Food all the Way

 My friend died Sunday morning. I did not want to bother her daughter who is right there in her home. However, I could not bear knowing. I called and may have awakened her daughter. Our exchange was brief--29 seconds. I did not want to go into my grief, so I said, "I am so sorry." She said, "Thank you." She may have been asleep.  She may have been hoarse from crying. We hung up. That means the celebration of life is Sunday. I had mailed her a note on Monday, written on Sunday after she died...sigh.

I wonder if there will be food at the Celebration. This is the South and it will be in a church.

I told Tommy I would call the police next time he hit me. I know for a fact it was low blood sugar. But, it hurts my body, hurts my feelings and makes me feel like I am nothing. He was an a$$ when I said that hurt since he acted like I did not exist, would not speak. I know you wonder why we don't check his blood sugar. That would be too easy. He would also lose his autonomy. But, when he has tried to hurt me and men in uniform show up, he is meek as a lamb. He has allowed them to measure his blood sugar on several occasions when he was yelling at me. I don't think he is afraid of them, just will cooperate with uniforms better than with me. 

Somehow, I lost Sunday. That night, I just assumed it was Saturday because I had not seen Meet the Press or America's Funniest Videos. Well, on Monday, Tommy pointed out I was asleep during those hours. I slept about four hours and missed both, one in the morning and one in the evening. Of course, I barely slept every night of the weekend. My laptop has the date, time, and temperature displayed. However, the pertinent information I needed on Sunday, the day of the week, is not displayed. 

Janet, I received Pillars of the Earth on Monday. It was so heavy I could barely take it from Tommy and not drop it. I will have to support it for sure. This read should be interesting. I will get a tray that sits across my lap and rests on the arms of the chair. Thank you.

I ordered a book from Mayo Clinic--Mayo Clinic Book of Home Remedies, Second Edition. Hopefully, it will prove helpful. 

Decluttering was miniscule, but I did it.

Free food: 6 black plums, 7 peaches, 4 lbs of nectarines, five lbs. chicken thighs. 

We still have chicken tenderloins in the refrigerator to eat, and two frozen packages of cooked tenderloins. Last night, I wanted Tommy to go get chicken for me. Yes, I know there was plenty in the refrigerator already baked. I opened a can of the Hormel Roast Beef and Gravy, mixed package of Idahoan, and opened green beans. It was not the healthiest, but it was eaten. The can of Hormel was 11 months beyond the best by date, but it was fine as I knew it would be. 

I really want potato salad and squash casserole, so after the news goes off, we will go to Publix.  Tommy went alone and bought: milk for both of us, two packages of squash, five pounds red potatoes, two pounds of carrots, Arnold's Keto Bread,  a package of carrot shreds, 4 12-packs of Pepsi b2g2, a case of Dasani. He forgot to put my phone number in at the register. We would have gotten $2 off on a $10 purchase. I will fix it. 

We went out in the car earlier, and the ac is wonderful! I know that Heaven will be airconditioned. 

On the news today, we heard that doctors increase the intake of fruits and vegetables by 1/3 by actually prescribing fruits and vegetables. Interesting. I am not sure what the recommendations are, but I get at least three fruits, and at least three or four vegetables. I know I am short on the vegetables. Well, maybe not since I rarely count onions and celery in my vegetable list for a day. I read another site that has 4 of each as the minimum. 

Tommy went to Publix. I specifically told him to choose small squash. Not one of the packages has a small squash! They are all hefty clubs. I cut off the smaller ends for the casserole and left the larger pieces to cook with the thighs or for him to put in a salad. I need to remember to slice them, otherwise, he won't eat them in a salad. Plus, there is a package of three not so small clubs left for another day. I may slice those to cook with onions. 

Tonight, I will boil eggs for the potato salad I will make Wednesday or probably Thursday. Ooops, I forgot to have him buy celery.

Dinner: I am having baked chicken tender, squash casserole, green beans. Tommy is having a leg and thigh, squash casserole, sweet potatoes. The green beans and sweet potatoes are leftovers, so a helping each is left. Until dinner is done, I am eating a peach. It is Freestone! I have not had one of those yet this year. Okay, it is hard and not very tasty, but tomorrow they will be better.

There was a rock in the green beans, and I broke a tooth!

Do you aim for a certain number of vegetables and fruits each day?

What are you currently reading? 

Recipe: Garlic Herb Butter

 Tommy has always loved the garlic herb butter pat that comes with some vegetables. So, I decided to make some for him. I read the label to see what was in the butter concoction. I had no idea the measures or proportions, so I guessed. 

I was in no mood to dice garlic, so I used garlic powder. Next time, I will use both. Of course, you may put in herbs you prefer. 

Garlic Herb Butter

1/2 cup salted butter

 1/2 tsp Garlic

1/2 tsp parsley

1/2 tsp basil

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp chive

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

3 shakes black pepper

I placed all this in a bowl and mixed with a spoon, using the back of the spoon. I kept the concoction on the counter in a covered bowl. He eats it on cold bread. I would toast a roll or bread spread with the butter mix. Of course, any herb or spice can be added or eliminated.

Saturday was hard. First, I had not had enough sleep. So, what else is new. Second, it was so hot. We went to Publix for cereal bogo, a2milk, and the participate in their tasting event. Tommy kept turning down different items. I had to remind him to take it and give it to me...lol. We had a taste of ice cream I certainly loved. It was Publix ice cream, lemon and blueberry. 

We brought the milk and something else back to the house. He brought us a sandwich back to the car. I devoured my half immediately. I have no idea why I left home without eating anything! 

