Month: November 2013 (Page 2 of 2)

We didn’t really go out and buy anything special when we got out of debt. We just kept on doing what we were doing. But this week, Shopko had a couple of things that I’d been wanting for a long time on a huge sale. Like over 50% off! Plus, the trip to Europe didn’t get enough people to go and we’d already saved really a lot for that, just in case we did go. So this is what we bought:

A “high” dining room table. 38″ square, with four sturdy chairs. It is a perfect puzzle table, as you can see. And we rearranged the living room, so it sits in front of the patio door, so we can eat and do other stuff in the sun during the winter!  It was marked down from $499 to $199. Is that awesome, or what?

Two new chairs for the student waiting area. Out with the huge and kind-of-weird-in-a-living room wicker chairs! These were originally $199 each and the striped one was marked down to $59 and the brown one down to $99. I love the neat way it looks now!  Also Dad fixed my coat tree, which I think is really cute, too.

I decided it was time to move on from the senior center job, so I handed in my resignation effective January 1.  I had no idea I was going to do this, then an event precipitated my giving it some long hard thought and prayer and I really felt the time had come. We looked at the finances and it is doable. I plan to branch out and also teach classes at various senior centers – places that have asked if I could teach, but I had to turn down in the past. I’m also picking up more piano students, so I can promote that a little and, hopefully, add another half dozen or so. I’ll also be preparing a training session on the senior exercise program that I’ve developed and has been working so well over the past 8 years and take that on the road to other Centers. And, maybe most importantly, I’m going back to the Garage as the manager. At first, I’ll just work the hours that we normally donate in money – that is 5 hours a week. I’ll get on the ball and round up some more adult volunteers and really work on fund raising. When they can afford to pay me for another 5 hours a week, I’ll add that on.

Now that I’ve made the decision and turned in the paperwork, I’m excited. I didn’t realize how stagnant I’d gotten in the senior center job, but I really had. I didn’t enjoy going to work much any more. The back-to-back aerobics classes was getting to be a strain on my aging body, too, much as I hate to admit it. And I want to keep my body as healthy as possible and more isn’t better in this case!

The move to Prescott has been pushed off a while, since Dad is getting the full contribution from his workplace into his retirement, now that he has been there 2 1/4 years. That amounts to about $450 a month, so he would have to find a really good job elsewhere to be able to put away that much! I’m pretty sure we will eventually end up in Prescott, though. We love it more each time we go and it has so much more than Chetek to offer. But maybe not this far before retirement.

I looked at the clock shining on our ceiling and saw that it was 6:30 and jumped out of bed because I’m supposed to be up around 6:00 and already out on my run by 6:30. So I was sitting in front of the door tying my shoes when it hit me that it was still dark outside, which it isn’t supposed to be at 6:30 any more. So I looked at the clock again and, of course, it was only 5:30. I had forgotten that Dad hasn’t changed the clock that shines on the ceiling yet.  Definitely have to get that done today!

We worked a couple hours in New Auburn and have almost all the sheet rock up. We have one little section about 3 feet long above the windows, then the sheet rock returns for that set of two windows and the piece that goes above the opening we cut out into the kitchen and one piece behind the door in the living room, where Dad thinks he might run electricity, because there is no power in that corner of the room. Then that is it!!! Whoo-hoo!  We are going to get this house done yet!

Snow expected today, starting around supper time. They are predicting bad driving conditions, but I hope that isn’t until a little later in the night, since we have the high school fall concert tonight. Jamison Wendlandt, from Sand Creek, who missed the concert during a blizzard when he was in middle school, has an accompaniment for tonight, so I’d better be sure I can play it – just in case.

When I cleaned out the freezer a little under a month ago, I made menus for 5 weeks, using up all the main dish components that I had in the freezer. We are on week 4 now, and I must say that it has been great not having to decide what to cook. We haven’t had chicken much, which is normally our mainstay, and we’ve had salmon a lot more, as well as pulled pork and beef stew. When the 5 weeks are over, though, I’m definitely buying chicken!

I realize I’m rambling, but it is only 5:55 and I have nothing else to do. But you might… so I’ll close. Have a great day!

Well, it seems that just “not dieting” isn’t enough for me. I fall so easily into the mindless eating traps, especially when the weather is gloomy or I’m feeling like carbs for whatever reason. So today I started writing down what I had eaten. I’m not counting the calories or points or anything. Just trying to keep it healthy and moderated, but I think I need to see just what I’ve eaten. For now, anyway. I’ve gone too long with such rigid controls on my eating that just “eating whatever” is too much freedom for me to handle just yet. I’m glad that I haven’t gained a lot of weight, but I’ve just been feeling fat and sluggish, so I knew I needed to do something different.

We went a really long time with no significant periods of sunshine. But yesterday the sun was out for long stretches and today is starting out even better – not many clouds at all! This makes a huge difference in how I feel. Yea, sun!

We didn’t get much done on our house yesterday, but we got some rental house jobs checked off and got the neighbor lady’s gutters cleaned out for her. Hopefully today we will get some work done on our house. It is frustrating to be so close and yet standing still.