The Cut Glass Compote

 I love cut glass.  I love the way the light reflects off of it and acts as a prism.  It's just beautiful and often has very intricate designs.  I have several pieces of cut glass.  Most are from Mom and Grandmother, go figure!  But I love them and use them whenever I can.  I have started to collect other pieces of cut glass when I see something I love and it's at a good price.  There is a shop that I go to about once a month, and I have found several really nice small pieces of cut glass that usually have cost me one or two dollars at most.  

This piece, however, I spent a little more money on.  I was out doing some holiday shopping last December and I found myself at the Antiques Market Place here in Greensboro.  It's one of my favorite places to shop and just walk around and look.  And many times you can find booths having great sales, especially around the holidays.  That particular day, one of the last booths I went to was having a half off sale...as many booths were.  I found several fun pieces in the booth that would be Christmas presents.  I did not get them dirt cheap, but half off prices were very reasonable.  Anyway, this was one of the pieces on sale and I just loved it.  But, I had made an agreement with myself that I would not buy anything for me because it was Christmas time and I didn't know what I might get.  I didn't expect to get any cut glass but you never really know!!

So, when I was checking out, the cashier told me that this booth's sale was going to be its last.  The lady who ran the booth had decided to close it and everything would be gone before the end of the year.  I didn't rush back right then and buy it but I did think about it.  I thought about it a lot. So much so, that I just said screw my agreement and went back the next day and bought it.  And I'm glad I did.  I love the pattern.  When I look at it from above, it reminds me of looking into a kaleidoscope.  It's just pretty and I love it.

I have had it several places around my house.  On side tables, on the dining room table, etc.  Now it sits on my buffet and I love how it looks there.  I really like pieces that are footed and I have several really fun compotes.  I have to be careful with that though before I get too many.  Still, I'm going to hang on to this one and enjoy it!

Quote of the Week

 Taking this quote into today with me!

One Drawer at a Time - Twist Ties

 I started in my kitchen this week.  Whenever I'm doing any kind of cleaning or purging, the kitchen is usually the first place I start.  I believe that the kitchen is the heart of any house and I want mine to be in good order. That isn't always the case, but I do try.  There's almost nothing worse to me, at least in domestic life, than waking up and making coffee in a messy kitchen.  It happens, but I despise it!!

Anyway, I started my "One Drawer at a Time" process in the kitchen.  And that's what I did.  One drawer and only one drawer, which is the purpose of this process.  And I will say it was a success.  It was a small drawer, but one that I utilize a good deal.  I was able to throw away over half of the stuff in the drawer, get a few things ready to donate and then organized the rest of it.  

Growing up, Grandmother had a drawer in her kitchen where she saved twist ties from loaves of bread.  As a child, I thought this drawer was fascinating because it was so colorful with all of the different twist ties in it.  I decided that I should do the same thing and that is the drawer that I cleaned out first.  I realized, when I was taking all of those twist ties out, that I never saw Grandmother actually do anything with those twist ties.  I'm sure they were used on plastic bags that didn't have any kind of closures on them.  You don't really see that in plastic bags anymore these days.  So, those got tossed and I didn't regret it for a moment.  It won't make the memory any less fun for me by not having a drawer full of twist ties on my own.

So, that drawer is done and still looks pretty good.  I'll find another one to work on this weekend and keep this process going!  Good times :)

Carbs Challenge

 

Cutting carbs is a phrase we hear all the time when it comes to dieting and healthy eating.  The truth is, though, that I love carbs.  I love potatoes and rice and bread.  All the good stuff!  So, when I went to see my doctor yesterday for my yearly check up, I talked to her about that.  I want to eat healthier because I have gained weight over the past year....wonder why lol...and I just need get my body into better shape than it currently is.  

One of the dangers of carbs is they are comparatively cheap and when you're shopping on a tight budget buying a 5lb bag of potatoes for $3 is a better buy than a 16oz bag of spinach for $5.  And that bag of potatoes is going to stretch much farther than the spinach.  So, I talked to my doctor about wanting to change my eating habits but not go on a "diet".  For one, a diet sets you up for failure even when they work because that's a lot of pressure.  And frankly, I enjoy cooking way too much to limit myself that way.  I have asked her advice before on things like this before and she's never steered me in the wrong direction, so I wanted to talk to her about it.

Anyway, she talked to me about how she handles it.  She limits herself to carbs at only one meal a day.  And she makes sure that she has a healthy snack in between meals.  She also talked about the importance of breakfast...something I've never been good at doing for myself.  All of these things sound very doable to me.  It's going to be a matter of meal planning.  Oddly enough, I've never been too great at meal planning but am getting better.  I have read up on it a lot and think it's something I can get in to.  I even fixed up some meal planning sheets that I intend to start using next week.  I also need to do some research into carbs and make a list of foods I didn't realize were carbs to help me keep track!

