Jen FitzGerald's Blog, page 7

The dog days of summer have caught me...

 

This is just a quick hello!

For the last couple of months I've been learning financial stuff--my brain has been soaking up information like the parched earth soaks up rain and it's tired.

I've had little energy or brain power left to spend much time thinking up blog post topics much less crafting them...

I'm taking a break from the learning and have switched to the more creative endeavor of re-vamping some of my hockey patterns and working on my indie online store. Although I have to say that figuring out Word Press's block design elements as well as how the pieces parts of my store theme work together is a learning curve of its own. But I'm determined to snocker it.

Otherwise, life in general goes along well.

Hope you're keeping cool and hydrated.

Catch you next week -- there are actual posts planned.

Take care.

 

Miscellaneous Monday

 

Do you remember me committing to a "no spending challenge"?

I think I did... >>> researches such post <<< ...and yes I did so in late January. To recap, no buying more tea or lip balm before I'm out or almost out. And no books unless I have a gift card. No other purchases unless necessary.

I've adhered to the rules pretty well, and I've limited any impulse buys to the bare minimum. I've bought maybe two books without a gift card when I couldn't find them via the online library systems either. But they were important enough for this journey I'm on. They weren't fiction.

Fiction books only get bought with the gift cards. Luckily, my two fave authors can only write so fast so it works out. :0)

And while I'm still sticking to that "no" mindset, I've added a new challenge to my life: the "no complaining challenge." And let me tell you, it's definitely a challenge. We're talking about not even disparaging the weather despite its oppressiveness.

So as I go through the days trying to eliminate the negativity of complaining from my vocabulary, I'm realizing how much we all do it. Are there legitimate gripes to express? Of course... but I'm trying to better myself in various ways and this seemed like a good habit to tackle.

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An attitude of gratitude...

Before the "no complaining" notion came across my radar, the concept of gratitude was presented to me over and over, both from books and via a YouTuber or two. Both YouTubers culled it from the same root source--a source, specifically a book, that I have also read this year...

So I've been practicing an attitude of gratitude. Not just your general off the cuff, spare a thought kind of thankfulness, but deliberate consideration of what I'm thankful for and also why... So I've been writing those down everyday. And it's been a great exercise in manifesting positivity and joy.

Along with gratitude, I'm positively affirming the things I'm not only hoping for but most definitely working toward. The change in thinking / mindset is a great motivator.

One of my daily affirmations goes like this: "I enjoy eating right and exercising regularly because both habits give me energy and are an investment in my future."

Let me tell, saying that several times daily has worked its magic. I'm making better food choices and I look forward to exercising each morning.

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Extra Large Funko Pops Go NHL

Not that I want this one...but it's cool that there's finally a hockey player in the XL version.

If they come out with a Sidney Crosby, all bets are off. :0)

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NOOM

We're trying Noom now...

DH signed up, but I didn't. The intake form said it could help me lose my four pounds by mid-August and I really don't need to pay $169 and change to lose pounds in three weeks. I can manage on my own, thank you very much. >>grins<<

So far tho, DH has lost a few pounds, so that's awesome. And I really like the way they categorize foods, so planning meals and snacks won't become a huge chore.

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I hope you had a good weekend. Mine was productive.

Here's to an equally productive week.

Catch you Thursday.

 

Today is National Moon Day

 

Image courtesy of Wikipedia.

Fifty-four years ago today, the first human--Neil Armstrong--walked on the moon. I was just a month past my first birthday...needless to say, I don't remember any of these first lunar landings.

My experiences with space flight came with the advent of the Space Shuttles. In fact, Mom and I made our way out to Edwards Air Force Base to watch the landing of the Space Shuttle Columbia. Honestly, I'm not sure which one it was, but it was pretty dang cool.

Anywho, National Moon Day celebrates humanity's first arrival on a planetary body other than earth.

For some info, click here.

For more info, click here.

I mentioned the movie Hidden Figures a couple / few weeks ago...without those four Black women, three of whom are featured in the movie, Americans would have never made it off the ground.

One of the ways you can commemorate one of the greatest human achievements is by watching Hidden Figures and Apollo 11.

