August's Food Budget

To tell you the truth, I was thinking that perhaps I would lower my grocery budget down to $200 from $300. You will remember that I was spending $25 per person per week. When my son's girlfriend moved in, they decided they would have their own food budget and cook for themselves. I was still putting aside $300 for the month even though there was only the two of us. I was finding that I wasn't spending the whole amount, so I thought maybe we could try again the $25 per person per week, especially now that the garden is starting to produce.

Well this week I spent a lot of what I call sundry items. I also need to buy more dog food. Since I don't have a special budget for that, I have decided to keep my groceries at $300 for the month. I picked up a few items on sale that will go into Christmas stockings or Advent calendars, so I will take the cost of those from my monthly food totals as well. I have already spent $200 of August's $300. Here it is ...

First off, I spent $50 on a gift card for Shopper's Drug Mart. This will buy bread, eggs, bread, etc. for the whole month of August.

Sundries cost me $68.05

We are well into the season of ANTS right now. I bought some ant baits and Raid. Four of these miscellaneous items will go into Christmas stockings. (toothpastes and razor blades  that were on sale)

Fresh produce cost $6.96

Proteins cost $45.96

Four 1 lb. chubs of hamburger were on sale for $10. All of the processed meat was on sale. Bacon and hotdog jumbos at $3 each, Oktoberfest sausage and Schneiders steakettes were both $2 each, and the box of sirloin burgers was $6. I also paid $1 for a cooked smoked sausage. Chicken legs and pork side ribs were $2 a lb. with a further 30% off the price of the chicken legs. Eggs at $2.29 a doz. are the cheapest in town.  

Dairy cost $6.27

Pantry cost $10.01

Bread was $4 total

Tax was $8.84, so my total grocery expenditure this week was $200.09 I have my $50 gc and $100 cash for the rest of the month for August. 

Friday Recap

Did I accomplish much this week? No. I didn't purge any of my belongings. I didn't do any cleaning or organizing except the very basics......dishes, laundry, meals.  I took a mental health break from the emotional roller coaster I was riding this week. On top of everything else, my Sweetie has had a lot of medical appointments in the past week. He had the ultrasound on his shoulder which showed 3 tendons and his bicep muscle are all torn. He already had limited movement in that arm....now he has even less. Prognosis is still pending. On Monday he went to his Transplant Clinic. For one year now his iron has been low. Even with three doses of iron at 300 mg a dose (900 a day), his count still goes down. Now it is a 5. He has a colonoscopy scheduled for September. He has lost another 13 lbs. Also, his PSA has been going up, so they scheduled an appointment for him with a urologist. That appointment was on Tuesday. A biopsy of his prostate will be done early in October. This morning he had his defibrillator tested to see if it "saw" any action this summer. It has gone off once before. When that happens, they take away his driving license for over 6 months. Fortunately, it hasn't been activated and he is good to drive for another 6 months. That is some welcome good news. So it has been rather stressful here lately, and I have been burying myself into my crafts......specifically, my card-making. I have to build up my supply again.

Today I am feeling more like myself. I have been to the garden and harvested my first ripe tomato and a serving of burgundy beans. My garden is producing and that is always exciting. No zucchini or cucumbers in sight, but lots of blossoms are very promising. I have at least 3 pie pumpkins on my one plant, and still lots of blossoms. I am also hoping for a bumper crop of tomatoes.....fingers crossed. 

We will be leaving for Guelph very early tomorrow morning. We will go to Guelph Hospital to see my mom, and remember that while they are trying to sort out her pain medication, she will be more suspicious and hostile than normal. We will stay just a short while before continuing to Bradford to celebrate a birthday. On the way back home, we hope to stop into the Cobourg hospital and visit with my step-dad. Sunday I will probably sleep in. *laugh* Have yourselves a wonderful relaxing weekend. 

Doldrums

Full Definition of doldrums. 1 : a spell of listlessness or despondency. 2 often capitalized : a part of the ocean near the equator abounding in calms, squalls, and light shifting winds. 3 : a state or period of inactivity, stagnation, or slump.

This sounds exactly where I have spent the last few days. The weather certainly seems to be somewhere near the equator (hot and moist) and we have had the occasional storm flare ups with winds shifting from every direction (both literally and figuratively), but it is the condition of inactivity, listlessness, stagnation and despondency that has confirmed my position. I am indeed in "The Doldrums". 

