Today I Am . . .
Today I am . . .
- Still in my pajamas.
- Hanging my thrifted Marimekko duvet cover on the clothesline in an attempt to air out the Goodwill disinfectant smell. (I've washed it twice so far!)
- Enjoying that a new Mad Men character is played by James "Jimmy" Wolk. (No relation, but it's an uncommon name all the same.)
- Exhausted from working yesterday, and wondering what it would be like to have a job that's not physically demanding. (The answer is "probably boring.")
- Mentally exploring blog posts about couponing and why I always reinvent the wheel.
- Feeling guilty about unredeemed personalized coupon gifts I've given my mother over the past few years.
- Pleased with the $260 I made from re-sellling Goodwill finds last week.
- Reading library books ("Flea Market Style" and "The Lost Art of Mixing") and listening to a library audio book ("Gone Girl.")
- Needing another caffeinated beverage to brave the day.
Now you. What have you been doing?
Katy Wolk-Stanley
Today I am...
*working (for another 30 min)
*doing laundry
*cooking dinner (Pulled Chicken Sandwiches, Corn/Cob & Sweet Potatoes)
*watching DWTS (my guilty pleasure) & rooting on Kellie Pickler
*downloading music to my phone
- Dishes done
- 4 loads of laundry, 1 dryer load, the rest hanging
- Finalizing escrow details (yikes!)
- Making egg bake for dinner (an improvised take on a botched quiche job that involves no crust but includes shredded potato)
- Braved the 25mph gusts to walk to the grocery store, bringing my own bags for the produce and baked goods
- Fixed a super-yummy pizza bagel for lunch
- Trying to decide if I should brave the wind again and walk home with my son, or just be a wimp and take the car (his eyes blow up from allergies at this time of year)
Please drive with your son if it's a health issue. 🙂
Katy
We drove. Mama instincts prevailed.
Today I am...
- Staring at a computer for much, much longer than any human should in one day.
- Brainstorming ways to promote a new community recycling project that I am working on.
- Looking forward to reading American Wasteland by Jonathan Blook...our Non-Consumer Advocate Book Club Selection for April!
Bloom...not Blook! Lol
Today I : finished knitting a dish cloth. Went to work and survived a 7 (yes seven) hour staff meeting. Came home and put a meatloaf and baked potatoes in the oven. Enjoying a fire in the fireplace and a glass of wine. Ahhhhhh. Life is good!
7 HOURS!!??!! Doesn't that qualify as cruel and unusual punishment?
Today I ...
... Made a batch of laundry detergent (enough for several months)
... Baked a batch of white chocolate macadamia cookies to finish up some nuts I had in the pantry
... Threw in some laundry
... Wiped down the kitchen cabinets
... Unloaded, loaded, and unloaded dishwasher
... Sent some emails that were on my to-do list
... Biked 11 miles
I'm kind of wondering where the day went ... it's time to start supper (baked tilapia, homemade mac & cheese that will use up the leftover cheese sauce from our Mexican meal on Sunday, corn muffins, and salad).
I loved and hated Gone Girl, curious to hear your thoughts when you are finished.
Crap, that sound ominous.
Katy
I LOVED Gone Girl. The characters are not particularly likable, but they are fascinating and unforgettable.
Ohhh, I want to know what you think of Gone Girl, too. I loved and hated it, too, and really found the characters unlikeable.
Today I :
babysat my 9 mo grandson.....
??how did I ever get anything done when I had 4 kiddoes under 5???
P.s. a few drops of Tea tree oil or sage oil in the rinse water kills that smell from VV or GW!
I understand, Martha! It takes two of us to take care of one grandkid (depending on age). How did I keep care of a house, cook, and do all the other things I did with little ones at home? I have no idea.
I know, I took care of my grandaughter. Until she was 1 and could go to school. I was worn out. I think because I am just a bit older than I was when I had her mother! lOL.
-- working my bum off to get the work done that needs to be done before my vacation! Only 4-5 more hours of work and then vacation, vacation, vacation!!!!!!
-- getting excited about going to the bank before vacation and refinancing our mortgage and second mortgage to a lower rate and lower monthly payment. And that includes some cash out to do major insulation work in our house. Oh and 1 less year of payments too!
-- And happy that I have nothing but free hotel stays and cash to pay for this vacation. No credit cards!!!!!
P.S. We are bringing the lap top so I will be able to check in on your Katy! 🙂
I'll try to make sure my blog posts are up to snuff then!
Katy
I am...
resting having come back from walking 9 dogs.
pleased with the budget-sticking and efficiency of my impromptu grocery store trip and
pleased with having my bike with the basket ready again to stuck the groceries into and pleased at self for having gone back to the bike mechanic for them to make my gears stop jumping around,
but
horrified at all the plastic waste at the grocery store having been seduced into buying fresh pasta in plastic containers bizarrely big for what they held (due to the extreme sale on them)
feeling very guilty at taking plastic bags for my groceries (I haven't done that in so so long!- the trip was spur of the moment as I passed the sotre with the newly repaired bike-that-has-a-basket.
and
regretting having agreed to go to some yoga breathing for happiness lecture/workshop tonight for which I'll will have to pay $10
holey moley is there a way to edit my post?! It's like 1 big grammar disaster.
