Relaxing and Card Making on Friday

I must have slept too much, during the day on Thursday, because, in the night, I couldn't fall asleep until almost 5:00 a.m.!  Then, I slept till 10:00 a.m. on Friday!  Daughter was already working when I woke up.  

I spent a quiet morning, responding to blog comments and reading a couple of other blogs.  I felt much better, and my throat wasn't sore.  But, I took it easy and relaxed, anyway!

Lunch

At noon, we ordered lunch from our favorite Italian restaurant, to go.  Soup, pasta, and desserts!  Daughter ordered  zuppa Toscana, seafood fettuccine Alfredo, and mini tiramisu and mini chocolate mousse; I ordered chicken and gnocchi soup, a lasagna/chicken parmigiana/fettuccine Alfredo combo plate, and mini limoncello mousse and mini chocolate mousse!  It came with garlic bread sticks, as well!  Daughter ordered it online and then, we drove over and picked it up.  It is a LOT of food, and it came to $55.22 with tax, but it was a bit of a celebratory meal and will be enough for several meals.  I had a little of my pasta and chicken for lunch and the limoncello dessert.  Later, I ate a bread stick.  Daughter had the rest of her pasta for dinner; I ate some of my lasagna.  We haven't even touched the soup, yet!  We'll probably have that for lunch, tomorrow.

After lunch, I took a nap! 

Friend M came to do the garden and he mowed the back yard for me.  He also brought me some fresh bay leaves from a tree he trimmed for one of his other clients.  I washed them and kept them to air dry.  Some of the leaves have some sun damage, but the rest of the leaves are good:

Fresh Bay Leaves

Afterwards, I turned on the sprinklers at the back to water the backyard.

Then, I made a card for my friend's birthday.  She is having a Route 66 themed party and I decided to incorporate portions of her invitation in my card.  The invitation featured a stylized map of Route 66 on a piece of blue patterned paper.

Angela at Tracing Rainbows had shown how she made a 'hypercard', which is also called an "impossible card".  It is a card made with one rectangle of paper with three cuts and a twist!  Angela gives excellent step by step instructions on her post, with lots of pictures, and she has included a link to a video on her post.  I wanted to make a card like that, the minute I saw her post, and that is what I made, today.  I cut out a 5" x 7" piece of brown cardstock and made the three cuts as she had shown (I'm sorry, I didn't take any pictures of that).  Then, I used the blue patterned paper from the invitation to cover the brown cardstock and cut out the central portion of the Route 66 map for the middle portion of the card.  There was also a sticker of a blue car (a Chevy?) on the envelope of the invitation, which I peeled carefully, trimmed a bit, and applied to the map, on the lower left hand corner.  Then, I cut out the "Route 66" banner that was at the top of the map and used that at the bottom of the card.

Card Front

There was just enough of the blue patterned paper to cover the back of the card; you might be able to tell where I had to patch it, though!  I decided not to decorate the back panel.

Card Back

I needed a space to write Happy Birthday (and my friend's name and my daughter's and my names).  Since the blue paper had stars on it, I used a star stencil and cut a star from yellow cardstock and wrote the birthday wishes and names on it.  The pen is placed to hide the names!  Then, I used some gold foil stars I had to place over the white stars that were printed on the paper.  And, finally, a fabric flower and twine bow was hot glued to the corner to dress up the card a little bit:

The Finished Card

This is the first time I have made this type of card and I am pleased with how it turned out.  Looking at the card now, I am thinking I should have cut the blue paper a little bit smaller, so that the brown cardstock could have appeared as a frame, all around.  It just didn't occur to me, at the time.  Oh, well.

In other news, we received daughter's new driver's license!  This time, there was no fuss about no body being home to sign for it!  It was just left in the mail box and that was that!  I'm glad it came while she was home, because now, she can take it back, with her.  

Also, I combed Dancer and for the second time, this week, I didn't find anything on him!  Yay!

Friend R called in the evening and I had a nice chat with her.  Aunt C called, too, and, later, cousin N.  

I didn't go to the meditation session today, since daughter was here and we were enjoying each other's company, she playing the piano while I was making the card.  

