It was the anniversary of my step-father's birthday, today. He was my dentist before he became my step-father. I was 8 years old when I first met him and I cried as I sat in his dental chair! I was 11 when he and my mother married. He always referred to me as his daughter, although I called him Uncle, and taught me a lot, including his favorite song, Danny Boy.
Today, I got up around 10:00 a.m. I was expecting Aunt C and cousin N to visit sometime later in the morning, around 11:30 a.m. So, after I had my tea and replied to blog comments, I did the dishes I didn't do on Sunday. I was just getting ready to cook when Aunt C called, around 11:30 a.m. to say they were getting delayed as they had a few errands to run. I told her to take her time, there was no rush. It meant I had a little more time to prepare! I cooked rice, a chicken curry, sauteed broccoli, and took a packet of previously cooked and frozen cashew curry from the freezer and microwaved that instead of cooking a lentil curry. It gave me enough time to do the dusting that was on my cleaning schedule (even dusted the family room that is scheduled for Tuesday!) and a little tidying up.
Aunt and cousin came around 1:30 p.m. My aunt is so funny! She said they just came to give the gifts and had to leave right away. I told her to stay and have lunch, I had cooked. Aunt turned to her daughter and says, "I told you she would have cooked something" and told me, "I will eat, I'm very hungry!" LOL! I'm sure my cousin told her mother not to say anything about wanting lunch, just in case I hadn't prepared anything!
We had lunch and exchanged gifts. We were laughing because my cousin and I gave each other cat themed calendars and we got each other gift cards to the same store and for the same dollar amount! Too funny! Cousin loved the other cat themed items I had bought or made for her Christmas gifts, too.
Monday's To Do List:
Today, I got up around 10:00 a.m. I was expecting Aunt C and cousin N to visit sometime later in the morning, around 11:30 a.m. So, after I had my tea and replied to blog comments, I did the dishes I didn't do on Sunday. I was just getting ready to cook when Aunt C called, around 11:30 a.m. to say they were getting delayed as they had a few errands to run. I told her to take her time, there was no rush. It meant I had a little more time to prepare! I cooked rice, a chicken curry, sauteed broccoli, and took a packet of previously cooked and frozen cashew curry from the freezer and microwaved that instead of cooking a lentil curry. It gave me enough time to do the dusting that was on my cleaning schedule (even dusted the family room that is scheduled for Tuesday!) and a little tidying up.
Aunt and cousin came around 1:30 p.m. My aunt is so funny! She said they just came to give the gifts and had to leave right away. I told her to stay and have lunch, I had cooked. Aunt turned to her daughter and says, "I told you she would have cooked something" and told me, "I will eat, I'm very hungry!" LOL! I'm sure my cousin told her mother not to say anything about wanting lunch, just in case I hadn't prepared anything!
We had lunch and exchanged gifts. We were laughing because my cousin and I gave each other cat themed calendars and we got each other gift cards to the same store and for the same dollar amount! Too funny! Cousin loved the other cat themed items I had bought or made for her Christmas gifts, too.
They both commented on how clean the house looked, which pleased me to no end. They left around 3:30 p.m. After they went, I finished sewing up my black sweater.
The back and sleeves are stockinette stitch; the front has a pattern called Roman Rib stitch:
I wanted a plain black sweater with just a little pattern to keep it from being too boring. It fits very nicely, I think:
 |
| New Black Sweater |
The back and sleeves are stockinette stitch; the front has a pattern called Roman Rib stitch:
 |
| Roman Rib Stitch - I don't know why it shows up grey in my photo |
 |
| New Black Sweater |
Later in the evening, I put water to the garden, took out the trash cans, etc., and video chatted with my daughter.
My joyful activity for the day was having aunt and cousin over to lunch.
Today, I am grateful for:
- Having electricity
- Aunt and cousin N visiting
- Being able to have lunch with them, after all!
- My step-father and what he taught me
- A new sweater
My joyful activity for the day was having aunt and cousin over to lunch.
Today, I am grateful for:
- Having electricity
- Aunt and cousin N visiting
- Being able to have lunch with them, after all!
- My step-father and what he taught me
- A new sweater
- Cook lunch - DONE
- Dust living room & dining area - DONE; dusted the family room, too
- Clean the fridge - DONE
- Take trash cans to the curb for Tuesday trash pick up - DONE
- Water the garden, front and back - DONE
- Do dishes - DONE
- Clean the litter box/sweep - DONE
Tuesday's To Do List:
- Change my bed sheets
- Do laundry
- Dust my bedroom
- Bring the trash cans in
- Water the houseplants
- Do one organizing task in the spare room
I tweaked my cleaning schedule, a bit, since I dusted the family room on Monday, but didn't change my bed sheets. So I will change the sheets and dust my bed room, on Tuesday. And, since I don't need to run errands, I will do a baby step in the spare room.
How was your Monday? What are your plans for Tuesday?
- Do dishes - DONE
- Clean the litter box/sweep - DONE
Tuesday's To Do List:
- Change my bed sheets
- Do laundry
- Dust my bedroom
- Bring the trash cans in
- Water the houseplants
- Do one organizing task in the spare room
I tweaked my cleaning schedule, a bit, since I dusted the family room on Monday, but didn't change my bed sheets. So I will change the sheets and dust my bed room, on Tuesday. And, since I don't need to run errands, I will do a baby step in the spare room.
