The Week In Review

Can I just take a minute to reflect how fast the first half of the year went by?! Maybe because I had so much going on these past 6 months. I put my townhouse on the market, sold it in two days, traveled to Central Florida, put offers on two houses, purchased a house, packed, waited, moved...so much done in so little time. I'm kinda hoping the rest of the year will be calmer. Not counting on it, though.

Last week was a very wet week in Central Florida. We had thunderstorms daily. Last Thursday the storms began at 12:30 pm and continued till after 3:30 pm. I mean non-stop heavy rain for hours. It took me three days to get the grass cut because the ground was soaking wet and the lawn mower would get clogged and shut off. (Spoiler alert: I've been cutting the grass this week since Monday and I'm still not done. It hasn't rained since Sunday but the ground is still saturated. And it looks like it's gonna rain today). I'm considering buying a second battery for the lawn mower. While I love the fact that it shuts off, forcing me to stop and not get over-exerted, I find myself cutting some area of the grass everyday. Each time the lawn mower gets clogged it shuts off; each time I have to restart it the battery loses more charge, so that I'm only able to get about 20-25 minutes of battery life. Whenever the grass was dry I was able to get 40 minutes of mowing, so I was able to finish the entire yard in two days. It's the rainy season in Florida and it'll continue this way till September. I don't want to be out in the intense heat mowing grass every single day.

I applied for a couple more jobs, but haven't heard anything from anywhere. I'm slowing down my job hunt for the time being, though. I'd wanted to meet the Pastor of the church we've been attending, but whenever we came out he was always surrounded. I hate standing behind people; it seems rude, like I'm rushing them because it's my turn. So instead I sent an email to the church's website. Within half an hour he'd called me, and we talked for about 30 minutes. I asked about what the church teaches, what kind of outreach they're doing, and told him what we're looking for in a new church home. He asked about the church we came from and even looked them up and listened to one of their sermons. I mentioned that I'd served in children's ministry in the past, and a couple of hours later the children's pastor emailed and asked if I'd consider helping out with VBS. Yes please! I got excited, because I haven't served in VBS for years. I was very much involved in VBS whenever my son E was little and even afterwards, but whenever we moved to our last church VBS was in the evenings while I was at work and I couldn't participate. This church does VBS in the mornings, meaning if I start a new job I won't be able to serve. So I'm gonna pause my job hunt till after VBS, which is the second week in July. We had our first volunteer meeting and I got to meet some lovely people. It helps me feel like I belong, which makes me so happy.

I started working on the July meal plan but I haven't finished it yet. I have to take VBS into account; they'll be serving lunch at the church so I only have to worry about supper. I'm not sure if I want to batch cook the week before and have everything ready, or just have simple meals that whole week. I need to get on that. 

That was my week. Hope everyone's was as blessed. 

Central Florida House Tour - The Kitchen

If there is one aspect of a floor plan that I do not like, it's a kitchen at the front of the house. I never liked it when the kitchen was the first room you'd see whenever you walked into a house. After all, the kitchen is the most used and abused room in any home, and it's always a mess; either you're cooking or you're cleaning up after a meal. Whether it's dishes in the sink, pots and pans on the stove, or clutter on the countertops, the kitchen is never neat and tidy and put together. It should be somewhere hidden away so it won't cause any embarrassment. 

That's how it was in the big house. You'd walk into the formal living room, with the formal dining room just beyond. The kitchen was around the corner, far from peering eyes. It was also that way in the townhouse. Up the stairs, you would see the office, living room, and dining room, but the kitchen was behind a wall. An untidy kitchen could be inconspicuous. 

Now, whenever you come into my home, just to the left of the front door, this is what you see:

 Yep, it's my full-on kitchen in all its glory. Whenever I first walked into the house, I shuddered at the fact that we walked right into the kitchen first. It didn't help that the homeowner had a lot of clutter all over the counters. She also had the curtains in the dining room (which is to the left of the kitchen) closed, so the kitchen looked dark, making it appear even messier. It took some imagination to see the potential of what this kitchen could be.