I have been trying very hard to keep my head above the surface of the water. I have been getting up in the mornings and going about my routine. (dishes, meals and laundry).  I have not been motivated to do housework, but I have been stamping and colouring and making a few cards. Over the past couple of days, I have been outside to check on the status of my veggie garden and have brought in two cucumbers so far, that my Sweetie and I have made into cucumber sandwiches. Yum. 

First cucumber from the garden

Here are two cards I made to send out in the mail sometime next week. Because we are going  to our granddaughter's birthday on Saturday, my husband and I had already decided that we would stop into both the Guelph and Cobourg hospitals to visit for a very short while on the way into and back from  Bradford. My sister called again last night to report that my mother is not doing well at all. They have had to restrain her in bed because she keeps attempting to get out of bed to walk on her broken leg. She is convinced she is a prisoner and that the hospital staff is trying to kill her. Because her family has put her in there, we are all part of the conspiracy. I am not at all surprised by her reactions because I have seen the steady decline over the years and especially during this past year when I have spent time with her alone for days at a time; but, my sister is really taking this hard. I don't think she has realized how bad it had become, or she has been in denial. But there it is. 

Two get well cards made for my mom and for my step-dad.

I also made quite a few Birthday cards, four of which I have mailed out already. As usual, I didn't take pictures of the ones that are gone. I will try to do better taking photos to post after the cards have been received. Below is the card I will be giving to my granddaughter turning seven on the 31st. 

Birthday card for my  granddaughter

I love this stamp and have used it often to make birthday, get well, thank you, encouragement cards....even Valentine's and Easter/Springtime cards. That sweet little girl stamp is called "Natalie"

Monday Daybook: July 25/16

This was the weekend of the wedding. The son of my good friends from Charleston Lake got married in Wellington. It was a perfectly lovely ceremony and reception at a venue on the Lake, but ALL my photos have wedding guests in them and I never thought to take a picture of the venue or location. Drat. So good for the memory album, but not for my blog. 

While my Sweetie and I were out of town at the wedding, my son and his GF had eight people over for a barbeque in the back yard. Most of the decorations went up after we left and they didn't think to take pictures either. It sounds like it was very successful. 

Outside my window.....it is overcast and raining off and on. Yay! We are desperate for rain. It feels a little cooler than it has been over the weekend.

I am thinking.....of how stressed and tired I am feeling. I got a phone call from my sister this weekend. My mother lost her balance and fell and is in hospital in Guelph with a broken femur. Her husband is still in hospital in Cobourg after having fallen, and he is no closer to being released than he was three weeks ago. They are now both in hospitals, several miles from each other. They will need to go into a long term care facility (nursing home) when they are released. Hopefully, this will speed up the process. In the meantime, they are in good hands. My sister is finally asking for help but hasn't indicated what kind of help. So I am taking that to mean that I should make attempts to travel and make hospital visits. After I got the news yesterday, I went to bed. I think it was the result of too much heat, bad news and excitement of the wedding. 

I am thankful for....finding a dress in my closet that still fit me for the wedding.  

From the kitchen......yesterday we ate the BBQ leftovers of hamburgers, hotdogs and salad.

I am wearing.....black capris and a red print top.

I am creating.....nothing at the moment, but I need to get busy on making lots more birthday cards. I am owing people  cards, so I need to start making "belated" birthday greetings. 

I am going.....to Bradford soon to celebrate a granddaughter's seventh birthday. It will also mean a side trip to one of the hospitals on the way.

I am hoping.....things have been worked out for the removal of furniture and personal belongings (of which there is an unbelievable amount of STUFF) from their current one-bedroom retirement unit in Cobourg. Notice has already been given that they will not be returning there. I am also hoping that my mood improves somewhat this week. 

I am hearing..... the sound of tires on wet pavement outside the house. I am also listening to the window fan, as I am loving the movement or air over me as I sit at the computer. It is very quiet as my Sweetie is gone to his Transplant appointment and all the animals are napping.

Around the house.....I have emptied the dishwasher and started to load up again. I need to do laundry, but I will wait until I can hang it outside. I vacuumed all through the downstairs on Saturday so I don't feel like doing anything domestic today. Maybe I will do some crafting, but I don't feel very productive at all. 

