Cleaning on Friday

I woke up at 9:30 a.m. (before my alarm went off at 10:00 a.m.), but then, proceeded to go online for two hours, until 11:30 a.m.!  It takes me that long to wake up!  LOL!  I had coffee, replied to blog comments, read and commented on a couple of other blogs, played a couple of games of sudoku, and only then did I get around to cleaning the last two shelves of the shelving unit in the bathroom.  They were the dustiest shelves.  And then...I pulled the shelving unit away from the wall, because I noticed a few cobwebs in the corner.  I am not admitting to anything, but, another segment of wall might or might not have been washed!

The wall behind the shelving unit

I don't know - what do you think?  Here's the evidence, the tell-tale sign:

See the contrast? (just above the first light bulb)

I was able to reach over and clean the two nearest light bulbs and the top of the cabinet just below them.  The rest of the wall, light bulbs, and cabinet top will have to wait for another day - I have to climb on top of the sink to reach them and I am not going to do that, today.

Then, I mopped the floor that the shelving unit covers.  I haven't pulled the shelving unit out from the wall in, um, at least 3 years, maybe more!  I usually mop around it, not under it.  I typed this while the floor dried.  Then, put the unit back in its place:

The White Shelving Unit

I regret not putting in a cabinet with doors, here, when the bathroom was built.  It would have had to be a very shallow cabinet, as the space between the doorway and the back wall is only 10-inches (the doorway originally opened out to the back yard).  But, door would have helped conceal the clutter and kept the dust to a minimum.  I was pleased to find space for the collection of flea sprays on the shelf where I keep Dancer's flea meds and combs and brush (the plastic shoe box on the 4th shelf down; his brush is on top of the lid for now because I washed it, today and it is still drying; it will be stored in the box once it has dried off).  I decluttered a couple of things, as well, including his harness which he has never allowed us to put on him and which is now too tight for him:

Cat Harness

And this old relic:

Transistor Radio/Cassette Player

The antenna is broken and the radio no longer works.  The tape player works, but I have another tape player.  

The cleaning part took me one hour, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.  Then, I rested for one hour, ate a banana and typed up to  this.

Then, I finished cleaning my bathroom - I swept and mopped the floor and, spot cleaned other areas of the walls, cleaned Dancer's litter box and added new litter, etc.  And I got rid of two old, empty litter containers.  These were refillable containers, but the pet supplies store has newer containers in a different design, now, and couldn't believe I still had these old containers; their lids are starting to crack, so I decided it was time to recycle them.  I also recycled an empty box and an empty laundry detergent container (that was taken to the garage to see if I can reuse it for something else - maybe wash it out and use it to store cat food).

Tigra checking out what got put outside!

One of the stray/garden cats, who has been named Tigra by my daughter, came running to see what the crazy lady put out this time!

By this time, it was 2:30 p.m. and I was getting hungry.  There was leftover rice and chicken curry in the fridge, but it didn't appeal.  So, I went to the nearby Chinese fastfood place for take out:

Fried rice, green beans with chicken, barbecue pork

The 2-item combo plate cost $7.65 with tax.  I served what I wanted to a plate for my lunch:

Lunch

And this is what remained in the container:

Barely made a dent!

They always give the most generous portions!  There's enough leftovers for at least three other meals for me!

After lunch, I rested a little bit and rewrote my grocery shopping list, by store.  There were three stores on my list and they were all in the same shopping mall, but, I only went to one of them.  The main one had most of what I wanted, but the reason I didn't go to the other two was I was getting tired.  It was past 5:00 p.m. when I paid for my groceries and after 5:30 p.m. when I got home.  I'm afraid I was too tired to take a picture of the items I bought, but here's a photo of the receipt:

10/19 Grocery Receipt

I bought:
2 whole chickens, each over 6 lbs., @ $.89/lb = $5.80 and $5.63
4 containers (@ 2liters) of soda, @ $.69 + $.10 deposit
4 x 1 gal. containers of drinking water @ $.89 + $.10 deposit
2 bottles sparkling apple cider (non alcoholic) @ $3.00 + $.10 deposit
1 bottle wine @ $4.99
1/2 gal. milk = $1.99
25 count 9 oz plastic tumblers = $3.49
1 container ice cream (1.75 quart) = $4.99
Total with sales tax (on the wine and the plastic tumblers) = $41.32

Almost everything I bought is for the prayer gathering; the milk is for my own use and two of the containers of water are for my earthquake supplies.

