Diary of a Homemaker's Week: New Month, Begin Again

Saturday:  I recall watching the birds feed frantically at the feeder on Friday and felt sure it meant cold weather coming in.  The wind picked up yesterday evening and blew gustily.  The flag on the back porch stood straight out, and barely rippled or waved.  It was just as gusty this morning and quite cold.  The cold creeped slowly up my legs from the floors despite the heaters running.  

Despite this, Caleb stripped off coat and socks and pulled his pants legs up to his knees when he came in.  I pulled his pants legs back down again several times, but he would immediately run away and pull them back up, so they were like knee britches. I felt his hands and feet and they were warm enough, so I left him alone.  I have no idea why he wanted those pants legs so short, lol.

Yesterday's nap success prompted me to try the same thing today.  I brought the pack and play into the living room, put on classical music and turned on the white noise machine.  None of this is loudly played just enough to hear.   After fussing a wee bit, Caleb lay down and soon was asleep.  He slept a good two hours.  Two days in a row this has worked for us!  

I was especially glad as John was gone to his former work partner's funeral today and I felt need of the break a nap would bring.  It was a good respite time for me.  I finished reading my book, Second Legacy by Caroline Harvey.  I shall definitely look for more of her books as I quite enjoyed this one.  I haven't picked up a new book to read just yet.  I'm trying to make myself take a little break between books rather than socking right into the next one.  I've two big stacks ready to choose from.

It wasn't a hard day, but I am glad to have the next two days free. 

Meals today:  Bagels with Cream Cheese (Peanut butter for Caleb who can't eat cheese) 

Cheese Sandwich (John) and a little Roast Chicken with Squash, Potatoes, Apples for Caleb and me

Roasted Chicken with Squash, Potatoes and Apples and a side of mashed buttered Butternut Squash (extra I cooked alongside), Bread and Butter

Sunday:  Last night after we took Caleb to Katie, we came home.  We watched a TV program I'm enjoying on Netflix called "Merlin".  After the episode was over, I watched a couple of vlogs and then pulled out my ear plugs and pulled up a game, the first I've played in four weeks.  While I sat there playing, John put on a video that is a man who walks all over Israel, in different city areas and at historic sites, etc.  He doesn't talk.  It's like you are walking along with him.  It's been really interesting for the most part and we've seen so much of Israel watching these videos.

I hadn't planned to play the game for long, but there was an unexpected bonus to it...John began to talk to me.  He told me all about the funeral and the conversations with his old co-workers and we discussed several other things.   I wondered, as he sat there just sharing all sorts of things, if he'd any idea how hungry I was for him to just talk with me.  I know part of it is my fault because if I am watching videos, I put in my headset and basically shut him out.  I'm just as deaf, minus the earbuds, if I'm reading.  I literally 'get lost' in a book and I've been reading like I had been living without water and just rediscovered it.  

So, I sat and played that game and listened to him talk,  I realized that while I don't want to get hooked into games for hours on end, just maybe there is a place for some game time in my life if John feels I am accessible.  No, I won't stop reading but I'm going to try and find that balance so that we can reconnect through conversation.  

This morning, we were up early.  It was frosty as could be outdoors but not like last weekend when we headed out to church.  John had thoughtfully gathered shopping bags from his car (we used it last when we shopped).  After service, we headed to a Kroger store a little further from the one nearest the church.  

I had a list of things I was absolutely out of.   Every item on my list was something that I had none of at home.  My total was not low, but John could see that I wasn't buying anything frivolous or splurge-y.  In fact, the only splurge that went into the buggy (you probably call them shopping carts, but buggy is all we've ever called them in my family) was some cooked chicken, both an 8-pc fried box and a packet of chicken tenders) that John found a really good deal upon.  For about the cost of our usual Gramma's Fried Chicken we got both packets.   I've put the 8-pc chicken into the freezer.  We reheated some of the tenders and made sandwiches with them.

