Saturday

 

Living Room Bookcase

This is the "before" picture of the bookcase in the living room.  It and the one in the family room are a pair, bought at the same time. in 1982.  I worked for an office space design company and employees could buy furniture through them for cost plus 10% and pay in installments deducted from the paycheck.  I have plans to declutter the books in this bookcase, too, over the next couple of weeks.

But, not on Saturday.  On Saturday, I took a package to my friend R and we had a brief curbside visit.  When I got back home, two big bags of cat food had been delivered and I managed to get them inside the house.  I also wrestled the two 30 lb. boxes of kitty litter that had been delivered earlier, which the very obliging delivery driver had left just inside the front door for me, from the living room to the bathroom.  

Then, I dusted and vacuumed the living room and dining area, vacuumed my bedroom and daughter's bedroom, and the hallway.  I had meant to do some kitchen cleaning, too, but, I ran out of energy.  I cleaned Dancer's litter box, but, the rest of the evening, I relaxed and watched some programs on TV.  Later, I video chatted with my daughter.

On Saturday, I was grateful for:

- Being able to help friend R by taking her packages to her
- A safe drive there and back
- Being able to order things online and have them delivered
- Working appliances
- What I was able to accomplish during my "productive" period

Saturday's joyful activity was the curbside visit with friend R.

Plans for Sunday include cleaning the kitchen a bit more, vacuuming the family room, and decluttering, of course.

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

Superlative!

A Most Superlative Book?

I'll be the first to admit that, although I consider myself to be quite fluent in English, it was not my first language.  I grew up with Sinhala (or Sinhalese) as my first language and learned English as a second language.  As a result, I am very hesitant to correct other people's English.

However, I was taught certain rules about comparative and superlative words, including the rule that the superlative form of a word showed the ultimate level or degree.  So, when I saw the title of this book, on sale at the drug store, I just had to take a picture of it to share!  I was taught that it should be "funny, funnier, and funniest".  Does "most funniest" indicate that the jokes are funnier than the funniest?

My mother taught English among other subjects, including an English as a Second Language course at a university.  I wonder what she would have thought about this book title?  Friday, October 18, was the anniversary of her birthday.  I remembered how happy she was when my daughter and I surprised her with a birthday cake and pizza (she loved pizza) on her 85th birthday.  We didn't realize that it would be the last birthday she'd celebrate.

I took it easy, today, and got my Covid vaccination.  It was while I was waiting to be vaccinated that I saw the book that is pictured above. I didn't want to take the flu vaccine at the same time, so, made an appointment for that for next week.  This time around, I didn't get the urge to shop side effect!  LOL.  I did receive a free bag of blue corn tortilla chips for getting vaccinated and a coupon for $5 off $20 purchase at the store.  

Later, M tended to the garden and he brought me two cuttings of a variegated jade plant and a "blue" jade plant.  

I spoke with Aunt C and texted with cousin N.  Later, I called former neighbor T's daughter K and got an update on T.  

On Friday, I was grateful for:

- Memories of my mother and being able to think of her and remember the good times without crying
- Being able to get my Covid vaccine and schedule the flu vaccine
- A free bag of tortilla chips
- M's help with the garden and gifts of plant cuttings
- Phone calls with family and friends

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

Plans for Saturday include friend R coming over to collect her packages; I offered to bring them to her, but, she insisted that she wanted to visit me.  

What are your plans for the weekend?

Thursday

Summer Bouquet (June 2024)

The only picture I took today was of an empty shelf in the bookcase, which didn't look as pretty as this bouquet of garden flowers!  So, I decided to go with the flowers!

But, just for the record, the bottom shelf of the family room bookcase is now empty:

Empty Shelf

I don't think it will remain empty for long.  I am thinking of storing my canning jars there, in a couple of fabric covered boxes.  Or, maybe the board games which are currently being stored on a shelf in the entertainment center.  Nature abhors a vacuum, they say; apparently, as much as I say I like empty spaces, I am not happy with vacuums, either!  LOL.  But, for now, the bottom shelf is empty.

