Not Very Balanced Today

We are back from our Florida vacation, and I can't wait to share the good times, and some bad that happened on the trip. That is for another day though. Today, some hodgepodge questions!



1. Where do you go when you need some inspiration?  I love to be outside, weather depending, so that is probably my preferred place for inspiration.  I don't tolerate high heat or humidity very well, but I think I do pretty well here in Indiana.  I have ten beautiful acres with trees, a creek and a pond. With my dogs, I can walk around, or sit quietly on the porch swing and listen to the birds. I will go out in the sun, a light rain or the snow. I would be perfectly content listening to the waves hitting the beach, but I don't have that here!

2. What's under your bed?  It's embarrassing to say, there is a lot there!  A few years ago, hubby and I hiked up Pikes Peak in Colorado.  We bought very nice backpacks, thinking we would continue hiking. They are stored under the bed, and haven't been touched in a very long time.  Under the bed I also store plastic containers that have rolls of Christmas wrapping paper in them. Since the boys never came upstairs to our room, it was the best way to keep our kids from seeing the paper until Christmas. The boys are grown now, but I have just never changed this routine.  I also store extra table leaves under the bed. Keeps them safe and out of the way.

3. Thursday, February 22nd is National Chili Day, National Margarita Day, and National Cook a Sweet Potato Day. Of the three which would you most like to celebrate? Is that likely?  Looks like I need to go shopping! I love chili, but it doesn't sit well with hubby, and just he and I at home now, I can't do that.  I love sweet potatoes, but out of the three choices, I can guarantee we will do Margaritas!  I have been a little indulgent in some alcohol since our vacation last week-it has been helping me sleep at night, when an injury I incurred otherwise keeps me awake.

4. What are you 'snowed under' with right now?  Unfortunately, not snow!  This has been the craziest winter in Indiana this year! Yesterday it was in the mid 70's, and today the 40's. I miss the snow. But, to answer this question, I am 'snowed under' with schoolwork.  I am so close to finishing my BSN. I need to be out in my community, acquiring 35 hours of face to face interviews so I can finish a paper. Being on crutches right now, I am struggling to move much, and it causing a little stress. 

5. Tell us three to five things that make you feel balanced?  Carving out time for my hobbies is something I haven't been able to do in years.  I now allow myself to stitch in the evenings. It relaxes me.  Getting some exercise is very balancing for me.  I returned to running last summer, and it feels amazing.  This is week two with no running, and I am feeling very sluggish.  I am not allowed to put any weight on my right leg, so I need to find new exercises I can do for now.  With crutches, not running at all, I am feeling sooooo unbalanced right now!  Getting outside, camping or hiking with my hubby works wonders for me, and us.  Sometimes, hubby's days are long, and he just wants to sit and relax when he gets home. It is easy to feel ignored, and very frustrated being home so much.  When we go hiking or camping, we give undivided attention.

6. Insert your own random thought here.  Two years ago, hubby and I took a trip to Florida, to see our son graduate from his military training.  It was beautiful down there, and we really considered becoming snow birds, staying there all winter.  We just returned from a vacation in Florida, and have immediately noticed a difference in the way we felt down there, and how we feel at home.  I am thinking next winter, we might just spend a little more time in the south, and gradually, we might just make that transition to snowbirds every winter!  



If you would like to play along with Wednesday's Hodgepodge questions, go visit Joyce, her blog is From This Side of the Pond.   Even if you don't want to play, it's fun to see how others answer.  Thanks for stopping by today, have a wonderful day!

Cindy

Wednesday Hodgepodge

It's Wednesday, time to share a little Hodgepodge about me.  I am actually on time this week!  I am linking up with Joyce, at From This Side of the Pond.

1. January 24th is National Compliment Day. Is it easy or not so easy for you to accept a compliment? Share a recent compliment you've given or received.

  I love to give others a little boost by complementing them.  For me, accepting a compliment is not as easy as giving though.  I recently received a compliment from one of the postal workers in our little local post office.  More than once he told me that I looked really nice that day.  Since I was dressed for an important appointment that day, I took his words as a hint that I should stop going out in public in my sweats and no makeup!

