Pizza for Thanksgiving Dinner

 It is not as bad as it sounds. I made a decision to finish the meal the day after Thanksgiving and just quit working and have a bogo pizza from the freezer.

I had asked him a dozen times to get out things so we/I could cook. He said okay and did nothing. There was no drama or anger. Finally, I asked him if he wanted to have a frozen bogo pizza and finish Thanksgiving meal the day after. So, we did. The Day After meal was great--turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce from fresh berries, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, sweet potato pie. 

What was not done was my gravy with chopped boiled eggs, 2 deviled eggs, pumpkin pie, 

rolls, Jello salad. I think that was all.

A dinner plate will not fit into the new microwave, so that will go back. Apple Barrel red paint cannot be

 used as it too thick. That will go back, too. 

The extremely cold weather has required more heat and has dried the clothing hung up in the doors faster. I found a new dryer for $97. I believe it is a scam. 

Sunday, I will remove all the pumpkins and my one turkey from the living room. Then, Christmas will go up. 

Amazing Meat Find

 Today, we were picking up ads in order to make lists before we went to stores to shop. A few times we have seen sidewalk food bank. But, we never know what it is there. I think we stopped once. I urged Tommy to stop. From the curb a store away, I saw three or four packages of meat with people on the sidewalk getting one or maybe more. 

I got the attention of a woman who recognized me. She understands the mobility problem we both have. I told her one piece of meat except for the whole hen would be great. She brought back two incredibly heavy bags. And commented about so much meat. It turns out they have meat this week and may have cakes and breads another and maybe even at a different location. 

They gave us six roast-type items, bologna, and Conecuh sausage. The cost was just over $100. Amazing? I will cook some of this and give it away. 

They have a day food is sold at a discount. We have usually gone to that only when we accidentally have gone by.

I have finally gotten Tommy to take care of a serious medical problem. He has refused to take care of his lower legs. They are very hot, hard, swollen with huge blisters. I warned him that he should not have a hip replacement with that kind of trauma, that he could lose a leg. The skin looks very thin, like it might split. He could also get small spot where bacteria could enter and cause an infection. 

The doctor agreed with me and would not operate until it was treated. Tommy voluntarily pulled up his pants. Doc told him to use Eucerin on it and take diuretic. So, he must now visit cardiac doctor, endocrinologist, and gp before he will operate. He took the diuretic this morning. The diuretic made his knee less swollen and less painful. When I told him to take his pants off tonight so I could put on the cream, he did not argue or complain. It is a relief.

There were few items that were on sale at stores that we wanted or needed. We will shop tomorrow.

Electrician are coming next week to start the rewiring. They will move furniture from in front of the outlets. There is a mattress they will have to move and a 50 inch tv that I hope they will put on curb. We will give them a cash tip, not have it put on the bill. The two master electricians are working firemen when they have days off. 

For about 8 years, I have used a2milk. One day, I tried their chocolate milk. It was horrid. Last week in Publix, I accidentally found shelf stable chocolate milk in juice box type containers. It is great. I won't buy it again because I like it too much. i thought someone might be interested in other iterations of a2milk.

This and That

 Wednesday night, after dinner, we cooked the pork loin, bag of Brussels sprouts, bag of cauliflower, bag of broccoli. I could not get all the vegetables out of the pan because of my back, so Tommy did that. I cooked kale. The frozen strawberries were whole, so he chopped them because of the standing. 

I was going to put them in pint jars, but lost my mojo. So, he put them back into the refrigerator. I always warn him to put any frozen item in a plastic bag to thaw or put the bag in a bowl or on a baking sheet. We do have tiny ones. Well, I showed him why. He always objects, saying it is a plastic bag anyway. There was strawberry juice all in the plastic bag. 

I took all the dishes from their boxes and made a few discoveries. None of the dinner plates were the monarch butterfly plate. They were all Flutter/bird plates. So, it appears that I have 8 plates to sell. And, it's okay. I can get more from them than the cost of both boxes of Butterfly Meadow. Quite frankly, these were my least favorite pattern. 

While sitting in the car on Wednesday, I made two phone calls on my list. I also marked off a few things that we no longer need to do. Of course, I added more phone calls and a few more items to do. Does it ever end? 

A couple of days ago when I decided Tommy could brown the flour for gravy, I told him. He said, "I do an awful lot of stuff around here already!" He sounded a bit peeved but did not say NO. Today, I reminded him of the statement. I told him that is what women go through their whole lives. He said, "Yes, but when I retired, I did not want to do stuff."  "Oh, you wanted to just stagnate?" "Yes, I want to stagnate." So, he knows he will make gravy for me. Actually, he is just browning the flour. The rest I will do. 

I was going to make a pumpkin without a crust and in a casserole. He objected, saying he wants a crust. So, I will make one with a crust and the other will not have a crust. I will start talking about green bean casserole so he will be happy when he browns flour. 

There is a new time-saver in place. I like potatoes with skin and he prefers them skinless. Now, I have him peel half of the potatoes. He is happy to have his chore lightened...lol. Then, I remove the eyes and slice the potatoes in half. 

While I was sitting in the car in front of Macy's, a woman came walking by--blue dress, hot pink purse, pearl necklace, updo, AND black, fuzzy house slippers. She is my hero. Now, I want black fuzzy slippers to wear out. And, I am not kidding or mocking her. Of course, I will need to get pearls and an updo to pull off the black, fuzzy, house slippers in an upscale store like Macy's. I think it has been twenty years since I was in there. 

A man from California wanted me to wear a certain perfume because he loved it. Now, we had never met and never would. He sent me the cologne without even mentioning it to me. So, I took it to Macy's to get something else. No problem for them. A guy I dated briefly and tragically took me, and his teen daughter came along. 

I got a pair of pretty earrings and had about $2.35 left over and on a gift card. I stopped for one of the over-priced boxes of candy that were $5 for 4 pieces of candy, essentially four bites. His daughter was appalled that anyone would spend that much money for so little candy. She kept talking about it even though I kept telling her I was not coming back to Macy's to spend a few dollars on something. I don't think she ever got it. Twenty years before, I did shop there and judiciously and on clearance. 

Speaking of candy, all the stores have Halloween candy on display. I had no Halloween candy last year and planned on eating none this year. One day, when Tommy shopped, he came in, put the groceries in the refrigerator and came back in the living room with one bag. He pulled out a small bag of Brach's candy corn and put it down by me. He said he remembered how much I like it. This was the first of September. I put it down and he sat down with a huge bag of chips. He said he remembered how much I said I like candy corn. 

Four or five days later, he asked me if I finished the candy corn. "No." "Can I have some of it?" I tossed it to him and he was surprised I had not opened it. A few days later, I asked him where it was. He ATE IT ALL. It was certainly okay with me. But, he has never done anything like that before. Someone put a spell on me so I don't buy candy corn! Please!

Onto Thursday

During the five hours, maybe four, that I slept, I slept fitfully. It was hard to go to sleep since I got up twice an hour to go to the bathroom. It had nothing to do with what I drank. My stomach hurt from lack of pill taken for my stomach. My feet were cold from a breeze. Don't ask me where was that breeze. I have no idea. 

I think I woke about 1 pm and soon discovered Belk's had a sale on something I want and had them in store or online, pickup or delivery. I decided I was going to get them in person. We left soon. 

