Category Archives: Domestic

Refrigerator oatmeal

Posted on July 28, 2014 by Terri | Comments Off

Since I was asked in a comment what refrigerator oatmeal was, I decided to share my recipe.

You can enter “refrigerator oatmeal” into Google, Pinterest, etc., and find a ton of pictures, and recipes, but this is the one that I use since I played with it many times to get it the way Mister and I like it.

I will say that steel-cut oats and chia seeds are not cheap. I think I paid $6 for my little bag of seeds but I’ve made this I can’t remember how many times and my bag is still over 1/2 full. They go a very long way.

This is not Paleo since it contains grain.

This makes 4 servings

Refrigerator Oatmeal

Into each container dump:

1/4 cup uncooked steel-cut oats
1 1/2 tsp chia seeds

Into a large mixing container (I use a measuring pitcher to make it easier to pour)

2 individual serving containers of 0% fat plain Chobani Greek yogurt
1 2/3 cup unsweetened almond milk

Wisk then add:

1 1/2 tsp real vanilla
2 tbsp agave or honey

Wisk, but don’t go crazy or it’ll get frothy. Pour 3/4 cup into ONE oats/chia mixture and immediately stir (it will start sticking if you pour it into all 4 bowls and then go back to stir). You can add some fruit to it at this point, but I don’t. Put a lid on it, stick it in the refrigerator and wait until the morning.

In the morning, give it a stir and add whatever fruit you want and enjoy. Yep, you eat it cold. I know someone who nukes it a teeny bit, but I’ve never tried it that way. I’ve had it with fresh bananas, blueberries, blackberries, peaches, nectarines, and mango. They’ve all been yummy!

Mister wants to eat it everyday. I don’t because of the grain issue (remember, no bread for me), so we eat it 2 days in a row, then have a couple of days of something else, then this again.

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Posted in Recipe

Cha, cha, cha, changes!

Posted on July 25, 2014 by Terri | 5 comments

or, Change No. 1

First, there was me, and since there’s so much of me, this is going to be a huge post. No pictures, tho.

Four months ago at my semi-annual checkup I had a discussion with my doctor about how my blood sugar levels were continually creeping higher and higher by tiny, tiny increments. I told her that I didn’t want them to get to the point where I was desperate, but looking back today, I think I was already there.

(Let me take a minute and say that I have really liked my doctor because she never rushes me out, always takes care of something that’s come up between the time I’ve scheduled my appointment, and my actual appointment, and she always thoroughly discusses the many options she gives me to take care of whatever reason I’m there. I just found out yesterday that she’s leaving and I’m crushed.)

So one of the things we discussed was my taking, for 3 months, 1 daily dose of the oral anti-diabetic drug Metformin. I. HATED. IT. It really threw my body for a loop. I had super low-blood sugar days where I constantly felt like my head was a balloon. I had a few days where I almost fell over in a faint. I had days where I had no energy no matter what I did. I had nose-bleeds that scared Mister. I hated that I was taking a pill. I stopped taking it a month ago and I cannot believe the difference in how I feel now that I’m not taking it anymore.

Also during that time I read and read and read and read books about diabetes. I spent so much time online researching tons of things (many so conflicting!), that I didn’t feel like being on the computer to do anything else – which is another reason my blog has suffered.

It was depressing! I wasn’t stitching, I wasn’t quilting, and I wasn’t reading – except about diabetes.

Then something happened. Someone I know mentioned doing Whole30. Since I’d never heard of it before, and as I’m prone to do, I switched my reading to that. I read a new word, but it got filed away in my head. After reading all about it, I decided it wasn’t for me because I wouldn’t be “allowed” to eat so many things that I felt were good for me.

Then something else happened. Someone else I know has a mother, who was close to my age, change her lifestyle and she went Paleo. There was that word! So I jumped online and started reading some more, and I bought a book that explained why eating Paleo is good for you, instead of just being told to do it and look good in a bathing suit (which, at my age, I don’t care about anymore).

