The End of February

Ten make that nine  seven (?!) 3 days left in  Well, here we are the last day February (and I have been attempting to write this for a over week- will that publish button get clicked today 😅). 

Time is going so swiftly I feel like I can't keep up. 

Still snowing... is it spring yet? 😕  I saw somewhere that of the last 51 days 48 had some kind of snow fall. (This was last week sometime).

Hard to see here but there is a deer running away in the middle of the below picture. When I came out of work the other night there were three deer outside.  I tried to get close enough for a picture but of course they took off two one way and the third the opposite way, I hope they met up ok later on.

The weather has in fact turned- the snow finally stopped and its was in the 40s and raining, the parking lot at work is like an ice skating rink! 

It then turned to slush and was so thick we could barely drive through it- seriously I almost got stuck yesterday morning.  We called the plow guy and he cleared a lot of it out- good thing since we are back to below freezing again. 

This (& last) week's dinners-

• Tuesday- Reuben braid from the new season's best
• Wednesday- Baked Potato Soup
• Thursday- Pork chops with stuffing- two of Hannah's friends were over and there was much laughter
• Friday- I made Detroit style pizza and I goofed it up and my heart was very sad. 
  
  
  
• Saturday- I made hamburger helper (busy day and I was so tired by suppertime)
• Sunday- Chicken Cheddar Biscuit Casserole (the recipe calls it Cobbler but I just can't 😅) 
  
  
  
• Monday- I ate sad leftover detroit pizza after yoga- should've taken Ryan up on his offer to go have pizza at their place. 
• Tuesday- chicken sandwiches
• Wednesday- new Crunchy Garlic Noodles recipe from PC 
  
  
  
• Thursday- out to Red Robin for burgers
• Tonight- TBD

I started my socks! I had three failed attempts last Friday night but then my sister helped me get them started after our run the next day. I think it will go smoothly from here... at least until I get to the heel.  Double pointed needles are tricky and I felt like there were points everywhere! :P

Question(s) of the Day- (because I slacked off so long, I am just doing a few selected ones)

20. The best day you had last week

Saturday running with my sister and having lunch at my parents house 💖 

21. Five things you like about yourself

1. I am fiercely loyal
2. That I can cook and bake well
3. I am compassionate and can often see both sides of a situation (although sometimes this is annoying too)
4. strong legs with which to run =)
5. why it this so hard :P I'd say I have a good or at least mediocre sense of humor

22. A good thing from today (Saturday)

Time to catch up with an old friend at birthday party. 💖

25. What are your priorities in life?

This brings me back to goals I have made that I'm not sure I am accomplishing...what I should be doing? What type of life do I want?  As I approach another birthday I know I can not get the "do-over" that I sometimes desire but what can I do different today to achieve the life I desire? 

 I want to be healthy and strong. I want to live my life as God desires me too. I want to have a strong and healthy marriage, I want to travel and go on adventures.

26. Something you don't understand

I am reading a book- Good Dirt, which in part takes place during the times of slavery in America. I do not understand the atrocities human beings inflict on one another.

28. The last thing that made you laugh

I laughed out loud at a sentence in my book while eating lunch. 

So tomorrow is MARCH! 🎉 My birth month =) We are celebrating January, February and March birthdays at my parents house tomorrow night. So no long run with my sister but hoping to get some outside miles in with Bruno.

March Goals

• make a healhty(ish) menu plan and stick with it
• exercise, move my body and keep up on strength training and yoga
• work on keeping up better on my daily checklist and treat my home with the care it deserves
• start my canal boat CAL
• (mostly) run the Syracuse Half, have a good time and finish proud.  This will be my tenth and most likely final half marathon- ten seems like a good number to end on. Not giving up on running but will stick to shorter, more enjoyable distances. 
• renew my driver license 
• celebrate my birthday with a new bookshop visit and lunch with my sister and hopefully our Mom.
• Keep working on Ephesians 4:31-32 💖

March TBR:

• When Crickets Cry by Charles Martin (highly recommended by my mom and I made it the book club selection for Alive this month)
• How to Read a Book (reread for MMD Book Club)
• Built to move : the ten essential habits to help you move freely and live fully (personal growth)
• The Illusionist's Wife (due back at the library next week)
• Frozen River (been sitting on my TBR, purchased last winter)

Currently Reading: on Kindle, Hard cover and Audio respectively- I don't think I will finish any of them today.

