Up at 6:30 this morning, but skipped my exercises, because we expected the guy who worked on the upstairs bathroom to come and take out the sink top and cabinets, and prepare the floor for new vinyl. He was scheduled to be here at 8:30, but it was closer to 9:30 before he arrived.
Because he was going to work in that bathroom, we had to remove everything. Since the new sink top and cabinets will not be ready until a week from this Wednesday, we brought all my stuff to the downstairs bathroom. Once again, Hubbie and I will have to share this small bathroom for a while.
The worker announced today that he would like for me to choose vinyl tomorrow, so he can put it down on New Years Day, of all days. Hubbie is okay with this, but I'm not keen on it. Obviously, if he's going to be here, we'll need to invite him to join us for New Years dinner at noon.
I was less than happy about being given such a short time to select flooring, and I certainly didn't want to do it without having the color of the vanity top on hand. I don't have photographic memory, so I don't want to shop for vinyl without knowing what will tie that vanity top and the color of the walls together.
As it is, this whole project has been done piecemeal...first I selected a paint color that would not clash with the old blue vanity top, and then all the plumbing problems arose, which necessitated replacing the top and the cabinets. Then I had to choose another color for the top that would not clash with the new color of the walls. Now I'm forced to find vinyl that will not clash with those two colors.
The worker realized that I wasn't a bit happy, so he called the business that is making the top, and arranged to get a sample of it to bring to me tomorrow morning.
The work on the bathroom required cutting up the vanity, and breaking down the cabinets, taking up the old vinyl, and replacing some of the floor that had been soaked by water...all a very noisy process.
While he worked, I did chores downstairs, and then I showered and changed clothes before lunch. Mother opted to stay home today, so I fixed a Ramen noodle soup lunch for her, which Hubbie delivered to her house.
Hubbie and I had roast beef sandwiches, and since there wasn't enough, I did not invite the worker to join us. He spent his lunch hour fetching supplies that he needed for the project.
Later, I made a batch of muffins, and then we took those, along with Dragon Soup, over to Mother's house, and joined her for supper.
Afterward, around 7 p.m., Hubbie and I went to the college to watch a basketball game. Unfortunately, our team lost again. They did splendidly in the first half, and were up by about ten points at halftime. But it all went south in the second half. Disappointing. Oh well, they play again Thursday night, and we'll be there to cheer them on.
Br-r-r, it was cold outside today, but fortunately there was no wind for the walk to the gym. Counties south of us got a smattering of snow today, but we got nothing but cold.
Back home around 9 p.m., we watched a Lifetime Channel movie called, "Murder on the 13th Floor," which I'd recorded on DVR.
Headed to bed not long after.
Note: the van was repaired today, and Hubble picked it up this morning. So happy to have back!
Monday, December 30, 2013
Sunday, December 29, 2013
Sunday, Dec. 29
Up at 7:30, but skipped my exercises after breakfast. Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house around 9 a.m., and she diced veggies...onions, carrots, celery, and banana peppers...for making a base for Dragon Soup. I sauteed the veggies in a small amount of olive oil, and then added beef and chicken broths, and frozen tomatoes preserved from our garden, plus various spices and herbs.
While these veggies cooked, I did this and that around the house, including storing some Christmas decorations. I like to get all the extra stuff put away, and then take the trees down right after New Years Day. The Christmas village on the mantel will remain as a winter village through January.
Later, I added several containers of veggies/gravies/pastas/meats to the soup. Whenever there are leftovers that are too small for a serving, or that will not work into other meals in a day or two, I put them in quart size plastic containers and freeze them until there are enough to make a big pot of soup.
It's called Dragon Soup, because I'm "draggin" stuff out of the freezer to make it. It's delicious every time, because of the blending of flavors, but it is also different every time, because there is always a different combination of foods.
Later, Mother mixed a batch of cornbread for the oven, and she and Hubbie enjoyed it, while I opted for biscuits and honey.
After lunch, we watched a 2010 movie borrowed from the library..."Country Strong," starring Gwyneth Paltrow, and Tim McGraw. A rising country star works with an alcohol sodden star on her way down. Romance plays a role in complicating matters. Rated PG-13.
We followed that with an HBO TV series, "VEEP," also from the library, but not long after beginning it, we realized there was too much language for Mother's ears .So I stopped it, and looked for something more mild on TV. Meanwhile, Mother went to her jigsaw puzzle.
After a while, Mother returned to the den, and we watched a Lifetime channel movie, " The Wrong Woman," about a woman who is accused of murder, is represented by a dude of a lawyer, and eventually has to act as her own attorney.
Afterward, Hubbie accompanied Mother to her house, and then we continued watching TV...episodes of "VEEP." We binge watched the first season, and if we want to see the second season, we'll need to request that the library to order it.
While these veggies cooked, I did this and that around the house, including storing some Christmas decorations. I like to get all the extra stuff put away, and then take the trees down right after New Years Day. The Christmas village on the mantel will remain as a winter village through January.
Later, I added several containers of veggies/gravies/pastas/meats to the soup. Whenever there are leftovers that are too small for a serving, or that will not work into other meals in a day or two, I put them in quart size plastic containers and freeze them until there are enough to make a big pot of soup.
It's called Dragon Soup, because I'm "draggin" stuff out of the freezer to make it. It's delicious every time, because of the blending of flavors, but it is also different every time, because there is always a different combination of foods.
Later, Mother mixed a batch of cornbread for the oven, and she and Hubbie enjoyed it, while I opted for biscuits and honey.
After lunch, we watched a 2010 movie borrowed from the library..."Country Strong," starring Gwyneth Paltrow, and Tim McGraw. A rising country star works with an alcohol sodden star on her way down. Romance plays a role in complicating matters. Rated PG-13.
We followed that with an HBO TV series, "VEEP," also from the library, but not long after beginning it, we realized there was too much language for Mother's ears .So I stopped it, and looked for something more mild on TV. Meanwhile, Mother went to her jigsaw puzzle.
After a while, Mother returned to the den, and we watched a Lifetime channel movie, " The Wrong Woman," about a woman who is accused of murder, is represented by a dude of a lawyer, and eventually has to act as her own attorney.
Afterward, Hubbie accompanied Mother to her house, and then we continued watching TV...episodes of "VEEP." We binge watched the first season, and if we want to see the second season, we'll need to request that the library to order it.
Saturday, December 28, 2013
Saturday, Dec. 28
Woke up around 5:30, following a strange dream that Hubbie and I had bought a castle (I think a program we watched last night about castles prompted this dream). I kept getting lost in the castle, and ending up in various rooms...the billiard room, the servant's quarters, etc.
At one point, I noticed a beautiful winter scene through a window...a creek meandered through a forest, and I wanted to go out and snap pictures of it. But when I finally found my camera bag, I realized that someone had stolen the camera. I wanted to tell Hubbie about this, but I simply couldn't find him, so I continued to wander though the castle, becoming more anxious all the time. I was very glad to awaken in my own bed! But it took a while to fall asleep again.
We were up at 7:30, and I did stair stepping, resistance bands, and weights exercises after breakfast. Around 9:30, Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house, and she went straight to her jigsaw puzzle. I didn't help her with it today, since I had other things I needed to tend to.
At lunch, we each had something different...Ramen noodle soup for Mother, roast beef sandwich for Hubbie, and an egg salad sandwich for me.
Afterward, Mother returned to her puzzle, while Hubbie and I ran errands. We went first to the greeting card shop, where I bought New Years cards for a few of my friends that I didn't have time to send Christmas cards to. I also bought a couple of birthday cards.
From there, Hubbie dropped me off at a department store, while he went to a grocery store to pick up a couple more 99-cent pineapples. At the department store, I bought six pairs of undies for Mother, who requested them. She suggested I buy them at the WDCS, so she could use the gift card I gave her, but that store seems to specialize mainly in cotton ones, and Mother prefers the silky ones.
I found what she wanted, bought six pairs (three pairs for $15.99...a sale price), and used a $10 off $25 purchase to get them. The six pairs still cost around $17, so Mother will return the WDCS gift card, and pay the remaining $7. I remember when those six pairs would not have cost more than $7!
Hubbie returned to pick me up, and we went to the library. Got four selections, some of which are in series form. There's enough to entertain us through the chilly weather of the New Years holiday, since there is nothing but re-runs on TV right now.
Next, we went to the WDCS for personal items and few groceries. Made one more stop, and then headed home.
At home, Mother helped put together a potato dish for the oven that calls for diced potatoes, sliced onions, olive oil, and various spices.
Put the dish in the oven around 4:30, and a few minutes later, I cooked turkey burgers to go with the potatoes. It was a tasty Saturday fun meal.
Not long afterward, Hubbie accompanied Mother to her house, and then he and I watched TV, including an R-rated thriller called, "The Long Kiss Goodnight," starring Gena Davis. Plenty of language and violence, and improbable stunts.
Following that, we watched our favorite college basketball team, as they played to a wide-margin win.
At one point, I noticed a beautiful winter scene through a window...a creek meandered through a forest, and I wanted to go out and snap pictures of it. But when I finally found my camera bag, I realized that someone had stolen the camera. I wanted to tell Hubbie about this, but I simply couldn't find him, so I continued to wander though the castle, becoming more anxious all the time. I was very glad to awaken in my own bed! But it took a while to fall asleep again.
We were up at 7:30, and I did stair stepping, resistance bands, and weights exercises after breakfast. Around 9:30, Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house, and she went straight to her jigsaw puzzle. I didn't help her with it today, since I had other things I needed to tend to.
At lunch, we each had something different...Ramen noodle soup for Mother, roast beef sandwich for Hubbie, and an egg salad sandwich for me.
Afterward, Mother returned to her puzzle, while Hubbie and I ran errands. We went first to the greeting card shop, where I bought New Years cards for a few of my friends that I didn't have time to send Christmas cards to. I also bought a couple of birthday cards.
From there, Hubbie dropped me off at a department store, while he went to a grocery store to pick up a couple more 99-cent pineapples. At the department store, I bought six pairs of undies for Mother, who requested them. She suggested I buy them at the WDCS, so she could use the gift card I gave her, but that store seems to specialize mainly in cotton ones, and Mother prefers the silky ones.
I found what she wanted, bought six pairs (three pairs for $15.99...a sale price), and used a $10 off $25 purchase to get them. The six pairs still cost around $17, so Mother will return the WDCS gift card, and pay the remaining $7. I remember when those six pairs would not have cost more than $7!
Hubbie returned to pick me up, and we went to the library. Got four selections, some of which are in series form. There's enough to entertain us through the chilly weather of the New Years holiday, since there is nothing but re-runs on TV right now.
Next, we went to the WDCS for personal items and few groceries. Made one more stop, and then headed home.
At home, Mother helped put together a potato dish for the oven that calls for diced potatoes, sliced onions, olive oil, and various spices.
Put the dish in the oven around 4:30, and a few minutes later, I cooked turkey burgers to go with the potatoes. It was a tasty Saturday fun meal.
Not long afterward, Hubbie accompanied Mother to her house, and then he and I watched TV, including an R-rated thriller called, "The Long Kiss Goodnight," starring Gena Davis. Plenty of language and violence, and improbable stunts.
Following that, we watched our favorite college basketball team, as they played to a wide-margin win.
Friday, Dec. 27
Up around 7:30, and did stair stepping, resistance bands, and weights exercises after breakfast. Daughter got up while I was doing this. While I got ready for the day, Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house.
Daughter had planned to head home right after lunch, because she thought she had business to attend to, but then she realized she didn't have to do it until Monday, so she stayed the day.
Daughter worked on the jigsaw puzzle with Mother, while I did some chores around the house, including washing several loads of laundry.
After lunch, I joined the two of them in working on jigsaw puzzles. Finished the one we began yesterday, and started a new one. These are two that I gave Mother for Christmas. The one we started today is also Christmas themed.
For supper, I fixed breakfast for supper...biscuits and gravy, with a side of scrambled egg substitute. It was a satisfying, if not particularly healthy meal. Afterward, Daughter headed home, about two hours away. I'm always edgy about her traveling alone at night, but she seems unconcerned, since she works nights and is accustomed to driving after dark.
After she left, Hubbie, Mother, and I, played Skipbo for the evening. We each won a game, and by 9 p.m., Mother was ready to go home. Hubbie accompanied her.
Not long afterward, we were ready to head to bed.
******************************************
Note: since our van was supposed to be ready today, Hubbie called the shop. He learned that the vehicle is not ready yet, because the necessary parts for it haven't come in yet. Phooey.
Daughter had planned to head home right after lunch, because she thought she had business to attend to, but then she realized she didn't have to do it until Monday, so she stayed the day.
Daughter worked on the jigsaw puzzle with Mother, while I did some chores around the house, including washing several loads of laundry.
After lunch, I joined the two of them in working on jigsaw puzzles. Finished the one we began yesterday, and started a new one. These are two that I gave Mother for Christmas. The one we started today is also Christmas themed.
For supper, I fixed breakfast for supper...biscuits and gravy, with a side of scrambled egg substitute. It was a satisfying, if not particularly healthy meal. Afterward, Daughter headed home, about two hours away. I'm always edgy about her traveling alone at night, but she seems unconcerned, since she works nights and is accustomed to driving after dark.
After she left, Hubbie, Mother, and I, played Skipbo for the evening. We each won a game, and by 9 p.m., Mother was ready to go home. Hubbie accompanied her.
Not long afterward, we were ready to head to bed.
******************************************
Note: since our van was supposed to be ready today, Hubbie called the shop. He learned that the vehicle is not ready yet, because the necessary parts for it haven't come in yet. Phooey.
Thursday, Dec. 26
We were up around 7:30, and I did stair stepping, resistance bands, and weights exercises after breakfast. Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house around 9:30, and she chopped up deviled eggs from Christmas dinner to make egg salad for today's lunch.
Once I was ready for the day, I helped Mother work on a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle that Daughter gave her for Christmas. Daughter slept until nearly noon, and then she joined us in working the puzzle. It soon became apparent that the puzzle was too difficult for Mother, so we broke it down and began another one. Daughter decided to take the puzzle to Granddaughter. There appears to be no jigsaw puzzle too difficult for her.
The second puzzle, a 500-piece Christmas-themed one, was challenging, too, but not as difficult as the other one. We spent the day on it, breaking only for lunch. While we did this, Hubbie spent his day reading a new John Grisham novel on his e-reader. It must be a good one, because he had trouble putting it down.
I was hoping that Daughter and I could make wine jelly this afternoon, but the canning jars were in the dishwasher, which Hubbie started running right after lunch. It would be an hour or so before it stopped, so I abandoned the idea until after supper.
Supper was leftover roast beef and trimmings. Daughter really enjoyed the meal. Afterward, once the kitchen was cleaned, I gathered ingredients and supplies, and we made the jelly. I measured the ingredients, and then Daughter finished the process. I helped put lids and rings on the jars she filled, and then I put them in the water bath. All the jars sealed except one, which I gave to Daughter to take home to Granddaughter.
This was Daughter's first time to make jelly, and she had a really good time doing it. I gave her the recipe, along with specific instructions about the supplies and ingredients she would need. Granddaughter has canned pickles and such, so she won't have a problem making jelly. Daughter is looking forward to doing this with her.
When the jelly was done, we returned to the puzzle. Mother worked on it while we were in the kitchen. She usually likes to participate in jelly making, but not when I make wine jelly. She doesn't like the smell of it.
Later, Hubbie accompanied Mother to her house, and then he, Daughter, and I, finished the evening watching TV.
Once I was ready for the day, I helped Mother work on a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle that Daughter gave her for Christmas. Daughter slept until nearly noon, and then she joined us in working the puzzle. It soon became apparent that the puzzle was too difficult for Mother, so we broke it down and began another one. Daughter decided to take the puzzle to Granddaughter. There appears to be no jigsaw puzzle too difficult for her.
The second puzzle, a 500-piece Christmas-themed one, was challenging, too, but not as difficult as the other one. We spent the day on it, breaking only for lunch. While we did this, Hubbie spent his day reading a new John Grisham novel on his e-reader. It must be a good one, because he had trouble putting it down.
I was hoping that Daughter and I could make wine jelly this afternoon, but the canning jars were in the dishwasher, which Hubbie started running right after lunch. It would be an hour or so before it stopped, so I abandoned the idea until after supper.
Supper was leftover roast beef and trimmings. Daughter really enjoyed the meal. Afterward, once the kitchen was cleaned, I gathered ingredients and supplies, and we made the jelly. I measured the ingredients, and then Daughter finished the process. I helped put lids and rings on the jars she filled, and then I put them in the water bath. All the jars sealed except one, which I gave to Daughter to take home to Granddaughter.
This was Daughter's first time to make jelly, and she had a really good time doing it. I gave her the recipe, along with specific instructions about the supplies and ingredients she would need. Granddaughter has canned pickles and such, so she won't have a problem making jelly. Daughter is looking forward to doing this with her.
When the jelly was done, we returned to the puzzle. Mother worked on it while we were in the kitchen. She usually likes to participate in jelly making, but not when I make wine jelly. She doesn't like the smell of it.
Later, Hubbie accompanied Mother to her house, and then he, Daughter, and I, finished the evening watching TV.
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Wednesday, Dec. 25
Merry Christmas!
We were up around 7:30. I skipped my exercises this morning after breakfast, of course. Went ahead and got dressed and ready to start lunch preparations.
Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house around 9 a.m., and she prepared veggies to add to a beef roast. I seasoned and browned the roast and put it in the slow cooker. Surrounded it with carrots and onions, and added beef and chicken broths.
While the roast cooked, Mother and I watched "The Nutcracker," with Mikhail Baryshnikov and "Scrooge," starring Alastair Sim. Hubbie found other things to do, of course.
Toward noon, I got phone calls from both of my sons. I enjoyed talking with both of them, as well as a couple of my grandchildren whom I haven't seen in a long time. The young people are very busy with their own lives, so I understand why it's difficult for them to find time to visit very often.
Afterward, I finished lunch preparations...boiling potatoes (that Hubbie had peeled) and mashing them, and making gravy. The roast was very tender and good, served with the potatoes and gravy, asparagus, deviled eggs, and fruit salad, as well as homemade bread that Sis provided.
After dinner, Mother went to a new 1,000 piece Christmas themed jigsaw puzzle that Daughter gave her, Hubbie began reading his new John Grisham novel, and I caught up on writing blogs. After a while, I joined Mother at the jigsaw puzzle. She was having trouble putting the border together, so I helped her do that. We worked a while longer on it, but didn't get very far with it.
