Diary of A Homemaker's Week: February Begins

 

Saturday:  A quiet  day at home which was just what we needed.   It was a busy week behind us and I wanted a day to rest.  Leisurely breakfast made by John, hot coffee, Bible study time.   All very pleasant.  Felt a big push to write today.  No clue why.  I gave in to it and wrote until I felt tired of it and then I watched videos on You Tube, read magazines, started a book.  

No big thinking, no big tasks, no big revelations.  Just a quiet, lovely day at home.

After sundown, I did dishes and set up outfits for February.  Some are for really cold weather and a few for pleasant weather.

Today's meals:   Brioche Bagel Breakfast sandwiches

Pepperoni and Sausage Pizza

Chicken Pot pie (leftover), Greens, Baked Apples

Sunday:  Katie had Taylor this weekend and she asked if I would have Josh and Isaac to lunch today.  I said of course.  I'd wanted to do so anyway, so it was good to be gently prodded to ask.

We got up early, went to church (late this morning, doggone it) and then John went into grocery to get Gramma's fried chicken and chicken nuggets and shoestring fries for the boys who don't eat fried chicken.  I made a call to Mama.  It occurred to me that she might need someone to drive her to a doctor's appointment but it turns out the doctor is within a block of her apartment.   

I wore a teal green long sleeved silky polyester shirt with dark jeans today.  I have a lovely jacquard teal blue/green/yellow scarf that is heavy and silky too.  I slung it over my shoulders, draped a cowl like neck on it, and pinned a big lovely brooch from the 1950's  to it on one shoulder.   Lovely and felt lovely.

On the way home, I was weary as could be and slept most of the 30 minute drive.  I recalled something Mama said about the diuretic part of my blood pressure med making you feel run down.  I  had read symptoms similar to what I was feeling online that the medicine article said one felt when you are dehydrated.   When we got in I made myself an electrolyte drink and soon felt better.   Good thing, as there was plenty of work to be done to get dinner on the table.   

All was ready and family arrived around 11:45.   The children ate well enough.  They were ridiculously  excited over the French fries.  The boys ate peach cobbler but Taylor doesn't care for it, so she skipped.  Then they played and played.

At one point, they all wanted to color and they did...Then the two older ones got up and left Isaac at the table alone.  Josh came back and said "Hey Isaac!  You wanna come play?"  "No..."  "What's wrong, Isaac?"   "I'm ---(unintelligible)."  "Sad?  Why?"  "I want a new pet."  Josh lost it at this point and cited how many cats they have plus a big dog, lol.   I could hear his daddy all over that reply.

The children played hide and seek and a game they called 'Family'...Heads up to the rest of you, it's what we used to call playing "House".  At one point Josh and Taylor came out of the guest room and said "Can we sleep in your bed?  We're tired and our kid is making too much noise!"  lol  Isaac had the Kindle in the guest room and was lying on the bed watching it...

When it was time to take Taylor back, Katie asked if I'd ride up with her.  It's a long ride, about an hour and 10 minutes or so, but it's all along old state highways and rural for the most part with only a couple of small old towns to go through.   I enjoy it usually and enjoyed it today.  I haven't been up with Katie in months now. 

We came back to the first town from the drop off point and Katie stopped at the grocery.  I went in to look for turkey Spam since this store is well out of the way of any we typically visit.  Not a can anywhere, sigh.   Carolyn informed me the other day that they had loads in Texas...Wish Georgia would get some on the shelves!   But I did find Tang juice powder, something I've wanted to add to the pantry for quite some time.   I checked the Vitamin C levels in it and you do get 100% of RDA of Vitamin C from this drink.  I know it's also full of whatever unnatural thing they can cram in, but I thought it would be nice to have on the pantry shelf, since I don't care for canned orange juice which was the other option.

Katie was picking up things for lunches.  I noted she was about to purchase canned chicken and I told her I had some that she could have if she didn't mind just expired.   Then she mentioned a facial product she was going to get later in the Spring.  I had that at home, as well, and it's something I wasn't using. When we came back here,  I filled her a little bag of things.  But doggone it, I forgot all that chicken soup and broth I'd stashed for her which she wants.  Good thing I put it in the freezer. 

Which reminds me I've a bottle of men's lotion I want to pass on to Sam that I'd also found in the bathroom cupboard...Better go put it on my desk so I'll remember to offer it to him tomorrow.

