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Happy Homemaker Monday, Welcome February!

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Not the best start to the new month around here. Someone stole not one but both of my husband’s ATVs out of the backyard over night. SIGH. I’ll probably be working on this post on and off this morning as we wait. Lots of waiting today.

I woke up early and waited for J to get up for school (clearly not early enough to hear the backyard heist)

He has to wait for the police to return his call. 

Then, wait for an official police report so we can contact our home owner insurance company.

Plus, I’m waiting for G to wake up so we can ask if he heard anything (doubtful as he usually wears headphones while talking to friends at night). However, we do think the thieves rolled the vehicles out of the backyard away from the house so it’s not likely.

SIGH, not my plans for the first Monday of the month.

Let’s just try and get on with planning this first week of a new month. Joining in with Sandra over at Diary Of A Stay At Home Mom.

The Weather

Cloudy and chilly. Upper 20’s out there right now, we’re supposed to hit the mid-30’s today. Warming up all early in the week to around 53 on Wednesday. Then, back down to chilly, cold temperatures we slide. I just hope the sun makes an appearance and soon.

How I Am Feeling This Morning

Lots of mixed emotions. Sad because of what happened. Relieved that J went to school. Motivated to get things done around here despite the bad start. Physically, I don’t feel too bad, slept decent. Maybe too decently? Wish I’d heard something last night and flipped on the lights to stop things.

On My Mind

My husband, he’s as you can imagine quite upset but staying remarkably calm.

On The Breakfast Plate

Working on a sugar-free week so I had an English muffin and scrambled egg instead of my usual choices. Still had coffee and vitamins.

On My Reading Pile

Still stalled out on reading Hamilton by Ron Chernow. Also, tried starting The Little Book of Cottagecore: Traditional Skills for a Simpler Life by Emily Kent. Thinking I’d probably enjoy it in hardcover form, not really getting into it in e-book form. Noticed Brian Freeman has a book titled Infinite on the Amazon Prime First Reads this month. That’s probably going to be my choice for tonight as I know I’ll not have trouble reading this author.

On My TV

Way too much! I watched a bit much over the weekend. Finished all the Marvel timeline movies (forgot how much I despised that ending of Infinity War: End Game). And then, in desperate need of something lighter, I re-watched Frozen. And my husband and I finally got around to watching a few more episodes of Cobra Kai on Netflix. Hoping to do a bit more reading (or something that’s not TV watching) this week. However, I’ll still watch Prodigal Son on Tuesday night and probably something else, just haven’t decided.

On The Menu This Week

I still need to get to the grocery store, the excitement (of a bad kind) from this morning delayed my trip. Keeping it simple this week. Might make changes after my grocery trip.

MONDAY: Roast in the crock pot Forgot to thaw it. Probably going to do chicken sandwiches *J has a baritone lesson at 6:30*

TUESDAY: Roast in the crock pot

WEDNESDAY: BLT’s and French Fries

THURSDAY: Pork chops and sweet potatoes

FRIDAY : Chicken Enchilada Soup *I work 1:30, maybe 7:30 to 5*

From The Camera

Not much to share, only really took bird photos last week (see previous post for those). For fun, from the phone camera, here’s a picture of a picture I liked at Target.  A little too pricey for me currently but maybe if it gains a clearance sticker…

 

Looking Around The House

It’s not awful but I’m in a clean it up, clear it out kind of mood. Excited that I could get into J’s room and air it out a bit this morning.

New Recipe I Tried Last Week Or One That We Really Enjoyed

Sadly, I was the only fan of the Parmesan Roasted Leeks. J said they tasted like the bad part of onion rings. G said they were way too strong. And my husband refused to try them! More for me. They looked pretty in the beginning stages of cooking. (Forgot to snap a finished photo) And yes, this is another phone photo.

To Relax This Week, I Will

Bundle up and get outside with my camera, drink tea and read a book. Look at beautiful images of nature and cozy spaces from around the world on Instagram.

