On Friday

 

A Basket of Crocheted Flowers

Another of daughter's crafts projects.  She started on the flowers on Thursday and finished the project on Friday.  She used a basket I had in my craft supplies stash.  The little basket of flowers was given to gardener friend M as part of his Christmas gift, along with a small check and a jar of calamondin jam.  M gifted us with a rose plant!

Friday got off to a bit of a wobbly start when the gas wall heater/furnace wouldn't work when I tried to switch it on in the morning!  I checked the stove and the clothes dryer (both are gas appliances) and they worked fine and there was hot water, so the water heater was working too.  Only the furnace was not working.  I called the gas company and made an appointment for another service technician call.  The earliest they could fit me in is on Monday, which is reasonable; they couldn't give me a specific time, but, they will fit me in between 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.  I am fine with that.   I just have to make sure that I am home all day on Monday.  The heater is only 3 years old, but, it has been giving me trouble ever since it was installed!  The heater has a 5 year warranty on labor and 10 year warranty on parts, however, so, depending on what the gas company service technician has to say, I might be calling the company I bought it from and see what they can do about it.

In the meantime, I ordered another small electric heater and picked it up from the store in the afternoon.  I also picked up some Chinese food from a restaurant in the neighborhood for a late lunch (with leftovers for dinner).

Daughter designed and printed out some labels to attach to the jars of jam and chutney I am planning to give as gifts this year and, because the printer ink had dried up, she hand colored the labels (and ordered some new printer ink).  Later in the day, daughter cut up the green beans I had bought and I cooked and froze them for the almsgiving.  I have now cooked all the curried I had planned to cook ahead of time; the last curry will be cooked on Friday, after I buy the kale I need for it.  

On Friday, I was grateful for:

- The gas company will send out a service technician on Monday
- The heater has a 5 year warranty on labor and 10 year warranty on parts
- I was able to order and pick up another small electric space heater
- The gift of a rose bush from M
- Daughter's help with the almsgiving preparations and getting the Christmas/New Year gifts ready

Friday's joyful activity was crocheting.

Plans for Saturday include taking Dancer to his vet appointment, catching up on a few blogs, and tidying the family room.

How was your Friday?  What are your plans for Saturday?

Calamondin Marmalade on Thursday

Calamondin Marmalade 

On Thursday, I decided to make a small batch of calamondin marmalade with the fruit I picked off the branches that were cut on Wednesday.  I meant to take a picture of the calamondin fruits, but, I forgot to.  But, here is a picture of some calamondins that I took a few years ago when I made a batch of calamondin marmalade:

Calamondin Fruit (picture from 2021)

I had far fewer fruit, this time.  There were about 40 fruit and most of them were fairly small.  By the time I seeded them and sliced them up, there was about one and a half cups of the prepared fruit.  Today's batch of fruit wasn't very juicy and I added 1 1/2 cups water and 3 cups of sugar and brought it all to a boil and stirred the mixture until it reached a setting point.  I was able to get three half pint jars of the marmalade (at least one of which will be given as a gift).

There was a little bit leftover, which I put into a small bowl:

Just a bit extra marmalade

Later, I warmed up some frozen meat balls and the little bit of extra marmalade made a nice glaze for them.  Breakfast had been oatmeal and the meat balls were lunch, with some leftover ramen noodles.  For dinner, I cooked a half a bag of frozen General Tso's chicken that I had in the freezer long with some broccoli and we had that with leftover rice and cucumber salad.

I also cooked the dhal curry I had been planning to make and froze most of it for the almsgiving.  I put the rest of it in the fridge to have over the next couple of days.  

I called friend R in the evening to check on her and we had a nice chat.  I also called Dancer's vet clinic and made an appointment for his arthritis injection for Saturday morning.  

In between making marmalade, cooking, and doing some housecleaning, I crocheted.  Borders take me a long time to crochet!  While I crocheted, I watched some news and online videos.

On Wednesday, I was grateful for:

- Calamondin from the garden and three jars of marmalade
- Another warm day of 80F
- Texts, emails, and phone calls with family and friends

- Working appliances
- What I was able to accomplish

Thursday's joyful activities included crocheting and making marmalade to preserve the garden bounty.

Plans for Friday include making some gifts and getting the living room decorated for Christmas.

How was your Thursday?  What are your plans for Friday?