Had a late supper of sandwiches and chips, and a choice of desserts, then started watching TV. Around 7 p.m., Daughter arrived. When she hadn't shown up for lunch, I thought she had changed her mind about coming up. But she was just delayed, because she was visiting her daughters and enjoying lunch with them, and playing with her grandchildren and their new outdoor toys.
She will visit with us for a couple of days, which will be fun. I don't have anything special planned, but we'll find stuff to do, I'm sure...like working on that huge jigsaw puzzle.
Spent the evening watching TV, of course. Tonight's fare was the two-part "Bonnie and Clyde" mini-series. It was a strange movie to watch on Christmas, but it was the only thing recorded in our DVR, and there was nothing else on TV that we hadn't already seen.
Around 9:30, Mother finally decided to go home. She had spent the evening nodding off to sleep, anyway..
We were up around 7:30. I skipped my exercises this morning after breakfast, of course. Went ahead and got dressed and ready to start lunch preparations.
Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house around 9 a.m., and she prepared veggies to add to a beef roast. I seasoned and browned the roast and put it in the slow cooker. Surrounded it with carrots and onions, and added beef and chicken broths.
While the roast cooked, Mother and I watched "The Nutcracker," with Mikhail Baryshnikov and "Scrooge," starring Alastair Sim. Hubbie found other things to do, of course.
Toward noon, I got phone calls from both of my sons. I enjoyed talking with both of them, as well as a couple of my grandchildren whom I haven't seen in a long time. The young people are very busy with their own lives, so I understand why it's difficult for them to find time to visit very often.
Afterward, I finished lunch preparations...boiling potatoes (that Hubbie had peeled) and mashing them, and making gravy. The roast was very tender and good, served with the potatoes and gravy, asparagus, deviled eggs, and fruit salad, as well as homemade bread that Sis provided.
After dinner, Mother went to a new 1,000 piece Christmas themed jigsaw puzzle that Daughter gave her, Hubbie began reading his new John Grisham novel, and I caught up on writing blogs. After a while, I joined Mother at the jigsaw puzzle. She was having trouble putting the border together, so I helped her do that. We worked a while longer on it, but didn't get very far with it.
Had a late supper of sandwiches and chips, and a choice of desserts, then started watching TV. Around 7 p.m., Daughter arrived. When she hadn't shown up for lunch, I thought she had changed her mind about coming up. But she was just delayed, because she was visiting her daughters and enjoying lunch with them, and playing with her grandchildren and their new outdoor toys.
She will visit with us for a couple of days, which will be fun. I don't have anything special planned, but we'll find stuff to do, I'm sure...like working on that huge jigsaw puzzle.
Spent the evening watching TV, of course. Tonight's fare was the two-part "Bonnie and Clyde" mini-series. It was a strange movie to watch on Christmas, but it was the only thing recorded in our DVR, and there was nothing else on TV that we hadn't already seen.
Around 9:30, Mother finally decided to go home. She had spent the evening nodding off to sleep, anyway..
Tuesday, Dec. 24
Christmas Eve. As usual, Hubbie was anxious to get to the gift exchange, though I don't know why. Many of the things under the tree were for Mother.
I managed to get an exercise session in after breakfast this morning. Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house while I showered and dressed. When I was back downstairs, I gathered ingredients for making a couple of more Italian cream cheese balls, which Mother put together.
While she did that, I put a pan of eggs on to boil, and then gathered ingredients for making fruit salad. When the cream cheese balls were in the refrigerator, Mother and I put the fruit salad together, and I put that in fridge, too, to chill overnight.
Now we were ready to soak up Christmas movies after lunch, while Hubbie spent most of his time on the computer in the office, or talking on the phone to his relatives.
Mother and I watched a Scrooge ballet, and the animated features, "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas," as well as "Horton Hears a Who," which is on the same DVD.
Later, for supper, we went to a local steak house restaurant. Since we'd had chicken in every form this week, and beef roast was on the menu for Christmas Day, we opted for fish. Mother ordered grilled salmon and baked sweet potato, and Hubbie and I had grilled tilapia, with baked white potatoes, and a side of okra. Both kinds of fish were really very tasty and hit the spot.
It was no small order getting Mother into and out of the little loaner car we're driving right now while our van is in the shop. At the restaurant, as I was lifting Mother out of the car and helping her into her wheelchair, a group of about six young adults walked by. At the restaurant, one young man was holding the door open for us, while another young man held open the inner door. Inside, the young women insisted that we be seated before them. We were very touched by this show of kindness.
Odd: a young family...dad, mom, and little girl about two years old, came to the restaurant clad in pajamas. Well, actually, the dad wore a cotton short sleeve pullover pajama top over jeans, but the mom wore heavy fleece jammies with Ugg boots, and the little girl was in regular PJs. Guess they wanted to be ready for bed as soon as they got home, so Santa could visit early.
Following the meal, we took another trip through the Christmas trail of lights at the riverside park. This time, we located the correct radio station, so we could enjoy the lights synchronized with the music.
Mother really enjoyed this outing, and was in a very cheerful mood when we got back home. Everyone was ready to dive into the gifts, since it's our tradition to open presents on Christmas Eve.
Mother got lots of loot, including six more jigsaw puzzle (she acquired nine altogether this Christmas); five mock turtleneck shirts in her favorite colors; a fleece jacket with a pretty light blue and tan design and little sparkles on it (this was from Hubbie); a photo book featuring snapshots of herself alone and with family; and two door mats for her front porch;
Hubbie got gift cards, as did I, as well as a big bag of homemade peanut brittle (his favorite candy); full length winter underwear; scratch off cards, which netted him $19; a black knit shirt; and five mystery novels for his e-reader, including the newest John Grisham book.
I also got scratch off cards, for which I garnered only $2. Besides several gift cards, Hubbie gave me a new kitchen hand mixer, a box of mixed chocolates, and a couple of large bars of Godiva dark chocolate (my favorite). Kept in the refrigerator, this is enough chocolate to last me a year.
Mother also gave me a gift card to a department store. I'll have a happy time shopping after Christmas!
After the gift exchange we watched TV for a while. Mother opted to stay around until bedtime, and then Hubbie accompanied her to her house. We headed to bed soon after.
I managed to get an exercise session in after breakfast this morning. Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house while I showered and dressed. When I was back downstairs, I gathered ingredients for making a couple of more Italian cream cheese balls, which Mother put together.
While she did that, I put a pan of eggs on to boil, and then gathered ingredients for making fruit salad. When the cream cheese balls were in the refrigerator, Mother and I put the fruit salad together, and I put that in fridge, too, to chill overnight.
Now we were ready to soak up Christmas movies after lunch, while Hubbie spent most of his time on the computer in the office, or talking on the phone to his relatives.
Mother and I watched a Scrooge ballet, and the animated features, "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas," as well as "Horton Hears a Who," which is on the same DVD.
Later, for supper, we went to a local steak house restaurant. Since we'd had chicken in every form this week, and beef roast was on the menu for Christmas Day, we opted for fish. Mother ordered grilled salmon and baked sweet potato, and Hubbie and I had grilled tilapia, with baked white potatoes, and a side of okra. Both kinds of fish were really very tasty and hit the spot.
It was no small order getting Mother into and out of the little loaner car we're driving right now while our van is in the shop. At the restaurant, as I was lifting Mother out of the car and helping her into her wheelchair, a group of about six young adults walked by. At the restaurant, one young man was holding the door open for us, while another young man held open the inner door. Inside, the young women insisted that we be seated before them. We were very touched by this show of kindness.
Odd: a young family...dad, mom, and little girl about two years old, came to the restaurant clad in pajamas. Well, actually, the dad wore a cotton short sleeve pullover pajama top over jeans, but the mom wore heavy fleece jammies with Ugg boots, and the little girl was in regular PJs. Guess they wanted to be ready for bed as soon as they got home, so Santa could visit early.
Following the meal, we took another trip through the Christmas trail of lights at the riverside park. This time, we located the correct radio station, so we could enjoy the lights synchronized with the music.
Mother really enjoyed this outing, and was in a very cheerful mood when we got back home. Everyone was ready to dive into the gifts, since it's our tradition to open presents on Christmas Eve.
Mother got lots of loot, including six more jigsaw puzzle (she acquired nine altogether this Christmas); five mock turtleneck shirts in her favorite colors; a fleece jacket with a pretty light blue and tan design and little sparkles on it (this was from Hubbie); a photo book featuring snapshots of herself alone and with family; and two door mats for her front porch;
Hubbie got gift cards, as did I, as well as a big bag of homemade peanut brittle (his favorite candy); full length winter underwear; scratch off cards, which netted him $19; a black knit shirt; and five mystery novels for his e-reader, including the newest John Grisham book.
I also got scratch off cards, for which I garnered only $2. Besides several gift cards, Hubbie gave me a new kitchen hand mixer, a box of mixed chocolates, and a couple of large bars of Godiva dark chocolate (my favorite). Kept in the refrigerator, this is enough chocolate to last me a year.
Mother also gave me a gift card to a department store. I'll have a happy time shopping after Christmas!
After the gift exchange we watched TV for a while. Mother opted to stay around until bedtime, and then Hubbie accompanied her to her house. We headed to bed soon after.
Monday, Dec. 23
Up early this morning to wake Daughter, who wanted to head home by 9 a.m., because she was scheduled to be on duty at noon to take care of her friend's elderly mother-in-law until 3 p.m.
I skipped my exercises after breakfast today, since I expected Mother and Sis to come over sometime mid-morning. When they arrived, I gave Mother the last of her twelve days of Christmas gifts, as well as a small gift to Sis, who had brought a large box of goodies to us.
Sis's gift was a cookbook titled "Taste of the Mountains," compiled by a group in another county.
The cookbook features biographical stories of some of the group, as well as country wit and wisdom sayings.
We spent most of today watching a couple of Christmas movies..."It's a Wonderful Life," and "Miracle on 34th Street," as well as the animated Charlie Brown features.
While we watched movies, Hubbie ran errands, including going to the grocery store to get cream cheese for making Italian cream cheese balls. When he returned, Sis made a couple to take home with her.
Lunch today was soups and sandwiches, and supper was a choice of barbecue sandwiches or hot dogs, served with slaw and chips. There was plenty to choose from in desserts, since we brought sample of goodies home from Hubbie's daughter's Sunday Christmas party.
Sis gathered her stuff and headed home shortly after supper. Mother opted to stay here and watch Hallmark Christmas movies with us for the evening, and then Hubbie accompanied her to her house.
We weren't long heading to bed after that.
***************************************************
Mother's twelve days of Christmas gifts included: a jar of homemade peach jam, two gift cards to the beauty shop, a gift card to our favorite Italian restaurant, a gift card to the WDCS, Jelly Belly jelly beans, a box of chocolate covered cherries, a jigsaw puzzle, scratch off cards (for winnings of $7), a hairbrush, two picture calendars and a bottle of her favorite shampoo/body wash, a Skipbo card game, and a bag of Little Cuties mandarin oranges.
I had to strain my brain this year thinking of things that Mother could appreciate. At her age, there is very little that she needs or wants. The food items are all things that she likes. She's looking forward to ordering spinach quiche (which she loves) with her Italian restaurant gift card.
Jelly Belly is her all-time favorite candy. She doesn't eat a lot of fruit, but she really likes the Little Cuties, which are easy for her to peel and eat, and are the right serving size for her. The chocolate covered cherries take her down memory lane to a time when that was the one special candy we could afford at Christmas.
We have many board and card games, but the only one that Mother likes is Skipbo, so we wore out the old cards. A new game was in order.
She recently lost her hairbrush, so of course she needed a new one. And the shampoo/body wash combination is the only one she uses.
She has difficulty keeping up with dates, but she still wants a calendar in her kitchen, and one in her bedroom. One of the calendars is a nature photo one that she'll enjoy looking at. The other features Norman Rockwell prints, which always charm her.
I skipped my exercises after breakfast today, since I expected Mother and Sis to come over sometime mid-morning. When they arrived, I gave Mother the last of her twelve days of Christmas gifts, as well as a small gift to Sis, who had brought a large box of goodies to us.
Sis's gift was a cookbook titled "Taste of the Mountains," compiled by a group in another county.
The cookbook features biographical stories of some of the group, as well as country wit and wisdom sayings.
We spent most of today watching a couple of Christmas movies..."It's a Wonderful Life," and "Miracle on 34th Street," as well as the animated Charlie Brown features.
While we watched movies, Hubbie ran errands, including going to the grocery store to get cream cheese for making Italian cream cheese balls. When he returned, Sis made a couple to take home with her.
Lunch today was soups and sandwiches, and supper was a choice of barbecue sandwiches or hot dogs, served with slaw and chips. There was plenty to choose from in desserts, since we brought sample of goodies home from Hubbie's daughter's Sunday Christmas party.
Sis gathered her stuff and headed home shortly after supper. Mother opted to stay here and watch Hallmark Christmas movies with us for the evening, and then Hubbie accompanied her to her house.
We weren't long heading to bed after that.
***************************************************
Mother's twelve days of Christmas gifts included: a jar of homemade peach jam, two gift cards to the beauty shop, a gift card to our favorite Italian restaurant, a gift card to the WDCS, Jelly Belly jelly beans, a box of chocolate covered cherries, a jigsaw puzzle, scratch off cards (for winnings of $7), a hairbrush, two picture calendars and a bottle of her favorite shampoo/body wash, a Skipbo card game, and a bag of Little Cuties mandarin oranges.
I had to strain my brain this year thinking of things that Mother could appreciate. At her age, there is very little that she needs or wants. The food items are all things that she likes. She's looking forward to ordering spinach quiche (which she loves) with her Italian restaurant gift card.
Jelly Belly is her all-time favorite candy. She doesn't eat a lot of fruit, but she really likes the Little Cuties, which are easy for her to peel and eat, and are the right serving size for her. The chocolate covered cherries take her down memory lane to a time when that was the one special candy we could afford at Christmas.
We have many board and card games, but the only one that Mother likes is Skipbo, so we wore out the old cards. A new game was in order.
She recently lost her hairbrush, so of course she needed a new one. And the shampoo/body wash combination is the only one she uses.
She has difficulty keeping up with dates, but she still wants a calendar in her kitchen, and one in her bedroom. One of the calendars is a nature photo one that she'll enjoy looking at. The other features Norman Rockwell prints, which always charm her.
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Sunday, Dec. 22
Up early, around 6 a.m., so we could get ready for a trip about an hour away for a Christmas visit with Hubbie's family. Daughter went with us, but Sis and Mother opted to stay home.
We arrived at Hubbie's daughter's home around 10:30. Granddaughter and her family were already there, having arrived from Michigan yesterday. That family, all eight of them (three adults and five children), traveled all night from upper Michigan to our state. They were in a van, but it was still a tight fit. One of the children is a young adult, and one is a teenager. One is a baby, and two are under age five. One of the adults is Granddaughter's mother-in-law.Not my idea of a pleasant trip.
Soon, the others arrived...Hubbie's other daughter, and his son, plus several grandchildren and great-grandchildren, as well as assorted spouses, and Hubbie's ex-wife. It was a large and boisterous gathering.
There was a bounty of food, of course, including three kinds of soup, and sandwich makings, side dishes, and lots and lots of dessert choices. The soups I brought were welcome, and the wine jelly was a hit.
Once we'd eaten and cleared away the meal, there was a gift exchange. The women among us gave token gifts to families. My gift was a choice of half-pint jars of homemade jellies. One of the daughters gave crocheted dish clothes; the other gave little battery-operated candles in holders; Hubbie's ex-wife gave quart Ziplock bags of pecans and little bottles of hand lotion; a granddaughter gave quart jars of homemade cherry jam.
Hubbie and his family have agreed not to exchange Christmas gifts, but rather to do birthday gifts only. Unfortunately, Hubbie failed to pack one daughter's birthday gift into the car. The gift card for the other daughter was in his pocket, though. The two daughters have birthdays on the same day.
The two girls go together to get a gift for me, though I've repeatedly told them it is unnecessary to get anything for me. Today, they presented me with a gift basket of the brand of beauty supplies one of the daughters sells.
The hostess daughter is one of the most thoughtful people I know, so she saw that my daughter was not left out. Daughter came home with one of the battery operated candles, a dishcloth, pecans and lotion, and an extra gift of a star shaped candle and holder.
Part of the afternoon was devoted to the children making graham cracker Christmas houses. We brought all the supplies, and the kids gathered around the ping-pong table in the garage, which was covered with plastic table clothes.
We were amused when a couple of the boys at first refused to participate, but then were irresistibly drawn to the project. One of the grown granddaughters even wanted to do one. It was a happy time, and there were a lot of creative results.
Around 3:30, everyone was ready to leave. We arrived back home around 4:30, and I immediately heated soups and set out sandwich makings for our supper.
After supper, we went on a Christmas lights tour of the town. We were all impressed with the elaborate and spectacular display at the river park...thousands of lights, some of which are synchronized to music (if only we could have found the correct radio station to hear the Christmas tunes). We also enjoyed the downtown lighting display, as well as a few "Griswold" decorated homes around town.
Back home, we snacked on hot chocolate and a choice of desserts...rum cake for everyone but Mother, who opted for cookies.
Not long afterward, we were ready to call it a night. It had been a big day for some of us, and one that Daughter thoroughly enjoyed.
***********************************************
Note: Daughter has a new, and technically wonderful pair of hearing aids. They include a mic that can be attached to clothing, so that whoever is wearing it can talk in a normal tone of voice, and Daughter can clearly understand. She was very much loving hearing the sound of my voice. It was as though she'd never really heard it before.
We arrived at Hubbie's daughter's home around 10:30. Granddaughter and her family were already there, having arrived from Michigan yesterday. That family, all eight of them (three adults and five children), traveled all night from upper Michigan to our state. They were in a van, but it was still a tight fit. One of the children is a young adult, and one is a teenager. One is a baby, and two are under age five. One of the adults is Granddaughter's mother-in-law.Not my idea of a pleasant trip.
Soon, the others arrived...Hubbie's other daughter, and his son, plus several grandchildren and great-grandchildren, as well as assorted spouses, and Hubbie's ex-wife. It was a large and boisterous gathering.
There was a bounty of food, of course, including three kinds of soup, and sandwich makings, side dishes, and lots and lots of dessert choices. The soups I brought were welcome, and the wine jelly was a hit.
