Monthly Balanced Life Goals - February Review and March Goals

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 (later, when I do reviews, the end of the month ratings will be shown in blue.) 

The following five areas of my life continued to receive a high satisfaction rating of 10, so, once again, I am just going to skim over them:

Spiritual (10):   The goal is to live a spiritually meaningful life:
I continued with daily prayers, meditation, etc.  The highlight of the month was the visit to the Temple in early February; I was able to hold a prayer service or puja in memory of my mother on her death anniversary.  I was happy to have been able to do this.  March goals will continue to live a spiritually meaningful life.

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

Daughter and I continued to keep in touch by phone and video chats in February.  She also celebrated her birthday in March and I called her at midnight to sing Happy Birthday to her.  March goals will continue to have a close relationship with her.

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

There wasn't a lot of community involvement in February, other than on line and phone chats, etc.  But, I was content with that for now.  I plan to continue to do the same in March, too.

Finances (10):  The goal is financial security:

I continued to budget and spend mindfully, with purpose, in February, unusually high heating bills notwithstanding!  I will continue to do so in March, too.

Leisure/Crafts/Hobbies/Self-Care (10):  The goal is to relax doing something I enjoy doing for the pleasure of it.

Another area in my life that continues to get a high rating.  February's leisure/crafts/hobbies, etc., included repairing the quilt top and participating in the monthly photo challenge.  Looking forward to a month of joyful activities and crafting in March, too.

The remaining areas of my life continued to receive a satisfaction rating of 7 or above and they are the areas I will be focusing on:

House (7.5)(7.0):  The goal is a home that is pleasant, comfortable, and welcoming:

- Clean - Clean the house as needed 
- Organize - Continue to find a place for everything and keep everything in its place
- Well maintained - Keep "erasing the evidence"; implement daily and weekly cleaning schedules
- Decluttered - Continue with the decluttering process

I'm doing better about keeping the house cleaned and maintained although I continue to struggle with finding a place for everything and keeping everything in its place!

I'm afraid I didn't meet February's decluttering goal of 30 items (unless you count the number of scrap pieces of fabric I "tossed" to the quilt I'm repairing!) and I reduced the rating accordingly.  I will continue with my attempts to declutter with a goal of 31 items in March. 

Goals for March include getting some needed repairs done, starting with the garage roof.  

Garden (7.0)(8.0):  The goal is a garden that is productive, yet drought tolerant:

- Maintaining (water, fertilize, and weed); M will continue to visit twice a week

- Focus on the winter vegetable and fruit plants

The good news is, the front parkway project was completed!  Woo hoo!  It took a few more bags of pea gravel than originally anticipated, but, that is fine.  The parkway looks intentionally bare, not neglected.  So far, neighbors and others have been respectful for the most part (still find the occasional empty cans of beer, etc.)  I have raised the rating based on the parkway project being completed.

March goals include continuing with planting spring vegetables and caring for the fruit trees.

Family & Friends (8.0)(8.0):  The goal is to have a close connection with family and friends:

- Regular phone calls and emails to check on them

There were plenty of phone calls, texts, emails, etc., with family and friends in February.  As I've mentioned before, I am content with how things stand in this area of my life.  It's not ideal, but, I am not that comfortable with in-person visits.    

Goals for March will remain the same.  

Health & Well Being (8.5)(8.5):  The goal is good health:

- Focus on continuing to improve my health through diet, hydration, adequate sleep, etc.
- Attend my medical appointments
- Continue to take my medications as prescribed

- Continue to take necessary precautions against viral infections

I had a blood test and two doctors appointments in February.  The blood test results were mostly good, the check ups were good, too, and I received my bone density increasing injection.  I was asked to reduce the dosage of one supplement I was prescribed and to add another supplement.  I have follow-up appointments to return in May.  I'm leaving the rating at 8.5 because, although the blood test results were good, there is still some room for improvement.

Health goals for March will remain the same.  

Time Management (8)(8.0): The goal is to spend my time in a mindful manner:
- Spend time purposefully, mindfully

- Continue to focus on making my schedule work for me

- Procrastinate less

I think I managed my time for the most part in February.  There might have been some procrastination going on, but, for the most part, I didn't waste my time.

The goal in March is to keep at it.  

