TWTW - the one with a good balance

Friday my motivation was scant but I struggled through. I painted my nails (Essie cashmere bathrobe, Essie no place like chrome, OPI Red), made salad and Aldi holiday shaped pizzas, and peaced the fuck out watching Great British Bake-off after a very fucking heavy news week while MFD put the Christmas stuff out.

Saturday MFD and I headed out for the day and it was so nice to be out in the world. We hit up Harriett’s Bookshop, had lunch at Martha Kensington, and stopped into a few places on Frankford Ave on the way back - Cake Life Bake Shop and Jeni’s ice cream. 

Harriett’s is black-woman owned, Martha’s requires vaccine cards and adds 20% to all checks so all employees are guaranteed $15, Cake Life is woman and trans-owned and has the freaking best slice of s’mores cake like I don’t Even like s’mores and I would bathe in the icing. I vibe with Jeni’s ownership. I voted freely with my wallet supporting small biz throughout the day and enjoyed being out and about in those areas of the city for the first time in a while.

We got into pajamas before 5 and camped out on the couches for the night. Dinner was the baked goods from Cake Life. We watched Beautiful Girls and The Big Chill then I read and fell asleep doing that and never left the couch. 

Sunday started at 4 then again at 8. I reorganized bookshelves, purged and moved shit around, did 383948 loads of laundry, finished a book, made up a casserole, threw an egg bake together, watched Yellowstone, and admired MFD's Friday night Christmassing handiwork outside.

I do love a mix of productivity, rest, and fun, the balance of which is hard for me to strike on a lot of weekends. 

Happy anniversary Dad & Carol, happy birthday to my uncle Billy on Saturday, happy birthday today Sara, and happy Monday to the rest of us. 

TWTW - the one with the Fourth and the start of vacation

Thursday, July 4 MFD was gone early for Fourth of July mummery parades. I lingered over coffee with a book, packed my stuff for vacation, made and froze breakfast burritos, slow roasted ribs and served with corn and baked beans, cleaned out the fridge, picked up around the house, and when MFD got home we lay around with the dogs and watched five episodes of Stranger Things. 

Friday My company rocks so we had an extra free holiday on Friday. I did some more packing, changed the sheets and washed them and towels, ran over to my Dad's to pick something up and stopped to get mulch on the way back. I weeded and mulched and planted a new plant and nearly died of humidity and heat. Debbie arrived around 1. She finished working and I painted my nails. We got pedicures before coming home to order Lee's and the three of us watched most of the rest of Stranger Things (I tapped out on the second to last episode to go to bed). 

Saturday The car was packed and we were on the road by 5:30 am. We stopped five times and it took 8.5 hours to get to Emerald Isle. Most exciting part of the drive was a high speed car chase we saw as we were entering North Carolina. Least exciting part of the drive was MFD's incessant crepe myrtle talk. Everyone else was there when we got there. We unloaded and hit the pool, checked out the beach, had pizza for dinner, called the realtor for 20934802 problems at the house, and later my brother and I did the first round of grocery shopping at the new Publix. I fell into bed deliriously tired around 11. 

Sunday We were up for the sunrise and had coffee on the beach with Dad, Carol, and Cathy. Dad, Debbie, MFD, and I made a quick grocery run and picked up our bikes. We read books, hit the beach, watched the US Women win the World Cup, read more, had hotdogs and hamburgers, and a tiny bit of a magic hour. 

Vacation week. 

TWTW - the one with the hausfrauing

Friday I worked from home so I had two extra hours in the day to get shit done, almost three if you count some time around lunch. I finished two big work projects, cleaned out my email, and made my to do lists for every day next week, much of it standing at the counter with Bruce & Gus at my feet. MFD was out most of the day working, doing community work, and getting my car inspected, so it was peaceful and I kicked ass. Boom. I cleaned my scummy dishwasher with vinegar and baking soda cycles, did six loads of laundry, painted my nails (Essie World is Your Oyster) and toes (first time since December, OPI Lima Tell You About This Color), removed and washed the spare room sheets, made pasta with veggie meat sauce from the freezer, watched old episodes of VEEP, listed clothes to sell on Ebay, and read.  

I also cleaned out the linen closet except for MFD's bin of junky old towels on the bottom that he refuses to part with. 

Saturday Errands to Produce Junction for birthday month kickoff flowers and the  Dollar Store for various items and back home by 9. I turned the house upside down looking for a vacuum attachment before finally giving in and ordering one from Amazon to be delivered Sunday because we’re drowning in dog hair. In the process I cleaned out the coat closet, put the clean sheets back on the spare bed, put away the six loads of laundry from Friday, made salads to go with leftovers, did a face mask, watched Goodfellas, finished a book, ate a shit ton of the brownies MFD made, and finally witnessed the magic of Wakanda in Black Panther. 

