Fun on Monday

Daughter and I both woke up around 9:30 a.m., this morning.  We sat around having our coffee and talking for awhile. 

I took some photos of the sweater I repaired:

Before mending

After mending

Can you spot the mending?

The mended spot is on the upper part of the 3rd full cable from the bottom.  Daughter says it is noticeable only if you know where to look.  She is fine with wearing it, so that's good!

Later in the morning, we got dressed and went shopping.

First, to the fabric store to pick up the quilt batting my daughter ordered online for me (she had to do it for me because I am clueless when it comes to online ordering).  The queen sized packaged batting was on sale for $11.99 each and there was a 20% off coupon for ordering online; I bought two.  We had a bit of a wait at the store before they brought the two packages up to the front; but, I was very careful not to go looking at anything else in the store!  They had Fall-themed fabric and Christmas fabric on sale for 50% off, but I didn't want to be tempted by them!

Then, we went to the grocery store to buy a few treats - 1 package garlic naan ($3.69), roasted cashews (1 package of plain roasted and 1 package of chili & lime flavored, $7.99 @), frozen shrimp gyoza ($4.99), a bag of salad greens ($1.99), a package of shredded carrots ($.99), a package of fresh cranberries ($1.99), pistachio pomegranate crisps ($3.99), and a chocolate pecan pie ($6.99)!  My daughter put away the groceries before I could take a photo, but the total came to $40.61.  Not my usual grocery shopping, as you can see, but, we were in the mood for a few treats!

11/19 Grocery Receipt

November grocery budget = $100
Spent to date = $20 + $6.47 + $19.86 + $1.50 + $40.61 = $98.03
Balance left in the budget =  $1.97

Oops!  Maybe I shouldn't have gone grocery shopping for treats, today!  The only way I can stay under budget will be if I don't grocery shop for the rest of this month!  In which case, I won't be able to take advantage of the $.99/lb deal on boneless/skinless chicken breasts, tomorrow.  Do I keep to the budget and avoid shopping the rest of this month?  Do I go over the budget to stock up and make it up in December?  Or use some of what is left of the October prayer gathering budget?  I know I had said I could use some of that for stocking up.

After we came home, daughter put away the groceries for me.  Then, we went to a nearby Japanese restaurant to have a belated birthday lunch!

Daughter chose a sunomono salad (a marinated cucumber salad; I forgot to take a photo) and a sushi roll with baked scallops, shimeiji mushrooms, avocado, and cucumber:

Daughter's Lunch

I chose my usual favorite, which was the teriyaki beef lunch special, which came with miso soup (not pictured), salad, shrimp and vegetable tempura, and rice:

My Lunch

The waitress brought us extra plates and bowls, so we were able to share - I shared some of my miso soup and tempura with daughter and she shared some of her sunomono salad and sushi roll with me.  Neither of us could finish our entrees, so we brought the leftovers home!  Lunch came to $42 with the tip.  But, since we had the leftovers for dinner, it provided us with two meals, each.

We had originally planned to do a little more shopping in the afternoon, but I was feeling tired.  The air quality wasn't so good, today, and we had walked the few blocks to the restaurant and back, which was probably not such a good idea, after all.  So, we decided to stay home and relax.

I did a load of laundry in the afternoon, and, afterwards, we played "hair salon"!  I gave daughter's hair a hot oil treatment using coconut oil; she trimmed my hair for me.  It was the first time my hair has been trimmed after it grew out (I lost most of my hair during chemo and we shaved off what was left).  I will trim my daughter's hair, tomorrow.

Later, I made us tea and we had a piece of the chocolate pecan pie.  I think we both found our new favorite pie!

For dinner, we had the leftovers from our lunch and daughter made us side salads, too, using some of the salad mix we bought, the last of the bag of rainbow carrots she brought with her (a mix of white, purple, and orange carrots), tangerines, bell peppers, and onion.  Since I don't like raw onions and bell peppers make me burp, she left them out of my salad:

My Salad

We spent the rest of the evening relaxing, watching some TV, and snacking on some of the treats we bought at the grocery store.  Those pistachio pomegranate chips are addictive!

