December 2, 2013

Operation 1950’s Hot Housewife- Check in and Checklist

Can you believe it’s December already?! The year has flown by! I arrived home from my last business trip of 2013 on November 19th. It was an extremely busy time at the office after I got home and once November 25th hit, I considered myself on vacation, well staycation, until December 2nd.

I realize it’s been awhile since I’ve checked in on Operation 1950’s Hot Housewife with a Modern Twist. If you were to ask me how it’s going I’d say “okay.”

I really needed a break and some time to decompress from traveling. I felt disconnected from home, my pets, my husband!

Here’s the lowdown:

Cooking: I kept up with cooking, for the most part. Had some awesome Pinterest wins, like this crock pot whole chicken the hubs keeps raving about!

Mix some spices, cut up an onion, some potatoes and stick the chicken in the crock pot – couldn’t be easier!

Cleaning: The hubs really stepped up to the plate while I was traveling and while I was getting back into the swing of things once I got home. Just unpacking I had to give myself a mental pep talk!

Of course with things like finishing up dinner, I’d do dishes/clean the kitchen. Laundry was kept up on, but the deep cleaning (beyond wiping down counters, floors with Clorox Wipes) I wasn’t very good about. Although not technically cleaning related, we did clear out our storage unit a few miles from our place and moved everything to the storage unit we have in our building. Cut costs and our things are now more accessible. We spent a weekend afternoon moving everything, but it was well worth it and we felt accomplished. We braved the commissary right after and high-fived each other when we got home.

Working out: Epic fail. It’s a struggle. I really thought about avoiding this topic, but I want to be honest. I very excitedly signed up for an online program thinking it could be customized to my needs and I bit off more than I can chew. I had my husband and another trainer examine the exercises and they were, frankly, too advanced for me. This is partially because I am out of shape and because of the lung damage from the fire. For those who don’t know, I was trapped in a fire which I was fortunate enough to have been carried out of by a fireman. It was pretty serious and required a stay in the SICU. While my skin sustained no burns, my lungs were badly damaged. I still have to control and regulate my breathing. This makes working out a bit more challenging. And frustrating, too. While I was disappointed in the set back, I decided to build a bridge and get over it. The hubs has a colleague who works the opposite shift he does. It turns out she is also a trainer. I was shy about reaching out to her, but I did and she and I will begin training, in person, this week. I am genuinely looking forward to it, although I am a bit nervous. Baby steps.

Clothes/attire: This has been hit or miss. I am at least putting on a little make-up each day and the hubs got me a gorgeous new coat by Laundry by Shelli Segal that I wish I could just wear all of the time. It’s so flattering and I just really like it! I am practicing for Arkansas (we leave in twenty days EEK). Obviously, those shoes during the winter in Arkansas (probably?) won’t cut it.

Holiday Shopping: We have some stocking stuffers to get the girls, but we are done with the main things. I think they’ll be really happy. I told the hubs that it isn’t very creative or original, but I know he just wants accessories for the motorcycle. He’ll need to pick those out, so we’ll get together. I do have a few ideas in mind for him and need to get those ordered/picked up! I also want to make something for my co-workers including a donation on behalf of our department to a charity I know they’d all support. I have it narrowed down to a few. I am actually really excited about Christmas in Arkansas, and to see the girls’ faces when they open their gifts. THAT is my gift.

Moving forward: Today is (was) a new day. We got up and headed on a ride with our group to an old 50’s diner in East County San Diego, where I was felt up by a dirty Santa!

Is it just me or is that a mischievous look on that Santa’s face?

I did laundry, and I prepped a meatloaf for tomorrow night. I was actually going to send hubby to work with it today, but the beef hadn’t thawed in time. Worked out well since I will be returning to the office tomorrow. It will be nice just to get home and pop it in the oven.

Our Walter has what is called inter-digital cysts (caused by allergies) on his paws so we have to soak them in an iodine solution. It doesn’t hurt him, but it’s a bit of a nuisance for us all.

We have a busy week coming up, so I didn’t get too overzealous with my checklist. I have posted links to the recipes below. Here it is, in all its glory:

WEEK of 2 December 2013