28 February 2024

where are the clothes

I need to bitch.

I have been trying to update my wardrobe for months.

Here's what I'm finding in the stores, in no particular order:

1. Polyester and spandex. Where is the natural material?
2. Tops missing the bottom half. I can't tell you how many "cute" tops I've pulled off the rack to find the bottom half missing. I would like to buy the bottom half, please.
3. $20 tshirts. Yo, they should be 5 bucks a pop.
4. High rise pants. WHEN are the low rise pants coming back? I hate the feeling of pants fabric on my belly. Plus when I find pants that fit my teeny butt, they're too tight on the belly. My ratio does not do high rise.
5. Black. Grey. White. Brown. Where are the colors?
6. Anything with color has a granny boat neck 3/4 sleeve boxy fit. What. 

I'm not sure where else to look. I don't want to spend $80 on a blouse made of a natural, colorful material that reaches my hips. And I guess I'll be wearing my current selection of black pants until they fall apart. 

26 February 2024

Things I'm loving

Haven't done one of these in a while.

Things I'm loving, in no particular order:

1. A water flosser. My life is changed. Over the past year I've noticed some gum irritation in certain spots, that's directly related to aggressive flossing due to stubborn stuck stuff. I noticed Ashley using one at Suzy's bachelorette weekend, and I got one. It is a game changer. I will never go back. I'm glad I bought a travel version because this bad boy is going everywhere with me.

2. DASH Mini waffle maker. And popcorn maker. (do NOT buy the Turbo one, it shoots popcorn kernels all over the place.) And mini griddle. I originally bought the mini griddle for travel, but I have started making little sandwich thins with it, and I use the waffle maker and popcorn maker weekly. I'm trying not to eat so many chips, so I make popcorn in big batches and store it in the freezer in sandwich bags. Works really great.

3. motion sickness glasses. They're weird but they WORK. At least in the car. I'm excited to try them on a boat.

4. Slippery elm powder. I mix a pinch into my coffee a few times a week and it has helped alleviate the tummy irritation associated with... coffee. Since there is no good coffee substitute. I've heard it described as, "Nature's Pepto Bismol." It's supposed to be good for sore throats and coughs as well. Sometimes I mix into my wine at night. Use sparingly, though, or else you'll wind up constipated. 

5. It's a 10 (lite) leave in conditioner. My hair has gotten very thin in the last few years, so I'm trying to take better care of it, especially because I heat style it every day. The ends used to get so straggly so fast. I've been really good about getting regular trims lately, and putting this on my ends. Even the hairstylist commented on how soft my hair is. Expensive, but worth it.

04 November 2023

hunting season

I had such a good day. It's hunting season, which means I get a few weekends to myself. I decided to take this weekend to get some things in order. Since we moved back to Katy, things have been in disarray and I've gotten better at adapting but y'all know I thrive on the stability of an orderly household.

I slept in, then putzed around in the kitchen while drinking coffee. Made a pumpkin pie and roasted some butternut squash.

Finished up laundry, then headed out to clean up the front porch. I can no longer excuse the cobwebs as halloween decorations. As I pull out the seasonal stuff, I'm also purging. No sense in packing it back up if we don't have room for it at the river.

I crossed a lot of little things off of the to-do list, like weeding the flowerbeds and cleaning the aerogarden. I was going to order another salad kit, but when I did the math it seemed better to order some organic seeds and a grow anything kit. Excited to grow some kale since mine did not make it though the summer and I refuse to pay $1.50 for a sad bunch at the store.

At around 3 o'clock, I ran out of things to do. So, I started eying the weird windows in the living room. A relic from an old addition that we've talked about removing and replacing with shelves. So I grabbed a hammer and a crowbar, and watched a few youtube videos, and several hours later they are gone. Good thing we have a dumpster at the river because I have no idea how to throw old windows away. I'm sure the regular garbage won't take them.

I did not stop moving today so I'm sure tomorrow I'll be sore but I'm happy to cross off my to-do list and get this project underway.

03 November 2023

Pumpkin

It took me nearly a month to write this. Oh, how do you write a eulogy that adequately captures a 20-year friendship?

Pumpkin lived a good, long, happy life. I have many years of memories, from spunky kitten to sweet old lady and everything in-between. She had such a big personality and had so many kitty adventures.

Remember how she used to laze on the windowsill? How much she loved a heating pad? Remember the time she brought in a bat? Or the time she got stuck on the roof in the middle of the night? Or when we finally taught her how to use a cat door? Do you remember how she used to love chewing on velcro? Or Lobster Kitty? Or Power Pets? How she used to sit in a box on my desk while I studied? Do you remember the night I brought her home and we gave her a bath and fleas were crawling across her eyes? That little meowy kitten had no idea that she just hit the jackpot.