Once we'd eaten and cleared away the meal, there was a gift exchange. The women among us gave token gifts to families. My gift was a choice of half-pint jars of homemade jellies. One of the daughters gave crocheted dish clothes; the other gave little battery-operated candles in holders; Hubbie's ex-wife gave quart Ziplock bags of pecans and little bottles of hand lotion; a granddaughter gave quart jars of homemade cherry jam.
Hubbie and his family have agreed not to exchange Christmas gifts, but rather to do birthday gifts only. Unfortunately, Hubbie failed to pack one daughter's birthday gift into the car. The gift card for the other daughter was in his pocket, though. The two daughters have birthdays on the same day.
The two girls go together to get a gift for me, though I've repeatedly told them it is unnecessary to get anything for me. Today, they presented me with a gift basket of the brand of beauty supplies one of the daughters sells.
The hostess daughter is one of the most thoughtful people I know, so she saw that my daughter was not left out. Daughter came home with one of the battery operated candles, a dishcloth, pecans and lotion, and an extra gift of a star shaped candle and holder.
Part of the afternoon was devoted to the children making graham cracker Christmas houses. We brought all the supplies, and the kids gathered around the ping-pong table in the garage, which was covered with plastic table clothes.
We were amused when a couple of the boys at first refused to participate, but then were irresistibly drawn to the project. One of the grown granddaughters even wanted to do one. It was a happy time, and there were a lot of creative results.
Around 3:30, everyone was ready to leave. We arrived back home around 4:30, and I immediately heated soups and set out sandwich makings for our supper.
After supper, we went on a Christmas lights tour of the town. We were all impressed with the elaborate and spectacular display at the river park...thousands of lights, some of which are synchronized to music (if only we could have found the correct radio station to hear the Christmas tunes). We also enjoyed the downtown lighting display, as well as a few "Griswold" decorated homes around town.
Back home, we snacked on hot chocolate and a choice of desserts...rum cake for everyone but Mother, who opted for cookies.
Not long afterward, we were ready to call it a night. It had been a big day for some of us, and one that Daughter thoroughly enjoyed.
***********************************************
Note: Daughter has a new, and technically wonderful pair of hearing aids. They include a mic that can be attached to clothing, so that whoever is wearing it can talk in a normal tone of voice, and Daughter can clearly understand. She was very much loving hearing the sound of my voice. It was as though she'd never really heard it before.
Saturday, Dec. 21
Awoke to a very wet day that eventually dumped four inches of rain on us. Mother opted to stay home today, since she was afraid of losing her footing if she tried to cross our yard.
After breakfast, I did stair stepping, resistance bands, and weights exercises. Once I was ready for the day, I finished a recipe of Chinese chicken soup. Hubbie helped by dicing green onions, and shredding a head of cabbage. I added spices, soy sauce, fresh ginger, the onions and cabbage, and Ramen noodles to the soup. One pot of soup was destined for a trip to another town for a family Christmas party, and the other stayed here as a choice for Mother's and Sis's dinner on Sunday.
We expected both Sis and Daughter to come for a visit this weekend, but I heard from Sis early on letting me know that she was going to wait to come up until later in the day, since it was raining hard this morning. Later I heard from Daughter, who overslept this morning, and didn't get on the road until in the afternoon.
In the meantime, Hubbie and I gathered things we would need to take to the other town tomorrow, including two kinds of soup, an Italian cream cheese ball and crackers, a jar of wine jelly and a tub of cream cheese, several varieties of homemade jelly to use as token gifts, and all the supplies necessary for making graham cracker Christmas houses.
At noon, Hubbie took lunch to Mother, and then he and I had sandwiches. I spent the afternoon watching a Christmas movie....George C. Scott as Scrooge.
Sis and Daughter arrived later, and for supper I made a recipe of macaroni and cheese to go with barbecue pork sandwiches. Sis came over from Mother's house and picked up servings of the meal, along with dessert, for herself and Mother. Daughter joined Hubbie and me for supper here at our house.
After supper, I gathered ingredients for Sis to make herself a recipe of Italian cream cheese ball, and then we watched TV until it was time for Sis to accompany Mother to her house. Hubbie, Daughter, and I were not long heading to bed.
After breakfast, I did stair stepping, resistance bands, and weights exercises. Once I was ready for the day, I finished a recipe of Chinese chicken soup. Hubbie helped by dicing green onions, and shredding a head of cabbage. I added spices, soy sauce, fresh ginger, the onions and cabbage, and Ramen noodles to the soup. One pot of soup was destined for a trip to another town for a family Christmas party, and the other stayed here as a choice for Mother's and Sis's dinner on Sunday.
We expected both Sis and Daughter to come for a visit this weekend, but I heard from Sis early on letting me know that she was going to wait to come up until later in the day, since it was raining hard this morning. Later I heard from Daughter, who overslept this morning, and didn't get on the road until in the afternoon.
In the meantime, Hubbie and I gathered things we would need to take to the other town tomorrow, including two kinds of soup, an Italian cream cheese ball and crackers, a jar of wine jelly and a tub of cream cheese, several varieties of homemade jelly to use as token gifts, and all the supplies necessary for making graham cracker Christmas houses.
At noon, Hubbie took lunch to Mother, and then he and I had sandwiches. I spent the afternoon watching a Christmas movie....George C. Scott as Scrooge.
Sis and Daughter arrived later, and for supper I made a recipe of macaroni and cheese to go with barbecue pork sandwiches. Sis came over from Mother's house and picked up servings of the meal, along with dessert, for herself and Mother. Daughter joined Hubbie and me for supper here at our house.
After supper, I gathered ingredients for Sis to make herself a recipe of Italian cream cheese ball, and then we watched TV until it was time for Sis to accompany Mother to her house. Hubbie, Daughter, and I were not long heading to bed.
Friday, December 20, 2013
Friday, Dec. 20
Today is Son's birthday. Happy Birthday, Son!
Up around 8 a.m. Hubbie was already downstairs, where he had phoned the auto repair shop to report that our van still has a problem, after noticing all the warning signs on the dashboard last night. He was told to bring the van in right away, though the tech wasn't sure when the shop could get around to it, since two of his men are out sick.
Hubbie was given a loaner car to drive while the van is being fixed. We fervently hoped it would be ready sometime today or tomorrow, but when Hubbie called to check on it later this afternoon, he was told that it would be at least Monday before they could get to it.
Hubbie returned home around 9 a.m., and we had breakfast. Then he accompanied Mother to our house, and we set to work putting two pots of 11-bean soup on to simmer. Mother diced the necessary veggies, and I did the rest.
She went to her jigsaw puzzle after that, and I did stair stepping, resistance bands, and weights exercises. By now, it was close to noon, so I put lunch on the table. It was nearly 1 p.m. before I finally went upstairs to dress.
The bean soup was done around 2 p.m. When it cooled a little, I put it in containers for the refrigerator, and then I started a couple of pots of chicken soup. Mother diced veggies for this, too.
Between making soups, I did this and that around the house, until time to prepare supper. Tonight, we had breakfast for supper....diced baked potatoes, fried with onions, egg substitute scrambled with Monterey Jack cheese, and canned biscuits, with a choice of honey, peach preserves, or homemade grape jelly.
Watched a Hallmark Channel Christmas movie . During the movie, I took a notion to bake a chocolate cake, since I didn't get around to baking Christmas goodies this year. We ate generaous hunks of it warm from the oven. It was yummy with cups of coffee.
Later, Hubbie accompanied Mother to her house.
Not looking forward to predicted rain/thunderstorms tomorrow. I hope the weather doesn't hinder Daughter or Sis from coming for a visit.
Up around 8 a.m. Hubbie was already downstairs, where he had phoned the auto repair shop to report that our van still has a problem, after noticing all the warning signs on the dashboard last night. He was told to bring the van in right away, though the tech wasn't sure when the shop could get around to it, since two of his men are out sick.
Hubbie was given a loaner car to drive while the van is being fixed. We fervently hoped it would be ready sometime today or tomorrow, but when Hubbie called to check on it later this afternoon, he was told that it would be at least Monday before they could get to it.
Hubbie returned home around 9 a.m., and we had breakfast. Then he accompanied Mother to our house, and we set to work putting two pots of 11-bean soup on to simmer. Mother diced the necessary veggies, and I did the rest.
She went to her jigsaw puzzle after that, and I did stair stepping, resistance bands, and weights exercises. By now, it was close to noon, so I put lunch on the table. It was nearly 1 p.m. before I finally went upstairs to dress.
The bean soup was done around 2 p.m. When it cooled a little, I put it in containers for the refrigerator, and then I started a couple of pots of chicken soup. Mother diced veggies for this, too.
Between making soups, I did this and that around the house, until time to prepare supper. Tonight, we had breakfast for supper....diced baked potatoes, fried with onions, egg substitute scrambled with Monterey Jack cheese, and canned biscuits, with a choice of honey, peach preserves, or homemade grape jelly.
Watched a Hallmark Channel Christmas movie . During the movie, I took a notion to bake a chocolate cake, since I didn't get around to baking Christmas goodies this year. We ate generaous hunks of it warm from the oven. It was yummy with cups of coffee.
Later, Hubbie accompanied Mother to her house.
Not looking forward to predicted rain/thunderstorms tomorrow. I hope the weather doesn't hinder Daughter or Sis from coming for a visit.
Thursday, December 19, 2013
Friday, Dec. 19
Up around 8 a.m., and did stair stepping, resistance bands, and weights exercises after breakfast. Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house around 9 a.m.
Before I went upstairs to get ready for the day, we decided to make a couple of batches of fruited popcorn...one for Hubbie's daughter, and one for Hubbie. Mother helped by cutting up candied cherries. Hubbie popped the popcorn, and I made sauce for it. This baked popcorn treat is popular, though it's not my favorite, so I don't eat it.
When we finished with this project, I finally showered and dressed. It was near noon by now, and when I got back downstairs, Hubbie had already prepared lunch...Ramen noodle soup for Mother and pimento cheese sandwiches for the two of us.
After lunch, Mother sorted beans for a couple of batches of 11-bean soup to take with us to a Christmas party at Hubbie's daughter's house on Sunday. Later, I washed the beans and put them in water to soak.
Mother went to her jigsaw puzzle then, Hubbie did this and that, and I read newspapers and played on my tablet until around 2 p.m., when I changed into festive clothes to attend a "Cup of Cheer" gathering at 3 p.m.
Before I left the house, I asked Hubbie to put potatoes in the oven to bake around 3:30, and then go to the WDCS to get a rotisserie chicken for our supper.
The party was held at the home of a water aerobics friend, who lives in our neighborhood. It was a come-and-go event, so I was only gone for about 45 minutes. This lady, and her sister, who live next door to each other, obviously put a lot of work into preparing for the party.
There were several tables laden with food, all of it prepared by these two ladies. I tried to limit myself to mostly veggies and fruit, with a few small items of dessert, because I didn't want to ruin my appetite for supper.
Several ladies, including myself, brought hostess gifts. My gift was a jar of my homemade crab apple jelly.
I stayed long enough to visit with the hostesses and a few other ladies, before leaving. Outside, the husbands were directing traffic. One of them asked where Hubbie was. Of course, Hubbie didn't go with me, because he thought it was a gathering for ladies only. But as it happened, several husbands were there, and the hostess's husband suggested that next year I bring Hubbie.
Hubbie was not yet home when I returned, but he arrived just after 4:30. Supper was on the table by 5 p.m. Afterward, Hubbie accompanied Mother to her house, and then at 7 p.m., we headed out to the college for a basketball game.
We didn't get far down the road, though, before the dashboard lit up like a Christmas tree. All sorts of warning lights came on, including the one that came on the other day when I had to pull of the road. We came right back home, of course, parked the van, and drove the truck to the college.
We got to the college minutes before the game started. Fortunately, there weren't many people there, since the school is out on Christmas vacation. So we were able to sit in those comfortable reserved seats.
Unfortunately, our team lost badly. We didn't expect to win against the superior opponents, but we had hoped to score a little better. Oh well, maybe they'll do better on Dec. 30.
Back home afterward, we watched our favorite state college basketball team, as they won by a large margin. I'd recorded the game on DVR.
It was pretty late by the time we headed to bed.
Before I went upstairs to get ready for the day, we decided to make a couple of batches of fruited popcorn...one for Hubbie's daughter, and one for Hubbie. Mother helped by cutting up candied cherries. Hubbie popped the popcorn, and I made sauce for it. This baked popcorn treat is popular, though it's not my favorite, so I don't eat it.
When we finished with this project, I finally showered and dressed. It was near noon by now, and when I got back downstairs, Hubbie had already prepared lunch...Ramen noodle soup for Mother and pimento cheese sandwiches for the two of us.
After lunch, Mother sorted beans for a couple of batches of 11-bean soup to take with us to a Christmas party at Hubbie's daughter's house on Sunday. Later, I washed the beans and put them in water to soak.
Mother went to her jigsaw puzzle then, Hubbie did this and that, and I read newspapers and played on my tablet until around 2 p.m., when I changed into festive clothes to attend a "Cup of Cheer" gathering at 3 p.m.
Before I left the house, I asked Hubbie to put potatoes in the oven to bake around 3:30, and then go to the WDCS to get a rotisserie chicken for our supper.
The party was held at the home of a water aerobics friend, who lives in our neighborhood. It was a come-and-go event, so I was only gone for about 45 minutes. This lady, and her sister, who live next door to each other, obviously put a lot of work into preparing for the party.
There were several tables laden with food, all of it prepared by these two ladies. I tried to limit myself to mostly veggies and fruit, with a few small items of dessert, because I didn't want to ruin my appetite for supper.
Several ladies, including myself, brought hostess gifts. My gift was a jar of my homemade crab apple jelly.
I stayed long enough to visit with the hostesses and a few other ladies, before leaving. Outside, the husbands were directing traffic. One of them asked where Hubbie was. Of course, Hubbie didn't go with me, because he thought it was a gathering for ladies only. But as it happened, several husbands were there, and the hostess's husband suggested that next year I bring Hubbie.
Hubbie was not yet home when I returned, but he arrived just after 4:30. Supper was on the table by 5 p.m. Afterward, Hubbie accompanied Mother to her house, and then at 7 p.m., we headed out to the college for a basketball game.
We didn't get far down the road, though, before the dashboard lit up like a Christmas tree. All sorts of warning lights came on, including the one that came on the other day when I had to pull of the road. We came right back home, of course, parked the van, and drove the truck to the college.
We got to the college minutes before the game started. Fortunately, there weren't many people there, since the school is out on Christmas vacation. So we were able to sit in those comfortable reserved seats.
Unfortunately, our team lost badly. We didn't expect to win against the superior opponents, but we had hoped to score a little better. Oh well, maybe they'll do better on Dec. 30.
Back home afterward, we watched our favorite state college basketball team, as they won by a large margin. I'd recorded the game on DVR.
It was pretty late by the time we headed to bed.
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Wednesday, Dec. 18
Up around 7:30, and did stair stepping, resistance bands, and weights exercises after breakfast. Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house around 9:30. She went to her jigsaw puzzle, while I got ready for the day.
This morning's project was to make a Christmas card using one of my backyard photos of a cardinal bird during the recent ice storm.. The card was for my former sister-in-law, with whom I have remained friends. A few days ago, we received a photo Christmas postcard from her, featuring herself holding her precious shih tzu dog. But since we don't have a recent photo of the three of us, the next best thing was a handmade photo card.
Later, for lunch, we had the remainder of the soups, with crackers and pimento cheese, and slices of a cinnamon roll. One of these large, fluffy, rolls is big enough to serve all three of us. These must-have, mouth-watering delights can only be purchased at the annual Sheriff's Youth Ranch craft fair each December, and I made sure we got a half dozen.
After lunch, Mother returned to her puzzle, and I headed to town to finish my Christmas shopping. Hubbie ran errands, too, but he drove the truck, so I could have the van. We agreed to meet at the WDCS later.
My first stop was a grocery store to pick up scratch-off tickets for Hubbie for Christmas; then to the beauty shop to buy a bag of homemade peanut brittle, also for Hubbie. After that I went to a home improvement store, and a farm store, to buy gifts cards for Hubbie.
At the WDCS, I called Hubbie and learned that he was already in the store. We found each other and proceeded to shop. I was interested in finding a colorful scarf to wear to the "Cup of Cheer" event tomorrow.
I found an inexpensive green circular one that will do to accessorize a black knit turtleneck shirt. With Christmas earrings, it'll be festive enough. I don't want to wear a winter sweater, since the temperature is supposed to be close to 70 degrees tomorrow.
Other than the scarf, we bought groceries and other supplies, then stopped by the gas station before heading home.
At home, I relaxed with the newspapers before getting supper ready. Tonight, we had "the-week-in-review." After supper, Mother stayed around to watch "A Christmas Story." We watch it every year, and it never seems to grow old.
Around 9 p.m., Hubbie accompanied Mother to her house, and then we continued watching TV until bedtime.
This morning's project was to make a Christmas card using one of my backyard photos of a cardinal bird during the recent ice storm.. The card was for my former sister-in-law, with whom I have remained friends. A few days ago, we received a photo Christmas postcard from her, featuring herself holding her precious shih tzu dog. But since we don't have a recent photo of the three of us, the next best thing was a handmade photo card.
Later, for lunch, we had the remainder of the soups, with crackers and pimento cheese, and slices of a cinnamon roll. One of these large, fluffy, rolls is big enough to serve all three of us. These must-have, mouth-watering delights can only be purchased at the annual Sheriff's Youth Ranch craft fair each December, and I made sure we got a half dozen.
After lunch, Mother returned to her puzzle, and I headed to town to finish my Christmas shopping. Hubbie ran errands, too, but he drove the truck, so I could have the van. We agreed to meet at the WDCS later.
My first stop was a grocery store to pick up scratch-off tickets for Hubbie for Christmas; then to the beauty shop to buy a bag of homemade peanut brittle, also for Hubbie. After that I went to a home improvement store, and a farm store, to buy gifts cards for Hubbie.
At the WDCS, I called Hubbie and learned that he was already in the store. We found each other and proceeded to shop. I was interested in finding a colorful scarf to wear to the "Cup of Cheer" event tomorrow.
I found an inexpensive green circular one that will do to accessorize a black knit turtleneck shirt. With Christmas earrings, it'll be festive enough. I don't want to wear a winter sweater, since the temperature is supposed to be close to 70 degrees tomorrow.
Other than the scarf, we bought groceries and other supplies, then stopped by the gas station before heading home.
