What's Up Wednesday

 

It's the last Wednesday of the month, time to see what's been going on.

1.  WHAT I'M EATING

Cooking for one is a bore!  I usually cook up a pot of something over the weekend and that takes care of dinners.  My favorite go-to is Pastured Kitchen's Lamb Korma, so delicious.  I usually halve the spices because I don't like it too spicy.

My current favorite for lunches is Costco's Street Tacos.  One tray takes care of the week.

The Cilantro Lime Crema is available by the bottle.

2.  WHAT I'M REMINISCING ABOUT

Our days in Rhode Island.  I'm working on 2007-2012, our Rhode Island years, in the Christmas memory album.  I loved our house, what we thought was going to be our forever home before Vic's career took a new turn and Rhode Island would never be in the cards for a future assignment.  I still dream that Sophia will says she wants to move back to Rhode Island and off we will all go!

3.  WHAT I'M LOVING

All the fall colors in amazing photos posted on Facebook and Instagram.  I'm kicking myself for not saving the gorgeous one I saw earlier today because now I can't find it anywhere.  I did, however, snap this pumpkin gloriousness when I was out this weekend.

4.  WHAT I'VE BEEN UP TO

Work

Scrapbook

Sleep

Repeat

It's just a whirlwind around here, lol!

5.  WHAT I'M DREADING

Vic not being able to come home for Christmas.

6.  WHAT I'M WORKING ON

My December Daily 2018 album, 25 years of Christmas memories.  I'm up to year 16 now, 9 more to go.  I.will.be #donebydecember.

7.  WHAT I'M EXCITED ABOUT

The news I heard yesterday that there is a glimmer of hope for Christmas travel from overseas...please, please, please.

8.  WHAT I'M WATCHING/READING

Almost finished with the first book of the The Village School series by Gervase Phinn.  I've started watching When Calls the Heart on Netflix - I can't remember where I left off so I started at the beginning.  And, of course, The Great British Baking Show on Fridays.

9.  WHAT I'M LISTENING TO

Boz Scaggs Silk Degrees, a real throwback.

10.  WHAT I'M WEARING

Work clothes or comfy clothes, it just depends on the day of the week and the time of day!

11.  WHAT I'M DOING THIS WEEKEND

Heading out to the Hallmark Ornament Debut to pick up my ornaments (I think I have two coming in) and organizing the garage - be still my heart, the weekend is going to be more thrilling than I can bear!

12.  WHAT I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO NEXT MONTH

Heading up to see Sophia for the weekend.  Must.take.out.second.mortgage - lol!

13.  WHAT ELSE IS NEW

Anyone else having a hard time believing it is OCTOBER tomorrow???

What's Up Wednesday - August 2019

It's time to wrap up August!

What We're Eating This Week //  Vic's eating something with rice or noodles and I'm trying to stay on track with the Whole 30.  Here are some of our favorites when we're together.

Pastured Kitchen's Lamb Korma

Paleo Running Momma's Shepherd's Pie

What I'm Reminiscing About //  The last time I participated in What's Up Wednesday was in May 2018 - we were beginning the house hunting journey in Washington and looking forward to being close to Sophia again.  It would also have been Dad's 89th birthday in June so this year he would have been 90.  Hard to believe he has been gone for ten years, and Mum for sixteen.  Not a day goes by that I don't think about them and wish I could talk to them again.

What I'm Loving //  As Ned Stark would say, sort of, Autumn is coming!  As the seasons change, I really miss New England.

What We've Been Up To //  Living life on both sides of the Pacific!

What I'm Dreading //  I'm swapping cars with Sophia this weekend so that I can find peace with her driving back and forth 30 minutes each day on the freeway as she begins her student teaching.  I have to admit I'm dreading swapping my higher off the ground SUV for her little Flintstone car but knowing that she will have a reliable vehicle is worth it.

What I'm Working On //  Gearing up for the release of Ali Edwards' December Daily products and deciding what approach I will take since it's another non-traditional holiday year.  I doubt we will all be together until December 23 so I need to decide what stories I will tell for the first 22 days of December.

