Today I Am . . .

by Katy on May 14, 2014 · 21 comments

Today I am . . . 

  • Appreciative that my friend Sasha was willing to switch shifts this week with me so I could get my older son to his A.P. tests.
  • Excited that the kiwi vines that my friend Suzanne gave me are starting to grow.
  • Realizing that next week’s planned garage sale is going to have to be this week’s garage sale.
  • Already giddy at the prospect of the combined delights of getting rid of stuff and making money.
  • Getting annoyed with how long my hair is, but happy that my sister Sara has offered to trim it for me.
  • Planning on borrowing my neighbor’s pressure washer to blast the slippery scuz and moss from my brick patio. (BTW, I totally get dibs on “Slippery Scuz” as my next band name!)
  • Happy that the city finally came and cut down the overgrowth on the nearby traffic circle/roundabout. It had become a serious hazard as it was impossible to see if cars or bikes were on the other side. (It took approximately seven phone calls to the city, but persistence finally paid off!)
  • Going to take my trusty rug shampooer over to one of my mother’s guest cottages in an attempt to remove a winter’s worth of muddy dog prints. Hopefully, I’ll get lunch in return.
  • Going to sleep alone, as my husband went to visit his parents for a few days. Kind of excited to be able to read in bed for as long as I want.
  • Searching for my cell phone, which somehow got lost in the house as soon as I came home from work yesterday. The battery is dead, so this might take awhile.
  • Noticing that my neighborhood clean-up day is this Saturday, and wondering if we have any hard to get rid of items to bring over.
  • Starting to mull over ideas for my two family members who turn 16 and 49 this week.

Now your turn. What are you doing today?

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”

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{ 20 comments… read them below or add one }

Amanda May 14, 2014 at 10:20 am

-enjoying left over pasta for lunch
-still tired from a fun weekend with my husband’s family
-grateful for a cool house in May in Virginia
-jealous that you got to read in bed for as long as you wanted
-excited by a new freelance idea I had
-anxious, and will continue to be, until I hear if the said freelance idea is a go
-hoping I can go for a run later, although a nap would be helpful as well

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Jennifer B. May 14, 2014 at 10:22 am

1. Planning on watching “The Desolation of Smaug” that I picked up from the Lucky Day shelf at my library.
2. Walking to the library to reclaim my ev that’s charging there for free.
3. Figuring out the next two days’ worth of meals, since I have $6.23 to last me until payday on Friday. (Shouldn’t be a problem, just need milk.)
4. Will enjoy the pool at our apartment with my son, since it’s supposed to be 96.
5. Keeping the shades drawn, and hoping that will suffice in keeping the apartment cool enough so that I don’t have to turn on the AC.

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K D May 14, 2014 at 10:23 am

– Trying to figure out what meals to serve when my daughter arrives home for the summer, from college next week.

– Using up yarn in my stash to crochet hats for a HatAlong Challenge (someone is collecting hats for kids in Omaha so they won’t go cold next winter).

– Going to try a new banana blueberry muffin recipe with overripe bananas.

– Glad my sister told me you can use pineapple cores in smoothies, I was throwing them out. She also said you can leave the green part on strawberries and that no one will ever know if you add carrots to smoothies. She was right about the pineapple cores but I have not tried those other tips yet. She spent a lot on a VitaMix at Costco to learn those tips. I consulted Consumer Reports online, for free through our public library, and bought the $60 NINJA that they said is as good as the (hundreds of dollars) VitaMix. So far I love it.

– For dinner last night I made chicken & stars soup, using a carcass from a rotisserie chicken. My husband said it was perfect.

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Chrissy May 14, 2014 at 10:31 am

I love our ninja. We have used it for a lot of different things so far it works well.

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Theresa P. May 14, 2014 at 10:45 am

I feel the same way about our Ninja–it is awesome! Frozen broccoli is our go-to vegetable in smoothies and the Ninja chops it up so small that we don’t even notice it and we get a serving or two of veggies in at breakfast.

