When Will I Be Loved - Linda Ronstadt

 July 15th was Linda Ronstadt's 80th birthday.  She's an amazing singer who could easily go from one genre to another without skipping a beat. It's impossible to pick a favorite.  There are so many that I love but here's one of them.  Enjoy!

Partials

 I believe that I have reached the point in my adult life where I am supposed to start rebuilding my body from materials other than what God has given me.  That is to say, my dentist has advised me to get partials.  Yippee!!  LOL  There's nothing wrong with having partials or dentures.  I knew this day would come because of the lack of care I gave my teeth over the years.  Still, it's earlier than I thought it would be. And it comes with great sticker shock.

I understand her reasoning behind it.  A partial would help me to keep more of my teeth for longer.  My mouth is currently uneven and I am chewing mainly on one side of my mouth.  That puts pressure on those teeth that should not be there.  Having partials would balance that out and allow me to keep what I have for longer.

I understand how beneficial partials can be when you get ones that work.  One of my best friends has them and they seem to really work for her.  My Dad's wife has them but hers have never fit properly and have caused more trouble than not.  I guess you never really know how it is going to work out until you try it. 

However, I don't have $3500 sitting around to fix this problem.  I have insurance but I'm not sure how much they will cover and everything has to be paid for upfront.  The only way I could possibly do that is with my dental credit card.  And that would be convenient if I had several years to pay it off.  But I don't have that extra to pay them each month.  Ah, well.

I am not sure what I will do with this right now.  I know I need it and I know I cannot afford it.  I think I'll just pray and hope for the best right now. Tis all I can do. 

Recipe of the Week - Bloomin' Onion Dip

 This is a recipe that Jason showed to me online at the beginning of the year.  And I had everything I needed to make it already, so I tried it. Absolutely delicious!! I will definitely keep this one in my appetizer rotation and can't wait to make it again!  Hope you enjoy it.

Bloomin' Onion Dip

1 Medium onion, finely chopped

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

1 cup grated parmesan

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne

1.5 Tbsps Worcestershire

1 cup friend onions - for topping only

Mix all ingredients except for onions until smooth.  Fold in onions.  Top with fried onions.  Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes. 

The pottery milk jug

 

This little milk jug belonged to Aunt Sara.  Mom got it from the estate years ago.  She always said that this pitcher was a staple of the breakfast table whenever she visited overnight at the family home.  I don't know the maker of it as it's not marked on the bottom.  I have seen this style of pitcher at many antiques stores but never remember to look for any information on it.  Oh well.  It sat in our kitchen for years in the house in Monroe.  Mom kept it on top of the pie safe in the kitchen. Now it is part of my home.  Actually, right now it's in a box LOL  But I will find it soon enough and give it a good spot in my house.  If only I drank milk, then I would use it just like my family did.  Maybe one day!

Daily Challenge Update

 

I have not been in the garage every day this week mainly because of the +100 degree temperatures that we have been having.  Still, I did get out there a few times and got some things done.  Now that Michael has most of his stuff out of there, I now have an entire wall of shelves that I can fill up.  And don't worry, I'm not going out and buying things to fill these shelves.  I have plenty.

So, I am getting boxes that I know are full and that I know I have already gone through and I am putting them up on the shelves.  Now I am able to see more of the floor.  It's the little things, people!!  Also, on the shelf underneath the worktable in the back I found a lot of pictures. They were stacked on the shelf and it looks like at some point, some squirrels were making nests there on the pictures. Oh well.  I have had to get rid of a few frames but was able to save the artwork in the frame.  I am cleaning them up, one by one, and finding places inside to hang them.

So, things are coming along very well out there.  I am hoping to get out there some this weekend and get some more done.  We shall see! 

Getting back to the job search

 It's time to throw my hat back into the job-hunting arena.  Let me first get this out of the way.  Searching for jobs has nothing to do with my current job.  I love my job.  I love the people I work with and the residents and their families that I serve.  And I'm pretty confident in saying that they love me as well. So, I am not looking for a new job because of any kind of dissatisfaction with my current position.

I gave myself a year after finishing my master's degree to just relax.  I very much enjoyed getting my degree and I really like being a student.  But it was a lot of work and so I decided that I deserved some time to myself.  Not that I have done anything extraordinary with that time, but it has been very nice.  But now it is time to get back to it.  