I think that, overall, it was a good month and my life was balanced.  I need to focus more on keeping the house maintained in March.  Anyone else making monthly goals for a more balanced life?  

March Meal Plans - Week 2

First a review of how my March Week 1 meal plan worked out.  

Breakfasts/Brunches:  Banana muffins (3 left)✔, pancakes or waffles, milk rice with seeni sambol (March 1)✔, turkey soup (1 serving left)(added to dinner)✔, scrambled eggs✔ with fried potatoes or hash browns, leftovers✔. cinnamon rolls

Dinners:
- Leftover shredded turkey made into something!  It's been sitting in the fridge for several days, now!✔
- Rice with sauteed shredded turkey chicken* or mackerel curry, dhal, moringa curry*, chutney
- Ham* and split pea soup?
- Ground beef* with mashed potatoes, snow pea pods* or broccol
- Leftovers✔
*Items from the freezer

- Macaroni and cheese
- Roti
- Cup noodle soup
- Lasagna

Ha!  See all the items crossed out?  I didn't make them! The items in blue are what I had, instead! Here's how it all turned out:

Monday:
Brunch: banana muffin
Dinner: Made-over shredded turkey with rice cooked with the last of the turkey soup, cucumber slices

Tuesday:
Brunch: Scrambled egg (by itself)
Dinner: Leftover rice, shredded sauteed turkey, cucumber slices
Snack: Cheese and crackers, banana muffins

Wednesday:
Brunch: Milk rice, seeni sambol
Dinner: Milk rice, chicken curry
Dessert: Home canned peaches with non-dairy whipped topping

Thursday:
Brunch: Leftover Milk rice and chicken curry
Dinner: Roti, chicken curry, seeni sambol
Dessert: Home canned peaches with non-dairy whipped topping

Friday:
Brunch: Leftover roti with chicken curry and seeni sambol
Dinner: Boxed macaroni and cheese, leftover shredded sauteed turkey
Snacks: Half the sugarbee apple, home canned peaches, cheese and crackers

Saturday:
Brunch: Lasagna and cinnamon roll
Dinner:  Cup noodle soup (mostly the broth from it; saved the noodles for another day); half a bagel with cream cheese, mandarin 

Sunday:
Brunch: Half a bagel with cream cheese
Dinner: Lasagna
Dessert/Snacks: Cinnamon roll, the other half of the sugarbee apple

I see a sad lack of vegetables, but, I did add some vegetables to the sauteed shredded turkey.

************

Here is the plan for Week 2.  Once again, I am going with options, instead of a set menu by day, as that seems to work best for me.

Breakfasts/Brunches:  Bagels and cream cheese, leftover noodles from the cup noodles with some leftover shredded turkey added to it (Monday),  scrambled eggs with toast or fried potatoes, lasagna.

Dinners:

- Leftover macaroni and cheese with the last of the shredded sauteed turkey, salad (Monday) 

- Leftover macaroni and cheese with chicken curry

- Rice, chicken curry, dhal, cucumber slices

- Ham and split pea soup?

- Ground beef with mashed potatoes, broccoli

- Leftovers

As always, subject to change depending on how I feel!  

Did you make a meal plan, last week?  Did you keep to it?  Have you made a meal plan for this week?  Or, do you decide on the day of?  

The Weekend

Freshly Baked Cinnamon Rolls from Daughter's Friend A

It has been a mostly cloudy and cool weekend, with some rain on Sunday morning.  I have had to increase the heating to 70F, but, more on that, later.

My daughter's friend A likes to bake and last year, she baked some cinnamon rolls and brought us some to try, and they were some of the best cinnamon rolls I had eaten.  Last week, I was wanting some cinnamon rolls and I asked my daughter to ask her friend if she could make me some cinnamon rolls that I would pay her.  A had replied that she will certainly bake me some cinnamon rolls, but, she didn't want any payment.  So, I offered to make her some chicken curry in exchange, and that offer was accepted!  A likes my chicken curry!

Saturday was the day when she was going to bring me the cinnamon rolls.  I made the chicken curry in the morning.