At home, I relaxed with the newspapers before getting supper ready. Tonight, we had "the-week-in-review." After supper, Mother stayed around to watch "A Christmas Story." We watch it every year, and it never seems to grow old.
Around 9 p.m., Hubbie accompanied Mother to her house, and then we continued watching TV until bedtime.
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Tuesday, Dec. 17
Up at 7:30 with every intention of doing an exercise session after breakfast. But Hubbie discovered that we had a potty problem in the downstairs bathroom that required a plumber. He called one right away, and as luck would have it, the guy was working right down the road and could come by our house presently.
So I hurried upstairs and changed from my shorts and t-shirt into decent clothing. I also quickly spruced the upstairs bathroom, because I wanted the plumber to also take a look at the sinks up there, which were clogged. Whenever I ran water in one sink, the sink would fill up, and then as it tried to drain, it glug-glug-glugged into the other sink.
Hubbie had a 9 a.m. dental appointment, so he accompanied Mother to our house a few minutes before that, and then went on to the dentist's office.
Shortly after he left, the plumber arrived. He was still here when Hubbie came back home. The plumber got everything back in order, which included putting new sink elbows in the upstairs bathroom.
While he worked, the pest control guy came by. I could tell by his hoarse voice that he was suffering from the same virus that I had, and that Hubbie and Mother are still battling. It was obvious that he didn't feel very well and really didn't need to be on the job today. Even though we've all had that virus, I was still glad that he didn't have to come indoors (he treated both ours and Mother's houses from the perimeters). I'm not ready to risk our catching another virus right now.
Meanwhile, Mother and I worked in the kitchen. I put a baking sheet of sweet potatoes in the oven. Then Mother sliced onions and apples for making a pork chop dish. I browned the meat for the recipe, and Mother layered the onions and apples, and then brushed a mixture of honey and mustard on the pork chops. I put the dish in the refrigerator to be baked later.
Mother also diced onions and banana peppers, which I added to a package of frozen black eyed peas, along with spices and cans of beef and chicken broth. I simmered the peas for a while.
The potatoes were done around 11 a.m. I allowed them to cool on the pan until we were ready to peel them and heat a few for supper later.
About this time, the plumber finished his work. He commented on how good all the food smelled. I'll bet it piqued his appetite for lunch. I know it did ours. But for our lunch, I heated leftover soups, which we had with pimento cheese sandwiches.
After lunch, I was ready to go Christmas shopping. I needed to go alone, since I wanted to shop for Hubbie. The problem was that the van acted up. It stalled as I was backing up to turn around and head out of the driveway. And then as soon as I got on the road, it sputtered and jerked and didn't respond to the gas pedal. I quickly pulled onto the side of the road right across from our house.
I figured my planned shopping trip had been doused. Hubbie went to the van, and of course it started right up and ran smoothly for him. However, it registered a warning sign on the dashboard, so he decided it needed to go to the shop.
The shop we regularly used in the past is downtown. However, when he got there, he saw that it's no longer open, because it has been moved to the adjoining town up the hill south of the city. So he called me to say he was going there, though the van was behaving splendidly.
At that shop, a technician searched for a problem, but found none. But he did get the warning light to go off. He guessed that there was some sort of blockage that managed to dislodge itself. Whatever the problem, it seemed to be fixed now, so Hubbie returned home.
With some trepidation, I went ahead with my shopping trip. The van gave no more problems. I stopped first at a department store. There, I met a lady who is now retired from the college I attended years ago. She was in a very talkative mood, so I listened to her for about 30 minutes. I loved visiting with her, but today I really needed to get on with my shopping.
Finally, we said our goodbyes, and I headed to the men's department, where I found two knit shirts on sale for Mother to give to Hubbie for Christmas. I also looked for a pair of thermal underwear for him. He's pretty warm natured, but there are some really cold winter days,when the wind cuts through his khaki pants. I think he'll appreciate an extra layer on those days.
But the store had none in his size, of course. At the checkout stand, though, a nice young lady offered to search for some at their store online site, and I saw a suitable pair there which will be delivered to the store, so that I won't have to pay a shipping fee. Hope they arrive before Christmas.
My goodness, that store was wall-to-wall shoppers today! I guess that's because we lost a weekend to an ice storm, and today the weather was sunny and a balmy 60 degrees. So everyone was trying to catch up on Christmas shopping.
From that store, I went to a pharmacy store, on the off chance I might find a Skipbo card game. And lo and behold, there was one (and only one) on the rack! Yay!
Now it was getting late, so I headed to the WDCS to pick up some snapshots. Here I had to stand in a long line, and when I finally got to the counter, the associate couldn't find my order. He was sure he'd seen it, but it seemed to have disappeared.
I was getting annoyed not only with the fact that he couldn't find my pictures, but that he stopped looking from time-to-time to take care of other customers. Finally, when he saw I was getting very perturbed, he decided to simply print my order again. It took about 30 seconds. Why in the world didn't he just do this to begin with? Gad!
By now, it was around 3:30, so I needed to return home to finish supper preparations. At home, I put a dish of the sweet potatoes in the oven, along with the dish of pork chops.
The meal was done at 5 p.m., and it was very tasty. Afterward, Hubbie accompanied Mother to her house, and then we watched a forgettable movie on TV.
**********************************************
Note one: while Hubbie was at the dentist's office, his dentist noticed a rash on his forehead and along the sides of his face. He felt Hubbie should see a dermatologist right away. I don't know what the dentist thinks he is seeing, but Hubbie has had this rash before.
However, when he got home, he called a couple of dermatologists. The first one said he's no longer taking new patients, but the second one set an appointment for early February. Obviously, the doctor isn't too concerned about the rash.
I researched rashes, and nothing except allergy or rosacea seems to describe what Hubbie has.
Note two: Hubbie met a 3 p.m. haircut appointment at Mother's and my beauty shop. He has been at a loss as to where to get his hair cut, after his barber of 30 years died recently. When I told him that a male friend of ours, as well as our dentist, get their hair cut at this beauty shop, he decided to try it. I called for an appointment with my hairdresser, and I have to say she did a great job of styling his hair. He seemed very pleased, too.
So I hurried upstairs and changed from my shorts and t-shirt into decent clothing. I also quickly spruced the upstairs bathroom, because I wanted the plumber to also take a look at the sinks up there, which were clogged. Whenever I ran water in one sink, the sink would fill up, and then as it tried to drain, it glug-glug-glugged into the other sink.
Hubbie had a 9 a.m. dental appointment, so he accompanied Mother to our house a few minutes before that, and then went on to the dentist's office.
Shortly after he left, the plumber arrived. He was still here when Hubbie came back home. The plumber got everything back in order, which included putting new sink elbows in the upstairs bathroom.
While he worked, the pest control guy came by. I could tell by his hoarse voice that he was suffering from the same virus that I had, and that Hubbie and Mother are still battling. It was obvious that he didn't feel very well and really didn't need to be on the job today. Even though we've all had that virus, I was still glad that he didn't have to come indoors (he treated both ours and Mother's houses from the perimeters). I'm not ready to risk our catching another virus right now.
Meanwhile, Mother and I worked in the kitchen. I put a baking sheet of sweet potatoes in the oven. Then Mother sliced onions and apples for making a pork chop dish. I browned the meat for the recipe, and Mother layered the onions and apples, and then brushed a mixture of honey and mustard on the pork chops. I put the dish in the refrigerator to be baked later.
Mother also diced onions and banana peppers, which I added to a package of frozen black eyed peas, along with spices and cans of beef and chicken broth. I simmered the peas for a while.
The potatoes were done around 11 a.m. I allowed them to cool on the pan until we were ready to peel them and heat a few for supper later.
About this time, the plumber finished his work. He commented on how good all the food smelled. I'll bet it piqued his appetite for lunch. I know it did ours. But for our lunch, I heated leftover soups, which we had with pimento cheese sandwiches.
After lunch, I was ready to go Christmas shopping. I needed to go alone, since I wanted to shop for Hubbie. The problem was that the van acted up. It stalled as I was backing up to turn around and head out of the driveway. And then as soon as I got on the road, it sputtered and jerked and didn't respond to the gas pedal. I quickly pulled onto the side of the road right across from our house.
I figured my planned shopping trip had been doused. Hubbie went to the van, and of course it started right up and ran smoothly for him. However, it registered a warning sign on the dashboard, so he decided it needed to go to the shop.
The shop we regularly used in the past is downtown. However, when he got there, he saw that it's no longer open, because it has been moved to the adjoining town up the hill south of the city. So he called me to say he was going there, though the van was behaving splendidly.
At that shop, a technician searched for a problem, but found none. But he did get the warning light to go off. He guessed that there was some sort of blockage that managed to dislodge itself. Whatever the problem, it seemed to be fixed now, so Hubbie returned home.
With some trepidation, I went ahead with my shopping trip. The van gave no more problems. I stopped first at a department store. There, I met a lady who is now retired from the college I attended years ago. She was in a very talkative mood, so I listened to her for about 30 minutes. I loved visiting with her, but today I really needed to get on with my shopping.
Finally, we said our goodbyes, and I headed to the men's department, where I found two knit shirts on sale for Mother to give to Hubbie for Christmas. I also looked for a pair of thermal underwear for him. He's pretty warm natured, but there are some really cold winter days,when the wind cuts through his khaki pants. I think he'll appreciate an extra layer on those days.
But the store had none in his size, of course. At the checkout stand, though, a nice young lady offered to search for some at their store online site, and I saw a suitable pair there which will be delivered to the store, so that I won't have to pay a shipping fee. Hope they arrive before Christmas.
My goodness, that store was wall-to-wall shoppers today! I guess that's because we lost a weekend to an ice storm, and today the weather was sunny and a balmy 60 degrees. So everyone was trying to catch up on Christmas shopping.
From that store, I went to a pharmacy store, on the off chance I might find a Skipbo card game. And lo and behold, there was one (and only one) on the rack! Yay!
Now it was getting late, so I headed to the WDCS to pick up some snapshots. Here I had to stand in a long line, and when I finally got to the counter, the associate couldn't find my order. He was sure he'd seen it, but it seemed to have disappeared.
I was getting annoyed not only with the fact that he couldn't find my pictures, but that he stopped looking from time-to-time to take care of other customers. Finally, when he saw I was getting very perturbed, he decided to simply print my order again. It took about 30 seconds. Why in the world didn't he just do this to begin with? Gad!
By now, it was around 3:30, so I needed to return home to finish supper preparations. At home, I put a dish of the sweet potatoes in the oven, along with the dish of pork chops.
The meal was done at 5 p.m., and it was very tasty. Afterward, Hubbie accompanied Mother to her house, and then we watched a forgettable movie on TV.
**********************************************
Note one: while Hubbie was at the dentist's office, his dentist noticed a rash on his forehead and along the sides of his face. He felt Hubbie should see a dermatologist right away. I don't know what the dentist thinks he is seeing, but Hubbie has had this rash before.
However, when he got home, he called a couple of dermatologists. The first one said he's no longer taking new patients, but the second one set an appointment for early February. Obviously, the doctor isn't too concerned about the rash.
I researched rashes, and nothing except allergy or rosacea seems to describe what Hubbie has.
Note two: Hubbie met a 3 p.m. haircut appointment at Mother's and my beauty shop. He has been at a loss as to where to get his hair cut, after his barber of 30 years died recently. When I told him that a male friend of ours, as well as our dentist, get their hair cut at this beauty shop, he decided to try it. I called for an appointment with my hairdresser, and I have to say she did a great job of styling his hair. He seemed very pleased, too.
Monday, December 16, 2013
Monday, Dec. 16
Up around 8 a.m. this morning. Did stair stepping, resistance bands, and weights exercises after breakfast. Then, before I went upstairs to get ready for the day, I decided to put together packages of Christmas cards for family who live about two hours away.
Just as I was in the middle of that, our favorite electrician called to say he was on his way to our house. He wasn't scheduled to be here until 1 p.m. Since I was in nothing but a t-shirt and a pair of shorts, I high-tailed it upstairs.
The electrician was still here when I came back downstairs. His task was to replace a couple of outlets and fix another one. He ran into a few problems, of course, so it took longer than expected, and it was noon before he finished.
He is a man we've known for many years, and someone who was active in community theater when I was. He is a widower, whose wife died a few years ago. So I decided to give him a small jar of my homemade crab apple jelly. He was happy to get it. He said he likes to add jelly to his oatmeal for breakfast.
As soon as he left, Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house. I fixed a soup and sandwich lunch for us, and afterward, Mother went to her jigsaw puzzle, and Hubbie and I ran errands.
Our errands included a trip to the post office, the bank, and the pharmacy. We also dropped by the Caring Hands Hospice office, where I bought two pewter ornaments. I'll send one to Niece in memory of my brother, who died recently. I'll put the other one on my tree.
From there, we went to the WDCS for several items, including things for Mother's Twelve Days of Christmas gifts. One thing I wanted to get for her was a new Skipbo card game, since the cards in the old one are so sticky it's hard to shuffle them. Unbelievably, though, the store didn't have this common game. I'll check at a pharmacy store, but I'm afraid I probably won't find one there, either. Ah, the joys of a small town.
Since there was still plenty of afternoon left after we got back home, Mother and I decided to watch a Christmas movie..." The Polar Express." It's one of our favorites. Hubbie...not so much. So he occupied himself in the office upstairs.
Later, for supper, I made chili-mac, using the leftover chili. Served it with cottage cheese, and slices of Tuscan bread that I bought at the WDCS and browned in the oven. It was a tasty meal.
Mother stayed around for a while and watched a Lifetime Network Christmas show with us. Then Hubbie accompanied her to her house.
****************************************************
Note: we couldn't find one of our cats last night, but figured she was hiding somewhere. This morning, Hubbie went into the utility room, and there she was, snuggled in a pile of dirty laundry. I imagine it got pretty cool in that room with the door shut, but she's fine.
Just as I was in the middle of that, our favorite electrician called to say he was on his way to our house. He wasn't scheduled to be here until 1 p.m. Since I was in nothing but a t-shirt and a pair of shorts, I high-tailed it upstairs.
The electrician was still here when I came back downstairs. His task was to replace a couple of outlets and fix another one. He ran into a few problems, of course, so it took longer than expected, and it was noon before he finished.
He is a man we've known for many years, and someone who was active in community theater when I was. He is a widower, whose wife died a few years ago. So I decided to give him a small jar of my homemade crab apple jelly. He was happy to get it. He said he likes to add jelly to his oatmeal for breakfast.
As soon as he left, Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house. I fixed a soup and sandwich lunch for us, and afterward, Mother went to her jigsaw puzzle, and Hubbie and I ran errands.
Our errands included a trip to the post office, the bank, and the pharmacy. We also dropped by the Caring Hands Hospice office, where I bought two pewter ornaments. I'll send one to Niece in memory of my brother, who died recently. I'll put the other one on my tree.
From there, we went to the WDCS for several items, including things for Mother's Twelve Days of Christmas gifts. One thing I wanted to get for her was a new Skipbo card game, since the cards in the old one are so sticky it's hard to shuffle them. Unbelievably, though, the store didn't have this common game. I'll check at a pharmacy store, but I'm afraid I probably won't find one there, either. Ah, the joys of a small town.
Since there was still plenty of afternoon left after we got back home, Mother and I decided to watch a Christmas movie..." The Polar Express." It's one of our favorites. Hubbie...not so much. So he occupied himself in the office upstairs.
Later, for supper, I made chili-mac, using the leftover chili. Served it with cottage cheese, and slices of Tuscan bread that I bought at the WDCS and browned in the oven. It was a tasty meal.
Mother stayed around for a while and watched a Lifetime Network Christmas show with us. Then Hubbie accompanied her to her house.
****************************************************
Note: we couldn't find one of our cats last night, but figured she was hiding somewhere. This morning, Hubbie went into the utility room, and there she was, snuggled in a pile of dirty laundry. I imagine it got pretty cool in that room with the door shut, but she's fine.
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Sunday, Dec. 15
Up at 7:30 this sunny morning to get ready for company...Daughter, two granddaughters, a grandson-in-law, and six great-grandkids, were scheduled to arrive toward noon. I skipped my exercises again, so I could spend the morning spiffing the house. Hubbie helped with this, and we were ready by 10 a.m.
Everyone was here by 11 a.m., so I started lunch preparations. Daughter heated the potato soup we made a couple of days ago. The chicken and broth were ready for noodles, so I took care of that. The soups were ready by noon. Served them with a choice of pimento cheese, or chicken salad sandwiches. Dessert was homemade sugar cookies, and ice cream.
After lunch, the kids made graham cracker Christmas houses, using milk cartons, icing, and various candies. They had a wonderful time with this project, while I had a wonderful time holding the newest addition to the family...a baby boy.
Later, we exchanged Christmas gifts, and then spent the rest of the afternoon visiting. It was a happy time.
Around 4 p.m., family was ready to head home, two hours away. Mother stayed around and worked on her jigsaw puzzle for a while, Hubbie watched TV, and I downloaded snapshots I took this afternoon to my computer, then uploaded some of them to my social network page.
For supper, around 5:30, we had more soup and sandwiches, then watched a Hallmark Channel Christmas movie.
Everyone was here by 11 a.m., so I started lunch preparations. Daughter heated the potato soup we made a couple of days ago. The chicken and broth were ready for noodles, so I took care of that. The soups were ready by noon. Served them with a choice of pimento cheese, or chicken salad sandwiches. Dessert was homemade sugar cookies, and ice cream.
After lunch, the kids made graham cracker Christmas houses, using milk cartons, icing, and various candies. They had a wonderful time with this project, while I had a wonderful time holding the newest addition to the family...a baby boy.
Later, we exchanged Christmas gifts, and then spent the rest of the afternoon visiting. It was a happy time.
Around 4 p.m., family was ready to head home, two hours away. Mother stayed around and worked on her jigsaw puzzle for a while, Hubbie watched TV, and I downloaded snapshots I took this afternoon to my computer, then uploaded some of them to my social network page.
For supper, around 5:30, we had more soup and sandwiches, then watched a Hallmark Channel Christmas movie.
Saturday, December 14, 2013
Saturday, Dec. 14
Got up around 7 a.m. this morning, but skipped my exercises again, so I could get ready to go downtown to the art gallery to conduct a kids' workshop on making Christmas houses, using milk cartons, graham crackers, icing, and various candies.
Hubbie and I arrived at the gallery around 9:30, and we, along with the art council director set things up for the kids, who began arriving about twenty minutes later.
