Mid-Week Catch-Up

 

Bee Enjoying Aeonium Flowers

This week seems to be going fast!

On Monday, I called the oral surgeon's office to ask about the mouthwash they were going to prescribe for me as the pharmacy had said they didn't receive a prescription.  I had messaged the dental office on Friday evening and called and left a message on Saturday and while I had received a text from the dental office achnowledging receiving my message, I hadn't heard back from them.  This time, when I called, I spoke with the receptionist and she promised to check with the oral surgeon and get back to me.  Well, she didn't get back to me, but, apparently they called the prescription in, because, on Tuesday, the pharmacy sent a message that it was ready for pick up.

On Tuesday, which is my errands day, anyway, I drove to the pharmacy to pick up the mouthwash and another medication refill that was ready.  I received a $6 Extra Care Bucks coupon on my receipt so, I picked up three boxes of cereal (one HoneyNuts Cheerios and two Multi-grain Cheerios) which were on sale for $1.99 per box.  According to the receipt for that transaction, the original price for the Honey Nuts Cheerios was $5.49 and the original price for the multi-grain Cheerios was $9.19 each!  The cereal didn't cost me anything because I used my coupon.  

On the way back from the pharmacy, I pulled into a gas station to put gas to my car.  I still had a little over a quarter tank of gas, but, I don't like to get below that and prefer to have at least half a tank of gas in the car in case of emergencies.  If we have an earthquake that causes a power outage, the gas pumps won't work.  The gas station I pulled into is one of the cheapest, if not the cheapest, station in my neighborhood and the cheapest gas was $4.699 per gallon if you paid cash and $4.799 per gallon on credit.  Gas prices have gone up since last week!  I budget $50 per month for gas, so I put $50 worth of gas to the car, which, with the quarter tank I already had, filled up the tank.

Later, I wished one of my cousins for her birthday.

Daughter and I had leftover milkrice with seeni sambol for brunch and leftover Japanese food for dinner.

Today, (Wednesday), M was here to tend to the garden.  He brought me another allium bulb which has white flowers that he had thinned out from his garden.  These are the plants he rescued from the green yardwaste bin from one of his clients, last week, and rehomed in my garden:

Potted Christmas Tree

It looks pretty dried out, but, we have given it a good soaking and are hoping it will revive.

Ficus Benjamina

The top part of the plant is definitely dried out, but, there is a sprig with fresh green leaves, lower down and we think it will continue to grow.

Aspidistra (Cast Iron Plant)

This one has one big leaf (out of the picture), and two smaller leaves.  

M also brought me a small variegated fountain grass plant, which he has already planted in the ground but the time I took these pictures.

I made more milkrice for brunch today and had it with the last of the seeni sambol I had made.  Daughter had some of the leftover boiled mung beans and then, later, she ate the rest of the milkrice with chicken curry for her dinner.  I had leftover chicken teriyaki for my dinner.  We shared the last of the chocolate pudding for dessert.  

My mid-week gratitudes include:

- Getting my prescription mouthwash and the other medication refill
- The availability of gas even if the price has gone up 
- M's help with the garden and the bonus plants he brings me
- Pleasant sunny days
- Leftovers

My joyful activities have included gardening, sewing, chatting with my cousin, and exchanging emails with friends.

Plans for the rest of the week include:

- On Thursday: Medical appointment with my primary care physician to go over my lab test results, discuss my fluctuation blood pressure readings (I've kept a daily log), and sciatica pains

- On Friday: Follow up appointment with the oral surgeon.  

No plans, so far, for the weekend.  But, I have another medical appointment on Monday, so, a quiet, restful weekend will be nice.

How is your week coming along?  

March Week 1 Meal Plan Options

 

Chicken Teriyaki Dinner

It is a new month and a new week and time to plan some meal options for this week. 

On Sunday, March 1, I made milkrice for breakfast and I had it for breakfast (with palm jaggery), lunch (with leftover chicken curry), and dinner (with chicken curry that my daughter had made).  Daughter ate milkrice for brunch and rice with Korean stir fried chicken and kale that she had cooked for dinner.

Monday, March 2 was my daughter's birthday.  So, for brunch, I boiled mung beans as it's one of her favorite brunches; I had mine plain, by itself; she had hers with sugar.  For a celebratory birthday dinner, we ordered take out from our favoritie Japanese restaurant: the chicken teriyaki shown above for me and two types of sushi rolls and a baked seafood appetizer for daughter:

Daughter's Dinner

And for dessert, we picked up some cakes from our favorite neighborhood Armenian bakery:

Desserts

A piece of cheesecake for me (I gave the strawberry to my daughter, since it has seeds and I am not allowed to eat anything with seeds or nuts for several weeks after the oral surgery) and for daughter, a piece of tiramisu, a piece of walnut vanilla mocha cake, and a piece of raffaello cake which is a sponge cake with almonds and coconut!

