currently

Written by

Kathleen

currently, personal

Playground fun over the weekend.

***

Time // 6:47 p.m.

Place // home at my desk

Eating // cold pizza and strawberries

Drinking // cold water

Watching // nothing now but I did see Olympus Has Fallen over the weekend and it was intense but good.

Reading // Matched by Ally Condie. I just needed something quick and light.

Wanting // a new pair of earrings because I recently lost one of my only pair. I am always losing one earring.

Thinking // about how I hardly ever use Instagram anymore, and how I need to remedy that.

Creating // trying to complete my woven wall hanging before month’s end.

Hoping // Meredith’s epic struggle with teething will end soon. She’s soooo slow to teethe you guys.

Needing // to get my sewing machine repaired quickly if I’m going to get anything done on my quilt at any point. Also need to maintain motivation for quilt and relearn how to sew.

Anticipating // I don’t know…bedtime? The cookies I’m planning to make this weekend? I’m kind of tired right now.

***

It’s Monday, but it’s winding down. We didn’t have the greatest weekend, but it wasn’t horrible either. Just like…a lot of little annoying things happened and Meredith was fussy and needy the whole time and we were just “off” as a couple. But we made a pact last night to let it go and make this a fresh week and so far it’s going well.

Something hard happened at work today. I made a mistake, and it wasn’t really a big deal and certainly won’t cause any harm, but it was involving a patient and a medication and I’m still really mad at myself, embarrassed, and ashamed because it shouldn’t have happened. I could have easily just kept quiet but the right thing to do was to report it. I was so tempted to take the easy way out. No one would have known. I seriously considered it. But I didn’t do the easy thing. I submitted a report, and it didn’t feel good, but it’s done and now I can be a little less ashamed of myself. I am sure I will be hearing about it in the future but for now I’m doing my best to let it go.

I wish I could have a mentor in the area of feeding my family. Someone who is really good at budgeting, menu planning, and cooking (all this as a working mom) who will come take me under her wing and show me her ways until I am strong enough to fly free on my own. In return I will mentor her in…something. I don’t know what. But something! In the meantime I think I just need to buy this book and read it over and over.

Monday night thoughts. There you have ’em.

Comments

14 responses to “currently”

April 22, 2013

Stephany

Ugh, sorry about the mistake at work. I always hate when that happens, because even though I’m human and mistakes are bound to happen, it still really sucks. Be gentle with yourself! And try to put it behind you as much as you can. :)

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April 23, 2013

Katy

Hey lady. Have you guys ever looked into doing a food co-op? We’ve been participating in Bountiful Baskets for about a year now and we love it. I’m sure they have pickup locations in Houston.

We order a basket every Monday and pick it up on Saturday. This week, I got: lettuce, tomatoes, potatoes, broccoli, green cauliflower, green chilies, avocados, blackberries, bananas, mangoes and oranges. It costs $16.50 for a conventional basket and $26.50 for the organic version. I’ve found we eat a better variety of foods and spend less on groceries going this route. I go to Costco at the beginning of the month to stock up on staples like chicken and ground turkey, eggs, etc. Then I order a basket every week and get a bread pack about once a month.

The less I go to the grocery store, the less I spend on groceries. I know that sounds obvious, but grocery stores really are laid out in a way that makes you spend more money. We just try to eat what comes in the basket first and fill in with whatever we need from the grocery as needed. Try it! Their website is http://www.bountifulbaskets.org.

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1. April 23, 2013
  
  kapachino
  
  I would actually love to try that. I am a little afraid that a lot of it will go to waste because I am not used to having to actually make different things. Cooking stresses me out and it’s all I can do to get basic things made (and sometimes not even that). But maybe having the food on hand would be the encouragement I need! I’ll check it out for sure. :)
  
  Reply
April 23, 2013

Maryam

Hi Kathleen. I am reading your posts for a while and felt like I should comment on this one because I could relate to this one more than others. I just wanted to tell u that the temptation of not telling anybody about your mistake that had entered your mind just makes you human. In my religion (Islam) that is exactly what made us the best of god creations. Choosing the right when wrong is better for you. You just proved to yourself that you are a good person. And at last, I LUUUUVE Meredith! Does it make me a creepy person that I watch her baby videos that u posted before sleep? I swear I am not stalker or something. I just love babies like crazy and well, your daughter is sooo cute. God bless you and your family and I hope you can find that winged person.
lots of love, Maryam

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April 23, 2013

lauren w

Did you know that James Avery will give you a new pair of earrings for 50% off if you lose one?

