5 thing Friday - patio ceiling, potted plant, yard, tots, keys

 One of my favorite things about the patio now is the underside of the patio roof:

I asked the guy to paint it "Glazed Granite" by Glidden.

Its not black, not grey, not blue...but in different lights it is all of those.

I removed the giant hook that was screwed up here next to the light, and although I don't like that light all that much, it seems more camoflaged up here now.  Its amazing what the dark, moody ceiling of the patio lends to this area now.  

Its very zen and I love it.  And I think I will hold off on adding the tiny white lights along the inside edge for now.  When we get some sunnier days I will post a pic of the whole patio.  This area has had quite the transformation since Mark died.  I got rid of a storage unit, BBQ grill, and giant firewood harp, as well as a bottle opener screwed onto one of the posts, and the clothesline.

As I was bringing my plants back out, I noticed that the dracena kept falling over - it had outgrown its pot.  I viciously pulled a fake plant (that was always covered in dust) out of this very heavy and tall glazed pot and gave the real one a new home.  I already had the potting soil so it was an essentially free upgrade.

(see the rust stains where the firewood harp was?  I cannot get those out, and yes I have tried CLR)

I was determined to just SIT in my backyard this week, any time there was sun out.  I am so pleased with how the yard and the patio are looking heading into summer.  Fence repaired, house painted, yard mowed, and right next to my lounge chair you can peep my fig tree coming back to life.

I've been eating in for lunch all week, just making it up as I go along.  This plate of crispy rounds (which are like tots) have a bit of leftover pico, two random slices of cheese, two fried eggs, and a squiggle of Chik-Fil-A sauce.  And it was delightful.

Mark must have had eleventy billion keys on various key rings.  I found ONE key that went to something I still own (it was a spare mailbox key!), so the vintage ones went into my craft stash, and the others I will hold onto for 5 more years.  Then they get recycled.  Ugh.  Cue crying.

Speaking of keys, the turn around time on James Avery repairs is so fast, and they made the sentimental keyring look like new.  I bought this for Mark 8 1/2 years ago for our 30th anniversary and he proudly moved his keys to it and carried it every day.  I'm sure I will also cherish it for many years.

Gina

Monday menus #68

I decided that my side of the family was woefully under-represented in the family photo album.  After all, we aren't just Cannary.  We are the combination of several families.

So I printed pics of my father (age 18), my mother (age 45ish)..

...my grandparents (in their 80's), and Mom and Jim (in their 60's), as well as a few more pics that I have found here and there.  And I think I will put captions under all of the photos when I get them into the family album.  Because my kids have no idea who these people are.

Monday - kitchen closed {for real - I am TIRED}

Tuesday - Ravioli with Turkey Bolognese, broccoli {laundry up, work on photo album, water in the new lantana, on call}

Wednesday - Spicy Honey Beans with Sausage*, garlic toast {clean carpets, make some muffins, work on a small keys project, on call}

Thursday - Mexican Pork Enchiladas**, corn, rice {mulch the backyard landscaping, rake and weed, lay in my lawn chair}

Friday - Pan Fried Tilapia, Trader Joe's Garlicky Pasta, spinach {weekend food prep, buy groceries, pay bills, mail a box to my nephew}

Saturday and Sunday - kitchen closed

Dessert this week is brown butter chocolate chip cookies***

*canned spicy roasted chipotle style beans, a bit of honey, some chopped onion and bell pepper, and the rest of the kielbasa

**I cooked a pork shoulder in the crockpot for tacos previously, and have plenty of meat leftover.  I made a rub for the meat with chili powder, cumin, garlic, smoked paprika, and brown sugar, then squeezed a lime over it and cooked it on low alllll day.  I'll use my homemade enchilada sauce.

***I'm cheating and using a mix, but I will brown the butter, and maybe add chopped walnuts.

Gina

5 thing Friday - keychain, dinner, patio, welcome home, chores, shrubs

It has been a long week. 

On Monday as I was leaving work, I noticed that the silver star was missing from my keychain medallion. As this is a highly sentimental piece I was aggrieved.  Until I found the star face down on the sidewalk out front.

Its being sent off to Kerrville for repair.  I believe this particular one is retired, and the last 6 years of our married life together were some of the best.  So I happily paid the $20 to make it happen.

To entice people to come sit and eat dinner with me, I've taken to texting them a photo of my plate of food - chow call!  Tonight it was Buttermilk Baked Chicken, gorgonzola gnocci, and fresh green beans.  Tho I have perhaps bit off more than I can chew this week, I have still made dinnertime a priority.

Today will be spent power washing the patio and putting the furniture back.  Everything got a clean, including Mr. Sun, the furniture, the deck...the grass got cut and the red rocks cleaned out.

And I hung this cowbell that Mom brought home from her travels.

