More Repairs

Yesterday when I was driving to work my neighbor called and said my garage door was open. She went and shut it for me, but it wouldn't stay down. I played around with it last night and cleaned the sensors and knew I wasn't going to be fixing it myself. 

It turns out the gear in the motor was broken and I had him install a new unit and a new rail thing that it runs on. Oh my gosh, I love it! I know I said I was going to cut down on my spending, but this was worth it. The other one was over 20 years old anyway. He also installed the remote entry for me. I already had one purchased and it was sitting on my shelf waiting for someone with a drill. Now, I have a very quiet garage door that I can open in my car, on my phone, or with the keypad. 

Hopefully, I'm done with costly repairs now. Lets keep it to the hundred dollar range for a little while, hm? Still, I'm very happy with this one. 

Weekend

It was slumber party weekend. My niece had asked if they could have one before school started. I didn’t quite make that since most of them started this past week, but it was close. I had 5 of them spend the night. I feel like we did pretty good. The chaos was manageable and I didn’t yell. Seriously, I’m not sure why they like coming here. When I was younger, I made more of an effort. LOL

We started at the pool. Since some of us have a pass, I just paid for the other kids. My sisters came too and we had fun. We got out right before it closed and then went to Chic-Fil_A for dinner. We met up with my older nieces as well. Once dinner was over and we got back to my house, I let the kids play and they got out my tinker toys. I’ve had those things since Spencer was a tiny and they’ve been a good investment. About 8:30, I had them get in the pajamas and we made popcorn and settled down for a movie and treats. I rented some Pokémon movie and was bored stiff, but that’s ok. Eventually, I got them settled in bed and went up to bed myself. I told the older kids I didn’t care if they stayed awake or kept the tv on as long as they didn’t wake the twins. Evidently, they did stay up late and they did wake at least one of the twins. LOL I didn’t really hear them, but I did not sleep well. I just get weird anxiety when I’m not the only one in my house. So I ended up getting up early and took a shower and got ready for the day. I went downstairs a little before 8 to start breakfast and Rosie woke up first. Once one of them is up, there’s no way to stay quiet. 

We had breakfast and watched cartoons. I put on a few different 80’s cartoons because Katya loves watching 80s stuff. Then we got out the ancient game cube for an hour or so until Amy came to get the twins. They don’t all fit in my car for me to take home. I took the older kids home by way of Walmart for some birthday shopping and then In N Out for lunch. 

It was almost 2 when I got home to start cleaning. I got everything put away and got the floors vacuumed and swept and mopped. I started laundry and made my grocery list. I got home from shopping around 5 and just enjoyed the clean, quiet, calm of my home. I’ve been trying to make it cozy and I like how it feels. 

Then a little before 10 we had a thunderstorm. It was glorious. The rain just pelted down for a few minutes and I had puddles in my backyard on the lawn. It calmed down for a bit and then it started back up when I went to bed. I opened my window and enjoyed the cooler air and the sounds of rain and thunder. I do love a good storm. 

Today I’m finishing a bit of laundry, but otherwise taking it easy. After church, I plan on making the sweet corn chowder. I may throw in a small batch of biscuits as well. The sun is shining but the wind is blowing and it will still get hot. It’s been a good weekend though. 

Reminder

Yesterday, I went to Target and stocked up on a few things and bought some new hangers because I was out. Then this morning, I got the urge to clean out my closet and then I had all the hangers I needed. I will use everything I bought yesterday (tissue, qtips, toothpaste etc.) but now I have a lot of extra hangers. LOL this always happens to me. So this is my reminder to be more careful about what I’m buying and how I’m spending my money. To check my pantry for ingredients before I buy more, that sort of thing. I just got to the point where my checking account has a little extra in it and I want to keep it that way. 

I don’t need more stuff! If I come across things I think I want, I can put them on my Christmas list. I don’t need to impulse buy anything! I have lots of things already at home that I can do: blankets to make, crafts to finish, embroidery, puzzles, books to read, playing the piano, etc. Then there’s cleaning and exercise. My house is already filled with plenty of things to keep me occupied for many months. 