Today, I am grateful for:
- Spending the day with my daughter
- Birthday lunches
- Rescue inhalers!
- Yummy treats
- Being able to splurge on occasion


Monday's To Do List:
- Go shopping - DONE
- Belated birthday lunch out - DONE
- Take the trash cans to the curb - DONE
- Do another load of laundry - DONE

Tuesday's To Do List:
- Trim daughter's hair
- More shopping!
- Bring the trash cans in
- Water the garden

How was your Monday?  What have you planned for Tuesday?

Tired on Sunday

Friday night, I had stayed up till 5:00 a.m., for no particular reason other than I didn't feel like going to bed, and I woke up around 9:00 a.m. on Saturday morning, when my friend called to invite us to lunch on Thanksgiving.  I thought I will go to bed early, on Saturday night, but, no, I was up till 4:00 a.m., and I woke up at 8:00 a.m., today, because I was expecting the sprinkler repair person to arrive and I wasn't sure what time he would come.  I think another couple of hours of sleep would have been welcome though, because I felt a little tired.

However, I did a load of laundry and altered daughter's dress while I waited for the sprinkler repair person to arrive.  He replaced the leaky valve and the sprinklers work well, now.  I had him replace both valves at the same time; each new brass valve cost $35 and his labor charges were $75.  So, $145 for the sprinkler valve repair.  I budget $100 per month for home and garden maintenance, so the funds were there (any unused funds sit in the savings account, until needed).

In the afternoon, my daughter went to her friend's birthday celebration.  I sat down to mend a sweater that I had knitted for myself, which I had given to my daughter to wear; she brought it down this time because it had developed a small hole in the cabling in the front.

Hole in the Sweater (photo taken during the day, under natural light)

But then, I felt very sleepy, so, I put the mending aside and took a nap on the sofa!  Aunt C's phone call woke me up, at one point, and I chatted with her for a bit, but then, I went back to sleep for another hour or so!  I think I slept for almost 3 hours, altogether!

After I woke up from my nap, I had a cup of tea and then, mended the sweater.  I didn't have anymore of the yarn left - I had bought the yarn on a visit to London in 1986 (some people buy trinkets as souvenirs, I buy yarn!) - so I used some embroidery floss.  The sweater yarn is a taupe/cream tweed; I didn't have a matching thread, so I used some grey thread.   The photo below was taken under artificial light, so the colors appear browner than under natural light (photo above).

Close Up of Repair (taken under artificial light)

I will check the mending in natural light, tomorrow, to see if there is a noticeable color difference between the yarn and the embroidery floss.  And then decide what to do with it, if the color difference is very obvious. 

After my daughter came home, we just chatted and sort of planned our day for tomorrow.  There is some shopping in the plans and possibly, a belated birthday lunch out.

Today, I am grateful for:
- The leaky sprinkler valve was replaced
- Afternoon naps!
- Daughter had a fun evening out with friends
- She returned home, safely
- Warm apple crumble for dessert

Sunday's To Do List:
- Have the sprinkler valve replaced - DONE
- 1 load of laundry - DONE
- Alter daughter's dress - DONE
- Mend a sweater - DONE
- Decluttering

I haven't done any decluttering lately.  Need to get back to doing that!

Monday's To Do List:
- Go shopping
- Belated birthday lunch out
- Take the trash cans to the curb
- Do another load of laundry

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

Lost Keys and Birthday Parties

Last night, when my daughter went out to dinner with her friends from across the street, she took her set of house keys, so she could let herself back in, if necessary.  However, she knocked on the door when she came back home, because she couldn't find the keys in her purse.  She thought that perhaps she didn't take them with her, after all.  So, after she came home, she checked her purse and backpack and suitcase, but we couldn't find the keys.  She then called her friend who checked her car and her house to see if the keys had dropped there, and daughter took the flash light and checked our drive way.  The restaurant she had been to and the coffee house were both closed, so she couldn't call them to ask if someone found her keys.  She went to bed rather upset with herself for losing her keys.  I tried to reassure her that it would be OK, maybe someone found the keys and turned them in; if not, we'll get another set of keys made or, worse comes to worst, I'll have the locks changed.  In the meantime, for good measure, I said a prayer to help us locate the missing keys. 

