Friday Ideas – Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

Mates! Hello.

It’s been an extended whereas since I’ve checked in with a Friday Ideas publish, and I’ve actually missed you! I’m decided to deliver again Friday Ideas with extra regularity since they’re a few of my favourite posts to put in writing (and to learn your feedback on!).

How are you? Like, actually, HOW ARE YOU?

The previous couple of months have been a whirlwind round right here. I’m positive a lot of you’re feeling the identical method.

Listed below are 5 issues which were on my thoughts, and as all the time, I’d love to listen to from you within the feedback!

Life Currently

It has lastly warmed up right here, which suggests the pastures and grass are rising like loopy and we’re spending loads of time outdoors (weeding – SO.MANY.WEEDS).

Our fruit bushes are blooming, and we simply planted 5 extra! (And by we, I imply Brian.) We have already got two apple, two plum, three peach and a cherry. Now we even have two pear bushes, one other cherry, two apricot and one nectarine.

I’ve zero phrases of recommendation about rising fruit bushes. Our soil is awful. However we’re studying as we go, and hopefully this 12 months our established fruit bushes will reward us with some precise fruit (not eaten by wasps and earwigs!).

This spring has been crazier than I anticipated. Life actually has a method of throwing curveballs while you least count on them. A couple of months in the past, Brian’s place at work was unexpectedly eradicated. It positively wasn’t one thing we have been ready for, however we have now seen so many distinctive blessings come our method within the midst of it, together with alternatives for Brian to begin working for himself, which is one thing he has all the time needed to do.

Inside the first few days of Brian being dwelling full-time and experiencing the to-do lists I used to be leaving for him as a solution to “assist” him hold busy throughout the interim of discovering new employment, he politely however firmly declared he needed a brand new boss. 😂

I’m grateful, greater than ever, for this running a blog area. I genuinely love being right here as a result of I get to work together with you, however this weblog additionally helps present financially for our household (which is a big blessing proper now). I’ve been intensely engaged on just a few further weblog initiatives the final couple of months, and because of some deadlines, I don’t assume I’ve ever been this sleep-deprived in my life! I believe I’m seeing gentle on the finish of the tunnel, which is sweet, as a result of my youngsters want their mother again in non-zombie kind.

As for the youngsters, they’re busy as ever with spring sports activities, lining up summer season jobs, engaged on the property (now that the weeds are rising quicker than we are able to pull them), shopping for extra cows on the cattle public sale to boost, and all the opposite ups and downs and ins and outs of child/teen life, together with NEW TEENAGE DRIVERS. Pray for me.

We’ve additionally formally entered the section of determining easy methods to mother or father a younger grownup. Since I don’t even have {the teenager} chapters discovered but, I really feel like somebody ought to in all probability come take my parenting license away?? 😉 I do NOT really feel certified to do that. My pretend it ’til you make it motto is holding sturdy.

Hair Loss

Due to a mixture of growing old, thyroid points, stress and who is aware of what else, my hair is STRUGGLING. I’ve by no means had overly thick, luscious hair, but it surely’s positively thinner than ever, particularly alongside my half line.

Similar to something health-related, google searches depart me overwhelmed (and form of alarmed – wow, a few of the proposed options are intense 😳).

My thyroid ranges and blood work are all regular proper now. I additionally tried Nutrafol after listening to a lot about it, however I finished taking it after just a few weeks as a result of it actually upset my abdomen (I believe because of the biotin, which tends to make my abdomen really feel not so nice).

Anyway. Simply one other enjoyable aspect impact of my 40’s. Yay!

When you have any tricks to share on serving to skinny, struggle-bus hair, I’d love to listen to them!

Exercise Love

Final 12 months, I began following a weight lifting program, Sadie Active App, after seeing a pal publish about it. I’ve all the time been *pretty* first rate at average train, however I needed to begin implementing extra weight coaching, which I’ve solely carried out sporadically over time. (That is utterly unsponsored, I pay for my very own month-to-month membership.)

I’m hooked! That is by the far the perfect exercise program I’ve ever carried out (right here is Sadie’s Instagram account if you wish to be taught extra). I’ve been doing the burden coaching exercises on the app since September, and I really feel stronger than ever.

The factor I like most is that the app tells me precisely what to do, what number of occasions to do it, and has movies to point out the right kind. No guess work, which is precisely what I want. Additionally, the exercises are completely different each week, which is nice for my character that will get tired of repeated exercises actually simply.

You’ll be able to select the “fitness center” setting or “dwelling” setting. I’m mentally allergic to understanding in public, so I all the time train at dwelling. I don’t have an official dwelling fitness center, just a few random train gear stuffed up in our bonus room.

I favor to set the app to the “fitness center” setting and do the workouts at dwelling, modifying the workouts to work with my minimal gear.

A couple of key items of apparatus I take advantage of for dwelling exercises. The hyperlinks under are affiliate hyperlinks from Amazon; store round regionally or elsewhere on-line for the perfect costs.

Optionally available dwelling gear that may be added later or is a bonus if you have already got it: kettlebells, train ball, pull-up bar, bar with heavier weights.

The exercises are 45-60 minutes, however can simply be shortened by chopping all of the reps in half. I attempt to get in 3-4 weight exercises per week plus just a few low-intensity cardio exercises if I’ve time (like strolling on the treadmill, using bikes with the fam, and many others).

I can’t say sufficient about this exercise app. I look ahead to exercising (although I do know I’m going to be sore!), and it has helped me construct muscle and get stronger (sorry, no flexing selfies). I find it irresistible!