One of my favourite things......is the rain and cooler temperatures today. 

A few plans for the rest of the week......include doing very little. 

Here is a picture I am sharing.........

Wednesday and Thursday

Yesterday morning I grabbed the opportunity of going outside to weed the vegetable garden. There is another heat alert for the rest of this week, so I decided that because I didn't get out Tuesday like I had planned, (opting instead to work on the wedding card) I would spend two hours pulling weeds while it was still relatively cooler.  I had a Doctor's appointment scheduled for the afternoon.

I never did replant the carrots. Maybe I should try turnip again as a Fall crop.                                      
 

Yesterday's groceries cost me $35.78

After my Doctor's appointment, I went to No Frills for toilet paper, bread and milk, and found strawberries for $1.88 a 1 lb. clam shell, frozen seasoned chicken breasts (boneless, skinless) for $1.97 a pound, and I picked up some tomatoes, green onions, more cheddar cheese and cucumber to make salads for the hot days ahead when I won't want to stand in a hot kitchen. I sent my Sweetie into No Frills on Sunday morning to pick up a few things for our daughter and her family coming for lunch. (no photo)  He spent $36.05 on apple juice, vegan margarine, lettuce, tomato, salami, grapes, bread, crackers, and cheddar cheese. Yes, we have already finished that whole block of cheese. That is why I bought another yesterday. He also bought sweet Italian sausage for grilling. We have had half the package and the other half is frozen. 

I slept until 9 AM this morning. Because I felt guilty about sleeping in so late, I emptied the dishwasher and filled it up again to wash another load of dishes before I even made my first cup of coffee. Before I made my oatmeal, I brought in a load of laundry from the line, folded it and put away. I then hung up another load of laundry that I washed before bedtime last night. I made my full pot of tea to make a pitcher of iced tea.  After breakfast, I boiled some potatoes to make potato salad for dinner tonight and I took out a roasted chicken that I cooked a couple of weeks ago before I was suddenly called to go to Cobourg. We had one meal from it but I put the rest away in the freezer. I warmed that in the microwave tonight with the potato salad and sliced tomatoes. 

Since I was already in the kitchen, I decided to make the doggy treats while it was still cool in the house. And while they were in the oven, I decided to make freezer jam with the two pounds of strawberries that I bought yesterday. I got almost seven full half pint jars. The one in front with the label is not quite full, so it is the one going in the fridge to be eaten. 

This afternoon I brought up the recycling bins from the curb, I put away the second load of dishes and prepared for the third load to be done after supper tonight, I washed another load of laundry and hung it out to dry, I read my emails and coloured my hair. I should sleep in more often. It lights a fire under my butt. 

Doggy treats and strawberry jam. 

Tuesday happenings

My morning started off well enough. I had my two cups of coffee and my porridge, put away last night's dishes and washed another load in the dishwasher. I washed a large load of whites and lights and hung them out to dry. I went out to the garden and brought in 3 more zucchini. I am really disappointed that I was unable to find yellow squash in the nursery this Spring, so I bought the zucchini instead. And now that they are ripening, I don't really want to eat them; so, I have decided to grate them in the food processor and freeze them in two cup measures to bake loaves or muffins  later, or fry them with ground meat and other grated veggies to put into casseroles. It extends the volume of ground beef so it goes further. My garden desperately needs weeding and I even put the job on today's to-do list, but I decided in the end to get started on the wedding card for this Saturday. 

Three more zucchini from the garden

Of coarse as soon as I sit down at the table to craft, the cats have to help...Hannah on the left and Brucie on the right. 

The wedding card....the flowers are white iridescent, but it doesn't show up in this shot

My Sweetie, in the meantime, went to his last rehab session this morning. (He still has a couple of sessions in the pool before he is completely finished) After he came home, his friend rang up and offered to come and take down those two dead apple trees on our property. Before starting on those, my husband and he decided to take the dead branches off of this Manitoba Maple behind our veggie garden. The whole tree is dying and it is worrisome to think that these heavy branches could come down on someone and hurt them badly.

