Just a Day Out

 I went to bed last night with plans to stay home today. A nice, quiet gentl day at home. 

Instead, Mister let me sleep in, then rudely woke me up with some video on his phone playing at barely above a whisper. I swear it was just a ploy to get morning nookie. Which worked, but that's beside the point. 

Anyways... after a quick shower, he enticed me into the great frozen tundra for some lunch and a day of window shopping. 

I love the pickles at Newks

After pizza, we drove around while deciding what to do. See, it was a mild 21 degrees today, and there is still ice masquerading as snow all over the ground.  Which makes it hard to find anything to do that doesn't require a lot of money. 

If you look closely, you can see some grass peaking through

We thought about a movie, but nothing is playing currently that interests us, though. Finally decided to swing into one of our local antique flea market stores. I love looking at all the rows of glass dishes and vintage kitchen wares. I was going to take more pictures, but was distracted by this set of nightmare dolls (and by a phone call from Mrs K).

After the flea market, we walked around Lowe's, dreaming of future house renovation plans. I think I've finally made Mister understand why I want a double-wall oven so bad. Maybe I can get some before next fall!

We finished off the day out with a stop at a local brewry from some cider and boudin balls before dropping in on Ms H at work. Does anyone else delight in harassing their kids at work?

This pineapple cider is to die for. 

Now I'm typing this out real quick before we head to a friend's house. Mister is off with the guys for a night out, and I'm going to hang back with women folk over some hot chai, movies, puzzle and gossip. 

I'm glad it didn't turn out to be a quiet day at the house. It's always fun hanging out with Mister and getting to see our friends. 

But tomorrow I'm resting. This gal is tired.

Food Waste Friday

 Food waste. Nothing irks me quite like wasted food. Our world has such a massive problem with wasting food, from the portion sizes served at restaurants to the food tossed because it isn't 'pretty' enough to be sold before going bad. 

While I can't do much to personally affect food waste on a large scale, I do practice food waste control in my own home. Very little gets wasted here. I freeze leftovers for later use, vegetable scraps and leftover bones get made into different kinds of broth, and fruit that's near expiring gets frozen for smoothies or quick breads. I'm constantly looking for inventive ways to take today's food and turn it into something new for tomorrow, and no, I'm not talking mystery meatloaf.

Lois's mystery meatloaf from Malcom in the Middle

I want to start a weekly or bi-weekly post of ways I've saved food from hitting the landfill.  Who knows, maybe one day I'll inspire someone else to start looking at ways to reduce their food waste. 

This week's food save:

Froze a half container of Greek yogurt that was just about out of date. I'll use the portions in soups, curries, smoothies, or even baking. 

I love my Souper Cubes and Foodsaver for cutting down on food waste. 

I had a couple of limes and a lone lemon that were close to going so I sliced them and froze them. I'll add the lemon to water, and can use the lime in different dishes by either zesting or using the juice.

 

I also froze a banana this week. When my gallon bag is full of bananas, Ms. H likes to make banana muffins for her and her friends. 

I  took some lightly wilted baby spinach, spring mix, and sweet butter leaves, gave them a quick saute with garlic, and tossed in a few leftover shredded carrots from our salad drawer. Topped it all off with some extra chicken I cooked for Chicken Pho today for a friend, Sesame Oil, and sesame seeds. It made a great, quick, nutritious lunch.

I also took the veggies I used to make my chicken broth and pureed them. They are currently freezing in 2 TBS portions. I'll use those as thickeners for sauces and soups. 

I did a couple of fails this week. 

I wasn't quick enough to use the last of my sliced mini sweet peppers in our salad drawer, and I didn't get through all of the sliced scallions before they went bad. 

Overall, I'll call it a win. 

Tomorrow, I've got to figure out something to do with a few remaining quail eggs and some leftover canned yams. I might try to make a waffle or fritter of sorts with them for breakfast.

Goals Revolving Around Money

 I've always struggled with money. I know how to make it, and I know how to spend. Like I'm a pro at spending it, I've even mastered the art of spending money I don't have. 

But saving money. That's a whole other story.

Mister's bailed me out of credit card debt at least twice now, but yet again I've racked up about 8k in debt.

That's a big chunk of money espically for a stay-at-home wife. Which is why I've started doing things like delivering for DoorDash and Spark. Well, I say DoorDash, I stopped that after about three months. They just don't pay well enough. That's a whole other post for another day. I chose the delivery route because I can control my schedule. 

I make roughly $350 a week for two days of work right now. I'm hoping once winter is over, I can start doing three to four days a week, but I will cross that bridge when it gets here. I have a fused ankle, and the cold weather makes it hard to walk, which is what is limiting me currently. 

My normal monthly payment is around $120 a month between the two cards I have. 

That puts me at $1,400 a month in income and $120 paid out. 

