My Weekly W's

What's top of my mind:  I had a three-day weekend and have loved every minute of it.  That one extra day gave me the time to knock a few things off the to do list.  I miss working 186 days a year instead of this 5-day, 40-hour week, but I do acknowledge I am actually a bit lucky.  I earn a lot of PTO and make decent money without putting in the 50 or more hours some have to do.  I read an article that said this work model was created when it was expected that one person would be at home to run the household, take care of the children, etc. and that this model is outdated.  I couldn't agree more and feel really bad for younger people doing this while raising children.  

Where I've been:  Library, farmers market, hair salon and dinner at Joes.  Other than that, I was thrilled to be home.

What I'm watching: I came across a series called True South hosted by John T. Edge and produced by Wright Thompson and loved it.  One episode was on Columbus Georgia where my in laws lived and it was fascinating.  It really makes you realize how much power food has to bring people together.  If you can find this series, I highly recommend it. 

What I'm reading:  I finished Love and Saffron and enjoyed it. It was a story about 2 women in the 1960's, one in her 30's and one in her 60's, that started writing letters to each other and ended up forming a very close friendship.  Now I started A Summer of Firsts another book by Susan Wiggs.

What I'm eating: 

Chicken fajita, rice and cheese burritos

Baked potato, loaded with butter, sour cream, cheddar cheese, bacon and green onions.  It has been a long time since we've made these and it was delicious.

Sloppy Joes and oven fries

Dinner at Joe's

Lamb burger and zucchini fries

BIG salad

I saw this and it is a good reminder to eat the rainbow.

Who needs a good slap: Wordpress!!  I have two blogs that I have been reading for years and I cannot comment now.  It comes up "error: Your Facebook password has expired." Even though I knew the passwords on FB do not expire I changed it hoping that would work.  Nope.  Then I tried to create an account with Wordpress so I could post.  I can't log in under Wordpress because when I enter my email address it says I have an account and to enter password.  When I click change password it comes up that I do not have an account.  I give them 5 slaps.  This is ridiculous.  

What I'm planning:  As soon as I post this I am going to go pick basil and make a batch of pesto for the freezer.  I also want to dehydrate a batch of thyme.  My dehydrator has been working really hard lately.  I have done rosemary, garlic, portabella mushrooms, thai basil and I don't remember what else.  

What is making me smile: Next weekend is Labor Day weekend so I have another 3-day weekend to look forward to.

It finally cooled off here after a week of record breaking temps.  I hope everyone is doing well and has a wonderful week.

Things That Make Me Smile

 

Fried Green Tomatoes.  I only have them once or twice a year and yesterday for lunch was one of those times.  They were delicious.

Do you enjoy them?

My Weekly W's

What's top of my mind: Todays very long to do list.  I have a number of things that need to get done today along with a birthday party this afternoon.  I made a list with the top 5 priorities and the rest will just have to go on tomorrow evenings list. This past week I really didn't do much of anything in the afternoons after work and I am paying for it today.  Note to self...stop slacking during the week, you'll thank yourself on the weekend.  Yesterday I did get the jalapeno pepper jelly made, so we're set for the winter.

Where I've been:  I picked up two books from the library, stopped by the farmers market for honey and onions and went to breakfast with the big guy yesterday.  Over the last two weeks, I've had 6 two-hour Teams meetings for new Managers in the system.  They were mostly aimed at the new employees to the system, but there were a few things that will be helpful.  

What I'm watching:  I watched the latest episode of BBQ USA and was thrilled to see that Amy Mills, Mike Mills daughter, was in the competition.  She is the owner of 17th Street BBQ in our area.  The food there is amazing.  She didn't place in the top 3 but considering the number of teams that is understandable. 

What I'm reading:  I finished With Love from London by Sarah Lio and absolutely loved it.  This quote really resonated with me..."The fact of the matter is bad things happen to good people.  They do.  All the time.  But it's our choice whether we wallow in them for the rest of our lives, or whether we accept the invitation to begin life's grand second act.  I have never read this author before, but I will be sure to pick up more of her books.  I really enjoyed her writing style.  This week I will start Love and Saffron.  

What I'm eating:

Sunday night I made the most delicious beef meatballs I think I've ever made so we were excited to eat the leftovers Monday for dinner but as a meatball sub with zucchini fries.  SO good.

BIG salad x 2

BLT and zucchini fries

Pancakes and eggs 

Chicken fettuccine with salad and garlic toast

Who needs a good slap:  I know there are so many out there well deserving of being on this list but I managed to keep myself pretty sheltered from all of the craziness going on out there so I can't come up with anyone.  

What I'm planning:  More dehydrating and canning needs to get done this week and the 22 and 23 are good planting days for fall.

What is making me smile:  I have so much to be thankful for and I try to remember that daily.  My favorite season is coming so that really brings a smile.

Here is an updated picture of Binx.  He is 17 months old and is 9.8 pounds.  He's tall and long but thin and the vet said he's right where he needs to be.  He is still SO full of energy it is hard to keep him occupied.  I did find a battery-operated laser toy that runs for 15 minutes.  He loves it and it gives us a break from having to keep him occupied.

Wishing you all a wonderful week.  Stay safe, a lot of the US is experiencing storms and another round of heat advisories. What do you have planned for this week?

