Gettysburg Homestead
Friday, January 20, 2023
Week 3
Friday, January 13, 2023
Week 2
I have been keeping up with eating better, but the exercise didn't happen this week. I truly just didn't have time. Monday I took my Mom to an eye doctor appointment where the office motto is "hurry up and wait." Once I brought my Mom back home I had to do a few odds and ends for her and my Dad. I got home at 1:15pm just to turn around eat lunch and leave for work. Tuesday my daughter and I had hair appointments. We didn't get home again until after noon. I ate lunch and left for work. Wednesday was grocery shopping day. Yesterday was my first day completely at home before work. I baked a loaf of banana bread, laundry, loaded the dishwasher, and all the other stuff that I couldn't do before.
So, here we are Friday morning. I'm going to look at the things I have been able to do. I have learned to meal prep for work. (This blog may be more for me then some of you because I am trying to track my journey. ) Anyway, this is a chicken and rice bowl with cilantro lime rice, taco seasoned chicken, peppers and onions , and kidney beans because I didn't have black beans or pinto beans. I don't mind eating the same thing a couple days in a row, BUT by the last day, today, I'm ready for something else.
I have tried overnight oats before and wasn't a fan. I have been looking for recipes and ideas to make it better. So far, using oats, almond milk, chia seeds, honey, and salt have made it better. I don't care for the yogurt in it at this point. I come home from work at 11:30p and prepare my oats for the next day.
Today I added some fresh berries and it was really good.
I also had time to make a salad in a jar. I am new to this bandwagon. Normally I just throw everything in a Tupperware bowl and go. But I like the idea of prepping it ahead and just grabbing and going. There is a method to it so certain things don't get soggy. We'll find out if I did it right. I did forget to put my eggs in the jar and didn't realize it until the end. Guess I'll just take them with me and put them on when I dump the salad out on the plate.
I had originally bought these jars to craft with, BUT... don't they look pretty?
Wednesday, January 4, 2023
What IS Helping
I know it's only the first few days of the year and everyone is gung ho on resolutions. We start out strong and as time marches on we fizzle out. So, I am not calling them resolutions. These are goals I NEED to reach. It's not a race to see how fast I get there. In my heart I know this. However, I'm very impatient! I don't care what it is in my life I have a hard time waiting. I want it yesterday.
Things I have accomplished since Jan. 1
1. I have walked on my treadmill 3 days in a row.
2. I have cleaned out most of my kitchen cabinets.
3. I cleaned out the bottom of my dry sink.
4. I cleaned out under my basement stairs. This will all be donated. YAY!!!!
5. I have made 1 trip to the thrift store. I just need to load my most recent things from today. See above.
6. I am tracking what I eat and cutting back. This is actually a serving of soup. 1 cup... ugh. I'm going to starve before I get my house organized.😂
I think I have made great strides so far. I only work an hour or so a day on it so I don't get overwhelmed. I think that planning my day, before I go to work is helping immensely. I now work 2nd shift so I get more done during the day before work then I ever did working 1st shift. I never felt like doing anything after getting dinner for everyone in the evenings. Weekends were always spent running around doing errands and I still got nothing done.
Tomorrow is a new day to make progress. I'm so proud of myself so far. I am now going with my Dad to doctor appointments so I need to plan accordingly.
Monday, January 2, 2023
Motivation
Some people have a lot of motivation and some don't. I think I'm in the middle somewhere. Some days I can get a lot done and others I sit on the couch endlessly scrolling through my phone. How do find motivation? How do you make it last? I wish I had an easy answer.
I can tell you watching videos of already fit people telling me how to lose weight doesn't work. Obviously I know lose weight quick schemes don't work either. For those who follow me on FB know 2 years ago I went on WW (Weight Watchers) and lost quite a bit of weight. What was my motivation? I was getting ready to buy new pants in a larger size than the current 16 I was wearing. I walked into work one day and told my coworkers I needed to do something. I found out our insurance covered part of the WW fee and I signed up. A couple other coworkers did as well once they found out. I did great... for awhile. I stalled out after I lost about 35lbs. As of today I have put a few pounds back on and need to get back at it. So, today I got back on my treadmill. I just need to be consistent. But what will help me do that? I listened to old country music while I walked and let my mind drift. It helped pass the time.