During the year, I did apply and interview for several jobs.  The interviews went well but neither of them panned out.  It was still very good experience for me.  I am going to start looking for things in the gerontological world that sound interesting.  Things that I may be good at.  Even if I don't have the experience someone may want, I am hoping someone will see my passion and my drive and take a chance.  That is all I can hope for.

First, I need to update my resume.   That shouldn't take too long haha!  Then, I need to start networking.  Many things happen because of who you know.  I will keep you updated on this progress because I am quite excited for the possibilities that are ahead.  It will all be good experience nonetheless.

Quote of the Week

 

This week I have started working on enjoying my own company.  I have gotten myself out of the house on my own and done things by myself just for fun.  And I have really enjoyed it.  It's not like I would not love to do things with people, but I need to be able to enjoy life with only myself as well. 

Starting to budget more

I will be the first to admit that I have never been good at budgeting my money.  There are many reasons for this, but I am not going to talk about them right now.  Those reasons are all in the past and I cannot go back and change any of them so why dwell on them?  All I can do is move forward and so that is what I intend on doing.

Beginning with this paycheck, I am going to work on budgeting my funds.  I have already started to work on saving more and I know that sticking to a budget will help me increase my savings.  I am such a list person that I don't know why adhering to a budget is so hard for me.  And yes, I know I have my eBay and antiques and thrift store habits, but I am hoping to keep those under control with the use of a budget. 

First, I need to look at where my money goes and prioritize.  Rent, bills, food, etc.  Lay out all of the categories where my money is spent and look at the numbers.  I need to think about my financial goals, short, medium and long term. Sadly, retirement is not one of those goals.  Ah, well.  It is a lot for me to process but I think I can do it.  I know that most people budget by the month but right now I am going to start with budgeting by the paycheck.  I think I will be more successful to start out with that way.

I don't know how this is going to go yet but at least I am trying.  I will keep you updated!

Today's Moment of Mindfulness

Appreciate the abundance of wonderful things in your life and give them your attention.  Keep a little notebook especially for jotting down memories worth saving, surprises and things you are thankful for. 

 

Grocery shopping at home

 

As you all know, I love to go grocery shopping.  The grocery store is one of my happy places.  I am there at least once a week if not more.  Normally I go to the Food Lion that's not far from my house.  That is where I'll do my bulk shopping.  If I just need one or two things, I will go the Bestway, the neighborhood grocery store around the corner.  It's a little more expensive depending on what you're buying but I save on gas, so it evens out. 

Something I have started to do first, before I even step foot into the grocery store, is shop at home.  That may sound like a no brainer to some people but not everyone does that.  I am guilty of that.  Not that shopping at home is required but I often find myself having duplicate items when I only really need one.  Why?  Because I did not shop at home first.  

Shopping at home first has made me start to really pay attention to what I have in stock. I have a great set of pantry shelves in my laundry room which has given me the option to stock, and sometimes overstock, things that I use in cooking.  That plus the kitchen cabinets and the chest freezer equals a lot of food available to me.  But I had not been paying attention to what I already had before making my grocery list. Thus, I have 6 cans of Rotel LOL

I have been watching a series of videos on YouTube about ways to save money.  I know that's something that we all want to do.  One of the videos said that you should always shop at home first before you go out and buy something.  This did not just apply to groceries but to everything.  Check your cabinets to see if you already have what you need before spending money unnecessarily. So that is what I did.  

My neighbor Lois was coming over on the 4th for lunch.  I wrote out the menu and then wrote down everything that I would need to make the dishes.  Then I went shopping in my house. There were some ingredients that I knew that I already had like onions and butter.  Pantry staples.  But after doing my first round of shopping at the house, I managed to take a two-page grocery list and shave it down to about 10 items.  That was it.  Whew!! It truly saved me money by paying attention to what I already had on hand.  

From now on, I am shopping at home first for everything.  I never know what I'm going to find!

