It gives one an energetic start to the day...
often times we wake after a fitful night of tossing and turning...
this is more common for me.
When these nights occur I try to be gentle with myself and start the day slowly...
I have not tried sleeping pills and asked the nurse at Hospice if I should try some after Mom passed away and she suggested that I try Gravol.
I purchased a small package and have tried them on several occasions...
they do work, but I wake feeling groggy so I am not planning to use them often.
Coffee helps wake me up
a good book
transports us away
it helps to gain perspective
put our troubles aside for awhile.
Once I hit the shower I am wide awake...
ready to seize the day.
Dressing for more energy means wearing some of my favourites...
OOTD
Moto leather jacket ~ Danier
Hermes scarf
NYDJ boyfriend jeans
simple white Tee ~ Joe Fresh
my birthday shoes...
Ferragamo from darling daughter.
These shoes make me feel happy!
I wore this outfit to run errands and I had so much energy that I very nearly forgot to stop and eat lunch.
Parrot tulips from the grocery store...
spreading a beautiful energy
into The Humble Bungalow Kitchen.
Home style meat loaf, mashed potatoes and carrots...
the ultimate comfort food.
Refuelling with tasty food provides me with more energy.
I made a double batch of this meat loaf so that tomorrow evening all I need to do is reheat the spuds and the meat loaf and boil some peas.
The recipe is from Best of Bridge...
I broke the chipped Emma Bridgewater bowl I used for soap
when I was washing it the other week...
it just slipped out of my hands and smashed into a bazillion fragments.
Fortunately it did not damage our farmhouse sink.
Hooray the Hellebores are blooming!
Hope that your week is ticking along nicely.
What have you been doing?
Anything exciting to share?
Please don't be shy!
Hostess
XO
42 comments:
LOVE the shoes your daughter gave you for your birthday. Always love to see your pictures of flowers that we have trouble growing in this tropical climate. We are experiencing heavy rain from Tropical Cyclone Debbie here in northern NSW, Australia.
I'm feeling excited about starting work with a fabulous young fitness trainer over here (my sister's been going to her for years, and recommending her regularly, but honestly, I was a bit intimidated). Husband and I are sharing the session, and she's astonishingly good at keeping us both working at our distinctly different levels. Most excited, though, about having my daughter, son-in-law, and two-year-old granddaughter back from Rome for a month. Trying to grab all the cuddles I can while they're here.
Too bad about that broken bowl -- it was so perfect there; you'll need to get another! -- but good thing it didn't chip your sink.
Good luck with finding your way to a healthy sleeping pattern again. I'm so glad to see that you're managing to find joy in your daily life, as you reconcile yourself gently and slowly to your loss. Keep being kind to yourself.
Hi---This is off your subject: Where can I purchase Diptyque candle's in Victoria? Any store by the Empress Hotel? Cost? Going to Victoria next month.
Thank you:
Thank you! I have a favorite meat loaf recipe but I have been looking for a sauce to go with it for a long time. I will certainly try this the next time I make a meatloaf. Did you know that it freezes wonderfully...I like the extra for sandwiches. Yummy!
Hostess, I love all of the things you post about, and can relate to so much of what you share.
Your OOTD is great today, and that meatloaf photo is making me very hungry!
Having your children close is lovely and I do applaud your hiring a personal trainer...all my plans at the gym have gone sideways with all that I have to do...
I have two more EB bowls that serve my morning cafe cremes...
You have navigated this journey ahead of me and I must confess that I had NO idea how profound this event would be...you have my utmost respect mater..
Thank you for "being here for me."
XO
Sorry but there is no where that I know of in Victoria, Anon...
I go to Vancouver to but mine at Holt Renfrew.
Enjoy your time in our city...lots to see and do...hope you have fun!
This recipe has been our go to for years!
Our meatloaf never lasts very long...when the kids were here it was a one meal dinner and since they have flown the nest we have it two nights in a row and if my husband wants....sandwiches...you are in good company!
Oh I hope that you can comment...you can chime in as anonymous and add your name at the end.
The meat loaf is a classic...