It was another overcast day, here, and temperatures on the cooler side.  I went to the pharmacy to pick up my asthma inhaler refill and went to the dollar store afterwards.  I was looking for a box of disposable gloves (needed for when I apply Dancer's thyroid medications; I am down to the last two gloves I had bought from the old dollar store) and a butter dish (my old butter dish broke), but they didn't have any disposable gloves (I asked one of the store assistants) and they didn't have any butter dishes, either.  I bought a packet of rice to make myself a new rice-filled heat pack and I bought a four-pack of lemon-lime soda cans.  The store was not crowded and I felt comfortable walking around (I had my mask on).

In the evening, I called former neighbor T to check on her and left a message, chatted with friend R who is having another package delivered to my house, and had a long conversation with my daughter.

On Thursday, I was grateful for:

- My medication refills being available
- A safe drive to the pharmacy and back

- Leftovers for meals
- My portable electric space heater (yes, I put it on in the evening as I felt cold!)

- Exchanging emails with friends

Thursday's joyful activity was having a long conversation with my daughter.

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

 

October Decluttering Part 2

My decluttering goal for October is 10 items a day for a total of 310 items.  Unfortunately, I am behind with my decluttering, but, I hope to get caught up and I'm telling myself that some progress is better than none!

Here's the link to October Decluttering Part 1 which covers Days 1-5.

Here's what I've decluttered more recently:

Day 6:  9 books, mostly gardening books.  They have lovely photos of lush, flower filled gardens, and lots of good ideas, but, the majority of them have, at most, just one or two examples of drought tolerant gardens.  Looking at the lush gardens only makes me feel envious.  Time to let them go!  The garden secateurs broke and came apart in my hand when I was trying to cut some flowers.  I put the two halves together to take the picture; they have been tossed.  The books will be donated (I offered them to M, but, he said no thank you).

Day 6: Books and Garden Secateurs

Day 7:  6 more books, 2 items of clothing (blouses), old garage door opener remote control, 1 mop (not pictured).  I have now decluttered all my gardening books.  I am not quite sure how I feel about that!  

Day 7: Books, Clothing, Old Remote Control
(+1 mop not pictured)

Day 8: 6 books about decorating (the book on the top of the stack dates back to 1970s), 4 decorative kitchen wall hooks (a gift from my sister, many years ago; I used to hang the pot holders from them)

Day 8: 6 Books, 4 Decorative kitchen wall hooks

Day 9:  9 books from the shelves and one toy catalog that came in the mail.  I kept four books on decorating and two books on scrapbooking.

Day 9: Books and a Catalog

Days 10 & 11:  20 Holiday Cookie cutters - for St. Valentine's Day (a cupid), for Easter (lilac colored - bunnies, a chick, and a duckling), for Halloween, and for Christmas, including five Disney-themed ones.  After going through all the books and making difficult decisions whether to keep or donate, I needed to sort through something that was easy to declutter and the cookie cutters were it!  I still have half a container filled with more cookie cutters and tartlet shells.  

Days 10 & 11: 20 Cookie Cutters

I am making progress!  If you are decluttering this month, how are you doing?

Mid October

Dinner and More, Compliments of Neighbor S

Here we are, midway through October!  Already!

I'm happy to say that I've had two fairly productive days, so far, this week.  

On Monday, I called the pharmacy to request a refill, did a load of laundry, watered the garden both front and back, took the trash cans to the curb for pick up, and did a bit of decluttering.  I need to post an update on that.  I had a cold cuts sandwich for brunch and for dinner, I had chicken noodle soup and another sandwich. 

