Hey Sugar Plums,
Linking up with Anne in Residence for Currently 08.2019. Anne’s Currently posts always go live on the first Wednesday of the month. And she is so good to send email reminders to those of us who participate regularly. You might enjoy writing for this series, too. Before we get started today, you can read my July Currently post, here.
This month we are talking about what we’re currently: ordering, watching, cooking, wondering, savoring. But in ABC order. Let’s get to it.
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CURRENTLY, 08.2019
Pretty sure I say it every month, but this series and my photography challenges both push me to think outside the box. And my own Stepping Outside My Comfort Zone series inspires me to stretch myself beyond what I am comfortable doing. Good stuff. Even my own bucket lists can encourage me to try something new. So good for this 61 year-old brain.
Cooking…
or maybe grilling? One of the activities on my summer bucket list is to try a new grilling recipe. Today’s the day. Discovered a ginger steak marinade with rum on Pinterest for which I had all of the ingredients. Mixed those together in a Ziplock baggie and added a small rib eye steak to the marinade. That was dinner tonight with these baked jalapeño poppers. And it was delicious! The soy sauce, rum and pineapple juice blend gave the meat a very tasty, kind of island flavor. The brown sugar added a bit of grilled crispy crunch to the edge of the steak. Mmmmm.
Ordering…
sparkly hair bows and back-to-school uniforms for my Cady Coo from Etsy and JCP. She is starting a new school in her neighborhood this year after attending Harmony Charter Schools until this point. Her new school requires a uniform but their dress code is less stringent than what Cady is used to. Cady can wear any solid color polo, button up, turtle neck tops with any khaki or navy blue bottoms. So we are excited that she can wear more ‘fun’ clothes. From JCP, I ordered these solid color polos, an adorable polo with a bejeweled Peter Pan collar, pull-on twill shorts and a khaki skater scooter skort. Hope they will help get her started on the right foot in her 4th grade year.
Savoring…
our afternoon swims. We have had triple digit heat for close to 30 days this summer. So the pool feels like bath water. We usually go out about 4:30 pm, before dinner. Have about given up on trying to get resolution to our pool deck issues. With PC’s job situation a question mark, this isn’t a good time for us to think about having it repaired out of pocket. I pulled off all of the blue tape the contractor and builder had used to mark all of the issues so it is easier to ignore them.
Watching…
the train wreck that is “Bachelor in Paradise.” And “Stranger Things,” which is not at all my typical cup of tea but it is good for this old dog to try new tricks.
Wondering…
how we prevent another mass shooting like the one that occurred in El Paso last Saturday and in Paul’s family’s hometown Dayton, Ohio on Sunday. I don’t know what the answer is but I do know we need to start working toward finding a solution. I would suggest longer ‘cooling off’ periods for those who purchase guns. When my ex-husband bought a gun in 1984, there was a 2 week waiting period between the day he went to the store to order the weapon and the day he picked it up. In contrast, I bought a gun about 3 years ago and walked out of the store with it.
I would also argue that most people don’t need automatic weapons, and under most circumstances, don’t even need semi-automatic weapons. True, the ‘bad’ guys will always be able to get their hands on them. I understand the thought that the ‘good guys’ need to be able to protect themselves or ‘diffuse’ the situation by having their own arms. But does anyone need an automatic weapon to do that? Are the ‘good guys’ really going to carry an AK47 around to the mall with them? To Walmart? In order to protect themselves and others?
[source]
We do love our city. And I would hate for any other city to have to deal with the pain and heartache that El Paso has been dealt this week.
Summer Goals Update
Wee bit of progress here but nothing to write home about.
- Reach and maintain my Weight Watchers lifetime goal weight. When we joined WW in 2010, my goal weight was 138 lbs. I managed to reach that goal fairly quickly but over the years since, my weight crept up with 10 pounds reattaching themselves to me. We have been on WW since mid-May and so far, so good. I fluctuate a bit but I’m hovering around 138. Concentrating on toning now, rather than trying to lose more weight.
- Do Wishtree book study. Have just begun this book. It seems like a very quick read. Several of the gals in my virtual book club are reading with me. Stay tuned for a review in the near future.
- Write 2 new TpT library lessons. Our store, Library Lovin’ Sisters, is having a back to school sale-bration right now. I have written one new lesson for our store this summer but have plans for second one in the near future. I think it will be about children’s book awards.
- Train for a triathlon. Ok, my hopes of participating in a triathlon have been dashed. But I can still train, right? Haven’t ridden my bike recently but still swimming and running. Maybe I will work up to swimming 77 laps (1 mile) and riding 9 miles on my bike. Have the 5K run down already.
- Finish spring cleaning. Have done some work in the kitchen and then LIFE got in the way. Hope to get spring cleaning finished downstairs by the end of September.
- Continue finding 30 minutes of ✌ everyday. Quiet time poolside, coloring, scrapbooking, walks, bike rides, taking photographs of the beauty around me – had done well on this until I went to Ft. Worth. Now, to get back to it.
