More Time in the Kitchen

I froze the remainder of my pasta sauce this morning. I have eaten it twice now over shredded cabbage, so I will save it to eat later with a package of frozen spiralled zucchini that I managed to find on my last shopping trip 15 days ago. On the weekend I finished up all the fresh eggs to make a loaf of keto bread. As a result, I have been using my frozen eggs to make my morning omelettes. The yolks have a different texture having been frozen, but by mixing well and adding tinned mushrooms, shredded cheese and bacon, they are okay.

I was a little apprehensive about the eggs I froze specifically to make my loaves. I separated those eggs by freezing the 6 egg whites in one container and the yolks in another. The yolks were broken and mixed together gently with a half tsp. of salt. I took out the two containers yesterday to thaw in the fridge overnight, and I made a loaf of bread this morning. It turned out perfectly, so I am very happy that those frozen eggs worked out so well. The thawed egg whites whipped up beautifully.

I also made another batch of yoghurt today. I took out a ham bone from the freezer and made a huge stock pot of split pea soup with ham. Split peas are not on my keto diet, but my doctor did say that I could splurge on beans or legumes occasionally. I am very good about avoiding foods I shouldn't have, and under the circumstances, I think I deserve to eat some comfort food. I will  most likely freeze most of it in smaller portions, but for the next couple of days, I will have a bowl of it for lunch. Dinner tonight was pork chops with leftover rutabaga from the weekend and some broccoli in cheese sauce.

I was dog-sitting today, so I took Rocky for a walk around my crescent. We never saw another soul on the street. It felt good to go walking outdoors. I did get fresh air and exercise last week by shovelling snow, but nothing beats a walk around the neighbourhood. It was cloudy but mild. The snow is disappearing very quickly. I want to encourage you all to stay safe during these times.

Daybook: Monday, Apr. 30/20

Outside my window.....it is cloudy, but mild. The snow banks are melting down quite quickly these days.

I am thinking.....that I am starting my third week indoors today, and I am still doing well with my last grocery shop. "Dee" had some groceries delivered to her house today.

I am thankful for.....those people who are heeding the message of our public health system, and staying indoors to physically isolate.

From the kitchen.....I prepared another loaf of bread, shredded another cabbage and made a cream cheese sauce on the weekend.

I am wearing.....blue jeans with a deep red pullover top. I needed to add more colour to my wardrobe this week.

I am creating.....no additional cards, but I have been writing notes of encouragement inside the Spring cards I have already made. I want people to know that while they are in confinement, I am thinking of them and cheering on their success.

I am going.....nowhere again this week, or the next for as long as possible.

I am hoping.....for the best for my sister who was called this morning from another doctor's office, to report tomorrow morning in Sudbury again. I will be dog-sitting little Rocky in their absence.

I am hearing.....nothing but my mantle clock.  I don't have music or TV on right now. Lately, I have been listening to one or the other.

Around the house.....I have Spring cleaning chores I could be doing, but my heart isn't in to it. I took my canister vacuum cleaner completely apart to give it a deep clean, including the filters and the power bar. It is all ready to begin work when I am. I did 3 loads of laundry on the weekend, including my bed sheets. I cleaned and disinfected my main bathroom, including the tub. I hope to soon settle down to work.

One of my favourite things.....this week is working with some new stencils I received in the mail recently. I am doing some ink blending with these stencils to create new and unique backgrounds for my card-making.

A few plans for the rest of the week.....involve rounding up some trivia questions for a virtual "Trivia Night at the Pub" for this Saturday night. We just finished our 3rd week of TV Bingo, and as we don't have any more tickets for the coming weeks, I will read out trivia questions during a teleconferencing on Saturday night. The team that gets the most correct answers will have bragging rights for the week. Each couple will wear tops in the same colour to represent their team (eg. red team, blue team) and the contestants will have to BYOB (bring your own booze) to the "Pub". My brother in Smiths Falls and my son in Kingston both want an invite.

Here's the picture I am sharing.....

Mother Nature's handiwork. Since Friday, I have not ventured out at all. The rest of the snow and ice on the top deck is pretty much all gone now.