Happy Friday Friends! Have a great weekend!

SNOW DAY!

I was very relieved yesterday at 7:30 am to get a text to not bother coming into the office. We were getting hammered with yet another snow storm. I was very happy to spend the day at home. I spent almost the entire day watching season 4 of Sweet Magnolias and finishing my Sungold blanket.  That's right- I finished it! And I am so happy about it! It is so bright and cheerful, soft and cozy.  I feel so proud to have finally finished. 

I had Hannah take a picture of me with the finished product... of course Bruno had to be in it too... with his slipper :P

I just love the border. This was my first time doing a border. I found myself marveling at how you can take a simple ball of yarn and transform it into something so delightful.

Hannah made us bbq chicken quesadillas for dinner.  Very tasty.

Side note: my new running shoes came too!

Question of the Day

17. What do you want to learn?

I want to learn to knit socks! I have a new blanket kit that I am itching to start. But I also have a ball of sock yarn I bought like a year ago on a sister coffee date. I have wanted to make socks for YEARS! Now is the time! (I also need to finish that book! It is still sitting on my nightstand half finished :P)

Anything new you have an inkling to try?

Cue more winter weather and anxiety!

Thursday wasn't bed. I made it over to my parents for a good run and felt pretty proud.

I made shrimp scampi for Rhett and myself for dinner- it turned out delicious if I do say so myself. 

Friday was another snow day! I still had to work but made it ok, and weather cleared up by the time I came home. 

The parking lot was not plowed yet when I got to work, snow almost topped my boots!

I did my nails after I got home.

I made bacon wrapped brown sugar chicken and parmesan roasted potatoes for our valentine's dinner.

Saturday morning the boys were happy we were able to get out for a walk even though it was chilly.  Then I headed to my Mom's for a run with my sister.  We did over 6 miles and talked about all the things.

A little yoga with puppy buddy to stretch out when I got home.

How Chance continues to cope with the winter weather.  Me too Chancey, me too.

Today's its Sunday and more gross weather.  Its raining/sleeting and the world is covered with ice.  They canceled our 9 am Sunday school which I was relieved about. But the weather is not improving and even Rhett doesn't want to drive so we are staying home.  I feel pretty sad about it but its probably the right call. I am so ready for Spring! 

Ice covered window

I will be spending a good portion of the day doing this no doubt and trying not to think about what's happening outside.

Question(s) of the Day

13. Do you work better in the morning or at night? I can accomplish so much more in the morning, at night I find myself just wanting to crash with my book.

14. Your ideal morning routine

• Work out and walk dogs
• coffee and quiet time, Bible reading and prayer
• clean kitchen and pack my lunch
• shower and get ready for work

15. The movie you tell your friends to see

I don't typically find myself recommending movies. I did however, recommend The Best Christmas Pageant Ever this year though. My dad read us the book many a Christmas when we were growing up, I in turn read it to my kids and I delighted in the new movie.  I went to see it with my best friend early in November.

16. An important quote-

"Faith in God is what gives our lives purpose." from my current read Before I Called You Mine by Nicole Deese

hibernation

Another winter storm headed our way. I’ve decided to hibernate for the rest of winter 🥶 I’ve got my dogs and plenty of books on my TBR to keep me company.

Dinner was a sandwich as I was alone and finishing up my homework for healing journey class.

Question of the day-

12. Destinations you dream of traveling to

Prince Edward Island

Scotland and Ireland. 

Also Greece- I think I would love to go on a Mediterranean cruise 😍

Where would you like to travel to?

books and characters

Yesterday was pretty good, despite being another grey day...but not the severe weather I was expecting so I was happy about that.

Made myself a little egg scramble- topped with tomatoes, green onion and cheese for breakfast. (This morning I had poptarts so...)

For dinner I made buffalo chicken dip sliders. Delish! And Trader Joe's waffle fries.

Got out my planner added some stickers and worked on checking off some boxes.

After dinner I started feeling like I hit a wall.  I (mostly) cleaned the kitchen.  I walked some laps to hit my 8,000 minimum steps and then went to bed. Today feeling much the same. Not sick just blah, tired, discouraged, grumpy, uncomfortable in my own skin.

How I am feeling about today...

