Saturday, Dec. 15

Up around 7:30, but once again, I skipped my exercises. Looks like it'll be Monday, before I get back on track again.

After breakfast, I got ready for the day, and went to the kitchen. My intention was to bake a cherry pie, but I discovered I had only one can of cherries, when I needed two. So off Hubbie went to get another can.

In the meantime, I gathered veggies for making potato soup. When Hubbie returned, he accompanied Mother to our house, and then peeled and sliced potatoes. Mother diced carrots, onions, and celery.

Potato soup seems to be the bane to my existence...particularly the onions, which are supposed to be sauteed in margarine, before adding the other veggies. The last time I made the soup, I cooked the onions with the potatoes, carrots and onions, forgetting to set aside the onions to cook later.

This time, I remembered to set them aside, but then I forgot to saute' them in margarine, before adding the flour, milk, and the other veggies. So I had to saute' them separately and then add them to the other veggies.

As for the cherry pie, I over-baked it, so the crust is more than golden brown. Maybe I should be banned from the kitchen.

Before leaving the kitchen, Mother made two recipes of Italian Cream Cheese balls, and then she adjoured to the den.

I spent the rest of the morning sprucing the house for company tomorrow. For lunch, we all chose something different. Mother had Ramen Noodle soup, I had a bowl of the freshly made potato soup, and Hubbie opted for a ham sandwich.

Afterward, Mother went to the couch for a nap, and Hubbie ran errands...to pick up barbecue and chicken salad for tomorrow. He succeeded in getting the barbecue, but he found that the little cafe' where we get chicken salad was closed. So I called a restaurant downtown to see if they were open and carried the salad. They do, so Hubbie went there to pick up a quart of it. I know how to make chicken salad, but sometimes, I run out of time to do everything.

Mother didn't nap long, and was up again around 2 p.m. I asked if she was ready to work on a jigsaw puzzle, and she was. She spent the rest of the afternoon happily engaged in that activity, while Hubbie and I did more household chores in preparation for company.

For supper, we had leftovers from the Master Gardener potluck last Thursday, with fresh baked potatoes. Hubbie accompanied Mother to her house afterward, and then we spent the evening watching TV, including a 2006 disaster movie called "Solar Attack." A coronal mass ejection from the sun threatens earth. What can be done to stop it?

Then, we watched our favorite college basketball team, as they played to a wide-margin win.