Life: It Goes On - November 16

Happy Sunday! Can you believe we're already more than half way through November?! I'm focused on getting my house ready for Thanksgiving and a houseful of company, but I'm realizing that I've done almost no Christmas shopping yet this year. But December 1st last year I was almost done shopping. I need to get on that! 

We're running out of leaves on trees so that pic to the left is wishful thinking. Yesterday the Big Guy spent a lot of time outside cleaning up the yard for the winter and I pulled died plants out of all of the pots. Was shocked to find three plants have survived our recent hard freeze so I'll bring them inside and see how long I can keep them alive. This after I had decided this year that I wasn't going to try to winter any of my potted herbs so I didn't have my kitchen overloaded with plants all winter. 

Last Week I: 

Listened To: I started Stephen King's 11/22/63; but, thanks to a computer revamp by the library, I wasn't able to access Libby for a few days and it expired before I finished it. So I've put another hold on it and will start a new book this week. What it is, I don't know, because the system now won't let me in even with my new PIN. Ugh! 

Watched: Lots of volleyball, college and pro football, Only Murders In The Building, and Maigret on PBS. 

Read: I'm finishing up Mrs. Quinn's Rise to Fame by Olivia Ford. 

Made: We spent the first part of this week using up leftovers from the week before so I haven't done much cooking this week. 

Enjoyed: I got tickets to the Creighton Blue Jay's home season opener Friday night so BG, Mini-me, and I  cheered them on to victory and then went to see that last songs from a friend's gig at a local brew pub.

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This Week I’m:  

Planning: Since I'm not taking any time off next week, I'm going to spend this week getting things planned for our Thanksgiving meal and company staying. 

Thinking About: A lot of my time this week has been spent going through what's left to clear up from my dad's place and planning next steps for settling his estate. 

Feeling: Up and down. Yesterday grief and depression hit me hard. Today is better. 

Looking forward to: I ordered a new tree arrived today so I'm starting to get excited to decorate for Christmas. I won't start that until after Thanksgiving...I think. 

Question of the week: Is Thanksgiving a big deal at your house? It was always a special event at my parents'; and, while I won't be started a turkey trot tradition at my house, I'm hoping to still be able to make it special for our family. 

Life: It Goes On - November 11

Life - it goes on.

Four and a half years ago, I started a post with those same words. That was my first post after my mom died. Today I start them again, one week after my dad died. 

I grew up a daddy's girl. As he walked home from the high school he taught at, I'd run down the sidewalk to greet him when I was little. For more than a decade before I got married, my dad and I would go to see the University of Nebraska music department's performance of Handel's Messiah. It was our thing; no one else was ever invited. Even as I went through my gawky years, my dad always told me that I was pretty and the last time I saw him, he was telling me I was going to be the prettiest woman at the event I was headed off to. He was always my biggest cheerleader. 

When my mom died, I made it my responsibility to take care of him as he navigated life as a widower, left his home of 55 years, and battled increasing failures of his body. He and I have spent a lot of time together in these past four and a half years, as I tried to pay him back for all he has done for me. He was ready to let go, to be reunited with my mom. But me? I wish I had more time with him. 

Life: It Goes On - November 2

Happy Sunday evening! What a busy week we've had! Tuesday was my birthday, Wednesday was my hair appointment, Thursday was our anniversary, and yesterday we had a wedding that started in the middle of the afternoon and we didn't get home from the reception until almost 9 at night. A fun week, but I didn't have time to write a single book review...again. Fingers crossed I can find time this week! 

Last Week I: 

Listened To: I'm one hour from finishing Jean Kwok's Searching for Sylvie Lee and then I'll start Stephen King's 11/22/63. At 31 hours, there's no way I'll finish it in the two weeks I'll have it from the library; but I'm hoping to get a good start on it and then I'll pick up the physical copy of it that I've owned for several years. 

