Star Anise Saturday @ TDD

[FrenchFlybebe]

Triple Dog Dare!

Pick 3 things
Do them
Post your TaDas!

»»—-Cheers! WTG! Ygg!—-««

Don't think about it. Just do it!
~~ I Triple Dog Dare ya! ~~
Good Morning!
»»————　✼　————««

[FrenchFlybebe]

Star Anise is a star-shaped spice that comes from the dried fruit of an evergreen tree native to Asia. It has a strong sweet licorice-like flavor and is commonly used in Chinese and Vietnamese cooking, teas, and spice blends.

Interesting facts about Star Anise :
Its star shape is actually the fruit. Each point of the star contains a shiny seed inside a hard woody pod.
The flavor comes mainly from anethole, the same aromatic compound found in anise seed, fennel, and licorice — which is why they taste similar even though they are unrelated plants.
During the 2000s, most of the world’s supply of shikimic acid — a key ingredient used to produce the antiviral medication Tamiflu — came from star anise fruits.

a picture of the plant here

[FrenchFlybebe]

◕‿◕ * * * Good Morning! * * * ◕‿◕

I hope all is well with you Kittykatt and I hope you won't mind me starting today's thread.

It's a grey morning here. Kids are supposed to goo to sports sessions, I will probably be the one driving them. MrNG offered but he has work to do. He offered because he wants me to apply for the job offer he thinks would be good for me - while I'm hesitating and probably being lazy.
Lots were done yesterday, home chores, admin stuff but not enough. It's nice to have public holidays to do some catching up. Also, when grownups get things done, it usually means kids spend time on screens.
I intend to get reasonably productive today.

TODOs
bfast with MrNG
get kids ready for sports
drive them, and maybe a trip to bakery while I'm there



SHEM
“My goal is no longer to get more done, but rather to have less to do.”
― Francine Jay

[Kittykatt]

Good morning, FFB, and thank you for starting us off. I turned off my alarm this morning, and Matilda was a good girl and allowed me to sleep on, so I didn't wake up until nearly 8 am!

IMHO, I think you should apply for that job. You have nothing to lose, it would be good practice in applying, and if you did have an interview you still have the power to say "no" if you don't think the job would be right for you!

I had a nice time in the garden yesterday, but everything was a lot of effort and I was wiped out again afterwards. But it was good to enjoy the fresh air and sunshine.

Today I really need to do something round the house. Fortunately we are up to date with clean laundry, but it all needs folding. Handyman MJ texted apologetically yesterday to say the glass hasn't arrived yet so he can't do our door today. I have to admit I'm relieved, as it's one less thing I have to think about today, and he'll be in touch to rearrange a date when it does turn up. And it's not as though it's urgent anyway .

DH has a concert this evening, so he needs to leave about midday to help set everything up and also for the final rehearsal. I need to make a pared down list of things I need to do today - I do like your SHEM today.

[Kittykatt]

To do:
Cuddles and treats with Matilda, Freddie and Jude
QT
Update latest Waitrose order
Cup of tea
Get up!
Shower/wash hair/moisturiser and sunblock/ clean and floss teeth
S/S bathroom
Physio exercises - just a few
Get dressed in casual clothes
Make bed
Scoop cat trays and give everyone fresh water
Cat breakfast and meds /supplements
Breakfast and meds /vitamins for me
Quick kitchen clean up
Load DW
Quick PUPA downstairs
Quick dust and Hoover downstairs
Wind clock
Quick PUPA upstairs
Quick dust bedrooms
15 minutes in tiny front garden
15 minutes in back garden
Go for my walk
Walk Freddie
Lap time with Freddie, Jude and Matilda
Head rubs with Freddie, Jude and Matilda
Play with Freddie, Jude and Matilda
Run DW when full
Unload DW
Lunch
Cats' supper
My supper
Sort out lunch for tomorrow
Text DF E to let her know I can't come for coffee tomorrow (I'll be just 72 hours symptom-free, but IMHO it's still too soon as I don't want to risk exposing her, and potentially the other elderly residents, to anything I might still be carrying)
Towels in machine
Towels hung up to dry
Clothes laid out for tomorrow

Extras:
Annotate map to attach to email for SR
Read email again before sending
Send email
Order biscuits for church
Fold and PA laundry
Clean sheets and towels out of airing cupboard
Delicate wash?
Read a book for a while? (Can I do this sitting in the garden?)