Something I Want To Share

Songs ever get stuck in your head? Here’s the tune I’ve been singing ever since Sunday afternoon:

Quote For The Week

Hustle and Heart will set you apart. (Alisa Jacobs)

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King of the Umbrella and a Surprise Bird Sighting

Birdwatching 10 Comments

The robins like our yard. Usually, I don’t see them in force until spring but they’ve decided to hang out with us early this year. There’s only a couple out there but they’ve been coming close up on the deck.

I caught this fellow perched on top the patio umbrella as if he owned the place.

He turned at looked right at me through the back door as I took my photos.

Bow down, inferior human! Sorry, Mr. Robin, the little gray cat handles all affairs regarding superiority around here. She might need an assistant, however, as it’s quite exhausting. She does require frequent naps.

By the way, have you ever seen a robin on a bird feeder? While I’ve not captured it on camera, twice now I’ve seen one sitting on one of the bird feeders!

Friendly House Finches

Thankfully, the house finches seem more interested in eating than world domination. They’re just happy to be fed. The new squirrel proof feeder is holding although it contains fewer perches than the previous feeder the squirrels trashed. So, sometimes the house finches come up on the deck railing for the seed I throw out there.

A Surprise Sighting!

The following two photos were taken by my son with my cell phone camera. We were on our way home from his baritone lesson when he looked out the window and asked,

Why is there an owl statue on that sign over there?

Since, we were at stop sign with no traffic around for a minute, we could take a couple photos.

That’s not a statue! That’s a real owl.

I edited a bit but these photos were taken after dark, with a cell phone, outside a car window so all things considered, not too bad.

Once we arrived home, I grabbed the bird books and we set about determining which owl we saw out there. Since it was on the passenger side of the car, he had a much better look. First, we thought it a northern saw-whet owl (it wasn’t very big). However, once I zoomed in closer on the picture and could see the ears, we re-evaluated.

Ironically, the conservation department for the state posted a photo on Instagram the next day of what we now are almost sure was a short-eared owl. (He had said it had a round, kind of flattened face)

Think I’m making at least one of my two sons into an avid birder!

Other Birds Spotted This Week

Speaking of owls, I did think I heard one calling early on Wednesday morning as I cleared the snow off my car to go to work.

We didn’t see our Cooper’s hawk this week. Of course, we had a snow storm on Wednesday morning and I spent more days working this week so they could’ve easily been out there.  Mostly, I’ve seen the usual birds around the feeders: sparrow, nuthatches, house finches, chickadees, the tufted titmice, still a fairly large number of cardinals. A few doves. And this morning, I watched the red-bellied woodpecker chase off the downy woodpecker from the suet feeder. My blue jays like to visit mid-morning to see if I’ve any seed scattered on the deck. And l saw lots of snow birds (dark-eyed juncos) prior to Wednesday morning’s snowfall.

The snow is gone now, it warmed up Thursday and yesterday. Friday, we had a fair amount of sunshine that melted away the snow. Today, it started raining. They say all day for it. We need it still, so no complaints. However, if you need me, I’ll be doing like this dove and taking a nap, I think.

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Joining in with The Bird Depot hosted by Anni over at I’d Rather B Birdin’.

 

Last Friday in January

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We’ve (almost) made it to the end of January! At least, we’ve arrived at the end of the work week. Are you excited? I am. Seems like it’s been a long week. In typical fashion, I ended up working more days than I planned this week.

Tuesday, I was home. The rest of the days, however, I was at work for at least part of the day. The trend continues today as I am now working 10-5. Shouldn’t be a bad day, however.

Feeling Frumpy and a Bit Grumpy

Since I’ve been feeling a bit frumpy and grumpy this week, I’ve decided it’s time to tackle one of my 21 for 21 list items. A sugar-free challenge! Not excited but I know it’s time to do it.

So, the first week of February shall be my first sugar-free challenge week of 2021. My plan is for one of these each of the four quarters of the year. I figure the first week of February works well as it’s just before the Super bowl, my husband’s birthday, Fat Tuesday, and Valentine’s Day. February is a busy month with lots of dessert opportunities I don’t want to miss! I do love a good dessert!

