It Has Been Quite A Week!

My week is ending far better than it began and I think I’m gaining a whole new perspective.  I know things happen for a reason and I know the path I was traveling was not the path I am supposed to be on. 

The enormity of what I was prepared to do in order to improve my work life and alleviate some of the stress I was experiencing is mind blowing.  With the encouragement of my employers I was going to completely uproot my life and move closer to work.  Take my children out of the only school they have ever attended, sell the only home they have ever known, bear the enormous expense of the move itself….

What was I thinking?! 

The only stress I would have eliminated would be that long commute in heavy traffic and the stress at the gas pump every week.  The stress at work wouldn’t have changed at all.  Truth is I don’t think moving would have improved a my quality of life much at all.  I think I was just desperate to do something. 

So this week: 

·         I have gained a new perspective

·         Slept at night

·         Attended two of my daughter’s school programs

·       Got a much needed haircut (hadn’t had one since October) and some highlights to conceal my grays

·         Got my resume ready and checked out the job boards

·         Completely went over my finances.  We are good!

·         Went to the grocery store – during the day!

·         Had a date night with my girls – out to dinner with a gift card and then home for games

·         Cooked and cleaned

·         Learned who my friends are.  They always show up when you are down. J

·         Worked on getting ready for a Yard Sale 

Probably not as productive as I could have been but in all honesty I literally stumbled around for a couple of days trying to figure out how to get started. 

I am truly comfortable with where I am at right now and the number one reason for this is because I am sleeping at night.  That alone speaks volumes.

Insomnia

I have battled insomnia my entire life and I’ve learn to adapt and deal with it.  I also know that stress exacerbates the problem.  For the better part of the last year I have been getting by on 2 to 6 hours of sleep a night.  If I was able to get 6 hours I felt like I got a good night’s sleep.  My sleep is almost always interrupted by waking up in the middle of the night between 1:00 and 4:00 and being awake for at least an hour or not able to go back to sleep at all. 

The past three nights I have gone to bed before 10:30, gone to sleep right away, stayed asleep the entire night and woke up around 6:00 when my alarm would normally go off.  I have not slept like this in well over a year.  I cannot begin to tell you how much better I feel, physically.  My energy feels like it is returning and I am motivated to do things. 

If this trend continues I’ll be a whole new woman and I am ready for that.  I think my focus from here on out is to conduct my life in a manner that allows me to sleep better at night.  I know that not every night will be perfect but it has to be better than what it’s been.  Reducing stress and doing more enjoyable things, including my professional life, has to be a priority. 

Do you battle with insomnia?  What are some of the things you do to deal with this situation?

Refried Beans

I made my medium slow cooker work hard yesterday.  First I made up a batch of refried beans and then I put on a pot of split pea soup.  I needed to use up some of the leftover Easter ham my mother had sent home with me on Sunday.  You can only eat so many ham sandwiches. 

My daughter’s spring program was wonderful and I am so happy I didn’t miss it.  She really sang her heart out.  She was so happy to have me there too. 

I thought I’d share my refried beans recipe with you.  They are super easy and flavorful. 

Refried Beans 

Thoroughly rinse and sort 2 cups of pinto beans and 2 cups of black beans.  Remove any pebbles or deformed beans.  Place in a large mixing bowl and cover with plenty of water.  Allow to soak overnight. 

In the morning drain the beans and place in a slow cooker.  Cover with warm water and allow to cook on high for six hours, until beans are super tender and soft.  Add water if needed. 

Dice up half a large onion.  In a large pan over medium heat sauté onion in 2 Tbs. melted rendered bacon fat.  You can use vegetable shortening if you prefer but the bacon fat has far more flavor.  Once the onions are translucent begin spooning in the beans with their liquid and mashing with a potato masher.  Continue adding and mashing beans until you have used them all.  Allow to simmer over low heat.  Beans with thicken up to the right consistency.  If they are too thick add a little hot water to loosen them.  Add salt and pepper to taste. 

I like a little consistency to my refried beans so I’ll leave some whole beans in them but you can puree them smooth with an immersion blender if you prefer them that way.  I was able to get 10 cups of refried beans.  I froze four 2 cup containers of the beans.  I like the 2 cup container because they are about the same size as a regular can of refried beans at the store.  These are much tastier, however.

I labeled the containers and let them cool down before I put them in the freezer.  In the meantime I made myself a tortilla with a little bit of the beans, cheese and homemade salsa.  It made for a delicious brunch.  A fried egg on top would have been good too. 

Have you ever made your own refried beans?

How I Spent My First Day

I am pretty sure I have the cleanest kitchen in Boise right now.  I spent the greater part of my day making it that way.  Whenever I am stressed I clean things and the kitchen was definitely my victim yesterday. 

