5 thing Friday - eating, sleeping, gardening, cleaning, letting go

I've been doing a pretty good job feeding myself lately. 

I don't consider any foods really off limits, but I am making healthy swaps and limiting portion sizes for things I don't swap.  Example: Cowboy Beans - serve a smaller portion, include a big green salad with strawberries and a spinkling of queso fresco - easy on the dressing.

Along the same lines: Tacos al Pastor on carb sense whole wheat tortillas with a tiny amount of cheese and sour cream, black beans on the side.  Also:

*dinner before 6:30 p.m.

*15 minutes of exercise 4x weekly

*putting up electronics 1 hour before bed and reading a book

*drinking minimum of 60 ounces water daily

I cringed when I saw myself in the mirror one morning wearing men's boxers, a ratty tee, mismatched socks.  So I took myself to Kohl's and bought two sleep sets (yes XL as I want to be as comfy as possible)  All the boxers went to the garage - some for painting shorts, the rest to Goodwill.  I used a 30% sale and Kohl's cash so I spent $20 and that included a placemat for the patio table.

Mowing has become the summer beast.

Yesterday I mowed and edged both yards, sprayed Weed and Feed, raked, swept, and cleaned up the patio.  It was my eat out day for lunch and I wanted to feel good about my Chik-Fil-A!  Seriously though, I am proud of myself for managing these tasks.  A lot of the green you see in the photo above may be weeds, but they're MY weeds.  Those shrubs?  I planted them.  The newly painted house?  I arranged it and paid for it.  If everything here is my responsibility, then I get to pat myself on the back for keeping this ship afloat.  Amen!

While I was out there, I used the last of the all-purpose cleaner to scrub and rinse the trash and recycle bins.  10000% improvement in air quality on this side of the house, ha ha.

I also hauled a giant paver from the back yard, for the yard waste bin to sit on.  It was ridiculously heavy.  But I wasn't using it for my backyard hose anymore, and this will keep the bin from sitting in mud when it rains.  Because there's just pretty much weeds over here, anyway.

I have asked Mom's executor, via his paralegal, to stay on top of her homeowner's insurance, pay her bills and taxes, etc., etc.  And you know what?  I'm over it.  As my sister pointed out "no one seems to be bothered by it, why should you stress out about it? It would be nice if you let them know again, but really you shouldn't have to. You did what you could, we can only hope that he does the right thing.  And that the house doesn't burn down." And she's right.  I need to loosen my grip and let go.  Mom would never have paid her taxes late, and would be horrified at her insurance being late but at the end of the day, its too late for me to help her.  So I will let it go.

My connection to her is my love for her, and my memories - not my insistence the executor does the job.  I think she would be proud of my perseverance, courage, and honesty. 

Gina