On Tuesday, I put away the laundry from Monday and did another load.  Then, I ran a cleaning cycle on the washing machine as the light came on to let me know that it needed to be cleaned.  Afterwards, I rewashed the kitchen wall.  I found that, if I stood on tip toes on the top step of my two-steps step stool, I could manage to reach almost up to the ceiling.  I used a microfiber cloth and undiluted Pine-sol and managed to get the wall mostly clean, but, I can still see the outlines of where the copper pans used to hang.  I might have to wash the walls another time or get a magic eraser or something.

I was resting after I washed the wall when neighbor S called to ask if I'd like to have some rice and kebabs, lahmajoon (a thin flat bread spread with a ground meat mixture), and burek (bread filled with a cheese mixture).  I said I'd love to have some and offered to come over to collect it, rather than have her bring it to me.  So, I was able to sit and visit with her for a few minutes, as well, and chat with her older daughter, too.  In addition to the food she had mentioned, S gave me a red velvet cupcake for dessert and another carton of coconut water!  Although it was about 5:30 p.m., I had not had eaten anything, yet, so I had lahmajoon and some of the rice and kebabs for brunch and had a small piece of the burek for a snack dinner.  I have a choice of leftovers for Wednesday's meals.  

In mid-October, I am grateful for:

- Neighbor S sharing more delicious food with me
- Working appliances and the electricity to run them
- Water for the garden
- Sunny days (in the 70s, but the nights are getting a bit chilly)
- The electric neck massager that was a gift from my daughter one year

Joyful activities the past couple of days have included reading, visiting neighbor S, and spending time in the garden.

Plans for Wednesday include tending to the garden with M and washing another kitchen wall.

How is your week coming along?

Kitchen Cleaning on Sunday

Strawberry Salad

This salad was part of my dinner on Saturday.  I had half a cold cuts sandwich with it.

Last week's cleaning area was the bathroom.  This week's cleaning area is the kitchen and I got a head start on it on Sunday.  I emptied the dishwasher and dish drainer, refilled the dishwasher with the dishes that were waiting in the sink and ran it.  Then, I washed all of Dancer's food bowls by hand and kept them to dry on a fresh dish towel.  I wiped down the counters and stove top, swept the floor, and mopped it.  I started to wash one of the kitchen walls, but, I think I need to bring in the step ladder for that; the step stool wasn't tall enough for me.

Brunch had been half a cold cuts sandwich and dinner was rice, mackerel curry, dhal, and tomato chutney.  I ate some strawberries for dessert.

On Sunday, I was grateful for:

- Working appliances
- What I was able to accomplish
- Pleasant weather (in the 70s)
- Interesting videos and TV programs to watch
- My hands didn't cramp when I was cleaning

Sunday's joyful activities included video chatting with my daughter.

Plans for Monday include more kitchen cleaning (the fridge needs to be cleaned out), watering the garden, taking the trash cans to the curb, and making an appointment for my Covid booster.

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

October Grocery Shopping Part 1

October Groceries (10/12/24)

I put in an order for groceries this morning and picked up the items in the afternoon.  I am going to consider this as my first grocery shopping order for October although I bought two frozen food items and some candy when I shopped at the dollar store on Monday.  I spent $3.75 on that shopping trip and that will be added to the spending total for this month, but, today's shopping is the first 'proper' grocery shopping trip. 

The store sent me a text when the order was completed, saying that there were no substitutions or out of stock items.  However, when I went to pick up the order, the person who brought the items to the car said he substituted the bread and the pancake syrup.  I said that was fine (I usually order the lower priced store brand items and if they substitute an item, they usually charge the lower price for whatever item they substitute).  When I came home, I noticed that they had substituted the bread and syrup with higher priced items and charged me the lower store brand price. 

However, they had charged me a higher price than the advertised price for grapes and this was the second time that has happened!  The advertised price was $1.99/lb. and they charged me $3.36/lb.  I am not going to complain, since they have given me extra items such as the two additional boxes of croissants with my previous order, at no charge.  But, I might think twice about ordering grapes from them in the future!  