End of Week Two

Watching the daily update on the corona virus at noon, we were all reminded that the weekend was upon us and that we need to be especially vigilant of staying indoors. So many of us have a routine that includes shopping and/or going out to relax at the end of a work week. The deputy minister of health acknowledged that what we are doing is very, very difficult but that we cannot let our efforts slip now. I thought that the message was very timely on a Friday afternoon. Fortunately, I don't need to do any shopping for at least another couple of weeks. I packed up a bin of card making materials for my sister from the craft room and left it outside my front door for my BIL to pick up and take back to the house. My sister and I will be able to make cards together again, but virtually. 

Most mornings have been spent on my computer. I have my morning conference call with family members, check my emails and read my favourite blogs. I turn on the TV around 11:15 AM for the Prime Minister's message and at noon for the update by some of our ministers. This is when I eat my lunch, which has been homemade beef and vegetable soup, with slices of keto bread. 

  This afternoon I spent some time outside in the sunshine and fresh air, clearing more snow from my back deck. When I was ready for a break, I came in and made a pasta sauce with onion, sweet peppers, canned mushrooms, canned tomatoes, tomato paste and Italian seasonings. While that was simmering, I went outside again. I am now at the point where I can sit outside in the sun with a cup of tea and wait for Spring to arrive. Ha. 

 I'm down to the last layer of ice.

The temperature is warm enough that I worked this afternoon with no jacket or sweater. I worked up quite a sweat. It is a great workout. 

Have a great weekend everyone and remember to keep up the effort. Stay healthy and safe. 

More Snow

We had another dump of snow last night and into the morning. It was enough precipitation that normally I would go out and shovel the drive, but I'm not going anywhere and the temperature is warming up each day. I knew that this snowfall wouldn't stay long.

Once I decided to stay indoors eleven days ago, I called up the local paper to buy a subscription to our weekly. It is my way to support a local business and stay up to date with how my municipality is handling this crisis. It is a very small paper with not much inside except perhaps the flyers for other local businesses. The leading story this week was about the township workers continuing their snow removal project, but it was nice to wake up this morning and find the paper waiting for me outside the front door.

I emptied the dishwasher before making a big pot of beef vegetable soup for lunches this week. I sliced enough beef off the roast for dinner tonight before adding the rest of the meat (along with the drippings) to the soup pot. I added some of my chopped celery to a bag of frozen Italian veggies (carrots, cauliflower, zucchini, lima beans, broad beans and green beans), dried onion, and beef bouillon powder. It was really thick and meaty. I had a bowl while watching my daily update on TV.

I shovelled more snow from the deck, mailed out the kids' Easter cards, and looked through a seed catalogue I received in the mail. I received two phone calls from long-time friends this afternoon. It is wonderful to be able to catch up and hear how others are working through their confinements.

 My own snow removal effort is progressing well, but it isn't headline worthy.

It will be a while yet before I can sit out in the sun.

However, I can always sit indoors and enjoy the geraniums that are growing in leaps and bounds.

Losing Track of Time

I am never sure anymore what day of the week it is. I wonder why that is? I forgot to write a blog post yesterday, and this morning I forgot that I was supposed to call a friend. I'll make a note to call tomorrow morning instead.  And speaking of writing notes to myself, I should get into the habit of writing out my to-do list the night before. I seem to accomplish more when I have it written down.

Yesterday, I put a small beef roast into the crock pot for dinner last night. Then I proceeded to make a batch of yoghurt. I had taken a litre bag of milk from the freezer and thawed it in the fridge. I have opened a can of evaporated milk from the pantry to use in my coffee and tea, thus leaving the whole milk to make yoghurt with.

I have to heat the milk to between 180-185 degrees, then

remove the pot to a sink full of cold water, stirring and cooling to 110 degrees and no cooler.
I then pour the "cooled" milk to a glass pitcher where I stir in the yoghurt starter. In my case, I add 150 ml of plain yoghurt with an active bacterial culture. Then I quickly pour into my receptacles and place them inside the yoghurt maker. This part is performed quickly, so I don't have any intermediary photos.

I place the glass dome over the top and push a button. The machine keeps the yoghurt at a constant temperature for 8 hours. I placed the lids on my finished product at the end of the cycle and placed in the fridge. I actually enjoyed one of these after dinner last night over top a bowl of strawberries.