Here’s how I basically define Paleo = grain-free, dairy-free, legume-free, modern vegetable oil-free, refined sugar-free, and processed food-free.

Now, before anyone rolls their eyes, and leaves, let me say my blog is not turning into one of those paleo-fanatic, don’t talk about anything else, blogs. I just need somewhere to write down how this is working for me. Would it be great to get some support, sure, but that’s not why I’m sharing this.

Ok, now for the last thing that happened that pushed me over the edge to just go for it. MISTER IS TRAINING FOR TRIATHLONS AGAIN.

Yep. I’m back to cooking for an athlete again. I know I should have started this for me, but if his training is the nudge I needed to do this, then I’ll take it.

I read about so many ways to get started. From throw everything in your pantry away and go cold turkey to slowly transition into it. I didn’t want to overwhelm me or my pocketbook so I decided to ease into it.

About 3 weeks ago I had some oral surgery. Since I knew 1/4 of my mouth would be full of stitches I decided that day was the day to start. Nope, it wasn’t the 1st day of the month, and it wasn’t on a Monday. Isn’t that always when we begin these things? Since I had decided to do this one step at a time, I made the decision to cut out bread from my diet.

The first week, instead of eating bread 2x a day almost every day, I had bread once. I also had some saltines at the beginning of the week because the pain meds I was taking from my surgery made me nauseous and that helped.

Does this mean I’ll never eat bread again? Nope. I love me a Diamondbacks Hot Dog. I love a good hamburger out with friends. Pasta. Enchiladas. I love “bread.” What this means is that I am going to do my utmost to not eat bread except for special occasions. We grilled burgers the other night and I made mine the exact same way I always have, except I ate it with a fork and knife because it wasn’t between two halves of a bun. I now buy bread that I don’t care for, but Mister likes, and I keep things like burger buns in the freezer and thaw 1 or 2 out for Mister. We had dinner out with friends a few days ago and they served biscuits. I had half of one. It wasn’t good enough for me to finish the other half.

Bread is not the only change I’ve made. As things run out I have either stopped buying them completely, or I’ve changed over to a “whole food” or “organic” variety. I just now realized I haven’t had a potato chip in all this time, and I love potato chips. I know there are some in the cabinet (lunch size bags), but I have no craving for them. I’ve switched from half-and-half in my coffee to unsweetened almond milk. I honestly cannot taste the difference. Which brings me to my next thought.

I try to never say “never.” LOL I’m not going to say I’ll never give up dairy. I love milk, and cheese, but I have eaten less of it over the past couple of weeks, without trying. I’m not going to say I’ll never give up grains. Right now I’m making refrigerator oatmeal a couple of times a week. I guess what I’m trying to say here is that I’m not going to be anal about it. I’m just going to go with this and see where it takes me. I will say there are some things in my pantry that have never been there before (ghee, coconut oil, chia seeds) and I’m eating things like spinach and kale for breakfast. The only hard part so far is not being lazy with the cooking because we’re in the 115 degree days here in Arizona, but I’m trying to make things that will last 3 meals or so, like Crock Pot Pulled Pork.

Even as things slowly change I know there are certain things I need to seriously consider giving up. Right now I’m contemplating artificial sweetener. This one will seriously impact my life. I love Starbucks’ Skinny Vanilla Lattes. Starbucks does not serve almond milk (and I’ve tried soy with a yuck outcome) and their skinny sweeteners are made with artificial sweetener. So for now when I get a Starbucks it’s just their shaken black tea, no classic 😉 I do have some of the Torani Sugar-Free French Vanilla that I use at home. I used to be a 3-pump girl, now I’m a 2-pump girl. I have one more bottle in my pantry, and I’ll switch to 1-pump when I open that one, and then none. That seems so impossible to me now.

Next will come the physical part. Stitching, quilting, reading, they’re all so sedentary and I have no intention of giving up any of them. I have a membership at our local YMCA and next Tuesday after I have my follow-up dental appointment – and hopefully all the stitches are removed – I’m headed over there to talk to a personal trainer.