This morning, she called the coffee house, but no one had found the keys.  The restaurant didn't open until 12 noon, so she couldn't call them until later.

In the meantime, we got dressed to go to aunt's 90th birthday celebration.  Cousin P and her daughter were giving us a ride to the party and back; cousin P called in the morning to say we will be leaving a little after 11:30 a.m.  Daughter wore one of the blouses she bought, yesterday, with a pair of black pants.  I decided to wear one of my saris.  It is one that I bought in 1979, on my first visit back to Sri Lanka - the airlines had misplaced my luggage and had compensated me for the inconvenience, and I bought this sari with the money they gave me.   That was 39 years ago! 

The birthday celebration was held in a banquet hall, although we sat outside, in the patio.  It was a sunny, warm afternoon, so the outdoor seating worked out very well.  The catered meal was Middle Eastern food - a first course of various salads such as tabouleh, cheese filled pastry rolls, and pita bread with hummus; followed by freshly made falafel; a main course of grilled chicken and lula kebab served with rice pilaf and grilled vegetables.  Finally, birthday cake for dessert, as well as some homemade treats such as marshmallows and love cake.  There were about 120 guests, including some family members who had flown in from Australia for the occasion.  Aunt hadn't wanted a big fuss to be made, but her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren wanted to do something special.

The party was ending at 4:00 p.m., but cousin P's daughter had to attend a wedding, later in the evening, so we left a little after 3:00 p.m.  We got home a little after 4:30 p.m. 

After we came home, daughter called the restaurant she had been to, last night, to ask if anyone had found a set of keys and we were both very happy and thankful when the person she spoke with at the restaurant said yes, they had found a set of keys!  Daughter said we will be there to pick them up, shortly.

But first, I had a cup of tea and changed out of my sari into regular clothes.  Then, I drove us to Hollywood, where the restaurant was located, so daughter could retrieve her keys!  We were so glad that her keys were found! 

After we came home, we had some leftovers for dinner and a piece of the apple crumble that I had in the freezer, for dessert. 

Today, friend A called to invite us to Thanksgiving lunch.  We will go there first and then, go to Aunt T's to dinner.  Neighbor T called, too, in the morning, and, in the evening, I called cousin V to check on her (she had surgery, a couple of days ago, and was unable to attend the birthday celebration, today), and friend R.

Today, I am grateful for:
- Daughter's set of keys were found!
- We were able to celebrate aunt's birthday
- Cousin P and her daughter giving us a ride to the party and back
- Friend A calling to invite us for Thanksgiving lunch
- Answered prayers

Saturday's To Do List:
- Attend aunt's birthday celebration - DONE
- Go to collect daughter's keys - DONE
- 1 load of laundry
- Alter daughter's dress
- Mend a sweater
- Decluttering

Between the excitement about the lost keys (and going back to collect them) and attending the birthday celebration, I didn't get much of my to do list done, today!  But, that is OK.  I'll just carry it forward to tomorrow.  Plans for tomorrow include having someone coming out to replace a leaking sprinkler valve in the garden and daughter going out to celebrate her best friend's birthday.  They've been best friends since 7th grade.  Another friend will give daughter a ride to and from the party; daughter said they are going to an area of Los Angeles known as Little Tokyo for karaoke and dinner.

Sunday's To Do List:
- Have the sprinkler valve replaced
- 1 load of laundry
- Alter daughter's dress
- Mend a sweater
- Decluttering

How was your Saturday?  What have you planned for Sunday? 

