5 thing Friday - Christmas, friends, Gus, firepit, plants

This was the most unusual Christmas I have had as a mom by far.  For lots of reasons.

But it was important for me to continue the traditions of stockings, and waiting until Christmas Eve to place gifts under the tree.  And truthfully, it was a beautiful Christmas.

It wasn't fancy.  But it felt cozy and warm and safe.

It made me laugh at myself to realize I fixed THE EXACT SAME MEAL for us last year as I did this year.  It was delish.

But it felt special to me, and I hope it did for my peeps, too - Firstborn, The Girl, Scout, Dutch, and Bubbie.  The 5 most important people in my life.

Sometimes I run dry of f****, as I'm sure most people do...  And I have a work bestie who helps me laugh and is worth her weight in gold.  She likes irreverent humor as much as I do. I have a couple of friends like that - they keep it real and I am glad I have them around.

On a recent visit to my mother's house, I could not help but notice Gus's decline.  He is basically blind, very hard of hearing, and has arthritis issues with his hips.  I fear he is not long for this life and I know it will cause my mother pain, and I don't know quite how I will help her with it, but I will.  She has had Gus longer than she had Jim.

The Girl found me a bag of pinion pine which makes for a very cute and aromatic firepit whenever I am in the mood for a small fire, a glass of wine, and an hour or so in solitude on my patio.

Dutch made me this art which I promptly hung in The Lounge aka my office and I love it.  Homemade gifts are the bomb diggity!  I also got some handmade potholders from The Girl - I love those kinds of gifts.

I just about killed myself getting my plants into the garage and window seat last week, and now its 73 degrees again!  I need to find a better place to keep the ficus and the olive tree so that I'm not hauling them around the side of the house with my bum knee in the dark while the wind blows around me.

Zero out of 10, do not want to do that again.

******

Happy New Year!  I will be on my third dream by midnight on NYE...

Gina

Empty Nest menu #151*

 Happy day after Christmas!

stay warm out there...

Monday - Pizza! Romaine salad

Tuesday - Freezer meal {I work 1230-9 p.m.}  Might get a burger for lunch, we'll see

Wednesday - TBD, visiting my mother in Brenham

Thursday - Tilapia with salad, a veggie (maybe chick peas?) {pay Bubbie's tuition}

Friday - Steak, baked potato, salad

Saturday - TBD {time spent filling "my year in review" from this lady}

Sunday - Swedish Ham Balls, Cabbage, black eyed peas, rolls {this New Year's Day menu never changes!}

*I think I shall come up with a new name for menus!

Gina

5 thing Friday - Daily Bread, knee woes, tweaking, gifting myself, time off

Not gonna lie, its been a rough couple of weeks and I absolutely did not want that to be the case for Christmas and I am working hard to turn this ship around. 

One of my sisters sent me the small rectangular box you see in the above photo.  It's called Daily Bread, and has scriptures on each side of a slip of paper.  It fits here neatly and I pull one or two out every time I drive the truck.  A little bright spot in my day.

My left knee has been a source of pain for years, but just after Mark died {what with all the cleaning, and purging, and organizing, and ladder-standing} it finally gave in to arthritis with a massive flare up.  Much swelling, pain, stiffness, and two lost days at work led me to my ortho doc who gave me a shot of steroid into the joint and as of this writing, it feels like a new knee.

Second best Christmas gift ever.

For someone who is taking her tree down in a couple of weeks, I sure have tweaked it a bunch.  I pulled out many ornaments I hadn't used in years - not sure why that was.  Some of my favorites like the red metal angels from Wal-Mart, the large glass pinecones from the gift shop at Brackenridge Hospital, and the House of Hattan Doves and Hearts from 1992.  So many memories!

I might go back to two trees next year - sitting quietly looking at this one has been calming.  I loved the idea of the kids' tree, and so did my peeps.

Well, I went ahead and bought myself a couple of Christmas gifts, including this anti-gravity lounge chair (which I plan to spend many hours relaxing in)...