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Julia May 14, 2014 at 10:36 am

*getting our 2001 car fixed instead of buying a new one. I even bought a repair part from the Pick n Pull (a door handle had broken and a new one is $40 from the dealer. At PnP it was $1.)
*I walked home from the car shop, getting free exercise.
*Washed my sofa covers early, cold, and hanging them to dry. (Dog bled on them — yuck.)
*Cooling the house with open windows and using blinds and, later, a fan, instead of AC.
*Avoiding the use of appliances if at all possible the rest of today because it’s hot and don’t want rolling blackouts.
*working from home because WHY NOT!

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pepsibookcat May 14, 2014 at 10:38 am

1. Trying not to panic over having $700 worth of work done on my car. It’s all necessary stuff and will, hopefully, buy me at least 2 more years and tens of thousands of more miles on this old car (it’s a 2001 and was a handmedown to me in 2011 – and was handed down with problems already in place). With job change and moving to the city coming later this year, a new (used) vehicle is simply NOT in the budget for quite a while. So, I have to baby this bucket of bolts. That said, rough as that $700 is to cope with, it could’ve been MUCH worse. Things weren’t nearly as bad as I thought they were. And, mercifully, one problem was caught before irreparable harm could happen. I managed to not damage the engine when the car completely overheated yesterday when surprise radiator problems occurred. Proud of myself for knowing what to do and handling the situation correctly! During a thunderstorm, no less! 🙂 Also, I will feel relieved to have several maintenance concerns taken care of. And, the mechanic figured out what the horrible vibration and rattle were from and fixed it. I’ve never driven that car that it didn’t have a terrible vibration problem. It’s going to feel like driving a new car!

2. Celebrating that the older lady downstairs that I’ve been helping look after during her fight with ovarian cancer just got word that her tumor is finally GONE. Seeing how close to death she was last fall and seeing her up and walking around with a cane this week makes me so happy I could burst! I love the fact that she’s wearing her pretty lipsticks again. She still has some residual health problems from chemo, but her spirits are high and she’s kicking butt! 🙂 She’s excited to be cleared to start driving again.

3. Going through all of my crafting and sewing stash, reorganizing, culling, and queuing projects. With hot weather cranking up soon, it’s time to shift the workload to less crochet and more sewing. The only purchases that’ll be necessary are elastic and a few spools of thread to replace colors I’ve used up.

4. Trying to survive a week with the world’s crankiest 15yo boy. It’s the week of the days long state mandated (BAH! STUPID STANDARDIZED TESTING!) algebra end of course exam. My son is not being a pleasant creature. At all.

5. Being grateful for my best friend who always has my back when nasty stuff like major car trouble happens. She’s letting me use her 2nd oldest son’s beat up old jalopy he no longer drives so I have a vehicle while my car is in the shop. This way, I haven’t had to miss any work this week.

6. Being grateful that a family from India who are dear friends of mine have finally gotten 2 complicated immigration problems straightened out. So much less stress for that family. So many prayers answered.

7. This week is a week of meals that involve rice. Tonight is Creole Green Beans over Rice. YUM!

8. Scrubbing my kitchen floor and the doors to the laundry closet.

9. Tugging the washer and dryer out of the closet to clean out all the dryer lint, clean out ventilation hose, etc. After all of that, I hope to lay in a hot epsom salts bath and count how many new bruises I’ve acquired. lol That hot bath will also involve reading a paperback mystery I got for free with trade in credit at the used book store.

10. Getting the Wed. new sales flyers from the 2 grocery stores, downloading online coupons for those stores, going through my cupboards and fridge, and planning shopping list. My best friend called to tell me one store has bananas for 19cents/lb, and I am all over that!

11. Making what feels like a million phone calls trying to get everything in order so I’ll be able to pick up my car from the shop tomorrow afternoon after work. Here’s hoping it’s ready!

12. Being very, very mad at my bank. Because: 1. stupidity 2. antiquated technology.

13. Now that I can finally eat after being very sick to my stomach in both directions (stress, stress, stress, and more stress = very angry guts), I am craving salad and fruit. I am going to indulge in both in the thriftiest way I can figure out.

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Katy May 14, 2014 at 10:40 am

Of course, I’m also:

Hanging laundry on the clothesline.
Washing the filthy outdoor cushion covers.
Boiling up a leftover chicken carcass for soup.
Reading a library book.
Going to pick up some loss leader Tillamook cheese. ($3.99 for a 2-lb loaf!)

