Superbowl Sunday

Dining Room Shelving Unit: Before (May, 2019)

Today, I put the washed and dried sofa slip cover back on the sofa and washed the slip covers of the second sofa in the family room (the family room seating consists of two sofas).

Then, I put away the tea and various other items I bought.  I took the opportunity to tidy the kitchen cabinets where I store the canned goods that are part of my earthquake supplies.  I made a note of the items I have plenty of and should get more of.

That done, I checked the paper goods I will need for the upcoming prayer gathering.  I will use my glass plates for the dinner, but, I usually use paper bowls and paper napkins, etc. for the snacks and desserts.  I have plenty of bowls and napkins, etc., but, I might need to buy a packet of paper plates to send food home with people.

Then, I dusted and tidied the shelves of the shelf unit in the dining room.  The three shelves hold my cookbook collection and some decorative objects.  The cabinet below the shelves holds my kitchen towels, table cloths, placemats, hot pads, and cloth napkins.  I had gone through the cabinet, earlier, and sorted through things.  Today, I rearranged the shelves on the top. 

Shelf Unit: After (February 2020)

The blue and white ginger jars and the tea pots had already been moved to other parts of the house, some to the living room and some to the family room, around October, and the shelves were used to store items I bought for the almsgiving and, later, some Christmas gifts (jars of jam, jar candles, boxes of chocolates, etc.).  In fact, I put away the last two jars of jam that were remaining in the kitchen cabinet, a couple of days ago.  I am going to enjoy this "decluttered" look for a little while, I think.

In the late afternoon, I watched some figure skating and worked on the jigsaw puzzle.  Then, I watched the first quarter of the Superbowl.  Cousin P called me a little after that and invited me over to tea.  So, I went over and had tea with her and chatted with her for a bit.  I came home and watched the fourth quarter of the Superbowl.  Later, I washed the dishes and video chatted with my daughter.

Today, I am grateful for:

- Being alive and well

- A sunny and warm day

- Cousin P inviting me to tea

- A working washing machine

- Video chatting with my daughter

Today's joyful activity was having tea with cousin P.

Monday's To Do List:

- Put the dried covers back on the sofa

- Dust and tidy the family room

- Do paperwork/pay bills
- Clean the fridge
- Take out the trash cans
- Water the garden

How was your Sunday?  Did you watch the Superbowl?  What are your plans for Monday?

Time for Tea!

Time for Tea (WPSH prompt #12)

I have my favorite tea, again!  I stocked up and bought five boxes!  Well, actually, I bought four boxes and friend R bought me one more!  I bought some fish patties (similar to empanadas), too, to go with my cup of tea!

Yesterday (Friday) morning, there was a group text from my friend who leads the monthly rosary prayers to all the participants in the group, asking who would like to host the February prayer gathering.  She hosted it in January and asked then, too, but, no one volunteered to host it in February.  Then, she asked a couple of the group members if they would like to host it, but, all they would commit to was an "I'll let you know".  So, yesterday, she sent the text giving the dates she will be available to lead the prayers and saying she could host the February prayer gathering, too, if no one else was able to host it.  I didn't think it was fair to her to have to host the gathering two months in a row.  But, being the only non-Catholic in the group, I usually tend to give others the opportunity to volunteer to host the gathering, first, because I really don't want to step on any toes.

When it looked like no one else was going to volunteer, I offered to host the February prayer gathering, if it was OK with the others.  I said I will host it on February 8, which is next Saturday.  It doesn't give me a lot of time to prepare for it, but, February 7 is the anniversary of my mother's death, so it made sense to me to host the prayer gathering the following day to commemorate her.  It will be the equivalent of an almsgiving as far as I am concerned and there was nothing my mother liked better than having people over and giving them a meal. 

Usually, I host the prayer gathering in October and I prepare for it, weeks in advance.  This time, I don't have that luxury, but, on the positive side, the house is in fairly good shape and I don't have to do a lot of cleaning. 

So, what is the first thing I did, yesterday, after I volunteered to host the prayer gathering?  Why, pull the slipcovers off one of the family room sofas and wash them, of course!  Ha!  Don't have to do a lot of cleaning?  Well, then, let's do some spring cleaning, instead, shall we?  Sigh.  I was to wash the slipcovers on the other sofa, today, but, didn't get around to it.  That is on the agenda for tomorrow.