2. Ten little things you are loving right now.

  I am loving my husband leaving early in the morning, and I get a few quite minutes to stitch.
  I am loving heating the house with the outdoor wood boiler.  I can turn up the heat without thinking about the cost of gas!
  I have been scrapbooking again this week, and I love playing with paper
  Hot tea.  I am having a heart scan done today, so no caffeine, no coffee. Love my peppermint tea.
  Watching snow fall.  I don't have to be outside, so I get to enjoy from my warm house.
  Our Jack Russel puppy likes to snuggle in my lap with my blanket
  Cold weather! As crazy as that sounds, I like to run when it's only 32 outside, I don't overheat.
  I am loving running. I started a half marathon training program, a big undertaking.
  Leggings-I never owned any until just recently, and I am hooked. I won't wear them outside the house though.
  I am loving the woman's devotional book that I read every morning.
3. Would people describe you as a positive person? Do you see yourself that way?

Positive people find something to look forward to every day, they celebrate the small stuff, they're kind, they stay busy, accept responsibility for their actions, forgive themselves, know when to move on, and resist comparisons

Which action on the list would you say you do regularly? Which action could you add to your life to give you a more positive outlook? If you're a positive person, what's something you do regularly that's not on the list?
  
Yes, I think so, and yes I do.  From the above list, I think I find something to look forward to every day.  Usually, it's something simple, like knowing it is my running day compared to a rest day.  Something that I do regularly that isn't on the list above is think of something to be thankful for.  I have a family member recently diagnosed with cancer, I am thankful I have knowledge to share, I can answer some of her questions when they strike at weird hours when she can't pick up a phone and call her doctor.

4. Homemade chicken soup, beef stew, or a bowl of chili...what's your pleasure on a cold winter's day?
 Chili all the way! I just bought the fixings, preparing to make a big pot this weekend.  My husband has a sensitive stomach, but he will be out of town all weekend, I am going to pig out!

5. The best part of my day is....

  First thing in the morning after everyone leaves.  My youngest is living here temporarily, but he works an hour away, so he heads out early.  I grab a big cup of coffee, throw my blanket over my lap in the recliner with the puppy, and I stitch while i listen to youtube videos.  I used to stitch first thing in the morning when the boys were little, before they had to get up for school. It is so relaxing, and I get a lot done.

6.  Insert your own random thought here.

  One of the few shows that hubby and I like to watch is Blue Bloods.  We aren't dedicated to anything on TV, but if this is on as we are flipping through, it's our choice. We always like the scenes of the family gathered around the dinner table, chatting about events.  It's not just the fact that it's family, it's several generations of family.  And they have been together enough that they know each other.  When our boys were growing up, we always ate dinner together as a family.  Now everybody feels so spread out, and other than the holiday meals, we don't see each other.  I am trying to bring us together again.  I have made an effort, at least once a week, have my local sons, and family, as well as my in-laws over for a meal.  It can be a lot of work to cook and clean for that many people every week, but I am hoping our grand daughter will know her uncles and great grand parents a little better than if we didn't try.  Tomorrow is our big meal this week.  Maybe I'll get a head start, and make the dessert today!

Thanks for stopping by, have a great day!

My Hodgepodge

I really enjoy reading various blogs. I love when I am visiting a blog, and they have a list of their favorites on a sidebar, occasionally I find someone new that I want to follow. With the cold temperatures right now, puppy and I are spending a little more time than usual snuggling together under a warm blanket, reading. I have found quite a few new blogs recently, which have encouraged me to think a little more.   I like it.  Sometimes I think I am just going through the motions with schoolwork, not really thinking about things that I can apply to my life right now.  I used to write the Simple Woman's Daybook prompts in the past, but I am ready for some new thoughts to ponder.  Joyce, whose blog From This Side of the Pond has some fun questions, which she calls Wednesday Hodgepodge. Yep, I know it's not Wednesday, but I just found this, so I thought I would give these a shot this week.


