The Piano Wall

Yesterday was just an all around great day. Except for food. My food choices yesterday left little to be desired in nutritional or aesthetic value. I’m still sharing because this daily blogging and accountability thing I’ve got going is feeling good and it’s working both physically and mentally.

The Piano Man had to cancel so Mike decided we could move it with some help from our friend Ryan. I don’t think Ryan realized what he was in for when Mike reached out to “move something”.

Moving a 500 lb piano on new wood floors is NO JOKE. After a few tips on the phone from the Piano Man, Mike and Ryan lifted one side while I was on the ground pushing a comforter underneath, followed with a caster. Then the other side. With the blanket in place and four casters under the wheels, they slid it into place while I prayed. Then I was back on the floor while they lifted so I could pull out the blanket. I was impressed with our teamwork. Dang it I wish we had a video of that.

Anyhow, this old gem is back where she belongs and I’m in love with the mirror over her.

I’m not sure yet how I’ll style this area, but for now this will work as the holiday approaches and I need to focus more on the menu and less on the space.

I did order a floor lamp as the one there now is ancient, short, actually leaning a tad and typically lives in a corner in our bedroom. I was playing with the photo editor and tried to draw in something similar to what I have ordered.

While the piano wall was a highlight of my day, my day actually started with meeting my friend Betsy over at my pops house first thing in the morning to help out with a few things around the yard.

Hi Pops!

Then back to her house to finish up Frosty. Betsy has a great workshop in her basement with everything from saws to paints, nail guns, staple guns….all the things.

She has a couple of things to do to finish him up then I’ll share our finished project.

We had such a great time playing crafts together. I’m excited to spend more days with her through the holidays working on some fun projects.

That turkey I grabbed at Trader Joe’s? I took it to a local meat shop yesterday to have them smoke it for our Thanksgiving dinner. I’ve done this a few times in the past and it always taste great. It will be ready the day before Thanksgiving along with the turkeys that belong to all of these other lovely folks. The cashier said….”Come early. Dress warm. The pickup line will be out the door.”

I can’t wait to share with Tess and Manuel their Wednesday morning activity!

My Gift to Myself Yesterday

I’m half way through the month and I love this whole Daily Gift to Myself thing I decided to do on a whim. It’s encouraging me to mindfully do one thing each day that I enjoy. I’m much more present. I find myself in the moment instead of thinking about what I did do, or what I need to do.

You should all try it!

My gift yesterday was meeting a friend at a coffee shop, where we actually both ordered hot tea and shared a snack.

Then we went to a Candle Light Yoga class.

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When she invited me, my first thought was no can do as I wasn’t sure what I would be able to physically do. Then I decided to just go with it, and if I could do it, then great. If not, well what Yogi doesn’t love a long savasana. For you non Yogi peeps, that’s the part at the end where you just lie there. Or do you lay there? Anyhow, you’re doing nothing but breathing while flat on your back on your yoga mat, and for some reason it’s the most peaceful few minutes of the entire day.

I don’t even know the last time I was inside a Yoga studio. Pre-Covid. I do know that. I loved being there so much. It was zen. I felt strong. I felt like me. It was Candle Light Yoga. I’d not done that before. The whole vibe was perfect.

I’m SO glad I went. When I was doing Yoga regularly a few years ago, I loved how strong I felt in class. I loved the breathing. The stretching. Challenging myself to try a new position. Listening to my body and appreciating what it can do. It was exactly what I needed to do as I move forward with the trainer to build muscle with the goal of my body feeling better.

Eliminating Alcohol (for now)

This topic deserves it’s own post, but for today……

I’m seven weeks in to no-alcohol and this decision has really got me thinking about some things. I haven’t shared yet why the decision to eliminate it for now, but it’s surprisingly easier than I thought it would be and I’m discovering so many benefits.

Grabbing a beer or a glass of wine had become a frequent habit. Socializing with friends. Watching sports. Covid didn’t help. While considering eliminating alcohol for a time, I kept asking myself this question. What is it I’m after when I have a drink, or drinks? I didn’t think I was sad. I wasn’t trying to bury my feelings. I wasn’t running away from anything. The only time I really would say, I need a drink, was if it had been an unusually stressful day. For the most part, it just sounded good to me because I really like the taste of beer and wine. I’m discovering that it really wasn’t the buzz that I was after. I wasn’t after anything. It simply sounded good to me. A cozy evening by the fire with red wine. A summer evening on the deck with white wine. Cooking with my music playing and sipping wine. A yummy IPA beer while watching sports. Nothing better than a cold beer after working in the yard all day. It had become such a habit.

Finding alternatives that actually taste good had made this doable.

I’ve yet to find a non-alcoholic wine that I enjoy, but I’ve discovered that there are several breweries making Non-Alcoholic beers and some of them are so dang good that if I didn’t know, I honestly wouldn’t know. One of my favorites is only 60 calories!

As time goes by, I’ll share later all of the physical and mental benefits in more detail. For now I am taking notes as I travel along this new path and I’m feeling pretty dang happy.

Now, sorry for the ugly food pics.

Breakfast

Coffee

Lunch

This sounded SO good while waiting in line to drop off my turkey so I grabbed lunch for Mike and I. I ate 10 fries and half of the sandwich. It was plenty!

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Snack

Raw almonds, beef stick and my PB&J balls before Yoga.

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Dinner

It was 8:30 by the time I got home from Yoga. Half a chicken salad sandwich and a few veggies. The toast from dinner the night before had me craving bread all day yesterday!

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Have a happy and healthy day you beautiful people!

“love the life you live, live the life you love”