Confidence and laziness

Good Morning!

It is a beautiful sunny morning.  A little on the warm side!

I took this yesterday as we were driving home from doing errands.  This is Santiago Canyon Road.

Yesterday, Rory had gone out to get lunch and when he got back, he sat in the living room and was looking at a picture I got the other day of my docent group at the Swallows Day Parade.  He made some negative comments about the group and the picture.  I have gotten to the point that his negative comments do not bother me anymore, except that I get tired of them.  When I first met Rory, I felt that he gave me the confidence I had not had, as he accepted me for me.  As years went on, I kept the negative feelings I had of myself and really didn't think I was good at what I did.  Going through the docent class and being able to do tours, has brought back that confidence and I realized that yesterday.  It was a nice feeling.  This morning, I realized that I still struggle; but I think many people struggle with this, that I want to get things done like yesterday.  I am interested in trying or doing so many things and I have just so much energy and only a certain amount of time, that I can only do so much.  This frustrates me to some extent and I have to make a list and stick to that list and include many of the things I like to do.  Most of the things I do, really do not have a time frame.

Today, is my day to get ready for the week.  I am going to make a menu and get some grocery shopping done.  I am going to make a couple of desserts today as well.

Mari doing schoolwork!  Mari was spray painting a lunch pail to change the outside for a project she is doing at school.

Got laundry separated and some vacuuming done, made a menu for the week, did shopping and now I am taking a break.  Going to Joanne's and then come home and make some dessert for dinner.  Rory came downstairs and sat in his chair and expected someone to get his lunch.  He was laying on the bed all morning, watching TV and then came downstairs to watch TV.  I did make his lunch and continued to do what I was doing.

Got to Joanne's and they have remodeled and I like the new layout.  Came home and put Rory's dinner in the oven, doing my photo of the day and then going to make dessert and our dinner.

I have one Martha Washington geranium on my patio and this is the first bloom I have seen this spring!

A very productive day.  Had dinner and dessert in the oven.  Going to finish this.  Finish writing my history of Ventura and if I have time type it.  Lights out at 10.  Rory came down.  We had the TV on CNN, as we were watching Anthony Bourdain and then they went into information about Boston.  I was watching it and he changes the channel, without asking me.  Oh well!

Good Night!  Trudi

A walk in history and home is important

Good Morning!

It is a beautiful sunny day, yes, it is going to be warm.  Mari and I need to finish some errands and then we are going to head for Pasadena and do a "Secret Stairs" walk.  I am more and more learning who I am and being content with that.  Home has been and always will be important to me.  I just have to be content with myself and not focus on others in this house who bring me down.  I love nature and I am debating about growing some vegetables and other things on my patio.  I don't want to start this until we get back from our trip.  I have to focus on the things that are important to me and I need to stop trying to run away/escaping.  I also need to not beat myself up, if I don't get everything done and also stop spending time on the computer and only be on it, when I am working on the computer.

I have decided I am going to start with one thing and see how that goes, as far as growing.  I am going to grow cilantro, as I love it in my eggs.  I am going to make some jams, get another bread machine and start making bread.  I am going to make some pico de gallo and start making fresh oj!  I really need to pace myself and not try to do everything at once, which I have a tendency to do.  I made french toast with peanut butter and fresh strawberries for breakfast.  Doing my morning computer routine!  Finished the last load of laundry for the week and good thing I did as Marissa brought her clothes down and tomorrow is Sunday and it starts all over again.  Took a nap, which I really must have needed.  Had lunch and then Mari and I headed out to do some errands.  Never did make it to Pasadena to go walking.  Came home, put things away, installed Instagram on my phone and edited my 365 day picture.  Almost dinner time.

On our way home from errands, I decided to come home through Santiago Canyon and I took this at the vista point.

I made dinner for us and Mari made dinner for Rory!  We watched "My Cat From Hell".  Mari was trying to put together something for one of her classes and we realized we had to go back out, which we did.  I hope we got what she needs this time.  Going to finish this and work on Ventura history and then go to bed.

Good Night!  Trudi

This is Trabuco Creek, which usually has no water in it, unless we have a really good year of rain.

Out and about

Happy Friday!

