5 thing Friday - CDs, sprinkler system, enchiladas, side table, tattoo

 This has been a spendy week. But not on frivolous things, in my humble opinion!

  I pulled all of the CDs out of the CD carousel and went through them twice.  I pulled the ones out I thought I might listen to again, maybe 20 or so.  The rest? I will have to figure out how to get rid of them. They can't go into the trash or recycling, but perhaps I can donate them.  Same as the cassettes, and I have yet to purge those. I would try to sell the CDs to Half Price Books, but they have no plastic holders. I will investigate.  In the meantime, I am actually listening to some of them!

I was going to have the fence guy replace a couple of sprinkler heads and cap some off, but a leaky one told me there was a bigger problem afoot, and I was right.  It involved replacing a valve so I just had the sprinkler company do the whole thing. They also fixed some pop-ups and re-set the timer for me.  Now to make a plan for working on the front lawn.  Money, marbles, and chalk as Mark would say.

I had a yen for mole enchiladas, so I made some!  I bought the jarred sauce, reconstituted it with chicken broth and some extra seasonings (froze a lot of the sauce for future me), then stewed some chicken thighs in some of the sauce. Then I shredded the chicken, rolled it up in chicken in corn tortillas, topped with extra sauce and cheese, and baked for about 25 minutes.  With a side of green beans and refrieds it was OMG delicious.

I think this room is where the Christmas tree will live this year.  There's plenty of room in front of the windows without a table full of photo project spread out!  So, I ordered another of those $31 side tables from Target for the right side of the couch.  I think the lit tree will brighten up the space a bit, too.

Easy to assemble and very sturdy!  So we can all sit in here (whoever comes by that day) and we will have a place to set our cups of cocoa or coffee.  I also ordered a wood and metal coat rack for the hall leading into the den.  It coordinates with this simple style.  I will show that when I have it installed.

Next item on the list: installing a new light fixture in the garage and I have someone to do that, we just have to arrange a time.  After that, I will contact someone about getting the garage door motors rebalanced so I can use them properly.  Currently I have to stand there and press the button the entire time so that they close. And no, there's nothing blocking the laser light so that's annoying.

Its always gonna be something.

BUT...

Something for me. We can call it birthday gift, something to mark (no pun intended) an anniversary, or just a recommitment to myself gift.  These are some inspiration pictures from my tattoo artist, who is very talented.

Either way, its not something for the house! Next week it will be added to my existing tattoo along with some smaller blooms, just below the chrysanthemum.  When its all finished, I will show a photo of it.  For me, butterflies represent the nature of change and hope.

Fitting, I think!  Have a great weekend,

Gina

5 thing Friday - cooking, trees, socializing, a coffee cup, gallery wall

Its been an OK week, overall.  I have gotten a few small things done around the house, read a book, worked on my family history, bought groceries, etc. and so forth. 

I've been shopping at Trader Joe's more often and making simpler meals.  The panko Tilapia is pretty good, as are the BBQ pork fried rice and the grilled chicken strips.  I haven't used the oven much.  I'm not as into salads as I was last summer, but maybe next week I will switch that up.

I had an arborist come take a look at my trees and make recommendations.  Of the four live oaks, this one I am most worried about.  This long scar is an actual crack from when the tree froze in the terrible ice storm we had a few years ago.  I thought my trees had escaped damage. It healed over the split so only time will tell if I am able to keep this 1/3 of the tree.  I'm trying not to obsess over it.  The tree company comes in a couple of weeks to give all of my trees a good haircut.

I met a friend for a beer and gab this week - 4 hours went by in the blink of an eye.  We went to a place where Mark and I used to go long ago.  They spruced up the place and were doing a good business - looking around I saw lots of folks my age and a friendly doggo or two.

She's the same one who gave me this mug!  I use it often and remind myself that grief and hope, crying and laughing can all exist sometimes in the same day.  Its nice to talk with her about everything.  We met 46 years ago as college freshmen at UT.

At this point, she's been in my life longer than Mark was.  He would have approved of the mug, and he did love his coffee.

OK, I finished the wall that was supposed to be a corner gallery. I changed up a lot of the art I had originally chose, opting for things that really spoke to me.  I thrifted some things, pulled some pieces from elsewhere, filled in with stuff from Hobby Lobby.  Its nice to gaze at as I sit on the couch, sipping my wine. Its gonna be one of those things I change up now and then.

Just on the other side of the front door, and it's prettier in person. And that's all I have for today - thanks for reading along and have a great weekend!

Gina

5 thing Friday - shoe bench, sammiches, rain, yardwork, empty day

Please forgive all of the dark photos - we've had nothing but gloomy days and rain rain rain.  After a few tweaks, I can't make these pics look that much better!

