hit!

Gina

5 thing Friday - Spring, book club, organizing files, meals, photos

Its been a long couple of weeks - finally spring feels like its here (in Austin) and the weather has been beautiful.  I have been walking about 25 minutes a day, out in the sun.  Sometimes raking the leaves.  Sometimes watering the grass.  Sometimes just sitting on my patio with a glass of wine, decompressing.

I found another book club and am enjoying chatting with people my own age and gender about books.  That seems like a small thing, but I feel like most of my friends are younger than me, so this is a chance to be with, more or less, my peers.  {This was an election sign outside of the library where we meet.  I promise I am not running for office!}

I am ordering less and less from Amazon, opting to shop in person whenever possible.  One of the reasons is pictured above - an anticipated book purchase that turned out to be not what I ordered.  A couple of weeks ago it was washi art tape that did not arrive, even though I was charged.  I know it sounds like an old lady thing to say, but I think I would just rather know I am getting exactly what I am paying for.  In both cases, a resolution was had.  But still.

I dragged out all 9 of the life insurance policies* and had a meeting with the agent (an associate of Mark's) who is helping me stay on top of them.  In addition I updated my VIP notebook where I store a household inventory, legacy list, copies of important documents, and all this policy information.  It was kind of overwhelming and made me feel a little sad, but I know that since I am organized, my kids will have an easier time of it when they need this information some day.  We will call it a gift of love, from me to them.

Nothing exciting on the food front, unless you count me making a batch of cookie dough for the freezer (recipe on Monday) and eating a couple of lunches out this week.  I also did an overnight crockpot of butter beans with some ham.  Dinners have been more streamlined and usually involve a protein and a veggie, like above.  I keep it simple and its manageable.  I run the dishwasher every other day or so and clean the kitchen each night before bed.  Maybe simplicity was the key after all!

The photo project is slowly coming along.  I find that I can only do about an hour at a time on it - its so hard to relive memories of a happier time.  I know it wasn't all roses - raising four kids and experiencing all the curve balls life threw at us.  But the photos show smiling, happy, loving, beautiful children and their parents.  And sometimes, I wish I could go back in time, just for a day.

I do need to finish this up so I can use this table for my jigsaw puzzles!

*Mark was an insurance agent for 36 years, as well as a Certified Risk Manager and Certified Insurance Counselor.  He worked at John Hancock, Prudential, and Nationwide, among others. Most of these policies were purchased when the kids were born, or very young, and there are a mix of term, whole life, and accidental death.  The premiums on them are low and since I am not sure if my 30 somethings have life insurance, I will keep these from lapsing until they can take over. I am the owner and primary bennie, siblings are contingents for each other.  For now, I will hold onto them.  

Gina

Easy eating lately

*it was overcast when I took these photos!

Even though I am not publishing menus anymore, I am still feeding myself at home.  I'm still not all that jazzed about cooking, but I know that it is the best way for me to get the nutrition I need and not spend a fortune.  This particular week, I spent $80 for the next two weeks.  On grocery days, I start out by cleaning the inside of the fridge to freshen it up.

Then I might start a crockpot to make dinner easy.  (today it was some ribs I had in the freezer) I hit some markdowns at HEB and used my partner card (Son #2 works in their bakery).  I think I did fairly well and I have a collection of things to pull out for dinners and lunches.

I bought a package of 5 lemon pepper chicken quarters for $3.89 total out of pocket.  They went right into the oven as soon as I got home.  Once they cooled, I was able to shred the meat into 5 ziploc bags for a total of 78 cents a portion.  The bones went right into a small pot on the stove to simmer for stock.

I poured it into small jars, just right for one person.

While the chicken was cooking I made taco meat with lean ground turkey I got for $5.39 total.  Not as great a deal as the chicken, but with my own seasonings and a little time, it ended up being 4 freezer portions at $1.35 each.  Once it is cooled, I portion it out and place all the small bags into big freezer ziploc and I can easily grab one to add to a salad or other meal.  Taco meat is good in quesadillas or heated up over a baked sweet potato.  A very easy way to feed myself when I don't feel like cooking.

I also snagged a package of chuck for $3.94 and that got divided up and frozen.  These baskets in my freezer aren't Pinterest-worthy, but they help organize the cooked items from the uncooked.  I label the bags so I can see what I might be getting low on.  And I usually look at the menus the night before, so I can toss something into the fridge to thaw.  All told, I spent $13.22 and got 13 portions of protein.

Once I had the meats sorted, I pulled out some things from  the fridge and freezer to make breakfast tacos for work days.  I had 8 tortillas leftover from a week or so ago, so I combined them with 8 breakfast links, 8 eggs, and a sliced red bell pepper.  I roll each one in a foil sheet and store them in a gallon size freezer ziploc.  Then on work mornings, I will toss one into the oven on low while I get ready for work.  The taco usually stays warm in my tote bag until I eat, around 8 a.m.  I usually alternate tacos with oatmeal so I don't eat the same breakfast all three days.

The rest of that dozen of eggs went onto the stove for boiled eggs to keep in the fridge. These are good for a protein snack or to slice into a salad.

I also loaded up my fruit bowl and keep it front and center in my kitchen to encourage me to eat more fruit.  I quit buying waffles, so I eat granola and yogurt during the week for breakfast (or a small bit of leftover dinner with a fried egg!)  Lately I am leaning into sardines once a week, lots of salads with added protein, or a sandwich for lunch.  In this way, I can keep the eating out down to once a week.  What are some routines you use to help feed yourself?  I'm all ears!

Gina

Treat bags for work besties

 I had some fun last week putting together a couple of treat bags for two work besties.  I combined it with a jaunt to IKEA since I haven't been there in years.

Along with treats for them, I bought some inexpensive watercolor pencils, some spring-y napkins, a bamboo bowl, and other small items. Treats for me, my own Valentine - ha!

When I got home I sewed these bags from scraps.  If you applique the heart on the fabric before you sew the bottom and middle seam, you can more easily line up your design to be front and center.  I used a zig zag stitch on the little calico hearts. Burlap is easy to sew - very forgiving.  {A bunny applique on these bags would be cute for Easter!}

IKEA snacks are fun and different.  One of my besties loves licorice so she's definitely getting some in her treat bag.  But also popcorn, cookies, and a candy bar.  Man, we love our snacks at work!

I hope they like them!

Having a couple of friends at work is a great thing.  You can share laughs, vent, and lean on each other for help with difficult things.  I have made many buddies at jobs over the years - a definite bonus to the  paycheck and one of the things that helps me keep working! 

Gina