How was your Monday? What are your plans for Tuesday?
The sweater is lovely. I've never heard of Roman rib before but it looks like it knits up nice and cosy. X
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jules. I found the stitch pattern in a book of knitting patterns that I have.
DeleteYou look nice!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Akasha. :)
DeleteBeing a very basic knitter, I hadn't heard of the Roman rib stitch. It looks easy enough to do and if I every get around to knitting again, I'm going to try it. I really like the way it looks on your sweater.
ReplyDeleteIt's a very easy stitch pattern, Live and Learn. Basically, a knit 1 purl 1 rib that is broken up and alternating. You will be able to knit it without any problems. :)
DeleteSo much news today. Your day was jam-packed with activity and memories. It sounds like your aunt really knows you, and was prepared to enjoy the lunch you had prepared. Ha. So funny about your cousin and you "exchanging" gifts. I have a friend like that. Sometimes we too have exchanged the same gifts. She calls herself my other sister. The lovely compliment they made about your home must have lifted you high and given you the motivation you wanted to keep up the momentum. I also admire your flexibility in the schedule.
ReplyDeleteYour sweater looks lovely and I am liking that Roman rib stitch. It isn't too fancy but has beautiful detail. Love it.
I've had a full weekend, with the family get together on Saturday, visiting the temple and going out to lunch with a friend on Sunday, and aunt and cousin visiting on Monday! I am glad I have a day of rest, today!
DeleteYes, aunt knows me well and I know her well, too. :D She will say don't prepare anything, but I know better than to listen to her! LOL. But, yes, their observation that the house is looking nice was very nice to hear and it made me feel very happy. Positive reinforcement is a good thing, isn't it?
Thank you; the sweater turned out well, didn't it? I wanted something to provide a little texture. I tried several patterns, but they didn't show up too well, I thought, but, this particular stitch pattern did just fine. :)
Very nice sweater! Good memories of your step-father. So nice and mannerly of your relatives to be shy about eating at your home. And the food below from the Temple....very generous of them to serve 100 and the food looks delicious. Andrea
ReplyDeleteThank you, Andrea. The sweater turned out well, didn't it? It's interesting to see how much of a role food plays in any given culture, isn't it? It seems like whenever there is any sort of gathering, there is always food!
DeleteFun time with your family for a belated exchange of Christmas gifts ... that’s a wonderful joyous activity. It’s encouraging when you get compliments about your home isn’t it? Do you find it encourages you to keep going?
ReplyDeleteYes, it was a very joyful activity. Aunt said no more gifts after this, and I said OK. But, I like to give gifts! It gives me joy to give a gift to someone else. I'll have to be sneaky when her birthday comes around!
DeleteIt feels good when people notice your efforts at cleaning! I've a bit more to go before I have the house looking like how I want it to look, but, I'm feeling much encouraged. :)
That sweater is GORGEOUS and (in my opinion) the pattern isn't 'little' but 'subtle' as it looks like it took some care. The cashew curry also sounds lovely!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lyssa. The pattern was quick to do and only required one to keep track of which row one was on because the knit and purl stitches alternated on the repeats. I do admit that there were times when I had to undo a couple of rows, here and there!
DeleteThe cashew curry is a favorite - I buy the regular, raw cashes, soak them overnight, and then, boil them before I make it into a curry. It freezes well, too.
Pretty sweater! you are very talented :)
ReplyDeleteThank you! I learned to knit when I was 10, although I didn't knit for several years after that. Then, I started knitting again, when I was in my late teens and haven't stopped, since!
DeleteLovely jumper! I still haven't got brave enough to make one yet. I really need to do more knitting. I seem to get sidetracked.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like a busy day. So funny that you got each other the same thing!
Thank you, Sharon. I hope you decide to knit a sweater/jumper one of these days. I find them easier to make than cardigans, although I love the cardigans I've made, too.
DeleteYes, it is too funny that we got each other the same thing! :D Even exchange, I suppose!
Your sweater fits you beautifully. Isn't it rewarding to knit your own clothes? It sounds like you had a really nice time with your family. Those coincidences with your cousin were really something. How nice that they noticed all of the housekeeping that you've been doing.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Stephenie. I enjoy knitting my own clothes. I once knitted a dress (still have it!) and several 2 piece outfits (still have two of them, although they are no longer in style).
DeleteThe visit with aunt and cousin was fun! Aunt said that it was now my turn to visit them and she'll let me know when cousin is free. I was very happy that they noticed and commented that the house was looking nice. They've seen it at its worst, back when I was undergoing treatments and couldn't do anything much!
I too really like your sweater. It looks very nice.
ReplyDeleteMy crocheting stopped after a week. I plan to start again as soon as I get a bit of free time.
Your aunt is so funny. :)
Thank you, Nil. I needed a plain, black sweater. :) I'm sure you'll get back to your crocheting when you are not quite so busy. Maybe over the summer?
Delete