Recharging Our Batteries in the Middle of the Day

There are many fine areas where we live, to pause and take a little walk in the middle of our day. 

Often, where we choose to walk is only determined by one of many locations I find myself working that day as Avon Lady TJ.  

This water conservation park is conveniently close to one of my clients homes and offers a nice shady stroll even on the hottest, most humid days.

Today it was especially nice to "get away" in the middle of our day.

After many days of yard work, trying to get as much done before I begin my summer hibernation begins (ahhh sweet air conditioner, how I love thee!), there's still some work yet to be done.  But when the chance for a bit of spirit restoration presents itself, who am I to deny myself?

I would love to hear how you "get away" right in the middle of where you are for a little R&R!

Thanks for stopping by! ~TJ

This Past Week~

This past week has seen us through Easter and was quiet and uneventful  (in terms of any stressors happening.  If anyone happens upon this blog looking for excitement and fast livin', they surely won't find any satisfaction, lol!)

I tackled a small pile of mending that has been taunting me for a good while now.  As good as that feels, there's still some to do.

I've also been really focused on (and yes I say this often but it is, admittedly, an ongoing endeavor and probably always will be) utilizing leftovers, pantry and freezer foods that we already have on hand to come up with creative meals, sweets and treats.  Being that it's mainly just my hubby and me left at home to consume food on a regular basis, we don't go through as much food as when there were hungry teens at home.  So, try as I may, there is still sometimes food that goes to waste, which I REALLY hate.  My daughter still lives at home, but between her job and social life, she isn't home on a regular basis.  So, she eats very little of what we have on hand, choosing instead to buy her own groceries, order in take out, or go out to eat.

A few things I've made this week:

•  since I buy canned pumpkin to add to my dog's meals, and she is a small dog that can't eat that much pumpkin before it goes bad, I always have plenty to spare for making recipes with.  This week I made (my own free wheelin' version*) of this Chewy Pumpkin Blondie recipe.  *I doubled the recipe, used butter instead of coconut oil, regular white granulated sugar, three whole eggs total (remember, I doubled the recipe, so instead of two whole eggs and two egg yolks, I used three whole eggs. I hope that makes sense.), all purpose white flour and white chocolate chips that I did have on hand, just not as much as the recipe called for~ maybe 3/4 cup-ish.  The final result was more cake like than chewy (probably because of all my tweaks OR I baked it too long) but totally flavorful and delicious!  (Made even more decadently delicious when I whipped up some cream cheese frosting and slathered it on top!)
Since that recipe didn't use much pumpkin puree, even with doubling it, I still have some left to cook with.  I'm thinking I might use some to make this muffin recipe from Amy Dacyczyn's Tightwad Gazette book that my sweet blogger friend Miss Jeannie from Get Me To The Country blog reminded me of (thanks Jeannie!).

•since I recently snagged ten pounds of potatoes at Aldi for pennies on the pound, I baked up a pan full (along with a couple of sweet potatoes also bought on sale).  A couple were had as loaded baked potatoes the first night they came out of the oven, piping hot, using butter, sour cream, cheese, bacon bits (I snipped bacon strips and cooked until crispy) and green onions sprinkled on top.  All toppings were bought on sale, in multiples, with the exception of the green onions, which I grow.  The next morning, I took a small potato, diced it up and cooked it until browned & slightly crispy in a bit of butter and olive.  Then I plunked a few eggs on top, scrambled it all together, added some cheese and leftover bacon bits, and then tucked all that goodness into warmed flour tortillas for breakfast burritos.  And one night, while hubby had another loaded baked potato for dinner, I ate the sweet potatoes with just a bit of butter, salt and pepper-plain, simple & delicious!  There's still baked potatoes left for more quick meals in the days to come!  Where will they take me (recipe wise😅)?

•combining my "I'm kinda over slaving away in the kitchen" attitude and my stockpile of chocolate chips (yeah, we have a sweet tooth *blush*) I made a pan of Toll House Bar Cookies. With warm weather fast approaching, I have made the quality decision 😉to stop making individual cookies, when at all possible, and instead make bar cookies.  I surmise it will get the job of cookie making done in one batch and won't keep the oven heating up the kitchen and house for as long a period of time as making sheet after sheet of individual cookies.