Yesterday, I cleaned out under my kitchen sink. I felt so accomplished. So, after walking away from doing that I remembered a video I saw about organizing and cleaning out clutter. Listen I know you should break big jobs into smaller tasks, but that is hard for me. I tackle the big thing and get burnt out and then it sits undone. Back to the video. The woman took a single cardboard box and filled it with stuff to get rid of. Then that was it for the day. Right now, I have a lot of boxes around here. You'd think I was moving or something. Anyway, I got myself a box.
I began with one cupboard. The one that has all of the drinking cups, glasses, mugs, travel mugs, and all that sort of stuff. I have my favorite mugs, cups, and glasses I use all the time. I loaded up my box with those I haven't touched in YEARS. What is my motivation? HOPEFULLY my son will get this house to rent and he needs kitchen stuff.
I ended up gaining momentum and did all the cabinets EXCEPT the plastic Tupperware/Rubbermaid cabinet. That is a very overwhelming task that I will have to do by itself. I ended up with all kinds of stuff and told my son and his girlfriend to come look through it before I loaded it into my car to donate. As I type this the box is sitting next to me and has not been loaded into my car. I have to run into town so I will load it and take it or else I will end up changing my mind and keeping it.
I guess the point to this post is find something, someone, podcast, music, book, or whatever it takes if you need a push to be more motivated or productive. How do you get motivated? What helps you get things done? I'm always looking for new ideas. I have got to clean the clutter out of here. I am drowning.
Saturday, December 31, 2022
New Years Eve 2022
Last night we had Christmas at my parent's home. My Dad is now pretty much home bound for the winter since he now uses an electric scooter to get around. Here in Ohio the winters get pretty rough with snow and he and my Mom are 80 and have no need to get out with the exception of eating out occasionally. He also does use crutches to get in and out of the car and fears falling. I don't blame him. But I digress.
My sister and I came together and bought my parents new dinner ware for Christmas. Since family gatherings will now be at their home they didn't have enough to accommodate everyone. This is what we found for them. Corelle wear has come along way. My Mom has had the white with green around the edge for a very long time. Of course pieces get broken over the years so she had bought plain white to use. Aren't these the cutest?
Well, this year we added a girlfriend of my son to the mix. It's been awhile but he is now 23 years old in case you've been with me for awhile. Hard to believe I know. Anyway, he and his Dad and grandparents have been looking for a house for him to purchase so that he can begin his own life. They haven't had much luck in that department. I have stayed out of that picture, but told him I was here if he needed me. Well, there may be a home to rent on the horizon instead. In my opinion I think this is a better choice, but have kept my opinion to myself. Well, my son called me and asked me what my thought was on this option. He had a few reservations about the landlord and the situation. His Dad had the some reservations. I was able to talk to him on an adult level and helped him realize that all he needed to do was to talk with the landlord (he knows him quite well and works for him occasionally) and lay it out what the expectations would be. My son actually thanked me and said he didn't think that the conversation would have gone as well as it did. Up until now I have told him the choice was his and I couldn't make the decision as to what was right for him. So, I think by the end of next week we will know some answers whether he will be moving out. Where was I going with this? His girlfriend asked if they could have my Mom's old dishes for when they do move. I like her already. LOL. She is not opposed to using hand me downs.
I think 2023 will be an interesting year for us.
Thursday, December 29, 2022
Wooly Tree Tutorial... Sort Of
Tuesday, October 13, 2020
Primitive Painting Technique Using Latex Paint
I feel like my blog has become a DIY place recently. To be honest I don't mind. I don't do much exciting in my life other than to craft and do DIY projects since COVID and before actually. LOL. This tutorial may be a bit premature because I'm not done with my project, but it does explain my process I used on my repurposed cabinet. So far (knock on wood) I have spent $0 to do this.
Many moons ago I bought this cabinet with the intention of redoing it. Let's just say I ended up using it to store my crap on. It had a bit of an odor to it somewhere between musty and cat pee. I didn't notice it until I got it home. Needless to say that's why it sat. Keep in mind this is made from old plywood that in places was broken and gross. It is also a mint green color that doesn't necessarily go with my primitive home though I love the chippy crust it has.