Month: July 2021

Friday Five Things 7/30

~ kofriedery ~ Leave a comment

“It is a happy talent to know how to play.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Earlier this week I attended an Olympics themed birthday party that was so fun and really well executed. I think it was my first party in a very long time and I wasn’t super great with party-type situations before staying locked in my house for a year and a half. I had some pre-party social anxiety but it eventually faded when I got there and remembered how to play and have fun with other people. Over all, it was a great reminder to be playful and not take things too seriously!

  1. Olympics! I’m not really a fanatic about the Olympics but it’s always fun to watch a few competitions when they’re airing. I love hearing to how excited the commentators get during close races and unexpected outcomes, due to many of them being former athletes in those events.
  2. The neighbor’s kitten. My neighbors were out of town for a few days this week and they asked me to stop by to feed and check in on their two cats. They have a very sweet black long haired cat and a new little orange kitten who is a firecracker! Both cats have been very friendly even though I’m a stranger to them. The kitten has the scratchiest little voice when he meows and he purrs like a diesel engine.
  3. New houseplants. I stopped by our local garden center to pick up some self-watering devices to help a few of my outdoors plants get through the near 100 degree temps this week. And while I was there I allowed myself to buy two new houseplants! I potted them last night and also repotted a few of my other plants. While doing so I discovered that my snake plant had propagated itself three times in it’s original plant so I split off the babies and I now have four snake plants! When I was younger I tried to keep plants alive and just never could do it. Now that I’m older and pay more attention to things in my house, taking care of my green babies has brought me so much joy!
  4. Cutting back on social media. Over the past year my social media consumption has gotten a bit out of control. So on Tuesday I decided to delete Facebook and Instagram off of my devices. Not having them easily accessible has prevented me from mindlessly scrolling for a few days. I’m not sure how long I’ll keep them deleted, but even just a few days away has felt really good and freeing.
  5. Books. I got back on track with my goal to finish five books this month! I read some good ones and I’ll have my book report up early next week with my reviews and recommendations.

Friday Five Things 7/23

~ kofriedery ~ Leave a comment

“To affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of arts.” – Henry David Thoreau

I think the quote above is going to mean something different for everyone. For me, it is getting outside to move my body, mindfulness in gratitude, and checking things off my to-do list! What is it that you can do for yourself to affect the quality of your day?

  1. Hiking. I didn’t hike at all last week because I was limiting my driving while waiting for my new tire. So it was a top priority to get out into nature this week. I went for a long hike near Boulder and it was the life-giving fulfillment I needed!
  2. Fun projects. In the midst of continuing to finish painting our house, I have let myself do a few little fun side projects. One of them has been painting a cardboard cat house that I bought for the kitties last Christmas. It has been sitting out in the living room with it’s Christmas theming since December and I decided rather than toss it, that I would make use of a few of the paint samples we decided not to use. So while we are getting a fresh coat on our house, Buzz and Portia are getting a new look for their little playhouse!
  3. This recipe. I finally had a zucchini big enough to harvest this week and I made this Zucchini Butter Pasta recipe from Smitten Kitchen. I added mushrooms because it seemed like the right thing to do. Guys, I make a lot of pasta and I think this is my favorite pasta recipe I’ve ever made. I scaled down the recipe a little bit for just two people, but don’t make that mistake. We would have eaten more if there had been more, it was SO GOOD. I’m stalking two baby zukes on my plant right now because I want to make it again as soon as they are ready!
  4. Happy tired clean dogs. Bama and I met up with a friend at the dog park this week and they ran around like lunatics. And then ran through the little creek and everyone got so muddy. But we came home, took a bath, and snoozed HARD. We don’t get out to the dog park much these days and when we do…it’s hard to get Bama to play with other dogs. So it was really fun to watch her make a friend and get out some wiggles in a social way.
  5. Surprises in the mail. A friend of mine accidentally bought the same puzzle twice and instead of returning the second one, she mailed it to me! It’s always fun to get mail, especially when it isn’t your birthday or a holiday. It makes me want to start sending my friends little surprises at random because it made me smile so much.

Mid-July Goals Update

~ kofriedery ~ Leave a comment

“Success is a collection of problems solved.” – I. M. Pei

Hello! I haven’t posted a goals update since the beginning of May. Things derailed a little this summer, but that was anticipated! Overall, I feel like I’m still making progress on the things that are most important this year.

