You Needed Me - Anne Murray

 I just felt like starting my Thursday with some Anne Murray.  This song in particular really resonates with me at this point in my life.  In a world so filled with hatred for others, especially in this country, we all need people who need us and whom we need.  Giving is a two way street and giving to others is so important right now.  And accepting giving from others is just important.  I remember this song from the Anne Murray's Greatest Hits cassette that Mom used to own.  We listened and sang along so many times to that cassette in the car.  Those are good memories.  And, it's a beautiful song!  Enjoy!

Relaxing with Piano

 One of the things I miss about not having a piano is the relaxation that comes with it.  Now, back when I was taking piano lessons, sitting down at the piano was not necessarily a relaxing thing.  Practicing scales which, by the way, I was never good at, was far from fun.  And the pieces I practiced usually had an end goal of a recital.  And if you've been in a piano recital, you know that is a lot of pressure.  And it's a long evening for those watching as well LOL

Still, I learned by example that playing the piano can be a way to relieve stress and make yourself feel better.  Anytime that Mom was feeling down or worried about something she would go into the living room and sit down at the piano.  It soothed her worries and made her feel better about life.  It's a good coping mechanism.  I did that a lot in college.  When things got to be too much, I would take my music books and head over to the music building, find an empty practice room and play for hours.  It made me feel so much better.

I really do wish I had one now.  With the stresses of work and adding school on top of that, it would be so nice to just sit down on the piano bench and start playing.  It's kind of like riding a bicycle in that you don't really forget how to do it no matter how long it's been.  It might take a while to get back up to speed but your fingers will remember.  All those hours of practicing would be worth it now.  I miss that and hope to have it back again someday.

That is all. 

One Drawer at a Time - laundry room update

 I've been doing my process in the laundry room but you can't tell LOL  Oh well.  That is not going to stop me from keeping on going with it. My major problem is where to put stuff.  I have two sets of shelves out in there and my goal is to only have one set when all of this is said and done.  But there are lots of things on the shelves that could potentially go out into the garage.  Unfortunately, the garage is also an area of chaotic organization.  And if I take things out there, I want to put them in a place where they will stay and that I know where there when I need them.  These are things like extension cords (apparently I have a lot of them). And tools and such.  Not that I don't need them inside, but if I can put them out I would like that.

The other issue I am running into is my excess of cleaning products.  You would really think that my house would be much cleaner with all of the products I have.  Most of them Michael bought and there's a lot LOL  I don't want to throw them away if they are still useful, but that's the hard part.  Trying to find a date on these containers is ridiculous.  Most of them have these long sequences of numbers somewhere on them but nothing that even closely resembles a "best if used by" date on them.  I don't want to hold on to them if they are expired but how can I tell otherwise?  With the aerosol cans, I'm going by their condition.  If there's rust on the bottom then yes, they are too old and out they go.  That helps a little but all of these others I have no clue.  I guess I'm going to have to clean a lot more and just use these products to make some space!  

Still, I am going to keep plugging away at the laundry room. It may actually take me longer than the kitchen even though it's only one third the size but it will be worth it!

Daily Challenge - March

 This month, I am going to focus on things around the house to get done daily.  The other day at work during my lunch break, I watched a YouTube video on things people who have neat houses do every day.  While my house is not unclean, it could use some daily sprucing up.  Anyway, I thought that the video had some very good points.  Not all of them applied to me, but about half did so those are the ones I am going to work on this month.

1. Wash and put away dishes - There really is nothing like going into the kitchen first thing in the morning to make my coffee and the kitchen is clean.  That does not happen nearly as much as it should.  I am notorious for leaving dishes in the sink.  Either I'm soaking them because they've been caked on with something or I'm just being lazy.  I need to make sure that the dishes are cleaned every day.  And that could mean also just making sure dirty dishes are in the dishwasher and not left out.  I don't have to run the dishwasher every day as I am just one person so at least getting them correctly out of side would be sufficient.

2. Trash - I don't take the trash out every day.  Again...one person here.  But what I can do is make sure I empty all of the random trash cans throughout the house into the kitchen trash can every day.  I don't like to take the kitchen trash out if the bag isn't full.  Unless, of course, something in there smells then by all means let's take it out.  And this way, the kitchen can will fill up more often.  

3. Make beds - I already do this every day.  I like to crawl into bed each night in a bed that's been made.  It makes me feel neater than I really am.  I put it here as a reminder to keep doing it!

4. Bathroom surfaces - I hate cleaning the bathrooms.  If I can get myself into the habit of wiping down the bathroom surfaces and making sure the mirrors are cleaned, then when I go into clean the entire bathroom, my job will be a little easier.  I just cleaned my bathroom sink yesterday and hated the experience.  Like I said, I had let it go on far too long and it was a pain in the butt to try and clean it.  It's still not amazing looking but it is much better.  I think I would appreciate not having that level of cleaning stress on me if I just took the initiative to maintain it. 

