crabs and dresses

This afternoon we checked the crab traps and were delighted to find 7 crabs waiting for us. So instead of meatloaf for dinner, we dined on crab on the back porch in our bathing suits. Does it get any better than that?

Then we headed down to the water and fished for a while. Caught a few things that didn't matter, but it was fun anyway. 

Also notable:

-Sewed a few more pillow covers for some new-to-us pillows that a friend gave to us. Brainstormed how I'm going to fit a craft area into this house once we're here full-time. Have not come up with a solution yet.

-Wedding dress: I inspected my it and determined that I can probably take the straps up. I've done it before and it's a more delicate fabric situation, but I think I can handle it.

I also noticed that the stitching around the armholes is scratchy- they used that clear thread that is never comfortable and I only wore it for a few minutes and my skin was red. I might have to take that out and re-sew it with a softer thread or I'll wind up with some irritated arms. That should be fun- ripping out clear thread sounds SO easy.

The bling situation is definitely happening. I bought some glass beads to sew onto the bodice and I think it's going to add that little oomph. 

Here's hoping that I don't fuck it up, ha!

I ordered some silver shoes (flats because let's be real here) to wear, and a veil. It's getting closer and so real yay!

It was a really great weekend, so relaxing. 

good saturday

Today was gloriously lowkey.

I slept until 10, then read magazines while I drank my coffee.

After breakfast, we headed into town and ran a few errands.

Had a late lunch at the local mexican restaurant so FG could sample the fajitas and see if it's a good catering option for the engagement party.

Got home, I fell asleep for a few hours with the cat, and then we ate dinner and re-spooled all of the fishing reels. Of about 10 fishing poles, we could only use 2. They were all in various stages of old and un-spooled and missing hooks, etc. I got to learn something new and now we can just grab a pole and fish. I love that accomplishment. 

Mah invited us over at some point today, and it became a topic of conversation that once we move out here, it will become more difficult to randomly pop over. From home, it's a good 40 minutes to Mah's depending on traffic, but from the river it's at least an hour. Sure, if you plan it it's doable but last-minute plans get less realistic. Not just to go see Mah, but for anyone. Our social circle might change a lot.

OH- I got another bout of poison ivy. That plant is pure evil. At least this time it's not on my face. I think it's from when we were doing yard work and the weedeater kicked up some debris on my leg. It's just a little patch but man it's annoying. Calamine lotion isn't doing much; I think it's been too humid for it to dry properly. Dad mentioned that there's a product that worked really well for him. Gotta try that. What a pain.

The gardens (both at the river and at home) are in the beginning stages of summer survival mode. Everything wilts at mid-day, and there are blank spots that I'm tempted to fill in, but I know that anything I plant now will surely perish. I keep reminding myself that this is the time to water, fertilize, and maintain. I also think that I need to re-evaluate what gets planted in "full" sun because here, that means something entirely different  than it does everywhere else, and really only succulents thrive. At least the armadillos have been staying away from the beds lately. They are harmless little creatures (if you don't count the potential leprosy), but once they start digging up my gardens, it means war.

I got some new fabric to re-cover the pillows and also some glass beads to sew into the bodice of the wedding dress. Today got away from us, but maybe tomorrow I'll have time to start on those projects.

Or, technically today. Because it's past midnight. I guess that's what happens when you take a solid evening nap.

catching up

Feeling refreshed after this weekend. I think everyone had a good time. It was relaxing and it's so fun to watch the kids have fun.

Currently sittin' on the dock (of the river). Got a fishing pole in the water and FF's classic rock playlist going upstairs. The cat is inside having a delicious snack and the dog is wandering around in the yard.

I have a weekend ahead of me with no plans and four magazines came in the mail today. It's going to be so good.

This week the contractors came by to prepare bids to raise the house. Things are moving along! I have a feeling that whole process is going to be a wild ride.

We need to start planning this engagement party in a couple of weeks. The plan is to cater, hire cleaners, and take the major burdens off of us. What were we thinking inviting 36 family members to the river? 

We are slowly realizing that we can't have huge crowds out here. Everyone needs to be fed and that adds$ up quick. We have 1 bathroom. At some point a line develops and you run out of hot water. Plus all those bedsheets have to be washed and we have a smaller than average washer and dryer and a really old septic system. In a stroke of genius I remembered the laundromat around the corner and I think that's going to be a game changer. We will always be hosting people out here, and I think after a year we're starting to get smarter about it.

Wedding plans are also coming along. I was a little nervous but I fit into my dress perfectly. All it needs is the straps taken up a little and maybe the bottom hem taken up. I plan to add some bling to it, too. It's SO pretty and I love it.

We're having fun planning the random little details and I think it's going to be a great party.

fitness and health

I haven't eaten a potato chip in 26 days. 

I'm really freaking proud of myself!