I was tired of the shoe basket in this corner by the front door.  The Shoe Basket was something we started when the kids were small.  It was a way not to play the "hunt for your shoes before we have to run out of the door to school" game.  Instead I now have a nice bench to stow my work/tennies/house shoes, and to sit when taking them off and on.  No more holding onto the wall, ha ha.

I have entered my Sandwich Era.  Toasting the bread with some cheese on top, adding some sliced tomatoes, plenty of Miracle Whip - my kind of lunch or dinner.  Cheaper than takeout, although I'm not sure its all that healthier.  But it gets me out the kitchen fast and makes for fewer dishes to wash.  Wins all around.

During a break in the clouds I took pics of the Wandering Jew in the backyard.

I know its considered an invasive species, but I like it.  I haven't had a lot of time to do yardwork in between storms.  I managed to get it mowed, and even sprinkled some grass seed.  That's about all Mother Nature is allowing right now.

On my "empty day" I took myself to Bertram for a trip to Donut Plus (an old favorite), 

a pedicure (sweet lilac color) followed by yet another sandwich, and a trip to "my" winery.  It was a lovely day, high of 63!, thunderstorms that shook me to my bones as I sat wrapped in a Mexican blanket on their patio, journaling and making plans.  I really don't have many complaints right now, and I will strive to get better at acknowledging that every day.

Gina

What I cooked for Easter weekend

 Since I worked yesterday, I made no plans for Easter, but that didn't stop me from playing E. Bunny to Firstborn and taking him some home-cooked food.  Life is pricey right now and I know that he is not cooking for himself.  

So I put years of practice into play and made a big meal I could portion out in containers for his freezer.  Calamity Anne's Meatloaf, Arkansas Green Beans, and Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes.  I also threw a pork butt into the crockpot overnight, and I baked up the rest of the freezer cookies.

Then I had a pulled pork sammie with him when he got off work!  We might be scattered around, and work opposite schedules, but I can carve out time to feed my peeps a meal now and again. Years of taking care of a home full of people has been good training, I guess.  Here are the recipes:

Calamity Anne's Meatloaf: 2 lbs ground chuck, 2 eggs, 2 c. Italian breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup milk, 1T. creamed horseradish, 1/4 c. ketchup, a generous squirt of Worchestershire, S&P, and garlic powder. 1 hours at 350, drain the excess grease, top loaf with 1/2 c. ketchup mixed with some brown sugar and let it bake another 10 minutes.

Arkansas Green Beans: I used 4 cans green beans, drained.  Melt half a stick of butter with 5 T. of soy sauce, 2/3 c. brown sugar, and 1 1/2 t. garlic powder.  Toss it all with the beans. Pour into a baking dish. Top with 8-10 slices cooked and chopped bacon, and cook with the meatloaf for about 40 minutes. Stir every so often while cooking.

Mashed potatoes - I boil peeled russet potatoes 'til tender, then mash with butter, salt and pepper, a splash of milk, and some sour cream until I get the consistency I want.  Sometimes I add cheese, green onions, garlic salt - you name it.

Pork Butt - I made a rub with brown sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, cumin, chili powder, red pepper, and S&P.  I plopped it into the crockpot, squeezed a lime over it all, and set it to low while I went to bed.  I think it cooked a total of 10 hours.  Then I poured the fat off the drippings, shredded the meat, and reduced the pot drippings in a small saucepot 'til they were reduced by about half to pour over the meat.

Cookies - right here

Typing all this out made me hungry!

Gina

5 thing Friday - trim repairs, cobblers, reading, spiffing, cooking

Back when the dishwasher flooded the kitchen, I thought that there was no lasting damage done to the floors or baseboards, but I was sadly mistaken.

The corners of the bookcase in the den were a casualty.

I know nothing of woodworking or building and I was not about to pry off the trim on the bookcase and rebuild it. (will I learn this some day? time will tell)  Instead I went with a quick fix of patching it up and painting over it.

This is the trusty trim paint I use in many places in the house.  Its not cheap, but it works so well.  I also bought a little flexible paintbrush with a shorter handle to make it an easier job.

I patched, then sanded, then taped it off.

Afterwards, it is less noticeable that there was a boo-boo here.

Its not perfect - but my eye is not drawn to it every time I walk into the kitchen from the den.

I have been on a cobbler kick.  This is peach cobbler with pralines and cream ice cream from Southside Market BBQ.  Their BBQ is merely "ok", in my opinion, and I am not a BBQ snob. But the warm cobbler and friendly lady scooping it up was wonderful.

I was inspired to make a skillet cobbler with blackberries and blueberries.  Ice cream of choice was Dulce de Leche.  And now I have had enough cobbler for awhile!