...and these super-ugly-and-I-don't-care men's camo houseshoes to wear out at the firepit.  I may also have ordered myself some facial serum, hair and nail vitamins, cologne spray, underwear, and a phone case. Sort of a combo of late birthday and early Christmas.  January will definitely be a no spend month!

I am looking forward to several days off next week.  Crying, laying on your back with your knee elevated does not count as productive or restful time off.  I will:

*visit my mother

*work on the blog

*craft, sew, and read

*go to Highlands

*chat with Bubbie about college

*get ready for the new year

*****

If you read my little blog, and leave me notes of encouragement, thank you.  What started as a way for me to journal about my family became a space for me to share my ups and downs and really process the changes my life has been through.

Merry Christmas to you,

Gina

Empty Nest menu #150

Bubbie's first birthday portrait - what a cutie pie

Twenty-four years ago we celebrated the arrival of our last Cannary baby - on Christmas Day.  What a great Christmas that was!  Sometimes when I feel sad at all I have lost, I think about the treasures I still have in my life and heart, and it makes me smile, and fills me with gratitude.

Monday - Chicken Taco Baked Potato 

Tuesday - Bean and Sausage Pot with onions and bell pepper, garlic toast

Wednesday - Freezer Meal Surprise

Thursday - B$tard BBQ, mashed potatoes, broccoli

Friday - Takeout! 

Saturday - Snakatizers and Autumn Sangria

Sunday - Spiral Sliced Ham, Barefoot Contessa Overnight Mac and Cheese, Arkansas Green Beans, Cherry Fudge Cake {Happy Birthday, Grayson!}

Gina

5 thing Friday - gifts, gnomes, firepit, oatmeal, grief

 This photo of the kids' gifts looks very much similar to last year's pile, and yet, I feel like its still "not enough" and what a sad feeling.  They don't ask for a lot.  They don't ask for anything, really, unless prompted.  I know Christmas should mean more than stuff.  I wish I could think of a way to make it so for them in a meaningful way.  

Because I sure don't want my gifts to my kids to be just for the sake of "stuff".  I stayed within my budget and have a couple of gifts for the group that I am very jazzed about.  I am going to make them some good food.  I want to tell each of them a very heartfelt Merry Christmas and hope they can make their way, successfully, through this next year.

On the way home from work last week I stopped into Hob Lob and found a few things to make me smile.  I haven't made any fun crafts this year or gone crazy with decor.  But these two guys came to live in my kitchen.

I still haven't gotten the hang of splitting logs for my firepit.  But Bubbie had us a nice one going the day after turkey.  He and The Girl, along with Teddy, sat out with me and enjoyed some gingerbread latte drinks.  Perfect weather, perfectly sized fire.

I made a pan of baked oatmeal.

Regular oatmeal was getting boring.  Admittedly, I will need to switch to quick cook oats in order for it to hold together better, but the addition of leftover cranberry sauce from Thanksgiving took it up a notch.  I portioned it out for easy breakfasts on working mornings.

Food for thought.

They say the second Christmas is harder than the first.  On the first, your brain protects you by tricking you into thinking its not forever; its like they're gone on a business trip or something.  But it is.  Every Christmas from now on will be short a person, no matter how many new family members we add.

Gina

Empty Nest menu #149

These pics of The Girl double checking to make sure her brothers filled out their Secret Santa lists cracks me up: 

She is detail oriented and focused in her work life - stands to reason she would be like that any other time!

I don't think the boys mind her take charge attitude - she calls herself "Assistant Head Sibling" and keeps them in check with humor.

I love that they want to continue certain traditions like Sibling Secret Santa.

And I'm so grateful for my daughter who grew up to be such a strong and loving sister!

******

Monday - Fried Chicken Chopped Salad with avocado ranch dressing {on call through Thursday}

Tuesday - Pork Chop, seasoned rice, broccoli

Wednesday - Mini Chicken Pot Pie for One

Thursday - One Pot Spaghetti, green beans

Friday - Skillet Tilapia, zucchini, buttery garlic bowties {pay taxes on Highlands today}

Saturday - Crockpot of White Beans with salt pork (use turkey stock) {visit my mother in Brenham today}

Sunday - Dinner with The Girl {making food gifts today}

Gina

5 thing Friday - car woes, Christmas lights, soup, falling leaves, winter

A mix of the good and the not-so-good here. 