I wanted to buy green beans, but the ones they had for sale didn't look very fresh, so I will check the other grocery store, tomorrow.

After I came home and put away the groceries, I had a cup of tea.  Shortly after that M came to do the garden.  He tidied the front walkway (and moved the potted plants, so that the aunts who use walkers will have more room), mowed the back lawn, and removed the metal trellis that had been blown over during last week's strong winds.

Later, I called friend R and chatted with her for a bit.  We agreed that she should come over on Sunday morning, instead of tomorrow evening.  If I need any help with the rest of the cleaning and tidying, I will ask cousin P to come over.

I haven't done anything else, in terms of cleaning, after I came home from grocery shopping.  I didn't go to the temple, either.  I felt tired, so I rested.  I will vacuum, tomorrow, and that will be it.

By the way, Dancer showed his approval of my cleaning by throwing up on one one of the cleaned areas in the family room!  Thanks, Dancer!

Today, I am grateful for:
- A sunny, warm day (90F)
- What I was able to achieve in terms of cleaning
- M attending to the garden
- Resting in the evening
- Daughter had a fun evening out with visiting friends


Friday's To Do List:  

- Vacuum (whole house) 

- Tidy/dust my bedroom - DONE
- Finish cleaning my bathroom - DONE

- Plus the rest of the grocery shopping - DID most of it

- Tidy the 3rd bedroom a.k.a. The Dump
- Meditation session?

Oh, dear!  I did a lot of cleaning in the bathroom, but the rest of it went undone!

Saturday's To Do List:
- VACUUM!
- Rest of the grocery shopping
- Buy flowers for the altar
- Tidy the 3rd bedroom
- Mop the kitchen floor

It's going to be busy day, tomorrow!

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

Remembering and Bridges on Thursday

My Mother and I

Today is the anniversary of my mother's birthday.  I've written about her before, so I won't repeat.  Except to say that she was one of the most influential people in my life and I miss her very much. 

I spent a quiet morning.  I woke up at 9:30 a.m., which has been the earliest I've woken up in several days.  I was hoping that I would get an early start on the things I'd planned to do, but, I didn't feel quite up to it, so I took it easy.

Later in the morning, I decided to check my kitchen cabinet, before I went to buy wine.  I remembered that I had a couple of bottles of wine in the top cabinet, leftover from the last prayer gathering.  One of my cousins and another participant had asked what they could bring and I had said to bring a bottle of their choice of wine, because I didn't know what to buy and they brought at least a couple of bottles each, plus, there was a bottle of ginger wine I had known to buy, and a bottle of wine that one of my friends had given...in the end, I discovered that there were five unopened bottles of wine!  Plus the 4 opened bottles I had stored in the fridge (which might or might not still be good).  I asked one of my friends for her opinion and she thought that that was plenty of wine for the occasion.  So, I "shopped" for wine in the cabinet and didn't need to go to the wine store!

I decided to do a little more cleaning, after that.  There is a wooden mosaic picture on the wall in the family room that was dusty, so I washed it.  Then, I took apart the table fan I have on the counter of the pass-through between the family room and the kitchen and washed that!  And I tidied and dusted the computer table (also in the family room) and the little white plastic shelf unit where I store shoes and the tool kit and various, computer related stuff (power cords, etc.).  Eventually, I'd like to get rid of that plastic shelf unit, but for now, it adds some much needed storage space. 

After that, I had lunch - leftover rice and curries (dhal, garbanzo beans, chicken curry).  Then, it was time to visit my mother's grave and go to the dental appointment, which was at 3:30 p.m. 

Today's dental appointment was to have my bridge inserted.  Why do these things hurt me so much?  The dentist had to give me a shot to numb that side of my mouth because it hurt me too much!  But, the bridge has been put in place and I paid the rest of my bill and made another appointment to have the other bridge done, next year!  This time, the procedure took just one hour.  Afterwards, I checked the small Armenian grocery store a couple of doors down from the dentist's office to see if they had the bread that I like, but they didn't have it.  Oh, well, I won't be tempted to eat it if I don't have it, right?

