Sunday into Monday

I spent a restful day on Sunday.  I spent the morning replying to blog comments and playing games on the computer.

Later, I portioned the chicken thighs and drumsticks I bought for myself and froze them.  Now, I need to make room for the broccoli and green beans I want to freeze!  I have a side by side fridge/freezer and while the freezer part is more than sufficient for my usual weekly shopping habits, it is not enough for monthly Covid stock ups!  As I told one of my friends, I might have to eat up all the ice cream I bought (1 pint container!) to make room for the broccoli and the green beans!  LOL!  I do plan to cook one head of broccoli for this week's meals, but, I'd like to blanch and freeze the green beans. 

I also worked on the quilt on Sunday.  This is the scrap strip quilt that I am making - it was supposed to have been a Christmas gift to a friend, but, I couldn't finish it in time, so I am trying to get it finished as a birthday gift, instead.  Yesterday, I decided that it needed to be at least one row longer, so I sewed a row of ten blocks and attached it.  Sewing the blocks is what I enjoy the most in quilting.  Added borders and finishing it is not as much fun!

I watched a documentary about 1968 on TV while I sewed.  I remember reading about some of the events that took place, back then, but, I was in Sri Lanka, then, and we didn't have TV service; reading about events is different from watching actual TV footage of what was happening.

On Sunday, I was grateful for:
- Freezers
- Electricity to run the appliances
- Leftovers for meals
- My fabric stash
- Interesting documentaries to watch on TV

My joyful activity was sewing more blocks for the quilt top.

Today, Monday, I was woken up by a phone call from some realtor calling to express an interest in buying my house! Oh, but, I'm not interested in selling it! 

Neighbor S called at noon and we agreed to do the piano lesson at 12:30 p.m.  It went well, I think.  I just wish I didn't get so nervous during lessons.  I keep fumbling over the keys as a result.  But, S is very patient with me.  I need to practice more and learn how to count better!  I seem to take the counts and note values on the page of music as a suggestion, lingering a bit longer on some notes and shortening others!  I guess I play to my own rhythm!  Maybe I'll be a good jazz pianist!  LOL!

Today, I am grateful for:
- Online piano lessons and the technology that enables it
- A full freezer (and the electricity to run it)
- Being retired
- Warm, sunny, summer days
- My own home, which provides me with shelter, a safe and peaceful haven

My joyful activity today will be more sewing, although I haven't done any yet!   

Monday's To Do List:

- Piano lesson - DONE
- Put away the non-perishable groceries that have been kept out to air and disinfect since Friday

- Dust living room and dining area 

- Take trash cans to the curb for Tuesday trash pick up
- Add borders to the quilt
- Water the front garden


This week's cleaning area is the kitchen (and back porch, but, I really don't have a back porch).  I would like to sort through one or two lower kitchen cabinets and maybe straighten out the spice drawers.

How was your Sunday?  How is your Monday coming along?

Fireworks on Saturday

Buddleia

People have been lighting fireworks in my neighborhood for the past several days, but, today, there's been at least one going off every second since about 6:00 p.m. Listening to the sounds, one wouldn't know that fire works are actually illegal in Los Angeles and there is supposed to be a fine if people light them.  I guess the message didn't quite register with those lighting them and there's no one enforcing the fireworks ban.  Poor Dancer doesn't like the noise and he's been hiding under my bed, coming out, occasionally to look at me, as if to ask what is going on, Mummy?  Neighbor T called to say her dog is shivering and scared, even after she gave him something the vet had given to calm him down.

I've had a relaxed day, today.  I slept in, chatted on the phone with various people, practiced the piano, and watered the back garden.  My buddleia (butterfly bush) is coming along nicely - there's a flower stalk at the end of almost each branch!  This is its first year in my garden (it was planted in November), and I am hoping that it will continue to grow well, year after year.

