Thursday, December 4, 2025

Mid-Week on Wednesday

 

The Last of the Feijoa (Pineapple Guava)

The last month of the year has started.  

On Monday, we had a sunny day.  I made milkrice for brunch, as I usually do on the first of the month, picked some fresh flowers - paperwhites - for the altar, cleaned the kitchen, did a load of laundry, made a couple of phone calls to set up appointments, broke down several cardboard boxes in which various items had been delivered, and filled the recycling bin with them.  Later, I took the trash bin, yard waste bin, and the recycling bin to the curb to be collected and emptied on Tuesday.

Brunch had been milk rice with shrimp curry and/or jaggery.  Dinner was leftovers - egg rolls and a cut up mango.  I told daughter that I wished we had some chocolate chip cookies and she baked a new batch, using butter instead of olive oil, this time:

More Chocolate Chip Cookies

They were delicious! 

Tuesday was another sunny day.  I did another load of laundry, brought the emptied trash cans in with daughter's help, spoke with the ophthalmologist's office to confirm an upcoming appointment, and, later, planned the almsgiving menu with my daughter and made up the grocery shopping lists for the items needed.  My almsgiving menu doesn't change that much from year to year.  It is mostly a vegetarian meal (I do serve eggs with it and yogurt) and I always have two kinds of rice, a cashew curry, dhal curry, garbanzo beans, green beans, sauteed leafy greens cooked with grated coconut (what we call a "mallung"), potato curry, a salad, poppadum, an assortment of fruits and sweets, and dessert.  Often, the actual number of dishes prepared for the almsgiving depends on my energy levels, so, I try as much as possible to cook in advance and freeze.  To that end, I put a packet of raw cashews to soak overnight.  Daughter has offered to cook some of the dishes, so that will be a big help.

I had leftover milkrice for brunch with shrimp curry; daughter had some rice and kebabs; we also had the last of the fish cutlets. For dinner, daughter had the last steamed bun, and I had some of the leftover ground turkey mixture with mashed potatoes and gravy.  We also shared the last of the feijoas (pineapple guavas) from my tree.   

Wednesday, was another sunny day.  My gardener friend M arrived in the late morning to tend to the garden.  After he sampled one of daughter's chocolate chip cookies, we divided a huge lemon grass clump that was growing in a planter and replanted the divisions in four pots.  I also harvested some lemon grass stems to use in my cooking and put some individual plants to root in water, just in case the divided clumps of lemon grass don't grow.  We added more potting soil to two passionfruit plants that I've grown from seed in pots and M watered the winter vegetable seedlings we have planted.

Later in the afternoon, I went to the library to collect a book that I had placed on hold.  I walked for a little bit after I got home, cooked the cashew curry and froze it once it had cooled, cleaned the kitchen a bit, and took a nap!  

Brunch had been the last of the egg rolls with sweet chili sauce as a dip.  For dinner, I had a roast chicken sandwich and daughter had leftovers from the Friendsgiving dinner.

So far this week, I've been grateful for:

- Sunny days
- Working appliances
- Daughter baking another batch of chocolate chip cookies
- M's help with the garden
- Lots of leftovers

My joyful activities have included gardening and knitting.

Plans for Thursday include going to a doctor's appointment and maybe a bit of shopping after daughter gets off work.

How is your week so far?  What are your plans for Thursday?

Tuesday, December 2, 2025

Thriving in November

Rose Garden

My goal this year is to thrive each month.  To that end, here's my review of November, which is, usually, my favorite month of the year! 

Spiritual:

In November, my spirituality included daily prayers, meditations, and practicing non-attachment by letting go of certain items to which I was attached.  I also called the monks at the Temple and set a date for my almsgiving, which will take place in December and I made a donation, through the Temple, to the Sri Lankan flood victims' relief fund.  I consider the spiritual part of my life to be thriving.

Daughter:

In November, daughter accompanied me to the Descanso botanical gardens and quite spoiled me with presents and meals to celebrate my 70th birthday.  I am glad I was able to celebrate both my birthday and Thanksgiving with my daughter.

She accompanied me to my dental appointments for moral support and to drive me home, afterwards, if needed, (which she did on the second visit) and she went with me to take Dancer to his vet's appointment and kept him from getting too anxious about the drive there and back.  

We've spent some time doing crafts together, which has been fun.

She has also badgered me into letting her assume responsibility for paying for the utilities, since she still has her job and no longer has to pay rent for her apartment.  