So how is all of this going to impact my blog. I’ll be posting numbers and recipes, and the occasional photo. Sort of like this 😀

Crock Pot Pulled Pork

3-4 lb pork shoulder
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp sea or kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper – freshly cracked pepper has the most flavor
1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp honey or agave
1/2 tsp liquid smoke

Massage the salt into both sides of the roast. Mix the other spices together and rub into both sides of your roast. Place in the slowcooker. Mix your liquid smoke, agave/honey and water together and pour over the roast. Cover. Set the cooker to low, and allow to cook 8-10 hours.

NOTE: If you’re using smoked salt you may not need the liquid smoke. This is a repeat recipe for me and I use the leftovers to make several other meals like tacos, and asian lettuce wraps 😀

7/8/14 0/0
7/15/14 -4/-4
7/22/14 -2.6/-6.6

If anyone asks me a question, I’ll gladly answer it, but you aren’t going to find a ton of “this is what I ate today” posts here, or tons of “food” photos. Who wants to see a bunch of photos of sliced organic tomatoes, steamed veggies, salad, meat, day in and day out. Unless it’s a recipe, you won’t be hearing about what I’m eating, except when I maybe share something I’m changing or giving up.

I promise my next post will be more “fun.” I’ve updated my quilt page at the top, and written down all of my WIPs. I’ll be talking about a few of them.

5 Comments

Posted in Life, Recipe, Weight

Follow me

Posted on April 7, 2013 by Terri | 2 comments

With the upcoming demise of Google Reader (weep!) I’ve decided to check out Bloglovin’.

Clickable link over there >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I know I’ve been absent, but it’s only because I’ve been busy. Nothing exciting to share, unless you want to hear about my rearranging my craftroom (yes, again), trips to purchase landscaping and patio container plants, or detailed spring cleaning. 😉

A regular post will come shortly that will include my finished miniature quilt and updates on A Sampler Grows and And They Sinned.

Today, though, it’s stitching on And They Sinned, watching NASCAR, potting a few indoor and outdoor plants, and bleaching my kitchen towels. Exciting stuff!

Oh wait! There is something exciting happening today! Mad Men! Woohoo!

2 Comments

Posted in Domestic, NASCAR, Stitching

Minutiae

Posted on January 6, 2013 by Terri | 10 comments

Don’t you hate it when you go to bed and your brain won’t shut off!?!?! Sometimes, hitting “publish” on my blog has the same effect. This post could probably be a result of both of those events.

While the title of this post is “Minutiae” the post is very long and tedious to probably everyone but me 😉

Goals

I’ve been trying to figure out a “theme” for myself this year. For some reason in my mind I think if I have a theme it would be easier for me to stick to some goals I want to meet or improve on what I’m already doing. The word “control” keeps popping in my mind. I need to better control my weight-loss. I need to better control my finances. I need to better control my housekeeping. I need to better control my hobby stash. Okay, maybe my theme should be “better” since that keeps preceding “control.”

Health

I never discuss my weight-loss efforts here. I don’t know why. I know there are other people out there trying to fight the battle of the bulge. I use the online Weight Watchers plan so I can use the eTools. I do not attend meetings since you have to pay for each one and there are no monthly passes here which automatically give you access to eTools.

My hobbies are very sedentary and I know they don’t help but I refuse to give them up. I’m going ~~to try~~ to focus more on my weight-loss efforts in 2013. I weighed less for my first 2013 weigh-in than I did for my first 2012 weigh-in but I’m not happy with that. My 2 large hurdles are activity and Mister.