While I was waiting for A to arrive, neighbor S called me.  Her sister-in-law had made some lasagna and brought some to her; would I like to have some?  I love lasagna, so, of course, I said I'd love to have some!  A few minutes later, she brought me a plate of lasagna:

Lasagna from Neighbor S
(made by her sister-in-law)

We were both masked and we met outside the door when S handed me the plate of lasagna.  I appreciate the fact that she wears a mask whenever she meets me.

Daughter's friend A arrived a few minutes later, with cinnamon rolls that were still warm from the oven!  She, too, wore a mask when she came over (and I had my mask on when I opened the door).  She did come inside and I gave her the container of chicken curry that I had served for her.  I didn't realize that she had placed the cinnamon rolls in a glass baking pan until she had left, otherwise I would have given the dish back to her right away.  But, she has since said not to worry about it, that, she can collect the dish later.  She also said that the chicken curry was delicious.  

Then, it was time to pick up my groceries, so I did that.  After I came home, I warmed up and ate a piece of the lasagna  and then ate one of the cinnamon rolls!  It was delicious!  

On Saturday, I felt a little discomfort in my throat.  It wasn't a scratchy sore throat, but, it hurt to swallow.  I think my tonsils (yes, I still have them) were enlarged.  Otherwise, I felt fine and had no aches and pains or fever.  I haven't been anywhere except to the doctor's office and I wore my mask the entire time I was there and I am always masked when I meet people, so I didn't think I had caught anything.  But, I gargled with warm salt water, had hot soup for dinner (had half a bagel with cream cheese, later), drank coriander tea (our panacea for everything), ate a mandarin for the vitamin C and increased the heat.  The thermostat had been set at 60F during the night and raised to 65F when I woke up.  In the evening, I realized that the air I was breathing was so cold that I had pulled up my scarf to cover my nose so I could breathe through it to warm up the air I was breathing.  Cold and wet weather usually affect my asthma and the recent rains have raised the humidity levels as well.  So, I increased the heater to 70F and lowered it to 65F at night.

On Sunday, I woke up feeling just fine.  No difficulty swallowing, no swollen tonsils, nothing.  But, I've kept the thermostat at 70F!  It rained a bit in the morning and the rest of the day was cloudy and a bit chilly.  I had the other half of the bagel with cream cheese for brunch; dinner was a piece of lasagna and another cinnamon roll!  I was going to eat only half of the cinnamon roll, but, I ate the whole thing!  It was so good!

I've taken it easy, today.  I slept in, watched some online videos, spoke with neighbor T, chatted with friend R, did the dishes, cleaned the microwave, and, of course, cleaned the litter box.  

This weekend, I am grateful for:

- Neighbor S bringing me some lasagna
- Daughter's friend A baking me some cinnamon rolls
- My sore throat got better and turned out to be nothing to worry about
- Being able to pick up groceries
- A warm home

The weekend's joyful activities included exchanging food with friends and relaxing.

Plans for tomorrow include some paperwork and the usual Monday housekeeping, etc.

How was your weekend?  What are your plans for Monday?

March Grocery Shopping - Part 1

I did my first grocery pick up for March, today.  Jennifer wasn't there, but, a young man named Dustin brought the groceries out to the car.  He must be a new hire because his name tag was a hand written piece of paper pinned to his jacket.  But, he did all the things he was supposed to do - asking me to verify my name, asking if I had any paper coupons, confirming that they had everything I had ordered, etc.  He seemed very friendly and pleasant.

I bought:

3 bananas @ $.75/lb. = $0.68
3 lb. bag mandarins (on sale with digital coupon; $5.99 without coupon) = $3.99
5 Gala apples (2.58 lbs. @ $0.89/lb. with digital coupon; $1.99/lb. without coupon) = $2.30

1 bottle apple juice (64 fl. oz.; reg. price $2.69) = $1.99

1 broccoli crown @ $1.98/lb. = $1.39
1 cucumber = $0.79
1 bag frozen corn, 12 oz., reg. price $1.25 = $0.99
1 bag frozen green peas, 12 oz., reg. price $1.25 = $0.99
6 Roma tomatoes (2.29 lb. @ $0.99/lb.) = $2.27
3 lb. bag yellow onions = $2.99 (I nearly cried because the ethnic store was selling onions 4 lb./$1)