Waiting in the drizzle at 645 a.m. for the Subaru dealership to open {on my birthday} because my check engine light came on and the oil change place said Subaru should decypher the code.  Reminder to self: do not go to the dealership service department for any reason.  $200 and 8 hours later they had a laundry list of close to 8K and nothing resolved with the car.

The saga will continue, I'm sure.

A saga of a different sort: outside Christmas lights.  A learning curve for me, as Mark was always the one who took care of this.  As of this post, my lights are not 100% working, the timer is unreliable, and I had to order bulbs from Amazon because I could not find them at Walgreen's or HEB.

Saturday evening I sat on the patio at my firepit and could see the glow of Christmas lights out front - 'twas nice.  But it didn't last, as the fuses in one string blew.  I'm doing all of this 100% differently next year.  Frustration will not be a part of it.

This pot of lentil soup may not look amazing, but it was!  I had cooked lentils in the freezer and used turkey stock, a couple of potatoes that were about to be wrinkly, and couple of carrots, and some onion and garlic cooked with three slices of bacon until browned.  A handful of kale was added, and I served it with garlic cheese toast made with the leftover buns from pulled pork on Thanksgiving weekend.

The view from our breakroom at work includes a green space with a maple tree that is lit up this time of year.  Its starting to lose it leaves, though, which means winter can't be far away.

I'm not a fan of the time change and winter, in general.  Not enough sun, for one thing.  And by the time I get home its so dark that bedtime just naturally comes earlier for me.  Which isn't terrible as work has been stressful and I need the sleep.  I'm looking forward to sunnier days ahead...

Happy Weekend,

Gina

Empty Nest menu #148

 I know the holidays are not the time for home projects, but I would so love to change out the fixture that hangs in the kitchen.  I have my eye on this:

It would definitely morph into a bigger project: remove the wallpaper, texture and paint the walls, add a curtain to the kitchen window, refinish the cabinets, replace the laminate countertops, change out the kitchen table and chairs, add a rug...etc. and so on.  But I feel like I could handle this one myself - it can't be all that hard.  I'm already making plans for things to do in the new year!

Monday - Lentil soup, garlic toast

Tuesday - (Pork) Meatballs and pasta, green beans

Wednesday - Chicken Soft Tacos with shredded cheese and pico de gallo

Thursday - Beef and Broccoli, rice

Friday - Cranberry-Gorgonzola Salmon Patty, skillet potatoes with brussels sprouts

Saturday - Freezer meal {on call}

Sunday - Turkey a la King on biscuits, kale salad {on call}

Gina

5 thing Friday - birthday dinner, prosecco, tree trimmin', Santa coaster, temptation

One of my longtime friends from college collected me the Sunday before my birthday and took me to Brewtorium for dinner.  We split a brat and a buffalo chicken schnitzel sandwich and dipped our fries into garlic aioli.  I enjoyed mine with a pumpkin spice beer.  So good and so fun to spend time with her!

A bottle of prosecco gifted to me by my neighbor made a nice way to start Thanksgiving morning!  Breakfast wine, yes please.

We had a very nice Thanksgiving, my peeps and I.  It went by soooo fast.  The next day I pulled out all of the ornaments from years past that I wanted to use and got to work on the tree.  Here it is in very low light.  That's just how it is in the front room - super cozy.

Scout came over while I was adding ornaments and we listened to Vince Guaraldi while he baked me a pumpkin loaf.  A very peaceful start to the Christmas season and it was so nice seeing him two days in a row!

The Girl came over on Sunday for our weekly dinner and brought me this cute Santa coaster that she crocheted.  We enjoyed turkey noodle soup, and boom! the weekend was over.

I haven't bought myself anything other than basic items for a couple of years...but things pop up in my Insta feed that seriously tempt me.  Yes, I would love a new purse with Peanuts on it!  These by Coach are too pricey, but super fun.  I can see where people get into spending trouble over the holidays trying to buy happiness.  Its hard not to treat yourself as you are shopping for others, right?  But I am pretty proud of myself for resisting, and also for finishing up 99% of my Christmas shopping by the end of the day last Sunday, within a budget.