Garden extras:

[trissie]

Is DH singing at the concert, kittykatt?
Frenchie, I challenge you to actually apply for the job! You can do better than me! Though the situation at my job did calm down, but I am being more guarded towards some people. Plus, I can't really stir things up with the MIL situation at the moment

I had an early (for me) bedtime last night and a sleep in and it felt heavenly! I should do that more often
The forecast is pretty good, overcast, but not rain. I could finally get to spraying the roses (for black spots) and I've already seen aphid damage. The carport needs clearing out, and so does the garage. It's gonna be a garden weekend!

TaDas
- breakfast and coffee
- dressed to shoes
- DS off the door
- DW unloaded
- internet time
- slow morning

ToDos
- morning routine
- 30 minutes downstairs
- start lunch

Braindump
routines
- midday routine
- afternoon routine
- evening routine
food
- lunch
- dinner
- bake something sweet
- feed breadstarter
organization
- homework and backpacks
- DBD's speech therapy
- update land contract
- 15 on filing
- plan for May
- order of clothes
cleaning
- clean office
- clean out / reorganize attic
- defrost garage freezer
- spiff up DBD's room
- spiff up twins' room
- spiff up DS1's room
- spiff up master bedroom
- spiff up master bathroom
- spiff up kitchen
- spiff up living room
- spiff up downstairs bathroom and hallways
laundry
- load of darks
- load of towels
- ironing
- folding
- mending
- laundry put away
garden and outside - weekend
- spray roses
- repot seedlings I bought
- weeding in veggie garden
- weeding in front garden
- work in raspberry patch - pruning, fertilizing, replanting
- prune fruit trees - blooming pit fruits
- prune bushes
- prune/tie/shape climbing roses
- pick up - front garden / porch
- pick up - backyard
- start cleaning out the carpool
- fertilize fruit trees and bushes
- fertilize conifers
- start oiling garden furniture
- fertilize vegetables
me time
- 15 of exercise
- Bible study
- reading

[FrenchFlybebe]

trissie good luck tackling the carport and garage (as a SHE I think it should be spelled g*r*ge, it's really such a nasty thing ).

kittykatt, glad Matilda let you sleep in. Fingers crossed for your DH on his concert.

Thank you both for encouraging me to apply. I have nothing to lose... sort of. I don't have either time nor energy to invest in a new version of a resume, a cover letter, and even less for a possible interview (or rather, several, if they were to be really interested). Applying means I don't do much this weekend while the house is messy, the kids spend time in front of screens and there is lots to catch up on, and DSisYounger's family arriving on Thursday. Of course, a new job would be worth so much than all those little tasks, but right now the perspective seems so overwhelming. Or, I'm so overwhelmed by everything. Sometimes I have the feeling I can hardly breathe. I wish MrNG had some time to spare. As he said today at breakfast "I'm simply not available until the end of June".
Anyway, I will probably apply half-heartedly.

TADAs
DS10 to sports, DS7 stayed in bed (he said he had a sore throat, I didn't want to insist)
energetic walk in the woods and to the bakery while DS10 had sports
now back and both showered
some basic cleaning of shower stall and bathroom
and some down time

TODO
help MrNG with lunch (it's almost 1pm)
cleanup after meal
photo sorting : June 2025
re-read job offer, prepare resume, ask some AI for advice
also prepare cover letter, ask AI for information about company, about that type of job
set aside to re-read it on Sunday
time with the kids
time getting rid of "oh, outgrown clothes, let's sell them on Vinted" project started by MrNG a month ago and cluttering all the upstairs rooms
more cleaning
dinner will be pizza and a family movie (The Incredibles, I think we never saw it)

[trissie]

Frenchie, I totally get it, the one summer that I was looking for another job while having a job and kids and a house to take care of, it was just so exhausting that after the third one that fell through, I was just done with it (also, by then I had already started a new project that made it worth staying, so it was an easy choice). But the job you have is slowly poisoning you, so there's that!

