Right now, I am...
happy that my workout for today is done. I love what working out does for me; I do not love the process.
REALLY happy that we are having a cool morning after a serious heat wave last week.
feeling great because I had a cool shower. I love a cool shower after exercising, but some of my family members take hot showers even when they are dripping with sweat. THEY ARE CRAZY.
hungry because I haven't had breakfast yet.
delighted that Sonia and Zoe's beds are painted and back in their rooms. Official pictures coming soon!
kinda dreading menu planning. But I've got nothin' planned for the week and I know I will regret it if I don't do it.
hoping that my painting mojo will stay with me because I've still got a lot more painting on my bucket list. 😉
feeling a little dumb because I unthinkingly bought a gallon of the Benjamin Moore advance paint. I needed a whole gallon when I painted my kitchen cabinets, but, um, two beds and a dresser do not need a gallon.
And it's $60/gallon paint, which makes this slightly painful.
(Luckily, I have a big list of ideas to help me feel terrible about my mistake.)
wishing that I had nothing I needed to do and could just binge Downton Abbey today with Sonia (I already watched the whole thing, but it's Sonia's first time through and I've been watching with her.)
excited that Mr. FG and I have a little getaway planned for later in July. We haven't gone anywhere as just the two of us in a long time and we have some fun Air BnBs booked.
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With regards to the paint, now you just need to find more stuff to paint. Alternately there is a super slim chance of selling it.
Also, I too wish I had nothing to do and some alone time. There's a lot of things I want to watch or do on my own but I never seem to have time for them. I did get to watch a movie last name ght so count my victories I guess.
I am envious of Sonia. I wish I had the whole of Downton Abbey to look forward to!
Well, there IS the movie to look forward to, even for those of us who have been all the way through the series already!
I know! We can't wait!
Is Sonia enjoying it as much as we did? Can't wait for the movie to come out.
She LOVES it, particularly for all the vintage fashion it includes. Rose's fashion is her top fave.
Several years ago, one of the museums in my area had a show of Downton Abbey costumes. It was amazing to see them "in person". Our very knowledgeble docent told us some of the costumes have bits of beading, etc., incorporated from vintage clothing of the period.
I am looking forward to the Downton Abbey movie as well. I am happy I got to see the exhibition in April on the very last day before it left for Boston. It was great!
Speaking of Boston, if you are in the area, the exhibit is worth seeing. The Castle at Park Plaza on Columbus Ave. Worth getting the VIP tickets - no line, no waiting, with a portable device that gives more info when you program in codes at some of the exhibit stations.
Woohoo! Congrats on that getaway; I'm sure it'll be a much-needed break. 🙂
Today I'm:
1. Happy I get to eat Chinese food leftovers for dinner. Mmm.
2. Sore! I integrated squats into my morning workout and, boy, does it make your thighs burn.
3. Grateful to be getting referrals to my business. Woohoo!
4. Cooking healthy meals. We've started a Clean Eating Challenge for July. We love junk food, so I'm sure the first few weeks will be painful. But life is about stretching yourself. 🙂
Mrs. Picky Pincher,
Are you meal planning? I'd love to catch a glimpse of what your clean eating consists of. 🙂
Love Downton Abbey! How old is Sonia? My daughter is 13 and I think some of the subject matter is a little too old for her yet. It is such fun to introduce her to movies and mini-series that I have enjoyed over the years.
I wish I was done with my workout but I had to fight crowds at the grocery stores this morning. It's less fun to do it when the weather gets steamy, even in the AC.
So, Sonia is 15.5. Zoe is 13, but she is not remotely interested in a dramatic series, so I don't even have to consider whether she's ready for Downton. Heh.
Thank you! Fifteen seems like a good age to me to start viewing Downton. My daughter enjoys some dramatic movies but there are themes in Downton that I'd prefer to hold off on for a couple more years.
The 1997 version of Jane Eyre is a fun mother-daughter bonding time if you think either of your girls would be interested.
Right now:
Right now I am at work....it's slow so I was reading my emails. I'm eating my breakfast while reading. 🙂
Not a lot going on right now so...
This Downtown Abbey sounds interesting. I don't watch much tv. I work at a couple different places so time really isn't on my side to sit & get "me" time. A friend shared that she was going to watch it over the weekend. 😉
Right now I am frustrated that I am still waiting to go back in the optometrist’s office. Also every year they tell me my insurance doesn’t cover the visit, and then they submit the claim. Voila it is covered. Shocking. Each year. But I have to be actually seen before they can try to overcharge me.
A little anxious because I didn’t meet my June’s goal of finishing chapter three of my dissertation. But hopeful that I will finish it today and get back on track. Then I have a million things to get done this month.