So, my challenge for next week and moving forward is going to be planning my meals out and limiting my carbs to once a day.  She did tell me that it's ok to change things around sometimes because circumstances sometimes dictate that.  I think this will also help with my grocery shopping habits.  I've been good about sticking to my grocery list and not doing much impulse shopping and having meals planned is going to help with that.  It's a win win.  We'll see how it goes and I will keep you updated!

Attending Theatre

 

Once you have theatre in your blood, it never goes away.  That desire to be a part of theatre can take many forms.  I don't know if I will ever step on the stage again as an actor.  I always enjoyed it, both in high school and in college, but I don't know what my prospects are at this stage of my life.  It's a huge time commitment and time is a hot commodity for me these days.  So, I am working on satisfying that theatre need by attending theatre.  As much as I love being on stage, I love being in the audience.  

I've been to three shows this year.  That may not seem like a lot but given my pre pandemic track record it's pretty good.  Back then, I probably saw one show a year...maybe.  Michael never seemed to want to go to the theater, so I stopped asking him.  And I didn't want to go by myself.  Now, that was stupid.  I do many things by myself, and I should not have let that be an excuse, but I did. Back in March, I saw a musical revue about the Rat Pack, which was fun.  Then I saw Les Miserables, one of my all-time favorites, in April.  And finally, I saw, and the name escapes me, the last play at Triad Stage.  We didn't know at the time it was the last performance of the last play, so I'm glad I went!

So, next week I'm going to see Into The Woods at UNCG.  I've seen this show many times and I love the score, so I'm interested to see what the school does with it.  Honestly, the last time I saw this at UNCG some 20 plus years ago, it was not good.  It was not bad, it was simply boring.  The best part of the show, as I recall, was my friend Shannon playing The Witch.  She was phenomenal and, to be honest, her talent was wasted in that production.  But, that's the beauty of the theatre.  Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad and sometimes it's just ok.  But I'll never know unless I get my butt into a seat and find out for myself!  Side note, I need to get a student ID because tickets are MUCH cheaper for students!!

I'll be there with friends scattered around the audience.  I bought a solo ticket because I was told that they were going fast and wanted to make sure I had one.  That's a busy weekend for me so Friday night was the only time I could really go.  I am looking forward to it, having the house lights come down and hearing that orchestra.  I intend to have more of this in my life!

Nobody - Sylvia

 I heard this song this morning as I had my coffee and checked my email.  I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed it and it made me think of two things.  One is that one of the bars that I used to frequent, The Palms, used to have karaoke on Sunday nights.  There was a woman that came almost every week and it was her go to song.  And, admittedly, she sang it very well.  The other thing it made me think about is how I miss the country music that I grew up with in the 70s and 80s.  It was fun music and didn't pretend to be something that it isn't, like a lot of country music today.  They were just good, fun songs.  I do miss that.  Enjoy!

Budgeting My Time

 

Now that school is back in full swing, budgeting my time each day is something that I need to work on.  I don't think that I do poorly at it, but it definitely has room for improvement.  Living alone, there are lots of things that need to be done each day around the house.  Do I get to them all every day?  Ummmm, no LOL  But I do try.  And now adding homework into that mix can get overwhelming at times.

Ultimately I need to spend at least 2 hours per day on homework, if not more.  But when do I do that and still have time for everything else?  Now, there aren't too many things that I have to do around the house that can't be put off for another day, but I am trying pretty hard to keep up with it all.  And at least I'm trying!! 

One of the things I'm not trying to do is to set a specific time every day for homework.  That's what I'm trying right now.  I'm working on more of a specific amount of time as opposed to a specific time. I want to see how that works so that I can have some flexibility in case something in life happens that needs my attention. I really need to try and get some work in the mornings before work, but I haven't started that yet LOL

Still, everything will work out as it should.  I think I've done a pretty good job so far this semester.  I just need to work at it consistently.  This will give me more free time at the end of the week.  That is my hope, anyways!

The Blue Daisy and Button Compote

 

Sometimes I see things that catch my eye.  Well, actually, I see things that catch my eye a lot!  Most of the time, though, I just let them catch my eye and not my wallet.  It's very fun to just window shop and dream.  Every now and then I do treat myself to something fun.  I know it may seem like I do that a lot on Facebook, but that really isn't the case.  I'm very careful with what I choose to buy for myself.  I bought this compote off of Ebay after searching the pattern.  It is EAPG Daisy and Button.  It's a pattern that I have always loved.  It's a busy pattern and I have several pieces in it, this being my first one. 

 

The pattern has been around for over 100 years and was very popular in the Victorian era.  Many different glass manufacturers had their own version of the pattern. You can find it in a variety of colors.  I had not seen this shade of blue before and just fell in love with it.  And I love how it shows up under the lamp light.  So beautiful.  It's something that I will hand down to someone at some point, but I will enjoy it very much in the meantime!

Going to the wedding weekend single

 It's a strange experience going to my first important social event as a single man.  This past weekend I attended the wedding of one of my best friends and his partner.  This was really the first major life event I have been to since Michael and I split up.  Overall, it went very well.  The weekend was a lot of fun other than the outdoor wedding getting rained out.  But everything worked out for the best and we all had a grand time.

