Saturday, January 11, 2014

Saturday, Jan. 11

Slept late, until around 8:30. Hubbie was already up when I went downstairs. I did stair stepping, resistance bands, and weights exercises after breakfast. Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house around 9:30, and she went to her jigsaw puzzle.

Before I went upstairs to get ready for the day, I baked a pie crust, so it would be cool when I got ready to make a coconut cream pie later.

By the time I was dressed and had gathered clothes to be washed, it as after 11 a.m. Idled for a while until time to fix lunch, which was Ramen noodle soup for Mother, mushroom soup for me, and a bean sandwich for Hubbie.

After lunch, I made the filling for the coconut cream pie, and then made a meringue for the top. Mother helped by measuring  some of the ingredients for me. I used fat free milk, sugar substitute, and egg substitute in the filling, as well as sugar substitute for the meringue.

Coconut cream pie is usually my choice of dessert for my birthday. In the past, Mother liked making the pie for me, but she is no longer able to, so I decided to do it for myself.

I was amused last night after we returned from the restaurant, when Hubbie decided to have a small snack before bed. He shared a banana with me. I commented that for his birthday, I fixed not one, but two desserts...a lemon pudding cake, and a pineapple upside down cake, both his favorites...but he didn't fix even one dessert for me, not even brownies or a chocolate cake from a mix. All I got was half a banana.

When the pie was made, I joined Hubbie in watching our favorite college basketball team as they played to a disappointing loss.

Afterward, I put leftovers from last night's Japanese restaurant meal in the oven. The meal was good again. Served slices of coconut cream pie afterward. It was yummy, too.

Mother stayed around for a little while and watched Wheel of  Fortune, and then Hubbie accompanied her to her house.

Spent the rest of the evening watching TV, including a suspense movie recorded on DVR from the Lifetime channel.

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Note: Mother misplaced her glasses again, including her bright pink glasses case. We searched both houses, and even called the restaurant, trying to locate them, although Hubbie was positive she hadn't taken them to the restaurant.

Later this evening I suggested he look in the back of the van, where the wheelchair is, to see if the glasses might have dropped out of her coat pocket while she was getting out of the wheelchair and into the van at the restaurant.

He was reluctant to look, being convinced she hadn't taken them to the restaurant. "So I guess it's not worth the trouble to even look?" I asked. Oh, well, it was a waste of time, he figured, but yes, to satisfy me, he'd go check anyway. 

He returned a few minutes later, glasses in hand. "Are you satisfied now," he laughed. I agreed that I was.




 






 

Friday, January 10, 2014

Friday, Jan. 10

Today is my birthday, and it has been a good one, despite the gloomy, foggy, rainy weather.

Slept late, until around 8:30. Did stair stepping, resistance bands, and weights exercises after breakfast. Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house around 9:30. Both of them presented me with beautiful birthday cards, and gift cards.

When I checked my social network page, I found that I had many birthday greetings from family and friends. While I responded to those, Mother went to her jigsaw puzzle.

I dilly-dallied all morning, not accomplishing much, and not getting dressed. Later, Hubbie went out and picked up the mail and the newspapers (both yesterday's and today's state and local editions came). There was a very pretty birthday card and short letter in the mail from my friend who lives about an hour away.

At noon, I fixed lunch...Ramen noodle soup for Mother, leftover Salisbury steak, gravy, and mashed potatoes for Hubbie, and cream of mushroom soup for me.

Afterward, I finally went upstairs and got ready for the day (which was now half over). While I was up there, Hubbie's daughter called to wish me a happy birthday. I couldn't go to the phone, but she relayed the message through Hubbie.

While I was upstairs, I tried on a swimsuit I ordered online and that arrived yesterday. Actually, I ordered two of the suits, since they were on clearance. Unfortunately, though, they are ill-fitting, so I will send them back for a refund.

To do that, I had to go to the website and print out a mailing label, for which I'll pay a fee, but which will cover the cost of shipping the suits. Because I ordered two suits, there was no shipping fee to sent them to me. But what I saved in receiving the suits, I will lose in sending the silly things back.

Back downstairs, I whiled the afternoon away reading two days of newspapers, playing on my laptop, and reading my John Grisham novel.

Later, for supper, we went to the Japanese restaurant. I enjoy watching the meal being prepared on a hibachi grill. It wasn't the pleasant night for getting out, though...very rainy...which made it a little more difficult to get Mother in and out of the van, and in and out of the restaurant.