We have leftovers for another meal.

On to the meal plan options for March Week 1 (3/2 - 3/8):

Brunches:  Mung beans (Monday); leftover milkrice with seeni sambol (Tuesday); leftover mung beans; leftover bagels (which I can't eat since they are the everything bagels and have seeds; daughter will have to finish them); egg salad sandwiches; tuna salad sandwiches; leftovers from dinners

Dinners:  Japanese food (Monday); leftovers from the Japanese food (Tuesday); rice with chicken curry, dhal, and potatoes or kale; stringhoppers with chicken curry, seeni sambol, dhal and/or potatoes; rice with Korean stir-fried chicken and kale (daughter will have as it's too salty for me); leftovers

Snacks/Desserts:  Cake (for daughter), last serving of jello (me), yogurt (me), chocolate pudding, ice cream, cereal, fresh fruit, homemade apple sauce (I made some over the weekend and my daughter loved it)

Those are this week's meal plan options.  Of course, there might be changes as the week progresses.

I am grateful for:

- Being able to celebrate my daughter's birthday with her
- Being able to graduate from a liquid diet
- Being able to have a varied diet
- Leftovers
- Supporting local businesses

Will you be making any meal plan options this week?

Starting March

Jasmine Flowers

March 1st!  The start of a new month!  As is my custom, I made milkrice for brunch and went out to the garden to pick some flowers to offer at the home altar, along with a small bowl of milkrice. The jasmine vine was flowering and I picked two sprigs of jasmine flowers, one for the altar and one to place on the mantlepiece next to the photograph of my mother.

Jasmine Vine

I've written about this jasmine vine, several times before and I am repeating myself here.  But, the original jasmine vine was one my mother bought and planted in the front garden, under the living room window.  She had M build a trellis for it out of PVC pipes and wire mesh and the idea was we'd be able to see the flowers and get their fragrance when we'd open the windows.  The vine grew well, but, a few years later, we had to remove the whole plant and trellis because I had to replace the water pipes and the main pipe conncting the house to the water mains ran directly under the jasmine vine.  My mother was not happy, but, we moved the plant and the trellis to the back garden and it continued to grow well there.  Then, during one drought summer, the jasmine vine died.  I was most upset, but, a lot of my garden plants died that year.  

A few years later, however, I noticed a small tendril growing behind the garden shed area and it turned out to be a jasmine plant!  Apparently, the roots of the original jasmine plant had sent up another plant!  M and I carefully dug it up and planted it in a pot and after a couple of years, we planted it in the front garden.  It has continued to flower each year, since then and I am always happy to see it flower.  

I also took pictures of a few other things that are happening in my garden on the first day of March:

Sparaxis a.k.a. Harlequin Flowers

Iris

Freesia

Calla Lilies

Rain Lilies  Allium*

Nasturtium

Yes, the one nasturtium plant that I was able to grow last year and which got uprooted when the garden cats had a fight, had dropped enough seeds that I've at least five nasturtium plants growing and some of them are flowering.

Aloe Flowers

The First Sugar Snap Pea Fower

And, of course, after all our recent rain, there are quite a few of these, too:

Dandelion Seed Heads

Today, I woke up feeling well, but, daughter woke up with a migraine headache.  So, it was my turn to take care of her.   

Today, I am grateful for:

- A new month
- Feeling better after the dental work
- My daughter being home with me
- Garden flowers
- Lovely, warm weather 

Today's joyful activities have included spending time in the garden.

Plans for tomorrow include following up with the dental office to find out what happened to the prescription for the mouthwash I was supposed use.

Other plans for the week include a doctor's appointment on Thursday and the follow-up appointment with the oral surgeon on Friday.

How was your weekend?  What are your plans for the week?

*Edited to add:  M says the white flowers are not rain liiles, but some kind of allium.  He doesn't know the name for it.

Jaw Bra, Really?

 

Jaw Bra

Yes, really!  That is what this item is called and that's what the label says!  I might have called it a chin strap or a jaw sling, myself.  It goes under your chin and fastenes on top of the head and behind your head and there are pockets on either side to accommodate ice packs.  I was instructed to wear this for 36 hours after my oral surgery to minimize the swelling, including at night when I am sleeping!  The ice pack which was also given to me must be worn for 20 minutes at a time, then, kept in the freezer for 20 minutes, and worn again for another 20 minutes, alternating the wearing and the freezing as long as I am awake.  I have the timer on for 20 minutes and I am amazed at how quickly 20 minutes seem to pass!