Watched: The usual - lots of volleyball, lots of college and professional football, and The Voice. We also watched a good chunk of the World Series (although a couple of those games lasted too late for me to stay up for the end), we've been watching Maigret on Masterpiece Mystery!, and, speaking of Masterpiece, I've been watching the 2012 edition of Upstairs Downstairs. In the first half of the 1970's my family gathered every Sunday evening to watch the original Upstairs Downstairs on Masterpiece Theatre and it has held a special place in my heart ever since then. 

Read: Jessica Guerrieri's Between The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, which I finished today. Up next, Olivia Ford's Mrs. Quinn's Rise to Fame. 

Made: French onion soup, one last meal of caprese pasta with fresh tomatoes, and sun-dried tomatoes (that aren't really sun-dried but oven dried). 

Enjoyed: Dinner out with Mini-him and Miss C and spending time with old friends at the wedding reception. 

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This Week I’m:  

Planning: I'm going to be having at least 12 people for Thanksgiving (6 staying with us), so I'm starting to put together a plan for getting the house ready and purchased. 

Thinking About: All over the internet, I'm seeing people starting to decorate for Christmas. I'm all about letting November be for Thanksgiving so I'll be decorating for that this week. But I do need to get on the Christmas shopping - I'm way behind where I usually am at this point of the year. 

Feeling: I'm struggling with the time change, as I do every autumn when we fall back. 

Looking forward to: Going to a book event with some friends on Tuesday. 

Question of the week: Are you team "let's not overlook Thanksgiving" or team "Christmas season starts on November 1"?

Life: It Goes On - October 26

Happy Sunday! Not sure what happened to last week. We were in Missouri last weekend and didn't get home until early evening Sunday, but I started a post on Monday that just never got finished. Then no reviews got written, either. I'm reading, just not blogging. Hence, I'm way behind on reviews. I'm going to try to remedy that the next couple of weeks, but reviews will probably be pretty short. 

The Last Couple of Weeks I: 

Listened To: The Book of Gothel by Mary McMyne, started Jason Mott's People Like Us (but gave up on that one, for the time being), and then started Jean Kwok's Searching For Sylvie Lee. 

Watched: It's that time of year: MLB playoffs, lots of football, lots of college women's volleyball.

Read: I finished Barbara Comyns' Our Spoons Came From Woolworths and I'm about two-thirds of the way through by Jessica Guerreri. When I'm finished with it, I picked up Mrs. Quinn's Rise To Fame by Olivia Ford on Thursday so I'll start that. 

Made: The viral ramen French onion soup, which I added portobello mushrooms to for some protein. It was surprisingly good and so quick and easy to make. It's definitely something we'll make again. But it's got me jonesing for real French onion soup so I picked up the ingredients to make that this coming week. Also made Miss H's favorite "goulash" recipe, but don't tell her that. 

With my brother and sister-in-law
at Logboat Brewing. 

Enjoyed: Time last weekend with my brother and his whole family (always fun to see how much the great-nieces and -nephews have grown since we last saw them; book club on Tuesday; dinner last night with friends; and getting a date set for Mini-him's and Miss C's wedding. Somehow having a date makes it feel more real and has us shopping for pre-nuptial dinner locations already. To be honest, that's kind of an excuse to eat out more often for the next few weeks while we try to find the perfect place!

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This Week I’m:  

Planning: Besides doing spring cleaning, I'm prone to doing fall cleaning as well (inside and out) and I'm deep into that this weekend and will continue into the next week. As nice as our weather has been, we still haven't had to clean up gardens and pots yet, but it's time to do that. That means there are already herbs and flower seeds drying and final crops to handle. 

Thinking About: Ways to distract myself from politics and what's happening in our country. 

Feeling: I slept ten and a half hours last night so I'm feeling very rested today! 

Looking forward to: My birthday, my hair appointment, our anniversary, and a wedding are all this week. 

Question of the week: Do you do fall cleaning as well?