It was strange to me for a few reasons.  I don't always do well socially and can get very withdrawn and awkward and I was afraid that was going to happen some during the weekend.  Simply being around people I didn't know or people I didn't know well could have caused that.  It is my own insecurity, and I am working on that.  Previously, having someone there with me would give me someone to feel more secure around and I could ride his coattails instead.  Luckily, I didn't that this time.  I was able to engage with people and have a good time.  I am thankful for that.

Another reason it was strange was the fact that Michael wasn't there and other than the fact that we're not a couple right now, there was no other reason for his absence. The people he knew missed having him there.  I did too.  Despite not being together as a couple, I enjoy his friendship and he would have had a good time.  I regret that he wasn't there, but that was not my choice. His absence was most definitely felt.

Anyway, I am very happy that I went and happy that I had a good time.  I needed that.  And it made me realize that I need more of that in my life.  Not weddings necessarily, but fellowship.  I work very hard all week both with my job and school and I deserve more things like this.  We'll see how that goes!

One Drawer at a Time

 As I am trying to clean out things and consolidate, I often find myself getting overwhelmed.  I hate that because that's when I get really discouraged and just let things stay as they are.  It's human nature, I know, but it doesn't help me with what I want.  So, I am going to try to do things one at a time.  I was watching a show about clutter and one of the panelists told the guest to just do it one drawer at a time.  Don't try to be overambitious because you'll end up giving up and I totally related to that sentiment.  

So, that is my plan.  One drawer at a time.  Or one shelf or cabinet or box.  I just need to focus on one project at a time and see how it goes.  That will also work out better for my time because having homework on top of work leaves me only a little spare time and I need to use it wisely.  I definitely think that I will get more accomplished by doing it this way.  And since I don't have any pending social obligations at the house, I can take my time.

I've also been using the mantra "don't put it down, put it away." and that has been quite beneficial.  Now, the going through the drawers and cabinets will give me places to put things away.  I'm looking forward to this cleaning challenge and will update you with my progress!

That is all

Quote of the Week

 I wanted to start my week off with some inspiration and a reminder of why I'm back in school.  I've had a hard time with the paper I'm working on for some reason, so this will help me get through the day!

What will my Christmas be like this year?

 Here we are in the beginning of September and that means that Christmas is just around the corner.  I think that this is when a lot of people start their planning for the holidays.  For me, not so much.  I've been planning for months.  I love Christmas and it's always on my mind.  Yes, I listen to Christmas music all year long.  I don't subject anyone else to it unless they are huge fans like I am.  Still, Christmas plays a huge part of my everyday life.  

I am looking forward to Christmas this year with both excitement and some trepidation.  This will be the first Christmas in 17 years that I will be single.  That's a tough pill to swallow.  It dawned on me the other day that I don't have anyone to ask for their Christmas list this year and I have no one who will ask me for one, either.  That made me very sad.  Of course, I will save some money....probably....because I won't be overspending on gifts for one person.  But I do plan on spreading the joy of presents beyond my normal reach and I am looking forward to that.  I've been shopping for months now and have made out my list of who I want to get things for.  That was helpful to me and filled some of the void of not having a relationship at the holidays.  And, if you know me, you know I do love the art of gift giving.  And I'm pretty damn good at it too.  I never expect anything in return even though it's nice to be thought of in that way.  

I am also looking forward to starting my decorating of the house.  I have a lot of Christmas decor that has been passed down to me from my family and from Michael's family that I love to put out.  Every available space in my house will be filled with holiday goodness.  I'm thinking of having a holiday open house this year just because I like to entertain and want others to share in the holiday magic.  We shall see.  That's still a ways off.  And this is the year that I will be getting together with my Fornes family for Christmas.  It's always a good time and Bill usually picks a fun place for all of us to gather.  My nieces are both in college, undergraduate and graduate, and so these times are very precious because I don't know how many more we will have.  But it will be a good time, most definitely.  It will be very strange for me not seeing the Abernethy clan this year over the holidays.  Maybe I will, who knows.  But it won't be in the same capacity as in years past.  But that is life and I roll with the punches.

I really am anticipating a good, yet different, Christmas this year.  My sense of tradition will kick in but that's not too unusual because it never really goes away LOL.  There will be a tree.  There will be presents.  There will be decorations.  There will be wonderful foods and music and time with friends.  It will be different, but it will be.  

In Whatever Time We Have (Children of Eden) - Stage 2

 I bought this cd at Border's when it came out in 1997.  The arrangements on this album are quite beautiful and I wanted to hear this song again for several reasons.  I was first introduced to it when my best friend from college was in a production of Children of Eden, where this song comes from.  It's a beautiful show by Stephen Schwartz and I highly recommend giving it a listen if you haven't before.  But this song reminds me of one of the theories I've been studying in grad school - the socioemotional selectivity theory which shows us that once we recognize that the time we have left is less than the time we've already spent, we make more informed and impactful choices in our lives.  The things that are important take center stage in life and I love that sentiment.  Enjoy.