My Super Power

 

I’m going to share a little something with you.  Last winter I was tested and diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD) and I was absolutely devastated.  In all honesty, I knew I had obsessive compulsive tendencies, but to have a diagnosis of one’s personality was like a hard punch in the gut.  Immediately I broke down in tears, I was sobbing.

 

My therapist handled me and my mini breakdown like a champ.  The first thing he told me was to drop the word “disorder” (he personally feels this word is way overused) and then he asked me if I would agree that I tend to have an obsessive compulsive personality?  “Yeeeesss…”  And then he asked me why I thought it might be a bad thing?  “I don’t knooow.”  I guess I just assumed that it was.

 

OCDP is similar, but not the same as someone with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and is far less extreme.  While I don’t check all the boxes of OCDP I do check a fair number of them.  Is this something I need to work through and get over?  Well, only if there is a particular part that I’m struggling with, but for the most part – No.  You can’t really “get over it” anyway, it is a part of who I am.  It is how I’m hardwired, likely from birth and in looking back it probably does run in my family.  It isn’t just going to go away, but now that I recognize it for what it is I’m actually able to really use it to my advantage.

 

At the same time it was suggested to me that I am also a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP).  Oh goodie, another acronym!  But, combined with OCDP, which is quite common, it only further helped me to identify why I do and feel and act in certain ways.  Again, now that I know I can also use that to my advantage as well.

 

So what does this mean?  It means that I’m strong and capable, organized and methodical, a strict rule follower, attentive to details, goal and deadline oriented, punctual (I can’t be late), loyal and dependable so depending on the occupation I make a really good employee.  I take care of business.  I’m a rock solid provider.  I can also be a royal pain in the ass and drive those around me bonkers, but I always do so with the best intentions.

 

I need order instead of chaos, I thrive with a routine, I’m a planner and a list maker so I’m able to accomplish a lot of things in a typically short amount of time.  I’m a great provider with an eye on quality and economy.  I’m great in a crisis situation, but I often struggle to understand other’s needs and emotions, even on the most basic level.  I can take care of the physical need much better than the emotional side of things, so in the past I’ve tended to steer clear of those situations.  If someone started crying, especially if it was a man, I’d be more likely to get the hell out of there.  I didn’t know what to do.  On the flipside however, when it comes to children, the elderly or animals I’m all there.

 

I’m more comfortable with small groups than crowds.  I struggle when there is a lot of noise and commotion.  I don’t do well with spontaneous, I need a moment to wrap my head around it.  What makes sense to me doesn’t always make sense to the masses and vice versa.  It sometimes takes me a while to figure it out or get the gist.  I’m quite literal so reading between the lines isn’t really my strong point.  If you tell me its red I believe you even if you meant it’s really pink.

 

Initially, I was never going to tell anyone about this, but I’ve come to accept and embrace myself for how and who I am.  And it isn’t a bad thing, not at all.  I only wish now that I could’ve have known about this much sooner in my life.  Perhaps it would’ve made a difference, perhaps not.  It is hard to say, but in the end I guess it doesn’t really matter.  I’m quite happy with the person I am today and that’s the best part.  It’s my Super Power!

 

My Tireless Retirement - Week 75

 

Oh my goodness!  The weeks are tearing by, kids are already back in school, football season is here and Fall is on its way.  I love to decorate for Fall so that is what I did last week.  I love the cute little pumpkins dotted throughout my home and, yes I know it is a touch early, but I had to set out my cute little ghosties and my terra cotta jack-o-lantern.  They’re my favorites.  The Fall wreath is hung by the front door too.  In the process I even decluttered a few items from the storage tote and started a new donation bag out in my garage.

 

I just love these cute little buggers!

