Sister's Choice Quilts

My interests are quilting, reading, cooking, family, decorating, and matters of style. I post regular quilting tutorials and book reviews of current fiction.

My Little Helpers

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I received so many encouraging comments from you dear friends out there regarding my new schedule and how I will soon get used to it.  Thank you ever so much for your patience with me last week, and know that I am working on a solution to getting back to normal.  Without resigning from my job!

So, with all your advice and urging in mind, I have begun to make a plan.  Since at the moment I don't seem to be able to cope with much more than getting myself to work and trying to learn my new responsibilities, I must rely on some Little Helpers.  No, I do not mean pills, I mean Household Aids.

The first and perhaps foremost is pictured above.  My coffeepot.  My indespensible coffeepot.  Once I get it going in the morning, blearily standing over it, waiting for it to finish perking, and the fragrant perfume of the hot fresh coffee hits my nose, I begin to rally.  After consuming my first cup I am practically coherent.  My mind is clear enough to address my computer and see if any emails have come in from blogging friends who are still hanging in there waiting to see if I have anything at all to say.

Next, I have decided to Get Organized.  I am determined to plan out my work outfits for the week and line them up in order of wearing.  No more standing in my pantyhose in my closet in the morning thinking that none of these three hundred garments is appropriate for work.  My new workplace has Dress Standards.  No jeans, no leggings, no flip flops, no bare shoulders etc.  I have enough sense and style to realize that I probably should not chose any items that match those criteria to wear to my place of employment.  Although on my second day I saw leggings, flip flops and bare shoulders on three of my fellow workers.   As for myself, I have a closet full of trousers, skirts, twin sets and jackets that will be just fine to wear to work.  All it takes is a bit of organization to be sure they still fit and are clean.  Line them up in order of wearing and I am good to go.

Food for the week is another area in which it is crucial to Plan Ahead.  It is horrible to come home at 6:00 after a grueling day and have no clue what you might fix for dinner.  My DH has helped me out all last week, having a nice dinner cooked when I get home, but I can tell the novelty of doing that is waning fast.  So, here is my next little helper:

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Yup, it is Rachael Ray, the eternally perky, Food Network Queen of 30 Minute Meals.  She has a magazine out that is full of meals that one can throw together in 15-30 minutes, complete with shopping lists!  I bought the latest issue, and the food does indeed look mighty tasty.  The plan is, I will chose a week's menus, shop for them over the weekend, and have everything I need on hand to whip together a tasty healthy meal when I roll in from work at the end of the day.  In less than 30 minutes.

So that is my plan and I am sticking to it!  I will let you know how it is working as I struggle through this second week on the job.

What about the quilting, you ask?  I am still trying to figure that part out, so stay tuned.

36 responses to “My Little Helpers”

  1. So hard to believe week #2 is here already! Everybody needs little helpers. Wish I liked coffee to get me going instead of diet coke, sounds like it would start the engine faster. Lining up the wardrobe is a huge help, I think i’ts the worst part if you have to decide each morning what to wear. You will have to let us know how Rachels 30 minute recipes go. All in all it sounds like you have everything very well under control, have a wonderful week!

  2. So hard to believe week #2 is here already! Everybody needs little helpers. Wish I liked coffee to get me going instead of diet coke, sounds like it would start the engine faster. Lining up the wardrobe is a huge help, I think i’ts the worst part if you have to decide each morning what to wear. You will have to let us know how Rachels 30 minute recipes go. All in all it sounds like you have everything very well under control, have a wonderful week!

  3. As someone who came out of retirement four years ago, I understand each comment and know exactly what you’re going through. I look forward to each of your posts more than ever, in the hope of new ideas for the working woman (especially on where to fit quilting!!!).

  4. As someone who came out of retirement four years ago, I understand each comment and know exactly what you’re going through. I look forward to each of your posts more than ever, in the hope of new ideas for the working woman (especially on where to fit quilting!!!).

  5. It’s amazing how organization makes a day feel less hectic. Hope you find time to quilt soon – I LUV looking at all your latest projects. Don’t forget that the slow-cooker is also your BFF 🙂 I use mine at least once a week and am always so relieved to come home with a meal ready to eat as soon as I walk in the door.

  6. It’s amazing how organization makes a day feel less hectic. Hope you find time to quilt soon – I LUV looking at all your latest projects. Don’t forget that the slow-cooker is also your BFF 🙂 I use mine at least once a week and am always so relieved to come home with a meal ready to eat as soon as I walk in the door.

  7. BONJOUR NICOLE
    BRAVO POUR CETTE REPRISE DE SEMAINE EN FORME
    MOI JE VOUS ADMIRE CAR A BIENTOT 55 ANS JE N AI PAS AUTANT D ENERGIE
    PEUT ETRE QUE LES FRANCAISES SONT MOINS RESISTANTES QUE LES AMERICAINES?????
    A TRES BIENTOT
    BELLE BELLE SEMAINE
    MARIE CLAUDE

  8. BONJOUR NICOLE
    BRAVO POUR CETTE REPRISE DE SEMAINE EN FORME
    MOI JE VOUS ADMIRE CAR A BIENTOT 55 ANS JE N AI PAS AUTANT D ENERGIE
    PEUT ETRE QUE LES FRANCAISES SONT MOINS RESISTANTES QUE LES AMERICAINES?????
    A TRES BIENTOT
    BELLE BELLE SEMAINE
    MARIE CLAUDE

  9. Good job Mom! Way to go on getting Organized. I am tackling that today too. Organizing my days where I will go to the gym, lunch with Lisa, Remy puppy care, getting to work on time, and having somethign planned for dinner. I have that exact magazine and havne’t even bothered to look throug it yet! But the cover loosk fantastic, and the promise of Fall recipes is enticing!