Shopping on Friday

Today, daughter and I went to the shopping mall.  We got there around 12:30 p.m. and spent the next four hours shopping!  Almost every store was having what they called pre-Black Friday sales!  One store had 40% off the entire purchase; another store had 50% off and, if you bought for over $75, then, you could get another 10% off with the coupon they handed us as we entered the store!  The mall wasn't crowded at all, which made it pleasant to shop, but made me feel sorry for the store owners.  We went to several shops, but, I got rather tired.  My feet hurt, so I sat down as much as I could while daughter shopped.  She was looking for a gift for her best friend's birthday and winter clothes for herself:

Daughter's Clothing Haul #2

Top row: pint/grey/white hooded sweatshirt ($7.99), kitty cat sweater ($6), extra long grey cardigan ($18)

Bottom row: 2 solid colored knit tops ($4.99@), 2 printed long sleeved tunic tops ($5.99@), 2 solid colored cardigans ($5.99@)

She also bought some costume jewelry rings ($6.90):

Costume Jewelry Rings

The most expensive item was the extra long cardigan at $18.  She bought 7 items at one store and paid $45.91 with tax, for them.  The long cardigan, the kitty cat sweater, and the rings were bought at a second store and it came to $33.84 with tax. 

I tried on a few items of clothing but didn't buy anything.  

After we came home, I made us tea and daughter tried on her new clothes and treated me to a fashion show as she modeled each outfit!  LOL!  

Later in the evening, daughter went out to dinner with my neighbor S's two daughters.  These girls have grown up together and have been friends since childhood.  Daughter brought me some dinner and left with them, again, saying they were going out for coffee.

I ate some of what she brought me for my dinner, did the dishes, and made a birthday card.  I used the same pattern I used previously for another card I made:

Birthday Card

This time, I used some of the pink rhinestones I bought from the dollar store, instead of the white ones I used, earlier.  Then, I wrapped one of the robes I bought yesterday and added the birthday card - I will give it as a birthday gift to one of my aunts, tomorrow.  

By the way, since some of you wanted to see my manicure:

Manicure

Today, I am grateful for:
- A fun afternoon, shopping
- Bumping into one of my former colleagues at the mall
- Free samples at the chocolate shop!
- Daughter found good bargains, again
- Daughter bringing me dinner

Friday's To Do List:
- Go shopping at the mall - DONE
- 1 load of laundry
- Alter daughter's dress
- Make a birthday card for aunt - DONE
- Decluttering
- Dishes - DONE

I'm afraid I didn't accomplish much of my to do list, today.  The shopping wore me out!

Saturday's To Do List:
- Attend aunt's birthday celebration
- 1 load of laundry
- Alter daughter's dress
- Mend a sweater
- Decluttering

How was your Friday?  Have you gone shopping lately?  Have you noticed that there are "pre-Black Friday" sales in stores in your area?

Daughter Comes Home on Thursday

My daughter came home for the Thanksgiving holiday, today!  She'll be home for 12 days, as she flies back on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving.

In the morning, I put away the washed dishes and the dried laundry.  I took the opportunity to tidy two shelves in the linen closet - the shelf where I keep all the bed sheets and pillowcases and the shelf where I keep the towels.  The bottom shelf and the top shelf need tidying.  I have quilts and some knitted items on the top shelf and crocheted table covers (made by my mother and my grandmother) and the dust sheets for the sofas on the bottom shelf.  It all needs straightening out.  I also remade my daughter's bed with fresh sheets and put the new cherry fabric pillowcases on her pillows.

In the afternoon, I drove to the airport to pick up my daughter.  She arrived a little after 3:00 p.m.  We picked up some Chinese food for a late lunch and came home.

After lunch, we went shopping at our favorite discount store.  They were having a 30% off sale because the store was closing!  I picked up two bathrobes to give as gifts (on sale for $5.59 each) and daughter found several items of clothing:

Daughter's Clothing Haul

She bought 3 dresses (top row - 1 floral, 1 black lace, 1 blue/grey print with long sleeves), two long skirts (bottom row, to the left - 1 blue/white print, 1 maroon & white "tie dye"), 2 sweatshirts and 1 knit top. 8 items of clothing and all for a total of $37 and some change.  The most expensive item was the floral dress at $7.  I need to alter it very slightly by moving the side zipper - a project I am planning to do, tomorrow.

After we came home, I made tea for us and daughter played the piano.

For dinner, I pulled out items from the freezer - two of the salmon steaks I had cooked and frozen, earlier, some rice, green beans, and cauliflower.  I reheated them with some of the soup I had made.  There were fresh raspberries for dessert.

