The Weekly Ramble – June 26, 2026

Are those tulips gorgeous? Bryan bought them at a flower shop last week for me.

Recently, he started asking about my favorite flowers. My tastes have evolved over time and since I’m fairly undemanding — I’ll go buy myself flowers if I want them — he hasn’t kept track. Since ranunculus season is over, he did the next best thing and got me tulips.

He had bought a bouquet the previous week at Trader Joe’s but they pretty much fizzled. They wilted without ever opening.

So, Bryan did some recon with the flower lady and made sure to put pennies in the vase per her instructions. These were lovely for several days, opening in the day and closing at night.

My husband and I continue to learn more things about each other, 32 years into this gig. For my part, I’m realizing how much he goes out of his way for me — something I fear I’ve often taken for granted. Or maybe not had the eyes to see.

I’ve not talked about it a ton here, but childhood PTSD can do a number on you, years down the line. It colors how you see things, how you interpret things, how you see the present. I’m thankful for the chance to have done therapy a few years ago. It’s cool to see the positive effects now.

It makes me all the more thankful for my husband. Together we’re changing our family tree and that feels pretty great.

I cleaned out my desk over the weekend and sorted through piles of papers. Found this picture from way back when we did a staycation at a local hotel. It was the early days of “mommy bloggers” and we’d been comped the hotel.

We couldn’t afford to pay for something like that, so it was a great opportunity to do something fun with the kids.

If you’ve ever seen The Regular Show, you will recognize the poses Bryan and the kids are sporting. That was a show that he watched with them regularly. Such a sweet memory!

Surprisingly, that series got cleaner and more family-friendly as time went one. The early seasons are definitely edgy.

At 54 I’m finding myself in a bit of a crossroads. There are tons of great things happening, many great memories to recall, and still a little baggage to sort through. It’s an interesting mix.

Depending on my mood, it can be very motivating to exercise and do “all the right things”. This week it’s felt like a full time job!

The cardio channel I follow on YouTube posted a tabata workout that I did a few times this week. For a novice like me, it’s a good intro to the SIT type exercise that I’ve been trying to figure out.

I’m still at a very beginner level, but am encouraged that consistency should pay off in the long run. I’ve been getting more steps each day, taking my creatine, VitaD/K2 and Omega 3s, and trying to hit that elusive 135 grams of protein every day.

Like I said, full time job.

Here’s what else I’ve been doing, eating, listening/watching, and/or reading this past week:

What I’m Learning

I’ve also been working on recovery strategies so that I’m not sore or injured and foul up the good habits I’m trying to create. Sitting on my leg last night while I read mangled my knee so that I’m limping today.

Seriously, getting hurt while sitting? Only me!

I’d read that making sure you’re cooling down after exercise is essential to get the blood to keep circulating in the muscles instead of heading to the surface to cool you off. I’m not sure how efficacious my gel neck things are, but it certainly feels better.

What I’ve Been Doing

I honestly haven’t gotten a ton accomplished this week other than working out, steps, nutrition, and reading, but I did grab the sales at Ralphs and found some coffee on clearance. The bags were dated 2027, so my guess it’s a packaging change or another round of shrinkflation.

Today I’m going to lunch with Mr 22. When did my 4th son become a man?! It’s so wild to have adult children.

What I’ve Been Eating

Protein. I’m struggling to find exciting ways to eat more protein, but I will not go down without a fight.

This week we’ve done:

• grilled chicken, grilled veggies, and salad
• grilled tri-tip, baked potatoes, and salad
• beef tacos
• beef quesadillas
• more grilled chicken
• tonight we’re doing grilled pizza
• tomorrow is burger night, but our numbers are dwindling quickly, so maybe Bryan and I will go out for burgers.

There’s not much protein in sourdough, but I’m going strong on baking bread, something I don’t usually do in the summer time, but I really am enjoying it.

I’m been making a double batch of plain boules as well as hamburger buns and crumpets. I am struggling to get the crumpets not to stick in the crumpet rings, even my nonstick ones.

If you’ve got some tricks, I’m all ears!

What I’ve Been Listening/Watching

Have you listened to my Summer Ramble with Allison from the Art of Home Podcast. We yakked it up about a myriad of topics.

Check it out here:

From a video perspective, the highlight of the last week was Seeking Persephone. My feed was full of ads for the new miniseries and since I knew it was a book, I read the book first and then binged the series – all last weekend.

Then Miss 17 and I watched an episode every day this week on our lunch break. SOOOOOOO GOOD!!!

We watched it for free on Roku, but I am considering buying it on Prime Video. The dvd is sold out.

The film adaptation is very true to the book, but the book is better and definitely worth your time. Speaking of which…

What I’ve Been Reading

What started as a means to watching a mini series became the week’s obsession. I’ve got one book left in the series by Sarah M. Eden, and highly recommend them all!

The Lancaster Family series has been really good and so thought-provoking. Definitely some of my new favorite books!

In the same vein as Jane Austen, the novels look at love and marriage in a Regency context, but the lessons of complementing one another in marriage stand over time. Paired with finishing up Eve in Exile, it was really good food for thought this week.

And that’s about all I got. I’m continuing to find my way and figure out what exactly I’m building in this new season of life. Besides muscle, that is. 😜

I’d love to hear what’s new with you!