Today, I picked up friend R and we went to the Sri Lankan store to buy a few items, including my tea, as they had finally received a new stock of tea. 

Sri Lankan Store Purchases

 
In addition to the tea (4 boxes @ $5.49), I bought a packet of coriander seeds ($1.99), a packet of mung beans ($3.98), a packet of a snack mix ($3.49), and a packet of papadam (lentil wafers; $1.29), and a small container of hair oil made from a variety of coconut known as king coconut or "thambili" ($4.49).  My total came to $37.20.  The groceries portion of it amounted to $32.71 ($37.20 - $4.49). 

Afterwards, friend R and I went to the Sri Lankan restaurant, which is located about one mile from the store.  I didn't take any photos of our lunch, but, R had the "appa" (known as "hoppers" in English) meal; hoppers look like bowl shaped pancakes with a soft, spongy middle and a thin crispy edge.  The hopper meal included one egg hopper (with a soft-set egg baked into the middle) and four plain hoppers, served with your choice of chicken, beef, or fish curry and a spicy onion mixture known as "lunu miris".  I had "indiappa" (or "stringhoppers" in English), which are a type of rice noodles; the meal included ten stringhoppers, served with your choice of chicken, beef, or fish curry, "kiri hodi" which is a mild, yellow curry made with coconut milk into which hard boiled eggs and potatoes have been added, and coconut sambol  or "pol sambol".  I couldn't finish my meal, so I brought half of it home.  In addition to our meals, R and I both ordered fish patties to bring home!

Then, I dropped R off at her apartment and came home, had a cup of tea, practiced the piano, and video chatted with my daughter. 

Today, I am grateful for:
- Being able to stock up on my tea!
- Friend R treating me to lunch
- Some of my favorite snacks
- A safe drive to the store and back (almost met with an accident while trying to make a left turn!)
- Video chatting with my daughter
 
Today's joyful activity was going to the Sri Lankan store and out to lunch with friend R.

Plans for tomorrow include washing the other sofa slip cover and watering the front garden.

How was your Saturday?  What are your plans for Sunday?

February Balanced Life Monthly Goals

Time to post my February goals for a more balanced life.  As I've explained before, my monthly balanced life goals are similar to the spokes of a wheel, with the length of each spoke representing my satisfaction in that area of my life, from 1 to 10, with 1 being most dissatisfied and 10 being most satisfied.  Ideally, all the spokes are of equal length and the wheel will roll along smoothly.  If the spokes are of unequal lengths, then, the resulting wheel will be lop-sided and wobbly.  My ratings for each segment are shown within the parentheses, with the beginning of the month ratings in black.

February Balanced Life Goals:

Spiritual: (9.5):   The goal is to live a spiritually meaningful life:
- Continue with daily prayers, meditation, being grateful, positive, and joyful
- Continue to cultivate non-attachment to material things by donating/decluttering more
- Go to the Temple at least once
- Host the February rosary prayer gathering (on 2/8)

House (9.5):  The goal is a home that is pleasant, comfortable, and welcoming:
- Clean - Clean the house for the prayer gathering; do some spring (deep) cleaning, as well
- Organize - Continue to find a place for everything and keep everything in its place
- Well maintained - Keep "erasing the evidence"
- Decluttered - Declutter 30 items in February

Garden (8):  The goal is a garden that is productive, yet drought tolerant:

- Maintain (water 1- 2 times per week, depending on how much rain we get; weed)
- Clean out the garden shed
- Start spring planting 

Daughter (10):  The goal is to continue to have a close relationship with her:

- Be encouraging and supportive of her plans
- Daily texts, phone calls, and video chatting, etc., to keep in close touch with her
- Look forward to her planned visit at the very end of the month

Family & Friends (10):  The goal is to have a close connection with family members and friends:

- Regular phone calls and emails
- Wish cousin V and nephew S on their birthdays
- Will be seeing some family and friends at the monthly prayer gathering
- Get together with friend R to go out to lunch
- Call/visit friend T

Community (10):  The goal is to be involved in my community:

- Continue to participate in the blogging community 
- Weekly phone calls with neighbor T
- Weekly visits with neighbor S (who is teaching me piano)
- Continue to participate in the online group of which I am a member
- Participate in temple events
- Participate in library events (free movie screenings, etc.)