Besides making yoghurt, I finished up the kids' Easter cards with verses inside and addressed the envelopes for mailing. About a month ago I bought a roll of 100 postage stamps, so I am ready to mail out a bunch of greeting cards. I spent another chunk of time shovelling snow from the back deck...my exercise and fresh air.

Today, after my conference call, I

• tidied the area around my chair where I have been basically living the last week (my husband used to call it my nest) 
• shredded some papers downstairs in my desk area
• potted up my parsley and dill from my aero garden into pots of dirt and placed in the back room where I also keep the garden plants I am overwintering
• watched the government corona virus  update on television  from noon to 1 PM
• made a birthday card for a young recipient who will be celebrating his first birthday next month
• baked a loaf of keto bread
• received an Amazon order of almond butter and thin foam squares (part of my subscribe and save)
• emailed a recipe for keto almond bread to a friend, and texted my daughter and another  friend in Kingston who has come down ill. She has been required to work all through this crisis. *fingers crossed*
• shovelled some more of the back deck
  

 You may be able to see the layers of ice more clearly in this photo. I am making progress though.

Sure is a lot of the white stuff, but it is melting a little bit every day. Hope everyone is safe and well. 

Daybook: Monday, Mar. 23/20

Outside my window.....it was another sunny winter's day with melting temperatures.

I am thinking.....that my self isolation may go on for a much longer time than I first thought.

I am thankful for.....staying healthy so far. I am especially grateful these day for the technology that allows me to keep in touch so easily with family and friends. It is a new way of socialising that has become more mainstream. It won't ever replace the close contact and intimacy of relationships we used to enjoy; but in the meantime, it will suffice.

From the kitchen.....I shredded and sauteed another head of cabbage today and ate some of it for dinner with some Oktoberfest sausages and slices of keto bread I baked yesterday. Tomorrow I will put a beef roast in the crock pot and I will make a batch of yoghurt.

I am wearing.....black jeans, black button down shirt , and black striped socks. I guess I need to make a concerted effort to wear some colour tomorrow.

I am creating.....nothing today actually. But I can make more cards, or cut up some more lengths of jute to make another macrame plant hanger. I also have some embroidery projects I could be working on or I could start making another mini photo album. Decisions, decisions.

I am going.....absolutely nowhere.

I am hoping.....that everyone remains healthy and safe.

I am hearing.....the blower on my furnace and songs by Gordon Lightfoot on Alexa.

Around the house.....I have some cleaning to do but no ambition yet to get started on it.

One of my favourite things.....is the conference calls we do in the morning. The last two mornings, we have had a party of four different households.

A few plans for the rest of the week...... include clearing the ice off the back deck, making a batch of homemade yoghurt, and addressing the envelopes for the Easter cards that are ready for mailing out.

Here's the picture I am sharing.....

Would you believe I spent an hour outside to remove snow from the deck? Admittedly, it was much harder than I thought it would be. It was much more like layers of ice than snow. It wasn't anything that I could push with a shovel. I had to chop out large chunks and throw it over the railing onto the lower deck. Let me tell you that it was an aerobic workout. I will keep working on it gradually. If nothing else, I should be able to help Mother Nature remove it more quickly than if I didn't help out. I can see some progress if no one else can, and that's what counts.

Busy Social Life

Last night my dad and "Dee", my sister and her husband, and myself played TV Bingo. In the past, one of us would host the event and serve dinner afterwards. Two weeks ago I went out and bought tickets for the following 3 weeks and last weekend we played in our own homes, but we played "together" by using a conference call on Facebook Messenger. Last night we did the same thing, but I got myself all dressed up with makeup, fancy clothes and sparkly earrings like I was going out on the town. It was actually a lot of fun and I had to laugh at my family's reaction. I even poured myself a glass of red wine for the occasion.

Today was full of visits, both on-line and by telephone. I am pretty much caught up with everyone in my circle of friends. I gave myself permission to enjoy a nice relaxed day without any thoughts of cleaning OR crafting. I even turned on the television this evening to watch a 2 hour special on Gordon Lightfoot...one of my favourite songwriters. I made a loaf of bread and I am now washing a load of dishes whilst writing on the laptop. See, I can do two things at once. Ha,ha.