Tommy went into Belk's with details from internet, a check from Belk's sent to me for cc perks, a store gift card, and my cc for Belk's. He came back with 8 gifts, cleaning out this category, and a diamond bracelet worth $225 for $49.32. I am happy with 9 gifts for some gift-giving occasion. It is done and cheaply done. Of course, the diamonds are just diamond dust--1/10th carat. So, nine gifts for $93.32. 

I was utterly drained before we left. My gastrointestinal tract was so unhappy and in pain. I wanted to throw up, too. But, I managed. My chest was throbbing, face tingling. It was a horrible feeling, and the vibration of the car did not help. 

Chicken Salad Chick was next. I could eat it or bring it home, whatever my body dictated. We sat in the car and ate the soup, saving the salad for home. I ordered potato soup and Classic Carol scoop of chicken salad. Tommy ordered Chicken and Dumplings ad chicken salad with lots of pineapple in it. So, that was one of the meals I wanted for my birthday. 

My only goal tonight is to make slaw and eat that to hike my vegetable intake. Tuna salad at lunch was chock full of celery. Tommy washed the Styrofoam takeout plates and is watering the flowers. The weather was hot today. I need to find some black, fuzzy house slippers for later to wear going out. 

My goal for later is to find something to watch on tv or take a nap. Hopefully, I can sleep better tonight. Plus, my innards need to settle down! 

My plan is usually to make a gift. For a few years that plan has changed. I buy deep discount or clearance and still buy nice gifts. These are for Christmas or during the year. I did have a big gift drawer, so maybe I will stock up once again. 

My best friend's favorite gift was food--deviled eggs, chocolate pound cake, all sorts of things he could not make. I always gave him a huge bag of food, frozen food, jellies. He was a happy man for days. I even decorated a tiny Christmas tree for him.

A three-hour nap left me feeling more rested.

Are you buying things on sale for Christmas yet? Have you finished your shopping? Or, are you smart and ambitious and able to make gifts still? Do you make food for gifts? 

BOGOs and Groceries

 All this was bought over three days but not consecutive days. I did not have my list, was tired, could not find some items, and just came home, knowing it would be there another day. Besides, it is hard on Tommy bringing all this food inside. He has a ramp, but he has to lift his walker straight up about 8 inches to the living room at the front door.

Red Delicious apples

2 pkgs. yellow squash, less $1

matchstick carrots for Tommy's salad and my tuna salad

Arnold's Keto bread

Publix raisin bran

salted butter

red potatoes

Gallon milk

Dasani 24 pack

Diet pepsi b2g2

Ruffles and Dorito b2g1

Rice Chex bogo

Martha White wildberry muffin mix bogo

Red Delicious apples

bananas

Roma tomatoes

cut watermelon bowl bogo

zucchini 

ziplock pint freezer bags

Dr Pepper b2g2

I know I bought apples after Tommy did. He told me, giving me an apple, that this was the last apple. Well, I bought more. It did not register than he said the last of the older apples, meaning that the newer ones were the ones left. Oh well, I will not waste them.

The Martha White muffin mixes are only for two muffins. I put almost a cup of blueberries into the mix that already has blueberries or apples made to taste like blueberries. Then, I put it in a brownie pan and we slice it. It works. These were $0.79 each. In the cold weather they are good on a cool and damp night. By the way, 'wildberry' is just blueberry and strawberry. 

Some items I bought had an additional $1 off. I am really tired and rushing to get this done. 

Yes, we bought a lot of drinks for Tommy. He drinks a lot, too much. 

Tonight, there was a large helping of the zucchini/tomato casserole. Tommy did not want the cheese and bread. I would have shared it with Tommy. He said he would just pick out the zucchini, tomatoes, and onions. Well, I was not having him dig out what he wanted. So, I suggested he just microwave the zucchini and onions, sliced and refrigerated. He did and his dinner was ham, zucchini, onions, applesauce. I had the rest of the zucchini casserole and a tiny chicken tender. Later, I will have an apple and something else, not sure. 

Groceries and Tupperware

Chocolate above was less than $1 for 3 oz. bar.

 Of course, yesterday's good sleep is followed by a 4-hour nap last night. But, I did get up at 8:30 and start the day with a bit of reading on the internet. I washed my hair and bathed. 

Then, between the two of us, we put a chicken in the crockpot. We have our movements and separate tasks for all of this. Neither of us moves until we inform the other. That way, we are never bumped off our feet. Today, I have really been dizzy since I ate and don't know why. So, Tommy carries the knives...lol. 

In a bit, we are off to take recycling to Publix and get milk for Tommy, apples for me. The ads were not much this week, forgot what. But, the pork butts are $1.89 or something close to that price. Hopefully, Tommy will go in and get it since this store is the most difficult for me to get into and out of as I have to walk to far. Carts are not allowed outside of the store. I was told it was for my safety because if it rained, I might be electrocuted on the electric cart. 

Why do people think customers are ignorant. Can you imagine how an electric cart maker could stay in business if carts were that dangerous? I honestly think some of the doom peddlers believe it themselves. 

Tommy went into the store that carts are kept in the store only and bought a huge pork butt. One of us will cut it in half, cook one piece and freeze the other half. 

Then, we saw or Tupperware lady from Mississippi, stopped and shopped. She remembered my name and the fact I wanted a pie keeper. (She said she had my name and what I wanted in her phone.) But, she did not have one. I did find things to replace what went into the dump--pasta keeper, tall and skinny container for juice or whatever, midgets or smidgets or something, and another tall cylindrical container ($5 piece that sold for $25 originally. Tommy even paid for it, volunteered because I did not have my checkbook and she did not take cards. I bought the one piece for $5 that was $25. I suppose it was not a good seller or it was the last she had. 

This woman comes from Mississippi and sets up in a grocery store parking lot across from her family's restaurant. She spends the night with family. So, her only cost is gas to get here. She knows I cannot get out of the car and stand for long, so she cheerfully brings me what I want to see and shows me new items. I told Tommy that I would not have spent a dime if she acted like I was an irritant, a problem. Of course, I do have to sit while she waits on others who come to shop. 

Publix--Peter Pan PB bogo, gal of Publix milk for Tommy, dried marjoram, dried oregano, apples, bananas, tiny teeth grater. I had to get a rain check for Angel Soft. Diet Coke Caffeine Free, and Special K.

The Pig--bologna, hotdogs for the freezer, a2milk two half gallons that cost $2.85/half gallon as opposed to $4.99 at Publix, Vidalia onions, free mustard for buying $10 of groceries.

We were so tired when we arrived home about 6 pm. However, the chicken in the crockpot was delicious smelling and falling-off-the-bone done. Tommy made himself a salad and I put chicken on his plate. He had the last of the herb butter on a piece of French bread or some bread that was not loaf bread. I had chicken breast, and slaw. Shortly before dinner I was starving and had a huge salad. 

Tommy and I were discussing salad dressings. He hates Ranch Dressing, and I love it. He prefers Italian and I prefer not to have vinegar because I am allergic to it. However, I do love Italian dressing. Well, he told me he had been eating Ranch Dressing. I was shocked. He said he put either sweet or dill relish on top of the Ranch on his salad. So, I will make dressing for him and let him put in the amount of relish he likes before I put it in a jar with lid. I am trying to avoid all the stuff in store bought dressing that is an allergen for me or that is bad for us. 