Then, at Lowe's no one knew anything. All I wanted was the right fertilizer for blueberries. A customer told me loudly that I needed to google that, and she started to do it. I told here the guys were my google. Eventually, I had to leave the greenhouse because it was too hot for me. I was feeling sick from the heat. A manager never came for something else I needed. I had Tommy drive close so I could get right into the car, not drive across the parking lot to him. 

Then, we changed phones to another service. The guy got my photos from this present phone. That has been holding up this change of phone service. In all this, I searched for a bicycle cable lock for the grill, tank to attached it to the house. No luck. 

We went to the house in Bessemer that has the wonderful tomatoes--$4 for two tomatoes. Great price. 

Finally, we came home and I managed to cool off. The heat was brutal. I took a nap from 6-8 pm. Of course, this is just a Southern summer, nothing more than usual. It is just my age and health, I know. I reveled in the extreme heat all my life, and now??? 

THE END

How is the heat affecting you? 

Were you out in the heat today? Even in and out of ac?

Thoughts? Do you make a similar spread? 

Ads This Week

 Publix had no paper ads in the store on Wednesday as they had not received any. Last night, I pored the ads as well as I could on the internet. When Tommy asked about an ad, a manager said he was leaving right then to go pick up ads from another store. 

There were deals I wanted. By the time Tommy arrived at 1 pm, there were no mushrooms that were bogo. They arrived at the store and did not meet the store standards. Tommy would have gotten anything even though I told him they had to be really white. 

At Sam's when we went, I found 10 cans of tuna packaged together for a bit under $11, about $10.98. So, I got those since tuna is much more expensive nowadays. At Publix, 4 cans of tuna in a package are 2 packages for $6. That makes it $0.75/can, cheaper only 5 years ago. This is StarKist Chunk Light in water, 5 ounces. I told Tommy to get as many as he wanted. Since there were only 5 packages left, he got four. It seems "2 for" means you have to buy two to get the special price. He had remembered that. These will go fast at this price, so I will probably get four more before the ad goes off. Is this a sign of prices going down or just my good luck?

Planter's Peanuts in a jar are bogo, forgot what price. But, I will get these because he gets the ones with full salt. I get the lightly salted ones. 

There was a Publix bag for 99 cents. I had Tommy get that one. It is heavy recyclable polypropylene. It is smaller than I wanted but okay. As I took off the tag that ties the handles together, I decided to open it and see exactly the size. I struggled a bit and finally looked inside. This bag has dividers, four of equal size. Maybe they each would hold a bottle of wine or catsup. Interesting. I have never seen a cheap store bag with dividers. I will go over the ad again, and so will Tommy. But, I will wait for a paper ad. 

By the way, Tommy could not reach the tuna on the very bottom shelf so had to get a very young woman to get it up. So, the store put the best tuna deal out of sight? Not an accident! Well, I went back in later and the sale tuna was on a side of the endcap front and center.

When I went in to get the ad, I decided to shop. Tomatoes (bogo)are needed for Mediterranean pasta. We needed peanut butter, so I got Skippy Natural, 40 oz for Tommy, 15 oz size for me. I bought four more 4-packs of tuna, 16 cans in all. With the 16 cans Tommy bought this morning and the 8 cans left from Sam's purchase, we have 40 cans, enough for 10 months with dates of 2026 on the last 32 we got today. 

Tommy bought the thick tote bag with four sections. But, this afternoon, the manager had no idea, had never seen them. He was very jovial today and just gave me two bags. I kept asking how much are they. Free. Well, okey dokey.

I was getting faint, so I bought a banana and got a spoon from the deli and had banana and pb to get my blood sugar up a bit. It sure felt good to eat. 

Then, we went to the Pig to get the ad. I shopped because I did not want the free item to run out. Eggs were free with $10 purchase. I got those, 3 Vidalia onions. I got two little packages of sugar free Jello. The receipt is in the bag with eggs, so I am not sure what else I bought. 

When I took the eggs inside the house, I checked to see all were whole. They were. Then, as I held the egg carton, I saw a price of 99 cents on the carton with a marker. I picked up the eggs from the bin where the free ones were located. But, these were from another bin with eggs that were expiring on Friday, May 12, 2023. So, now I need to go back and get the exchange. Using the app may be hard, but they will do it, I know. Tommy was a little horrified when I told him I got more eggs. "We don't have enough room." Cooking tonight emptied on of the cartons of 18. So, we don't have the problem he thinks. 

I have said I was going to make salmon croquettes for the last week or more. Tonight, I did. Three eggs, a can of salmon, onions, oats, crackers, salt and pepper. They were delicious. Dinner: Salmon croquettes. green beans, slaw. I had strawberries afterward. We had salmon croquettes with pan fried potatoes and brown gravy. I think we had greens and navy beans. 

Hold me to this. I need to dehydrate celery and Vidalia onions. Both will go into Ball jars for use all year. I won't dice the celery since it is too much on my hands. Besides, I will only use it to put into soup. spaghetti, or on a pan to bake meat or other vegetables. The Vidalia may just be sliced, not diced. 

So far, the brownies have not had a laxative effect. whew! 

Rain came down in torrents tonight, blowing hard. Tommy beamed as he looked out the door. "I don't have to water!" Well, it was dark, so if it had not rained, it was too late to go out to water. Every day, he counts the blossoms on the Stella d' Oro. Today he was so happy there were eight blossoms. He commented that they are doing better than last year. I suppose it a second year thing. I will divide them for next year if that is a thing I can do to get more plants and possible more blossoms without buying a new plant. They are dependable. 

