Student ID

 Now that I'm going into my third (and hopefully final) year of grad school, I think I am going to finally get a student ID for the year.  I had to get one when I got my bachelor's degree because that was mostly in person learning.  With the online programs, you don't really need that to be a student.  I have a student ID number but not the physical ID.  Many of my classmates do not live here so having a physical ID would be a silly requirement.

My Old ID from undergrad

The reason I want one this year is because I want to take advantage of all of the cultural opportunities that UNCG has to offer this year.  There are so many good performances from the theater, dance and music departments.  Guest speakers and lecturers in different departments.  Sporting events like baseball, basketball, etc. Just lots of activities going on that I want to participate in this year.  And yes, most of these events are open to the public but it's much cheaper if I go to them as a student.  And I do love to fit into my budget LOL

Last year, I went to see a few plays at UNCG.  They were both very entertaining, but I could have gotten the tickets at 1/4 the price if I had a student ID. That's a difference that will definitely add up!  And, also, it will be nice to have a physical memento of this time in my life.  I'm not counting the actual degree LOL  I've got a few days off coming up on weekdays, so I need to research the process of getting my ID.  We'll see how it goes!

The Daisy and Button Compote

 I love the EAPG patter Daisy and Button.  It's a very busy pattern and dates at least back to the late 19th century.  And it's been made ever since.  When I was going through my strictly Victorian stage when I first really began liking antiques, I was drawn to this pattern immediately. But no one in my family had any pieces of it. I'd only seen pictures in books and pieces in shops.  And at that time, those pieces were fairly expensive.  Still, I have always enjoyed this pattern and now have a few pieces.  Even though my decor is not strictly Victorian, I still love using these pieces every day!

I also have a thing for compotes.  I have to be careful about that or they will be everywhere in my house LOL But, one of the D&B pieces I had always wanted was the large compote.  I'd seen it places for years but it was either too expensive or it came at a time when I didn't need it.  Not that I need it now, but you know, sometimes you just gotta treat yourself!

One Sunday I was going to some estate sales with my friends Travis and Jonathan.  Sundays are great because they are normally 1/2 price day at the sale.  I was not looking for anything specifically, just enjoying seeing what was there. I turned a corner and saw the compote on a table full of pressed glass.  I thought, hmmmmm dare I look?  I went over and took a look at it.  No chips or cracks and 1/2 off meant it was $18.  I could afford that.  But would I get it?  

When I see something I like that's not on my antiques bucket list, I tell myself to leave it where it is and come back to it later. If it's still there, it's meant to be.  That's what I did.  I made my way around the rest of the house and when I came back, it was still there.  And now it's mine.  I think it's beautiful and absolutely love it.  It's the little things, my friends!

Sheet Music

As I am going through things in the garage and getting things more organized, one of the things that I am coming across a lot of is sheet music.  There's a pretty good amount of sheet music in different boxes out there.  I recently moved my antique music cabinet back into the house and it was full of sheet music. And the music all comes from different places.  Some is mine, some was Mom's, and some is from my Grandmother's generation. It has been fun to see it again.  I did not really look too deeply into the collection just because that was not the focus of what I was doing out there. I'll save that for another day.

I need to do some research on preserving sheet music because some of it is quite old and fragile.  And there are also lots of hymnals out there as well.  What can I say?  We like hymns in our family haha!  But it's been really nice to find my personal sheet music.  Lots of memories come back from recitals and performances and those times I would just sit down and play for myself and relax.  Even though I don't have a piano at this time, when I come across a piece that I used to enjoy playing, I will put my hands down on a flat surface and play an imaginary piano.  Menotti is a particular favorite composer to play.  And David Lanz.  And all of the Christmas music. 

There is lots to go through and organize, but I am looking forward to it.  Hopefully, one day I'll have a piano again and can put all of this music to work!

Recipe of the Week - Au Gratin Potatoes

 Making au gratin potatoes was something that was on my cooking bucket list.  I have always enjoyed them when I've had them, and I thought they would be complicated to make. Not so much really.  And that's pretty dangerous now that I have made them LOL  I found this recipe somewhere online and have made it several times, this past Easter being the most recent.  It's definitely a keeper and I will hopefully have occasion to make it again soon.  Enjoy!

