Quote of the Week

 

This is great advice for anyone, but especially for me.  Follow through has not always been my strong suit but it feels amazing when I do it.  I want that feeling more. 

Appointment Television

 I don't binge watch shows like many of my friends do.  At the most, I will watch two episodes of something in a row but that is usually it for me. I do not have anything against those who binge watch, it is simply not how I watch television, and I can say that is because of the television watching routine that was engrained to me in my formative years. 

Appointment television was a very important part of my childhood.  Watching television in the 80s and 90s required patience because it meant you had to wait a week to find out what happened next.  You couldn't just click a button and watch the next episode. We often scheduled out lives around when a tv show was going to air.  For kids especially, favorite tv shows were a great motivation to get chores done and get homework done.  And parents used that to their advantage.  I don't blame them because it worked.  There was almost no greater fear than having to miss an episode of your favorite tv show and then having to hear all about it the next day at school. 

Different years held different days of the week when you had to sit in front of the television and watch the latest shows. Monday nights in the 90s had Designing Women at 9 p.m. followed by Murphy Brown.  In the 80s, Tuesdays gave us The A-Team at 8:00 p.m. and Unsolved Mysteries on Wednesdays.  Everything stopped on Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. for The Cosby Show and several years later it was followed immediately by A Different World at 8:30 p.m. Fridays had TGIF on ABC from 8 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. with Full House and Family Matters anchoring that line up.  And, of course, every Saturday night was  reserved for The Golden Girls at 9:00 p.m.  And if you weren't watching, you'd better have your vcr set to record!

And then there were the prime-time soaps.  Dynasty was on Wednesdays.  The Colbys and Knots Landing were on Thursdays. Dallas on Fridays. Falcon Crest on Saturdays.  These were must sees for many people each and every week.  And then there were the cliffhangers.  The last episode of the season had some extraordinary event happen and you had to wait for months to find out what happened.  That couldn't happen today with streaming and social media.  The genius campaign of Who Shot JR? would never be able to occur in today's world.  And that's sad to me. 

Anyway, having to wait a week to see what happened next shaped the way I watch television.  And as an adult, it makes my television viewing more special.  I don't really know why it does, but it does. And I'm also not afraid to watch commercials like so many people are today but that's a topic for another day.  However, you like to watch your shows is totally fine.  We all do what works for us.  I just enjoy bringing part of my past into my present.  That is all. 

Switching up how I plan my meals

 

I have really enjoyed working on healthier eating over the past week and half.  I have tried some new recipes that I have really enjoyed like avocado egg salad and avocado toast.  And, yes, I have eaten other things besides avocados.  They just happen to be pretty good for you.  I have gotten more fish into my diet. I had salmon several times and tilapia once.  More fresh fruits and veggies.  Whole wheat starches like breads and pasta.  And much better snacking ideas.  Fruits, nuts, raw veggies. All in all, I was very pleased with how things went.  

What I need to work on, though, is waste.  I liked how I was able to make one thing and then use the leftovers for something else.  Like one night I had broccoli that I sauteed in olive oil to go along with some chicken thighs I cooked.  I used the leftover broccoli in an Asian pasta dish that I made, and it worked out beautifully.  I mostly planned my menus well but there has been some waste.  I was not thinking ahead necessarily about not using the leftovers because I already had meals planned.  Oh well.  Sometimes it worked out and sometimes it did not. A learning point.

So, this week and probably going forward, I am going to not be so meticulous about my meal planning.  By that, I am not going to plan out an entire week of meals.  I will plan several and then utilize the leftovers until they are used up.  This means that I will be adapting my idea of focusing each day on one area of my health, like heart or liver or iron.  What I will do is focus each meal I plan on a specific area, I just will not do it daily.  Like one day is heart, the next day is liver, etc.  That is unless I actually finish up my meal the first time, which probably won't happen.

Either way, I am enjoying this journey.  I did treat myself to Chinese on Sunday because why not?  It has been a lot of fun to find recipes that are not only healthier but also taste pretty good.  I don't have to give up flavor just to eat better.  Now, time to plan my next meal!

Prayer of St. Francis

 I was first introduced to this prayer as a teenager at FBC Monroe.  We sang a version of this prayer as an anthem in youth choir.  I remember it being a beautiful arrangement. I need to search for a recording of it because it was a lovely anthem.  But the words of this prayer really stuck with me.  In today's world, we could definitely use more St. Francis types, and it gives a person something to aspire to. 

New recipes, new people, new glasses

 

I mentioned yesterday that I was on a healthier eating plan and have tried several new recipes.  I did a new cucumber/tomato salad that was quite delicious and the avocado egg salad was awesome.  I will be posting both of these to my blog soon.  BTW, if you're serving the avocado egg salad to guests, you will want to make it right before because, even with lemon juice, it's going to turn colors in the fridge.  Still tastes good though.  I also made an onion gravy for the first time. I had some sausage I wanted to use up and needed a sauce for it and since I had the onions on hand, it worked out beautifully.  And that was last weekend before the healthy eating started LOL

I have been getting more letter writing in as well this week.  I got five letters written this week, which is definitely an increase from the last few months.  I enjoy it and hope to keep it up as I have gotten slack on that.  My letters tend to be like my FB page.  Most of the time, I like to keep them light with lots of questions and updates.  I think it's important to give people a chance to take a few minutes and read something that is just nice.  No drama.  No politics.  Just nice.  So, that's how I shape my letters, and I do hope that people enjoy that little escape from the realities of the world. 

