...It is early yet. This time of year, Shabbat begins early, 5:16 this week, and therefore it ends early as well. This is both good and bad. It's good because I often look forward to Shabat on Fridays and the early arrival means the week is over sooner and the Sabbath is here. As well, it ends early on Saturday, so there's time on Saturday evenings to do a little bit of work. It's also nice because if my grandson happens to be here he can participate in candle lighting this time of year. In summer, it's past his bedtime. And in summer, the late start means a late ending, so Saturday pretty much is over before Shabat is over. That means no opportunity to do any 'work' and that's not necessarily a bad thing.
We've had a restful time here this Shabat and I found myself feeling a bit restless around 4pm. I try hard not to do any work or get too involved in worklike tasks on Shabat, but this afternoon, when the football game came on, I made myself a pot of tea and sat down with the last papers from my files and went over them to create new fresh lists. I completed that task this evening. I had a few fresh ideas. That's the lovely thing about Shabat. It quiets and restores and then I find my thoughts begin to come up fresh, as well.
I've heard from all my guests at last and now I know that we shall be 18 at dinner on Thursday. I've planned meals for the coming weekend with guests because I don't know when any of the ones staying mean to leave. I've got my plans laid out and made up for the Jamberry party. I want to do well as it's my first time planning for someone else. I've got a working plan for the week. I feel, at this point, that I've got this week under control.
...I worked:
Sunday I washed all the towels from guest bath as well as the two John and I have used this week from our bath. Now I know they are all fresh, I'm down to scrubbing the tub and toilet Wednesday morning and I am DONE with the guests except welcoming them on arrival. Ta Done!
I moved Thanksgiving meal components to the kitchen and restocked the few items I knew I was low on like flour and peanut butter and rice. I don't think I'll need much else from the back but I'll go over my weekend list on Wednesday morning and bring any of those things I need to the kitchen and store them.
I felt ill on Sunday but was happy there was plenty of easy enough work to do and so I ended the day puny but feeling I'd accomplished without using a lot of energy: baked sweet potatoes, cubed bread to add to the cornbread for stuffing, restocked the kitchen, moved Thanksgiving items to a specific part of the kitchen, washed and hung clothes to dry and ran a full load of dishes. I also paid bills and worked on the last bits of the party I was planning for Bess. And now I look at it from this side, I feel REALLY accomplished because I did quite a bit even though I felt bad! I changed the sheets and picked up the house before the ailment hit me so it was quite a good day overall, lol.
Picked up a few grocery items that were a very good sale to add to my pantry and again I added just a few cans. It was sliced pineapple. I'm having a really hard time finding sale priced cans of pineapple packed in juice that is tidbits or crushed. So far it's all been slices and there have only been a few on the shelves. Most are packed in heavy syrup.
Braved Kroger with John pushing the cart and if you don't think that was work... Between the maddening crowds that man of mine kept trying to get away from congested areas mighty fast. Too fast! I often lost him as I had to be in the congested area, naturally. We survived and narrowly avoided a bad accident on the way home. I felt mighty blessed when we walked back through our door!
John mowed the lawn and I spent a morning cleaning porches and patio and an afternoon potting up most of the pansies and all the flowering Kale. What I planted three or four weeks ago is just gorgeous. Makes me wish I'd hurried right out to buy these sooner and planted them back them, too. However, I bought them last week and so they are freshly planted this week. After holiday I'll go dig in the shed for more containers to hold the last of the pansies.
Decided that I would not bring in the aloe or sanservieria. Instead I moved them off the cooler back porch to the sunny and much warmer front porch. This will give them added protection since that porch usually doesn't catch full brunt of cold northwest winds. It means I don't have to juggle those big pots in the bath or kitchen where it's often cooler than it is outdoors on the porch.
By noon on Wednesday I'd done everything except stuff the turkey. The casseroles resting in the ridge, the topping ingredients and box of instant potatoes out on the top of the microwave so they are visible; all the table covers and decorations gathered in one spot and all the paper plates and napkins and such ready in another spot. The girls have been very thoughtful in what they've asked to bring and are a huge help. I've counted chairs and made a list of which we'll be pulling to the tables just so I don't stand around wondering what on earth I was thinking of.
