Blogtober 2017 - Day 31

Day 31 - Halloween decoration

I decorate primarily for fall with only a few touches of Halloween.  This one is my favorite.

Vic, Sophia and Pamela

And that's a wrap for Blogtober 2017 - I hope you enjoyed it!

Blogtober 2017 - Day 30

Day 30 - Something you accomplished

I went to the dentist last week.  For a mega-dentaphobe like me, that's a huge accomplishment!

Blogtober 2017 - Day 29

Day 29 - Plans/Planning for November

In a word, or three, Christmas Craft Fairs!  I have four on my calendar already and I'm sure there will be more.  I have several ornament exchanges in December and I love to find unique crafted items to give as ornaments.

In addition to shopping at the craft fairs, I have the usual round of board meetings, and volunteer shifts, as well as hair and dentist appointments.  There are some great movies coming out in November, we have tickets to see Dirty Dancing on stage, and Thanksgiving will be here before we know it.

Blogtober 2017 - Day 28

Day 28 - On my wall

My favorite would be our large picture that hangs in the dining room called The Prayer at Valley Forge.

George Washington's quote, "I consider it an indispensable duty to close this last solemn act of my official life by commending the interests of our dearest country to the protection of Almighty  God and those who have the superintendence of them into His holy keeping", is inscribed on a brass plaque.

Blogtober 2017 - Day 27

Day 27 - How do you meal plan?

I meal plan on Thursdays because I go grocery shopping on Fridays.  I have these great stickers in my planner, not so much to remind me because I know I meal plan on Thursday, they are more for decoration and I love them because I used to have a set of bowls just like this.  I think they call them vintage now!

We eat some version of the same things each week, loosely following a clean eating/Whole 30 type food plan - chicken, salmon, tilapia, shrimp, lean pork, steak, and lamb.  Our dinners are usually some form of the aforementioned grilled or roasted with potatoes and vegetables.  I roast a lot of vegetables as it is so easy to spread them all out on a sheet plan, add a little seasoning, and roast away.  Vic usually eats leftovers from dinner for lunch unless he's eating out with his office.

We pretty much eat the fridge clean each week so I'm starting all over again every Friday.  I make a menu and a grocery list from the menu.  The days when I used to check the pantry for things I needed are over as I don't buy processed foods so my grocery list is basically proteins and vegetables.  It can get boring but we try to jazz it up with spices and sauces to keep some variety in the meals.

When we first started to eat this way, I would have given my right arm for a taco or an honest to goodness church potluck-type casserole, something made with a Cream of soup or a tub or two of sour cream.  Unfortunately, or should I say fortunately, our bodies soon told us that eating this type of food was not doing us any good and once we started to eat more wholesome food, we felt much better.  We're not perfect, we splurge now and then usually on a date night dinner but there are certain things we avoid because they really make us feel blah.  Clean eating is a great way to find out what foods you really should avoid.  Your body will thank you for it.

The question was How do you meal plan? wasn't it?  I'll get down off my clean eating soapbox now.

Blogtober 2017 - Day 26

Day 26 - Your kid(s)

Preschool and High School

Sophia

Equestrienne, Fashionista, Chanteuse

Our pride and joy

A beautiful young woman

Cherished by your family

Admired by your peers

Full of promise for the future

We wish for you

Blessings in abundance

An amazing college experience

A horse always by your side

Travel abroad to places full of history and culture

True friends for life

And one day, the love of your life

We know that you will always

Smile and look for the best in people

Love animals

Be kind to little children

Value the advice of your elders

Strive to leave the world a better place

Give back because you have been given so much

We are so proud of you

With all our love

Mom and Dad

Blogtober 2017 - Day 25

Day 25 - Favorite Bible Verse

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me - Philippians 4:13 NKJV

It's a family favorite - Vic used it on the back of the commissioning program at his ceremony in 2012, along with a quote from President John F. Kennedy.

Blogtober 2017 - Day 24

Day 24 - Thankful for...a hard-working, loving husband, a beautiful daughter, a steady income with good benefits, a warm home and food on the table, loving family and wonderful friends, happy memories of good times gone by and hopes for the future...so many blessings.

Blogtober 2017 - Day 23

Day 23 - Favorite snack

Love this brand - they are extra vinegar-y!

