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| Asparagus Fern - Foxtail Fern Variety |
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| Anthurium |
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| Aloe Flower Stalk - Starting to flower |
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| Aloe Flower Stalk - Flowers starting to open |
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| Avocado Plant (Still Alive!) |
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| Agave |
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| Aeonium |
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| Calla Lily |
Thursday was another sunny and warm day. Daughter had meetings all day and I took it easy.
On Wednesday, I had done some sewing, sewing a new casing for daughter's bolster pillow and a new pillowcase for it. I had planned to make another pillowcase on Thursday, so she could have a change of pillowcases, but, I didn't want to run the sewing machine whien she had meetings as the sound would have been a disturbance. Instead, I knitted on her sweater. I have now completed the front of her sweater and knitted the neckband. Need to knit the sleeves, next.
For brunch, I made roast pork sandwiches, sauteeing slices of roast pork with red onions for the filling. For dinner, I had some of my chicken and vegetable soup (daughter chose to have peanut butter and banana sandwiches). For dessert, I made crepes/thin pancakes.
On Thursday, I was grateful for:
- A sunny, warm day
- Working appliances
- Access to internet services
- Garden flowers
- Time to knit and sew
Thursday's joyful activity was knitting.
Plans for Friday include tending to the garden with M, maybe some sewing, and more knitting.
What are your plans for Friday?
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| Another Calla Lily |
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| Peach Blossom |
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| Crocosmia |
The first of the crocosmia flowers are also blooming. I love their bright orange color.
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| Jade Plant Flowers |
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| Jade Plant |
M was here on Wednesday and he transplanted one of the rose bushes. He pruned it at the same time and we took some of the pruned stems to try and root them. This time, I had him dip each cutting in rooting hormone to see if that will help. Apparently, he didn't use any rooting hormones for the earlier cuttings.
I am grateful for:
- The first peach blossom
- The lovely, sunny warm days
- Flowers in the garden
- M's help with the garden
- Signs that spring is just around the corner
My joyful activities included being in the garden and enjoying the flowers.
I know that many other places are experiencing snow, ice, and frigid temperatures, currently or, perhaps, rain. But, are some of you seeing the first signs of spring? Or, are you dreaming of spring and taking some time now to plan your spring garden?
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| Gazania |
Monday had been a sunny, warm day. Friend R stopped by in the afternoon to pick up her packages. Later, I took the trash cans to the curb and daughter watered some of the plants in the back garden.
For brunch, I cut up an re-sauteed the last of the previously sauteed slices of chicken breast, adding some sliced red onion to it and used it as a sandwich filling. For dinner, we opted for a buffet style, selecting what we each fancied: I had coconut roti with pork curry and daughter had chicken curry and the pickled vegetables she had made.
On Monday, I was grateful for:
- Being able to help friend R by accepting and keeping her packages for her
- A sunny and warm day
- Flowers in the garden
- Weekly trash collections
- Water for the garden
Joyful activities included visiting with my friend and exchanging emails with another friend.
On Tuesday, when the pharmacy notified me that a prescription I had requested had been filled and was ready to be picked up, I was reminded of the fact that, back when I used to have a weekly schedule I actually followed, Tuesdays used to be my day to run errands. I need to update and revive that weekly schedule!
Tuesday was another sunny day. I brought in the emptied trash cans, collected the mail including this week's grocery flyers, and went to the pharmacy to pick up my medication refill. In the evening, daughter and I both worked on our knitting projects (she is making herself a scarf).
I had crackers with peanut butter for breakfast and I made fried rice for a late lunch:
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| Sausage Fried Rice |
On Sunday, I ordered groceries and picked up the items in the late afternoon. I didn't need a lot of groceries, this time, other than sandwich bread, milk, half and half for my daughter's coffee, some produce, and a couple of items that were suitable for my new reduced salt diet and which were on sale.
I also bought a box of fabric softener/dryer sheets since I was coming to the end of my current box and there was a digital coupon for them; that's not a part of my grocery budget, so, will be deducted from my total.