The guest room is fully equipped with a lovely little mini orchid, a few diabetic friendly snacks, some water bottles and hopefully every comfort of home.
Wednesday I did one full load of laundry and one full load of dishes and air dried them all. All the laundry and the dishes got put away.
Sunday I washed all the towels from guest bath as well as the two John and I have used this week from our bath. Now I know they are all fresh, I'm down to scrubbing the tub and toilet Wednesday morning and I am DONE with the guests except welcoming them on arrival. Ta Done!
I moved Thanksgiving meal components to the kitchen and restocked the few items I knew I was low on like flour and peanut butter and rice. I don't think I'll need much else from the back but I'll go over my weekend list on Wednesday morning and bring any of those things I need to the kitchen and store them.
I felt ill on Sunday but was happy there was plenty of easy enough work to do and so I ended the day puny but feeling I'd accomplished without using a lot of energy: baked sweet potatoes, cubed bread to add to the cornbread for stuffing, restocked the kitchen, moved Thanksgiving items to a specific part of the kitchen, washed and hung clothes to dry and ran a full load of dishes. I also paid bills and worked on the last bits of the party I was planning for Bess. And now I look at it from this side, I feel REALLY accomplished because I did quite a bit even though I felt bad! I changed the sheets and picked up the house before the ailment hit me so it was quite a good day overall, lol.
Picked up a few grocery items that were a very good sale to add to my pantry and again I added just a few cans. It was sliced pineapple. I'm having a really hard time finding sale priced cans of pineapple packed in juice that is tidbits or crushed. So far it's all been slices and there have only been a few on the shelves. Most are packed in heavy syrup.
Braved Kroger with John pushing the cart and if you don't think that was work... Between the maddening crowds that man of mine kept trying to get away from congested areas mighty fast. Too fast! I often lost him as I had to be in the congested area, naturally. We survived and narrowly avoided a bad accident on the way home. I felt mighty blessed when we walked back through our door!
John mowed the lawn and I spent a morning cleaning porches and patio and an afternoon potting up most of the pansies and all the flowering Kale. What I planted three or four weeks ago is just gorgeous. Makes me wish I'd hurried right out to buy these sooner and planted them back them, too. However, I bought them last week and so they are freshly planted this week. After holiday I'll go dig in the shed for more containers to hold the last of the pansies.
Decided that I would not bring in the aloe or sanservieria. Instead I moved them off the cooler back porch to the sunny and much warmer front porch. This will give them added protection since that porch usually doesn't catch full brunt of cold northwest winds. It means I don't have to juggle those big pots in the bath or kitchen where it's often cooler than it is outdoors on the porch.
By noon on Wednesday I'd done everything except stuff the turkey. The casseroles resting in the ridge, the topping ingredients and box of instant potatoes out on the top of the microwave so they are visible; all the table covers and decorations gathered in one spot and all the paper plates and napkins and such ready in another spot. The girls have been very thoughtful in what they've asked to bring and are a huge help. I've counted chairs and made a list of which we'll be pulling to the tables just so I don't stand around wondering what on earth I was thinking of.
The guest room is fully equipped with a lovely little mini orchid, a few diabetic friendly snacks, some water bottles and hopefully every comfort of home.
Wednesday I did one full load of laundry and one full load of dishes and air dried them all. All the laundry and the dishes got put away.
...I made meals:
Homemade Soup, Cornbread, Apple Cobbler
Baked Sweet Potato
Not a great meal by any means. I was hungry and needed to eat something with carbs (and protein but didn't) and so I opted for one of the potatoes that were hot from the oven.
Swiss Steak with Rice (changed to Mashed potatoes) and Steamed Green Peas
John went out to mow the lawn. I started the water boiling for rice after a couple of hours thinking I had about an hour before he'd be in. Nope. He was done just about the time water came up to a boil. I ran to the back pantry and grabbed an emergency packet of mashed potatoes. These were Betty Crocker brand and they call for nothing more than boiling water. I was kind of impressed with that and with the flavor, too. Definitely a keeper for the emergency shelf!
Burger King specials on our way home.
Leftovers for me.
