Friday, October 30, 2020

The Closest I Get

 What day is it anyways?


Between distant learning. Trying to keep up with the household stuff, not actually working thankfully....(I was able to take a leave of absence while kids are at home)...I am not sure how I did it before...or how I will do it again once I have to go back to work (especially if kids are still not in school).  I almost feel like I am on maternity leave with the absence of crying babies and poopy diapers...but time, it just blurs together and gets away from me to the point of, shower? What's that?  Clean clothes everyday, sooo overrated.  Self-care is pretty much non existent at this point. 


The closest I get to a facial these days is when I open up the dishwasher while it is still steam drying the dishes. 






Or when I am draining the mac n cheese in the strainer. Ahh, bliss.





What was the last self care thing that you did for yourself? Do you find it hard to do?  Here is an article of why self care is so important but so hard to practice.





Tuesday, October 27, 2020

When and How It All Began

 My very first post to this blog was Wednesday October 27th, 2010!

This blog is 10 years old!  Happy Blogiversary to me! I can hardly believe it. Can you? And you may notice a few minor changes...what do you think? 


I know I have been a bit absent the last couple years for various reasons but my goal is to start blogging again "consistently".  This blog, is pretty much the only thing that is my "own" and I really need an outlet to just be, to write about whatever, whenever, to debrief, to laugh about, to cry (commiserate) and celebrate all of life's imperfections (or indiscretions) because LORD knows there are tons.  I know blogging might be a bit passe now in 2020 but I'm still going to do it. I hope you continue to stop by every now and then. And drop a comment or two.


How the whole idea of this blog came to be in case you want a refresher:


Women's Retreat

I recently returned from a Women's Only weekend retreat in Lincoln City.   As much as I struggled with the "mommy" guilt leading up to the weekend I am glad I went... It was definitely food for my soul and I didn't realize how much I needed it until I was there! 


But man did I feel guilty right up until I got into my friends car to leave...I mean I was leaving the children (18yr,12yr,3yr & 5 months) behind for my (capable) husband to care for, for a whole weekend.  So many things crossed my mind leading up to the "big" event... How would he be able to do it without me?  Would they have three square meals while I was gone? Would they get baths?  What about clean clothes?  Don't even get me going on, "What if he forgets to change K's diaper? (often enough)"

In the end, the house didn't burn down, the kids ate, their clothes were dirty but I am sure that was because it was 6:30 pm on Sunday when I returned (ohhhh yes, we milked the weekend right up until dusk).  Heck the kids, they barely even noticed I was gone; husband on the other hand....I think he might have a better appreciation for how much "I" (woman in general do EVERYDAY)....Now the house looked like a tornado hit it (that would be Hayden)...but I learned something from the retreat that I put to use the second I walked through the door....IT'S OK IF THE HOUSE IS A MESS (sometimes).  Life is too short to cry over spilled milk (the cat will lick it up anyways).  It is now time to sit back, relax and spend some time with my husband and kids.  They missed me!  They truly missed me....(maybe just a little bit).

In closing, one of the "wiser" woman at the retreat  said it best, "Womans Lib, sure wasn't liberating, now was it? Now we are not only expected to work in the home but also outside the home."    So often we find that we try and be everything to everyone at all times and we often fail miserably...at something.  I mean really can we be good---perfect at everything?  Can women *now* truly have it all?

What do you think?





You might also like all of my confessional posts. 

Friday, October 23, 2020

Rock The Vote?

 Is that even a thing anymore?


Back in my day, it was huge!  I remember back in 1992, all the music groups and actors trying to get all of us youngn's registered to vote (and of course actually getting to the polls to cast our vote). 

On a side note: Polls, I haven't been to those in ages since I live in Oregon where we have been able to vote by mail, long before Covid. (Sorry got sidetracked).


Madonna, LL Cool J, Michael Jackson and heck even Dee-lite, remember them? They were all over the airwaves telling us what to do!




But alas, I had just turned 17 so it would be another long 4 years before I could vote but you bet your bottom dollar that I registered the second I could because you know Marky Mark said to.