I was told not to eat or drink anything for 2 1/2 to 3 hours and to wait until the numbness wore off.  The numbness wore off after about 2 hours, but I waited until 2 1/2 hours to take two Tylenols as my mouth was hurting and then, had a cup of tea. 

After I came home and before the numbness wore off, I cleaned the living room windows - the window sills and the insides of the windows.  I don't open these windows because the screens are torn and Dancer can jump out, but the sills still end up getting very dusty (the windows are old, 1970s aluminum frames, single panes, and rattle at the slightest breeze) and, there are kitty nose prints on the panes of the big picture window thanks to a certain Dancer!  Cleaning the windows wasn't on my prayer gathering To Do list, but I am glad I was able to get them done! 

Then, I rested for a bit.  Aunt T called and Cousin P called and I chatted with them.  Daughter texted to tell me she was going to do a bit of shopping after work and called me to let me know she got home safely and didn't get run over!  LOL!  She said she bought me a new planner to carry in my purse so I could keep track of my appointments, as she knew I had been looking for one:

New Planner

She'll bring it down when she visits, next month.  Good thing, too, because I already have three appointments scheduled for January!

Later, I started cleaning my bathroom.  Scrubbed the toilet and sink, cleaned the mirrors.  Then, I started on the 5-tiered white plastic shelf unit.  I have lined the shelves with wax paper to make it easier to clean.  But, even with the wax paper, the shelves have to be damp wiped, every so often.  Today, I cleaned the top three shelves and relined them with fresh wax paper.  The bottom two shelves are the dustiest, but I will do them, tomorrow, as now I am tired (plus I forgot to wear a dust mask and I don't want the asthma to kick in!)  While I was cleaning the shelves, I also decluttered a couple of items - two hand sanitizer pumps that don't work (never worked; plus, they are rather old and probably not very effective now).

Today, I am grateful for:
- Memories of my mother, the lessons she taught me over the years
- My friend who shared her opinion about the wine and helped me decide that I had enough
- Whatever the dentist used to numb my mouth!
- Tylenol!
- All the cleaning I was able to accomplish today


Thursday's To Do List:

- Visit mother's grave - DONE

- Shop for the beverages - DIDN'T NEED TO!

- Dentist appointment - DONE

- Clean my bathroom - DID SOME

- Water the indoor plants - DONE

Friday's To Do List: 

- Vacuum (whole house) 

- Tidy/dust my bedroom
- Finish cleaning my bathroom

- Plus the rest of the grocery shopping

- Tidy the 3rd bedroom a.k.a. The Dump
- Meditation session?

Oh, dear!  Friday's to do list looks a bit daunting, doesn't it?  I might ask M to do the vacuuming for me if I don't get around to it (neither cousin P nor friend R will vacuum as they refuse to use my canister vacuum cleaner!  But they'll sweep.)  Going to the temple will depend on how much I am able to get done during the day.  I won't be able to sit and meditate if my mind was dwelling on all the things I still have to do!

Still to do (Saturday):
- Mop kitchen floor
- Rest of the grocery shopping (if not finished on Friday)
- Finish cleaning the 3rd bedroom
- Finish cleaning my bedroom
- Rest of the cooking
- Pick up friend R?

How was your Thursday?  What are your plans for Friday?

Wednesday's Accomplishments

I woke up to the sound of the phone ringing, but it was a number I didn't recognize and so, I let it go to the answering machine; they didn't leave a message, only a noise!  There was a second phone call, later, that also didn't leave a message, but a sound!  Later, there was another phone call, but that was from the dentist's office, to confirm tomorrow's appointment.

I felt disinclined to go shopping for beverages, today.  Instead, I spent the rest of the morning relaxing.  Then, I forced myself to get up and get going with the cleaning.  I had tidied the family room coffee table and small dining table before I went to sleep, last night; today, I finished dusting, them.

Then, I finished cleaning the guest bathroom (it was clean, because no one has used it, recently, but it was dusty).

After that, I got a bit distracted.  You see, I have a wreath decorated with sea shells in my bathroom and I noticed how dusty it was.  So, I took it down and washed it.