For Thanksgiving: Stuffed Turkey, Dressing, Green Bean Casserole, Marshmallow and Streusel topped Sweet Potato casserole, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, Cranberry jelly, Homemade Whole Cranberry sauce, Rolls, and Salad with Apple Slices, Pomegranate and Goat Cheese. Everyone else is bringing desserts and other items I'm not sure of just yet.
Baked Sweet Potato
Not a great meal by any means. I was hungry and needed to eat something with carbs (and protein but didn't) and so I opted for one of the potatoes that were hot from the oven.
Swiss Steak with Rice (changed to Mashed potatoes) and Steamed Green Peas
John went out to mow the lawn. I started the water boiling for rice after a couple of hours thinking I had about an hour before he'd be in. Nope. He was done just about the time water came up to a boil. I ran to the back pantry and grabbed an emergency packet of mashed potatoes. These were Betty Crocker brand and they call for nothing more than boiling water. I was kind of impressed with that and with the flavor, too. Definitely a keeper for the emergency shelf!
Burger King specials on our way home.
Leftovers for me.
For Thanksgiving: Stuffed Turkey, Dressing, Green Bean Casserole, Marshmallow and Streusel topped Sweet Potato casserole, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, Cranberry jelly, Homemade Whole Cranberry sauce, Rolls, and Salad with Apple Slices, Pomegranate and Goat Cheese. Everyone else is bringing desserts and other items I'm not sure of just yet.
...I saved money:
I made a pot of soup for our Sunday dinner. This consisted of a variety of leftovers I'd saved in the freezer. I added 1/2 pound ground beef, 1/2 cup chopped onion, and 1 can of tomatoes plus a little seasoning. I have 1 1/2 quarts of soup leftover. It's nothing fancy but it tasted good and it was probably the most inexpensive meal I will make this week. I'll likely end freezing the leftovers for us to have later for suppers.
I used the last two winesap apples to make an apple cobbler for dessert.
I made a big pan of cornbread and baked it with the apple cobbler. We had a piece of cornbread with our soup for dinner. I crumbled the rest and popped into the freezer for stuffing on Thursday.
I packed John's lunch times two. I made him breakfast and coffee both mornings.
I picked up four more cans of pineapple slices for 99c each which is my set price for pineapple. I was beginning to think I'd not see it on sale but apparently November is the month for it.
I normally make biscuit bread to add to my cornbread for dressing but I didn't feel well the day I was meant to bake it. I decided to raid the freezer for end pieces of bread I'd saved and cube those. I know they are all good quality bakery bread and they have dried out nicely from being in the freezer, so they ought to do just fine for stuffing and dressing. I ended up with 1 gallon of bread cubes.
I don't read a lot of money savings blogs but a few are good sources of information. For instance this week Jaime at Medium Sized Family mentioned that she'd recently dropped her Netflix membership to watch videos from her Amazon Prime account. We've been using Amazon more and more to buy little things we can't find readily at stores in our area and parts to make repairs on things and so I joined their Prime membership a couple of months ago. Well worth the savings in shipping alone when I buy from a Prime seller. Well I hadn't even considered that I could watch movies or tv shows through Prime! I just expanded my membership, saved $8 or so a month for Netflix and found one more way to use my unlimited data. Yay!
In working on totting up my checkbook after grocery shopping and such, I also cleared my desk which included one bill. I opened it and noted that the company had charged me a $2 fee...What goes on here?
Do you know why they charged me that fee? Because when I paid the bill, I wrote the check for 1c less than it was meant to be to pay it in full. 1c. No. I called the company and asked they reverse the charge. Facts on my side: I pay in full each and every month and 1c was obviously an oversight. I pay my bill early as well. The charge was reversed and the company apologized. I did wonder though how many people just automatically assume the bill is correct and pay that fee? It just happens to be my habit to scan the charges even though the amount was almost exactly what we paid the month before and the month before that.
We did not shop at Aldi this week. I ran into the hometown grocery and then we drove over to Kroger. I picked up every single FREE item I could, both the free Friday downloads and the ones from the packet of store coupons they sent me this past week. A FREE bag of Doritos, FREE soda...Yep can use those this week with guests coming in. I also used coupons. I saved over $30. I didn't come in any under what I would at Aldi but I was close to what we'd have paid there so that's not too bad.
