Successes and setbacks

Successes:
Tonight I made a vegetarian dinner that incorporated frozen spinach, and my family liked it (Tessa asked for seconds!).

I shopped for a non-stick pan (in general, I don't like to use them, so I didn't have one, but for fritattas they're necessary, as for some other dishes, so I decided to break down and get one) at Costco and saw two nice ones for $20; not a bad deal, but I held off. Today I went to the thrift stores and found one in like-new condition for $2. No wear and tear on the environment, or on my pocketbook, and it worked perfectly.

Today a friend asked me to coffee, and I (politely, I hope) declined, meaning it fully. I then realized that I had a gift certificate to a coffee place, C&P, so I altered my decline to say that I could go there. I drank my coffee in a ceramic mug, so no environmental impact, and none on my pocketbook, either.

Ryan has taken a lunch to work every day this week - either leftovers or a sandwich on home-made bread. I even included love-notes in a couple of them.

Setbacks:
We are over budget for the week, even with all of my contortions....GRRRRR. We'll try to hit budget next week, but that is exceedingly frustrating.

My home made bread doesn't store well. I think it only lasts well for a day or so. I think that this means that instead of making a large loaf that lasts several days, I might need to make a loaf nightly, so to reduce waste. It's doable but not ideal. (It really does only take a few minutes to make, but still....)

I'm chilled with the house at 66. I keep hoping that I'll adjust (I used to be cold at 68 but eventually adjusted fine to 67) but I really am chilly...this morning it made me not want to get out of bed (thank goodness for my warm bathrobe and slippers from Mom!).

I burned my left index finger on the frypan tonight, leaving a nasty (small) mark. This is the treated side, and now I have to watch for lymphadema. Ouch and grr.

My beautiful wedding ring lost a side-diamond. It is my favorite personal possession (my favorite things aren't THINGS but people, pets, places, but this is my favorite item not in those categories) and my heart just sinks when I think about it, and I get a knot in my stomach. The diamond isn't the solitaire, but it's not a chip, either, and we can't afford to spend money on a diamond right now. I brought it to the jeweler it was purchased from, and I'm praying that through some miracle they'll cover it, but I'm not getting my hopes up. In the meantime, I can't wear it, and this makes me ache. When I wear it, I feel special and loved and more beautiful somehow, and I watch the way it catches the light all the time, and I look at it to remind me of what's important in life (Ryan, and through him, Tessa). I'm wearing another ring on that finger now, but it's just not the same, and that makes me sad.


In other news...
Snow/Genentech has asked me to write an article about breast cancer walks for their internal newsletter, and I will be paid to do so. The money is small, but my pride is immense. This will be the first time I'll be paid for a written article - time to get my portfolio going!

I have also been asked to do a KOMO 4 (local TV station) interview for the Breast Cancer 3-Day; the interview will take place in early March, and I will let you know when it is going to air (not sure myself, yet).

Speaking about breast cancer is good for me. I really wish that I could figure out how to work on a more long-term project with Komen locally without losing my mind as I was before, but there it is....hopefully these other tasks will not tip my sanity.