Good Things This Week That Weren’t Dessert

Ha! Maybe I’ll make a list of sugar-free good news for next week, that might be fun. This week’s items included the following:

  1. A newer student who wouldn’t give me the time of day last Friday, asked for me to work with her on Monday morning. And suddenly, I was “her person” for the morning. Always, a heart warmer when that happens.
  2. My husband cooked dinner and cleaned the kitchen on Wednesday. That “and” is the best part of the previous sentence.
  3. A phone call from the school, an e-mail survey, and the sophomores might get to return to the high school for full-time in person next month. (We’re currently on a hybrid plan and it’s not working so well here). Probably the best news of the week. My 16 year old son is not as excited but this is a needs versus wants situation. I can’t wait as I know it will help.
  4. My amaryllis bud is showing green again. I was afraid I really bungled this around Christmas. Maybe I’ll get an Easter bloom?
  5. A rare (to us, not a rare bird) sighting on Monday!
  6. The sun is shining today brightly today and I’ll get to be outside soaking it up in a bit.

Other Random Bits

As I need to leave fairly soon, I’ll keep my random bits part a bit shorter. Want to know something funny? I already drove to work this morning. Had a bit of a panic this morning that I had the time wrong and so drove to make sure the teacher’s car was in the parking lot (logic being, if I needed to be there, I’d already be there if I was indeed mixed up on times). Ever do things like that? Or is it just me?

I was glad to come home and finish my coffee and work on this quick post for today.

Do you have big plans for tonight?

Nothing exciting going on here, plans involve the TV mostly. Going to make the family fend for themselves for dinner probably unless we do homemade pizzas. Then, watch Wandavision followed by one of my favorite Marvel movies in the timeline, Dr. Strange. Watched another of my favorites, Black Panther, last night.

It’s supposed to rain all day tomorrow so I’ll probably do yet more TV watching or (should) read my book. I’ll admit I’m struggling with reading my current choice, Hamilton by Ron Chernow. It’s a lot easier to pay attention to the information in musical form. He’s barely in America, I’m only 7% into the book, so perhaps the pace quickens.

Mostly, the cat and I are just over here waiting for Spring to return.

 

Throwback Thursday: So Not Ready!

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As most of you know, I used to blog over at So Not Organized. This year, I needed a change and started a new blog here. However, I started with So Not Organized in 2012. And I don’t want to just let 9 years of blogging slip away when my hosting agreement over there expires (it’s good for another year, so no rush).

After giving it a bit of consideration, I’ve decided to create an archive of my favorite blog posts and series from So Not Organized over on this site. I’m adding a page and going to slowly add to it each Thursday.

So far, the only way to do this is simply re-publish each post. Don’t worry, I plan to edit and carefully curate only the best of my previous blog. There are plenty of posts that frankly, aren’t worth a repeat performance. However, after 9 years of blogging, I also have many I don’t want to lose.

Below, you’ll find the very first post I ever published (date: February 10, 2012).

WARNING:

Like many firsts, it’s messy and not great. However, I’m sentimental and want to keep my first post ever!

So Not Organized

I’ve been teetering on the edge of starting a blog since January and I’m still not ready but for some things I’ve learned you are never ready….to leave home, to get married, to be a mom, to not be able to go home again (sorry, you actually cannot “always go home again”),  to have your kids go to school, to have your kids finish school, to have them home for summer vacation (applies currently!), and many others but I must move on from this first, terribly too long sentence of the new blog.  So am I really ready to start the blog I’ve been thinking about since December?  No.  Not ready at all.   However, I’ve decided to take a deep breath and start one anyway.