The cleaned wreath

And I removed the expandable coat rack that I had hanging below the wreath - it had been my daughter's when she was a little girl; we used to hang her outfit for the day, on it.  I never took it down after she outgrew it.

Expandable rack 

It will be added to this month's decluttering and donated.

There were some cobwebs and dust on the wall, behind the wreath and I couldn't remove them with a broom.  So, I wiped them off with a damp microfiber cloth, but that only showed up just how dusty the rest of the wall was!  That's the problem with cleaning just one spot!  I ended up washing the entire wall.  I told myself that one wall was enough.  The other walls need washing, too, but they will keep for another day.  It's harder to tell that they are dusty without a clean spot in the middle for contrast!

I am glad that was cleaned, but I need to focus!  As I told one of my friends, last night, I feel a bit scattered.  At this rate, I'll have a clean house and nothing for the guests to drink and only a snack lunch to eat!  LOL!

I had cheese and crackers for brunch, today.  A turkey pot pie (from the freezer) for dinner.  Grapes for dessert.

I also called my half-sister in the afternoon and spoke with her for a little bit. 

In the evening, I put water to the front garden.  Then, I tidied up the kitchen, a bit, washed the dishes, washed the lid of the kitchen trash bin, scrubbed the sink, etc.  Later, I video chatted with my daughter.

Daughter said she almost got run over by a truck when she was crossing the street, at a marked crosswalk, with the traffic light indicating it was her right of way!  The truck had stopped at the traffic light and when the sign indicated it was safe to walk, daughter stepped on to the crosswalk.  She was crossing in front of the truck, when the truck driver decided to make a right turn!  She said she saw the truck starting to move and she managed to spring out of the way, while the driver continued to make the turn, without stopping!  She said that she felt everything was happening in slow motion when she saw the truck move!  That's a bit scary!  I am so thankful she wasn't hurt! 

Today, I am grateful for:
- Daughter is safe, unhurt, and unharmed!
- What I was able to accomplish in terms of cleaning
- Neighbors waving and calling out a greeting when I was watering the front garden
- A sunny, warm day
- Being able to stay home when I don't feel like going out


Wednesday's To Do List:

- Call regarding the doctor's bill - DONE

- Continue to clean the family room - DONE

- Finish cleaning the guest bathroom - DONE

- Grocery shop for the beverages for the prayer gathering

- Water the front garden (by hand) - DONE

Thursday's To Do List:
- Visit mother's grave
- Shop for the beverages
- Dentist appointment
- Clean my bathroom
- Water the indoor plants

Still to do: 

- Vacuum (whole house) - Friday

- Tidy/dust my bedroom - Friday

- Mop kitchen floor - Saturday

- Plus the rest of the grocery shopping and cooking - Friday/Saturday

- Tidy the 3rd bedroom a.k.a. The Dump - Friday

How was your day?  What have you planned for tomorrow?

Productive Tuesday

Tuesday morning's "wake up" call was from the primary care doctor's office about the appointment scheduled for tomorrow; it has now been rescheduled for later in October, which works out better for me.  I wasn't very productive during the rest of the morning.  I took it easy and relaxed.  It was warmer outside than it was inside the house, so I opened the windows to bring the warmer air inside and went outside in the garden for a bit.  Then, I brought in the trash can and this week's grocery ads.  Whole chickens are on sale this week, so I will buy two and roast them for the prayer gathering lunch.

I made pancakes for brunch and ate them with chicken curry and dhal.  Then, washed the dishes and cleaned the stove top.

Later in the afternoon,I dusted the living room, cleared the dining table, and dusted the dining room.  Most probably, the living room will need to be dusted again, by Saturday, but that is the type of dusting I can ask friend R to do, if she comes to help.

Then, after tea, I moved to the family room and started dusting there.  I did the bookcases, including the top of one, tall bookcase.  Then, I took down the lace valance I have at the window and washed that.  It was quite grey with dust!  I wondered how it would survive the wash; it is rather old and I was afraid it might disintegrate in the washer, especially since I bleached it, but it came through very nicely.  Then, I washed the vertical blinds, going over each slat individually, using a damp microfiber cloth.  It has been awhile since I last washed them; I just haven't had the energy to do any deep cleaning since my diagnosis and treatment.  Then, I cleaned the window and wiped down the window sill. Finally, I rehung the washed valance:

Clean Window and Blinds

That's one more item crossed off my "Mile Long To Do List" (I will post an update at the end of the month).