Some dead branches removed

The good news is that it opens up the garden very nicely, so that all the plants are now in sun for most of the day. The bad news is that the chain saw stalled out and won't keep running, so the friend has left for the day. The apple trees are still not taken down. In other bad news, while pulling on the rope wrapped around one of the branches, my Sweetie tripped over another branch lying on the ground and came down hard on his shoulder. Now that the friend has gone home, my hubby has driven himself to the Emergency Ward in Napanee to have his injury attended to. He took his arm sling with him (from the last injury) so he wouldn't have to pay for another one. My poor, poor Sweetie.

My Weekend

More Craft Room discards

Friday found me back in the Craft Room for another hour of cleaning and purging. I was able to find two boxes of rose petals (silk and organza) both teal and purple. I found a pink wicker basket with an unfinished bunny to attach to it, some red and blonde curly doll hair for another project and some shoulder pads left from a Christmas angel project some years back. There is a pink pencil case, window clings for Valentine's,  3 packages of foil confetti, another cake stencil, some tattoos, some red and black coding dots and some iron-on transfers. Not from the Craft room, I found some Dora gift packs with hair accessories, lip balm and nail polish; but, my young granddaughters are too old for them. Dora is so passe. I have a bag with a full set of cutlery for six, a calendar from the Canadian Wildlife Association with gorgeous animal photos in it, a round mirror and a replacement trap for a Blue Rhino SkeeterVac mosquito exterminator. I didn't realize until this morning that the 10 things challenge was meant to be 10 things a DAY. So I have some catching up to do. 

Late Friday, I learned that my daughter, SIL and my two grandkids were coming for a visit on Sunday. It meant that Saturday I spent (not in the Craft Room) but vacuuming and straightening the downstairs. They really didn't stay in the house long because we spent most of the time at the midway at the Odessa Fair. They arrived just before noon yesterday, so we fed them lunch before we headed down the road to the Fairgrounds. My five year old grandson doesn't enjoy rides much, but he went on two of them and watched his six year old sister ride the BIG rides with her Dad. She loves them. They picked their prizes from the duck pond (You pay according to the prize your child wants before the game).  They are not worth the money they ask, but the child is happy to "win exactly what they wanted". The Demolition Derby was over an hour getting started so we didn't wait for it. I think the kids would have enjoyed watching the cars crash into each other, but they didn't know what they were missing, so that was fine. We stood in line for an ice-cream instead. 

Unfortunately, we missed the judging of the birds and bunnies. The doors of the poultry barn were shut when we went to see them. That might have been to keep them cooler and less stressed with crowds of people walking through. But the pens of goats were outside in the shade and my grandkids seemed to really love looking at them, feeding them and many farmers brought them out so the kids could pet them. That was so awesome. One little baby goat was removed from the pen because he was not faring too well in the heat. I think it was just a few days old.... poor thing. We knew the kids would not likely be too interested in the main Palace where the judging had already taken place on the vegetables, flowers, needlework, etc., etc., (things you normally find at a country fair), so we bought some cotton candy and caramel corn and decided to head back home. They had some cheese and crackers and grapes with some cold apple juice. The kids spent over an hour playing with grandma's toys and did some drawing and colouring before it was time to head back to their house. My little grandson didn't want to leave but we promised we would be there in a couple of weeks for his sister's birthday party at the end of July. It turned out to be a lovely weekend. We don't have central air like my daughter and her family are used to, but there has been a strong breeze blowing (albeit a hot and dry wind), but it makes the HOT seem a little more bearable. 

Sorry there were no photos of the fair. I forgot to take my camera as usual and my daughter only takes photos with people in them. Go figure. 

Day Book: Monday, July 18/16

Outside my window.....it is hot and sunny with dark clouds at times that spit the occasional sun shower. It is too hot and humid for me to work outside today. 

I am thinking....of the great visit we had yesterday with my daughter, SIL, and two kids coming here to spend the afternoon with us at the Odessa Fair. 

I am thankful for.....my Sweetie installing a window fan in the window right beside me here at the computer. It is not an air conditioner but the blowing air makes it so much more comfortable here. I don't want to leave. Ha. 

From the kitchen.....there isn't a whole lot of cooking or baking going on. My Sweetie boiled some eggs to make egg salad, and I did even less by opening a can of Flakes of Chicken, chopped some celery up fine and made chicken salad. Sandwiches are all we ate for dinner last night. Tonight I will grill some sausages. The dog is out of his home baked treats but I may pick up some store bought instead. I need to pick up a few groceries for us this week. 