Waiting, Waiting

Yesterday's rain storm has me craving fall. I yearn for the cool days and fallings leaves. It was cool this morning so I got to open some windows for much needed fresh air. I know fall will come and I'm so looking forward to it. So I guess this is my annual post about what I want to do when it comes. 

First, I will say that I'm going to the famer's market one more time and I am trying to enjoy the end of summer. I haven't had fresh corn on the cob yet so that's a must do. I think I'm going to make corn salsa this weekend. My flip flop wreath gets to hang on the door for another 2 weeks. There's also the library book sale coming up, so I'm not quite done with August. 

But I'm already getting down with fall vibes. I mean, if people have started decorating for Halloween, I can surely get out my candles. I'm switching out my bedding for a change as well. It's not for warmth, because I still don't need that, but its a nice change anyway. I'll wait for September before I get the fall decor out. It's like 3 things. LOL

Besides the candles, I have started putting on the fall vibes when I put on ambient sounds in the background. I've made a list of books that would be fun to read in the coming months. I'm thinking about soup. There's a summer corn chowder recipe I want to make for the first soup of the season and then I've got a list of my favorites. I love soup and all the different flavors you can make. It's both tasty and comforting and can be very healthy. Since I'm not eating butter right now, I don't know that I'm going to be making much bread, but maybe I can find a substitute that I like. 

It will come and I'll be ready when it does.

Back to Life

It’s been a busy week. My first major item was an expensive one. Earlier this year when I tried to have my tankless water heater flushed, they discovered some major issues with corrosion or something because of the hard water. The guy helped me call the company, but to make a long story short, the lack of water softener made the warranty null. Which the first company never told me. They only said I needed to have it flushed every year. Anyway, it’s fixed. I have a new tank and a new water softener on my hot water only. So I don’t have to drink it and I won’t water my plants with it. Maybe it will make my tub easier to clean? What I do know is that my hot water is getting hot much faster than it did before so I’ll take it. I don’t feel like I’m wasting so much water any more as I wait for it to get hot. 

I also had my first colonoscopy today. Blah. I know what people say: it’s the prep that sucks and then its a nice nap. But that didn’t calm my anxiety. The liquid diet was probably the worst. I did eat jello too but I had a headache all day long. The laxative tasted bad, but not as bad as I was expecting. I drank it through a straw and while my stomach was rolling a bit, I didn’t get the urge to throw up. Truly, from everything I had heard, I had built it up in my head and that’s probably where most of the anxiety came from. But it truly was a great nap! LOL My sister picked me up and got me an Einstein's bagel on the way home. And the extra wonderful thing is that it’s finally raining and I get to lay on the couch and just listen to it. I have other comfort food ready to go, including a Dr. Pepper. I’ll continue to have today as a self care day and get back to work/life tomorrow. Now, after the 2+ weeks of travel, I’m happy to be at home for a while and back in my routines. 

Long Weekend

Thursday was a bit of a rough day. I had some peri-menopause emotions going strong and everything was making me upset. After work, I picked up 2 mums from Smiths and my first stop was the Wellsville cemetery. The canyon is stunning right now and the drive was so beautiful. Plus, once you get to Wellsville, the mountains on that side are also simply gorgeous. The cemetery was empty on Thursday early evening so that was also nice. Then I drove back home and before I went home I stopped at the Ogden cemetery. Not many people there either. I put some flowers on the grave of my great, great grandfather: Roy Ernest Hull. His headstone is almost entirely covered by a huge bush and I’m not sure if anything can be done about it. I mean, I didn’t even know he was buried there until a few years ago. It’s just an extra thing I like to do now.

On Friday I used a day of vacation so I didn’t have to work. I got up and went for a 3 mile walk. Then I got ready for the day. I picked up Ollie and we got lunch and then picked up Rosie from her last day of school and we went to the park so they could play and eat lunch. Then I ran some errands and did the grocery shopping. I met up with my sister and the twins again at the pool. It’s open again after a 2 week closure so I’m going to be going back to water aerobics this week and that makes me happy. 

