Saturday Meanderings
January is coming to an end….wow. But instead of this month feeling like a blur, my month, surprisingly, is more intentional and productive. I am beginning to think that the key to slowing down life is to being more deliberate each and every day. How did your January pan out? Nonetheless, it’s the weekend and time for Saturday Meanderings where we chat about all good things.
Our Anniversary
Last Saturday we celebrated our 28th wedding anniversary~where did the time go? We didn’t do anything special or out of the ordinary, but I did receive a beautiful bouquet of red roses. Here’s a picture of our wedding day in January 1995.
Wrapping up our 28 day reset
For the last 28 days (Sunday will be the 28th day), we have been doing the Fast Metabolism Diet. I plan to weigh myself tomorrow, but I believe I’ve become a bit leaner. With no caffeine, no alcohol, no sugar, no dairy, no wheat, no soy and no cheating, the reset is nearly complete. We did love the recipes in this book and will continue to make them.
However, I do want my cup of coffee in the morning and look forward to that on Monday. Other than an occasional cocktail, I am surprised how I didn’t really miss anything else. My husband would like to do it for another 28 days. I’m not so sure about that!
If you are looking to make a diet change, and can eat within 30 minutes of waking, and have 3 meals a day and two snacks, I highly recommend this 28 day reset.
Lower Heart Rate
The Health app on my phone recently sent me a notification about my resting heart rate. On average, my resting heart rate is 7 beats lower per minute than before. I am not sure if that is due to the 28 day reset program or my goal of slow and intentional living. Regardless, I will take it. My resting heart rate has always been around 72 beats per minute, not 77. What a nice update to receive!
Updating my Christmas card list
Do you send Christmas cards? We do every year with a family letter. I like documenting where everyone is in life, because over time, I forget some of the details. At the end of the holiday season, I take our received Christmas cards and try to update addresses, name changes (weddings) or deaths.
Well, I haven’t done this for the last 3 years and this week, I finally went through all the Christmas cards and updated our mailing list. Doesn’t seem like a big deal, but being able to discard 3 years worth of Christmas cards did feel like an accomplishment. Fortunately, I keep a digital address list through the resource we purchase our cards (Minted) and can make changes anytime.
Thinking Ahead to Spring
This week I received my flower seeds from Floret Farms. We are still in danger of frost (below freezing this week) until the end of February. But already, I am planning my garden and looking forward to a successful planting season soon.
Two years ago, I had great success with their sunflowers.
Not only are they stunning to have in the garden, but the sunflowers attract peach faced lovebirds (lots of them).
Needless to say, but I am looking forward to having these huge happy flowers in my garden this year.
Projects This Week
~Master Closet
Slow and steady… I am getting things done around here. Three years ago I shared a post about cleaning the Master Closet. Boy, back then it was in a very cluttered state. Fast forward to 2023 and the master closet is slightly messy but not nearly as bad as it was in 2020.
The shelves need wiping down; blouses and shirts could use adjusting on the hangers; some shoes require cleaning and time to thin out clothing, suitcases and bags.
Using Clorox disinfectant wipes, all dirt is removed from heels and shoe sets are lined up by heel size. It’s surprising how little cleaning projects like this make such a big difference.
~Cedar Closet
Not sure I’ve ever shown our cedar closet but it is a small room off of the master closet. I will do a future blog post on how I organized all the pillows, linens and stuff filling this closet.
~ Planting Tulip Bulbs
After refrigerating the tulip bulbs from Longfield Gardens since October, it is time to plant them here in Phoenix. Sixty holes (my hands hurt!) and these precious bulbs are set into the ground. They are already sprouting so I have high hopes for apricot tulips in the spring.
Thrifting Finds and other Goodies
In my attempts this year to really watch finances, I am not someone who does alot of shopping. However, this week a friend of mine is helping another friend downsize and move. In our conversation she mentions silver pieces and old furniture that will go to donation and my ears perk up.
Though the pieces need some work and love, I find these two particularly unusual. One is a chair which looks like a normal chair…
Until you flip the top of the chair back and it becomes prayer chair. Obviously this piece needs refinishing and reupholstering, but isn’t it fabulous?
Look at this sweet desk! Again, it needs repair but the inlaid details, the leather top and the side drawers are spectacular touches.
I cannot wait to work on this and bring it back to life. Quite honestly, I have never seen a desk like this but it feels European.
Goodbye Shiplap, Hello Dark Woods
You know, if you wait long enough, everything comes back in style. According to Pure Wow, traditional touches and dark woods are all the rage this year. It is called Historic Heritage. The article is interesting and worth reading. You can find it here. Maybe I am finally back in style?!?
If you missed my Tuesday post, I share my favorite lemon recipes. You can see it here.
Do you know that over time I have written 18 posts on Valentine’s Day? Next week I hope to consolidate those into what I think are the best ideas for the upcoming holiday. As a last minute decision, we will be having our formal Valentine’s Day dinner party so my mind is swirling with all sorts of ideas.
Happy Saturday, friends! That’s another wrap for Saturday Meanderings. I know I am getting close to the 100th version of this Saturday post and will be having a few giveaways to celebrate. Enjoy the rest of your weekend and stay safe out there.
