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 

Thankful today

 Its been a crazy summer - every other week it seems like there is a new thing to deal with.  I could get myself worked up over the hard stuff, or I could reframe it.  It seems right to acknowledge the struggles, but maybe just as right to express the gratitude, and may be even more so.  Gratitude is hardest to find when you need it the most, but the practice strengthens us and can be life changing, shifting our perspective from scarcity to abundance.  Every day I want to give my brain some proof that life is good.  

So this week:

*I am thankful that I have the money to buy a new tire after I ran over a carpet razor!  The new tire is on its way to the store as I type this, and by tomorrow this will be remembered as a minor inconvenience.

*I am thankful for my friend, Deb.  She loves and accepts me without judgement and has been a good listener these last few weeks. Having this strong social connection is a blessing to me.

*I am thankful for the mail order prescription service my employer provides.  They are friendly and helpful on the phone, its cheaper than a retail pharmacy,  and I get my refills delivered to my house fast. 

*I am thankful that the washer repair was relatively fast and easy, and that I had the funds to cover that expense.  I got the new dryer vent installed and the whole nook painted and we're back in business!  

*My shoulder did not hurt with all of the hard work in the laundry nook, so I am counting shoulder improvement as a Big Win.  PT is going well and I am experiencing very little, if any, pain. 

There is a lot for me to feel thankful for right now!

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}

5 thing Friday - eating habits, trees, thrifting, wall protectors, tote

 Its been a pretty boring couple of weeks.

I've been doing a good job at work not eating from the various snack baskets or pizza boxes or anything other than what I pack for myself.  A protein shake over ice is a good mid-afternoon snack and helps tide me over for dinner at 6 p.m.  Breaking the habit of eating fast food on the way home was HUGE.

And speaking of fast food, if Chik-Fil-A hands me a free cookie, I will eat it, just not after 6:30 p.m. (their cookies are pretty wonderful)

The tree guys came just two days after I gave the go-ahead, and they were done in less than 2 hours.  I remember that Mark used to tackle this job on a Saturday while he had all four kids underfoot.  Crazy.

The oak out front got such a good haircut!  Maybe now that the yard gets that much more sun and air, it will continue to improve, as well as my poor lantana which are limping along.

I found this bowl for $7 at Goodwill and thought I could use it with filler for the holidays.  I googled it, and a couple of people are selling one exactly like it for $40.  I also bought three books and a salad spinner.  Riotous livin'.

A mixed review: these seems to be heavy duty and stick well to non-textured surfaces.  However, the one I put in the bedroom is still on the wall, so maybe I can sand the wall smooth in the other places I need them.  Another little project.

I bought myself a very heavy duty tote bag for work with free shipping and on sale for less than $30.  Gone are all the Vera Bradley totes I carried for years that were wearing out at the straps.  I gussied it up with an iron-on transfer from Etsy and cute pull fob/dangle from Consuela.  See?  Not much happening here lately.

Gina

Monday menus #78

Tiny rainbows in my kitchen window!

I moved one of the hanging crystals that wasn't getting much sun into the kitchen, and now around 10 a.m. every day tiny rainbows appear all over the curtains, backsplash, and adjacent walls.  Its the little things.  (:

Monday - kitchen closed

Tuesday - Beef Fajita Salads {mowing the yards because I didn't get to it last week}

Wednesday - Skillet Chicken with Coconut Ginger Rice, peas

Thursday - Lazy Daisy Meatballs, skinny masheds, green beans {might steam clean the carpets}

Friday - Thai Chicken Salad on romaine leaves {get an oil change and my car inspected}

Saturday and Sunday - kitchen closed

Gina

5 thing Friday - garden hose, letters, junk, garage philosophy, pillows

I've been seeing garden hose pots all over the place, and while they are pretty, I feel like they would make a great home for a snake, not to mention standing water for mosquitos.  We dealt with several snakes at Highlands,  and I'm not having it at my house.

So I ordered a hose holder from Lowe's that required minimal assembly and it works perfectly.  Maybe not as pretty as a pricey hose pot, but way more practical.