Au Gratin Potatoes

6 Russet Potatoes, peeled and sliced

4 Tbsp butter

1/2 onion, chopped

1 tsp ground mustard

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

2 chopped garlic cloves

1/4 cup flour

1.5 cups milk*

3 cups shredded cheese, divided**

Breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 350. Melt butter in a large saucepan and sauté onions until soft.  Sitr in mustard, salt, pepper and garlic until well blended.  Stir in flower and milk.  Add 2 cups of cheese.  Stir until melted. Add potatoes.  Stir until well coated. Transfer to a casserole dish.  Top with the remaining cup of cheese.  Bake at 350 for one hour.  Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and bake 10-15 minutes more. 

*Can add more milk to get desired thickness

**Can use more cheese.  I like to make sure the top of the casserole has lots of cheese!

The Church's One Foundation - The Choir of King's College

 For some reason, I thought about this hymn yesterday and it got stuck in my head.  It's a beautiful hymn and I remember singing it many times growing up.  I always thought it had good harmonies in it and loved to sing those parts.  Just a good memory of a beautiful song.

Using My Daily Affirmations to Build Upon

 

When I look at my spiritual health, there are two different things that I mean by that.  One side of it is religion, which is important to me.  The other side of spiritual health is my inner peace and balance.  That is what I'm going to talk about today.  Over the past 18 months I have been exploring my inner peace and learning to take advantage of that. As much as I want things to happen quickly, I know that if I slow down and take it all in, it will help me to balance.

In my daily challenge for this month, I have been doing daily affirmations.  These have been very helpful to me.  They make me stop and think about who I am and who I deserve to be.  While it is not always the case, most of the affirmations begin with the phrase "I am".  That is very impowering to me.  It's been so long since I have done things based on "I am" and thought of myself first, so this has been good for me. Of course, there were times in my past when I put myself first, but this is different.  This is truly intentional and an act of self-reflection.  Telling myself that I am worthy, or I am allowed to take up space makes me feel lighter, as if I am slowly removing the bad perceptions of myself that I have had for so many years.  The daily affirmations come with a sense of freedom that I have not known for a long time.

As I work on building my life, or rebuilding my life depending on how one looks at it, I want to first focus on my foundation.  Starting work from the bottom up. Having that solid foundation will allow me to grow and blossom.  And the daily affirmations are helping me to do that.

That is all.

Danny Boy - Celtic Woman

 This afternoon while I was getting some things done, I had a Mantovani record playing while I worked.  Danny Boy was one of the songs they played.  Theirs is a beautiful rendition of the song. It got me thinking about this version by Celtic Woman.  It's one of my favorites of theirs, just exquisite.  I hope you enjoy it!

Board Games & Cards

Growing up, playing games was a big part of my life.  Many nights were spent playing games with Mom, Dad and Bill. Sometimes board games, sometimes cards.  But it was always fun.  Sometimes I would play games with friends in the neighborhood, but we spent more of our time playing other things and more outdoor type games like hide-n-seek or kick the can. Spending hours with people playing games of strategy and/or knowledge was time well spent.  It was truly quality time.  I always knew when someone set up the card table in the den that an evening of fun was in store.

I love board games.  Clue was always a favorite.  So was Monopoly.  I only wish I was as good with my money now as I was when playing Monopoly.  Oh well.  Scrabble was always fun and I spent many nights playing that with Grandmother.  I remember when Trivial Pursuit came out and what a huge hit that was.  It was a bestselling game and we, of course, had our own copy.  I was always surprised, being the youngest in the family, when I got answers correct but it did happen!  We also got some of the expansion packs like the "Baby Boomer" edition and the "Silver Screen" edition. Now, those were pretty hard and we didn't play them quite as much.  

And card games were a must as well in our family.  My parents played bridge many weekends with friends.  As a family, we would play hearts or spades or gin rummy.  Grandmother and I played gin a lot and we were both pretty good at it. Old Maid was lots of fun when I was young.  What I wouldn't give to have that deck still!  Go Fish was also a favorite past time. And Uno, can't forget that one.  They were all such fun! And cards were great because there were games I could play by myself like Concentration and Solitaire.  I still play lots of Solitaire.