I always try to report on what I see on store shelves when I go into stores, just so we can compare what's out in different parts of the country.  Frankly I saw few outages on the aisles we visited.  Paper plates were higher than I'd typically pay but there were plenty on the shelf.  Not full shelves mind you but plenty. John thinks paper plates are a help to me, and he was the one who asked to get them.  I was only on that aisle to restock aluminum foil and waxed paper.  He prefers a larger plate, and I prefer the smaller 8-inch plates.  We agreed on the 8-inch plates today because I could get twice as many for $1 less than the 10-inch plates.

The dairy cases and egg cases were packed full.  I didn't see turkey sausage nor turkey bacon, but I only walked by the one section of breakfast meats.  I noted plenty of pork bacon and sausage, however. I never went further up the meat aisle, so I don't know if it was truly an outage on the turkey breakfast meats or just that I was in the wrong section.

When we were looking at juice, I found plenty of the store brand on the shelf, but name brands were scarce.  Fortunately, the store brand apple juice hasn't any added sugar and is 100% juice.

We bought paper plates and apple juice.  I also got Sugar, flour, eggs, cheese, butter, milk (regular and lactose free), raisins, cocoa, pepperoncini, a couple of spice items, and produce.  For produce, I got an 8-pound bag of oranges for 74c a pound which made me happy.  It balanced out the pricier apples I bought for John.   I got Caleb a bag of mandarins (not the especially for children sort but the Kroger brand), bananas, onions, and a rutabaga.  John picked up 10 cans of cat food for Misu because she's older and her skin gets dry if she eats only the dry food.

Considering our buggy was full to the top because I bought multiples of things, planning one for now and one for later, I didn't think our total was unreasonable.   At this point, I think we can easily manage until our pay period begins anew and I'll try to avoid going back to the store for much of anything except most excellent sales on items we'd typically purchase.

We came home and put away the groceries...Well I did.  John moved the heavy glass bird feeder and put it on a branch at the Faith tree.  I reheated chicken tenders and thawed some of the Brioche hot dog buns to put the tenders on as sandwiches.  I sliced up one of those beautiful Navel Oranges to go alongside.   After lunch, I went out and filled the bird feeders.

Bess ran by and sat and talked for a few minutes which was lovely.  It was good to see her and since there were no children about, we could actually have a conversation and hit on a variety of subjects, including the children, lol, because they do seem to insinuate themselves into our hearts and minds regardless of whether they are here or not.

Meals:  Scrambled Eggs with a bit of cheese and leftover fried Turkey Spam, Buttered Toasted Biscuits (also leftovers)

Chicken Tender Sandwich, Oranges

Buffalo Chicken Pasta (Leftover from fridge), Green Salad, Apple

Recipe to share:  

Buffalo Chicken Pasta Bake

2 cups chicken (Rotisseries, leftovers or freshly cooked)

1/3 cup hot sauce (we like Burman's from Aldi)

1/2 cup Ranch dressing

1 1/2 cups Mozzarella, divided

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

8 ounces pasta, cooked (I like Penne or an equally sturdy pasta shape)

Finely chopped celery (optional)

Blue cheese or Gorgonzola crumbles (optional)

Mix chicken, hot sauce, Ranch dressing, 1 cup of Mozzarella and the softened cream cheese.  It's much easier to mix in if you heat in the microwave for 30 seconds or so.  Add pasta and pour into a greased 8-inch square pan.   Top with remaining Mozzarella.   Bake at 350 for about 25-30 minutes until hot and bubbly.

Monday:  What a beautiful day it turned out to be.  The skies cleared, the sun shone, and the temperatures slowly rose so that we could strip off our jackets once more...but I'm getting a wee bit ahead of myself.

Yesterday, I told John that I wanted to go for a ride today.  I suggested a small town, along open country highway about 30 miles from here.  There's not a thing in that town.  It would literally be a go there, turn around and come home trip, perhaps along another country road than the one we took down.  "I don't even want lunch out...Let's just get out of the house!"   John agreed.  