Oh those parrot tulips are gorgeous; who could resist them? In difficult times I occasionally use sleeping tablets too, but like you find they make me 'hung over' next morning. Usually I break in half and take the lesser dose. My self-imposed quota is one script per year - 30 tablets! You look so cute in your OOTD - leather jacket and scarf is timeless. Today in Brisbane many services are closed because of heavy rain from Cyclone Debbie, but in a short trip to stock up some essentials (just in case of local flood), I found the most beautiful silk scarf at our Pharmacy, and for a good price. All my colours, so it came happily home to our nest.
We are keeping indoors in Brisbane, Australia today. Cyclone Debbie hit the North Queensland Coast (1000 km approx. north of here) earlier in the week. The "tail" of the cyclone, a large rain event is now lurking over Brisbane. Lots of flooding and road closures. Wind will reach over 100 km/hour soon. My house is on top of a hill - a choice I made consciously after living all my life in Brisbane - so we will be fine. Our Premier is telling us to keep off the roads - over 1000 schools in the south east of Brisbane are closed today and tomorrow, businesses have closed for the rest of the day. Climate/weather does it's own thing and we need to be aware of our safety.
A silk blouse and biker jacket. Absolutely love that.
Remember to treat yourself gently. I have been missing for a little while due to technical issues but was pleased to see your lovely photos again. They brighten my day.
Timing your meals to reset your circadian clock can help with sleep--it works for jet lag, too. I have sometimes taken half a sleeping pill when traveling, especially for work, because it's so hard to show up in a faraway time zone and go to bed and get up at the right hour and be coherent. Half a pill is enough to get past the tossing/turning part and sleep enough to function without grogginess.
My mother died over a year ago, and not a day goes by that I don't miss her and ache to talk to her. It takes time. Bon courage.
I am sure that you will regain your sleep patterns soon. Even though I was utterly exhausted by losing two of my family members within a short time, my sleep was disturbed for awhile. Of course, there are the old standbys such as warm milk. I like to do an informal meditation such as, in my mind, retracing the steps of a walk I took long ago and each wildflower that I saw. I have done this through surgery under a spinal, and it worked well. Along my walk, I remember each positive thing that made me happy; one time it was seeing the swans, the other time a kingfisher. After surgery, I found I couldn't sleep if it were too quiet. I had become conditioned by the noisy hospital room. So I am trying to de-condition this. I would not be on my computer late at night or before bedtime. The light wrecks the patterns of your brain and then the brain thinks it is daytime. Good luck! Good sleep that is truly restful will help you a lot.
I love anything and everything that Susan Isaac writes....good choice!
Sleep is so important, but for most of my life I've gone through patterns where I can sleep very well for a few months, and then the pattern shifts and for a few months I have fitful sleep or find myself awake in the middle of the night for hours. I've learned to accept and not fight it -- oftentimes moving to another spot (spare room, or sofa) helps me to fall back to sleep. Or I read for a while. The main thing is not to get too hung up on worrying about it, or anticipating how tired one might be next day.
Love your OOTD, definitely energizing (and CUTE)!
I started volunteering at the library in Oaxaca this week as my friend has gone home. I'm also meeting with a Spanish teacher twice a week. You meatloaf looks delicious. My husband likes plain (homestyle) food so I will make it when I get home. I'm reading Cara Black's Murder in Clichy right now. I hope that your sleeping routine gets "back on track".
How I love meatloaf! And to think, as a child, I hated it. While I wait for the 33 inches of snow to go away, I love to read your blog and enjoy your gorgeous pictures. Temperatures are slowly rising, the lawn is starting to appear and my irises are poking their cold, little heads through. They know it's time to come out. And I am waiting for the first warm day to take out my rake and clean up winter's debris. I'm sure I will see neighbors that I haven't seen in a while.
I love your blog and reading it when you post! You live a "cozy" life and I love how you embrace the "small" things. Janet (gardeners cottage) and your blog I'm so excited when I see a new post from both of you! Also I'm sorry about your mom.... what a wonderful mom she was to you! Xxxx Jennifer
Yay for a restful night's sleep! Your OOTD looks great! Those tulips are beautiful. I always try and get something pretty from the floral dept. when we go grocery shopping. Fresh flowers make such a difference.
I am also wearing NYDJ's as I type, and will be heading to do my volunteer time at the library and then meet my sil for lunch. If I'm on top of my game, I'll post some pics on IG.