Baby Praying Mantis

This baby praying mantis, approximately one inch long, came out of hiding from some of the plants at the base of the bottle brush tree when I watered.  I guess it didn't appreciate the shower it received when I watered the plants!  I wonder if it's the same one I saw on the peach tree, a couple of weeks ago - it was even smaller than this and I couldn't take a photo of it as it kept hiding under a leaf.

Female Cantaloupe Flowers

Sorry, the photo is rather blurry.  But, these are two female cantaloupe flowers, with the flowers falling off, already .  They are not on the vines I had left in place to grow, but, rather, on one of the very spindly plants I thinned out and transplanted elseswhere!  I don't know if these were fertilized or not - if they were, then, perhaps they might grow to be cantaloupe; if they weren't, then, they will turn yellow and drop off!  I haven't found any female flowers on the bigger cantaloupe vines.  But, next year, I think I will buy a packet of seeds and try to grow them in earnest! 

Today was a warm day.  It went up to 82F inside the family room (it was probably 92F or 94F, outside) and I wore a skirt and a short sleeved blouse and no socks!  In contrast to yesterday, when it was 76F inside the family room and, as I told Susan, I was in jeans and a cotton sweater and socks!  LOL.  I even turned on the ceiling fan, this afternoon! 

Once again, I went off the meal plan and had a hot dog with some potato salad for brunch, today.   Followed by a banana.  In the evening, I tried a slice of the banana bread I had defrosted. 

Banana Nut Bread

Banana Nut Bread

The bread was good, if a little dry.  I spread a little butter on my slice and it was very good.  I called cousin P because I know she likes banana bread and I took about one third of the loaf of bread to her.  I called neighbor S to offer her some, too, but, she said one of her daughter had had a fever recently, and, although she was fine now, S didn't want me to get exposed to any germs.  I appreciate her consideration, very much. 

Dinner was a container of peach yogurt and some cheese snack crackers as I wasn't really hungry for a regular meal.


Today, I am grateful for:
- A relaxed, restful day
- Fireworks!
- Being able to share some of my banana nut bread with cousin P
- Phone calls with family and friends
- Video chatting with my daughter

Plans for tomorrow include sewing the quilt (which I didn't do, today), watering the front garden, and practicing the piano.

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

Groceries on Friday

Today, I got my cleaning done in the early afternoon - I cleaned the bathrooms, scrubbed the stove top and under the burners, tidied one kitchen cabinet and took inventory of household supplies stored there (kitchen trash bags, foil, sandwich bags, sponges, etc.; now I know how much of what I have and what I need to add to the next shopping list).

Then, at 5:00 p.m., I went to the grocery store to pick up the groceries I had ordered last night.  This time, I had authorized substitutions to make it easier (otherwise, they text me a list of possible substitutions and I either authorize it, one by one, or not).  The store clerk loaded everything into the trunk of the car, handed me the receipt, and everything took less than 10 minutes.  I then called friend R, before I left the parking lot, to let her know that I was on my way to drop off a couple of items she had wanted.  She, too, had gone grocery shopping at a store close to her apartment and had bought me a couple of items I had forgotten to order - some ginger and a cabbage.  She also gave me a bag of frozen yuca (also known as cassava and manioc).

I had left a note to M to trim the hedge of lantana and plumbago growing along the side wall behind the garden shed.  He was trimming it when I got home from picking up the groceries.

I brought the groceries in and spent the next hour or so, disinfecting the items and getting all the perishables put away.  I didn't take any photos of what I bought, however.  I wanted to get everything cleaned and put away before I got too tired.

Several of the items I had ordered were unavailable - I didn't get any of the beef I ordered, or yeast, or relish, or lettuce, or canned coconut milk.  They didn't have the big bottle of oil I wanted and had substituted a smaller bottle.  They didn't have the 3 lb. chubs of ground beef I ordered, but substituted 2 lb. trays of ground beef, instead.  They didn't have the big bag of chicken pot stickers I wanted and substituted a smaller bag.  They didn't have the 1 lb. bag of carrots I wanted and substituted a 2 lb. bag for the price of the 1 lb. bag!  When they substitute a smaller unit, they charge me the price of the smaller unit and when they substituted the bigger bag of carrots, they charged me the price of the smaller quantity that I had ordered.  I don't have any complaints there!