Last night at 9:30, John suggested we do our taxes.  I confess, 9:30pm on a day I rose at 6:15am is not my idea of the time to do taxes but I quietly went and got my paperwork and fed him numbers while he did taxes.  I also brought along the checkbook and sat down to do my first of the month tasks, so I was handy to answer any questions he might have.  We worked quietly together and when we were both done (about 40 minutes later), we went off to bed and talked quietly for a half hour or so about all sorts of things.  Then we said our prayers and went to sleep. 

We slept rather well last night, which was no surprise.  After all we'd gotten up very early and we'd had a fairly full day.  We woke about our usual time this morning.   The skies were overcast, and I looked out and wondered if we'd get a ride or not.  Never mind.  There were bills to go post in the mailbox and if nothing more, we'd have a ride into town.  

We went on about our morning, doing the tasks we'd each said we'd get done today.  I did extras.  I cleaned my closet and then organized the underthings and house clothes drawers. The only thing I didn't do was start bread dough rising.  I can make a loaf of bread in under 3 hours, and I knew that I could start it later in the day and bake it well before evening.  So, just in case we did go, I'd put that off.  I planned a meal for supper and took foods out to thaw for the first part of the week.  Slowly, as we worked, the skies cleared. The sun began to shine.  Then John said, "Let's get ready to go."

We started by taking the back way over to the county seat because the highway I'd suggested runs through that town.   We dropped off trash at the dumpster, took mail to the post office, went by the local pharmacy to see if they had an essential oil in stock and then we were off.

I truly thought we'd go to the next town, but I'd mentioned, over the weekend when John was telling me various things, that I had no clue what he was talking about.  He was describing a town with which we were both more than familiar further south of us.  I hadn't been in that area in nearly 14 years.  I'd forgotten the 'new' highway bypassed the first little old town entirely which was the one I'd suggested we visit.  John didn't turn to go into the old highway towards that town but went on to the much larger town further south.  I figured we'd turn around there and return home.  After I exclaimed over one new bit of highway, he assured me "I'm going to show you things that will make you say 'Golly!' and wonder where you are."

We went on through that town and he showed me what used to be just a simple crossroads where a little country backroad crossed the highway.  Metropolis!  No not quite, but everywhere I looked there were major changes.  The hospital moved out of town and into that area as had the county courthouse.  Fast food restaurants and gas stations and businesses had naturally sprung up all about the area.    "But there's more..." John said and drove on further south.  

Another little sweet old town bypassed by the highway.  Cypress swamps drained and cypress trees removed.  Historic homes removed to who knows where.  Huge dairy farms had sprung up, massive dairy farms on the former little farm holdings.  A second charming little town, a county seat not unlike our own was crisscrossed with highways now.  There was little delineation between the town limits and the city limits of the city that lay a bit further south.  

I don't know why I was so surprised.  The town where we shop most often has generally exploded in the past 30 years.  Where John and I used to ride along country roads bordered by farmland, we now ride through suburbs and shopping centers and such.  John always says, "It's like The Sims in real life and not just a game."  He's quite right.   I recognized nothing about the places we went today except the one interstate crossing that always signaled we'd gotten to the outskirts of the city and the street name of the main thoroughfare.  That was it.

All along the ride we talked and talked and talked. I told John how much I'd enjoyed his telling me about his day on Saturday and how sorry I was that I'd been wrapped up so constantly in a book or vlog this past month.  I asked if we might get out and just go for a ride again in the weeks ahead.  "Perhaps not such a long drive but just to get out and GO...If we can't travel as we'd hoped to just now at least we could get out and enjoy a ride."  

On our way back, we did stop and pick up a meal to share as we drove because it had gotten late, and we were both quite hungry.  We stopped later and bought a fancy ice cream sandwich, a chocolate sandwich with chocolate ice cream and fudge swirls.   It was, as John said, the sort of ice cream you can never find at a grocery store, just at a convenience store.   It was delicious.  

We did eventually take alternate roads home, all back country roads that ran through hills and woods and farms and wasn't all grown up but as it's been for all the 50 odd years, I've known them.  I'm so glad that some things don't change!  