A dozen kids attended, and as usual, enthusiastically threw themselves into creating gingerbread houses. Kids are so uninhibited that they naturally know there is no right or wrong way to craft, so they come up with some delightful creations.
We agreed to do only the morning session, since there were other things we wanted to do during the afternoon. I knew that once the director and her helper saw how the houses are created, they would be able to handle the afternoon session without us.
Most of the kids were done with their houses by 11 a.m., so we headed out before 11:30 to go to a Christmas craft fair at the sheriff's boys ranch. All we wanted from the fair was the wonderful, large, fluffy cinnamon rolls. We bought a half dozen of them and then came home for lunch...potato soup for Mother, and chili for Hubbie and me.
Mother had stayed home this morning, but Hubbie brought her over as soon as we returned from the gallery, so she could join us for lunch.
After lunch, she went to her jigsaw puzzle, and Hubbie and I went Christmas shopping and to a basketball game. I warned Mother that we would be gone all afternoon, and until around 6 p.m. She was okay with it, though I'm edgy about leaving her so long.
However, as luck would have it, Niece and Great-Nephew arrived shortly after we left, and they spent the entire afternoon with Mother. If I had made sure Mother had her cell phone with her, I could have touched base mid-afternoon, and then I would have learned that Niece was here, and I could have relaxed. Hindsight is always 20/20.
Anyway, Hubbie and I went to the greeting card shop first, where I used a $5 discount on $10 spent to buy several packages of Jelly Belly candy to use as a Twelve Days of Christmas gift for Mother. Then we went to a department store, where I used a $10 off $25 to buy a fleece jacket for Mother for Christmas. The jacket has a blue and beige pattern, so she can wear several colors of the mock turtleneck shirts with it that I bought for her. A gift box came with the jacket, which is something different. I don't remember the store offering free gift boxes before. But it's sure handy.
I also applied gift cards I've had for quite a while toward the purchase of a pair of brown low-top boots, like the black ones I bought last year. I wanted a pair last year when they were on sale, but they had none in my size. Today, the boots were discounted, and there was only one pair in my size, so I snapped them up.
From there, we went to the home improvement store, where I bought two door mats for Mother's porch...one is large for the top of the ramp, and the other is a small one for in front of the door. They are in the dirt brown colors that Mother favors. These will be part of her Christmas gifts.
Went to the dollar store after that to buy a soft Teddy bear for one of the cats that takes every opportunity to snatch one of my bears from a basket in our bedroom. I'm hoping that if the cat has her own bear, she'll leave mine alone, But that's probably just wishful thinking.
Our last stop was a farm store, and then we headed back to town to see if we could find cups of coffee at a fast food restaurant. The one we stopped at had no decaf, so we decided to go to a coffee shop. It was closed. Tried a coffee/sandwich shop. Nope, it was closed.
Gave up then, and went on to the college to find a parking place before the basketball game started. Lucked out and found one near the gym, despite the fact that high school playoff games were in full swing.
The game we were there to attend was the college basketball game. We were there in time to see the second half of a high school girls' game, though.
The mens' game started at 4 p.m. Before it began, Niece, Great-Niece, and Niece's father-in-law and wife arrived. Today, Hubbie and I used the stadium seats that Hubbie bought recently. They are quite comfortable.
The game lasted longer than we hoped, since it ran into overtime. Unfortunately, our team lost by one point in the last seconds of the game. I was glad there was not a second overtime, because I would have insisted on leaving to come and check on Mother, since it was now 6:30 p.m.
At home, I learned that Niece had tried to get Mother to let her fix supper for her, but Mother insisted she wasn't hungry and wanted to wait for me to return. So Niece and Great-Nephew left to go on to the capital city for supper...a thing that Great-Nephew wanted to do.
Niece and I both felt guilty...me because I thought I'd left Mother too long and didn't get back in time to see to her supper at her usual meal time, and Niece because she felt she hadn't insisted strenuously enough about getting supper for her.
I'm just so glad Niece was here to entertain Mother for the afternoon, though.
Anyway, we had potato soup and sandwiches for supper, and then Mother was ready to go home. Hubbie accompanied her, and then he and I watched TV for the evening.
Tomorrow, we are looking forward to a visit from Daughter, two granddaughters, and several great-grandchildren, who will join us for lunch, and then will make Christmas houses. This will also be our first time to see the newest addition to the family, a baby boy. Can't wait to get my hands on him.
Hubbie and I arrived at the gallery around 9:30, and we, along with the art council director set things up for the kids, who began arriving about twenty minutes later.
A dozen kids attended, and as usual, enthusiastically threw themselves into creating gingerbread houses. Kids are so uninhibited that they naturally know there is no right or wrong way to craft, so they come up with some delightful creations.
We agreed to do only the morning session, since there were other things we wanted to do during the afternoon. I knew that once the director and her helper saw how the houses are created, they would be able to handle the afternoon session without us.
Most of the kids were done with their houses by 11 a.m., so we headed out before 11:30 to go to a Christmas craft fair at the sheriff's boys ranch. All we wanted from the fair was the wonderful, large, fluffy cinnamon rolls. We bought a half dozen of them and then came home for lunch...potato soup for Mother, and chili for Hubbie and me.
Mother had stayed home this morning, but Hubbie brought her over as soon as we returned from the gallery, so she could join us for lunch.
After lunch, she went to her jigsaw puzzle, and Hubbie and I went Christmas shopping and to a basketball game. I warned Mother that we would be gone all afternoon, and until around 6 p.m. She was okay with it, though I'm edgy about leaving her so long.
However, as luck would have it, Niece and Great-Nephew arrived shortly after we left, and they spent the entire afternoon with Mother. If I had made sure Mother had her cell phone with her, I could have touched base mid-afternoon, and then I would have learned that Niece was here, and I could have relaxed. Hindsight is always 20/20.
Anyway, Hubbie and I went to the greeting card shop first, where I used a $5 discount on $10 spent to buy several packages of Jelly Belly candy to use as a Twelve Days of Christmas gift for Mother. Then we went to a department store, where I used a $10 off $25 to buy a fleece jacket for Mother for Christmas. The jacket has a blue and beige pattern, so she can wear several colors of the mock turtleneck shirts with it that I bought for her. A gift box came with the jacket, which is something different. I don't remember the store offering free gift boxes before. But it's sure handy.
I also applied gift cards I've had for quite a while toward the purchase of a pair of brown low-top boots, like the black ones I bought last year. I wanted a pair last year when they were on sale, but they had none in my size. Today, the boots were discounted, and there was only one pair in my size, so I snapped them up.
From there, we went to the home improvement store, where I bought two door mats for Mother's porch...one is large for the top of the ramp, and the other is a small one for in front of the door. They are in the dirt brown colors that Mother favors. These will be part of her Christmas gifts.
Went to the dollar store after that to buy a soft Teddy bear for one of the cats that takes every opportunity to snatch one of my bears from a basket in our bedroom. I'm hoping that if the cat has her own bear, she'll leave mine alone, But that's probably just wishful thinking.
Our last stop was a farm store, and then we headed back to town to see if we could find cups of coffee at a fast food restaurant. The one we stopped at had no decaf, so we decided to go to a coffee shop. It was closed. Tried a coffee/sandwich shop. Nope, it was closed.
Gave up then, and went on to the college to find a parking place before the basketball game started. Lucked out and found one near the gym, despite the fact that high school playoff games were in full swing.
The game we were there to attend was the college basketball game. We were there in time to see the second half of a high school girls' game, though.
The mens' game started at 4 p.m. Before it began, Niece, Great-Niece, and Niece's father-in-law and wife arrived. Today, Hubbie and I used the stadium seats that Hubbie bought recently. They are quite comfortable.
The game lasted longer than we hoped, since it ran into overtime. Unfortunately, our team lost by one point in the last seconds of the game. I was glad there was not a second overtime, because I would have insisted on leaving to come and check on Mother, since it was now 6:30 p.m.
At home, I learned that Niece had tried to get Mother to let her fix supper for her, but Mother insisted she wasn't hungry and wanted to wait for me to return. So Niece and Great-Nephew left to go on to the capital city for supper...a thing that Great-Nephew wanted to do.
Niece and I both felt guilty...me because I thought I'd left Mother too long and didn't get back in time to see to her supper at her usual meal time, and Niece because she felt she hadn't insisted strenuously enough about getting supper for her.
I'm just so glad Niece was here to entertain Mother for the afternoon, though.
Anyway, we had potato soup and sandwiches for supper, and then Mother was ready to go home. Hubbie accompanied her, and then he and I watched TV for the evening.
Tomorrow, we are looking forward to a visit from Daughter, two granddaughters, and several great-grandchildren, who will join us for lunch, and then will make Christmas houses. This will also be our first time to see the newest addition to the family, a baby boy. Can't wait to get my hands on him.
Friday, Dec. 13
Today is Friday the 13th. Superstitious folks are leery of this date, but to me it's just another day.
I thought about attending water aerobics this morning, but when 6 a.m. rolled around, I dreaded too much getting out in the cold, icy morning, so I snuggled back into the blankets until around 8 a.m.
I opted out of exercising, too, since I needed to get ready to go to an 11 a.m. Christmas gathering of the water aerobics group. I dressed in a green sweater with a reindeer necklace for the festive occasion. The necklace is one I made of miniature clothespins several years ago, but every time I wear it, I get lots of comments on it. Today was no exception, and one lady even took a picture of it.
I arrived at the Italian restaurant shortly before eleven, and several ladies were already there. Eighteen of us showed up. Our leader said only nine attended the aerobics session this morning. Guess others were as lazy as I was.
Before I sat down to order my lunch, I bought a gift card to give to Mother as a Twelve Days of Christmas gift.
Today I ordered veggie pasta and fruit. With the garlic bread and marinara sauce, I was only able to eat half my meal. I brought the rest home.
Part of the talk today was about a couple of ladies who were injured in the ice storm. One fell and broke her ankle, and while at the hospital, she suffered kidney failure and nearly died. Her ankle could not be set until doctors got her kidneys under control. But now she is doing okay.
Another lady fell and broke her kneecap some weeks ago, and then, just as it was healed, she fell recently and broke it again. She's now in a cast.
When we finished lunch, we played the Dirty Santa game. There were lots of nice things, but I ended up with a little candy dish, to be added to a tote of similar items I've received over the years that I don't need and will never use.
I had drawn the number 13 for the Dirty Santa game, so when it came my turn, I could have stolen someone elses gift, but I decided not to...I didn't want to feel guilty again, after stealing the birds at the Master Gardener party. So I just grabbed the first gift bag I saw on the table...thus the candy dish.
Back home, Hubbie had seen to Mother's and his own lunch. We didn't do much this afternoon but try to straighten a few things up for company. I'm afraid it's going to look messier than usual this weekend, though.
Later, for supper, I heated the leftover veggie pasta for Mother, and Hubbie and I had bowls of chili. Hubbie accompanied Mother to her house, and then he and I went downtown to the art gallery to attend a reception for several artists that are featured in the gallery right now.
We left the reception around 6:30, and went to a church meeting hall, where members of the congregation were presenting the play, "Little Women." It was well done, and even Hubbie enjoyed it. The cast borrowed their Civil War era clothing from the local community theater. I was amused when one of the characters came onstage wearing the same dress I wore to the Civil War ball last spring.
This is the second performance sponsored by this church that we have attended. Last year, we saw "It's a Wonderful Life." The church has presented a play each year for the past ten years, but these are the only two we've attended. The performance was entirely free. I anticipated that folks would pass the collection plate during intermission, but they did not. I guess the plays are the church's gift to the community.
Back home, we watched a TV show, and then headed to bed.
I thought about attending water aerobics this morning, but when 6 a.m. rolled around, I dreaded too much getting out in the cold, icy morning, so I snuggled back into the blankets until around 8 a.m.
I opted out of exercising, too, since I needed to get ready to go to an 11 a.m. Christmas gathering of the water aerobics group. I dressed in a green sweater with a reindeer necklace for the festive occasion. The necklace is one I made of miniature clothespins several years ago, but every time I wear it, I get lots of comments on it. Today was no exception, and one lady even took a picture of it.
I arrived at the Italian restaurant shortly before eleven, and several ladies were already there. Eighteen of us showed up. Our leader said only nine attended the aerobics session this morning. Guess others were as lazy as I was.
Before I sat down to order my lunch, I bought a gift card to give to Mother as a Twelve Days of Christmas gift.
Today I ordered veggie pasta and fruit. With the garlic bread and marinara sauce, I was only able to eat half my meal. I brought the rest home.
Part of the talk today was about a couple of ladies who were injured in the ice storm. One fell and broke her ankle, and while at the hospital, she suffered kidney failure and nearly died. Her ankle could not be set until doctors got her kidneys under control. But now she is doing okay.
Another lady fell and broke her kneecap some weeks ago, and then, just as it was healed, she fell recently and broke it again. She's now in a cast.
When we finished lunch, we played the Dirty Santa game. There were lots of nice things, but I ended up with a little candy dish, to be added to a tote of similar items I've received over the years that I don't need and will never use.
I had drawn the number 13 for the Dirty Santa game, so when it came my turn, I could have stolen someone elses gift, but I decided not to...I didn't want to feel guilty again, after stealing the birds at the Master Gardener party. So I just grabbed the first gift bag I saw on the table...thus the candy dish.
Back home, Hubbie had seen to Mother's and his own lunch. We didn't do much this afternoon but try to straighten a few things up for company. I'm afraid it's going to look messier than usual this weekend, though.
Later, for supper, I heated the leftover veggie pasta for Mother, and Hubbie and I had bowls of chili. Hubbie accompanied Mother to her house, and then he and I went downtown to the art gallery to attend a reception for several artists that are featured in the gallery right now.
We left the reception around 6:30, and went to a church meeting hall, where members of the congregation were presenting the play, "Little Women." It was well done, and even Hubbie enjoyed it. The cast borrowed their Civil War era clothing from the local community theater. I was amused when one of the characters came onstage wearing the same dress I wore to the Civil War ball last spring.
This is the second performance sponsored by this church that we have attended. Last year, we saw "It's a Wonderful Life." The church has presented a play each year for the past ten years, but these are the only two we've attended. The performance was entirely free. I anticipated that folks would pass the collection plate during intermission, but they did not. I guess the plays are the church's gift to the community.
Back home, we watched a TV show, and then headed to bed.
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Thursday, Dec. 12
Up around 7:30, so I could make a fruit salad for the Master Gardener Christmas party at 11:30. I really should have made it last night to let the flavors meld. And I really should have checked my mandarin orange supply, because when I found some in the storeroom, I saw that they were out of date, and looked discolored. So Hubbie made a run to the nearest grocery store to buy a few cans of them.
Once the salad was made and in the fridge, I put together a couple of gifts...one with wine jelly, a tub of cream cheese, and a sleeve of snack crackers to give to the ladies at the beauty shop...and a "First Day of Christmas" gift for Mother (a pint jar of homemade peach jam).
After that, I went upstairs to shower and dress for the party. Meanwhile, Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house, and then he got ready.
Before we left, I fixed Mother a lunch of Ramen noodle soup, with crackers and pimento cheese.
We arrived at the party venue...the fellowship hall of a downtown church...around 11:20. A couple of folks were already there attempting to clear away ice from in front of the entrance. They mentioned that they had poured hot water on the ice, which immediately froze and made the entrance even more slick. I thought everyone knew that on a frigid day hot water freezes faster than cold water. Anyway, they resorted to Plan B and threw a rug over the ice.
About 30 people attended the party, far fewer than usual. There was enough food to feed an army, and when we'd eaten and then filled plates to bring home, the remainder of the catered turkey and dressing was donated to the local family violence prevention center.
Everyone brought side dishes, too, so there was a great variety of food, including desserts. We brought home turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes, and several varieties of salad, as well as rolls and three kinds of dessert.
Following the meal, the members held a Dirty Santa gift exchange. Hubbie got a wall clock that features a winter scene with birds. I think he was hoping someone would steal it from him, so he could steal another person's gift of two wooden birds.
But no one stole the clock. The lady seated next to me stole the birds. At the end of the game, there was one gift remaining, and the MG president urged me to participate in the game. I protested, since I'm not a member of the group. But she insisted.
Here was my chance to get those birds. I stalled and hesitated, and felt guilty, but finally I stole the birds. So the lady I stole the birds from had to get another gift, and she stole one from someone else. That lady, then, came and got the birds. I protested, since I knew that I was the third person to get them, and the rule was that the third person gets to keep the gift.
However, the president said that I was only the second person. But someone else pointed out to her that the birds had been selected by one lady, then were stolen by the lady seated next to me, so when I got them, I was the third person, and should be able to keep them. The president agreed.
But I feel guilty on two counts...the fact that by rights I should not have participated in the game at all, and that I stole the silly birds from someone who obviously really wanted them. Maybe I should offer them back to her, even though she got a nice gift...a pack of educational playing cards from our local museum that feature facts about the occupancy of our town by the Confederacy during the Civil War, and a gift certificate to the museum gift shop.
After the party, we ran a couple of errands....to the newspaper office to leave this week's word search puzzle contest, and to the greeting card shop to find out what kind of discount I had on a card I received in the mail. Customers were not supposed to scratch off the the card to reveal the discount...it was supposed to be done by a store clerk. Since the offer expired December 15, I thought I'd better go ahead and do it.
I was pleasantly surprised to find I had gotten a 40% discount. So I browsed the stores jigsaw puzzles, and found a Christmas-themed one for Mother. Besides that, I bought this year's children's book in a series I've been buying each year for several years. So the clerk applied the 40% off coupon to the puzzle (it had to be applied to a single item), and then I used an about-to-expire $2 coupon on the book. I'm so glad I decided to stop by and use those coupons today. I love bargains.
We came back home after that. Mother was busy working her jigsaw puzzle, so Hubbie and I relaxed with the newspapers, and watching TV, until it was time for me to prepare supper for Mother. I heated cornbread dressing, turkey, sweet potatoes, and part of a roll for her, and then put a container of salads on the table for her to choose from.
Hubbie and I weren't hungry at 5 p.m, but later, around 7 p.m., Hubbie had a ham sandwich, and I opted for a bowl of chili.
Mother stayed here to watch a Christmas show from the Family Channel, and then Hubbie accompanied her to her house. We continued watching TV, including our favorite college basketball team, as they played to a win.