The kitchen is also the first thing you see whenever you come in through the garage.

That doesn't bother me, though. I like being able to bring the groceries from the car right into the kitchen. 

One selling point for this kitchen was definitely the size. Despite the fact that this house is smaller than either of my previous homes, the kitchen is pretty big - big enough to fit my kitchen island in the center without disrupting the flow. I can walk around, open the fridge, oven, and dishwasher, and still have plenty of space to move. I was very happy about that, because I didn't want to get rid of the island that my daughter and son-in-law had only just gifted me last Christmas. The cabinets are also very spacious. I had to purchase a step ladder because the 42" cabinets are too high for me to reach the top two shelves. It gives me loads of space so that my pantry doesn't get cluttered.

This was important to me because this pantry is about the size of the one I had in the big house, or less than half the size of the one in the townhouse. That pantry was huge, but seeing as I had smaller cabinets it was necessary. Here I can put my packaged food without it getting crowded because of all the space in the cabinets.

I wanted to keep the countertops clear but still pleasant to look at. Thanks to its placement in the house, it had to be inviting and cozy, not cold and stark but not cluttered or messy either.

I started with the counters that are in full view of the front door. I put my Kitchenaid here because it doesn't fit properly anywhere else. It's heavy and cumbersome, and best left on the counter. Besides, I use it weekly, and it is a nice piece. I also put my glass containers here; rice, sugar, and flour, staples in my kitchen. They're esthetically pleasing, and since they're glass they don't appear to take up much space on the counters. To give it color I used this vase I picked up on clearance for $6.99 from Hobby Lobby before we moved, and added some greenery from the Dollar Tree. 

On the other side of the stove I kept it clear because this is where I do most of my food prep. I have my cooking utensils in a jar I picked up years ago from Kirkland's (it's actually a cookie jar but no one needs to know that). Behind it I have a wooden tray because I like this tray but I haven't figured out where I want it. The only other thing here is my toaster oven which, again, we use regularly so it doesn't make sense to put it away.

Beside the sink I have a small ceramic loaf pan that was a gift from a friend, and I have some fake succulents in it that have seen better days (moving casualties). I keep this area clear as well; this is where I put my Instant Pot, slow cooker, rice cooker, all my small appliances whenever they're in use. Above that is the taller counter, something I've never had in any house before. It keeps the view of the messy kitchen from the living area (but not from the front door; clearly the architect didn't cook). 

I put one of my flower pitchers here on a tray, and added blue and green flowers from the Dollar Tree to tie in with the pillows and decor in the living room. I also added a small flag; it's been there since Memorial Day and will stay until after the 4th of July.

Here's the view of the kitchen coming from the living room. It's a bright, open kitchen, and surprisingly, it hasn't been hard to keep neat and tidy. I guess I forgot that I don't have three little kids running around leaving cups and plates in the sink or on the counter. No one forgets to put away the cereal or snack boxes anymore. My son and I put things away where they belong and clean up after ourselves. Having the kitchen here isn't such a hassle after all.

Just beyond the kitchen is a sneak peek at the dining area where my baker's rack is. But that'll be another post. Come back soon!

The Week In Review

 I have to admit, this past week wasn't all too exciting. I did my weekly grocery shopping, cut the grass (which is already growing by leaps and bounds thanks to the rain we got yesterday), went to church...oh, and I got my first haircut in 7 months. 

I know, yikes! It's one of those things I constantly put off, partly because of time and partly because y'all, it's expensive to get a haircut in South Florida. I had my favorite hairdresser that I've gone to for 15 years, but clearly I'm not driving four hours one way to get a $70+ haircut. Instead, I took advantage of the NextDoor app and looked at who was popular and being recommended. I found a place that's very close to home and was able to make an appointment online.