I went to my parents for a 30 minute run which helped my mood immensely, along with the fact that when I left there after 5:30 pm it was still light out! It was getting dark by the time I drove the 10 minutes home but still... the days are getting longer!

For dinner we had chicken noodle soup, I asked Hannah to chop the chicken and add some noodles after school.  I laughed out loud when I got home and saw that she had added Halloween pasta we never used as our noodle. 😂

Question(s) of the Day-

10. Your favorite book

Ok so its a well known fact the Anne of Green Gables is my favorite book.  But today I am going to tell you about another book series that I read years ago and still think about! We read it back when our MOPS group had a book club circa 2008. The main character's name is Mibby, in the first book she is a recent widow, dealing with grief and guilt and I believe her son was around 13. She's a garden designer, they have a beloved dog, she drives an old pick up truck. Her neighbor across the alleyway is Louise, who runs a bed and breakfast, is her dearest friend and confidant and makes bake goods galore, including lemon scones, which I made for our book club meeting. (There was an recipe e-book I purchased- just for Louise's scone recipe!)  I still think about Mibby all the time and consider her a friend :P One a quick amazon search just now I discovered the books are available on Kindle Unlimited currently.  The first book in the series (and my personal fav) is Like a Watered Garden by Patti Hill.

The books still hold a place of honor on my shelves. 
When I realized it was on kindle unlimited I immediately started a reread. 
I think some lemon scones are in my near future as well. 😋

11. Three favorite book characters - this is such a tough one! Here are three in no particular order

1. Marcellus (the octopus) from Remarkably Bright Creatures. I listened to this last year and it was a delight through and through.  Marcel was fantastic.
2. Elizabeth from Janette Oke's Canadian West series- this a fav from way back. And sometimes I still think about her. I read this little book series so many times in middle and high school and through my young adult years. This books are still on my shelf today.
3. for number three I think I'm going to have to go with Mibby from yesterday. She's another one who I randomly think about- I am so happy to be visiting her books again. 💖🌷🌺🌻

How about you? Favorite book or character?  See you soon friends 💙

Weekend

Friday-

My sister and I hosted a family dinner at our church. Our cousin and her family were driving through and stopped for a visit.  Laura and I took half a day off work to cook and prepare and it was a delight!

7. How do you take care of yourself when you are stressed?

I pray, sometimes I journal (need to do this more). Look up Bible verses for encouragement and listen to KLOVE (Christian radio). When all else fails curl up with my dogs in bed and read.

Saturday-

We got a few miles in but ended up cutting it short because it felt brutally cold. And my watch died so no official data and this pains me.😅 But still counting a win because we got out there for a while.  We ended up doing about 4 and half miles.

My thrifted hoodie from last week. Super soft! 

Also my spring paperwork and three little products I earned FREE came!

I always love checking out the new recipe collection. Doesn't that chicken look delightful! Wondering if I can get brave enough to spatchcock a chicken 😬

8. Five things to do less often

• Complain
• Procrastinate
• Eat candy
• Sigh
• Put things down (instead of away!)

Sunday! It is of course Super Bowl Sunday. I did not partake in any football.  Rhett went to a friend's house to watch the game. I did make myself and Hannah some yummy snacks.  I watched a couple new episodes of Sweet Magnolias, hung out with the pups and worked on my Sungold blanket...only two more rounds to go! 

I made the Hot Honey Wings in my air fryer and they were super delicious and picture perfect, I cooked them like 35 minutes on air fry (400* in my air fryer) and used the NEW Crunchy Garlic Crisp seasoning.

9. Five things to do more often

• Look for the good
• Drink water
• Eat Salad
• Say what's on my mind
• Move my body

How was your weekend? What's something you need to do less or more? 

Bad winter weather returns- 28ish, freezing rain, general yuck.  School's closed. Rhett drove me to work and bought me coffee, so thankful and happy about that. 💖

Question of the day:

6. Three small steps that could change the world

Smile. 

Be kind. The world feels so negative and mean and angry. A little kindness can go a long way. 

Pray. I have been reminded over and over lately that prayer is powerful. Prayer matters! Prayer makes a difference. 

Tonight’s dinner was frozen pizza from Aldi and salad. It was surprisingly delightful.

I read another chapter in delighting in Jesus and it was spot on for my today. Funny how that happens sometimes isn’t it?