Friendships, boyfriends, husbands, jobs, milestones, homes... they came and went and she was the constant through it all. I could always count on the cat for a snuggle after a long day. She was my buddy.

The hardest part of her death is breaking the habits that I've had for 20 years. Over the last few weeks, there have been many small moments of sadness when I habitually do something and then remember that she is gone. Today I still found myself looking for her before I remembered that she's not here. I will randomly dream that she's alive again and in my dreams I grab her for one last snuggle. 

There's no more snoring kitty sitting next to me while I'm working at my desk. No more begging for kitchen scraps. No more roaming around outside getting into shenanigans. No more nap buddy. No more meows greeting me when I come home. No more hanging out in the yard while I garden.

When I travel, I have to find something else to look forward to coming home to.

I am not sad that she died, because she lived a really good, long life and she was spoiled until the end, and she did not suffer. Her body was simply thoroughly used up. She borrowed lives from somewhere because there were several times that I was sure it was the end and she bounced back. No, I'm not sad that she died. It was her time.

I'm sad because I miss my friend. 
I know that the habits will fade and I will fall into a life pattern that does not include a cat.

It's crazy to think that an animal came across my path by chance and I shared over half my life with her and will remember her for the rest of my life.

RIP, Punk.

25 October 2023

hold up

Weeks have passed in an instant, it seems. I blinked and several Eras of my life have started and ended.
We got married, Pumpkin died, we took a mini honeymoon, and construction started at the river and we "moved" back to Katy. 

Big, defining life events all crammed into a span of a few weeks and I'm still sorting out the memories and emotions from all of them. I have big thoughts about all of these things that I'd like to record but it's all overwhelming. I went into autopilot mode just to function. 

Work has been busy, too. I hate it when both work and life are busy at the same time. It's much easier when they take turns.




29 September 2023

mrs part 2

Well, here we are on the eve of my wedding, and I thought it would be nice to record some of my thoughts.

Today was a whirlwind of to-do lists and excitement that eventually wound down into tiredness. This evening I came home from making bouquets with my mom and sisters, ate some dinner, poured a glass of wine, and drew a hot bath. 
[I'll meal prep and pack tomorrow.]

Reflecting on what I've been through when it comes to relationships, and how long ago that seems. How lucky I am that I was able to heal from whatever ~that~ was, and how lucky I am to have found someone who makes the stars shine brighter. I am about to marry a man who is kind, warm, smart, supportive, and absolutely the highlight of every day. Who loves my family and has a great family that I fit in naturally. It's always been so easy to be with him.

Tomorrow I'll be a wife again. But this time I'll also be a stepmom, And (officially) a grandma. Titles that I'm so honored to have.

Looking forward to the wedding, not just because DUH, but because weddings are affairs where literally it's all your favorite people and everyone is there to offer well-wishes and have a good time. It's the best kind of party.

This chapter of my life is going to be a good one. 

18 August 2023

a few things

Today I mopped the floors for the first time in 2 months. The dog puked a few times last night, and after cleaning it up I decided it was time to give the floors a proper clean. I counted it as cardio.
I had to change the water 3 times it was so dirty. Which surprised me because we run roomba several times a week and the floors didn't LOOK that dirty. But I guess they were. Now my back hurts haha

Tomorrow is my bachelorette party! I opted for a low-key, dress up in your sparkles and bring a bottle of wine for a MEGA-tasting with my favorite gals. Should be a blasty blast. 

Work has been mega busy lately and I'm involved in an initiative that should be good for my career, but because of it I've been right in that "Tired but Not Burnt Out Yet" zone. Basically I'm done trying to hustle in my professional life. I'm happy to coast until retirement, but they've been making me work and I'm not used to it. In the last 2 weeks, I've visited each coast. Talk about jet lag.

Wedding planning is in crunch time. We're in that time frame where a lot of stuff has to be checked off the list and it's kinda stressful, kinda fun. I did the alterations on my dress, which was nerve-wracking but adequate. I'm still adding the beading to the bodice, which is tedious but actually relaxing. You know, lots of immediate contradictions going on here.

The river house is deep into the negotiations of getting raised. We've met with the architecture company, and if we can get some details ironed out, the project could start as early as mid-October. Which, between that and the wedding and upcoming taxes and FF's lack of income, we could be pinching some pennies pretty tight for a while. Good thing we like beans.

That's all for now.