Summer was just a blip on my radar this year and practically non-existent. I did manage to read three books on my summer list of four (so far) which is pretty good for me.
Because summer was compromised by a busy schedule, after a leadership conference yesterday we had planned to hit the beach but my son wasn’t feeling well and my daughter had to work on an audition she has this week so my husband and I went but it was a complete bust. Two beaches, completely crowded due to the fair and a beer festival so we came right back.
Right Now:
I didn’t sleep well last night. I’ve had this feeling of dread lately. Not anxiety really but I was tossing and turning all night long. This coffee I am drinking now better do its job. Don’t have much planned today.
Later, I’ll be visiting with some from student ministry as we tour our new building but that’s it. Our building was supposed to be open by now but it’s been delayed.
This Week:
On Monday, I volunteer for outreach. School starts for my daughter on Tuesday. The rest of the week is pretty open.
Reading:
I posted my review of The Friends We Keep. It was very good. I loved it.
Currently reading City of Girls. I am enjoying this one very much. It is about a young girl and the “the-a-tre” said in the most snooty voice possible.
Watching:
I haven’t picked up any new shows. I have just been flipping channels. A little too distracted to zero in on any one show. Fear the Walking Dead has been on a break which is weird. Maybe the creators realize the show is going nowhere.
New Things I’ve Tried:
I haven’t been using any one product long enough to share them here but I’ve been using a vitamin C serum along with a retinol oil to resurface my skin and after six weeks of it I am finally noticing a difference. My issue was dullness. I’m sure my health concerns of late didn’t help but it’s turning around.
Grateful for:
I am feeling hints of fall! I love it when fall rounds the corner. For California, we’ve had mild summer so far. We typically have very warm temps for September but I am hoping we skip it.
My question for you this week, do you meal plan? Or do you just make what sounds good? I am spending way too much on groceries these days and need to simplify.
Book Chatter 
Hey, summer’s not over yet, lady. 🙂 And what you don’t like fairs and beer? And people? 😉 Er…me either. I don’t blame you. Hope the coffee is doing its work. We’ve been watching The Orville, which has been a pleasant surprise so far. No laugh track helps. It’s mild here today. 70s. Which it has been for the last couple of days. Not much humidity either. Very nice. I don’t meal plan, but my wife does…some. I can ask her if you’d like how she does it.
I’d be interested in hearing how she meal plans. Also, crowds of any kind I cannot deal with but drunk people I really have no patience for. Plus, there was a lot of security. More than normal. Probably because of the recent shootings. It was not a relaxing vibe.
I have no patience for drunk or sober people, who am I kidding? 😉
I definitely don’t meal plan. But, I do eat the same thing for breakfast and lunch pretty much every day so it’s easy 🙂
Okay, now this is interesting. Same breakfast I get but same lunch??? What do have for lunch? I bring my lunch 4 days out of 5 and it’s always grilled fish or something I had leftover from the night before. I would eat a salad every day if I had a salad bar in my home. LOL.
I do some version of cut veggies, hummus with pretzel thins, and fruit. I usually do that 4 days a week then buy lunch one day. 🙂
I don’t meal plan because I rarely cook. Shame on me!
Except for the shorter days, there’s no hint of fall around here.
You don’t cook because someone else does or you eat out? Even if I could eat out every day I probably wouldn’t. I get tired of eating out.
I plan meals for the week on Sunday or Monday… usually just 3 or 4 with some flexibility on what gets cooked which night. That leaves us one night to go out, one for leftovers, and one for when something comes up. I also try to make soup once a week for lunches and to supplement leftovers.
There’s been a definite switch toward fall here.. even the air smells different. Not saying summer is over, but I was sitting on the dock yesterday afternoon with a fleece jacket zipped up and I was still cold!!
In California, fall sneaks up on ya but it’s usually the quality of light that gets me. It’s early this year but there is a warmness to it that the summer lacks. Today is supposed to be record temps but the summer overall has been in the 85-90 range. Unbelievable for us in the desert.