The only problem with allowing substitutions was, instead of the regular sweetened condensed milk I requested (which, apparently, they didn't have), they substituted cans of "dulce de leche", which is caramelized condensed milk!  Oops!  I guess I should have specified no substitutions for that one item!  Oh, well, I guess I'll just have to figure out what to do with six cans of dulce de leche!  LOL.

The last time I did a grocery pick up was at the end of May.  In June, I picked up a few items at the Sri Lankan store, got a few canned items and sugar delivered, and had a few other items like bananas, bread, and eggs picked up for me by family and friends.  Today's grocery pick up was another pantry and freezer stock up, with chicken drumsticks and thighs, ground beef, hot dogs, cold cuts, and a dozen eggs.  Butter was on sale for $1.99/lb. and I bought 3 lbs.  I stocked up on cereal, unsalted top saltine crackers, cheese crackers, pancake mix and syrup, apple juice, more sugar (there will be another batch of jam in the future), a big bag of potatoes (shared some of it with R), onions, fresh fruits (grapes, bananas, strawberries), vegetables (carrots, green beans, a cucumber, a zucchini, and two broccoli crowns) as well as the cabbage R picked up for me.  I also got a half gallon of milk, a container of potato salad, another loaf of bread, a package of hot dog buns, and, as a treat, a pint of vanilla ice cream, because I've been craving ice cream!

I spent almost $200 on groceries, today, which is more than double my normal monthly grocery budget , but, that is OK.  I am just grateful that I am able to stock up.  I froze the ground beef, but, kept the chicken in the fridge for tonight.  Tomorrow, I will repackage the meat into smaller packages and freeze them.  I don't anticipate buying more meat for at least another couple of months!  I might need more fresh produce and perhaps milk before the end of the month, but, otherwise, I should be fine.

I had to take out a bag of ice cubes and a loaf of banana bread from the freezer to make room for today's groceries.  The water from the ice cubes will be used to water some plants.  The banana bread (which has been in the freezer for some time) will be sliced and tasted to see how it is and, if good, then, will be distributed to friends and neighbors, as I am not particularly fond of banana bread!  I had made it for my daughter to take it back with her, but, she didn't have room for it the last time she was here and she is not coming down this month as planned.  In fact, she would have already been here as of Wednesday, if she was coming down, but, now, we are looking at maybe Thanksgiving or even, Christmas.  Or, maybe not.  Who knows?  I'll see her when I see her.

For some reason, bringing in the groceries, disinfecting and putting it all away tired me out!

Brunch had been a scrambled egg and a fried potato.  I ate a banana after I got back from grocery shopping and snacked on a few grapes while I put things away.  For dinner, I went off my meal plan and cooked myself two hot dogs!  Is it still junk food if I cook it at home?  LOL.  I had a refreshing glass of peach lemonade to go with it.

All in all, it had been a productive day.  It started out relatively cool (for me; not quite 70F inside the house), but, in the afternoon, it went up to 90F outside (just 80F inside the house).  Now that's more my kind of weather!  LOL.


Today, I am grateful for:
- Being able to do a grocery pick up
- Being able to stock up
- Being able to exchange grocery items with friend R
- M helping with the garden
- Chatting with my daughter, both on the phone and online

Today's joyful activity was picking up groceries!


Friday's To Do List:

- Clean the bathrooms - DONE

- Do one deep cleaning task - Scrub the stove top/under the burners - DONE

- Errands, if any - Grocery pick up - DONE

- Have M tend to the garden - DONE

Saturdays are my catch up days to do any cleaning that didn't get done during the week for whatever reason!  But, I was good this week and got my cleaning done!  The big item on tomorrow's agenda is to get the chicken thighs and drumsticks ready for the freezer and finishing up a quilt.

