Reading, Rest, and Relationship History

Summer 2022: The One Where Leslie Learns to Rest

(Any Friends fans out there? 😉)

The struggle has been real.  For months.  Actually for well over a year.  I have been running on empty for far too long, burning out.  I’m not going to get into all the details here, but I have been working towards a few things: freeing up my schedule, resting, and sitting with Jesus more.

Practically that means that I have actually been letting some things go and giving up some responsibilities.  That hasn’t been easy.  Removing things from my to-do list has also been a challenge, yet very freeing.  

My focus for the summer is on relationships and my health and finding joy in things again.  

On the book scene, that means I’m encouraging myself to only read lighter books right now and am holding off on the heavier topics for a season.

On the “stop and smell the roses” front, I am actually doing just that: experimenting with a bit of gardening (in containers for now), spending time watering my tomatoes and peppers and taking care of the blooming flowers.  Slowing down right now.  Appreciating creation and thanking the Creator.  Breathing more deeply.

In the last couple of weeks, I have starting feeling more like myself.  I’m laughing more easily, and my creativity is returning.  This. Is. Huge.

Observations:

- I want to write again.  Thank you, Jesus!  I wasn’t sure the desire would come back.  Over the last few days, I have felt this sense of urgency to sit down with my computer and let the words flow.  I’ve done a bit of that.

- I want to read more — just for the fun of it.  No other agenda.  While I thoroughly enjoy learning, right now I just crave a bit of rest.  I’m focused on fiction right now, but no weighty subjects.  Light summer reads, some middle readers (there are some great ones out there!), books that are pleasant, maybe a little on the sweeter side.

- I’m leaving my phone behind for longer periods of time, and no major catastrophes have happened because of it.  😁  Lack of interruption can be a good thing.

- I want to create things.  Lately, I’ve been focused on ideas for a wedding reception and a wedding shower (Yay!), but I’m also thinking through some art projects.

- I want to organize.  This is something that energizes me, and I was so fortunate to use part of a PTO day today just putting some things away in my basement. It was one of my favorite days I’ve had recently.  (That’s not as sad as it sounds. 😁)

I keep telling myself it’s ok to rest sometimes.  I’m not God.  I’m a finite being and the weight of the world does not fall on me — and that’s a good thing!

And if I’m too busy, I can’t spend time with people.  As I have learned all too well, life is short.  Truly.  That’s not a flippant phrase I use anymore.  It’s a reminder that people are more important than many tasks that I put before relationships.

As I was finishing up one of my summer reads tonight, this quote jumped out at me.  Katy’s dad makes this comment referring to her husband and their marriage: “History is an asset, not a detriment.  It’s nice to be with someone who knows you, who knows your history.  It will get even more important the longer you live.  Learning how to find your way back can be harder than starting over. But damn, if you can, it’s worth it.”  (One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle)

Amen.  The work is worth it: in marriage, with children, with family, with friends. Spend the time on what’s important.

Happy beginning of summer!  And hopefully it won’t be another year before I post again.

Menu Plans: 8/17-8/29

In an effort to keep on top of things at home after returning to work full-time last week, I've tried including a balance of crockpot and freezer meals.  It's going to take me a month or so to get into a good rhythm with these changes, but the need to watch the food budget is keeping me motivated right now.

8/17: Grill:  bratwurst and marinated tilapia
8/18:  Vegetarian Chili Ole (crockpot)
8/19:  Buffalo Chicken Mac (Quinoa) & Cheese (cooked and froze chicken and quinoa ahead of time and assembled day of)
8/20:  GF Meatloaf and Potatoes (crockpot - Made meatloaf and froze ahead of time.  Great new recipe!)
8/21:  Frozen Pizza
8/22:  Leftovers
8/23:  Ate at Festival of Nations
8/24:  Still plenty of leftovers :)
8/25:  Creamy Key Lime Chicken Enchiladas (Made ahead of time for the freezer)
8/26:  Southwestern Quinoa (made ahead of time for the freezer) and chicken sausages
8/27:  French Bread Pizzas (regular, vegetarian, and GF versions)
8/28:  Leftovers or fast food
8/29:  Filets with Sour Cream and cheese

Do You Have a Plan? (Pinterest-Inspired)

I love to organize and be organized!  Since school started again this week, we're working on getting back into a routine.  One of the things I swore I was going to do was to have some type of board that would allow me to write the schedule for the week in order to help keep the kids in the loop (and avoid the constant questions of what we are doing when).

I found this great idea for a dry erase frame on Pinterest and knew I could create something similar to make me happy.  Since the kids are in school all day, I don't need a lot of space just to fill in what days we have volleyball, cross-country, etc.

Using some great patterned paper that I had on hand that would work with the Haitian color scheme in my kitchen, I put this together.  I didn't quite get it hung on the wall, since I didn't realize that I needed a level for this frame (and everyone's already in bed).  That will be my task for tomorrow...

Christmas Traditions

If you know me or have read much of my blog, you may know that I'm a bit of an organization freak...not that you would always know that with the state of my house!

One of my traditions each year at Christmas time is to take part in the Adopt-A-Family program at my preferred food pantry in the area.  This food pantry uses this to help provide food for some of their neediest clients for the week between Christmas and New Year's when their office is closed.  One of the things I like about their approach, compared to others, is that their focus is on the needs of the clients.  (They have a different program for gifts, etc.)

After participating for several years, I realized I was recreating a list each year on what I wanted to include for the family.  Therefore, in typical Mrs. Organization fashion, the following list was born.  This has become the nuts and bolts for keeping me focused while out shopping, which I start a few months before the mid-December deadline.  Because I never see a need to reinvent the wheel, I thought I'd share how I do it.

