Happy New Year 2022

Well, I have missed writing to put down thoughts on paper.  

I am still teleworking mandatory 60 hours per week.  Very few days off granted right now, but I did just come off of 2 3-day weekends in a row, so that was amazing.  Now, apparently back to the grind.

I just popped in to write a quick post and see if it is something I can keep up with this year.  We shall see...

I feel like all I am doing is working, but as I reflect back on 2021 I do feel some things have changed and maybe those things will give me content for posts to share later.  But for now, just wanted to reflect on my holidays and my time off.  I enjoyed several family meals and I enjoyed playing golf twice and did a hike on the 1st.  We got a good bit of rain here in NW Arkansas, so we postponed the annual New Year's Day hike from 9am to 1:00pm, so the rain would hopefully let up and it did!  When I left my house for the 40 min drive, it was 47.  I got to the place to hike and it was falling to the low 40's and during our walk it got down to 35ish.  Wind was starting to blow so it felt colder.  Then I drove to Cabela's to see if they still had the fleece lined pants I saw when I was shopping there at Christmas - they only had a pair of jeans fleece lined.  I was hoping for more of a hiking pant on the outside (more water resistant and harder to rip on brambles, etc).  I am also having a hard time finding a really warm hat, but I do have a few warm headbands, so I will just keep looking.  

I continue to sell my work clothes on Poshmark and in turn buy more comfortable/warm clothing in return and I have also picked up a few golf and hiking pieces.  I sold quite a few things this past week (you can now sell household items on PM) and I have sold quite a bit of extra kitchen stuff, dishes, linens and even a few afgans I crocheted.  I managed today to buy a pair of fleece lined hiking pants from PM for $10!  Score.  

Well, I am exchanging my day off (Sunday) for Saturdays to be my day off this year.  I miss all the hiking and getting out and it has made me pretty depressed at times being stuck in my house working all the time and not being able to get out on organized hikes.  And I probably will never be a sole hiker, I just do not think it is safe.  I know some people do that - that is their choice, but mine is to hike with others.  

I heard a good word to pick for 2022 - "remain".  I am going to remain steady in my commitments for 2022, including being a good partner for my husband, good dog mom to our motley crew and a good friend and to be still for times that I need to be.  I tend to jump to action as a default setting, but sometimes I need to be quiet and think/listen.  

Have a great week!

My Pumpkin Coffee Joy

Yesterday we walked the pup to the park and played.  Later, it was rainy and we couldn't do much outside, so I sat on our porch and read.

Today is was sunny but cool.  The sun dried up the yard enough to mow.  We could not get push mower to start, so I took it to small engine repair.

DH thinks he diagnosed why our dryer stopped heating.   We go pick up part tomorrow.

While DH mowed with big mower, I dug up whole line of large rocks along one side of the house.  Now We are relaxing our tired muscles and I am enjoying a cup of pumpkin coffee with pumpkin coconut creamer.

Internet provider (#2) could not get wiring at our house to work, so he has to come back Friday.  Since we waited for him today, I still haven't grocery shopped or taken our large bag to thrift store.

If we can get dryer to work tomorrow, I will consider it a victory week.

We also gave up on trying to get trimmer started.  We are going to ask DH BIL if he will look at it for us.  Today was sort of frustrating,  but yard is mowed now and those stupid rocks are gone.

Joy is not a constant. It comes to us in moments - often ordinary moments. Sometimes we miss out on the bursts of joy because we're too busy chasing down the extraordinary moments. Other times we're so afraid of the dark we don't dare let ourselves enjoy the light. A joyful life is not a floodlight of joy. That would eventually become unbearable. I believe a joyful life is made up of joyful moments gracefully strung together by trust, gratitude and inspiration
~ Brené Brown

P.S.  I am going to help my girlfriend sell some of her disabled sister's old designer shoes,  so I got my Poshmark restarted and sold a blouse and a pair of my own shoes!  I just need internet so I can print the labels...Oy vey!

Thursday Snow Day, Finally Friday

I stayed home yesterday.  The temp dropped from way above freezing to below while it rained iceapprox 8 to noon.  We did not get a whole lot of ice, fortunately.  And since I go in 6:20am to arrive by 7, I prob would have been fine, but after the ice the forecast was snow, so I was more concerned about the commute home.  One year it showed a couple inches during the workday and it took me 3 hours to drive home.  It was nice, DH stayed home too.  Plus, I had just washed my car and took photos to list it online for sale, so it seemed sort of like tempting fate!

I did laundry and listed a bunch of more of our old work clothes we won't wear if we are retired.  I have had more luck selling men's clothes/shoes lately than mine.  The website I use (Poshmark) I think is exploding, but instead of more selling, I think people are all wanting to get rid of stuff and it has become a lot like an online garage sale.  I see genuine leather jackets go for $20-$25 and nice leather shoes for $8.  It is fine to get rid of large hoard of stuff, but if I am giving it away, I would rather just load the car and give it away, literally.  Which I also did.  My DH has started to work on his closet and we have spent couple of hours 2 diff days down in it sort of getting an overview of strategy.  I think I now have removed most of the stuff of any value he does not want to keep and have listed it (like 10 really nice canvas/twill type Tommy Hilfiger shirts he has had laundered professionally that are spotless.  Also about 10 of his really nice basic suits).  The rest he is 1) keeping - I am not sure where he is going to put 50 Harley tee shirts, lol; 2)  donating or 3) throwing away.  But at least, we sort of have it figured out.  I also listed his travel golf bag and my car online! 

