Overwhelmed

 I found I had written this a while ago and never pressed "publish," so I'll do so now.

I think I had found a place last week where I felt like I was making progress, but now it seems I'm still bogged down with finding places for everything and changing those places around.  I've had the girls parts of all of every day this week, so I can't say that I've made much progress.

As I unpacked box after box, there were two things that I just couldn't seem to find:  My electric toothbrush and the plates and decorations for the hutch.  The toothbrush one wouldn't have been disastrous to lose, but I knew in that box with the toothbrush were several more things I was missing and probably some things I didn't even know about.  Finally, after sending off every empty box, I had come to the conclusion that it was hidden too well.  I knew in that short move I hadn't lost a box.  Finally, when Ryan and Emily came over and started rearranging the boxes that usually stay in the garage, we peeked in every one before we put it up, and I spotted those missing bathroom things.  Unfortunately, there were two of those Rubbermaid bins full of things I had to find room for.  

Everything is now accounted for, but I have major jobs getting the sewing room organized and paperwork done.  I now keep my printer and office-type things and the children's art stuff in there since sewing is not at the top of my list any more.  But unless I sell or give away everything, I have to find a place for it, and I think I might enjoy quilting again when I have more time.  

It's mammogram day, so I'm headed to Issaquah for that a trip to Trader Joe's.  I'm finding it hard to have lunch items to fit a plant-based eating style for the girls, so I asked more questions and decided to try to keep some form of their protein.  I usually have fruits and veggies, but it's hard when they don't eat eggs or dairy either.  They're still enthusiastic about it, and I'm going to give it a try the first week of August.  

Emily and Ryan get a Purple Carrot delivery every week and prepare their main meal from that.  They got a free box for a friend, so I grabbed it, and it will be delivered August 4th.  I chose my 3 meals, and we'll see:  New England Lobster Roll; Smoky Portobello Tacos; and Penne Al Pesto.  I studied the recipes, each one taking about 30 minutes to prepare, and also checked out the ingredients.  I would love to venture out a little and try some new combinations, but I just don't know where to start.  If I like this, I might try a weekly box.  It's probably about what I spend on groceries anyway, and this way I wouldn't be throwing out the things I buy and never use.  

Probably, I can't give up fish and dairy and eggs, so I'll probably just go part plant-based and part something else. I know the Binderts are feeling wonderful and pretty dedicated to giving it a fair trial.  It's not that hard for the girls, it seems.  Emily doesn't want them to be so rigid and get resentful at not getting their old favorites sometimes, but they are pretty much calling the shots and are quick to point out they are vegan when offered ice cream or cheese.

I need to get better at posting some thoughts every day instead of trying to catch up.  Maybe when school starts!

=====  Well, not only did I find those boxes, there were maybe four more boxes from the sewing room stuck up on the shelves.  They had things from every room in the house, so I pretty much had to mess up all the rooms.  It's coming - slowly.