“Some people don’t understand that sitting in your own house, alone in peace, eating snacks, and minding your own business is priceless.” ~ Tom Hardy
Month: November 2023
SKUBB Storage Solutions
When I look back at what I did this month, one of the biggest themes will be organizing. I got rid of a lot of old storage items that no longer worked well for me. Then found new ways to organize. From adding a clothing rack with shelves, to adding bins and other containers to my fridge.
For the longest time, I’d been storing my off-season clothing in a very large suitcase that I had stopped using. The way that I stored it in my last apartment, the suitcase was out of the way and I hardly ever had to deal with it.
Where I live now, it was in the way everyday and constantly annoying me. Then I realized that the wheels of the suitcase were literally disintegrating, leaving trails of black plastic whenever I moved it. That was the final straw. Time for a change!
I needed to figure out a different way to store these items, but wasn’t sure what I needed. Within a couple of weeks of realizing this, I saw a YouTube video showing under bed storage using SKUBB storage cases from IKEA. I ordered two of them right away. What a joy to throw away that old suitcase!
Storing off-season clothing is so easy now. With all the changes I’ve made recently, I’ve actually freed up a lot of space. This makes my Virgo brain very happy!
Thanksgiving Dinner!
This was my Thanksgiving dinner. Not perfectly plated, but it was perfectly delicious! I’m so full and tired.
Thanksgiving dinner was a combined effort. My mom made the turkey and the oyster and cornbread stuffing. We cooked the macaroni and cheese together. I made the collard greens. My aunt made the candied sweet potatoes and mushroom stuffing. Then my aunt and I made the gravy together. The cranberry sauce was the traditional canned variety from Ocean Spray, which you can tell by the lines! LOL.
Thank you to those of you who read my posts faithfully and also to those of you who drop by now and again. You’re very much appreciated! Happy Thanksgiving!
Dinner Tonight + Book Goals
This was my dinner tonight! It was very good, but spicier than intended.
I sauteed Vidalia onions and orange peppers in olive oil, then seasoned with garlic powder, lemon pepper and balsamic vinegar.
When I cut up the onions and peppers, I kept the scraps and boiled them in water to make a vegetable broth. The basmati rice was cooked in the broth, along with a bit of of butter and a chicken bullion cube.
Imitation crab pieces were added to the onions and peppers right before removing from the heat. I buy the fake crab every few months, but don’t think that I’ll continue. I did a quick search and found an article stating that they are extremely processed.
Which I knew, but I didn’t realize exactly how much less healthy they are compared to real crab. Again, this should have been more obvious to me. The calories are about the same, but there is way less protein and nutrients than real crab, but more carbs. I think I’ll buy canned crab from now on instead. Although, I guess I should look at that label too!
+ + +
Now to books! Since this year is wrapping up, I have some more book goals. I need to start and finish a book, so I can return it to the library. It’s called, “The Comedy of Error: Why Evolution Made Us Laugh,” by Jonathan Silvertown.
I’d like to read five more books before the year ends. The number is rather random and pulled from the air, but it feels doable and a decent amount. I’m not yet sure what the other four books will be, but I have a few in mind.
One book that I’m really interested in reading is a novel called, “Before the Coffee Gets Cold,” by Toshikazu Kawaguchi. I heard a lot about this book from several YouTubers and was reminded of it again today. Apparently it’s part of a series of four books. There seem to be a mix of reviews, but I’m definitely feeling a pull to read it.
This book seems to have everything that I love. Coffee, cafes, time travel and short stories. The story is about a small cafe in Tokyo where people can time travel. But they have to return before the coffee gets cold.
This reminds me of a Korean drama on Netflix called Nine Time Travels. Nine magical incense sticks allow the main character to travel back exactly 20 years to the day. But he returns when the stick stops burning.
A Thank You Gift to Self
This thank you gift is for … me. I’m so generous. Thank you self! What a lovely surprise.
Do you read Reductress? I don’t read it all the time. But whenever I do, I literally laugh out loud. A recent article with the title, “Deadline Set by Self Graciously Extended by Self,” could not be better. Below is a snippet.
“Instead of freaking out and panic-finishing the project to meet the deadline I set for myself, I decided to email myself the night before,” you continued. “I very calmly said, ‘Hey, I’ve had some family stuff going on this week – is it possible to extend this deadline by 48 or perhaps 480 hours?’”
After reading this article, I decided to offer myself the gift of another very short post. I can see the NaBloPoMo finish line just over the horizon. And I need a little breather.