Why one about organizing?  Well, actually it’s more about trying to organize and failing than actually organizing.  Write what you know.  I know I try to be organized.  I know I (usually) fail miserably at being organized.  I’m hoping I’m not alone and that this blog might offer the readers some good ideas (that while they didn’t work for me might work for them), laughter, and a sense of relief and realism (so, it’s not just me!) all at once.   I really do love the idea of organization:  the brightly colored bins and boxes, dresser drawers that are color coded with all clothing neatly folded (do you fold your socks or make sock balls?  Me?  I throw my socks in there and dig for matches….), canned goods in alphabetical order, and refrigerators with lists of contents posted neatly on the doors (there is a never a place for unidentified green stuff in recycled butter container though…).  I love that there are people who can accomplish all that!  I’m not one of them.  I could blame my boys and my husband (and for fun, why don’t we blame the cat as well!).  However, I lived alone for a while and I never accomplished any of that even without other people around to mess it up.  I managed to be sloppy and unorganized on my own (probably more so!) as well.

Hopefully, you’ll want to follow along and get some organizing ideas (even knowing what ideas don’t work is one step closer to knowing what will work!).  So even though I’m still not ready, I’m about to hit the “publish” button on my first post on my new blog.

~~Jean

My January Rudolph Day

List of 21 for 2021 Rudolph Day 2 Comments

I celebrated my first Rudolph day on Monday. Sort of. First, I worked but only until noon. Then, I went shopping.

Happy Rudolph Day to me! There are some places I shouldn’t go unsupervised. Bath and Body Works is one of them. Thankfully, for our budget, I seldom venture into the actual store.

Basically, between lunch, making dinner, and taking J to his lesson, I had only a small amount of time for whatever this Rudolph Day entailed. Made me a bit anxious until I remembered my word of the year (less). I did not have to do *all the things* after all.

After my shopping trip (where I bought a Valentine’s Day candle plus some new scents of shower gel/lotion to try), I had a cup of mint hot chocolate. I did add whipped cream to it for the sake of being fancy.

Looked around on line for Rudolph Day sites and ideas. It’s when I stumbled across the site with the falling snow I shared on Monday. And I properly cleaned out the storage tote I set aside for Rudolph Day things. Also, added a few small empty Christmas tins plus a belated gift from my hair dresser to it. Are gnomes considered Christmas? Or year-round? For now, he’ll be my Rudolph Day mascot.

Other than those things, I read my Christmas Island book during J’s lesson and kept on reading it after we returned home.

Don’t you love when books include the recipes talked about in the stories?

 

I did a little less with Rudolph Day than I expected but it was enough.

Mostly, I’m using the ideas from this site. It’s an older one but I prefer it to the updated site. If you celebrate Rudolph Day, how/what do you do to celebrate it?

Happy Homemaker Monday, Afternoon Edition

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Happy Monday! I’m a bit late today as I worked this morning, then went shopping for a bit. Came home, lunch, housekeeping, cat entertainment, and now at almost 4p.m. am just sitting down for this post.

Joining in for hopefully every Happy Homemaker Monday this year with Sandra over at Diary Of A Stay At Home Mom.

The Weather

Chiefs excitement in the air! Sounded a bit like New Year’s Eve again last night. Also in the air? Lots of wind and rain. We were supposed to have a winter storm today/tonight but it went north of us. So, just rain, maybe a bit of snow on Wednesday. Pretty normal temperatures for January, 30’s mostly though it looks like it might be close to 50 on Friday. A fairly mild winter so far, most my heavy sweaters still stored as I haven’t need them.

How I Am Feeling This Morning Afternoon

Mostly at this point, sleepy and a bit grumpy. Didn’t accomplish most of the things I thought I might.

On My Mind

Plans for the rest of this week, husband’s upcoming birthday (in early February around Super bowl time), work, dinner. Usual stuff.

On The Breakfast Plate

Seems like a long time ago but I had apple cinnamon oatmeal and two sausages. Coffee and vitamins, too.

On My Reading Pile

Last week, I read The Conjurer (Vine Witch #3) by Luanne G. Smith. Best one of the 3 in the series. Then, on a whim, I picked up (well, as much as you can pick up an e-book) The Dutch House by Ann Patchett.