Sunday Weekly food prep, started a new book, dusted and vacuumed the main and top floors, went upstairs to go to the bathroom and ended up rearranging the bedroom furniture, made Sunday dinner, read, and finally watched Surviving R. Kelly. Fuck. 

Weekly food prep: breakfast is homemade waffles with maple syrup + bananas, lunch is egg sandwiches on english muffins with pepperjack cheese + grapes, snacks are cucumbers, and Sunday dinner was pork seared in bacon fat roasted on a bed of sauerkraut (always the worst photo, doesn't stop me from taking it), mashed potatoes, and corn. Other dinners this week are stovetop burgers with steamed veggies on the side and pork chops, rice, and veggies plus leftovers all around. 

I have an early meeting so up and at it times a thousand this morning after a night of little sleep and having to put the sheets in the wash at 4:42 am. Aging dogs, man. 

Have a good one!

Keeping up with life

Steph mentioned doing a keeping up with life post, as in how she does it, and given that that's something that interests me, I thought I'd do the same and straight up stole her idea. See her part two post here. It also interests a lot of you: I frequently get comments on how does so much get done, how do I stay on top of things, etc. The short answer is the best I can. LOL The easiest way to explain how is to show a typical week. The only thing that's not really typical here is that I wouldn't return from the shore on Sunday.

Since I'm at the shore every weekend, most of my to dos happen on weeknights and the majority of each weekend aside from Saturday between 10 and noon is spent relaxing. Productivity is absent for most of the weekend. Since buying the shore house, I've shifted my approach to life. It's not all as tidy as it used to be or run as smoothly and I'm okay with that.

I should also note that Linda, our cleaning lady, came on June 9. She comes every two weeks so I have stopped doing the heavy lifting there. I used to do all of my cleaning on weekends. Then I interspersed it throughout the week. Then I got resentful because I felt like I was doing all of it so MFD agreed to pay for a cleaning lady in lieu of hearing me bitch about chore inequity. And this is what works for us now. I used to clean more the weeks Linda didn't come, but I've dropped back to basic maintenance.  I just don't have the energy and dust or dog hair is not going to kill me. 

In the hour or hour and a half that I'm "doing things" every night, I'm mostly puttering. So while I'm doing those tasks in that time span, I am not working diligently. I enjoy doing that - being in the kitchen, putting things in order, walking around my house. I like to sit on the couch and all, but if I sat on the couch for three hours every night I'd go nuts. I'm a doer, I like doing things. I'm so used to doing what I call my daily dos that I barely even realize I do them anymore. I had to legitimately take notes to do this post.

This exercise also made me realize just how little TV I watch these days and how I am sorely lacking in a little actual exercise every day aside from walking.

I made special note of letting the dogs out this morning because I do not let them out in the morning unless MFD is not home. He is the morning guy. Also not included on these is that as soon as I get home each day, they go out back. As soon as they're done, they eat. Then I go about my business. They are always tended to first. 

Aside from going to a farm market, Aldi, or Sam's, I purchase as much as I can online and have it delivered so I'm not wasting my time running errands. Time is money and I will pay shipping or a higher price online than I would in store if it saves me time and aggravation at night. At the shore, I typically walk to do errands, which makes it less aggravating.

In regards to laundry, MFD does his. I do mine and household laundry, which is our sheets from home and shore, our towels from home and shore, towels we leave for renters at the shore, any blankets, etc.

I can absolutely always get myself moving by setting my timer for 20 or 30 minutes. Shit on bad days I'll set it for 10. I usually always go beyond that timer because I'm like ah I can just finish this off. And I do and feel better. Accomplishing what I set out to do, no matter how small, is satisfying to me.  It's hard for me to relax if what I wanted to get done is not done.

I fucking hate when I forget my lunch.

I maybe should have explained my commute - I give myself 15 minutes to get to the train station, parked, and to the platform. It's a park & ride so I either have a few minute walk or a short shuttle ride to my car. The walk is longer at the end of the day because we pull in on the other side. My train ride is 35-45 minutes depending on how long we sit at various spots waiting for signals. I emerge from the train station, hit Dunkin Donuts, and walk a short block to my office.

We also have a cleaning crew at the shore, because I don't work all week to spend two hours on Saturday cleaning up after someone else's vacation. I have my things I check and address during turnover, but Karen and team do a great job for us and I feel better having a professional come in to present new guests with a clean home to relax in. 

And repeat. I try to make it a point to have one very productive night a week and one mildly productive night. I figure one night is going to be lazy and one night I'll probably have to be somewhere outside of my house. And on the fifth night I do what I can and then head to the shore later. I have a loose schedule of each week ready to go on Sunday. I feel like I'm starting it off right. 

How about you? Do you do most of your life maintenance during the week or on weekends? 