Right now it’s too cold to me to walk in the mornings and when the warmer afternoons get here I get too lazy because I’m enjoying snuggling with the puppies and a cup of tea while stitching. Then the evening arrives and the cold comes back. I do not have clothing (bottoms) to walk in cold. I’ve been searching for sweatpants but am surprised at how hard it is to find any right now! 😆

Mister and I have one day over the weekend where we eat out. In the past it was usually Friday since her didn’t have class and we’d go to the movies and out to eat. Last year on that day I’d ask first thing in the morning where we would be eating so I could plan my points for the day. It became quite evident very early on that the answer from him would be very unreliable as he’d quite frequently change his mind and it would be somewhere that was very hard for me to track points on. I gave in and gave up too easily. I don’t think he’s doing it intentionally because I know he’s concerned about potential health problems from my weight so this year I plan on being more assertive and in control. Of course right now he has class 5 days a week 😉

Money

I know. It’s not polite to talk about money. Nothing too lower-class here, though.

Once I stopped working and started getting an “allowance” I quit balancing my checkbook. I am trying to get back into writing checks for two reasons. First, it helps retailers (who still accept them) save money since they don’t have to pay a fee if I write a check. I used to offer to use my debit card but these days so many banks charge fees for debit purchases too. Second, I balance my checkbook religiously when I write checks and I keep a better handle on how I’m spending my money.

I got into a really bad habit this past year of charging things on my credit card and then transferring to cover. There’s no need for me to be doing this when I don’t get any type of reward for charging on my CC. I’m also going to increase the amount I’m putting on that CC and get it gone!

I’m also going to start putting some of my “allowance” into savings for “stitchy travel.”

It’s been a bit of a blow to my psyche to become “dependent” on Mister’s retirement pay. I think doing the above things will help me feel a little more independent and in control.

Homekeeping

I can remember in the not so distant past that every time someone would ask me what I wanted to be when I grow up I would answer a stay-at-home-wife. I did get to be that for a very short time while we were stationed in Okinawa and I loved it. Such a shocker since I was raised to be an independent woman (by my father). This past year has been such a learning experience for me and I can’t wait to see what I learn in 2013.

One thing that I absolutely swear by is FlyLady. I don’t follow her routines or zones exactly the same as she publishes but I have taken what she’s given me and modified it to work in my home, which is what I believe she wants all of us to do.

Our new home — I guess I should stop calling it that now that I’ve lived here for a year — Our home is twice the size of any house I have ever lived in. I knew immediately that I would have to change my housekeeping ways if I was to stay on top of utter CHAOS (can’t have anyone over syndrome) in such a huge place. My home is not perfectly clean or perfectly decorated but I am not ashamed to invite anyone into it nor do I freak out if my doorbell rings.

When I lived in California my house was small enough that I could follow FlyLady’s zones fairly closely as to how they’re published. This gave me the anchor I needed and the time I needed to learn the mindset. In this house I’ve changed it. I have a different “zone” every day, instead of changing zones each week. Every Monday – Friday I do my daily routines and I “do” one room of my house. Saturday and Sunday I do my daily routines but I don’t “do” a zone, and I rarely do laundry on Sunday.

For example: Monday – Friday I do my daily routines (make my bed; shower and dress; swish and swipe master bath; take dirty clothes downstairs; start laundry; swish and swipe downstairs powder room (next to laundry room); eat breakfast while watching the news). It takes me less than 20 minutes to make my bed, swish and swipe both bathrooms, carry the laundry down and start it, and make my breakfast and start unloading the dishwasher — I usually have oatmeal for breakfast so while that’s nuking I’m unloading the dishwasher. It all sounds and looks like a lot when I write it and read it back but I’ve been doing it so long now that I don’t even think about it anymore. If I’m going out of the house it’ll take me longer since I’ll be doing more than slapping on some moisturizer.

Then I spend approximately 30-60 minutes each morning on my zone; rebooting the laundry; plan/start prep for our evening meal; and, spend 2 15-minute sessions decluttering. These days the decluttering is strictly in my stitching room. The length of time in a room depends on that room. If it’s my living room then I dust my furniture and shutters and vacuum. This might take me 30 minutes if the dogs are in there helping by bringing me toys. Same goes for my dining room. If it’s my kitchen it can take me an hour since I have to also damp mop the floor, wipe out some of the shelves in the refrigerator, etc. while I’m purging leftovers. Plus, it’s a much larger room than my dining room or my living room. It only takes me more than an hour if I don’t stick to my routines. This is how I get so much stitching done. I feel guilty if I sit down to stitch and I haven’t done anything in my house.

