Friday, August 8, 2025

One Week!

 

The Blue Squash Harvest

It's been one week since daughter came home and we can't quite believe that it's been a week, already!

Today, Friday, was another warm day with the temperature going up to 96F.  Not too bad, but, I put the a/c on in the bedroom around 5:30 p.m., and both daughter and I stayed in the cool room for a couple of hours.  I even took a nap!  It seems to me that, this year, I am feeling the heat more than I did in previous years.

Today, I paid some bills that were coming due, did a couple of loads of laundry, watered the back garden, and picked these squashes that M had planted.  He said they were blue squash.  They are not very big, each about the size of a small acorn squash, but, the vines had died due to the heat and so, it was time to pick them.  I have not cooked or eaten them before, so it'll be a new experience.  

I made egg salad sandwiches for brunch and we had ramen noodles for dinner.  Snacks have included the last of the bananas, nectarines, chocolate wafers (me), and cereal (daughter).

Today, I am grateful for:

- Daughter being home
- The a/c unit in my bedroom
- Working appliances
- Squash from the garden
- Water for the garden

Today's joyful activity was taking a nap in the cool bedroom.

We don't have any special plans for the weekend.  I would like to sort through my sewing supplies and consolidate them (and hopefully find my rotary cutter!), and maybe we will unpack one or two of daughter's boxes?

How was your Friday?  What are your plans for the weekend?




August Grocery Shopping: Part 2

 

August 6th Grocery Receipt

I did a quick run to the grocery store on Wednesday, as daughter wanted more half & half and we both wanted more bananas  I went in person, this time, because I didn't want to order enough items to qualify for a free pick up.  While at the store, I decided to pick up a cucumber ($0.99) as well and a new-to-us can of cat food ($0.90) to see if Dancer would like it (he loved it and we ordered a 24 can case of it!)

I also decided to check the meat aisle to see if there were any reduced to clear items.  Apparently, 11:30 a.m. on a Wednesday morning was a good time to shop for meat because the butcher was checking the packages for items nearing the "sell by date" and marking them down!  I found a package of chicken drumsticks, originally priced at $7.46, marked down to $4.19 and several packages of 8 count/30 oz. total weight hamburger patties, original price $12, marked down to $5.42; I bought the package of chicken and one of the packages of hamburger patties.  

This time I bought a quart of half & half for $3.69.  

My total came to $16.23, which includes Dancer's can of cat food and tax on it and $15.24 without Dancer's food.

So far, in August, I have spent $38.17 + 15.24 = $53.41

I cooked the package of hamburger patties on Thursday for dinner, with corn on the cob (from the freezer - last year's homegrown corn) and a cucumber salad.  I had not thought to buy any hamburger buns, so I ate my hamburger patty by itself and daughter had it with bread.  

In other news, we went up to the mid-90s, on Wednesday and I asked M to put the window a/c unit up in my bedroom to use if needed.  M is off on his summer break for the next two weeks, so, I wanted the a/c unit in place before he took his time off.  We went up to 100F ("feels like 108F", per the online weather report) on Thursday and I did turn the a/c on for a few hours in the afternoon. 

I am grateful for:

- Being able to find some discounts and bargains at the grocery store
- Finding a type of cat food that Dancer seems to like
- Having a working a/c unit
- M's help with setting up the a/c unit
- M's help with the garden

Joyful activities have included spending a warm afternoon in a cool room.


Thursday, August 7, 2025

Thriving in July

Surprise Lilies

I am continuing with my quest to thrive each month and here's my review of July.  July was a bit of a challenging month, but, that only made me even more determined to thrive.  After all, thriving when things are going smoothly is easy, but, the real test is to thrive when things are not quite as smooth, isn't it?


Spiritual:

In July, I prayed...a lot!  Much more than I usually do.   I am a firm believer in the power of prayer.  Not only did I pray, others - family and friends, including blog friends - also prayed on my behalf, which was a blessing in and of itself.  At least two of the issues I prayed for were answered in a favorable manner for which I am very grateful.  I am still praying for a third issue, which relates to my daughter's employment.  I think the challenges I faced this month emphasized how seeking refuge in spirituality helps.  I posted about counting my blessing about 10 days into the month and I think I thrived in the spiritual aspects of my life in July, both with praying and having those prayers answered.