5. Kitchen sink and counters - I use my kitchen every day in one form or another.  Whether it's cooking or reheating leftovers or making coffee, etc., my kitchen is in constant use.  But, again, I am notoriously bad at cleaning my sink and counters.  Michael used to do it a lot because a dirty sink drives him crazy.  For me, I can live with it apparently.  But, that's not a good excuse. I need to get into the habit of wiping them down every day.  Especially after I have been cooking, particularly if I have had raw meat out to cook.  I have so many wipes available to me right now that this is a good place for me to use them.  

These are things that I should be doing every day.  Mainly because I keep saying that I want my house ready for company if the occasion ever arises.  Doing these on a daily basis will help me keep up with the house better.  And in the end, I will feel better about myself and that's really what matters.  Now, I'm off to wash my dishes.

That is all. 

Quote of the week

 

I accept that I cannot do anything major to change this crazy world we live in now.  Believe me, I wish I could.  But I can do small things to change someone's world or make someone's day better.  Right now that will be enough.  It's as much for me as it is for them.  Be well and be kind!

Spring Break

 Spring break is next week.  Of course, it isn't spring yet, but that's never stopped spring break before!  I am very much looking forward to not having to rush home every day and spend 3 to 4 hours doing homework.  I realize that is part of the fun of grad school, but this will be a nice break from that for me.  I'm leaning towards the burned outside of school right now, so I could use this time to rejuvenate.  I am taking a few days off of work as well towards the end of the week.  I do have to go in on one of those days because the committee I chair is having a meeting and I need to be there for that.  

I'm looking forward to having a few stress-free days.  I will sleep in, which means I'm up by 6:30 a.m.  I don't mind getting up that early on days off at all.  It's a totally different kind of sleep when you wake up to an alarm as opposed to your body just telling you it's time to get up!  I may try to take a day trip here and there.  Maybe pop over and see Dad and June.  May treat myself to a meal or two out.  May go antiquing.  Who knows.  I have no plans and just want to see where the time takes me!  I am very much looking forward to this and don't want to waste it.  We shall see!

Things to work on in March

 

1. Diet 

This is not just the typical need to eat healthier need.  And, of course, I need to eat healthier.  More salads, more fresh fruits and vegetables.  That's a given.  I need to work on not wasting food.  I really try not to do that, but for anyone that doesn't remember, cooking for one is not easy.  I tend to eat a lot of leftovers in order to avoid wasting food but after a while I just get really tired of it.  I try to freeze leftovers but now my freezer is getting really full!  I need to remember that when I go to make something I do not have to cook it all at once.  Like I don't have to cook the entire box of pasta.  I can cook half and save half for another time.  Also, I have been trying to use what I have and to buy ingredients that I know I will use for several recipes.  My stomach has been giving me some issues lately, so some dietary changes are definitely needed. 

2. House

As you know, I have spent the last year putting my house together.  I still have a long way to go but I'm happy with the progress I have made.  I have a little time off from class....thanks spring break...and no plans so I am hoping to get more done.  I like having it feel like my home.  I want it to be ready for any company to come over so that I'm not stressing myself out at the last minute doing major cleaning.  One of the guidelines I need to keep in mind is "don't put it down, put it away". If I would follow that, that would be a great first step.  But I have so many boxes still to go through and explore.  I have thrown out a lot in the past year.  Would not have thought that, would you?  But there's lots more to tackle.  And I'm not necessarily looking to purge but that is a definite end result from this.  I like my stuff and enjoy my stuff and USE my stuff, so I don't mind having a lot of it.  But I want more order.

3. School

I'm burning out on school right now.  I hate to say that, but it's true.  My new class starts after spring break.  Well, actually it started yesterday but I ain't doing nothing til after spring break.  Sorry, Dr. Caro!  But with this class I am going to try my best to work ahead.  One reason is to lessen my stress.  This last class stressed me out.  Another reason is so that I can have at least one weekend day off from schoolwork.  I think that it is important to have that kind of down time.  Hopefully this will renew my excitement, even though I'm already not happy about the structure of this class.  We shall see. 

4. Job

I have been pretty dissatisfied at work lately.  I'm not sure if this where change should come in my life right now.  There are many pros and cons to my job.  I think that's true for everyone, but I've been thinking a lot about it lately.  Basically, I'm not really needed at work therefore I am the expendable one in my department.  That's not a good feeling.  So, this month I need to focus more on trying to improve that situation or begin looking for a new situation in earnest.  I want to feel like I contribute.  I want to feel like what I do is important and I'm just not getting that anymore.  And just to clarify, this is how I feel about myself at work.  My coworkers have not made me directly feel this way.  I know that they appreciate me and enjoy my presence.  But taking a step back and realizing that when I'm not there it does not make any difference in the day-to-day operations makes me feel unvaluable.  That's got to change. 

5. Exercise  

I am a slug.  I need to get up off of my butt and exercise.  There's no getting around this one.  I have things I want to do in life and if I'm not in better shape at some level, then those things are not going to happen.  I need to start small and work my way up.  Just to get my circulation in better shape to say the least.  I know I put a lot of strain on my body by my sedentary lifestyle.  If I want to see retirement age, even though I will never be able to afford to retire, I need to really start focusing on this now before it's too late.