Happy birthday to my brother-in-law Marcus Aurelius today!

Thursday Thoughts - Halved-ish

1. Summer laziness is in full effect. On those nights where I really don't want to do a gaht damn thing, I set my timer and do what I can in those minutes. Sometimes it's 30, sometimes it's 15. On exceptionally lazy nights it's 10. Setting the timer gets me up and doing because I don't have to do all the things and I don't even have to work off of a list of things, I just have to do something for the set amount of minutes and then I can say fuck it. Which is what summer wants of me, to constantly say fuck it. p.s. I sacrificed two seconds of my precious 30 minutes on Tuesday night to snap this photo. You're welcome.

2. I am sick to death of Trump being lauded because he is not politically correct and says what he wants. Given what he's been spewing it is apparent he has zero respect for those he considers beneath him, including (like it or not) an opposing presidential candidate and former First Lady. People actually like that he is hateful and vitriolic and draws lines in the sand and insinuates that an elected Clinton or Supreme Court Justices could be taken care of by second amendment supporters. Of course, his team is excusing that like they excuse every vile statement this man utters or tweets. Unfortunately his supporters want to put him in the office of the President of the United States - one that demands the person in it act with respect and decorum even when they feel like throwing a hissy fit lest they incite riots and violence domestically and invite attacks from foreign entities. You know who gets to say whatever they want and throw hissy fits and not give a damn about the consequences? Toddlers. Not adults and certainly not the President. Grow up. There are situations in which you can speak and act freely without societal constraint or temperance and acting as the President of the United States of America is not one of them. Since when did being calm and respectful yet strong in the face of adversity make you a bad leader on any level? Since never. Diplomacy...it's a skill Ghengis Khan, Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Pol Pot, Kim Jong Il, Kim Jong Un, Idi Amin, Vlad the Impaler, Mao Zedong, Saddam Hussein, and other leaders throughout history lacked as well. Is this the company we want our President to be in? Trump would like you to believe America is under attack from a great many forces...I'm saying the phone calls are coming from inside the house. Put the phone down and run.

3. It's been a sleepy week in our house. No one has wanted to get up. Me included. I'm hoping to sleep a lot this weekend. 

4. MFD went fishing Tuesday and caught a lot of flounder. Not my preference, but when fresh fish is caught you eat that fish. As you may know, MFD is a realtor. His hours are 100% irregular - which can mean cancelling plans at the last minute, missing family events, having to be on the phone at dinner, working on vacation if he has cell service, taking phone calls after 10 p.m., etc. We're used to it, that's his chosen profession and we know those things come with it. What also comes with it? The ability to work from a beach or a boat if you don't have showings. Sweet trade off. 

5. Today is Carol's birthday. Happy birthday Carol!! Love you, enjoy!

6. Reminder. Most things worth having aren't easy. 

7.  E-card of the week:

I have no 8-10 because the humidity has finally gotten to my brain. Stay cool out there my friends.

TWTW - the one that was half here half gone

the half at the shore

1 - Caught magic hour coming over the bridge into Ocean City

2 - I love reading what people write in the guest book.

3 - Cleaned. Clearly thrilled. The fact that renters move shit all around is bad for my orderly mind.

4 - Saw the infamous cracked toilet in person. How in the fuck this even happens, I don't know. That gets replaced Tuesday.

1 - Got up before 5 a.m. to ride my bike up and have coffee on the beach.

2 - Even with no sunrise, it's my favorite time on the beach.

1 - When the holes in the efficiency bath ceiling were repaired, half the wall was primed over

2 - I am on a first name basis with the Sherwin Williams woman across the street

3 - Wore a hat to avoid hair paint...it just ended up everywhere else

4 - Finished product

1 - Bought flowers up on 34th Street and planted them while the kids renting the house behind me jumped on the roof of the house next to me and offered me Budweisers. 

2 - This here is a prunewich: a breakfast sandwich on freaking donuts. From The Fractured Prune.

3 - I also tried strawberry iceD tea. ICED TEA. Not ice tea.

4 - I earned two hours of beach reading.

the half at home

1 - Celebrated my brother Stephen's 33rd birthday

2 - Dog time

3 - Painted my nails in Re-teal Therapy

4 - Trolled Homegoods

5 - Spent a zillion hours in Target, I can't understand why

6 - Thought this would be a bad idea but he made it to the shore with the bike box intact

Not pictured: running everything through the dryer 208409 times (need to get a professional vent cleaner out), paying bills, changing sheets, picking up the house, blah blah hausfrauing at home

Weekly food prep

1 - Breakfast is actually chicken from a rotisserie (I hate wasting food) and mango with a side of

2 - power breakfast muffins

3 - Lunch is baked pesto chicken over quinoa, thanks to AEB for pointing me to the original recipe

4 - One-ish pan chicken dinner (recipe coming tomorrow)

Basically, by the end of the week I'll probably BE a chicken. 