Where I can improve is starting myself a control journal as suggested on FlyLady’s site. She publishes missions (chores) to do in each zone and I think I’m going to start printing them out and putting them in a control journal so when I get to that room in my house I can do them. There are some things she talks about doing that slips my mind (like dusting the ceiling fans and baseboards). The nice thing about these missions is they never take very long to do and make a huge difference.

By this time are you (if anyone is reading this) thinking I’m anal or OCD? I’m not, but I do have ADD and this helps me from being overwhelmed. If you’re not familiar with ADD, sometimes tasks get so overwhelming that we don’t know where to start, so we don’t start, then the task gets even more overwhelming and it’s a vicious circle that will cause a melt-down. When I start on a room I start at the left and work clockwise around a room. Every single time!

Hobby Stash

We sold a commercial grade ladder on a local Facebook group on Saturday. It was like winning the lottery! Our first piece of “clutter” gone in 2013. Mister has started gathering the bike parts he no longer needs/wants to sell on eBay. I have been decluttering my own hobby stash for over a year, but haven’t put any of it up for sale. That’s about to change.

I have been stitching for 35 years and rarely got rid of any of the designs that I’ve already stitched. I currently have 3 copy-paper boxes full of patterns, kits, etc., stuff to sell. I’ll be listing it on my blog first, then on a couple of Facebook groups (and my own page), then I’ll go the eBay route. I did think of opening an Etsy shop so I’ll have to look into fees, etc., for that. I have blogged this before, but I also have very few of my stitched pieces hanging on my walls. I’m going to first use whatever funds we generate to finish buying the framing supplies I need and get a lot of those pieces framed.

Getting rid of excess stash and having my beautiful crafts on display will help me control the clutter in my stitching room and not be so overwhelmed by how much stuff I have that I don’t use.

Blogging

This last bit is hard. I want to blog more and share more photos of what I’ve been doing. My computer is upstairs in my stitching room. My stitching is done downstairs, but all my other “crafting” is done upstairs in my stitching room. I’m trying to figure out a way to get myself in front of the computer more. I actually miss blogging!

10 Comments

Posted in Domestic, Goals, Life, Stash, Weight

Yep, I did it!

Posted on November 29, 2012 by Terri | 1 comment

I have obligated myself to a stitch-along 😀

Nicola’s Scarlet Letter Year

I have chosen Gratitude as my first SL piece. I have 3 other Scarlet Letter designs in my stash and will chose the next one once Gratitude is finished. If you’re interested in joining in click on the graphic above and it will take you to the rules. (Link repaired! Sorry about that.)

Mary Wigham is home from the framers and on the wall.

In non-stitchy news, smalls tweaks to the abode still occur. We are in the process of installing the stairwell pendant, and dining room chandelier. A longer ladder is required. The 17 foot one Mister bought is not long enough to keep me from having palpitations when he’s trying to do these things. Last night, he had a few palpitations, too. Thus the decision (naturally).

I’ve also started decorating for Christmas. For the first time in our 31 years of marriage I am “allowing” colored lights on our tree! LOL This means a new purchase. We’ve been twice and still don’t have enough! Once more trip should do it.

Pictures of the new lighting and decorations will be shared later, when all the sawdust and shredded paper has been finally dealt with.

😀

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Posted in Decorating, Domestic, Gratitude, Mary Wigham, Nicola's Scarlet Letter Year, Samplers - Repro, Stitching

Stitchin’ and a Quiltin’

Posted on November 15, 2012 by Terri | Comments Off

My house smells so good right now! I am baking banana bread. Yummy!

Yesterday was Bag Ladies at Attic Needlework. It’s starts at 10:00 a.m. and finishes when the last stitcher leaves, or they run us off so they can close the store. You bring a bag lunch, thus the name. I have not been able to attend as frequently as I’d like since it’s only once a month and so many times this past year I’ve had a schedule conflict, from either a quilt class or a doctor appointment.