All of the repairs and painting are DONE.

Here it is, pre clean-up

I am pleased with my home.  I am also pleased with myself for taking care of it so well, knowing when to get things done, and taking care of the details.  It is a welcoming sanctuary for me.

I'm super happy about choosing these shrubs a few years ago (2021) after working on reviving this area since 2018.  They attract bees and butterflies and the blossoms smell heavenly.  I am very happy to sit here and watch nature and enjoy their perfume.

Did you know that if you cut a very thin slice of raspberry cheesecake with ganache topping, it does not count towards your daily calories?  'Tis true.

Gina

Monday menus #67

A carved jade pendant on a silk cord makes a pretty lamp decoration, no? 

And covers up a spot where I had glued, then removed, an applique...

Monday - kitchen closed {Bulky Trash Pick-up}

Tuesday - Buttermilk Baked Chicken, gorgonzola gnocci, green beans {cut down the rest of the photinia branches and bundle them, load recycle electronics*, p/u landscape plants, get my hair trimmed, return some things from Kohl's}

Wednesday - Ann Landers' Meatloaf - garlic toast, salad {visit recycle center, plant the small landscape section}

Thursday - Cowboy Casserole, salad {power wash the back patio and front steps}

Friday - Brown Sugar Chicken, rice, peas {put the back patio back together, clean carpet in hallway, RELAX}

Saturday and Sunday - kitchen closed

Dessert this week is an easy raspberry cheesecake pie

Gina

*Scout and I pulled the last of the things down from the attic, a project two years in the making.  What was still up there?  Two sewing machines (one is antique), an electric train set from the 60s, outdoor lighting fixtures, miles of cords and cables, obsolete electronics and various unidentifiable bits and bobs.  I left some shelving boards, but those might stay up there forever because I am OVER IT.

5 thing Friday - Mom's garden, treasures, house plans, eclipse, buttons

After my sisters and I had gone through all of Mom's house and were satisfied that we had pulled everything that we wanted and had space for, the executor locked it up, and we all drove away.

I paused and took a photo of where my mother spent so many happy hours with both Gus, and her chickens.  Had I not been so overwhelmed with fatigue, hunger, and emotion I might have taken a pic of her bluebonnet patch just beyond her chicken house.  I didn't trust myself to linger.

One of the many treasures I brought home were her certificates, her 5 and 10 year pins from UTMB, her credential pins, all of her lead markers, cardboard "gestation calculators" for OB ultrasounds, notes she took in X-Ray school (handwritten in cursive!, in ink!),

and some old name badges.

My mother was the parent I admired and looked up to.

She was smart, resourceful, courageous, steadfast.

She had little things sitting all over the house in little dishes and in drawers - when I saw one that I couldn't put down, I added it to my collection.  This sterling silver keychain looked well-loved, but I don't ever remember seeing keys on it.  After I polished it up, I discovered that the yellow crescent glows in the dark.

While I was waiting out the eclipse, I took a pic of the back of the house.  Repairs and painting are starting this weekend.  The underside of the patio roof will be "Glazed Granite", the body of the house will be "Toasted Almond".  It will have moldings and trim replaced, gutters cleaned and reattached, bricks power washed, then caulked and painted.

I watched the entire thing.

My neighbors were cheering and clapping at first, then at totality, a hush fell over the whole neighborhood.  No birds, no dogs barking, no traffic sounds.  Without trying to sound all woo woo, it was almost a spiritual event, and I sat silently crying and watching in awe. Yep, worth taking a day off.

My button collection has grown exponentially (thanks, Mom!), and I will be thinking what I can do with them.  I made a cute button craft years ago, ornaments, and a couple of Christmas themed pillows. I've even sewn them on clothes, ha ha. 

But I want to really think about how to use them for something I can enjoy looking at.  There are so many antique ones made of shell. 

Just so lovely.

Gina

Monday menus #66

 The green lion planter with a past*...

And since he doesn't let plants thrive in him, he gets a candle.

Monday - Eclipse Day!  Slow Cooker Pot Roast, mashed potatoes, carrots {PTO day, figure out what to plant in the empty landscape area out front}

Tuesday - Fruited Chicken Salad on toast {pull the rest of the attic stuff down?}

Wednesday - Turkey Pesto Meatballs, pasta, green beans, (freezer) Cheesy Crescents {go through the camera equipment}

Thursday - Quick Cassoulet, garlic toast {set out bulky trash for pick up, house painting to begin}

Friday - Shredded Pork Tacos, pico, cheese, sour cream

Saturday and Sunday - kitchen closed (leftovers!)

