The Week Behind: Investment Living

Saturday:  John off to work this morning.  I'm sorry our Shabats have been interrupted by a work day twice a month but the least I can do for John is make it a peaceable transition from home to work.  I make sure that Friday evenings are pleasant and nice with a small treat in store for us.  This week it was a 'boughten' cookie, as Grandmama used to call them.  I purchased cookies on a buy one get one free sale at the grocery yesterday.  Pepperidge Farm "Maui" chocolate chip cookies are delicious, a blend of coconut, almonds and dark chocolate chunks.   Apparently Katie found them quite good too, as she finished off the package when she visited.  Not that we'd left her a great deal but Katie generally doesn't go for sweets.  She was quick to say "oh! Pepperidge Farm!" when she saw the package.  Apparently a favorite brand with her, too.



Packed John off to work this morning with breakfast, coffee and meal bag packed.  I added in a half sub sandwich we'd bought and shared for our lunch yesterday afternoon.  That's a treat over his more usual fare for a workaday meal.


I drove over to Lowe's and picked up 10 bags of mulch.  They were just $2.50 each there.  Want to guess who had to load them?  It seems to be chronic with these places that on the busiest days of the week there's never anyone to load.  Oh well...I'm building muscle that's for sure.  I have a whole lot less 'wave' in the underarm region.  I unloaded them all when I got home.

That mulch buying trip is the only work I'll do today.  The rest of the day will be restful as it's meant to be.

Have to share that Maddie has not been on the front porch yet.  She doesn't like the new steps, refuses to come up them but sits at the bottom and whines.  I'll just bet if it started to thunder she'd make her way up there quick enough!  I'm not feeding her down on the patio.  I'm leaving her food bowl on the porch.  If she gets really hungry she'll come up the steps and eat.   I don't know why she's so silly.  When we had the back porch redone and the steps changed there she spent three months leaping from the ground to the porch floor.  She can't do that on the front porch as it's a good ways off the ground.   Eventually she got over her phobia about the new back steps and I'm willing to bet she will about those around front, too.    Rufus and Misu have no problems with the new steps at all.  In fact, Mr. Thomas had to go back over the steps to smooth out Rufus' paw prints...twice!  I'd have been fine to leave them there but he is a true masonry man and smooth steps were all that would do.

Sunday:  We had rain last night and then a light thunderstorm.  No reason in the world why the power should go out but it did and stayed out until 2am this morning.  I failed on one score: my cell phone was not charged.  In fact, just five minutes before the power went out, I had plugged it in but it was quite low on power at that point.  I cannot charge from my computer because it is extremely slow unless I use the power cord that comes with the phone, then the computer has a fit and is constantly alerting me every minute that I've plugged in the phone.   In two hours time I gained only 1% power with the other cord... but I got two hours of sleep so there is that.  I had no clue where the new power pack I'd purchased was either.  Good thing the power returned when it did.  I was able to charge my phone back up.

I got up long enough to reset the time and alarm on the coffee pot;  the all important morning coffee must be had!  As it happened I was up about 6:45 again, so I  turned the pot on myself.  If I'd overslept this morning the aroma of freshly brewed coffee would have roused me from bed quick enough.  It does every morning that I think I want to sleep in.

I never know on these Sunday mornings after a work night if we're going to church or staying home.  It wasn't until I realized it was 9:30 and John was making no move to get ready that I dressed and headed outdoors to lay those ten bags of mulch.  I didn't quite finish the large bed that extends down the back of the house beyond the air conditioner, but I am very close to being done.  I opted to save two bags of mulch to go about the turkey foot oak and then discovered I needed three.  Oh well, it's 2/3 done and that is one newly mulched area, not a touch-up of old mulch.  I was determined to have something new to show for all this work I've been doing.  I mulched about that little oak tree because the roots are constantly breaking off at the ground and poke up.  It's impossible for John to mow about it and as he doesn't seem inclined to weed eat around it, I thought mulch might be a good option.  It looks nicer.

Came indoors after laying the mulch.  I was just too tired to go on and do much else.  After I showered, I put on potatoes and made slaw.  I reheated the meatloaf in the microwave because the AC has been coming on regularly since 8:15 this morning.  I did not feel inclined to heat the house up with the oven at all.

I made extra potatoes for hash browns and extra slaw for a supper of Slaw Dogs for supper tonight.  I had a few mashed potatoes leftover, too and plenty of meatloaf.

I stirred myself long enough to put some fresh things on the mantel.  I am very intent on using what I have...but I'm not really satisfied with what was done today.  I'll play with it all the rest of the week until it does suit me.