Planted all I could of the pansies and flowering Kale. Now that was also listed on my work list, I know, but I paid good money for those flowers and not to use them would be waste so I'm counting them here, too.
Planned menus for the days following Thanksgiving. Not easy, since I don't know who will be here nor for how long nor even if there will be leftovers. I didn't count those in, because with 18 coming to dinner I'm not expecting a whole lot left. I've promised John I'd buy a turkey breast so he could have a hot turkey sandwich next pay period, lol.
I have kept AC off all week long and we've only needed heat in very early morning hours. I have turned off all lights in day time.
I picked up four more cans of pineapple slices for 99c each which is my set price for pineapple. I was beginning to think I'd not see it on sale but apparently November is the month for it.
I normally make biscuit bread to add to my cornbread for dressing but I didn't feel well the day I was meant to bake it. I decided to raid the freezer for end pieces of bread I'd saved and cube those. I know they are all good quality bakery bread and they have dried out nicely from being in the freezer, so they ought to do just fine for stuffing and dressing. I ended up with 1 gallon of bread cubes.
I don't read a lot of money savings blogs but a few are good sources of information. For instance this week Jaime at Medium Sized Family mentioned that she'd recently dropped her Netflix membership to watch videos from her Amazon Prime account. We've been using Amazon more and more to buy little things we can't find readily at stores in our area and parts to make repairs on things and so I joined their Prime membership a couple of months ago. Well worth the savings in shipping alone when I buy from a Prime seller. Well I hadn't even considered that I could watch movies or tv shows through Prime! I just expanded my membership, saved $8 or so a month for Netflix and found one more way to use my unlimited data. Yay!
In working on totting up my checkbook after grocery shopping and such, I also cleared my desk which included one bill. I opened it and noted that the company had charged me a $2 fee...What goes on here?
Do you know why they charged me that fee? Because when I paid the bill, I wrote the check for 1c less than it was meant to be to pay it in full. 1c. No. I called the company and asked they reverse the charge. Facts on my side: I pay in full each and every month and 1c was obviously an oversight. I pay my bill early as well. The charge was reversed and the company apologized. I did wonder though how many people just automatically assume the bill is correct and pay that fee? It just happens to be my habit to scan the charges even though the amount was almost exactly what we paid the month before and the month before that.
We did not shop at Aldi this week. I ran into the hometown grocery and then we drove over to Kroger. I picked up every single FREE item I could, both the free Friday downloads and the ones from the packet of store coupons they sent me this past week. A FREE bag of Doritos, FREE soda...Yep can use those this week with guests coming in. I also used coupons. I saved over $30. I didn't come in any under what I would at Aldi but I was close to what we'd have paid there so that's not too bad.
Planted all I could of the pansies and flowering Kale. Now that was also listed on my work list, I know, but I paid good money for those flowers and not to use them would be waste so I'm counting them here, too.
Planned menus for the days following Thanksgiving. Not easy, since I don't know who will be here nor for how long nor even if there will be leftovers. I didn't count those in, because with 18 coming to dinner I'm not expecting a whole lot left. I've promised John I'd buy a turkey breast so he could have a hot turkey sandwich next pay period, lol.
I have kept AC off all week long and we've only needed heat in very early morning hours. I have turned off all lights in day time.
...I took my leisure:
Finished reading the November vintage magazines. I will not pull out the December ones until all the guests are gone.
Took up my next Emilie Loring book. This was the one I had by my chair when I found the paper back copy at the thrift store and thought I'd gotten one I didn't already own, lol.
Took time to give myself a proper manicure. I used a pretty set of Jamberry wraps called Brisk Amber to do my nails. So pretty!
Took up my next Emilie Loring book. This was the one I had by my chair when I found the paper back copy at the thrift store and thought I'd gotten one I didn't already own, lol.
Took time to give myself a proper manicure. I used a pretty set of Jamberry wraps called Brisk Amber to do my nails. So pretty!