I would love to get some more games into my life again.  While I have been to my fair share of games nights as an adult, it has definitely waned over the past few years.  And now, being single, it's almost nonexistent LOL  I would love to change that.  Just to have someone to play cards with on a regular basis would be awesome.  Of course, I've forgotten many of the games and will have to relearn, but I'm good with that.  But having friends get together to play games would be a wonderful thing to have in my life again. 

Any takers?

Recipe of the Week - Baked Shrimp

 If you like shrimp, this is an easy and pretty healthy recipe overall.  I have made it several times and have really liked it.  I will say that it does not reheat too well because of the butter.  It will congeal when you put it in the fridge and while reheating the butter is easy, it may make the shrimp a little rubbery.  Of course, that doesn't stop me from eating it but wanted to put that out there. But if you are cooking for several people, there shouldn't be any leftovers!!  Enjoy!

Baked Shrimp

1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 Tbsp minced garlic

2 Tbsp lemon juice

S&P

Several dashes of hot sauce

2 Tbsp Parsley

Preheat oven to 350. Layer shrimp in a baking dish (I use an 8x8 pyrex). Combine all other ingredients and pour over shrimp.  Toss well to coat.  Bake 9-13 minutes. 

Starting To Research for My Capstone Project

 I have put a lot of weight on my upcoming capstone project for school.  Obviously, so much so that I have delayed it for a year because I was not sure what I wanted to do.  As I have stated before, this is the only "hands on" experience that I will have with this degree, and I want to make it a good one.  This week I have started an intense period of self-reflection in my life, which is very good for me even if it does not always come across that way. I need to focus some of that energy on preparing for my capstone.

One of the reasons that I did begin this self-reflection is because of my education.  The gerontology department is very good about sending out links to jobs.  I usually do not even bother with them because I'm still in school and I have full time employment at the moment.  But the other day, I decided to start clicking on some the links that my professor was sending.  And most of the jobs listed wanted, along with the master's degree, experience in different areas from what my experience is in.  And instead of letting this be an obstacle for me, I am going to use this to look for my capstone project.

Just a random example of job requirements, not something I was looking at.

I am going to start looking at jobs that involve working with the elderly and really scouring the requirements to see what they want that I don't have experience with.  Here's an example:  many jobs are looking for people who have experience doing assessments.  I have never done an assessment on anyone before.  So that's an area I would like some experience in.  I am going to take that kind of job requirement and form a list.  This will help me to look for a capstone project that will give me some experience in those areas.  At least, that is the hope.  We shall see how that goes.

That is all.

What do I want and what do I need to work on?

 I really need to start thinking about what I want out of life.  I need to look at specific areas and see where improvements and changes can and should be made.  Looking at the individual elements will help me to create the bigger picture of who I want to be.  I'm sure a list will come in handy LOL But then, for me, the big question is do I work on just one thing at a time?  Or do I try to multitask rebuilding my life?  I will be the first to admit that I am not a great multitasker.  But I have also learned from experience that if I focus solely on one aspect of life, the other ones go to pot.  I don't want that to happen either.  It's no fun and one of the major reasons that my life has changed so much in the past two years.

How specific to I need to be?  Do I make broad generalizations in categories so that multiple things can fit under that umbrella?  There are so many options and there is no right or wrong because what may work for one person is not necessarily going to work for another.  Right now, I'm thinking maybe some broader goals with specific bullet points is the right thing for me to try, at least to try first.  One of the things that I'm thinking about trying is a technique that we used when I was in college, the first time, studying acting.  With one particular professor, whatever character we were playing we had to do packing on.  And by packing, we had to create the past, present and future of the character.  What happened to them to get them where they are now?  What is their life like now and what hopes do they have for the future.  Obviously, I don't need to create my past because it is already there.  But I am thinking of writing a description of the person I would like to be and see if I can incorporate that into some things to work on.  It's just an idea right now but it might be good for me to tap back into my creative side to push myself forward.

Thinking on the broad subject areas, I am going to go back to some of the areas of health that we focused on in my last class.  Yes, I know I bitched about that class a lot, but I also did learn a good deal from it. I still don't want to watch Up anytime soon though!  I will start by focusing on these areas of health:  physical, mental, spiritual, vocational and financial.  That's a big chunk to chew on but I don't really want to start small.  I'm getting too old for that and need to go big. And if I fail big, at least I will have tried.  We shall see how this goes.  I've got a lot to consider and a lot of work to do.