  10. Good job Mom! Way to go on getting Organized. I am tackling that today too. Organizing my days where I will go to the gym, lunch with Lisa, Remy puppy care, getting to work on time, and having somethign planned for dinner. I have that exact magazine and havne’t even bothered to look throug it yet! But the cover loosk fantastic, and the promise of Fall recipes is enticing!

  11. When you decide on the meals, if the recipe calls for diced carrots, chopped onions, or the like, do that when you get them home from the store – lable the ziploc with the recipe name & day that you plan on using them. (If I do this, I have far fewer “I don’t feel like chooping an onion, so we will have ______ instead” days.)
    If any of the recipes are actually goo, let us know. (When I see her show – she jams a lot of stuff into or onto ground beef – not appetizing to me.)

  12. When you decide on the meals, if the recipe calls for diced carrots, chopped onions, or the like, do that when you get them home from the store – lable the ziploc with the recipe name & day that you plan on using them. (If I do this, I have far fewer “I don’t feel like chooping an onion, so we will have ______ instead” days.)
    If any of the recipes are actually goo, let us know. (When I see her show – she jams a lot of stuff into or onto ground beef – not appetizing to me.)

  13. Organization is essential – but when you’re planning that week’s worth of meals and/or week’s worth of clothes to wear, be sure to add one extra day’s worth for those “no way” kind of days. No matter how well you plan, some days you won’t feel like living up to what you’ve planned (usually due to the boss, the co-workers, and/or the weather). That little ‘fudge factor’ will help A LOT on those iffy kinds of days! Best wishes – SO remember the newbie stage. This too shall pass!

  14. Organization is essential – but when you’re planning that week’s worth of meals and/or week’s worth of clothes to wear, be sure to add one extra day’s worth for those “no way” kind of days. No matter how well you plan, some days you won’t feel like living up to what you’ve planned (usually due to the boss, the co-workers, and/or the weather). That little ‘fudge factor’ will help A LOT on those iffy kinds of days! Best wishes – SO remember the newbie stage. This too shall pass!

  15. Dear Nicole, I will be in the exact same position come next Tuesday. Back to Work. OMG. It’s true! I purchased this book last year called Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker Recipes for Two. It is awesome. I bought it at Joann’s Fabrics of all places but Amazon has it and all the other ones by the same author. Give it a try. My other big helper was an automatic rice cooker by Aroma that is now at Costco. It has a delay button so you can start it at 5:30 pm and the rice is ready by the time you pour that glass of after work vino. Get the picture. xo and good luck! Pam

  16. Dear Nicole, I will be in the exact same position come next Tuesday. Back to Work. OMG. It’s true! I purchased this book last year called Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker Recipes for Two. It is awesome. I bought it at Joann’s Fabrics of all places but Amazon has it and all the other ones by the same author. Give it a try. My other big helper was an automatic rice cooker by Aroma that is now at Costco. It has a delay button so you can start it at 5:30 pm and the rice is ready by the time you pour that glass of after work vino. Get the picture. xo and good luck! Pam

  25. You will get the hang of it Nicole, just don’t push yourself. During the months when I’m the busiest at work, I cut myself a little slack and I definitely use what little quilting time that I do get as my therapy time.

  26. You will get the hang of it Nicole, just don’t push yourself. During the months when I’m the busiest at work, I cut myself a little slack and I definitely use what little quilting time that I do get as my therapy time.

  27. Hi Nicole I think you did enough quilting in the year to keep us going untill you sort yourself out you will get there.you will be back in to a routine in no time.
    Hugs Mary.

  28. Hi Nicole I think you did enough quilting in the year to keep us going untill you sort yourself out you will get there.you will be back in to a routine in no time.
    Hugs Mary.

  29. Hi Nicole,
    It sounds like you are starting to get a rhythm, that is good.
    I love your idea of picking your outfits for the week and having them lined up : )
    Hope you get some time to sew this week!
    Karen

  30. Hi Nicole,
    It sounds like you are starting to get a rhythm, that is good.
    I love your idea of picking your outfits for the week and having them lined up : )
    Hope you get some time to sew this week!
    Karen

  31. I’m actually envious of the challenges you’re facing right now. You get to go to work! I’m between jobs, and it’s been long enough that I’m getting a bit desperate. There’s another cookbook you should check out – it’s called “Desperation Dinners” and it’s full of meals that can be prepared in 30 minutes or less. It also has a lot of time saving tips. If you do a lot of recipes that use ground beef, cook up a bunch of it on the weekend and put it in ziploc bags, then stick it in the freezer. A few minutes in the microwave and it’s a fast jump start.

  32. I’m actually envious of the challenges you’re facing right now. You get to go to work! I’m between jobs, and it’s been long enough that I’m getting a bit desperate. There’s another cookbook you should check out – it’s called “Desperation Dinners” and it’s full of meals that can be prepared in 30 minutes or less. It also has a lot of time saving tips. If you do a lot of recipes that use ground beef, cook up a bunch of it on the weekend and put it in ziploc bags, then stick it in the freezer. A few minutes in the microwave and it’s a fast jump start.

  35. After you get into your groove, you may consider sharing the responsibilities with your sweetie. Even if he cooks only once a week, that will give you a break. When I was working the system was whoever was home first cooked. He loves to cook & retired first, sooooo, he cooks all the time (and does the shopping). If he cooks, I clean. That way we share the responsibility. It works for us!

  36. After you get into your groove, you may consider sharing the responsibilities with your sweetie. Even if he cooks only once a week, that will give you a break. When I was working the system was whoever was home first cooked. He loves to cook & retired first, sooooo, he cooks all the time (and does the shopping). If he cooks, I clean. That way we share the responsibility. It works for us!