Grateful that I have such good health insurance. And grateful that I know how to stay on top of doctors offices to make sure they are getting things done.
Confused as to why Bon Jovi is blaring through the waiting room speakers. Can a waiting room just be silent?
Hungry because this stupid appointment was set for noon, so I hadn’t eaten lunch before I came.
Okay now a better song is playing. I can do this. I will get this appointment done and paid correctly. I will get my dissertation done. I will eat lunch. I will get my infant added as a lap infant onto my Iceland flight (a whole different story).
Totally agree about loud music in waiting rooms or - worse - televisions! I took my daughter to a new dentist this morning and although they had music in the back, it was quiet enough not to hear in the waiting room. I actually made progress on my book!
Yes. I hate it when the TV is on because it makes it hard to concentrate on my book. And almost every time, what's on TV is not something I want to watch!
Right now I am:
1. Glad I walked a half hour this morning despite a nagging headache.
2. Planning how I will get errands done this afternoon despite said headache.
3. Grateful that my husband is sober and will go to his regular Monday evening AA meeting.
4. Looking forward to cooking assorted veggies in my new air fryer.
5. Wondering if my son is still dating his long distance girlfriend.
Cheers to your husband! Cheers to you for supporting him! Cheers to strengthening your family!
Wishing your husband continued sobriety. I will be celebrating 39 years later this month.
Today I am:
1. Frustrated. My office waited until the last minute to put in a bid, and guess who's cramming through lunch to incorporate the changes and corrections?
2. Tired. I haven't had enough sleep in a long time.
3. Grateful. My daughter seems to have located someone to sit with my husband for a reasonable price while I work, so he can come out of the rehab facility.
4. Worried. About the medical bills we are racking up, plus now, adding in a home health person.
5. Covered. I'm covered in God's grace and mercy while all this is going on. Without faith, I don't know how I would have weathered this and some other bad storms in my life without giving in completely to hopelessness or just losing it altogether.
Hugs to you! I hope you can get some rest soon.
JD, I'm so sorry to hear about all the difficult things going on in your life. You are in a tough spot. Praying that God will give you what you need to get through this.
I love introducing my girls to some of my favorites movies and shows. I'm working on Gilmore Girls with my oldest and hope that she will one day want to watch Downtown Abby with me. And I can't wait for the movie, feels like it'll never get here.
Maybe post the paint for sale on FB market? I know it's a hassle selling things sometimes but if you could recoup even $20 of the $60 it might not sting so much.
Right now I am:
1.) Glad I finished my weekly Monday blog post, something I need to get better at doing.
2.) Thinking I may need to turn the ac down, the heat is rising along with the humidity and even just sitting here under the fans it's hot.
3.) Trying to decide if I want to read or crochet after I start laundry
4.) Needing to find a simply short daily Bible reading plan, I sorely need to start reading mine daily again.
5.) Glad to be shooing my husband and daughter out the door for a few hours so I can have some rare alone time.
Enjoy your alone time!
Right now I'm . . .
Sitting in our old house in upstate New York and having many memories of early years here with my children.
Remembering why I'm glad I don't actually live here anymore, though. (I mean that in a positive way. We had some good times here, but are generally happier where we are now.)
Enjoying the cooler, less humid air and the accompanying lack of sweat. Tomorrow we're right back to chance of thunderstorms every day and highs in the mid to high 80s.
Happy that I finally made yogurt from the starter I brought cross-country.
Hoping the yogurt actually works. 🙂
Looking forward to going down to the beach with everyone after my daughter wakes up from her nap.
Relieved my husband can come with us, because just me in the lake with a daring 19-month-old who wants to go as deep as her brothers, a four-year-old who can't swim, a 7-year-old who isn't a strong swimmer, and a 9-year-old who inadvertently leads them all out too deep is really, really bad for my nerves.
Also: who would want to drive 28 hours across the country with four children without their husband along??
I am very impressed that you made it such a long way!
Oh nononono. He's been there the whole trip. No WAY would I have done that drive by myself. (Well, anything is possible I suppose--my mother did it as a military wife--but the circumstances in which I would attempt such a thing would have to be dire indeed.) I just meant relieved he can come to the beach with us today. He's been too busy fixing things for his mom and dealing with some work things to come before now.
Well, I am very glad that you were not driving solo! Even WITH two parents, that's a lot of hours in the car.
I hope you are staying a niiiice long time before you have to get back in the car.
1. Happy: to have had a 2.5 hr walk with the dog yesterday, contemplating the local architecture on streets I usually drive through.
2. Annoyed as hell: that the person who was - supposedly! - going to buy the thing for $500 backed out at the last minute. "Last minute" being defined as after he got my physical address.
