I’m going to give this a shot. But, if you’ve been around for a bit, you know how bad I am at following through on things! Amy at Coffee and Cocktails at the Casa is now hosting the “Currently” post on Wednesdays. The idea is you fill in the blank of five participles with photos, if possible. I may skip those as y’all know how I’m worried about storage. I’m not sure if it’s a link party or not.
Loving…
Hmmm…I’m loving being a docent. I cannot tell you how much this has added to my life. I felt like I was just sitting around waiting for the Grim Reaper. I am a firm believer in neuroplasticity, too. I have neurons firing left, right, up, down, and doing the Hokey Pokey! I have to develop some more tours because we have some regular guests, and I don’t want to give them the same tour over and over. I will soon start training to be a Lilly House docent, too. The biggest problem I have is keeping the information straight in my head.
Resolving…
Well, I have already failed at my one resolution. I was going to stop with the f-bomb. But, dang! It just slips out so easily. So, I am resolving to have my mini-retreat for my church written by the end of this month. The retreat is in March so I need to get busy. I already have the theme, Bible verses, quotes, and a few songs selected. But, I have to write the presentation as well as create the guidebook for the participants. Funny, isn’t it? I started this section with the f-bomb and transitioned to a church function! I am nothing if not versatile!
Planning…
I want to change out the flooring in the primary bedroom. I told Nigel, when we were selecting flooring we were getting the same carpet we had quickly torn out of our last house. Some places call it frieze; others call it textured (I think). I call it awful. We moved in here in August 2022 and have already replaced the carpeting in the living room. The dude who installed the new carpeting couldn’t believe that carpet was only a few years old. Unfortunately, we had to go to that retailer because that was the only place our builder would work with. So, back to the primary bedroom. I know luxury vinyl tile (or planks) are the big thing right now, but I loved the laminate flooring we put in our last house. It was gorgeous so that’s what’s going to go in the primary bedroom. Since Nigel can’t really do it, he’ll be supervising. I’m hoping our sons will help with some of it. The biggest thing will be moving the furniture out of the bedroom.
Eating/Drinking…
OK, we have already established I can’t cook to save myself. So, we eat very boring meals. I have never really gotten out of the habit of cooking for five. Luckily, Nigel likes leftovers. We tried Hello Fresh® and decided it was too much work and not really much of a savings when it came to our grocery bill. We do eat lots of chicken. Laura posts her meal plans every once in a while. She had posted some really yummy orzo meals. I made a couple of them and loved them. Nigel didn’t like the creamy aspect…he’s weird, I know! I do buy boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders so I don’t have to scrape off all that fat (nor do I have to pay for it). For breakfast, I have a protein shake. For lunch, I have high protein Greek yogurt with some cashews. I drink lots of water and water mixed with a bit of Crystal Light lemonade.
Watching/Reading…
We are watching “The Order.” I think it’s an older series about a school or something where kids go to become witches. I have been crocheting (again) and don’t pay a lot of attention to it. After Nigel goes to sleep, I watched the “Holiday Baking Championship.” By the end of it, I really didn’t care who one…I like all of them and wished they awarded a second prize at least. Now, I’m watching “The Great Pottery Throw Down.” I’ve been reading a bit more than I had been. I recently finished Murder on the Marlow Bell and Verity. My kids got me one of those cool leather magnetic bookmarks with my monogram. I guess I need to go to the library instead of reading on my iPad!
Wrap It Up, Marsha!
So, that’s a wrap on my first “Currently.” I’m hoping I can keep it up and that you enjoy it. I wonder if the participles are different every week. If not, I think my answers may be a little redundant. Oh, and look for a 10 on the 10th preview soon! I may end up doing some reruns because it’s hard coming up with new things! So, can we talk? How would you answer these questions? What are your favorite recipes? Read any good books lately? Please leave me a comment or two, and we can talk. I promise to respond as quickly as I can.
Thank you!