Today, I am grateful for:

- Feeling much better

- Daughter's driver's license arrived without any problems, this time
- Our favorite Italian food for lunch (and dinner!)

- Dancer seems to be free of fleas (hopefully)

- Phone calls from family and friends

Saturday's To Do List:

- Change my bed sheets

- Laundry

- Do the dishes

- Wrap gift for friend's birthday

- Attend the birthday party

How was your Friday?  What are your plans for Saturday and the weekend?  Have you made a 'hypercard/impossible card'?

August Grocery Shopping: Update

I have not been posting grocery shopping totals these past couple of weeks, mainly because I haven't done a big grocery shopping since the first week of August, (on August 10, actually).

My August grocery budget is $100; however, I went over my July grocery budget by $12.92 ($96.22 - $109.14 =  -$12.92), which is being deducted from the August grocery budget.

8/10 Groceries

On August 10, I did a big grocery shopping and bought coffee for my daughter when her favorite brand of coffee went on sale; I spent $35.89 (of which, $24.95 were for the coffee).

Five days later, on August 15, after my doctor's appointment, I stopped at the small Armenian grocery store and bought bread and grapes:

8/15 Groceries

I spent a total of $2.86 for the bread and grapes.  I suppose this could have been called my Week 2 groceries.

Then, on 8/20, I did another grocery shopping trip:

8/20 Groceries

Bread, milk, oil, and bananas.  The total came to $7.47.  I suppose this could be considered my Week 3 grocery spending?

In case anyone is wondering about my meals, I promise I have been eating quite well.  I am not going to list all the meals I've had, but I've had steak, salmon, and ground beef, eggs, vegetables such as broccoli, tomato, and zucchini, and fresh fruits such as pineapple, cantaloupe, bananas, apples, and grapes.  Plus rice, bread, and pasta, of course.  And the occasional indulgences such as French toast, and take out food (Thai, Japanese, and, Italian).

In addition, there is another package of beef steak, a little ground beef, and half a smoked sausage (plus tamales and turkey pot pies) in the freezer.  I will need to buy some fresh vegetables and fruit, this weekend, but otherwise, I think I am OK for the rest of August!  The beef steak can be made into a curry or a stir fry, the smoked sausage can be made into a stir fry, too, and the ground beef can be mixed with rice to make fried rice, or paired with leftover mashed potato to make potato balls or curry puffs, or used as an omelette filling.

August Grocery Budget = $100 - $12.92 overspent in July - $87.08
Spent to date = $35.89 + $2.86 + $7.47 = $46.22
Balance remaining = $87.08 - $46.22 = $40.86

How is your August grocery budget coming along?

Recovering on Thursday

Last night, I went to sleep at 10:00 p.m.!  Imagine that!  I woke up once at just before 1:00 a.m. and daughter (who was still up) brought me a drink of water.  Then, I went back to sleep and woke up at 5:30 a.m. and had another sip of water.  Then, I slept again until 9:00 a.m.!  I slept for 11 hours!  

Today, I'm feeling OK, just a bit tired and my throat is still a little sore.  I had a cup of tea in the morning, some leftover rice and curries for brunch and ate a cup of gelatin for dessert.  Cousin P called to check on me and aunt C.  Also, there was a very sweet email from my former supervisor, reassuring me about the procedure and wishing me well.

Daughter worked from home, today, and I read blogs and commented on them.  In the afternoon, I took another nap!   I finished reading my library book, which is due tomorrow, but I renewed it online so I could return it next week, just in case I don't feel like driving to the library, to return it, tomorrow. I also did a little knitting (another hat for the Heart Association).

Today, I am grateful for:
- A long, restful night of sleep!
- Feeling OK
- Afternoon naps
- Being able to take it easy
- All the kind concern and well wishes from everyone

I am not doing a to do list for tomorrow, either.  Just going to take it easy and relax.  Maybe, just maybe, do a load of laundry and some paperwork, if I feel like it.  

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

Medical Procedures on Wednesday

I felt miserable, yesterday.  The stuff they had me take tasted nasty and I was gagging on the fluid I had to drink.  