Tomorrow, I plan to shovel off my back deck. It will be fresh air and exercise, which I haven't had any of in the past week. It will also provide a space outside where I can go and sit during the week when I am feeling like I want to enjoy some sunshine and fresh air. This is what it looks like now.

It may look like a lot of snow to some of you, but in fact, quite a lot of it has been melting the past two weeks. Hopefully, it will look much more bare tomorrow. Hope your weekend was grand and everyone is staying put and staying well.

No Housework, Just card-making

I received an on-line order through the mail earlier this week. I got a cute little bunny stamp, a new embossing folder, and 2 new stencils. I had to try them out, didn't I? To challenge myself a little bit with this year's Easter cards for the kids, I have made a few fancy fold cards.

 This is called a zig-zag card. I used my new bunny stamps to make 2 of these cards.

Here is another zig-zag using some diecuts.

The first example is called a flip-fold card (I made two of these also) and the second example is an easel card. You cannot see very clearly, but the dog is wearing a set of bunny ears. The little verse is raised off the inside page to provide a stop for the front panel to stand upright (like an easel)

Another example of an easel card and the little lamb is on a flap fold card.

One of the stencils I received is a gingham stencil, which I absolutely adore. I inked the stencil in blue to make a card for a very young recipient, and the green one I made into a slightly more sophisticated card. I send out 14 cards to grandkids, nephews and nieces. I also made up some Springtime cards for adults, but won't show them here now. I posted the kids' cards because they don't read my blog.

Otherwise, the only things I did today was text and facetime family and friends. I also made a friendship card and wrote a letter to someone who has been on my mind for a few weeks now. She is not doing well at all.

I ate a cup of cottage cheese for breakfast today, instead of eggs. A few days ago, I removed a container of homemade soup to make room in my freezer. I have been eating that for my lunches along with a couple of slices of keto bread. Since I finished up the last of the pork roast last night, I ate a meatless supper tonight. I finished up the creamed cabbage I made 3 nights ago along with some avocado slices. I thought it tasted pretty good. I try to limit my news viewing to the TV updates on the corona virus from our Federal government ministers at noon. That is enough to keep me up to date, without feeling overwhelmed. Tomorrow night is TV Bingo and we will be on a conference call during the game.  Like last week, we will be having a virtual visit. How is your weekend shaping up?

Housework and Card Making

"Dee" , my sister and myself have begun each day since we have stayed indoors self isolating, with a conference face time call.   It is the time we check in with each other and make plans for the day. I just realised now that it was the last time I uttered a word to anyone today. I didn't make any other phone calls.

I was finished in the kitchen with my food prep, so there were no excuses not to begin vacuuming through the house. Again I worked my way through the living/dining area, the kitchen and hallway, stopping short of the last two bedrooms. I did sweep up and vacuum the closet that used to hold the shower.

It has been a long time since I have done any crafting. In fact, it has been weeks and I need to get back at it so I can finish off the Easter cards I started. I asked Alexa to play some songs by Cat Stevens while I worked and before I knew it, it was 6 PM. I warmed up some cabbage in cream sauce and the last of my pork roast. (It lasted me 3 nights). My days of confinement seem to whiz right by. I still have not watched any TV in the evenings, but I do catch up with news on my laptop and play a few games of solitaire (Spider) while Alexa plays some Enya or Simon and Garfunkle. Tomorrow I should check up on some of my friends to see how their days are going.

More Kitchen Prep

Last night after dinner I caught myself from emptying the contents of the crock pot into the garbage. This morning, after the pot had cooled in the fridge, I skimmed off the meat juices to save and I scooped all of that rendered pork fat (lard) in a small container in the fridge to use for my frying. I realise I need to conserve the butter I have, and so I used some of the fat to fry my spinach and cheese omelette this morning. I also used a little bit of it to saute some shredded cabbage I cooked today. Mostly, I just turned down the stove element as low as possible so that the cabbage could cook in its own juices and caramelise nicely. On my particular diet,  I need animal fats. The only other oils I use are olive oil, avocado or coconut.

I go through a lot of eggs every week....two dozen, sometimes more. With 6 doz. eggs bought on Monday and 2 doz. I already had in the fridge, I was faced with eight dozen eggs. I made a loaf of keto bread, which took care of 6 eggs. Then I separated  6 egg whites and 6 yolks (enough for a loaf of bread) and prepared them for the freezer. I broke the yolks and mixed in 1/2 tsp. of Himalayan pink  salt before freezing. I have enough separated eggs to make 4 loaves.