Monday:   Just realized as I came to post that I'd published this last night when I was done with my narrative.  I don't know where my mind was at the time!  At any rate I've put it back as a draft and will work on it for the rest of the week.

I had bigger plans than I'm going to attain for today.  I'm aching and tired and mean to do little besides what I've done already this day.

I started my day early.  I made us breakfast, washed all the dishes from yesterday's meals and made the bed and then I settled to work on the checkbook.  I reconciled our account and then set up the sheet for February.  

I  took out ground venison to thaw.  No it's not on the menu plan for this week but it's cold and won't climb much above the low 40's today.  The wind is bitter and  blustery.  The 'feels like' temperature is in the freezing range and having gone out in all the bluster and grayness of it I can tell you it most surely does feel like freezing!   I had a charcoal colored sweatshirt with a tank top underneath and that lovely heavy coat Katie gave me a few weeks ago and the wind seemed to cut right through the clothes as though I'd gone out with less than nothing on.   John too had put on a heavier coat and he was huffing and puffing with cold when he got in the car.

We headed to our little county seat town today to do our errands.   We did a divide and conquer thing.  I went into the post office and he headed across the street to the tag office.  We'd usually do these things together but today we separated because we were unsure if either office would be open at 12 and we were pushing time.  Our birthdays are this week hence we must pay for our car tags this week.  Seems sort of a shoddy way to welcome in a birthday, lol.  Fortunately our cars are old and reliable and our tags are not horribly expensive but we could have had a very nice birthday dinner and movie date for what we paid for our tags.

The post office over in Butler is a difficult one to get about in.  You must go up steps to get off the street  onto the sidewalk and then once inside the doors, you climb steps again and then walk into the main desk area from that space.  I didn't want to take the longer way round which was up a ramp around the side of the building that comes in on the main level.   Besides, just last night I'd walked into the store with Katie without a cane and I was steady as could be on my feet, no problem with my knee at all.   I was placating John when I took my cane with me, was all...

So back down the stairs and out to the street and I did glance around to see if I might avoid that step down to the curb but didn't see any better way to go to the street.  I stepped down and was telling a man how much I liked his car's color when my foot wobbled and down I went.   He looked at me and he got in his car and started to leave.  Another car pulled half way in and that man jumped from the car and said 'Let me help you!"  Another man came trotting back with mail under his arm asking if he might be of assistance.  I was fine.  Mostly perplexed why I'd fallen and how in heck I was gonna get up.  I am very awkward and knew I'd have to roll over and then push my butt up in the air to stand and I didn't want to turn backend up towards the street!   The gentleman just gave me his hand, grasped me by the upper arm and allowed me to stand on my own in that way.   He didn't pull at me and I didn't pull on him.  But his was most assuredly the 'helping hand' I needed today!

The streets in our hometown and those in that town are both built on the same old plan a lot of old towns were built on in this area.   Some of the sidewalks are a foot or two off the ground and steps lead up them to the stores.   Why?  Because when the roads were unpaved the streets became pits of mud in rain and often held water which flooded the street.  Stores on the lower end of the street always have steps leading up to them in order to prevent the buildings from being flooded, too.  Being raised in that way also keeps all the store foundations on basically the same level within a very few inches, rather than having foundations stair steppe up and own.   In Reynolds this raising of sidewalk was especially necessary as the river used to flood all the way up the main street of town in rainy seasons.

In looking down after I was up once more, I realized I must have stepped down on an uneven crack in the pavement.  Before I could put my other foot down I wobbled and fell.   I'm not hurt other than a slight sting in my right thigh well below the hip joint.   John gave me a medic's thorough check before he'd let me get out of the car again.  I assured him I'd heard nothing pop or snap and felt no real pain other than possibly the bruising sort and that indeed once on my feet I'd felt no pain either and walked to the car just fine.   I went into the dollar store alone and managed it fine but he was reluctant to let me go.   I think that it's all one level was his only reason for letting me be.

Our dollar stores are so chaotic.  Are yours?  They are overpacked and there are things here and things there that really should all be in one location.  I don't understand the why of the arrangement of them in the least.   I was looking for birdseed.  Not in pets as you might think but in lawn and garden.  And little boys' toy items were at the end of an aisle here while little girls were at the front of an aisle two rows over yonder.   Valentine's Day stuff was here and there...Sheesh.  You must walk the whole store or you'll never find what you're in there for at all and you also must walk the whole store to compare like items which are in two different items.