I didn't want to drive through the towns where John and I once lived, the sister cities that lie either side of the river.  I've been through there a few times over the years since we left and it's sadder than sad because the town went from a renewed prospering to dying a very slow, painful death.  It hurts to see a busy little town sitting vacant and worn down.

I really enjoyed this day.  A lot.  And I am looking forward to where we might roam again.  I'm going to take down my map and look at the areas just around us and see where we might ride.

As soon as we got home, we went right back to work attending to a few other tasks.  I started bread dough, we made coffee, we did the jobs we knew we had to do for the afternoon and evening.  

Katie is sick.  At least she can continue to work rather than call out.  Most of what she's doing at present is study work so that's a good thing.    I hope that we are all free from sickness next month and the rest of the year now.  We won't see Taylor this coming weekend because no one wants her exposed to anything if we can avoid it.

Meals today:  Breakfast Sandwiches using last of the Turkey Spam, Eggs, Cheese, homemade bread

Chicken tenders, fries and ice cream

Meatloaf (from freezer), boxed Mac n Cheese, 3 Bean Salad

Tuesday:  I had Millie this morning as well as Caleb.  Two-year-old plus two-year-old equals two weary 60-something year olds, lol.

It was not bad.  It's just the concept of sharing is totally unknown and what one has the other wants immediately.  And if the other puts it down to play with something else, the other fusses mighty hard because the one came and picked it up while it was lying on the floor/chair/ottoman and had been ignored for ten minutes.

One sweet moment occurred though.  Caleb was in the kitchen and Millie in the living room, and she called out something that started with "Boy".  It was all gibberish to us after that.  But Caleb answered her in his own gibberish and then Millie said something, and Caleb replied, and Millie said, "Thank you!" lol   We've absolutely no idea what they were saying but they apparently understood one another just fine.  Caleb came into the living room after that and the two of them played a bit better than they'd been playing earlier.  By the way, Millie still insists on calling him "Boy" and though he can saw a baby-ish form of Millie's name he more often refers to her as "Baby".  

The baby talk segment reminded me of a similar incident between Josh and Taylor.  Taylor must have been about Millie's age at the time and was speaking gibberish and Josh laughed and nodded and said "Josh.  I'm Josh."   Sam was curious and asked Josh what Taylor had said and Josh replied, "She said..." and then spoke the exact same gibberish that Taylor had used to communicate to Josh.   Sam and I both laughed out loud at that reply of his.  We never did get the interpretation we wanted, lol.

After lunch, Sam came by to get Millie and we all hoped for naps.  No nap today for anyone, but Caleb was playing quietly in the pack n play and that was fine.   But once quiet time was over, he became Mr. Tester.  If we said "No" to something, he would look steadily at us and then do exactly what we'd told him not to do, watching to see what we were going to do about it.  We do believe in dusting a diaper in this house, and time out, too and we applied both methods today.    I've noted that like his Mama, when Caleb knows full well he has earned the punishment he never cries about it.  He reserves crying for unjust moments which are few but do occur.

I pushed through making supper food prep this morning despite the two-year-old children running about because I felt instinctively that I would thank past me come supper time.   I did!  

Meals: Cereal, Banana, Toast

Hot Dogs, Oranges for John and me, Bananas for the children

Chicken, Broccoli, Rice Casserole with Black eye Peas, Lettuce with apple and walnuts salad for us, plain apple slices for Caleb (who then fussed because he had no lettuce, so I gave him some of mine).

The chicken was left over from last week's Butter Baked Chicken, Gravy and Biscuits casserole.   The broccoli stems from the heads I bought and used over the last two weeks.  For cheese, I had about 1/2 cup of Tostitos Queso dip in the fridge, and I simply added a little water and after shaking the jar well to mix it, poured it into the chicken, broccoli, rice mixture.  I didn't add any other cheese except a 1/4 cup to the top of the casserole when I baked it.  This made an ample amount of casserole, so I fixed one 8 x8x pan for now and one pan for later which I put into the freezer.  I don't mind saying it was pretty good and I wondered why I don't keep a few jars of the Queso dip in my pantry in future, because that casserole tasted so good!