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Always lovely to read what is hapering in your life. We are currently thinking of buying new furniture, gosh I thought that would be easy. I’m having a pretty boring week as it is totally white here and below zero. So I’m not leaving my home!
Thank you, Nancy! Buying new furniture sounds exciting, but the reality is not anything close, right? You don’t want to make a mistake, but you think you have the perfect piece. I don’t really envy you though I have been thinking about new furniture for the living room. Oh, my goodness, you would love it here…we’re in the 60s (15.6C). But, it will change, I have no fear.
You are always so good at participating in all the different challenges Marsha.
I am quite sure you will remember everything with your art tours as you do so much research .
Best of luck with the change to your flooring , sounds a lot of work hope the family helps.
I always enjoy hearing what is going on in your world.
Thanks for the vote of confidence, Jill! I haven’t had too much trouble, but I am amazed at the knowledge the legacy docents have. They mention a piece, and everyone of them nod their heads. Then, they start talking about it as if it was a member of the family. I cannot wait to tear out that ugly carpet and put in the new floor. Our bedroom is a slight rectangle so no odd angles to cut. The only thing is having to buy some extra trim then trying to match the existing floorboards.
Ooh you are keeping busy. Well done.
Thanks, Rosie! I can’t believe how full my calendar is these days.
I think my “currently” is pretty much my “most of the time” as my life isn’t that eventful and I’m terrible at planning! 😉
That was me, Cat, until I started blogging then the docent thing came up. I truly did feel like I was just waiting for the Grim Reaper. It doesn’t help when you live with the eternal pessimist, either!
Yeah, that’s not how I’m feeling at all. I used to get around lot and meet people, and I was surrounded by people all day thanks to my workplace and the long commute.
Actually, I’m really happy in my little “castle” now 😀
Well, that’s what really matters…that you’re happy in your castle! And, you have two wonderful companions to keep things interesting!
So happy to see you joining in! Currently is only the first Wednesday of each month and typically the participles do change but loving usually stays the same (that is assuming Amy keeps the same format Jenn did but she might want to do her own thing). I love how busy you keep yourself in retirement and that you are not afraid to dive into new things! Best of luck on the flooring swap out!
Thanks, Joanne! I didn’t realize it was monthly. That’s good! I love to learn, and I want to keep my brain active. Now, I need to work on doing the same with my body! Our bedroom is a rectangle so there won’t be any weird cuts. I am confident I can do it because we’ve laid this kind of flooring several times. It’s getting that first row going straight that’s the key!
We LOVE The Great Pottery Throwdown! Is it the British version? I ask, because I don’t even know if it exists elsewhere in the world and if it does, I must watch lol!
A couple of years ago, Michael started pottery, our American friends got him into it (they’ve since moved back to Chicago and so he bought some of their equipment from then). He’s such a natural! Me, on the other hand, am not lol! But we just love that show so much. The judges are just adorable!
Big hugs
Suzy xx
Yes, it is the British version! I love, love, love it! I also loved throwing pots when I was in college. There’s a pottery place in the town just to the west of us. I really should see if she offers classes. I know a lot of what she does is has bisqueware and people come and paint it. Been there, done that. I want to create! I love it when the head judge gets all teary about how wonderful the projects turn out to be. Have you watched “Blown Away?” It’s about glass blowing and is on Netflix. It may not be available to you, but it’s so good, too. I really love those kinds of shows…how about “Glow Up?” That one’s about makeup. Oh, I could go on and on! I couldn’t really get into the Great British Sewing Bee after the first couple of seasons. I think it’s because they changed presenters or something.
Thanks, Suzy!
Yes!! When Keith gets all emotional is so touching—it sometimes makes me cry lol!
I LOVE Glow Up! Michael likes watching it too, because they’re so incredibly talented and creative. It’s a shame you couldn’t get into the Sewing Bee, I’ve binged the entire series so far several times lol. And yes, it is a bit annoying when they keep changing the presenters! But I’ve gotten used to it now.
I haven’t watched Blown Away but I will now you’ve suggested it!
Thanks Marsha!