It looks great, not that it was all that dirty to begin with, and once I was done I organized my spice cabinet.  I also got a whole bunch of food items into jars and put labels on them.  A task I have wanted to do for some time now.  I used some of my canning jars and white plastic Ball lids I picked up at the grocery store.  I love how versatile canning jars are.  I also love how neat and organized they make my pantry and spice cabinet look. 

I perused the job boards on Craigslist both here and in several other cities.  Then it was time to pick up the kids at school.  I stopped along the way to pick up a few groceries at Fred Meyer to round out what I have on hand spending less than $20.  So far total spent: 

Food = $23.05                                                Non Food = $8.85 

The girls loved having me drop them off and pick them up yesterday.  All the way home they kept telling me all the positive things about me being home.  In particular, that I am not going to miss my youngest one’s spring program tomorrow afternoon or the awards ceremony next week.  I have to admit that I have missed out on a lot of these things the past few years. 

I purged papers and took out the trash and recycling, fixed supper and then cleaned up the kitchen again. J 

I could have done without the phone calls from my upset employees.  All I could do was tell them how sorry I was that they were upset.  They’ll be fine and so will I. 

For the most part I had a pretty good day yesterday.  We’ll see what great things today has to offer.  For one, I am going to a spring program this afternoon!

Sometimes The World Comes Crashing Down

Just when you think you have a plan life will throw you a curve ball.  Life threw me a big one yesterday.  I lost my job. 

My house is half way packed!  Thank goodness I hadn’t signed the lease for the new place yet.  I haven’t officially listed our house yet either. 

I am still in a bit of a state of shock as everything is beginning to settle in.  The reasoning behind their decision is a bit obscure.  It was only because of their input and encouragement that I had made the decision to move closer to work. 

I mostly feel hurt and betrayed.  Definitely confused.  Why on earth? 

The reality is that what I thought was true yesterday is not today.  Things are dramatically different.  I am uncertain what my next step will be but I will figure it out. 

I have no plans to do anything for the next week.  No rash decisions while I am filled with so much emotion.  So no yard sale, I pulled the Scamp ad off Craigslist and obviously no more packing.  I want to make sound and clear headed decisions. 

Over the next week I’ll sort it all out and come up with a new plan.  Right now I just need to breathe.

Happy Easter



Our Week In Review

Right now our whole lives are in a state of flux and my house is a complete wreck.  Yikes! 

Next Saturday, weather permitting, is our Yard Sale.  I have done a lot already and still have plenty to do to get ready for it.  I bought a package of garage sale price tags at the Dollar Store to put on the items we are selling.  I have been pricing as I am purging and deciding what goes.  What we keep is getting packed for the move. 

So far we have managed to go through all the cupboards, drawers and closets inside the house.  I still have the garage to do and plan to tackle that today.  I also need to make Yard Sale signs, draft our ad to put on Craigslist and pack up additional items we can do without for the time being.  The camp trailer needs to be washed on the outside too. 

As far as food goes we have enjoyed some great meals this week: 

We started out Sunday with a pot roast with carrots, red potatoes, onions and celery.  I also steamed some asparagus.  We had leftovers for lunches and again on Tuesday. 

Also on Sunday I put on a pot of Italian Black Bean Soup in my slow cooker and baked an 8X8 pan of cornbread.  We had that on Monday and Wednesday plus lunch. 

Thursday we had Pasta Carbonara.  I have never made that before and the girls loved it.  Super easy and super thrifty.  I’ll definitely be making that again. 

Friday we went out to eat at our favorite neighborhood Mexican restaurant to celebrate the girls getting straight A’s on their report cards.  Our total bill with tip was only $19.59!  We all agreed we are seriously going to miss that place.

Tonight we are going to have BLT sandwiches and Pringles.  The girls are the most excited about this meal so far.  Funny! 

Tomorrow is Easter so we will be spending it with my parents, which leaves me exactly today to get ready for our Yard Sale and do some packing around here.  I also need to bake a cake,  make baked beans, a fruit salad and sometime today dye eggs with the girls.  I can do this!

I hope to clean up and organize a bit.  Although my house is clean, laundry and dishes are done, bills are paid and so forth it is plenty cluttered with all the activities going on.  I don't do well with clutter.

I also still need to figure out what we’ll be eating for supper next week.  I still don’t think we’ve made much of a dent in our pantry and freezers yet.  They are still plenty full. 

I do need to go to the store for milk.  We are almost completely out.  As far as produce goes I have one tomato, a head of lettuce, a little spinach and a bell pepper plus plenty of onions and potatoes and a lot of frozen veggies too.  That should hold us for at least a week if no more.  I still have oranges and two apples too, not to mention all that delicious canned fruit we did last fall. 

So if I stop to pick up some milk and turn in my coupons for a free package of bacon and a free jug of orange juice I should get out of the store pretty cheap this week.

How has your week been going?