Ok-dramas

Properly, I’ve formally jumped on the Ok-drama practice. Regardless that my whole prolonged household was waxing poetic about Crash Touchdown on You (in addition to everybody else on this planet, it appeared), I resisted. Principally as a result of I don’t watch TV fairly often, and once I do, I like to have the ability to multi-task. Nevertheless, studying subtitles critically restricts multi-tasking, so I resisted.

I received actually sick in February and whereas laying in mattress for over per week, I made a decision to lastly dive in.

I watched Crash Touchdown on You and cherished it a lot, I’ve been rewatching it during the last month or so with Brian and Cam (this can be very cute how invested Camryn is within the characters). It additionally has critically fueled my want to journey to Switzerland. The 2 major characters are literally married in actual life, in order that’s enjoyable for all of us at-heart romantics! It’s a must to get by means of the primary few quirky episodes after which it actually will get good.

After a couple of minutes, you barely discover you’re studying subtitles. In actual fact, I swore I used to be fluent in Korean after I completed the sequence. 😂

For Cam’s birthday earlier this month, I gifted her this finger heart shirt aff. hyperlink (an endearing gesture in lots of Ok-dramas). She’s worn it virtually day by day since. 😍

I used to take heed to a podcast or e book when strolling on the treadmill or using the train bike. Now it’s all about Ok-dramas. I’ve zero regrets.

I’ve watched Enterprise Proposal, Hometown Cha Cha Cha, and Crash Course in Romance. All of them unbelievable for various causes. I wasn’t a giant fan of Forecasting Love and Climate or Her Non-public Life – didn’t end both of these.

Cam and I simply began watching Begin-Up and are loving it. To date Ok-dramas have been intelligent, humorous and clear, and I’m questioning if I’ll ever watch a non-subtitled present once more. Oh, one phrase of recommendation: if the Ok-drama present has the flexibility to observe it dubbed over in English, don’t. I attempted that with Enterprise Proposal and it was ridiculously jarring.

Have you ever jumped on the Ok-drama practice but? If that’s the case, what are your favorites? Extraordinary Legal professional Woo is subsequent on my record to observe!

Issues I’m Loving

Okay, I’ll finish this with just a few issues I’ve been loving currently! Affiliate hyperlinks included for the issues I’ve purchased on Amazon – nothing is sponsored; I purchase the stuff I like myself.

• That is my favorite dress summer dress (particularly after attempting the famed Somerset gown that everybody raves about – it made me really feel like a frumpy pioneer). This gown is flowy, gentle and far inexpensive! I’ve it in inexperienced and floral pink.
• I take advantage of this foot cream each night time earlier than mattress. It’s superb.
• Do you hate melting butter and having it explode all over the place within the microwave? Yeah, me, too. I noticed these microwave butter melters on Instagram, and to this point, they’re positively saving my sanity.
• Some time again I requested on Instagram tales about non-smearing mascara, and acquired lots of of responses with suggestions of mascara to strive. The highest solutions have been tubing mascara, which I had by no means heard of earlier than (dwelling below a rock over right here), so I made a decision to offer it a go. First, I attempted the L’Oreal Double Lash mascara that was really helpful essentially the most, however didn’t find it irresistible. I attempted Thrive Causemetics liquid lash subsequent, and I looooove it. I’ve been utilizing it for a number of months now and am a brilliant fan. It’s positively dearer than the day by day waterproof mascara I used for years (and it’s not waterproof, however I’ve gotten used to that)…but it surely lasts a very very long time. Yay!
• I purchased this ceramic baking dish for a current picture shoot, and it’s change into one among my favourite baking pans! It will make an excellent Mom’s Day reward (for your self or another person!) 😉
• That is my favorite self-tanner. It’s very refined, works regularly, and provides me simply the trace of colour I need on my lily white legs. The basic self-tanner scent is current however not overly sturdy. I take advantage of it a few occasions per week within the morning. As soon as it dries, I add a layer of the body lotion I use every day and don’t discover the scent a lot in any respect.
• My siblings and I purchased this digital picture frame for my mother’s birthday earlier this 12 months. She had an previous one which she saved continuously on her kitchen counter, however we couldn’t add footage to it remotely, so all the images have been no less than 10 years previous. This new body permits all of us youngsters to add footage by way of an app on her telephone, which is superior since three of us stay a number of states away from my mother. She’s loving it!
• I purchased this vacuum mop and after a number of months, I’m nonetheless actually, actually appreciating the worth it provides to my life. Technically the attraction is that it vacuums and mops on the identical time. I nonetheless give my flooring a fast sweep earlier than utilizing it to attenuate the quantity of junk I’ve to scrub out of it after. As a result of our downstairs is generally LVP flooring and we stay off a dusty lengthy driveway and on 25 acres, my flooring get n.a.s.t.y. This mop is as straightforward as vacuuming and I find it irresistible a lot. It’s a little bit of a ache to scrub after however nonetheless very a lot value it to me. I don’t use the cleansing answer offered with it; I simply use water and it cleans spectacularly properly.

Thanks for being right here, mates.

Life has been a bit messy and heavy currently, significantly in respect to motherhood and all of the ups and downs of that, however I even have a lot to be pleased about, which suggests within the midst of feeling all the emotions, crying the tears and screaming within the pillows, I’m additionally attempting to search for the blessings, too, and there are various.

Subsequent week, I’ll be hitting the weblog with a enjoyable, free useful resource for youths graduating and leaving dwelling, and there are additionally a number of phenomenal new recipes coming your method this month!

That is one among my completely satisfied locations, and I’m actually grateful for all of you! Love your guts! 💗