Tonight is open stitch at Attic Needlework. This is a weekly event and I go as often as I can. Sometimes I don’t feel like packing up my stitching to drive the hour to get there because I’m already sitting cozy in my stitching chair and stitching up a storm. Most of the time I go because I love the company.

Progress is still moving along (although slowly yesterday) in the organization arena. Hopefully tomorrow I’ll get a lot done. Harley has her surgery and I’m hoping I can get in my room and fret my troubles away in a productive manner instead of being a complete basket case sitting in my chair and borrowing trouble. I’ve very good at borrowing trouble when it comes to the puppies.

Edgar, over at Blacksheep’s bit of the Web, is having a beautiful gift-away if quiltin’s your thang 😉 Go give him some love. He does beautiful stitching and makes me want to move in with some of the baking he shares.

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Posted in Domestic, Giveaway, Stitching

April Report

Posted on April 30, 2012 by Terri | 8 comments

It’s been a rather fun month for us. We’re continuing to settle in. The weather has been excellent and we’ve been spending a lot of time in the pool. We purchased a new BBQ and patio furniture and are spending our mornings and evenings on the patio. I figured out this morning that our WiFi is strong enough out there, with all the doors and windows closed, that we’ll be streaming our iTunes and satellite radio out there so I’m going to start stitching out there in the mornings. This makes the puppies happy since they love running around chasing birds, lizards, and each other.

I’ve spent a bunch of time playing in my room. Still a long way to go but at least now I can sit at my workstation and sew.

The most fun has been working on my WIPocalypse pile while watching baseball and hockey. Before I show my WIPocalypse progress, I’ll share a picture of Harley from last night’s hockey game. When the Coyotes score, there is a howl played over the loudspeakers. We, M and I, have started howling with it and the puppies have taken to joining in. At the end of last night’s game we were howling and I got a snap of Harley doing her Coyote impression. I know I’m biased, but she’s so darn cute when she does it. Her little howl is so high pitched and “soft” you have to really listen to hear her, but you can tell she puts her whole heart behind it.

Now, on to the stitching:

Finished Hannah Beeby!

Got a whole lot done, then undone, then done on Petite Mexican Sampler:

I had completely finished the tree on the right when I discovered it was one stitch over on the right 🙁 It had to be frogged and put away since I was so upset. I have picked it back up and will definitely finish it in May.

I don’t normally participate in stitchalongs since they feel like obligation stitching to me but two Facebook groups I’m on are having stitchalongs on designs that I already had planned on starting, so on Wednesday last I started Rose Quaker. It feels like a quick stitch and I’m loving the colors:

It was very tempting to keep going but I wanted to start Mary Wigham for Thursdays. I had messed up on Petite Mexican Sampler on Tuesday, and I let her sit screaming next to my stitching chair while I stitched on Mary Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

I am loving the subtleness of the colors and I think GAST Salmon, the top motif, is my new favorite color.

Hannah, Rose Quaker, and Mary all definitely qualify for April’s Theme-a-liciousness, too!

All that stitching has left me with a full TUSAL jar for April.

You can see the different layers 😀 I’ll be adding a bit more to it this afternoon, to finish out the month with Petite Mexican Sampler stitching.

8 Comments

Posted in Domestic, Mary Wigham, Petite Mexican Sampler, Puppies, Rose Quaker, Stitching, Theme-a-licious, TUSAL, WIPocalypse

2012’s first stitching report

Posted on January 3, 2012 by Terri | 12 comments

Petite Mexican Sampler

Petite Mexican Sampler - 1/2/12 - 10 hours

The colors in the 2nd photo are a little washed out. The gold borders shows up better in real life 🙂 It’s fun to stitch now that I’ve figured out the secret to using the silks (dampen them and make sure to use my stitcher’s lotion). I did have to frog a couple of times because the chart has an “x” next to a “+” so now I know to pay better attention 😉

Next up is Peacock Tapestry. I’m using a random generator code on my spreadsheet and it has spoken.