Hugs xx
I may give the Sewing Bee a second chance, then. Glow Up is just amazing…the things they do with prosthetics and just their whole color palettes. I can barely put on bronzer! Oh, I think you will love Blown Away if you like glass blowing.
Thanks for joining and you did it perfectly! The docent job has been so good for you and just lights you up – I can tell. I’m sorry you hate cooking. I agree on Hello Fresh. I love orzo, too, but rarely think to make it. Chicken tenders are so much easier to work with. Could you make Nigel’s without the cream and then add cream to your portion?
Thank you, Amy! I love being a docent. I’m meeting different kinds of people, learning about different kinds of art, and have a place to wear my pretty clothes! It’s a winner all around. I also love knowing I’m stretching my brain. If Hello Fresh had had less carbs and more veggies, we probably would have stayed with it. Hmmm…I probably could leave out the cream. I might try that, but gosh it adds so much to the dish! I hope to do this every month. It was actually a lot of fun!
https://cookeryrecipe.com/chicken-sausage-broccoli-orzo-recipe/
Look at this! Maddie who linked up with me posted about it! Might be a change up and looks fairly easy.
That sounds delicious! As much as I dislike cooking, I love trying new recipes. What I don’t like is cleaning my stove top when I’m done because I have stainless steel appliances…who made that dumb decision? Me…we had slate at our last house, but I was afraid it would be too dark in my windowless kitchen. That’s another part of not liking to cook. My kitchen is just so tiny and not conducive to food prep.
I’m all for leftovers…it makes life so much easier.
It’s hard to stop saying a word or phrase…it took me weeks to get out of the habit of saying “you know”
XOOX
Jodie
Thanks, Jodie! I don’t mind leftovers, but when it’s the fourth day of them? I have this chicken chili recipe that takes three different kinds of legumes (and I use two cans of each). I could easily freeze half of it. But, I don’t think of it until we’re already halfway into it. I think, other than the f-bomb, the hardest thing for me was “you guys.” Who knows? There may be lots more!
I’m glad you are enjoying your work with the museum! It sounds like you found your niche.
The f-bomb resolution is funny. I decided not to even do a resolution on that one this year. I probably would have broke it at 12:01 a.m. Jan 1.
I cook but I don’t necessarily enjoy it and I always seem to cook the same thing. Everyone had a boxed meal tonight and I had roasted chicken which would seem unfair but they all seemed happy.
Thanks, Lisa! I do think I have found my niche and my people. I have made some true friends, something I’d given up on.
You and the f-bomb! I’m kinda shocked. But, like I tell Mike, it’s a very versatile word…it’s a noun, verb, adjective, adverb, interjection! So many uses, right?
I think I was a better cook years ago. Now, I just don’t really care as long as there’s some kind of food on the table. I don’t know why Mike thinks he needs to be fed so often…hahaha!!
I did enjoy this, Marsha, very much. It’s fun to get to know a little bit more about what’s happening in your life. Good luck with the flooring change. I hope you’ll love it. We are currently having the interior of our Salt Lake City home repainted. It’s a mess right now, but what’s finished sure looks cleaner and brighter than what we had. My husband and I get Hello Fresh twice a week, and we actually really like it. It can be a bit of work, as you pointed out, but it’s not overly difficult, and I kind of enjoy it.
Thank you, Christie! We have put down so much laminate flooring in our last two houses. I know the ins and outs of it, but it will be different not having Mike right there helping. He’s a pretty good supervisor. I’m hoping, for his sake, he’ll be able to do the sawing (well, for my sake, too). Oh, I totally get what you’re saying about paint. I picked Antique White for our entire house when we had it built almost four years ago. I’d forgotten I’d offset it with a brighter white color. In our house and with the way the sun came through the windows, the color was very yellow and not a pretty yellow. I don’t mind painting so every room except for the laundry room/primary bedroom has been painted. I’m already considering a new color for Jack’s room. I do like Hello Fresh, but it just lacked enough vegetables for us. And, our grocery bill didn’t go down significantly. If I were cooking only for me, I’d maybe do it again. I did see that they’ve changed it a lot. Maybe, I’ll give it another shot because the food was delicious!