Do you buy Vidalia onions when they are in season? Dehydrate the Vidalia onions to use all year? 

How does your garden grow? I think I saw a blueberry blossom today. 

Yucky Keto Brownies (edit--death at Publix)

 Today was a good day. I replaced the Wilton brownie pan and found a blouse on sale. It did not rain here once again, but it seemed Birmingham was spared. On the interstate there was about a ten-second spit of rain. We didn't even need the windshield wiper. 

All the flowers faltered a bit a few days ago, but seem to have rallied. The Stella D'Oro are full of flowers now. Maybe the flowers rallied because they got their second dose of fertilizer on Monday. Most of the flower envelopes stated to fertilize once a week, so we will. 

When I was in the research group for people who had had cancer, I was given two boxes of Miracle Gro, for flowers and vegetables. Then, at the final dinner, we could take all the supplies left over from the research project that was ending. Tommy and I both took two boxes of fertilizer. So, we have plenty. 

We both had an appointment with the podiatrist. We were about two months overdue for our next appointment. Her office called and said she had to cancel our last appointment because she was ill. Well today, she said she was in the hospital for a week. She had a pulmonary embolism. She had risk factors and had just traveled by plane. 

After the appointment we did go shopping. Of course, when we came home, I had a nap. 

Dinner: Chicken Cordon Bleu, new potatoes, slaw. I had the last of the strawberries--2, and almost a half cup of blueberries. 

We tried the Duncan Hines Chewy Fudge Brownies, and it stinks. There is nothing thick or fudgy about them. The texture of the batter and the brownie was like corn meal, the chocolate tasted bitter. I love dark chocolate, so this was a different taste, not good. Tommy is not a fan, either. AND, there was this warning--Excessive consumption may cause a laxative effect in sensitive individuals. Just great!

I forgot to include this:

91-year-old woman dies after being struck by vehicle in Cullman (msn.com)

I was told a month ago at this Publix that a woman was hit and knocked into the bushes. I am afraid to cross to the store on the electric cart. I have known this woman for at least 35 years. 

If you do keto, do you find the same texture I did? I think the weird chocolate taste was due to artifical sweeteners. Do you like keto baking items? 

Good Day! Hard Day!

 Today, we took my new laptop to Office Max or Depot in Cullman to get everything transferred from old to new. He was not sure he could get it done in the over 4 hours before he went home at 2 pm. I felt nervous when we dropped it off and forced myself not to call and see how he was doing. 

We did a lot in four hours. 

went to bank and cashed a $5 refund check

went to cash in aluminum cans as we got off the interstate--$6

Dropped off bag of small Coke bottles and a friend will put them in her recycling

dropped off small bag of soup/tuna cans for a friend to give to mutual friend

went to PO

sat in my driveway for about three minutes to look at my daffodils on retaining wall, by mail box and in a swath in the backyard--a host of golden daffodils (Wordsworth)

in Publix bought a banana, bowl of watermelon to eat in car, went to bathroom, looked for keto bread

bought gas for $2.93

ate lunch at Chicken Salad Chick

went to Lowe's

I started thinking about how we had money for Chicken Salad Chick. I had to convince him. I reasoned to him--the $5 is free money, the $6 is free money. I have $3 in my purse from a refund at Publix, and the charge was on your card. If we take this $14 and spend it at Chicken Salad Chick, it won't cost much to eat this time. So, he was convinced. 

Really, he wanted money in his wallet. He sounded pitiful about never having cash. So, I told him to keep the cash until I needed it and put it on cc. That is not really good logic, but it worked...lol. 

At CSC he ordered Fruity Fran and chicken and dumplings. I ordered Classic Carol and loaded baked potato soup. We ate in the parking lot at the park nearby. My scoop did not seem right. Well, I had been given Chic Cranberry Kelli. Not happy. 

At lowe's, I realized they had bedding plants. The woman working at Lowe's took a Romaine 6-pack and Tommy's credit card, and bought it and brought it to the car. When we got home, Tommy brought them in. I know he did not mistreat them. However, many of the stems were completely broken! I am annoyed. We may just have to eat the tiny leaves and then plant the broken ones and hope we do get more Romaine. I know the wind was whipping the leaves and the wind had gusts of 38 mph today in Cullman. So, maybe the wind broke off the Romaine. 

I am going to plant two or three plants in one pots. We have to get busy. I have pots and I have soil. So, we can at least get these out and on the porch, but not in this wind. 

My feet were so swollen when we got home that I could barely walk. I needed to take a nap, but did not.

Dinner was already made: chicken breast, potatoes, carrots. I had the rest of the slaw. Tommy had a salad with Romaine, grape tomatoes, carrots sticks I cut, zucchini rounds. It was huge and colorful. 

When I wanted to get out my computer as soon as we got home, I could not get it online. I knew I was doing it right. Well, the internet was down! I will sell the old laptop. So, now it is up and running.  It is much faster than the old one. It took about 30 minutes to get to a blog or email. 

When I dropped it off, I warned him the noise it emitted might drive the whole store crazy. When I picked it up, I asked him if the noise was too loud. He said it was loud and he hated it . 

Today, the high was 83F. This would be an ideal high year-round. The wind was so high that at one point, my hair swirled around my head, over my face, and in my eyes.  We went to the Festhalle to empty the trash. We had it in a styrofoam food container that we wanted to wash and recyle. Tommy took it and dumped it out his window right into a trash barrel less than a foot from the car. As he dumped it, every bit of trash flew out and away from the barrel. It was faster than either of us could move even in our younger days! We both were aghast and felt ashamed, but we could not reach it even if we had tried. 