Daughter:

July was a challenging month for my daughter, too.  At the beginning of the month, she found out that the grant funding 70% of her job was eliminated as a result of federal budget cuts, effective the end of August.  Working 30% of her time would make her ineligible to receive employer paid benefits such as health insurance.  While she can pay and get her own insurance, it would be an added cost.  

Fortunately, she had already decided to return home at the end of August and had not renewed her apartment lease, giving the apartment management a 60-day notice (she was required to give only a 30-day notice, but, the apartment management kept asking her if she was going to renew her lease and offered her a discount on the July rent if she let them know earlier).  But, she planned her move to take effect at the end of August.  Then, the apartment management asked her if she could leave on August 1st or by the end of the first week of August (in which case, she'd have to pay a week of rent and get renter's insurance for that week).  She agreed to leave on August 1st and brought forward her date of vacating her apartment.  She had to pack her stuff, dispose of all her furniture, and arrange for friends to help her move her boxes to the moving container as she has no car and her foot is not healed enough for her to drive a rental car.

Even so, she was able to rise to the challenge and get her belongings packed up and transported to the moving container with the help of her friends and work colleagues.  

In the meantime, I was able to provide her with virtual support from my end, being a sounding board for her plans and offering helpful suggestions.  I think our relationship thrived during the month of challenge.  Daughter is home now, we unloaded the boxes from the moving container and brought everything home during the first five days of August.  There's a mountain of 45 boxes and at least 10 miscellaneous items piled up in the living room.  Our next challenge will be to unpack those boxes and find homes for her belongings.  There will be some decluttering happening, too. 

Health & Well Being:

July continued to be a challenging month where my health and well being were concerned. I had a cystoscopy done on the first of the month, followed by a blood test the following week and a CT Scan the next week.  That was followed by an appointment with the Urologist to go over the scan results and I was so thankful and relieved to hear that everything was clear and the reason I have microscopic blood in my urine is probably due to the aspirin I take as a blood thinner.  The clear scan report was an answer to one of the prayers mentioned in the spiritual section above and I feel that, as a result, I thrived where my health was concerned.  .  

Family, Friends, & Community:

I had quite a few social interactions in July. too, with phone calls, emails, and texts, as usual.

In addition, neighbor S brought over some gifts and treats and, of course, I was provided with the opportunity to serve my community by being called for Jury Duty, even though I didn't have to actually report in person (even after being told to report in person, initially).

I'm pleased with the amount of interaction with my family, friends, and community, in July and I feel that this area of my life is thriving.  I've already returned neighbor S's visit in August, and had a long telephone chat with a friend I haven't seen or spoken to in a long time, so, August promises to be a thriving month, as well.

Finances:

I was able to keep my finances maintained in July.  I kept to my July grocery budget and was able to cover some extra medical expenses for Dancer.  I think I was able to thrive where my finances were concerned in July, keeping to my budget in most categories.  Going forwards, expenses will increase, partly because my daughter is now living at home.  I am fully prepared for that.

Time Management:

I continued to make progress with my time management in July.  I still procrastinated, however, but, things got done.  I think I did well enough and I'll settle for that; not sure if I can say that I thrived in this area, though, as there's room to improve.  

Leisure/Hobbies/Crafting:

In July, leisure/hobbies/crafting activities consisted of blogging, reading, gardening, watching videos online, and participating in July's monthly photo challenge.  I feel that I thrived in this area of my life.

House:

In July, I was in maintenance mode as I maintained the progress I had made, earlier.  My biggest accomplishment was tidying my bedroom, which led to smaller tidying projects in other areas of the house, as well, as I tried to find homes for some of the items I had stored in my bedroom.  I think I'm making good progress in this area of my life.

Garden:

The garden continued to thrive in July, too.  I continued to pick tomatoes, lemons, chilies, etc.  I went over my Tier 1 (lowest rate) water allotment during the June-July billing period, but, that's the price to pay for gardening in our arid climate.  The garden will wind down in August.       

