Monthly Archives: March 2018

Spring is here!!!

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Finally, our weather is beautiful. Today should be in the low ’70’s. Hurray!!!!

“Spring is coming, Spring is coming,

Birdies build their nests, weave together straw and feather, each doing their best”…..

That’s a Waldorf song.  When we homeschooled, even though it was only my son, we still did a morning circle, which always included a poem, verse, or song. It might have seemed silly to do with only the 2 of us but we did it anyway. One year we memorized the whole song of LOTR’s The Misty Mountains!!!  Well, anyway, that was a tangent.

So, lots to do today, including washing my VW.  We’re going to go to Home Depot for some plants that were on sale( if there’s any left), then a few other chores.

Dinner is a salad pack I bought yesterday and maybe a piece of chicken.DSCF0004

Simple cleaning, the bathroom.

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We have a very small bathroom. It’s 6×6. Yes, quite small for 4 people although my son is generally not here a lot.  When they were younger it was maybe more challenging.

But using FlyLady’s swish and swipe daily, cleaning is a breeze.  So here’s the cute hack I just came across. You take a toilet brush and set it in a bowl with some bleach, water and I use a little Dawn. You probably could easily use vinegar which I do use for most of my cleaning. But somehow bleach is needed for a few things( like to spray diluted on my shower curtains).

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This is the cute one I found at Goodwill.

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I bought a new toilet brush too.IMG_1287.jpg

 

 

I think this is so cute. So once a day I take out the brush and swish the toilet. I also swipe our pedestal sink and little shelf above the sink. We actually have a clawfoot tub in the bathroom ( yes it does fit) and a shower ring that is made specifically for a clawfoot tub. I do use Kirkland wipes on the floor most days but they’ve been out of stock so I will use a rag washcloth with some vinegar solution.

I also buy the hotel white towels from Costco and use them exclusively.  The washcloths are 24 for like $10 or 12 dollars, so that’s a great deal.

I think having routines creates a simple efficient way to keep your house tidy. Of course, it does help to have a small house like I do. but I think even with a house with multiple bathrooms do a quick daily swish and swipe would help maintain.

When in the Flylady bathroom zone, I then wipe all the shelves and tops of pictures etc.

 

Simple Sunday

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Finally, we’re getting some sunshine. We need it to dry things up some. Of course, 4 months from now we’ll all want some rain. But I am looking forward to a warm and sunny week.

The meeting the half-sister and her husband went well. They are nice people. They have traveled quite extensively so that was interesting. I still don’t feel any warm and fuzzy feelings but I’ m like that so maybe it’s just me. She had a privileged upbringing which is certainly more than I can say about ours. I guess it was Gov. Chris Christie that opened adoption papers after 50 years in NJ and that’s how she started looking.

I doubt I will go out of my normal ‘Hi and how are you’ with her but she is nice as I said. I’m sure when I fly back east, she’ll come up to Connecticut to visit.

I still haven’t decided when to go but maybe June?

I went to the gym and then to Goodwill and found some Legos for my daughters’ Library program. Plus a couple of nice T-shirts for me that were probably new without tags. I also picked up a Moosewood cookbook for a little inspiration.

Dinner is something with potatoes as I have a bag I got at Costco and maybe some chicken/tofu.

Well, I’m going to do my Yoga and then take a nap!!!

 

Friday things…

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Gee, this week has been kinda weird. It rained so much and was really depressing.  Today is sunny but rain is due back this evening. But next week looks glorious with our temperatures back to ‘normal’ which is high 60’s and even low 70’s. Yay!! maybe I can finally get out to the barn or at least the laundry which needs some help.

Our laundry room is attached to the back of our house. The drain water goes out to water plants.  We use an environmentally friendly soap so it’s good. Plus there are only ornamental plants out there. Also, my chest freezer is in the laundry room and some supplies. I also keep our emergency packs there. Some photo albums to take in an emergency are also in a bin.  The whole room needs a deep clean and I’d like to repaint the shelves.

It has to be warm enough to be out there, so maybe next week.