That book got to me a bit. Didn’t expect to enjoy it and yet, I couldn’t put it down. The sibling relationship, the sitting outside of the house where they no longer live and reminiscing, it just left me with so many feelings. And made me miss my sister (who I’ve not spoken with in a few years, family squabbles and all that. The not speaking part is not my decision, by the way, nothing would bring me more joy than a phone call from her.)

Moving on to this week’s reading choices. Starting with something lighter, in honor of my attempt to join in the Rudolph Day fun (planning for next Christmas), I’m reading Christmas Island by Natalie Normann and enjoying it so far. And this week’s serious choice: Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow.

On My TV

My book choices probably gave you a clue what musical I watched on Disney plus over the weekend. Also, working my way trough the Marvel movies in time line order (an ongoing thing), ready for Captain America: Civil War. Watched a teeny bit of TV this weekend, caught the newest Wandavision episode on Friday. And of course, the Chiefs game (sort of watched/didn’t watch for luck) on Sunday evening.

This week, I’ll watch my favorite show of the moment Prodigal Son on Tuesday evening and probably continue to work my way through the Marvel movies.

On The Menu This Week

MONDAY: Hawaiian pulled pork sandwiches, sweet potato fries *I worked 8:30-12* *J has a baritone lesson at 6:30*

TUESDAY: Chili or tacos

WEDNESDAY: Chicken Cacciatore, Parmesan roasted leeks (vegetable of the week)

THURSDAY: Pork chops, baked potatoes, salad *I work 1-3:45*

FRIDAY: Homemade pizza, salad

From The Camera

Didn’t pick up the camera nearly enough last week.

Looking Around The House

Not awful, needs a bit of a clean up and then, I plan to pull out the Valentine’s Day decorations tomorrow

New Recipe I Tried Last Week or One That We Really Enjoyed

Not much to report here from last week, the favorite of the week was basic spaghetti. I’ve finally come around and started doing shredded Parmesan as opposed to the green shaker can. I buy it shredded in the bag so not completely fresh but wow, a huge difference over the green can.

To Relax This Week I Will

Drink a cup of tea in the afternoons, read my books

Something I Want To Share

Found a fun site when trying to figure out what/how to do Rudolph day, followed a few links to find:

a site with relaxing snow 

On My Prayer List

Family, friends, our world, end to this virus, a lot more peace and kindness everywhere.

Quote For the week

Be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud. (Maya Angelou)

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Our Hawk Came Back

Birdwatching 8 Comments

Not too much to share today in terms of bird photos. The hawks like our neighborhood but prove as difficult as ever to catch on camera!

I only have one other bird to share this week besides the hawk. One morning I was taking out the trash and glanced up over the house to see this crow sitting in the top of one of the maple trees:

Took the photo from the front yard. He didn’t stick around too long before his friends called and away he flew. We see quite a few crows from time to time. However, they usually don’t hang out in our yard too often.

Mostly, this week I’ve been at work and not out watching the birds with camera in hand (or nearby). However, Tuesday we did get to hear and see one of our neighborhood hawks in action. No hunting luck from our feeders (that I witnessed) for the poor little hawk.

Hawk Tales

Late in the afternoon on Wednesday , J and I took a walk almost around the block, a dog stopped us short but that’s not relevant. We saw robins and cardinals and heard a Carolina wren in the empty lots we passed near the lake. A few geese were in the field surrounding the lake. As part of the agreement to walk with me, I’d bribed the teenager that I’d leave my camera at home. So no photos.

The weather on Wednesday, blustery. Nice out until the winds started. I starting mentioning how maybe it was too windy for us to see our hawks as we came closer to home. At the same moment, we saw over the roofline, a swooping bird making my comments sound like nonsense. And then, we heard the hawks calling.

This lonely, and unsuccessful hunter (on Wednesday anyway), sat perched and looking deep in thought.

Though I looked for a bit, I never could find his calling companion. Sounded quite close, somewhere out front. Later, he moved to another tree branch and we could spot him out my son’s bedroom window. However, by the time I got back outdoors with my camera, away he flew!