It has been a busy morning!  This was taken yesterday along the outside of the Mission grounds.  I had my first 1.5 hour tour today and I was not sure how it was going to go, but it went fine.  I just decided to relax and go with it.  I think I am ready for an adult tour, as for every one child, there were either one or two adults and I think the adults were more interested than the kids.  If we have adult tours in June, I may try it.  It is warm here today, so I was very ready to get back in the air conditioned car.  Came  home and had lunch and now I am going to take a nap.  Mari and I need to go run some errands for her.  We may be going out to dinner with a friend.

Got my nap and now I am waiting for Mari to get ready to go!  Mari and I started with a stop to Yogurtland and then to Laguna Print.  Since she could not get everything printed there, we had to stop at school to get the printing finished. My friend texted me and said she could meet for dinner, which was great.  Sushi for dinner, YEA!  We stopped at Home Depot to get some things and then we went to Smart and Final for some things we needed and then home.  I felt like I was a tornado when I got home, as I was trying to get things done and get back out the door to go to dinner.

This is a picture of a cactus with prickly pears outside Mission San Juan Capistrano.

Picked up my friend and headed for our sushi dinner.  It was just nice to get out with friends for dinner. Came home and now I am upstairs doing computer stuff.  Going to finish this and go to bed.

Good night.  Trudi

Meeting and change

Good Morning!

Paddleboarding at Dana Point Harbor two years ago!  Sometimes I see dogs on these paddleboards with their masters.

Today is the first day this week that I don't have to be out the door early.  Originally I was going to see an attorney regarding some financial issues; but the appointment was cancelled due to illness on her part.  I have a docent meeting this afternoon as well.  Usually our meetings start at 1:30, but this one is starting at 1, so I was going to have to be late if I had had the attorney appointment.  I am glad I can be at the docent meeting for the whole thing.  Other than the docent meeting, I am going to be doing home stuff.  I always love it when I don't have to get up early and I wake up at 6.  Yesterday morning I could have slept past 6, but couldn't.

Next week is going to be different than the normal week.  Mari's classes are going to be later and Tuesday, Mari and I are going to Joshua Tree N.P. with two of her classes on Tuesday.  The attorney appointment was changed to next Friday.

One of our docents has a passion for cooking and she made food that probably, the Native Americans in our area would have eaten.  I did not like how the picture came out that I took, so I am not sharing it. I will share in the next couple of days, some things that the food came from.  I am deciding whether to start a new blog called "Living off the Land"  This is something that I have an interest in, but I am not sure if I have the time to do that.  I would love to grow vegetables on my patio, but I may look at doing that after we come back from our trip.  I would really like to know more names of plants.  My grandfather had a definite "green" thumb and grew beautiful iris.  I may go back to making bread in a bread maker.  We also had a speaker that spoke partly about acorns and oak trees, which we have in this area.  He also talked about yucca and how the flowers on this plant can be eaten.  We talked about the prickly pear of a cactus.  Interesting afternoon.  Stopped by Trader Joe's on the way home.  When I got home I made snack, as my weight this morning was the lowest it has been in a very long time.  Rory is having ribs and those are in the oven.

Mari and I put dinner together and we have not had the TV on all evening!  So nice!  Doing computer stuff and trying to convince a friend who wants to go away for the weekend to go away for the weekend.  Got one thing done tonight, I wanted to accomplish!  Going upstairs and do some writing and then go to bed!

Good Night!  Trudi

A hillside of daisies taken a year ago near a doctor's office!

Organizing, variety and inspiration

I did not get a chance to write my morning post, so I am writing it now.

This was taken on Saturday, April 13, 2013 from Mount Palomar.

This morning, Mari had to be at school at 10 and we were out the door by 9:15.  Took Mari to school and then headed for a walk in Huntington Beach.  I love my new app, "Map my Walk", as I can find new walks in different areas.  I am taking the cities around me in alphabetical order and finding a walk in that area.  I did the walk and took some pictures, picked up some lunch for Mari and I and forgot, I was supposed to pick up lunch for Marissa as well, but Marissa had lunch at home, so I didn't feel too bad.  I decided to drive down to the coast and drive down to Laguna and pick up Mari.  When I had dropped Mari off, she had made mention that she might get out at 11:30 and luckily she did not.  Last night when I picked up Mari, she was exhausted and today when I picked up Mari from school, her brain was mush.  She is taking the rest of the day off of school.  She is going to run errands with Mariss and I this afternoon.