•bowls brimming with popcorn made from the gourmet organic kernels bought when marked down 50 percent, that have been sitting, neglected and overlooked, on our pantry shelf.  Hits the spot when that salty, crunchy, snack-y craving hits.  And since we have this popcorn popper, there really is no excuse not to enjoy hot, buttery popcorn!

my grandsons Easter basket~all items were a dollar each, with the exception of the chocolate bunny and the batteries I included for the hand held fan~we always keep fresh batteries on hand so I took two and taped them on the back of the fan package

On Wednesday, I got to visit with my son and grandson and give him his Easter basket that I put together for him.  In addition to what's in the photos, I included two pool noodles for him to enjoy when he goes to the pool.

I used packing tape to secure these two items in the frisbee

I tried to include a few items that would encourage outdoor play with friends

Of course, there were the usual errands, homekeeping and gardening tasks!  

I hope you are enjoying your Springtime activities! 

Thanks for stopping by! ~TJ

*We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. 

Focus: The Here and Now

sweet, honey scented blossoms right outside our front door

When I first thought of writing this, we were still experiencing what, for us, is winter weather.  It was very rainy and cold for days on end.  But I was getting the itch to get to gardenin'!  I knew, sooner than later though, I would be aggravated by our tropical, swamplike weather and not want to go outside at all.  To garden or anything else.  So, I did what I could do with the cards I had been dealt.  I looked up winter sowing and set about sowing seeds on the darkest, wettest, chilliest of days.  And I loved every minute of it!  I was able to satisfy my itch to garden, and I believe it will help me feel better on the days, deep in the summer swelter, when I have begun my hot weather hibernation, to think, "I should be out there gardening, but NO."  We'll see.  This is the first year I'm trying this.      

What does all this yappin' have to do with this post?  Well, focusing on the here and now was last on the list of things I wanted to zero in on for the foreseeable future. However, in practice, it soon became number one in my mind.  Each time I started to feel a little grouchy about...well, anything, from weather to housework, my thoughts tended to automatically adjust.  I soon was able to correct my "stinkin' thinkin'" by reminding myself that, "this too shall pass" and to focus on the here and now, and savor the good bits of the present moment.  Because there is always something good somewhere if we will look hard enough.  I know some would argue that, especially when it comes to health challenges and other hardships in life.  But, I, like everyone, have experienced those things, and still have been able to find something good to focus on.  It may be miniscule, but hey, it's something.  And in my experience, sometimes those teeny tiny things are the only thing that may see us through to the other side.

But since I don't want to get all heavy on you here, I'll just talk about the things that have been relevant to me on this journey recently.

I can't resist pausing to savor the aroma of these tiny gems

As mentioned above, I was looking and longing for, an imagined future on those winter days.  And if I will be honest, have lived my whole life like that.  "I can't wait until...", etc., etc.  Always mentally rushing to the next thing.  An unguaranteed future moment, hour, day.  Missing the here and now.

I don't want to live like that anymore, missing out on my life.  So, I am retraining myself to focus on the sights, sounds and smells of now.  The gift of now.

And my "now" focus has been to spend as much time doing all the outdoor things that I will refuse to do once the heat has set in, only coming inside to do indoor tasks and activities when the weather is beyond my comfort zone.  The shift is happening.  I find myself doing shorter stints outside already.

intoxicating!

The ebb and flow of life.  Letting the tide carry me has been so much more enjoyable than fighting it.  (Living near the ocean, I was always taught that if you get caught in a rip current, to just let it carry you, don't fight it.  It will eventually let you loose.  But if you fight it, it could kill you. I don't want the rip current of life to do me in!)

I'd love to hear what your "work in progress" might be (even if it's different than mine)!  How do you focus on the here and now and not get caught up in rushing through your days?

As always...

Thanks for stopping by! ~TJ