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| Maple Streusel Bread and Homemade Gata (Armenian Cookies) |
It was not quite 62F inside the house, this morning, when we woke up. Outside was warmer and sunny! As soon as I had my cup of tea and had said my morning prayers, I went outside and walked in the drive way for 15 minutes, and then, sat on the short side wall in the sun for a few minutes. LOL.
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| Aveline Avocado Stands Tall, Again! |
M was here later in the morning and he and I found a taller stake for the avocado plant which has been named Aveline by Lady Ella (thank you, Lady Ella for naming her!) I asked M about planting her in the ground, but, just as I suspected, he said to wait until next spring.
M was also kind enough to install the new fluorescent light tubes in the kitchen ceiling light fixture, for me. The kitchen lights stopped working almost a month ago! I had been managing with the light on the stove vent hood and the dining area while the new bulbs were ordered and shipped. They were delivered, yesterday. Today, M installed them for me and I took the opportunity to clean the light fixture cover.
Then, I asked M, since he was up on the ladder anyway, if he could also clean the section of the molding above the kitchen cabinets above the stove. Even with the vent hood, grease had accumulated up there and it was very unsightly and had been bothering me a lot! It has been at least a couple of years since I've climbed up a ladder to clean the molding - I've climbed the step stool and cleaned the cabinet doors and the top of the vent hood, but, I can't reach the molding from the step stool. Not only did M clean the section directly above the stove, he cleaned the entire length of molding along that wall! Now the molding looks so clean that the cabinet doors look dingy! LOL. That's the problem with white kitchen cabinets - they are hard to keep clean!
The afternoon was nice and warm, with a high of 75F! I spent a little more time out in the garden, to enjoy the warmth. By then, the inside of the house had warmed up to about 68F. But, in the evening, I was so cold that we used one of the small space heaters to warm up the family room!
Neighbor S called me and handed some easy piano pieces she had printed out for me. She is taking a break from teaching piano this month, so I will resume taking piano lessons in November, but, I will practice these new pieces on my own until then. I spent about 20 minutes playing them, this evening. Later in the evening, S brought me some homemade gata (an Armenian cookie) which she had made and some maple streusel bread that her younger daughter had bought. The gata were absolutely delicious and my daughter has asked her for the recipe! S said she will ask her daughter to translate the recipe from Armenian to English to share with my daughter.
Lunch had been leftovers, followed by slices of "Wawa melon". Dinner was boxed mac and cheese with canned tuna added to it - what I'd call a pantry meal! It was a rather frugal meal, too.
Today, I am grateful for:
- A sunny, warm day
- M putting the new bulbs in the kitchen light fixture and
- Cleaning the kitchen cabinet molding for me
- S sharing some yummy treats with us
- Phone calls with family and friends
Today's joyful activities included being in the garden and enjoying the treats S provided.
Plans for tomorrow include some cleaning and sewing.
How was your Wednesday? What are your plans for Thursday?
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10/3 - 1 craft book
10/4 - 3 anime books (daughter's; to be donated)
10/5 - 1 pack of HP playing cards (daughter's; to be donated)
- 1 Rubik's cube-type 3D puzzle (a triangle, instead of a cube; daughter's to be donated)
10/6 - 6 bottles of old dried up craft paint
10/7 - 5 knitted scarves
Oh she looks wonderful, standing tall again! (I don't really expect you to call her Aveline ... I was just having a bit of fun. 🙂)
ReplyDeleteShe does, doesn't she? :) She lost a few leaves, but, otherwise, she's fine. I'm happy to have her named Aveline by you. :)
DeleteWe are getting white kitchen cabinets when we redo the kitchen. Several people have told me that they're not hard to keep clean, but you make more sense. We shall see.
ReplyDeleteI chose the white cabinets because I love how they look, but, I tend to be a messy cook and the cabinets show every splatter and drip! They are easy to wipe clean with a damp sponge, but, you do have to clean them regularly (which I don't always do).
DeleteIt looks even bigger now that it is staked and repotted.
ReplyDeleteIt is supposed to finally cool off here this weekend. I'm looking forward to turning the AC off.