TaDas
- morning routine
- spiff up kitchen
- spiff up living room
- spiff up downstairs bathroom and hallways
- spiff up office
- start lunch
- load of darks sorted and running

ToDos
- midday routine
- 15 on laundry
- 1 hour outside

Braindump
routines
- afternoon routine
- evening routine
food
- dinner
- bake something sweet
- feed breadstarter
organization
- homework and backpacks
- DBD's speech therapy
- update land contract
- 15 on filing
- plan for May
- order of clothes
cleaning
- clean office
- clean out / reorganize attic
- defrost garage freezer
- spiff up DBD's room
- spiff up twins' room
- spiff up DS1's room
- spiff up master bedroom
- spiff up master bathroom

laundry
- load of towels
- ironing
- folding
- mending
- laundry put away
garden and outside - weekend
- spray roses
- repot seedlings I bought
- weeding in veggie garden
- weeding in front garden
- work in raspberry patch - pruning, fertilizing, replanting
- prune fruit trees - blooming pit fruits
- prune bushes
- prune/tie/shape climbing roses
- pick up - front garden / porch
- pick up - backyard
- start cleaning out the carpool
- fertilize fruit trees and bushes
- fertilize conifers
- start oiling garden furniture
- fertilize vegetables
me time
- 15 of exercise
- Bible study
- reading

[Kittykatt]

Hi, Trissie, I'm so glad you had a sleep in! Yes, DH is singing on the concert tonight. (Verdi's Requiem. I will confess not really my thing and ATM I couldn't face those hours of sitting on an extremely hard seat, but he has really enjoyed all the rehearsals).

FFB, nearly 15 years ago, my DH was in a job he really disliked, for many reasons, but couldn't just leave. Life was overwhelming for both of us at that time (his DMum had passed away and his DDad was needing more care, I had just set up my own business, our eldest cat had chronic kidney disease that was progressing etc, etc) and he saw a job advertised that he really liked the look of, (in fact it was his dream job)but he didn't have all the necessary qualifications/ experience, so decided he wouldn't apply. Until literally the very last minute, when he changed his mind (he was rushing through the form to ensure it was submitted before the midnight deadline.) He got it submitted and thought nothing more of it. Until he got a phone call a few weeks later asking him if could come in for a pre interview chat, like now?

Fortunately he was on leave that week, and I remember we were having lunch out with his DDad to celebrate my birthday. So, on the way home we stopped by his current workplace to see if the certificate for his latest course he had completed had arrived (it had), then home for him to change into something appropriate, and then off he went. That meeting led to the offer of a formal first round interview, then a second interview followed by the offer of the job. And, yes, it did turn out to be everything he had hoped for. So, even a half hearted job application is better than nothing!

SHEM:
“Better to do something imperfectly than to do nothing flawlessly.” ~Robert H. Schuller

[kitkat]

Good morning All!
Thanks for the start FFly! I LOVE the look and the scent of Star Anise!! What a pretty thing:)
FFly - I think you should apply. If you don't , you'll be wondering "what if". It's best to do it when it's not a desperate situation. We will all pull for you!
trissie - I agree - you should sleep more. (I'm aware...) It changes everything.
The irony: I'd have the opportunity but wake up for 2-3 hours in the middle of the night...
Kittykatt I trust you are back to normal? Those bugs can take a lot out of you...

I did not get back here as I got busy with my little DGD. We did another trail walk:) I'm just grateful I can do things with her

Today:
I have 3 outings: pup, gym and my photo group.
Will need to work around those.
My kitchen counter/ island will be my main focus.

Off to get started