One Drawer at a Time - Still in the Kitchen

 

I feel like I am moving slower with this than I did last year and that's true haha! Mainly it's because when I come home from work each day, I am spending more time relaxing than being productive.  Oh, well.  First world problems. So I am over halfway through the kitchen with this process, and I really can tell a difference.  Currently, I am going through my utensil drawers one at a time and cleaning them out.  I am washing everything in the drawers because many of them have honestly not seen the light of day since last year when I did this.

I know that I should get rid of some of these because they are multiples, but I just cannot bring myself to do it LOL Who knows?  There may be a time when I am cooking, and I need three spatulas or four ladles.  You never know! And I found several vintage tupperware pieces that I had no clue what they are and had to look them up.  One is a cheese knife of sorts.  There's a green lettuce corer which I have no idea how that works.  I'll be looking up videos on that one later!!  And then there's this yellow tool that looks like an old phone receiver. Not sure what that is.  A melon baller maybe?  Hmmmmm

Picture is from the internet but has several of the pieces I have in it

Still, I am washing all of these things and putting them back for later usage.  Still, the drawers look better, and I know where things are and that is what is important in this process. 

Thought of the Day

 

There is an old saying that goes "you never get a second chance to make a first impression" and that is so true. There are different people to whom the saying is attributed to.  Some people say Oscar Wilde.  Some people say Will Rogers. I, personally, remember it from the old Head & Shoulders Shampoo commercials LOL But, wherever it came from does not matter because it is very true no matter its origin. 

For a long time, I have let go of putting much effort in first impressions. Everything seems to go back to the pandemic. I have gotten comfortable in being too casual with my appearance.  Yes, I do have a dress code at work that I follow but I have not been putting a whole lot of effort into it. Since I do not get out and socialize much anymore (I'm working on that one) I have not felt like I had a need to make myself look good.  By the way, I am NOT saying that I think I look bad at all.  I just used to take special care of how I presented myself no matter where I was going or what I was doing. And I have simply stopped doing that. 

Sometimes, though, it takes a good look in the mirror to change that. It happened to me a few weeks ago and really hit me hard. I was going to my first appointment with my new eye doctor.  I walked in feeling fine at first.  I looked around at the employees who were all really put together.  They were either in crisp black uniforms or they were dressed very well. And then I caught a glimpse of myself as I sat in the waiting room.  While I was dressed for work, as this was before my shift started, I just looked very unkempt. My hair was frizzy. My shirt was too tight and pulling at the buttons. I just looked like this big pile of slobbishness. I felt myself getting smaller and smaller as I sat in there waiting for my turn.  Mind you, no one made me feel this way it is just the way I felt about myself. 

So, I have begun to change how I get ready to go out each day. I am working on getting back into my exercise regime so the weight loss will take time. But I now am paying better attention to how I look before I walk out the door.  Even when I'm just going out to run errands.  I make sure my hair is done. I make sure that I am dressed to the best of my ability.  While some may look at it as vanity, I do not. I am feeling better about myself which, I hope, translates into a better first impression.  Either way, I am happy with this direction I am taking and plan on continuing it.  That is all. 

Finding treasures at a thrift store

 It is no secret that I love dishes.  Always have. And I love collecting them.  And not just sets of china, which I definitely have too many of. But I love serving pieces as well.  And when I come across pieces at good prices, I just cannot help myself.  There are worse things I could be spending money on so I am not ashamed of this addiction haha!

There is a local thrift store called Reconsidered Goods that I love to go to.  I try to hit it up about once a month.  You can find all sorts of interesting things there as they also take things that have chips and cracks and aren't perfect.  I don't mind those because they show signs of usage, and I love to think of my things as being once used by someone.  It gives them a history. 

Awhile back, I was perusing the store and came upon these two serving pieces by Noritake.  I do love me some Noritake haha.  And I have developed a thing for gravy boats as well.  I don't know why.  People rarely use them anymore, but I absolutely am fascinated by them.  And there was a matching platter to go with it.  And they had red decoration on them.  I have very few china pieces with red as the base color.  

I got both of them for less than $10 total, so I was happy with my purchase. I have not used them yet and they are now packed away in a box somewhere in the garage.  That happens during the holidays as I switch things out! The platter does have a tiny flea bite chip under the rim, but it's still perfectly good. I haven't decided yet whether I will keep them or let them go.  Still, I will enjoy them in the meantime!

Happy hunting!

Quote of the Week

 

This is an excellent philosophy to carry around with me these days!

Recipe of the week - Macaroni & Beet Salad

 It has been a while since I have posted this recipe, but it is one of my favorites, especially now that spring is just around the corner. This is an excellent way to get some beets into your diet and honestly, it is a very pretty pink colored salad that is perfect for warmer weather!  It makes a great side for hamburgers.  It is also fun to use if you do a salad trio cold plate. I hope you enjoy it!

Macaroni & Beet Salad

1 package (7 oz) shell macaroni, cooked and drained

1 package (10 oz) frozen peas, cooked and drained

1/4 cup diced celery

1/4 cup diced onion

2 cans diced beets, drained

1 cup mayonnaise

salt & pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.  Cover and refrigerate several hours or overnight.  

Enjoy!

Today's Moment of Mindfulness

 

Start paying attention to things you previously overlooked. Encourage yourself to observe what a person is wearing, read a car number plate or check what color the walls around you are. You may be astonished at the number of things you have not noticed before. 

Canon of Praise

 I really do miss singing in a choir. When I was in our youth choir at FBC Monroe, we sang many great anthems. This is one of them.  It is arranged by Hal Hopkins and based on Pachelbel's canon. We sang a lot of wonderful anthems that year, 1987.  I remember specifically because we performed it at the choir festival that year and somewhere I have the audio tape from the concert.  Ah, good memories. 

Daily Challenge for March

 

I have been doing pretty good with my daily challenges for 2025.  While I have not been able to work in the garage every day, mainly due to the cold weather as my garage is not heated, I have gotten in there and done some work.  My devotions challenge has been quite successful, and I have enjoyed starting my day with those. I even do them before I start my coffee haha!! This month, I have decided to get back onto my exercise regime.  I have let it slide for several personal reasons, but it is time to get back to it. But this time I am going to be more specific.  I want to do some form of aerobic exercise every day.

I could pull off this outfit LOL

The cardio side of my exercising has never been good, and I desperately need to build that up.  Good cardio is really the foundation of all exercise.  At least it is in my mind. I will be able to do so much more if I get that into good shape.  It will spill over into many areas of my life.  Now that the weather is beginning to warm up, I can get outside more. I was walking every day there for a while and I felt great. Now I just need to get my sluggish behind out there and do it.  But I can also do some actual aerobics inside.  YouTube is great for that. There are many things that I can do for aerobic exercise and cardio workouts.  I have been on the sidelines too much and it's time to get back into the game! I feel good about it.  We shall see!

Maybe this is more my speed now!