Now, I'm not gonna lie, it's a very simple cut. Nothing fancy or elaborate. But in South Florida, the cheapest I ever paid for a haircut just like this was $54. Plus tip. Here in Central Florida, I paid $27. That includes tax and tip. At that price, it doesn't hurt my pocketbook if I want to go to the hairdresser more often.

I never heard back from the company I interviewed at, so the job search continues. It's disappointing whenever you're sitting around waiting and all you get is crickets. But I prefer not to dwell on it and trust that God has it all planned out. 

The temperatures have taken a drastic turn. We moved to Central Florida in April, and the weather was absolute perfection. Lows in the 50's, highs in the 70's. Humidity was low; we could go for walks in the park and come home not dripping in sweat. Then June came, and not only have our temps climbed into the low to mid 90's, the humidity (especially the dew points) has risen, to where it becomes oppressive to be outside for too long. I'll be glad whenever this summer weather is over. That, and hurricane season. Ugh.

That's about it for this week in review. Hope everyone has a blessed week.   

The Week In Review

If there's one thing everyone has in common when it comes to moving, it's how busy life gets. Between packing and unpacking and finding places for everything and getting used to a new house and (at least in my case) learning a new town...it feels like there's no getting caught up. I'm happy to say the house is completely unpacked and it's mostly organized. It's taken awhile to get used to the house but I feel much more comfortable now than I did whenever we first moved in. I don't find myself getting nervous whenever the television is "too loud" (which it never is). I don't think as much about the stalking and harassment I escaped whenever we left the townhouse. My neighborhood is quiet, peaceful, and the neighbors are friendly. Each day it feels more and more like home.

I've thought about my blog everyday. "I'm gonna get to it today, even if it's just a quick post," I keep telling myself. But then I remember something else that needs to get done first, and something else that is priority, and the blog gets pushed aside. I could get upset and discouraged, but instead I'm just gonna go ahead and post my week in review (or two weeks in review at this point) and try to get back on track. Progress over perfection.

My daughter and son-in-law were supposed to come visit Memorial Day weekend but my son-in-law pulled a muscle in his back the night before they planned to drive up. They had to cancel because four hours in a car with back pain wasn't in their plans. Thankfully my son and daughter-in-law did come up a couple of days so we enjoyed spending some time with them. 

I also began applying for jobs that week. I still receive alimony from J, but I prefer not to. I have to deal with his complaints and whining whenever he has to send a payment, and I don't need any guilt trips. So I applied to three different companies and actually was called in for an interview the following Monday. It was a good interview in my opinion, and I hoped I would hear good news by the end of the week when I was told they'd get back to me. Friday afternoon I called, since I'd heard nothing from the company, and I was told they hadn't made a decision yet. So I'm still waiting to find out if they'll give me an offer. The waiting is, of course, the hardest part.

In the waiting I got the "itch to switch" and decided to rearrange the furniture in my bedroom. I wasn't sure how it would look but I actually really like it.

The wall where the bed was is now the office area, and the wall where the vanity was is where the bed is. The vanity fits better on the shorter wall. The best part was that I didn't have to move any of the artwork on the walls. I hate having to make more nail holes.

Another project I tackled was the garage. I got a $200 gift card from AT&T for being a repeat customer or some such thing, and I used it to buy shelves for all the totes and stuff in the garage. In my usual neglectful fashion I forgot to take a before picture, but here is the after, and I'm loving it.

 All those totes had been on the floor, some against that wall, some against the other wall, piled on top of each other and looking like a hot mess. Now they're all on shelves, neat and organized. I was able to move the lawn mower into one corner and the Christmas tree bag into the other. The garage looks clean and spacious, not like I just moved in less than two months ago (though that part is true!). By the way, I absolutely love my electric lawn mower. It works so well, and it doesn't tire me out like the big clunky gas mower used to, plus it runs 40 minutes at the most and forces me to stop so I don't wear myself out.

Let me end with this beauty: a sandhill crane that decided to stay in my yard for hours on Memorial Day. It's breathtakingly beautiful. E and I could have sat at the window all afternoon watching it. God's creation which declare His Majesty. Enjoy!