Once the salad was made and in the fridge, I put together a couple of gifts...one with wine jelly, a tub of cream cheese, and a sleeve of snack crackers to give to the ladies at the beauty shop...and a "First Day of Christmas" gift for Mother (a pint jar of homemade peach jam).
After that, I went upstairs to shower and dress for the party. Meanwhile, Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house, and then he got ready.
Before we left, I fixed Mother a lunch of Ramen noodle soup, with crackers and pimento cheese.
We arrived at the party venue...the fellowship hall of a downtown church...around 11:20. A couple of folks were already there attempting to clear away ice from in front of the entrance. They mentioned that they had poured hot water on the ice, which immediately froze and made the entrance even more slick. I thought everyone knew that on a frigid day hot water freezes faster than cold water. Anyway, they resorted to Plan B and threw a rug over the ice.
About 30 people attended the party, far fewer than usual. There was enough food to feed an army, and when we'd eaten and then filled plates to bring home, the remainder of the catered turkey and dressing was donated to the local family violence prevention center.
Everyone brought side dishes, too, so there was a great variety of food, including desserts. We brought home turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes, and several varieties of salad, as well as rolls and three kinds of dessert.
Following the meal, the members held a Dirty Santa gift exchange. Hubbie got a wall clock that features a winter scene with birds. I think he was hoping someone would steal it from him, so he could steal another person's gift of two wooden birds.
But no one stole the clock. The lady seated next to me stole the birds. At the end of the game, there was one gift remaining, and the MG president urged me to participate in the game. I protested, since I'm not a member of the group. But she insisted.
Here was my chance to get those birds. I stalled and hesitated, and felt guilty, but finally I stole the birds. So the lady I stole the birds from had to get another gift, and she stole one from someone else. That lady, then, came and got the birds. I protested, since I knew that I was the third person to get them, and the rule was that the third person gets to keep the gift.
However, the president said that I was only the second person. But someone else pointed out to her that the birds had been selected by one lady, then were stolen by the lady seated next to me, so when I got them, I was the third person, and should be able to keep them. The president agreed.
But I feel guilty on two counts...the fact that by rights I should not have participated in the game at all, and that I stole the silly birds from someone who obviously really wanted them. Maybe I should offer them back to her, even though she got a nice gift...a pack of educational playing cards from our local museum that feature facts about the occupancy of our town by the Confederacy during the Civil War, and a gift certificate to the museum gift shop.
After the party, we ran a couple of errands....to the newspaper office to leave this week's word search puzzle contest, and to the greeting card shop to find out what kind of discount I had on a card I received in the mail. Customers were not supposed to scratch off the the card to reveal the discount...it was supposed to be done by a store clerk. Since the offer expired December 15, I thought I'd better go ahead and do it.
I was pleasantly surprised to find I had gotten a 40% discount. So I browsed the stores jigsaw puzzles, and found a Christmas-themed one for Mother. Besides that, I bought this year's children's book in a series I've been buying each year for several years. So the clerk applied the 40% off coupon to the puzzle (it had to be applied to a single item), and then I used an about-to-expire $2 coupon on the book. I'm so glad I decided to stop by and use those coupons today. I love bargains.
We came back home after that. Mother was busy working her jigsaw puzzle, so Hubbie and I relaxed with the newspapers, and watching TV, until it was time for me to prepare supper for Mother. I heated cornbread dressing, turkey, sweet potatoes, and part of a roll for her, and then put a container of salads on the table for her to choose from.
Hubbie and I weren't hungry at 5 p.m, but later, around 7 p.m., Hubbie had a ham sandwich, and I opted for a bowl of chili.
Mother stayed here to watch a Christmas show from the Family Channel, and then Hubbie accompanied her to her house. We continued watching TV, including our favorite college basketball team, as they played to a win.
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Wednesday, Dec. 11
Today is Daughter's birthday. Happy Birthday, Daughter!
Up this morning around 8 a.m., after lying awake until around 2:30 a.m. After breakfast, Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house, where she made a batch of pimento cheese, while I did stair stepping, resistance bands, and weights exercises.
After that, I went upstairs and typed instructions for making wine jelly. Since the lady who wants the instructions has never made jelly before, I listed every single thing she'll need for the process, and then gave detailed instructions for making the jelly.
Then I got ready for the day. By now, it was noon, so we sampled the pimento cheese in sandwiches. After lunch, Mother diced veggies for making chili, and I started a pot of it simmering.
Today, I used a chub of 85/15 ground turkey in the chili, since there was no other choice at the WDCS yesterday. In fact, there were lots of empty shelves in the meat counters. And for the first time that I can remember, the deli was completely closed down. I suppose the icy weather kept delivery trucks from running.
Mother went to her jigsaw puzzle after the chili was on the stove. Hubbie occupied himself with this and that, and I goofed off reading several back issues of newspapers, and playing on my tablet.
The chili was good at suppertime. I had just enough time to finish my meal before I had to go downtown to attend a visual arts committee meeting.
If I had known how much ice was piled up along the sidewalk curb, I probably wouldn't have gone to the meeting. I had to park a quite a way from the gallery, and since I didn't want to risk sliding on the icy curb, I walked down the street until I found a place less piled with it, and carefully accessed the sidewalk.
Much of the meeting dealt with an upcoming juried art show, which I'm only barely interested in. But one agenda item involved viewing an artist's work to decide if we wanted to agree to a gallery show. We did agree, though her collage work does nothing for me. I try not to cast my vote based on personal preferences, though.
The meeting ended around 6:30, when I had even more difficulty getting over that ice pile. Someone had parked in the space where I'd crossed to the sidewalk earlier, so I tried gaining access to the street from in front of the gallery.
Another committee member managed to hold onto a light pole and step over the ice. I'm much shorter than she is, though, so I couldn't stretch that far without slipping. So I prevailed upon her to lend me a supportive arm, since she was on firm footing. She did, and I stepped safely onto the street.
I was back home before 7 p.m., and Hubbie and I finished the evening watching TV.
Up this morning around 8 a.m., after lying awake until around 2:30 a.m. After breakfast, Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house, where she made a batch of pimento cheese, while I did stair stepping, resistance bands, and weights exercises.
After that, I went upstairs and typed instructions for making wine jelly. Since the lady who wants the instructions has never made jelly before, I listed every single thing she'll need for the process, and then gave detailed instructions for making the jelly.
Then I got ready for the day. By now, it was noon, so we sampled the pimento cheese in sandwiches. After lunch, Mother diced veggies for making chili, and I started a pot of it simmering.
Today, I used a chub of 85/15 ground turkey in the chili, since there was no other choice at the WDCS yesterday. In fact, there were lots of empty shelves in the meat counters. And for the first time that I can remember, the deli was completely closed down. I suppose the icy weather kept delivery trucks from running.
Mother went to her jigsaw puzzle after the chili was on the stove. Hubbie occupied himself with this and that, and I goofed off reading several back issues of newspapers, and playing on my tablet.
The chili was good at suppertime. I had just enough time to finish my meal before I had to go downtown to attend a visual arts committee meeting.
If I had known how much ice was piled up along the sidewalk curb, I probably wouldn't have gone to the meeting. I had to park a quite a way from the gallery, and since I didn't want to risk sliding on the icy curb, I walked down the street until I found a place less piled with it, and carefully accessed the sidewalk.
Much of the meeting dealt with an upcoming juried art show, which I'm only barely interested in. But one agenda item involved viewing an artist's work to decide if we wanted to agree to a gallery show. We did agree, though her collage work does nothing for me. I try not to cast my vote based on personal preferences, though.
The meeting ended around 6:30, when I had even more difficulty getting over that ice pile. Someone had parked in the space where I'd crossed to the sidewalk earlier, so I tried gaining access to the street from in front of the gallery.
Another committee member managed to hold onto a light pole and step over the ice. I'm much shorter than she is, though, so I couldn't stretch that far without slipping. So I prevailed upon her to lend me a supportive arm, since she was on firm footing. She did, and I stepped safely onto the street.
I was back home before 7 p.m., and Hubbie and I finished the evening watching TV.
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Tuesday, Dec. 10
Up around 8 a.m. on this cold morning. Did stair stepping, resistance bands, and weights exercises after breakfast.
Hubbie checked on Mother around 9 a.m. In a few minutes he rushed back inside and grabbed a broom.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"Your mother insisted on coming over today," he said, "so I need to sweep the water off the porch."
"Where is she?" I asked.
"Outside waiting for me," he said. In a minute, he helped her in the door."
"What are you doing here?" I asked. "I thought you'd want to stay home, since it's still frozen outside."
"Well, he insisted that I come over," she said, indicating Hubbie.
I think it's more likely that Mother did the insisting. She probably had a case of cabin fever and just wanted to trade "cabins" for a while. She also wanted company.
She went to her jigsaw puzzle, while I went upstairs to get ready for the day. Hubbie decided he had cabin fever, too, and wanted to go run errands.
He had a 10 a.m. dental appointment this morning, but since he's got a mild cold, he decided to call his hygienist to see if she wanted him to meet his appointment, or postpone it. She preferred he postpone it to next Tuesday.
Just the same, he wanted to get out and run around. But when I didn't hear the van leave, I looked out the window to see him, shovel in hand, trying to chip the ice from around the tires. Seems the vehicle had frozen to driveway and wouldn't move. But the shovel and some kitty litter, he finally freed it.
By this time, though, he was frustrated and tired, so he came inside to rest and have a cup of hot coffee. The errands could wait.
Later, I fixed a lunch of scrambled eggs with cheese and leftover fried potatoes, and served with toast and jelly.
Then we waited for the pest control guy to come. He was scheduled to be here between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. But around 1:30 p.m., he called to say the weather prevented him from keeping his appointments, and he will re-schedule in a week or so.
So Hubbie and I decided to run some errands, now that the van was free, and Hubbie was rested. We went to the bank, the post office, the Extension Office (to drop off Christmas stockings...our scrapbook club donation...which are to be filled and given to underprivileged children), and to a grocery pharmacy to pick up prescription, and several dozen cans of icing for the children's Christmas house workshop this weekend.
By now it was 2:45, and time for my haircut appointment. Hubbie dropped me off and then ran another errand. I was sort of surprised to see a long rug rolled out from the front door. It was to cover an icy patch, but when anyone walked in the door, we were greeted with, "I guess you noticed we rolled out the rug for you!"
My hairdresser was delighted to see I brought along a bucket of fruited popcorn...her favorite. I mentioned that I would have also brought a jar of wine jelly, but I wasn't sure how it would be received.
Some folks get offended at even the hint of alcohol. But my hairdresser and the others were enthusiastic about the jelly and assured me they wanted some. One even wants the recipe. So I'll deliver some to them in the next day or so.
From the beauty shop, we went to a dollar store, and then to the WDCS to satisfy a fairly long list of items. It was 4:30 by the time we were finished.
Came back home and unloaded and put away everything. Mother was ready to go home, so Hubbie accompanied her. Then we went to a business downtown for a reception. The folks here did a splendid job with the food. And we were hungry after running around town all afternoon.
Refreshments included delicious hot brisket, with slider buns for making sandwiches, served with salad, dips and chips, crackers and cheese, and a variety of desserts.
When we had eaten, we brought home a plate of the goodies for Mother's supper. She really enjoyed it. I sat with her while she ate.
For the secretary/receptionist of the business, I took a gift of jars of wine jelly and crab apple jelly, neither of which this lady had ever eaten. So she is anxious to try them. I also put a tub of cream cheese in with the gift, though I figured there would be plenty of crackers left from today's reception that she can take home.
We were back home around 6 p.m. Later, we watched the first episode of the "Bonnie and Clyde" mini-series. Unfortunately, I seem to have recorded the first episode twice, but didn't get episode two. I'll have to record that one when it repeats on Dec. 21.
********************************************
Note one: we were a bit perturbed when we arrived at the WDCS and waited on some folks to load their purchases into a truck and then vacate the space near the store. They'd bought a lot, so it took quite a while for them to finish loading. But that's not what aggravated us. It was that the young man decided to light up and then stand there leaning on the hood of the truck while he smoked. We drove around and came back a few minutes later, and he was still there, draped over his hood, puffing away. We finally gave up and parked a half a world away, and picked our way over the ice to the store.
Note two: outside the store, we met one of the water aerobics members who has not come to the pool in a very long time. She invited me to her annual "Cup of Cheer" get together at her house on Dec. 19. She also asked that I tell all the others at water aerobics about the party.
Since I'm not sure I'll be attending this week, I sent a message to the water aerobics leader, who can make an announcement at the pool tomorrow or Friday.
Hubbie checked on Mother around 9 a.m. In a few minutes he rushed back inside and grabbed a broom.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"Your mother insisted on coming over today," he said, "so I need to sweep the water off the porch."
"Where is she?" I asked.
"Outside waiting for me," he said. In a minute, he helped her in the door."
"What are you doing here?" I asked. "I thought you'd want to stay home, since it's still frozen outside."
"Well, he insisted that I come over," she said, indicating Hubbie.
I think it's more likely that Mother did the insisting. She probably had a case of cabin fever and just wanted to trade "cabins" for a while. She also wanted company.
She went to her jigsaw puzzle, while I went upstairs to get ready for the day. Hubbie decided he had cabin fever, too, and wanted to go run errands.
He had a 10 a.m. dental appointment this morning, but since he's got a mild cold, he decided to call his hygienist to see if she wanted him to meet his appointment, or postpone it. She preferred he postpone it to next Tuesday.
Just the same, he wanted to get out and run around. But when I didn't hear the van leave, I looked out the window to see him, shovel in hand, trying to chip the ice from around the tires. Seems the vehicle had frozen to driveway and wouldn't move. But the shovel and some kitty litter, he finally freed it.
By this time, though, he was frustrated and tired, so he came inside to rest and have a cup of hot coffee. The errands could wait.
Later, I fixed a lunch of scrambled eggs with cheese and leftover fried potatoes, and served with toast and jelly.
Then we waited for the pest control guy to come. He was scheduled to be here between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. But around 1:30 p.m., he called to say the weather prevented him from keeping his appointments, and he will re-schedule in a week or so.
So Hubbie and I decided to run some errands, now that the van was free, and Hubbie was rested. We went to the bank, the post office, the Extension Office (to drop off Christmas stockings...our scrapbook club donation...which are to be filled and given to underprivileged children), and to a grocery pharmacy to pick up prescription, and several dozen cans of icing for the children's Christmas house workshop this weekend.
By now it was 2:45, and time for my haircut appointment. Hubbie dropped me off and then ran another errand. I was sort of surprised to see a long rug rolled out from the front door. It was to cover an icy patch, but when anyone walked in the door, we were greeted with, "I guess you noticed we rolled out the rug for you!"
My hairdresser was delighted to see I brought along a bucket of fruited popcorn...her favorite. I mentioned that I would have also brought a jar of wine jelly, but I wasn't sure how it would be received.
Some folks get offended at even the hint of alcohol. But my hairdresser and the others were enthusiastic about the jelly and assured me they wanted some. One even wants the recipe. So I'll deliver some to them in the next day or so.
From the beauty shop, we went to a dollar store, and then to the WDCS to satisfy a fairly long list of items. It was 4:30 by the time we were finished.
Came back home and unloaded and put away everything. Mother was ready to go home, so Hubbie accompanied her. Then we went to a business downtown for a reception. The folks here did a splendid job with the food. And we were hungry after running around town all afternoon.
Refreshments included delicious hot brisket, with slider buns for making sandwiches, served with salad, dips and chips, crackers and cheese, and a variety of desserts.
When we had eaten, we brought home a plate of the goodies for Mother's supper. She really enjoyed it. I sat with her while she ate.
For the secretary/receptionist of the business, I took a gift of jars of wine jelly and crab apple jelly, neither of which this lady had ever eaten. So she is anxious to try them. I also put a tub of cream cheese in with the gift, though I figured there would be plenty of crackers left from today's reception that she can take home.
We were back home around 6 p.m. Later, we watched the first episode of the "Bonnie and Clyde" mini-series. Unfortunately, I seem to have recorded the first episode twice, but didn't get episode two. I'll have to record that one when it repeats on Dec. 21.
********************************************
Note one: we were a bit perturbed when we arrived at the WDCS and waited on some folks to load their purchases into a truck and then vacate the space near the store. They'd bought a lot, so it took quite a while for them to finish loading. But that's not what aggravated us. It was that the young man decided to light up and then stand there leaning on the hood of the truck while he smoked. We drove around and came back a few minutes later, and he was still there, draped over his hood, puffing away. We finally gave up and parked a half a world away, and picked our way over the ice to the store.
Note two: outside the store, we met one of the water aerobics members who has not come to the pool in a very long time. She invited me to her annual "Cup of Cheer" get together at her house on Dec. 19. She also asked that I tell all the others at water aerobics about the party.
Since I'm not sure I'll be attending this week, I sent a message to the water aerobics leader, who can make an announcement at the pool tomorrow or Friday.
Monday, December 9, 2013
Monday, Dec. 9
Up around 8 a.m. on this still-frozen morning. Did stair stepping, resistance bands, and weights exercises after breakfast.
Once I was ready for the day, I did this and that around the house, including several loads of laundry, and putting away summer clothes and getting out the winter ones. I'm late getting to that project, but the current weather inspired me to the task. Up until now, the weather has been warm one day and cool the next, so that I needed both kinds of clothing.
But now that Christmas is fast approaching, it was necessary to unearth my holiday sweaters and matching turtleneck shirts. Once I dug those out, I was on a roll to dig everything else out.
After that, I made lists...groceries needed over the next several days, menus, gift lists, and chores lists. There's a lot to do and not much time to do it before Christmas. Several days of illness, followed by several days of wintry weather, has not helped.
Speaking of illness, Mother now has a full-blown cold, and Hubbie is beginning to sniffle and cough. There are several events coming up this week, but I don't know if they'll feel like going or not.
One event...the luncheon/educational talk at the hospital scheduled for tomorrow at noon has been cancelled, but so far the other events of the week are still on, as far as I know.
At lunchtime, I heated soup for Mother, and Hubbie took it over to her house. He and I had a soup lunch too, and afterward we made a batch of fruited popcorn. I plan to take this to the beauty shop tomorrow afternoon, when I go for a haircut.
Relaxed with the newspapers after that until time to fix supper. Tonight, we had a variety of leftovers, which I heated in the oven. Hubbie and I carried the meal to Mother's house, and joined her for supper.
After supper, we played several games of Skipbo. Each of us won a game. At 8:30, we returned home and watched TV until bedtime.