Update on my sister and her chemo for Single Cell Carcinoma is she is doing okay.  Has lost quite a bit of weight and her white blood count tanked. She also shaved her head so that’s always a bit traumatic. Nothing says cancer patient quicker than bald head:(

On another note of drama…. tomorrow we will meet a half sister that my mother gave up for adoption in 1967. Pretty weird stuff. I honestly don’t remember much but I do remember her telling she had a tumor( a lie) but of course, I knew she was pregnant. All I can say is WTF, you couldn’t have used fu#king birth control.??? My mother was a lapsed Catholic and I think she was in denial a lot of the time. Anyway, this half-sister was the result of the union with her then long-time partner.  The adoption papers were sealed for 50 years and then last January they were released and she found us.  Truthfully, I feel it was better left the way it was but then I wasn’t the adopted child.

She and her husband have flown out from New Jersey to meet my brother who in fact is her full brother. I am totally ambivalent about this meeting.  But, we will meet here at our house and then go out for dinner. My older sister has met with a number of times since she’s in Connecticut. Anyway, talk about a drama or a blast from the past.

I’m off to the gym today since yesterday you need a boat to go out. Then a few errands.

I’ve been doing yoga again and trying to be a little more flexible. Back in the day, I did a lot of yoga and could do all the poses. Now not so much. I wouldn’t dare try a headstand or the plough. The book I used in the 1970’s is Richard Hittlemans yoga. 

Friday night pizza!

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Cheese and pepperoni pizza with basil.

 

Being Grateful…….

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Having survived now for 13 years with Mulitple Myeloma, I know how lucky I am.  I am grateful every day for my life with my wonderful husband and children.  My son was almost 11 when I was diagnosed and my daughter almost 20. So the many years I’ve had are remarkable. Graduations from High School and college.

Some people using the bullet journal method write down what they are grateful for each day. Some do it a little OCed.  I don’t need to write it down to be reminded that the sun comes up or it’s raining and I’m fortunate enough to see it and experience.

Especially since I am enjoying this remission period. My next labs are coming up in the first part of April. Who knows what they will bring but I can only hope they are still good. Although, I don’t “hope hope” like in praying or anything.  Because your blood will be what it is no matter what you hope for. It is what it is.  That was a hard lesson for me when I was first diagnosed.  It took many years to realize basically nothing I ‘hoped’ for essentially made a difference but still one needs to hope. I think it’s a human element.

My neighbor that I’ve mentioned before in my ‘Death decluttering’ blog, is with hospice now. She only has a small amount of time left. I talked with her the other day. One thing that struck me was she said,” this wasn’t how she envisioned her retirement”. She’s only 2 years older than me and was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer 5 years ago.  She made it longer than a lot of cancer patients.

I’m one of the lucky ones and believe me, I am extraordinarily grateful. Not in any religious sense, just grateful to have lived to see another day.

 

BE GRATEFUL

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Simple Sunday

Posted in minimalism, simplicity, Uncategorized by

Thanks everyone for the feedback. It looks like it’s going along well. I’ve wanted to buy the domain for a while and before it was under christina1952(of course my birth year) but then the tech help checked and said Tahoegirl was available so, I jumped on it.

In April I will have had my blog for 6 years.  It has been lots on my journey with Myeloma and its struggles. Relapse, Remission, Relapse….. drugs…. and about ordinary life.  I do believe that it’s in the most ordinary and simple things that we find the most meaning in our lives.  But it wasn’t till I put minimalism and simplicity together that the bigger picture of an intentional life emerged.

One thing that drew me to Quakerism at 17 was their purposeful queries focusing on simplicity and living intentionally.  I moved on from Quakerism to Buddhism also focusing on simplicity, zen things, and mindfulness. There clearly is a theme too what I’ve sought to be and do in my life. Even educating my children in Waldorf education and being involved in Waldorf things was a focus on nature and rhythms and an uncomplicated life.

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Today is a gym day and then I need to go to Target for cat food and bleach and other misc.

The sun is finally out although it’s still quite cold. The weather is supposed to turn to snow and rain again on Wednesday.

Dinner is an Ina Garten recipe : chicken parmesan,  and then I’ll do a tofu parmesan and a simple green salad with a lemon vinegarette.

 

New blog domain

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For anyone who follows me, I decided to pay for a domain under Tahoegirl.blog

I’m not sure if it goes directly from my previous blog so if someone could give me a heads up if it does or they’re having trouble.  Most tech stuff I sort of go by the seat of my pants so to speak.  so not sure if it just forwards it???

