Journal of My Week: Autumn Sings

 

Sunday:  I guess we were pretty worn out from our Friday evening out, because we didn't do a single thing yesterday except sleep and eat.  Not a bad way to spend an easy day at home and it certainly does mean we start the week with energy to spare.  

I will quickly share the meals we had yesterday.

Bagels, Croissant, cream cheese.  I had planned to eat a bagel, and then John wanted a second one.  I had only thawed out two, but I'd also thawed the last croissant.  We compromised and each had half the bagel and then I could only eat about half the croissant.

Plum Barbecue Wings, Oven Fries.  I made plum 'jam' back in August to use up some plums that we weren't eating.  It's very tasty.  I added some to stir fry vegetables yesterday for our lunch and John kept telling me how awesome they were.  So today I added it to barbecue sauce.    

Two quick thoughts on chicken in general.  First, yesterday I used two of those flash frozen chicken breasts I'd bought for the budget challenge in my stir fry.  Not good.  Stringy and tough. I realize that some chickens just are, but it seems to me every time I buy this type of chicken, I'm pretty much guaranteeing that we're going to have tough meat.  John's thoughts on this always amuse me, but it does quell complaints.  "It's a lot tougher not to have it..." lol.  However, I realized that I'd much prefer to buy a better-quality chicken breast, which is often on sale for roughly what I paid per pound.  I won't willingly spend money on these again even if I am doing a challenge.

Second, the wings also were a flash frozen product.  I think I paid something like $7.95 for that bag of wings.  They leached out so much water.  I saved it as 'broth', but it does make me feel peevish about having to drain off more than a cup of injected fluid.  Again, I'd much prefer to spend the extra money and get a quality chicken product rather than this sort of thing.

Baked Pork Chops and Rice, Roasted Parmesan Brussel Sprouts.  This dish is reminiscent of the baked chicken and rice recipes that are floating all over the internet.  Back in my working outside of home days, I'd often make this sort of all-in-one pan meal for our family.  Sometimes I'd add a jar of salsa. Sometimes I'd add a cream of soup.  For this meal, it was just broth (part saved pork broth and part 'broth' poured off the chicken wings).  It was really good, simple as the dish was.

Okay, on to Sunday.  We went to early service then came home to eat our lunch.  I was thinking perhaps I'd get a nap in but then Katie called.  Apparently, she'd thought we were coming by and had actually planned to feed us and everything. I clearly remember the discussion the previous Sunday, but I knew we had to go back to church for Oasis since we were the entertainment.  John doesn't like to leave his guitar in the car and if we brought it along, he'd have to lug it in and out of church and Katie's etc.   I thought we'd decided firmly on NOT doing it.  And on Saturday when John turned and looked at me and said, "Tomorrow's plan?  Am I right that we're coming home after church?"  I nodded and assured him that we were.  Apparently, we'd made up our minds and not informed our daughter.

I feel pretty awful that she'd been anxiously awaiting us and apologized.  But you know, it was a bit gratifying to hear the disappointment in her voice, to know that she'd been looking forward to seeing us.  Sometimes, I worry that we're intruding on their day off.  I promised her we'd absolutely show up next weekend after church.

I was super nervous about the reading this evening.  Very nervous.  John also gets very nervous, and he gets testy.  So, as we were getting ready, we naturally fell into a mild spat, and I told him, "Look you aren't' even upset with me...So, let's just cease arguing."  I hadn't told him how nervous I was, but I struggled hard after our words not to just sit down and cry like a baby.  When I was getting dressed, he kept teasing, making little jokes and said "I guess you're just grumpy..."  Well, that was it for me.  I said, "No I'm not! I'm just scared to death!"  That was a shock to him.  Mr. Nerves said to me, "What are you nervous about?!"  Oh geez...don't even get me started.  The irony of having listened to him for four days saying how nervous he was over and over again, and he wants to know what I'm nervous about?!