That is all.   

In The Garden - Jo Stafford

In The Garden is one of my all-time favorite hymns. It is truly a classic.  I don't normally choose a hymn for my song of the week post, but I am this week.  I actually just purchased this record over the weekend. It is Jo Stafford and Gordon McRae singing hymns and songs of inspiration.  It's a very beautiful album and I enjoyed listening to it very much, so I wanted to share one of my favorite tracks this morning.  A good way to start the day!  Enjoy!

 

Daily Challenge for June

 I have not really thought much about my daily challenge for June so far.  I'm doing fairly well with some of my past challenges and not so well with others.  And so, this month I thought that I would try a little something different.  I want to challenge myself to a daily affirmation. Just a little something that I can start my day with that will lift me up.  I think I need that right now.  I'm sure we could all use that right now and there's nothing wrong with wanting more positivity in my daily life.  We'll see how it goes and I welcome all words of wisdom! 

Prayer for challenging times

I realize that while many of my obstacles are self-manufactured, not all of them are.  Either way, I need support and guidance.

Quote of the Week

 

I've had some really fun times over the past few weeks.  Things change for one reason or another and sometimes things do not work out the way I want them to.  But such is life.  I am no longer going to find blame in myself or second guess myself about things that are beyond my control. Life is too short and I am having too good a time right now!

Cardio

 This past week, I started clearing out space in my garage to begin using my heavy bag and other exercise equipment. It's good for me to get things in better order out there so that I can utilize what I have.  I did a quick workout on the bag and came to realize two things.  One is that I have absolutely no strength in my arms.  There is no muscle tone there at all and I really need to work on that.  My arms are sore just from that quick workout.  I don't think I could even attempt a push up right now if I tried LOL  The second thing I realized is that my cardio sucks!  It's really bad.  I know that years of smoking and vaping have not helped so I really need to start building that back up.

One of the things about boxing that is vital is cardio.  That's why you see so many cardio boxing and cardio kickboxing classes.  While it's a great way to strengthen and maintain your cardio habits, you really need a good cardio base to begin.  I don't have that right now.  So, for awhile I'm going to focus on cardio.  I don't know exactly what all I am going to do for that, but I am going to get started none the less. I don't particularly enjoy walking and hiking, at least by myself, but I know it's something I am going to have to do more of.  I think there's some kind of exercise bike out in the garage.  At least, it looks like one LOL So, I may see if I can get that up and running.  

I know that I will feel better overall once I begin to improve my cardio.  And not just when it comes to boxing, but in all aspects of life.  I will sleep better. I will have more energy. My heart health will improve. My circulation will improve.  I have all of these reasons staring me in the face to work on my cardio, so it's time I get my butt in gear and do it.  I saw a motto the other day that said "Results not excuses" and that really hit me to the core.  I can make an excuse for just about anything.  I think it's because for so long when I have thought about "results" I am only seeing the end goal.  It's going to be one pound at a time not some overnight success story, which does not happen unless you know a good plastic surgeon!

So, it's time to start working on the process and taking the results one day at a time. Here's to better health!

Proverbs 27:9

 I try to find Bible verses that are uplifting and there are so many of them.  Here is today's:

Handling myself differently in the dating world

 Now that I am beginning to get back into dating and being social, I need to take what I have learned from my past experiences and build upon that.  I need to be more cautious and just slow down.  When I'm interested in someone, I have the tendency to go too fast.  I think way too far ahead and set myself up for potential disappointment.  Sometimes that game plan works and sometimes it doesn't.  So, I want to remind myself that simply dating is just that.  Dating.  It's not a relationship yet.  It may never be, but it just may well be.  I need to enjoy the journey as I am taking it and not be so result oriented.  Granted, that may be hard to do considering I'm pushing 50 and am not exactly sure of my wants and desires right now. Do I want something long-term or do I just want to see what's out there for a while.  There is no answer to that question for me because I am open to many possibilities.  It's the tempo of it that I want to work on.  If the right person comes along, I'm not going to look the other way because I think I need to play the field.  Or if the date doesn't go well, I need to remind myself that kind of thing happens.  Not everything is going to be a magical experience. Take a deep breath, be glad I had the experience and move on to something else. 

