August August

 

Pinata Rose

The august month of August!  August has often been a month when I've experienced some major life changes over the years.  For example, it was August when I left my country of birth in 1973; it was August, the following year, when I arrived in the USA; my last visit to Sri Lanka was in August 1990; I've never been back since then and I doubt very much if I ever will; it was August of 2014 when my daughter left home to go to grad school (I bought my current car that August and I just renewed the registration!) and it was August of last year when daughter returned home to live with me.  There were other changes, too, that took place in August; the exact year might have been different, but, the month was August.  Of course, not every change took place in August; there have been other impactful changes that took place in other months, throughout the year.  But, over the years, August has been a month when many of these changes took place.  

My religion teaches that change is the only constant, as contradictory as that might seem.  My mother used to tell me that change was good.  I am not someone who goes looking for changes; in fact, I don't like changes all that much, but, when changes do take place, I try to accept them and embrace them.   

With that in mind. I am anticipating some changes taking place this August, too, and at least some of them will take place because I want them to happen.

Some of those changes will be health related.  I have an appointment with my oncologist scheduled for next week, after which I will be taken off one of the medications I've been taking for the past ten years, since August 2016.  Another, somewhat health related change will be more dental procedures that are scheduled to take place this August.

Another change I would like to see is an improvement in how my house looks.  A few things need to be updated and I really need to do another round of decluttering.  To that end, I've set myself a goal of a minimum of 31 items decluttered by the end of August.  

How about you?  Do you like changes?  Are there any changes you'd like to make this month?

Weekly Meal Plan Options: July Week 5 Review and August Week 1

Tuesday Brunch: Cold Cuts Sandwiches

These were my meal plan options for the last week in July, which also included the first two days of August:

Brunches:  Egg salad sandwiches; Cold cuts sandwiches; tortillas with eggs and lunu miris; French bread/baguette with scrambled eggs; French toast; Leftovers, Milkrice, Pizza

Dinners:  Smoked sausage stir fry with rice;  Rice and chicken curry with cucumber salad and peach chutney; Tortillas with chicken curry; Leftovers/Planned overs, Chinese food (compliments of neighbor S); English Muffin (compliments of M)

Snacks/Desserts:  Fruit, Peanut butter and apple slices/crackers, ice cream, protein shakes, maybe muffins?  Aloo puri, cookies, crab croquette, honey garlic bread sticks, lava cake

Here's how that worked out:

Monday:
Brunch:  Egg salad sandwiches
Dinner:  Leftover soup from the Italian restaurant 
Snacks/Dessert: Apple slices with peanut butter; ice cream; protein shake

Tuesday:

Brunch:  Cold cuts sandwiches (me); rice and chicken curry (daughter)
Dinner:  Hamburgers and homegrown corn on the cob (very stunted, but, nevertheless, homegrown!)
Snacks/Dessert:  Asian pears (homegrown), dates and cashews, chocolate chip cookies, protein shake

Wednesday:

Brunch:  French toast 
Dinner:  Chicken curry and tortillas
Snacks/Dessert: Asian pears, ice cream, protein shake

Thursday:

Brunch:  French toast (Planned overs - I made extra)
Dinner:  Rice and chicken curry
Snacks/Dessert:  Protein shake, aloo puri (friend R brought a packet of frozen aloo puri), cookies, coffee ice cream, apple slices

Friday:

Brunch:  Scrambled eggs (from our own chickens!), French bread (baguette from the French bakery)
Dinner: Chicken curry and French bread (me); chicken curry and rice (daughter)
Snacks/Dessert: Honey garlic bread sticks, crab croquette, protein shake, apple slices

Saturday:

Breakfast:  Milkrice and seeni sambol
Lunch:  Pizza and garlic bites
Dinner:  Chinese food (fried rice, broccoli & beef, orange chicken)
Snacks/Dessert: Protein shake, fortune cookies, gata (Armenian pastry), watermelon and grapes, jello

Sunday:

Breakfast:  Milkrice and seeni sambol (me), leftover pizza (daughter)

Lunch: Chinese food

Dinner: Toasted English muffin (compliments of M; me); Chinese food (daughter)

Snacks/Dessert: Protein shake, fortune cookies, carrot cake, apple slices

 

Well now.  That didn't work out quite how I had planned!

On Thursday evening, friend R paid us a much postponed visit and brought a box of frozen aloo puri (potato stuffed flat bread) which we cooked in the air fryer to have as a snack while she was here, in addition to the egg salad sandwiches and cookies I had served with tea.

Then, on Friday, daughter and I went to the Japanese store and stopped by the French bakery on our way back and she treated me to a baguette, a crab croquette which we both shared (they had only one crab croquette left), and some honey garlic bread sticks.  Later on Friday, gardener friend M brought me an English muffin from a vendor at a farmers' market he had gone to.

