Monday Daybook

Good morning, friends. Another week has passed since my last visit here. Thank you for all your comments on my previous post about struggling to keep up with every single post on my feed right now, and thank you for understanding. I'm behind again after the weekend I've had.

Outside my window... It's currently 56 degrees and a bit chilly inside. It's forecast to be a sunny day with a high of 72. Perfect weather!

My weekend... Friday evening, the whole family attended my granddaughter's preschool Christmas recital. It was so adorable, I wish I could share photos. We went to dinner afterward at a fun little place with good food, great service, live music, and an open area that served as a dance floor right next to where we were seated. The singer was excellent, and they played rockin' Christmas music in between sets. We danced the night away with the girls - and by danced the night away, I mean until 8pm, lol. We all had a great time.

The rest of the weekend didn't go nearly as well. Get a load of this - my washing machine sprang a leak, my ice maker stopped working, one toilet won't stop running unless I open the tank and jiggle things around - no, just jiggling the handle doesn't work. The other toilet is leaking slightly around the base. Then my oven died. It looked like only one little inch or so of the bottom element was heating, and it was white hot with sparks flying. If I hadn't been right there in the kitchen, I probably wouldn't have noticed and likely would have had a fire. 

As if that wasn't enough, I started my car to go to the store, and the engine was making a clicking sound. I recognized the sound from when I had an oil leak many years ago. I turned off the car and checked my oil. It was almost completely empty - way too empty to attempt to drive it, even just around the corner to the gas station to buy more oil was too risky.

*Insert a loud sigh and throw in a WTF here*

I was grounded for the weekend and still grounded now until one of my boys can get over after work to put some oil in my car so I can try to figure out if it's leaking or what's going on. I'm not sure what to do with all the other stuff at this point. My older son is pretty handy, but it will probably be after the holidays before he has time to deal with such a long list of things to see if he can even attempt to fix them or not.

This morning... I'm having a cup of coffee and chatting with you. I'll be getting some beef stew going in my slow cooker in a little while. 

I am wearing... Yoga pants and another concert t-shirt. This one from Rockville, Daytona Beach, 2021. I have my robe on over the top to keep myself from flipping the heat on. It will warm up quickly now that the sun is coming up.

I am cooking... The beef stew will last me for the next couple of days. After that, I'll probably just use up some leftover freezer meals. I still need to plan some fun holiday meals and snacks for my girls for Friday. That will be the last regularly scheduled day I'll be watching them until after the holidays.

This week... Today, I'll be putting together a doll crib and highchair that I got for my girls for Christmas to go with the lifelike baby dolls I got for them. I think they will really love all of it, especially with their new baby brother or sister on the way.

I need to come up with some holiday activities for them for Friday, too. I had planned to bake cookies with them, but no oven, no cookies. I'm glad I hadn't purchased all the ingredients yet. Maybe I'll buy some store-bought sugar cookies for them to decorate instead. Other than that and giving them a few of their Christmas gifts, I'm not sure what else we'll do yet. Either way, I want to be sure it's a fun and festive day for them.

I still have a few gift cards to buy and a couple of gifts to wrap. I did a good cleaning while grounded over the weekend, so that's out of the way. We still need to figure out a plan for the actual holidays, too, which is difficult with my new grandbaby due on Christmas Day - not to mention the lack of a working oven. 

I think that just about covers everything for me this week. How's your holiday season going?

Monday Daybook

Good evening, friends. I bet you didn't expect to hear from me again so soon. I'm sticking with my old school Monday Daybook for now. I think it's something I can keep up with even during busy times - fingers crossed anyway. 

Outside my window... It was a hot, sunny day. It's almost sunset as I'm writing, and it's still 81 degrees out there. So much for that nice little cold front that came through on Thanksgiving. Such is life in Florida.

The weekend... I wasn't feeling very well and was just completely exhausted the entire weekend. There were plans to get together with my family, but I just wasn't up to doing anything. My kids still got together and took the little ones downtown to watch the Christmas parade on Saturday evening, so it all worked out ok. 

This morning... I was still dragging, but finally got myself up and moving. I had some calls to make, made my to-do list for the week, figured out a plan for meals, and then went to do my grocery shopping. 