Today, my cousin N was here by 6:40 a.m.; she has been such a blessing to me!  She canceled or rescheduled her piano students in order to be there for me!  She also brought me some pre-made jello cups to have after the procedure.  I owe her a nice thank you gift, but for now, I gave her some CDs of classical music that I had, unopened and still in their wrappings.

We left 5 minutes later, at 6:45 a.m.  I drove us to the clinic and cousin drove us back, afterwards.  There wasn't as much traffic at that time, so we got to the clinic in good time; by 7:30 a.m.  So, a bit of a wait until I was called in, but not a long prep. time, afterwards.  They gave me a sedative, but I was awake during the procedure (which I much prefer to being put under anesthesia as I worry that I won't wake up, afterwards!) and I could watch the whole thing on the computer monitor!  Afterwards, there was a bit of a recovery period, because my blood pressure was very low.  But, I felt fine and because I didn't have to go under anesthesia, I wasn't throwing up or anything. 

The procedure went smoothly.  They took two samples from the esophagus and a polyp from the colon for biopsy; I am go go back on Sept. 12 to find out what the results are.  If the samples are benign, I get to repeat the procedure in 3 years, again!  Joy!

My cousin and daughter stayed in the waiting area for me (daughter went and got coffee for them) and afterwards, the nurse explained what was done and about the follow-up appointment to them, and any side effects to watch for - fever, etc.  I was to avoid coffee and tea, today, and eat soft food.  So, after we came home (around 11:30 a.m.), my cousin went to the grocery store and bought me a container of mashed potato.  She also brought some pre-made jello, as well.  I rested on the sofa, while daughter cooked rice, mackerel curry, and dhal for lunch.  I ate some of the mashed potato (it was just a bit too salty for my taste), and some of the rice and curry, too.  Cousin and daughter ate some of the rice and curry with tomato chutney, and daughter packed a container of lunch for cousin  to take to her mother, my aunt C.  

Cousin left around 2:00 p.m., and both daughter and I took naps.  We slept till 6:00 p.m.  After I woke up, I ate one of the cups of jello and a slice of bread with butter.  My throat is a bit sore, but, otherwise, I am OK.  Just a bit tired, overall.  I might go to bed, early, tonight.  No plans for tomorrow, other than resting.

Today, I am grateful for:

- The procedures went off smoothly

- Cousin N, who has been such a blessing

- I was able to be awake during the procedure 

- As a result, the recovery afterwards has been good

- The whole thing is behind me for the time being!

I am not making a to do list for tomorrow.  Daughter will work from home.  I will rest and maybe, if I feel up to it, do some paperwork and filing.

Hope you all had a good day, today.

First Month of Vacation: Highlights and Itinerary

As of today, I have been on vacation for one month!  One whole month!  Some people go away on vacations, visit places, do things, and post lovely vacation pictures.  Mine has been more of a "staycation".  But, the first question people ask when you say you've been on vacation is, "What did you do?"

In fact, I asked myself that same question, this morning - what did I do during this month of vacation time off?  I looked at the calendar I had kept, and here are the highlights:
- I got together with family and friends (attended two weddings, twice visited aunt C and cousin N, spent a Saturday with friend R, spent some time visiting with cousin P and her daughter).
- I pursued good health (several doctors' appointments, lab tests, etc.) and well being (meditation session, knitting group, manicure, naps, visits to the library).
- I went places - various doctors' offices, the car service place, the Auto Club and DMV, the grocery stores, some shops, the temple, the library, the pharmacy, the bank, two hotels, the L.A. Times Building, etc.
- I saw some "sights" of interest (a trimmed eucalyptus tree, several historical monuments including the hotel where one of the weddings was held, Mt. Laundry and Mt. Washmore)
- I went hunting (fleas, dust bunnies/dust kitties)
- I excavated (under layers of dust and clutter) and discovered long hidden places (the tops of my desk and dressing table!)

Here is my day-by-day vacation itenerary:

Start of Vacation

July 20: Last day at the office; daughter came home, I finished a sewing project (my sari blouse and underskirt).