At least, we are recycling the styrofoam. And, I think the pickel spears did go into the trash barrel. Tomorrow is the day we will take the styrofoam, mostly egg cartons to Publix to recycle. We took in two huge bags of papers last week. Taking it all at once is too much. 

Is it always a wonderful thing to get a new laptop that actually works? 

Was it windy in your neck of the woods? 

Solving a few Problems

Several months ago, a woman had a product that I decided to try one day. So, I bought it--Kraft Spaghetti Classics Tangy Italian Spaghetti, Spice Mix & Parmesan Cheese.  I want to thaw some cooked ground beef to add to it. 

The woman said her grandsons love it. I will taste it and let you know what I think. I am looking forward to this. But, I highly doubt I will ever purchase it again. Plus, it has angel hair pasta which I don't like, either. I may use some regular spaghetti instead. Have you tried this?

I found Kraft Chunk Cheese Medium for $3. I grabbed six or had someone hand it to me. Somehow, I came home with two mild cheese which I loathe and a pepper jack that Tommy will eat, not me. I can eat the mild but it is gross. It tastes bitter to me. So much for getting a bargain! 

Today, I had several goals. I made a list and we set out. We stayed away for two hours and made three stops. 

First, The Pig. Tommy had mentioned he needed something for a bit of athlete's foot he had. He is not happy he cannot reach his feet to wash them, either. I knew none of this. I have several tubs like wash pans that people use in a sink. But, that would be inadequate. If he could put it on the floor, he could reach his feet. So, I bought a Libman bucket that is tall and has a handle. I thought it might work. He tried and it would not. With that purchase, I used a digital coupon and received a Success Boil in Bag Rice. (buy $10 and get the rice free) I will give that to my 90 yr+ friends. She said they would use it. 

I will get some kind of bin that suits him, and I will use that bucket because I cannot get into the shower as it frightens me as the sound of the water makes me dizzy. It is hard to get my feet clean!

 A few weeks ago, we both got day planners. His runs from July 22 to June 23 and he hates it. So, I got him a new one. I don't understand why the first one ran like it did. Useless. At another store I bought a long brush for my feet. Since my knees swell from a medication, I cannot reach my feet either! 

While in The Pig, I found two balls for a quarter each. These will be therapy for us...lol. We can kick the soccer ball and toss the pink ball. Well, when we get them blown up, they will be useful to support present skills and not lose the skills. We do have the little air thing for tires, so maybe we won't explode the balls. 

Onward--I bought a package of panties, Command hooks, E6000 glue, and Squeaky-Clean Straws. The Command hooks are to put on the bathroom waste basket, but upside down to hold the plastic bag liner in place. It usually slides down. I saw it on the internet. Tommy approves.

The E600 glue is for the reindeer that fell and broke its leg. Then, I can finally put it away.  The Squeaky-Clean Straws are split down the side to open and wash, needing no cleaning brush. They are BPA-Free and plastic-free and can be put in the dishwasher and are silicone. Of course, they are reusable. I tried opening a straw and closing it back. It works. 

At the Publix in Cullman, they had a spray for athlete's foot that Tommy liked. Here, they did not have the Tinactin Liquid, so I bought another Tinactin he liked. It cools the burn which he does not have. Oh, I bought a 1/8 sheet pan, small like we needed to put multiple items in the oven. I also bought strawberries and yellow squash. 

My daffodils at my lot are blooming! 

Did I say that last night I ordered items, otc that are allowed and healthy food? 

Dinner: baked chicken, green peas for Tommy, and mashed potatoes. 

Have you ever heard of or used Command Hooks on the outside of a wastebasket to hold a bag in place? 

Have you ever used the Straws that split to wash? If so, how do you like them?

Christmas Delivery, Shopping

 We set out at 9:30 to go to Cullman. I wanted to give the red Kiss to my friend who is 92. She loved it, full of fairy lights and Hershey kisses. I went in while Tommy sat in the car. 

We had things to do. I called CVS and Walgreen's as I sat in their respective parking lots and inquired about the glasses. Well, nothing. We both went into Belk's, a much smaller one than in Birmingham and were both exhausted! We found nothing, not even a clerk to help us. Someone sent over a nice child-clerk who did not know what she was doing. But, her job was to ring up items. This Belk will close if they do not get things up and running. The sold out of all their gloves! And, they had no houndstooth scarves. I suppose I won't get those. 

I went into Publix and found glasses. They are shaped like stemless wine glasses, and they might be. However, they are huge. I bought them with a return Publix card. So, I only had to pay $2.17. On Tuesday, I will go somewhere with really cheap stemless wine glasses and may return the ones from Publix. I am afraid I will drop the ones I bought. They are really huge, so when they sweat on the outside, I might drop them. Lynda might, too. Tommy said they are fine for his hand. 

We drove 36 miles out of our way to go to the Dutch Oven Bakery for lunch and to purchase little tongs and spoon. They were closed on Monday! I decided a place owned by friends would have what I wanted, high quality and expensive. I was desperate. They are also closed on Monday. Rats!

We ate at Slim Chickens and won't go there again. The meal we purchased--three chicken fingers, Texas toast and fries that were a little too spicy for me, and a drink, all for $8.99, almost $20 for two meals. The tenders were soooo tender. The breading was better than DQ, the honey mustard dip was not great. I did not need fries. The Texas Toast was great. We will go to Chicken Salad Chick next time we want to splurge.

I came home and put my car in the carport, called someone to dust and do light housekeeping for a good price, got one bedazzled card in the mail. Really, it was shiny confetti all over and cute, handmade, I do believe. All that exhausted me on top of the trip.

