Where DOES The Time Go???
I’m talking about those sneaky evening hours that strangely disappear into the abyss. But first… THANK YOU SO MUCH for all the kind comments on yesterday’s post!!! I love all the support, and GREAT suggestions. Next up is shoes… I would normally say it’s going to be difficult, but you know what? I found the dress so easily, after practically turning it into an international incident in my mind. It just goes to show… for every problem, there’s a solution. Stomach bulge? There’s only a zillion other middle aged women who have that issue- of course they make dresses for it. Anyway… we’ll get into all the rest soon (hair… makeup… jewelry… shoes). You guys gave me great suggestions, and I’m confident I can work it out. For now, I’m wondering where in the world the hours in the evening go??? In a recent post, SHU shared that she’s going to track her time this week. I’m thinking of just tracking the evening hours, because I seriously can’t seem to get anything done between dinner and bed. I have a suspicion that dealing with frequent interruptions by family members makes the time feel disjointed, and therefore unsatisfying. For example… This evening, my daughter decided to talk to me about a problem she’s having. When I offered a solution, she shouted “You’re so immature!” and flounced out of the room. Thirty minutes went by, where I tried to regain my focus and work on a blog post. My daughter reappeared suddenly. “It’s just that…” Deep dive into current issue. (Side note- for those of you who don’t have a teenage daughter, I recommend Inhale Exhale by Nicole MacPherson as a reference guide). Have you ever done time tracking? Does your evening ever feel… strangely short? Top photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash
I BOUGHT A DRESS!!!
YES I DID! And I didn’t have a meltdown, or cry in the store, or have a panic attack. I did it all by myself, too! Well- I did text my sister, a friend, Isabel, and her mom. But I ended up making the decision on my own. But first… when I last posted, I was feeling down after the holiday and visit from Paul and Isabel. But then… Wednesday rolled around. It’s my day off, and I didn’t have any appointments. I didn’t have to cook, clean the house, or really, do ANYTHING. I decided to embrace this more relaxed phase. I started the day with a Caroline Girvan Iron Series workout (more on this coming up in the Weekly Rundown, but after my recent more relaxed approach to strength training, these workouts are KILLING me!!!) Then… I went to Barnes and Noble. I sat with my tea and this stack of books. I read the first few pages of each of them, and decided to buy this one: Such a pretty cover! And it drew me in enough that I ended up reading the first several chapters in the store. It was really fun to go with the intent of making a purchase. I haven’t bought any books since January, so I figured I could get ONE. Then, Nordstrom Rack is right next to Barnes and Noble. I gathered my courage, went in to browse, and made myself try on several dresses, even though I was pretty sure none of them would be right. I was just trying to get started, you know? None of them were right, but I was vaguely encouraged by the experience. My next stop was supposed to be the mall, but I was passing TJ Maxx and I thought “Let’s just see what they have.” It turns out they have a LOT of nice dresses! Again, I wasn’t seriously expecting to find anything… but one of them worked. Even though Isabel’s mom- whose name happens to be Jennifer, what are the odds that we have the same name- was talking about dark green, I always had it in my head that I wanted navy. I texted Isabel and Jennifer, would navy work? And they both said YES. Here’s the dress. Ignore the fact that for some bizarre reason, I wore my oldest, saggiest bra to go dress shopping (um, WHY) and also that the expression on my face is totally dopey… It’s sleeveless (my arms are a part of my body that I actually LIKE), it’s the right length, and it camouflages my stomach bulge without looking like it’s actually trying to cover anything up. RIGHT??? Please just smile and nod. I just feel like this dress is very “me.” It strikes the right balance between not being too matronly, but also not slinky or low-cut (again- please smile and nod!) THIS IS A HUGE RELIEF. Now I have three months to figure out shoes, jewelry, and what in the world I’m going to do with my hair. Isabel has requested gold accessories. I was thinking silver, but it’s her wedding! I’ll do gold. The best thing about this dress is, I can continue to eat well and work out, and hopefully tone up a bit before the wedding- but also, if my body looks exactly like this, it will also be FINE. I don’t feel like I have to suck my stomach in or be self conscious. Phew. Have you had any major (or minor) victories lately? Top photo by Patti Black on Unsplash
Easter Weekend (And the Aftermath…)
Ah, our week was so nice! Paul and Isabel arrived late Tuesday night and left yesterday (Monday) morning. The visit was so, so great!!! It was really fun to talk about wedding plans. Now I HAVE TO, havetohavetohavetohavetohaveto, get moving on dress shopping. Eek. On Sunday my husband and Paul played for an Easter church service, as always. The church they play at is about an hour away and they play two services, so I traditionally stay home and watch it via livestream. Isabel went with them. Here’s the happy couple! When they got home I had an Easter brunch ready- vegan quiche and tofu bacon from Nora Cooks, hash brown patties, fruit, and BAGELS, yum. My daughter’s boyfriend joined us, and he was observing Passover so sadly couldn’t have the bagels. I had matzo for him instead. Also, remember the Christmas Crack? Well, I made “Passover Crack” with matzos instead of saltines. It was a big hit. Later we had Easter dinner, which I tragically neglected to photograph. But it was baked ziti. I do have to say that I cooked so much this week, I feel like I should get a pass for the rest of April, ha ha. Wait. I’m actually serious about that. Dessert was carrot cake! This was the leftover batter from when I made the carrot cake “muffins” for Muffin’s birthday. I made a little cake with it and then froze it until Easter. And then… we had to say goodbye. Ugh, it’s always SO HARD. I was focused on my race for so long, and then as soon as that was over I guess I was looking forward to this visit even more than I realized, because now I’ve sunk into a little depression. Almost like post-Christmas, but not quite THAT bad. I did find myself today thinking morosely “Now life has no meaning.” Sigh. Don’t worry… it won’t last. I just have to find the next thing to get excited about. My husband pointed out that we do have a wedding coming up! It’s over three months away, but it will be here before we know it. Do you have anything fun coming up in April? – My month looks so “blah!” Link Up With Tuesday Topics Welcome back to Tuesday Topics, as Jenny, from Runners Fly joins Jenn at Runs With Pugs to co-host this link-up! Please join us every week for a new topic! Write on our weekly prompt or choose your own topic! Make sure to add your post to the link up, link back to your hosts, and comment on the other shared posts! You are invited to the Inlinkz link party! Click here to enter Top photo by Jason Mayer on Unsplash
Weekly Rundown- Short But Sweet
Hello! This is going to be a short post. We spent the week hosting my son and future DIL- it was fun and busy and I hardly took any photos (WHY???) I eased back into a more “normal” routine with some Caroline Girvan core workouts, some upper body strength, and hip stability exercises. There was some walking: And there was some running!!! Moving forward, I’m going to start the Caroline Girvan Iron Series. But first… Happy Easter! I’m making an Easter brunch AND an Easter dinner (so much cooking! Will I remember how?) I hope everyone is having a wonderful day. Thanks as always to Kim and Deborah for hosting the Weekly Rundown! If you celebrate Easter, what are you making for dinner?- We’re having baked ziti. Have you ever done Caroline Gircan’s Iron Series? –I did it once before! Top photo by Amit Lahav on Unsplash