The biggest credit card has zero interest on it for the next ten months, while the smaller one definitely charges interest monthly. 

Here's the breakdown

BC: $4,801.82

SC: $2,861.97

My first goal for the next year is to pay off both cards. 

$7,633.78/12 = $636.15

Putting it into cold, hard facts like that makes me feel so ashamed. I knew my spending had gotten out of hand, but I didn't realize it had gotten quite that bad. I refuse to let the shame keep me from fixing my mistakes, though. I understand where a lot of the overspending issues come from, and with God's help and self-commitment, I can fix it. 

My goal is to pay the $637 a month and split it between the cards.

My BC is the one with no interest for the next few months, so I think what I'll do is pay the minimum payment on it and put the rest of the money on the SC to pay it off as fast as possible, so not much interest is racked up. 

Even at $637 a month in payments, that will leave me with $763 extra. The goal with the extra is to save 30% of it ($229) and let myself spend the rest ($534). This way, I can still chase that dopamine but in a controlled manner.  I also have to remember to account for gas, which I will take out of the spending money. I typically spend about $25 a week on gas, which brings me to $434 left to spend. 

I refuse to ask Mister for help again. I did this to myself, and I will fix it myself. 

My second goal of the year is to invest my savings in something that will make me money. Mister said he will help me navigate the stock market and some ETFs that are a lower risk than individual stocks. 

My third goal of the year is to learn to control my spending. One of the steps I'm going to take is to figure out a way to chase that dopamine that doesn't include spending (as much). Ms. H is wise for her 18 years and told me the other day her dopamine isn't from spending the money because it's a fleeting high, but from watching the amount in her account grow. How often is it that your 18-year-old daughter teaches you a lesson? But something finally clicked in my head when she said that.  So while I will have that $434 to spend, I want to do it wisely and not just let the money burn a hole through my wallet. 

My ideas for cutting back on the spending just to spend:

• Taking lunch with me on delivery days
• Making my coffee at home
• Using the library more 
• Or reading one of the 400+ books I have at home
• Limiting the amount of money I spend on Ms. H, Ms. K (older daughter), and Giggly Butt (granddaughter)
• Adding things to a wishlist instead of my shopping cart on Amazon and waiting until the end of the month to see if I still really want them. 
• Shopping second-hand for decor and clothes, and limiting those trips to once every two to three months 
• Tracking my spending by saving receipts and posting here on what I spent on things everyweek.

 All of this is doable; I just have to be mindful of what I'm doing and commit to making my goals happen. For the first time in, well, my life, I feel like I can do it. I'm praying about it, asking God to help me in my struggles and to keep me strong.  I'm properly managing my bipolar mania and my ADHD with help from a doctor and medications.  I have clear-cut and, more importantly, manageable goals. And I have a way to hold myself accountable, even if no one ever reads this, I will know there is the potential someone may, and that's enough to keep me on the straight and narrow. 

What's my purpose?

 I'm not sure. 

Well, at least my purpose in writing here again.  

Back in the day (Lord, now I feel ancient), blogging was all about what niche you belonged in, and I knew I fit into the homemaker lifestyle niche, but I felt like such a fraud. I was a new wife, second-time mom, but first-time stay-at-home mom, and I was living eight hours away from any sort of support. 

I didn't have the confidence in my ability to take people along with me on that journey. Especially when things got tough in life. I never felt comfortable being the "turotrial" gal or the life is roses gal. Then my marriage hit a few speed bumps (hell lets call them what they were, pot hole tire killers) and I couldn't transition from being all happy sunshiney to doom and gloom without feeling like I would lose my readers. I was scared to be authentic because I didn't know how to be. 

Life in your late 20's to early 30's is rough when you're introverted as hell and undiagnosed bipolar. Toss in a stressed-out marriage, and you find yourself hanging on by the tips of your fingernails.  So I stopped writing and focused on my life, myself, my marriage, and my kids. I've tried a few times over the years to get back into things, but I always started with the wrong mindset. 

Mister and I are stronger than ever after 18 years of marriage in 2025

I wanted readers to share my story with. The only way to do that in my mind was to belong to a niche, something I could never quite nail down. I was still struggling with being authentic, but catchy. Then things started moving to vlogging and TikTok. Which I hated, but still gave it a try.  

Boy, was that a mistake. I shut down my creative side even more by getting bogged down in making sure angles and lighting were right. I have a huge respect for content creators; it's so much more work than most people understand. The hours of filming, editing, commenting, sharing, and more. It truly is insane.  My creative shutdown has lasted a couple of years now. The timing has never felt right, but the other night it hit me. I really don't want to write for others. 

I just want a place that isn't Facebook to set down my thoughts. Yeah, there is journaling, which I do do. But blogging has always felt different to me. I guess there's this tiny part of me that still wants to interaction of readers to share my stories with; however, it's no longer the driving goal. 