I bought Millie and Isaac both a birthday present and card, found heart shaped lollipops for the boys and Taylor, as well as Valentine cards for both households.   I was there specifically for bird seed and boy was that a pricey item.   However, my feeder had been empty since Thursday evening and it's cold. I got a suet cake and two packages of seeds.  I'll go elsewhere to buy seed in the future though.  Even driving to Warner Robins would be worth the savings over what I paid today for two one pound bags.

John bought us a Philly Cheesesteak sandwich from the local place in our hometown.  It sure was good.  While we were eating we were discussing our birthday dinner...And that's when John said "Let's just go out to our favorite steak place."  Honestly, it will cost us only a little more than buying all the components of a steak dinner will cost.   We've a gift card we can use so no out of pocket for us except our tip.  Admittedly I'd heaps rather NOT cook my own birthday meal.

I've picked up Nelia Gardner White's book, Woman At The Window, and I can't put it down.  I think I'm going to go off to read a bit.  I've got my feet turned toward the propane heater which has been keeping the heat pump from running non-stop today.   I can see the bird feeder from my chair and there are two finches out there just now.  The spaghetti sauce on the stove smells so very good.  I can't wait to tuck into a steaming bowl of pasta with meat sauce tonight for supper.

Today's Meals:  Breakfast Bowls with Grits, Sausage, Cheese  Toast on the side

Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches, Onion Rings

Spaghetti Bolognese, Garlic Toast

John said this was the best spaghetti sauce I've made.  Not too far off my usual recipe but I did follow a recipe from a January 1950 Woman's Day magazine.  It is straightforward and I only made very slight adjustments.

A Good Spaghetti Sauce

1/2 pound ground beef (I used a package of venison, likely closer to 1 pound)

1/4 cup olive oil 

1 onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 clove garlic

Heat oil in pan.  Add beef.   brown meat, add veg and allow to cook slightly.  Do not drain.

Add: 1 1- ounce can diced tomatoes

16-ounces tomato sauce (my addition)

1 6-ounce can tomato paste

2 cans of water (I used tomato can to measure)

salt and pepper to taste

oregano, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf (my seasonings added)

1 whole carrot grated (my addition)

1 tablespoon packed brown sugar (my addition)

This simmered all afternoon long on the stove.  I added a little extra water as it thickened up too much and then let it simmer some more.  

We had very generous servings for supper, John went back for seconds.  I put a single portion in the fridge with pasta.  Then I filled a quart container with leftovers and poured the last 1 cup or so into the soup container in the fridge.  The quart is in the freezer for a future meal.

Tuesday:  I had a little achiness last night when I went to bed but nary a twinge today nor bruising either.  I don't see how that is possible but it is.   I'm grateful that I am recovered already.

The wind continued all night long and the heat ran all night as well.   Today it is 44 with a 'feels like' of 36.  Too cold despite the bright sun shining in the windows.   The cold isn't going anywhere in the next week.  It's going to sit right here with us for the next ten days...Peaches, peaches peaches!!

I've almost finished my book that I started Sunday.  I put a stack next to my chair last night.  I started Pen & Palate last week and it's ok.  I'm taking the book in chapters and not reading it straight through.  I mean to make it all the way through Tamar Adler's An Everlasting Meal this week because it is a good FRUGAL book to read.  I've added in a biography of Harriet Beecher Stowe, a biography of Maggie Smith and The Red Tent by Anita Diamant.     It seems a good mix of things, doesn't it?

This morning with little or no ambition to speak of, I decided it was as good a day as any to begin work on the recipe notebook.  I first flipped through the book to make sure I wanted all the recipes I had there.  There were two I'd never tried and I wondered at myself for putting them in since I knew I wanted this notebook ONLY for tried and true recipes.  

Once that was done, I started copying out the recipes from the books that I'd tagged.  I happened to think of two or three I hadn't tagged but which I knew we had had repeatedly.   I worked for at least 2 hours on that job and then quit for the day.

I have a tentative idea of what I'll have for supper tonight.  It involves leftovers from last Friday's meal.

Today's Meals:  Butterscotch Oatmeal, Oatmeal Muffins

Leftovers Soup ( a mix of chili, spaghetti sauce, macaroni, veg broth and green peas).  Quite good and just enough for two.  It was hot which was the thing on another cold and blustery day.

A sort of Burrito casserole over a bed of rice, using leftovers from Fridays supper, corn tortillas, smoked Gouda.  I added in a green salad. Topped with a dollop of sour cream and splash of salsa.