 

Almsgiving Preparations 2024 December

Almsgiving Preparations Schedule

This is my trusty almsgiving preparations schedule that I put together several years ago, which I pull out every time and follow, with minor variations as needed.  It lists everything from setting the date to the types of donations I will be making to all the different serving dishes I need to take down from the upper cabinets where they are stored to the order of serving the meal and concluding the ceremony.  I will check off each thing on the list as I complete them.  

On Wednesday, I asked gardener M to help me take down the plates and dishes reserved for use during the almsgiving.  I will wash them all closer to the day.  M also took down one of the sets of Christmas dishes and, although I will not be hosting any Christmas gathering on Christmas day, I will set the table with them, next week.

M watered the backyard while he was here and we started to prune the calamondin tree.  I want the branches to be reduced in height by about half, so that the new fruit will be more within my reach.  I picked whatever fruit there was on the branches that we cut down on Wednesday and I will make a small batch of calamondin marmalade with them.  

I took inventory of the top shelf of the freezer in the evening, when I took out some butter to make a batch of cookies.  There are quite a few odds and ends in there that must be used up.

I mixed up the cookie dough and daughter formed them into balls and flattened them with the bottom of a drinking glass dipped in sugar.  I baked them and reserved one tray of them for the almsgiving and kept the rest for us to enjoy.    

I made tuna salad sandwiches for our lunch, on Wednesday (Dancer got some tuna, too, and he was very happy).  Dinner was "fridge buffet" - a selection of leftovers: rice, the last bits of chicken curry, garbanzo beans, roasted cauliflower, cucumber salad, etc. We had sugar cookies for dessert.

On Wednesday, I was grateful for

- Another sunny and warm (80F) day
- M's help with the garden and household tasks
- Having my almsgiving schedule to refer to
- Daughter is having minimal side effects from the flu vaccine
- Working appliances

Wednesday's joyful activity was crocheting.

Plans for Thursday include making the calamondin marmalade.

How was your Wednesday?  What are your plans for Thursday?

Warm On Tuesday

 

Daughter's Christmas Tree 2020

This is a picture of the cardboard Christmas tree my daughter made for herself in 2020 when it looked like she might not be able to come home for Christmas because her friend who was giving her a ride home had been exposed to Covid.  However, her friend tested negative and daughter did make it home for Christmas, after all.  She explained what all the symbols represented and I copied and posted it on my blog post, that year.  I can't believe it's been four years since then!

It was sunny and warm on Tuesday, with a high of 75F.  I didn't need a jacket when I went out!  That rarely happens in the winter!

In the afternoon, I took daughter to get her flu vaccine during her lunch break.  There was no waiting at the walk-in clinic and she was in and out in five minutes.  On the way home, I treated us to a coffee drink and pastries from her favorite drive-through coffee shop.  A bit of a splurge, but, I wanted to make it a special occasion.  There was no line at the coffee shop, either and we were home before her lunch break was over.

I spent some time crocheting the border of the blanket I am making, while watching the evening news and a online video.  I have about 3 or 4 more rows of the border to crochet and then, that blanket will be finished.  I'd like to get it done before Christmas!  

The pastries were our brunch and we had some crackers as a snack around tea time, although I didn't make tea because we had that coffee drink we had bought (daughter and I shared it).

For dinner, I baked the last two lime/ginger/chili marinated frozen salmon steaks we had been gifted at Thanksgiving, and made roasted cauliflower to go with the salmon, along with rice cooked with green peas.  A cut up fresh orange for dessert, followed by a piece of baklava.  

On Tuesday, I was grateful for:

- A sunny and warm day
- A safe drive to the clinic and back
- No waiting at the flu clinic
- The availability of vaccines for those who want them
- Being able to treat us to a coffee and pastries on the way home

Tuesday's joyful activity was crocheting.

Plans for Wednesday include tending to the garden with M and setting up the Winter Village.

How was your Tuesday?  What are your plans for Wednesday>

 

Productive Monday

Punch Needle Ornaments

Daughter is making a set of punch needle ornaments to hang on the tree.  It's turning out to be a multi-day project.

On Monday, I had my annual mammogram and scan.  My appointment went well and the results will be sent directly to my oncologist, sometime next week.

After I came home, I did two loads of laundry and ran a cleaning cycle on the washer as the "clean machine" light came on.