Gravol knocks me out! I agree, your meal looks amazing. Not too much exciting happening around here. Love those shoes too!
As you said above, losing a mother is a profound event, and generally a very uneven road for awhile. I'm glad you're taking advantage of your energetic days and also good care of yourself when it's not that way.
I also have trouble sleeping through the night - I occasionally will use melatonin (natural ingredient) to help fall asleep. If I have too many nights of not sleeping well - I resort to Advil PM. Neither one of these make me groggy the next morning. Advil PM also helps with the pain in my right hand if it gets really bad - checking this out with doctor at physical in May.
I pray that although you're grieving that God is granting you His peace. It's been 5 months since my husband died and without God I don't think I'd get through it.
Thoughts are with you daily.
Barb
I always enjoy your posts. Thanks for the recipe - I'm going to try it. And the book recommendation as well. I just finished reading the most recent Louise Penny novel. As for the sleeping - after losing my son I took over the counter sleeping pills for several months. I was afraid not to, to be perfectly honest. They got me through the nights until I felt I could try without them. Keeping you in my thoughts and prayers.
Thank you for the link to the Best of Bridge site! What an interesting story. Your OOTD looks just like you.
Parrot tulips are fabulous and they remind me of the Dutch Master paintings...
I have been sleeping better this past few days without using the Gravol. Half a tablet might be the way to go if I have a patch of sleepless nights.
Pharmacies can be a treasure trove for gifts...I purchased a lovely scarf several years ago from our local Pharmasave.
Oh I hope that cyclone has blown over by now and that you are are safe...it must have been a scary experience.
Silk scarf with a biker jacket is a style "juxtaposition" that I quite like to wear!
Sorry to hear about your tech issues Marilyn.
I am trying to maintain a sense of calm...
my walks have been slower paced and I am eating comfort food!
Meal times are pretty much the same here in The Humble Bungalow.
Half a Gravol might be worth trying on the occasional night when I have trouble sleeping...
Our Mothers play such a vital role in our lives and they leave a huge void when they pass on.
You are brave to have surgery with a spinal...and the imagery must have been key to helping you remain calm and focused. I used a similar approach when I got two crowns at the dentists' office.
Computers and Phones emit a bright light that affects sleep so the experts say to stay offline within an hour of going to bed. Noise would keep me awake...we live in a fairly quiet area of town so it is not too difficult falling asleep it is staying asleep that I struggle with.
Susan Isaacs is a gifted storyteller...I am really enjoying this book.
Not fighting sleep disruptions is great advice...I try to keep my eyes closed when I wake in the middle of the night and focus on my breathing until I fall back asleep...some nights it takes hours!
It must be wonderful to be in a warm and sunny climate right about now! We are still getting grey days and I crave the warmth and sunny days that are more usual at this time of year...I can see why so many people travel south when they are retired! Your husband will probably love the meat loaf recipe. Hope you have a lovely time in Oaxaca.
Oh dear snow and here I am complaining about grey skies and rainy days!
You know that Spring is on its way when you see the iris popping their heads out of the snow!
Thank you Jennifer!
I love Janet's blog too! Her cottage and garden is so beautiful...as is she.
Your day sounds lovely...a nice balance of things on your agenda...and wearing great jeans too!
Hope that you got your tooth repaired...that would be an "exciting" (stressful) event for me!
I am trying KSL...
as you say there are ups and downs on this healing journey.
Wearing clothes that are comfy and make me feel good really do make a difference and my attitude is much more positive.
Barb it sounds to me like your faith has really helped you through this difficult time...I am sorry to hear that you have been widowed. My heart goes out to you.
Louise Penny has such a wonderful way of weaving a mystery around her characters...she is probably my all time favourite mystery writer.
Sleep must have been very difficult after the loss of your son...I have a friend whose daughter passed away recently and it is such a profound event, one that only a parent who has been through it can really understand the gravity and depth of the pain. I wish I knew the right things to say that would be of comfort to you both...
Thank you Susan...the best of bridge ladies have many cookbooks and their tried and true recipes are delicious!
Please give my deepest condolences to your friend. It is said that it is the most difficult loss - to lose a child - and I certainly believe that is true. There really are no words . . . I wish there were. I think the best anyone can do is be there . . . and listen . . . and be there.
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