The Chipotle Roast Venison I made was good...and boy did it make a huge amount!  We have a burrito each left for a lunch this week and there's enough meat over to make two sandwiches for lunch.  I'll add some Bbq sauce to that sometime...In the meantime, I put that meat in the freezer.

John and I discussed this as we ate today.  We both enjoyed this made up recipe of mine but...What I wanted was the texture of a chuck roast and venison just doesn't have that texture.  

Wednesday:  Today was so sunny and bright!  Much warmer than yesterday but still cold.  John got up sometime quite early.  When my alarm went off, I realized he was already out of bed.  I tucked the phone under my pillow and went right back to sleep.  Once the propane heat goes on the thermostat reads the living room temperature which is warm.  The bedroom, with the door closed, was beyond chilly and our bathroom, which faces north, was downright frigid.   Snuggling in to the warm covers and going back to sleep was too easy!  I eventually dragged myself out of bed.   When I got dressed I dressed  in a hurry! 

While we were eating breakfast, I heard a tap on the back door.  I'd forgotten that Sam was coming here to do his online classes each Wednesday this month.  We chatted for a few seconds then he was off to do his zoom class.  

John and I drifted into the bedroom for a few minutes and started to talk.  He sat down on the bed, I sat down on the trunk and we began a long conversation.  I can't tell you what all we chatted away about now but we covered several subjects and sat there a good half hour or more.  

We had our lunch and then I settled to continue copying out the tried and true recipes from the recipe books.  I now have that part of the task all done and as usual, I can't fathom why I felt so prone to procrastinate on doing that little job.  Now if I want a recipe all I have to do is open the notebook to the right section.  

My next task will be to go through each cookbook thoroughly and see if I missed any recipes I'd like to keep.  I'm not getting rid of the books but just want the recipes I use often where I can easily find them.

John did taxes while I was sitting there at the table.  He said he needed moral support, lol.   His tax work went well and far more quickly than at any time in the past.  Now we wait...

Had a long discussion with Samuel about venison roasts.  He was upset they didn't order any.  I felt the five I had was something I'd not waste money on in future.  Truth told I just didn't care for the venison roast.  They are from the rump of the deer.  In future, I'll skip those and just get beef chuck when it's on sale.  I much prefer the texture of that for my crockpot dishes.  We agreed that deer meat is simply too lean to do terribly well in a slow cooker.  

I'm going to call the processor this next week when we get paid and see if they are still open.  If they are perhaps we can buy deer sausage which we do like.  Sam asked if we go to see if I can buy him 4 roasts.  I'd checked my freezer to see if I had any more but I didn't find any.  I'm thinking we got five and I might have given 2 to Katie and Chad.  For sure I have used three of the roasts in the past 8 weeks.  If they aren't open any longer, we'll just amend our orders next year.

Thursday:   I don't know where our morning got off to today.  I didn't stay abed late but an hour seemed to fly away as I had coffee.  We kept breakfast simple since today was a planned day out.  We puttered at this and that and somehow it was almost noon when we left home.

I mailed off Amie's birthday present (four down...one to go) in town and then we drove over to the salon I go to so I could get a much needed and wanted hair cut.  The girls at this chain salon are consistently GOOD with what they do.  There's never a halfway haircut from this crew and I so appreciate their attention to detail that I don't mind driving the extra distance to get to them.   

There's a nice little Publix next to the salon.  We don't mind going in there to pick up the odds and ends.  It's never busy at the time of day we visit and the sales are the same ones as at our more usual stores.   Today we picked up desserts.  I chose a strawberry cake slice with cream cheese frosting and John got the buy one get one free Mini apple pies.  We bought onions, baking potatoes, some of that good Godshall turkey bacon, I like so very well, and bird seed.  I paid about $6.99 for ten pounds of bird seed and we opted to buy two types today, both the same price.  

Then we headed back to Lowe's and Goodwill.  We dropped off my donations at Goodwill and I was happy to see those things go.  I like seeing things actually LEAVE not just get stacked up as no longer necessary.  There's a free space once the stuff is gone.  Otherwise it's just stuff taking up different space, isn't it?