Blogtober 2017 - Day 22

Day 22 - Favorite cleaner

Melaleuca Tough and Tender - an eco and people-friendly alternative to 409, green works, fantastik, and Lysol 4-in-1 for countertops, pots & pans, crafts, car interiors, artificial plants, walls, appliances, lamps, cabinets, light fixtures, computers, and whiteboards.

Blogtober 2017 - Day 21

Day 21 - Your outfit today

Jeans, Dansko clogs, navy blue short-sleeved T-shirt, blue cardigan, blue and silver necklace and matching earrings - it was 55 degrees this morning but ended up in the high 70s by the time we got home from our morning outing - best to have a short-sleeve T-shirt under the cardigan.

Blogtober 2017 - Day 20

Day 20 - Never without.....my glasses!

I used to need them for reading but now it seems like I need them for everything.

Blogtober 2017 - Day 19

Day 19 - Your freshly made bed

I have to cheat a little here - fall hasn't quite come to Virginia yet so my freshly made bed would just have a top sheet, not terribly attractive.  I'm hoping that fall will soon make an appearance and our bed can go back to looking like it should when the temperatures drop a little.

Blogtober 2017- Day 18

Day 18 - Throwback Thursday

Day 18 says Throwback Thursday but today is Wednesday so I think leaving Day 13 out of the list has really messed things up.  Never mind, we can have a throwback on any day of the week.

Here's an adorable selection of Halloween with Sophia 1995-2001.

Black cat and Pocahontas

Dorothy (with Toto in the basket) and Po, the red Teletubby

Madeline and Jasmine

Cleopatra

Blogtober 2017 - Day 17

Day 17 - Favorite thing about fall

Please see Day 5!

Blogtober 2017 - Day 16

Day 16 - On my desk

Laptop, printer, planner always open to the current week, cup of pens/pencils/markers, stacks of things to do (receipts to reconcile, papers to file, bits of notes to keep or discard when I get around to sifting through them) - in a word (or two):  needs work!  Since most of you know me as quite an organized person, I won't shatter that perception by posting a photo of my desk right now!

Blogtober 2017 - Day 15

Day 15 - One goal for this month

Clean up my password book!  I'm pretty good about writing them all down but it's time to do a clean-up to see what is still valid and what needs to be updated.  It's a chore but once it's done, they are all neatly organized in a little book and I'm all about neat and organized.

Blogtober 2017 - Day 14

Day 14 - Favorite spot in your home

That's a tough one when you're in a temporary home.  I suppose it would be in the living room.  It's cozy and it's where we spend time together.  I preferred the room the last time we lived here as we've since gotten rid of some of the furniture and replaced the couch with a (in my opinion) hideous leather couch that Vic insisted he wanted.  It really belongs in a man cave but it's in our living room right now.  Here's a photo from the last time we lived here, B.H.L.C. (Before Hideous Leather Couch) and all decorated for Sophia's high school graduation.  It's a long room, living/dining room combined so this is the living room end.

It's my favorite spot because it's usually where I am sitting enjoying a cup of tea when Vic walks in from work or when Sophia was home, where we would chat about her day.  We're homebodies so you'll usually find us in here in the evenings, watching a movie.  It's cozy.  The only thing that would make it more perfect would be a fireplace, even a fake one with a mantle.  We always had a fireplace, usually a fake one, when I was growing up and that just says cozy to me.  And since I've used the word cozy three times (now four) in this short write-up, you'll get an idea of how important that is to me.

Blogtober 2017 - Day 13

Day 13 - Blogger's Choice

Did anyone else notice that there's no Day 13?  I'm designating today Blogger's Choice and I've picked the first digital photo in the first folder on my computer.

December 2008 - Sophia gets tall boots for riding after wearing paddock (ankle-height) boots up until this point.  She was so excited.  That's our neighbor's house in Rhode Island behind her.  The house has since been sold to a new owner, I wonder if it will look different.  We'll find out this weekend.

Blogtober 2017 - Day 12

Day 12 - Your husband

Vic, my best friend and soulmate, what a crazy adventure we have been living over the last 24 years!  From the islands of the Western Pacific, up and down the East Coast, and across the continental United States twice with more to come.  I love the Navy Wife Life with my sailor by my side.

P. S.  Has anyone else noticed that there's no Day 13?