Saturday I got up and went to the church to help with the weekly cleaning. I got to vacuum a lot of classrooms and hallway. Then the fun started ha ha. I had in mind to do some deep cleaning and rearrange my bedroom and office, mostly to give the carpet a break and get the groves in other places for a while. Man, that was a project. I got it done though. I can move everything by myself as long as the dresser drawers are taken out and the desk and cedar chest are mostly empty before I do it. The one thing I really had a problem with was my mattress. That sucker is heavy and doesn’t have good handles. I was very sweaty when I finished. It feels good to have that done though. I also put together a slow cooker meal in the morning and then made a loaf of peasant bread as well as doing laundry. I spent the evening reading and watching tv. I was tired. LOL

Today was church and then family dinner. We ate at Anna’s and went to the Brigham cemetery after. It was a very nice evening. The temperature was perfect for a walk around the cemetery. If summer stayed like this, I would like it a lot better. We tried to tell the kids a few things that we know about the really old graves we leave flowers at. It’s a little hard sometimes since we didn’t know some of them ourselves. But I guess that’s what family history is for. 

Tomorrow I want to take another walk and then do a few more small projects around the house. One of the projects may require a quick trip to Hobby Lobby. ;) I’d also like to clean out my car and go through the car wash. Other than that, I have no big plans for the day but it sounds perfect to me. 

Another Sunday in May

We’ve got a storm moving in. Right now it’s a bit windy outside. Wind not being my favorite thing, I have my noise canceling headphones on with some instrumental music playing. Not sure if we’ll get any rain out of it, but that would be nice. The temperature dropped so I am having a cup of cocoa as I get ready to read in my library. It’s a nice, relaxing Sunday afternoon. 

I really need to be not lazy this week when I’m not at work. I’ve got to get some stuff done around my house and I have a few small projects. Like very small and I need to just do them. LOL That’s the goal for this week. I’m only at work 4 days and then having a 4 day weekend, since Memorial Day is coming. It’s the end of spring and transitioning into summer. I do love the change of seasons. 

Yesterday, I took my niece to her soccer game since her parents were out of town. My sister and the twins met us there. Then we went to eat at Iceberg diner and to this month’s indie bookstore: The Hollow, located in Syracuse. It’s a cute little store that just opened up about a month ago. I bought 2 books for myself and 1 for my niece. I didn’t think she was much of a reader, but she said she’s recently read some books she likes. Her birthday is coming up and she said she’d love a trip to Barnes & Noble. LOL She doesn’t need to ask twice. I’ll take her for sure. 

Still trying to decide what my summer vacation is going to be. I’m absolutely fine heading to Cedar City but trying to decide if somewhere else is on the horizon. I decided against any trips with a tour and think I’ll just stay closer to home and spend less money. Prices being what they are, it doesn’t hurt to get my savings account stacked a little more in case of hard times or things breaking. 

But for now, I’m going to go read and take some time out of this world for a different one in a book. 

Mother’s Day

Hard to believe this is my 3rd Mother’s Day without my mom. Time has flown and yet it hasn’t. It’s going to be a beautiful day and we are having family dinner later and then we’ve got flowers to take to the cemetery. I made grandma’s rolls today. They are rising now and after church I will cook them and take them to dinner. 

I spent last week in Charlotte, NC for work and then took Friday off for a 3 day weekend. It’s been really nice. Very warm. I’m not quite ready for the heat, but I guess I don’t have any say in that. I’ve had my ceiling fan on at night, although it’s still cool in the morning. It won’t be long before I have another fan running all night just to keep me cool enough to sleep. It’s ok. I can have a good summer and then be happy about the fall. 

My flowers are doing well outside and I have a few projects for the inside and of course, there are always books to read. The pool is closed for maintenance or something for 2 weeks so no water aerobics. I need to see about the summer schedule. I’d like to keep going because it feels good, but I need to start walking outside as well. Take advantage of all the light in the evenings. 

Life is not without problems, but there are also a lot of good things. I’m so grateful for all that I have, especially for the parents who worked hard for our family. I wouldn’t be where I am today without them. 

