Thankful Thursdy: March 31, 2022

 

I Am Thankful For:

Sunshine

Watching the clouds move in

A day with the grand kid

Rainy days

The worst of the storms missed us

Breakfast smoothies

Lunch with Dad

Trips to the library

A little time to myself

Berries

Trying something new

Downstairs repairs and improvements almost done

Dinner out with my husband and son

A Sunday well spent

My son making breakfast

Children's laughter

Riding in the car

Clovers milkshake

My daughter calling to check on me

Honest prayers

OTC pain medicine

The grandkid got straight As again

Access to mammograms

Take and eat meals from the grocery store

Avocados

Dental Drama

I know I am not the only one that has some serious anxiety surrounding going to the dentist.  It's a rather common fear.  But situations like this certainly don't help me!

When I went to the dentist a couple of weeks ago for an exam and cleaning, I had a back molar that was broken (which I knew) and also had some decay at the gum line. The doctor recommended a root canal to save the tooth. To say that I wasn't happy about that would be an understatement! 

My dentist knows about my nervousness when I visit and suggested "conscious sedation" to help me through the procedure.  After talking with my husband (who has had this several times) and my primary care doctor, I decided that was certainly the way to go. 

I arrived bright and early Monday morning for my procedure.  I was feeling jittery, but ready to have this over with and behind me.  

I was given the medication to relax me, and given a blanket and made comfortable while it took effect. Once they were ready to begin,  I could hear what was going on but didn't feel any concern or anxiety about it at all.  Not even when I heard something along the lines of  "if we try to keep going, it's just going to crumble".

As it turns out, the decay was more extensive than anticipated from the x-ray and they were unable to do the root canal.  They put in a temporary filling for the time being and sent me home.  Not at all how I had expected the day to go.  Quite disappointing and frustrating!

The next day, the office called to go over my options.  It appears that I am now looking at having the tooth extracted and a dental implant put in its place.  Needless to say, I'm not looking forward to that.  I have shed more than a few nervous tears thinking about having to have even more extensive dental procedures. 

How do you feel about going to the dentist?

Sunday Inspiration: Dreams to Reality

 

Thankful Thursday: March 24, 2022

 

I Am Thankful For:

Pretty spring tops

Playing with my dogs

Tasks completed

Irish stew

Sitting outside to work

Afternoon rain

Clean sheets

Cherry blossoms

The Man of the house and the Male Offspring working on home improvements together

The start of Spring

Easter decor

The first tulip of Spring

What I'm Reading: Mrs. March

I know what you're thinking.  Let me start by saying that this book has absolutely nothing to do with the book I reviewed last week. I'm just on a thing this year where I'm reading books that somehow relate to the current month or holiday.  For example - books with the name of the month in the title.   Having said that...

Mrs.March by Virginia Feito is an intriguing, twisted, and dark psychological drama.  In the world of unreliable narrators - this main character might just top the list.  

Married to a well-known author whose latest book is all the rage - Mrs. March is obsessed with appearances and her status.  She believes herself to be admired and well respected.  Until the day the local bakery owner comments on the similarities between Mrs. March and the main character of her husband's best-selling novel. A character who happens to be an ugly, unlovable prostitute.  That's where things begin to go horribly wrong.

Mrs. March is a deeply disturbed woman, and as her story progresses, she becomes increasingly unstable.  Being inside her head is an upsetting place to find yourself.  She is at times anxious, terrified, depressed, angry, delusional, and paranoid. 

Is everyone whispering behind her back and laughing at her? Is there an infestation of cockroaches in her bathroom? Is her husband a murderer? Or is it all paranoid delusions? I'm still not one hundred percent sure what was real and what just took place in her disturbed mind. 

Much of the details of this story are ambiguous.  Which, for me, only added to the mystery of things. The time period seems to be somewhere in the mid-20th century, but other clues hint that it's probably the 80s or 90s. Mrs. March is only ever referred to as just that- "Mrs. March". We never learn her first name until the very end of the book. 

Mrs. March is a well-written novel that takes you on a mind twisting journey and leaves you doubting what is real and what is only in the mind.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

War and Peace

 As I was sitting outside the other day, enjoying the mild weather and fresh air, a military plane flew over our house at a low altitude.  It was loud and I could hear it approaching from quite a distance away.  It struck me how fortunate I am.  I can hear and see this plane fly over my home without fear that it's going to drop a bomb and destroy everything we have. While people in Ukraine are living out that terror every day.