I met some new people this past week as well.  Last Saturday, Alex invited me to a potluck at his house.  There were 12 people there total, including me.  I had a wonderful time, and it was good to get out of the house. One of the people there was a guy that I used to work with when he was at Heritage Greens years ago so it was very nice to reconnect with him and meet his husband.  It was an eclectic group of people and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.  I got invited to a cookout today, but alas I am working 3 to 11 so I will have to wait until the next time!

I also treated myself to a trip to Reconsidered Goods, a local thrift store.  They have lots of neat items in their store and you just never know what you are going to find.   I picked up a few records, a couple of nice frames and a recipe organizer.  I can never have too many ways to keep my recipes organized!!  And then I spotted some glasses at the back of the store.  Because, you know, I need more glassware in my life LOL  I walked by them and left them there.  They lingered in my mind while I was walking around the store so I decided that if they were still there when I made my second trip around the store, I would put them in my basket. 6 glasses, Anchor Hocking "Tartan" pattern. $1 each.  I think Replacements has them for $22.  They came home with me and are now on my dining room table.

Along with getting a new stove on Thursday and waiting for my new fridge to arrive sometime this morning, it's been a nice week of doing things and meeting people.  And cooking. Thank goodness for the induction burner!  Looking forward to seeing what this upcoming week has in store! 

Daily Challenge - Healthier Eating

 

This month, my daily challenge is something that I truly hope will carry on as a new part of my routine.  I have started a healthier meal plan.  I don't call it a diet because I prefer the term meal plan.  My goal here is not to necessarily lose weight even though that would not be unwelcomed!  My goal is to get my levels where they need to be and pick up some healthier eating habits. 

What I have done is focus each day's meals on an area that need improving in my body.  This is Monday through Friday.  Then on Saturday, I will eat up what is left from the week, and Sunday can be a treat day for me.  I don't call it a cheat day but a treat day because cheat just sounds so negative. That does not mean that I will go overboard on that day or that I will even take advantage of it.  If I still have the meal plan food that needs to be eaten, then I do not want to waste that!

Like I said, each day will focus on a different area that needs improvement.  Those areas, for me, are heart, iron, liver, vitamin b and vitamin d.  It has been fun researching foods that improve each and planning a menu on that.  Now, I will admit that portion control has not been great this week, but I have not really gorged myself either.  And I have found some things that I have really enjoyed that have surprised me.  And I've been surprised some of the things that were beneficial.  Some of my favorites have been the avocado egg salad, avocado toast, and eggs with spinach and cheese.  My snacking has been healthier as well:  blueberries, carrots, cashews, etc.  

I'm really excited about this.  This week has been a great success for me. Even if it is too late to do much good as far as my body is concerned, at least I will have finally made the effort!

Road Trips

 I love a good road trip.  Just getting in the car and going somewhere.  Maybe for the day.  Maybe overnight.  Maybe for the weekend.  They're all good.  I took a road trip back in February to visit my hometown and I had the best time.  I hope to make that trip again soon.  The older I get, though, the less I seem to take road trips.  And, honestly, there is always an excuse:  gas costs too much, I don't have a place to stay, I need to stay home and do laundry.  The list can be endless.  I need to get over that and just do it.  Some of the best times I have had were on road trips.

As a child, not counting actual vacations, we would take road trips several times a year.  It was either usually to Raleigh to see Janet or to Wilmington to visit family.  Most were planned excursions but sometimes a spur of the moment trip would pop up. One time Mom, Grandmother and I drove our cousin Bernie back to his farm in Virginia.  We spent the night and came back the next day.  There's something about being in the car with people you love and spending that time together talking, listening to the radio, and enjoying the scenery.  It's hard to explain but those were magical times.  As a small child, going over the drawbridge in Wilmington always made me cry because I was afraid it would collapse when we were driving over and I didn't know how to swim. Bridges still freak me out a little but I'm much better than I used to be LOL

I loved taking road trips when I was in college.  It's funny that mostly those trips revolved around my best friend in college, Jennifer.  Several of us would drive to Jen's house in Georgia or we would drive to Daytona to see Jennifer in whatever show she was doing at Seaside Music Theatre.  My friend Betsy and I drove down one fall to see her in Romeo and Juliet. We had a flat tire on the way which I ended up changing believe it or not.  Then we get to our hotel and the room they gave us was under construction.  That after being in the car for 9 hours or so made for a very long day.  And let me tell you, I-95 in Florida is the most boring drive ever.  And the exits are like 100 miles apart so if you need to use the restroom, best of luck to you!

Michael and I once took a road trip to the Outer Banks.  He had never been before, and we just decided one night to get up early the next morning and go.  That was an awesome trip. It's that kind of spontaneity that I enjoy.  I don't do it often, but I do enjoy it.  Because it was only a day trip....lots of driving...we focused on the touristy things in the Outer Banks.  On our way home, we stumbled upon one of the best restaurants I've eaten at ever, The Hitching Post.  I would love to go back there one day just for the food!

I would love to take more road trips this year.  When I went to Monroe back in February, not only did it feel good to go home but it felt good to get out of the house and explore again.  It'd been a long time since I had done that, especially on my own.  So, anyone up for climbing in the car and going somewhere?  Be warned....my car does not have A/C  haha