Wednesday:  It feels rather odd to come into another new month and not set any goals for it.  I did that in January and here I am doing it again this month.  It's not that I don't want to set goals, but it does seem a bit pointless in many ways.  With all the illness we've had in the family and Caleb to keep and schedules that change and then change again, 

I've decided to focus hard on basic daily and weekly routines and toss in the odd job when I have a few minutes to spare.   

Just this morning, as I was getting ready for the day, I noted a dribble down the front of the sink cabinet and the random hairs John had missed wiping up after he trimmed his beard.  It took me all of three minutes to attend to wiping down that cabinet and countertop and to polish the faucet before leaving the room.  I reminded myself that moments spent in doing random things like that would add up to a cleaner and neater home.  I'm trying to keep that in mind.  Little bits done here and there will add up!

I went out early this morning to refill the bird feeders.  They were not quite empty, but the birds weren't really hanging about at the time.  The weather is slightly warmer and will be for the next week or so, and I've found if real cold isn't expected the birds come to the feeders less than they do when freezing temperatures are forecast for day and night.   While I was out there, I noted one of our water buckets for the animals was low.  I took time to turn the water on as I walked past it to the feeder and turned off the faucet on my way back.  The bucket was full enough for even the shorter Rufus and Misu to sip from it if they chose.

 I putter about the house and think long and hard, especially when I'm in the kitchen or attending to some tasks or other.  I've thought and thought, about the spending we hope to do this year and how it might be accomplished, how to save a dollar here in order to use it there.   I've been listening to a lot of frugal cooking vlogs and following Instagram accounts and thinking of how I can expand my skills in the kitchen or watching and remarking to myself how a recipe might be made just as good but in a less expensive way.  

No big doings today here in the house.  I've been reading again, taking up the Fifth Harry Potter book, The Order of the Phoenix. I'm slowly working my way through the series, with four or so other books read between each one in the Harry Potter books.

I so appreciate Katie loaning me these.   She's asked to borrow my Anne of Green Gables books.  I warned of three things: she will laugh, she will sob, and they are not at all the same as the 'Anne with an 'e' Netflix special.  I told her that program was far darker, and angst ridden than the books, and some of the stories in the Netflix series never occurred at all. 

If I'm going to make goals at all this month then I'll keep them as simple as what I've included here.  And I'll add one more thing: to do my best to keep those communication lines open between John and myself.  He's having a rough start to his year.   A third friend was in a bad car accident a couple of weeks ago and now a fourth one just discovered he has stage 4 cancer.  The last thing he needs just now is a marriage that is being taken for granted and that's where we've fast been heading.  

Meals:  Pancakes, Eggs

Chicken Tenders and Fries (All reheated from leftovers) Fries can be reheated very well if they are the crinkle cut fries, I've found.  I just heat them in the same way that I cook fries from frozen, only for a little less time.  425F for about 12-15 minutes usually is find if there aren't too crowded in the pan.   I don't think the shoestring fries do well at all.

BBQ beef ribs, Potato Salad, Greens 

Thursday:  I slept so soundly last night that I never woke.   It's no wonder.  We were well and truly tired.  Caleb was equally as tired.  When we took him home, I dressed him for bed, while Katie cut John's hair.  I doubt Caleb drank more than a sip of milk before dropping off to sleep.  

I thought we were in for a rough day today at the beginning of it, but it turned out to be rather nice.  I didn't prep supper tonight.   I took a frozen entree from the freezer.  I wish I'd done the same for lunch but that was remedied nearer lunch time when I went back to my freezer and found something I might thaw quickly in the microwave.

So, I left the kitchen this morning and came to sit in the living room with my book.  John was watching videos.  Because we were in the living room, Caleb came to the living room to play.  He pulled his scooter over near the ottoman and used the back side of the seat as a chair.  He played with cars and trucks for a bit.  Later he moved his scooter/chair to a table and played with blocks.  He 'cooked', something he does every single day.  For nearly three hours he played quietly.  