With another doz. eggs, I broke each egg into a 12 cup muffin tin and placed that in the freezer. When those are frozen, I can put them in a freezer bag to draw out what I need for making omelettes or scrambled eggs. I will probably freeze another dozen eggs that way, which will leave me a little over 3 dozen and they will easily last 2 weeks in the fridge if I try to conserve my eggs. ie, perhaps eating toasted keto bread with almond butter or cheese, instead of eggs every morning. Maybe I will start making yoghurt again for breakfast. I haven't made any since moving here.

My meals will have to include my perishables first, like my cottage cheese and avocados, before I use up my frozen foods and canned tomatoes and tuna. My heads of cabbage should last a very long time in the fridge, so I am not too concerned about having to use them up immediately. I know they will last a couple of months. While working in the kitchen I am also socialising using technology and  watching health updates on TV.  I haven't really been crafting too much yet, so I hope I can get back at it soon. How are the rest of you coping with your confinement?

Filling the Freezer

After taking the garbage and the Blue Box out to the curb, I started the day again with disinfecting the sink with bleach, and then filling it with tepid water and a splash of vinegar before washing down the peppers and celery I bought yesterday. While the celery was drying, I seeded and sliced up the peppers for the freezer. I can use them in stir fries, chili and my omelettes.

I decided to slice up most of the celery to use in soups and stir fries and left only a few young stalks to munch on.
Next, I tackled the pork loin I bought at $1.88 a lb. yesterday. I cut 16 thick loin chops and wrapped them with the food saver to make 8 packages of 2 each. With the remaining pork that was left, I put it into my crock pot to roast for dinner tonight. (and probably tomorrow night as well)

At noon I received a phone call from my middle son. He sounded really tired. It is mid-winter and they are as busy as ever. Some of their clients have "stalled" their contracts because they have shut down temporarily due to the virus outbreak. He is hoping this will lessen the work load, but still keep them busy enough to stay employed. They are expected to work unless the province calls for a shut-down. Our Ontario premier announced a state of emergency this morning, but has not mandated a complete lock-down. I know my son is worried like many others, about finances, if forced off work. The government is telling us there will be help, but is still working out details. I told my son not to worry....that I can help out some.

My BIL called to say that my sister was running a high fever. I had talked to her this morning and she complained of feeling really crappy and sore all over. I directed him to call the hospital and talk to them about her symptoms. We are pretty sure this is a case of seasonal flu. She is to drink plenty of liquids, take Tylenol, and the hospital will call again in the morning for an update. The flu is not a nice thing to have anyways, but these days you can't help but feel panic.

More than ever, I am glad we are ready to stay indoors to weather this storm.

The inside of my fridge freezer is bursting. I took an inventory of all my servings of meat and veggies and I am set for a long time. I hope you are all staying healthy and safe.

Catching Up on Monday

There has been no progress on the downstairs shower. We've had much more important issues at hand. My sister and BIL travelled to Sudbury for medical appointments on Wednesday, Thursday AND again on Friday. I was the chief dog-sitter. On Thursday afternoon I did head over to the Dollar Store to pick up a few items I felt I needed for a battle against the corona virus, as well as a few things from my wish list. I got some bleach, latex gloves, disinfectants, soap, nail brushes and the like, but I also picked up some extra food containers, silicone spatulas, freezer bags, and spices. I bet you thought I was going to say more craft supplies, didn't you?  But no, I was thinking of ways I could prepare and keep food for a longer period of time. On the way home, I bought TV bingo cards for the next three weeks to distribute among the family members. I was planning to grocery shop the following day, but my sister was called back to Sudbury for additional tests on Friday.