Perhaps this week, will be my lucky week for good photos of our Cooper’s Hawks. And perhaps, the birds will help me out by developing a taste for fat squirrels as opposed to my little song birds.

Other Birds Spotted This Week

As I mentioned, I worked quite a few days this week so not a lot of bird photo taking time. The weather’s been nice enough to enjoy them in passing though with plenty of blue skies visible between the cloudy days. Lately, I’ve seen more robins hanging out in the backyard.

And then, our usual guests, welcome and unwelcome, at the bird feeders: sparrows, mostly the house kind with two or three white-throated ones as well, cardinals, chickadees, nuthatches, tufted titmice, and doves. The house finches finally took to the new squirrel proof feeder. My unwelcome squirrels continue to raid all the others.

I’ve started throwing a fruit/nut seed mix on the deck railing for the blue jays to come gobble. I watched one spit one type of the see out one day, must not have been a fan of that type. If the blue jays don’t come in time, the squirrels find it. The cardinals and sparrows seem to enjoy it there as well. Probably need to get a proper tray feeder for the area by the deck. The downy and red-bellied woodpeckers still visit the suet feeder when the squirrels aren’t hogging it. As does the Carolina wren.

At work on Thursday, I spotted more robins, a blue jay in the woods near the main playground, and then a robin sitting on a branch with two mourning doves near the pre-primary playground. A group of gulls also flew overhead late yesterday afternoon as we were out there.

What birds did you spot this week?

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Joining in with the Bird Depot hosted by Anni over at I’d Rather B Birdin’.

 

Palindromes and Positive Thoughts

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Read something interesting this morning. Today starts 10 days of numeric palindromes. (On the Farmer’s Almanac Instagram page). What’s a palindrome? Reads the same left to right or right to left.

First Inauguration in history to take place on a palindrome date. Next time it happens won’t be for one thousand years!

Did you watch it?

My Thoughts about the Inauguration

I admit to getting a bit emotional watching the Vice President take her oath of office. Hard to imagine that any of us raised during the 70’s and 80’s decades of “girls can do anything” did not.

This is not to imply those older or younger were not as moved. Just a comment of how it felt to someone old enough to remember the Ford/Ferraro ticket back in 1984 (I wasn’t old enough to vote, just in high school). For the most part, I prefer not to talk about politics at all. Doesn’t mean I’m not aware, just not my favorite topic.

Commented to J this morning (home from school so I made him watch the Inauguration with me, history and all that) how I realized I feel as though politics has been everywhere for the past few years. It’s tiring. Too much, I’m looking forward to a bit more balance of conversation moving forward.

However, I do want to talk a little bit more about the entertainment part of the ceremony today. What did you think?

Personally, I didn’t care for Lady Gaga and her rendition of the national anthem. And what about her gown? Haven’t quite decided if I loved or hated it. However, she wore it well. Too shocked from a “Who is Jennifer Lopez?” question to really remember her performance. My favorite was Garth Brooks singing Amazing Grace. We thought the poet talked a little fast though reading her words, they are nice.

Positive Thoughts

 

sunset on Monday
Sunset on Monday

 

Like many, I hope and pray today signals the end of so much hatred and bitterness and a movement toward more kindness and civility within our country. It is so very much needed.

Looking forward to perhaps, a spring and summer where we can do a bit more.

My husband told me we had the dates for our Arkansas cabin getaway with friends though it falls in the middle band season. He thinks, no band again in the fall. I hope he is very wrong! I hope by next fall school is back on it’s normal rotation complete with marching band. As much as I enjoyed the getaway last October, I’ll gladly exchange it for watching my son doing his thing again.

Today’s Things

It’s been a bit of an off day here. I ended up working all day yesterday so today became my only day off this week (not counting Monday as it was a holiday!). J had anxiety happening this morning so stayed home to do school here.