Have a super weekend friends!!

 

Happy Anniversary to Us!

 

Image courtesy of IMGBIN.

Thirty years ago this week, with my oldest little brother and oldest little sister in tow, DH and I ran off to Elk Point, Union County, SD to get hitched.

Turns out my brother and sister were too young to serve as witnesses so we had to enlist some employees of the courthouse, but all's well that ends well.

All DH's friends and coworkers thought it was a shotgun wedding, but Sonshine didn't come along until a year and half later in December of 1995.

It's been a long windy road. There've been a few rough patches. But we did it....

So here's to us and another thirty years. (And a few more cruises as well. :0)

Have a great week!

 

Throwback Thursday

 

Image courtesy DepositPhotos.com.

Ideas are a little thin on the ground this month--I've been focused hard on a few projects, so I'm just going to drag you on a trip down Memory Lane. :0)

Here we go...

 

Puck Soup Live Show in Deep Ellum in 2018. 

 

My first cruise December of...2014 I think.

 

Red Rock Canyon ~ October 2017

 

A view of the game from one of my first live games...

 

Frankenstein starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Naomie Harris.

 

221B Con in Atlanta ~ April 2016

 

Visit to Seattle to see Sonshine before deployment ~ September 2015

 

Icicles on the front porch ~ December 2013

 

A stop during my visit to Nashville ~ July 2013

 

Marching Band Program ~ Pyramids Along the Nile ~ Fall 2012

 

Visit to OKC / Moore, OK ~ August 2012

 

BBC Robin Hood Fan Friends Gathering ~ June 2012

 

First visit to the USS Lexington way back in I don't even know. Kids were all at home. Sonshine was in elementary school...

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Lots of fun times to remember, but many more to look ahead to. DD and I are planning and working to fund our next Buc-ee's road trip. Tennessee here we come.

Have a great weekend.

 

2023 Goals ~ Second Quarter Review

 

Image courtesy of IMGBIN.

Well here we are again...time to see how I'm doing with those 2023 Fresh Start Goals. Without having given it much thought before settling in to write this post--I'm feeling good about things. Let's see if reality bears that out!

1) Monthly postcards to Grandma are being dutifully sent. I think I've finally got this one snockered. A+

2) Finish & publish Finders Keepers, book five of the hockey series... I didn't even open any documents in the first quarter. In the second I dig up all pertinent files and set to making sense of what I had. But they're not making much sense. I keep coming up with questions...why did I do this? Why didn't I do that? What does "that" even mean...whatever "that" is.

I've concluded that it's a hot mess in a dumpster fire and I seriously considered writing book six and then swapping the two in publication order. Since they're not linked chronologically, it wouldn't matter.

However, my game plan has changed and writing has taken a back seat for a while longer.

3) I am definitely exercising 3X per week; more often usually. And I'm reaping the benefits. Go me!

4) I'm on pace to read 52 books this year. Ahead, actually. Very very ahead. And definitely on track for the six non-fiction reads. In fact, I think I'm going to probably blow right past six... I'm on my 4th non-fiction book at the moment. :0)

5) I'm definitely not keeping up with writers group duties on a weekly basis. However, I spent a lot of time in the last couple of weeks a) getting caught up and b) contemplating how to streamline the duties so I can start training other people. I have new fish to fry and I don't want to be locked into being treasurer forever.

6) My Etsy shop does have a couple of new patterns for Q2. :0) I've got several things in the works, so Q3 should be fine. I'm also working slowly, so slowly on creating my own online store so I can list all me creations rather than being limited because of listing fees.

7) Self care...has been a work in progress. I'm not sure what I actually had in mind. Some of it was making sure I was seeing doctors and dentists in light of my mom's cancer and death, which I have done/am doing/will be doing. But it was also going to be things like pedicures and coloring my hair and taking time to do puzzles and cross stitch and read. All of which I do. But nothing seems part of a routine. And maybe that's okay as long as I stay in touch with myself...

8) There are no home improvement projects on the horizon at the moment. Mostly because I don't have the money right now. But perhaps I should create a fund and award myself some paltry amount each week. I did eliminate the monthly fee on my savings account...

