How to spend a Saturday off

I usually get at least one Saturday off every month and yesterday was the day. Since our weather was cold and rainy and I’m still not feeling 100 %  I didn’t make any grand plans for the day. The biggest thing on my to-do list was to tackle the kitchen. I don’t have a very big house, so little bits of clutter can quickly add up to a messy space. Another blogger has inspired me to declutter, so I started with my antique pie safe/coffee bar. This holds a few neat kitchen items I have collected over the years, some family treasures, like an old fashioned scale and my grandma’s cookbook, as well as my everyday cookbooks and small appliances. I took everything out and wiped down the shelves, then put things back in a more orderly manner. There were a few cookbooks I never use, so I put them in a bag to donate.

Since my kitchen is also my laundry area, it can get pretty jumbled. I washed all the laundry, folded it and put it away. No more laundry baskets in the kitchen! Next I tackled the mess on the kitchen table;  a place for everything and everything in its place. I got out this cheerful yellow dishcloth and a cute folk art bumble bee to encourage myself that spring will come eventually.

Instead of just using the Swiffer I got down and scrubbed every inch of the floor, including the corners. What a job! After my kitchen cleaning adventures I made a cup of coffee and selected my next read from my bookcase. This one has been hanging out for quite awhile so I decided its time had come. I got about five chapters in and I’m really enjoying it so far. Has anybody else read it?

Not the most exciting way to spend a Saturday off, but it left me feeling so satisfied. And it was nice to get up this morning to a sparkling clean kitchen 😊

Another Day, Another Barkfest

Miss Emma is in a bit of a snit this evening. She’s had a hard doggie day and she is taking it out on her mama by ignoring me. It started this morning with her inspection of the yard. Last week we had some high winds, and a neighbor’s trash can blew out of its place and landed against this tree. Miss Emma likes things to be as they should, and even though it is not technically her yard, she is not pleased. The trash can is still out of place and she let the whole neighborhood know about it at a rather early hour, so we had to cut her morning outdoor time short again, as we will each morning until the threat is removed.

The sun came up, and with it, the crew that did my other neighbor’s roof a few weeks ago returned to put up new siding. This created quite the barkfest in our house, since the work is being done right outside Miss Emma’s window. Since it is my day off and I had hoped for a little peace and quiet, I finally pulled the blinds, once again squashing Miss Emma’s fun.

Add to that that it’s the first week of the month, which is when I do her medicated bath, clip her nails and clean her ears. You’d think a girl would enjoy a monthly spa day, but it’s a fight every time!

She’s usually a very sweet and happy girl, but I guess the day has been too much. She’s mad at me right now, but tomorrow is a new day and I know that all will be forgiven 🙂

Another One Done!

A few weeks ago I raided my sister’s puzzle cabinet. It was well past Christmas, but we were in for some snowy weather and this one was cute, so I brought it home and started it, thinking it would be fun. I was wrong, lol. At least at first.

This is what my sister and I refer to as a “piece an hour” puzzle. You know, the kind where you stare at it and manage to fit in about one piece every hour. I don’t always finish these, but I decided to give it a chance. I have a hard time giving up on books and puzzles. This one did a thing I hate. It had flat edged pieces that appeared to be edgies but weren’t. I finally gave up on putting the edges together and worked on the barn instead. It took four full sittings for me to find my groove with this puzzle, but I’m glad I didn’t give up on it. After I finally connected with it, it did turn out to be fun 😊

But I’m done with cold weather puzzles until at least November. Next up, Black Bears and Butterflies…

January, a month of challenges and blessings…

January 2025 has come to an end, and it certainly was a month of challenges for me, but also a month of blessings. An unexpected snow and ice storm made getting out and about rather difficult this month, but with a little help from my friends, I got everywhere I needed to be 🙂 With this week’s warmer temps and today’s rain, I am finally seeing more driveway than snow, yay! A nasty bout of cold and flu has also knocked me down this month. I went for a checkup yesterday and discovered I have a double ear infection. My doctor prescribed a strong antibiotic, so I am hopeful that I will finally start feeling better soon.

I set two goals for the month, No Spend and No Sweets. I did surprisingly well with both and was able to make a double payment on one of my debts this month, which was such a good feeling!

I read five really good books in January and am very close to finishing a sixth, which is about twice the number of books I normally read in a month. I am also working my way through the Old Testament. I am currently reading the book of Numbers. This is a challenging book and one I have not spent nearly enough time in. I am struck by how hundreds and hundreds of years can pass, and yet human nature remains the same.  I think of the Bible Greats as being superheroes, but reading their stories reminds me they were just regular people, chosen and enabled by God to do amazing things!

Speaking of Superheroes… my new book is on track for a 2025 release! I got my cover art last week and as usual, it is gorgeous! I will share it when I have a firm release date. Unless I decide I can’t wait, lol. I know I say this every time, but I’m so excited about this book. Having worked for many years in Special Ed in the public school system, and having a nephew with special needs, I have always wanted to feature a special needs person in one of my stories but struggled with how to do so with dignity and gentleness. As I sat down to write Superheroes, my hero’s younger brother, Ollie, came to life before my eyes and I knew the time had come. He is loosely based on my nephew, who loves Superheroes and coloring books. By the time I finished writing the story, I had fallen in love with Ollie. I hope my readers will too 😊

So I have set a couple new goals for February. I want to keep saving as much money as I can and keep being careful about sweets. I am hoping the weather will shape up enough that I can get Miss Emma down to the park for some walks. I have a to-do list of appointments and tasks I have put off for far too long, so I want to knock at least a couple of them off my list.

How did you do with your January goals, and what are your plans for February?