Once again, I will copy and post the receipt, without all the item codes, etc.

Order Summary

Original Item Total$66.46

Item Coupons/Sales-$26.72

Fulfillment Fee+$0.00

Sales Tax$0.00

Order Total$39.74

---

Item Details

24 Items

CA Redem Val (deposit on the bottle of juice)$0.10

1 x $0.10 each

Cucumber, 1 ct$0.39

1 x $0.39 $0.89 each

Item Coupon/Sale: -$0.10

Item Coupon/Sale: -$0.40

Fresh Banana - Each, 1 ct$0.48

0.7 lbs x $0.68 each (approx.)

Fresh Strawberries, 1 lb$2.49

1 x $2.49 $3.99 each

Item Coupon/Sale: -$1.50

Kroger® Complete Buttermilk Pancake & Waffle Mix, 32 oz$1.99

1 x $1.99 $3.49 each

Item Coupon/Sale: -$1.50

Kroger® Garbanzo Beans Chickpeas, 15.5 oz$3.96

4 x $0.99 each (cheaper than at the dollar store)

Kroger® Grade AA Large Cage Free White Eggs, 12 ct$3.99

1 x $3.99 each

Kroger® Hardwood Smoked Bacon, 16 oz$0.00

1 x $0.00 $6.99 each

Item Coupon/Sale: -$1.50

Item Coupon/Sale: -$5.49

Kroger® Original Pancake Syrup, 24 fl oz$2.79

1 x $2.79 $3.29 each (the item they substituted with is priced $5.99)

Item Coupon/Sale: -$0.50 

Kroger® White Sandwich Bread, 20 oz$1.79

1 x $1.79 $2.49 each (the item they substituted with is priced $2.99)

Item Coupon/Sale: -$0.70

Lay's® Classic Potato Chips, 8 oz$1.99

1 x $1.99 $4.99 each

Item Coupon/Sale: -$1.50

Item Coupon/Sale: -$1.50

Oscar Mayer Deli Fresh Slow Roasted Roast Beef Sliced Deli Meat, 7 oz$4.99

1 x $4.99 $6.49 each

Item Coupon/Sale: -$1.50

Ralphs® Vitamin D Whole Milk Half Gallon, 1/2 gal$2.79

1 x $2.79 each

Red Seedless Grapes, 1 lb$5.99

1.78 lbs x $3.36 $4.49 each (approx.)

Item Coupon/Sale: -$0.50

Item Coupon/Sale: -$1.50

Simply Cranberry Cocktail Fruit All Natural Juice, 52 fl oz$0.00

1 x $0.00 $4.99 each

Item Coupon/Sale: -$4.99

StarKist Chunk Light Tuna in Water Can, 5 oz (to be shared with Dancer!)$6.00

6 x $1.00 $1.59 each (it was cheaper than the store brand, this time!)

My total came to $39.74.  

My October grocery budget = $100

I do have $71.84 carried over from September, but, I am going to set that aside for when I go to the Sri Lankan store to stock up on tea, curry powder, treats, etc., or for extra groceries when my daughter comes home for a visit in November.

So, October's grocery budget is $100.

Spent to date: $3.75 (at the dollar store) + $39.74 = $43.49

Balance remaining = $100 - $43.49 = $56,51

As always, I am grateful for:

- Being able to buy groceries and the availability of items
- The store's substitution policy
- Friendly staff
- A safe drive to and from the store
- A well stocked pantry

Today's joyful activity was getting free splurge items (the bacon and the juice).

If anyone is wondering where are the vegetables...apart from the cucumber, I didn't need any fresh vegetables.  I have moringa and a handful of green beans I picked from the garden, most of a lettuce, some beets, and some carrots, in the fridge, frozen corn, broccoli, snow peas, okra, etc., in the freezer, plus some canned vegetables (which must be used up, soon).

Have you grocery shopped in October, yet?  Do you have a grocery budget?  Are you able to stay within your budget?