Summer has been a blip for me too. Between work being busier than usual, Daniel heading back for senior year on Saturday and Ethan leaving two days later it’s flown by. I’m reading City of Girls too but just started it. I’m enjoying it so far!
As for meals I meal plan every Sunday before heading to the store. This way I know what I need to shop for, and it helps me with lunches for work as well. It’s also helped keep costs down.
Hi Ti, sorry your beach day didn’t go well, ugh. Was that in Ventura area? I’ve been in the OC area visiting relatives and luckily the beach has been manageable and nice here. I even went into the water twice! Though there was more seaweed than usual. My skin is quite red from all the sun here despite sunscreen, a true lobster, though I cover up a lot. We’ve had fun, bike rides & book reading & meals. I hope fall does not come for a long while. Today I have to fly back to the Pole, or north country sigh. It was a good time in Calif.
One beach was Ventura and the other was Carpinteria, which is not far from Ventura. It was a comedy of errors. The weather was great for our ride back home. LOL.
I thought of your beach trip and I know about the amount of seaweed showing up on the OC beaches. Not sure what is causing it but a few months ago our beaches had the same issue and you could not go in the water.
Oh gracious, we still have at least two more months, and maybe three of bold summer.
That feeling of dread…it’s widespread, I think. I feel like I’ve accidentally sailed on a ship with a slow leak. (It’s probably from too much Moby Dick reading this week.)
I feel ya on the slow leak analogy. I am not a terribly anxious person. I get antsy, sure but not anxious. Lately though it’s just too much. The news, politics, the whole entire thing. I just want to read good books, on the shore somewhere, eat good food and spend time with the people I love. That’s it. Why can’t that be? LOL.
On Moby Dick. I did a read along for it ages ago and so many signed up and then dropped out. I, along with one other, were the only ones to finish it. I liked it.
Good job!
I really have no time to meal plan. lol
I’m not ready for fall. Our vacation is coming which is good, but then it really will be time for fall and school.
Oh yes! Vacation. That will be good for ya. Meal planning should really be very easy. A protein, a veggie, maybe a starch depending on what it is but I get so overwhelmed.
I am team meal plan all the way! I can’t stand getting home from work and then being faced with what to cook–after 10 hours at work I am toast–and I am sure we would eat just junk. Part of my weekend to-do list is to (dinner only) meal plan and then put together a quick list and go get the groceries. This is also helping me with calorie counting. I am hoping to put together a 4 week rotation for fall with dishes i know we like –with the option to pop new ones if I am in the mood. I don’ t know how people survive without the menu plan! LOL
I can’t believe school is starting for your kiddo already! We don’t start up here until around Labor Day—
I hope your week has gone well….
xoxoo
When it was just the two of us I was on WW and a fierce menu planner. But with grown kids and them being busy all of the time, I found myself planning meals and then them not being around to eat them. Yeah, sure I packed the leftovers for lunch but seemed like too much work when all I really needed was a cup of soup or a grilled sandwich. But I am finding myself staring at the fridge each and every day these days and I hate the store so having to go so often because I buy stuff for one or two meals is a pain.
And yes, summer came and went for us. It didn’t help that my university campus is year round now or that my daughter had college classes all this summer to get ahead this year.
I feel that way about summer too. I barely registered it. It’s funny because I asked my daughter if she had to write a report about her summer at school, and she said she did. She said hers was boring. She wrote about doing nothing all summer, and eating a pretzel that fell in the pool. I asked her if she mentioned camping or the musical. Nope. LOL I guess I know what’s important to her. Maybe I can convince her to skip next summer’s show we can do something more fun instead.
I am sorry your planned trip to the beach didn’t turn out as planned. That seems to be the story of my life too. I hope your son is feeling better. How did your daughter’s first day of school go? I hope she has a good year!
My husband does most of the meal preparations and sometimes he plans ahead. Mostly he just wings it. I’m afraid we aren’t very creative.
I hope you have a great week, Ti!