Then, on Saturday,  daughters friend V came over to spend the afternoon with her and daughter ordered pizza, garlic bread sticks, and lava cake for lunch.  Plus I had forgotten, when I was making the meal plan options, that it was the 1st of the month and I usually make milkrice on the 1st of the month (I still made it even if I had forgotten to add it to the meal plan!)  Later in the evening, neighbor S brought us Chinese food and desserts!

Not that I am complaining!  LOL.  It's a blessing to have an abundance of food!

Moving on to the first week of August, here are my meal plan options:

Brunches:  Milkrice with seeni sambol and/or chicken curry (Monday); Cold cuts sandwiches; Tortillas with eggs and lunu miris;  Pancakes with blueberry compote and/or syrup; Leftover Chinese food

Dinners: Hamburgers with cucumber salad; Rice and chicken curry with moringa curry and dhal; Fried rice or frozen burritos; Leftovers

Snacks/Desserts:  Fruit, protein shakes, garlic bread, lava cake, ice cream

We shall see how that works out!

As always, I am grateful for:

- The blessings of friends sharing food
- Having a variety of food available
- Having plenty and more
- Fresh eggs and produce from the garden
- Daughter treating me to some delicious treats

Are you doing any meal planning this week?

Homegrown

 

Asian Pears

The garden is producing a few things for us to harvest.  The Asian Pear tree produced several fruits that we've shared with M and my friend R.  There are four different varieties grafted onto the one tree and they ripen at different times.  

I'm also beginning to pick pods from the moringa tree:

Moringa Pods

We peel the outer layer, cut the pods into smaller pieces, and cook them in a curry.  I shared some of the pods with friend R.

This year, we are also having homegrown eggs!

Fresh Eggs

Niwatori and Henny Penny have given us 17 eggs, between them, so far!  They are not quite free range, yet, but, I am starting to fancy that the yolks are turning a little yellower.  

We still have more calamondine to pick and process.  We will ask M to help because we can't reach the ones at the top of the tree.

I am grateful for:

- Garden produce
- Homegrown eggs
- Water for the garden
- M's help with the garden
- Daughter's help with the garden

Are you growing any fruits and vegetables in your garden, this year?  

One Year, Already!

Niwatori Perched on Daughter's Back

It's been one year since my daughter moved back home!  That year has flown by!  I am very thankful she's home with me (especially with my health issues popping up every so often) and she says she's happy to be home.  We've readjusted to living together without any problems, making a few accommodations to keep the house fairly quiet during her work hours since she works from home for the most part.  I do the majority of the cooking and she has been taking on more of the house cleaning, especially the vacuuming after my most recent sciatica flare up (although she dislikes housework).  She's taken over some of the yard work, too, and taking out the trash cans, etc.  I still do most of the driving and she has taken over the online bill paying, since she has assumed responsibility for the utilities.  In a way, we've assumed the sort of relationship my mother and I had (my mother did most of the cooking and I did most of the housework, for example). 

We share the chicken care duties, too.  I wake up early to let them out of the coop into their enclosure and give them breakfast.  Daughter cleans the coop, make sure they have food and cool water (during this summer heat we are having, she puts a bottle of frozen water in their water container to keep the water cool), collects any eggs, and puts them back in the coop for the night.  The hens have laid 16 eggs to date!  We've eaten five of them, given away eight of them (four to M who has helped us so much with getting the coop and enclosure ready and four to neighbor S who brought us dinner tonight!)

Today, being the 1st of August, I made milkrice for breakfast.  Later in the morning, daughter's friend V came over to spend some time with her.  They chatted, played a video game, and did some cross stitching together.  Daughter ordered pizza for lunch and, when V was leaving, gave her the gifts to give her daughters (the fishing game to her older daughter and a board book for her younger daughter).  

Later in the afternoon, we did a load of laundry.  

In the early evening, neighbor S called to ask if we'd like to have some Chinese food she had bought (apparently, she had some company over to lunch).  I said I'd love to have some and she and her mother brought over a feast:

Chinese Food Plus Fruit and Dessert

Daughter and I gifted them with four of the eggs our chickens had laid and they were so happy.

By the way, remember the blanket I crocheted with all the yarn neighbor S's mother had given me?

Crocheted Blanket

A couple of weekends ago, I had taken it over to neighbor S's house and given it to her mother who was very pleased to receive it.  

Later in the evening, daughter and I put the chickens in for the night (she did all the work while I sat in a garden chair and watched "live chicken TV")  LOL.  Niwatori seems to think that daughter makes a good perch and yesterday, she climbed onto daughter's shoulder!

Today, I am grateful for:

- Daughter being home with me
- All the blessings of this last year that she's been home
- Daughter being able to spend some time with her friend
- Neighbor S bringing us dinner
- Chickens providing us with eggs and entertainment

Plans for tomorrow include:

- Watering the house plants
- Cleaning the kitchen
- Decluttering 

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

July Monthly Photo Challenge: Black and White

The monthly photo challenges are hosted by Eileen and the theme chosen for July was Black and White..