Week 1:
7/21: Cousin's son's wedding - shopping and pampering the morning (daughter had her eye brows done and we both got our nails done!), followed by frantic, last minute packing and ride to hotel with cousin and her daughter, and a wonderful evening of celebrations.  Spent the night at the hotel with cousin and cousin's daughter.  Family bonding time!

Painted Nails

7/22: Return from the wedding
7/23: Eucalyptus tree trimming and grocery shopping

Trimmed Eucalyptus Tree

7/24: Relaxed, laundry, nap, etc.

Dancer showing how to nap and relax

7/25: Cleaning, shopping
7/26: More shopping and relaxing
7/27: Grocery shopping, bath tub scrubbing, soup making, and visiting aunt C and cousin N

Week 2:

7/28: Friend's daughter's wedding - another evening of celebrations!
7/29: Daughter went back
7/30: Car service done; laundry
7/31: Renewed car registration, watered the garden, discovered fleas!  EEK!  Sprayed the sofas and area rugs, laundered dust covers and sheets.

8/1: Flea abatement/laundry
8/2: Podiatrist appointment and shopping; mopped kitchen floor
8/3: Post office, bank, pharmacy, library; sprayed the garden

Library Book

In the meantime, Dancer went "camping" under the quilt tent:

Dancer "Camping" 

Week 3:
8/4: Took friend R to get shipping boxes, had lunch together
8/5: Laundry, vacuuming
8/6: Appointment with financial planner, more laundry
8/7: Card crafting and visited aunt C and cousin N:

Card for Aunt

8/8: Paperwork, cleaned the kitchen, watered the garden
8/9: Groceries, pharmacy
8/10: Meditation session, dusted the living room, watered the backyard, laundry

Week 4
8/11: Laundry, dusted the dining room
8/12: Vacuumed the house; laundry
8/13: Laundered daughter's bedding; scrubbed kitchen sink & dish drainer; watered the indoor plants
8/14: Cleaned the bedroom, knitting group at library

Gift from the Knitting Group 

8/15: Received 35 years of service pin; radiation oncologist appointment; more bedroom cleaning - discovered the top of the desk!

The Cleaned Desk

8/16: More bedroom cleaning (fan); watered the front garden, laundered bed sheets, mattress cover, dust sheets

Cleaned Fan

8/17: Primary care physician assistant appointment, blood tests, shopping; 2nd spraying of garden

Week 5:
8/18: Started cleaning the family room
8/19: Laundry room cleaning; more family room cleaning; cleaned sink drains (baking soda/vinegar)

Cleaned Laundry Room

8/20: Oncologist appointment; cleaned the family room (2 small bookcases & computer desk); changed and washed sofa covers; grocery shopped; mopped kitchen floor; daughter came home
8/21: Colonoscopy prep:

The name says it all!

Looking forward, during the second month of vacation:
8/22: Endoscopy/colonoscopy procedures
8/23: Recovery
8/24:Another day of recovery/M will do the garden/library book due
8/25: Friend's birthday party
8/26: Monthly prayer gathering
8/27: Daughter goes back; *Need to hand in retirement papers, this week
8/28: Attend knitting group
8/29: Nothing planned, yet
8/30: Nothing planned, yet
8/31: Meditation session, M will do the garden

The results from tomorrow's procedure might be available by next week and there might or might not be a follow-up doctor's visit.

I think I need to take a vacation to recover from my month of vacation, don't you?  Do you go away on vacations?  Do you take "staycations"? 

Monday

Last night, I didn't even bother to try to get to bed early.  Instead, I put the fact that I was still awake to good use and continued to clean the family room!  I cleared the top of the pass through to the kitchen.  I finally went to bed after 2:30 a.m. and fell asleep a little after 3:30 a.m.  I woke up when the alarms when off at 8:00 a.m. because I needed to.  

I left the house just before 9:00 a.m. and got to the clinic by 9:55 a.m.  My appointment was for 10:00 a.m., but I knew I wouldn't be called in at the appointed time.  I had gone, prepared to wait, and had taken my knitting with me.  The oncology nurse practitioner examined me and said the blood test results were good.