1. It's that time of year again...time for Lake Superior University to present a list of words (or phrases) they'd like to see banished (for over-use, mis-use, or genera uselessness) in 2018. You can read more about the decision making process and word meaning here, but this year's top vote getters are-

unpack, dish (as in dish out the latest rumor), pre-owned, onboarding/offboarding, nothingburger, let that sink in, let me ask you this, impactful, Cofefe, drill down, fake news, hot water heater (hot water doesn't need to be heated), and gig economy

Which of these words/phrases would you most like to see banished from everyday speech and why? Is there a word not on the list you'd like to add?

There are several words on this list that I have never heard such as nothingburger and Cofefe. It's hard to say I would eliminate something I have never heard-although spell check on my laptop tried to autocorrect Cofefe into Coffee! If I could choose, I would get rid of impactful. I am bothered by poor grammar, and this just sounds awful to me!  There is a word that I hear misused ALL. THE. TIME. But it is a word that we cannot get rid of, "seen".  When I hear someone say, or type! that they just 'seen' something, that is worse than fingernails on a chalkboard. Doesn't anyone know how to say they 'saw' something!


2. What's something you need to get rid of in the new year?

Unfinished projects.  I love crafting of various sorts, but I seem to start things, and never get them done. I have quilts, cross-stitching, painted rocks, and the list goes on. I either need to finish, or dispose of some of these projects that are cluttering my closets.

3. Where do you feel stuck?

I feel stuck in my career.  I am a nurse, currently unemployed. This is by choice at the moment, as I am pushing through the last semester to finish my BSN.  I want to work, make use of the education I have worked so hard for. At the same time, I don't want to go back to the constant struggle of punching a time clock, working every other weekend, being on call all the time. I want a job that will make a difference, but I don't want to go back into a leadership position.  I loved, loved being a hospice nurse, hated being a Director of Nursing.  I have always wanted to teach, but that would require going back to school for my Masters, ugh.  I am just stuck.  First step to get out of this feeling, is finish the classes I am in. My semester ends in March, it's almost over!

4. January is National Soup Month. When did you last have a bowl of soup? Was it made from scratch or from a can? Your favorite canned soup? Your favorite soup to make from scratch on a cold winter's day?

This week, I made ham and bean soup.  We had an eleven pound ham for Christmas dinner, and there was a big bone, with a lot of ham left on it. I put the bone in the slow cooker with a bag of northern beans, a whole onion cut up, and let it simmer for the day. It smelled heavenly!  We ate soup with some cornbread and a salad. It was perfect this week. I remember my grandma in Tennessee making ham and bean soup with cornbread, makes me smile. I eat canned soup for lunch pretty often, since I am home by myself during the day. When I was in the car all day seeing patients, I even ate soup from the can, cold. I prefer split pea and ham soup, or clam chowder, I could eat them every day and be perfectly happy.


5. Tell us one thing you're looking forward to in 2018.

Hubby and I are planning to do some traveling this year, and I am looking forward to finally making use of our RV.  Three years ago, we downsized from the big 40foot with all the slide-outs, to a smaller one, it can even fit through a drive through!  I have only used this RV with hubby twice, once right after my dad died and I needed to get away to nature, the other time last year when we took dear granddaughter to Santa Claus Indiana.  We take our first adventure next month.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

It's cold right now. We had -21 degrees Tuesday morning.  Some areas of the country are experiencing weather they just aren't used to; snow, frigid temps or winter hurricanes. But here in Indiana, we get snow, the temperatures get cold. I like winter. I have lived in Texas where it was warm for Christmas, and I hated it.  I like bundling up in sweaters and blankets, drinking hot tea.  I like watching the snow glisten in the sun. And I really like walking outside when it's cold. There's not a lot of traffic, not a lot of dogs out barking at me. It's peaceful.  My family tells me I only like the winter because I am not working, do not have to leave the house every day, but truth is, I have done it.  I lived out of my car every day as a hospice nurse, driving through the snowstorms, bundling up because the car heater didn't have time to warm up between patients.  I loved the winter then too.  I am mindful that not everyone tolerates the cold as well as I do.  We have brought the outside pets in with us this week, and thankfully it will warm up this weekend and they can go back outside.   I am sorry for those of you that do not appreciate this season as much as I do, but today, it makes me happy.



On that note, I think I will bundle up and take a walk.  Thanks for stopping by, have a wonderful day!