Okay, it is 10:30 and the chicken is cool enough for Tommy to take meat off the bone. I may make chicken and dumplings on Saturday because I have sale dumplings to add. We will see. 

Have you ever had a Endangered Species Chocolate bar? 

I am going to use Anne's recipe for salad dressing first, but do you have a good dressing recipe?

Are you a Tupperware fan or not? 

Saturday, Sunday and Berry, Berry Confused

 Saturday was slow and neither exciting nor boring. I still feel unwell, so nothing much done...lol. I did not sleep well. It seemed I was awake all night, but did sleep some, just not soundly. 

We did go to Publix to buy milk for me and apples. Tommy went in. Then, we got his insulin at Walgreen's and left it in the car for four hours or more. And, it was 91F today, so  I think it is ruined. He says it is okay. 

When he handed me a copy of some medical report to read, I did and he has moderate hearing loss even though he says it is all me. I did not mention I saw that comment. There is a new hearing aid advertised for $99. I have commented about it several times. Finally, I asked him if he thought that would help. Well, he is not against it. 

Saturday night, I put some shaved steak in the cooking bag and non-salt seasoning. I cooked it an hour and he removed it from the stove and discovered I had cooked the pad that is under meat. I suppose the people who use these know some of us cook these and do not put anything in the pad that is deleterious to our health. 

While it was cooking in the oven, I made cole slaw. Tommy brought everything to me and I made it in my lap as usual. He was doing something in the kitchen. Most of the time, I don't ask. Well, he had gotten out two small freezer bags of corn I had cut off the cob. Dinner was delicious--shaved steak, coleslaw, corn cut off the cob and frozen. 

The cole slaw mix I bought was delicious because it was full of carrots. From now on I will buy Dole. I like slaw with carrots, tasty and healthful. Other brands never have many carrots! And, this was only $1 at the Memorial Day sale. 

One day this last week, I made the Dolly Parton brownies. I will not buy them again. I like fudgy brownies, but these seemed juicy inside. It was strange. 

Saturday, when we got out of the car, my impatien plant was drooping. When Tommy watered about 6:30, He put a pie pan under it to soak water. At bedtime he took the pan of water away. I read impatiens don't like wet feet. Hopefully, they will continue to thrive in the hot weather and sun against the bricks. Maybe it will do better on Sunday. 

Sunday, the impatiens was fine. Hopefully, we won't let it get so dry again. Tommy watered just after noon since I told him morning was the best time to water. Then, around 6 pm, it drizzled, sprinkled, rained softly and quit. I suppose everything is sufficiently hydrated. 

Of course, I took a nap and Tommy had his dinner of soup on his own. Today, I cleaned and trimmed the rest of the strawberries, and put a bit of sugar on the sliced strawberries, just a bit to macerate. I want to have some tomorrow on a sliver of angel food cake that Tommy has been eating on for two weeks. 

Two Bell peppers and one red are sliced in two bags--one for Tommy's salads and the other to cook with onions for him to eat. 

It seems peppers get lost in the freezer and then turn to icy bag of green stuff. So, I won't be freezing any peppers until the freezer can be emptied and organized. 

Tommy washed a load of my clothing and I hung them and folded the ones he dried. Laundry never ceases. I remember the days of three children and diapers for six years! 

Two weeks ago, as we swung through the park, I saw flowers that I was sure were blackberries. Well, we did this for three or four days. Finally, Tommy said we have flowers just like that on the table. Hmm, do blueberry blossoms look like blackberry blossoms. I wondered and checked the blueberry flowers. Then, the flowers fell off in the park. I kept watching for the blueberries to form since I have seen those before many times. 

I was confused as to why the blueberries were so gnarly looking. Yet, they never changed, just grew a bit larger. 

Finally, today, Tommy came inside after watering and told me I had blackberries! What??? I did not buy blackberries! He told me I bought two bushes. Oh, yeah. I forgot. So, now I do have blackberries. 

Immediately, I made plans to protect them from the birds. I do have a plastic snake outside and one in here. Plus, I will get bird netting. If I cannot find that, I will buy tulle to protect them. It is just thing thing and comes in wide bolts. 

All this time, I thought I had only blueberries on the table. I do look at them, but since they are close, I suppose I read the tags on them and saw only the "berries" part of the word. The bushes are small, and there are not many berries, just a handful. 

Hopefully, I feel better this next week as I really need a new mattress. Everyday, I plan to go find one and just have no energy. 

Tomorrow, I need to cook squash and onions with garlic butter. Of course, I will like it but Tommy will love it. I also need to cook a box of sliced mushrooms for me since he won't touch those. I may put the last of the jar of spaghetti sauce over those. Yum. 

[Edit--I came home and was ill when we shopped. I rarely even look at the plants up close. So, my confusion about what plants I bought is due to being ill and neglect of the plants. Tommy did not want one of the plants I bought, yet the woman left it in our cart. So, who knows? Do you have blueberries or blackberries?]

Grocery Ads

Friday night, I was sitting in my chair and felt something on my right arm. Thinking it was a hair, I turned to brush it away with my left hand. No, it was a tiny spider. So, I was hurriedly trying to squash it and brush it away. I am not sure if it escaped. At almost the same time, I heard a mosquito buzzing in my left ear. So, I was fighting right and left. I am not sure if I killed the mosquito or not. I think this is the third spider I have ever seen in Tommy's house. Maybe I should investigate further and stop this before it becomes an invasion I will not welcome. 

Since I must drive to get the ad even after viewing it on the internet, I only usually get the Pig and Publix. This week, we did decide to get Food Giant ad. It had more deals than the other two stores. I barely felt like going for a ride in the car, much less going in and shopping.

I circled what I wanted and he shopped, calling me with questions. The bananas were not on sale, but he got me two. Pork butt was $1.79/lb and they were all gone. This store does not give rainchecks. This store had two ads, one for Thursday-Sunday. The other is from Wednesday to Wednesday. So, today was the last day for the Memorial Day ad. 

Lemons were 1lb/$2. Tommy called and said they were tinted orange. I was unsure but had him get a bag. It says on the internet that Meyer Lemons turn a bit orange when they are left on the tree too long. So, not sure and I don't feel like trying one. Red or gold potatoes were 2 five-pound bags for $5. Tommy chose red. 

Dole Cole slaw and salad mixes were 2 for $2, bought two coleslaws. Pictsweet frozen vegetables were two bags for $5. The only thing I wanted that was left was the chopped broccoli. This will be for chicken and rice. He picked out four Vidalia onions at $.99/lb. 

I only slept three hours last night after going to bed for or five times. Sleep would not come. Finally at noon I slept for three hours. Hopefully, I can sleep tonight. 

The people across the street were firing up the grill when we left the house at about 4 pm and there was a crowd when we got home a little after 5 pm. 

Tommy was tired so said he would water tomorrow. One of my blueberry bushes has blossoms. The other bush looks like a four-foot dead stick. 

The pillow for raising my legs has been here since the 24th and still is not fully "inflated." That is four days, two days more than the 48 hours it should have taken. 

Today, we did no decluttering, but we did get a few, very few, things back where they go. That is a little progress, right? 

Friday, the skies were murky with smoke from Canadian fires. Today, the skies were a brilliant blue. have your skies been murky with the smoke?  

Today, Tommy chopped the ground meat and browned it. While he was browning it, I chopped a huge Vidalia onion and half went into the ground beef. The rest will be used this week. 