As far as staging my house, I have decided that the 4 bookcases we are keeping in our basement, we are going to go ahead and move them and stage the space another way.  I have a large picture and a chair I am going to move from master bedroom down there.  DH and I think the more bigger stuff we can move each trip, the better off we will be.  We may even sell the Suburban before next fall.  It is 19 years old and we got a good deal on it, but we had to put a little more into fixing some things than we had planned.  We have just about decided that rather than keeping an older vehicle that is not exactly what we want or need (we don't really need 4wd, but if we do, we would almost rather have a truck).  So, if we get our stuff basically all moved without having to rent a trailer or spend way more time, then the repairs will have paid for themselves and we will go ahead and cut our loss.  We also have a 14 year old Camry, but it is low miles and we think it will last for years and is more economical, so we think we will keep it longer and maybe get a small truck instead of old suburban and my new expensive SUV.  So excited to consolidate our assets/efforts and get rid of debt!

I am ready to move and want to do more, but really we are sort of in a waiting pattern until we can get couple more loads to RH, including getting the bookcases out of basement.  First we will move all the Christmas stuff and some other stuff (cabinet from dining room) i have packet up.  Then next trip (early Feb we will move the bookcases).  Then move loveseat out of the basement, get the carpet re-stretched and cleaned.  Then move couch and chair from master downstairs and stage with the large painting.  Move dresser from master to RH and late winter, move large shelf from master to RH master closet for sweaters/sweatshirts/shoes.

All while I am trying to help take care of Granny and work full time.  Ugggghhhhh.  I will be glad when this is all over.  We have tried to talk Granny in to moving with us, but she thinks she cannot leave her daughter and cannot intrude on us.  Actually I would consider it an honor to care for her and much prefer to her going to a nursing home and also, it really would be much easier for me.  But I truly doubt she will come with us. 

Two Steps Forward

One step back.  At least that beats one step forward, two steps back. 

Some great strides in decluttering and saving, then I see something shiney.  Oh well.  I had saved up some money for a couple of things and so I feel ok as long as I try to stay away from impulse buying.  I had planned to get something nice for DH retirement and now that is out of the way.  I can work almost a year trying to add back to my savings to make up for that. 
 

Lots of festivals this time of the year and that is so fun!  Yesterday we went to an art show and a car show.  We had a great time, even though it was in the 90's and humid!  We also went to a great meal out Friday night and they serve family style, so LOTS of leftovers!  Also 3 friends have given us fresh produce, so I am not going to the store until late in the week, we are working on our pantry and freezer. 
 

Today we are going to a movie which is a rare treat.  We almost always do matinees due to keeping cost down.  Then we go pick up our used car that has been very challenging with all the repairs we had to shell out within months of owning it.  But I look at it like, now the vehicle has basically been rebuilt, so should last us several years. 

My DH also sold his newer truck recently so we could put that money in the bank to be able to pay off RH when we sell our CH.  It should happen still.  I also recently did a small financial assist for a family member and gave to Red Cross for hurricane and bought a shirt to help animal shelter.  So, that makes me feel really good.
 

This weekend, I thoroughly cleaned master bath everything!  Lights, doors, baseboard and floor.  I will finish up tonight with scrubbing the grout.  I also caulked a place around front door window panel and repainted that trim. 

I read another blog who recommended you hire an inspector to go through and point out stuff you can address beforehand.  I may just have BIL who has built houses do that.  I also have a friend who is really good at staging and when she was here last month, she gave me lots of ideas that I wrote down on a list.  I did not get rid of much this weekend, but now that we will have our big SUV back, I can take a giant lamp to my aunt (A2) and I am taking a large houseplant and 2 giant planters to my SIL2. 

I wish I had started blogging sooner so I could remember all the stuff I have sold, given away to family/friends and given to thrift stores.  It has been pretty substantial.  Here are a few examples:  clothes, shoes, jewelry, collectibles of certain name brands sold.  I have used Facebook market place, ebay and Poshmark.  Furniture: FB, garage sales and Craigslist.  Plus I have given plenty away.  Sentimental stuff goes back to where I got it, or on to younger people in my family.  Sporting goods, expensive small items mostly ebay.  I had a freezer that we called bulk item pick up and I have put several large things we don't want, that have little value that I have sat by the curb with a "free" sign during our neighborhood garage sale.  I will do a whole post on Poshmark sometime.  All these things I have probably make over $5000 in the past 2 years.  I also gave away some large houseplants free on Craigslist. 

The older I get, the more I think about cleaning and maintaining certain things.  I am getting tired of houseplants, but I still keep a few.  DH and I really hate to kill houseplants.  I would rather give it away.  My health condition is cooperating with me great this weekend, feel great!  I walked yesterday before it got warm and I will walk later today again, AFTER the NFL game!
 

Hope you are getting a lot of fall projects tackled!