I had ordered a jar of yeast, but, the store apparently didn't have any. I had qualified for free pick up with the jar of yeast; without the yeast, my total came below the free pick up minimum, but, I was not charged a pick up fee.
Daughter put away the groceries for me, so I don't have a picture, but, here is the receipt:
Total spent = $34.38
Amount spent on non-grocery item (dryer sheets) and sales tax on them = $4.99 + $.49 = $ 5.48
Adjusted Total Spent = $34.38 - $5.48 = $28.90
Here are the links for the previous January grocery shopping, if anyone is interested:
Jauary Grocery Shopping Part 1
January Grocery Shopping Part 2
My January grocery budget (for food items only for two people) = $250
Spent to date = $65.05 + $98.63 + $28.90 = 192.58
Balance left in the budget = $250 - $192.58 = $57.42
I am pleased with my spending on groceries so far this month.
I am not going to do a meal plan this week as we will probably eat from what's already prepared and kept in the fridge.
How is your January grocery shopping coming along? Are you finding good deals at your grocery stores?
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| Radish Harvest |
This weekend went by quickly.
On Saturday, daughter harvested her radishes; they weren't very big, but, she didn't want them to bolt, so picked them all. She also picked quite a few leaves from her arugala, kale, and mizuna plants. Then, she did some meal prep and cooking:
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| Radish, Apple, and Cucumber Pickles with Japanese Pickling Spices (Salty) |
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| Lemon & Pepper Cucumber Salad (Salt-Free) |
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| Salad Add-Ins: (Cucumber and Radish for her; Plain Cucumber for me since I don't much care for radishes) |
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| Sauteed Radish Leaves |
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| Stir-fried Mixed Greens |
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| Sauteed Curried Green Beans (Bonchi Thel Dala) |
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| Steamed Broccoli |
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| Rosemary No-knead Bread |
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| No-knead Bread |
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| Cooling on a Wire Rack |
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| Warm Crusty Bread |
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| Bread Pudding |
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| Rose Stem Cuttings - 9 Days Later |
It had been nine days after he took the cuttings and stuck them in some potting soil. I had tented the pot with a plastic bag, which created a mini greenhouse for the cuttings.
Not only were the cuttings still green, there were the beginnings of leaf buds on almost all of the stems! M was impressed!
It does not necessarily mean that the stems have developed roots yet. But, the cuttings seem to be healthy and showing the potential to grow.
I will continue to keep them enclosed in a plastic bag and make sure the soil remains moist. Hopefully, the leaf buds will form new leaves, at which point, I might be able to check for roots and pot them up.
It will be exciting to see if the stem cuttings will grow into little rose bushes over time!
What do you think? Do you think these stem cuttings will root? Have you grown rose bushes from rooted stem cuttings?
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| Osteospermum Flowers |
It was a mostly sunny day, on Friday. I took a walk in the garden and took some pictures of the flowers. I was happy to see the purple osteospermum flowers starting to bloom.
I tried on my new clothes and I was happy to see that they all fitted me. I wore one of the tank tops under my sweater and wore the leggings, too.
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| Friday Brunch |
For brunch, I cooked a package of breakfast sausages, fried potatoes, and scrambled eggs. I cooked the potatoes and the eggs in some of the oil left in the pan after I fried the sausages, but, otherwise, I didn't salt them. I gave daughter her usual serving of sausages, but, I limited myself to half of a sausage, cut up into small pieces. It provided just enough salt for me to enjoy my brunch.
In the afternoon, during daughter's 30 minutes lunch break, we made a quick visit to the library to return our books that were due and I borrowed three magazines. Daughter picked up a book about raising backyard chickens and we will both read it as we are wanting to try our hand at raising chickens.
Later in the evening, M tended to the garden, watering, spraying the rest of the fruit trees, etc.
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| Chicken and Vegetable Soup |
For dinner, I removed all the meat I could from the chicken carcass I had boiled to make stock on Thursday, cut up some onions, carrots, and some scallions I hd in the freezer, and made a chicken and vegetable soup. Since I made it without salt, the soup didn't taste very good to me. I had about a third of a jar of pasta sauce in the fridge, and, in an effort to improve the taste of the soup, I added that to the soup, along with a can of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed to remove any salt, and a can of drained and rinsed green beans, too, which needed to be used up. Daughter said it just tasted like pasta sauce (she is not a fan of tomato based pasta sauce unless it is homemade), but, I found it acceptable, if not exactly tasty. I had a bowl of it for my dinner and kept the leftovers in the fridge.