After that, I was tired and I stopped.  I also put water to the back garden by turning on the sprinklers. Dinner was the rest of the pancakes I made, earlier in the day.  Later, I video chatted with daughter.

Today, I am grateful for:
- A sunny warm day (after the the initial morning cold)
- Being able to reschedule the doctor's appointment
- Getting the family room window cleaned
- The lace valance survived the wash
- The offer of some fabric from a blog friend


Tuesday's To Do List:

- Bring the trash cans in - DONE

- Call regarding doctor's bill

- Clear the dining table - DONE

- Dust the living room and dining area - DONE

- Tidy the family room - STARTED

- Clean the guest bathroom - STARTED

- Knitting group? - Decided not to go

Wednesday's To Do List:
- Call regarding the doctor's bill
- Continue to clean the family room
- Finish cleaning the guest bathroom
- Grocery shop for the beverages for the prayer gathering
- Water the front garden (by hand)

How was your day?  

October Grocery Shopping - Week 3

10/15 Groceries

On Monday, I went grocery shopping to buy a few things.  I mostly went to buy the red lentils, rice, and onions for the prayer gathering, but, while I was there, I also stocked up on more cans of coconut milk, condensed milk (good price for this particular brand), and a few fruits and vegetables for my own use.  I bought the 20 lb. bag of rice because they didn't have a 10 lb. bag of this particular brand and it's the brand I like the best.  Some of the rice will be for the almsgiving in December, some for next Sunday's prayer gathering, some I will share with my daughter, and the rest will be enough for all of next year, as well!  It's one of those purchases that makes it hard to keep the prayer gathering budget separate from the almsgiving budget and the regular, monthly grocery budget.  I will assign $5 of the cost of the bag of rice to the prayer gathering budget, $5 to the almsgiving budget, and balance $10 to the regular grocery budget.  I used onions I had on hand, already, bought with the monthly household budget for the curries for the prayer gathering I've made so far, and some of these onions I bought on Monday will be leftover.

Anyway, here's what I bought:
20 lb. bag basmati rice = $19.99
2+ lb. red lentils @ $1.29/lb = $2.80
3+ lb. onions @ $.20/lb = $.64
6 cans condensed milk @ $1.79/lb =  $10.74
4 cans coconut milk @ $.99 = $3.96
1 cucumber @3/$1.00 = $.34
1 container (6 oz) raspberries = $.99
2 lb. red grapes @$.79/lb = $1.62
2 bananas @ $.49/lb = $.35
Total = $41.43

Of which, the prayer gathering portion comes out to:
5 lb. rice  = $5
lentils = $2.80
onions = $.64
2 cans coconut milk = $1.98
Subtotal = $10.42

Almsgiving groceries:
5 lb. rice = $5

Regular groceries subtotal = $41.43 - $10.42 - $5 = $26.01

10/15 Receipt

I also picked up a few broccoli leaves - showed them to the cashier and told her they were for my cat - she didn't charge me for them and was very amused to know that my cat likes his greens!  Here's proof that he does eat them:

"Nom, nom, nom"

He really does like his greens!

Dancer eats his broccoli leaf

October Grocery Budget = $75 + $4.64 carried over from September = $79.64
Spent to date = $25.02 + $6.41 + $26.01 = $57.44
Amount left = $79.64 - $57.44 = $22.20

Prayer Gathering Budget:
Spent to date = $12.74 + $10.29 (at the dollar store for another bag of meatballs @$1.99, 3 lbs. garbanzo beans, 3 air fresheners, can of peach pie filling, 1 cake mix) + $10.42 = $33.45

I still have to buy the chicken (whole chickens on sale for $.89/lb. per this week's sales ads), green beans, some fresh fruits for dessert, and maybe tomatoes and a cucumber for a salad, as well, ice cream, and drinks (including some wine and beer, as I think the beer I have leftover from the last prayer gathering is now too old?).  I always have a hard time choosing wine for this gathering because I don't drink wine (or anything alcoholic), and the past couple of years, I've asked one or two cousins to bring the wine they prefer to drink!  But, I can't do that every year, can I?  I kept the empty wine bottles from last year (some still have some wine in them, and I kept them in the fridge, but they've probably turned to vinegar by now?), so I plan to take pictures of the labels and show the pictures to the sales person at the liquor store and say, I want a bottle each of that kind!  Shall be doing that, tomorrow.