I still need to put my Santa collection away and take down my stitching tree, then M and I are headed out to a movie and the home improvement store, so the stitching will have to wait until this afternoon. He needs some stuff to get his bikes stored, and I’m hoping it’ll take him most of the afternoon to get that sorted so I can stitch guilt free.

I’m almost finished with my 2012 stitching “goals” list so I’ll probably be posting that tonight.

Before I forget, here’s my Christmas present from M. I love the ideas I’ve been getting from Pinterest!

And here’s where it went

I’m in the process of moving my linens from upstairs to the closet next to the dryer, so don’t judge me 🙂

12 Comments

Posted in Domestic, Peacock Tapestry, Petite Mexican Sampler, Teresa Wentzler, WIPocalypse

Same old, same old

Posted on December 22, 2011 by Terri | Comments Off

Slowly but surely it’s getting there. I am very tired of unpacking (have I said that already?) but we’re down to the nitty gritty. Yesterday we got the extra linens unpacked and sorted, the 2 final wardrobe boxes unpacked (I need to sort through for the giveaway box), my quilts put up and some more shelves arranged.

Vietnam Vets picked up several boxes this morning so our garage is less cluttered, I feel good about not throwing perfectly good “stuff” away that I no longer wanted or needed, and now I have room to declutter more! I think they come through the neighborhood once a month. I do know they mail out notices with collection bags about 2 weeks before they pick up.

I hung the first things on my office walls yesterday. My new 2012 Anne Taintor calendar (which is already marked for 2 needlework related getaways), 1 stitched piece, and 2 prints I was given as a going away present from the paralegal job I had in South Carolina 20+ years ago. I also finally got my desk cleaned off (I was starting to pile everything on it that didn’t have a place to go), filed for unemployment, and just continued the organization march all around.

I have not finished Christmas decorations! 😕 I feel like I’ve been going in 3 different directions at the same time during my day. I need M’s help but I hate bothering him when he’s working on a different part of the house. Tomorrow is the deadline for me though since Son and Girlfriend are coming early Saturday morning. Besides, who wants to be decorating on Christmas Eve? Next year 🙄 I’ll have more time, and know where my decorations are.

Today I start my goodie baking. I’m making Pecan Pie Muffins to take to the stitch-together at the Attic tonight. Besides the fact that I think they’re delicious, this will be my first time at the stitch-together and I’m hoping if I bring them they’ll like me 😉 In addition to the muffins I’ll also be baking chocolate chip cookies, peppermint sugar cookies, peanut butter cookies, and oatmeal raisin cookies. I doubt I’ll get them all done today, but that’s probably a good thing so I won’t be tempted to eat them all today. I’ve decided to just stick with cookies this year so I can tin them up and send a bunch home with Son and Girlfriend.

I’m still plugging away on HoHRH in the evenings, but I’m ready to put it down for awhile. I’ve been trying to tell myself that each block is a different design but that’s no longer working for me. I am just NOT a one-at-a-time stitcher. Yesterday I found the watch I use to time my 10 hour rotations and just got plain old giddy! Of course, I haven’t used it in so long the battery is dead, but that will be taken care of tomorrow 😀

Tonight, and probably for the rest of the year, I’m switching stitching projects. I’m going to take my much neglected Hannah Beeby. I started her March 2008. I noticed this morning that she was never added to my WIPs list 😕 Might explain why she’s been neglected, and also is just one more proof that I have way too many WIPs. Good thing I’m participating in the WIPocalypse (which, BTW, is up to 245 members!).