As I was driving back to get Mari, I was thinking to myself, that being away from the house inspires me and that, plus my love of variety is why I came up with Gypsy Mom for my screen name.  I love being a mom to my girls.   Being around the house for too long depresses me and exhausts me.  I am really finding that getting things organized excites me and having variety makes me happy. I love things to be simple.   If certain things are the same for too long or I do the certain things over and over, I get bored and that is why I like my new app.  There are certain things that I do like in a routine.

I took this picture on my Huntington Beach walk.

My house is getting cleaned today and then, the girls and I are going to run errands.

The girls and I left to do errands.  Our first stop was at Yogurtland.   They have Sticky Toffee Pudding frozen yogurt.  The girls and I fell in love with Sticky Toffee Pudding when we were in England.  From there, we went to Bah and Body and got Marissa some body wash.  I do not like it when sales people are constantly checking with you.  I like to go in and just shop.  From there, we went to Sprouts to get some ginger tablets to help Marissa with her nausea.  Marissa's counselor recommended the ginger.  The sales person was overly chatty. I left the girls and went looking for some things.  From there we went to Target and then to Old Navy.  I was so excited as I had jeans that exactly fit me.  Came home and made dinner.  Worked on my computer stuff.  Watching Haunted Collector and then I am going to bed.  Rory came down and is watching the program with us.  Not being stressful!

Good night!

Trudi

Walk way in the park I found on my walk in Huntington Beach, CA

Running Tuesday

Good Morning!

This picture was taken on 04-16-2011 in Torrey Pines and looking up the California coast.

It's Tuesday and that means busy.  Leaving around 9:15 and taking Mari to school, then I need to take some paper work to the local VA for Rory, then go get some insuliin for Sweet Pea and then I am going to Foothill Ranch and go walking.  Now that I have "Map my Walk", I can go anywhere in my area and find walking paths.  After my walk, I am coming home and have lunch and take a nap and go to counseling with Marissa.  We will come home, have dinner and then about 9 go back to Laguna and get Mari.

Got Mari to school, then did my errands and came back by the house and dropped off the insulin and went over to Foothill Ranch to take a walk.  We do have a Wilderness Park in Foothill Ranch, but I don't want to walk through it by myself, as there are wild animals in the park.  Came home and having lunch.  Figured out the rest of my food for the day, so that I stay on track.

This picture was taken on my walk in Foothill Ranch, in a park, where I do not have to be concerned about wild animals.

After my lunch, took a nap.  Rory called and told me that he had to go to his local VA to have an EKG, so he can have the stress test on his heart.  Marissa and I left for counseling.  Every 2-3 weeks, I go in to Marissa's session.  I felt this was a good session.  On the way home, we stopped at Trader Joe's and got some things and then came home.  Rory was downstairs and I was hoping to do some editing of pictures before I started dinner.  He did go upstairs and later told me that all I have to do is tell him I want some alone time and he will go upstairs.  If he is in a good mood, he will do that, but most of the time he complains.  Tuesdays are long days and I really just want to chill, before I start dinner.  Made dinner for the three of us and now I am getting to do some editing and other stuff.  I am going to leave about 8:45 to go pick up Mari and then come home and go to bed.

Good Night!  Trudi

A tree stump I saw on my walk.

Next step-doctor visit

Good Morning!

It is overcast and dreary here in So. CA.  Last night we had heavy duty mist or as my Dad used to call it, San Francisco fog!  Today is why I do preparation day on Sunday.  Rory has an orthopedist appointment for his achilles tendonosis this morning and I am taking my car in for service, while we are at his doctor's appointment. We will see what the orthopedist wants to do.   Mari has school this afternoon.  Hopefully, after I drop Mari off at school, I will get to go walking.  We will see what the day brings!

The day did not go quite the way I thought it would, but the important things got done.  We did get my car in for service, we did get Rory to the orthopedist.  He does have achilles tendinosis and bilateral foot charcot arthropathy.  Much of this is from the diabetes and his weight.  It did help that I went.  He really does have a hard time walking and there are times I think he believes this is all going to heal magically!  The doctor also referred him to vascular surgery to see how his circulation is and he wants him to do a stress test on his heart.  We left VA in time to get my car and get home in time to leave to take Mari to school.  I decided to not walk, but come home and take a nap  Editing my picture of the day, going through emails and FB and praying for the people in Boston.

Made dinner and having alone time, which is nice.  Need to leave about 8:45 to pick up Mari.

Good night!  Trudi