3. Considering: leaving the large barky dog in the backyard, to discourage the supposed buyer from getting a five fingered discount on the thing.
4 Regretful: that in my response to his backing out, I didn't think to say "Good thing I didn't give you my real address."
5. Pleased: that I have an amazing set of leftovers for dinner for the next couple of days, as well as a lot of local farmers market fruit to go with them.
6. Relieved: that I am in a different office, at least for now. In theory its for a few months but knowing my organization as I do, it could be for longer or permanently.
7. Feeling Accomplished: I pressure washed the porch and several pieces of outdoor furniture. The things still need to be cleaned with a cloth but it's a good start.
I'm on the Canadian east coast and it's Canada Day so right now I'm happy to celebrate and enjoy a day off.
I'm also happy that we got to go hiking earlier and met a very sweet black lab.
Today I'm...
1. Really glad I got 75 miles of cycling in over the weekend! We had a thunderstorm all Sunday afternoon, and the rest of this week looks pretty crummy for rain, too.
2. Grateful for older well-behaved children. I have two kids, 11 and 8, and I was forcibly reminded on Saturday while we were waiting for fireworks to begin how much of a blessing it is to have kids who can handle themselves - gone are the days of constantly physically chasing toddlers and keeping them from hurting themselves or each other!
3. Looking forward to PT tomorrow to figure out what's been going on with my foot so I can get running again! (already been to the doctor and had an x-ray to check for a stress fracture).
4. Looking forward to walking tonight while my kids are at an activity. Signing them both up for the same thing at the same time = an hour of kid-free time right on a bike/hike trail! If it's not raining, I'll be outside.
5. Dealing with a 3-day week at work - it's nice because a lot of folks are out on vacation, but challenging because... a lot of folks are out on vacation!
Good gracious, I guess your kids have kept having birthdays while mine have! I can't believe how old they are now.
I know! My 11-year-old bikes himself around quite a bit - he can get to the board game store by himself, and the library. He hasn't (yet) figured out that means he can also go get ice cream by himself (little soft serve place in between).
My 8-year-old finally got a bike with gears this summer, and it's been amazing how much further she can bike now - we're a family that now thinks nothing of biking somewhere 2-3 miles away, and I can depend on both kids to have the endurance to easily ride back home.
I have two kids who can now read stories to me in the evenings, though I'll never completely stop reading aloud to them!
And you have high school graduates and college students. Time really flies!
Do you have any good tips on painting furniture? (Or maybe you had a whole post on this I haven't seen?) While I've painted lots of other things (walls & crafty things) I've never really done furniture. I have a desk to sand/repaint and I'm not sure what kind of paint to use, etc. (And also need to do it very low-budget.) I'd love any great tips you have!
Here you go! https://www.thefrugalgirl.com/how-to-paint-wooden-furniture/
And here's a painting FAQ: https://www.thefrugalgirl.com/furniture-painting-faq/
This time, I used the paint that I used on my kitchen cabinets, though: https://www.thefrugalgirl.com/how-to-paint-kitchen-cabinets/
Right now I am
1) Incredibly tired because I could not sleep last night.
2) Planning to have taco salads for dinner tonight because we have a bunch of lettuce that's been cut for salads that's starting to go brown.
3) Needing to texturize and prime the walls in our closet so we can redo it.
4) Waiting on my husband to help me with sanding some bondo we used to fill a hole in one wall in the house. I'd far prefer to texturize and paint everything all at once.
5) Hoping to be able to continue organizing the garage so we can paint some furniture in there.
6) Dreading having my tonsils removed on the 10th but also looking forward to it so I won't get sore throats so often. The surgeon and his office leave a lot to be desired as far as bedside manner and information provided goes. Unfortunately they are the only ENT office in our area at all that is not pediatric.
7) Watching Good Omens on Amazon Prime while I try to get going for my day after attempting to sleep in due to number 1.
In my experience, poor beside manner would appear to be a prerequisite for surgeons. I had my tonsils out at 35 and it was highly unpleasant, but I'm soooo much healthier now! Sending fast-healing thoughts your way!
Several years ago I had 15 surgeries all in one year, always with this really abrupt surgeon. I went to him because a nurse took me aside when I was in the ER and told me to ditch the physician who had come in for a consult and to go with Dr. Crabby because "He can practically bring the dead back to life, he is that good." I went with him and over the next year I spent A LOT of time with him, in the hospital and in his office. He turned out to be incredibly shy and once I got to know him he loosened up and actually joked around and went so far as to call me at home several times after surgeries to make sure I was doing okay. Maybe your ENT will grow on you, I hope so.
Lindsey, you always tell the best stories!