On Friday, I was grateful for:
- A sunny day
- Flowers in the garden
- Libraries
- M's help with the garden
- A safe drive to the library and back
Friday's joyful activity was a visit to the library.
Plans for Saturday include a visit from friend R to pick up her latest package and maybe ordering groceries.
How was your Friday? What are your plans for the weekend?
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| New Clothes |
It's been another cloudy day, today, with a high of 63F. I did a load of laundry, watched some videos, and knitted. I also made some stock with a chicken carcass I had frozen; I will de-fat it, tomorrow, and make some chicken and vegetable soup.
I had leftover coconut roti and pork curry for brunch; daughter ate some chicken curry. For dinner, daughter asked for roast pork sandwiches. I sauteed slices of roast pork with garlic powder, onion powder, and ground black pepper and made sandwiches with toasted bread. I had some of my dump cake with yogurt for dessert and apple slices for a snack.
On Thursday, I was grateful for:
- A good blood pressure reading (it had been slightly elevated all week)
- Working appliances
- New clothes
- E-mails from friends
- Daughter being home with me
Thursday's joyful activity was knitting.
Plans for Friday include tending to the garden with M and maybe a quick run to the library to return books.
How was your Thursday? What are your plans for Friday?
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| Mixed Fruit Dump Cake |
I mended one of the long sleeved T-shirts daughter had decluttered which I had taken for myself. There was a small tear near the hem and I mended the hole and rehemmed it. I also unpicked the large tag/label with the clothing company name that had been sewn on the back because the label felt scratchy when I wore the top.
I spent the afternoon watching some videos and knitting. Later, I sorted through one of the pantry cabinets and one of the freezer shelves. As part of the freezer shelf organizing, I pulled out a package of homegrown peaches, a package of homegrown blueberries, and a small package of strawberries. I put the frozen fruit into a square glass baking pan and poured half a package of yellow cake mix on top and dotted the top with some pats of butter. Then, I baked it at 350F for 30 minutes and made what I'm calling a mixed fruit dump cake. I didn't add any sugar to the frozen fruit as the cake mix is sweet enough.
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| Mixed Fruit Dump Cake Serving |
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| Irises |
We've enjoyed a long weekend with Monday being a holiday to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
On Saturday afternoon, one of daughter's friends came over for a cooking lesson! Daughter is showing her how to make Sri Lankan food. They made a dhal curry with red lentils and a mallung with kale (a mallung is shredded greens sauteed with grated coconut, onions, green chillies, turmeric, etc.) They had fun and, afterwards, daughter kept a portion of what they cooked for us and gave the rest to her friend to take home to share with her father and sister. They are planning to make chicken curry, next weekend!
On Sunday, daughter and I visited my cousin V and her family. V was recovering from surgery on her right shoulder. I prepared a chicken curry for her and also took some cashew curry and moringa curry I had cooked and frozen earlier. One of V's sisters-in-law had made a big pan of chicken biryani for her, so, at V's urging, daughter and I enjoyed some of it for lunch.
After we came home, I phoned Aunt C baked another batch of no salt added blueberry muffins:
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| Blueberry Muffins |
Dinner was chicken fried rice:
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| Chicken Fried Rice |
On Monday, friend R visited in the afternoon. She brought us Christmas gifts and collected several of her packages that had been delivered to my address. At 11:00 a.m. on Monday, R texted me to notify me that another package she had been expecting to be delivered on Tuesday was being delivered on Monday, instead, and that it would require a signature. However, a short time later, I discovered a notice on my door from a different delivery service than the one R had said were delivering her package, stating that they had tried to deliver a package but no one was at home! Apparently, they had tried to deliver it before R had told me to expect a delivery and if they had knocked on the door, I had not heard it. It upset me a little and I felt as if I was at fault, even though I know that it wasn't.