Saturday's To Do List:
- Package chicken for the freezer
- Prepare the green beans and broccoli for the freezer
- Sew on the quilt
- Practice the piano

How was your Friday?  What are your plans for tomorrow?  Are you doing anything special to celebrate Independence Day, tomorrow?

Productive Thursday

Thursday was another productive day.  At least, the afternoon and evening were productive!  I slept most of the morning!!

After I woke up, I replied to blog comments, visited and commented on a few other blogs, had leftover milkrice for brunch, and posted my meal plan for the week.

Later in the afternoon, I made room in the spare bedroom to store the boxes of toilet paper, vacuumed the house. practiced the piano, watered the garden, planted some succulents cuttings, did the dishes, mopped the kitchen floor, cleaned the litter box, and went through the file of paper - most of it was for filing, although I recycled a few papers.

I got hungry around tea time, so, I had a paratha with kebab curry for a snack, with my cup of tea.  Later, I had rice and curries for dinner.  Snacks were a granola bar and almonds, because I didn't make the fruit salad I had planned to have, today!

I also put in a grocery order for pick up, tomorrow evening.  I won't know if I'll get everything I ordered until the store puts my order together and, this time, I authorized substitutions if needed.  I have plenty of room in the fridge (my fresh produce drawers are practically empty), but, I'll have to find some room in the freezer!

Today, I am grateful for:
- Waking up, alive, this morning
- Being able to stock up
- A productive day
- Water for the garden
- Video chatting with my daughter

Today's joyful activity was ordering groceries for pick up.


Thursday's To Do List:
- Vacuum - DONE

- Clean the kitchen - DONE

- Water the garden, front and back - DONE

- Load of laundry, if needed (Did on Wednesday)
- Paperwork/filing - go through one file folder that's on my desk - DONE

Friday's To Do List:

- Clean the bathrooms 

- Do one deep cleaning task - Scrub the stove top/under the burners

- Errands, if any - Grocery pick up

- Have M tend to the garden

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

July Meal Plans - Week 1

My original intent with the meal planning was to make sure that I will not eat all the "good" things at the beginning of this period of sheltering at home and end up having no variety in my meals towards the latter end, especially if there was a disruption in the availability of groceries due to the pandemic (farmers being unable to gather their crops, food processing plants having to close down due to virus outbreaks among workers, deliveries being halted, etc.).  I think that is still a valid reason, especially as it looks like we'll be extending the period of sheltering at home, so, I will be continuing with the meal planning.  Besides, it is helpful to have an inkling of what I have on hand and can make with it.

My meal plans are from Monday to Sunday, so the 1st week in July includes the last couple of days of June, as well.  This week, too, I will be planning all my meals from what I have in the fridge, freezer, and pantry, as I am not sure if I will do another grocery pick up this week or not.  I am also including snacks, in an attempt to get a handle on my snacking!  Since the first three days of meals have already taken place, I am going with the specific meals for each day version, rather than meal possibilities.

July Week 1 Meal Plan: 

Monday:

Breakfast - Waffles with the last fresh peach

Dinner - Egg salad sandwich
Snacks - Almonds

Tuesday:

Breakfast - Egg salad sandwich
Lunch - Rice and curries (kebab curry, sauteed green beans, lentils, pineapple curry)

Rice and Curries

Dinner - Paratha and kebab curry, fresh orange
Snacks - Dry cereal

Wednesday (July 1):
Brunch - Milkrice with kebab curry (cooked enough milkrice for 2 meals)
Dinner - Salad, followed by an egg salad sandwich

Salad

Snacks - Dry cereal, peanuts

Thursday:
Brunch - Leftover "Planned"over milkrice with kebab curry

Dinner - Rice, leftover curries (kebab, dhal, green beans, pineapple)
Snacks - Fruit salad (banana, apple, orange, cashews)