Be Present – I’ve been taking time to myself to journal (almost) every day. I also have been going on weekly coffee walks with a friend of mine on Mondays and it is such a great reminder of being present in the moment and engaged with the world and people around me. Feeling good about where I am now versus where I started the year. I’ll also say that spending a lot of time painting the house this summer has helped. It’s not really a multi-tasking type activity!

Focus on the Essential – Things got a little off the rails in May and June…I bought a few clothing items that weren’t really necessary but they’ve turned out to be some of the go-to items in my closet! I been really good at using up what I have from a consumables standpoint before buying new things. And I’ve been really intentional about purchases for the house. We’ve been checking at the Habitat Restore and Facebook Marketplace for specific things, trying to buy secondhand if we can as well as only buying what is really needed. So far it’s paying off! We found a Crate and Barrel loveseat that fits the space we wanted to fill for $65!! Is it perfect? No, not perfect. But it’s comfy and cozy and we can cover the ugly fabric with a blanket for now! And honestly, the cats are equal opportunity at destroying fabric…so it doesn’t hurt as much to hear them tearing at a $65 couch as it would a $3000 one…

Stay Connected – This has gotten much easier now that things are opening back up and people are meeting up in person now! But even though I’m much more comfortable meeting up with one or a few people for drinks or coffee, I am glad that a few of my little zoom groups have continued. I know eventually I’ll travel to go see my more distant friends but it’s great that we’ve normalized FaceTime or phone calls for us where before they were such a rare thing in my circles.

Activate Inner SJW – This one had felt like an epic fail for me so far this year. I reached out to a few nonprofits about volunteering and either never heard back or was told that they aren’t accepting new volunteers during the pandemic. So…I need to put this back on my to-do list for finding the right place to volunteer. In the meantime, I’ve been seeking out expert voices to continue my education about systemic racism and continuing conversations with people around me.

As for the other goals I had recently, I think I’ve been doing pretty well. I’ve been using a habit tracker for some of the daily items and it helps a lot!

  • Hike 20 miles/other regular movement – I did 20 miles in both May and June and I’m on track for another 20 this month! I’ve been leaving the dog at home to tackle some longer hikes and really enjoying spending more extended time out in nature. I’ve also been doing short body weight exercises a couple times a week which has been feeling really good. This week was kind of a bust in terms of movement, but we all have off weeks, right? Just get back on the horse!
  • Finish the outline and get started on research for new book – Yes! I am still doing research but I’ve written more than 25,000 words of my manuscript since the middle of May!
  • Read 5 books – I haven’t hit 5 books every month, but that’s partly because I’ve been reading some really long books. I also haven’t been making reading a priority, but I changed that this month and have added read 30 minutes to my habit tracker. It is definitely helping me move through some of my book backlog. I think I’ll easily hit 5 this month, maybe more? We’ll see.
  • Eat healthier and drink 60oz of water daily – Healthier being a relative term, things are going well in this arena. Some days I eat more Cheetos than I’d like but I am learning to really listen to my hunger cues and understand what my body is telling me. Like right now it’s saying I’ve had too much sugar over the past few days and not enough movement. So we remedy that as best we can. Also, I’ve been hydrating like a champ!
  • 15 minutes of cleaning every day – Not 15 minutes every day anymore, but I’ve definitely made cleaning or tidying part of my daily routine. For the most part, if I see something that needs doing, I do it rather than put it off. Overall this has had a really good effect on how I feel about my space. I don’t get stressed about the mess anymore.

Friday Five Things 7/16

~ kofriedery ~ Leave a comment

“Stay close to any sounds that make you glad you are alive.” – Hafez

Hello again! I actually got my act together and wrote my blog post on time! I also have a couple ideas for some one-off posts, so I’ll scatter those throughout the coming weeks on non-Friday days. As far as weeks go…this was a pretty good one.