9) I haven't regularly read anything / listened to anything / watched anything from any of the articles I've saved or the conferences I've purchased...and in light of me taking a longer than expected break from writing, this isn't a priority.

10) Doing pretty good on cooking / eating healthy -- as in I'm cook and eating more regularly. Is it all as healthy as it could be? No, not really. Is there a food plan and do we stick to it? Mostly, yes.

11) I'm doing well with the housekeeping plan. Finally. The little planner sits on the end of my desk so that I look at it each day when I get home from work. it takes me about an hour to accomplish my chores each day and every room in the house gets touched every week. Is there some deep cleaning that needs to be done? Yes. Am I going to be the one to do it? No. It'll have to wait until I can fund hiring a body to come in.

I do have a name though. A friend got robbed by one of her housekeepers and while I don't have any expensive jewelry lying around, there's still a fear that something meaningful or expensive will go missing.

12) I'm blogging. I'm blogging. I haven't missed in quite some time.

13) I've written a couple of articles for my writers group newsletter, but it's been a couple of months since the last one, so I guess I should come up with something soon.

14) Much as I love my Personality Strengths, I'm not sure when I'm going to get around to studying them in general, in depth. I own the books, so that's not the problem, but so many other books that pique my interest in that moment get my attention. But I imagine there will come a time...there is a time for everything, after all.

15) Bible reading / listening is on track. I haven't missed more than a day and I get caught up right away.

16) A visit to Goodreads is on the weekly schedule weekly, so it's going well so far.

I'm making progress on the important things, so I'm counting last quarter a win. Do I have room for improvement? Sure... Leaves me something to keep striving for. :0)

Hope you had a lovely weekend and here's to a great week.

 

Hidden Figures

 

Official Movie Poster of the 2016 movie Hidden Figures courtesy Wikipedia.

If you haven't seen this movie--WHY NOT?

I'd been meaning to watch it for forever and just didn't for various and sundry reasons. Then last Saturday, DD and I sat down to watch something and as we were looking for the movie we intended to watch, the card for this movie popped up and I said that first sentence to DD:

"Ive been meaning to watch that and have just never taken the time."

She suggested we watch it instead, which we did and WOW. I was blown away.

What didn't I love about this? Nothing but the racism as befit the period of the movie, but no helping that. Racism was an unfortunate fact of life then as now.

The performances were fabulous.

The three women showcased by the film, Katherine Goble Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer), and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe), represented a cadre of about thirty to fifty Black women who were labeled "Colored Computers" according to the film. The book featured a fourth human calculator, Christine Darden, but she wasn't featured in the film by name.

The composite character of Al Harrison played by Keven Costner turned out to be a good guy, and John Glenn has always been a class act and Glen Powell did him justice.

Again, if you haven't seen this--what are you waiting for. It's currently streaming on Disney +.

Hope you had a great holiday and I hope you enjoy the upcoming weekend.

Take care!

 

Happy Fourth of July

Usually I just post some sort of Independence Day related pictures, wish you well, and go on my merry way.

Well, this year I decided to add a few fun facts to the mix. :0)

Did you know that...

...July 4th is one of the most patriotic days of the year, but it wasn’t until 1941 that Independence Day was declared a national paid holiday.

...The tablet held by Lady Liberty has July 4, 1776 engraved on it.

...Not one, but two signers of the Declaration of Independence died on the same exact date? Thomas Jefferson and John Adams both died on July 4, 1826.

And some new pics I took on my way to Granbury a couple of weeks ago...

Happy Birthday, America!

Have a great week, friends.

2023 Lake Granbury Retreat

 

Eating out at Mesquite Pit Steaks and BBQ.

My writer peeps and I enjoyed a new venue this year for the annual writers retreat. For the last decade or so, we've decamped to Lake Conroe either in June or July. Sadly the house was sold (I've mentioned this before) and so the times...they are a changin'.

This year, we rented a VRBO in the town of Granbury, about an hour's drive from my place. Also, this year, I took over as cruise director--basically the person who thinks up, plans, and coordinates the theme of the weekend.