After looking ahead at our weather forecast I had decided to go ahead and pull the A/C units out of the upstairs bedrooms a week early and store them away for winter.  I typically only need to run the A/C in my house from 4^th of July weekend through Labor Day once the temperatures reach 95° or higher.  Other than that my house will stay nice and comfortable leaving my power bill quite low during the summers.  Since decluttering and reorganizing my closet I’m now easily able to store the units in my master bedroom.  No more lugging them up and down the stairs to keep them in the garage which has been really nice.

 

YUM!!!

I celebrated my 59^th birthday over Labor Day weekend on Saturday and it was such a nice day.  With fresh flowers, a wonderful dinner and a delicious berry cheesecake for dessert.  It was absolutely perfect!  I just can’t believe I’m 59.  My next birthday I will be 6-0!  Yikes!  Time is flying!

 

My flowers are blooming like crazy!

Sunday we got a much appreciated rain to freshen everything up and water my flowers and garden.  I had doors and window opens letting in all the fresh air.  I got outside on Tuesday to do a little bit of yard work as the rains had left me with quite a bit of tree debris on the ground.  I also needed to tidy up my neighbor’s row of hedges along the property line and my driveway as they were beginning to encroach on the area where I park my truck.  I didn’t want to risk scratching the side of my truck when I pull into my driveway.

 

These shrubs.....  (sigh)

Speaking of my truck I finally got to complete a project I started three years ago, but wasn’t able to finish.  I had some areas on the driver’s side where the paint had begun to fail.  I’ll go into more details about it in Friday’s post, but I cannot tell you how good it feels right now to have it completed, not to mention the relief I feel too.  It was really bothering me that I hadn’t been able to take care of this sooner and I confess I was worrying about it.  Now it is done and there is no more worry.  Whew!

 

My truck needed a little bit of love

On one of my walks I picked up a couple books from the neighborhood lending library box.  When I’m done with them I’ll return them so someone else can enjoy them and I plan to add a book of mine to it also.  It is really nice and very convenient to have that library box in our neighborhood.

 

The garden is doing great!

I feel like I got so much stuff accomplished this past week and as always it feels really, really good.  Especially when you get to check off one of those long awaited projects from the list!  It just fuels me up to get more done.

 

Keto Sopa Seca

I hope you enjoyed a fabulous week last week and wish you all well in the week ahead.  Take care, be happy and be blessed.

 

Investment Cooking - Refrigerator Pickles

 

Yum!  I love a good homemade pickle and when I got cucumber bombed with a bag left on my doorknob by an anonymous neighbor I knew right away I wanted to pickle them.

 

Gotta have some fresh garlic

I began by selecting two clean quart jars and slicing these cucumbers into thick slices.  Then I packed them into the jars about halfway.  I added a tablespoon of pickling spice and a teaspoon of dillweed to each jar.  Next I peeled and added 3 whole cloves of garlic to each jar.  Then I filled the jars the rest of the way up with sliced cucumbers making sure I got them well packed in with no big gaps.

 

Pickling spice

In the microwave I boiled a cup of water and then added a teaspoon of salt and ½ a cup of apple cider vinegar stirring it together until the salt was thoroughly dissolved.  I added that to a quart jar and then repeated this step again for the other.  Then I added a lid and once the brine had cooled I placed both jars into the refrigerator to sit for at least two weeks.

 

I think I'll pickle some peppers next 😋

Just like that I preserved myself two quarts of salty, garlicky, dill pickles.  I can hardly wait to try them.  They should last in the refrigerator for a few months (not likely, they’ll be eaten up before then) but you can also use canning lids and water bath process them for 10 minutes to make them shelf stable, if you like.  If you want a sweeter pickle, you can also add 2 tablespoons of sugar to each recipe of brine.  This is also a great brine to use for pickling peppers and onions.  Are you going to make any pickles this summer?

 

Procrastination

 

At one time or another we all procrastinate.  If anyone tells you they never procrastinate, I would challenge their honesty, because we all do it.  And then, we tend to feel guilty about it or even worse, we mentally beat ourselves up.  You may feel that you are just being lazy, but let me tell you, that is not the case at all. If you do any of this I want you to stop it right now!  It is time to realign our thinking about why it is we find ourselves procrastinating about certain things.