What I'm Excited About //  It's time to decorate for autumn!  I love all the colors of the season.

Time to decide which decorations (shown here in our Rhode Island house in 2011) we will keep and which will be decluttered

What I'm Watching/Reading //  I'm watching The Good Witch from my Amazon Prime Library, the original movies, and reading the Sisterchicks series by Robin Jones Gunn again - I finished Sisterchicks Go Brit and now I'm onto Sisterchicks on the Loose.

What I'm Listening To //  Endless on-hold music as I try to sort out a return and exchange that keeps going horribly wrong.  

What I'm Wearing //  Shoes with closed-toes - flip-flop season is just about over.

What I'm Doing This Weekend //  See What I'm Excited About...decorating tubs are in the house and waiting to be unpacked!

What I'm Looking Forward to Next Month //  December Daily products and classes release, hearing all about Sophia's student teaching experience, and I'm one month closer to seeing Vic!

What Else is New //  The longer I live in our new house, the more I am seeing things that work and things that don't work.  I'm thrilled with our new Levolor Sheer Shadings blinds in the living room and would love to have them all through the house.  I keep coming up with a new idea for the kitchen remodel (so it's a good thing I can't run out and schedule it tomorrow!), and The Container Store design department is amazing at coming up with a system for a couple of challenging closets and other storage areas.  It's a work in progress.

What's Up Wednesday - May 2018

There's no Hodgepodge today so I found What's Up Wednesday over at The Horton Family and thought I'd give it a try.  Linking up with Mel, Shay, and Sheaffer to give you a wrap up of the week and month.  How can it be almost June already?

What We're Eating This Week - - We jumped on the Forks over Knives bandwagon to give plant-based eating a try and so far, so good.  Their website and app are great for meal planning and Vic's really enjoying the Apple-Oat Pancakes which are great to pack for the office in the morning.

What I'm Reminiscing About - - Friday would have been Dad's 89th birthday.  A gentleman of quiet nature is how he was described by another family member and he truly was that.  If I suggested something for dinner that he really enjoyed, he would say "That's lovely", but if the meal wasn't on his list of favorites, it would be "I'm not bothered".  Spaghetti was lovely but he wasn't bothered about salmon.

Here we are in Saipan in 1993 touring a historic site.  I'm wearing a corsage because we had just come from a Mother's Day brunch - I didn't know I was pregnant at this time, found out just a short time later.

What I'm Loving - - Vic being home!  After being gone 20 out of the last 25 days, it's nice to have him walk through the door after work.

What We've Been Up To - - House Hunting!  I know it's still a bit too early since our house hunting trip isn't until the fall but we spend a bit of time each evening surfing Zillow and seeing what's on the market.

What I'm Dreading - - House hunting!  The market moves so quickly in Washington, we're going to have to snap something up right away and hope we don't get into a bidding war.

What I'm Working On - - Shhh, it's a secret.  I'm in an ornament swap for Christmas in July and my ornaments are coming along nicely.

What I'm Excited About - - Moving back to Washington and being close to Sophia again!  Seems like we just dropped her off in her dorm room but now she's graduated, moving into her own apartment, and on to her Masters.  It will be so nice to be in the same state again.

Photobombed by Dad!

What I'm Watching/Reading - - Nothing new since my weekly updates - NCIS on Netflix and Barbara Taylor Bradford.

What I'm Listening To - - An old favorite from Sarah Brightman.

What I'm Wearing - - As little as possible without getting arrested!  It's hot and humid here so that means a sundress or capris and a T-shirt.

What I'm Doing This Weekend - - Spending time with Vic before he heads off again.  Recovering from the company picnic for one and then perhaps lunch out and a movie?  We'll see.

What I'm Looking Forward to Next Month - - The return of The Great British Baking Show on PBS!  Save the Date - June 22.

What Else is New - - Volunteering every week at the gift shop during the summer as we lose volunteers due to school vacations or people moving.  That means twice as many opportunities to spend money - must.be.frugal but there are so many lovely things!