Since each family is different, I focus on what the family might use more from my outlined list.  For instance, the presence of children and their ages, as well as the number of people in the family, plays a part in some of the food choices and toiletry items.  However, I always try to include food items that can be made into a full meal (which you will see examples of towards the bottom of the list).  Obviously, the family may not like the ideas or may have other things in mind, but I include a recipe card for my taco soup recipe, along with one for chocolate chip cookies (and anything else I may add). All of the ingredients are versatile for whatever the family may want to make regardless.

Non-grocery items are almost as important, sometimes more so, since food stamps will not cover these things.  Picking up great deals at Walgreens or other stores really helps in this area.  The items on my list marked with an asterisk (*) always go in a basket; everything else depends on variables like the make-up of the family and, quite honestly, my budget for that year.

Including a small gift for each member of the family is a priority for me as well.  It may not be something much, but it is something that allows the recipient to know that they are cared for.  Examples of small gifts include a calendar, scarf/glove set, a nice box of chocolates, scented lotion and/or body wash, a blanket, and greeting cards and stamps.

The organization suggests giving a gift card (of any size you would like) to a grocery store so the family can pick up any perishable food items they might need.

A little planning goes a long way and makes it a bit easier to plan ahead and work within a budget, especially one that gets even tighter in the month of December.

Maybe this year you are thinking about ways you can give back.  This may be one idea, but there are so many others, which I will include in another post.

Be inspired.

ADOPT-A-FAMILY MASTER LIST

Non-Grocery: Household
[] aluminum foil                                           [] tissues
[] baggies                                                   [] sponges
[] dish soap *                                             [] cleaners: kitchen, bathroom, toilet
[] laundry detergent *                                 [] toilet paper *
[] dryer sheets *                                         [] paper towels *
[] plastic wrap

Non-Grocery: Toiletries
[] shampoo *                                             [] conditioner *
[] hand soap *                                           [] lotion
[] body wash *                                          [] diapers
[] deodorant *                                           [] toothbrushes
[] toothpaste *                                           [] razors
[] shave gel

Food: Baking Items:  (Chocolate Chip Cookies)
[] flour *                                                    [] sugar *
[] brown sugar *                                        [] oil *
[] baking soda/powder *                            [] salt
[] chocolate chips *

Food: Pasta/Rice/Grains
[] pasta                                                      [] rice

Food: Breakfast               

[] cereal                                                     [] oatmeal

[] granola bars                                           [] pancake mix/syrup

[] canned fruit

Food: Cans & Jars
[] beans                                                     [] canned vegetables, various
[] jelly                                                        [] peanut butter
[] ketchup                                                  [] tomato sauce
[] tomato paste                                          [] tuna
[] chicken                                                  [] pasta sauce

[] soup

Food: Sauces
[] mayo                                                     [] dressing

Food: Snacks
[] graham crackers                                    [] nuts
[] popcorn                                                [] chips/pretzels

Food: Drinks
[] juice                                                      [] coffee
[] tea                                                        [] Crystal Light

Food: Meal Kits

[] Ingredients for Taco Soup:
     [] 28 oz can crushed tomatoes              [] black beans
     [] red kidney beans                               [] corn
     [] dry Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix
     [] taco seasoning                                   [] tortilla chips
[] Ingredients for spaghetti
     [] a good pasta sauce                             [] Parmesan cheese
     [] canned veggie                                     [] pasta

     [] quick bread mix
[] Pizza Kit

     [] Chef Boyardee Kit                             [] pepperoni

[] Burrito Bowls

     [] rice                                                    [] beans

     [] salsa                                                  [] jar of guacamole and/or cheese sauce

     [] tortilla shells                                       [] taco seasoning

Grocery Shopping

If you're like me, grocery shopping can be burdensome.  It's even more difficult if you can't manage to make it to the store alone!

A few years ago, our pay schedule changed to monthly instead of bi-weekly.  At that time, I made a planning and shopping shift and decided to menu plan and grocery shop for a month at a time.  (Mind you, I still get produce during the month through our co-op, and I have to stop for milk.)  It was hard at first, but now it is my normal routine.

One of the tools I found online while I was doing this was a master shopping list (http://simplemom.net/tools/downloads/).  I have tweaked my version to add the things I buy regularly (and need to remember to pick up), using her format, but it has saved me a ton of time.

Piecing Together a Puzzle

If you are someone who has ever tried to plan a time to get together with me, you probably have heard me say that working my schedule is like fitting together the pieces of a puzzle.

The kids are on the bus, I have an appointment at 9:00 (which means laundry, organizing, cleaning, etc. can be dealt with for a couple of hours beforehand), I can fit in a quick lunch on this date before the kids get home from school and still have time to run to the library, the bank, and the store, before coming home to fix dinner and get whichever child off to practice before coming home again and needing to wind down and make sure everything is ready for the next day.

I am not the only one.  Were you nodding your head in understanding as you read that description?  Were you wishing I had given an example on one of my work days (because those are even trickier)?

This time of the year is always the worst for me.  The school year starts, and the calendar is pretty fresh.  No major commitments out of the ordinary.  Then daughter #1 asks, "Can I play volleyball?" and daughter #2 asks, "Can I run cross country?"  Another child needs "cab service" to do this or that, etc.  Since we have a one sport per child per season rule and practices and games/meets do not conflict, we say, "yes."

Something happens in my brain at the end of summer/early fall when I feel invincible.  I am not.

I will come back up for air mid-October, just in time for the holidays.  :)