I brought up my concerns with the medication she had suggested to help with the bone density loss (risk of cancer in the esophagus and necrosis of the jaw bone, among others) and asked about the medication the radiation oncologist had recommended, instead.  She said she suggested the medication she did because the HMO health insurance companies usually ask if that particular drug or another similar one was tried first before the one the radiation oncologist suggested, due to cost concerns.  But she said she will ask the oncologist if they can request authorization for the more expensive drug.  Later, she called me back to let me know that the oncologist had said to go ahead and request the authorization for the more expensive drug, without trying the other one, first.  So, we will keep our fingers crossed that insurance will approve it.  If not, I'll have to go on the other, cheaper medication.  In the meantime, I am to increase my calcium supplement dosage and get my dental work done!   I am to return for a follow up in 3 months, which will be in November.  It was after 11:30 a.m., when I left the clinic.

On the way home, I stopped at Sears to buy the vacuum cleaner bags.  A package of 3 bags costs $5.99, so, $2 per bag.  I picked up two packages, but when I went to pay for them, the cashier asked me if I wanted to pay for them with my points, so that's what I did.  I didn't have to pay anything out of pocket .

By this time, it was 1:00 p.m. and I was getting hungry.  I was near my favorite Thai food place, so picked up an  order of shrimp fried rice (their beef fried rice is better, but I am not supposed to eat beef before the procedure on Wednesday), and an order of chicken satay (I didn't eat any of the peanut sauce that came with it because I am not supposed to eat any nuts, either).  Came home and had lunch and rested a bit.  Replied to blog comments and commented on one or two blogs.

Then, I wiped down the shelves of the two smaller book cases in the family room and the computer desk.  Yes, I still have the desk top computer, even though it no longer works!  I need to take the whole thing to the computer store and ask them if they can wipe off the memory and dispose of it for me.  And then, get rid of the desk, itself.  But, in the meantime, I keep things like the bottles of flea spray on it (they are too tall to fit in the bottom basket of the 4-tiered wire rack in the laundry area).  Then, I put new dust covers on the family room sofas and washed the covers that were on them.

I also mopped the kitchen floor, as I am trying to get on a cleaning schedule where the mopping, etc., will get done on a regular basis.  

The GI doctor's office called and left a message reminding me of Wednesday's procedures and the need to fast, tomorrow (clear liquids, only) and to take the medicines to flush my system.  I called them back, but they were closed and I got the telephone exchange.  Need to call back, tomorrow.  

Then, Aunt C called to confirm that cousin N will come to take me to the clinic on Wednesday (both she and my daughter will accompany me).  After that, it was time for a cup of tea and a quick run to the grocery store to buy milk, bread, bananas, and oil:

8/20 Groceries

I spent a total of $7.47 on groceries (I also bought 2 bags of cat food, which came to a total of $19.69, with tax!)

8/20 Receipt

I realize I haven't done an August Week 2 grocery post!  Will do that, tomorrow.

Daughter called after I got back from the grocery store to tell me she was boarding the plane.   I rested a bit and then, it was time to go to pick her up from the airport.  She will work from home, tomorrow, but take the day off on Wednesday, and work from home again on Thursday and Friday.

Daughter had dinner almost as soon as she got home, but I waited until later, since I may not eat anything after midnight, tonight, until after my procedure on Wednesday.  

Today, I am grateful for:
- Another good doctor's appointment
- Lab test results were all good, I was told
- The oncologist said to put in the request for the other medication to see if insurance will approve it
- Daughter had a safe flight
- Having daughter home for the rest of the week


Monday's To Do List:
- Oncologist appointment - DONE
- Buy vacuum cleaner bags - DONE
- Mop kitchen - DONE
- Grocery shop - DONE
- Buy a gift/gift card for friend whose birthday party is on Saturday - Maybe on Friday; if not, I have a gift I could give her
- Continue to clean and tidy the family room - DONE
- Paperwork/filing
- Take trash cans to the curb - DONE
- Pick up daughter from airport - DONE
- Clean the litter box - DONE

Tuesday's To Do List:
- Call the GI doctor's office
- Paperwork/filing
- Bring the trash cans in
- Put away the laundry from today

Not going to do a big long to do list for tomorrow; might just work on a craft project instead of paperwork and filing, too.

How was your Monday?  