Gina

*years ago, my mother brought him to my house for me to take care of some plant she had in him while she was off roaming the world, but eventually the plant died.  So I cleaned him up, added felt to his underside, and put a silk plant in him.  Every time she visited she'd say "Oh! there's my lion! I miss my lion".  I would say, do you want him back? And she would say no, in a wistful sort of way.  After a few times of this happening, I repotted a sweet plant in him and brought him to her house, where she promptly let the plant die.  So prior to right now, he's been sitting in a window with dirt and dead plant remains.  And maybe its weird that he has a candle, but I haven't yet figured out what to do with him.

5 thing Friday - insoles, yard plans, rugs, things to love, quesadillas

I had points with Alegria , so I decided to replace the insoles on a couple of pairs of work shoes.

The insoles normally last me about a year, at which point they are so smushed down that they offer minimal cushion.  I am happy to replace the insoles instead of the entire shoe!

Spring days are meant for sitting in your own backyard, enjoying an adult bevvie and soaking up the sun while you make plans with what to do with your yard.  On my list: reattach hose, kill wasps nests, mow, get the sprinkler system back on-line, clear out the errant wandering jew, feed the fig tree.

My mother had a plan for the rugs she collected from her travels.  She made fabric tags and embroidered our names on them, then carefully stitched the labels onto the rugs she wanted each of us to get.  My memory fails me, so I'm not sure exactly when and where she got the two with my name on them.  The one above is wool - from Afghanistan, I think.  Fits perfectly in the den.

This one is silk and called "Tree of Life" - I placed it in the front room.  While I was at it, I added an antique table with a faux plant, a new large pillow for the couch, a small lamp, and a new lampshade for the floor lamp.  

This antique table was at my mother's bedside, and I remember it from our home in Galveston, as well.

I integrated what I brought from her home that I thought would mesh with mine, and I added a couple of new pieces that express my own taste.  I ended up bringing home far less than my sisters did - but the things I did bring into my home have meaning to me.

Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.

While I was walking through my mother's house, I would pick up an object and hold it for a minute or two, thinking about it and what memories it might hold for either she or me.  One of the items was this vintage ceramic planter.  I had a cutting at home just waiting for a new home.  It made me smile to add it to my office window sill and enjoy as a beautiful thing that is also useful.

My love for quesadillas continues.  Its like a sammie 2.0.  We currently have three packages of tortillas in the fridge because we keep forgetting we already have them, then buy more - a delicious state of affairs.

Gina

Monday menus #65

 One of the treasures that I brought home from Mother's house was a boxed of saved recipes, many of them in her handwriting.  In there were also several I had sent her, in my own handwriting.  Swapping recipes was something I loved to do, both with my mother and with my late MIL.

My mother and I both were a fan of eggplant, so in her honor, I am adding it to this weeks' menu.  My mother was a good cook - very creative and frugal.  She also loved fried okra, pecans in anything, roast pork, and a good lemon pie - I think of her every time I eat something she loved.

Monday - kitchen closed

Tuesday - Asian Peanut Butter Pork*, rice, broccoli {take Easter decor down}

Wednesday - Eggplant Casserole, salad {get some pre-house painting prep done on patio}

Thursday - Crock Pot Pork Ribs, orange baked sweet potatoes {payday, do bills, lunch out}

Friday - Chicken and Peppers, baked potato, corn

Saturday and Sunday - kitchen closed {outside repairs by painter in advance of painting}

*I put this together last week, then left the house without turning the crockpot on, so here's hoping I'll remember this time!

Gina

My 10 daily essentials

 I read an interesting blog post that inspired me to make a list of my 10 daily essentials.  Nowhere on here will you find make-up or haircare, or even links to Amazon.  Its not that kind of list.  For me its what I need in my daily life to keep the wheels turning.  Please note, this list makes me sound like an old chick.

Which I am.

1.  What I wear at home - tee shirts and shorts with orthotic flip flops or my house shoes.  I have dresses and cute heels that don't get worn very much anymore, but occasionally I will "dress up" just to feel pretty.  Then I go grocery shopping, ha ha.  I sleep in men's boxers and tee shirts. No makeup, usually a pony tail, grubby clothes to work in the yard.  I say to myself "well, I'm not planning on entering a beauty contest any time soon".

2.  What I wear at work - scrubs.  The dress code in my hospital is that people in Imaging wear black scrubs, but we are allowed to wear print tops.  Instead of tennies, I opt for comfy shoes that keep my feet happy for 12 hour shifts.  I splurged on some Bombas socks and I love them!

3.  What I also wear - hearing aids, reading glasses, minimal make-up, sometimes more jewelry.  I hate not having earrings in - if I forget them it throws off my whole day.

4.  What I eat - I am doing my best to add more veggies in to every meal.  I hold myself accountable to my meal plans and I cook 4 nights out of 7.  But I could eat popcorn every day.