The backyard is greening up nicely and the fig has decided, once again, to live.  Just a couple more small projects out in the backyard and I will stop for the summer and go to mowing and watering only.

I gathered up all of the letters from Mom (2011-2023) and put them in order by date.  Then I took all of the ones I wrote to her, collected from her house, and added them in.  I read a few of them here and there.  For now, they are all in a binder.  The ones she wrote me from Saudi Arabia are in a separate box.  And the ones after she married Jim and before 2011?  I have no idea what I did with those.

The last few items from the never-ending garage clean-out went to Goodwill as no one wanted them in the Buy Nothing group.  Along the way I have had a realization that has grown stronger each time.  And I have gathered ideas from others, as well. So I put it all together and will post it in the garage, just to remind myself.

My Home and Garage Philosophy

I don't need “things” to be happy. True happiness does not come from accumulating stuff. I will have nothing in my home that I do not find beautiful nor believe to be useful. If I am sentimentally attached to something, I can make the decision to keep it for as long as it makes me feel happy to own it.

My worth is not defined by my stuff, or the stuff anyone left behind for me to deal with. And it is my choice and responsibility to decide what I want to keep. I don't have to live like everyone else. I'm not obligated to store things I don't want.

There is value in living within my means. Contentment comes from appreciating what I have. My donated items and excess stuff can bless others making generosity second nature.

Fewer possessions = more time to spend on people and pastimes that have value to me. I am in control of my life. The pursuit of more stuff will never be the reason I don't make a life for myself and make a difference in the world.

I will not store or organize stuff just for the sake of owning it. I have a choice in what I want to keep in my life. I can choose to purge my stuff, without asking anyone's opinion, any time that I see fit.

I will not leave a legacy of "too much stuff" to my family. It is my goal to empower my children to decide what things matter to them, letting the rest go.

******

Summer is here!  Time to freshen up some spaces in my home.

Two small throw pillows, a softer comforter color, thorough dusting, and a couple of feminine touches in my bedroom make for a sweet space to come home to each day.  Sometimes its the little things, right?

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.  

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

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

Little project - spiff the living room furniture

One of my little projects was to thoroughly clean/repair/spiff the living room couch and chairs.  This mid-century modern furniture belonged to my late MIL and is very well made.  Its been reupholstered twice now.  At first I thought I could swap out the legs because  a couple of them were wobbly - easy fix, right?  

I even ordered new ones which I thought would add some pizzaz.  But after I turned the furniture upside down to investigate I found that the legs are solid wood, built to sit up against the frame, and reinforced with screws.  So. Plan B.  The liner fabric got vacuumed and wiped down and I prepped to use Restorz-It on those banged up legs. 

On the ends I knew I wanted to use furniture sliders, and look!, there are predrilled holes.  If there hadn't been, I would have had to dig around in the garage to find the right size drill bit to drill small pilot holes so I didn't accidentally split the wood when installing them.

These are an improvement I should have done YEARS ago!

Of course the two center legs were super wobbly - in order to tighten them up I had to cut the liner fabric to get at the screw holes.  I also had to dig around for new screws in the garage, as the old ones were rusty, due to years of Galveston humidity. Once I got the legs secure, I used my power stapler to secure the liner fabric.  There's always going to be a slit in the fabric, but no one will ever see it, and I will eventually forget it!

This couch is a BEAST.  I don't even know how I managed to get it propped like this on a dining chair - it weighs a ton. When I was ready to flip it back over, I got Scout to come help - I did not want to pivot the weight of it on those back legs I had just fixed.  And once we flipped it, it was like buttah to slide it on the floor. 

For all of the furniture, I cleaned the legs, buffed with steel wool, then wiped on the refinishing liquid.  I waited until it dried to tap the sliders into place, but that part went really quickly.  Everything got a thorough vacuum and wipe down.  I am washing the arm rest covers and will put those back on today.  I use these little tacks to keep them in place.