We noticed we had fallen into a pattern of unhealthy eating habits, and determined it was time to start making better choices. So, after our all-inclusive trip to Cancun, followed by a big party at the river, we climbed back on the wagon. Nothing extreme; we are simply consistently choosing healthier options when it comes to our diets. We are both motivated because my stomach can't handle all the junk and it would be nice to put a dent in FF's A1c. These need to be sustainable changes because nobody sticks to a restrictive diet long-term.

The upcoming nuptials are also partly motivating, because we want to look nice in the photos. I want to have toned arms and FF doesn't want a gut. Although I like my softer body, I am motivated to get a little bit more toned to make sure I fit into my wedding dress. When they measured, I was between sizes and they ordered the smaller size to make sure my boobs didn't fall out. But the other stuff has to fit too!

We also quit the gym.

I know that's contradictory of the previous paragraphs, but we signed up and never set foot in the place and kept paying for 2 years. Like I said, I don't like gyms and FF is not motivated. So I'm happy to not be wasting our money on that anymore. 

Not completely sure how we're going to add in consistent physical activity, but I would really like to explore lifting weights. After I got bored of push ups, I bought myself some 10 lb weights and started lifting them daily just to maintain. I am stronger that I used to be, but I would really like to be STRONG.

On to mental health.

I have identified a couple of key life factors that I know affect my mental health and overall mood: 

I need a clean house and I need downtime. 

I know I can't live in a dirty house and I can't be ON all the time.

I need to sit on the couch in my clean house and slowly drink my coffee while I read a magazine. And then I need to go craft or something. No socializing. No bra. No obligations. I need this at least once a fortnight. I know this about myself.

 

If I don't have those things, my stress levels rise and everything else snowballs. So I've been doing my best to fit those things in regularly. I schedule a day with no plans every couple of weeks, and although I really enjoy cleaning, sometimes I'm too tired and I'll delegate tasks to FF. 

Sometimes I can't fit my mental health buffers in. For example for the last few months, work has been chaos, our weekends have been busy, and I've been too tired to clean, even after delegating. I need a nap in the afternoons. I feel burnt out. 

So, we called the maid (at BOTH houses), and I took an extra day of PTO on the holiday weekend so that I get to chill. And I'll reset and begin the cycle again.

Feeling good about all this.

game changer

This is important.

I have found the easiest way to clean windows.

The river has several very large windows that get grimy quickly and it looks really obvious when they're dirty. I didn't pay a bunch of money to get new windows only to have obstructed views.

After exactly one time of struggling with windex streaks and rubbing until my arms were jelly, I ordered myself a few things that have changed my life.

1. Libman concentrated window cleaner

2. A microfiber scrubber and squeegee set

I had all the windows clean, inside and out, with no scrubbing, streak-free the first time, and didn't even break a sweat. I was so amazed. It worked so well. 

I raved about it for approximately 8 hours, until FF was tired of hearing about it. I don't care. It was awesome.

I had extra soap, so I tried it on the glass shower doors and while it didn't cut the hard water spots as well as the brillo pads, it did a very good job and would be a great in-between-scrubbings option. It took hardly any effort and the doors looked great.

I wonder what else I can clean with these?

Promotions

I'm sitting in a hotel room soaking my toe and there's no cat trying to drink the water.

Traveling for work is different now that there's someone nice that I leave at home.

So, Foxy Grandpa has been promoted to Foxy Fiancé. It wasn't a huge surprise because I literally gave him pictures of rings that I liked a few months ago, but I honestly thought he was going to sit on it for a while.

The thought did cross my mind that he might propose that night, because with both of our families gathered it would be a good time to do it. But I kept watching him the day of, looking for signs of excess excitement or nervousness, or anything out of the ordinary, but he was cool as a cucumber so I figured it wasn't the night... until he was down on one knee!

I wouldn't say I'm in a hurry to get married, but I'm not trying to dawdle, either. I'm ready. I'm also not trying to spend a bunch of money but I do want to do all the wedding stuff that I missed out on the last time. We'll see how this works out.

Speaking of promotions, I got a promotion at work that came with a hefty 8% raise so heck yeah! The current plan is to put the excess into my retirement plan because now that I'm about to marry someone 15 years older than me, early retirement is the goal. I'll be damned if he retires and I keep going to work for 15 more years.

no toenail

I'd like to go on record saying that having a toenail removed is no joke.

My big toe had one of those random cuticle infections a while back, but it resolved itself and then the nail started to grow out weird, leading to another infection. Hoping to avoid recurring infections, I saw a podiatrist who recommended removing the nail. 

I thought it would be no big deal.
I was wrong. It sucks. It hurts. It looks freaking nasty. It's unnerving.

For starters, removing the gauze the day after the procedure was terrible. The gauze was stuck to the wound so bad that even after soaking for hours, I couldn't remove it. I tried. FG tried. I cried. I had to go back to the doctor to get it removed.

It is SO sensitive. For example, when I took a shower, the water droplets hitting it was so painful.

I'm hoping these first few days are the worst and it heals really fast because this freaking sucks.

Take care of your feet, people.