Tonight, I ordered Tommy a flashlight, a headlight for Christmas, and me a set of charcuterie accessories to get a tiny spoon for nuts and tiny tongs for Christmas tree foods. Still, I may find the glasses tomorrow. The flashlight is about 4" long but seems like it is bright. I will get a larger one from Lowe's where I can see it and touch it. 

We had chicken I roasted about midnight on Sunday for dinner Monday. Tommy had sweet potatoes and collards. I had salad with nasty dressing. But, we are fed. When I have chicken, I am happy. 

This morning I had a chicken and Miracle Whip sandwich for breakfast, that makes three meals of chicken breast today, and I could eat it again...lol. 

Tomorrow, he will slice the ham and we can have that for dinner. Some will be frozen. One of these chicken breast will go into the freezer, too. 

Gas was $2.67 today. Prices drop here within a few hours of buying gas. It is discouraging. 

Do you have one food, except for chocolate, that you never tire of eating? Surely, no one gets tired of chocolate! 

Does anyone shop at Belk? Have you been there lately? Opinion? 

Tommy's Birthday/I am Determined

 I was awake from 4:30 to 7:30. Tommy got up to go to the bathroom as I was going to bed. We pass in the night! I had told him to wake me at 10 am since I was told that the $1.49 turkey breast would be out by then. Well, I got dressed when I woke at 10:30 a bit miffed he did not wake me. I dressed as fast as I could and combed my hair in the car. On the way to Publix I did sing Happy Birthday in a creaky voice. He thanks me and liked the song. 

At 11 am, there was no turkey breast no matter how many people dug in that case of turkeys. Finally, it seemed that the truck was delayed so I could check back tomorrow. UGH! I did get vanilla ice cream like Tommy requested for his birthday. 

Since I had nothing to eat, I told him I was buying his lunch. We went to Arby's and had a roast beef sandwich with cheese and no red sauce. Other places nicer were too far away. We were on a tight schedule. Of course, I had to squirt Horsey Sauce on each bite. I love horseradish. One time I got the burn up my nostrils and loved it. Usually, we would eat in the park. He suggested I eat while we drove to Big Box and he would eat in the car. He had had breakfast. 

I did some quick shopping and no browsing. We left finally and got to next chore. We witnessed and almost head-on collision. That was frightening. 

It took a while to recover and we watched some of the news. Then, Tommy started peeling potatoes and carrots. We both worked. While I was trimming everything, he washed the squash and zucchini which I then cut into three inch pieces. 

Carrots, potatoes, onion went into the bag with the pork loin on top. I tied up the bag, poked holes, and put it into the oven. Maybe he put it in. I turned around to wash my hands as he stood near me, using his walker. He asked, "What are you going to do with the squash and zucchini? Oh, my gosh. I left them out of the bag. So, I cut the tie, dumped them in and he put them back into the oven. At least the pan was not hot at all. 

I said it was birthday present time. He was eager. He opened the shredder and was happy. Now, for three years he has opposed a shredder being purchased. He opened the book I got him--A Dog's Purpose. He seems like he might finally read it. I gave the old one with pages curled to Lynda. 

Life is short; eat dessert first!

Then, since dinner was still not near done, I asked him if he wanted carrot cake--"Of course!" So, we had carrot cake. I am so glad a whole cake was too expensive--$19--and we only had a slice each. He did not want ice cream on it. He hates ice cream or whipped cream on desserts, even when I whip real cream. Oh, I bought him a pack of Juicy Fruit since he likes gum and never has any unless I buy it. He is an aggressive chewer and saves it until morning, stuck onto something, so I don't encourage him. But, it is his birthday. 

Dinner smells so delicious--Applewood Pork Loin, potatoes, carrots, onion, zucchini, squash, all in a cooking bag. There is enough for another meal even if we both eat lots tonight. Plus, there will be enough for sandwiches. I bought slaw mix to go with any of the above meal if there is enough for more meals.

Determined? I will get two more turkey breasts! It is getting hard, but I will persevere. Next time, I will be at the store early on the day ad starts instead of noon the next day. But, things happened on Wednesday. No more excuses for sales. Tommy exclaimed, "Where are we going to put two breasts?"

I am determined to get two more in the stuffed freezer! I can thaw and cook one, if push comes to shove. One time about 8 years ago, I put three turkey breasts in one turkey bag and sent Tommy's home with him. It can be done. 

I ordered a Christmas cd for when Lynda comes to visit. Later tonight, I will listen to it and see if it is good. This will be a "party" done right. We might have dancing! jk

At 8:30, I called Publix. The meat truck has not come in yet. So, someone must stay until it gets there. At least, at this point there will be turkey breasts in the morning. We would not have gone in tonight, anyway. 

I asked Tommy if he wanted any ice cream. "At about 10:30." So, he is enjoying his birthday. Cake, ice cream, shredder, gum, a good dinner, Auburn t-shirt, and a book made him happy. The flashlight and head lamp can wait until Christmas. 

Are specials and sales becoming hard to find because of low stock? 

Do you ever become determined to get the deal?

Aloha Kona Pineapple and Grocery Deals

 

I believe I have Calibrachoa Aloha Kona Pineapple. I could be wrong.  Susie and Sue identified it last post as a Calibrachoa  without seeing it, just from my description. I looked it up and found this picture above. I like them. So pretty and bright. 

Wednesday, I went shopping but was still exhausted from the "event" so just shopped at Publix. Thursday, I went to Piggly Wiggly and needed a stop at Publix. 

