Week 4 Joys

 I can't believe this month has just flown by like it did. I am going to blink twice and it will be spring, then summer will hit us, and before I turn around good it will be the holidays again. Meanwhile these are the joys for this week. There were more but I forgot to write them down. I look forward to reading all of these again at the end of the year. Re-reading last year's joy lists was one of the best gifts I could give myself.

 Friday: The day began like most days now. I woke, I did stuff in the house, cooked and ate, and then we watched "The Crown" I am enjoying this season. Olivia Coleman has some wonderful acting chops!

Saturday: TheHub and I woke and got ready for the day. The peanut man was at his outdoor stand near our house, so we did not have to go downtown to ThePeanut Depot. Afterward we ran a few errands. TheHub is a huge Walmart fan. Me? Not so much. Instead of going to the actual store we went to their Everyday Market. I was kind of shocked at how sparse their inventory was. Who ever thought there would be a run on canned green chilis? My joy? I found 2 small cans in the deep recesses of the shelf, and reaffirmed my opinion that The Pig is infinitely better than Walmart for grocery shopping. And yes, I may or may not have said "I told you so".

Sunday: We were able to stream church services as well as having a Webex Sunday School class. Afterward TheHub and I had a chilled out relax and reading kind of day. The weather was gorgeous and the screened porch was terribly inviting!

Monday: I met with my beloved sister at Mom's house for us to go through the sitter records to get everything ready for the accountant to file the 1099 forms. There is a certain joy in being done with a chore that you know you will not have to do again.

Tuesday: The day begin very badly. One of Mom's sitters passed away from Covid. I had kept in touch with her and her daughter, who was also one of Mom's sitters, very regularly and knew she was struggling with it, but things went from bad to worse very quickly. It breaks my heart. The world lost a very caring and loving person. 

TheHub called from work to say he wanted to have a "ball-game meal"  That is his code for something picked up on his way home. No cooking suits me just fine.

Bama's basketball team was playing Kentucky. They had actually beat Ky. in Lexington earlier in the season so this game was supposed to be a huge battle with Ky seeking revenge. Though the game was very tight, Alabama managed to pull off the win in the last minute of play. Roll Tide!

Wednesday:  I began the day with an early FaceTime call from Pip. She wanted me to see her play in the snow, and of course I wanted to see her.

This does not sound like a joy but it really was. Mom's accountant called to let me know her forms were filed, so I could come by and pick them up. I stopped and put them in the mail on the way home, plus I picked up her tax organizer. Now we can get her tax info together and get it to them. There is a huge joy knowing we can see an end to Mom's tax business.

Thursday: I had a stay at home, no makeup kind of day__again. My life is sort of like the movie "Ground Hog Day" doing virtually the same thing over and over and over. My Santa letter partner in crime dropped by ( she stayed on the porch and I was in the foyer both masked) and left me a wad of moolah! I was happy about that.

I hope you all can find your joys this week. Wear your masks and stay healthy.

All about Rejoicing

On Tuesdays, I like to follow Annie @Tuesday 4. She poses a 4 questions and it almost always provides some time for reflection. While Son and DIL were here I was hit or miss joining in, but they are gone and now hopefully I can continue answering the questions.

1. What makes you rejoice the most? It depends on the day. Some days a beautiful sunset fills me with awe, or a FaceTime visit with my granddaughter always thrills me. Occasionally reading a perfect sentence in a book does it,  hearing some symphonic piece that features French horns (love low brass), smelling fresh coffee, or tasting some perfectly made creamy concoction. Sometimes it is just seeing a great smile. (Which is happening less and less now because you can't see smiles through masks!)

2. What song makes you feel joyful or happy? I have a Spotify playlist I like to listen to in the mornings, but I have not since our Son and DIL came to visit. Now I am reminded to start listening to it again. This is not the entire playlist but even if I don't have time to listen to the entire things I do like to hear these songs.

