A New Week

Gazania

Monday started off with a long phone chat with aunt C and cousin N, which was nice.  Afterwards, I went out into the garden and watered the back yard.  It was a sunny day and the flowers were in full bloom.  

In the afternoon, I went to the library to return books that were due and then, I went to the craft store (Michael's) to buy more yarn for the blanket I am making.  I had run short of the off white yarn I was using to crochet a border around each granny square to make them look less random (as I had used leftover yarn to make them).  But, the store was out of the off white yarn, so I bought two skeins of white yarn and two skeins of "mauve" (which looked more like a dusty rose to me than mauve) for the border around the whole blanket.  I had to pay full price for them ($3.99 each) because they weren't on sale.  I looked around the store just a little bit in passing, as the store is set up in such a way, with the yarn in a corner at the back that one has to pass by scrapbooking and beading and art supplies, etc. to reach the yarn and then, pass by the decorative items, cake decorating supplies, and seasonal decorations on the way to the check out, that it is difficult not to see a lot of what they have!  But, I was not tempted to buy anything else other than the yarn I went to buy.  The store wasn't crowded on a weekday afternoon and I felt comfortable shopping.

After I came home, I took the trash cans to the curb for pick up on Tuesday morning, did a load of laundry, spoke with former neighbor T, chatted with friend R, watched news, and made my ham and potato soup for dinner.  It was the first time I have made this soup and it was good, but, it was just a little bland.

Tuesday was mostly cloudy and cool.  I brought in the emptied trash cans, put away the laundry I did on Monday, walked around the garden, made tuna salad to have on crackers for brunch, did a little housecleaning, watched some online videos, and crocheted.  I reheated the leftover ham and potato soup for my dinner and added a serrano chili to it and that really made a difference, I thought.  There is half a serving left; I will finish it for brunch on Wednesday.

I'm grateful for:

- Time spent in the garden
- Chatting with family and friends
- Weekly trash collections
- Safe drives to the library and craft store and back
- Working appliances

Joyful activities have included being in the garden, chatting with family and friends, and crocheting.

Plans for Wednesday include tending to the garden with M, more housework, and more crocheting.

How is your week coming along?
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April Meal Planning: Week 4

Ham and Potato Soup
(with celery, carrots, and tomatoes)

This was the meal plan for the third week in April:

Brunches: Leftover milkrice and chicken curry (Monday), ham and bread rolls (Tuesday), pancakes with sausages, scrambled egg and fried potatoes, leftover pancakes and sausages, more ham and bread rolls

Dinners: Cup of noodles soup (Monday), leftover spaghetti and meat sauce (Tuesday), ham fried rice, ham and potato soup, leftovers.

Here's how that worked out:

Monday:
Brunch:  Leftover milkrice and chicken curry 
Dinner: Cup of noodles soup

Tuesday:
Brunch: Ham and bread roll sandwich
Dinner: Leftover spaghetti and meat sauce

Wednesday:
Brunch: Scrambled egg, slice of ham, fried potatoes with bell pepper
Dinner: Tuna salad on crackers

Thursday:
Brunch: Bread roll with butter and peach jam
Dinner: Leftover spaghetti and meat sauce

Friday:
Brunch: Last of the leftover spaghetti
Dinner: Breakfast for dinner: pancakes and sausages

Saturday:
Brunch: Leftover pancakes and sausages
Dinner: Ham fried rice

Sunday:
Brunch: Leftover ham fried rice
Dinner: Oven baked seasoned potato wedges and scrambled egg

There were a few changes, but, it worked out quite well.

On to Week 4:

Once again, this week's meal plan is based on what I have on hand in the freezer, fridge, and pantry, including a whole 5 lb. bag of potatoes that must be finished before they sprout! 

Brunches: Ham and bread rolls (Monday), boiled mung beans, tuna salad and crackers, scrambled egg and fried potato, toast and peanut butter, muffins?

Dinners: Ham and potato soup (with added vegetables), baked salmon with broccoli and potatoes, chicken curry and rice with dhal and moringa curry, leftovers. 

At least, that's the plan!  No doubt there will be some changes as the week progresses!

Are you making a meal plan this week?

Sunny Sunday

 

The Back Garden on Sunday

I might be slightly obsessed with my garden, right now!  But, I've been spending a lot of time, just walking among the plants, watching the lizards scurry out of my way, and listening to the birds singing.

Flowers and Weeds!

On Sunday, I walked in the garden, read for a bit, watched some videos and played some games (Sudoku, Solitaire, etc.)  I had the leftover fried rice for brunch and for dinner, I baked some seasoned potato wedges (I put salt, garlic powder, and paprika) and had them with a scrambled egg.  As I told one of my friends, I'm on a "breakfast for dinner" streak!  

Daughter said the choir performance went well.  One of the other ladies gave her a ride to the venue and brought her back, afterwards, which was very kind of her.  

On Sunday, I was grateful for:

- A sunny and warm day
- Being able to open the doors and windows to air out the house
- Having a garden and being able to spend time in the garden
- Internet service and electricity
- Emails from friends

Sunday's joyful activity was spending time in the garden.

I've had a lovely, relaxed weekend, but, I need to be productive on Monday!

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

Relaxing on Saturday

 

Slightly Blurry Red Rose

Saturday was a sunny day, with a high in the low 70s.  Once again, I spent quite a bit of time out in the garden, checking on the plants, doing a spot of weeding, etc.  There was a mockingbird on one of the overhead wires, who had a lot to say!  There was a pair of crows, too, who checked out one of the overgrown Euphorbia tirucalli (pencil tree, pencil cactus) "trees" along the back garden wall; perhaps they were considering building a nest there?