My appointment with the oral surgeon was at 8:30 a.m. on Friday.  In order to accommodate moing commute traffic (I took surface streets, but, they are main roads leading to two main freeways and always congested) we left the house just after 7:15 a.m.  However, traffic was moving fairly quickly and we got to the dental office just after 8:00 a.m.  I was glad because I hate rushing and I got to sit and relax a bit, working on a crossword puzzle until I was called in.

Of course, first there were papers to sign and payments to be made (I am using an out-of-network oral surgeon) prior to any work being done.  Some of those forms I had to sign to give consent for treatment were scary!  Then, I was given some preemptive antibiotics, provided with a tooth brush, a small tube of toothpaste, and a small cup with mouthwash and told to brush my teeth and rinse my mouth.  Then, I was taken into the treatment room.

The oral surgeon checked my blood pressure, drew some blood, kept the catheter in, in case I needed some intravenous treatment during the procedure, I suppose, and gave me the local anesthesia prior to the surgery.  However, when he started the procedure, I still felt pain and so, I needed to have more anesthesia, after which, the procedure went smoothly.  I had a very impacted tooth that needed to be extracted, which required cutting into the jaw bone.  I was also given some kind of pain medication that was supposed to remain in my system for 96 hours and was fitted with a wrist band with that information on it.  If I need to be seen by any medical personnel before those 96 hours, I am to show that wrist band so they are aware of it.

After the procedure, which took a little over an hour, I was taken to a small recovery area and my daughter was allowed to rejoin me while the nurse put the jaw bra on me and went over the after care and diet, etc.  They were very thorough and explained possible side effects and what was normal (a slight fever) and when to be concerned (if the fever went up to 101F) with a number to call 24 hours a day, etc.  I have a follow up appointment for next Friday.

They were going to prescribe a antibiotic mouthwash to be used in addition to rinsing my mouth with warm salt water, however, the pharmacy says they didn't receive that prescription. I have called and left messages for the oral surgeon to see what happened to that prescription.  But, in the meantime, I am rinsing with warm salt water, every 4 hours and after meals.  So far, I have been on a clear liquid diet.  Today, I might have some soft food like a scrambled egg for dinner.  

I was told to sleep sitting upright, in a recliner or propped up on pillows.  Since we don't have a recliner, I propped myself up on pillows and slept on one of the family room sofas with daughter sleeping on the other sofa.  I did tell her she could sleep in her bedroom, but, she wanted to be on hand if I needed anything in the night.  Fortunately, I didn't need to call on her, although she woke up when I got up to take my Tylenol (I was told to take 2 regular strength Tylenol every 4-6 hours; for pain management; I'm taking them every 5 hours).

I drove us to the dental clinic in the morning and daughter drove us back.  Afterwards, she went to the pharmacy to pick up the Tylenol and to inquire about the mouthwash that was supposed to have been prescribed.  

In the evening, gardener friend M came and brought us four more rescued potted plants, two of which he rescued from the yard waste bin of one of his other clients!  One is a variegated fountain grass (just a tiny plug), one is a small potted Christmas tree type conifer (which might be too far gone), one is a small ficus benjamina (mostly dried up, but, there is one small green branch), and an aspidistra. with just two leaves.  They are all sitting out on the back steps and we will see if they revive and do well.

Today, Saturday, I'm taking it easy and recovering from yesterday's procedure.  M stopped by in the late afternoon to pick up an item he had forgotten and left behind, yesterday.  

I am grateful for:

- Access to dental care
- Being able to pay for the treatment
- Daughter being there to drive me home and to take care of me during recovery
- Pain management medications
- My friend's prayers for me

My joyful activities include reading and playing sudoku.

February Monthly Photo Challenge - Food

Eileen at A Bracelet of Days hosts a monthly photo challenge; the theme for February was Food, which was suggested by Joy at Forty Three the final front door.  I thought it was an excellent theme.  Here are my selctions for February's photo challenge:

Milkrice and Seeni Sambol

 
As most of you know, I make milkrice on the first of the month for brunch as it is considered an auspicious food.  Seeni sambol is a spicy cooked onion relish.

Bagel and Chicken Cold Cuts Sandwich 

Sauteed Chicken Breast and Salad

Homegrown Kale

Homegorwn Lemons

Paratha and Chicken Curry

Kare Pan (Curry Bread) From a Bakery

Curry Bread: Curry Filling Inside

Homemade Curry Puff

Zuppa Toscana Made by Daughter

Pancakes with Sugar and Lemon Juice

Fresh Fruit - Pineapple Grown by M
(the pear was a gift from him, but not grown by him)

Beef Curry

Slightly Overbaked No-Knead Bread

Almond Flavored Sugar Cookies

French Toast
(My mother always called them Bombay Toast)

Rice and Curries
(Beef curry, Sauteed cabbage, Peach chutney)

More Rice and Curry
(Rice, Cucumber salad, Sauteed, curried, hot dogs)

Indiappa (Stringhoppers) with 
Chicken Curry and Seeni Sambol

Hope you enjoyed the February Photo Challenge and hope it didn't make you too hungry!