Dinosaur Invasion!

We had a dinosaur invasion at work this week. Some sweet soul stashed literally hundreds of these “tiny diny’s” all around the store for us to find.

They lurked behind magazines, in between bottles of shampoo, and peeked out from rows of cold medicines. I even found one guarding the soap dispenser in the ladies room! Each one brought a smile.

You wouldn’t think these colorful little hunks of resin could spark so much joy in a workplace, especially among adults, but believe me, they did. They brought out the kids in all of us.

Because after all, it’s the small, unexpected smiles that drop into our days that make life such a wonderful adventure 🙂

Sick (and tired)

I’ve never loved cold weather, but the older I get, the more it seems to settle deep inside my bones and make my entire body ache. Especially with the single digit and below zero temps we’ve been having lately. I don’t often get sick, but this week I have come down with the mother of all colds. My days are a vicious cycle of sneezing, couging, sleeping, and mountains of tissues. Today I feel slightly better and my impulse is to “up and at ’em” get caught up on all I haven’t had the energy to do this week. But I’m going to curb that impulse and do only what needs to be done today.

If I haven’t checked in on your blogs lately, know that I will! And when I feel a little more human, I’ll be back with a little news of my own. Be well, friends!

Candles and Coffee

I didn’t break my No Spend January goal this month, but I bent it a little by buying a baby gift for a friend from church. Between the weather and my work schedule, this was the first chance I have had to go and see her baby daughter. My friend does not allow photos of her children to be posted on social media, but trust me, she is gorgeous! The only problem was, I had to deliver the gift to my friend’s place of business. A candle shop. Oh, my…

After sufficiently oohing and aahing over the new baby (Who can resist a beautiful little bundle, fresh from the hand of God :)) I took a moment to look around.

They make all of their own candles and have every scent imaginable! I was good though, mostly…

I couldn’t leave without getting my fix of fresh ground New York Maple coffee (A little taste of home!) and my favorite Reiter Ridge meltees, Frankincense and Myrrh. I have both going right now, and the house smells like heaven!

Candles and coffee are two of my favorite things, so I don’t feel too bad about a little splurge. Especially with more freezing temperatures on the way next week. These items will go a long ways toward warming heart and home 🙂

Another one finished… And another one starting?

I finished the cat puzzle. Once I got going it wasn’t as difficult as I’d thought it would be, and truthfully it was really fun to watch as one by one all the cute kittens took shape.

I know I said I was taking a little writing break but… I’d started a new story months ago, before I decided to work on a new Christmas novella for next year, and kind of forgot about it. A funny thing happened while I was puzzling. My abandoned “people” started whispering to me… Remember us?

I was about three chapters in when I set it aside, but after I finished my puzzle, I opened the file to refresh my memory. Turns out I do remember them, and I like them very much! I don’t really know exactly where I was going with their story, but I have a feeling they are about to tell me 🙂

Muffins and some cats

We got another couple of inches of snow on Saturday, so I caught a ride to work. I could probably have gotten my car out, but it was a closing shift, and I was afraid that with new snow sitting on top of what we already had, I might not see my path in the dark and might have trouble getting back in the driveway. (During a snow a couple of years ago I ended up in my neighbor’s yard, lol.) Since I had yesterday off, I spent about 20 minutes shoveling , just to knock down the high spots. I have chronic back problems, so 20 minutes was plenty. Before I went out, I made a batch of Banana Nut Muffins, adding some of the blackberries I had put in the freezer from last summer. With a cup of coffee, it was a nice little reward when I came back in from shoveling!

Our library had another puzzle swap this week. I had planned to go but with the weather being what it has, I never made it over there. The cold weather has definitely put me in puzzle mode, so I pulled this one out of my closet and started it. It’s very cute, but the pieces are a little smaller than I like, and a lot of the cats are similar in color and markings so it may take me awhile to get it done.

But hey, I have all winter, right?

So far…

We are now twelve days into the new year, and I wanted to check in and share my progress on my goals. I wanted to do a ‘No Spend” month but had to divert from that twice, one for a happy reason (A friend from church had her first baby girl on the 3^rd , Yayy! I just had to spoil the little angel with a baby gift 😊) The second spend was not anywhere near as much fun. We got hit with a foot of snow, and then freezing rain, so I had to withdraw some money to have my driveway cleared. The weather has not been kind so far and I am so thankful for the kindness of my neighbors. I hope this is not how the winter is going to be…

Needless to say I haven’t ventured very far from home this week so as far as my Do Right goal I haven’t had a lot of opportunities. I did manage to get to work every day, so I did my part to keep the store open. Being a pharmacy, it is important to be open so people can get their medicines.

I have been able to stick with my “No Sweets” plan, though, and have been trying to make healthier dinner choices. I made a cabbage stir fry the other night. It was delicious!

Being hunkered down here I have made quite a bit of progress on my list of pleasures, lol. I finished a 1000 piece puzzle and have read two books and am about halfway through a third. Barely Above Water by Gail Pallotta was a super interesting read about a young woman with Chronic Lyme Disease, with a little romance sprinkled in for good measure 😊 The Letters by Luanne Rice was a lovely story of a marriage restored, told through letters between a husband and wife. Currently I am reading The American Wife by Chrystyna LucyK-Berger. I love World War II stories and this one, about the American wife of a diplomat in Austria, has been sitting on my Kindle for quite some time. So far I really love it.

As for my writing, I have completed my first round of edits for my new book, SUPERHEROES! I am anxiously awaiting my cover art. Always such an exciting time. I made this little video to try and generate some early interest. What do you think?

Something New

So I am off to a pretty good start. How are you doing with your goals?