Saturday, December 28, 2019

More Shopping on Saturday

Another, sunny day with a daytime high of 63F.  I slept in this morning and had a relaxed rest of the morning.  Cousin V called to thank me for the Christmas gifts - poor thing could hardly speak due to laryngitis!  But, she said her grandsons loved their gifts, especially the bigger boy who is 3 years old and loves Star Wars.   He had dressed as Darth Vader at Halloween and this is what I got him for Christmas:

Darth Vader Backpack
My cousin said that it was his favorite gift and he is carrying it around like a doll!

His baby brother, who is not yet one year, had been R2D2 for Halloween and I got him this for Christmas:

R2D2 Backpack
I know he is too small for a backpack (and, most probably his older brother will claim it, too), but, their mother, my cousin's daughter, texted me to thank me for the gifts, telling me they were the perfect gifts for them and how much they loved them.  I'm glad they liked them.  They are Disney licensed merchandise but, I got them on sale for a very reasonable price, each. 

Shortly after noon, I drove my daughter over to her friend's house where they were all meeting before going out to lunch and an afternoon of fun at an escape room.

After I dropped her off, I went to the pharmacy to pick up a bottle of ibuprofen for my daughter.  She was coming to the end of the bottle she had brought down with her and the one I had at home had expired in 2018!  When I paid for it, I received a $5 Extra Bucks coupon, so, I went back and bought a small box of Tide laundry detergent (30 loads size) which was on sale for $5.94.  With my $5 coupon, my out of pocket cost came to $1 and a few cents (with tax).  Even the cashier was marveling at what a good deal that was! 

Then, I went next door to the dollar store.  I wanted to stock up on facial tissues, as we've been going through them with our recent colds!  I also stocked up on toothpaste and soap - I like to do that every three months or so.  While I was there, I also bought some bananas, a Boston lettuce, a box of crackers, a box of yellow cake mix, a box of granola bars, a can of coconut milk, a 4 cans pack of lemon-lime soda, a box of microwave popcorn, and a couple of other items, including a pair of holiday socks for $.50:

Holiday Socks
Not sure if I will keep them for myself or slip them into a gift, next year!  I can almost see a gift taking shape - the snowman socks, a candle, a mug, some hot cocoa, and maybe a set of snowman coasters?  What do you think?  I spent almost $26.00 at the dollar store!

After that, I went to the Armenian grocery store for some groceries including semolina and eggs for the love cake my daughter is still planning to make.  In addition, I bought more coriander seeds, chili powder, some chicken drumsticks and beef steaks, vegetables (green beans, Persian cucumbers, beets, onions), fruits (papaya, pomegranates), pistachios, almonds, pita bread, fresh ginger, and potatoes.  I spent $39.03 at the grocery store. 

Finally, on the way home, I put gas to the car.  The cheapest gas was $3.35/gal.  I was down to almost quarter of a tank and spent almost $39.00 to fill the tank.

By the time I came home and put away the groceries, it was 4:00 p.m.   I ate a late lunch of a pita bread with spicy onion sambol and rested a bit.  My daughter came home around 4:45 p.m. and I made tea for us.  Then, I did the dishes and called friend R to check on her (she had called me, yesterday, saying she had a flu shot and was feeling achy and feverish; she said she felt better, today).

Daughter has requested some pasta for dinner, so I will prepare that in a bit.  I might have some of the leftover shepherd's pie one of my cousins had made for the Christmas dinner that I had brought home with me.  We are having a restful evening.

Today, I am grateful for:
- The gifts I gave to the little boys are a big hit with them!
- Daughter being able to have a fun afternoon with her friends
- A sunny and warm day
- What I was able to accomplish today
- Working appliances (dishwasher, heater, etc.)