I took it easy, after all the stress on Friday, and watched online videos, played some games, etc.  Dancer kept me company, in between his naps:

Watching the Sunlight Play on the Wall

Later in the evening, I spoke on the phone with Aunt C and video chatted with my daughter who spent the afternoon at a dress rehearsal for the UC Alumni Chorus spring performance, which will be held on Sunday (she's a second soprano).  She only started singing with them this spring, so this will be her first performance with them.  

Brunch was leftover pancakes and sausages from Friday's dinner.  Dinner was ham fried rice, made with leftover rice, ham, green peas, a scrambled egg, and some dry roasted peanuts added at the end.  Now I have leftover fried rice for Sunday's brunch!  I made some fresh lemonade to have with my dinner.  Yogurt for dessert.

On Saturday, I was grateful for:

- A sunny and warm day
- Daughter had fun at the dress rehearsal
- Phone calls from family and emails from friends
- The garden
- Dancer keeping me company

Saturday's joyful activities included spending time in the garden and video chatting with my daughter.

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

Garden Flowers on Friday

White Iris

Friday was a stressful day, trying to "close the stable door after the horse has gone" as my mother would have said!  I made a couple of phone calls and tried to put a freeze on my credit with the three major credit bureaus and found the whole experience to be stressful.  Even their customer service people were not very helpful, with me telling one of them that I was logged into my account and him telling me that my account had expired!  Eventually, my daughter helped and to put a credit freeze in place (I honestly don't know what I would have done without her!  She is such a blessing!)  

Light Pink Rose

I spent some extra time out in the garden, trying to destress by looking at the flowers and doing some weeding.  We have some new roses:

Dark Pink Roses

And the first chrysanthemums of the season - this is one of the plants that M rescued a couple of years ago. 

Purple Chrysanthemums

I love the color!  I must remember to set up some stakes around the chrysanthemum plants, so that they don't flop over as much as they did, last year!  

The dogbane/scaredy-cat plant is in full bloom, now:

Dogbane/Scaredy-Cat Plant

I think I will be taking some cuttings from the plant after it has finished flowering and plant them in other areas of the garden, as well.  The bees love these flowers!

Close Up

M was here in the evening and he thinned more of the peaches and watered the garden for me.  

Brunch was the last of the leftover spaghetti.  Dinner was "breakfast for dinner" - pancakes and sausages.  Snacks included a bowl of pomegranate seeds:

Pomegranate Seeds

On Friday, I was grateful for:

- My daughter
- Her help with placing the credit freezes
- M's help with the garden
- Having a garden
- Garden flowers

Friday's joyful activities included spending time in the garden, enjoying the flowers and listening to the bird songs.

Plans for Saturday include some housework and maybe baking.

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

Thursday

New Rose

M deadheaded all the other roses that were starting to fade, when he was here on Wednesday.

Thursday was a sunny and warm (low 70s) day.  I checked on the garden and the poor hummingbird sage plant was all wilted and drooping on the ground.  I tried to prop it up with a twig that I found in the garden.  It didn't like being transplanted, I guess.  But, it grows from a rhizome, so, hopefully, new growth will appear, eventually.

I spent some time cleaning the kitchen, today, scrubbing under the stove top, running the dishwasher, wiping down the counters, etc.  Later, I watched some videos and crocheted until my fingers started to cramp and then, I stopped.  It looks like I might need more yarn to finish the blanket that I am making.  I do hope that I have enough.

I am feeling a bit stressed, today, because I received an alert that my personal information was found on the dark web as a result of the phone company's data breach.  I now need to take a series of actions to try and protect myself from identity theft.  Thanks, phone company!  I really could have done without this additional stress!

On Thursday, I was grateful for:

- A sunny and warm day
- Being alerted about my personal information being breached
- The availability of credit monitoring services
- Working appliances and equipment
- Being able to knit and crochet

Thursday's joyful activities included receiving emails from friends, crocheting, and video chatting with my daughter.

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

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

Wednesday

Tea for Two!

Mama Cat and Chicken Little have started lining up on the steps every evening, around 4:30 p.m. or so.  They sit and wait until I give them a cup or so of kibble.  Patches comes by, later, after she checks to make sure that Mama Cat has gone away and the coast is clear!  She seems to prefer the canned food to the kibble, but, I tell her that she needs to eat whatever is given!  The canned cat food is a treat, not an everyday meal!

It was a sunny and warm (high of 77F) day, today.  M was here in the late morning to tend to the garden.  He brought me a new plant from his garden, a native plant known as hummingbird sage  (Salvia spathacea).  We planted it in the front garden, under the eucalyptus tree.  It's supposed to be drought tolerant, once established.  

I spent a fairly relaxed day, on Wednesday, crocheting and watching some online videos.  Later, I watched the evening news, chatted with friend R, and video chatted with my daughter.

Brunch was a scrambled egg, a slice of ham, and a potato cut up in cubes and fried, with a little diced bell pepper added to it.  Then, I wasn't very hungry for dinner, so I had tuna salad on crackers for dinner.

Today, I was grateful for:

- Another sunny and warm day
- M helping me with the garden and
- Bringing me more plants from his garden
- Being able to video chat with my daughter
- A relaxed day

Today's joyful activity was crocheting.  

Plans for Thursday include some weeding in the garden and more crocheting.

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