W's for the Last October Friday

  hen the wind howls and the windows shake, I know we are getting to the end of October. DH has a horrible cold, not Covid, but has developed that barky cough. It was horrible yesterday, so he laid low. My younger daughter hung out with her older sister for much of Thursday, partially to keep her company, and also to utilize her better WIFI. While I took hours here and there this week, I still am sucking a lot of the bandwidth as I've had several national calls/conferences. Next week is more of the same-another national project has meetings scheduled over four of the five days of the week. I got a nice little care package for the one this week-though it came after the meeting was over. It was a nice short insulated mug with a travel container top with a packet of hot cocoa to go with it. It was in a bougie box, filled with the shredded and spiralized  packing paper in a variety of colors. The box probably cost as much as the mug! So what else is on my brain as I end this week? Here's my world of W's. 

What's top of mind:  Besides DH's cold, I have personal finances on my brain. I didn't do a check in in September on our countdown to retirement and realized I blew by this past Monday, the last one of October. I'll work on updating our progress for Monday. This includes updating the retirement charts, and seeing I can wiggle down a few budget categories and come out in the black  in 2022 with just applying my salary. 

Where I've been: At the oral surgeons, back and forth to the pharmacy, and back and forth to my daughters-which for me, was a nice change of scenery. I've been on many walks with pup. I'm actually putting socks and shoes on for the short walks-the ones where we don't go far, but pup gets a lot of sniffing time. I think sandal weather is truly gone.

Where I'm going: No where in particular. We're taking DD2 and my MIL out for dinner Saturday, but not sure where yet. DD2 loves a certain pasta dish at a restaurant she worked at one summer. 

What I'm reading: I'm still waiting for my book from the library but haven't had much reading time anyway.

What I'm listening to: I streamed some tunes from the Cranberries No Need to Argue album. It as more background than real listening. 

What I've been watching: My daughter and I over a couple nights watch d The School of Rock for just mindless laughs and giggles. We've also streamed a few more episodes of Supernatural-seems fitting for the week. I'm caught up on the latest Great British Baking Show as well, but watched that the other night when no one else was home.

What I'm eating: I made a big batch of chicken noodle soup yesterday along with crescent rolls. I made curry, chickpea masala on Sunday specifically, for my daughter who ate for three days. I promised her one more batch before she leaves and I'll send her back to school with the leftovers. My kids need their care packages when they leave mom's house. 

Who I'm paying attention to: I've had a bit of a news break this week with juggling time for my kids, the virtual work conference. While today is supposed to be my flex day, I'm interviewing for a permanent position, for which one candidate is the current temporary staff. I guess that person is who I am paying attention to.

Who needs to be (figuratively) slapped: Since I've been avoiding a lot of new, I've had less slapping urges! I'm seeing more garbage strewn in the park-not sure if it is blowing from peoples waste bins after trash pick up day or people leaving behind, but if the latter, I'll give them a slap. 

What's Making Me Smile:  Ok, so DH feeling lousy with his cold does not make me happy, but seeing him with his mugs and tea bags is a homey sight. He's not a coffee drinker, but when he feels poorly or is chilled, tea is his beverage of choice, but not regular black tea. I think I made him three large mugs of Good Earth pomegranate tea yesterday. I tend to use that for cold tea in the summer (with a splash of lemon it is phenomenal), but he loves it hot and I was glad we had quite a few bags on the tea tray.  

     No doubt I'll end my weekend how I started last by doing laundry for  my college kid to pack up and take back. I hope she had a good week off-we didn't do anything exciting, but she got to see a couple friends, sleep without an alarm going off the next morning, and load up on some of her favorite foods. She also did a ton of school work and has 7 weeks left of the semester. My older daughter is doing OK with the prep for her two implants, due to no adult tooth forming where they should have in two spots, but the poor girl will be on soft foods for quite a while. I too would like days where I don't have to get up for any reason other than my own, but my list actually grew this week instead of tapering down. Now it is Halloween on Sunday and then another month is in the books. What are the W's of your word this week?