  1. Catching up with old friends. Over the weekend I had the opportunity to see a high school friend who I haven’t seen, or talked to really, in about twenty years! She was visiting a mutual friend who I do see regularly and the three of us got together for some drinks and a stroll around town. It was so fun to hear everything that’s been going on in her life recently and to see that she is doing so well. A good blast from the past to be sure. Later in the week I also had a good phone catch-up with another long distance friend.
  2. Taking care of nagging tasks. I crossed two of those annoying, nagging tasks off my list this week! You know, the ones that come with being an adult that you really just want to ignore? The first was taking my car to the tire shop. I’ve had a very slow leak in one of the tires and refilled it with air probably one more time than was responsible before taking it in. Turns out the tire needed to be replaced and luckily I had bought a warranty when I got the new set a couple years ago and the replacement was free! The other little nagging task was to file some mail and papers that have been stacking up in our office. Nothing important, but just stuff that shouldn’t be throw away just yet. I have a bad habit of adding to the pile rather than filing right away, so the stack was getting bigger and bigger. I finally set a 20 minute timer and told myself I’d get as much done in that time as I could. As is usually the case, it took much less time to go through everything than I had thought and now…no pile! At least until I bring in the mail tonight.
  3. Afternoon thunderstorms. Colorado has a very dry climate, even in the summer. Humidity doesn’t really exist here. But this year we have gotten about 50% more rain on the front range than we usually do by this time of year. While my animals may disagree with me here, I love when an afternoon thunderstorm rolls in. First of all, it means my plants will be wet and happy without my daily watering. Second, there is just something so cozy about being inside while the tempest is raging outside. And third, it usually cools things down for the evening and makes my house just a little more comfortable for sleeping.
  4. Loki. Guys, Disney has been hitting it out of the park with their Marvel series this summer. I loved WandaVision, Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and now Loki. It was a smart, funny, and heartwarming journey for one of our favorite antiheroes of the Avengers. And Tom Hiddleston does such a great job of playing the character! You can tell he really loves being in this role. Again, these might not be the best shows for you if you aren’t already an MCU fan and don’t have a working knowledge of the characters. But, also, what better time than now to get rolling on the whole franchise!
  5. Roasting garlic and jalapeños. I made cheesy grits for a dinner one night this week and I added canned corn along with roasted garlic and jalapeños. I decided to try roasting them in my air fryer/toaster oven on just the bake setting and it worked! All in all, it was much faster from start to finish than if I had used my big oven. And it didn’t overheat my whole kitchen!

Friday Five Things 7/9

~ kofriedery ~ Leave a comment

“You will either step forward into growth, or you will step backward into safety.” – Abraham Maslow

Better late than never, right? This has been one of those weeks where I’ve completely lost track of the days, so even though I “knew” today was Friday, I didn’t remember it was Friday until just now… Anyway, on to the good things!

  1. Mozzarella. I’ve been buying a ball of fresh mozzarella and having it in a grilled cheese or some caprese for lunch. It is such a perfect summertime cheese to have on hand! The other day I did a salad with mozzarella, strawberries, avocado, and spinach. Yum!
  2. Looooong hike. I decided to challenge myself earlier this week and I did an 8 mile hike with 1200ft elevation gain! It was tough and hot and tiring, but I finished in less than 4 hours and I felt so great to have accomplished it. My legs and feet were sore that afternoon, but I woke up feeling pretty okay the next couple days. So I think that means I might finally be ready to bag my first 14er after having lived in Colorado for 20+ years!
  3. Cucumber plants. For several years we’ve tried to grow cucumbers with little to no success. This year I changed up the locations for all my plants and the cukes are now on the deck under some partial shade. And they are THRIVING! They aren’t fruiting just yet, but the actual plants are three times as big as we’ve ever gotten them and there are tons of flowers. Here’s hoping we can harvest some without the squirrels ruining everything!
  4. Puzzles. Puzzles were always part of my life growing up. And last March when we were stuck inside puzzles became a regular pastime for me, especially while on long conference calls! Anyway, I’ve kind of been taking a break over the past few months but this week I pulled out a 1,000 piece puzzle that I hadn’t done yet. And I’m hooked again! It is just so meditative and relaxing for me to sit and put in piece after piece. And then I feel so accomplished at the end of it!
  5. House updates. The front of our house is now 90% finished painting! Everything is covered with at least the first coat and there are a few places that will need a second coat/touch up but you can really only see those from up close. It’s like a whole new house from the street! Still need to finish around the sides and the back especially. We are starting to think about what color to paint the front door and have some fun ideas for updates in that area. I’m really glad we decided to do it ourselves, not only do I think we’ve done a pretty good job with the painting, but it’s also has given me more confidence when thinking about other DIY home projects that I could help with or do myself!