How is your grocery budget coming along, this month?

Retired!

On the first day of my official retirement, I went to the appointment with the radiation oncologist for a follow-up visit.  Everything was well and he said he will see me again in three months' time for another check up.

I had planned to treat myself to lunch out to celebrate my first official day of retirement, but, I really couldn't decide on what I wanted to eat - nothing seemed to appeal to me!  I did stop at the Armenian store to see if they had my favorite bread, but they didn't.  Then, I thought I'll get a pizza from the nearby pizza place, but they were closed because they were without electricity!  In the end, I had an egg salad sandwich for lunch after I came home!

But first, I went to the other Armenian grocery store and bought a few items including a 20 lb. bag of rice and 2 lb. lentils.  I will do a separate grocery post, tomorrow.

The morning had been cool and very windy.  There were many reports on the news of trees falling down, one of which killed a woman in her car.  Aunt C called me in the morning to find out if I was OK, as she had been concerned about my eucalyptus tree.  I am so glad I had it trimmed when I did!

But the afternoon was nice and warm, almost 80F.  The forecast says we'll go up to 90F, later this week!  But, it's 64F inside the house, right now, and I am wearing a sweater, a cardigan, a scarf, sweatpants, and socks, with a crocheted blanket over my legs!  Have I mentioned I feel cold very easily?

I took a nap on the sofa, this afternoon.  Someone else took a nap, too:

Cat Naps!

I keep the piano stool covered with a pillowcase because he likes to sleep on it!  Otherwise, his fur is all over the red plush of the seat!

I slept till almost 6:30 p.m.!  After I woke up, I cleaned the fridge, took the trash cans out, and cooked the lentils I bought.  I cooked the whole 2 lbs. of lentils!  It made a big pot of dhal:

Dhal

I had a small bowl of it for dinner.  Just the dhal, only; I didn't want any rice with it.  Later, I had raspberries and a banana, and, still later, some crackers with peanut butter.

I froze the rest of the dhal, in two portions.  Depending on how many actually attend the prayer gathering lunch, one portion might be enough.  But, I'll probably warm up both portions, so that people can take some leftovers home.

Later, I watched a movie/documentary on public TV, called "God Knows Where I Am", which is based on a diary kept by a homeless, mentally ill woman, who starved to death in an attic of an empty house, in New Hampshire, in winter.  It was very sad.

Afterwards, I video chatted with daughter.

Today, I am grateful for:

- Being retired!

- A good visit with the radiation oncologist and all being well

- No damage from the strong winds

- Getting the eucalyptus tree trimmed when I did

- Afternoon naps!

Monday's To Do List:

- Dr's appointment (radiation oncologist - follow up visit) - DONE

- Put away laundry - DONE

- Put away washed dishes - DONE

- Clean the fridge - DONE

- Empty the waste baskets - DONE

- Take the trash cans to the curb - DONE
- Grocery shopping - DONE
- Cook lentils - DONE

- Clear the dining table

- Dust the living room and dining area

Tuesday's To Do List:
- Bring the trash cans in
- Call regarding doctor's bill
- Clear the dining table
- Dust the living room and dining area
- Tidy the family room
- Clean the guest bathroom
- Knitting group?

Phone Calls on Sunday

This morning, I woke up once at 6:00 a.m., which, after going to sleep after 3:30 a.m. wasn't very good, but I was able to fall asleep, again, and slept till mid-morning, without any phone calls to wake me up!  I had already had my cup of coffee, when the phone rang. 