We also learned on Thursday night, that there were going to be further closures and cancellations in our province, so there was NO WAY I was going to try grocery shopping on the weekend. My sister and I agreed to go together this morning as early as possible with a list. Both of us are eating keto diets, so we knew it was going to be a challenge. We cannot stock up on flour, rice, pasta and canned beans because we are not allowed to eat those foods. By this morning, most shelves were bare, and there was a restriction on the amounts one could buy. No more than 5 of any one item, and only 2 packages of paper products. I did not see that sign, so when I showed up at the cash with 6 dozen eggs, 6 heads of cabbage, and 6 tins of tuna, I was admonished; but she rang them through for me anyways. I think she used her discretion because surprisingly, there were lots of these items still available. I have heard of other places not having ANY eggs, but our store had lots. There were very few fresh veggies (no zucchini, eggplant, green beans) and even fewer packages of frozen veggies. There was no broccoli, spinach, cauliflower, even brussel sprouts. Everything had been bought up. I know that shelves will be restocked eventually, but because of the urgency of the messages to stay home, I wanted to be prepared for the long haul. I belong in that vulnerable group that is being advised to lock down.

I went home and put things away (no photos), had my breakfast,  made a few phone calls, and listened to the Prime Minister's message today. They will have announcements every day at noon because of the rapid evolution of this disease. Then I packed up "Dee's" groceries, picked up 5 prescriptions at the drug store that were ready, and took them over to my dad's house. I left the bin on the top step and then used my cell phone to notify her that they were there.  Because my dad is extremely frail, we are taking no chances.

I finally feel I am prepared. Unfortunately, it took a real emergency to figure out that I was not. I have talked today with two of my kids and they are heeding the advice of the health officials. I still need to hear from my middle son and DIL tonight to hear how they are managing. Have a good evening and I will write again tomorrow.

More Material: More Money Spent

The project just got bigger, but that is a good thing. Once the shower was in place, it was easier to see how we could incorporate it into the downstairs bathroom. So that is what we are doing now.

 The shower surround is in, but we have not yet added the silicone to the seams.

 Before we added the shower surround, we noticed there was actually enough room to take out a doorway from the inside bathroom wall into the laundry space where the shower was installed, so we cut out the gyproc and wall studs.

Here is a view from the other side looking into the bathroom. We will extend this wall that holds the new plumbing, straight across to incorporate the new "doorway" to make the shower part of the  bathroom space. (They won't have to walk into a separate shower off the laundry room) I am thrilled to have discovered that this doorway was possible.

Yesterday my BIL and I went out to the lumberyard to pick up 3 more sheets of drywall, 8 more 2x4s, more 3 inch screws, drywall tape and mud. By the end of the day we were (I was) too tired to take down the 4x8 foot sheets of drywall, so it is still upstairs leaning against my dining room table until my BIL arrives this morning.

Tomorrow I will get a break from construction when my sister and BIL drive to Sudbury for a couple of days. Rocky (their little dog) will be here having a sleepover with Auntie Susan (me). I will finally be able to wash my upstairs floors again of all the winter snow and salt that we tracked in again yesterday. The snow is melting during the days, but it freezes up at night making everything very icy. Good maple syrup weather, as warm temps during the day and freezing temps at night makes the sap flow. With the time change on the weekend, it sure is feeling like Spring, although I know we will still have many more snow flurries before the flowers bloom. Anyone else getting tired of winter? 

Taking Shape

Both my sister and my BIL (and little Rocky) came over this morning and headed down to the basement. My sister was going to work on cards and my BIL was installing the shower pan and drain. When they arrived, I was in the process of cutting up that ham I bought yesterday. I put some aside for tonight's dinner and some chunks to use up in my morning omelettes and a few slices to make  ham sandwiches on keto bread for lunches. But the majority of it went into the freezer.

By the time I got dowstairs, my BIL was ready to cut and hang drywall, so I was able to help him out again. It is taking shape very quickly.

After they left, I continued in the kitchen by making a meaty spaghetti sauce with peppers and mushrooms. I will probably use it over zoodles one night and over sauteed shredded cabbage another time. I also made a cream cheese sauce to go over my veggies and ham for tonight's dinner. With all the extra cooking and food prep, I had another full load tonight in the dishwasher.

The only house cleaning item I did on my to-do list was watering the plants. In the back room where I am overwintering some of my garden plants, I was greeted by a gorgeous hibiscus. I guess plants can tell when the seasons are beginning to change. The longer hours of sunlight must be working.