I can honestly say that my relationship with my daughter is thriving.

Health & Well Being:

In November, I had two appointments with the dental hygienist, an appointment with the dermatologist, and did some lab tests prior to an upcoming doctor's appointment.  Daughter helped me to set up an online account to access the lab test results (I used to wait until I got to the doctor's office and request a print out); there were some test results that were out of the normal range, but most of them were within range and my A1c level stayed the same.  

Family, Friends, & Community:

Social interactions in November consisted mostly of phone calls, emails, and texts with family and friends.  Various family members and friends called or emailed or texted and wished me for my birthday and some sent cards.
 
In person visits included Neighbor S coming over to bring us some food and daughter's friends coming over to afternoon tea.

I invited my late friend A's family to Thanksgiving dinner, but, they had made other plans and weren't able to accept my invitation.  While I was disappointed, it worked out for the best as daughter was recovering from a migraine headache and she was able to relax without having to entertain company.

We also supported a small business in my local community by ordering my birthday meal from a local restaurant.  

I'm pleased with the amount of interaction with my family, friends, and community, in November.

Finances:

November expenses included paying my property taxes, dental bills, and Dancer's vet bills.  However, daughter taking over the responsibility for the utility bills is a big help.  I was able to keep my finances maintained in November.  

I think I am managing well where finances are concerned.  

Time Management:

Time management continues to be a work in progress and there is definitely room for improvement!  However, important tasks such as paying bills and attending medical appointments have been done on time and I have taken some time for fun activities and crafting, etc., so, I am happy.   

Leisure/Hobbies/Crafting:

In November leisure/hobbies/crafting activities consisted of a visit to the botanical garden which was wonderful, doing crafting projects with my daughter, and knitting.  I also participated in November's monthly photo challenge, which I enjoy. 

I am going to say that I thrived in this area of my life.

House:

In November daughter helped me with housework, doing the vacuuming regularly (even though she doesn't enjoy vacuuming) and tidying the place before her friends came to the tea party she hosted.

I decorated the house very minimally for Thanksgiving putting up just one decoration I had made several years ago.  So, it was very easy to undecorate afterwards.  

We still need to declutter the kitchen and I want to do some additional renovations (paint the family room, repair some water damage in one of the bathrooms, get some new drapes in the living room, etc.), but, in the meantime, the house is being maintained and I think I'm making good progress in this area of my life.

Garden:

The garden continued to thrive in November.  M continues to tend to the garden and he and my daughter set up her raised garden and planted some herbs.  We had some much needed rain in November and the garden plants were happy.


Over all, November was a good month.  There is room for improvement, as always, but, for the most part, I can say that I thrived in November

I'm looking forward to thriving in December, too.

I hope that November was a good month for you, too.

Monday, December 1, 2025

Monthly Photo Challenge: November - Tools for Hobbies

The theme for November's Monthly Photo Challenge, hosted by Eileen at A Bracelet of Days, was "Tools for Hobbies"; specifically the tools/equipment used for hobbies and interests.  These are the pictures I took:


Knitting Needles and Stitch Holder


Crochet Hooks (including my mother's steel
crochet hook which is a bit bent with use)


Stylus, Bead Tray, Glue and Drills (or "Diamonds")


Paint Brushes, Paints, Palette 


Decorative Edged Scissors, Paper, Stencils, Glue Sticks


Hot Glue Gun and Glue Sticks


Mixing Bowl, Measuring Cups and Spoons, Whisk


Vases, Kenzan, Secateurs


Pot, Trowel, Seed Packets, Watering Can, and
Gloves (peeking from behind the seed packets)

 
Pins, Needles, and Notions

The only thing I can say is, I have too many hobbies and interests!  

Thank you, Eileen, for another fun monthly photo challenge theme.  Looking forward to December's theme!

Sunday, November 30, 2025

On Sunday

 

Making Fish Cutlets

Daughter forwarded the pictures she took of the fish cutlets.  She forgot to take a picture of the fish and potato mixture, but, the first picture shows the formed cutlets after being dipped in beaten eggs and coated with bread crumbs.  The second picture shows the cutlets being deep fried.  According to my daughter, the fish cutlets were a hit at the dinner with several of her friends who wanted to know the recipe and how they were made.  Which left daughter trying to figure out quantities because we didn't measure anything!  