So, what is my purpose here then?

As far as I see it, my purpose is to be me as acutely as I can. 

The 'new' me isn't afraid to ask a stranger to take a selfie with me
 cause he's dressed like a Ghostbuster while stocking at Walmart. 

I want to share the day-to-day, the homemaking, the crafts, the reading, the cooking (I swear no long posts about my great-great-grandma's dad who taught this recipe to soldiers),  and I want to share the ups and downs. The rantings and ravings. The depressed thoughts days, the "oh look shiny" days, the rabbit hole research days. I want all of it. 

And I want it in my voice. Not what I think people want to hear. If I want to curse occasionaly well then fuck it, I will, but it won't be all the time. (I don't think, I mean I do cuss a lot in real life, but it makes me happy, so there's that). The point is, I don't want to feel edited for some social rules that do or don't exist, even if it's self-imposed. 

I remember this blogger from years ago named Eden. She lived in Austrialia and she was so authentically rawly herself, and I admired her for it. I didn't know how to be that then. I was too scared. 

So yeah, my purpose is to be me. 

If you like me, great; if you don't, you can click on out of here with no hard feelings, I promise. 

Homemaker Sunday~Week of January 25

 Like I said earlier, this was always one of my favorite blog posts to do. I really enjoy planning out my week, even if it's going to be a really slow week like this one. One of the ways I manage my ADHD is by making loose plans of things I want to get done in a week. I've learned that if I don't assign days to tasks and instead give myself a looser deadline, I'm more apt to get all things done I want to.  The same applies to meal planning. I give myself options for the week without a certain day for things to get cooked. It helps with the "what's for dinner?" panic, but gives me the flexibility to move with the flow of my week.

That go-with-the-flow vibe is something I'm going to strive to include in my Homemaker Sundays. No concrete plans, just a generalized this is what is happening this week and I think (key word being think) I'm going to follow up with a weekend wrap-up type post. More to hold myself accountable and keep track of what's getting done than anything else.  

So on to the show.

Weather Outlook

Sunday~17/1

Monday~ 21/10
Tuesday~ 35/12
Wednesday ~ 38/19
Thursday ~ 40/22
Friday~ 39/18
Saturday~ 37/15
Sunday~ 37/18

Current Mood

Relaxed and content. 

It's been a great day. Mister and I went to Waffle House for a quick lunch. 

There's something about the peaceful blanket of snow across an open field that calms my soul. 

Bible Reading For The Week

This is something I desperately need to get back into the habit of doing. I used to be really good at it, and then I'd skip a day, which would turn into a week, that then turned into months, and the next thing I know, I have no idea when I last spent time in God's word.  I'm going to pick up where I left off.

• Exodus 28-40

Meal Ideas For The Week 

The weather is supposed to be cold for most of the week, so I'm thinking lots of hearty warm meals. I'm also trying to include a lot more vegetables in our daily diet**. 

• Deer Sausage Soup (loaded with spinach and carrots)
• Crawfish Etouffee
• Chicken and Dumplings  (play with freezing to see if it'll reheat okay for Mister's lunches)
• Creamy Chicken and Rice Vegetable Soup
• Baked Peanut Chicken, spinach, and purple rice
• Possible night out to KPot BBQ

KPot is one of our favorite date night spots

Work Schedule

With the weather being as cold as it is and the way it affects my ankle, if I work at all, it will probably be Thursday. The best part about doing Spark deliveries is that I can set my own schedule. 

Books To Read

• The Scions of Shannara by Terry Brooks (about halfway through it)
• The King of Sorrows by Joe Hill (next in line to start

Appointments/Happenings

• Doctor Apt for me on the 27th
• Teen Duck Hunt/Retrocade Ms. H on the 29th
• Bowling with the homeschool group for Ms. H on the 30th

Creative Outlets

• finishing up the last of the crocheted motifs for books read last year
• puzzle

Favorite Picture From Last Week

Mister and Ms. H all bundled up to play in the snow

**daily diet** Mister has to follow a low-sodium diet, which we've gotten quite good at, but I'm getting tired of the same old same old. I've been sprucing up our diet with different cuisines like Asian and Indian, and incorporating a lot more vegetables. 

Thinking of Homemaker Monday

 This was one thing I did back in my early days of blogging that I loved. There used to be a link up to it and probably still is, but I'm not ready to jump back into that side of things. I want to take it slow, build this space up for me as me before I start trying to actively get readers. That said, I still want to do this type of post. I actually do something similar in my daily journal. At the end of each day's entry, I write out a small to-do list for the next day. This is kind of like that. 

So what do I want to list here every Monday that fits my life currently?