My Weekly W's

What's top of my mind:  Apparently too much.  I actually thought about this question for 30 minutes and at least half a dozen things were going through my mind.  Where am I at with purging, sprucing the house?  What needs to be processed from the garden this week?  What needs to be planted next week for the Fall Garden?  The landscaper came by Monday morning to see what we wanted done but we haven't heard from him since. When will we get this done?  All of this along with a few other items will get dumped into my notebook this morning so I can get them out of my head and just focus on checking them off one by one.

Where I've been:  I made a trip to the farmers market and I'm so glad I went.  I usually grow garlic but didn't get any planted last fall.  I was thrilled that he had beautiful garlic, so I came home with a dozen. I will dehydrate 8 today, use 2 over the next week or two and have 2 to plant next month.  We went out for breakfast yesterday and then stopped by the store for a handful of things we needed this week.  Other than that, I don't remember going anywhere except work.  We did spend 2 hours yesterday getting the garage organized and cleaned for the winter.  We're both happy to have that done. 

Where I'm going:  I have two holds at the library that I need to pick up tomorrow.  I'll stop by the farmers market again on Friday.  Not sure yet what else we'll do.

What I'm watching:  I caught up on BBQ Brawl and BBQ USA.  Both are entertaining and a bit informative.  It's something I can watch while I cook dinner or prep food in the evenings.  

What I'm reading:  I'm about to finish the book from Aaron Sanchez and I've enjoyed it.  I have two to pick up tomorrow that I'll start this week.

What I'm eating:

I made a sauce with bison, green peppers, onion and garlic and added a number of spices to have with Bucatini pasta with a small salad.  It was light and fresh.

I took the leftover Mexican beef from Sunday and added rice, veggies and cheese for burritos with sourcream and taco sauce.  Delicious!

BBQ chicken, potato salad and sliced tomatoes and basil

Cheeseburgers and oven 'fries'

BIG salad

BLT and chips with onion, dill dip

Who needs a good slap:  Sex traffickers.  Apparently, this has been a pretty big issue in this area for years. I posted before about the local woman that wrote about her experiences in her book Open Blind Eyes.  But I've read about many, many other recent similar cases and it's sickening and infuriating.  

What's making me smile:  I saw a facebook post this morning in one of the local groups and a woman was thanking the Good Samaritan that helped her daughter at Subway.  Apparently, her 16-year-old daughter was in line getting her sandwich made and a man was relentlessly coming on to her.  A woman saw what was going on and approached the girl and acted like they were old friends which caused the man to leave.  It always makes me smile to know that there are people out there looking out for others.  You don't always hear about the positive, loving human interactions.

It looks like we're going to have a few storms today, some possibly severe.  It's been cooler here a bit but that is supposed to change again this week.  August and September here are always so unpredictable.  I hope everyone has a wonderful week.  Enjoy your Sunday!!

My Weekly W's

What's top of my mind:  My new title and responsibilities at worked started Monday.  I have a lot of support from all of the doctors, NP's and the department Director so I'm hopeful that this will be a positive change for me and the department as a whole.  I did make it clear that I was nonnegotiable on the 40-hour work week and everyone agreed.  I will hold them to that.

Where I've been:  Other than home and work, I went to the Farmers Market Friday.  This time of year the tables are filled with gorgeous fruits and veggies.  We got our meat bundle on Saturday, so we won't need to buy meat for months other than a turkey for Thanksgiving. 

Where I'm going:  So far, no plans.  Work will be fun since two of our previous doctors are coming to work the week. It almost feels like the team is whole again even if temporary.  It will also be a bit of a brutal week because my calendar is full of teams meetings.  We will someone how get a few lunches in together though. 

What I'm watching:  I watched a few episodes of Dinners, Drive Ins and Dives while cooking this week.  One place was making Bison burger burritos so you know that is something I will be trying soon.  I also watched a couple of movies but they have escaped my memory so obviously they weren't watch worthy.

What I'm reading:  Where I Come From, by Aaron Sanchez.  Gordon Ramsay wrote "This book is a testament to family and the mentors that shape a young cook into a passionate, innovative, and ruthless chef.  Aaron's journey is an absolute page-turner, with gritty stories and hilarious anecdotes that make you understand the man behind the restaurants and TV shows".  I've seen him on a number of shows and he really stood out to me when he was a judge on Master Chef.  He was a wonderful example of a compassionate and knowledgeable teacher.  I'm enjoying learning about his journey.

What I'm eating:

Fried chicken sandwich and oven chips

BIG salad x2

Meatloaf, smashed garlic potatoes and salad

Calzones made with LO meatloaf, onions, peppers and cheese with salad

Wings, steak, zucchini "fries", tomatoes with basil and Texas toast

Who needs a good slap:  Staying away from the dreaded news really does make it hard to figure out who needs a good slap.  

What I'm planning:  More dehydrating.  Yesterday I did a batch of Thai Basil but there are still so many batches of summer freshness to dehydrate for the Fall and Winter.  

What's making me smile:  I watched a news story this morning about an 89-year-old man in Galveston Indiana.  He has been the grave digger there for 70 years.  He is known by everyone there for his kindness to everyone.  They recently threw him a surprise party to acknowledge him and everything he's done for the town.  The last part really hit home when one of the resident's said Allen has figured out what is enough.  That really hit home.  Thank you, Allen, for reminding me that I truly do have enough.

Wishing everyone a wonderful week!!