George gave me a dozen roses on Valentine’s morning and they are so pretty. He wanted me to take them to work so I could actually enjoy them since I’m there all the time. They are opening up beautifully.
After work, we took Mom one of her favorite things – a hamburger meal from Wendy’s and also a Valentine card. We went ahead and got chili and a frosty so she’d have dessert and lunch the next day. We even took Fancy a plain burger. lol Not exactly a healthy meal for someone with heart disease but she can’t drive around much anymore and she misses her hamburger excursions. So she was happy to have that.
George and I had a nice Valentine’s dinner at Fulin’s here in Mount Juliet. I had the chicken and vegetables in garlic sauce. You know I’m a realist right? So I have to mention that while I loved the meal and the very attentive service – the booths and tables are tearing apart. I sunk down in my booth and felt like a kid at the table. And the windows were nasty with finger prints and such. So that was a disappointment. My ankles swelled up afterwards too from the salt. So yeah, it was a nice time but….the environment bothered me. I like to eat in a clean place and no decaying/collapsing furniture. My seat was a booth where the cushion had degraded underneath, and it was like the cushion part sunk into the furniture itself. I almost had to reach up to eat, lol. But it’s our fault really, as we WANTED a place that was less desirable so we didn’t have to make reservations and could walk in and be seated – and our goal was met.
We came back home and watched a show. Fun times for 30 years of marital bliss. I even forgot to give George his card until bedtime. lol. We normally swap at the same time and he wanted to wait for me to give him his, so I meant to give it to him at the restaurant and totally forgot as by the time we worked all day, took care of Mom’s gift and finally got to the restaurant I was in relax “ain’t gotta do nothing else today” mode. Then realized it as I reached for my phone that the card was still in my purse. I apologized and he said “hey it’s NOT late, it’s still Valentine’s”. True that. But it was late for what I had intended. He had not wanted it yet that morning when I went to give it to him. But it’s all good I guess, he understood. He knows that I am scatter brained but do all these lists and alarms to keep me on track. I should have had an alarm set at dinner time, lol lol.
Someone at work asked me if I was ADD after telling them that story. I said “no, I actually have excellent focus on things” and that is usually what makes me overlook other things. But in our busy lives now we are pulled in so many directions in a small period of time that it definitely LOOKS and FEELS like ADD. We have a lot going on and a lot we want to do on top of normal responsibilities so it definitely keeps the head turning 360 degrees at all times. It’s a wonder I don’t leave my head sitting on the kitchen table as I head out the door. I have to be extremely organized to get anything done, and yet there is proof I fail miserably sometimes at the most important things. It’s always when I finally relax that I forget something. Mainly we just don’t have time to relax much I guess but that final hour of the day over a meal, watching a show together. Oh – and then – gaining weight together because we are eating right before bed. But I try to wait and eat after I’ve been up a few hours.
So the work decor is finished. George put together the bookshelf for me. I needed that to put paper on for my printer, and a place for Kleenex (I use it as napkins mainly, as I eat at my desk lol). The envelope box fits there as I stuff the TN checks each week. I also have letter head there for a quick reach. A perfect fit to fit the need. I knew it had to be thin but big enough for a pack of paper to fit on it. So I am happy with that.
I may actually get an upgraded map of the world one day. (I saw one in Hobby Lobby that is much bigger that will look better in that space that was actually on a wood background – it was beautiful). But ya know what? It’s totally functional like it is. It’s not a place I entertain people. The lights are usually set to low anyway as I like “low light” as long as I have a desk light and can see. The decor is mainly for me so it feels like a nice cozy place to be. I mean I want it to look nice for others too but it’s me that is in the room all day. So YAY. I can cross another thing off my list for 2022! I love it when something comes to a completion. Even though we know things change and everything is always a work in process. Nothing is ever totally complete! But I’m marking this one OFF THE LIST!
So the Girl Scout cookies came in. I ate an entire box at work last week. My limit is normally 2 per day. Somehow I upped that to three – just don’t look at the calories and fat and sugar on the nutrition chart! But ummmm, wow they are just so good. I love peanut butter. And peanut butter with chocolate is always my favorite. Thank goodness the number is dwindling per box as the years pass.
Something I’m eating is making my stomach burn though – I’m starting to think it is chocolate. Although sometimes it’s been ketchup. I also suspect soy. Those three things are under my microscope. I’m trying to figure it out. When I get the burning feeling it makes me want to eat more, to make it go away and then I end up overeating.