Over all, July  was a challenging month, but, I think I managed to meet and overcome those challenges to thrive and live well.  I am hoping that August will be a better month.  As I've stated earlier, everything is not quite how I would like it to be, but, I am staying focused on the positives, making the best of things, and thriving to the extent that I can.

How was your July?   Were you able to attain some of the goals you had made for the month?  

Tuesday, August 5, 2025

Meal Planning: July Week 5 Review and August Week 1

July Week 5 meal plan options were planned with the knowledge that daughter was coming home on Friday night (August 1) and I had planned to order some groceries earlier that day to have half and half, etc., on hand for her morning coffee.  I also bought some chicken when I put in that grocery order and, as mentioned in my previous post, I had received additional free groceries when the store gave me another customer's groceries in addition to mine!

Thesewere my meal plan options for July Week 5:    

Brunches: Bolillo roll sandwiches - fillings of tuna salad, egg salad or scrambled eggs, or canned corned beef; milkrice on Friday (August 1), leftover milkrice, cereal and milk

Dinners: Rice and salmon with tomato chutney, broccoli or sauteed beans; rice and chicken curry with dhal and beets; beef pepper steak with vegetables and rice; Breakfast for dinner (?), ramen noodles soup; leftovers; maybe patties if I feel up to making them, or something different!

Snacks/Desserts: Fruit, bread pudding, cereal, crackers and peanut butter, granola bars, cake, yogurt

Here's how that turned out:

Monday:
Brunch: Cereal and milk
Dinner: Salmon and half a bread roll
Snacks/Desserts: Spicy sauteed potatoes; cream cheese coffee cake; lemonade

Tuesday:
Brunch: Cereal and milk
Dinner: Ramen noodles with beef pepper steak
Snack/Desserts: Spicy sauteed potatoes; Cherries

Ramen Noodles


Wednesday:
Breakfast: Cereal & milk
Lunch: Burrito
Dinner: Ramen soup with pepper steak
Snacks/Desserts: Strawberries, cherries 

Thursday:
Brunch: Doughnut!  (Picked up Dancer's meds from the pharmacy and the only available parking spot, after going around the parking lot twice, was right in front of the doughnut shop next door to the pharmacy and I felt obliged to buy a doughnut from them; I didn't need to have my arm twisted for that, though!  LOL.)
Dinner: Scrambled eggs, sliced bolillo roll toast
Snacks/Desserts: Hot cheetos, glass of chocolate milk which I froze partially to make a slushie/frozen milk

Friday: (August 1)
Brunch: Milkrice with lunu miris (sambol) and salmon
Dinner: Rice, salmon, broccoli (some of the free broccoli I received)
Snacks/Desserts: Chocolate, banana

Saturday:
Brunch: Leftover milkrice with lunu miris; toasted bagel with butter
Dinner: Chicken curry, rice, cucumber salad
Snacks/Desserts: Banana, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds

Sunday:
Breakfast: Bananas, half a toasted bagel, each, with butter
Late Lunch: (after 3 runs to the moving container to bring back boxes): Hamburgers (I had half a hamburger), fries, milkshakes
Dinner: Chicken curry sandwich and the other half of my hamburger (daughter); saltine crackers (me - my tummy complained about the milkshake) 
Snacks/Desserts: I had a peppermint candy; not sure what daughter had, if any

Obviously, I didn't keep to the meal, but, it worked out well enough.

On to August Week 1 Meal Plan Options:

Brunches: Toasted bagels with butter (Monday); Scrambled eggs and toast (Tuesday); French toast, Tuna salad sandwiches; Burritos; Waffles with bacon and blueberry compote; Cereal and milk; leftovers

Dinners:  Rice, leftover salmon, and broccoli (Monday); Rice, chicken curry, dhal, broccoli; Rice, beef pepper steak, sauteed vegetables;  Macaroni & cheese with tuna; Fried rice; Salads; Leftovers.