Frying the Fish Cutlets

The potluck dinner turned out well and everyone took some leftovers.  In addition to the leftovers, daughter brought home some Vietnamese egg rolls and steamed buns that one of her friends had made for the party and kept aside for her to bring home to share with me.  Daughter had taken some extra cutlets to give to that friend and apparently they were shared with the friend's parents and sister, too.  The "food-go-round" as one of my friends refers to it is very much in evidence!  LOL.

Today, Sunday, is the last day of November.  It was a cloudy, cooler day.  Both daughter and I took it easy and relaxed.  I did a load of laundry and watered the back garden.

The orange tree is full of flowers, now:

Orange Blossoms

They perfume the whole garden, especially at night.

More Orange Blossoms

The bees are loving it:

Bees Enjoying the Orange Blossom Nectar


I hope the bees will pollinate the flowers and we will have a plentiful crop of oranges to enjoy next year.  This year's orange crop was a non-event as all the little fruits dropped off the tree in the spring.

Another Orange Flower, Another Bee

Friend R called in the evening and we chatted for a bit.  There was a cyclone in Sri Lanka which has resulted in severe flooding and mudslides and over 330 people dead.  It's very sad to hear and read about all the devastation.

Daughter and I had leftovers for both brunch and dinner, today.  We had Vietnamese steamed buns for brunch and Armenian rice and kebab for dinner.  

On this last day of November, I am grateful for:
- A warm and safe home
- Water for the garden
- An assortment of leftovers for meals
- Working appliances
- Packages being delivered

Today's joyful activity was spending time in the garden.

Plans for tomorrow include making milkrice for brunch, making some phone calls to set up appointments, taking the trash cans to the curb for pick up and some housecleaning.

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

November Meal Plans - Week 3 and Week 4

Sunday Afternoon Tea

Here we are on the last day of November and I haven't kept up with my meal planning!  I did make some meal plan options for Week 3, but, Week 4 sort of planned itself based of leftovers from daughter's afternoon tea, the week's grocery shopping, and the Thanksgiving dinner.

These were my meal plan options for Week 3 (November 17 - 23): 

Brunches:  Onion bagels with butter or cream cheese;  boiled mung beans with lunu miris; instant stringhoppers with chicken curry and seeni sambol; cold cuts sandwiches; leftovers

Dinners:   Instant tonkatsu ramen noodles and parathas with scrambled eggs and lunu miris (Monday) Chicken curry, dhal, broccoli and rice;  macaroni and cheese with canned chicken or tuna; scrambled eggs and toast or fried potatoes; beef pot pies; leftovers

Snacks/Desserts:  Fruit; crackers; chips; granola bars; leftover scones and maybe cookies and cakes, too

Here's how it worked out:


Monday:
Brunch:  Onion bagels with butter or cream cheese
Dinner:   Instant tonkatsu ramen noodles and parathas with scrambled eggs and lunu miris 
Snacks/Dessert:  Persimmons, grapes, chips

Tuesday:
Brunch:   Tangerine and crackers (me; I was feeling a bit off); onion bagel and butter (daughter)
Dinner:  Rice, chicken curry, dhal, broccoli, and mango chutney (daughter preferred my homemade tomato chutney instead)
Snacks/Dessert:  Pink dragonfruit; granola bar (daughter), dates (me), chips

Pink Dragonfruit Chunks


Wednesday:
Brunch:  We both skipped brunch! 
Late Lunch:  A piece of curried chicken (daughter); instant stringhoppers with dhal, potato curry, and seeni sambol (me)
Stringhoppers, dhal, seeni sambol, potato curry

Dinner: Instant stringhoppers, chicken curry, dhal, broccoli, and potato curry (daughter); I didn't want dinner
Snacks/Dessert:  Pineapple guava (feijoa), apple juice, crackers, pomegranate

Thursday:
Brunch:  Scones
Dinner:  Leftover stringhoppers with chicken curry, dhal, and potato curry (me); leftover rice, chicken curry, dhal, potato curry, and sauteed curried okra (daughter)
Snacks/Dessert:  Tangerines, apple juice, olive oil chocolate chip cookie (delicious)

Friday:
Brunch:   Frozen burrito
Dinner:   Macaroni & cheese with canned chicken and green peas
Snacks/Dessert:  Chai muffins, crackers, ice cream

Saturday:
Brunch:  Burrito
Dinner:  Boxed pasta mix (Fettuccini Alfredo), green peas, ham slices from the freezer
Snacks/Dessert:  Chips, ice cream, tangerines and Fuyu persimmons

Sunday:
Brunch:  Ham sandwiches
Afternoon Tea:  All the goodies that daughter made for her afternoon tea party
Dinner:  Leftover mac & cheese, sandwiches, and fruit
Snacks/Dessert:  Leftovers from the tea party!