Nice Weekend

It’s been a really nice weekend, after a kind of stressful week. I worked from home all last week since I had a bunch of training meetings at a bunch of different times. On Wednesday night I went to Barnes & Noble and bought some books I didn’t need. It was just nice to get out. For the first time since I started going to water aerobics, I decided not to go on Thursday only because I was tired. Turns out that was a good decision, since they called and said it was canceled. And by Friday afternoon, I walked to the gas station and bought a Dr. Pepper because I was stressed. I’m not going down that road again, so I told myself to enjoy it. But it was a really long week. 

As for the weekend, Friday night I went swimming with my sister and the twins. Then we walked down 25th street to get boba’s and stopped in a local chocolate store that I knew was there, but had never been in. I tried an orange caramel and then bought a couple of them dipped in chocolate. The dark chocolate dipped was my favorite. And now I think I need to get some orange flavoring since I love making raspberry caramels. Orange would be fun to try too. 

Then on Saturday we went to the library for their Earth Day activities. I got a packet of marigold seeds and a packet of ladybugs, which I took home and put on my outside plants. I haven’t planted flowers yet, but my few perennials are growing and I put them on those. Half of the ladybugs always die, but it’s fun anyway. For a few days, I can see ladybugs outside. It will be a few weeks still until I plant flowers. I mean, we got snow last week. I think the cold snaps are probably about gone, but I’ll wait just a little longer. I’m going to scale back even from last year, I think. I just don’t want to be using water on a lot of extra plants since we didn’t get much this winter. I could argue they are necessary for my mental health, but just filling in my flower bed gives me enough joy there. 

Saturday afternoon, I took my sister and the twins to the movie. I texted my brother too and he dropped off  my 9 year old nephew and a friend and I took them as well. We went to the Mario Galaxy movie, whatever it was actually called. I didn’t think it was great, but the kids had fun. Alex’s little friend can put away the popcorn. 😆 And after that, in the evening, my 21 year old nephew came over and made me watch The Amazing Digital Circus so that I can go to the movie with him when it comes out. Or comes out  again? Anyway, it was actually a lot better than I thought it would be. 

And today after church I made tacos for lunch/dinner and then a cinnamon loaf. I went up to my library and did a little purge project and dusted all the shelves. I have a nice pile to donate and I have some gaps in my shelves again. I’m sure they will fill up fast. This coming Saturday is indie bookstore day so my sister and I are doing a book crawl. It will be fun. I may give myself a budget though. Ha ha 

Ug, Adulting

I got up early this morning to get some stuff done. I got some of it done. Now I’m tired and I just spent almost $200 on gas and groceries. That’s so crazy. I paid tithing too so there went my paycheck. It’s fine. I have money and I’m blessed in a lot of ways by paying tithes and other offerings. I don’t mind that at all. But man, crap is expensive. I feel like I need to make another donation to the food bank or something because I shouldn't complain. At least my paycheck covers my expenses. It’s just horrible how many people struggle to get by. 

We’re getting a little rain today, which is really nice. And there’s a local indie bookstore doing a “re-opening” because they moved locations that I may stop by. I didn’t know they existed before this location so it could be fun to check it out. Or I can go sit in my library and read. Ha ha that will for sure be something I do today at some point. I did finally make it through the library books causing me anxiety and now I have a new stack to read. This year has been different from recent years in that I’m reading a bunch more library books (I even browsed the stacks for a bit the other day). Over half of my books read have come from the library. It’s early in the year, but still…

Yeah, maybe I’ll get some lunch and then go check out the bookstore. Then I can come home and get cozy, whether it keeps raining or not. I’m going to cook dinner and do some baking sometime this weekend. I’ve got buttermilk to use up. Baking does sound nice right about now.

Reading

Wow, I have made it through a lot of library hold books. Seven of them so far. I have 1 more checked out that hasn’t been read and 3 on hold. I feel that 3 is a manageable hold list LOL. I even snuck a book I own in there. That’s 11 books and it’s just past halfway through the month. I think I need to take a breather and slow down a bit. I’ve neglected some other things and have eaten like crap over the last week. 

