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| Potato Kufta |
Another warm day with a daytime high of 96F.
I made uppuma with semolina, curry leaves, dried red chilies, and peanuts, for brunch, today. Later, I had a plum.
I vacuumed the family room after brunch. It was the first time I've vacuumed since early May when I experienced the sciatica pains! Daughter had been doing the vacuuming for me, but, today, I decided I was well enough to vacuum. I only did the family room as I didn't want to overdo things. The family room was this week's "room of the week"; it has now been cleaned and tidied. Next week's room will be my bedroom and the rest of the closet.
I made Sri Lankan style pancakes (thin, crepe-like), rolled up with sugar and lemon juice for tea, since my daughter had been requesting them. I took a few over to neighbor S and that's when she gave me the potato kufta her mother had made! She gave me four of them, but, there are only three in the photo, above, because my daughter ate one before I could take the photo! LOL.
After tea, I put away my share of the laundry. After turning the hangers the other way round when I sorted through my closet, earlier this month, I am now turning the hangers back the usual way when the washed clothes are put back. This will enable me to see which clothes I haven't worn and figure out why I haven't worn them and why I continue to keep them. Some of the items remaining unworn might be because they are clothes I'd wear when socializing and I haven't done that since March 2020; I'll probably continue to keep them. But, others might be hanging unworn because they don't fit me anymore or I don't like how I look in them. The ones that don't fit should be altered (if I think I'll wear them once they fit me again) or given away, along with the ones that I don't think suit me. Deciding which ones don't suit me is a work in progress! Today, I decluttered a knit tunic type blouse that had been given to me; I wore it for the first time, last week, and didn't like how it looked on me.
Later, after dinner (I had pork curry and a tortilla; daughter had pork curry, rice, and zucchini chutney) I chatted with friend R and with aunt C.
Today, I am grateful for:
- Neighbor S and her family for being such good friends over the years
- Being well enough to vacuum, again!
- Electricity to run the fans and other appliances
- Saturday mail delivery
- Phone calls with family and friends
Today's joyful activity was making (and eating) pancakes!
No particular plans for tomorrow. Nothing specific that has to be done, other than the dishes. Maybe I'll do a crafts project.
How was your Saturday? What are your plans for tomorrow?
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August Decluttering Challenge:
8/1 - 1 pair gardening gloves
8/2 - non-working heating pad
8/3 - old purse/handbag
8/4 - 1 computer CD containing a report
8/5 - 1 plastic lid that cracked and broke in two
8/6 - 1 hooded sweatshirt (received a new one to replace it)
8/7 - old make-up I no longer use
8/8 - 6 plastic laundry detergent scoops (I use powdered laundry detergent; each new box comes with its own scoop; I don't need to keep the old ones, but, it seems such a waste to toss them in the recycling bin)
8/9 - 1 sponge paint brush (unused, but, so old, the sponge is no longer spongey!)
1 plastic food container
8/10 - 1 blouse (given to daughter); will be donated as she decided it didn't fit her properly
8/11 - 1 broken clothes hanger
3 bras
8/12 - 2 Zucchini! LOL! Eileen informed me that the zucchini don't count!
8/13 - Daughter's old artwork: A poster
8/14 - Daughter's old artwork: A painting
8/15 - 1 long dress (given to daughter) - she had urged me to buy it for myself one year for all of $1, but, I didn't wear it. She, on the other hand, loves it! It looks much better on her than on me!
8/16 - 1 coffee mug
8/17 - A book on cake decorating
8/18 - 1 bottle of perfume spray (an "our version of a famous perfume" that someone gave which doesn't smell good to me)
I'm going to try your 'room of the week' approach and see how it works for me. I hoovered the living room on Saturday so will carry on in there this week.
ReplyDeleteIt's good to read that you were able to cope with the hoovering as that means that you are continuing to recover your strength.
I'm leaving sorting out the rest of my clothes until I finish the style coach classes. There is a lot that can go and I will need to replace key items but will wait until January to do that. All that will go before then are the items of clothing I wore as band uniform and which I no longer need but which are taking up a lot of space in my wardrobe.
I find that the room a week approach works well for me - I hope it works for you, too. Of course, one doesn't get the satisfaction of knowing that the whole room has been cleaned in one go, but, I like the idea that all I have to do is just one or two tasks a day.
DeleteThank you; it feels good to be able to do more without pain!