It went off quite well. I didn't stumble and my lisp wasn't too pronounced.  But I don't mind telling you I was shaking all over when I walked off that stage.  People were nice and applauded.  I had three or four come speak to me.  I don't think it was something they particularly cared for to be honest, but I can't say I got a lukewarm reception.  And really, I was quite all right without having people mob me!  I am truly a shy person for the most part and while I've learned to present myself well and appear confident, inside I am a bowl of Jello and misgivings.

Monday:  John asked me last night if I'd make him pancakes for breakfast and I said I would.  Naturally when I woke up at 2a.m., I remembered I hadn't any eggs in the house.  So, I looked up a recipe while I was awake and saw that I could indeed make pancakes without an egg.

I got busy right away this morning.  Before I ever left the room, I put away my clothes.  Initially into the weekend I'd done very well at keeping my stuff picked up but at some point, I just let it all go.  I went ahead and cleaned up the bathroom while I was washing my face and dressing.  Then I went out to make coffee and pancakes.  

I'm going to share the recipe as I made them because they were really quite good.  I followed the basic recipe I'd found online then went rogue and did things my way, lol.

1.5 cups flour, 3.5 teaspoons baking powder, .5 teaspoon salt, 3 tbsps. flax seed meal, 3 tbsps. hemp hearts, 1.5 cups milk, 3 tbsps. oil.  Mix together then let sit five minutes.  Cook over medium heat until the top of the pancake looks dry but glossy and the bubbles in the batter have burst, then flip. This is about 3 minutes and then cook about 2 minutes on the other side.

These tasted a good bit like the Kodiak protein pancake mix I'd bought while we were on vacation.  John had raved over those and that was sort of my goal.  I'm happy to think I can make a good facsimile at home, since those mixes can be pricey.

After breakfast I swept all the floors then mopped them.  John bought me a fountain drink on the way home yesterday morning.  I hadn't quite finished it, and I carried the cup into the kitchen last night, planning to empty it out and throw it away.  Well, naturally the moment I got the lid off, I dropped the darned thing, and it went all over the floor.  I knew it was time to mop the floors and figured that sticky spot was the best excuse of any.

I don't mop our floors more than once a month unless we've had very rainy weather.  I know some folks mop far more often.  I tend to be the sort that wipes up spots and dots as they occur.  In the bathroom I always clean the floor right around the toilet each time I clean the bathroom.  So, I kind of figure it's not necessary to mop the floor so often.  I probably ought to at least consider doing it every two weeks, just based on how dirty my mop water was.  It was dirty enough I felt compelled to dump it all and then start fresh after I'd done the front entry way, and the two baths.  To be sure, some of that dirt came off the mop itself.  It had been outside when John mowed last, and he was kicking up a cyclone of dust.

One reason I've pushed off mopping isn't laziness, or procrastination.  I have a bottle of floor cleaner that makes my face hurt and my headache.  I do struggle with fragrance in so many products hence why I buy scent free detergents and plain old blue Dawn.  Needless to say, this is a big bottle, and it has lasted and lasted and lasted and I'm only half through the darned thing.   However, over time, I've realized that a two- or three-day headache and sinus pain is always the outcome of mopping the floors.  

Today I said, "Nope...It's not worth having my face ache all day long!"   I mixed up my own mop water using some of the citrus vinegar I made in late summer, a squish of dish soap and several drops of a diffuser blend of citrus oils.  Oh, my goodness!  It smelled just lovely, and I haven't had the least bit of allergy symptoms.  I made up my mind that I'd offer the rest of that bottle of cleaner to Katie and if she doesn't want it, I'll just throw it away.  I'll be saving my orange peels all winter longer to make into more citrus vinegar.

After I cooled off and rested for a minute or fifteen, I decided to clean the guest room.  That is something I've mostly put off.  I had about an hour before lunch, so I decided I'd give myself that hour as my time limit.  I put the freshly mopped rooms back together (rugs down, trash cans back in place, etc.) and then I tackled the guest room.  I'm always amazed how these jobs that I've put off for too long, take far less time than I anticipated.  I did not clean the toy box.  