I’ve updated my Retirement countdown ticker. M has more definite information on his orders so what you see over there —–> is when his retirement is official. He’ll be headed to California on January 20th and returning home on January 31st or February 1st. I’m so happy he’s taking some of his leave time to surf with his friends. He probably won’t be going back to California until some time in June. That’s a very long time for a surfer to be without his surf. I know he’ll be filling in that time with more running tho. He’s not planning on doing any triathlons in 2012 (he’s volunteering for the Phoenix Ironman) but is planning on a marathon or 2. He hasn’t put on his running shoes the whole time he’s been here and I can’t ever remember a time during our 30 years of marriage that he’s gone this long without running. At least when he starts back his knees and ankles will be healthy!

Comments Off on Same old, same old

Posted in Domestic, Hannah Beeby, HOHRH, Retirement, Stitch-together, WIPocalypse

One thing leads to another

Posted on August 15, 2011 by Terri | 6 comments

My lazy weekend from the last post turned into two weeks of a lot to do. My house is a disaster. I’ve been pulling things out of cabinets, closets, and drawers, and tossing, recycling, and giving away. Of course that should lead to putting things back, but it hasn’t.

I’ve been spending 1 week in each room of my house making myself love it or get rid of it. My bedroom and craftroom/office are the worst!

In my office, I have a path from the door to my desk and there are things piled all over the desk, boxes all over the place that contain things to pack, things to kit (and take with me short term), things to sell, and thing to give away.

It’s a wonder my dresser isn’t groaning from all the things stacked on top. I’m trying to go through all the drawers and get rid of clothes I haven’t worn in awhile and won’t need in the hotter climates of Arizona. It gets easier each day since I’m tired of looking at the clutter and have started tossing more in the give away bag (which sits on the floor between the dresser and the closet that I have to trip over every time I do laundry! 😆

I’m constantly having to clean off my dining table as it’s turned into a staging area for stuff M and I need to talk about, and the list we’ve started keeping of things that need to happen before, or shortly after, we move.

Plants are coming down, pots are being emptied, and some are being thrown away or given away.

We still have a storage facility that M has been weeding out over the past many months – my piano is in there, too – but we really need to get all of it cleaned out over the next 3 weeks.

Cooking the smothered steak mentioned in the last post, led to ~~craving needing~~ wanting fried chicken. Would you like my recipe? Buttermilk is involved 🙂 and I’ll share how I make mashed potatoes, too 🙂 I’m having leftovers for lunch today.

Hiring the realtor in our last post has led to us now having 17 houses to look at, and an appointment with our bank this afternoon to sign our pre-approval.

Looking at those 17 homes (online), and talking about maybe having to live in a furnished apartment short-time if we can’t find a home on our trip, led to my dreaming all night long about living in a 1 bedroom apartment with the puppies and crating them while I left for laundry or grocery duty. It was like watching a TV show! The puppies probably wouldn’t like it much.

My work getting really busy has led to my possibly working every Saturday (except this coming Saturday) until my last week. I worked this past Saturday and, other than being an idiot and forgetting to mail everything I did, it was wonderful to walk in this morning and know exactly everything I needed to get done today. Of course, that was before I saw the note, from #1 attorney, stating I needed to create a bazillion subpoenaes and go to Kinkos to get posters done for exhibits, and oh, yeah, make sure all of our depo transcripts are summarized. See….Saturdays.

Working this past Saturday, led to my not getting to go to my monthly stitchin, but M “nagged” me into stitching that evening and that led to a happy dance, which led to a new start.

Finished Red, White & Blue by Cricket Collection. Stitched with recommended silks, but substituted silver instead of gold, on Lambswool. I will be taking it, and another small design, in for framing this week.

Started A Wife’s Prayer by Erica Michaels. Using recommended fibers and 40ct Maritime White by Lakeside Linens.

The photos above were from my phone. Still camera shopping, passively, but shopping.

So, there should be more stitching tonight, and leftover chicken, and probably some laundry since I don’t want anything on my mind this coming Friday – Sunday except thinking about what a good time I’m having with Melissa and Darla while we are stitching at the beach!

As of today, I am 46 days away from MY retirement. That counter over there >>>>>>> is for M’s retirement.

’til next time!

P.S. Am I the only one who’s ready for football stitching???