 

For one thing procrastination is actually a good thing.  One of the main reasons we tend to procrastinate is simply that there are other things going on that are more pressing so we are making those things a priority over others.  Prioritizing important matters is a good thing.

 

We often procrastinate because we are afraid or uncertain.  The task at hand may seem overwhelming or scary, especially if you don’t know quite how to go about tackling it.  This is the time to take a step back and reevaluate the situation.  Put some thought into it, do some research, maybe even ask someone for their perspective or even their help.

 

Procrastination is actually very useful.  It helps keep us from charging into a situation and reeking unnecessary havoc.  It allows us the time to make wise decisions about what we truly need to do.  By understanding this we are now able to approach these things with a much clearer idea of how to take on a project or even a much needed conversation with someone.

 

We need to be kind to others, but we also need to be kind to ourselves.  So if there is something you’ve been procrastinating about I want you to stop the guilt and negativity immediately.  Take a step back and a deep cleansing breath and set some new eyes on the situation.  Gain some clarity on why it is you’ve been procrastinating.  Then you can take a positive approach forward to the resolve situation and get it done.

 

What are some things you find you’ve been procrastinating about and not getting done?  Are you now able to see why?  Knowing why do you now think it is possible to take care of it?

 

Purging & Organization - My Clothes Closet

 

A couple of weeks ago I found myself contemplating shopping for some new clothes as I head into Fall and Winter because I had been struggling to put outfits together and found myself pretty much wearing the same things day in and day out.  I realized that my boredom with my wardrobe was suggesting to me that I go shopping and spend money.  The truth is I had plenty of clothing in my closet already that I wasn’t wearing so how was buying more stuff really going to solve my “problem”?

 

I put together eight different outfits to wear in the week ahead

Instead of going to the store I went upstairs to my bedroom with my “let’s get real eyes” on and took a good look at what I had.  There were a lot of good clothing pieces in my closet that I just wasn’t wearing, but I really liked them and they all currently fit me, so I pulled everything out and laid in on my bed.

 

I eliminated two tops & a small pile of hangers

I began by simply putting together outfits out of what I had laid out and came up with some new combinations and this really gave me a boost.  It was quite amazing!  I even put together some pieces that before I never would have considered wearing together, but now that I can see that they do go nicely together it is literally like having a brand new outfit without spending any money.

 

My closet is so much more streamlined and organized now

It also helped me to realize that what I thought I was low on (such as my thinking I needed some new bottoms) I actually had more than enough.  Plenty of bottoms to coordinate and wear with my tops, plenty of colored sweaters to had the warmth I will need as Fall and Winter seasons approach and loads of variety too.

 

In the process I pulled out two tops that I knew I no longer wanted as they just weren’t my favorites.  I didn’t care for the way they felt or fit me even though they were my size so I added them to the donation bag in my garage.  Now someone else can have them to add to their wardrobe and enjoy.

 

I placed my earrings on the bathroom counter
where they are much more accessible & they look pretty

I also realized that I kept forgetting to put on earrings each day, with is something I really like to do, especially after going to all the trouble to update the hooks on all of them.  Instead of sitting in my closet I relocated them back to my bathroom where I get ready each day which for me makes a lot more sense.

 

I honestly feel like I had a bit of a shopping spree, but I didn’t actually do any shopping.  This process didn’t just save me a bunch of money, but I also downsized a bit plus got some serious cleaning and organizing done, all of which is a huge goal of mine for the year.  I now feel excited about the “new” outfits I have to wear each day.  I also discovered I need absolutely nothing because I have more than enough clothing including pajamas, socks, shoes and undergarments.  Win – win!!

My Tireless Retirement - Week 74

Happy Monday once again my friends!  Today is Labor Day in the U.S. so I hope you have the day off.  My goodness what a week I had!  It was busy, busy, busy as I got ready to launch my fun little food and recipe journal this past Friday.  Thank you so much for your kind support of this project and to those who have already purchased one.  It has been wonderful and I truly do appreciate it.