Later, I boiled the garbanzo beans I had kept to soak overnight, and made it into sauteed garbanzo beans with onions, curry powder, curry leaves, mustard, dried chilies, etc.  Once cooled, I packaged most of it to freeze for the almsgiving.  I kept a little bit in the pan for our dinner.  

Later, I took the trash cans to the curb for pick up on Tuesday morning, checked the mail, made tea for us, replied to blog comments, etc., and watched the evening news.

Dinner was leftover rice, chicken curry, and cashew curry with the garbanzo beans I had reserved and a freshly made cucumber salad.  

After dinner, I washed the dishes and wiped down the stove top and counters.

On Monday, I was grateful for:

- A safe drive to the clinic and back
- Access to medical care
- Having medical insurance
- Working appliances
- A mostly sunny and clear day

Monday's joyful activity included reading greeting cards sent by family and friends.

Plans for Tuesday include:

- Taking my daughter for her flu vaccination in the afternoon
- Cooking a dhal curry to freeze for the almsgiving
- Bringing in the trash cans
- Watering the front garden

How was your Monday?  What are your plans for Tuesday?

On Sunday

 

Avocado Seedling Christmas Tree: 2012

2012 was the year when my daughter and I didn't put up the regular Christmas tree and I decorated the avocado seedling, still in its jar of water, and called it my Christmas tree.  Dancer was very interested in this new Christmas tree as you can see.

On Sunday, I did a little more freezer inventory.  I am doing this a shelf or two at a time so as not to get too overwhelmed by it.  I pulled out a package of chicken curry, while I was at it, and warmed it up for dinner.  I am trying to clear a space to put the almsgiving food as I cook and freeze them.

Also on Sunday, I did a little more almsgiving preparations and cooked a cashew curry.  I had put the cashews to soak overnight and cooked them in the afternoon.  I cooked two pots of cashew curry - one for the almsgiving and one for our own consumption.  The curry for the almsgiving has been packeted and frozen. Daughter and I enjoyed some of the second pot of cashew curry with our dinner.

I put a packet of dried garbanzo beans to soak on Sunday night, to be boiled and cooked on Monday.  Most of it will be frozen until needed for the almsgiving.  My plan is to cook as many of the curries as possible ahead of time, so that I am left with only a few items to be prepared the night before or the day of. 

We had a bowl of cashew curry for brunch; dinner was rice, chicken curry, cashew curry, and leftover steamed broccoli.  Later, daughter asked for a smoothie, so I blended orange juice, frozen blueberries, peanut butter, and a handful of spinach leaves to make us a smoothie.   

On Sunday, I was grateful for:

- A full freezer (a good problem to have, I'd say)
- Being able to start my almsgiving preparations
- A relaxed day at home
- A working heater

- Daughter's company

Sunday's joyful activity was starting on my almsgiving preparations.

Plans for Monday include:

- Going for my mammogram and scan

- Cooking the garbanzo beans

- Taking the trash cans to the curb
- Watering the back garden
- Doing a load or two of laundry

How was your Sunday?  What are your plans for Monday?

On Saturday: Groceries, Door Handles, and a Decorated Christmas Tree

Christmas Tree 2024

The Christmas tree has been decorated and M (being tall) did the honors and put the topper, on Friday evening.  I put the empty tree decorations bin in the garage on one of the shelves in the former entertainment center shelving unit that is now in the garage:

The New Holiday Decorations Shelving Unit

This might not work out quite as well as I had hoped, unless I declutter my Christmas decorations by quite a bit!  I have three such bins, currently, and two even bigger ones!  The shelving unit will not hold all of it!  I used to stack the two larger bins on the floor and place the three smaller bins on top of them.  Well, I guess I could still stack the larger bins in front of the shelving unit, if necessary.

I picked up my groceries on Saturday afternoon and this time, I checked my groceries against my receipt when I got home.  They had given me all the items I had ordered and paid for and nothing was missing!  I received a free container of juice (best customer coupon) and a free pack of store brand toilet paper (weekend freebie with coupon).  My total came to $41.75.  

I didn't take a picture of my groceries, this time, either, because, as I brought in the last bag of groceries, and tried to close the sliding glass door, yet another thing in my house broke!  This time, it was the sliding glass door handle.  Again.  It broke and I replaced it in March.  Well, it broke, again, today.  Fortunately, there was a spare door handle that we had bought, earlier, and my daughter was able to install it for me.  I took the opportunity to clean the groove the door slides along (it was full of gunk) and lubricate it with some WD-40.  