He's Got The Whole World in His Hands___Nina Simone

The Lord's Prayer___Duke Ellington

What a Wonderful World___Louis Armstrong

On the Sunny Side of the Street__Willie Nelson

I Can't Say No____Ali Stroker

Accentuate the Positive___Dr. John

A Summer Song___Chad and Jeremy

September__Earth, Wind and Fire

The 23rd Psalm__Bobby McFerrin

Always Look on the Bright Side of Life__Michael McGrath and Tim Curry

Oh What a Beautiful Morning___TheSign Posters

3. Do sounds of nature give you a joyous feeling? We have a lot of songbirds here and I love hearing them. Some days when I get out of my car I look to the tree tops to try and find some of the most beautiful "singers". I also love the sound of moving water and distant thunderstorms.

4. How about holidays? Do you really rejoice or just kind of show up? It depends on the holiday. I am not a big Thanksgiving person, so I do just show up. I love Christmas and love everything about it. 4th of July? It is fine but does not make me joyful. I love the liturgy and formality of Easter services, but can do without  Easter lunch festivities. I had rather have a ham sandwich and laughs with the family than a big meal.

Hop
over and join the fun!

What's for Dinner? Who Really Knows!

I plan and sometimes I make what I planned and sometimes I go off script and make whatever mood hits either me or TheHub. And sometimes I say to heck with it and we grab takeout. No matter which option I choose, we eat every single day so it is all good. This week, like every week, I cooked some of what I intended and punted the rest of the time.

What I planned:

1. Firecracker Chicken, rice or caulirice, broccoli

2. Stuffed bell peppers, coleslaw, green beans

3. Pasta Carbonara, tossed salad

4. Chicken chowder,  tossed salad, rolls

5. Chili, coleslaw, cornbread

6. Take out

7. pork chops, collards, cornbread

What we actually ate:

(Stuff happened each and every day but I forgot to write it down, and if I didn't record it, did it really happen?)

Monday: Pasta Carbonara, tossed salad, wine toasts for a happy visit and safe travels

Tuesday:  Bojangles chicken dinner

Wednesday: Chili, coleslaw. cornbread

Thursday: Pork chops, steamed cabbage

Friday: Take out again La Fiesta fajitas or chili rellenos

Saturday: Rotisserie chicken, coleslaw

Sunday: Stuffed bell pepper, pickled okra

And going forward this is what could possibly
happen this week:

1.Spaghetti, tossed salad, broccoli

2. Squash Casserole, coleslaw, peas. collards, cornbread

3. Goulash over steamed cabbage shreds, rolls, cuke onion and tomato salad

4. Chicken chowder, rolls, pickled green beans (Thanks Kitchen Riffs)

5. Tuna steaks, mashed potatoes (or caulimash) tossed salad, roll

6. Firecracker chicken, green beans, tossed salad, rolls ( Thanks to Martha for the link)

7. Take-out

Have a great week staying on plan, going off plan, or with no plan at all!

Get Ready

 Sunday  came and I had nothing pressing for the rest of the day. Oh sure I could have picked any room in this house and found some cleaning to do, but who wanted to clean? Not me! Instead I had a fridge full of produce, some newly purchased proteins and a meal plan for the week already stirring around in my noggin. 

It seemed like a perfect day to get ahead of the week and do some chopping and stirring while listening to some guilty pleasure podcasts. I took a page from Rhonda at If You Do Stuff, Stuff Gets Done, and chopped and diced salad and slaw fixings, then cooked a few things that could easily be made ahead  of time to be stored for later in the week.

Now the chicken chowder is made with the exception of adding cauliflower (keto substitute for potatoes)

and the cream. It smells delicious and I can't wait to try it, but for now it is headed to the fridge.

The Hungarian goulash is all put together and somewhat cooked but still needs a much longer cook time. I stuck it in the freezer for later in the week when I will thaw it and put it in the crockpot on low, to spend the afternoon simmering.