Ah, Lisey and I have both had our tonsils out. And despite the pain of surgery and recovery, we are both glad that we had ours out. I hope yours goes smoothly!
Right now I am . . . .
1. Annoyed with myself and the insurance company. My company switched HMOs last July. I never bothered to look at my electronic EOBs because I have always had labs covered with no copay. Turns out the new insurance company denied claims because the labs were not preauthorized (never had to be preauthorized before) so now I am getting bills from services I had done throughout the year, some of which are past the 180 day window to appeal. I have contacted the insurance company and am appealing anyways. Lesson learned about checking EOBs.
2. Tired. Just tired.
3. Disappointed that I have to work the 5th but elated that all the people who typically give me work will be off so I will have a day to catch up a little!
4. Happy that my brother helped me knock down all the weeds in my back yard yesterday. Its such a relief to have that done (for now).
1. Making a very basic version of your granola recipe! It's so great. I just use six cups of oats, and half a cup each of canola oil and honey (bought on sale). Some of that with yogurt (not homemade, alas) for breakfast is healthy, satistfying, and cheap. Hopefully it'll make up for how often I forgot my lunch last week...
2. Making some broccoli salad for lunches this week (it's Canada Day, so I'm off). Broccoli, pumpkin seeds, craisins, and yogurt-based dressing. I bought the pumpkin seeds and craisins for a salad for someone with lots of dietary restrictions, and they were expensive. I'm trying to use them up before they go stale.
3. Bracing myself to clean out the fridge. It's....not good. It's gonna be gross. And I live alone, so the only person to blame is meeeeeee. Gah.
4. I'm in the mood for decluttering. I'm going to take advantage of that, and tackle my closet which is full of clothes that are worn out or were hand-me-downs that I didn't like in the first place.
Right now I am:
-Happy that my family is arriving tomorrow for the 4th of July week.
-Annoyed with myself for snapping at my husband over a mutual disagreement. It was something we both needed a cooler head to deal with, and the timing was poor to try & handle maturely.
-Grateful that the kids are getting along well, on week three of 24x7 brother time 🙂
-Feeling productive that I cleaned the moss out of our windows. We have a house at the beach, and it requires a lot of unique maintenance that's not required in a more inland house. I've gotten a lot of random chores done this week.
-Wishing I had rented the carpet cleaner, rather than trying to spot clean
Kristen, I've been thinking of you and your painting list. DH and I have been renovating a house for a year and we're almost finished, which means: painting time! The.entire.house, inside and out. Even painted the roof!
We had all the kitchen, bath and laundry cabinetry custom made. To save money, we ordered everything unfinished. So, not just walls and ceilings, but sixty cabinet doors too. This morning, DH sprayed the ceilings, which is the very last step. I spent all afternoon removing miles of tape, paper and plastic.
Oh, and the first super duper expensive paint we used for those sixty cabinet doors and the boxes did not go on well, so we sanded them all and used a different super duper expensive paint for a better result. You might recall that DH is a painting contractor by trade, but even with his discount, it still adds up.
Since my husband specializes in "specialty surfaces" in his work, we also used some unusual products. The nasty orange fake tile metal roof got painted with black road paint and now looks amazing, and the stucco walls were coated in a paint that contains infra-red pigment to deflect the sun's rays and keep the house cooler, which is helpful since the roof is now black (hee). We know it's effective because we worked through a heat wave with no air conditioning and all the windows taped and covered in plastic in anticipation of the paint to come, and we didn't die of heat stroke.
I'll be so happy when we are finished!
Oh wow, that sounds like so much work! You will feel such a sense of relief when it's all done.
Right now I ...
1- Mad at myself for binging like a crazy person for the past week and gaining back 8 of the 20 pounds I had lost
2- Pissed off and tired of home ownership. We've been in this house for 4 years now and there's always something wrong with it and it's money after money down the drain. I absolutely HATE being a home owner but my husband is against renting so...
3- Trying to be grateful about the positive in my life : happy and healthy kids, a decent job, a generally good relationship with my husband, a new and nice looking car, etc
I go to a workout class on Monday and Tuesday mornings. I'm always so relieved to be done for the week. I've now been working out consistently for 16 months (completely unprecedented). But I still *hate* it. I've realized that it is ok to hate it - I'm still going which is the important thing. I don't think I will ever enjoy exercise, like my husband and others do. And that is ok.
I do always take a hot shower afterwards though. No voluntary cold showers for me!
Hi there. It's been awhile since I've commented. I didn't read all the comments so if this is a double suggestion, sorry.
Do you have a lot of paint left? If so, and Sonia chooses the light gray, go back to the paint store and use that as a base for the gray paint. They will just need to add the color tint. Probably won't charge you either if you explain why you have so much left!