5 thing Friday - planners, wreath, purging piles, sheets, rotisserie chicken

Last week I pulled down the box full of planners I store in my closet, just to have a look through them.

And I thought "What if I didn't keep these?  What bad thing would happen?"  And I had another epiphany:  holding onto these planners is like holding onto the past.

I sat in my office with the recycle bin and shredder on one side and the planners on the other side.  (Some of the planners had info in them that needed to be shredded.)

RIP planners from 1992 to 2023.  I actually might have shed a tear.  Looking back through them one last time I thought about how different my life is now, in both little and big ways.

The comically large wreath on my door.  It didn't seem this huge in the store; it is a big pop of color, for sure. I just wanted something colorful, on sale, with no crafting on my part. I got it.

Another round of purging and more things I don't want.   I reserved a bulky pick up with City of Austin and got Bubbie to help me haul it all to the street.  In another donation pile I still have: a steel table, BBQ charcoal, a microwave, camp coffee pot, and a silver tray.  I don't want money for them.  I simply want them out of my life. I'm going to find people to offer those to.

I bought myself some new flannel sheets.  They are silky soft and soothing, the perfect color, and were on sale.  We are currently experiencing warm weather in Austin, but I know that February usually brings us a bit of icy weather.  I will be snug and ready.

What's the first thing you do when you bring home a rotisserie chicken?  I eat the drums almost immediately!  Then I portion and store the rest, making stock with the bones.  HEB now has these for $4.97 and I had to grab one up for some easy meals.  Next week I will not post menus, and I am figuring it all out.  I feel like a college kid who just got her first kitchen - what do I feel like eating?  Besides rotisserie chicken, that is!

Gina

Monday menus #109 - the last one

I ordered a tap light bar that fits perfectly on the pantry door frame. 

It doesn't light all of the shelves, but enough so that I can pull baskets out a bit and look through them.  It also adds a bit of ambience to the kitchen when I don't want the overhead lights on, but mostly I keep this door closed.  Either way, me like.

Monday - kitchen closed

Tuesday - One Pot Chili Mac (cook once, eat several times!), kale salad {start my February home project list*}

Wednesday - Calamity Chicken (never made this 2 weeks ago), twice baked potato, spinach

Thursday - Classic Greek Salad (add chicken sausage cubes) {replace air filters}

Friday - One Pot Chili Mac (freeze the rest in containers), kale salad {payday}

Saturday and Sunday - kitchen closed 

I think this may be my last menus post. I have posted my Cannary Family menus for the last few years and there are literally hundreds of them, shaped by whatever was happening in our lives and how many people I was feeding!  I am cooking far less than I did when I had a full house, and I would like to focus less on the planning/shopping/cooking aspect of my life now. I may post about it from time to time; I like to try new recipes and foods, so we'll see what direction that takes me!

Gina

*prune the crepe myrtles, get the dryer vent cleaned, spiff up guest bathroom, touch up paint in guest room}