Where are my summer readers? I've got one for you that releases today! I'm really excited for my fellow blogger Micah from Unabashedly Me on the publication of her new book Dropped Third Strike, the first in her Portland Pioneers series. I think most of us have a book in us, but not many of us have the discipline to make it a reality. Way to go Micah! And this is actually her second novel. Girl knows how to work.

What it's about:

Kate Marks is hitting it out of the park as general manager of the Portland Pioneers. Her childhood friend Reid Benjamin is struggling to hit anything at all and, as a result, has suddenly found himself out of a job. When Kate hires him as hitting coach for the Pioneers, she's determined to keep everything strictly professional, but she has underestimated Reid's charm. His proximity has forced her to face a past she would rather forget. Reid wants another chance, but Kate isn't convinced he's changed his game.

You can buy this e-book on Amazon and see it here on Goodreads. I pre-ordered my copy, it seems like the perfect beach read for me in between my normal psycho/serial killer books. 

And you can find Micah here:

Website: http://unabashedly--me.blogspot.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheBestMicah

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MicahKChaplin

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1148999.Micah_K_Chaplin

This is a full but short week for me. Let's do it. 

Linking up with Biana at B Loved Boston for Weekending &

TWTW - the first one in December

Friday night I spent a lot of time talking about poop at Amanda's Scentsy party, which made me laugh since Scentsy stuff is all about the good smells and poop is, you know, not. Eva the Diva was the star as always, dragging a lovely bag around like she was a woman about town. I bought some tarts and a mermaid warmer for the shore, as well as two plug ins, one for home and one for the shore. I'll be buying more of those in the spring, I think they're awesome.

I slept in until 8:30 Saturday, then set about doing the hated leaves. It was my third tango with the bastards. Six bags out back plus two out front, all done in winter gloves because I couldn't find gardening gloves and I'm not into touching worms or things dogs peed on with bare hands. I also finally got the remaining greenery out of the front flower beds, lugged a bunch of pavers the bunghole concrete people left all over the yard like we were the set of Sanford & Son, and moved all the furniture around out back. After that I rained hell down upon MFD's shit pits, where his mail and other stuff collects until I get rid of it. He's like wait, it was all trash? Yes. That's why it's called a shit pit. I changed sheets, put the down comforter on, washed all bedding, did five other loads of laundry, purged beauty products and made some headway in the reading room purging/organizing, and did a bunch of cooking. By 7 p.m. I was totally pooped and so were the dogs from monitoring my hausfrauing all day. I showered and read, which was a great way to spend a Saturday night in.

MFD was out at work and a music thing most of the afternoon and evening, but he did Gris it up when he got home Saturday night. The front window photo is courtesy of him, and the stockings have been hung with military precision. Do not touch, Santa.

Sometimes when I am very productive on a Saturday, Sunday is a slow start. That was the case this Sunday. But I put my big girl panties on and headed up the turnpike to the hell that is King of Prussia on a Sunday in December a few weeks before Christmas to enjoy a lovely, leisurely, two plus hour lunch with Marla of Luck Fupus, Brie of A Breezy Life, and Nicole of Nicole Marica. It's always nice to get some face time with my local blogging ladies. That little key lime pie down there was the shit. I was considering licking the tiny mason jar.

Weekly food prep: egg muffins with sausage, spinach, and cheese for breakfast; baked chicken thighs and sweet potatoes over spinach for Saturday dinner and lunches this week (I only need three); a double batch of power breakfast muffins for here and for Michelle and Bob; roast pork loin with mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli for dinners; dog stew/poop soup for los perros (not pictured); and celery with peanut butter and frozen blueberries for snacks.

The dogs were extra clingy and cozy this weekend. With me...they were jacked off at MFD because he kept using the staple gun while decorating. He means serious business. He's not called Clark Griswold for nothing.

I was supposed to tackle a clothes purge Sunday night but ended up blogging instead. I harassed Clark to get the outdoor decorations up - he needs time to get in the decorating mode...so when I went to bed at 10 he was outside with a headlamp on cleaning up the exterior and when I woke up this morning the outdoor decor was completed. It's like when the stores decorate the windows overnight except they probably don't need headlamps.

Since we've been down the shore so much, our house was a little like hoarders and it felt nice to make some headway here on the homefront this weekend.

I hope all of my Jewish friends enjoyed the start of Hanukkah and that my parents enjoyed their wedding anniversary at the beach in Delaware this weekend!

Remember! Show Us Your Books tomorrow.

Remember (and honor) the 2,000+ victims killed in the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor this day in 1941. You are not forgotten.

Linking up with Biana at B Loved Boston for Weekending