Tonight after work, I’m going to clean my bathrooms, do the dishes and practice the organ/piano for Sunday. I have to play 3 songs I’m not completely comfortable with. Once I do all that, plus my eye mask, I can read something if I want. But also I could do a puzzle or finally get started on that Easter wreath that’s sitting on my table. Choices, choices. 

Birds Are Back

I woke up yesterday morning to a bird singing. In general, I don’t object to the birds, although I could wish they didn’t start so early. :) But they are back and I heard them again this morning. The other night, the batteries in my electric flickering candles went out, so they are finished and put away until the fall. The 2 that I left out are off their timer and they don’t truly flicker. They will get turned on when I want them, but not on a schedule. And with the time change, I have flicked my switch as well, and I’m ready to start embracing the springtime, even if it’s technically not until the 20th. Although when I have to wake up tomorrow and go to work, I will be cursing the time change. It’s a world of difference from today where I could wake up naturally. Also yesterday, I cleaned the leaves and dead stuff out of my flower garden. It’s way too early to plant, but with all the rain and snow we had, it was nice and wet and easy to pull the stuff out. 

I can see the buds on one of the trees outside my kitchen window. The other tree is always a few weeks behind. In another month, my library will not get the direct sunshine it’s gotten all winter, with the leaves on the trees being gone. Time passes and we all adjust. 

I did make caramels yesterday. I added some raspberry flavoring and dipped them in chocolate. I’ll have to take them to next family dinner, but I had been wanting to make them for months and didn’t want the cream to go bad. After all the reading I did last week, I’ve slowed down and started being productive around the house again. I got my final rag wreath stuff out so I can start working on it as well. It’s Easter themed so maybe I will finish it in time to hang? It will be good just to finish it, even if it’s April before the last part is tied. I even did a puzzle and got out a couple more 300 piece ones to do. It all goes in waves and that’s just the way it is. 

Holidays

It's that in-between time of Christmas and New Years. Lots of people off work, if they work in an office. I went into the office today and there are actually more people than I expected. But most of them are here because they are moving around offices so there's a lot of activity. And its weird to walk into the office when the plant isn't running. They are on a maintenance shutdown and you don't realize how much noise the production building generates until there isn't any. 

I spent the morning cleaning off my desk and rearranging a few things and getting out my new calendars. I'm not super busy, but I work this week because I feel like I have to. I can do some testing for others on my team though so that's what I will spend my afternoon on. It's not like I have anything to do at home. The reason I'm at work is so I can get out of my house. I'll be working from home on Wednesday and Friday anyway.

I'm trying to finish up one more book before the year closes out. For some reason, my brain doesn't like to be in the middle of a book when we change years, so I always finish and then start new. Usually, I'm finished before now and just re-reading, but this year I started a nonfiction book I'd like to finish up, even if it means 100 pages a night. I can do it. 

No real new year's eve plans. I never do anything and I'm happy that way. My nephew may come over for some anime watching and I'm happy with that idea. Ha ha... I might be trying to finish a book. 

Merry Christmas

Here we are at the end of the year. Hard to believe it’s another Christmas. I woke up this morning at 5:00 am with a lot of rain and wind. I didn’t mind it. I listened for a bit and went back to sleep for a few hours. It’s going to be a cloudy, but mild day. It’s ok. At least we are getting some rain. 

Spent yesterday evening at my brother’s house and we ate and played games and did presents. It was a really nice time. I was doing ok yesterday until I put on my mom’s apron to cook and then I really missed her. We are doing ok, but it’s a weird life with both parents gone. 

The rest of the day I’m taking it easy. Last year I did a movie marathon and so I decided to make it a tradition and continue this year. This year I’m doing unrelated musicals. I’m starting with White Christmas because I haven’t watched it yet this year. Then I’m moving to Thoroughly Modern Millie, Summer Stock, and Summer Magic. We’ll see how far that takes me. I have a few others picked out as well. 