Still need to call him in, honestly at the point of wondering what the difference even is between “excused” and “unexcused” absence and if it matters if they count them all the same. I’m sure part of my hesitation is the stigma of saying he’s suffering from anxiety rather than say a headache. Probably, just say he had a headache & I forgot to call for simplicity sake.

Managed to accomplish a few things today (not as many as I wanted but can’t really blame that on the teenager).  Cleaned out the fridge, cleared out and re-organized my clothes in the dresser (even put a few items in the donation bin!), caught up most the laundry, chopped up some celery for snacks, and went for a walk halfway around the block. A couple of suspicious looking dogs stopped our walk short, wasn’t feeling sociable nor did they look super friendly. Most excited about the dresser as I cleared the top of it off on Monday. A finished project. Hooray!

Probably should have put the camera lens cover somewhere else

 

Going to go finish up another load of laundry, make sure everything is in order for the rest of this busy week (two full work days ahead), and then, read a bit more of my book (maybe with a cup of tea).

 

 

 

Happy Homemaker Monday, Short Week

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Today’s a holiday so we’re all home except my husband. His boss is making him work today. I wonder about that boss of his sometimes. (He’s self-employed)

Wish I could say I spent a few extra minutes sleeping in today but I got up early to “practice” a bit for a more structured week. Still took my time with things this morning.

J was up early as well uncertain about whether he had school. Encouraged me to not watch the news this morning, just turn it on for the weather. And so, we watched an episode of Peep and the Big Wide World together. One of his old, preschool favorites. So, thankful my son and I aren’t arguing so much these days.

Now, I’m taking a few minutes to put up this post and look at the week ahead. Joining in with Sandra from Diary Of A Stay At Home Mom.

The Weather Outside Is

Yesterday afternoon

 

Seasonable. Saw the sun yesterday but a bit cloudy now that it’s mid-morning. We’re supposed to get in the low 50’s (a little warm) later this week but most the week has highs in the mid 40’s. No rain/snow expected this week. Most of the snow from last week is gone.

On The Breakfast Plate This Morning

Cinnamon swirl bagel with cream cheese, coffee, and vitamins

As I Look Outside My Window

Gray skies, brown ground, good sleeping weather says the cat.

As I Look Around the House

It’s been worse and it’s definitely been better. Probably spend a bit of time cleaning today so we’re ready for our four day work/school week.

What I’m Wearing Today

Long-sleeved purple V neck shirt, kind of like a sweatshirt, navy leggings, tennis shoes

Currently Reading

Go me, I returned the two books I couldn’t get into back to the library. Read and finished Tuscan Dreams at the Cornish Confetti Agency by Daisy James. Her books are great for light, romantic, escape reading.

I also read and finished just last night, The Year of Less, How I Stopped Shopping, Gave Away My Belongings, And Discovered Life As Worth More Than Anything You Can Buy In A Store by Cait Flanders. It was a decent memoir but she lost me when she delved into giving advice at the end. You can see my Goodreads review here.

Even though it shows I’m reading two books over there, I’m not. Need to remove them. Unless a library hold arrives today, I’ll probably start in on the The Conjurer (Vine Witch #3) by Luann G. Smith just to have something to read at J’s lesson tonight.

On The TV This Week

Maybe something while I fold a little laundry today, not sure what I’ll watch. Prodigal Son tomorrow night as I’m definitely hooked for the new season. And I gave WandaVision a try over the weekend and liked it so I’ll watch the next episodes of that whenever they release.

Otherwise, I may look into if the seasons of Family Guy are streaming somewhere. Every time we catch that we end up laughing and my husband and I could use a new watch together show.

On The Menu This Week:

Oh, still on the TV thing, we’ll of course, watch the Chiefs play! I was so happy over the win (whew, that breeze you felt was probably a collect cry of joy/sigh of relief from this entire city) that I rebooted Thanksgiving dinner last night. We had turkey (from the freezer), sweet potatoes, corn, and roasted acorn squash.

