Drinking: I've been sick since Saturday night, so one thing I haven't been drinking is coffee. For some reason whenever I get a cold my taste buds just don't want java. Tea, please! Or ginger ale or orange juice. Or even water, with or without cat's claw (una de gato in Spanish, or Uncaria tomentosa, if you want its proper Latin name).
I'm on the mend now, but I'm still not ready for caffeine!
Eating: Pretty boring meals since my appetite hasn't returned in full. For breakfast this morning it was Shreddies with unsweetened original almond milk and whole wheat toast with 100% natural crunchy peanut butter. Lunch will probably be chicken noodle soup with a leftover Tim Hortons bun. I'm still thinking about what to have for supper.
Reading: I currently have two books on the go: The Finnish Way by Katja Pantzar (which shows up as Finding Sisu on Goodreads, for some reason), and Shelter for The Spirit: Create Your Own Haven in a Hectic World by Victoria Moran.
Watching: Nothing really. I've brought a few videos home from the library, but we haven't watched any of them yet. Titles include: American Sniper, Stronger, and The Catcher Was a Spy. If you haven't caught a theme there, these days I'm preferring films that are based on true stories. If I'm going to give my valuable time to a movie, I'd rather learn about a real person's life and circumstances. That's not to diminish the value of pure entertainment and stress relief.
Listening: Also not too much. I borrowed a few CDs from the library and have given a listen to Mandisa's Out of the Dark, which I quite enjoyed. The other day when I got home from work, my son surprised me with a new-to-me CD by The Stray Cats: Choo Choo Hot Fish. He remembered that I'd enjoyed them and seen them perform live back in their heyday, and it's rare for one of their CDs to come through the used CD/DVD store at which he works. I've listened to the first part of it and it definitely makes me want to move. Housework anyone?
Buying: As little as I can. I'm trying to get things out, not bring them in. That being said, we of course need groceries and other such necessities. And the last time we visited a thrift store we picked up a microwave plate for our microwave. Ours had slipped through my fingers while rinsing and broken in half in the sink. To buy new would have cost over $30, including shipping. We got this one for 75 cents, reduced from $3. When we were asked to up the payment to $1 with the additional 25 cents being donated to Mennonite Central Committee causes, it was a no-brainer. What a deal!
Anticipating: I guess this could come under buying. We need to replace our air conditioner, so I'm anticipating visits from HVAC companies to receive quotes. There's also a furnace service person coming this morning to go over our furnace. We may need to replace both appliances, so better to find out now and replace them at the same time for greater cost savings.
Organizing: I got a bit discouraged by organization fails and decided to put off until tomorrow what I can put off indefinitely. Not a good idea. As soon as I feel better I'll continue my efforts to declutter. I still haven't read the follow-up to How to Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind, but I'm still reading books along similar lines and finding inspiration. Not Gretchen Rubin's Outer Order, Inner Calm, though. That was a real disappointment. All stuff we've heard a million times before.
Finishing: I still have far to go in terms of finishing my novel, but what I've been focusing more attention on is looking back at older work, revising, polishing and submitting. It makes me feel more accomplished, like I'm actually doing something toward getting published and getting my name out there. My Finishing School partner and I haven't been meeting as regularly as we'd hoped. She was away for a couple of weeks and there were a couple of days where I had to work or was sick. Hopefully we'll get back on track next week.
Relationships:My husband and I haven't really made a point of carving out the time I talked about earlier. Nor have I taken enough initiative with my daughter or seen enough of my mom. I'm certainly not perfect yet at giving my son the eye contact he needs and deserves, but I think I'm doing better. Haven't had a lot of time with friends - book club at the beginning of the month and a lunch date with my Finishing School partner have been the extent of my "social" activities. Plenty of room to grow...