I am following you as you do the style coach classes. :) I've kept track of what I've worn these past 5 days and how each outfit makes me feel. I think it's a good idea for you to hold off on sorting through your clothes until the classes are completed and only declutter the band uniform pieces for now. :)
Good to hear that you were able to accomplish some vacuuming. It is a good idea to do a room at a time.
ReplyDeleteI think potato kufta was one of the items in the Indian platters that we had for takeout a week ago and it was delicious.
Thank you, Bushlady. It felt good to be able to vacuum, again. :)
DeleteThe potato kufta reminded me a little of a vadai (lentil patty). Both are delicious!
Every time you post what you made to eat I find myself looking up the recipes. I think the Labor Day weekend will require some of the pancakes!
ReplyDeleteI have all my decluttered items in the living room (does that qualify as decluttering?) waiting for the thrift store pick-up scheduled for Friday morning. I will post an itemized list Wednesday or Thursday, but I will include the first few items from September's decluttering also.
Pancakes for the Labor Day weekend sounds good to me! Enjoy! :)
DeleteHaving the decluttered items ready for pick up definitely counts! Well done on getting the pick up scheduled! I still need to do that (I'm waiting until I think I have a good enough haul for them to come and collect).
When I sat down to read blogs I was thinking that I should make a cup of tea soon.
ReplyDeleteNow, after reading your post, I want pancakes! LOL
How do you do decluttering, Bless? Do you intentionally pick only item per day? I ask because I just can't pick one item. I go to an extreme and start tossing out too many things and it makes too much time.
Hope you were able to have some pancakes with your tea, Nil. :)
DeleteYes, right now, I just pick one or two items to declutter, each day. For me, that is the easier thing to do, although I've done 10 items a day or as many items as the date (1 item on the 1st, 25 items on the 25th, etc.) Maybe for you, pick 10 items a day? Or set the timer for 10 minutes and see how many items you can declutter during that time? Or, limit yourself to doing one shelf, or one drawer at a time. I've also read that what people should do is decide what you are keeping and declutter everything else, rather than decide what you are decluttering! I have not been able to take that approach, myself, because I'd rather keep everything! :D
Thank you Bless. I think I should go with 10 items per day or something similar.
DeleteSometimes I dump an item in the trash or recycling bin, and then sit and wonder if I should retrieve it just in case I need it later. Sigh! 🙃
Oh, that is so me - to wonder if I will need it later! The decluttering experts say to ask yourself if it can be replaced if you need it later and if the answer is yes, then, get rid of it!
DeleteYou always sound so productive and positive. It's very satisfying staying home in retirement when you have a comfortable and pleasant space. You are wise to keep up on decluttering. It's been a very relaxing Sunday at home. I got a lot of watering done out in the forest. Saw so many pretty birds, and a couple of chipmunks and squirrels.
ReplyDeletes
Thank you, Stephenie. :) I try to be productive and positive! Often, I feel I haven't been as productive as I should be, though! I do like being retired! It's almost 3 years since I retired! I don't know where those 3 years have gone! Sounds like you've had a lovely day! Being out in the forest, among nature, is supposed to be very good for our wellbeing. I've no forest here, but, I was in the garden, earlier, watering; I didn't see any birds, today, but, there were cats and a rabbit! :D
DeleteYou're doing great with your decluttering. Does it feel like you've gotten rid of a lot?
ReplyDeleteThank you, June. No, not yet! Partly because I am getting rid of the smaller items that don't make as much visual impact and partly because I know that I still have so much that could go! However, earlier today, when I was dusting the living room, I noticed that there was a 6 inch space on one shelf in the bookcase that wasn't there, before! And there are at least 2 more books on that shelf that can be given away, once I finish re-reading them! So, I know it is adding up and making a difference! I am planning to continue the decluttering in September, too, and I am hoping that, at the end of September, I will notice more of a difference. :)
DeleteBig chuckles reading this, Bless. I've been decluttering too. Make-up, books, pantry, clothes. It just feels so good.
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed reading it, Ratnamurti. :) Well done with the decluttering! I'll be continuing to declutter in September, too, if you'd like to join! :)
DeleteSo I see the picture of the potato kufta but don't notice that it is labeled potato kufta so when I read that you made your uppuma, I think that's what they are. So I google a recipe for uppuma but it looks so different! And I think, "Bless makes hers very different then what's shown here".
ReplyDeletelol
Oh, Debra, that's funny! :D You can find a picture of some uppuma I made in this post:
Deletehttps://bless2cents.blogspot.com/2019/05/still-tweaking-spare-room.html
:)
I don't know how to make the potato kufta, but, they were very good, too. :)