Happy 1st Weekend of December!

Gina

Empty Nest menu #147

I had plans to do something different with the tree this year, but all I managed was the tree collar.  I ended up using ornaments and such that I have had for years and years. 

And that's also the theme of menus this week: eat from what I already have!

Monday - Skillet Tilapia with seasoned potatoes, brussels sprouts {working late}

Tuesday - Cast Iron Chicken Thighs, green beans, wild rice

Wednesday - Shrimp Tacos with onions and peppers

Thursday - Pork Tenderloin*, broccoli, leftover wild rice {the tree guys are coming - got cancelled last time due to rain}

Friday - Turkey Shepherd's Pie with dressing and peas topped with mashed sweet potatoes

Saturday - Out all day {pay the truck tags, go to Highlands, Bertram Christmas}

Sunday - Dinner at The Girl's place

*this was a regular size marinated tenderloin that I bought on "quick sale" and portioned out for the freezer

Gina

Empty Nest menu #146

Six of us this year and a very simple table setting - I am looking forward to connecting with my peeps and spending time with my feet up just before the holiday crush...

Monday - (freezer) Spicy Beef Tacos, broccoli

Tuesday - (freezer) a leftover meal - not sure which one will be left

Wednesday - Ordering pizza out

Thursday - Thanksgiving Meal - I'm making the turkey, dressing, gravy, and cranberry sauce.  My peeps are bringing a dish to share and I have no idea what each one is bringing!

Friday - Pulled Pork Sammies, chips, pickles and onions

Saturday - Fried Chicken Bowls (a la KFC)

Sunday - Turkey Soup

these kitty wine glass charms were gifted to me by The Girl one Christmas

What you get when you mix Hobby Lobby, Dollar Tree, and vintage sterling

******

By mid week I should have a fairly large selection of freezer containers empty, washed, and ready for Thanksgiving leftovers.  The fridge and freezer are both clean, the shopping is done.  Now all thats left to do is buy ice for the cooler!

{P.S. Happy Birthday to me today!}

Gina

5 thing Friday - mini tree, Highlands, car trouble, cranberry juice, corn chowder

I wanted to put a Christmas tree up in the bedroom - something like a pencil-slim one, flocked, with some kind of fancy dancy lady-like theme.  But I haven't found one yet thats exactly what I want and  fits my budget.  So I set this small potted one out and called it done.  For now.

Its so pretty at night!

Last weekend I went up to Highlands to do a couple of things, including cleaning out the fridge and unplugging it.  It was only home to sodas, Gatorade, bottled water, and a small amount of boxed wine.  Our little kitchen area now is pretty bare.  I took everything off the pegboard and unplugged the microwave, too.

It was beautiful outside, so I poured myself the rest of that wine and took a walk around the top of the hill.

Its all very overgrown - nothing has been mowed or trimmed back in over a year, so it looks like nature is reclaiming Highlands.

Hello, canoe.

There was a light breeze and it was so peaceful.  It was the first time in a long time that I felt that way up there.

So I parked myself over by the firepit and enjoyed just sitting and doing nothing for a while.  I never saw deer or any other critter, but I was glad to have my snake boots, just in case!

Right after getting an oil change, these lights came on.  So I marched myself back over to the oil change place and the guy checked the codes and its something unrelated to the oil change and I guess I will spend at least part of my birthday over at the dealership getting a couple of recall items repaired (finally) and getting it all checked out.

And lets go ahead and add this to the list: I felt like I had UTI symptoms yesterday.  Pro tip: drinking anything from a wine glass makes it taste better, including cranberry juice.  I'm nipping this one in the bud.

And a pot of soup at the end of a long November day is also just what the doc ordered!  This is my mother's corn chowder recipe, which for most of my adult life has been my go-to comfort soup.  Its full of potatoes, corn, onion, bell pepper (usually celery), evaporated milk, spices, and salt pork bits and  tastes like love in a bowl.

Happy Weekend!

Gina