Avocado Egg Salad

 I love some egg salad.  Grandmother showed me how to make it when I was a child, and I have been making it ever since. And as much as I love traditional egg salad, and always will, I do like to branch out and try new versions of it.  One day I was looking on the internet for a heart healthy egg salad and this recipe popped up.  I have only made it once, but it was very good and I will make it again soon. I will say this, though, about it.  If you are going to serve it to others, make it right before you do.  Otherwise, it will turn that brownish color that avocado likes to do.  It will still taste great; it just does not look very good haha. Enjoy!

Avocado Egg Salad

6 hardboiled eggs

2 avocados - peeled, pitted and cubed

1/2 cup minced red onion

1/3 cup mayo

3 Tbsp chopped sweet pickles

1 Tbsp yellow mustard

S&P to taste

Mash eggs lightly in a bowl with a fork.  Add all other ingredients and combine well. S&P to taste.  Chill in fridge.  Serve with crackers on a bed of greens.  

Organizing the Garage

 I have picked one of the hottest times of the year to try and get my garage organized.  This is going to be my daily challenge for July.  Now that Michael has gotten most of his stuff out of the garage, I have lots more shelf space to put boxes and containers that have been on the floor for a long time.  Jason and Marc still have a good bit of stuff out there but that will not stay forever either. I have been trying to go through the boxes out there and sort things.  That has been pretty productive, and I have been able to get rid of things and condense boxes.

I want my garage to be more of a functional space than just storage.  Not that there's anything wrong with having storage!  But I want to have my heavy bag available for workouts.  And if I need to do any kind of woodwork or whatever, I'll have a place for that.  I also have realized now that I have almost no tools LOL  I will need to invest in some of my own.  But I will build that up slowly.  

So that's my challenge for this month.  I hope I can get some things done each day despite the heat.  We shall see!!

Quote of the Week

 

This is something that I have been working on lately.  Letting go of the things that I have dreamt about my whole life is hard because I have not found any dreams to replace them.  I am working on that and will find something else to embrace and pursue. 

Wish You Were Here - Jack Cassidy

I have heard this song sung numerous times by many different artists.  I know I have it on several records.  I always have been intrigued by the song and find it on the haunting side.  I'm not sure why but in some ways it's very sad and in other ways it's very hopeful.  I had no idea that it was the title song of a musical from the 1950s.  It's a musical about a summer camp for adults in the Catskills.  Interesting concept.  I want to do some more research on it but I heard the score on the Sounds of Broadway website and found it quite charming.  Here is Jack Cassidy from the original cast singing the title number.  Enjoy!

 

Royal Rose China

I am always happy to accept a new set of dishes.  I can't help it; it's just part of who I am.  Much to the chagrin of my house, though.  Trying to find storage for it all can be daunting at times.  But I do not let that stop me.  And the important thing is that I enjoy it.  And I use it.  This particular set is called Royal Rose.  It was manufactured by the company Fine China of Japan.  

This set came to be by accident.  A friend of mine that I work with knows that I love dishes and things like that.  She told me that she had a tea set that belonged to a relative of hers and would I be interested in it?  I think it may have belonged to her brother, but I cannot recall off the top of my head. I told her that of course I would be interested.

A few weeks later, she brought me this box.  It was not a huge box but definitely bigger than what a tea set may fit into.  That didn't bother me at all, though.  I gladly loaded up the box into my car and got excited to see it when I got home.  You see, she didn't tell me what it looked like or what the pattern was.  It was a mystery at the time. Once I got home and opened the box, I thought there were an awful lot of pieces in this box.  I will admit that it was incredibly packed.  

The first piece I unwrapped was a cup and saucer set.  The pattern was pink roses on a white background with gold scrollwork around the rims.  I thought it was lovely.  I proceeded to empty out of the box of all its pieces.  My friend lied to me LOL  This was not a tea set.  This was a service for 8 of fine china.  I did not mind at all.  I did not have any pattern that looked like this so I thought it would make a nice addition to my collection.  And it has. 

I have used this set for several dinners and really enjoy having it on my table.  It had many pieces like the cream and sugar, salt and pepper sets, serving bowls, platters among all of the dinner plates, b&b plates, dessert plates, cups, saucers, etc.  There never was a tea pot which disappointed me since I initially was told it was a tea set.  Oh well.  I will enjoy it for many years to come!