The lampshade was a minor casualty...I will be on the hunt for a new one.  In the meantime, I hot glued the frame back on to the top of the shade and carefully placed it back on the lamp.

All in all, it was a good use of an overcast day outside.  The room looks clean without the puzzle spread across the table, and I did put all of the stacked camera equipment back out into the garage for another day - there just isn't enough time in the week to get all of the projects done.  I would love a nice rug in here, a new lampshade, and possibly another lamp.  Also, I probably need to put sliders on the dining room chairs.

On to the next project!

Gina

Crafting: handkerchief sachets

I was doing some minor cleaning and purging and came across some pretty hankies that seemed a shame to just store away.  Some were made by my mother and feature embroidery and crochet.  I thought they would make pretty sachets, no sewing involved!

This one was one of my favorites.  Believe it or not, we used to carry these in our purses, my sisters and I.  Such a feminine thing - my mother would tuck them into our stocking or Easter basket.  There's a blue one with matching crochet flowers pressed in my wedding album that I may have to repurpose - it was my "something blue" once upon a time.

I almost ordered lavender buds, then ran across an idea using epsom salt.  Its less expensive, smells great, and you can always use it until the scent weakens, and then just refill with fresh.

They were all clean, so I just pressed them.

Then I scooped about a third of a cup in the center of each hanky and tied them up with some velvet ribbon I had in my stash.

I spent about 20 minutes making several of these and tucked them away in my dresser drawers.  And I guess I could've used a simple square of fabric.  But these have an extra pretty touch with their pretty lacey or decorative edges!

Gina

Monday menus #57

I cancelled Netflix and cleared the TV off of Mark's dresser in my bedroom.  For one, I don't watch all that much TV, if any.  For another, it was a good place to set this lamp that used to belong to his mother. She had it set up in her guest bedroom, aka Mark's old bedroom.  

I bought a flickering flame bulb that's supposed to mimic a candle.  I wish it were less orangey-pink, but I love it in the late afternoons or early mornings.  I have always loved this crystal nightlamp as it, but a flicker bulb and burlap ribbon made her a little dressier. I might put it on a timer!

Monday - kitchen closed

Tuesday - (Crockpot) BBQ Seasoned Chicken Legs, skillet potatoes, zucchini {pick up Home Depot order}

Wednesday - Beef Patties with onions and poblano pepper, pinto beans, side salad

Thursday - Cheesy Mac and Cheese with ham, brussels sprouts {dental work today!}

Friday - Mini Turkey Pot pies, side salad {yardwork, weather permitting}

Saturday and Sunday - kitchen closed

Gina

Bedroom Christmas tree and blinged out snowflakes

 I have wanted a Christmas tree in my bedroom for a couple of years now.  Just something for pretty and to give a festive holiday vibe to the room.

This pre-lit flocked tree seems small for this area but its actually the perfect size for a bedroom!

I kept the top pretty simple - a snowflake pick, assorted bits of greenery,and some of that mesh ribbon.  But my favorite part is the clothespin snowflakes I made a couple years ago.

(Go here for a tutorial for the original craft)

I didn't want to paint them but thought they could use some bling so I hauled out my late MIL's costume jewelry and a bracelet from my grandmother.  I pulled the clip backs off the earrings and arranged them on the snowflakes just so, then I used hot glue to secure them.

Just the right amount of shabby chic!

These clothespins are from years ago and have their own history!

More random greenery was tucked into the tree, as well as crochet snowflakes I have had for years.  I tucked some burlap scraps in side of the tree collar to disguise the tree stand.  Then I added in some ornaments that I have had forever - pearly, glittery, iridescent, and girly.

(might spray paint the tree collar for next year!)

A little bit of Marie on my tree that I treasure, with her vintage jewelry from the 40s and 50s.  The pearl drop is from a Laura Ashley earring ca. 1987.

I put the tree on a timer so that it is on when I come home from work, then goes off at "lights out" around 10 p.m.  Then it comes back on at 6 a.m. to start my day off on a beautiful note.  Its the little things!

Happy December,

Gina