There are times when I come on pretty strong when I'm interested in someone.  I want to take some steps back and look at the whole situation before making an idiot of myself.  I do not mean to come across as clingy, but I tend to get excited when it feels right. And it is totally fine if someone says to me "hey, slow down a bit". There truly is no need to rush into things.  Basically, be it a relationship or simply going out on a date, I want to take my time and enjoy the process.  I've made some good friends from dates that never went anywhere else and that is great.  I'll take all of the friends I can these days!  I also do not want distance to be an issue, but I have to be careful there.  I do not want to get caught up in the fantasy and the stress of thinking about relocating just yet.  If you saw my house, you would understand that.  But I tend to start looking around other places when things are going well.  Again, Bob, slow down.  I do not want to uproot my life unless it is absolutely the right thing to do. 

It's fun for me exploring this side of the dating scene.  I did not date much at all until I was in my 20s. And now that I'm in my 40s, I am finding that the old-fashioned dating is really nice. When it's not about hooking up but getting to know someone.  That's when it's fun for me.  And when I really get to know someone and start to have some kind of feelings, that makes the physical part of it even that much more fun when it happens.  I have had several dates now where it was just dating, and sex did not play a part of that.  It has been really nice because I feel like someone is interested in me, the person, and that makes all the difference in the world.

We'll see how I do with all of this.  I just wanted to get a few thoughts out.  That is all.

Summer Vacations

 

Now that summer is approaching, the schools around here are starting to wind things down for the year.  I remember how exciting a time it was and how I looked forward to summer vacation.  I suppose in some ways that is still the case.  I have been looking forward to not being in school for a while and relaxing some.  Even though I am working still, not having to be in class every night is a good thing for me. But one of the things I miss about those summers are the actual vacations.  Planning weeklong trips and heading out of town.  I may get in a few weekend trips and day trips throughout the summer but not an actual vacation.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining.  I am just remembering how fun those times were.  One day I'll get back to where I can afford a vacation, I have no doubts!

Growing up, we almost always went to the beach for a week.  Even though I don't swim, I love to be at the beach.  I remember how much planning Mom put into it.  We would only eat out once during our stay, so she very carefully planned menus for the week and bought almost all of the groceries at home because they're more expensive at the beach. I remember the house at Kure Beach that didn't have any closets but wardrobes in every room.  There were swings on the front and back screened in porches.  I would spend hours with Grandmother swinging on those swings.  I remember the house at Topsail where the floor slanted, and Aunt Sara's bed moved during the night.  I remember playing the card game Spoons with the family.  Janet, my Mom's best friend, caught her first fish there.  That was the summer that the TWA flight was hijacked, and we had the tv on all day long to watch the news, something we never normally would do on vacation. 

As I grew older, Grandmother and I would go to Wilmington for a week.  My Great Aunt Billie lived there as did Uncle Bill and Aunt Jan.  That was always a fun visit to me.  I loved Aunt Billie's house and always enjoyed my time there.  It was magical. One year we went to the Outer Banks. We took the dog that year and she got loose one day.  We finally managed to catch her, but it wasn't easy.  That was the year we played Charades and our dog, Buttons, kept think we were dropping treats for her when we did our gestures. In the past few years, I've had a few weeks at the beach, and it's always been fun.  Like I said, I don't really go on the beach much itself, but I love the atmosphere of the ocean life. 

Michael and I went to a campground in TN for about 13 summers.  We made some wonderful friends there and it was always a good time.  At least what I can remember of it LOL I think that's what really got me to thinking about vacations lately.  The yearly event we always attended began yesterday.  It's been several years since I've been back and I would love to return one day.  It was always so relaxing and I miss my friends there.  Maybe one day!

As for now, I'm happy in my day-to-day life.  I think I will start planning some short trips here and there. If you'd like to host me, just let me know LOL

That is all. 