I really like the book club I found at a local library.  It is 99% women, we read such good books, and the discussion is very thorough.  It has been a blessing to me to rediscover reading for pleasure, which is something I have loved since I was in elementary school.  I walked home from school with my head in a book, kid's magazine subscriptions were eagerly awaited each month, and I always had several books checked off the Scholastic flyer sent home from school. As a working mom of four, my reading time was severely curtailed over the years.  But adding it back in has given me such a peaceful way to spend downtime.

The next patch and paint job is the attic opening in the hallway.  One day I may replace the trim edging along the opening, but right now I just want it not to be an eyesore.  I will replace the pull string with the above pretty and give the entire ceiling a coat of fresh white paint.

fish tacos from another day

I've had 5 days off this week, and I am pretty over cooking and food prepping.  I have successfully emptied what I had in the freezer, and restocked it.  I made a corned beef brisket to portion for easy sandwiches, divided up a big package of chicken drums, and bought some freezer veggies for easy sides.  Tonight I will end on a fish taco note to use up the rest of the fish, tortillas, and cilantro ranch dressing.  Its one of my favorite meals, even when I am in "I Hate Cooking" mode.  And now its time to get ready for the work weekend!

Happy Friday!

Gina

Easy eating lately

*it was overcast when I took these photos!

Even though I am not publishing menus anymore, I am still feeding myself at home.  I'm still not all that jazzed about cooking, but I know that it is the best way for me to get the nutrition I need and not spend a fortune.  This particular week, I spent $80 for the next two weeks.  On grocery days, I start out by cleaning the inside of the fridge to freshen it up.

Then I might start a crockpot to make dinner easy.  (today it was some ribs I had in the freezer) I hit some markdowns at HEB and used my partner card (Son #2 works in their bakery).  I think I did fairly well and I have a collection of things to pull out for dinners and lunches.

I bought a package of 5 lemon pepper chicken quarters for $3.89 total out of pocket.  They went right into the oven as soon as I got home.  Once they cooled, I was able to shred the meat into 5 ziploc bags for a total of 78 cents a portion.  The bones went right into a small pot on the stove to simmer for stock.

I poured it into small jars, just right for one person.

While the chicken was cooking I made taco meat with lean ground turkey I got for $5.39 total.  Not as great a deal as the chicken, but with my own seasonings and a little time, it ended up being 4 freezer portions at $1.35 each.  Once it is cooled, I portion it out and place all the small bags into big freezer ziploc and I can easily grab one to add to a salad or other meal.  Taco meat is good in quesadillas or heated up over a baked sweet potato.  A very easy way to feed myself when I don't feel like cooking.

I also snagged a package of chuck for $3.94 and that got divided up and frozen.  These baskets in my freezer aren't Pinterest-worthy, but they help organize the cooked items from the uncooked.  I label the bags so I can see what I might be getting low on.  And I usually look at the menus the night before, so I can toss something into the fridge to thaw.  All told, I spent $13.22 and got 13 portions of protein.

Once I had the meats sorted, I pulled out some things from  the fridge and freezer to make breakfast tacos for work days.  I had 8 tortillas leftover from a week or so ago, so I combined them with 8 breakfast links, 8 eggs, and a sliced red bell pepper.  I roll each one in a foil sheet and store them in a gallon size freezer ziploc.  Then on work mornings, I will toss one into the oven on low while I get ready for work.  The taco usually stays warm in my tote bag until I eat, around 8 a.m.  I usually alternate tacos with oatmeal so I don't eat the same breakfast all three days.

The rest of that dozen of eggs went onto the stove for boiled eggs to keep in the fridge. These are good for a protein snack or to slice into a salad.

I also loaded up my fruit bowl and keep it front and center in my kitchen to encourage me to eat more fruit.  I quit buying waffles, so I eat granola and yogurt during the week for breakfast (or a small bit of leftover dinner with a fried egg!)  Lately I am leaning into sardines once a week, lots of salads with added protein, or a sandwich for lunch.  In this way, I can keep the eating out down to once a week.  What are some routines you use to help feed yourself?  I'm all ears!

Gina

5 thing Friday - feeding myself, sweet potato plant, heart charm, license, BP cuff

Although I am not posting menus, I have settled into a dinner cooking routine of 4 nights out of 7 and having very simple things to eat when I get home from work.  A quesadilla, bowl of cereal, or Chick-fil-A chicken patty with some mac and cheese helps me avoid most kitchen duty on days I work.

If I make a big pan of something, I can portion some of it out for work lunches. Here I fixed cacio e pepe ravioli from TJ with some ground beef, marinara, the rest of a tomato I was trying to use up, and about a cup of frozen peas.  'Twas pretty good and freezes well.

