Accidental Batch Cooking Day

I had my meal plans all ready, hit Safeway, and then had them turned around by a package of chicken thighs. I really put the J in INFJ, so I had to quickly refigure everything out. I needed the chicken thighs anyway, but this package was 30% off, a savings of $6. The trouble was, they expired today. I could have popped them in the freezer, but then they would take a few days to thaw...anyway, it was still an incredible buy as I calculated that I could make quesadillas, chicken peanut noodles and chicken soup all from one package of meat. They're being coddled by the slow cooker in chicken broth, thyme, garlic, parsley, bay leaves and whole black peppercorns using the ( Shredded Chicken Master Recipe )

Rightsizing Your Life

I got an email from the public library saying that I had used a soon to be discontinued feature on their website and to print off the items on it. I was truly puzzled, because I couldn't find the feature and thought I might be losing something important! It turned out that a long time ago I had added Rightsizing Your Life by Ciji Ware by accident.

It was a really good book on decluttering your life, even though it is meant for baby boomers. Some people, like me, get too wrapped up in who gave me something to let it go, or make the mistake of hanging on to it because "they might need it some day". A reality of growing older is that one's living space often gets smaller. As the family home is sold and Mom and Dad change to life in an RV or the seniors home, it can be overwhelming to deal with years and years of "stuff". I really liked her whimsical style as she explained how to "keep, toss or sell/donate" items, as well as giving the reader rational explanations for letting go. One of her better suggestions was to take pictures of departing items and maybe make a scrapbook with them. It's better to hold onto the memory than the item.

I seem to recall that I was reading this book while soaking the labels off of dozens of jars that had accumulated under the sink. The task gave me plenty of time to ruminate on things that could be let go of, such as old clothing. I had neatly filled a box with the jars for recycling when my husband noticed what I was up to. He became very worried and said that we might need those jars some day. Given that the jars had been piling up for five years, I really doubted this - and all I could do was hold his hand and look him in the eye and say "It's OK, there will always be more jars someday."