Thursday already, and the weekend is in sight!
It’s been a
pretty good week here so far. Nothing major going on, but other than some
crummy sleep for various reasons, things have been mostly good. Calm. That’s
the way I like it! (Phew. Just had a
moment where I thought the cat had erased my entire post. He’s sitting on my lap
and keeps putting his head on the little track pad. Thankfully, his
technological mischief didn’t extend that far! And now he’s off to sleep in the
sun on the couch, by his own choice.)
Our temps are
going back up; today is supposed to be in the low 80’s, but it’ll be in the 90’s
in a few days. Drink your water and stay cool!
Here’s what I’ve
been up to the past few days. : )
Monday,
11 July, 2022
After coffee
and breakfast, I wrote and posted Monday’s post, then posted my review for The Way I Say It by Nancy Tandon on my book blog. I got dressed and ready, emptied
and refilled the dishwasher, then did 30 minutes of volunteer work. And then it
was off to Ikea!
We browsed
and picked up a few little things (one of which didn’t make it home with us! I
must have dropped it on the way out, since I was carrying a bunch of stuff.
Hmph. Fortunately, it wasn’t expensive at all, but it was something we need, so
we’ll be going back next week. Good thing it’s close by!), then grabbed lunch
to go from their little café by the checkouts and ate in the car. So fun!
At home, I
treated the skirt I’d dropped mustard on (whoops! Thank goodness for Fels
Naptha), peeled potatoes and got them cooking in the Instant Pot, took out the
compost, and did another 30 minutes of volunteer work.
I read for a bit, finishing Half a World Away by Cynthia Kadohata and starting Abby, Tried and True by Donna Gephart, then I made mashed potatoes, cooked the Ikea veggie balls, and filled and ran the dishwasher. We had dinner, then I did a four-mile walk on my own. I did my Duolingo, showered, and read, finishing Abby, Tried and True. My husband and I watched one episode of Mormon No More before bed, and I slept terribly due to nerve pain on this night.
(Disclaimer:
I enjoy watching programs like these to get a better understanding of why and
how people leave various groups, and it actually helps with my volunteer work,
which is with an organization that provides support to people who leave various
religious groups, some of them high-control. I have nothing against any
churches of any sort! Find God wherever you can. :) )
Tuesday,
12 July, 2022
After coffee,
I posted my review of Unmasked by Paul
Holes on my book blog.
I scooped the litterbox, then did 30 minutes of volunteer work. My daughter and
I did a unit of math, then we had a bunch of snuggle time, since she was
stressed and anxious about various things. She hadn’t slept much the night
before, so that definitely played a part in her big feelings.
We had lunch,
I emptied and refilled the dishwasher, then I chopped and sauteed some onion,
garlic, mushrooms, and peppers. I brought up the waffle iron from the laundry
room, then listened to a bit of the January 6th hearings while I
knit, then I made a batch of waffles. My daughter wanted to go outside, so we
went out and read for a while. I made some scrambled eggs, and my son and I had
an early dinner so we could go walk. The section of the trail we walked on is
absolutely covered in riverbank grapes (which is the most common kind of wild
grape in the state). They’re edible, but they’re apparently much better after
the first frost – when the birds have usually stripped them all clean! So while
we may not get to eat any, they’re still awesome to look at!
We walked
five miles this day! At home, I showered, then put my daughter to bed, and
read. My husband and I watched one episode of Mormon No More before bed.
Wednesday,
13 July, 2022
After coffee,
I made out my grocery list (ugh), then did a little over 30 minutes of
volunteer work (I was kind of on a streak and didn’t want to stop!). My
daughter and I did a math lesson, then I got dressed and ready, emptied the
dishwasher, took out the compost, and then we were off to the library! I came
home with some books to read to my daughter, then I found a really cool book
called Outdoor Kids in an Inside World: Getting Your Family Out of the House
and Radically Engaged with Nature by Steven Rinella. Getting outdoors more
has been a goal of mine, so I figured reading a chapter per day of this would
be a good idea!
At home, we
had lunch, then I read the new PJ Library book to my daughter (all about hakarat
hatov, recognizing the good), then we read outside a little (I read the
introduction to Outdoor Kids, then continued reading What I Like
About You). When my husband got home, my son and I went for groceries.
Two stores,
and the sales were pretty terrible today, but I did come home with four pounds
of kiwi for four dollars, which is exciting! We also stopped by the library in
the next town over, where I returned a stack of books and grabbed a bunch more.
At home, I put the groceries away, then my daughter and I went outside to start
a new project.
We have a
little square of flowers and greenery outside – some of it is stuff we planted,
some of it is stuff that planted itself. We’ve decided to start observing this
little bit of our property every day and note the changes. We’re going to try
to do it at the same time every day, probably more in the morning, and see how
it changes throughout the year. Today, we noted that we’ve got some kind of
coneflower growing, along with goutweed and perennial sow thistle, and we also
identified a grass funnel-web spider. We were so in the zone that my daughter
noticed some ants by the garage and we followed them back to her old basketball
hoop, where they had a zillion eggs underneath! Super cool. She made a bunch of
observations in her nature notebook before we went back inside.
I baked the pizza and mixed the bagged salad (first time I’ve seen this under three dollars in ages!!!), and we had dinner. I worked on this post, showered, then read and finished What I Like About You. I started The Joy of Less: A Minimalist Living Guide by Francine Jay (and after reading the first few pages, moved a few things out of my bedroom!), and my husband and I watched the final episode of Mormon No More (I totally teared up at the wedding!). I had a tough time falling asleep and was awake for hours after this.
And that’s it
so far! Today, my daughter and I are meeting my sister-in-law and nephew at a
park/forest preserve for some socializing-in-nature time. I’m not sure what
else will get done today, but that’s an important one, so I’m okay if that’s
all that happens! This weekend, I need to get caught up on book reviews. I’ve been
reading SO much that I’m incredibly behind AGAIN. (Seven, if I combine the two
graphic novels I read into one review! EEK.)
Have a great
rest of the week, friends! : )
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