About twice a week for lunch I have one of those chopped salads with cabbage, etc., and some added protein, plus dibs and dabs of other things (pickles, beets, the rest of the 3 bean salad that was lurking in the fridge).  I never thought it particularly hard to feed myself until Mark died. You wouldn't think it should be so difficult to manage.

I'm trying to grow a sweet potato plant here from an actual sweet potato.  Will it work?  I'm not sure, but please notice my use of large paper clips since I didn't have toothpicks.  (Also the recycled pasta jar from the ravioli.) This window is the one that gets morning sun.  Its been so pretty outside that I am ready to bring all of my plants back out of the garage and arrange them on the patio.

Happy Valentine's Day to me.  I added a charm that finishes out my charm bracelet in a very pretty way.  {I had the armadillo removed, as it was heavier than the other charms and made the bracelet feel bulky and slide to one side} A reminder to show myself some kindness and love.  I have been wearing it and enjoying the pretty sound it makes and the good memories it invokes.

I have been missing Mom lately.  While I was working on the photo project I found this old driver's license of hers.  In high school, it used to make me laugh when she pulled it out while writing a check somewhere.  She was in the middle of saying "yes, I'm ready!" when the woman snapped her photo. 

She would say "stop acting the fool!" as I laughed away.

 When she got her new license she sent this to me.  I was in college and we wrote each other letters all of the time. It lives above my desk now and makes me smile.  She looked so young here, and so thin.

The dental hygienist used a wrist BP cuff for me last week that seemed like it was more accurate than the bulky arm one I have.  And easier to use!  So I bought myself one with some HSA $.  I need to pair it with the app and it will sit right here on my desk.  My BP is well-managed, but I want to take charge of recording it and reporting back to my doc, holding myself accountable for taking care of ME.

Happy Valentine's Day tomorrow!

Gina

5 thing Friday - icy days, reading, chrysanthemum print, simple meals, pastimes

The severe cold weather and ice we had are now over. 

Even safely warm at work, I was stressing over my house, but when I got home on Monday afternoon, all was well.  The house was just fine, I was safely off the roads, a martini was shortly going to be in hand, and I burst into tears after setting my things down and locking the door, grateful to be home - the very best place to be.

I spent a whole day putseying around my house and sleeping well.  Then on Wednesday I shoveled the sheets of snowy ice off my walkway and managed to get to coffee with a friend, groceries bought, bins to curb.  Does it say I am an old lady to need a whole day to recover from the weekend?  It wasn't even overly busy!  I think it was a delayed stress reaction.

I'm looking forward to sitting on my couch and reading, under this soft blanket made for me by The Girl.  Where did she get her mad crochet skillz?  Turns out, You Tube.  It sure has come in handy.

I joined another book club at a local library branch and I think it will be perfect for me.  The list of books is published in advance so you have time to find and read them.  I am a fan of holding an actual book, so I ordered mine used (through Amazon) and stacked them in order right where I will be reading.  The first one is The Mender by Jennifer Marchman.  We will get to meet the author, too!

Last week, when I was moving pictures around, I ordered myself this chrysanthemum poster print for the collage wall in the office.  I can't wait to hang it!  Mostly I have been very good about not using on-line shopping for therapy.  But I did earn some overtime and I have been wanting a print like this for months.  The chrysanthemum represents optimism and that motif is the largest element in my tattoo that says "expect the best". 

I haven't been publishing menus because I am cooking either mostly the same things, or just eating out or doing very simple things like this egg and sausage skillet with roasted Mediterranean veggies.  I am back to learning how to feed just me.  One night this week I did a big pot of soup using the leftover turkey broth and meat from Thanksgiving, the rest of above mentioned veggies, and a can of white beans.  Nothing exciting, just getting myself fed.

I am still plugging along on the photo album project.  All the pages were removed from the albums, then all of the photos removed from the pages, next I will further purge the photos, put all of them in chrono order adding in photos from separate Christmas albums (WHY did we do that), then put them back into new albums (maybe trimming some of them up), then scanning them, then adding them onto flash drives for my peeps. This will take me weeks, 'cause I can only work on it an hour or so at a time.  It is unbelievably hard to trip down memory lane like this.

For stress reduction and meditative time, I have been practicing my cursive handwriting which I had abandoned as a teenager.  Its like starting from scratch!  Writing my whole name, correctly, is very tricky.  For years I have been writing a big lowercase G for my first name.  Its fun to practice your fine motor skills with fancier handwriting.  I think I may like to learn calligraphy some day, who knows.  For now, this is a low cost pastime of putting pencil to paper while I listen to music, and doesn't make me cry like the photo project!

Happy almost end of January,

Gina