• meal planning
• food prep for the week
• work schedule
• goal for earning, saving, and spending
• What I'm reading
• current if any creative project
• music I'm into
• favorite lincense plate find of the week (I do Spark deliveries, and I see some great ones usually while I'm out driving around)

What else.....

Maybe

• chore list
• errands to run/people to call
• appointments
• favorite picture of my granddaughter
• favorite moment with my family
• date night ideas

I don't know I'll play with the idea change it up here and there. Make it me. 

Snow day

 Is there anything better than sitting under blankets in front of a fire while sipping coffee and watching it snow?

If there is, I don't know what it would be at the moment. 

The temperatures dropped in the single digits last night, and we woke up to three inches of snow. It's snowed pretty much all day; sometimes it's only a light misting of snow, but it's still snow. I don't care how many times I see days like today, I'll always find them peaceful and gorgeous. The little southern Louisiana kid in me still gets excited to see snow. 

Mister, on the other hand, is a completely different animal. Where I get excited, he gets downright crazed. He truly turns into a gigantic toddler romping around in the snow. He's currently playing his football game on the PS5 and pouting because our daughter is napping instead of sledding with him outside. I believe the fact that it's just a balmy 13 degrees is the only reason why he is still inside.  The silly man keeps walking to the window to stare out longingly at the untouched field of white in our backyard before commenting that it is "pretty freaking cold".

Now, on the other hand, you have me. I am excited to see all that fluffly white stuff, but I prefer to see it strictly from the inside of my house, where it is dry, warm, and there is no wind. My perfect snow day is warm blankets, books, puzzles, and loads of warm drinks like coffee or tea. 

I think that's how I will spend most of the weekend, if not at least half the week, until this weather finally starts moving out of here. I might all do some baking, something about cold snowy days makes me want to be in the kitchen baking. I have some canned yams and some Bisquick that needs to be used. A quick sweet bread sounds like a perfect addition to this weather. 

I may go do that later while Mister and the teen go sledding with some friends. Also, while they are gone, I need to start some lima beans for dinner and do a pick up of the kitchen before we have company this evening. 

Yep, it's shaping up to be the most perfect day. 

Acutely, Keenly, Intensely Me

 Hello 

Yeah, you, random internet stranger. Welcome to my tiny little corner of the huge, wide internet. I'm not sure how you managed to stumble across this, but you're here, so I feel I should at the very least be polite and introduce myself.

Let's see, here are the basics. 

My name is Felicia. I'm currently ...doing math, hold on... a 42-year-old wife and mother. I was born in Texas, raised in Louisiana (spent most my life there), and am currently residing in the hometown of the number one Fortune 500 company.  I have one adoring husband, two daughters, and one giggly butt granddaughter.  I have a ton of likes and almost as many dislikes. Here are three of each. 

Likes

• reading
• cooking
• fuzzy socks

Dislikes

• spiders
• 4-wheelers/ATVS
• romantasy 

I haven't written in ages. I had a blog a long time ago, Life Behind The Red Door or something like that. It was your typical new mom blog. Me trying to find myself in the world as a stay-at-home mom, wife, and homemaker. It's now 10-12 years later, and I think I've finally found myself. 

I'm no longer chasing the dream of living like my grandma and am instead living that dream daily. Life isn't always perfect but it is mine and I wouldn't trade it for anything. 

I've learned a lot over the last decade.  I learned I love cooking, especially from scratch, but that I'm also okay with getting takeout when I'm overwhelmed. I learned I love to take care of my husband and that being a submissive housewife doesn't mean I'm a doormat (or that our lives need to be full of kink 24/7 lol). 

I've learned I wasn't just suffering from depression for years, but that I'm bipolar and also have ADHD. I've gotten professional help and have learned to love and accept myself for the crazy* person I am. 

I've learned it's okay to read eight books in a month, and it's also okay to barely finish one. I've learned it's okay to float from hobby to hobby, I always circle back round anyways. 

Most importantly I've learned to feel comfortable not just in my appearance  (hello grays and crepe skin) but also in my own self. In using my voice in the way I want to. In those early years of writing, I was so worried about readers and being seen as 'cool' or 'likable'. I worried people who were acquainted with me would somehow find my words and be shocked. 

I'm 42 now, and all I have to say to that is fuck it. I'm a spastic, erratic, weird person, and I love being me.  Acutely so. 

I love that word, acutely. One, it has cute in it, and I am cute (my husband says so!), but it means in an acute manner, to be keen or intense. 

That's me in a nutshell. 

Intense. 

Acutely myself. 

So welcome, dear stranger. I have no idea what the future holds, but I do know it'll be authentically me.

*crazy---so I know I'm not crazy, but sometimes the mania can make me feel that way. It's just a way for me to help poke fun at myself and relieve some of the stress I feel when my mania and anxiety hit.