Which brings us to November Week 4 (November 24-30), which went by without a meal plan other than Thanksgiving Dinner!  But, it all worked out well.

Thanksgiving Dinner


Monday:  On Monday, I had my second dental deep cleaning.
Brunch: Egg salad sandwiches
Dinner: Canned chicken noodle soup and a cold cuts sandwich (me);  Pasta with ground turkey mixture (ground turkey, onions, celery, grated carrots, bell peppers, tomatoes) with pesto sauce (daughter)
Snacks/desserts: Various bits and pieces leftover from Sunday afternoon tea; fresh fruit (blackberries, raspberries, grapes, etc.)

Tuesday:  On Tuesday, we took Dancer to the vet's for his injection
Brunch:  Bread rolls sandwiched with cold cuts
Dinner: Fried rice: leftover rice, some of the ground turkey mixture I cooked on Monday, frozen green peas, and a scrambled egg)
Snacks/desserts:  Fruit, chips, various bits and pieces leftover from Sunday's tea

Wednesday:
Brunch: Leftovers (daughter), half a bread roll with dhal (me)
Dinner: Rice, shrimp curry, sauteed curried green beans, tomato chutney
Snacks/desserts:  Sliced pears poached in a sugar syrup with tangerines; maybe a pre-Thanksgiving slice of pumpkin pie and a mini pecan pie!  

Thursday: Thanksgiving Day
Brunch: Skipped brunch
Dinner:  Thanksgiving Dinner - Roast chicken, garlicky sauteed green beans, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, baked beans.  The baked beans came from a can, but, everything else was homemade.  I had planned to make cornbread, but, I ran out of energy and we had plenty of food anyway.
Snacks/desserts: Mini pecan pie (daughter); pumpkin pie (me); the pies were purchased.

Friday:
Brunch:  French toast
Dinner:  Ham and potato soup (daughter had boiled potatoes for the fish cutlets filling and there was leftover water from boiling the potatoes; I boiled three more cut up potatoes in the same water, added some diced onions, cut up leftover ham, a couple of table spoons of chicken bouillon powder, salt and pepper, some half & half and a little bit of the leftover gravy from Thanksgiving dinner to thicken it up)
Snacks/desserts:  Fruit (persimmons, grapes, dates), leftover pumpkin pie

Saturday:
Brunch:  Fish cutlets
Dinner: Vietnamese egg rolls (daughter's friend had made)
Snacks/desserts:  Toast with butter and strawberry jam (me); cream puffs

Sunday:
Brunch:  Vietnamese bahn bao (steamed buns)
Dinner: Leftovers - plenty to pick and choose from
Snacks/desserts:  Assorted leftovers

Going forward into December, I will be making milkrice on the 1st as that is a given.  However, I am not going to make a meal plan for at least the first week in December because the fridge is full with an assortment of leftovers!  I will, however, try to keep track of what we have for our meals, each day.  

I am grateful for the abundance and variety of food with which we've been blessed and the generosity of those who have shared their food with us.

How did your November meal planning work out?  Will you be making meal plans for December?

On Saturday

 

Rice, Kebabs, and Cream Puffs, Compliments of 
Neighbor S

On Saturday, I helped daughter make the fish cutlets.  I suppose one could call them fish croquettes.  Daughter made the balls, dipped them in beaten eggs and coated them with the breadcrumbs we made on Friday and I deep fried them.  She took a picture of the finished cutlets, "For your blog", but, forgot to forward the picture to me and she's not home right now, so I will post the picture another day.

The mixture we made was enough for 50 fish cutlets.  She set aside 25 of them to take to the Friendsgiving potluck dinner her friend is hosting, set aside another dozen or so to give to her friend P who was giving her a ride to and from the dinner, we sampled a couple of them, ourselves, and when neighbor S called to say she's bringing me some leftovers from their Thanksgiving dinner, we gave her some of the fish cutlets to try, too.

S brought us a container of rice, a container of kebabs, and two of the biggest cream puffs I've ever seen!  We put the rice and the kebabs in the fridge since we were both rather full from sampling the cutlets, but, we did try a piece of the cream puff:

Half of the Cream Puff

My daughter and I shared one quarter of the cream puff.  It was delicious, but, the filling was very sweet and neither of us could manage more than a couple of bites, each!  