I am wearing..... the same thing I wore yesterday. I grabbed my red capris and threw on a light cotton tunic that is stained with blue Slushee I drank yesterday at the Fair. I didn't wake up until TEN o'clock this morning, so I will be showering later today. 

I am creating....a huge mess in my bedroom as I am going through and purging the linen closet. I took out two garbage bags so far of sheets, comforters and pillow cases that are going to Value Village. I am NOT going to save these for a yard sale. I just want them out. I also have boxes and boxes of gift wrappings that I will incorporate into my Craft Room as I purge and organize items in there. The closet where I was keeping these items has been commandeered by my son and his GF for their belongings which they want to keep and store in our house. They have nearly taken over the whole top floor of my house, except for our bedroom and master bath (and even then my son showered in our bath this morning because they had damp laundry hanging in theirs) There is no way they will fit into a TINY house. Just saying. Even though they have belongings everywhere, they have purged a lot and are keeping the beds and dressers mostly freed up so I can still use them as spare bedrooms for visitors. On the bright side, it is forcing both my husband and myself to downsize OUR belongings. 

I am going.....to spend my hour in the Craft Room today, hopefully to purge more items and tidy up some more work spaces as I go.  

I am hoping..... I can finish cleaning up both the Craft Room and my bedroom this week. 

I am hearing......the window fan working beside me. It pretty much drowns out any street noise, but not the noise of the television in the next room where my Sweetie is watching one of his Netflix series. 

Around the house.....I seem to have a lot of projects on the go. One seems to impact on another getting done first. For instance, the winter bedding needs to be stored in the room where the bed is. To gain some space in one of my spare room closets I need to find room in my Craft Room for the gift wrappings that I used to keep in there. The more space I can clear from the closet means the more available storage for my son and his GF to pack away more of theirs. Under the bed is already full up. 

One of my favourite things.....this week is the aforementioned window fan. 

A few plans for the rest of the week.....involve a doctor's appointment on Wednesday and a wedding this Saturday. 

Here is a picture I am sharing.....

I took back the needlepoint pansies from my pile of discarded items  ONLY because I did something with them immediately. I had them for years waiting for inspiration, but it bothered me that I was throwing them out, so I reacted by doing  SOMETHING with them. 

Ten Things Challenge

Items found for the Purge from my Craft Room

As you know already I have been washing, folding and sorting through my linens this week. I am collecting things that I don't use, and I'm still not finished. Yesterday I decided to clean off my dining room table....again. It was mostly my card-making stuff, so I got busy carrying it back into my Craft Room. The table now has a clean tablecloth and runner on it and people could actually sit down and eat a meal. I decided that I needed to spend at least an hour a day sorting through the Craft Room. The hope is that someday I will be able to work in there instead of my dining room. 

Above is a photo of the things I purged from that room  cleaning for just one hour. Those plastic canvas pansies are adorable. I think I bought them at a yard sale, but I have never done anything with them. I had a lot of foam stamps (some of them never opened), some paints and a roller to apply paint to the stamps. I have about 8 cardboard football containers (Chinese takeout cartons) for the big Super Bowl or Canadian Gray Cup game. Have never and will never use those. There is a package of three blue tin pails with matching ribbons and tags to make into party favours. There is also a paper guillotine and small paper slicer, full bottle of silver glitter, two colours of florist wire, a package of white pipe cleaners and a cake stencil for an anniversary. My original thought was to take my load of items to Value Village every week and just get rid of them. But now I am toying with the idea that I may have another yard sale on the Labour Day weekend....maybe....perhaps. Unless I find that I am drowning in clutter, I may as well try making a couple of bucks before they are GONE.  So I am bagging and boxing these items as I set them aside. This is what I wanted to do this Spring but never got around to. Don't suggest that I keep them for my grandchildren. Their parents read my blog. If they want them (which they won't) they will contact me and ask for them. 

It is another hot and sunny day. Every once in a while it clouds over. The forecast is for 60% chance of rain. We really need it but I am not holding my breath. I have hung two loads of laundry outside and a third one is in the washing machine. I am not concerned that it might rain. If it does, it won't take any time at all for things to dry out again. 