This is only one of the plants that "Dee" gave me in the Fall, so that I would have a few outdoor plants for my deck planters come Spring. I guess this lovely flower didn't hear the weather forecast for more snow today and tomorrow. *sigh*

First Grocery Shop of the Month

I started my morning with two calls--one from my daughter and my scheduled Wednesday morning call from a friend in the Kingston area. I prepared a tray of tea for my friend coming this morning with her dog for a visit. All in all, it was a very social morning. My BIL called to say he would not be coming over this afternoon to work downstairs because he was tired and sore from yesterday. I agreed heartily that we should postpone the work for the day. Ha,ha. Knowing that my afternoon was now mine, I asked my friend to stay for some moussaka for lunch and she agreed.

I knew I should use my "free" time to go out and buy groceries, but I was feeling really tired. I "decided" to just lay down on top of the bed and ponder whether or not I should go out. When I woke up just before 5, I decided it was probably a good time to pick up my sister and go shopping. This is what I picked up today.

 I spent $23.12 on this ham. I still have an assortment of other meat in the freezer.

 Produce, both fresh and frozen, cost me $23.44  They were completely out of frozen blueberries, but I was able to find a bag of frozen mixed berries. Spinach has risen from 97 cents to $1.49 in just a couple of months.

 Dairy cost $41.33 (3 doz. eggs, 5 cottage cheese at $2 each, 4 litres whole milk, 6 plain yoghurt at $1 each, 2 blocks of old cheddar at $3.97 each and 2 pkgs. of cream cheese at $2 each)

My pantry items cost me $20.94, partly because I picked up another almond butter and no sugar added strawberry jam.

I picked up miscellaneous items (non-food) for $6.00  My first bill came to a total of $115.65 and I earned another 3000 points. I now have over $40 in points to spend on groceries if I need to. I still need to buy butter but I need to look for a sale. I refused to pay over $5 for a pound of butter today.

Have a good evening. I'll be back to working on the shower tomorrow and I have a lot of ham to slice and prepare for the freezer. 

Carpenter's Assistant

OMGoodness. Has it really been a week since I last posted? Last Wednesday I was a plumber's assistant, but this week I am using some of my carpentry skills to help out my BIL put in the shower downstairs. Last week was very busy for me, but it went by so quickly I don't remember the order of events. There were two dinners last week at my dad's house. There was my mother's 92nd birthday at the Manor. We phoned ahead to make sure she was in a good mood. Sometimes she is very aggressive and it is very hard on everybody to visit during those times. When we walked in, there was a keyboard player entertaining the residents. My mom really enjoys music, so she was in a great mood. We gave her a robotic therapy cat for her birthday. I don't know if you are aware of these therapy devices, but they are wonderful. The ears twitch, she raises her paw, she opens and closes her eyes, she moves her head, she purrs and meows and generally resembles a real cat. My mom was enthralled and just fell in love with her new pet. Here is a link to a site where you can see them.

My sister was over a few times to the craft room to make cards. Twice while she was working, I spent the time sorting, organising and cleaning up. I'm not finished yet, but there is a marked difference in how it looks now. It is feeling much more streamlined. It is also the room where the construction is taking place, so this afternoon I have a bunch of sawdust to sweep up. I also have to start removing the old silicone from the shower pieces before we can put them up on the new walls. (Some homework for me to do in my spare time). Yesterday morning, we went to the lumberyard to pick up the 2x2's, 2x4's, and 1x3's, gyproc, and all the hardware we will need. Today, we put up the walls and started the raised deck for the shower pan. My Monday morning date with my friend has been postponed until tomorrow morning (because of the shopping trip to the lumberyard), so I have asked my BIL not to come until the afternoon. After he left for the day this afternoon, my first priority was to vacuum and wash the main floor (not the bedrooms) because we had to bring in the lumber and drywall into the dining room with our wet and salty boots on yesterday, and I had not had a chance yet to mop it up. I was feeling exhausted but it had to be done. Then I decided to bake a loaf of keto bread and fry up slices of eggplant to make my moussaka. It is now after 7 PM. The moussaka is baking in the oven, the dishwasher is turned on, so I have sat down to write this post. I should sleep tonight.

 Of course, none of these  original walls are straight, level or plumb, so our work was cut out for us.

I think tomorrow we will be going back to plumbing in the drain and the water pipes before the drywall is ready to put up the following day.