Here are the photos I took for this month's challenge:

Dress Fabric

Bed Sheet

Knitted Top

News Paper Article Headlines

Batter on Black Coated Waffle Iron

Black and White Barred Chicken
(Niwatori)

Piano Keys

Plastic Clothes Hangers at the Store

Woven Chair at a Bakery/Cafe

Plush Pillow Dog

Plush Pillow Cat

Thank you, Eileen for hosting the monthly photo challenge.  Wonder what the theme will be for August?

July Grocery Shopping Part 5

I ordered more groceries on Monday and they were delivered on Tuesday morning.   I had a $2 off digital coupon on the hamburger patties which made them a little more reasonable and I splurged on brand name hamburger buns that we had tried on a previous sale and liked, even though they were $1 more than the store brand hamburger buns.  I stocked up on other "non-essential" items, too, before my digital coupons for them expired.

I didn't take a picture of the groceries, however, but, here's the receipt:

Order Summary

Original Item Total$72.82

Item Coupons/Sales-$30.30

Order Coupons-$2.00

Fulfillment Fee+$0.00

Other Fees+$0.40

Sales Tax$0.00

Order Total$40.92

---

Item Details

10 Items

Bakery Fresh Chocolate Chip Cookies, 12 count$3.00

1 x $3.00 each

BOOST HIGH PROTEIN Balanced Nutritional Drink Chocolate Bottle, 48 fluid ounces$6.99

1 x $6.99 $15.99 each

BOOST HIGH PROTEIN Balanced Nutritional Drink Vanilla Carton 6pk, 48 fluid ounces$6.99

1 x $6.99 $15.99 each

Kroger® 80/20 Ground Beef Patties, 8 ct / 30.4 ounce$10.00

1 x $10.00 $12.00 each

Item Coupon/Sale: -$2.00 (digital coupon)

*Kroger® French Onion Sour Cream Dip and Spread, 16 oz$2.29*

1 x $2.29 $2.59 each

Kroger® Pink Lady® Apples – 3 Pound Bag, 3 lb$4.29

1 x $4.29 each

Private Selection® Coffee Ice Cream Pint, 16 oz$1.99

1 x $1.99 $4.99 each

Private Selection® Double Vanilla Ice Cream Pint, 16 oz$3.98

2 x $1.99 $4.99 each

Western Hearth® Brioche Sandwich Buns, 8 ct / 24 oz$2.99

1 x $2.99 $3.99 each

---

Order Coupons

-$2.00

Store Coupon-$2.00

---

Other Fees

$0.40

Bag Fee$0.40

4 x $0.10 each

The French Onion Sour Cream Dip was not something I ordered and it wasn't included in the groceries I received.  I don't know why I was charged for it. I was able to request a refund through the store's website and I received an email that the refund went through and the $2.29 will be credited within five days (and it was).

So, my total spent on this order should be $38. 63

My July Grocery Budget (for food items only) = $250 + $11.51 carried over from June = $261.51

Spent to Date = $78.71 + $33.99 + $47.26 + $7.50 + $46.47 + $38.64= $252.56

Balance left in July Grocery Budget = $261.51 - $252.56= $8.95

I will be carrying that balance over to August, most probably. 

I am pleased that I came under this month's grocery budget.  

I am grateful for:

- The store's refund policy
- Being able to order groceries online
- Being able to have the groceries delivered
- No delivery fees provided I order more than $35 worth of items and select next day delivery
- Coming under budget

Gone Fishing!

The Fish Pond

Daughter's friend V's older daughter H turned four earlier this month.  It's the same little girl for whom my daughter crocheted the Vampire Squid (which was made to be given as a gift from H's mother, although daughter received a thank you card for it from H, with a little help from her father!) 

Since little H is now into ocean animals (her parents took her to an aquarium for her birthday), daughter thought that H might like to try a bit of fishing!  So, she crocheted five little fishies with needle felted eyes:

Five Little Fishies

Here they are, swimming in their own little pond:

Swimming in their Pond

Add a little fishing rod:

Fishing Rod

Hold the fishing rod over the fish and go fishing:

The Purple Fish Got Hooked!

Actually, all the fish are magnetic, so H can catch any or all the fish.  She can count the fish, identify their colors, and practice a bit of eye-hand coordination at the same time while she plays.

After playing, the fish go back into their fish pond and, if the drawstring is pulled, the pond becomes a little pouch:

Fish Pond Pouch

Which becomes convenient storage for the fish and a carrying pouch, as well.

Birthday Card

Daughter made the birthday card with H's favorite Vampire Squid cartoon character peeking from the inside:

Birthday Card Inside

All pictures were taken by daughter.