Reply
1. April 23, 2013
  
  kapachino
  
  No, maybe I should buy all my earrings there from now on! Haha
  
  Reply
April 23, 2013

Becca

Where did you get the idea/directions for the woven wall hanging? That looks like a nice evening project. I like to have an activity like that around, but one that doesn’t make me think too hard.

Also, do you have the “Fix-It and Forget-It” slow-cooker cookbook? Most slow cooker recipes thrive on more inexpensive ingredients (easy on the budget), make lots for leftovers, and are pretty forgiving as far as time goes. You might try finding a few of those recipes to incorporate into your meal planning, if you don’t already. Send out a blog call for favorite slow-cooker recipes. I bet you get some good ideas!

Reply
1. April 23, 2013
  
  kapachino
  
  I saw the basic idea and tutorial for the woven wall hanging here. I built the “loom” myself using scrap wood and nails. There was a learning curve getting started but I found my groove & it’s not too hard, also not too quick. It would be a good night project for sure. Let me know if you decide to do it & I have more tips for you!
  
  Thanks for the cookbook suggestion. I hope I can find some crockpot meals that are different from the standard ones that are recommended & then I might be more inspired to use it. Actually, thinking about meal planning today has me inspired for once and that’s a start!
  
  Reply
  1. April 23, 2013
    
    Becca
    
    The link for the wall hanging said that it was broken. Do you have some other way that I can find it?
    
    PS It is snowing tonight in Kansas. Its been a bizarre spring.
  2. April 24, 2013
    
    kapachino
    
    Try the link again, I think it’s fixed! I put it in manually from my phone so no wonder it was broken before. :)
April 23, 2013

Emily

I agree with Becca about the slow-cooker. It really is a time-saver, easy (because you just throw it all in), and budget friendly. My newest favorite is brisket, then all you have to do is bake the potatoes. You could get frozen steam-able vegetables and pop them in the microwave for a healthy side.

Also, too bad it isn’t the 80’s when wearing just one earring or mismatched earrings would have been really cool. ;)

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April 23, 2013

Sarah

Dinner A Love Story is pretty great, but sometimes the blog loses me because their kids are just in such a different place than mine. (Elementary school kids sound so awesome! and self sufficient!) I digress. Good for you about making the report about your mistake at work. I guarantee that people will respect you more for being honest about a mistake (and we are all human after all, they happen) than if you hadn’t said anything and someone discovered it after the fact. I’m sure you’re being harder on yourself than anyone else will be. As far as the dinner mentor… I’m no expert, but I would love to help in any way I can. I’m still figuring it out, but I feel like my purpose in life might be to teach people basic cooking/meal planning/budgeting/shopping skills. (Not sure how that fits into my current career of lawyer, but hey, big dreams!) I’d love to have you as my guinea pig!

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April 23, 2013

Melanie

I thought I lost only one of my nice earrings at church once–then found it a month or so later in my jewelry box–whoops, left the house only wearing one! I was glad to find it, but a little worried about my sanity. :)

I can’t come at the cooking from a working mom angle, but even with all the greatest menus, shopping lists, monthly plans, etc. I usually come back to meals that I know how to cook, that I usually have ingredients on hand for, and that my family likes. I would encourage making a list of recipes that you already know how to make and like eating, then you can weekly (or whenever) buy fresh fruit and fresh or frozen veggies for your sides or a salad. Then if your goal is to eat healthier or cheaper, you can slowly tweak your go-to recipes to incorporate that. Needless to say, we eat a lot of enchiladas, chicken casserole and spaghetti around here. :) But I also know that I can make sure I have a couple ingredients on hand (tortillas, cheese, beef, tomato paste, pasta, spaghetti sauce, etc. I have the makings for a quick meal. I try to meal plan loosely (i.e. a handful of meal ideas for the week to fit in where they end up best.)

I also like using the crockpot, but I think it’s hard to find new recipes that my kids will eat. This is turning into the longest comment ever–good job working toward your cooking goals!

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April 26, 2013

Nora

I hope this week has been kinder to you. Shows great character about you for filing the incident report rather than just letting it go. You are clearly awesome at your job and care greatly for what you do, which seems to be rare these days.

I am trying really hard to stick to our budget on food; not sure what you guys like to eat but I can share what I do during the week if you like. (It’s hard since I have weird food allergies and Knight doesn’t eat a lot of healthful stuff, but we make it work.) I will say that I can only handle cooking/preparing dinners so many times in a row before I want to crazy and pull out my hair.

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