 

I shared with you the week before that I was cucumber bombed and I did end up making two quarts of refrigerator dill pickles out of them.  They were pickling cucumbers that had been left on the vine a little longer than ideal for whole pickles so I sliced them into thick slices and decided on refrigerator pickles so they’d be firm and crispy.  My house smelled absolutely delicious once I finished this little task and I can hardly wait to try them in a couple weeks and see how they turned out.  I’ll be sure to let you know.  I love pickles and these are very low carb (no sugar) so I can enjoy them anytime I wish.

 

The cooler temperatures have allowed my garden to flourish once again.  I’ve been harvesting tomatoes and I have new zucchinis coming on now too.  Even my flowers have begun to blossom and fill out again so they aren’t looking quite so bedraggled.

 

My blood work came back and all is well with that.  Thank you Lord!  Nothing notable for me to be concerned about so it is onward and upward.  Whoo hooo!!  Along with that I’ve lost two more pounds and my clothes are fitting me much better.

 

I was a pretty cute baby

I went back through my sentimental bin and pulled a bunch of items out to add to one of my photo albums.  It motivated me to take the snapshots I’d tucked inside from high school and get them onto pages, annotate and place inside the album.  I also added a couple keepsakes that belonged to my grandmother and my great grandmother.

 

My grandmother's Junior Prom dance card & a handmade
autograph booklet belonging to my great grandmother
(used prior to high school yearbooks), just so sweet

I hope you had a wonderful week and are looking forward to the week ahead.  Anything fun on the agenda?  Take care!

  

A Super Exciting Announcement!

 

You have all been so patient with me, not to mention really good sports, as I’ve been hinting about my BIG HUGE project and what it might possibly be.  Well, at long last I’m going tell you all about it.  Some of you guessed it was a book and you’d be right about that!  It is a book, but it is also a journal!

 

Many, many, many of my long time readers from my old blog Thrifty Mom In Boise have been asking me to do a recipe book or a book on tips and tricks of thrifty living and that is what I’ve been working on, but with a twist.  I went through eleven years of recipes and articles compiling the best of the best into this project.  I even added some recipes that were not on the blog.  Not only is it a recipe book (with wipe off pages!), but it is also has a section called “Pearls Of Wisdom” with tips and tricks to save money at the grocery store, meal planning, school lunches, stockpiling, pretty much all things food related.

 

Additionally, it is a journal with areas to expand and add your own recipes, food related memories, meal ideas, whatever you want.  Places to tuck things like coupons and gift cards, recipes you might clip from a newspaper or magazine.  Plus!  A surprise ephemera pack is enclosed with each one to get you started so you can make this journal your very own.

 

I put my heart and soul into this journal along with a lot of thought.  Each journal is unique, no two are identical as far as the styling, but the information contained inside is consistent with each one.  Journals need to be tailored to the owner so that is what you will have, the opportunity to tailor this journal to meet your specific needs and requirements.

 

We have a three volume set of journals in mind, based on how well the first one does.  Volume one is based on all things food management related.  Volume two will be based on home management and volume three will be all things Christmas and other celebrations!

 

Right now we are doing a “soft launch”.  I am listing Thrifty Mom In Boise A Journal For Everyday Living Volume 1 available for sale on eBay with a lower introductory rate of $49.95 throughout the month of September for those of you interested in purchasing a copy.  The reason I chose eBay is so I can ship them internationally as I have a lot of readers outside the U.S. and I wanted them to have an opportunity as well.

 

I am ever so grateful for the chance to do this and it wouldn’t have been possible without the great readers I have.  Thank you for following along with me all these years and for the massive amounts of encouragement to do this.  I’m praying this goes well so I can offer the additional two volumes in the near future.  I hope you like it.  Happy Cooking!  Happy Eating!  Happy Journaling!!