After lunch, we decided that we couldn't take a repeat of yesterday's failed nap, but that little boy was so tired.  I picked him up and rocked him in my arms and in a moment his eyes started to drift shut.  He fought it for a moment, but he was soon asleep and even when he shifted position, he didn't wake up but slept on.

Naturally the moment he was asleep, before he gave that deep sigh that indicates full sleep, my throat began to tickle.  I fought it as long as I could.  I finally whispered to John to please bring me a cough drop.  It was the crinkle of the paper as he unwrapped it that woke Caleb.  It was a gentle awakening, and he didn't fuss or cry.  He changed position a couple of times before telling me he wanted to get down.  

I was very surprised by Caleb going to sleep in my arms and I thought that it is perhaps the last time I'd rock a grandchild to sleep, but who knows?  There may be more yet...) that I might hold a baby in my arms as it slept.  I could do nothing but hold him, naturally, but it was a peaceful and happy half hour for me.  One that I gave thanks for many times over!

The afternoon was as full of quiet play as the morning had been.  

The wind yesterday was out of the south...but it was loud and noisy, way up high.  Today it's the same, a constant roar above, blowing the tops of the highest trees.  It's disconcerting to hear the wind roar so but look out and see the branches are still.  It's only when I am in the kitchen looking towards the other hill that I can see the very tops of the trees blowing about at the top of the other hill.  I feel sure we'll be getting rain.  It is about time for tornado season to be upon us.  

Meals:  Grits, Cheese Toast

Chili Tacos, Banana

Spaghetti ala Diable, Green Beans

Friday: Last night when we took Caleb home, I noticed a spiky set of leaves near the flower bed on the side of the house.  I could tell it had flowers on it and asked Katie, "Is that?   Could it possibly be snowdrops?"   She went and broke off a stem for me and sure enough it was!  I haven't seen snowdrops since Granny's yard was overtaken by weeds and creeping vines.  I wondered if those snowdrops could possibly have been a pass-along plant from Granny to Mama.  And if they were, they no doubt originally came from my great grandmother and who knows who passed them to her?

I was up before the alarm went off this morning.  I can tell that the year is progressing by how quickly I wake in the morning.  By summer, I'll be fully awake by 6:15am when the morning light will penetrate our shades and sheers.  For now, it's usually around 7:30 that I wake.

I got up and started my day before I'd had the first sip of coffee.  We did our usual Friday task of changing sheets and towels and starting laundry right away.  I did the prep work for our breakfast and while it was cooking, chopped vegetables to go in the crockpot with the meat for tonight's supper.  Then I started bread and after breakfast and clearing up dishes, I mixed up a single layer cake.  I'm going to make two smaller cakes from this one.  John's will be his favorite, yellow cake with chocolate frosting.  Mine will be filled with lemon curd and have lemon frosting.    

I started the oven preheating and mixed up the cake batter when the timer on the bread machine said the dough would be ready in fifteen minutes.  I put the cake in to bake while the bread dough rose again next to the warm stove.  I suppose I might have put both in the oven at the same time to bake but I'm rather glad I didn't because the cake took 40 minutes to cook through.  I normally preheat the oven a half hour prior to putting in the bread anyway, so it really was on only a little longer than usual.

The rain I felt sure we'd get came in last night with thunder.  Not a very bad storm at all, just a few mild rumbles.  It's rained gently off and on all morning long.  It set the mood for Caleb to take a nap today.

John and I are almost completely well once more and I'm hoping that is the last illness we have for this winter.  I need to think about and plan meals for the weekend ahead so I can thaw things out.  The cakes will get frosted sometime this afternoon or evening, when the butter is nice and soft to make the frosting. 

I have Caleb tomorrow.  Sunday I will run into Kroger to hopefully take advantage of a digital coupon sale on milk and Russet Potatoes that is exceptionally good.  I've been trying to determine if I could actually use up 25 pounds of potatoes because that would be the most excellent way to buy them.  I'm still thinking about that. 

It's been a decent enough week here.   How was your week?