I have been trying to keep up with what is going on in regards to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Man of the House will sometimes turn on one of the 24-hour news channels when he is home and let it play to catch all the stories and latest updates.  But sometimes it all just starts to feel like too much.

All of the images of homes being destroyed by Russian bombs.  The women and children, and the elderly - huddled in shelters or fleeing across the border into Poland to try to escape the brutality.  Families are being torn apart.  I start to feel hopeless.  There's an odd mix of anger and dispair.  And then the "what ifs" start to play in my mind.  That's when have to turn off the television and try to forget about it for a little while. 

Believe me, I know exactly how blessed I am to have that option.  The people actually living through this ordeal don't have that luxury.  I pray every single day for thier safety and for and end to the war.

Sunday Inspiration: One Step at a Time

 

Thankful Thursday: March 17, 2022

 

I Am Thankful For:

Spring flowers

My handsome husband

Having access to dental and medical care

Curbside pickup

Fresh ideas

Blossoms on the trees

Hearing the hawks calling to each other

Finding a cute spring purse on clearance

A beautiful day before the cold comes back

A warm house on a cold day

Homemade soup

Getting caught up

When the dogs cuddle up next to me during my morning quiet time

Breakfast parfaits

Afternoon coffee

The dog stopped vomiting

What I'm Reading: "March"

As someone who loved Little Women and spent a short time in her early life wishing she could be Jo March, even for just one day - I was excited to finally read March by Geraldine Brooks. (Yes, I know it  won the Pulitzer Prize way back in 2006, but if you could see my TBR list, you would understand why it took me so long to get around to this)

March follows the father of the "Little Women" during the time he is absent from the original classic tale. It brings to life the previously untold story of his service as a chaplain in the Union army, as well as the back story of how he and Marmee met and fell in love. 

I feel that it's an interesting story. Good, but not great. It took me a while to get into the story as well as the characters. Papa March and Marmee are not exactly the kindly, understanding, loving characters we know from Little Women.  Mr. March is a bit self-centered for my taste.  But that very flaw is a big part of what drives his actions and the plot. My feelings about this book swung wildly from frustration to being completely enthralled.

March is also not an easy read.  Ms. Brooks doesn't paint a sugar-coated picture about the horrors of war, battlefield hospitals, or slavery. If you are sensitive to violence or brutality, you may want to give it a pass.

If you are looking for another Little Women, this isn't it.  If you are looking for a well-written alternate story to that childhood classic - pick up a copy of March.

⭐⭐⭐

Monday Musings: Body Image

 How do you feel about your body?  

I admit that I have spent far too much of my life with negative feelings about mine.  An endless litany of "that part is too big", "that part is too small", "that part is too jiggly", "that part could be better".  From my hair to my hips, from my nose to my legs.  I haven't been my body's best friend. 

As we reach a certain age, our bodies begin to change again.  I know I have felt it happening. Things are getting wrinkly.  Some things aren't as firm as they used to be.  I've put on weight, even in some areas where I never carried weight in the past.  It's easy for those old negative feelings to fill our heads. 

I have made a conscious decision to start trying to counter those self-defeating thoughts with more appreciative and affirming ones.  When I catch myself looking at my body with critical eyes, I make a point of thinking about things that I appreciate about it and can be grateful for. 

My body is unique, designed especially to house my spirit and for the purpose I was created to fulfill.

My body grew and nurtured 2 babies for 9 months each.  And continued to feed them after they were born. 

My body is adaptive and is always changing depending on the season, the environment, and the season of life that I am in. 

My body has fought off numerous viruses and bacterial infections over the years.

My body heals itself when wounded.

My body is healthy enough to do most things I want to do.

My body is always at work.  My heart is always beating. My lungs are always breathing. My hair and nails are always growing. Never taking a break. 

My body has held up despite all the things I did to it in my younger years (smoking, not getting enough sleep, etc) 

My eyes have shown me beautiful, incredible, funny, sad, and touching things every day.

My mouth can taste amazing foods for me to enjoy.

My hands can work a crochet hook and yarn to create beautiful and useful things.

What do you appreciate about your body?