Later in the evening, I dropped daughter off at her friend P's parent's home.  P's parents came to the car to ask me in, but, I declined as I knew they would have been tired as they had just driven back from visiting family in Nevada.  

After I came home from dropping daughter off, I relaxed, watched some online videos, knitted a bit, and sorted through some of my craft supplies.  I wanted to make my holiday greeting cards, but, I made only one.  I need to buy more card stock or blank cards to make the rest.

I had made some ham and potato soup, on Friday night for dinner, and I was going to have some of the leftover soup for my dinner, tonight.  Instead, I had a craving for buttered toast with a little of my strawberry jam and that was what I had for dinner!  

On Saturday, I am grateful for:

- Being able to help daughter make the fish cutlets; she was very appreciative of my help
- Neighbor S blessing us with some delicious food
- Being able to share some of the fish cutlets with her in return
- Daughter getting a ride to her friend A's Friendsgiving dinner and back
- Daughter being able to enjoy getting together with her friends

Saturday's joyful activities included making a card (even if it was just one card) and knitting.

Plans for Sunday include changing my bed sheets and doing a load of laundry and doing some cooking for the freezer.  The garden should be watered, too.

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

Friday, November 28, 2025

Thanksgiving Week

 

Thanksgiving Dinner

Happy Thanksgiving!  I know I'm a day late, but, we can give thanks year round, can't we?

This week has whizzed by!  Daughter worked on Monday morning and took the afternoon off as well as Tuesday and Wednesday, so, with Thursday and Friday being holidays, she had most of the week off.

On Monday, I had an appointment with the dental hygienist to get more deep cleaning and a digital scan done.  Daughter accompanied me and drove us back.  I also put away the tea things used for Sunday's tea party, made cranberry sauce in advance, and had a chat with neighbor S, who said that the stray puppy belonged to one of my neighbors and she was able to return the dog to them.

We had egg salad sandwiches for brunch and I opened a can of chicken noodle soup for a quick and easy to eat dinner for me.  Later, I cooked a package of ground turkey with diced onions, bell peppers, celery, grated carrots, and tomatoes added to it and boiled some pasta for daughter's dinner.

On Tuesday, we took Dancer for his monthly arthritis injection.  This time, he threw up the sedative even before we left the house!  However, with daughter sitting in the backseat with him and petting him through an opening in his carrier, he was fairly relaxed during the car ride there and back.  

After we came home and let Dancer out of his carrier, we went grocery shopping.  We went to the Armenian grocery store to take advantage of their Tuesday special of pork chops for $1.99/lb.  We also bought some large head-on shrimp on sale for $4.99/lb., although the fish counter service person initially charged me more!  I disputed it and showed in the flyer and the sale sign with the price per pound posted on the glass case.  He still had to come around to verify it, but, he acknowledged the posted sale price and I got the shrimp for $4.99/lb.  We also picked up some fruits and vegetables, bread rolls, and a few treats. My total came to $48.49.

Grocery Receipt

Later in the afternoon, I put in a grocery order for pick up from the supermarket, which included a whole chicken, salmon fillet, a pumpkin pie and two mini pecan pies, whipped topping, and a dozen bottles of flavored water.  When I came home, I realized that, while they had charged me for the flavored water, they had not included it in the bags of groceries that were loaded into my car!  I called the store and they weren't even sure if they had any left in stock.  So, I put in a request for a refund, online; I received a message that the refund went through, but, it would take a few business days for it to be posted to my account.  

Here's the original receipt:

Order Summary

Original Item Total$77.89
Item Coupons/Sales-$19.57
Fulfillment Fee+$0.00
Other Fees+$0.20
Sales Tax+$1.17
Order Total$59.69