Hi Marsha, this was a fun read and yes I agree you’re very versatile!! I’m not a huge fan of cooking either so I get it! We have Hello Fresh here a few times a month and for some reason I enjoy cooking these far more than my own recipes and we both like the variety of the meals. Looking forward to seeing how your year pans out as I love our connections!
Thanks, Debbie! I just thought it was funny I’d started that paragraph with one thing and ended it with something most would feel was the total opposite! I liked the meals, but the food prep took forever. And, sometimes, I had to do two or three things at once. The biggest turnoff for me with Hello Fresh was the lack of green vegetables and the abundance of carbohydrates. The proteins were wonderful, though. I did keep the recipe cards and want to replicate them some day. I just keep forgetting and buying the chicken tenderloins which are so much smaller than the whole breast. I would burn them for sure! I, too, love our connections and marvel that two women with so many miles apart are so alike!
I’m so happy things are going well at the museum, and you’re broadening your training for the Lilly House! My husband does most of the cooking but I try to take my turn once a week. We’ve tried Hello Fresh and some of the others but I agree, it’s expensive and it doesn’t really save time because you still have to do the prep. If there was a meal service that did the prep work for you, I’d be all in.
Jill – Doused in Pink
Thank you, Jill! I absolutely love it! The Lilly House tours will be more history oriented, but I know a lot of it anyway just from going there so often. It will be so amazing, though, to be leading the tour instead of taking it! I agree about the meal prep. We keep getting flyers for Factor, but I think those are frozen meals which doesn’t appeal to me at all. Maybe we should come up with our own line?
Glad to see Currently being continued by someone new. I’ve lost track of how many gals have hosted this series and link up but it’s quite the number. Always enjoyed responding to the words. Makes me think.
I am just so happy that you continue to enjoy and grow through your work as a docent. I would make a terrible spaghetti of trying to remember the names of artists, the dates, the periods, etc. I spent 3 sleepless nights just trying to remember the reindeers’ names. Would not look it up until I was desperate for sleep.
I am thinking we might try Hello Fresh again. PC at least helped some with the cooking when we were subscribing to those boxes. We usually prepared them together. Otherwise I am the chief cook and bottle washer around here. YUCK.
Thanks, Leslie! Oh, those reindeer names…I have never been able to remember them because they’re so similar. I’m OK when things are way different, and so far, I’ve picked pieces that are enough different that I can remember what I want to say. It’s the introductions and endings that are my downfall because I just want to get going and ending anything is always so awkward, right?
I keep thinking about giving it another go-round. Their ads say they’ve changed. If they’d had more vegetables and less carbs, we would maybe had kept using it. But, the carbs would, honestly, cover half the plate. They didn’t skimp, however, on the protein which was always delicious!
We eat a lot of chicken too. There’s just so many different things you can do with it!
Thanks, Bri! I do a lot of things…even make up my own recipes. The problem arises when we have so many leftovers. I should just freeze half of it!
Ooo! House projects – very fun on cold and cozy nights. It seems we all have the bug! We need to come see you docent again. I really enjoyed attending your “test” tour.
Thanks, Edi! I am always up for a home reno of any kind! I just like to change things frequently. You guys have really been on the DIY train! I’d love it if you came again. I really appreciated all of you coming to my graduation tour.
I loved the journey you took us on in your Resolving section – from f-bombs to planning a church event! LOL And I am right there with you, honestly.
Being a docent sounds like it would be fun and so interesting! As well as a great way to keep learning and staying engaged. Good for you!
Visiting (late) from Currently, and hoping that your January is going great!
Thanks, Kym! I have got to get that retreat written. It’s written in my head, but I need it on paper! Yeah…the f-bombs are fewer but still there.
I love being a docent. I have learned so much but have so much more yet to learn. It’s a wonderful way to keep the brain active.