I was inspired to go with a Bingo theme: you get to sticker a square when you write during a sprint, but I included other things on the bingo card such as "did ten squats" and "ate fruits and veggies" and "made my bed." Surprisingly, they were all game to do squats and they made their beds every day. :0)

Everyone had a goal for the weekend and then we broke them down per day...

Everyone made great progress and completed not only daily goals but the weekend goal as well.

So my job was done. :0)

I was also able to spend an extended amount of time with one dear friend, one on one. We used to travel the four-hour trip to the lake house together...well we didn't get to do that, but everyone else was gone by Sunday evening and so she and I had the rest of Sunday evening and all of Monday morning before check-out to talk writing and other things we have in common.

For the most part, I enjoyed my time off work and in a beautiful neighborhood just a stone's throw from Lake Granbury. But there have been so many amazing things going on in my normal every day world that I'm glad to return and take life off pause...

Hope you have a great weekend!!

 

Miscellaneous Monday

 

Image courtesy Amazon.

On a recommendation from my unbeknownst-to-her life guru, Becca Syme, I read the book Joyful by Ingrid Fetell Lee. I felt joyful and excited from the first page because, just as I had when I first learned about Personality Strengths (via Becca), I felt seen. Everything the author said in the first chapter fit me to a T. But here's the Amazon book blurb, judge for yourself:

"Have you ever wondered why we stop to watch the orange glow that arrives before sunset, or why we flock to see cherry blossoms bloom in spring? Is there a reason that people—regardless of gender, age, culture, or ethnicity—are mesmerized by baby animals, and can't help but smile when they see a burst of confetti or a cluster of colorful balloons?

We are often made to feel that the physical world has little or no impact on our inner joy. Increasingly, experts urge us to find balance and calm by looking inward—through mindfulness or meditation—and muting the outside world. But what if the natural vibrancy of our surroundings is actually our most renewable and easily accessible source of joy?

In "Joyful," designer Ingrid Fetell Lee explores how the seemingly mundane spaces and objects we interact with every day have surprising and powerful effects on our mood. Drawing on insights from neuroscience and psychology, she explains why one setting makes us feel anxious or competitive, while another fosters acceptance and delight—and, most importantly, she reveals how we can harness the power of our surroundings to live fuller, healthier, and truly joyful lives.”

As I read through chapter after chapter, I was inspired to not only find and create joy for myself, but also for the people I come into contact with. My first foray as an Ambassador of Joy was to buy confetti and sprinkle it on the tables at the restaurant where we meet for my writers group meeting. It went well. I have other ideas and plans as well, and I'll keep you updated as we go along.

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Brother Bear

My dearest littlest brother --he just turned 36, lol!!--James joined the Army Reserves. He recently graduated boot camp and is on his way to Virginia where he'll get his actual job training. I'm so proud of him for going after this thing he's always wanted to do. I can't wait to see him in September when I head north for a visit.

* * * * * Image courtesy IMGBIN.

An apple a day not only keeps the doctor away, but apparently it’ll kep the dentist away too. Now, I didn't read up on the doctor part, but I was curious about the dentist part, and here's what my research and came up with:

Apples have a high water content, and their crisp texture stimulates saliva production which helps cleanse the teeth while you are biting and chewing.Apples contain dietary fiber and the fibrous texture helps scrub your teeth while that extra saliva helps wash / rinse you teeth.Apples contain vitamin C which keeps your gums healthy.Apples are low in acidic content relative to other fruits and that means there is little to no erosion of tooth enamel.

It just seemed providential when DD mentioned this to me just last week. You know why...? Because, I've been eating apples three or four times a week for a good three / four weeks now. And my trip to the dentist last week went well. I saw the actual dentist--he visually checks my teeth every other visit--and he said everything looked good. :0)

And mostly because it was like a thumbs up from the universe; like God was saying "I'm glad you're eating those apples again." I've eschewed eating too much fruit for years now because of the natural sugar and my low carb mindset. But these days I'm trying for a little more balance and a little more enjoyment in what I eat. I feel like God’s on board with too.

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One last thing--big shout out to my followers on Goodreads. If you're reading this--thank you for following me. I really appreciate it.

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Okay friends, that’s all I’ve got. Have a super week. Catch you on Thursday!