MONDAY:  Spicy potato soup, crusty rolls (from a bag) *J has a baritone lesson at 6:30*

TUESDAY: Lemon Artichoke Chicken *I work 8:30-??, covering a morning* (carryover meal from last week)

WEDNESDAY: Spaghetti, garlic toast, salad

THURSDAY: Husbands choice but I’ve slated it for hamburgers & hot dogs *I work 9-6*

FRIDAY:  Tacos *I work 8:30-5:30*

Something Fun To Share

When on Instagram, I kept seeing this tag #DianeinDenmark. Curiosity finally got the better of me and I looked her up on the Internet. She has a blog and You-tube channel (mostly, the blog provides links to the You-tube). I think I’ll probably start following along with her as I like her personality (one of those people who just seems to ooze happiness) and her paper sorting idea surely resonated with me today.

Favorite Photo From The Camera

Camera battery died yesterday while I was out waiting for the Stealth jet to flyover (Chiefs game start and we’re in the flight path) but I missed it anyway. So, snapped this cold little robin waiting for spring this morning.

Quote For The Week

 

If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way. (Martin Luther King, Jr)

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Red Birds and Friends

Birdwatching 7 Comments

In honor of the Kansas City Chiefs upcoming play-off game, there’s a lot of red on display around the city. Thought I’d do my part and start my post with a red bird today.

Red Birds

Cardinals. Funny thing if you’re talking sports and saying “red birds” in this city, you’re not talking about football. Your talking about the baseball team from the other side of the state named after those red birds. We’re all Royal blue around here during baseball season. Enough sports talk. How about some more cardinal pictures?

Can’t leave out the beautiful female cardinal.

And Friends

I’ve noticed the house finches and sparrows like to hang out around the cardinals.  Moving on, how about a photo of a bird that’s not exactly red but has the color in its name?

Red-bellied woodpecker 

Bought a new “squirrel proof” birdfeeder last weekend. The first birds to test it out were the chickadees and then, this fellow:

Kind of funny as he has to work hard to get the seeds out and the suet feeder is easy for him. However, I’ve noticed he now prefers the new feeder. At least, the house sparrows take a break from their seed scattering ways when he arrives.

Another bird to return to the yard this week, our hawk!

Hawk tales

Still not completely sure of the kind. He’s perched in a tree across the street in this photo. I ran outside to take some photos and got fairly close. Though later realized, I should’ve grabbed the bridge camera with the better zoom!

And while I say a hawk, there are two in the neighborhood. Later the same afternoon, I opened the door and listened. And then, stepped out in the street and saw one sitting in a tree at the corner of the road and the one photographed, now in a tree behind the neighbor’s house. Calling back and forth. I grabbed J and we listened for a bit.

Tried listening to various bird sounds and now, I’m even more confused on what it might be. The “crying” sounds we heard don’t seem to match the Cooper’s hawk but those are the most common hawks for our area. I think it might be a red shoulder hawk based on sounds. We do see those on occasion.

On another day, I was simply watching my birds at the feeders when one swooped down low and made a pass over the area! Lucky day for the songbirds and fat squirrels, not such a lucky day for the hungry hawk. Hopefully, I’ll see our hawk (or hawks) again soon and get a better zoomed in photo.

Other Birds Spotted This Week

It’s been a good week for watching the birds out the back door and I’ve been home to do it. One morning, I spotted a pair of crows over the roofline in a tree up on the corner.

And another day, like something out of a dream, a goldfinch perched on the fence for just a moment. I don’t know what the little yellow birds have against our yard but I seldom see them out there!

And finally, I’ve counted 3 so far of the my favorite little white-throated sparrows foraging about on the deck and in the yard!

All our regular customers as well: the Carolina wrens, tufted titmice, downy woodpeckers (saw 3 of those at once one day as well!), blue jays, and chickadees. On a warm day, I even spotted two brown tree creepers in the oak tree. And J noticed a flock of starlings stop briefly in the backyard yesterday.

What birds did you see this week?

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Joining in with the Bird Depot hosted by Anni over at I’d Rather B Birdin’.

 

 

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