Dinner: Tommy had salad with onions, ham, and another vegetable. I had a sandwich--keto bread, MW, huge slice of beefsteak tomato, and spinach and other greens. This was a 6-carb meal. 

I will try tomorrow and Tuesday and see if they have more pork butts. 

Did you find good deals this week? What are you having for Memorial Day? Are you cooking out? Going away? To a parade? Do you have veterans in your family?

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. 

The Coronation Watch & Cucumber Sandwich Recipe

 Tommy woke me at 3:30...ugh. I made the cucumber sandwiches before and during the coronation. It was wonderful. George seemed to do a superb job as holder of the train. Charlotte was so pretty in her special dress, her hair up and a floral crown just like Kate's. I am surprised that Kate never gives Louis "the eye" to stop him. Yes, he is young but too old for his shenanigans. 

I was surprised Kate and some other royals had coronation robes on at the coronation. Harry seemed genuinely happy to be there, back in his element, I suppose. Finally, I found out who the woman in blue was, the one who carried around the sword, it seemed, during the whole coronation--a politician. And, I was mystified as to the identities of the two women in white who followed Camilla--her sister and another attendant. 

The tears in Charles's eyes during the ceremony were touching, almost making me cry. I was totally shocked at his disrobing partially and the screens put in front of him. The architecture in Westminster Abbey certainly added to the pageantry below. 

So, these are just a few of my thoughts as I watched. Finally, I had to go to bed, just before the crowd reached the balcony. Did you see the horse that was spooked and could not be brought under control, smashing through the barricade and into the crowd? 

I slept for about four hours, got up, then took a 3-hour nap in the afternoon. It was a good coronation watch. I caught up on the rest of the coronation celebration as best I could. After the nap, I made meatloaf and put Tommy's into two halves of a bell pepper.  We had leftovers with it--a bit of Suddenly Salad, and a huge tossed salad. 

I made the cucumber salad filling just before the coronation coverage started. Usually, I serve these on little cut rounds of bread made into sandwiches. Not this time as I just made a sandwich with two slices of bread and cut into rough fourths. I ate nothing else during the night, no matter what I had prepared for the munchies. 

I ate strawberries for breakfast and blueberries after dinner tonight. I was going to make deviled eggs with avocado (green eggs) but did not. The eggs are boiled, so I can do it as I wish later. 

The cucumber sandwiches are delicious, but presentation is everything. I got this from a friend who was a cater who made me promise not to tell anyone, that was 40 years ago, she no longer caters, and sort of quit talking to me , and I don't know why. But, she had a strange life filled with violence and sexual abuse since she was a young child. We were thick as thieves until I went back to school. So, now I will reveal this simple recipe she might have gotten elsewhere. 

I use a cookie/biscuit cutter/jar/tin can. Size is the important thing to me. I make sure it is the diameter of the European cucumber I buy. You will know when it is correct. I don't want the cucumber hidden or hanging out, just a bit smaller than the bread so it shows.

Use room temperature or softer butter to spread on the rounds of bread. You want it to be the thinnest smear, not much at all. The idea is to keep the mix and the wet cucumber from making the sandwich soggy. I usually am transporting these for an hour to my destination. 

Slice the cucumber as thin or thick as you wish.  I try for around a eighth of an inch. 

Try to put the filling on the other buttered bread without crushing the bread. putting on just a little bit, sort in little smears or dots and then spreading keeps the bread intact. 

So, you have bread, butter, cucumber, and cream cheese filling, Good Seasons Zesty Italian dry mix. Do NOT use the whole dressing package with one 8 oz package of cream cheese. Use it to your taste. 

I use cream cheese and half a little packet of Good Seasons zesty Italian dry salad dressing mix. Let the cream cheese reach room temperature, put the dressing on top and mash with a fork until mixed. I did not use the whole package. Try it and see what you prefer. This "recipe" can be made using your own dressing mix, any herbs you please in any combination. There is too much sodium and soy in the mix, so next time I will make my own dry mix. 

The last two times I made this for others to consume, I had Tommy help me with the bread rounds and cucumber slicing. In the past, I have used two different breads that were different bread hues. This added interest to the sandwich tray, I think.

This was my first coronation and my last, I am sure. So, staying up for it, even with little sleep was fun. 

Did you stay up or get up for the whole coronation? 

Did you watch the balcony part? 

Did anyone see the musical part, the entertainment part? I did not but will find it on laptop later. 

What impressed you the most? Or, surprised you?

The End of Something

I saw an advertisement for Nearly Natural Faux Plants. I liked the name of the company and loved this plant which I will love but not embrace.

Around noon, I heard something on the porch. We both guessed it was a box from UHC; it was. I received the final purchases made yesterday over the phone using the last of my $150 food/otc/utility allowance.

I received:

Deep Words OFF

Lotrimin (Why did I order this?)

1000 Q-tips

Centrum Silver Vitamins for Men over 50 (200)

Received earlier:

Bayer low-dose enteric aspirin

Neosporin

Oximeter

Vitamin D

So, that is the end of it, free money. Along with my groceries from yesterday, these were my benefits for $150. I suppose I have 1000 Q-tips already, so this should be a lifetime supply. I already have this many here. If I had stayed with this program, I would have gotten these benefits every month. 

I mended more dishcloths. We filled and started the dishwasher. Tommy washed dark clothes for me to hang inside. We put a turkey breast in the oven to roast. I feel a smidgen better, but then any exertion slams me.

Today and yesterday were cold with brisk winds. Brrr! As I felt so horrible, it hurt me. But, the sun part of the day was nice. It seems strange there is snow and ice in other places. Some of the trees have very swollen buds which is a nice promise. 

How is Spring coming along at your place? Swollen buds on trees? 

What is happening at your place? Plans?

Forsythia and Shopping/Doctor

 

forsythia

On the way somewhere, I saw that forsythia bushes were blooming. This is a sure sign of spring. I just hope that the early warm spell is not fooling the bushes into blooming, only the destroy the sunny display. Forsythia is in the olive family, but, alas, no olives. 

Many years ago, I bought a tiny forsythia. It bloomed and grew, giving me immeasurable joy for several years. I wanted another to go with it. I waited until we had a soaking rain. Then, I went out and cut about a dozen of the long stems. The, about three feet from the first, I took the stems and poked them as far as I could into the soggy ground. Lo and behold, they all took. So, I had two forsythia bushes. My experiment worked! 

Daffodils were blooming at my house the middle of January. It is just too warm for flowers. Well, too early for them to bloom. However, I usually have daffodils around the first week of January and they live and rebloom the next year. 

Yesterday, last night, we decided to go the Cullman to AFC since my doctor cannot see me until late next week. And, the other places here are iffy as to treatment. In the middle of the night, I got up and decided to see what urgent care businesses were right near us. Well, there is one less than a mile away that had horrible reviews. I cannot endure a 4 hour wait. So, I ditched that idea. 

We went to Cullman and I saw a nurse practitioner. The whole experience was positive except for one woman who was a pain. Everyone else was super nice and some remembered me. I left after giving a specimen. And, I got a prescription. So, I will start it and wait for the incubating specimen to reveal what kind of bacteria is hurting me. I had been told the front of the card worked and, surprisingly, it did. So, I had no problem at AFC with my bill. Only the back of the card is wrong. 