I am wearing... I'm back in comfy clothes now - Jammie pants and an oversized t-shirt, another one compliments of my son. Today, it's an old Nintendo t-shirt featuring all the original characters.

I am listening to... Silence at the moment.

I am thinking... About starting a new blog - a private one. There are so many pros and cons to consider. The only real solution for doing and sharing everything I want to would be having two blogs, one public and one private, but when I think about that, I have to ask myself if I've lost my ever-loving mind!

I am feeling... Sick and tired of being sick and tired. I don't know if I picked up something from the girls last week or if it's just one of my health issues kicking my butt, but I'm still feeling so lousy today.  

I am reading... Blogs, as usual. Unfortunately, I'm currently not able to see well enough to read books. I have cataracts and need surgery, but I have been putting it off. I've tried audiobooks, but I somehow forget to pay attention when I'm listening instead of reading. Does anyone else have that problem?

I am cooking... I'm making egg roll in a bowl with ramen noodles for this evening, and there will be plenty of leftovers for the next day or two. I'm planning to make some breaded Italian chicken cutlets, macaroni and cheese, and roasted broccoli on Wednesday. That way, I'll have a good lunch ready for the girls on Thursday - just heat and eat. I have everything I need to make Chana Masala late in the week if I'm not still working on leftovers.  

I am watching... I've been watching movies on Tubi lately. Check it out if you aren't already familiar with it - it's a free app. Here are a few that I thought were pretty good - Grandma, Fireflies in the Garden, Welcome to the Rileys, and I'm in the middle of A Good Person, which seems good so far. All have great casts.

I am going... Nowhere other than out for a nice long blog jog this evening.

This week... Other than a doctor's appointment tomorrow, I'll be checking things off my to-do list, and then of course, I'll have the girls all day Thursday. I try not to plan anything on Fridays or over the weekends if I don't have to. There's always a lot of cleaning to be done after a day with the girls, and besides that, I'm always worn out for days afterwards.

That's all for me for today, and possibly the week - we'll see. Now I'm off to see what you've been up to. Enjoy the evening! :)

NaBloPoMo - Day 24

Good morning, friends. It's a new week and time for my Monday Daybook. If you'd like to join me, I've put the list of the prompts in the bar at the top of my blog for you to copy and paste to make things a little easier.

Outside my window... It's a very foggy morning, 67 degrees. It's forecast to be mostly sunny today and warming up into the low 80s by this afternoon. 

My weekend... On Saturday, I did a little cleaning and a bit of yard work, but mostly just relaxed, watched a movie, and caught up on blogs. On Sunday, I took a walk to the beach and then spent the afternoon with my kids and grands. We went out for a nice dinner on Sunday evening, which was probably our Thanksgiving celebration. We aren't sure yet if we'll all be able to be in the same place at the same time on Thanksgiving Day. I'm just happy we were able to spend time together as a family. The day itself doesn't really matter to me. 

This morning... I'm just having my coffee and sitting here chatting with you.

I am wearing... Jammie pants and a t-shirt.

I am listening to... Silence at the moment.

I am thinking... Mostly about how to try to plan for Thanksgiving without a plan.

I am feeling... Tired this morning. I didn't sleep well last night.

I am reading... I'm still just keeping up with blogs this week.

I am cooking... No cooking planned for today. I have plenty of leftovers from dinner last night. I haven't planned anything further for the week yet, other than trying to come up with something for Thanksgiving - maybe.

I am watching... Over the weekend, I watched The Last Word with Shirley MacLaine on Netflix. I think it was from back in 2017. She was great in it, but I wouldn't say the movie itself was fantastic - still good and worth a watch.

I am going... To the grocery store this afternoon. I don't know what I'm going to get yet, but I need to come up with some kind of plan before I go.

This week... Everything is still kind of up in the air at the moment. Holidays get complicated with the kids all grown up. Now there are spouses and their families to consider. I have a busy day tomorrow, and then no other definite plans beyond that. I don't even have the girls this week. My daughter-in-law is a teacher, and they are all on Thanksgiving break now. I guess I'll just wait it out to see how things play out for the rest of the week.

How's your week looking, and what are your plans for Thanksgiving this year? 

NaBloPoMo - Day 17

Good morning, friends. It's a new week and time for my Monday Daybook. If you'd like to join me today, or in the future, I've put a list of the prompts in the bar at the top of my blog for you to copy and paste to make things a little easier.