I’m going to make soup a little later, do a puzzle, read some books. It will be a nice, relaxing day. I’ve been very blessed in my life with my family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers. I’m truly grateful for my abundant life. 

Smells Cozy

I made up a simmer pot today and my house smells so delicious right now. 

We had a little rain last night, but the clouds have moved on and it’s a sunny, blue sky. Not even truly coat weather. I put my coat on to go to the grocery store and was way too warm. We will be having record warmth this week and it’s definitely not going to be a white Christmas. I’m kind of bummed about the mild winter, so I’m making up for it by making my house cozy. Spicy smells, lights, candles, fireplace on my tv…whatever it takes. I’m enjoying lighting up the dark as we get to the shortest day of the year. 

I did what is hopefully my last grocery shopping before the holidays and picked up some books from the library. I will be going to work on Monday and Tuesday and then I’m off for 2 days for Christmas. Then I’m working from home the last week of the year. I don’t know why I think I’m going to have time to read, but that’s kind of what I’m planning when I’m not with my family. A little readathon by myself. Plus, I have puzzles and plans to make soup. And I’d like to take some time on the 26th and 27th to clean out my closets and bookshelves. Just seems like a good thing to do at the end of the year. Ha ha ok, I may not get as much reading done as I tell myself I want to do. But that’s ok. 

Done!

I got up early this morning and went shopping. I was at Target at 7:11 am. I hate going to that section of town during the holidays, but there was very little traffic that early. I finished all my Christmas shopping and then picked up groceries on my way home. 

It’s now 11: 00 am and all the gifts are wrapped, the cards are filled out, and everything is under the tree. I am ready for Christmas. I also took a family name from Utah Kids Foundation this year and their presents are purchased (most of it was done before my trip) and I’ll be dropping them off to the mom tomorrow after church. I’m praying that they like the toys and the clothes and shoes fit. It was a fun thing to do this year. 

I’ve started my laundry and need to do some dishes and practice the hymns for church tomorrow. I’ve done a lot already today. LOL I feel a nap might be in my future. 

I’m still deciding what to do for neighbor gifts this year. I’ve been cutting out a lot of the sugar I was eating and so I haven’t bought any of the Christmas junk food from the grocery store. I’m not sure I want to make cookies this year. I guess if I give most or all of them away, it won’t be a big deal. I just didn’t want to stuff myself on them. Although, I’ve been doing pretty good with the sugar for the most part. I’ve got some treats and a Dr. Pepper planned for Christmas Day, but I’ve been trying not to go overboard. I suppose one other day of eating a few cookies won’t kill me in the long run, but still. So still deciding about that one. If the neighbors don’t get something from me this year, they just don’t. 

Here It Comes

It’s been such a nice day. Today was the day my sister and I picked out our poinsettias at a local greenhouse. Even though I already had 2 small ones from our trip to the bigger nursery last weekend, I bought 6 more. Ha ha I’m not keeping all of them, but they are such beautiful plants and there are so many varieties. I also love the original deep red ones, so I just decide not to choose between the different ones. Much. :)  Truly, this is when the holiday season begins for me: when I have poinsettias in my home. 

I also ran some errands and picked up some groceries. I had a gift card to See’s Candies so I stopped by and spent it. My contribution to Thanksgiving dinner is rolls and chocolate!  Next week is my staycation and Monday is my big shopping trip with my sisters. I’ll see if I can’t get most of my presents bought on that day. Plus, I picked up a family from Utah Kids Foundation and I’m getting some gifts for them as well. My sisters are pitching in with that, which is nice of them. I just felt like I needed to do a little more this year. 

I haven’t exactly decided when to put up my tree, and I keep thinking I should just get it out and set it up so at least it’s ready to be decorated. Knowing me, that’s what I’ll be doing at bedtime tonight. 

Now if only it would rain and snow! We’ve got some snow in the mountains but I’d like to have a white Christmas. 