Item Details

18 Items

Bakery Fresh Mini Pecan Pie, 3.25 oz$3.00
2 x $1.50 each
Bakery Fresh Pumpkin Pie, 21.5 oz (6 servings)$4.99
1 x $4.99 $5.99 each
CA Redem Val$0.60
1 x $0.60 each
CA Redem Val$0.60
1 x $0.60 each
CA Redem Val$0.20
2 x $0.10 each
CA Redem Val$0.20
2 x $0.10 each
Farmer John Maple Pork Sausage Links, 8 oz$5.00
2 x $2.50 $2.59 each
Foster Farms Fresh & Natural Cage Free Whole Chicken, 1 bag$9.67
4.86 lbs x $1.98 $2.99 each (approx.)
Fresh Atlantic Whole Salmon Fillet Farm Raised (sustainably sourced), 1 lb$9.09
0.91 lbs x $9.99 $14.99 each (approx.)
Martinelli's Gold Medal® Sparkling Apple Cider, 25.4 fl oz$7.00
2 x $3.50 $4.99 each
Reddi Wip Original Whipped Topping Made With Real Cream, 6.500 oz$5.98
2 x $2.99 $4.49 each
Sparkling Ice Lemonade Variety Pack, 12 ct / 17 fl oz$11.99
1 x $11.99 $14.99 each (not received)

Other Fees

$0.20

Bag Fee$0.20
2 x $0.10 each


The original total came to $59.69.

But, the refund for the missing flavored water amounted to $13.16 ($11.99 + $1.17 tax)

So, total paid would amount to $59.69 - $13.16 = $46.53

No turkey since it was just my daughter and I for Thanksgiving dinner and a whole turkey would have been too much for us and we prefer chicken, anyway.  I had invited my late friend A's husband and two daughters to join us, but, they had made other plans.  I was a little disappointed, but, daughter had been worried that I'd get too tired preparing Thanksgiving dinner for company.  As it was, it turned out for the best.

On Wednesday, daughter woke up with a migraine headache.  Gardener M was here and we did a little tidying up of the garden and chatted a bit.  Afterwards, I went to the pharmacy to pick up my medication refills that were ready.

In the evening, daughter was feeling better and we did a craft project together, making some gifts to give at Christmas or New Year.  Then, we tried to unclog a slow draining bathroom sink and I'm afraid our efforts might have made things a bit worse!  I am probably going to have to call a plumber, next week.  

I cooked rice, shrimp curry, and sauteed curried green beans for dinner and poached some pears for dessert.  We might have also sampled some of the pies we bought for Thanksgiving dinner, a day early!  LOL.

On Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, daughter still had a lingering migraine, although she said it was more of a dull headache.  But, she had no energy to do anything although she vacuumed the living room.

I watched part of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and part of a football game while I did several loads of laundry and did some ironing.  All the laundry got put away right away, so we didn't have a mountain of clean laundry piled up on the table!  I also spoke with my sister and aunt, texted with cousins and friends, and exchanged emails with a couple of friends, as well.

I had planned to have Thanksgiving dinner about 4:00 p.m., so I started cooking around 1:00 p.m., putting the chicken to roast.  I made mashed potatoes, sauteed garlicky green beans, gravy, and there was canned baked beans and the previously made cranberry sauce for our Thanksgiving dinner.  Plus pies, of course.  I was going to make cornbread, but, I got tired and didn't make it.  I'll make some another day.

We enjoyed our Thanksgiving dinner and afterwards, I look a fairly long nap on the sofa!  We snacked on leftovers later in the evening and daughter helped me put away the balance leftovers.  She also rinsed all the dishes and loaded the dishwasher for me, which I appreciated very much.

Today, the day after Thanksgiving, we both relaxed and took it fairly easy.  I made French toast for brunch and we will have leftovers for dinner. 

Later in the evening, I helped daughter make the filling mixture for Sri Lankan fish cutlets, using canned mackerel, mashed potatoes, finely minced onions, herbs, and spices.  The mixture will be made into small balls, about one inch in diameter, dipped in beaten egg, rolled in bread crumbs, and deep fried.  I had toasted several pieces of bread crusts in the oven, last night, and daughter crushed them with a rolling pin to make the bread crumbs.  We will make the fish cutlets tomorrow and daughter will take some of them to the "Friendsgiving" potluck dinner her friend A is hosting.  

This Thanksgiving week, I am grateful for many things, but I am most thankful for:

- Being able to celebrate Thanksgiving with my daughter
- For the food we've shared and enjoyed
- For a warm and comfortable home 
- For family and friends 
- For all our blessings

My joyful activities have included spending time with daughter, doing crafts with her, chatting with family and friends, and tending to the garden.

Plans for the weekend include helping daughter make the fish cutlets, starting on my Christmas/New Year Greeting cards, and making a batch of blueberry jam (which I haven't made before, so something new to try!)

How was your week?  What were you thankful for this week?  What are your plans for the weekend?