And now how many years later, I have voted EVERY.SINGLE election because it's a civic responsibility that I take very seriously.  The main reason why I choose to vote is because it allows me to participate in choosing who represents me and my beliefs.  It gives me a voice! The problem though is not everyone thinks the way I do.  I see it in some of my friends, family...Some have the mentality that their vote doesn't matter, it's just ONE vote.  BUT it does (even more so on a local state/community level).  If to many people have that same train of thought, then it is just not the ONE vote but who knows how many other votes. Think about that. 

The one thing I ask though is do your research, ask questions, watch the debates, make sure whatever you are voting for (local measures) or whoever you are voting for (President, City Counsel, etc) that you are making an educated decision. 


Here is a great article that I ran across about Why Voting Is Important.

Now what are you waiting for?  V-O-T-E! 






 




Thursday, October 22, 2020

{Recipes} Taco Casserole

Anything that resembles a taco or burrito is always a big hit at our dinner table.  I made this partially on the stove and then put it in the oven to finish up. This can be made completely on the stove as a "One Pot Wonder". 

Ingredients

3 lb ground beef (I bought mine at Kroger this week on sale for $7.47; that's $2.49/lb!)

 15 oz can of Black Beans (.69 @ Winco; had from previous shopping trip)

2 Roma Tomatoes, diced. (.88/lb)

4 oz Preshredded Lettuce ($1.69 for 8oz bag; I only used about 1/2 of the bag)

4.5 oz Kroger Sliced Olives ($1.50 for 2.25 oz; $3.00)

8 oz Nacho and Taco Blend Shredded Cheese ($2.69)

Directions

1) Turn oven on to preheat to 400 degrees.

2) Brown hamburger on stove in a large skillet, drain.

3) Add Taco/Fajita or Burrito Seasoning* of choice and 15 oz can of Black Beans into skillet with hamburger. Continue to heat up for approximately 3-5 minutes.

4) While hamburger is browning, dice up the 2 tomatoes, set aside.

5) Once the hamburger, beans and seasoning is ready, pour into a 13x9 casserole dish.

6) Spread layer of cheese on top of hamburger.

7) Cook in oven for approximate 5 minutes to allow the cheese to fully melt.

8) Remove from oven, spread a layer of lettuce on top of cheese, spread layer of diced tomotoes and olives on top of lettuce. Add another layer of cheese, if you really like cheese like us. 

9) Cook in oven for another 5 minutes.

10) Remove from oven and serve! 

Add a dollop of sour cream* and/or roll into a tortilla ($2.69)

Total Dinner Cost: $18.26 (includes tortillas even though we only used 2). 

Serves 8. 

$2.28 per serving. (We have tons of left over so I will be using this for lunch tomorrow)

*I did not include cost of seasoning or sour cream in total dinner cost since I have a large containers of both on hand and did not purchase specifically for this dinner.



Wednesday, October 21, 2020

Going To The Chapel...


Going to the chapel and were going to get married. Nope, not me.  My oldest daughter!

After 15 years of dating they "finally" married in a rustic barn on October 10th. And her vision of a rustic wedding was "on point."

Even though we had to improvise a tad bit due to weather (it had been raining quite a bit prior to the wedding so we had to move their outdoor, on the grass next to the lake wedding under an awning next to the barn)....but it all worked out beautifully. And for several hours before and after the wedding it did not rain! We even saw a rainbow! And fireworks! 




First Look



Lighting the Unity Candle


Husband & Wife




The Lake



The groom was handsome. The bride was beautiful and now to begin the next chapter of their lives (which hopefully means a few grand babies for me).

I wish these two so much love and happiness in their life together.


Monday, October 12, 2020

Coming Soon!

What a whirlwind of a weekend! My oldest daughter got married this past Saturday!


Now to shift my focus....BIG changes coming soon to the blog! My 10 year blogiversary is coming up! Can you believe it?

I hope you stick around and come visit again to see the rebranded site!




 
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