Less Hustle More Coffee

Mmmmmm, the coffee is good this morning as I sit here and type. I was happy to get my Amazon packages in the mail from the weekend’s orders. I bought a new pink rain coat for myself. The jacket I had been using, left me soaked last week. Whatever used to propel the rain, is no longer working. I needed a spring-y and cheery jacket anyway. It wasn’t horribly priced either. It has both zip and velcro attachments for the front closure, pockets (I think with a zipper also) and lightly lined so that it also serves as a windbreaker. I wish I had sized up on this one. It fits but when I close it is a little tighter than I wanted. But since it is a spring/summer piece I will be wearing thinner clothes, and also plan on losing a bit of weight as well. Even if I didn’t it is working for me.

Looks like I’m going on a 40 day journey. 😉

Even though I have lots of “free plans” and “devotionals” through the YouVersion app, I decided it is best for me to have an official Bible Study away from my phone – which has too many distractions. I don’t need those distractions when it comes to an early morning Bible study on the subject of JOY. I can tell this is going to be a good one already. It has described that I will be learning how to have joy and balance in my life through the Spirit of God, regardless for whatever is happening in my life. So I’m mixing up my morning prayer journal time. Instead of prayer and reading from the Bible. I’ll be doing this study (along with reading the Bible scriptures it suggests). And I’ve decided to do my prayer time in the car before listening to my audio book. There’s always a trade off with time and I think these chapters are short enough that I can truly do a chapter a day, for forty days. I often do other things on weekends when I have more time or less time – depending – so it might be 40 work days. I will let you know how the series goes and what I’m learning to bring me “joy”. Because at times I’ve just not had it lately during all the stress in the last year.

For a while now, I have wanted a back scrubber for the shower. This has two sides, a soft bristle side and a little bit of a stronger bristle side (although it still feels pretty soft as it’s not hurtful and the bristles still bend). I guess you use the tougher side to exfoliate. I should have had one of these all of my life. But even more so now because with my right shoulder, I can’t reach my back very well anymore to soap up. I used it this morning and love it.

So yesterday was the beginning of the Nudge Challenge.

Just a little nudge for 21 days to make better decisions on nutrition, drink more water, move my body more, focus more spiritually and in following God’s leading, and personal goals – movement toward things I’d like to do in the house or with my goals or reading, or photography, videography, and doing things I’ve had on my lists. All in an effort to be the healthiest and best me that I can be. Working and making efforts and seeing progress at these things make me happy in itself and make me feel like my life has some kind of meaning besides slaving away at work and doing everyone else’s agenda. I think self-care is not being selfish. But a recognition and celebration of the fact that you are a human being that God created and you have to take care of your psyche in order to be able to tend to others. The difference to me is that self-care helps you to be able to serve the world and not feel like you are a slave to world. If you don’t have your self in order, you can’t be much of any service to anyone else.

George and I did a little bit of planning this week for some things we want to do in April. We have had our February hibernation period (maybe January too except we were wildly busy in January and very much on the go – one could argue that February was busy too but we DID have a little more spare time in February, more than any other month since October. So we’ll call FEB a hibernation month.) March is here and March has quickly filled up – BAM! George said “Oh my gosh – we better get some of these things on the calendar before they get squashed out by other things.” And yes, we left room for Mom. While we can’t work over there every weekend, we do have some planned time in which to see to her needs and many desires as well. Although things are always going to be slower than she would like. We work FT and have our own lives to attend to as well as hers while I’m sure she sits there all day dreaming about what she wishes we would do, instead of looking around and enjoying what is already done. I know her well. I’ve been around her to long and can be just like her sometimes.

So what all is coming in April? We have a trip to Knoxville planned to stay with Kevin and Susan and celebrate Kevin’s birthday, and will be doing an Easter meal at our house and inviting Mom of course. And we have a brew bus trolley day scheduled as we do a brewery tour and may or may not stay in a hotel afterward. The hotel prices are pretty scary. Katy gave us the brew trolley tickets. We can hop on and off all day. We have a few other things on the slate for April as well. I’m not looking at my calendar but we have a few excursions we are discussing for getting out and doing things in some towns around us. Also mowing and planting season is coming. Not planning on planting much though. But I do need to stick some flowers out toward the end of April as I do each year. I’ve also taken my two weeks of vacation time and plugged it in where I needed it to be for the year. Sticking days into months where there was not a holiday day already. So that I have a day to do things I need to do for ME every once in a while. These catch up days really help a lot. And we are planning on Thanksgiving in TX. 🙂 It’s really just the best time to do this trip – weather wise, and work wise, and calendar wise.

As for this week – we are taking Mom to Cracker Barrel Thursday night and that also now includes another grocery run as she needs a few things and we’ll get chili dogs for Saturday for her place as we’ll be hanging pictures and helping her unpack that day. I told her we can get more done if we eat there and not have to get out and go eat. I can fix it. I was going to bring sandwiches but then realized that chili hot dogs sounded so good to me. George has located her vent filters she wants at our Lowe’s here and will buy more nails as the ones Mom bought went missing and she didn’t get home with them.

Mom had not wanted me to help anymore with the unpacking as I’d offered, because she said she just had to do it herself but she is tired of doing it now and asked me to help so I will help her. George also has to lift some things that are blocking other things though and we’ll get some things taken out of the garage and take to Good Will. The garage is so full of things she has accumulated for years, with not much opportunity to downsize before moving.

So it is all coming together slowly for Mom. The place is beautiful and so much has come together but she is ready to see her things – Nic Nacs and pictures to complete the scene – especially as she is beginning to make friends and they are going to each other’s house. So we’ll have a big work day Saturday and do what we can til the next big work day. (It won’t be every weekend but we can do a few here and there as we have things we need to do also.) So we’ll get her to her furniture place again one day soon. And George is getting the TV hung (currently sitting on a stand) but he’s having to order the right wall bracket. Nothing is ever easy, lol.

Anyway today I’m getting my nails done. And next week both Mom and I are getting our toes done one day. I haven’t set the day yet. I’ll look at the schedule on the weekend and figure that out.

Little Bit says hello. He loves this black blanket. He’s camouflaged. Sometimes it scares me when he moves as I don’t even know he’s there. lol

Meanwhile in TEXAS….There is another Little Bit (Little Roo) in Black. lol I see his guitar on the floor in the background (upper left corner, lol). And the tail of the black little Findlay running around him always!

Ok so I’m going to work on the the flooring video tomorrow morning and we’ll be back on Friday. This week is really rolling along, just like the rest of them.

I went to the store last night too after work, after going to the bookstore to buy a Bible for a friend, and bought some a salad for lunch today and some dark chocolate covered almonds. I also bought dark chocolate covered frozen bananas, lol. Anyway these things are making me happy as I look forward to them. Ok over and out. Be safe. Thanks for being here and reading.