Let me know???

Not a frugal week at all:(

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It usually stems from a Costco trip and sure enough, it did.

I spent $375 on food and nonfood items. Nonfood added up to $165 and included Lysol wipes, toilet paper, and tons of other nonfood things. Food was lots of cheese, nuts and some other things. So about $200 in food. Since this will last about 6 weeks of basics it really isn’t that bad.

Overall that’s not bad.  The Arlo security was pricey since we’re not used to spending that kind of money.  But we had it on our list of things to buy for our small house to add security.

Today I -80 is closed due to snow all the way the to Nevada State line. My daughter attempted to get to Truckee but was turned back. Hopefully, it will be gone by tomorrow. Well, the snow won’t but the snowing.

Two movies we just watched I’d recommend.  ‘ The theory of Everything’ about Stephan Hawkin who just died. And then ‘ The Imitation Game’ which was superb. It was so well done. It’s on Netflix if you want to watch it. The other we bought from Amazon Prime.

Dinner is something as we had a pizza last night my son bought for us.141367066

 

 

For your eyes only….

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At Costco, we bit the bullet and bought a set of Arlo security cameras. They were a great deal and it has been on our list for a while so when we walked in and saw they were $75 off we decided to go ahead.

We live in a small town but over the last couple of years, there have been quite a number of home invasions. I’ve wanted to do something about at least a security camera to see who drives in our driveways. We have 2 ways to come into the house, hence 2 driveways. Not the best Feng Shui but we’ve made it work. But also, our house is situated  so that we don’t hear a car or even UPS sometimes. So it often worries me about someone driving up to the house and coming in.

In addition, we don’t lock the house and I think after the recent break-in down the road, we’d better start. When I’m home alone I will often lock the doors if the dogs are in. (they’re not much use inside). Outside the will bark but inside, I guess, that’s their safe haven.

So this is the first step to better safety. The second is to put up some farm gates this summer as a deterrent. It won’t be electronic but gates do deter people here.

This set has 3 cameras. So one will be on each driveway and the other in the back of the house to watch the animals and see who’s showing up. Rocky Raccoon, Skunkie, and family, a herd of deer. Recently, someone mentioned on our next door facebook that a mountain lion has killed some goats. I’m glad Billie is gone so we don’t have to worry about a hobbly old goat getting eaten by a mountain lion.

I’ll update on how it is after it’s up and running in case you’re interested.

 

A couple of fun frugal projects.

Posted in frugalism, Uncategorized by

I am in love with the white milk glass. Don’t worry I won’t start hoarding, but they really blend in well and are easy on the eyes.

So I bought this one for $1.19 on sale at Goodwill.

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Then I planted some succulents( actually my daughter did) 🙂 but it was my idea. I think it looks great.

Then I can’t remember where I saw this project but it was to use a small crate as a filing cabinet. So I ordered the one suggested from Home Depot.

IMG_1276.jpg I think it’s 12.5 by 13.5 but it fits hanging files perfectly. I got a set of black for a more uniform look. So I like it a lot and it’s easy to get to the files I use the most. Home insurance, Allstate, LLS, Labs, SS etc.

The file cabinet was 15.99 and the files $10? so not bad as a way to corral everything neatly. Knowing where stuff is 95% of the battle of clutter. I do have another metal file cabinet which houses all our old tax forms, mortgage stuff and some other things that I don’t need o a monthly basis.

Unfortunately, today is our last day of sunshine till Sunday. I’m hoping the weather guys got it wrong and the rain will go away. But so far it doesn’t look like it.

I’m staying home today, but tomorrow I’m going to Costco with B. I’ll skip the gym. We need quite a bit of non-food items, so it’s always helpful to have B with me to do the lifting and sorting.  I’ve budgeted $200 for this trip.

Monday night is pasta night, so I’ll make something. Maybe pasta with a butter sauce. Always my comfort food. Growing up as poor as we did, my mother would make bowtie noodles with brown butter. I guess that’s why it’s comfort food. Of course, when she made liver and onions, I only gagged and tried not to throw up.  Good grief who eats liver and onions, it is so disgusting,. It’s a wonder I’m not a vegan.  Well, for the record I was a vegetarian upon leaving home at 18, and then for 22 more years.