- FINISH. Nope, haven’t finished much of anything. Have added to my to-finish list, a paint by number canvas from Winnie’s Picks that I was given in exchange for my review. Just need to FINISH, for Pete’s sake, finish.
Still plenty of work to do to realize these goals. Need to get my trotting harness on.
Your Turn
How would you respond to Anne’s Currently 08.2019 prompts? What are you currently cooking, ordering, savoring, watching and wondering? Inspire me with your responses in a comment below. Then be sure to read Anne’s Currently 08.2019 post, here. I am heading over there now, we can go together!
Thank you for spending time with me today. Have lots to do tomorrow around here while PC is at work tomorrow. Then here comes another weekend. What are your plans?
Hugs and kisses,
Kellyann Rohr
Gosh yes, we need to do something about these mass shootings. I agree with what you are saying. I also keep hearing how we need to identify those with mental health issues earlier and I agree with that BUT it is so hard to get people into treatment and to find the right provider. In FL the answer to the school shootings is to have school counselors in all the schools. While it sounds good the reality is I LEFT the school setting as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and School Counselor because I was unable to do my job – I was doing lunch duty, car duty, 504 plans, paperwork, etc. I rarely had time to work with kids and when I did identify students with issues? Their parents refused to listen and treated me like dirt. There are no easy solutions and I believe it comes down to everyone taking some responsibility. I sure hope some measures get put in place soon, we cannot afford to let this happen again.
xo,
Kellyann
Dara
I so agree about automatic rifles. I wish there was an answer. Simon is going into 4th grade too and we have a similar dress code with polos and khakis. I haven’t bought any new ones for my kids and I’m just hoping they aren’t all outgrown! Great job on the goals!
Laura Bambrick
I’m so sorry about all your pool issues. That is so disappointing and frustrating. I’m glad you are still able to enjoy your pool in spite of it all. Congratulations on your goal weight! I think weight maintenance gets harder as you get older. I’m starting to notice I can’t snack as much as I used to! Is it bad I haven’t spring cleaned in years? It’s too hard with little ones!
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Oh, girl, from the pics of your house, is looks pristine. Spring cleaning can wait!! Just continue to love on those girls like you do. Sadly, my girls’ spring cleaning memories revolved around me fighting to hang up the mini blinds after washing them, or them having to scrub the baseboards in their bedrooms. Boo!
ShootingStarsMag
That’s awesome the school dress code is a little less strict! That’s got to be fun, and a bit easier at the same time. 🙂
These mass shootings are insane. I don’t think people need automatic weapons. And there definitely needs to be more time between wanting a gun and getting one, and better background checks, and all that. It’s just horrible, and I’m always thinking that it could happen somewhere I’m at. Dayton is actually an hour from me and I know a few people that live there – thank goodness they’re all okay!
-Lauren
Anne Fraser
I live in England where it is generally illegal to own a gun and no one has automatic weapons. We don’t have mass shootings.
We do have mental illness and video games. I am getting into painting by numbers for the give away but it is so slow.
Leslie Roberts Clingan
The painting by numbers is fun but a slow process. And hard on my old eyes. I am fine with folks owning guns but question who really needs an automatic weapon that shoots up to 600 rounds per minute. What kind of hunting requires that? What situation requiring self defense, other than on a battlefield, would necessitate that? I hope we find a way to ward off these horrific mass shootings!
Dee | Grammy's Grid
Thanks so much for linking up your post at the #UnlimitedMonthlyLinkParty 3! Shared.
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Thank you for sharing, friend!!
Jill
I don’t know what the answer is either other than we need to take responsibility and make some changes! A “cooling off period” is such a great idea. No one should be able to walk into a store and walk out with an automatic rifle. I’m pinning that ginger steak marinade, it sounds delicious! Those sparkly hair bows are darling!
Jill – Doused in Pink
Leslie Roberts Clingan
The ginger steak recipe was very, very easy and good and tenderized the steak a bit, too. Hope you do try it. I used ground ginger since we aren’t big fresh gingy fans.
I realize that better mental health options would help to reduce the number of mass shootings but it is so difficult to get someone put away for severe mental health issues. We have seen it with our experiences with my mom. She has been suicidal, has taken overdoses twice and she is still released on her own recognizance. Because she can talk a good game and is very intelligent. I venture to say that most of these criminals are very intelligent, too. But the kid who committed the killings in El Paso was identified by his own mom as being unfit for a gun. Ugh. I don’t know what we are going to do.
My granddaughter wore the sparkly bows the first week of school. That did my grandma heart good!
Amy Johnson
I love “Stranger Things”, it’s one of my favorite shows. I love those hair bows too. I thought of you often during the El Paso tragedy. I don’t share your views on gun control but it would take an hour long in-person conversation and I’m sure you’ve heard my viewpoint many times before anyway.
Leslie Roberts Clingan
You know, we are both gun owners. I just think we have to do something about the automatic weapons. I understand the bad guys will get them anyway. But more stringent background checks, cooling off periods and limiting the amount of ammunition in automatic clips might help. It just seems that all of these mass murders are done with AKs.
We need to get back to watching “Stranger Things”. I think we are ready for season 2. Maybe we can watch while we are out of town this week.