The Pig:

Pepsi --Tommy b2g2, bought 4

zucchini--forgot what I paid but not on sale

Graham Crackers--Nabisco Originals, one box

Breyer's Chocolate--one-half gallon or what passes for a former half-gallon

Stuffed Marshmallow--Had to try them. Never again.

Piggly Wiggly:

Daisy Sour Cream

2 lbs carrots--$1.78

Celery--$1.78

Kraft Medium Cheese--$3.53, big mistake

2 bags Kraft Cole Slaw--$1.12 each

The pork butt roast had more fat than I had ever seen on a piece of meat, so I left them at The Pig. On the way home, we stopped at Publix and I got two pork roasts there, much less fatty. Kraft cheese was bogo there, so two for $4.49, making each $2.25. 

When we got home, I put one pork roast in the crock pot and it will probably stay there until Friday morning, maybe not. The other is in the refrigerator until I can slice it in half and freeze. Or, maybe I will cook it and freeze. I have not decided. I bought 5 beautiful ears of corn 5/$2. I have called this Peaches and Cream, so I don't know if their name of bi-color is the same corn. Do you know?

I have been dizzy since about 3 pm. I think I forgot to take shot for diabetes. I was dizzy in the kitchen, lurched about and my left knee moved wrong, gave out and hurt. So, Tommy got to put the roast in the crockpot and bring me a glass of milk. Well, it was in the pot but I had him cut off the huge layer from the bottom. Do you cut that off? At The Pig there was two inches on each roast. The marbling was horrendous. 

Thursday evening, my mentor in the gardening program called and apologized for not coming over to speak to me. I had been embarrassed I had not gone speak to her. I think we were hurrying off to get the goodies. She won a hanging flowerpot, too. And, she managed to snag other plants and bags of soil, amongst other items. 

Okay, I think Peaches and Cream Corn is a bi-color variety. 

After the "event," I found a 13 lb box of books from a friend. Tomorrow, I will tell you about that.

I asked Tommy if he wanted our Memorial Day meal then or just eat it until then. He said to wait. I mentioned the pork roast and bbq the meat, cole slaw, and corn on the cob. He was so happy and said that sounds like enough. It is settled. If I can find the can of pork and beans, I may surprise him with baked means. I make really good baked beans. I only keep one can of pork and beans on the shelf as it is not something I make for myself. 

Publix BSCB and Other Stuff

 Tommy took a list I made from our perusing of the Publix ad. This is what he bought.

$2.99 24 oz zucchini

$2.54 x 2 Quaker Cinnamon Life (bogo--$5.07)

$1.40 x 2 Hormel No Beans Chili (bogo--$2.79)

$6.69 x 3 Diet Coke - $6.69 (b2g1)= $13.38 

$13.99 x1 People Magazine 

The man loves zucchini cooked in olive oil with garlic, so he chose zucchini over yellow squash. He should have bought both. He had circled the Life cereal, so it went on the list. I certainly did not know he liked this. But, he is onto the bogo thing, and this was bogo, so he will eat it. Unfortunately, I get the urge for chili over a hotdog and have no No Bean Chili. the price is always appalling. But, at $1.40 a can, it is not so expensive. I will freeze half the can or more since Tommy does not like chili over a hotdog. 

His Diet Pepsi was not on sale, so he settled on Diet Coke. I would have nixed this price, but I will explain to him why it can be gotten cheaper. Not a problem, though! He told me about the Betty White edition of People when he went in last time. I was exclaiming how I wanted it. So, he surprised me with the edition. 

Total--$43.82 Saved--$17.17

The Hormel, Kraft Mac and cheese is stock up. Coke, zucchini, and Life for use now. 

Monday, for dinner Tommy ate turkey, blackeyed peas, pasta, and cranberry sauce. I had a piece of cold turkey since it delicious cold and blackeyed peas (hot), half a banana. 

All the Christmas decorations are still here. I don't know when I will get around to putting it away. The trip to the grocery store where I sat in the car exhausted me. So, I am not pushing it. 

I forced myself to stand and hold onto the counter and load the dishwasher while Tommy handed me the dishes. Then, Tommy washed the rest of the items that would not fit, like large bowls. It will be an ordeal to get them out, but, of course, Tommy will help.     

Tuesday now and it was frigid overnight, below freezing. However, I was warm in bed wearing a sweatshirt over my thin, short summer nightgown. At least, the day will be dry! 

The most I will pay for boneless, skinless chicken breasts (BSCB) is $1.99. However, I will buy Publix bscb for more. They are $4.99/lb. now. But, bogo they will be half that. The reason I will pay that much is because the breasts other places are poorly trimmed. I am sick and tired of paying for gobs of fat, bones in the shoulder of the chicken, and long strings of whatever it is. I feel like I am still coming close to my $1.99 limit. 

I will buy two big packages today and cook one with a huge package of thighs. The turkey has one or two more helpings of meat left. So, I need to cook another batch of protein. The turkey went a long way and has certainly helped when I have not felt like cooking. This was the turkey that cost $0.49/lb. and was cooked on Thursday, I think. 

Okay, my turkey sandwich for breakfast killed off the turkey. 

What kind of decoration do you use as a celebration or homage to Valentine's Day? The day after Christmas employees were shoving the shelves full of Valentine's red hearts and cupids. I had a heart-shaped cake pan that I could bake a cake or use to make a heart meatloaf. Now, I may hang a heart on the front door. Maybe the amaryllis will be blooming by Valentine's Day!