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Jennifer N May 14, 2014 at 11:23 am

1. Gathering the materials to make two homemade gifts for my bestie’s birthday next Tuesday (both of which I know she’ll love).
2. Feeling pretty accomplished for FINALLY getting all of my oldest son’s clothes organized into a usable system so they’re ready to go for his little brother.
3. Remembering (for the 50 millionth time) that I have a big bin of summer maternity clothes that I must get up on eBay – preferably before it’s winter.
4. Looking forward to quesadillas for dinner.

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Vivian May 14, 2014 at 11:52 am

1. Enjoying a vegan salad which actually keeps me full and my husband likes it. Score 1 for health and 1 for easy on the pocket book.
2. Enjoying puttering around the flower gardens.
3. Enjoying seeing my raised bed veg. gardens almost ready for planting.
4. Savouring the time until now and Thursday afternoon when we tell our son about a once in a lifetime trip to Lego Fest in Calgary.
5. Enjoying looking and finding for bargain ways to make it cheaper though it will still cost a mint. (Holidays in Canada for us natives is expensive.) Memories are priceless and being able to see old friends is so exciting.
6. Sharing with my husband the city I learned to be an adult when I left a little town in the Okanagan.
7. Unburdening myself of a position on my son’s school PAC.
8. Enjoying a short but sweet lunch with my hubby on the deck.

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Kate May 14, 2014 at 12:09 pm

Dropped off a bag of things at a consignment shop. The owner hesitated when I walked in, telling me she’s not taking much right now, but then took all my stuff. “You’ve got GOOD stuff, hun.” Well, yeah. 😉

Dropped off books for the library book sale and was treated extra-kindly by the librarian who I gave a picture to last week. It was from years ago when our kids were in a chess club together and her daughter is adorable in it, while my son is unrecognizable.

Also – piano lessons, an orthodontist appt., choir practice, handbell choir practice, last-night frenzy before the 6th grade science fair, softball practice, washing of the softball uniform, and – oh yeah – I need to come up with something resembling a dinner. Guess I’d better get off the computer. 🙂

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Betsey May 14, 2014 at 4:14 pm

I finished a story for my newspaper; it is so much fun and relief to press “send.”
I had to go to my tax accountant to dispute a whoppingly huge bill from the IRS and my State Treasury on so-called unpaid taxes. The mistakes were theirs; however well we furnish proof that said taxes were paid on time, I will still have to pay penalties. Bah to them!
I checked out a book called “The New New Testament” from the library. It’s heady reading and I will enjoy it immensely.
I took two bags of stuff to the Goodwill.
I organized a family reunion (that was truly fun!).
I signed a new will changing my designated heir.
I went to the bank to get instructions on on-line banking. For something supposedly easy, the web page wouldn’t let me pay. Wish the government had THAT website.
I visited my mom in the residence hall where she resides.

Whew! And I am supposed to be retired!

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Kim May 14, 2014 at 5:30 pm

*Celebrating that my youngest son finished the last of his 4 AP exams!
*Packed a book for shipping that I sold on Amazon today.
*Put together a garden arch that I bought at the Quaker spring festival Saturday for $5. New in the box. I plan to plant grapes on it but will plant some morning glories this summer.
*Washing the Jansport backpack I bought at a yard sale for $2 on Saturday. It was really cute but pretty dirty and I figured I could get it clean. First wash it came pretty clean but still had light pen marks. Read today that toothpaste takes pen out so I’m trying it. Bought it for my mission trip to Nicaragua in July.
*Making a batch of cold brewed coffee concentrate and a pot of soup.

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tna May 14, 2014 at 6:12 pm

Finished my kayaking expedition.
Getting ready to live in a new state.
A house with land…omg chopping wood and growing vegetables!?!
Goodbye city life!