Monday:  Gracious but I'm weary of not knowing what day it is!  I would have sworn all day long it was Tuesday, but it's Monday, quite obviously.  And you'd think I'd know it well enough since I finally sat down yesterday evening and worked out my calendar for the month.

I made us a breakfast from the frozen bread slices I'd set aside for French toast.  I had enough leftovers to make us breakfast another morning.

I gave the kitchen a really good clearing up this morning.  It always makes me feel good to do a good Monday morning routine, even if I do think it's Tuesday, lol.

John had already washed and hung a load of clothes to dry when I got up.  I stripped our bed and the towels from the master bath.  I remade the bed and hung fresh towels.

I headed outdoors and started clearing off the front porch.  When everything was moved I started cleaning the railings, floor and siding.  It took about 2 1/2 hours but golly gee!  If you think cleaning alone can't make a difference then you really need to reconsider how much good a little 10% bleach water solution can do.  Both my spray bottles stopped working but I managed to finish the railings and the floor and the siding.  I will finish the porch posts when I have new spray bottles.   In the meantime, I'm ready to paint the porch floor.

To do that job, I'll have to wait until the porch dries, likely tomorrow.  That's fine because the floor paint I have is a very light gray.  I don't want it light gray.  It looked lovely last painting until the dogs walked across it with muddy paws and from that day until this it's looked dingy.  I am going to take the paint back to Lowe's tomorrow and have them put a darker tint on it.  I'd like to go with something nearer a medium charcoal color.   While I was thinking out this aspect I suddenly saw my patio table and chairs in a different color.  I'd planned to repaint them the color they are already and even have paint on hand but gosh that bit of inspired thought has me sold on purchasing more paint in a completely different color.

We had purchased some pieces on Friday that we didn't need to do the work on the back porch.   I told John I'd return them.  He said I might use that money towards mulch.  I thanked him.

I worked until almost 1pm.  John had brought out a metal chair for me to sit on to do the lower railing cleaning work with and a glass of water and one of our frozen popsicles.  This is one of those sleeve type popsicles, so just 13carbs each and no doubt just what I needed to keep going as long as I did.

After I finished outdoor work, I showered then started the sheets and towels in the wash.  It was so warm and sunny out I felt sure everything would dry even after our late lunch and it did.

I made the open faced meatloaf sandwiches for our dinner.  It took perhaps 20 minutes to bake them.  I didn't have enough coleslaw to serve again so I made a green salad.  That used the very last of the lettuce.

I have just enough meatloaf, mashed potatoes and coleslaw to have dinner tomorrow for myself.

After I'd rested a little while I did all the dusting of the living room.  Tomorrow I will try to get the deep vacuuming job done.

I made us a simple supper pizza with the Greek yogurt crust.  It was pretty good and just filled a regular pie pan, so perfect size for two.

Tuesday:  Up early this morning to see John off to work.   I made breakfast for him, lunch bag packed, coffee went with him.

I started housework right away.  There weren't quite enough dishes to wash.  Perhaps this evening.

I'm off to get ready to go buy more mulch, sigh.  I'm glad I can buy it but gracious I'm getting tired of it, lol.

later:  10 bags of mulch, 20 landscape bricks (actually pavers but cheaper than the cost of what I've been using), weed mat, paint for the patio set, old paint tinted deeper gray and boards we didn't need returned.    As per usual, I had to load all my own stuff into the car.

I stopped at the Dollar General and picked up Mother's Day and birthday cards.  I bought every card I'll need from end of May to end of June and that's quite a lot.  The girl at the register said "Are you stocking up for the year?"  "No that's for June..."  "Wow!"  Indeed.  Now add a birthday gift to each of those and you'll really say 'Wow'.

While I was out of the house I picked up mail, took off trash, dropped an Amazon return by UPS store, did the Lowe's thing and then went to Aldi, picked up a prescription and then filled my car with gas.  Just reading now all I did it's no wonder I felt a bit 'gone' when I was headed home.  Sometimes I get so focused in on what I have to do that I forget that only so much of me goes so far.

I took time before leaving this morning to see what I'd already spent on groceries over the last week, nearly all of which was intended for this pay period.  I am quite serious about my budget this month for food and I noted that I had only a few dollars left to spend.  I came home with $20 left in my budget.   That should cover anything we might need over the next two weeks.

Kate called while I was in Lowes and asked if she could make me lunch at my house today.  I told her what I was doing and when I'd be home.  How nice to walk into the house this afternoon and have lunch ready made for me.  She made homemade spaghetti and it was really good.

After Katie left I went out to finish unloading the car.  It made sense to just pull the car from one spot to the other to unload.  I unloaded three bags and the landscape blocks at the end of the house.  I just went right on and spread that mulch and laid those blocks....Yes I did!  It's just as easy to lay them out as I'm unloading.  It looks so nice.   I'll need more to finish off the area but wow for impact and wow for how far those 20 went to cover the borders of that area.    I dropped six bags at the front of the back porch and then grabbed the last piece of weed mat and drove around to the turkey foot Oak and laid that down and covered that last 1/3 of the area about that tree.