Anyway, R called them and they are going to redeliver it today, but, R didn't know at what time. I woke up at 7:00 a.m., which is early for me (especially after going to bed after 3:00 a.m.) in order to be ready to accept the delivery. They just delivered it (at 11:00 a.m.)
On Monday evening, after R left, I cooked the pork roast that I had bought on Friday. Daughter cut the roast in half for me and further cut one of the halves into 8 pork chops and cubed the rest. I roasted the one half, froze the chops in two packages of four chops each, and made a curry with the cubed pieces.
Breakfast had been a scrambled egg on toast for me (daughter made herself a sandwich with fried eggs and the last bagel). We had blueberry muffins with tea when R visited (and we gave R some of the muffins to take home). Dinner was rice, pork curry, dhal, the last of the kale mallung, and tomato chutney:
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| Monday Dinner |
On Monday afternoon, before R visited, daughter and I spent a little time in the garden, watering the plants, feeding the compost bin, and just checking things out. Later, daughter took the trash cans to the curb for me. Later, I texted with cousin N.
Also on Monday, I finished knitting the back of daughter's sweater:
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| Daughter's Sweater - Back |
It's the same wool I used for my sweater, but, a different color, called "Aran". I'll start the front, today. She wants the same design, but, just a little longer than my sweater.
Today, Tuesday, is another sunny and warm day. I woke up early, as mentioned above, brought the emptied trash cans in, accepted R's package, and tidied the living room a little bit. I will knit and do some quiet activities today as daughter is having a migraine and is resting (she took a day off from work).
Today, I am grateful for:
- A lovely long weekend with plenty of social interactions
- Pleasant weather (sunny days, warm temperatures)
- Being able to accept the delivery of a package for R
- Weekly trash collection services
- Daughter is able to take time off from work when needed
Today's joyful activity will be knitting.
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| More Irises |
I ordered and picked up groceries on Friday. Since my daughter put the groceries away for me right away, I couldn't take a picture of them, but, here's a copy of the receipt:
I spent a lot on groceries this time.
But, the majority of the chicken is for a chicken curry I am making to take to my cousin who had shoulder surgery earlier this week and I thought that the boneless, skinless chicken will be easier for her to manage with her non-dominant hand. The package held 5 chicken breast halves and I cut up and curried four of them to take to my cousin's tomorrow; the other one was sliced and sauteed with onions, lemon juice, pepper, garlic powder, etc., to be added to salads or made into sandwiches for my daughter and me for our brunches, etc.
I forgot to specify a small pork roast when I ordered the groceries and the person picking out my groceries picked a huge pork roast! However, it will provide us with many meals as I plan to cook and freeze some of it.
The shrimp was a treat and a bit of a splurge, even on sale. It's been a while since I last bought it because I didn't want to pay the higher sale price, but, it'll be a nice treat to look forward to.
January grocery shopping part 1 is here.
January grocery budget = $250
Spent to date = $65.05 + $98.63 = $163.68
Balance left in the budget = $250 - $163.68 = $86.32
Meal Plan Options:
We are not really following a meal plan at this time. Sometimes, daughter and I eat the same things (we both had tuna salad sandwiches, on Friday, after I bought the lower sodium canned tuna and we both had rice and curries today when daughter cooked dhal and kale mallung) but, often, we eat different things and at different times, especially when she's working.
However, I like to write down meal plan options and these are the options for next week:
Brunches: Scrambled eggs with toast (and sausages for daughter); omelet with salad or sauteed greens; salad with chicken; chicken sandwiches; tuna or egg salad sandwiches; French toast; blueberry muffins; fried rice
Dinners: Rice, chicken curry, dhal, kale mallung, and tomato chutney; rice with leftover salmon, broccoli, and chutney; pasta with chicken and spaghetti sauce; chicken and vegetable soup; roast pork with potatoes, green beans, and carrots and/or pork curry with rice, cucumber salad, sauteed cabbage; leftovers/planned overs or something else not on the plan!
How are you coming along with your grocery shopping and grocery spending so far in January?