I have included some photos of my son's container garden. He and his GF have taken over the patio behind the shed as their own. I love it. Someone else can keep the weeds down and keep that area clean. You will notice that every picture has cactus. That is because my son has been cultivating different varieties of cactus from seed for a few years now. Of course, they all have to come back inside for the winter, and they usually end up (you guessed it) in my Craft Room. *sigh*

Broccoli and cherry tomatoes

Peppers and tomatoes are growing already. In the wash tub in the foreground, is a raspberry cane that is doing very well. 

Pots of kale

I planted two cucumber plants inside a dog kennel standing on its end, both to contain the plants and to give them something to climb up. They are just starting to grow cucumbers.

I picked one zucchini this morning, but I noticed several more will be ready in a few days.

I am adding a post-script to this post. I took back the pansies...but, BUT ...I hot glued them onto a rough hewn wooden planter. I will put one of my indoor plants inside to keep for myself or gift someone else with a houseplant inside. I will show it to you tomorrow. 

Wednesday errands

Balloon Flowers...before they burst open into flowers,
the buds look like round balloons filled with air.

Yucca plant: Adam's needle

Clematis

Snowball hydrangea 

I didn't do any housework or garden work today. I put away my dishes and loaded up the dishwasher again, but I will wait until tonight to run another load. I cooked some pasta and placed it in the fridge so I could make ham and cheese pasta salad tonight for dinner. Then I went into Kingston shortly after 10 AM to pick up my friend to take her to her appointment.

From there we stopped into her work so she could have a short visit with her co-workers before they left for lunch. She hasn't seen them since her abdominal surgery several months ago. They were thrilled to see her doing so well. We drove next to a mall where we had lunch at a coffee shop. She picked up a few things she has been needing at the Dollarama before we headed off to the Thrift Store. She found a pair of sandals that looked like they were brand spanking new, a denim skirt, and a summer nightie. She had been looking for these items for a while and was thrilled when she found them all today. The icing on the cake was the 30% off price on all clothes and shoes....today only. For myself, I bought two mixed bags of craft items for card making. After our yard sale a few weeks ago, my Sweetie took everything that didn't sell to this very Thrift Store. In return they gave him a card for 30% off his next purchase. So I also got a bargain today. I love it when things fall together like that.

Summer time heat

We are under a heat advisory, although it really doesn't feel all that bad. The weather stations are telling us to stay indoors and look for air conditioning. I take that to mean that I shouldn't be outside today pulling weeds, so I shall oblige. The only times I have ventured outside is to hang laundry on the clothesline and out to the veggie garden to take photos.

Lots of blossoms and some green tomatoes. My tomato plants are very tall. I wonder if they are getting enough sunshine?

These are cayenne peppers forming. I should get lots of them this year. 

Even my sweet peppers are growing already.

I will get some beets, but not all the seeds germinated. 

My broccoli does not seem to be forming nice round heads like they have in the past. Maybe I am too impatient. 

My burgundy beans are growing exceptionally well with lots of purple blossoms forming. 

A zucchini big enough to harvest, but I will wait another day or two

Now that my carrots have grown a little bigger, I can see where I need to pull weeds. None of the parsnip seeds germinated. I wonder if I should plant more carrot seeds. There may be enough time before the snow flies. 

Today I.....

 made another large pot of tea to sweeten and put into the fridge for my iced tea tomorrow.

 scrubbed down my counters and did another load of dishes this morning before the high peak hydro period. 

 folded and put away the laundry I hung yesterday and washed two more loads. I changed out the sheets on my bed and I am going through  everything in my linen cupboards (sheets, pillow cases, duvet covers, blankets and comforters) to decide what will go and what I will keep. At the end of the week, I will share with you what items I am purging from my belongings. It should be a breeze to find ten items this week, but I suspect it will get harder the longer it goes. I really don't like throwing out anything. 

 sprayed bleach around the Master Bath tub surround where some mildew was starting to form. I put baking soda on my shopping list because I discovered I don't have enough to clear the drains today. 

 vacuumed the stairs, dining room and kitchen. 

 changed the kitty litter in the downstairs bathroom.

 brought down the garbage from the wastebaskets upstairs. 

 haven't decided what is for dinner yet. It should be a cold plate, but I haven't prepared anything. Darn. 