The first call was from one of my cousins in Sri Lanka.  She is one of the cousins I was closest to when growing up.  She was calling partly in remembrance of my mother's birthday, next week.  My mother was her aunt (her father was one of my mother's older brothers), and godmother, too, I believe.  When my mother married my father, she went as a bride from this brother's house, not her mother's house (mother's side of the family, being Catholic, didn't quite approve of her marriage to my father because he was Buddhist).  When the cousin who called me this morning heard that my mother was getting married, she had insisted on being the flower girl at her aunt's wedding!  And my mother, who hadn't planned on having any flower girls (she didn't have a wedding, as such; just a registration at the Town Hall), found herself with two flower girls - her niece and her new step-daughter!  LOL!

Neighbor T called after that - our usual Sunday morning phone call.  We spoke for a bit; she was diagnosed with uterine cancer, last week, and will be having surgery, later this month.

Then, daughter called and we chatted for a while.  She had gone to two of the Indian stores in her neighborhood to look for something I had asked her to buy for me, but they didn't have the item. 

Aunt C called in the afternoon.  I had texted her daughter, my cousin N, yesterday, to invite them to the prayer gathering lunch, next Sunday (they are not regular participants, but I wanted to extend an invitation to them); Aunt called to say they will not be able to attend as cousin would be busy with her piano students. 

And I called another aunt.  I had called her last week and left her a message, but, today, her answering machine was full and I couldn't leave her a new message. 

Finally, cousin P called in the evening, just as I was having a cup of tea, and we had a long conversation about this, that, and the other!  Cousin, too, offered to help with the cleaning, next Saturday.  She won't cook, but likes to clean.  I told her I might take her up on her offer!  If both she and friend R come to help me on Saturday, that would be a big blessing!  Neither will cook, but if they help to clean, then, I can concentrate on the cooking.

In between phone calls, and texts from daughter, I cut out some 6-inch squares from the leftover Santa fabric:

Future Project in the Making

Then, I put away all the holiday fabric, cutting mat, etc., until after the prayer gathering.  I didn't put the sewing machine or the box of thread away, yet, however.  So, I can still sew during the week, if I feel like it, but I will bring out one project at a time and not have piles of fabric all over the place!  While sorting through the fabric, I discovered a banner I had made in a previous year!  I added that to the stash of holiday gifts.

Later in the evening, I cooked a meatball curry, with the three bags of frozen meatballs I had bought, earlier:

Meatball Curry

I sauteed diced onions, tomatoes, curry leaves and pandan leaves in some oil, added the meatballs, added curry powder, chili powder, a little paprika, some spices (cardamom, cloves, etc.), salt, a sliced green chili, and a can of coconut milk.  Each bag of meatballs stated it contained about 46 bite sized meatballs.  I counted 50 meatballs in the first bag; I didn't count the other two bags, though.  I kept 5 meatballs for my dinner and froze the rest for next Sunday's luncheon.  I am trying to convince myself that that is enough meatballs and I don't need to buy and cook another bag!    I invited 18 people; 19 with myself, so roughly 20 people.  However, I am expecting about 12-15 people to actually attend (I already know that at least two people won't be attending).  I always end up cooking way more than needed, although the leftovers never go to waste. It's better to have too much than not enough, isn't it?   

Then, I did the dishes, wiped the stove top (I tend to be a messy cook!), and cooked some fresh rice for my dinner, along with the meatballs I kept aside and some leftover dhal.  The meatball curry was very good; I am pleased with how it turned out.

Today, I am grateful for:
- Phone calls from family and friends!
- Being able to keep in touch.
- Cousin offering her help with the prayer gathering preparations
- A sunny, cool day
- The fabric stash!


Weekend To Do List:

- Cook the soaked garbanzo beans and freeze them - DONE

- Grocery shop

- Cook the meatball curry and freeze - DONE

- Start cleaning the house - STARTED (tidied/put away the sewing)

- Sew - DONE

- Laundry - DONE

I decided I could wait until next week to do the grocery shopping.  The week ahead is going to be a busy one, with two doctors' appointments (Monday and Wednesday) and a dentist's appointment (Thursday).  Plus all the prayer gathering preparations!

Monday's To Do List:
- Dr's appointment (radiation oncologist - follow up visit)
- Put away laundry
- Put away washed dishes
- Clean the fridge
- Empty the waste baskets
- Take the trash cans to the curb
- Clear the dining table
- Dust the living room and dining area

How was your weekend?  What have you planned for the week ahead?