Not a very exciting day, and we are beginning to feel the effects of being too long confined to the house. In fact, if I hadn't protested, Hubbie would have hopped in the van and run around town today, but I felt that one more day was needed to make road conditions better.
Today, traffic is flowing pretty near normally. Lots of vehicles on the road, plus the snow plow making another run up and down it today, should have beaten the ice back sufficiently to make travel safe by tomorrow.
Of course, there is a small threat of more sleet, and maybe snow flurries, tonight, but hopefully it won't be enough to add ice to the road.
Once I was ready for the day, I did this and that around the house, including several loads of laundry, and putting away summer clothes and getting out the winter ones. I'm late getting to that project, but the current weather inspired me to the task. Up until now, the weather has been warm one day and cool the next, so that I needed both kinds of clothing.
But now that Christmas is fast approaching, it was necessary to unearth my holiday sweaters and matching turtleneck shirts. Once I dug those out, I was on a roll to dig everything else out.
After that, I made lists...groceries needed over the next several days, menus, gift lists, and chores lists. There's a lot to do and not much time to do it before Christmas. Several days of illness, followed by several days of wintry weather, has not helped.
Speaking of illness, Mother now has a full-blown cold, and Hubbie is beginning to sniffle and cough. There are several events coming up this week, but I don't know if they'll feel like going or not.
One event...the luncheon/educational talk at the hospital scheduled for tomorrow at noon has been cancelled, but so far the other events of the week are still on, as far as I know.
At lunchtime, I heated soup for Mother, and Hubbie took it over to her house. He and I had a soup lunch too, and afterward we made a batch of fruited popcorn. I plan to take this to the beauty shop tomorrow afternoon, when I go for a haircut.
Relaxed with the newspapers after that until time to fix supper. Tonight, we had a variety of leftovers, which I heated in the oven. Hubbie and I carried the meal to Mother's house, and joined her for supper.
After supper, we played several games of Skipbo. Each of us won a game. At 8:30, we returned home and watched TV until bedtime.
Not a very exciting day, and we are beginning to feel the effects of being too long confined to the house. In fact, if I hadn't protested, Hubbie would have hopped in the van and run around town today, but I felt that one more day was needed to make road conditions better.
Today, traffic is flowing pretty near normally. Lots of vehicles on the road, plus the snow plow making another run up and down it today, should have beaten the ice back sufficiently to make travel safe by tomorrow.
Of course, there is a small threat of more sleet, and maybe snow flurries, tonight, but hopefully it won't be enough to add ice to the road.
Sunday, December 8, 2013
Sunday, Dec. 8
Today is Grandson's birthday. Happy Birthday, Grandson!
Slept late this morning. Skipped my exercises after breakfast, and just went ahead and got ready for the day.
Did this and that for the morning, and then close to lunchtime, I heated leftovers, and made a pan of cornbread. Hubbie took the cornbread to Mother's house and put it in the oven. When the leftovers were hot, we took them the Mother's and had lunch with her.
After lunch, we spent the afternoon playing Skipbo with Mother. Around 2 p.m., we put a pan of brownies in the oven to snack on around 3 p.m.
Around 4:30 p.m., we returned home. Later, close to 7 p.m., we heated Ramen noodle soup for Mother, and Hubbie took a bowl of it to her for her supper. Hubbie and I had bowls of potato soup, with blueberry muffins.
Because it continues to be icy, and because Mother has the sniffles, she won't be venturing out to come to our house tomorrow. In fact, I'm not sure what she'll feel up to doing this week. We'll just have to take it day-by-day.
Wintry weather and illnesses are sure putting a crimp in our Christmas festivities. Today, for instance, the "Festival of Lessons and Carols" was scheduled for this afternoon, but was cancelled. One-by-one, events are being cancelled or postponed.
Prediction for tomorrow is freezing fog, which can add to road problems. Schools, colleges, and some businesses will be closed. Fortunately, we have nowhere to go tomorrow, so we'll hunker down as we've done the last few days.
Today, a snow plow cleared the highway in front of our house, but in so doing, it flung ice to the left and right, piling it up on driveway entrances, including ours. Even if we are able to get out on Tuesday, Hubbie will first have to knock down that barrier to the highway.
And I certainly hope we are able to get out Tuesday, because that day is loaded with appointments...a morning visit to the dentist for Hubbie, a luncheon program at the hospital at noon, a visit from the pest control guy sometime between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., a haircut appointment for me at 3 p.m., and a Christmas reception that we are obliged to attend between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.
This evening, Hubbie and I wasted the evening as usual, watching TV, including a couple of Hallmark Christmas movies.
Slept late this morning. Skipped my exercises after breakfast, and just went ahead and got ready for the day.
Did this and that for the morning, and then close to lunchtime, I heated leftovers, and made a pan of cornbread. Hubbie took the cornbread to Mother's house and put it in the oven. When the leftovers were hot, we took them the Mother's and had lunch with her.
After lunch, we spent the afternoon playing Skipbo with Mother. Around 2 p.m., we put a pan of brownies in the oven to snack on around 3 p.m.
Around 4:30 p.m., we returned home. Later, close to 7 p.m., we heated Ramen noodle soup for Mother, and Hubbie took a bowl of it to her for her supper. Hubbie and I had bowls of potato soup, with blueberry muffins.
Because it continues to be icy, and because Mother has the sniffles, she won't be venturing out to come to our house tomorrow. In fact, I'm not sure what she'll feel up to doing this week. We'll just have to take it day-by-day.
Wintry weather and illnesses are sure putting a crimp in our Christmas festivities. Today, for instance, the "Festival of Lessons and Carols" was scheduled for this afternoon, but was cancelled. One-by-one, events are being cancelled or postponed.
Prediction for tomorrow is freezing fog, which can add to road problems. Schools, colleges, and some businesses will be closed. Fortunately, we have nowhere to go tomorrow, so we'll hunker down as we've done the last few days.
Today, a snow plow cleared the highway in front of our house, but in so doing, it flung ice to the left and right, piling it up on driveway entrances, including ours. Even if we are able to get out on Tuesday, Hubbie will first have to knock down that barrier to the highway.
And I certainly hope we are able to get out Tuesday, because that day is loaded with appointments...a morning visit to the dentist for Hubbie, a luncheon program at the hospital at noon, a visit from the pest control guy sometime between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., a haircut appointment for me at 3 p.m., and a Christmas reception that we are obliged to attend between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.
This evening, Hubbie and I wasted the evening as usual, watching TV, including a couple of Hallmark Christmas movies.
Saturday, December 7, 2013
Saturday, Dec. 7
Today is Pearl Harbor Day. Seventy-two years ago today, the Imperial Japanese Navy attacked a U.S. Naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, which led the United States into World War II. A month later, I took my first breath. We would have flown the flag on the well house, except that the yard is solid ice.
The road out front is solid ice, too, so very little traffic traveled on it today, and what did crawled along at a snail's pace. Since it's the weekend, most folks are wisely staying home. But if this winter stuff doesn't go away soon, folks will either begin braving it, or risk cabin fever. We in the south don't take well to being confined for long.
I slept late this morning, until around 8 a.m. After breakfast, I hopped into my exercise clothes and did stair stepping, resistance bands, and weights exercises. It felt good to exercise again after almost two weeks away from it. I was afraid I'd be forced to do an abbreviated session, but I got through the whole routine just fine.
My cough seems to be subsiding, too, and there's no more nose blowing. I'm almost recovered, I think.
While I exercised, Hubbie went over to Mother's house, and discovering how slick the ground and the ramp are, he advised against Mother trying to walk over here.
When he returned, he put color in my hair, in anticipation of a haircut appointment early next week. I hope there is a thaw before then, or I'll have to change my appointment. The weathermen are predicting more frozen stuff tonight, but mainly for counties east of us, so maybe we'll dodge it this time.
Once I was ready for the day, I prepared a Ramen noodle soup lunch for Mother, which Hubbie took to her. When he returned, we had chicken salad sandwiches, and then we each occupied ourselves in our own activities.
My goal was to get several Christmas gifts ready, including a gift pack for the upcoming water aerobics Christmas party. This year, I'm giving two jars of my homemade jelly in the little wooden crate I bought at the recent Holiday Open House, plus a little birdhouse ornament. The gift will be part of the Dirty Santa game.
Did this and that around the house after that until around 3 p.m., when Hubbie and I sat down to watch our favorite college basketball team, as they played to a win.
After that, I heated potato soup and blueberry muffins for supper. Hubbie took servings to Mother, along with a slice of pound cake that I bought at the Friends of the Library fundraiser recently.
Hubbie watched a football game afterward, while I read a short book (only a few pages over 100), by the humorist, Dave Barry, called "The Shepherd, The Angel, and Walter, the Christmas Miracle Dog."
Later, we watched TV, including the 2012 movie, "Hitchcock," starring Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren. The film centers on the relationship between Hitchcock and his wife, Alma, and their collaboration on Hitchcock's most famous movie, "Psycho."
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Niece from New York called today. She was a little down, since this is the first Christmas season following the death of her dad (my brother). I did my best to comfort her and assure her that it would not dishonor her father to go ahead and bake cookies and decorate a tree. I reminded her that her dad loved Christmas, and she should celebrate in remembrance of him.
The road out front is solid ice, too, so very little traffic traveled on it today, and what did crawled along at a snail's pace. Since it's the weekend, most folks are wisely staying home. But if this winter stuff doesn't go away soon, folks will either begin braving it, or risk cabin fever. We in the south don't take well to being confined for long.
I slept late this morning, until around 8 a.m. After breakfast, I hopped into my exercise clothes and did stair stepping, resistance bands, and weights exercises. It felt good to exercise again after almost two weeks away from it. I was afraid I'd be forced to do an abbreviated session, but I got through the whole routine just fine.
My cough seems to be subsiding, too, and there's no more nose blowing. I'm almost recovered, I think.
While I exercised, Hubbie went over to Mother's house, and discovering how slick the ground and the ramp are, he advised against Mother trying to walk over here.
When he returned, he put color in my hair, in anticipation of a haircut appointment early next week. I hope there is a thaw before then, or I'll have to change my appointment. The weathermen are predicting more frozen stuff tonight, but mainly for counties east of us, so maybe we'll dodge it this time.
Once I was ready for the day, I prepared a Ramen noodle soup lunch for Mother, which Hubbie took to her. When he returned, we had chicken salad sandwiches, and then we each occupied ourselves in our own activities.
My goal was to get several Christmas gifts ready, including a gift pack for the upcoming water aerobics Christmas party. This year, I'm giving two jars of my homemade jelly in the little wooden crate I bought at the recent Holiday Open House, plus a little birdhouse ornament. The gift will be part of the Dirty Santa game.
Did this and that around the house after that until around 3 p.m., when Hubbie and I sat down to watch our favorite college basketball team, as they played to a win.
After that, I heated potato soup and blueberry muffins for supper. Hubbie took servings to Mother, along with a slice of pound cake that I bought at the Friends of the Library fundraiser recently.
Hubbie watched a football game afterward, while I read a short book (only a few pages over 100), by the humorist, Dave Barry, called "The Shepherd, The Angel, and Walter, the Christmas Miracle Dog."
Later, we watched TV, including the 2012 movie, "Hitchcock," starring Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren. The film centers on the relationship between Hitchcock and his wife, Alma, and their collaboration on Hitchcock's most famous movie, "Psycho."
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Niece from New York called today. She was a little down, since this is the first Christmas season following the death of her dad (my brother). I did my best to comfort her and assure her that it would not dishonor her father to go ahead and bake cookies and decorate a tree. I reminded her that her dad loved Christmas, and she should celebrate in remembrance of him.
Friday, December 6, 2013
Friday, Dec. 6
It began sleeting last night about an hour after we returned from the basketball game, and was still sleeting when I got up this morning around 8:30.
Hubbie had been up since 7:30, but I guess he thought I needed that extra hour of rest. After breakfast, he accompanied Mother to our house. I was surprised she wanted to come over, since it was so cold outside. But the walkway was not slick, so she didn't want to stay home.
Once I was dressed, I grabbed my camera and took several shots of the wintry day through the windows. I was in no mood to go out in it, since I'm still nursing a persistent cough.
Spent the rest of the morning watching "The Sound of Music," starring Carrie Underwood. It was a passable performance, though not up to the standard of the Julie Andrews version. Still, we enjoyed it. I'm a nut for musicals, anyway.
After lunch, Mother went to her jigsaw puzzle, and Hubbie and I finished decorating for Christmas. I think it's all accomplished, at last.
Relaxed after that with the newspapers and my laptop until time to prepare supper. I decided that blueberry muffins would be good with the potato soup we made yesterday, so Mother helped make a couple dozen of them. She mixed the ingredients as I read them to her, and then she painstakingly spooned the batter into the muffin tins. This procedure took quite a while, but I finally got the muffins into the oven close to 5 p.m., and we were ready to sit down to supper by 5:30.
Hubbie accompanied Mother to her house afterward, and then we wasted the evening watching TV, including a Lifetime Movie Network feature called, "Ring of Fire," a new version of the Johnny Cash/June Carter Cash story.
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Note one: yesterday, we were unable to find our black cat with the injured hip. By nighttime, we were convinced she had slipped out as Hubbie went out or came in the sunroom door. But later today, she came wandering out from under the hot tub. We don't know why she holed up there for so many hours.
We don't know where she's holed up tonight, because once again we can't locate her. But we do know she's in the house somewhere, since we didn't let out into the sunroom after we found her today.
Note two: despite predictions for ice that would cause widespread power outages, there was only sleet here, and though the groud is as white as though there had been a snowfall, the power stayed on.
Some parts of the state did experience power outages, though, and the town where Hubbie's sister lives is one of them. Folks there really didn't need another weather-related disaster, after a recent tornado that demolished several buildings in the small town.
Hubbie had been up since 7:30, but I guess he thought I needed that extra hour of rest. After breakfast, he accompanied Mother to our house. I was surprised she wanted to come over, since it was so cold outside. But the walkway was not slick, so she didn't want to stay home.
Once I was dressed, I grabbed my camera and took several shots of the wintry day through the windows. I was in no mood to go out in it, since I'm still nursing a persistent cough.
Spent the rest of the morning watching "The Sound of Music," starring Carrie Underwood. It was a passable performance, though not up to the standard of the Julie Andrews version. Still, we enjoyed it. I'm a nut for musicals, anyway.
After lunch, Mother went to her jigsaw puzzle, and Hubbie and I finished decorating for Christmas. I think it's all accomplished, at last.
Relaxed after that with the newspapers and my laptop until time to prepare supper. I decided that blueberry muffins would be good with the potato soup we made yesterday, so Mother helped make a couple dozen of them. She mixed the ingredients as I read them to her, and then she painstakingly spooned the batter into the muffin tins. This procedure took quite a while, but I finally got the muffins into the oven close to 5 p.m., and we were ready to sit down to supper by 5:30.
Hubbie accompanied Mother to her house afterward, and then we wasted the evening watching TV, including a Lifetime Movie Network feature called, "Ring of Fire," a new version of the Johnny Cash/June Carter Cash story.
******************************************************
Note one: yesterday, we were unable to find our black cat with the injured hip. By nighttime, we were convinced she had slipped out as Hubbie went out or came in the sunroom door. But later today, she came wandering out from under the hot tub. We don't know why she holed up there for so many hours.
We don't know where she's holed up tonight, because once again we can't locate her. But we do know she's in the house somewhere, since we didn't let out into the sunroom after we found her today.
Note two: despite predictions for ice that would cause widespread power outages, there was only sleet here, and though the groud is as white as though there had been a snowfall, the power stayed on.
Some parts of the state did experience power outages, though, and the town where Hubbie's sister lives is one of them. Folks there really didn't need another weather-related disaster, after a recent tornado that demolished several buildings in the small town.
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Thursday, Dec. 5
Up around 7:30. Skipped my exercises, as I've done the past week, because of this illness. But I'm getting antsy to start back again. Got showered and dressed, then had breakfast.
Stayed glued to the TV all morning watching reports of an impending ice storm headed our way. It's expected to hit tomorrow, so we spent a good part of today getting ready for it.
Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house around 9:30, and then he ran errands to get gas for the generator, kerosene for the large heater, and propane for the camper. He also picked up a few grocery items, and kitty litter for melting ice in the walking paths from Mother's house.
We made sure there are batteries in the boom box radio, and enough water drawn for a few days. We made pump pots of coffee, and potato soup (Mother helped with this). We also charged all the electronic devices in case the power goes out tomorrow.
With the potato soup, and the leftovers from the past couple of days, we won't have to cook for several meals. And if we do have a power outage beyond the pre-prepared foods, we can cook in the camper, where there is a gas stove. We can also stay out there, if we need to.
I think we are ready, though I pray we don't have an outage.
We were supposed to go to a tree lighting event at noon, sponsored by Caring Hands Hospice, but since we were busy getting ready for tomorrow, we skipped it. This event includes an opportunity to purchase an ornament in honor of a loved one who has passed away. I will want to get one of the ornaments in remembrance of my brother, who died a few months ago.
Got a call from the art gallery director this morning saying that the Christmas House workshop, scheduled for Saturday, has been cancelled. We worked it out to re-schedule it for Dec. 14. I agreed to do the morning session of the workshop, and the the young women helpers can do the afternoon session, because there is a basketball game scheduled that afternoon, and I know Hubbie will want to go.
Two of my granddaughters and several of my great-grandchildren were scheduled to come to the workshop this Saturday, but when I advised them of the cancellation, they decided that instead of coming up on Dec. 14, a better time would be Sunday, Dec. 15.
Once Mother had finished dicing veggies for the soup, she started another puzzle...a Christmas themed one, and I did this and that around the house, including clearing spaces to put up more Christmas decorations.
Later, for supper, we had leftover beans and ham, fried potatoes, and cabbage. Hubbie accompanied Mother to her house afterward, and then he and I went to the college for a basketball game.
I really would have rather not gotten out on this cold, rainy night, but I could tell Hubbie wanted to go, so I bundled up really well and went with him.
Niece was there, with the toddler baby, so we sat with her and visited. Fortunately, our team pulled out a much needed win, since they are six and two right now. During halftime, an announcement was made that tomorrow night's game has been postponed until the end of January. Yay, because there is no way I would consider going over there tomorrow night.
Back home, we enjoyed hot drinks, watched TV for a while, and headed to bed.
Stayed glued to the TV all morning watching reports of an impending ice storm headed our way. It's expected to hit tomorrow, so we spent a good part of today getting ready for it.
Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house around 9:30, and then he ran errands to get gas for the generator, kerosene for the large heater, and propane for the camper. He also picked up a few grocery items, and kitty litter for melting ice in the walking paths from Mother's house.
We made sure there are batteries in the boom box radio, and enough water drawn for a few days. We made pump pots of coffee, and potato soup (Mother helped with this). We also charged all the electronic devices in case the power goes out tomorrow.
With the potato soup, and the leftovers from the past couple of days, we won't have to cook for several meals. And if we do have a power outage beyond the pre-prepared foods, we can cook in the camper, where there is a gas stove. We can also stay out there, if we need to.
I think we are ready, though I pray we don't have an outage.
We were supposed to go to a tree lighting event at noon, sponsored by Caring Hands Hospice, but since we were busy getting ready for tomorrow, we skipped it. This event includes an opportunity to purchase an ornament in honor of a loved one who has passed away. I will want to get one of the ornaments in remembrance of my brother, who died a few months ago.
Got a call from the art gallery director this morning saying that the Christmas House workshop, scheduled for Saturday, has been cancelled. We worked it out to re-schedule it for Dec. 14. I agreed to do the morning session of the workshop, and the the young women helpers can do the afternoon session, because there is a basketball game scheduled that afternoon, and I know Hubbie will want to go.
Two of my granddaughters and several of my great-grandchildren were scheduled to come to the workshop this Saturday, but when I advised them of the cancellation, they decided that instead of coming up on Dec. 14, a better time would be Sunday, Dec. 15.
Once Mother had finished dicing veggies for the soup, she started another puzzle...a Christmas themed one, and I did this and that around the house, including clearing spaces to put up more Christmas decorations.
Later, for supper, we had leftover beans and ham, fried potatoes, and cabbage. Hubbie accompanied Mother to her house afterward, and then he and I went to the college for a basketball game.
I really would have rather not gotten out on this cold, rainy night, but I could tell Hubbie wanted to go, so I bundled up really well and went with him.
Niece was there, with the toddler baby, so we sat with her and visited. Fortunately, our team pulled out a much needed win, since they are six and two right now. During halftime, an announcement was made that tomorrow night's game has been postponed until the end of January. Yay, because there is no way I would consider going over there tomorrow night.
Back home, we enjoyed hot drinks, watched TV for a while, and headed to bed.
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Wednesday, Dec. 4
Slept late, until after 8 a.m. Hubbie had gotten up about an hour earlier. He checked on me just after I got up, and found me already in the bathroom showering.
After breakfast, Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house, and then he ran errands. Today, I wanted to decorate the large Christmas tree, but I needed his help with it, so I just did this and that until he returned, which was around noon.
Following lunch, we started the decorating project. Ran into a problem with the lights right away, which required that Hubbie go to a home improvement store. When he returned, we finally got busy. We worked all afternoon stringing lights and garland, and putting hundreds of ornaments on the tree...ornaments we've collected over 33 years of marriage.
Because I've been feeling crappy, I was sorely tempted this year to skip putting up this enormous tree, since there is already an average-size "white" one in the living room. Two is probably overkill for a home without children, but this is Mother's favorite tree, which reminds her of trees of the past, when I was young....eclectic decorations and multi-colored lights.
The white tree is Hubbie's favorite, maybe because of its calm, monochromatic theme of mostly white decorations, white lights, and pearl garlands. It is the one he can see from his seat at the dining room table.
The trees really are very pretty, and we enjoy sitting in the living room and looking at them. Family will enjoy them, too, when they visit through the holidays. So I guess it was all worth it.
This season has not gotten off to a good start, though, what with me being sick all through the Thanksgiving holiday and into the first week of December. Already, I've had to opt out of several events that I would have liked to attend, and now, with the predicted wintry weather Friday, I learned from a water aerobics member that our Christmas party has been postponed until a week from tomorrow.
She also said there will be no water aerobics sessions this Friday or next Monday. As it happens, I'm not ready to get back in the pool yet, anyway, so now I won't have to feel bad about not going.
The problem, though, is that Hubbie's Master Gardener Christmas party is scheduled for a week from tomorrow, the same day as the re-scheduled water aerobics party. Mother really likes going to the water aerobics party, and Hubbie assures us he won't mind if we choose that one over the Master Gardener one, so that's what we might do.
The wintry weather could also change plans for the Kids' Christmas House Workshop, scheduled for Saturday at the art gallery. Even if the workshop goes on, Daughter, two grandddaughters, and several great-grandchildren might opt out of coming.
It's a case of wait and see.
Later, I cooked a fresh batch of spaghetti to go with the sauce from a couple of days ago, and we had this for supper. After supper, Hubbie accompanied Mother to her house, and then we watched sappy Christmas movies from the Lifetime Channel.
After breakfast, Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house, and then he ran errands. Today, I wanted to decorate the large Christmas tree, but I needed his help with it, so I just did this and that until he returned, which was around noon.
Following lunch, we started the decorating project. Ran into a problem with the lights right away, which required that Hubbie go to a home improvement store. When he returned, we finally got busy. We worked all afternoon stringing lights and garland, and putting hundreds of ornaments on the tree...ornaments we've collected over 33 years of marriage.
Because I've been feeling crappy, I was sorely tempted this year to skip putting up this enormous tree, since there is already an average-size "white" one in the living room. Two is probably overkill for a home without children, but this is Mother's favorite tree, which reminds her of trees of the past, when I was young....eclectic decorations and multi-colored lights.
The white tree is Hubbie's favorite, maybe because of its calm, monochromatic theme of mostly white decorations, white lights, and pearl garlands. It is the one he can see from his seat at the dining room table.
The trees really are very pretty, and we enjoy sitting in the living room and looking at them. Family will enjoy them, too, when they visit through the holidays. So I guess it was all worth it.
This season has not gotten off to a good start, though, what with me being sick all through the Thanksgiving holiday and into the first week of December. Already, I've had to opt out of several events that I would have liked to attend, and now, with the predicted wintry weather Friday, I learned from a water aerobics member that our Christmas party has been postponed until a week from tomorrow.
She also said there will be no water aerobics sessions this Friday or next Monday. As it happens, I'm not ready to get back in the pool yet, anyway, so now I won't have to feel bad about not going.
The problem, though, is that Hubbie's Master Gardener Christmas party is scheduled for a week from tomorrow, the same day as the re-scheduled water aerobics party. Mother really likes going to the water aerobics party, and Hubbie assures us he won't mind if we choose that one over the Master Gardener one, so that's what we might do.
The wintry weather could also change plans for the Kids' Christmas House Workshop, scheduled for Saturday at the art gallery. Even if the workshop goes on, Daughter, two grandddaughters, and several great-grandchildren might opt out of coming.
It's a case of wait and see.
Later, I cooked a fresh batch of spaghetti to go with the sauce from a couple of days ago, and we had this for supper. After supper, Hubbie accompanied Mother to her house, and then we watched sappy Christmas movies from the Lifetime Channel.
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Tuesday, Dec. 3
Today is Granddaughter's birthday. Happy Birthday, Granddaughter!
Slept late this very foggy morning, until around 8 a.m. Skipped my exercises after breakfast, of course, because I'm still coughing. A little sneezing and blowing going on, but not as much. I feel a lot better than I have for the past few days.
Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house around 9 a.m., and as soon as I was dressed and ready, we put a pot of beans on to simmer. Mother diced onions, carrots, and banana peppers, as well as the remaining ham from Thanksgiving, and then I added cans of beef and chicken broth, no-salt seasoning, pepper, paprika, and garlic.
After that, we began work on the "white" Christmas tree in the living room. The first thing we needed to do was put a string on lights on the top portion of the tree, since only the lights on bottom of this pre-lit tree work.
As soon as we got the string on the tree, Hubbie plugged them in. Half of the lights didn't work, even though Hubbie had tried all the strands yesterday, and they worked.
So, we put another strand on the tree. Now there were the two strands of lights we put on it, plus the "pre-lit" ones already on the tree. There's an absolute mass of lights on that upper portion, but ornaments disguise them. If those pre-lit ones on the bottom quit, I'm going to scream.
After lunch, we spent a couple of hours putting ornaments on the tree. When we were done, Hubbie ran a couple of errands. Mother dozed, while I caught up on reading newspapers, made a haircut appointment, talked (very briefly) with one of the scrapbook club members, and played on my e-tablet.
Later, Hubbie peeled potatoes and sliced them in the food processor, and grated a head of cabbage. Mother diced an onion, and then I fried the potatoes and onions, along with seasonings, in a little olive oil, and cooked the cabbage in a little olive oil and chicken broth, plus seasonings.
Mother mixed a batch of cornbread, which I put in the oven, along with a pan of biscuits, and we had supper at our usual 5 p.m. hour. Ordinarily, I would have attended a meeting of the college Friends of the Library executive board tonight, but I e-mailed the president of the board yesterday to explain why I could not attend.
After supper, Hubbie accompanied Mother to her house, and then he and I watched TV, including our favorite college basketball team, as they mopped the floor with their opponents.
Slept late this very foggy morning, until around 8 a.m. Skipped my exercises after breakfast, of course, because I'm still coughing. A little sneezing and blowing going on, but not as much. I feel a lot better than I have for the past few days.
Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house around 9 a.m., and as soon as I was dressed and ready, we put a pot of beans on to simmer. Mother diced onions, carrots, and banana peppers, as well as the remaining ham from Thanksgiving, and then I added cans of beef and chicken broth, no-salt seasoning, pepper, paprika, and garlic.
After that, we began work on the "white" Christmas tree in the living room. The first thing we needed to do was put a string on lights on the top portion of the tree, since only the lights on bottom of this pre-lit tree work.
As soon as we got the string on the tree, Hubbie plugged them in. Half of the lights didn't work, even though Hubbie had tried all the strands yesterday, and they worked.
So, we put another strand on the tree. Now there were the two strands of lights we put on it, plus the "pre-lit" ones already on the tree. There's an absolute mass of lights on that upper portion, but ornaments disguise them. If those pre-lit ones on the bottom quit, I'm going to scream.
After lunch, we spent a couple of hours putting ornaments on the tree. When we were done, Hubbie ran a couple of errands. Mother dozed, while I caught up on reading newspapers, made a haircut appointment, talked (very briefly) with one of the scrapbook club members, and played on my e-tablet.
Later, Hubbie peeled potatoes and sliced them in the food processor, and grated a head of cabbage. Mother diced an onion, and then I fried the potatoes and onions, along with seasonings, in a little olive oil, and cooked the cabbage in a little olive oil and chicken broth, plus seasonings.
Mother mixed a batch of cornbread, which I put in the oven, along with a pan of biscuits, and we had supper at our usual 5 p.m. hour. Ordinarily, I would have attended a meeting of the college Friends of the Library executive board tonight, but I e-mailed the president of the board yesterday to explain why I could not attend.
After supper, Hubbie accompanied Mother to her house, and then he and I watched TV, including our favorite college basketball team, as they mopped the floor with their opponents.
Monday, December 2, 2013
Monday, Dec. 2
Slept better last night, and got up around 7:30. Dense fog this morningStill coughing a little, but not as much, so maybe I'm on the road to recovery. I skipped my exercises, of course, and just went ahead and showered and dressed.
Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house around 9:30. She's a little under the weather, with a scratchy throat. But so far she seem okay. Maybe this malady will skip her.
The first thing I did this morning was call the scrapbook club members to cancel our meeting, scheduled for tomorrow.
We also decided not to try to go to the Christmas parade tonight, so it wasn't necessary to take a vehicle downtown and leave it in parking space near the parade route.
As it happened, the truck needed attention, anyway, since it wouldn't start when Hubbie tried it last night. This morning, he had to call our road service to come and jump the battery. A guy arrived around 10 a.m. Once the truck was running, Hubbie took it to our favorite auto shop. Naturally, the truck needed a new (and very expensive) battery. Guess we can't complain, since the old battery had been in there since 2008.
When Hubbie returned, we began working on putting the Christmas village on the mantel. This is always a chore, and it wasn't helped by several big power strips and piles of cords, making it difficult to maneuver the boxes I use to make levels and the houses into place.
Finally, Hubbie decided to go in search of something different to plug the houses into and returned with one long power strip, which made the job a little easier.
While he was gone, I fluffed the branches on the two artificial trees in the living room, and learned that only the lights on the lower half of the pre-lit tree we bought last year work. The lights were only guaranteed for one year, and I guess they weren't about to go one moment beyond that. So we'll have to add strings to the upper portion. Maybe pre-lit trees aren't such a great thing, after all.
At least the village is up now, so tomorrow we'll begin on decorating the trees.
Around 3 p.m., I put a pan of spaghetti sauce on to simmer, and then relaxed with a stack of newspapers.
Later, I cooked the spaghetti, and we enjoyed this meal that wasn't Thanksgiving fare. After supper, Hubbie accompanied Mother to her house, then we watched TV, as usual.
I noticed that Hubbie is getting hoarse now. Phooey.
Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house around 9:30. She's a little under the weather, with a scratchy throat. But so far she seem okay. Maybe this malady will skip her.
The first thing I did this morning was call the scrapbook club members to cancel our meeting, scheduled for tomorrow.
We also decided not to try to go to the Christmas parade tonight, so it wasn't necessary to take a vehicle downtown and leave it in parking space near the parade route.
As it happened, the truck needed attention, anyway, since it wouldn't start when Hubbie tried it last night. This morning, he had to call our road service to come and jump the battery. A guy arrived around 10 a.m. Once the truck was running, Hubbie took it to our favorite auto shop. Naturally, the truck needed a new (and very expensive) battery. Guess we can't complain, since the old battery had been in there since 2008.
When Hubbie returned, we began working on putting the Christmas village on the mantel. This is always a chore, and it wasn't helped by several big power strips and piles of cords, making it difficult to maneuver the boxes I use to make levels and the houses into place.
Finally, Hubbie decided to go in search of something different to plug the houses into and returned with one long power strip, which made the job a little easier.
While he was gone, I fluffed the branches on the two artificial trees in the living room, and learned that only the lights on the lower half of the pre-lit tree we bought last year work. The lights were only guaranteed for one year, and I guess they weren't about to go one moment beyond that. So we'll have to add strings to the upper portion. Maybe pre-lit trees aren't such a great thing, after all.
At least the village is up now, so tomorrow we'll begin on decorating the trees.
Around 3 p.m., I put a pan of spaghetti sauce on to simmer, and then relaxed with a stack of newspapers.
Later, I cooked the spaghetti, and we enjoyed this meal that wasn't Thanksgiving fare. After supper, Hubbie accompanied Mother to her house, then we watched TV, as usual.
I noticed that Hubbie is getting hoarse now. Phooey.
Sunday, December 1, 2013
Sunday, Dec. 1
December 1...Christmas right around the corner. The first two weeks of the month are loaded with events, but it looks like I might have to miss some of them, thanks to this lingering malady. Today, for instance, there was a tour of historic homes scheduled. The weather was nice for the tour, and I usually enjoy seeing the old homes decorated for Christmas. But I just wasn't up to it today.
I'll also miss water aerobics all week, but I do hope I'll feel well enough to attend the Christmas party on Friday. There's a charity bingo Tuesday night, benefiting the Literacy Council; a tree lighting on Thursday at noon, sponsored by Caring Hands Hospice; two evening basketball games at the college; and the graham cracker cookie Christmas house workshop on Saturday. Some of my great-grandchildren are hoping to attend that, so I hope I'll be well. And I hope that predictions for possible wintry weather do not come to pass to cancel the event.
I'm still coughing today, and my diaphragm is really sore from all that coughing. But I think I might not be coughing as much. Family has urged me to see my doctor, though I think there is little that can be done, since antibiotics are not prescribed for colds or viruses, and this is one or the other, or a combination of both, I think. But if I'm still hacking in the morning, I'll consider seeing a doctor.
Slept late this morning (when I could sleep, with the coughing). Sis accompanied Mother to our house around 9 a.m., and we spent the morning watching animated Christmas shows on DVD.
Lunch was Thanksgiving dinner one more time, after which I bagged up a lot of the leftovers for Sis to take home. Hubbie and I are not crazy about leftover turkey, but Sis will find creative ways to use it.
After lunch, Mother and Sis finished a jigsaw puzzle they started yesterday, and then mid-afternoon, Sis headed home.
Mother was ready to go home too, so Hubbie accompanied here. Then we wasted the rest of the afternoon and evening watching TV. Doing laundry and sending e-mail messages to friends. One was to thank my former Literacy Council student for a Thanksgiving message she left on my land line, and the other was to one of the water aerobics ladies to tell her I will not be attending sessions this week. Whenever anyone is missing from aerobics for a while, we all start worrying, so I thought I'd better let someone know why I'll be absent.
I'll also miss water aerobics all week, but I do hope I'll feel well enough to attend the Christmas party on Friday. There's a charity bingo Tuesday night, benefiting the Literacy Council; a tree lighting on Thursday at noon, sponsored by Caring Hands Hospice; two evening basketball games at the college; and the graham cracker cookie Christmas house workshop on Saturday. Some of my great-grandchildren are hoping to attend that, so I hope I'll be well. And I hope that predictions for possible wintry weather do not come to pass to cancel the event.
I'm still coughing today, and my diaphragm is really sore from all that coughing. But I think I might not be coughing as much. Family has urged me to see my doctor, though I think there is little that can be done, since antibiotics are not prescribed for colds or viruses, and this is one or the other, or a combination of both, I think. But if I'm still hacking in the morning, I'll consider seeing a doctor.
Slept late this morning (when I could sleep, with the coughing). Sis accompanied Mother to our house around 9 a.m., and we spent the morning watching animated Christmas shows on DVD.
Lunch was Thanksgiving dinner one more time, after which I bagged up a lot of the leftovers for Sis to take home. Hubbie and I are not crazy about leftover turkey, but Sis will find creative ways to use it.
After lunch, Mother and Sis finished a jigsaw puzzle they started yesterday, and then mid-afternoon, Sis headed home.
Mother was ready to go home too, so Hubbie accompanied here. Then we wasted the rest of the afternoon and evening watching TV. Doing laundry and sending e-mail messages to friends. One was to thank my former Literacy Council student for a Thanksgiving message she left on my land line, and the other was to one of the water aerobics ladies to tell her I will not be attending sessions this week. Whenever anyone is missing from aerobics for a while, we all start worrying, so I thought I'd better let someone know why I'll be absent.
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