5.  What I drink - I have a large cup of coffee every morning that I add collagen powder and creamer to.  I drank black coffee for months, then decided life was too short to deny myself creamer.  I have a hard time remembering to drink water.

6.  What I listen to or watch - I usually tell the Google Lady to play Emancipator, Tycho, Stick Figure, or Jesse Cook, along with music from the 70s and 80s on Pandora. I have 6 smart speakers positioned all over the house. I have been listening to various Ted talks on my phone whenever I go for a walk.  I also got hooked on You Tube videos that feature cleaning and mowing.  Maybe they appeal to my need to get things in order...there's therapy in it.

7.  What occupies my time - Work, and home.  I work three 12 hour shifts at the hospital, Saturday through Monday.  On my off days, I am mostly occupied around my house with various projects.  I do also like to read and blog.  I haven't sewn or cross stitched much lately, so those hobbies are sort of on the back burner.  I'm trying not to introvert so hard, but home is my sanctuary.

8.  What inspires me - I'm not sure I have felt very inspired lately.  I am still fighting through the fog of grief most days.  I am focusing as much time as I can on feeling healthy and working on my home. That's really all I can ask of myself right now. 

9.  What would I grab in a fire - FIRST, my boys, who would likely sleep through the smoke alarm.  Then maybe my laptop and phone. Shoes would be good.  

10. What else do I need in my life - I can envision a day when I will want companionship, but I feel like I'm nowhere near ready for that right now.  I know that Mark would have wanted me to live the rest of my life to the fullest and not spend my days lonely.  But I'm taking this new life one day at a time, trying to figure it out as I go.  That being said, I do have some really good friends who have helped me through some dark days.

That's not a bad list, mostly complete.  I left off the obvious things like my toothbrush, medications, or my car, but I could never list every. single. thing. and you'd still get the picture.  And my family as the most essential part of my life is a given.

What are your essentials?

Gina

Monday menus #63

This vase thingy in my bathroom filled with potpourri or filler may look dated to someone else, but I love it.  I pulled out the Christmas-y elements in it and added in some greenery and this small cube that a friend gave to me when my mother died. Its pretty and will stay this way awhile.

I think its easy to fall into a "rules" trap when you decorate your own home, comparison being the thief of joy.  Not everything has to be magazine worthy.  And why should it?  Your home just needs to appeal to you.

Monday - Crockpot Asian Peanut Butter Pork, rice, broccoli

Tuesday - take-out {to Brenham for the day*}

Wednesday - Chopped Salad with shredded rotisserie chicken, Cheesy Garlic Crescent Rolls

Thursday - Beef Burrito Bowl with avocado cream sauce

Friday - Chopped Hoagies, tortilla chips {replace air filters}

Saturday and Sunday - kitchen closed, and I work all weekend, but I will prep some items for all of us

Gina

*Tuesday has the potential for being a very emotional and stressful day and I'm sure I will have thoughts about it...send me some good vibes!

5 thing Friday - surprise visit, dinner, fudge, lunch at the park, cleaners

 My pictures loaded in reverse order so I'm just going to go with it.

At work last weekend I got a text with this photo asking me to come hug a long lost friend.  It was an amazing to see her in person for the first time in 6 years.  Then she returned the next day and surprised another friend and co-worker of mine.  What a nice surprise! It was happy, and a little sad, all at once.  She lives 8 hours away, but we text often.  She has managed to help me stay sane the last 30 months.

If you see my menu posts you know I cook dinner four nights out of seven. And usually I don't fix a big spread like this: cast iron chicken and peppers, green beans, baked potatoes, rolls. But the boys are still here with me, I have limited fridge and pantry space, so we are all vying for food storage space.  And its just nice to mother them by feeding them on those nights.

I don't consider myself a great cook at all.  But I can fix a meal that we can all enjoy.  And someday, I know I will be back to cooking just for myself.

When I cleaned out the freezer recently, I tossed three bags of fudge from Christmas - it tasted a bit freezer burnt.  I promised Scout a new batch to make up for it - Chocolate Reese's Pieces Cup Fudge with Almond Butter Swirl. I portioned some out for Bubbie, too, and I may have eaten a bit myself... 

A burger al fresco lunch tastes better when you aren't fighting a stiff breeze and little bugs.  I open the sun roof, play some music, and stare out at the trees.  I used to come walk the track at this park every day.  Now I mainly sit and eat here in my car, which is not nearly as sad as that reads...

When I dropped off the last load of stuff to the recycle center, I perused their cleaning shack and came away with some things.  Carpet shampoo, rust and lime remover, masonry cleaner, and lavender essential oil - all free.  After the oaks stop dropping leaves and pollen I will go back and get some free mulch for my landscaping, plus scope out the free re-blend paint to spiff up the inside of the garage.  One more weekend before Easter and this year is moving right along...

Gina