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JD May 15, 2014 at 5:42 am

1. Watching it rain on an already soaked Florida Panhandle.
2. Looking forward to dinner with my daughter and granddaughter tonight — she’s cooking as a treat to us.
3. Talking on the phone with the repair man about my dishwasher — he gave me suggestions on the phone to do, hopefully avoiding a charge for repairs. This store is happy to tell you what you can do, first, before paying a repair bill. They told me over the phone what was wrong with my icemaker a couple of years ago and how to fix it and it worked.
4. Planning my clothes so that I can hold off doing laundry until the sun shines again (supposedly tomorrow).
5. Trying to plan a get-together with a friend.

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Barb @ 1SentenceDiary May 15, 2014 at 8:20 am

Honestly, today I am … just trying to make it through the week! But I love reading about everyone else’s plans and activities. Thanks so much for sharing them.

Katy, why does next week’s garage sale have to be this week instead?

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Katy May 16, 2014 at 8:18 am

My son was going to have his birthday party this weekend, but decided to do it next weekend instead. However, a family member’s scheduled surgery just got moved up, so now the garage sale has been pushed back to Memorial Day weekend.

Life be busy, that’s for damned sure!

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Linda in Mass May 16, 2014 at 10:50 am

Getting ready for my daughters Junior Semi Dance tonight
Making chicken soup from leftover bones but if there is enough meat, it may turn into stew
Just bought day old rolls to go with the soup
Also bought day old cinnamon bread for french toast this weekend
Work tomorrow, so I will get my paperwork and such set to leave in the morning
I have very ripe bananas, so I will make banana bread for myself and my mother.
I plan to fix my outdoor table this weekend to get at least 2 more seasons or more out of it.

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CarrieP May 16, 2014 at 10:12 pm

Thankful for the abundance all around me. My husband and I spent the morning at an annual community garage sale in a wealthy area (not where we live). We had a ball! We spent what, from a frugal perspective, is a lot of money (about $120-130). Got SO much:
1. Flat screen tv for our rental cabin (paying guests have complained about the microscopic size of the tv we have in there now)
2. 3 middling to above average quality pine tables for the same cabin (coffee table and 2 side tables)
3. new bedding in great condition for our master bedroom (it’s Waterford brand and the lady who sold it said she paid almost $1k on it…I doubt that, but I’m sure it was more than $300)
4. Clothes for my daughters (including a winter coat for my daughter, Gap brand, perfect condition that she told us politely is not her taste 🙁 and an amazing stash of what appear to be new or never worn men’s shirts for my husband (polo and michael kors)
5. Adorable and high quality giant leather purse from Ann Taylor for me
6. Nice belt and 2 pair of shoes–expensive brands
7. 4 cheap but cute bead bracelets
8. Painting (on canvas) that will go perfectly in our front room that is newly furnished with a great Henredon couch I found at Goodwill about several weeks ago, with two nice decorative pillows thrown in
9. A blade grinder so my husband can sharpen our lawn mower blades himself (we have a 15 year old lawnmower that’s still going strong
10. Brand new yoga clothes from a Colorado company that is going out of business (and strangely was part of this garage sale). 2 prs yoga pants, workout shirt (questionable I will ever wear this shirt, too tight, my flesh too flabby), two freeking unbelievably cool, high quality sports bras
11. 8 very nice cloth napkins
12. a trove of awesome books, including 2 Anne Lamott’s, Bittman’s How to Cook Everything
13. Huge binders to keep our investment records
14. two nice, large black frames for some of my husband’s photography
15. 6 /6 ft. lighted Christmas tree thing-ys for our yard

Very fun day. Felt extravagant, but prices were way cheaper than thrift stores. There was a lot more I wanted to buy, but I resisted.

Do you ever have non-buyer’s remorse? I do. I am glad I didn’t go even more crazy than I did today overall, but there was a picture I loved that I wish I bought and a super cool rug I loved, but know I don’t need at all. I also thought about some nice clothes for myself, but hesitated b/c they were $3 each or 4 for $10 and I was paying only $1 per clothes item today.

Love your blog, Katy! Love your reader comments, too!!!

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Katy May 17, 2014 at 10:41 am

I do sometimes have non-buyer’s remorse, but since my big picture goals are to not own too much crap and spend too much money, it’s pretty rare. I do occasionally regret buying something that I later realize I could have resold for a good profit. but since I now have a smart phone, I am able to research on the spot which helps.

Thanks for the kind words.

Katy

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