Outside my window... It's a beautiful day, blue skies and sunshine, currently 76 degrees with a high of 80 today.

My weekend... Uneventful, just the way I like it. I kept busy at home catching up on blogs, doing a little cleaning and decluttering, and I packed up a few more boxes to drop off for donation this week. I spent a lot of time on phone calls and texts trying to come up with a plan for Thanksgiving. Holidays are harder to plan these days with the kids' in-laws' plans to consider.

This morning... I just got back from the grocery store. I'm taking a short break for blogs and brunch, and then off to get started on my other errands.

I am wearing... A tunic top with capri leggings, or jeggings, actually, if that's still what they are called. 

I am listening to... Silence at the moment.

I am thinking... About how much I have to do today. I really need to get moving.

I am feeling... A little cranky about how much I have to do, and also annoyed with how long it's taking Blogger's feed reader to update. If it's anything like yesterday, you won't be seeing this until this afternoon.

I am reading... Just blogs for now, and I'm so happy about that!

I am cooking... I'm going make some scrambled eggs and maybe even sneak in a slice or two of bacon with some whole grain toast for brunch. I think I might just grab some takeout for dinner somewhere while I'm out and about, since it's going to be a busy day. I know I won't feel like cooking by the time I get home.

I am watching... Last night I watched Everybody's Fine, a 2009 movie with Robert De Niro on Netflix. It was a very good movie, but sad too. Mostly, I've just been going back and forth, turning things on and off, trying to find something worthy of watching lately - help!

I am going... Out and I don't like it, lol. I have a long to-do list and I'd rather be at home. I'm such a homebody.

This week... Obviously, a busy day of errands today. My son asked me last night if I could watch the girls on Tuesday instead of Thursday this week. Not really a big deal, but now I have to prepare for that along with all the other things I have to accomplish today. The good news is that my calendar is empty for the rest of the week after that. That makes me very happy.

That's all from me for today. How's your week looking?

NaBloPoMo - Day 10

Way back in the old days of blogging, I used to do something on Mondays called The Simple Woman's Daybook. I thought it might be fun to bring that back. These weren't the original prompts. Most changed them up a bit over time to suit themselves. These are the ones I was using on an old blog. They still work for me. Feel free to use them yourself if the urge strikes.

Outside my window... It's cloudy and very windy, currently 66 degrees. The high is 68 today. The temperature is forecast to drop into the 30s by tonight. That's very cold by SW Florida standards.

My weekend... It was a fairly quiet weekend. I did watch the girls for a few hours on Saturday evening. We had a nice dinner and movie night. We watched the Disney movie Elio. They actually cuddled up on the couch with me and sat still for the movie. I was shocked. I did some cleaning and grocery shopping on Sunday.

This morning... I'm relaxing with a cup of coffee and reading blogs.

I am wearing... Yoga pants and one of my son's castoffs, a big, worn-out, comfy concert t-shirt, an Avenged Sevenfold shirt to be exact. 

I am listening to... The sound of the high winds whipping through the trees outside.

I am thinking... This daybook idea might be a good thing for me to try to stick with weekly or at least monthly when life gets back to being too busy to blog regularly.

I am feeling... Happy and content.

I am reading... Blogs, lots and lots of lovely blogs.

I am cooking... I made some egg salad yesterday that I'll finish off for brunch today, and then I'll be cooking up a new recipe I came across a little later this afternoon - Moroccan Chickpea and Couscous Soup

I am watching... I just finished the series The Summer I Turned Pretty on Prime. I didn't think it would be my kind of thing, but I got invested after the first couple of episodes and actually really enjoyed it. Have you seen it? 

I think I'll binge-watch what's out so far of this season of Grey's Anatomy next. Anyone else a fan? I think it's gone way downhill, but I can't stop watching after all these years. It's hard to believe it's on season 22. 

I am going... Nowhere today, as far as I know.

This week... I'm planning to stay at home both today and tomorrow. I have some paperwork to deal with and a few projects I'm working on. I'll have the girls on Wednesday instead of Thursday this week. Thursday will be clean up and recovery from the two little tornadoes, and Friday will be a mass catch-up day to get all of this week's errands done. 

How are things outside of your window today?

Have a great week! :)