Sorting through school papers

 

Over the past two years of being in school, I have not had to purchase very many books.  Most of my materials have been provided online by the professors. That's been a very nice thing as far as expenses go because textbooks are ridiculously expensive.  They always have been.  I used to hate that in undergraduate school the first time around.  We'd have to buy all of these books and either ended up not using them at all or the book only had one small portion that was needed for class.  Of course, this was in the days before the internet so in some ways I understand it.  But it was always a large chunk of money to spend on something you rarely used.  Anyway, I have only had to purchase a few books for this degree and luckily, the books I have purchased have all been quite useful and I have kept them.

That being said, I have accumulated 3 boxes of materials from the classes that I have taken online.  I will often print out the materials and read them away from the computer.  It's easier for me to highlight and make notes if I have an actual piece of paper in front of me. But now I need to figure out if any of these papers are worth keeping.  Now that we're in the digital age, all of these articles and chapters of books are available somewhere online.  So, do I hang on to the hard copies or not?  I just don't know.  I am going to have to begin the arduous task of sorting through the papers and see which ones I want, and which can be recycled.  I know I'll end up keeping quite a few because of the notes I have written on them.  But I believe that I can condense them into one box instead of three.  Heck, I may even be organized enough to put them into notebooks for easy reference later on. They may come in handy with my final project.  

Anyway, I am thankful for not having to purchase so many books and that far outweighs the task of sorting through these papers. It's simply a matter of me getting it done.  

That is all. 

Recipe of the Week - Chicken and Stuffing Casserole

 

If you need an easy and filling dish for dinner, here you go!  I got this recipe from one of my residents and have made it several times.  Admittedly, I love stuffing, so this one was a no brainer for me!  You can make this a day ahead and cook for dinner the next evening.  It's good with steamed vegetables on the side to balance out the carbs haha  I hope you enjoy!

Chicken and Stuffing Casserole

6 boneless chicken breasts *

1 8oz package of Cornbread Stuffing mix **

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 stick of butter or margarine, melted

broth from boiled chicken

Boil chicken (unsalted) until tender.  Once cooked, slice, chop or leave whole in 2 equal portions.  

Melt butter and stir into stuffing mix.  Divide into 3 equal portions.

Place layer of chicken in casserole dish.  The spread a portion of stuffing mix over the chicken.  Dilute can of mushroom soup with one can of broth.  Pour over layers.  Repeat layers of chicken and stuffing. Dilute can of chicken soup with one can of broth.  Pour over layers.  Top with remaining stuffing mix.  Bake 45 minutes or until browned.

* - you can use precooked chicken but make sure to have some chicken stock on hand as well.

** - feel free to enhance the stuffing mix with chopped celery or onion or anything else you like in your stuffing. 

Enjoy!!

Missing being in a handbell family

 

One of the things I miss most about being in a handbell choir is the sense of family that comes with that.  Handbells are instruments that you either love or you don't.  There's very little in between with them I'm learning.  I, of course, love them.  I love playing them and I love listening to them.  It's a magical sound to me. So, chances are if you are part of a handbell choir, it's because you love them.  At least as an adult.  I remember being a child at FBC in Monroe and our minister of music, Jim Reich, would often recruit kids via their parents into being in the handbell choir.  Most of them didn't love it like I did.  People were more willing to be there once I was in the you bell choir.  With the adult choir, though, everyone really wanted to be there.  Not everyone was a good ringer, but they all wanted to serve the church in that way and that made it special.  By the way, I started ringing with the adult choir when I was in 8th grade. I still rang with the youth choir but was allowed to join the adult choir because of my love for the instrument.

That choir was, and is, so special to me.  We were a family.  I still have many good friends from that experience.  Many of the members that I rang with have passed away, but they are still so special to me:  Imogene Griffin and Doris Martino.  We would all go to bell festivals and have such a good time.  We'd eat out together during the trips and find things to do during our free time.  The handbell choir even threw me a graduation party when I graduated from high school.  They gave me a great piece of luggage which I still have today and still use.  I miss that time very much.  We were more than just friends, we were a family.  I keep up with several of my handbell choir family members to this day. That is one of the reasons that I want to join a handbell choir.  Not only to make music but to make friends.  Handbell ringers are a special breed of musician and I long for that again.  I'll get back there one day!

You'll Never Walk Alone

 I wanted to start June off with a song of hope.  It's something we all need right now for many reasons.  This beautiful song from Carousel is performed here by the BYU men's choir.  Enjoy.