Snacks/Desserts:  Fruit (fresh/dried), Nuts, Bread pudding, Smoothies; Iced coffee; Cereal

Of course, we might go off plan, too!  

As always, I am grateful to have access to a variety and abundance of food, with the question being "What are we having for dinner?" as opposed to, "Are we having dinner?".  Not everyone is as blessed.

Are you making a meal plan this week?

Monday, August 4, 2025

August Grocery Shopping - Part 1

I did the month's first grocery shopping on August 1st, choosing to do an order and pick up.  I selected a pick up slot of 6:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., but, I received a text around 6:00 p.m. that my order was filled, followed shortly by a phone call from Rose at the pick up department letting me know that their department was closing at 7:00 p.m. that evening and they wanted to make sure I had plenty of time to pick up my groceries before they closed.  

So, I quickly closed up the house and left to pick up the groceries before my allotted time.  They brought my groceries to the car and put everything in the trunk as usual, except for the bag with the milk and half-and-half, which I requested to be placed in the passenger seat (I had the a/c on in the car as it was a warm day).  I thought that the person placing the items in the car placed more bags that I would have expected given the size of my order, but, sometimes they pack the items separately and I just assumed that that's what they did.  

My phone rang again, while I was on my way home and I let it go to voicemail.  Once I got home, I checked the message and it was Rose at the grocery store, calling to let me know that they had placed some extra items in my car, but, I was not required to return them to the store and I could either keep them or toss them and if I had any questions, to call the store.  So, I called the store and spoke with Rose and she basically told me the same thing.  They had placed someone else's items in my car, but, she was not going to make me drive back; I could keep the items or toss them.  I verified that I would not be charged for the additional items if I decided to keep them.  I had no idea what they were, though, because I had just pulled into my garage and not unpacked anything.  

By then, M had arrived to tend to the garden, so I related what had just taken place to him and took my groceries inside.

I bought:

Order Summary

Original Item Total$53.71
Item Coupons/Sales-$16.04
Fulfillment Fee+$0.00
Other Fees+$0.50
Sales Tax$0.00
Order Total$38.17

Item Details

21 Items

Bauducco® Chocolate Wafer Cookies, 5 oz$2.00
2 x $1.00 $1.59 each
Blue Diamond® Lightly Salted Almonds, 6 oz$1.99
1 x $1.99 $4.79 each
Chicken of the Sea Chunk Light Tuna In Water, 5 oz$5.00
4 x $1.25 $1.69 each
Cucumber, 1 ct$0.99
1 x $0.99 each
Foster Farms Fresh & Natural Chicken Thighs, 1 pk$5.32
3.57 lbs x $1.49 $2.99 each (approx.)
Fresh Bunch of Bananas – 5-7 Bananas, 1 bunch$1.92
2.78 lbs x $0.69 each (approx.)
Kroger® Half and Half Pint, 1 pt$2.69
1 x $2.69 each
Kroger® Plain Bagels, 6 ct / 18 oz$2.79
1 x $2.79 each
Kroger® Traditional Favorites Frozen Peas Green, 12 oz$1.50
1 x $1.50 each
Kroger® White Sandwich Bread, 20 oz$1.99
1 x $1.99 each
Ralphs® Vitamin D Whole Milk Half Gallon, 1/2 gal$2.99
1 x $2.99 each
Seedless Mandarin Clementine Oranges in 3lb Bag, 3 lb$3.49
1 x $3.49 $5.99 each
StarKist Chunk Light Tuna in Water Can, 5 oz$5.00
5 x $1.00 $1.49 each

Other Fees

$0.50

Bag Fee$0.50
5 x $0.10 each

I spent:  $38.17.