1 doz. large eggs (on sale with digital coupon; reg. price $5.99)  = $3.99

1 loaf bread = $1.99
6 bagels = $2.99 (I had ordered store brand, they substituted a name brand, on sale this week for $4.49, for the same price)

1/2 gallon milk (reg. $2.79) = $2.39
1package cream cheese (8 oz.) = $2.39

1 box hot cocoa mix, 8 count = $2.29 (they didn't have it available for pick up the last time I ordered groceries, but, this time, it was available)

2 packets chocolate wafer cookies @$1.00 = $2.00

My total came to $36.42 

My March grocery budget is $100.  I had $67.91 leftover in the February grocery budget, but, for the first time in a long time, I am not carrying that balance forward!  I am applying February's leftover funds to my natural gas bill!  Specifically to replenish what I paid already for the January bill of nearly $700!  

March grocery budget = $100
Spent to date = $36.42
Balance left = $63.58

I will probably do a bigger grocery order towards the end of the month, but for now, I have plenty.  

I am grateful for:

- Being able to order groceries online
- People doing the shopping for me and bringing everything to my car
- Being able to pick up my groceries, free with a minimum purchase
- The availability of food
- A safe drive to the store and back

How about you?  Have you done any grocery shopping yet, in March?  Are you finding bargains and good deals? Have you had to adjust your grocery budget so far this year?

Friday

SugarBee Apple

M brought me another apple to try.  It is called a SugarBee apple.  It was crisp and sweet; I enjoyed it, but, I think I prefer the Opal apple as that was a bit tangy as well. 

It was sunny on Friday with an afternoon high of 62F.  Once again, I walked outside for 20 minutes and got some fresh air, sunshine, and exercise.  Neighbor S greeted me and the neighbor next door to her did, too.  

I did a load of laundry and hung everything up to dry.  Later, I put in an order of groceries.  Eggs were on sale, with a digital coupon, for $3.99 a dozen (price without the coupon was $5.99); I ordered a dozen, even though I still have about 6 or 7 eggs in the fridge.  

M did a temporary fix on the roof, today, with very limited resources.  I need to buy new tiles and nails, etc., before it can be repaired properly.  Fortunately, there doesn't seem to be any rain in the forecast for the next several weeks, so, there's time to buy the supplies.

The gas company sent me the weekly bill estimate.  Last week, after 6 days into the billing period, I had a bill of $21.91 incurred and an estimated bill of $208.22.   Friday's notification stated that 13 days into the billing period, I have incurred $101.58 in charges and the new estimated bill is $258.40.  I know I had the heater on quite a bit, last week, when it was so cold, but, I am hoping that I will not need to have the heater on during the day for the rest of the billing period.  I'd love to have the bill be around $200.00 for this billing period.  

Brunch was leftover roti with the last of the seeni sambol.  Dinner was boxed macaroni and cheese with some of the shredded sauteed turkey mixture.  By the way, I tried the "bring the water to boil, add the pasta, turn off the heat" method to cook the macaroni and it worked perfectly!  Snacks included half of the SugarBee apple, the last of my home canned peaches, and cheese and crackers.

On Friday I was grateful for:

- M was able to do a temporary fix on the roof
- A new apple to try
- Another sunny day
- Working appliances
- What I was able to accomplish

Friday's joyful activity was video chatting with my daughter.

Plans for Saturday include picking up the grocery order.

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

 

Thursday

Snow on the Mountains

It was a sunny day, today, with a high of 60F!  Two weeks ago, I would have said, "It was only 60F", but, after the recent cold weather, when the highs would be in the upper 40s, 60F felt warm!  It felt like spring!  I turned the heater off, opened the windows, and aired out the house.   Then, I went outside to walk a bit in my driveway and I caught a glimpse of something white in the distance.  So, I walked to the end of the block and took this photo.  Snow on the mountains!  I texted the photo to my daughter and she said that neighbor S's daughter had texted her almost the same picture, earlier in the day! 

My day was good.  I walked a little, sewed a little, texted with one of my cousins, had a long phone conversation with my half-sister, cleaned the kitchen a bit and ran the dishwasher, watched the news and some online videos, and video chatted with my daughter.  It was her birthday and although she worked and didn't come down to celebrate, I told her to treat herself to a special lunch on my account, which she did, and her friends at her acrobatics class had baked her a cake and made her a card and sung Happy Birthday to her.  