Daughter liked the bottles of nail polish I had bought for her and, after dinner, she asked if she could paint my nails!  So, of course, I said, "Yes", and we played "nail salon"!  Apparently, "accent nails" are the fashion, these days - she painted my nails pink, with an "accent nail" (4th or ring finger) in dark purple!

Oh, and the house is nice and warm, because the first thing my daughter did after we came home from shopping was turn on the heater!  LOL.  It had been a warm day - it was 79F when I picked her up from the airport and she was in a short sleeved blouse, telling me how nice and warm it was, after Berkeley.  But, when we came back after shopping, it was almost 6:00 p.m., the sun had set, and she remarked on how cold the house was and turned on the heater! 

Today, I am grateful for:
- My daughter is home for the holidays!
- She had a safe flight.
- She loves the cherry print pillowcases I sewed for her
- Bargains at the discount store
- A warm house!

Thursday's To Do List:
- Put away dishes - DONE
- Put away dried laundry - DONE
- Remake daughter's bed - DONE
- 1 load of laundry (daughter's bed sheets)
- Pick up daughter from the airport - DONE
- Go shopping with her - DONE

I forgot to do the laundry, this evening.  Will do that, tomorrow.

Friday's To Do List:
- Go shopping at the mall
- 1 load of laundry
- Alter daughter's dress
- Make a birthday card for aunt
- Decluttering

And just like that, half the month of November is over!

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

Quiet Wednesday

Today has been a relatively quiet day.  I slept with the heater on, last night, and the house was nice and warm when I woke up.  Later, it turned out to be a nice, warm day, so I was able to open the windows and air out the house.  But, once the sun sets, it starts getting chilly, again. 

I seem to have lost my motivation to do any cleaning, but, I managed to change my bed sheets and the sofa dust covers and do two loads of laundry.  I also washed the dishes, cleared the kitchen counters, wiped the stove top, watered the indoor plants, and tidied the family room.

I also went through the mail and grocery ads.  One store is having skinless, boneless chicken breasts on sale for $.99/lb. on Tuesday (1 day sale).  I think that is a very good price and will stock up on them.  Another store is having daughter's favorite coffee on sale, again, for $4.99.  I'm glad I didn't buy any when it went on sale for $6.49, last week.  $4.99 is my stock up price for her coffee. 

Daughter will be coming down, tomorrow afternoon, for a visit over the Thanksgiving holidays.  I am looking forward to her visit. 

Today, I am grateful for:
- A sunny, warm day
- Being able to sleep in
- Phone calls from family and friends
- A freshly made bed
- What I was able to accomplish, today

Wednesday's To Do List:
- Do the dishes - DONE
- Clear the kitchen counters - DONE
- Water the indoor plants - DONE
- Tidy the family room - DONE
- Change my bed sheets and sofa dust covers - DONE
- Do laundry - DONE (2 loads; my bed sheets and sofa dust covers)
- Renew or return my library books - DONE; renewed (now due 12/6)

Thursday's To Do List:
- Put away dishes
- Put away dried laundry
- Remake daughter's bed
- 1 load of laundry (daughter's bed sheets)
- Pick up daughter from the airport
- Go shopping with her

How was your Wednesday?  How do you motivate yourself to do housework and cleaning when you seem to have lost your motivation to deep clean?

Errands and Groceries on Tuesday

It was another chilly morning, today, and I finally turned on the heater!  What I have is a natural gas wall heater, not central heating.  It is set into the wall between the living room and the passage way that leads to the bedrooms, with one side facing the living room and the other side opening to the passage way:

Heater - Living Room Side

Since the house is open plan, the heat diffuses from the living room and passage way to the other rooms (there is no fan to circulate the warm air).  When the heater is on, the living room is the warmest room, the family room and bedrooms are always cooler, and daughter's corner bedroom, with two outside walls, is the coldest!