It was only after the door handle was fixed (and a new "spare" was ordered to have on hand when this one breaks!) that I checked the grocery receipt.  By which time, I had already put away the half & half and the container of juice, etc. and, I didn't want to take things out, again, to take a picture.  

But, here is the receipt showing what I bought and how much it cost:

Bauducco® Chocolate Wafer Cookies, 5 oz$3.00

3 x $1.00 $1.49 each

Broccoli Crowns, 1 ct$2.49

1 lbs x $2.49 each

Cauliflower, 1 ct$2.01

1.01 lbs x $1.99 each (approx.)

Cucumber, 1 ct$0.89

1 x $0.89 each

Fresh Banana - Single, 1 ea$0.43

0.62 lbs x $0.69 each (approx.)

Fresh Green Beans - Bag, 1 lb$1.98

2 lbs x $0.99 $2.99 each

Item Coupon/Sale: -$4.00

Fresh Large D'Anjou Pear - Each, large/ 1 count$0.70

0.35 lbs x $2.00 $2.49 each

Item Coupon/Sale: -$0.17

Iceberg Lettuce, 1 ct$1.59

1 x $1.59 $1.99 each

Item Coupon/Sale: -$0.40

Kroger® Fresh Navel Oranges Bag, 4 lb$2.99

1 x $2.99 $4.99 each

Item Coupon/Sale: -$2.00

Kroger® Half & Half, 32 fl oz.$3.49

1 x $3.49 each

Kroger® Premium Coconut Milk, 13.5 fl oz$3.18

2 x $1.59 $1.99 each

Item Coupon/Sale: -$0.80

Kroger® Pure Canola Oil, 48 fl oz$4.49

1 x $4.49 $5.49 each

Item Coupon/Sale: -$1.00

Kroger® Soft & Strong Toilet Paper Double Roll, 12 rolls$5.99

1 x $5.99 $7.99 each

Item Coupon/Sale: -$2.00

Store Coupon-$5.99

Kroger® White Sandwich Bread, 20 oz$2.29

1 x $2.29 $2.49 each

Item Coupon/Sale: -$0.20

UPC: 0001111008486

Kroger® Whole Carrots Bag, 2 lb$1.99

1 x $1.99 each

Large Cosmic Crisp Apple - Each, large/ 1 count$0.98

0.98 lbs x $1.00 $2.49 each

Item Coupon/Sale: -$1.46

Medium Yellow Onions, medium / 1 lb$1.11

1.25 lbs x $0.88 $1.29 each (approx.)

Item Coupon/Sale: -$0.50

Simply Cranberry Cocktail Fruit All Natural Juice, 52 fl oz$0.00

1 x $0.00 $4.99 each

Item Coupon/Sale: -$0.50

Item Coupon/Sale: -$4.49

CA Redem Val  (deposit on the juice container)$0.10

1 x $0.10 each

Spinach, 1 ct$1.49

1 x $1.49 each

Tetley® British Blend Premium Black Tea Bags, 80 ct$5.99

1 x $5.99 each

That last item, the tea, is actually for a Christmas gift, so should come from my Holiday budget.  

Nothing was specified as being "delivery only" this time around.  So, I think, that it all depends on the availability of the items.

Spent on groceries so far this month:

$61.12 (December 6th) + $41.75 (December 14) = $102.87 - $5.99 for tea (X-mas gift) = $96.88

With daughter home for another month, I have increased my December grocery budget to $200.  That amount will be augmented with what I budget for the almsgiving.  

Lunch on Saturday was toast and scrambled eggs, with orange juice to drink.  For dinner, I baked some of the frozen meatballs I had been given by neighbor S's family, boiled two ears of homegrown corn I had frozen, earlier, and steamed some broccoli.  In addition, there was some leftover ramen noodles from Friday's dinner (which was ramen noodles, sauteed chicken, and stir fried carrots and broccoli stems).  

On Saturday, I was grateful for:

- Being able to order groceries and pick up curb side

- All the grocery items were available and included

- Having a spare door handle

- Daughter being able to install it

- A safe drive to the grocery store and back (I'm not just saying that - there was a shooting there, quite recently, with one person killed and one person injured).

Saturday's joyful activity was watching online videos.

Plans for Sunday include making and wrapping gifts.

How was your Saturday?  What are your plans for Sunday?