Domestic Monday

In the kitchen, I prepared a casserole dish of sliced onions and scalloped potatoes with two pork chops on top. It is in the oven now cooking in a can of mushroom soup and some milk. I will serve it with green beans.

I fried the package of bacon I took out to defrost, and I have repackaged it in the freezer to use in future recipes.

I have unloaded the dishwasher twice today and washed one load of dishes so far.

I made a 2 liter batch of Miracle Spray and refilled three of my spray bottles.

I have emptied the kitchen compost to the garden composter. I checked my veggie garden and discovered lots of purple flowers on my burgundy bean plants, flowers on my red pepper plants and tiny Jalapeno peppers beginning to form. I have a zucchini ready to harvest tomorrow. My broccoli is beginning to flower but is not doing well. I think I need to mix some oil and soap together to spray for bugs. I will take photos of my garden update tomorrow.

I washed two large loads of laundry in cold water using my homemade laundry detergent and vinegar as my fabric softener and hung both loads out on the clothesline.

I folded and put away laundry that I did before leaving for Cobourg last week.

I cleaned the toilet, sink and bath tub in the Master bathroom. I haven't done the floor yet. I also want to run baking soda and vinegar down the bath tub drain to clean it out.

I watered my indoor plants and my hanging outdoor baskets with Miracle Gro.

I received a small sample of Tic-Tacs in the mail in one of the new flavours....Cherry Cola.

I wrote my Monday Day Book and commented on some blogs.

I was not very frugal this afternoon when I did my laundry, washed a load of dishes, and fried up the bacon after 11 o'clock this morning. I was using electricity at the high peak period of the day. I need to make a more concerted effort to accomplish those chores earlier in the day.

Day Book: July 11/16

Outside my window......my lavender is in full bloom. It is sunny but hazy. There is a very slight breeze.

I am thinking.....that my sister and I have very different relationships with my mother right now. My sister  seems much more relaxed and accepting of my mother's situation than I am. She lets the things my mother says run off of her back like water off a duck. I don't. I am so impatient and I let my mother push my buttons. I get so frustrated with what she says. I know that these are things that she truly believes, but it hurts so much to have to hear her repeat these lies over and over. On the other hand, I am very patient with her slowness and the forgetfulness and the constant questions over and over. I make sure she is dressed and in the dining room for meals and I make sure she takes ALL of her medication when she is supposed to. I guess we each do our part in looking after her.

I am thankful for......my sister taking my mother home with her for the weekend. My mother seems very happy and relaxed with a new haircut and fresh manicure and getting out of the Retirement Home for a holiday. I am unable to do this for my mother right now, so I am totally grateful for this.

From the kitchen.....I have not been baking anything since I've been back. I have pork chops and 500 gms of bacon defrosting. Dinner will be pork chops with scalloped potatoes I am thinking. I will fry up the bacon for the freezer. It will be there to add to recipes or to make sandwiches or omelets with. I made a crock pot yesterday of home baked beans and froze in smaller containers. Last night's dinner was butter chicken with mushrooms and peas over baked potatoes.

I am wearing..... royal blue capris and a white T-shirt with a colourful picture of flowers, butterflies and a garden trowel. It asks the question "Can you dig it?"

I am creating.....some birthday cards. The postal workers were NOT locked out this morning because of some movement in contract negotiations over the weekend. There is still the possibility of strike or lockout, but I had better be prepared just in case.

I am going.......nowhere in the near future. My Sweetie took a short shopping list with him this morning as he had to pick up a few new prescriptions. He spent time in the Emergency ward again yesterday. His gout is back.

I am hoping....to pack up a few more items to take to the Thrift Store. I need to be ruthless. I may join in the online Challenge to purge ten items a week.

I am hearing.....some robins calling in the back yard and the occasional traffic noise outside my front window.  The dog is snoring at my feet.

Around the house....the dishwasher has been unloaded and is almost ready to run a second load of dirty dishes and pots that were left soaking overnight. I have a huge load of laundry waiting to be hung outside on the line, and I have another load of whites and lights that need to be washed.  I sprayed my upstairs bathroom sink and toilet with my homemade Miracle Spray and now I need to wash them down.

