{ Friday Catch-up }

 

It is a beautiful day here in North Texas.  The sun is shining, it is 60 degrees, the birds are all chirping and happily flying around and my chickens are playing in the run.

 

We have had the best winter in years, it's been very mild, only a few days of ice, no snow (at least yet, fingers crossed), and what seems to be an early spring.  You know I love snow, but I am not about to complain about this because my fingers are itching to get in the dirt, to plant, to start our garden, and work on the chicken area and fix my yard and create a wonderful space for outside dining and a little nook to just sit, with a cup of coffee and a book.

 

So, it's Friday morning, I have already been busy.  I seem to have been bit by the organizing and renovating bug, and for the past month I've worked on different projects around the house.  It keeps me busy, which has also really helped in my health journey because while I'm concentrated on projects, I am not thinking about snacks and food, or just sitting watching something on TV.

 

With that in mind, and because I've been working on so many things around here, I thought that I would bring back the Tackle it Tuesday posts.  If you're one of the old bloggers, like early 2000's bloggers, you may remember participating or seeing it around blogland.

 

I have to say, I feel that bloggers nowadays are not what they used to be.  That's not meant as an insult, in any way, shape or form.  They are just a different breed of bloggers that I don't quite relate to, whereas, when blogging first took off, we were a community of like minded moms, with little ones, homemaking and cooking, sharing tips, sharing advice, motivating each other, and all the blog posts seemed to be directed at just that.

 

Menu Plan Monday

Happy Homemaker Monday

Slow Cooking Thursday

Tackle it Tuesday

Show and Tell Friday

Works for me Wednesday

 

Just to name a few?  Do you remember those?   

Anyway, Tackle it Tuesday was a weekly feature (obviously lol), that focused on getting something done and sharing it to hopefully motivate others.  It was started by 5 Minutes for Mom, and in the beginning it was a huge hit, so many participants.  

 

 

So, starting next week I'm going to bring it back here on my blog.  I have been taking pictures of the areas I've been working on, so I will have a few to share, and as I go, I'll just continue taking pictures and sharing. 

 

You are more than welcome to join in, if you have a specific area in your home or a project you've been putting off, now is the time.

 

I've also been working on my new blanket.  I've mentioned it a few times here but I can't help showing you because it is the most beautiful thing ever.  I'm using colors that I don't typically go for, I tend to use pastels and very much Cath Kidston inspired colors, but since this is a Winter Blanket, I wanted to keep it a bit more darker and warmer, so I went with charcoal and cream.

I wasn't sure if I would like it, because again, very different to my usual colors, but I'm so happy with the way it is forming.  Next one however, I will be making in white and red to keep it typical Nordic and Scandinavian.  

 

In my health journey, I have also been trying out different recipes to enjoy my cravings, without going for the usual breads and carbs.  It's been very enlightening and educational for me.  Some I haven't liked, but most I have really enjoyed, like the Keto Avocado Bread which was just insanely good, and these egg muffins which are also really good.

I'll be sharing those recipes on the food blog soon.

My home has once again become my shelter, my haven and my pride and joy.  Not to say that it ever stopped, but if I must be honest with myself and with all of you, I did go through a few years where other things took priority.  Yes the home was here, and yes we lived in it, but I wasn't taking pride in it, I wasn't paying attention to detail or adding little touches here and there.

It's those little touches that make your home your own, you know what I mean?  When someone walks in and says "oh it's so cozy and so you".  That is such a compliment to me and brings me such joy that I can't even begin to describe.

I've also reached a point in my day to day, that I don't have so many chores to tackle and so many things to do.  The key is being organized and not letting things accumulate, and when we do this, it frees up time for the fun things we enjoy.

For me it's crochet, watching a period drama, and lately, getting my exercise in.  I have only been doing between 10 and 20 minutes each day, and that right now is enough for me.  Perimenopause, hormonal symptoms, some knee pain and getting older, has definitely showed me that I can't be doing the usual 45 minutes to an hour exercise that I used to be able to handle 10 years ago.

And that's ok, because I have also learned that you can get the same results in doing short, even 4 minute HIIT exercises a day, as if you were killing yourself for 30 minutes at the gym.  The point is to move, to keep moving, to do some sort of workout, no matter what it is.  Walking is amazing, and there are ton of videos on Youtube for Walking Workouts which are amazing for older ladies, and for those that have knee pain or joint pain or whatever pain you may have.  

 

So that's it, that's been the past few weeks, I wanted to come in and chat and get you all caught up on my life.  I am slowly (again) getting back into blogging and trying to post more, and I think as we go into Spring, I have more to show you and take pictures of.

 

Before I leave, just wanted to show you my bird seed wreath.  I first made one back when we were stationed at Luke AFB in Arizona.  The birds loved them, and the kids and I loved making them.  It's a great project to make with the kids.

 

I do have the recipe and how to already here on the blog, you can go to this post to read, if you want to give these a try.

 

Now I need to get off here and get ready for my doctor's appointment.  It's just a follow up on the Triglycerides results that showed up on my routine blood, work that my Gynecologist had me do.  Since she's not the family doctor, she obviously asked me to make a follow up appointment with the family care clinic on base to discuss the results and nutrition etc.  To be honest, I think it's a bit pointless going a month later, since I already know what to do and have been doing it for the past few weeks, but if they ask me to do something I do it.

Have a blessed day and if I don't see you before Monday, have a blessed weekend!