But it was an entertaining time, anyway. I asked our cook how long it took for him to train for the job, and he said about three months, which seemed like three years. The training is grueling, and nothing short of perfection is accepted. He said if a student makes it right to the end of a lesson, but then blows a detail, he has to go back to the beginning and repeat the lesson. He trained at a restaurant in the capital city.

He asked if any of us had ever been to Japan. When we said no, he said, "Neither have I."  He's an American from New York, he noted. He was interested to learn that Mother and I came from there, too.

As usual, we were served way more food than we could help eat. Our server brought take-out boxes before we even asked for them. I commented on this, and he said not many people are able to finish their meal. We brought home enough for another meal. It'll be our supper for tomorrow night.

As soon as we got back home, Hubbie accompanied Mother to her house. While he did that, I listened to a voice mail on our land line. His daughter called to let him know how his sister's tests went today. He called her back right away and learned that her endoscopy revealed several large ulcers in her stomach. They were biopsied, and she'll learn the results next week.

Tonight, I got a call from my friend in Texas. She usually calls on my birthday, and we spend a long time catching up on each other's lives. We talked about 30 minutes, I guess.

Watched TV after that until bedtime.




















Thursday, January 9, 2014

Thursday, Jan. 9

Slept late, until around 8:30. Hubbie was downstairs already. Did stair stepping, resistance bands, and weights exercises after breakfast. Hubbie checked on Mother, but of course she opted not to come over today. Her wheelchair ramp was iced over, so it wouldn't have been safe.

Hubbie was scheduled to go to a Master Gardener meeting this morning at 10 a.m., but he soon got a phone call alerting him that the meeting has been postponed until next Thursday. I'm sure meetings all over town were cancelled today, since the roads were icy. Schools were closed, of course. The mail ran, but the state and local newspapers weren't delivered.

The first thing I did after I exercised was grab my camera and shoot a few pictures through the windows, and then post a couple of them to my social network page.

Finally went upstairs and got ready for the day. Didn't do much after that until time to prepare lunch for Mother. I heated the remainder of the chicken noodle soup for her, and Hubbie delivered it.

Then I made bean sandwiches for our lunch. I mashed beans and heated them in the microwave. Mixed the beans with a little mustard. I spread the bean mixture on toast, topped it with slices of cheese and melted it in the microwave. Served the sandwiches with sides of coleslaw.

Afterward, I made a recipe of mushroom soup. Hubbie helped by slicing the mushrooms and dicing some onion for me. I sauteed the mushrooms and onions in margarine, added flour, then fat free chicken broth. Cooked this until is was slightly thickened, then added fat free half-and-half milk, and spices...nutmeg and white pepper.

Later, I used the soup to make Salisbury steaks. I seasoned hamburger patties with no salt seasoning, pepper, paprika, and garlic power, and cooked them. Then I added the mushroom soup, mixed with browning sauce and sour cream, and let it simmer about 20 minutes.

Served the meal with mashed potatoes and spinach. I sent a helping of the meal to Mother, but instead of spinach, which she doesn't like, I added coleslaw to her supper.

Later, at 7 p.m., we ventured out to the college for a basketball game. If it had been up to me, I would have skipped this game and stayed snug in my warm house. But Hubbie was bound and determined to go. I hope his niece and nephew duly appreciate our dedicated attendance.

Our team won, fortunately. Up to now, they have had a poor showing, but they've improved to the point that they've won their past two home games.

The college did a good job of sanding the roads and sidewalks on campus, but I still almost lost my footing twice on small patches of ice...once going to the gym, and again going back to our vehicle. It's hard to see those patches at night.

The temperature is on the rise, though, and things are thawing. But the trees are still covered in ice. Maybe it'll all clear away tomorrow.

Back home around 9:30, we watched a little TV and then headed to bed.

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Note: we are  a little anxious for Hubbie's sister, who is undergoing an ultrasound, a colonoscopy, and an endoscopy tomorrow. Her doctor saw a spot on her kidney and is thoroughly checking her out. She has only one kidney, since the other one was removed eighteen years ago because of cancer. She has been losing weight recently, but we figured it was because she has difficulty eating with braces on her teeth. Hopefully, all these tests will rule out any major problems.





Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Wednesday, Jan. 8

Today is the anniversary of Elvis Presley's birthday. The first time I heard him sing was when I was in the 8th grade. I was working as a waitress (even though I was only fourteen years old) in a little restaurant in a very small rural town , and I heard him on the jukebox. As happened with every teen girl of that day, I fell instantly in love with his voice, and with rock and roll in general.

This has been a week of reminiscing about my teen years. The death of Phil Everly of the Everly Brothers brought back memories of my sophomore year in high school, when their song, "Cathy's Clown," became popular. I was dating a boy in my class, and he painted that song title on the fenders of his car. We broke up not long after. I don't remember what he did to get that song off his car.

Woke up at 4:30 this morning, then couldn't go back to sleep until 6:30. Got up at 8:30, after Hubbie awakened me...he had been up since 7:30.

Did stair stepping, resistance bands, and weights exercises after breakfast. Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house around 9:30. She worked on her jigsaw puzzle, while I got ready for the day.

When I came back downstairs, I noticed Hubbie was gone. Mother said she didn't know where he had gone, but I suspected he was shopping for a gift for my birthday. He returned around noon.

We each had something different for lunch...Mother had leftover chicken noodle soup; I had leftover spaghetti and French bread; and Hubbie had a ham sandwich.

Mother had finished her jigsaw puzzle this morning, so I helped her set up a new one. Then Hubbie and I ran errands.

First, we went to the Revenue Department so I could renew my driver's license, as well as get updated handicap hanging placards to go in our vehicles. I had no problem acquiring a driver's license, of course, but I was told that Mother would need to go to the revenue office to sign papers for the placards.

This seemed like nonsense to Hubbie and me, and we said as much. Surely there was a way to get around having a 91-year-old woman go to the office simply to sign her name. When we mentioned that we have power of attorney over Mother's affairs, the lady behind the counter agreed she could probably push the paperwork through with my signature as Mother's caretaker. Which she did...including locating Mother's Social Security number online, so I would not have to run home to get it.

I went right down to the wire getting my driver's license renewed, since it would have expired on my birthday the day after tomorrow. I wanted to get it a lot earlier, but everything from Christmas and New Year's, to wintry weather, to bathroom renovations delayed me. Today was the optimum day this week, since we are experiencing icy weather again (started sleeting and freezing the roads late this afternoon).

From the Revenue Department we went to the library. We wanted to pick up the first DVD of the second season of "The Tudors," but it was out. I asked the librarian to flag it for me. When it comes in, she'll call me. Since we couldn't get that DVD today, we got the first DVD of another series. I hope we don't get confused with all this piecemeal watching of TV show series.

Finally, we went to the WDCS for a few groceries...not bread and milk, however, even though it's predicted that we'll get freezing rain or sleet tonight that could make the roads slick. One thing I did pick up was angel hair cabbage to make coleslaw for supper. Another was mushrooms and fat free half-and-half milk for making mushroom soup tomorrow.

Back home, Mother diced green onions and made a double batch of Italian cream cheese ball. She also put dressing on the cabbage to make slaw for supper. I baked a cookie sheet of sweet potatoes, and put a dish of leftover beans in the oven later. The meal of slaw, potatoes, and beans, served with slices of hot buttered French bread, was very good...a satisfying, stick-to-your-ribs supper on a cold winter night.

Hubbie accompanied Mother home afterward. When he returned, he said Mother's wheelchair ramp was getting slick with ice. If this continues into the morning, Hubbie will not be attending a Master Gardener meeting. In fact, it's possible the meeting will be postponed.

Fortunately, the weather is supposed to be much better by Sunday, with temps in the high 50s, which will be great for a trip to another town about 45 minutes away to meet with lots of family at a restaurant to celebrate my birthday.

This evening we watched a one-hour show on TV, followed by our favorite college basketball team as they played to a disappointing loss on the road.

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Tuesday, Jan. 7

Up at 7:30, but postponed my exercises until later. Got dressed right after breakfast in anticipation of the guy who has been working on our bathroom returning to put the hardware on the cabinets and do other touch-up jobs. We were also expecting the plumber, but he called to say it would be around lunchtime before he got here.

Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house around 9:30, and she went to her jigsaw puzzle. Hubbie and I didn't do much other than wash a couple of loads of laundry. I did go to Mother's house to photograph ice on her living room window that created lacy formations. The I uploaded the pics to my social network page.

The worker arrived after 10 a.m., and the plumber arrived at noon. Hubbie and I weren't inspired to do much with workers banging around upstairs.