I sorted out the chifforobe, cleared the top of all the things that are going to the shed and put back only those I think I'm going to try and sell.  I cleaned out the chifforobe, found all the children's books and put those on the nightstand shelf, then I straightened the room itself.  I even took time to clean the closet and organize it.  And when I walked out of the room, I still had a half hour on the timer!   That's always such a shock to me that I can get so much more done in a much shorter period of time.   

Well, it doesn't always work that way.  As any of you know, some jobs that ought to take only minutes can turn into all day jobs.  But today...It was a short and sweet task.

Meals: Eggless Pancakes, Sausage

I can't recall

Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash, Stuffing

Tuesday:  Meals: We skipped breakfast

Cheeseburgers, Chips, Homemade Pickles

Honey Mustard Chicken Breast, Baked Potato, Green Beans

Wednesday:  Monday evening, I was so tired.  When it came time to make supper, I simply didn't have the energy needed to prepare the meal.  I pushed through anyway, but I said to myself after I'd cleaned up that night, "It's time to rely on simpler meals for a bit."

Yesterday around 9am I was still abed when John came trotting in to get dressed.  "Someone's at the door...Pretty sure it's Sam."  Well, I got up and showered and dressed and picked up the bedroom.  Then I came out and made coffee.  I sat down to talk with John and Sam.  And there I was at 12:45pm.  We hadn't had breakfast; we'd just had coffee.  I was so doggone hungry, lol. I had taken out hamburger meat to thaw for a planned meal for our supper, but cheeseburgers seemed a very easy lunch to make for the three of us.  And yes, Sam did stay to eat with us.  He stayed and talked a good bit more and then he rushed home to do his homework before the kids were in from school.

It was almost 2pm when he left.  I did nothing else, all day long.  I finished reading the book I'd started on Sunday, The Last Garden in England by Julia Kelly.  Gosh but it was a good book!  I felt a little guilty sitting there doing nothing but reading on a Tuesday, a workday, but there I was.  And the world didn't end.

I slept really well last night. I must have needed that 'rest day'. 

I woke early this morning and was up and at 'em just like always.  Today I did minor housekeeping, finished the pantry/freezer inventory, restocked several areas of the kitchen (baking supplies, spices, etc.).  I cleaned out the toy box and pondered over the missing toys.  I've no clue where some of them have got off to. I told John I did forgo looking under the bed...lol.  I made our meals, washed dishes, baked bread.  I went over my Amazon orders, categorized the orders so I can easily see how much money I need to cover that bill.  I totted up the checkbook and balanced it.   

I realized Monday that my microwave was dying.  It arcs every time I use it.  We unplugged it and I've spent time today looking for a new one online...but I'm not sure I want one.  All I do is heat milk in it for my coffee in the morning.  I'd been using the toaster oven to reheat leftovers anyway.  I can heat milk in a saucepan on the stovetop.  

I find that I miss the microwave only because it had a clock and a timer on it which I used frequently to time pasta, bread, etc.  I think I can live without the microwave and just use the timer on my phone.  I can see the clock in the living room well enough and if I have my phone, I've got the time there, too...I just can't see any purpose in spending $100 or so on something we seldom use more than 30 seconds once or twice a day, you know?

I did keep my meals fairly simple.  I haven't gone to the grocery store, and I don't really want to go just yet.  I have no eggs or celery and I'm very low on onions and carrots and lettuce.   I'm working around that at the moment.  I have about $25 left in my budget for the month, so it's not lack in the budget holding me back.  Having gone over sales again for the week, I can say I'm fairly unimpressed and since there are no bargains to rush to the store to get it seems I might as well wait.

Meals:  Grits with Sausage and Cheese, Banana Muffins

Pimento and Cheese Sandwiches, Apples, Caramels

One Pot Hamburger Stroganoff

Thursday:  I did not have a great night.  I learned a very important lesson.  As much as I love pasta, I cannot have the white flour pasta, and I cannot overeat portions.  I really paid the piper last night!  I was up at 6am this morning and decided to wait for my morning coffee until John got up.  I got chilly despite having on my robe, so I slipped quietly back into the bedroom and grabbed my old quilt.  The moment I began to get warm, I went right off to sleep

And proceeded to have the most gosh awful dream.  I was in England in a very large city, and I lost all three of Sam's kids.  I walked all through the library, streets and a mall, looking for the children, calling their names over and over. I found Isaac but not Millie or Josh.  

