Weekend Coffee Share.....Come Sit with Me

The Weather: Saturday started beautiful and late into the night turned stormy...The next two days were VERY muggy and humid with heavy rains and a few thunder claps. Not typical for the PNW in June at all. We rarely see humid temps. The rest of this week however should be in the upper 70's to low 80's. That will be so nice. Maybe I'll get out and do some weeding this weekend.

What I'm thinking about: Do you ever have people in your life who just seem to try and make you feel like their life is your fault? I'm not sure that makes sense (how I worded that)...but in our lives filled with friends and family everyone is in a different place, we've all made different choices (good or bad, or just not smart) that have landed us in the life we are living today. That is on us. Not on someone else. Someone should not feel guilty for the life they live simply because the choices you made have you living in chaos. I'm thinking of a personal situation that I don't really want to expose necessarily, but we've all heard the phrase "well, that must be nice", etc. Or we've tried over and over and over to reach out to people, to include them in our lives but it's never accepted or reciprocated. There comes a time when we just stop trying so much. You can only do what you can do. I had recently read a FB post by Jen Hatmaker that was just so good about taking responsibility for our lives and where we are headed. It just makes me sad when people choose to not live their best life and stay stuck where they are. 

What I'm thankful for: With the above thoughts in mind, I'm thankful for the path I decided to choose years ago and the journey of life I and my family have been on all these years. I'm thankful that I'm always growing, always learning, always changing. 

What I'm reading or have read: Still plowing through the same books. I've also been reading a lot of blogs that are participating in the different link parties, and challenges I've joined. I really try to visit as many, if not all, that I can. It's the part of my personality that doesn't want to leave anyone out and I know it always feels great when people take time to visit my blog and comment. 

Two things...this book is a fun read. Also, these book darts are awesome. They are perfect for holding your place, marking key thoughts you want to remember. 

Around the House: Insulation is done. Yay. Wow. What a difference in how it feels and sounds in there. We used a few different types of insulation depending on where it was put. I can't even begin to remember it so won't even try to explain. We're still trying to decide on flooring, counters and tile. Meeting next week with some people again. I shared video on my personal instagram page (I can't seem to keep up with a blog IG page, my personal one and the one I manage for someone else. So if you want to see video updates, head here.

There's also one more I didn't have a photo of but it's more brown. We went with some sound proofing insulation since this area of the house is smaller and there is an office and bedroom in it, it would be nice to not have things quite so loud. 

My plant starts are coming up, but some are not so I think I need to replant a few things. I was also in a hurry so don't remember what I planted where. Oops. 

What I'm learning: Still working on my Duolingo, though not very consistently. A friend suggested I simply use google translate to learn phrases I might say regularly at work, which I think might be a good idea, I just need to do it. We have a large hispanic community in our town and often get people in my workplace who don't speak english at all or very well. I'd also like to try learning sign language.

I've been enjoying some of the posts here that are geared towards different topics of living life fully after 50 (I'm 52). It's been so encouraging and enlightening. 

From the Kitchen: Not much new this week. We've been busy and a few of my meal plans fell through. Mondays and Tuesdays I often don't get home til 6:00 or a little after that and I really try to keep meals simple. Either something in the crockpot, Instant Pot, or that I can partially prep the morning of since I don't start work until 10:00. We've also been doing more smoothies. I did make a yummy treat that I saw on an IG page. I won't share a photo because, well, it looks like a turd, but it's so good. Take some medjool dates, split them in half lengthwise (not all the way through though), take the pit out. Fill with either creamy or crunchy PB (natural), top with some chopped peanuts. In a small sauce pan (or microwave), melt some chocolate chips with some coconut oil. Drizzle over the dates and place in the refrigerator to chill and the chocolate to set. OH YUM! Such a good and healthier treat.

Favorite Quote from the Week: "A good sign of how secure you are is what it takes to offend you. The more secure we are, the less we take offense." 

That was one that made me pause and give some thought. 

And then a funny one, was a person posted a photo of Harriet Olsen from Little House on The Prairie with the caption, "Harriet Olsen, the original Karen". That made me laugh out loud. 

What I Listened to: A blogger I follow, mostly on IG has a podcast called The Cabincast. She blogs at White Arrows Home and I just love her IG and the podcast is simple and just a fun listen. I now want to visit the Northwoods of Wisconsin.

Random Happenings: I signed up for a photography group meet up. I've always wanted to do something like this but, while I tend to be an extrovert, going into new situations by myself is stretching me out of my comfort zone, so I just don't do it. But this one was a nature one and it was at a place that I've wanted to check out close to home (a botanical garden). So before I could chicken out, I signed up and bought my ticket! I'm excited but still a bit nervous. It's on June 26th so I'll let you all know how it went the following week. 

Story of the Week: Well, that's sad, I couldn't think of a story to tell. Or maybe I had one and I just can't remember it. I tend to have those moments. Maybe I'll have one for next week. Maybe I should remember to write things down so I don't forget. 

Photo of The Week: 

I LOVE my hanging baskets. They took a little bit of a beating with our weird weather at the beginning of the week. I love variety in my hanging baskets and these have not failed. 

Check out all the other posts on Weekend Coffee Share, hosted by Natalie the Explorer. I'm off to go visit some now. #weekendcoffeeshare

With Joy Unquenchable,