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| Chocolate "Choco Taco and Churros" Milk Shake |
Once again, I slept most of the morning. That's what happens when one goes to bed at 4:30 a.m.! I had set my alarm to get up at 9:00 a.m., but I just turned it off and went back to sleep! It was still morning when I finally woke up, but, just barely!
I spent the early afternoon responding to blog comments and commenting on a few blogs. Then, I called cousin V to find out how Aunt T is doing (she's doing well, I was told) and also spoke with cousin M who is visiting from Australia and staying with cousin V for the duration.
Then, I got going with my schedule for the day! I did some paperwork, which included writing out the payments for my gas bill and municipal services (water/electricity/sewer/trash collection) bill. After that, I planned my route for running errands: gas station, post office, and library, in a more or less clockwise route.
I went to the gas station, first. I was down to almost a quarter tank and I filled it up. Gas was $3.65/gallon and it came to $40.15 for 3/4 tank of gas. My monthly budget for gas is $50, so I still have $10 left in the budget for gas, if needed (plus what was carried over from March). Then, I went to the post office and handed in the bill payments for mailing. Finally, I stopped by the library and returned the magazines I had borrowed and checked out a book and two more magazines. Visiting the library was my joyful activity for the day.
After I came home, I watered the front garden with the garden hose. While I was watering, someone - a stranger - driving by in a pickup truck pulled over and told me that the plants were looking nice! He meant the osteospermum which are still putting on quite a show! I decided not to water the back garden, today, as it looked like it might rain in the night. If it doesn't, I'll water the peach tree and the orange tree by hand, tomorrow. The rest of the back garden can wait until Monday.
It was a little after 4:30 p.m., by then, and I had a cup of tea and watched some news. I tried sewing up the sweater, but it was hard to see the black yarn and I had a bit of a headache, as well. So, I continued with cleaning out a file folder as part of my paperwork/filing.
Later, I did the dishes, scrubbed the kitchen sink, wiped down the kitchen counters and stove top, and sorted through one of the pantry shelves. I took everything out, wiped the shelf, tossed a few items (some ginger cookies that were bought 3 years ago as they were supposed to help with nausea during chemo, a box of cereal that had a best by date of 2015, etc.), and put the rest of the things back. Then, I sorted through the shelf where I keep my food storage containers. They came in very useful back when I was working and my daughter was going to school because we'd pack our breakfasts, lunches, and snacks in them to take with us. Now, I am not sure if I need to keep quite as many, since I don't pack a lunch, anymore. However, they do come in handy when I want to send food home with various people or when I want to freeze stuff. The tall kitchen cabinet, which is a deep, floor to ceiling cabinet, has now been gone through and, if not necessarily decluttered, at least, sorted! I know what is stored in it; I just need to decide if I really do need a dozen or so food storage containers and all those empty jars! But, that's for another day, along with the under sink cabinet and the corner cabinet! Finally, I mopped the floor. This week's kitchen cleaning has been accomplished!
I managed to give Dancer his flea prevention medication, too! He was happily sleeping, curled up against the new sweater that I am in the process of sewing up, and I was able to apply the medication before he was awake enough to realize what was happening! LOL! Very sneaky of me, but mission accomplished!
Cousin P called in the evening and we chatted a bit. Apparently, someone stole the battery from her husband's car, that was parked on the road, outside their house, sometime last night or early this morning! And, while he was checking it out, someone else discovered that his car battery had been stolen, too, and then, another neighbor and another! Altogether, four car batteries had been stolen! Cousin said her husband called the police, but, apparently, they had said they won't come out unless there had been more than $900 worth of damage. I am glad I park my car inside the garage!
Today, I am grateful for:
- Being able to chat with my cousins
- My car battery wasn't stolen
- A productive day
- My headache went away
- Libraries
Thursday's To Do List:
- Give Dancer his flea meds - DONE
- Put gas to the car - DONE ($40.15)
- Go to the library - DONE
- Go to the post office - DONE
- Clean the kitchen - DONE
- Do the dishes - DONE
- Do the dishes - DONE
- Paperwork/filing - DID SOME
- Water the garden, front and back - DONE; front only
Yay! I got through my to do list for today! My weekly cleaning schedule had listed "a load of laundry" for Thursday, but I checked the laundry basket and I didn't have enough for a load. Instead I ran the errands, which was on the schedule for Friday; had to switch to Thursday because that's when the library books were due!
Yay! I got through my to do list for today! My weekly cleaning schedule had listed "a load of laundry" for Thursday, but I checked the laundry basket and I didn't have enough for a load. Instead I ran the errands, which was on the schedule for Friday; had to switch to Thursday because that's when the library books were due!