In addition, I received:

- 3 x 2 lb. bags of broccoli florets (@ $6.00)
- 3 x 12 oz. packages of bacon (@$5.99)
- 2 x 12 oz. bags of dried cranberries (@$4.79)
- 1x 11 oz. container mayonnaise (@$4.49)
- 1x 10 oz. container of natural sunflower seed kernels (@$3.49)
-1 "jumbo" red onion (@$1.49/lb. and the one I received was huge; I assume it would have come to about $1) 

From the items, I am assuming that someone was planning to make a big broccoli salad!  I hope they received their order once the store realized that they had given the items to me!  I went on the store website, later, to see how much these additional items came to and it came to about $55 depending how much the onion might have weighed  

I gave one bag of broccoli florets to M and offered one to my neighbor S (she wasn't home when I called so I'll give it to her later today).  I froze the bacon and we will enjoy them, along with the other items over the upcoming weeks.  What a blessing to receive free groceries!  


With my daughter being home, I am going to increase my grocery budget to $250 per month, or $125 per person.  Primarily because, despite campaign promises to the contrary, grocery prices have increased and I expect them to continue to increase.  I am able to increase my grocery budget by reducing what I put into savings.  

I am grateful for:

- Being blessed with free groceries at the expense of the store's mistake
- Being able to share some of that with friends and neighbors
- The availability of groceries
- Being able to increase my grocery budget
- The blessing of having enough food to eat

She's Home!

 

Box Mountain

Daughter is home!  She arrived on Friday, August 1st.

She had rented a moving container which she packed with her belongings, as it was cheaper than hiring movers.  The estimated date for her boxes to be shipped to the company's warehouse/depot closest to us was August 7th (having the container delivered to the house and picked up later would have cost more).  Daughter had arranged for her friends to help her unload the container and bring her boxes home on Saturday, August 9th.

But, she received notification that her moving container had arrived on Saturday, August 2nd.  So, we decided that we would start moving her boxes on Sunday, August 3, by ourselves.   We made three trips to the depot and back, this afternoon.  The fact that it was 93F didn't bother us.  

Daughter lifted and carried most of the boxes, giving me only the very lightest boxes and a few other light miscellaneous items.  We brought home 28 boxes and several miscellaneous items including a rug, two framed pictures, a stack of plastic drawers, a stack of metal drawers, and a two tier wooden step stool.  Everything is stacked in the living room!  

There are still several more boxes left in the moving container.  We plan to make one trip on Monday evening, after daughter has finished her work and before the warehouse/depot closes at 7:00 p.m., and another trip on Tuesday evening.  We should have the moving container emptied by Tuesday; if not, we will make another trip on Wednesday evening.  

I am grateful for:

- Daughter had a safe flight home
- All her friends who helped her to move her boxes to the moving container at that end
- The moving container was delivered to the warehouse/depot safely and ahead of schedule
- Daughter's foot has recovered enough to allow her to lift and carry the boxes
- We are able to bring the boxes home, a few at a time, in the car

My joyful activities these past few days have been getting ready for daughter to come home and having her home, again. 

Thank you to everyone who wished my daughter a safe move back home. 

Friday, August 1, 2025

Monthly Photo Challenge - July: Numbers

The theme for July's Monthly Photo Challenge, hosted by Eileen at A Bracelet of Days was Number(s).  In addition to the usual rules of a minimum of five photos, taken during the month (no archival photos), etc., she had also added a challenge that the photos of numbers had to be from different sources, although the same number could be repeated (provided they were from different sources).  As always, I looked forward to the challenge.  There were numbers just about everywhere I looked, here are the few that I photographed:


1.  Checklist at the Post Office


2.  Speed Limit Posted in a Parking Lot



3.  Temperature in Celsius and Fahrenheit



4.  Dates on a Calendar



5.  Touch Pad on the Microwave



6.  Level 3 Piano Book



7.  Roman Numerals on a Clock

Numbers are interesting, aren't they?  I would have liked to have photographed some Chinese or Korean numerals, but, I didn't remember to do so when I was in the parts of the city where I would have seen them.  Ancient Sri Lanka had its own written Sinhala numerals, but, these days Arabic numerals are used and the old Sinhala numerals are known only to scholars.  I think the last official document to include the old Sinhala numerals is the treaty signed between the chieftains of the kingdom of Kandy ceding the country to the British in 1815, although a version is still used in traditional astrological documents.  

As always, thank you Eileen for hosting the monthly photo challenges.  Hoping there will be on in August and looking forward to it.