I had leftover milkrice with chicken curry for brunch.  For dinner, I made roti and ate them with chicken curry and seeni sambol.

Roti

There are some leftover roti for tomorrow's brunch.

Today, I am grateful for:

- My daughter
- She had a good birthday
- A sunny and warmer day
- Chats with family and friends
- Working appliances

Today's joyful activity was video chatting with my daughter.

Plans for Friday include some paperwork and tending to the garden with M.

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

Beginning March

Hail

Wait!  I didn't finish posting about February yet!  LOL!

Tuesday, February 28, it was partly cloudy and partly sunny during the day; the rain held off until evening and then, it rained all night!  I had my doctor's appointment in the early afternoon.  The regular receptionist was on vacation and the previous receptionist had come out of retirement to help out.  She informed me that there was a problem with my insurance, that the doctor no longer accepts my insurance; that I would need to contact my insurance company and ask for a different doctor or, if I change my insurance, then, call the doctor's office to see if the new insurance will be accepted.  This was all news to me and I wondered why I was not told any of this when the doctor's office called to confirm my appointment, etc.  I thought it would have been nice if someone had told me this before I drove to downtown, but, then, I thought, it was OK because the car got a bit of a run.  However, before I could say anything, the doctor called out to the receptionist, who asked me to wait a minute.  Then, she came back out and said the doctor would see me, after all!  LOL.  I guess the former receptionist was a bit confused!

Anyway, I had my appointment with the doctor and she went over my lab test report with me.  It was mostly fine, but, there were one or two areas where I was either above or below the normal range.  So, we discussed some changes I needed to make to rectify those things and I was told to return for a follow up visit at the end of May.  

After I came home, I relaxed and took things fairly easy for the rest of the day.  I had eaten a scrambled egg for brunch before I went to my appointment; I ate leftover rice, leftover sauteed shredded turkey, and more cucumber slices for an early dinner and later, I had some cheese and crackers for a snack.  

On Tuesday, I was grateful for:

- A safe drive to the clinic and back
- The rain held off while I was driving
- The doctor did accept my insurance and saw me
- The blood test results were mostly good
- The rest of the day was uneventful

Tuesday's joyful activity was knitting (I started a new sweater)

Damaged Garage Roof Tiles

Wednesday was March 1st and as usual, I made milkrice and seeni sambol (spicy onion relish).  I went out into the garden to pick a lemon and some curry leaves and while it was sunny, I noticed a dark cloud overhead.  It was also very cold.  The next thing I knew, it was hailing!  Pea-sized hail, not golf ball sized, and they melted quite quickly once they fell on the ground, but, still, it was quite exciting!  I realized that it hailed last Wednesday, too!  I took a couple of photos and went back indoors.  Dancer was rather intrigued by the sight of the hail bouncing off the steps and watched from the sliding glass door for a bit.  It hailed for about 10 minutes.

But, it had stopped hailing when M arrived to tend to the garden.  He tidied the front garden where some of the eucalyptus bark had fallen and he finished adding the rest of the pea gravel to the parkway!  The parkway project is now complete and I am very happy!  M enjoyed a plate of milkrice and seeni sambol before he left.  He gave me a five star rating for the food!  LOL!

In the afternoon, I sewed on the quilt a little more (had to stop when my hand started cramping) and watched some online videos.  Later, I watched news.  According to the local news, this month's gas bills will be lower, by an estimated 67% from the January bill. because the wholesale price of gas has come down - I will believe it when I get the bill! I'm still keeping the thermostat turned down to 65F!  Although, I did raise it to about 70F, on Monday, when it was so cold.

Later, I called friend R and we chatted a bit.  Still later, I video chatted with my daughter.

Brunch had been milk rice and seeni sambol.  I'm afraid I had more milkrice with chicken curry for dinner, followed by some of my home canned peaches and non-dairy whipped topping.  

On Wednesday, I was grateful for:

- The parkway project has been completed
- M's help with the garden all these years
- Working appliances
- The start of a new month
- Sunshine after the hail

Wednesday's joyful activity was video chatting with my daughter. 

Plans for Thursday include doing a load of laundry and some kitchen cleaning.

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