Thank you, Lori. I checked on it today, too, and it seems to be doing fine. It lost a few leaves when it toppled, but, no branches were broken.
DeleteI tend to feel cold, even when others feel warm! My comfort zone is in the upper 80s to low 90s. :)
Pantry meals certainly have their place. We also had boxed Mac and cheese with canned tuna recently when I needed something quick and tasty. DH loved it and I had leftovers for breakfast.
ReplyDeleteI have also decluttered some plastic plant pots, but they can't be recycled and they may have to go to the landfill, but perhaps to the free-cycle area as they are not broken. We also plan to take a chair that needs the pegs glueing in and clamping. We don't need it but someone might be happy to fix it.
Thank you, Bushlady; glad to hear that someone else enjoyed boxed mac and cheese on occasion! :) The chicken breast that I had kept to thaw for last night's dinner hadn't thawed by the time I went to cook dinner, so boxed mac and cheese to the rescue! I cooked the chicken breast this afternoon and took some of it to make a quick fried rice for lunch, with leftover rice, an egg, and a handful of peanuts added. The rest of the chicken breast will be kept for tonight's dinner.
DeleteThat's so nice that you have a free-cycle area to take unwanted items that are still usable! I don't know if there are similar places, here, but, often, people put out usable items by the curbside for anyone to take. I still have a little side table I picked up from the curbside many, many years ago!
That was very nice of M to change out those bulbs for you. And to clean the molding while he was up there. LOL Nice man. How in the world did you go a month without lights? I think our kitchen fluorescent lights are getting ready to bite the dust. They flicker for a few minutes every time we turn them on. But we have replacement bulbs in the closet for when they finally die. Oh I so love anything maple, and that maple streusel bread looks so good. Such thoughtful neighbors you have. Denise
ReplyDeleteM is a really nice and helpful person. His late aunt was one of my neighbors and he began helping my mother and me with the garden n early 1993! He has also helped around the house, on occasion - changing light bulbs, putting up and taking down the window a/c unit, etc. I cooked by the light of the stove hood light and the light in the dining area. Also, there is a large pass through between the kitchen and family room, so the family room light helped, too. But, you are wise to have replacement bulbs on hand! I have spare bulbs for the regular lights, but, not the fluorescent lights. Of course, pre-Covid, this would not have been such a big issue - I'd have just gone to the store and bought the bulbs right away. But, I don't go shopping in person, these days, and ordering things online and having them delivered is a big hassle as far as I am concerned!
DeleteI some some of the best neighbors (and some not so thoughtful ones who play loud music well past midnight and leave their junk on my parkway, etc.). :)
The avocado tree is really quite impressive looking. And I'm sure happy to be standing upright again.
ReplyDeleteYour plate of goodies looks very good. I didn't realize S was Armenian. S, your neighbor and piano teacher and food treat giver. All one person, right?
Is she the only S in your life?
Do you have a cousin S? Maybe I'm confusing two different S's. lol
Aveline the Avocado tree is a beauty! (Lady Ella named her! :D )
DeleteI have at least a couple of S's in my life! :D Friend S is Sri Lankan and has often brought me plates of Sri Lankan food and a big platter of Thanksgiving dinner, last year. I haven't seen her that often, this year, for one reason or another. Neighbor S is Armenian and is also my piano teacher and blesses me with meals, baked goods, and Armenian treats quite often! Actually, she, her mother L, and her daughter N are all wonderful cooks and bakers and they often treat my daughter and me! :)
Well I am glad you are cooking in the light again. And yes, when you clean one thing really, really well it always shows something else up, doesn't it.
ReplyDeleteMy decluttering has mostly been in my craft room this fall, although the large box of dvds and paperback books finally made it to the Goodwill drop-off this week. I really must work on shortening the time between filling the boxes up and getting them out the door. Also I managed to pawn off a few old electronics accessories on my son.
Thank you, Susanne; it's good to be able to see what I'm cooking! :D
DeleteYou've done well with your decluttering! Every little bit counts! I haven't reached my crafts supplies, yet! The vast majority of them are in a closet, behind closed doors and they can stay there! :D