I used the rest of the UHC $150. allowance for otc and healthy food. I had $35.12 left to spend and $1.11 on a Publix card for a return. 

White grapes

quart of strawberries

3 red delicious apples

clamshell of Romaine

2 pints grape tomatoes

2 lbs. carrots

5 lbs russet potatoes 

2 bananas (I had 2 at home)

small bowl of watermelon (to eat on the way home)

2 Stovetop Stuffings

Tinactin foot spray

Bottle of Dasani (because I dropped my lid on the floor in the doctor's office and I was not going to use the lid again. I was not going to try to keep from spilling water. So, I wasted it and bought one bottle.)

I have not had white/green grapes in ages. I just buy red for Tommy. Everything else will be eaten or it will last. None of it except for tomatoes and lettuce will be in danger. But, we will make sure nothing goes to waste. 

Since Tommy and I did not keep up with the total well, we got more than we had "money" on the card. My total was $13.41, Over $4 of which was tax. We had the opportunity to put some of the food back but chose to pay for it. Another benefit was that I got rid of the Publix card since those cards do get bulky in a tiny purse. 

Overall, it was a good day, but it ended up cold and rainy. I have meds, lots of fresh food, and feel hopeful that I will get better. We will have a salad with chicken, tomatoes, and cheese, and dressing. Tommy will not want cheese. 

It is cold here. Tomorrow, I will make soup with vegetables and hamburger meat I have thawing--1lb of ground beef, carrots, potatoes, corn, green beans, tomato sauce and tomato bits or whole, celery, onions, bell pepper, lima beans. Part of the ground beef I cook will be saved for the Kraft spaghetti kit. Since I am using the crockpot for the soup, it may not hold all the cans I want to put into it. I will only put two small potatoes diced small. Then, I may not put the whole can of vegetables into the pot, saving them for another meal later. Pepper, savory, and a bay leaf will be added. Of course, I will take the bay leaf out after cooking. 

I cannot wait until dinner on Thursday. I have not had this soup for several years. I don't know why. 

How was your day? Cold like mine? What are you having for dinner? Got any soup plans for the rest of the week?

New Year's Eve

 We went out briefly Saturday midday and came right back to a nap...lol. Well, he watched football. One item needs more documentation, so no return there. I will fix it. I managed to get the cups we desperately need so that we don't have to wash a million glasses. I also bought a red bin, large one, for Christmas decorations. I found a box of nasty butter cookies in a pretty tin. After paying for the cookies, I dumped them all but six into a bag and gave them to the two children behind me. The tin had Santa on it and was cheaper than a tin at a yard sale. We replaced the lamp with another floor lamp. Done! 

At Publix, I returned the stemless wine glasses. They had huge bottoms, no roundness at all. They are ugly and hard to hold. The three coupons I needed to use on last night's purchase gave me cash back. Altogether, I was ahead $10 and used all but $1.11 on purchases. 

I found a Moscow Mule mug and got it, beautiful red with a painted-on white tree. I had a Santa mug for 50 years that I put candy canes in at Christmas. So, the red or green mug will work. Plus, I got cookie cutters. I had to buy three to get the star cookie cutter I wanted.

We dropped off red rice and two packages of Hamburger Helper to Lynda. I hate HH. 

NYE fare is decided--leftover taco soup, sausage balls, Ruffles and dip, regular grape juice in our 7-Up. Tommy says he does not like Ruffles, but I know he will have some. I asked what kind he wanted and he would not say, so it is done.  

At one place, I saw a Party in a Box but did not stop to examine. Great idea. Of course, decorating for NYE has never been a thing I do. 

Oh, I forgot to tell you. At the last doctor's appointment, I had lost five pounds. I don't know if it was different scales or what, but I had been cutting back a bit since the previous appointment since I was horrified at my weight.

A memory: One NYE, I went to a party where the doors were open, we wandered in the garden in party clothes. The host had built a fire that was driving us all outdoors! It was so warm that I wore a sleeveless, sheer outfit and needed not even a sweater. It was wonderful. The host was a musician. One room had a piano in the corner and about 30 instruments on the wall that anyone was welcome to use at the party. One man in the garden had a flute. I commented that he had gotten attached and must be planning to play again that evening. He said it was his own instrument, that many of the people at the party were members of some orchestra from NYC that was playing somewhere in Birmingham. It was a memorable evening. I even drove people to another party because I did not drink. 

What is on the agenda for NYE at your house? Of course, I will have no problem staying up until midnight. The day was pretty, clear and warm, in mid 60Fs, so I am sure people will be out tonight. I just hope no shooting is involved in celebrating. A child was killed in her bed in her home last week. The tragic, random shootings must stop. I digress.

Are you going out? Staying in? Having company? Treats? Staying up late? Having fireworks? Found any more markdowns? 

Do you have any special traditions for NYE?

When do you take down Christmas tree and decorations? Mine will come down Jan 1st. 

Happy New Year! 

Monday Christmas Talk, Sales & Next Year

 Christmas Day went well! I knew it would. However, due to sleep issues and dogs barking for a long time well before 6 am and right outside my window, I did not go to sleep until 8 am. So, it was about 2 pm or later when I got up, finally. 

I ate a hearty and late meal. Can brunch come after breakfast and lunch? Chicken sandwich on keto bread with MW, lettuce and cheese, chocolates and halo. 

I gave Tommy a tiny flashlight that he seemed to really like and a headlamp and one for me...lol. I still cannot find the other flashlight I want for him. It will sit up and point to the side, so he can see when he puts it down. I had already gotten the first light for me, too, tiny and strong light. 

He gave me a $50 Belk gift card, just what I wanted and a bag of Lindt Lindor Dark Truffles. He knows I love these. 

Christmas Day, we watched The Santa Clause, Santa Clause 2, and Santa Clause 3. I really loved these and had not seen either of them, before. The little boy in the original looked just like my son--his hair facial features, and the fact he had a pretty cry. My son was a pretty crier. Even in the second one, Charlie still looked like my son in that his hair was coarse, shiny, and thick, full lips, heavy brows. It was amazing. All three movies were great! Now, both the Home Alone movies are coming on.  But, since we have seen those, we don't worry about missing a word. We say the lines with the characters often! 

Dinner is almost done. The only thing not done is the gravy, but the hard-boiled eggs are ready for the gravy which will be tomorrow with the leftovers. Dinner: turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, sweet potato. Tomorrow, I will make the green bean casserole that I forgot and gravy for the rest of the leftovers.

When I made the cranberry sauce, I used Ocean Spray cranberries, 1c water, and 1/2 cup of sugar. The recipe called for a whole cup, but half a cup was fine. Next time, I might use less than the bag said. 

Christmas Eve, Lynda woke to water in her kitchen, coming from the direction of the refrigerator. After some mopping and many calls to plumbers, she finally found a plumber who insisted on coming out right then, late afternoon, and seeing what was happening. 

He decided he would have to come back Monday, but then took a look at the refrigerator. It was a broken line to the icemaker. She will do without that. But, the problem is solved except for the soaked carpet! It is still wet on Christmas Day, but she used the suction function of the carpet cleaner and got some water from the rug. She has a space heater in there to help dry the carpet. She had to spend $200 on Christmas Eve. 