Sunday Inspiration: Good Intentions

 

Thankful Thursday: March 10, 2022

 

I Am Thankful For:

Self-care days

Clean doggies

Long talks on the phone with my daughter

Max's vet appointment went well

Resisting the candy and soda at the checkout

Pretty nail polish

Sending birthday cards

Blue skies

Saturday mornings

Trips to Home Depot

New growth on my Christmas cactus

Productive Sundays

The daffodils have bloomed

March mornings that feel like summer

Getting a quick dentist appointment

Surprise Etsy orders

Sunday Inspiration: What Lies Where

 

Thankful Thursday: March 3, 2022

 

I Am Thankful For:

When our chiweenie smiles

My son buying me lunch

Hugs

Making myself laugh

Signs of Spring

Not having to cook dinner

Spring decor

Books

Access to news

My health

Meal planning

Family

Pancakes

Happiness

A huge blue jay sitting in the pear tree

Having easy access to healthy foods

Having fresh clean drinking water

Crocus blooming

Currently... March 2022

February was a rough month. Between plumbing problems, my dad having another episode of angina and requiring another heart cath, the man's broken foot, and myself and the male offspring having Covid - I was more than happy to put that month behind me! A new month means a clean slate. A fresh start.

Happily looking forward to March!

Working On:  After more than a week of lying around recuperating from Covid-19, I've slowly been getting back to my normal routines. That includes getting back to some healthier eating.  When I was sick, there was a lot of comfort eating going on. And convenience foods. Not always the most nutritious options. I've been looking for new healthy recipes and meal plans. 

Celebrating: This month brings my mother's birthday. Our son-in-law also has a birthday in March.

Wanting/Needing: I need to find some type of exercise that I actually enjoy.  Or the motivation to do some sort of exercise despite hating it.  I wish I could be one of those people who just love jogging or yoga or whatever. But I'm just not

Eating: As well as the above-mentioned comfort food, I was also enjoying lots of sweets.  Cookies, jelly beans, and sugary cereal.  Now that I'm getting back on track, I am focusing on lean proteins and lots of fruits and veggies. 

Loving: We've been having some lovely spring-like days in the last couple of weeks.  It has been nice to turn off the heat, open the windows and let in some fresh air.  The dogs are loving being able to go hang out on the back porch in the sunshine. 

March Goals:

• Mail Mom's birthday present
• Clean out and re-organize bathroom cabinet
• Walk stairs every day (March 1-5: 3 flights, March 6-12: 4 flights, March 13-19: 5 flights, March 20-26: 6 flights)
• Read at least 3 books
• Create Thankful Thursday post templates for the 2nd quarter
• Continue working on winding and organizing yarn

What is March looking like in your life?

Pancake Day! (and a recipe)

Happy Shrove Tuesday!  Also known as Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday. Also known as... Pancake Day!

If you're asking yourself what in the world I am talking about - here's a little background info.  In Christianity, Shrove Tuesday (known as Mardi Gras - or "Fat Tuesday" in some parts of the world) is the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.  Ash Wednesday begins the Lenten Season - a period of fasting, penitence, personal reflection, and prayer leading up to Easter. So, you could say that Shrove Tuesday is the last hurrah before a religious period of fasting and self-denial. 

Now that we have that straight - What do pancakes have to do with all of this?? 

It's not entirely clear, but the general belief is  that people needed some way to use up all the eggs, butter, sugar, etc that they would not be eating during the fasting of Lent.  And making big batches of pancakes seems a pretty good way of doing that.  Over time it became a whole thing.  And there you have it - Pancake day!

If this has you suddenly craving pancakes (which is exactly what it did to me last weekend as I was planning this post)  Here's my super simple pancake recipe to help you out:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons oil

1. Mix dry ingredients together
2. Add milk, egg, and oil. Mix until most of the lumps are gone (it doesn't have to be perfect) If your batter is a little too thick at this point - at more milk a little at a time until it is the desired consistency.  If it's too thin, add a little more flour.
3. I cook my pancakes on an electric griddle, but you can use a skillet on medium heat.  Cook first side until bubbles form on the surface, then flip and cook until done.
4. Enjoy!

The number of pancakes you get from this recipe will depend on how large you make them.  But it makes enough for me and two grown men (the Man of the House and male offspring).  We like them with maple syrup and some fresh berries on the side.