June Book Report

~ kofriedery ~ Leave a comment

“The worst thing about new books is that they keep us from reading the old ones.” – Joseph Joubert

June ended up not being a huge reading month for me. I had several books I had hoped to finish in addition to this list…and it just didn’t happen. The good news is, I really enjoyed the three books that I did read!

Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson – Second book of the Stormlight Archives series. Again… if you aren’t into fantasy worlds feel free to skip. But I am really liking this series even more than the Mistborn series. The characters feel more complex and world feels more real and comprehensive. In this second book a little more of the lost and distorted history of the world is made clearer. Many characters discover their powers and start to learn more about what they can and cannot do. Many of the main characters who have been disconnected are brought together and we get to see them interact. There are a lot of characters to keep track of, which some people don’t appreciate but I personally love seeing all the different perspectives on a story.

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott – I read this book in a college class that was about teaching writing to high schoolers. I loved it then and I love it again now. Anne Lamott is very irreverent about everything…but especially about what it means to be a writer. She lays all of the difficulties and insecurities that writers have out in the open in a successful attempt to make you feel less alone about your perceived shortcomings. In the midst of her humor and self-deprivation, she also provides a very real and tangible approach to writing, including things like writing in “small assignments” by focusing on one scene at a time. Or as the title says “bird by bird.” Highly recommend if you are looking for something on this subject.

Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah – This was an entertaining little fluff of a novel. It definitely deals with some difficult subjects (rape, parental neglect, terminal illness) but there are also a lot of fun scenes as we watch two best friends grow up just outside of and then right inside of Seattle. The book takes us from their childhood in the seventies through each decade until the early 2000s. I mostly really enjoyed this novel, but I also found it hard to root for the main characters sometimes because of their inability to stand up for themselves. It makes sense when they are younger, but it becomes less forgivable the older they get. There is also a lot of theming around career vs. family that I think is a little too binary. But other than that, I would recommend as a good vacation read!

Friday Five Things 7/2

~ kofriedery ~ Leave a comment

“The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.” – Sylvia Plath

Hi friends and happy Friday! I know I’ve been a bit negligent about posting every Friday, but things are getting busy around here! I’m planning to put out my Book Report for June on Monday and then resume regular Friday posts for the rest of the summer.

  1. Freedom to adjust expectations. For most of May I was writing a lot most days of the week. Then in June my creativity seemed to dry up for some reason. I spent the first few weeks trying to force myself into the same routine from May before I remembered that I have the freedom to adjust my expectations. So I made a shift to only asking myself to write 300 words every day. The result is that I added to my manuscript much slower this month, but I was able to actually get words on the page every day instead of sitting for two hours without any progress. Reducing the expectation on myself for a single writing session freed up the block I was having, if only a little bit. For July I plan to continue the 300 words per day and see where the rest of the summer takes me.
  2. The ability to escape to the mountains. After a few weeks of super hot weather where we live, we decided to escape to the mountains and it was definitely a cool down! A little too chilly at times to be honest, but after several days of 90 degree heat I didn’t mind a couple mornings with a fire in the fireplace. We are super lucky to have a free place to stay when we head up there and live close enough to do it on a whim. On the way up to Breckenridge this weekend, Tyler planned a little side excursion to hike up to St. Mary’s Glacier as a surprise for me. Bama loved it, rolling in the slushy ice of the glacier especially. We also did a half day Jeep trail on Friday morning and had a little lunch picnic above tree line. Nothing big, just little adventures out of our normal routine that bring me joy.
  3. Physical wellness. I’m not what anyone would call “in great shape” but this morning I was hiking and was so grateful for what my body can do for me. There have been several stark reminders in my life recently that you can’t take wellness for granted so I am going to take joy from the fact that I can hike four miles in the morning and still have energy to vacuum the whole house in the afternoon.
  4. BLTs (with avocado). No hidden meaning here…just very thankful to live in a world with ripe tomatoes in the summer for delicious BLTs.
  5. Luca. New Pixar movie released on Disney+. It isn’t a huge epic musical Disney movie, but it is so sweet and so magical. I loved watching it and I’ve been recommending it to everyone. I won’t say anything else to avoid any spoilers…but it’s just so darn adorable!