This morning, I sat in the living room, in front of the heater, until both the house and I warmed up!  There was a call from my oncologist's clinic as they needed to reschedule my appointment, because the doctor will be out due to the holidays.  They also raised the issue of my insurance coverage as my former coverage as an employee has ended; the new coverage as a retiree is supposed to have gone into effect as of November 1, but I haven't received any information about it, including a card or member number.  I will give them another week or so and then, call to find out what is happening.  In the meantime, the oncologist appointment has been rescheduled for early December and, I might need to call and reschedule the podiatrist appointment to December, too.  I am not too bothered by this as both these appointments are follow-up appointments, but, I can't go without evidence of medical insurance coverage for too much longer! 

After having a slice of cold pizza for brunch, I drove downtown to my former office.  I had received an email stating that my unused vacation time (and part of my unused sick time) pay out check was ready for pick up.  Since I no longer had my parking permit, I parked in a public parking structure and walked the few blocks to the office.  It didn't take long to sign for and collect my check; I didn't linger to visit former colleagues as the parking meter was running! 

On the way home, I stopped to put gas to the car.  I had half a tank of gas when I left to go downtown and the gas level had gone down a little bit below half a tank by the time I came back.  I like to keep the tank at least half full, just in case there is an emergency, such as a fire or an earthquake, and I need to evacuate.  After hearing the news stories about all the people who were trying to put gas during the fire evacuations and gas stations being unable to operate due to lack of electricity, I know having a tank full of gas is important.  Gas was $3.49/gal. and I put $34 worth of gas to fill the rest of the tank.    The last time I put gas to the car was on October 12, when gas was $3.65/gal. and I put $40 worth of gas.  At the time, I had hoped that the tank of gas would last me for two weeks, instead, it lasted me a whole month!  For now, I will keep the budget for gas at $100/month (it used to be $200/month when I was working).  But, maybe, from January, 2019, I might be able to reduce it even more. 

Then, I went to the bank to deposit my check.

After that, I went to the grocery store for a few items.  I didn't take a photo, today, but I bought:

1 gallon milk = $2.99
1 box pancake mix = $1.99
3 lb. bag clementines = $3.99
Bananas @$.59/lb = $.62
Total = $9.59

11/13 Grocery Receipt

The clementines are a little treat for my daughter who loves them.

November grocery budget = $100
Spent to date = $20 + $6.47 + $19.86 + $1.50* + $9.59 = $57.42
Balance left in the budget = $42.58
* $1.50 for the loaf of bread I bought on 11/11

While I was at the grocery store, I did a little price checking.  Since daughter was able to find pure almond extract (1 fl. oz.) at the dollar store, I wanted to see how much they cost at the grocery store. 

Brand Name Extracts and Flavors

They didn't have the name brand almond extract, but they had the store brand:

Store Brand Almond Extract

$6.00 for a 2 fl. oz. bottle, which comes to $3.50 for 1 fl. oz.  More than 3 times what my daughter paid for the 1 fl. oz. bottles she found!

I also saw this can of apple pie filling, regular price of $3.69; on sale now for $2.99.  A bargain!  Except, I bought a similar can (same brand, but the label on the can I bought said "Wilderness" and not "Comstock") for $1 at the dollar store! 

Canned Apple Pie Filling

When I see price variations like that, I feel like buying the entire stock of the items I find at the dollar stores!  LOL! 

By then, it was 4:00 p.m. and I was getting hungry.  It had been several hours since I had my slice of pizza for brunch!  I was craving a hamburger, so I bought one for $1.78 (with tax), on the way home; came home and ate my hamburger and drank a cup of tea. 

Then, I returned phone calls I had missed because I had been out all afternoon. 

Dinner was a bowl of soup and a slice of toast.  Later, I video chatted with my daughter, who was feeling a little achy after her flu shot, yesterday. 

Today, I am grateful for:
- The pay out check
- Being able to put it into savings
- A working heater
- Bargains at the dollar store
- Phone calls from family and friends

I haven't posted any To Do Lists, lately, and it is starting to show!  Time to start posting them, again!  Posting them keeps me accountable!

Wednesday's To Do List:
- Do the dishes
- Clear the kitchen counters
- Water the indoor plants
- Tidy the family room
- Change bed sheets and chair covers
- Do laundry
- Renew or return my library books

There is some shopping to be done, too, but, my daughter asked me to wait until she comes home, because she, too, wants to go shopping! 

How was your Tuesday?