It was a pure relief when John came out of the room and woke me.  Some dreams we just don't need to know the endings of, we just need to get out of them!

I did very light housework, showered, dressed, and then I grabbed my genealogy notebook.  This is just one notebook of several, but this particular one concentrates on one family line.  I had found another composition book of notes, and I decided to go through this particular notebook and jot down my notes.  I've added loads of information to my family line that I hadn't ever written in.  I worked at that for hours.

I reheated leftovers in the oven for lunch.   I kept thinking I should get something out for supper tonight, but I never did.  I went right back to work on my genealogy notes.  

About 4pm, John asked if I'd go out on the porch to just sit and talk.  That was so nice, it really was.  The air was just barely cool, just enough to make me think I might want a sweater.  I didn't actually need one, just could feel that it was a possibility.  We had a long conversation about a hundred different things.  I took out my old-fashioned paper fans and swatted at the stink bugs which are far too prolific.

At about 5 we came indoors.  We'd discussed supper twice. I have no 'convenience' meals per se on hand.  John had asked me what it was I wanted for supper, and I told him, "Absolutely nothing I have on hand..." which made him laugh.  We are NOT going to drive 30 miles and spend 45 minutes on the road in order to get take-out, and we're not going to go out to eat at that late hour, but I sure wished one more time that we had a couple of choices in our town.  Alas we don't and wishing won't make it happen anytime soon anyway.  I dug around in the freezer and more or less stuck with my planned menu. I had leftovers of three different soups.  I chose one and put it on to thaw and heat.

Tomorrow we'll do the usual Friday round of chores.  I'm also going to the grocery store.  I need dog food, eggs, carrots, celery, onions.  I want some convenience foods on hand (chicken tenders, fries, hot dogs).  The kids will spend the night with us tomorrow night.  John and I agreed that rather than eat spaghetti tomorrow night, we'll have hot dogs.  We want chili dogs, but the kids will probably skip that option for theirs.  

Meals:  Toast

Sausage and Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash, Stuffing (leftovers)

Southwestern Soup, Jalapeno Poppers, Hush Puppies.  This was so good, and just the perfect supper for tonight.  And we didn't spend a single penny extra getting it on the table.

John and I also talked about the microwave this evening and are agreed that we won't get another.  I used a small pan to heat milk for my coffee this morning and when I went to reheat my coffee, I just poured the coffee right into the same pan and heated it over the flame.  Honestly, it barely took more than a minute to do.   John asked if I'm going to skip the microwave to get a pot dedicated to use with my coffee and milk.  No special reason, but he knows if it's dedicated to that task, I will keep it ready to go so he can make me the occasional cup of coffee as he likes to do now and then.

Friday:  I have about 15 minutes before the kids arrive.  It's been a busy day.

I did my usual Friday chores, then dressed to go out to Kroger this morning. I wanted to get a short list of items.  Well, I ended up with a good bit more than what I went out for and that's the truth.  I'm not fussing or even complaining. I know that the past two months I've been OUT of the grocery stores far more than I've been IN them.  

Why did I end up with so much extra today and what were those extras?  Lots of marked down items, mostly meats.  I am now well stocked with chicken, at least enough to do us for a couple of months at present.   That pleases me no end and I got a decent price on all of it.  

I won't do a full listing of all that I bought there today but I will say I was pleased with my purchases.  I picked up lunch for John and me.  I bought flowers, the first ones I've bought in a few months.  All through the summer, I've had green plants, blooming Africa violets and for the first month of autumn, a lovely faux floral arrangement.  But today I was ready for some pretty fresh flowers.  It's supposed to be cooler this weekend and next week so they should do well in the house, now.  In summer, the air conditioning just dries them right up.

Oops here's the kids and off I go.   I had a lovely week.  I hope yours was a great one, too.  

See you next week!