Came indoors and loaded the dishwasher.  I had to smile a little....This was Katie's mother's day gift to me, this dinner.  As I rinsed and loaded dishes I recalled those Mother's Days past when she'd make me breakfast, lunch and dinner...and leave me all the dishes to do.   Now she didn't mess up the kitchen today as she did in the past but it was a sweet little pop up memory that came along as I was rinsing the dishes we'd eaten off of today.   I had enough dishes to start a full load washing right away.

Then it was time to figure up the checkbook and get the last bill paying tasks done.  And add in all receipts from today...Well the spending is at a halt now.   Mulch and landscape and plants, if bought at all, will come from my allowance and nowhere else.

Booked our room for our visit with Jd and the children.  We haven't seen them since Christmas and then it was a whirlwind visit.  I felt I barely saw them then.   I am more than ready to see those three grandchildren.  I'm missing Josh as well.  I haven't seen him in a couple of weeks.  Hopefully I'll get to see him tomorrow when we keep Isaac.

While my meatloaf and potatoes were reheating in the microwave, I took advantage of that timer on the microwave to play "Beat the clock" and fast unloaded the dishwasher.  I didn't get all the dishes put away but I got the majority of them where they belonged.  I really didn't want to unload the dishwasher at all, but I was pretty sure I'd have Isaac from early morning on and he likes to 'help'.   Since my upper rack can slip and fall I was not keen to have a little boy underfoot while doing the job.  So I went on and got the dishwasher emptied.  Then I sat down and ate my hot supper with the coleslaw that was left after our meal the other day.  All leftovers from the fridge have been eaten.


Wednesday:  Things were pretty simple today.  I kept Isaac and I wanted to really enjoy him, not try and work around him.   He was sweet as pie.  If I say that my favorite part was when he took a nap, I'm not being mean.  Isaac was always one of those sorts that you put him to bed and he goes to sleep.  I only recall rocking him to sleep once.  So to sit and hold him while he napped today was just plain sweet.

I was quite happy when Sam called to say he was running late and asked if we'd pick up Josh from the bus.  I was glad to see that smiling little boy, too.  It was a great day and yes, I was tired at the end and I'd done nothing much all day long except play with boys but it was absolutely awesome.

I often have said how I wanted to be like Granny.  I'm not, not really.  She had us as often as she could and kept us for long periods of time.  I'm just not that sort.  But Granny expected us to entertain ourselves.  There were the fields and creek and there were good old fashioned toys (doll and clothes, trucks and cars, blocks and coloring books and books) and if we weren't happy with those she'd put us to work.  I  really play with the boys and make up games for them to play and read to them and am really hands on.   I was the same with Daniel and the twins when they were little.  Taylor is pretty much the sort that entertains herself.  She requires only the occasional comment or spot of attention and then she's off again.  Isaac and I played all day long and when Josh came in we played 'ice hockey" with some of those Melissa and Doug round shaped blocks and the long handled spoons from the set of pots and pans they have to play with.  John thought we got too rowdy, lol...I believe in letting children burn off that energy they have.


Meals today were super simple.  Isaac had pointed out the French fries and Chicken Nuggets I had in the freezer while I was digging for something else to thaw.  I'm telling you though he says only a few understandable words he's got a way of making known what it is he'd like to have!  So I made French fries and chicken nuggets for our lunch today.   For supper we had sandwiches and chips.  Not a stellar day nutritionally speaking but it will suffice.

All the work I didn't do today?  It will wait until tomorrow, won't it?  Have you ever had housework get up and leave in a huff because it wasn't done?  Nah...me, neither.

John brought home two comforter sets and a pair of shoes for himself yesterday.  The sets are a sort of teal blue and white in an almost toile like floral pattern.  I haven't taken time to unfold them and look them over properly but I think I might have an alternative to that pretty but dated quilt set Mama let me use.

Thursday:  I really ought to have gone into town yesterday and dropped off mail to go out.  I didn't.  I was pretty well done when the  boys left...Yet I didn't sleep at all well last night.  It was one of those nights where I slept about an hour and a half and then I lay awake for four more.  I had told myself I'd sleep in this morning, but my body apparently thought sleeping until 7:15 was sleep enough.

I like to sort of while away the first hours of the morning as a rule, but this morning I dressed and headed right outdoors after drinking a glass of water.  No coffee, no food, just straight to work.  I laid the five bags of mulch in front of the back porch and then went about the yard collecting all the odd bricks and rocks I could find and bordered that bed.  I spread the mulch with a rake that I'd put out on Tuesday afternoon.  I watered the potted plants I have from last year.