Finances (10):  The goal is financial security:

- Continue budgeting and spending mindfully, with purpose. 

 Health & Well Being (7.5):  The goal is good health:
- Attend the medical appointment (just one) scheduled for this month 
- Continue to work on the following life style changes: 

  - better diet - eat more vegetables and complex carbs, less refined sugar
  - better hydration - drink 8 x 8oz glasses of water, daily
  - better sleep habits -  get sufficient sleep and try to adjust the sleep schedule
  - more exercise - get back on a walking schedule 

- Get back down to a healthier weight through diet and exercise. 

Time Management (8): The goal is to spend my time in a mindful manner:
- Keep to a more regular schedule
- Procrastinate less

Leisure/Crafts/Hobbies/Me-Time (10):  The goal is to relax doing something I enjoy doing for the pleasure of it.
- Engage in daily joyful activities

- Participate in the Winter Photo Scavenger Hunt
- Weekly piano lessons (and daily practicing!)
- Do a crafts project

Those are my goals for a more balanced life in February.

Are you making any goals for a more balanced life in February?

Winter Photo Scavenger Hunt: January Link Up

Time to link up with Eileen for the WPSH January link up.  I had every good intention to take lots of photos, but, time seems to have slipped away from me!  So, here are my rather paltry offerings:

#16. A barrier - the iron fence that is a barrier to accessing my side yard.  Not to be confused with prompt #5: A garden gate!  This is a fixed in place fence, meant to keep out people and larger animals from entering the side yard and, from there, the back yard.  The garden cats slip through the bars as if the fence panel was not there!

#16: A Barrier - iron fence panel

#17. A line - The curved line over or under notes on different lines or spaces on a music staff.  It is called a slur and it  indicates that the music notes under it should be played in a smoothly connected manner.  Something I keep forgetting and my piano teacher keeps reminding me to pay attention to!

#17: A line - a curved line called a slur

  
#20. Monochrome - I saw something else that I thought would be a better find for this prompt, but, I didn't have my phone with me and I couldn't take a photo.  So, I took this photo, instead - nature's version of monochrome.  The brown shades of the peeling bark of my eucalyptus tree

#20 Monochrome - eucalyptus bark

These are my only finds for January.  I hope to do better in February.

January Monthly Balanced Life Goals Review

Already, the first month of this year has come to an end!  Time to do a review of my monthly goals to live a more balanced life.  

As I've explained before, my monthly balanced life goals are similar to the spokes of a wheel, with the length of each spoke representing my satisfaction in that area of my life, from 1 to 10, with 1 being most dissatisfied and 10 being most satisfied.  Ideally, all the spokes are of equal length and the wheel will roll along smoothly.  If the spokes are of unequal lengths, then, the resulting wheel will be lop-sided and wobbly.  My ratings for each segment are shown within the parentheses, with the beginning of the month ratings in black and the end of the month ratings in blue.

January Balanced Life Goals:

Spiritual: (10)(9.5):   The goal is to live a spiritually meaningful life:
- Continue with daily prayers, meditation, being grateful, positive, and joyful
- Continue to cultivate non-attachment to material things by donating/decluttering more
- Go to the Temple at least once
- Attend the January rosary prayer gathering, if possible (no date, yet)

I continued with daily prayers, meditation, gratitude, etc., and did some decluttering.  I was able to attend the January rosary prayer gathering, but, I was not able to go to the Temple, for one reason or another.  I am going to rate this area as a 9.5 because I didn't go to the Temple.  Otherwise, I am well satisfied with the spiritual aspects of my life.  

House (9.5)(9.5):  The goal is a home that is pleasant, comfortable, and welcoming:
- Clean - Clean the house for the New Year
- Organize - Continue to find a place for everything and keep everything in its place
- Well maintained - Keep "erasing the evidence"
- Decluttered - Declutter 31 items in January; call for a donations pick up by the end of the month

The house got cleaned for the New Year, especially since I had friends over on New Year's Eve.  I have been maintaining for the most part and trying to organize.  I went through several kitchen cabinets and organized the contents, I sorted out the shelves where I store my table linen, and my closet and dresser drawers, etc.  I also managed to declutter 31 items, so I met my decluttering goal, this month.  Items decluttered include:

3 blouses, 1 knitted sweater, 1 sweatshirt, 3 knitted/crocheted shawls, 1 nightdress, 1 robe, 3 T-shirts, 1 pair of pants, 2 draw string  bags, 1 wire basket, 1 teacup, 5 pairs of socks, and some brochures.