...I lived well:
I have had my share of angst and overwhelm this week as I am sure most of us have, but we have lived well. I've seen some glorious sunrises and sunsets both. I've marveled at the sky and the beauty of the field fringed by flame colored trees. We stood at the windows and watched the deer stroll the driveway one evening and as they literally gamboled across the back lawn one early morning. The natural world fills me with awe.
I spent time with John, quietly, appreciating his company and became aware of how easy it is to spend all day alone quite happily but come dark and cold of evening, I long for his company here at home, even if we don't speak.
I appreciated the flowers blooming: pansies, the odd petunia, a lone Hibiscus bloom like a last hurrah before the first freeze, snapdragons, and flowering kale. Even the silly geranium still has buds. One of my orchids has already produced beginnings of buds.
And one morning, as I studied the deep blue of the sky, I caught myself in complete awe and reverence to the love given to me by the Creator. I wept with the love of Him.
I'm publishing early this week...I've got company coming in sometime tonight and company for dinner and company for over the weekend. It is my prayer that you will all have a Blessed Thanksgiving.
3 comments:
It is a good thing that you were able to power through illness this week and manage to get so much done. I admire that. This week one of my knees suddenly got so bad one evening that I couldn't put any weight on it at all.I was balancing on two mismatched canes and barely walking that way. I didn't know how I was even going to get down the three steps out of my house to go to a doctor if I could find one to get me in. Thank God, I found a pain management doctor who got me in the next day, miraculous. I was able to get cortisone injections in both knees yesterday. By late evening I was walking with no cane, and today even better, but I wore out fast. Friday, I cancel the appointment with my previous doctor that took 2 1/2 months wait to get in to see. So I wasn't able to power through anything until today when I made mashed potatoes,and cranberry orange sauce. It was a little hard to get them just right considering that I could only taste test the tiniest amounts for fear of raising my blood sugar even higher with the steroid in my system. I hope my blood sugars will be more normal by tomorrow so I can enjoy some of my daughter's Thanksgiving feast.
May you have a wonderful Thanksgiving with all of your family surrounding you, and that everyone who comes and stays for a while stays just the right amount of time, whatever that turns out to be.
Susie D.
You did very well and a lot! I was a little behind and have just caught up. It has been quite hot here but rain has come and a cool change. Relief!
I hope this week is also going well and everyone has a happy Thanksgiving! xxx
Because you had planned out and done many things already your illness did not hurt things was much,,...Yet I will say, even when you got ill you sure did accomplish a lot through it! :-)) Wow. !
The fridge going out ended up showing us Many blessings. We were going to buy the turkey and ham the next day so they are not in the refrigerator when it went out. I had been clearing out our little freezer to get ready to defrost it so it could transfer and save more than I would have been able to. Our old refrigerator lasted 18 years. [Our freezer is much older.] Not the ten or less they say the new ones last. Every sales person we talked to was 100% helpful and wonderful. And we went to many stores. Only one store had a refrigerator , only one model at all,in white , two door and no ice maker in front. They are a dying breed. Can't even be ordered. God allowed us to again have the style we desired. The could deliver it in two days,...even during the holiday rush. They did deliver it and all went well and again the two men who delivered it were exceptional. They told us this model was a brand new one and had just come out that week to the store. The salesman told us the sale had only started the day before we came in and it was a great sale! They are not having black Friday sales and had put them on sale early. The total price of the new refrigerator..only one cubic inches less than our older one. was less than we paid for the the older one was 18 years ago , including 5 years insurance ! I am sure I will remember other blessings too. Only God would have worked everything out.
Funny but having all this happening and having to restock the new fridge from the beginning is making me feel like going forward and 'redoing' more. Clearing and organizing areas I had not gotten to and such. I sure rethought of how to use each refrigerator shelf! Everything has its clear space. LOL
Our weather though still 90 is to get cooler next week. Back to what it should be this time which they say is 71. Seems like the trees dropped all their leaves in 48 hours. :)
I hope your dinner and celebration went great. That you all got to relax and enjoy each other. We sure did. My refrigerator was almost empty till we were given leftovers. We sure had the room for them! That too is a blessing that we can afford to replace the things we need to. Also had a pantry already stocked with some of them. I can hear the mail truck..I best go... Sarah
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