I’m going to NOT eat the cookies today as I have 2/3 of the 2nd box left. I want to see if it is the chocolate. So another day I’ll try it again and see. But I suspect chocolate. It might not be the chocolate but another ingredient in the cookie. It’s so hard to figure things out. Bottom line is I don’t need to be eating them anymore period. Next year I will buy them and give them away. I always want to support my friends grandkids! So that is important but yeah- next year, we will make someone’s day and give them away. I really don’t need to ingest the sugar anyway.
To Do Lists
Yesterday I got Mom’s orders done that she needed on Amazon. And when I take her to the doctor Friday I guess we need to come by the house and make her tax copies for her accountant (my Aunty M), and I’ll get us something for take out for dinner and then we’ll take her home.
Our friends are coming over Saturday around lunchtime for a fun day of eating. We are doing a Tagine meal (I say we but George is doing the cooking), and it’s a Moroccan meal. I’m putting the charcuterie board together and will take pics as long as it’s not a disaster, lol. He planned the ingredients though to go with the Moroccan theme. We’ll also do Christmas with them as we usually do in January but in recent years it’s morphed into February because of our Texas trips and my job in payroll/accounting.
Oh and Thursday (tomorrow) we are supposed to have severe weather. I’m so glad Mom’s doc appointment is Friday. So we won’t be traveling in that.
Other WINS for the week is Mom’s heart echo gram is scheduled and my colonoscopy consult appointment is scheduled. I have a lot to do this week but it’s all easy. Yeah it carries over if I don’t get it done. I am loving the iPhone reminders app. It’s working perfectly.
Hoping to get some time tonight and tomorrow night to finish up the list. I have some Amazon orders that I need to get done, still haven’t cancelled Isagenix auto ship yet as I have to call them during certain hours to do it and I need to wrap some gifts and send a greeting card that is long overdue, and update my reading books on this blog and GoodReads which feeds into the blog widget here. That way not only you all can know what’s on my book shelf but also at the end of the year I know what all books I read. I just go back to GoodReads.
Working on Developing the next “Improvement Challenge”
I struggled some with brain fog yesterday and short term memory issues. It was a bit scary at times. I think it was totally related to the lack of good sleep the night before. I feel much more connected and together this morning. I had missed a day or two of my B vitamins and that did me no favors. I just need to eat more nutritionally and that will help – I’m lacking in greens, but doing pretty good as far as fruits and veggies. I am working on my March “layered challenge”. I was so taken and enthralled with the last one, it’s worth doing again. It will have several layers to it, it will be relevant to my needs and goals for 2022. I will share more on that in a later post. Maybe you can do it with me – as a push or focus toward what it is YOU want to accomplish this year. I’m setting my challenge for either 2 or 3 weeks – I’ve not decided. It takes 14 days to set a habit in motion – I heard that anyway. I might stretch it to 21 for an extra push. But I’m working on the details of what I want it to include. It’s just a nudge to try and put healthier habits into my life and to reach for goals I’m shooting for but have been a little behind in getting there. I can tell you that the layers are going to look like this: 1) Water – it’s important enough to get its own category 2) Nutrition which will include greens again as I struggle getting those in daily, and need to work on that. Another category will be a 3) personal improvement category which I’m still defining but has to do with paying more attention to others and loving more. 4) Another category has to do with my goals for 2022 and still working on that. I don’t want to include things I’m already doing as that would be silly. But it needs to be aligned with goals and things I’ve been putting off or having trouble starting – like doing my camera lessons. 5) Another category is self-care – stopping to take care of me and my needs also aligned with goals.
The problem is always time though, so I need to make sure it’s doable and not going to stress me out. It just needs to be “a little nudge” of a challenge. I don’t think I’m up for a full blown knock me off my concrete sideways kinda thing where I’m setting myself up to fail. So it’s just a little focus challenge to get me going in the right directions on a few things and set up some better habits. Still working on defining it all but that is a sneak peek. I’ll share it once it’s ready! If you want to do your own, just start thinking of four or five different areas of your life you have been wanting to improve. We’ll take it from there. I’ll do a special entry on developing your own challenge ha!
What ARE some things you would like to improve and work on this year?
It makes my day when I hear from you…