John must have been inspired to get busy too because he went off down the driveway towing my wagon behind his mower and filled it with dirt from the ditch down at the road.  He also killed a snake...That's his second snake encounter this week.  He found a long snake skin in his older shed the other day and now refuses to even consider going in to get anything out including that bed and frame I asked him to pull down out of the rafters of his shop!   I promised him we'd get moth balls to put out when we ran into town.  He asked why moth balls and I reminded him of our armadillo summer, when we were sent to a pest control service in Warner Robins that sold us a gallon sized jug of a snake repellant product meant to work for other pests as well.  I was beyond disgusted when we opened the jug and I smelled the camphor and saw I had purchased a bottle of very expensive ($32) crushed moth balls.  He laughed in memory and agreed getting moth balls wouldn't be a bad idea.

John was being an enterprising man this morning.  Our ditch fills with dirt when ever we have heavy rain.  It runs across the road from the field and into the ditch.  If I can catch the county when they are scraping the road I'll ask them to dig out the ditch but if I don't ask, they don't do it.   So he was digging out the ditch and bringing loads of dirt up the driveway to put into that deep rut under the carport.  He also filled a few holes and divets from the wet season we had this winter.  He worked pretty hard this morning.  I worked over an hour and a half in the yard and he was out there a bit longer.

When I came indoors, I went ahead and vacuumed the carpet.  I saw no purpose in cleaning up and then getting all hot and bothered over the floors.

We finally stopped to have breakfast a bit after 9am.  I had my first coffee then, too.  My day was truly barely begun.  I had plans to do other things this day as well.  Then John said he needed to go into town to get gasoline so I offered to go in with him (conversation related above about the moth balls)...

So I cleared away the dishes that had accumulated since yesterday evening and readied myself to go into town with him.  I went into the dollar store and bought cat food and moth balls and a small decorative item Katie had mentioned she'd like for her nursery and forgot the spray bottles I meant to buy entirely.

We dropped off trash at the dumpsters, outgoing mail, got gas for mower and filled up John's car.  Then he insisted on stopping to get lunch for us.  It was only just 10:30...Apparently he was quite hungry after his morning of work.  I was still feeling rather full from our late breakfast.  I'd added flax seed meal and hemp hearts to my cereal as well as a whole banana.   But we got lunch just the same.

The diner has a big old metal chicken that stands at the curb.  His name is Kevin Bob Rocket and was named by the children at the Montessori school across the street.  He sports a red t-shirt and a huge pair of turquoise sunglasses today.  In rainy weather he has a hooded rain poncho he wears and in winter he has a jacket.  Old Kevin Bob Rocket is a fun little thing to view as you drive through town.
John bought hamburger and french fries.  Surprise!  Not, lol.

I ate what I could of my lunch but I just wasn't that hungry.  I'm glad that John at least took time to go spread his moth balls in both his sheds.  It pushed us eating lunch back to 11:15 or so.

After lunch, I started bagels.  I'd never made them before.   Remember last night when I couldn't sleep?  I watched videos on YouTube.  I've been really enjoying one girl called Nikki Vegan.  She's a foodie.  I'd stumbled upon her earlier this week and have been watching so I could gather ideas for meatless meals.  I was won over by the fact that she not only likes to eat, she likes to play in her kitchen creating new dishes or recreating traditional meat dishes into vegetarian meals.  Last night I watched as she made oil free bagels and when I saw how simple the ingredients were and how easily done this was, I just knew that I was going to make bagels later today.  So I did.

It took about an hour and 35 minutes start to finish.  John and I tried one as soon as they had cooled enough to eat.  I forgot to add the salt but besides that they were really, really good!  If bagels are on sale at the Publix bakery I can buy 4 for $1.  When they are not on sale, they are nearer $3.  I reckon this cost me less than 40c with all the ingredients included and the recipe makes 8.  And by the way I used regular all purpose flour from Aldi.  I didn't have bread flour on hand and they still turned out just lovely.  Really yummy!

I like adding to my skill set and this is definitely an addition we'll enjoy.

I pulled a frozen entree from the freezer to have for supper tonight with a salad and steamed broccoli.  John would be just fine with sandwiches but I need 'real' food.

I mixed the dry ingredients  and washed and diced strawberries to make muffins for tomorrow morning.  I want to be leisurely in the morning and will try to send out this post in the early hours of the day.  I've worked so hard of late that I'm feeling the need of a slow down for  little bit.

Friday:  We are making a flying trip to Kingland...so it will be Saturday evening when we return that I post this.  Hope you all have a grand weekend!