PSST! Rantings, Musings, & "Not Your Mama's" Platitudes

 I can honestly say this has been one of the best days I have had in a long time. I woke up drowsy and exhausted from the medication, but, after a couple cups of coffee and a slow morning, I was ready to go. I felt the urge to go through my closet and declutter. This house has almost zero storage space—there is a tiny attic hatch, so no space to even crawl up into the space; both closets are tiny, and neither has any shelving (which wouldn't work anyway, because the clothes would hang directly on top of them). There is room under the house for storage, but it is not climate controlled. My closet is about 10 feet long with two clothes rods hanging—one at waist height and the other a little taller than how a normal clothes rod is installed. While I have lots of room for hanging clothes, I have very little room for storing anything else. No shelf for blankets or boxes or anything. However, I was able to stack some plastic storage bins down the length of the closet. Since we moved from...

 Patients who suffer with mental health conditions are notorious for not taking their medications as prescribed. As a person with a diagnosed mental health condition, AND as a person who has worked in pharmacy for 18 years, I can tell you this is a very nuanced subject.  When I was 18 years old, I became unexpectedly pregnant with my daughter. At the time, I struggled with religious trauma. Looking back, I now realize I have dealt with anxiety, in one shape or another, my entire life. This anxiety, this generational trauma passed down in my genetic code, eventually came to a head. In combination of pregnancy hormones, feelings of guilt and failure as an unwed mother, and the realization that my life was heading in this one, seemingly permanent direction, part of myself shattered. I became severely depressed and suicidal. The only thing that kept me alive at the time was knowing my daughter was a part of me.  After giving birth and moving forward in life, my mental health ...

 Hard to believe tomorrow is January. Today I took Rylee to Mom and Dad's around 10:30, saw Emery and Jack. Jack said, "Aunt Lindsey!" and ran into my arms! It was the best. I cleaned the cat boxes and did the dishes. Baked bread. Watched Full House reruns. Made turkey meatballs and pinto beans. I boiled the dried pinto beans for 5 minutes and let soak for 1 hour, then cooked on high in the Instant Pot for 30 minutes. I added a diced onion, pepper, salt, Adobo. Delicious. The bread was 3 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 cup of oats, 1 packet of quick-acting yeast, 3 tablespoons of honey, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt, and 1 & 1/4 cups of lukewarm water. I mixed together and emptied onto a greased countertop. Kneaded for 7 minutes and placed back into greased bowl to let rise for 1 hour. Then I shaped the dough as follows: 'Flatten the dough into a 6" x 8" rectangle. Fold the top down to the center (like you were folding a letter), pressing it firmly with ...