Friday:
Brunch - Scrambled egg with fried potatoes
Dinner - Rice, smoked sausage stirfry (from the freezer)
Snacks - Dry cereal, yogurt

Saturday:
Brunch - Pancakes or waffles with home-canned peaches (the jar that didn't seal, which is in the fridge)
Dinner - Leftover rice and sausage stirfry
Snacks - Apple slices with peanut butter

Sunday:
Breakfast - Toast with butter and jam
Lunch - Salad, yogurt
Dinner - Spaghetti with meat sauce

Snacks - Choice of crackers with peanut butter, oranges, or caramelized apple slices (in which case, it will count as dessert!)

This menu plan will use up leftovers in the fridge (rice and curries on Thursday night), make use of an already cooked item in the freezer (sausage stirfry) and require cooking dinner only on Sunday (meat sauce) which will, hopefully, give me enough leftovers for another couple of meals the following week. 

If I feel like doing more cooking, then, I might make a tomato soup or something, but, that remains to be seen.

Are you doing any meal plans?  If so, how is it coming along?

Starting July on Wednesday

Happy Canada Day to my Canadian friends!

Happy first day of the rest of the year to everyone!

I slept in, this morning, but, got enough sleep.  Had a cup of tea, replied to blog comments, read a few other blogs, and, it being the first of the month, made milkrice for brunch.  I had it with some of the kebab curry.

In the afternoon, I dilly-dallied!  I should have vacuumed, but, I didn't.  Instead, I read more blogs, watched news on TV, including our governor's news conference about the virus situation in our state (my county had 2,900 plus new cases a couple of days ago, a new county record), did a load of laundry (that was on the weekly schedule for Thursday), dusted my bedroom, cleared my desk, and wrote out my grocery list.  Later, a delivery of toilet paper that my daughter had ordered for me came in and I took a box of it over to friend R; I told her it was an early birthday gift!  She had been saying that several of the stores she checked didn't have any.  She gave me some yeast that she had been able to get, as I haven't been able to find any yeast, yet.  Maybe I'll bake us a loaf of bread, this weekend!

After I came home, I practiced the piano, and then, had a long conversation on the phone with aunt C who called.  Then, I put away most of the laundry (a couple of pieces are still hanging up to dry) and had what turned out to be the first part of my dinner - a salad with lettuce, a carrot, half an apple, some cashew pieces, and a bottled dressing (Crisp Apple and Honey, it says):

Dinner

It was followed, a couple of hours later, by an egg salad sandwich!  That finishes the egg salad I made the other day.

Today, I am grateful for:
- The start of a new month
- The car started without any trouble
- Being able to share some of the TP with my friend
- Receiving some yeast, in return
- My daughter, who is making sure I have everything I need

Today's joyful activity was making a delivery to my friend.


Wednesday's To Do List:

- Dust my bedroom - DONE
- Vacuum

- Paperwork/filing - DONE

- Do one decluttering/organizing task - the desk in my bedroom - DONE

Thursday's To Do List:
- Vacuum

- Clean the kitchen

- Water the garden, front and back

- Load of laundry, if needed (Did on Wednesday)
- Paperwork/filing - go through one file folder that's on my desk

How was your Wednesday?  Did you have a good start to the new month?  What are your plans for Thursday?

June Mini Photo Challenge - "Repetition"

Eileen had started a series of monthly mini photo challenges, with a theme for each month.  May's theme was "Curves" and my photos for that are here.  June's theme was "Repetition".  I was able to take the required minimum of five photos.  These are my photos for the June mini photo challenge:

A Repetition of Hearts - Notebook Spine

A Repetition of Fans -  Grandmother's Fan Quilt 

A Repetition in Music - Double Dots

A Repetition of Crochet Motifs - Mother's Crochet 

A Repetition in Prayers

Thank you, Eileen, for organizing this mini challenge.