However, I haven't called for a donation pick up, yet, as my daughter wanted to see the items I set aside to donate.

I have also started my spring cleaning, by washing the family room sofa covers; not just the dust sheets, but, the removable sofa covers, as well.

I am keeping the rating at 9.5.   

Garden (8)(8):  The goal is a garden that is productive, yet drought tolerant:
- Maintain (water 1- 2 times per week, depending on how much rain we get; weed)
- Clean out the garden shed
- Discuss spring planting plans with M

The garden is being maintained and is doing quite well.  I've been watering regularly as we haven't had  a lot of rain.  The garden shed got postponed, once again, but, I bought new plants for the garden.  I am keeping the rating at 8. 

Daughter (10)(10):  The goal is to continue to have a close relationship with her:

- Enjoy the rest of her visit home during the first week in January
- Daily texts, phone calls, and video chatting, etc., when she goes back, to keep in close touch with her

We had several fun days when she was home during the holidays.  We've had daily phone calls and video chats after she left.  Definitely a good area of my life and I am keeping the rating at 10.

Family & Friends (10)(10):  The goal is to have a close connection with family members and friends:

- Regular phone calls and emails
- Wish cousin R and aunt T on their birthdays
- Might see some family and friends at the monthly prayer gathering, if attending
- Get together with friend R, hopefully before daughter goes back
- Visit friend T

Another good month with lots of interactions with family and friends.  There were the usual phone calls and emails, etc., but, in addition, I had phone calls from family members in other states.  I attended a birthday party for cousin R and I visited aunt T for her birthday and met several members of the family and some friends at the prayer gathering.  I got together with friend R a couple of times, once to exchange holiday gifts and once to attend the free movie screening at the library.  I visited friend T, too, and her sister.  

Another good area of my life and I will keep the rating at 10.

Community (10)(10):  The goal is to be involved in my community:

- Continue to participate in the blogging community 
- Weekly phone calls with neighbor T
- Visit neighbor S
- Continue to participate in the online group of which I am a member
- Participate in temple events

January has been a good month where being involved in my community is concerned.  I have participated in the blogging community and an online group, supported the temple with donations, exchanged weekly phone calls with neighbor T, visited neighbor S, and attended free events at the library.   I am well satisfied with this area of my life and will keep the rating at 10.

Finances (10)(10):  The goal is financial security:

- Continue budgeting and spending mindfully, with purpose. 

I continue to do well in this area of my life.  I continue to budget because I want to and I continue to spend mindfully, for the most part.  I am keeping the rating at 10.  

 Health & Well Being (7)(7.5):  The goal is good health:
- Attend the medical appointments (2) and lab tests (1) scheduled for this month 
- Continue to work on the following life style changes: 

  - better diet - eat more vegetables and complex carbs, less refined sugar
  - better hydration - drink 8 x 8oz glasses of water, daily
  - better sleep habits -  get sufficient sleep and try to adjust the sleep schedule
  - more exercise - get back on a walking schedule 

- Get back down to a healthier weight through diet and exercise.  I weighed myself, this morning; just under 160 lbs., according to my scales (I always seem to weigh more at the doctor's office!).  I have a good 20 lbs. to lose (and keep off!).  That is my goal for the end of the year, to weigh 140 lbs.  Even then, I'll be technically overweight as I am just under 5 ft., but, I haven't been at my "ideal for height" weight since I was 18!  My goal for January is to lose 5 lbs. by the end of the month.

My health spoke had some ups and downs, this month.  On one hand, I had one doctor's appointment cancelled due to the closure of the hospital and that had me worried.  On the other hand, I had two other doctor's appointments that went well.  The life style changes could have been better, but, one of my blood test results had me being taken off one medication which means some things have improved.  I didn't lose any weight, but, I didn't gain over the holidays, either, so that is good.  I have raised the rating to 7.5 because I am doing well enough to go off one medication.

Time Management (8)(8): The goal is to spend my time in a mindful manner:
- Keep to a more regular schedule
- Procrastinate less

I have a new "regular" schedule: go to sleep at 5:00 a.m. and wake up between 10:30 and 11:00 a.m.!  Sigh.  But, I am getting better about procrastinating less.  I will keep the rating at 8.