We went into Lowe's after Goodwill.  I walked right back to dishwashers and priced them.   Boy... you can buy just about any price range you want, can't you?  I still want as simple and basic a machine as I can find.  Whirlpool seems to be what would best fit our budget and my wanted features.   The base model  had a second spray arm, something my basic GE model didn't have.  I did look at Bosch but what is in store is far out of my price range.  I took a photo of the card attached to the counter above the Whirlpool machine so I can see what the reviews are on that model.  We aren't ready to make a firm decision just yet but we are getting nearer the purchase time and I want to make as well formed a decision as I can make.   For those of you who do have the Bosch and recommended it would you please leave me a model number of your dishwasher so I can see if either are available any longer and if those are priced nearer my price point?  

And while I'm messaging you guys, Lana, please let me know if I need to dilute the essential lemon oil.  I bought everything but carrier oil...

We checked bird seed prices at Lowe's and found the exact same seeds at Lowe's were priced higher than at Publix.  We'll be buying from Publix at present, then.   Always good to know best price source for any item.   They had some clearance priced bird feeders that were very nice, metal and glass for $7.63 that look like lanterns.   At the website for the same item it says on sale for $13 and change, but in store they had the lower price.   I was surprised at how heavy it is and very impressed with the quality of it.  

After Lowes, we went to our favorite steak house and were pleased to be seated in a booth at the bar.  That may sound odd since we don't get drinks, but we do like the lady who tends bar and waits table in that section.  She's been there for years (most of their staff has, there is very little turnover) and it is nice to be recognized and made to feel doubly welcome for coming in, you know?  

As we usually do when we get a steak, we bring half our food home for a second meal.   It makes a steak dinner worthwhile, when you get two meals from it.  I'm off to make supper for us.  I think we're going to have BLT's.  

Meals:  Cheese Toasts

Steak, Baked Potato, Salad, pie or cake when we got home

BLT's, Oranges

Friday:  I've gotten very good at turning off that alarm and ignoring it.  This amazes me since there are many mornings I would assure you I never heard it at all.  In fact, several mornings it's rung repeatedly until it timed out and I still didn't waken.    I've never in my life been able to sleep once the alarm rang but I'm thinking I'll need to change the tone to something that penetrates my sleep and jolts me awake!  I might have to try John's weather warning siren sound that he has on his phone.  That ought to do the trick!

We were still up at a decent hour this morning.  Coffee first then I made John a birthday breakfast.  One of his favorite things is to have steak and eggs.  I've never really enjoyed that, but that's what we had this morning.  I made toast, reheated our potatoes in a skillet and warmed the steak then served with fried eggs.  It made for a big breakfast to be sure but he was so happy.  Then he asked me "What's your favorite breakfast?   I know you don't care for this one but what is one that you just really like?" and I thought and thought and finally said "I just like breakfast period."  Except for steak and eggs.  I'm just not all that keen on eggs overall though I do eat them.  I just want them less often than John does.

After breakfast he went out to feed pets and I put on gloves (getting smart now that my hands are dry and damaged, ugh) and did the dishes.   Then I tucked into housework and did a nice little Friday tidy up.  I shredded a garbage bag full of paperwork and I'd say I have two or three more to go from the looks of it.   I did Bible study.  I swept and vacuumed and dusted one blind in the kitchen sitting area and quit because that is one stupidly tedious job and though it needs doing, I just don't have it in me to do all five blinds in one go.  Is there a job you just especially dislike doing?  Mine is almost always dusting but most especially blinds!

I went through all those saved recipes and pulled out perhaps five to try soon, five that I had tried and didn't post to my recipe file and dumped all the rest.      

John went out to cut limbs and then came in and took my new feeder out to find a spot.  It's heavy so we had to carefully consider where we were putting it...and now that it's hung I wonder if it's out of the way of the UPS truck that sometimes goes by that area...Hmmmm...I might have to find another spot for it, further from the driveway.    We filled both feeders.  The red birds completely disappeared when I no longer had the black sunflower seeds in my mix.  I bought a bag of nothing but black sunflower seeds and mixed those in with the other seeds.  Here's hoping the cardinals come back.  I miss that bright flash of color.

John asked me if I was going to keep putting up feeders and I told him I'd like to put up several more.  Yes, it's an expense but it's also a pleasure to see the birds at them.   Birds and flowers are two things I mean to have in abundance this year!

Well dears that is really about all I've got to share this week.   I hope you've all had a great week.  Come tell us all about it!

Meals:  Steak and Eggs, Potatoes and toast

Leftover Burrito and Rice, Salad, the last of our cake slice and mini pie

On my own...Probably pot stickers and an orange