Wednesday Snap Shot




Good afternoon friends! It's another late afternoon WSS. I had a doctors appointment this morning and with rush hour traffic in the city it can take over an hour to get there. So it was an early morning for me. I'm home now and getting organized with the rest of my day.

It's been a good week so far. Over the weekend my youngest son came over and helped me set up my tree (I need to get the top straightened out a little better :). He's always so willing to help his mom, warms my heart. 


I haven't yet put any decorations on it. I figured I'd give my cat, Pila, some time to get use to the tree. So far she's doing pretty good.  And I'm thinking about waiting until my grandchildren come up the next time and let them decorate.

Yesterday I had a doctors appointment as well.  On our way home I took some pictures because the afternoon just looked so pretty.  Not sure my pictures captured the beauty as much as I was seeing, but they are pretty nonetheless. 









These are the final appointments with the doctor that did my hiatal hernia surgery, and today's was the doctor that did the throat surgery. Things are all looking good and I do believe I pretty much can close the chapters of a long and challenging year. Next week I see my eye surgeon for that final appointment. Looking forward to walking into 2019 and having a much better year, at least that is my prayer.


Goals
This afternoons goals are pretty simple. I need to do a few home chores..

~vacuum
~run a load of dishes
~swish through the bathroom for a quick clean up


I also need to make dinner. I was going to make pulled pork sandwiches but ended up having that on Monday. I have leftover chicken from a rotisserie chicken I bought yesterday and hubby requested chicken pot pie, one of his favorites. He rarely asks for anything specific and when he does I do my best to make it happen for him.  So, chicken pot pie it is! 
 

For the Love of Books!
I finished reading The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne. I enjoyed it quite a bit. I enjoy these survival type of books.

I started and finished The Sun also Rises by Ernest Hemingway (it's a fairly short book). So many thoughts on this book. The first being, I didn't enjoy it much. I struggled and searched for a plot and never really found one. Oh I am aware there are all kinds of meanings and themes in Hemingway's work, but that doesn't excite me in a book. I'm not a college English major dissecting the book for all the authors points... Ha, ha.. That said, what I got out of it was; lost people leading meaningless lives, searching for happiness in all the wrong places and never finding it, life goes on and the sun rises again for another day.. That's pretty much my summary of it :). Not sure I'm motivated much to ever pick up another one of his books.

So now I've started another classic, Moby Dick by Herman Melville. I just started it and so far so good. Classic books sometimes take a few chapters to get into so I'll see what I think after another few chapters.


Projects
This week I'm looking at making progress on these things:

I am down to the finish line on my crochet project and hope to finish it all this week. I'm dying to show you it, but will have to wait until after Christmas so I can keep it a secrete from my kids.

I started writing my yearly Christmas letter and need to finish that and get it ready to send out in the mail.

I also have potholders to finish sewing. I started focusing on my crocheting and set the other projects aside.

I have jam to make. This may wait until next week, we'll see how the rest of this week goes.



Frugal Living Practices
It's hard to come up with something new and frugal each week. I figured I'd just share any tidbits of frugal habits I practice each week.

I started another couple batches of orange vinegar. The orange peels are virtually free and vinegar is around $2 to 2.50 a gallon. Can't beat that for a cheap and frugal household cleaner and it works wonderfully. 

 

I washed both a load of handmade napkins and my cleaning towels. I do this every week. I don't buy paper towels nor do I use paper napkins on a regular basis (I buy a big package from Costco once every year or year and a half so that I have them on hand for occasional use).

Used my awesome wool dryer balls in my dryer. With the dry and cool weather it's great in preventing static cling.


Fitness and Health
Eating lots of plant foods. I know I've shared before that I've found for me the best diet that makes me feel great is a diet that is high in plant foods. Whenever I'm hungry the first things I think about are plants. Fruits, veggies, whole grains, nuts, beans, and so forth. I round out this plan of eating with some meat and a little bit of dairy.



View from my Deck
The word for today is WINDY! Boy is the wind blowing. I woke up this morning hearing my wind chimes going crazy (and they still are). It's getting colder out and the wind makes it feel even more so. But the sun is shining and it's a beautiful afternoon here in the PNW.



Today's weather: High: 42 Low: 30


That is all for this week!

Comments

  1. I really think you would enjoy My Antonia by Willa Cather! It's a 20th century classic - I read it a few years ago and really enjoyed it! - Katie

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Katie! I've actually thought about that book a couple times.. I may just read it when I first Moby Dick. I appreciate you sharing this!
      Crystal 😊

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  2. I’m glad to hear your period of health challenges is finally coming to a close! It has certainly been a hectic year.

    I too did not enjoy Sun Also Rises. I read it at university many years ago, and my reaction to it was almost identical to yours 😊. I’m not a huge Hemmingway fan anyhow, but I think this novel is definitely my least favourite. I’m sure you would enjoy My Antonia, as someone else has already mentioned.

    Thank you for your Blog Crystal. I look forward to it immensely, and it’s a sustaining part of my sometimes lonely life.
    Wishing you and your family the most blessed holiday season 🎄

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    Replies
    1. Hello Kari! Thank you so much for your comment.. I appreciate it very much. ❤ I love blogging and it blesses me more than you can know that it is a blessing to you.

      I can say for sure, My Antonia is now on my "to read" list!

      I pray you also have a wonderful and blessed holiday season.
      Crystal 😊

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