Ah, November

November doesn’t get as much love as October, but I do love it. We just had the time change so the evenings will be dark, even as we head to the shortest day of the year. It’s been nice to be home today so I can see how the sun is moving and creating shadows. The time to get cozy and hibernate has come, even as I do try and enjoy the last bit of evening light. Leaves are falling all around. Even my trees are getting a lot more brown/yellow.  Winter is coming, as they say. While I’m not quite ready for the snow, I wouldn’t mind some good rain storms. What a glorious time of year. 

I made soup and homemade rolls for dinner today. My house smells fantastic. I can’t wait to dig in. 

Conference Weekend

This weekend has been just what I needed: a break from the stress and worries I’ve been carrying. I decided that I actually needed to listen to conference a lot more than I did 6 months ago. I missed whole sessions of that one. 

Saturday I got up and did some cleaning, but made sure to be near where I could hear the tv. So some cleaning and laundry in the morning. My sister had a weird health issue pop up on Friday and so on Saturday after the 1st session of conference I went and picked up some prescriptions for her because she can’t drive yet. Then I took her twins with me to Hobby Lobby. I have made enough wreaths that I needed another wreath hanger. I got 2 just to be prepared. LOL Then we went to lunch and I had the kids out for the 2 hours between the sessions. I can’t do a lot for Amy and the kids like my mom did because I work full time, but I can periodically give her some alone time and space. It rained all day Saturday and I actually had fun getting out in the rain. 

By the time I got back home, conference had started so I did miss a lot of the first talk. But then I listened and started baking. Yesterday was pumpkin chocolate chip bread. After it cooled, I cut into it and it’s delicious. The recipe made 2 loaves so one is wrapped up in the freezer. By the evening session I was just finishing laundry and did the dishes and a puzzle. 

Last night it got cold! I don’t know what the temperature was but I was under my heavy blue jeans quilt for part of the night. I wasn’t really thinking I’d bake more today. Two loaves of pumpkin bread are plenty. But the cold got to me. I made a puffy pancake and homemade hot chocolate for breakfast. During the first session of conference I made up some no knead peasant bread dough to rise. And then….I made up a batch of mom’s chocolate chip cookies. Ha ha I do not need cookies or cookie dough but oh well. It will freeze and I can take it to neighbors or something later. My house has smelled heavenly all weekend. 

I’m really glad I cleaned on Saturday. That leaves Sunday free for rest. The only chore I had is dishes. During conference today I’ve been cross stitching. I do like it. I should get it out more often. I’m stitching pillow cases that mom had bought. I have 2 or 3 different ones. This one is straight cross stitch so nothing fancy and I almost finished it. I’m leaving it out for this week. If I put a movie on one night I can get it all the way done. 

As for what I learned in conference? I think the message I heard is to love everyone and treat them kindly and with respect. To serve where I can and to not forget my Savior and what he has already done for me and for the world. None of the crazy is a surprise to Him and the plan has been in motion since the beginning. I can take comfort in that. Basically, I need to show by my actions that I am a disciple of Christ. 

Bring on the Cozy!

It’s only October 2nd but it’s glorious! I am feeling the cozy fall vibes and am trying so hard to make the most of it. Fall is way too short, IMO. 

I have been adulting this week. It does feel good to get a few things taken care of. I had to get new tires on my car, along with the regular service, so there went my house payment that I didn’t have. Ha! It feels good, even if I spent the money on something else. Plus, that’s money I didn’t take out of savings.

We are celebrating mom and dad’s birthdays by having family dinner at Maddox tonight. They will be paying for us one last time. Bittersweet. I’ve also got a few fun things planned throughout the month. I’ve also started on some Fall/Halloween type of reading: light horror, mysteries, gothic, and urban fantasy. That definitely helps the mood. 

I am feeling a lot better, mentally. This is such a weird time of life. I know it’s all hormonal and related to whatever cycle I’m on, but man, it’s crazy that I was so tired, sad, angry, emotional and then just snapped out of it. 

General conference weekend is coming up. I feel like I should probably try and listen as much as possible for my own peace. There is rain in the forecast, so the plan is that I will be baking and doing projects and sitting under my minky and just have a nice, cozy weekend at home. Can't Wait!