The wreath never made it to the door because somehow the big red bell fell off and Tommy did not see where it fell when he brought it in. So, it is hanging on the inside of the front door.  Just now, I see the Home Alone house has a wreath on the inside of the door as well as outside. So, maybe that is a thing?  We never found the ornaments for the tree, so it still has only lights. However, that is not a problem. There is lots of light and decoration in the living room. 

Sunday night, once again I could not sleep. I had told Tommy to wake me at 11 am to go out. I normally would have wanted to get out shopping earlier on Christmas day after sales, but we did not want to leave the house before the temperature was at least 32F or above. 

Consequently, the stores were packed and all I might have found was gone. I wanted a few things specifically, like curling ribbon. I did make a few purchases, nothing related to Christmas. A box of 12 wrapped Cella chocolate covered cherries was $1.64--got two boxes. 

Silly me had Tommy return something. I forgot that there would be a long line. But, he said there were only 10 people ahead of him. That was only because it was late in the afternoon. When I went to see what took so long, there were about 15 people behind him. 

Hopefully, I will be able to sleep better tonight. Tomorrow should be warmer, Tommy can take the light out of the washing machine and wash my clothing! I finally have two loads ready. One  "load"is my two red blouses. 

We may have broken out of something, some attitude. I want to invite Tommy's cousin here for lunch and Tommy said, "Yes." So, every day we are improving on the condition of the living room and keeping it uncluttered. There was still a bit of clutter when Lynda came over. His cousin takes us to Bright Star where he loves to eat, but I am not going out to dinner until some of my health problems are resolved. 

I have been thinking about next year. I am not trying to rush 2022 out the door. Mostly, my plans revolve around health. But, I have two larger items I want to buy, so I need a way to fund those. I am working it all out in my head. I will discuss next year later this week.

Dinner: turkey breast, plain baked sweet potato, green bean casserole, halo. Later, I will eat half an apple. 

What did you get at the post-Christmas sales today? Did you look for something and fail to find it? 

Cleaner's Background

 Today was busy. We both had an appointment with the podiatrist. She hurt me. The first and last time, she did not. Boy, was it cold (38) today with a bit of wind that made it seem colder. We grabbed a hamburger and then went shopping for fruits and vegetables. I forgot to get bread, but we may have two more slices and we can get bread ends from the freezer. 

Tommy ordered a meal with fries! I was on the phone and did not realize what he ordered!  I always tell him "no" that we don't need it. He was sneaky today, plus I told him to get whatever. He knows what I like and don't like, so I did not need to tell him. However, he knew I did not mean fries. Well, we both tossed most of the fries. 

When I got up this morning, I washed my hair. It was mostly dry by the time I got to my appointment. Wet hair made me feel a bit chillier, too. No, wet hair/head will not make me sick. 

Back at home, we barely got anymore decluttering done. I did wrap Lynda's gift. Now, I have two things to wrap for Tommy. I know I have ribbon but must find it. 

It is 9:30 pm, and we will do more tonight. He just does not know it yet. I have some party dishes to wash. Plus, I need to empty the dishwasher, handwash party dishes, other little chores I do not want to leave until Wednesday.  

The young woman who cleaned has a Russian name, so I asked her about the origin, how she came by her name. It turned out she was adopted from Russia when she was five, she and her half-brother. We talked about her experiences in Russia, in US, and about her take on her adoption, and the Russian orphanage. She was forthcoming with information and cheerfully answered my questions. No, I did not pry; she had a lot to say without any questions. 

It is 9:30 now. We will move more boxes from the living room. 

Dinner: I cooked in a cooking bag the beef that is thinly sliced for sandwiches, carrots, broccoli, and celery from a snack box that had a dip. We tossed the dip. Plus, we had a frozen, deli-type mac n cheese. It was a delicious and free dinner. Plus, there are leftovers for tomorrow.

Are you getting frigid weather this weekend? Have you finished shopping? Wrapping? Is anyone making a handmade gift? Toys for children? In the past, I baked, crocheted, did needlepoint, and sewed for my siblings, mother, children, niece. 

Good Day, Busy Day

 Friday morning, I had an appointment for an ultrasound. Since I could not eat or drink after midnight, I hope I could sleep. I would not have eaten in the night because I resist eating, just drink water. I slept really well on Thursday night. 

I got up at 8:45 and we left at 9:30 for my 10:30 appointment. The whole appointment went well, but the glitch when I arrived worried me. A woman with a very accusatory voice kept telling me that no one would come out with a wheelchair to get me, whoever drove me had to go get one and push me in. She was relentless. So, I told her I was following directions. Finally, she called back with a much softer attitude.

The woman who came to get me was really sweet. Little did I realize she was the tech who did the ultrasound. She was kind and patient about my difficulties and the need for two pillows under my legs. The doctor had ordered two ultrasounds, so it took about 45 minutes. Now, I have to wait for the results. I am nervous but hopeful.

The gel was mercifully heated! She helped me from the table. I have had techs say-Can't you get off the table BY YOURSELF? Unless you have had these people mistreat you, there is no way you can appreciate simple kindness in a moment of weakness. 

Across the street I saw Bama Fever and Tiger Pride. I had Tommy take me there. I bought him an Auburn t-shirt, since he is a fan and graduate. I showed it to him and said, "Happy Birthday" since I did not want to have to go back if it did not fit. I bought from the $14.95 rack. It fits, but he says the neck is too tight. 

I tried eating the Munchies peanut butter and crackers. NO WAY. They were cheese crackers, but I tried them. I have always hated cheese crackers. So, he got us both a plain burger. Now, he can have cheese crackers with peanut butter for a snack here. 

We came straight home and left immediately to shop from my list from the ads. At Publix there was one ham left on the shelf, a ham for $1.49. I got it as I just did not want to wait on another to be weighed and priced for me to choose. The $1.49/lb. turkey breasts were sold out! So, I have to go back again, tomorrow at 10 am. About once a year, I will eat corned beef which was on sale. Dasani was cheap. 

Carrot cake was $3.49/slice. A whole cake on sale was $19.00. So, I bought two slices. I forgot the ice cream but can get it when I get the turkey breasts. 

At The Pig I bought cole slaw, cheddar cheese, squash, correct Munchies. Tommy loves squash and zucchini cooked together, so I am making that for him.

Food Giant--one deep dish Pet Ritz pie crust. another box of Munchies since Pig only had one, two cans of VanCamps pork and beans for $.88/each because I use them for baked beans and Tommy loves mine, I also found a deep, round plastic container with a lid that sealed as well as the Tupperware! And, it was only $1.25. I won't store food in it, though. 

By the time we got home it was around 3:30. We were both exhausted, but the day had gone well except for the first glitch. Since we had so little to eat, I suggested we have a pizza with cauliflower crust. It took me forever to get it in the oven, so that ended up being dinner. I feel like we did not eat well at all today! 

I had a heated argument with a friend who thinks we should not have closed borders because borders are a social construct. I agree with the social construct bit, but she made upset me. I think she is an anarchist. I reminded her of state boundaries, lot descriptions and our own rooms in a house. I doubt she is willing to give up and inch of her place because someone else wants it. 

After cheese, hot pizza, tiredness from the day, and being upset, I slept upright in my chair. I hate to sleep like that. We watched some sort of country music Christmas show. It was cheery. 

Just now, Tommy went to the car and found the delivery of my new sets of fairy lights. Good. They were right on the table by the door. 