Leisure/Crafts/Hobbies/Me-Time (10)(10):  The goal is to relax doing something I enjoy doing for the pleasure of it.
- Engage in daily joyful activities

- Participate in the Winter Photo Scavenger Hunt

This is another good area in my life!  After several months of thinking about taking piano lessons, again, I started lessons, this month, and I am enjoying myself (after I got over the initial nervousness!)  I have also attended two free movie screenings at the library and that has been a new leisure activity.  I have been engaging in daily joyful activities, too, which included doing jigsaw puzzles (with Dancer's help, of course!) and I've participated in the photo scavenger hunt.  I am keeping the rating at 10.

That is my review of my goals for a more balanced life in January.  My spiritual spoke rating went down a bit and the health spoke increased a bit; the other areas remained the same.  On the whole, I am pleased with what I was able to accomplish towards having balance among the different areas of my life, this month.  

Did you make any goals for a balanced life in January?  If so, how did you do?  Were you able to accomplish most of your goals?  Are you happy with what you were able to accomplish?  Will you be making new goals in February?

More Stickers on Thursday!

New Sticker!

I had my third piano lesson, today, and received several more stickers!  LOL!

More New Stickers

In addition to my piano lesson, I helped a neighbor pick some lemons from her tree, did two loads of laundry, sorted through my clothes in the dresser and chest of drawers, and put aside a few items to be donated.  I can say that at least three, possibly four, of the dresser drawers have been decluttered completely.  I am by no means a minimalist and there might be still more items in the "decluttered" drawers that can be got rid of, but, I maintain that a dozen pairs of socks and five summer nightdresses aren't too many!  LOL. 

Today, I am grateful for:
- Stickers!
- Working appliances (washer, dryer, heater)
- Dancer "helping" again with the puzzle!
- Friends who call and send emails
- Video chatting with my daughter

Today's joyful activity was playing the piano.

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

Celebrating Puzzle Day

Making Progress on the Jigsaw Puzzle

As Bushlady stated in her comment on yesterday's blog post, today, January 29, is Puzzle Day!  To celebrate Puzzle Day, I spent some time in the late afternoon-early evening, working on the puzzle.  My helper alternated between napping and grumbling because he thought I should be giving him more tuna to eat!  But, he didn't come to help, because he was sulking that I wasn't very impressed when he tried to show me that he was a mighty hunter and attacked my leg, earlier in the day!  Ouch!

I went to the home improvement store, this afternoon, to buy a new padlock ($14.97 plus tax = $16.39).  I also bought four euryops plants for the garden at $5.98 each, which, with tax, came to a total of $26.19.  At one time, I used to have a whole hedge of them growing in the front garden, along the walkway to the front door.  After several years, they died out.  I want to try growing them, again.  M will help me figure out a good spot in which to plant them on Friday.

They had lavender plants, too, for $6.98 each, and I was tempted to buy some.  The lavender plants I bought and planted a couple of years ago didn't do well and all but one plant died.  The one plant that survived looked more dead than alive, but, it is starting to come back. 

Today, I went through my closet and turned all the hangers around the other way.  Once a garment has been worn, washed, and returned to the closet, the hanger will be turned back the usual way.  The idea behind this is to be able to tell, at a glance, which outfits have not been worn, yet.  If, at the end of six months or one year, there are any garments hanging with the hangers turned the other way, indicating it has not been worn, then, it is time to ask myself why I haven't worn it and why I am still keeping it.  I did this at the beginning of last year, with my daughter's help.  After one year, the only three garments with their hangers turned the other way were three dresses that my mother had sewn for me.  I don't fit into them, anymore.  But, I keep them for sentimental reasons, because my mother sewed them.  This might be the year when I give them away, maybe. 

In the evening, I practiced the piano for a bit.  I wonder if I'll get any stickers, tomorrow!  LOL. 

Today, I am grateful for:
- A sunny, warm day
- New plants for the garden
- Fresh oranges from my tree
- My eyesight
- All the clothes my mother sewed for me (and for my daughter, too)

Today's joyful activity was looking at all the plants and choosing some for my garden.

Thursday's To Do List:
- Piano lesson
- Dishes
- Clean the kitchen
- Laundry

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