One of my favourite things.......the past couple of weeks is my pitcher of iced tea that I make every morning.

A few plans for the rest of this week.....are the same as last week. That is to find a balance between indoor housework and outdoor yard work.

Here is a picture I am sharing.......my lavender.

In Cobourg

Hello everyone,

Just to let you know that I am at my mother's Residence having a couple of sleepovers with her. Her partner is back in the hospital having fallen again.  Nothing is broken. He is fine, but we don't know at this point how long he will be laid up. My sister, who is having a hospital procedure done herself today, will take my mom home with her this weekend. There will be a meeting with the hospital on Tuesday to discuss their futures. Stay tuned. I hope to be back home by Sunday.

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Running Errands

Today's shop cost me $30.07

This morning I started with the usual unloading the dishwasher and doing up a second load of dishes, and throwing in a small load of laundry into the washing machine. I packaged up ten homemade get well cards with envelopes and stamps for my friend. This was a part of her birthday gift that I didn't want to give her on Friday (and you will not see photos  here) because some readers of this blog will probably be getting some of these. I left the house to meet her and pick her up for an afternoon of errands. We went to the bank and then had lunch together. What a beautiful surprise. She treated me to my lunch today and gifted me with a full jar of Miracle Whip as seen above in the photo. She had two jars and didn't think she could use it all up this summer. What!!!?? No problem in this household. I graciously accepted. 

I took her to a doctor's appointment and then on to Food Basics for groceries. I picked up potatoes which I was out of, and also some weekly specials. I got home in time to put some beef hotdogs on the grill and we finished up the pasta salad I made for dinner last night. Tonight I finished the fifth and final season of Downton Abbey on Netflix, and now I have to wait for the release of the sixth and final season to be televised. I have really enjoyed this series. 

Day Book: July 4th, 2016

Happy 4th of July to our American friends. And to my Canadian friends and family, I hope your Canada Day was great fun. I certainly had a wonderful time.

Outside my window...... the sun is shining, the sky is cloudless and the temperatures are very warm already. It is supposed to remain hot all through the week, with only a chance of showers mid-week.

I am thinking.......that I need to get outside every day (if only for an hour) to weed out sections of my flower beds and/or my veggie garden. Everything is growing so quickly in the heat and soon my mornings will be filled with having to harvest, and there won't be time to do any weeding. This job is getting away from me.

I am thankful for....my good health.

From the kitchen....I can hear the sound of my dishwasher doing up another load of dishes from last night. I have already unloaded the clean dishes from last night and I had enough to do another load this morning. I made a roast chicken dinner with stuffing yesterday, as well as a couple of cookie sheets of dog biscuits to last the next two weeks. Yes, the dog is very spoiled. I had to buy a box of treats from the grocery this past week because we had run out.

I am wearing .......royal blue capris with a mismatched blue T-shirt.

I am creating.....more cards. I almost have ten "Thank you" cards made up for gifting to my friend who just celebrated a birthday on Canada Day. I didn't want to give them on Friday but I will see her tomorrow to take her to an appointment and grocery shopping. I only have one card left now in  my stash of birthday cards and I desperately need to replenish those.

I am going......nowhere today. My Sweetie is going into Kingston to buy a 75 foot PVC hose that is on sale for $20, to replace the one he broke on the weekend (by running over it with the riding lawnmower.) Crap.

I am hoping..... for the motivation, stamina, energy to get a lot accomplished this week.

I am hearing....the dishwasher. There isn't even enough breeze to move my wind chimes this morning.

Around the house.....I have so much stuff to get done, I don't know where to begin. I am drowning in to-do lists that are just too overwhelming.

One of my favourite things........all summer long is my umbrella clothesline. I love hanging out the laundry to dry outdoors. It takes longer to hang things, but the very action is very soothing. Things smell so fresh and clean.

A few plans for the rest of the week.......include picking up some specials from Food Basics when I chauffeur my friend tomorrow afternoon. I want to maintain a balance between crafting, outdoor work and housework this week.

Here is a picture I am sharing...... from the birthday potluck supper we enjoyed for my friend's birthday on Friday. She turned 60, so we all brought individually wrapped varieties of herbal tea....60 in all, for the gift basket. In the bottom of the basket are two new kitchen towels with Canadian maple leaves on them.