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


17 comments:

  1. We have had some lovely days since we arrived with the family late on Christmas afternoon. We went to the sea and watched the seals, we went to the new Star Wars film (those were great gifts you got the boys!) and we went to an amazing nursery with splendid plants, and a big indoor carp pond and a delightful cafe. Today will be quiet, just church in the morning and two close friends coming over later for tea. Thankful for so much love surrounding us.

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    1. Sounds like you've had several lovely days, visiting interesting places and doing fun things. I am so glad that you are surrounded with love, especially during this time. (((HUGS)))

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  2. Love those gifts! How thoughtful of you. I'd keep the socks for a gift. If you could manage to find the other items it would make a lovely gift basket. My plan is trying to get things together throughout the year so I'm not in a mad rush at the end of the year!

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    1. Thank you, Sharon. I knew, as soon as I saw them, that they would be ideal gifts for the boys. Yes, I think I'll keep the socks and build a gift basket around them. I used to buy a lot of my gifts during the after Christmas sales, but now, I wait until closer to Christmas, because the before Christmas sales seem to be just as good as the after Christmas sales! However, I do need to start making my gifts a lot earlier in the year as the crafting takes time.

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  3. Those backpacks are brilliant. I'm sure the children will get a lot of enjoyment from them.

    My nephew and his family are visiting later this afternoon (Sunday) but apart from that, I am reading, doing crossword puzzles, and planning for January!

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    1. Thank you, Eileen; by all accounts, the older boy loves the backpacks (the baby, at 10 months, is really too little to know anything).

      Sounds like you are having a nice, relaxing Sunday, with family visiting providing a nice interlude. I'm looking forward to January, although I don't have anything much planned, yet. :)

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  4. After several days of family gatherings, we are having a quiet day at home trying to catch up on a few things like laundry. It's been raining all day, so it's a perfect day to stay home.

    Have you ever thought about going to an escape room? I don't like the idea of being trapped, so I've never gone.

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    1. A rainy day is ideal for staying home and catching up on a few things around the house. I, too, did some laundry and tidied up the living room, a little bit, even if it wasn't raining.

      Do you have to go back to work, tomorrow? Or, are you taking some vacation time off until after the New year?

      No, I haven't thought about going to an escape room. I don't think I'll do very well in such a setting!

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    2. By the way, according to my daughter, you are not really trapped as the people operating the escape room can see you and communicate with you and can help out if needed.

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  5. Those are really nice gifts! I'm sure the boys loved them. You always spend so wisely on your groceries. It really makes a difference to buy things on sale.

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    1. Thank you, Stephenie. I was thrilled when I saw the backpacks on sale!

      With groceries, you really have to watch the prices and adjust your shopping accordingly. The store had this week's advertised special of T-bone steaks on sale for $3.69/lb. while ground beef was priced at $5.69/lb! In fact, the steak was cheaper than most other cuts of beef that they had! I bought two steaks, which came to $7.38 and 2 lbs. of chicken drumsticks for $.99/lb, which came to $2.31. :)

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  6. Oh those backpacks are lovely. Ideal gifts for little boys. 😊

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    1. I am glad I was able to get them; they were a hit with the older boy, at least. :)

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  7. Such fun to be able to gift those cute backpacks to the boys. I've never seen any like them.
    We have been at a small house party where the resident dog wore herself out with welcoming the guests and then spent the rest of the time sleeping in front of the fire! The forecast has been bad but when we went out to go home, a little freezing rain had barely touched the car, and the windshield cleared easily. We got off lightly, but I think other areas are getting the brunt of the storm.

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    1. Thank you, Bushlady. They are more like toys you can wear than backpacks - there is a tiny pocket like space where you can slip in a small item, but, that is all!

      Oh, the poor dog! Too funny! Glad you escaped the worst of the storm!

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  8. Those gifts you gave to the little boys are adorable. So cute.
    Yes, I think you have the beginnings of a nice gift for next year already.

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    1. Thank you, Debra. I was very pleased that I was able to find those gifts for the boys and I am definitely going to incorporate those socks into a gift for next year! :D

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