Sunday's Doings

I went to bed a little after 2:00 a.m. and read for awhile.  I thought reading in bed would relax me so I could fall asleep sooner.  But it didn't work quite that way!  It was after 4:30 a.m. when I finally fell asleep!  I didn't hear when my daughter texted me at 6:45 a.m. to say she's at the airport (her flight wasn't till 9:00 a.m., but her friends had an earlier flight and so, they all went to the airport together).  But I woke up when she called me at 8:30 a.m. to say she was boarding her flight.  Then, I fell asleep again.  My alarm went off at 9:00 a.m., but I turned if off and slept till 10:00 a.m., much to Dancer's displeasure - he nipped my leg when I wouldn't get up to his meowing!  I shouted at him and chased him away!  And then, he sulked and didn't come to greet me when I finally woke up, not even when I served his food to his plate, so I poked him as he slept on the chair and woke him up!  Ha!  Two can play at that game, Dancer!

I replied to blog comments and responded to a friend's email while I had my morning coffee.  Neighbor T called for our weekly chat; she said she was going to spend the day with her daughter to celebrate her (T's) birthday.  I wished her a happy birthday; now I really owe her a visit!

Later in the afternoon, I cleaned the bathroom sink drains by pouring baking soda and vinegar down them. followed by a kettle of boiling water.  Then, after I had procrastinated long enough, I cleaned the laundry area.  I did a post about that, earlier.  Then, after a cup of tea, I vacuumed the house.  I tried to vacuum my bedroom ceiling, but I was just half an inch or so too short!  So that will keep until maybe the fall, when I can ask friend M if he'd vacuum the ceiling for me - maybe when he takes the window a/c unit down.  When I vacuumed, I wore a long, light colored dress and put on my reading glasses so I could see if anything got on me, but I didn't see anything.  What's the bet that one little flea managed to escape being vacuumed and tomorrow evening, five minutes after my daughter comes home, she and that one flea are going to discover each other and she's going to say that I didn't clean enough?!  LOL!

After I vacuumed, I took a shower and did a small load of laundry.  I also cleared the small dining table that is in the family room and hand-washed the embroidered table cloth that was on it.  This is the table where we dump everything when we walk in through the door (since I use the back door to come in from the garage).  It is also where we dump things that need to go out.  It gets cluttered very quickly. 

Brunch had been the last of the leftover pasta and salmon.  For dinner, I made a chicken salad using the can of white chicken meat I had bought from the dollar stores to try.  I just put mayonnaise and some sweet pickle relish and freshly ground black pepper.  It was OK, but I think it would taste better to me if I used Miracle Whip, since I prefer that to mayonnaise.  I am not sure if I will buy more of that particular chicken, though.

Daughter called me in the evening, after she came back from her trip to Seattle and Tacoma.  She had a fun weekend with her friends.  On Friday, they went to Seattle to see the sights, including the Gum Wall:

Gum Wall

On Saturday, they toured the sights of Tacoma, including a visit to the Museum of Glass:

At the Museum of Glass

Today, I am grateful for:
- Daughter had a safe flight back to Berkeley
- She had a good weekend with her friends
- The cleaning I was able to accomplish today
- Friends and neighbors who call and email
- The pleasure of a good cup of tea


Sunday's To Do List:
- Vacuum - DONE
- Buy additional vacuum cleaner bags - MONDAY
- Paperwork/filing
- Continue to clean the family room - Vacuumed; cleared the small dining table
- Clean the laundry area, too - DONE

I am happy with what I was able to accomplish, today.  Whatever didn't get done today will be carried over to tomorrow.  Tomorrow's main item is the appointment with the oncologist at 10:00 a.m.  Which means I need to leave home before 9:00 a.m., which means I need to wake up at 8:00 a.m., which means I had better fall asleep before 4:00 a.m.!  LOL!

Monday's To Do List:
- Oncologist appointment 
- Buy vacuum cleaner bags
- Grocery shop
- Buy a gift/gift card for friend whose birthday party is on Saturday
- Continue to clean and tidy the family room
- Paperwork/filing
- Take trash cans to the curb
- Pick up daughter from airport

How was your Sunday?  Did you have a good weekend?