Panic in Publix

 "There was a panic in Publix." When I told Tommy this, he asked if someone was sick. No, but people were flying around looking for food.  I just needed measuring spoons, bananas, and a gingerbread kit jumped in my buggy to go home with us. Publix is closed tomorrow, so this is the last chance. I could have probably guessed the measurements for the pumpkin pie; bananas were not a critical ingredient and Tommy hates them; I would never have missed the gingerbread house. The traffic was horrendous in the Publix shopping center. It was hard to escape.

Can you believe the set of measuring spoons had no Tablespoon measure? I do know that 3 teaspoons equals 1 Tablespoon! But, why? I can do that. But, I only have a Tablespoon measure that someone gave me when I had nothing. Nice! I thought maybe this set had lost its T, but the rest of the sets, the kind on a little ring did not have the T, either. 

What I need to do before the day--make green bean casserole, make one deviled egg, brown flour for gravy, dice eggs for gravy, make two pumpkin pies. We are not having sweet potato casserole as we have enough sweets. Tommy is disappointed, but he is getting the green bean casserole, probably full of carbs, too. As you can see, I have fallen behind in my plans. 

Have you ever seen a set of measuring spoons without a Tablespoon measure? Did you go out for anything at the grocery store today, Wednesday? 

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday

November 11th is my brother's birthday. He was born 11/11 and died 12/12, only 52 years old. I was 14 months older. My little brother should not have died first. 2001 was a stressful year as 9/11 occurred, my best friend ever died, and my brother died. Yes, I do say "died" as I cannot stand saying or hearing "lost" or "passed." 

Tuesday, My friend came from Cullman, cleaning gutters and cutting stray trees. He picked up a chicken pen and said he did not want money for the work. We were prepared to pay money, but I owned something he wanted. So, that trade happened. And, I gave him cash for gas. 

Wednesday, we went to Cullman.

PO

my house

Publix

storage unit

BK

another grocery

stopped for lab test

I had only slept three hours, but it turned out to be very pleasant. Wednesday is when I found the turkey breast deal. My groceries for Thanksgiving are coming along. I could do without any of these and still eat well. I listed most of what we got on Wednesday on the last post. 

Thursday

I slept well and awoke exhausted on Thursday. We wanted to take advantage of sales on Coke and Pepsi, so we went out before the rain was predicted. 

onions

potatoes

bay leaves

Dr. Pepper

cream cheese

bananas

cooking bags--hold 8 lbs.

bay leaves

The rest of Thursday:

If the hen is thawed, I will cook that. 

finish loading dishwasher

wash cookie sheet for hen in bag

hand-wash lids for glass dishes

scramble eggs for me

hang up wet laundry

fold dried laundry

The dishwasher is half full of wide-mouth, quart, Ball canning jars. Some of these are destined for powdered sugar, brown sugar, and flour.  Tommy just went out to get in the clothes from the dryer. 

Maybe today, maybe tomorrow, I will dice onions and freeze them for Thanksgiving cooking.  This year, I plan to make the mashed potatoes and freeze them, same for anything that can be made ahead of time. 

Maybe I will peel apples for an apple pie, but that might be pie in the sky...lol.

It is only noon on Thursday, and I am tired. What I want is a nap but won't give in.

What is happening in your life? Any great deals? Oh, there were NO turkeys or breasts when I went to Publix today. I was exhausted yesterday and had to come home. Besides, Tommy has to bring everything in, several trips pushing a walker up a ramp. Then, he has to lift the walker into the house. 

We turned the pumpkin with its painted on face to the wall. That was the extent of our Thanksgiving decoration. The mums and pansies are still on display. What decorating do you do for Thanksgiving on your porch? Or, inside?

Do you cook with bay leaves?

\ 

Shopping at Three Grocery Stores Today

 Every time I went into a store for one thing today, I inevitably brought more out with me. I planned none of this, but it happened

First, I went into the bread store for two loaves of $1 bread, and I came out with a package of two cupcakes, also. 

Then, I went into The Pig for a case of  Diet Pepsi for Tommy, and spent more than I planned. With a $10, pretax purchase, I could get a free dozen eggs. So, his drinks, zucchini, dried navy beans and a package of bologna came home with me. But, I have free large eggs worth $1.20.

Then, thinking we needed vanilla ice cream for the blueberries, I went into Publix, got the ice cream and more. I found that Diet Pepsi and Diet Dr. Pepper were b2g2, so I got 4 12-packs. He will drink these five 12-packs in about two months. Since he does not care for the Johnsonville sausage patties, I bought Jimmy Dean sausage patties. The white grapes have not been pretty but today I found nice ones on sale. Black cherry juice has been on my mind, and they had a coupon for $1.

UGH! At least none of it was random spending since all of the items were things I had determined I would purchase. 

Before the 4th of July week, at the bread store I decided to get hotdog buns at the bread store. After I did, I went to The Pig and found that I could get buns free with their app. So, I got that. How could I turn down free hotdog buns for the 4th? There, I did shop to get buns, but not for anything superfluous. Right now, I have forgotten what I got, but it was heavy into bananas and vegetables. 

I came home to put the buns from the bread store into the freezer. As I took the buns I just purchased, I realized that the person from Publix had put a gallon of milk right on top of the hotdogs buns. I told Tommy to prepare to eat squashed buns. A few days later, I picked up the package of buns. Unbelievably, the buns had completely recovered their shape! 

Food shopping can be complicated and hard somedays! 

Maybe the sausage I bought will make him happier about not going to Hardee's. I could buy the roll and make the patties myself, but standing that long is too hard. With sausage all over both hands, it would be hard to lean and hold onto things. Yes, I could use plastic wrap or waxed paper to make the patties, but there is still too much standing. Maybe I can teach him how. 