Cheap gas--$2.84/gal. Temperature--mid 70s

Oh, yesterday as I sat in the car outside Belk's, I watched a USPS driver throw huge and small boxes into a very large truck. So, if you ordered anything from Belk's and it arrives damaged. I know why! Who throws boxes for delivery? I wonder how many more times these same boxes were thrown by USPS employees. 

Unfortunately, tomorrow we get up early and start all over again. I need to get the ice cream I forgot and get turkey breasts, among other things. This way, we do not need to go out on the weekend for anything. I am looking forward to a lazy day at home, at least a day at home doing things here. Medical things are never relaxing. At least I got all the ad items bought except for the turkey breasts. We had too much produce already except for the two squashes I bought for Tommy. 

Do you get out the ads in order to make a list of loss leaders? Items you need? 

Do you have a friend whose ideologies appall you and seem very radical?

Wet and Sleepless in Alabama, but It's Christmas

 It was rainy all day long. At 8 am I got up to cancel an appointment in Cullman. I am terrified of riding in the rain with Tommy since he fiddles with the wipers, turning them off until I am blind and trying to turn them back on and drive. He terrifies me! They understood. Then, I had to stay awake until 9 am to cancel a doctor down here. I was going to have to cancel him anyway since I got the Cullman appointment very late on Friday.

Luckily, she had another appointment for me this week. I had slept three hours, so I tried to sleep around noon. But, sleep would not come--bed too uncomfortable, shoulders still hurt from the fall, dogs were barking incessantly right next to my bedroom window. It was a nightmare. I got up grumpy, very ill with everything. 

At the last moment we got to the PO and Tommy went in with my stamped cards and the one international card, my cc, stamps and purchased an international stamp. I will mail cards as I get them done. So, three off today. It is a start. I emphasized that I wanted a pretty stamp, so I sent the Christmas flower stamps. He said the international stamp had a red carnation, so that made me happy.

I am planning a tiny Christmas "party" with Lynda. She cannot drive in the dark. So, this will be early and not a dinner like she served. Well, she bought fried chicken and potato salad, strawberries and grapes from Publix. It was festive and bought food was just fine. There was something chocolate, too. What we have left over will make easy lunches and snacks for later.

I won't be cooking dinner, I told her, just heavy hors d'oeuvres. It will be snacky and easy but filling--tiny ham sandwiches, round cucumber sandwiches, cherries, baby carrots, broccoli, grape tomatoes, dip, nuts, chocolate, Christmas-y cookies, bowl of halos. This menu will probably change. I planned this all in about five minutes. We have talked it over, and I will drive the block to get her and take her home. 

We cannot eat at the table, so that is why the fare does not require lots of serving bowls, and utensils, mostly finger foods. And, we have one chair in the living room so we can have one person over. My culinary skills will not be on display, just my presentation skills. I now have enough nice pieces for serving all this. 

I just retrieved the pink bag ads. At Publix ham is $1.49/lb. There were two coupons in the coupon sections for $.75 off Jimmy Dean Sausage, my favorite. Now, I have until Dec. 31 to find it on sale. There are other good prices, too. The ham is the first thing I saw. I was hurrying to heat the ham so we could watch TV.

The Great Christmas Light Fight in on TV, NBC. I love it. 

Are you planning anything for Christmas at your house? Well, other than Santa coming?

Dinner--half of tiny center cut ham slice, leftover butternut squash, collards. 

Busy Grocery Day

 Today, we left early (about noon) with a list in hand and did a quick shopping trip. First, Tommy went into Aldi's and they had no goat cheese with orange and cranberry. So, he bought two cranberry vanilla goat cheese. The man loves goat cheese. 

Food Giant had bscb for $2.19/lb. I bought about 6 lbs. of bscb. It is in the refrigerator thawing right now. Plus, since Tommy loves zucchini, I bought 3 for $2. The squash was not fit to bring home. I bought Ziegler hot dogs for the freezer since these have been absent in stores for most of the summer. 

At The Pig, I was looking for a telescoping backscratcher like I bought there before. They had none, so I left.

Publix had the most things on the list. I bought Beggin Strips bogo for giving to Lynda's dog when we go by with Lynda's permission. Her dog was as afraid of me as I was of her when I tried to give her a strip. Those things stink, not at all like bacon, but she loved it. My a2milk was 3 half gallons for $10, so I bought 6 half gallons, a 4 cup round bowl with snaplock lid bogo. Cella Chocolate Covered Cherries will be saved for Christmas. Yes, I will leave them alone. I don't want to have to go from store to store looking for them closer to Christmas. Herb goat cheese will be great and Tommy loves it. 

So, that was it for this week. They did not have the Kisses that were bogo. Publix has started giving rain checks, so I got one for the Kisses. I sort of looked for eggs, but did not get any even though I should have. Somehow, it is hard to pay $7.97 for 18 eggs. That is 44 cents per egg--still doable, but it hurts, not my wallet, just my feelings. I really feel for people who cannot afford to feed eggs to children. 

I did not find Pet Ritz Pie Crusts. The Pillsbury I bought last time were not as good as the Pet Ritz. I found some pecans in the freezer. There may not be enough for a pie, so the top will be skimpy, but that's okay. I do have two crusts, but I need two more, at least.

We came home and I put the bscb in the refrigerator to thaw. Then, I took a nap. I wanted to see Dolly Parton, so I took a nap. Tommy called me 15 minutes before the show began. Then, between the two of us, I got the whole chicken from four days ago into the oven with three minutes until Dolly came on. 

I really love Dolly Parton, so it was hard to turn her off. The first hour was not good. So, we are watching Home Alone in New York. 

An Amazon package came while I was asleep. It had hair color, fairy lights, a plate rack, and an otc. That is all unwrapped and sorted. The new fairy lights are in the red Kiss and look beautiful. I did not put them on "twinkle" since that is rather disruptive near the tv, just on slow fade. I love the remote and timer that comes with these. 

I finally have an appointment with a cardiologist, two as a matter of fact. And, I got a refill called in, something I needed to do for days. So, today was a good day on the health front.

It has been a productive day! It was also dry and sunny, not very warm, though.

The day has not ended. After the news goes off at 10:30, we will load the dishwasher. It must be done. We have procrastinated. 

Has your day been busy? Productive? Laid back? Procrastinating? Weary?

Saturday Curb Find, This and That

Last week, the np got wind of my difficulty sleeping. I did not mean to tell her, but it slipped. Sooo, she is going to solve that problem and gave me something to sleep. Since I did not want it, I did not take it. Friday night, I decided to try it out since I needed sleep for the next day. Well, I am still groggy, not feeling particularly swift or well. I hate this feeling. This is why I take nothing for pain of sleep. 

That means I did not feel like stopping for green bean stock up. Lynda wanted four cans, too. I did not feel like going to the farmer's market for my 40 pounds of sweet potatoes. I did get out of the car for one thing.

A block from my place, I saw pink flowers in the gutter. Tommy turned around and I rescued a pink geranium. Okay, I got out of the car three feet from the plant. I carried it straight to the porch here, and he dumped the dirt from one of my pots in the trash can and plopped it into the pot. I suppose he will water it when he waters all the flowers later today. Right now, he is watching an Auburn game. I absolutely never bother him when an Auburn game is on tv. 

Ordinarily, I would dump dirt into a place in the yard that needed more dirt. But, that is not ever on his radar, and I will not argue or do it myself today. I am just too tired. 

