Muscle aches and faucets

On Tuesday I had a massage from a Massage therapist. My greatest tension spot is my neck and between my shoulders so she worked on that. My range of motion increased noticeable but there was some pain the next day! It was not the pleasurable massage you get at a spa. I really need to work on flexibility of my whole body.

The redecorating project (Master bed and bath) is moving forward, albeit slowly. The last few days I have been on line looking at faucets . One site has thousands. I have narrowed it down to type (one handle) and style (contemporary or modern) and chrome as the material. Still there are a lot to choose from. What is cool is that I am learning how to navigate my way around on the net. And this is a great project to work on as the snow is falling and blowing in the wind.

Fundraiser frenzy

When I attend fundraisers, I love to bid on the silent auction items. Faith in Action had their Soup and Jazz fundraiser on Tuesday. It was held in a local party center. Area restaurants (12) each brought their signature soup and there was a three piece jazz group playing. It was great fun to see many people I had worked with or volunteered with in the past. I bid on several things and was the highest bidder on three. The first is a free consult with a Chiropractor, a 30 minute massage and two bottles of wine (worth $285 total. I bid $50). The second is a decorator who comes to your home and decorates it for the holidays. I assume she uses what I have, but I haven't talked to her yet. This was valued at $150 and I bid $50. The third was two ticket to a local theater, an oil change for the car, 4 tickets to the Akron Zoo, $20 worth of dry cleaning and $15 for a purchase at a ceramic shop. I bid $40 on this. Gerry was rolling his eyes when I wrote out the check for $140. It is for a great cause and I will get a lot of enjoyment out of all of these things (well maybe not the dry cleaning.)

Great turkey dinner and date chosen for Pig Roast

The dinner went well. This is the second turkey DH has cooked in hot oil and it turned out a lot better than the first. I made mashed potatoes which I reheated in a crock pot and a killer cranberry relish. We had four couple plus us. These neighbors live within a mile of each other but some had never met. I know I need to use DH's camera to document the event, but I was too busy to think of it. On the topic of cameras I still have not completed my research to get a new one. We are already planning another dinner, hoping to invite four couples. That seems to be a workable number.

And speaking of entertaining, we have a tentative date for the third annual pig roast - August 21. Anyone who reads this is invited. Out of town guests need to get their RSVP in early to have a room reserved for them at our house.

Entertaining again

This Saturday we have invited 8 people over for dinner. Gerry is going to try cooking a turkey in oil again. I say " try" because when he made his first one, it was quite overcooked. Fortunately it was only family here. I just realized this means I need to clean the house and plan a menu for the rest of the meal. I also told everyone to come at 4 for appetizers with dinner at 5. So I need appetizers too.

Now I need to go outside and retrieve the mailbox which is in the ditch, thanks to the snow plow.

Joined a book club and rec center

I know you cannot be just a little bit pregnant, but can you have just a little bit of the flu? For three days I just do not enjoy food. Sometimes I enjoy what I am eating, but don't feel so hot an hour afterwards. Go figure. So much for the complaining. In the whole scheme of things I am in great health.

This week I read the book, "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett. The help are the black maids who worked for white families in Jackson, Mississippi in 1964. The novel is written as if the maids are telling the story. Good read. I will be discussing it with a book club I am joining. Joining the book club is one of the goals I set for myself on my "retreat". Another goal was to get more exercise so today I also joined a Recreation Center. My health insurance actually pays for the membership fee so there is no excuse! I guess they want me to stay healthy.

Basement project

It is always interesting how one project leads to one or two more. Gerry and I are gluing 2 inch polystyrene to the basement walls. We do one or two pieces a night. They are 4 x 8 sheets that cover three walls now. The last wall has all of our shelves against it. The shelves are made of steel and are filled with stuff. Gerry has made several little platforms with a wheel to put under each one. We then will pull them a few feet from the wall to put the polystyrene on the wall. I still need to remove anything that is of value and could be broken. I decided this would be a good time to look at each thing and decide if I still should keep it. That is easier said that done. I look on eBay and find that a glass bud vase is worth between $5 and $15. So is that a keeper or not? So far there is a rather nice size pile to get rid of so it is worth it. The other thought is, should I save everything for a garage sale or just donate to a thrift shop? Past experience says donate it!!!

My own retreat

A week ago I went on what I am calling a "mini retreat", spending three days and nights at a lodge in a local State Park. Author Joan Anderson has written four books on her experiences starting with her living a year by herself on Cape Cod. That book is called "A Year by the Sea".

I had read this book and then found another, "A Weekend to Change Your Life". She now gives weekend seminars and has put the contents of what she covers in this book. So I read the book and did the exercises in the book. I did not come home with any radical changes (or maybe they are) just some really good ideas to put in practice.

The first is that I am really trying to look at each activity in my life and decide why I am doing it. Am I happy doing it? If not, why am I doing it or why did I not say no. It is very freeing. Last week I was asked to help plan a patriotic program for our community. That is so not me. So I did not agree to help. Yea Me!

Secondly, I am working on being "mindful" of what I am doing when doing it. Another term that is used for that concept is "living in the now". I will give updates through out the year as to how this all plays out.