LOVE the marimekko duvet cover. LOVE poppies. (my screen name is my two dogs names)
Today I~
-Met up with a good friend and walked for 30 minutes.
-Worked on a menu plan based on what's in the pantry/freezer and fridge.
-Got all my laundry done!!! (until hubby or my son get home and magically produce more for me to do!)
DeeAnna from ThriftDee previously Thrifting Denver (Goodwill blog), swears by washing everything in vodka. Even wool coats. Try it. Good find with the Marimekko. I think you can get Marimekko converse high tops now. Ann
What about Manischewitz wine? Cause that's the only booze I currently have in the house. 😉
Katy
Jobs that aren't physically demanding aren't automatically boring. I had one job where I was on my feet 8 hours a day photocopying well reports for an oil company. Physically demanding and boring as hell. I also worked a desk job at an architecture firm. Mentally demanding and very interesting. But I did most of my work sitting at a desk.
Today I am...
-satisfied after an enjoyable day playing Lego Pirates with my daughter and a friend.
-hungry
-coping with a sciatica flare up
-wishing it would just rain already (hide-and-seek weather is annoying)
Today I hosted a group of friends to watch the DVRed series "The Bible" that recently concluded on the History channel. Everyone brought snacks and we socialized ahead of time. A fun and frugal way to see friends!
I love your duvet cover. Beautiful!
I love it too! However, it would look awful in our bedroom. So this Goodwill goodie is destined for eBay.
Katy
Today I worked, but yesterday I;
*Washed two loads of laundry and hung them on the line to dry
*Sanded and painted (first coat) two large, yet shallow, drawers that I will paint some more, add a drawer pull on each and attach casters to the bottoms - instant storage for my son's extensive train track collection.
*Collected seaweed and spread throughout my garden.
*enjoyed playing in the sand with my 3 yr. old - it was warm enough to go barefoot - bliss!
*hauled in a few wheelbarrows full of wood (heat) - still need a fire, daily.
*planted (3) lily bulbs that I picked up for $2.99.
*started some annual seedling flowers - I love cut flowers, especially when I can walk right out my front door and pick them!
*Cooked up a batch of dried black beans and then froze some.
*Made black bean soup and cheese quesadillas for dinner - yum.
*enjoyed a margarita, fireside and wrote two blog entries for two great (inexpensive and healthy) recipes!
*made my lunch and filled my water bottle for my days work today.
Slept - soundly!
Did you know that "Wolke" (almost the same as your name) means "cloud" in German? So it's a good thing you live in Portland... 🙂
(Lilypad writes from cloudy Seattle)
I did know that, and I used to have a cloudy shirt because of it! However, my "Wolk" is from my great grandfather changing his name from "Wolkofsky."
Katy
*worked 8 hours
* attended a meeting after hours
*drove the boss home
*called my dad. I love him.
Today I;
* Did 2 loads of laundry (guess that's a tuesday thing)
* Bought my fuschia and geranium starts
* Finally did my taxes!!!!!! whoa, why did I wait so long, I know I was
scared, But, getting money back, that will teach me
* Had homemade white bean soup for dinner
That duvet cover is AMAZING!
Today I called the doctor again.
Wrote two blogs
Researched some new techniques
Went to happy hour with my husband...yeah no dishes...
did laundry and dishes
Played with grandaughter! While folding laundry
Made 24 formal invitations.
Played angry birds....darn train wagon!!!
Watched the soap during lunch.
listed some more of my mother-in-law's condo contents on ebay, i may actually make a few dollars. Also, did some work at home. The best part of the day was sitting outside on my front porch with a glass of wine and watching the male painted bunting and three females on the feeders. Pretty soon they will head up north until next winter when they return. I never get tired of watching them.
Today I am:
taking a long walk
cleaning up trimmings from the rose bushes
cleaning out the utility closet
changing out winter clothes for spring clothes
uncluttering...trying to purge three things daily for a year
Today I am:
- catching up on my online reading
- just back from vacation, and really enjoying my return to work
- feeling grateful that I enjoy my everyday life as much as I enjoyed my vacation
- also reading Gone Girl (from the library)
- being kind of lazy at this moment!
And I also:
- had lunch with a friend
- enjoyed dinner made by my hubby
On the topic of physically demanding jobs:
I recently listened to a fascinating podcast of "This American Life" (an NPR show). The topic was disability, and the fact that in some counties a shocking number of Americans are moving onto Federal Disability. Highly recommend it if you are interested.
Anyway, one point in the show was an interview with a woman who lives in a very rural area in a very poor county in the south. She literally could think of only one job that was not physically demanding -- the only job that came to mind for her was the person at the Social Security Admin office who decides who is eligible for Disability and who is not. The other jobs she knew of, working at a restaurant, working in the factory, working in retail, assisting an elderly or disabled person -- all are physically demanding. With the pain in her back, she couldn't do any of those jobs.
Sad, scary, and kind of amazing. To my mind, lack of a real education is a big part of it.
Have to comment on 'Gone Girl'. Couldn't put that book down! Then, when I was finished I wanted to TALK about it, but none of my friends had read it. Want to say something now SO BAD, but it would be a spoiler--so let me know when you've finished.