Friday:
- Do one decluttering/organizing task in the spare room
- Do one deep cleaning task
- Water the peach tree and orange tree
- Sew up the black sweater
- Sew up the black sweater
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| One more photo of the Japanese Garden: the lake represents the sea, the pebbled area, the beach |
How was your Thursday? What are your plans for Friday?
You had a good Thursday, though that picture of the milkshake is not the first thing I want to see when I wake! Yum! I have no travel plans to go to Boston, but might have to reconsider!
ReplyDeleteHope you have a great Friday! I am still considering copying your to to list. It makes so much sense to break things down into smaller manageable time portions, but I would probably still find a way to procrastinate. (Kind of like I am procrastinating copying the list?)
That milkshake is pure indulgence, isn't it? I can only drool over it - can you imagine what my blood sugar would spike up to if I were to eat one?
DeleteI like the considered way you do things! :D I had been considering the cleaning list for quite some time, myself, to come up with something that I believe I can manage and maintain. But, after awhile, one just has to jump in and just do it and see how it works out. Ideally, the way I have set up my schedule, the day's cleaning tasks shouldn't take more than one hour, although I haven't timed myself. I might take a break and do two 1/2 hour sessions, but that's OK, too. Give it a try and see how it works out for you.
Your Thursday sounds very productive.
ReplyDeleteThat milkshake looks so yummy. I feel like I want one now. :)
It was a good, productive day, Nil. Afternoons and late at night seem to be my most productive times! I know, that milkshake is calling my name! LOL!
DeleteThat milkshake looks most enticing and one part of me wants to grab the spoon and dive in and another remembers that I don't really like such really sweet stuff. I think part of me remembers a time when I would have happily devoured it. Now DH ...I have photos of spectacular ice cream sundaes that he has enjoyed on our trips!
ReplyDeleteToo bad about those stolen batteries. How frustrating for the car owners.
I wouldn't mind having some of that milkshake, myself, Bushlady! Maybe not all of it, but, I could do a fair bit of damage to it! Ice cream sundaes aren't too shabby either! A nice hot fudge sundae with some chopped nuts sprinkled on top! Yum!
DeleteMy mom had a milkshake just like that on her 69th birthday!
ReplyDeleteThat would be a perfect treat for a special birthday! :)
DeleteI absolutely love churros and that shake looks amazing! Coincidentally I was reading a blog the other day where the writer mentioned the price of gas. We pay around £6 a gallon in the UK - the equivalent of around $7.80. For most households it is a major source of expenditure. My poor son spends around £50 (c $65) just getting to and from work. Public transport is not an option for many people as it is generally very poor outside the biggest cities.
ReplyDeleteThe price of gas is going up (it usually does in the summer, as we switch to a special summer blend to combat air pollution), but it hasn't quite reached the high prices we paid around 2012. Back then, it went to over $4.00 per gallon, I was driving about 100 miles a day between taking my daughter to university and going to work, and I was putting $100 worth of gas every week. Also, our gallons are less than the British Imperial gallon. 1 US gallon is equal to 0.8326 Imperial gallons.
DeleteI learn from blogs all the time. I'd no idea that your gallons and ours differed!
DeleteOur pints differ, too! The US pint is 16 fluid ounces, not 20. So, our quart (2 pints) equals 32 fl. oz.
DeleteOh my! You are a Sneaky Pete. I would love to have been there to witness the moment Dancer realised he'd been had. They are so funny. I don't know why they are so resistant to us helping them. It isn't as though we are hurting them.
ReplyDeleteAnother very productive day at home...and with running errands.
Dancer was not at all sure just what had happened! He looked at me as if to say, "I know you did something, Mummy, but I don't know what; just keep scratching under my chin like you are doing and I'll go right back to sleep!" LOL!
DeleteOh my goodness! That milkshake. It looks amazing but I couldn't imagine being able to finish it.
ReplyDeleteYou're doing really well with your cleaning schedule. Today I'm hoping to empty out my wardrobe and attempt to everything back away tidily. It should give me an idea as to what could do with replacing too. X
It is an amazing milkshake, isn't it? Easily enough for two people to share!
DeleteThank you, the cleaning schedule went well, this week! I hope your wardrobe organizing goes well. My daughter helped me do that, when she was here over the Christmas holidays. I turned the hangers the other way when we put things back - after I wear an item, I turn the hanger the normal way. It helps me to see which items I wear and which ones I don't. I don't have a separate summer/winter wardrobe, so, the ones that are still with the hangers turned the other way now are mostly the summer tops and dresses. At the end of summer, I'll review the wardrobe and see if there are any items I haven't worn and decide if I will continue to keep them or donate.