We were everlastingly glad, though, when the job was completed around 1 p.m. As soon as the guys left, I did stair stepping, resistance bands, and weights exercises, then luxuriated for about an hour in my new bathroom.

I'm so pleased with the bathroom, after waiting so long for it to be completed, that I couldn't resist snapping a pic of it to post on my social network page.

Later, we decided to have breakfast for supper. So Mother diced onions and ham, and I sauteed them, then added egg substitute and cheese. We had the scrambled eggs with a side of cottage cheese, toast and crab apple jelly, and fresh grapes for dessert. Hot cups of coffee completed the meal.

Watched TV after that, including a couple of Lifetime channel movies. Mother opted to go home.





Monday, January 6, 2014

Monday, Jan. 6

Up around 8 a.m., but skipped my exercises after breakfast, since we expected the guy to arrive around 10 a.m. to finish the bathroom. We also expected the plumber, but he called to say his children (he's a single father) are sick, so he would need to stay home with them. However, he expects to be here tomorrow.

I went ahead and got dressed, and then went to my office to write a letter to another friend to enclose in a New Year's card. This older friend doesn't have a computer and has vowed never to get one. She loves receiving mail...preferably handwritten. But my handwriting is so awful that if I have very much to say to her, I insist on typing it.

The worker arrived while I was in the office, right behind Hubbie, who brought Mother over. I was very surprised that Mother decided to come over considering that this is the coldest temperature we've experienced in many years. But I guess she got cabin fever and needed a change of scene. I think she was anxious to get back to her jigsaw puzzle, too.

When I finished the letter, I came downstairs to prepare lunch. I wasn't sure if the worker would join us or not, but I made sure that there was plenty of soup and sandwich makings available, and I set the table for four.

However, the worker had errands to run around lunchtime, so he did not join us. After lunch, Mother returned to her puzzle, Hubbie ran a couple of errands, the worker resumed painting tasks in the bathroom, and I spent my time with paperwork related to Extension Homemakers, getting the letters and cards to friends ready to mail, sorting coupons to send to Granddaughter, working this week's word search puzzle contest, and catching up on reading state and local newspapers.

The worker left around 3:30, and at 4 p.m., I put leftovers in the oven to heat for supper. Tonight, we had beans and ham, with fried potatoes, spaghetti and sauce, and a choice of cornbread or French bread. Hubbie added a piece of corn-on-the-cob and a dab of coleslaw to his plate.

Mother was ready to go home afterward, so Hubbie accompanied her. I sent a small helping of peach cobbler with her. Then he and I watched TV, including a Lifetime channel movie, followed by the BCS National Championship football game, between Florida State and Auburn. We cheered for Auburn, but they lost it in the last few seconds.







Sunday, January 5, 2014

Sunday, Jan. 5

Slept really late this morning, until nearly 9 a.m., but I did stair stepping, resistance bands, and weights exercises after breakfast. Mother opted to stay home, of course, on this bitterly cold day.

Predictions for a possible one the three inches of snow in our area did not materialize, thank goodness, but there is a wind chill advisory, with temps dropping to eight degrees or lower through tonight.

Before I showered and dressed, Hubbie and I worked to get a pot of pinto beans, and a pot of chicken simmering. He took over Mother's job of dicing veggies for me.

When I was ready for the day, I fixed a lunch for Mother, which Hubbie took to her. Hubbie and I waited until around 1 p.m., when the chicken was cooked, to have a soup for lunch.

Afterward, Hubbie watched TV, while I went to the office upstairs to write a letter to Mother's and my friend, who lives about an hour and a half away. She came to our town to visit with our other friend, but it was on a day when we could not meet with them, because it was the same day that we went to Hubbie's daughter's house for a Christmas gathering.

She sent me a really beautiful Christmas card, and a newsy letter, but since I didn't get around to sending Christmas cards this year, I decided to send her a New Year's card and long letter.

That's about all I accomplished this afternoon. Around 4 p.m., Hubbie peeled and sliced potatoes, and I fried them, cooked corn-on-the-cob, and made a batch of cornbread, as well as baking a can of biscuits.

We put all the food into containers and took it to Mother's house, so she could join us for supper. Back home afterward, Hubbie and I watched TV, including several episodes of "The Tudors," and a football bowl game, in which Hubbie's Alma mater team played to an exciting win, after it looked like they would lose in the last minute.