Thank you Eileen for hosting the monthly photo challenges and thank you, Joy for suggesting such a great topic!  I enjoyed participating.  

Log Cabin Quilt - Repairs

Log Cabin Quilt - Before

I had written about this Log Cabin quilt earlier, when I first started to mend it, in August 2023!  Above is the photo I posted of the quilt, then, before I started mending it.  Below is the photo I took today, after I mended or patched over the majority of the torn pieces.  I say, "the majority" because, when I spread it out, I noticed that there was one blue square that needed to be mended!  LOL.  

Log Cabin Quilt - After

As I had mentioned in the earlier post, this was the second quilt I had ever made and it was done in 1977, when my mother, step-father, and I lived in Florida.  The individual blocks were hand pieced, using fabric I had on hand, including two of my blouses, two of my step-father's shirts, and a black floral print blouse (which has since faded to grey) I bought from a thrift store for a dollar or two because I wanted more dark fabric.  At the time I made this quilt, I had no spare money to buy new fabric, especially for a quilt.  When I ran out of blue for the light furrows, I used some pink fabric that we had.  After hand stitching all the individual blocks, I persuaded my mother to sew the blocks together in her sewing machine for me and she machine sewed the top to an old bedsheet which became the foundation for the quilt top, because, by that time, I had found out that traditionally, log cabin blocks were pieced onto a foundation fabric!  Oops!  It was a bit too late to do that, but, I tried to rectify it by attaching the foundation piece afterwards! 

I used a wool blanket we had bought in Hong Kong, in 1973 as the batting and one of my mother's cotton saris for the backing fabric, which also formed a border.  The sari fabric tore and I removed it several years ago, leaving just a very narrow binding.  I removed the blanket, too, as it, too, had torn, after many years of use.

True to my patchwork piecing "traditions" I used scrap fabric I had on hand for the new patches.  Most of the red fabric I had were Christmas themed fabric, leftover from some of my daughter's childhood Christmas dresses and/or what I had bought to make Christmas crafts and gifts.

I plan to put some new batting and a backing to this old quilt top, eventually.  But, that's another project for another day.

Today, I am grateful for:

- Old quilts made with fabric from old clothes
- My mother's help with putting the quilt together
- Memories of those old days - I won't call them the good old days because, in many ways, they weren't so good.  They were, actually, hard, difficult days, but, we got through them.  
- Being able to mend my old quilt
- Piecing new memories to the old quilt with each new patch

I'll post more pictures of the quilt once I've put a new backing.

On Wednesday

 

Osteospermum

The osteospermums are flowering.  They've sort of taken over this part of the planting bed where we planted some succulents!  The succulents are still there and you can see one or two of them under all the osteospermum!  

Once again, I've got my days and nights completely mixed up!  I went to bed at 6:00 a.m. on Wednesday, so slept most of the morning, waking up once at 10:00 a.m. to take my morning medication and sleeping for another hour to wake up at 11:00 a.m. when my alarm went off.

Gardener friend M was here in the early afternoon to tend to the garden.  He had germinated some blue morning glory seeds which he shared with me, planting them in various places in the garden.  We are hoping that some of them will grow!  We had tried growing them a couple of years ago with very limited success.  

I skimmed the fat off the turkey broth and added a diced carrot, a small piece of tomato, a bay leaf (picked from the newly planted bay tree), some seasonings (garlic and onion powder, black pepper, half a green chili, and some lemon juice) and simmered everything and then, blended it smooth.  It's in the fridge waiting for when I might want to have some broth instead of ice cream after the oral surgery.  

I also continued to mend my quilt and I watched some online videos while I sewed.  

Brunch was a slice of bread with peanut butter, followed by grapes.  Dinner was chicken curry and indiappa (stringhoppers), with seeni sambol.  I had yogurt for dessert.  Daughter had banana bread for brunch and a banana.  For dinner, she had zuppa Toscana, followed by rice, chicken curry, and sauteed cabbage (and peach chutney).  She had another banana with peanut butter for dessert.  

On Wednesday, I was grateful for:

- All my blog friends who leave such lovely, kind comments 
- A warm, sunny day (high of 79F)
- M's help with the garden and sharing the morning glory seeds
- Water for the garden
- Online videos

My joyful activities included spending time in the garden, sewing, and watching videos.

Plans for Thursday include a fasting blood test in the morning.

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