There is a red geranium in a hanging pot, and now there is a pink geranium on the porch. I don't know if they will survive winter or if they are annuals. I suppose not annuals since the one I found is very large. So, I will have to read up on that. 

Friday night, about 7 pm, I put some sort of pork roast into the crock pot. It was half-thawed so I put it on high in order to get it out of the pot and into the refrigerator before we went to bed. Ordinarily, I would have waited until later and put it on to cook on low or medium all night in order to take it out in the morning. But, I knew we were leaving by 8am, and I did not want to do it half asleep and in a rush. about 1 am, I slammed it into a glass storage dish and refrigerated it. Today, I will freeze some of it in bags holding two portions. It appears we have about 8 portions of pulled pork or 4 meals for two. This will be great with bbq sauce on it and eaten with slaw. 

Last night, we had a huge salad with a whole tomato each and other items we both love. Mine had shredded cheese and chopped chicken breast. His had crumbled hamburger cooked with onions. We both fix our own salads, getting what we want. Until about six months ago, I made a salad for Tommy after consulting him about his preferences. Now, my back hurts too much for that. 

Later today, I have about ten pounds of chicken that I will put into a turkey bag for more meals. Maybe I won't if I am still groggy from this pill to sleep. I am going to take a nap. We left within five minutes of 8 am and arrived home within five minutes of noon. I did not even want to stop at good yard sales. 

While I eat asparagus, I have never cooked any. Tonight, I will figure out how to cook it and have that for dinner with whatever we decide.  (I have a vague idea.) Tommy said he would eat asparagus if he had to eat it, but he does not care for it. Oh well! I love asparagus, so more for me. 

He peeled the sweet potatoes we microwaved. I  puta tiny bit of brown sugar and cinnamon on them and stirred them well. He will eat these as they are not my favorite sweet potato and taste nasty. I am waiting on Beauregard. Georgia Jet would be better, but they do not store well. 

This morning, I was not too cold as I went to the car in a short sleeve. However, the car air was chilly and the arm rest and seat were frigid. I grabbed a fleece blanket to cover my arms. As soon as I got the car turned on, I turned on the heat. When we both finally were too warm, I cut the ac back on. I suppose this is the beginning of cool weather. I will carry a sweater or light jacket in the car for the few moments I need one each time I am in the car. I just hate this new development. But, the temperature is now 82F. 

Okay, I am headed off for a nap when Tommy gets back in from getting the mail. 

Do you eat asparagus? Do you grow it?  Is your weekend beautiful with a cloudless sky like it is here? Anything exciting, boring, or mundane happening in your life?

I Did It Again!

I slept for another 7.5 hours on Friday night. I am amazed. Two nights in a row.  I don't think this has happened for years. And, I think I only went to the bathroom once. That has to be a record.

Saturday was a low-key day, little work, blue skies, dry, warm and pleasant.  

I started a new book, another long one, but not as long as the last. The print is larger, so reading won't be such a strain. So, in actuality, it is not so long. I forgot to get it out of the box until I was on the way to bed. That was annoying.  

Friday evening, Tommy cleaned off three boxes of mushrooms for me. I decided to slice them and make mushroom sauce or mushroom soup. I really have enough for both. Around 11 pm, I got them into a huge pot, put in about three Tablespoons of olive oil, and put on simmer so I would not have to stand over them. Tommy checked them once for me and reported there was less than half an inch of liquid. He thought this was too low, but since it only had a bit of olive oil, it was a lot. I ended up with about six cups of sliced mushrooms and lots of liquid. At least, he knows to sound the alarm for me.

Tommy realizes I could not accomplish so much cooking if he were not so supportive, helping me with washing dishes and finding things in the refrigerator. I am grateful and thank him many times a day. 

Saturday afternoon, I wanted to just get out of the house for a bit and go to Piggly Wiggly to get the water for $0.98/24-pack with $10 purchase. I had the $10 worked out and, in the end, got nothing at the store. The deal starts next Wednesday. Tommy forgot to give me his cc. Then, I decided two bananas would do until the next grocery ad with the water deal. THEN, all three lines open had at least three buggies with groceries to the top. If I had stayed longer, the Auburn game would be on. So, frustrated, I left the store. ugh

Auburn lost. Tommy did not even finish watching the game. I had gone to nap halfway through the game. 

Every time I go into the kitchen, I pick up something from another box and put it where it should go or toss it. This is all stuff he had stored in the kitchen cabinets. 

I have four 12-ounce boxes of vegetable pasta that I am putting into Ball quart jars so it will stay fresher. Once I shake it down in the jar, the whole box just fits. We don't eat enough pasta to eat this soon enough to just leave it in the boxes. Plus, the pasta is less vulnerable to air, pests, and moisture. Then, I have only need to protect the jars from light. 

Today, we finished the container of orange chicken, meatloaf, and carrot/potatoes, and sweet potatoes. Good. There was too much in the refrigerator. 

Today was a good, quiet, relaxing day, no-drama, nothing exciting, maybe boring to you. A little decluttering happened. I feel much better. 

How did your day go? 

Salad Soup

 We bought two Fresh Express American Salads this past week because it was on sale for $3 each. Of course, we went to the food giveaway and received another four bags. And, a friend gave me her salad. So, I have more salad than we can eat without it going bad. I told Tommy that we were going to have salad soup! He said, "Well, I hope you can put some beans or meat or something in it to make it a little more." I laughed. 

The American Salad Blend has iceberg, Romaine, carrots, red cabbage, and radishes. We also got two carrots that I think will go into the pot along with a couple of potatoes we received. We also were given 4 carrots and 4 potatoes last week. Of course, that was the week I bought 4 pounds of carrots! And, I have potatoes left from two weeks ago.

I received another box of huge stuffing mushrooms. I am going to cook the mushrooms and maybe freeze them or just stop the deterioration and store them in the refrigerator. I certainly don't want them to go to waste. We received two Roma tomatoes and four bananas.

I received a package of huge turkey tenders, two packages of ground beef, and a pork loin, and chicken/onion/pepper on skewers. This is more than enough meat for two people for a week. 

Tommy went into Publix to get the last day of sales. Everything but apples were reduced. Wednesday starts a new sale week. He took a list. Even though my apples were not on the list, he remembered, called me and got apples. He bought--toilet paper, Kleenex, cherries, 2 Chunk Medium Cheddar Kraft cheese, a bell pepper, two apples, 3 Dasani water. 

I never buy Kleenex, but my nose is running like a faucet. Cherries finally came down where I felt like they were affordable, but still expensive. I needed the bell pepper for the meat loaf I want to make.

About the list, after the cleaner picked up clothing, I cannot find the black and navy-blue dress I wear to color my hair. I actually thought it was hanging in the closet! So, I suppose I will find a tank top or the rattiest of my nightgown and wear that for color and trimming of bangs.

So, those are the plans today--salad soup, meatloaf, hair color, bangs trim. Leftovers are for dinner. It is 6:30 pm, so I need to get busy. I have not been lazy today, just did other things. 

Tommy took out 3 packages of chicken--two chicken breast packages and one package of thighs--from the freezer. I will cook these and the packages of poultry from today so that I can freeze it. A little pepper and garlic powder leave these capable of being seasoned with other spices when we use it later. 

Have you ever had salad soup? Of course, I am being silly by calling it "salad soup." What would you put in with five bags of salad? 

So, five bags of salad go into a pot for salad soup.