Maybe I have found someone else to help out around here. The young attorney who hosted the 4th has a guy who helps her, is good and only charges $10 an hour. Things need moving, mostly just boxes. But, they have to be moved before two rooms can be vacuumed. Plus, the hole needs to be fixed where something came in the kitchen and ate potatoes. 

Saturday in the Rain

We headed off to Cullman in the rain. I ordered some Rada products from a friend and needed to pay for it and pick it up. I lost all my knives, so needed to replace them. This is a slow process. Tommy has one cheap, blunt knife.


These are Rada knives and are sold by the church as fund-raiser. Through their site, I learned Barkeeper's Friend cleaned stainless steel to a briliant shine. I ordered another paring knife or something short, a longer knife, and a sharpened for stainless steel, these knives in particular. And, most importantly, I ordered a tool for peeling vegetables. I need it for carrots, one of the few vegetables I can eat as long as they are cooked.


This is at a church with food bank which I used. I wished aloud to Tommy that I wished I could go on the Cullman. He agreed. We went to PO, my yard, Publix and Belk's. I stopped at the Festhall where the Farmer's Market is held. I asked what festival was taking place. A very loquacious man told us all about the events that started on Friday and go through Sunday. "Since we are a German town" we thought we would have a German festival. Finally, because he seemed well-acquainted with the history of the town, I asked him his name. WELLL, He is the mayor. I was surprised and much embarrassed.

I decided to go to Publix since I know the people and it is less crowded. I only bought BOGO items. But, I cannot find the receipt, so maybe later... I did find Stovetop Stuffing and the best price so far. Quite frankly, this shopping trip was less costly than coming back to Birmingham and having to fight the store location, find an electric cart that works, AND find the specials. I also have cranberry sauce at a good price, cream of chicken soup, and other things I needed. The salad wall was almost bare due to e cColi, possibly in lettuce.

Then I went to Belk's and fund I had forgotten I something I wanted to return. I did find a nice red purse reduced to $29. Okay, you may think this is extravagant, but I wanted a red purse, especially a leather one. We did not eat lunch, just junk food that was delicious from the food bank. It was Publix fare, I opened some of and had a sip before I went into Publix. I took out pb crackers and told Tommy that he should help himself. He ate and drank part of both. After I came out of Belk's he had finished both. Hypoglycemia averted. Now, I have to buy more of both out of self defense.

We went to my storage unit and went to their very clean bathrooms before leaving. When I got to the car first, I got behind the wheel and offered to drive. He let me. But, I was on the point of nodding off, so I pulled over in Fultondale and let him drive. Then, I slept sitting straight up, thinking I was awake Upon arriving at home, I brought in bananas and celery. I dropped the bananas twice and stepped on the celery. I could hear it crunch...lol.

I was seeing double as I staggered down the hall and into bed. I think it took me ten seconds to go to sleep. After all, I did not sleep one wink on Friday night. Then, I only slept three hours, so I am ready to go to bed again. UGH, so tired.

The rain and clouds dissipated and the afternoon and evening were glorious.

Oh, a pretty red sweater mailed to me earlier, fits me. It is too pretty to be a house sweater, but maybe too warm to wear out. Seeing it fit made me really happy.

Doctor Visit, Market, Lunch, Dinner, Grocery Shopping

The appointment was at 10:30 and three blocks from my house. YAY! The only reason I took a morning appointment was he does not do afternoon appointments. The doctor wanted me to lie on the table so he could feel the area below breast and just below my waist. I cannot lie on the table without a pillow under my knees. I didn't want to ask for one, so I just raised my knees with feet flat on the table.

The back of my thigh started cramping and I started making noises. The cramp happened just as he barely touched my body. He was so confused, asking me if that light touch hurt. I could not speak, just make noises. When the cramp let up, I started laughing and told him it was a cramp on the back of my thigh. He said he got those too at night. I have a cramp in the back of my thigh about once every two or three weeks and only when I turn and reach to turn off the lamp.

I had lost two more pounds!

There was no free lunch today, good thing since I got out of the office at 12:30. Tommy was at my house, waiting for me. I did not have anything for lunch, so I got two Whoppers for the price of one.

When I finally got to the market at 1 pm, all the squash was gone. On Thursday, I will go early and get enough to make a squash casserole. Everything else for our meal with be no carb, so the squash casserole will not cause too much damage.

Tommy had gone to WM while I was at the doctor's office and had refreshed my stash of Ziploc plastic storage bags and freezer bags to the tune of nine boxes per my list.  Since neither of us can stand without hurting to wash dishes, we use these. He appreciates not having to wash my dishes to bring them back.

I usually let BK put mayo on my Whopper so the lettuce won't fall off. Today, no mayo. I brought it home and put Miracle Whip on it, and it was soooo delicious. I need to get the little MW packets to keep in the car. I put reduced chicken in a pan and sliced a potato, putting the slices and put all I could in the pan with chicken. The last two potatoes were wrapped in foil and baked in the same oven. Then, I took a half-hour nap.

He took home one breast and a baked potato, and the slices cooked with chicken. The breast was so huge he will get three or four meals from it. Somehow, one of the baked potatoes was left on the stove. While here, he had chicken, potatoes, and sliced tomato.

When he left, I put the chicken back in the oven so it would cook more and put more slices of potato in for me. It was ready when I came home from the grocery.

I went to Publix. My a2milk was $7 for two half-gallons. I purchased eggs, blueberries, bananas, two 16 oz. containers of Daisy Cottage Cheese--$2 each. Cream cheese was reduced.

Now, I am gagging at The Bachelorette.