Spaghetti sauce is made and will just need to be reheated while noodles boil or zoodles get nuked.

I did get the collards cooked, but that is all I prepped for the vegetable dinner. I might go ahead and pre cook the squash, but then again I might not. The day is getting a little later and I am really ready to clean the kitchen and. move on to watching an episode of The Crown. 

All the salad fixings are washed, dried, sliced or cubed and living in little containers in the crisper drawer. I did wash the lettuce and spun it dry but I am tearing  the leaves on demand. They are currently wrapped in a kitchen towel inside an opened plastic bag so air can circulate around it. I did not make the dressings for salad because it takes just a few seconds  to whip one up and I like it better than making it in advance and having it cold. I have enough coleslaw made for 2 meals, but it is not dressed. I tend to season it differently based on what we are eating, so I made two different dressings that are waiting for coleslaw nights..

The cornbread I mention is not really cornbread at all, but is the keto substitute. Fortunately TheHub likes it and it has the taste and mouthfeel of real cornbread. One recipe of it will last more than a week, so it all went in the freezer to be thawed and eaten on demand..

I also had to make keto rolls for me. They do not taste and feel like real dinner rolls so I will buy some of those from the bakery for TheHub, but I did make a recipe of them to freeze.. They are decently tasty if they have butter on them, or to use instead of a bun for a hamburger, but  they serve mainly as a vehicle for other flavors and not as a stand alone "bread".. 

Now the only thing I have left is some sort of keto dessert and keto cookies. TheHub will actually eat some of them and I have tried several to cull the recipes to ones we liked well enough to make again. I am thinking crustless cheesecakes, and peanut butter cookies. Both freeze very well and actually pass the taste and mouthfeel test. It may happen tonight or I might make them tomorrow. It works either way, right?

So now I am all cooked out and ready for the week. This is going to be my test to see if advance cooking is really worth it to me. Since I tend to rebel against any plan it might feel too confining, or maybe I will love it. One way or another I will figure it out.

Week 3 Joys

As has been my usual weekly habit since Jan.1 of the dreadful year we just exited, I have been keeping a list of my daily joys. This year I intend to re-read them on New Year's Eve and look back, hopefully with fewer tears than re-reading this years joys brought. It is not that joy was sparse, but the year was a difficult year for reflection. When I re-read the joys, I also had to revisit the sadness the year brought. First there was Mom's decreasing cognitive function, the quarantine,  Mom's hospitalization and the restrictions in place that did not allow us to see her, followed by her death. Remembering everything did not diminish the joys, but the joys did not  negate the sadness either. I am hopeful that this new beginning will bring with it more joy and fewer strifes.

Friday: Son3 manned the smoker most of the day. They like to smoke meats, freeze them and take them back to enjoy at their home. It was a pork butt, smoked wings, and smoked salmon kind of day. Even with the door closed and the interior room doors shut, the house smelled divine! There is a joy watching your adult kids be  competent and self sufficient. 

Saturday: We took a little side trip to the lake place. I had an old dress form on the hearth there, that was purely decorative and DIL3 loves to sew. It was a natural for her to take it back with them. Son3 had a few things there that he wanted from his old room there as well. On top of everything, the day was gorgeous and the lake was perfectly beautiful. On the way home we stopped and picked up some burgers (Thanks, Whattaburger!) to eat at the house. 

Later that night DIL3 and Son3 (but mostly DIL3) cooked a Swiss meal for us. Yum!

Sunday: TheHub and I watched our church services via streaming, then had a Webex Sunday school class. Afterward everyone did their own thing until the evening. 

Unbeknown to DIL3 we had arranged for Son2 and DIL2 to eat with us and to have a small surprise party for her birthday. She was shocked, but happy.

Monday: Son3 and DIL3 spent a good bit of the day getting all of their things together to pack for the trip back home. While they did that, I processed their smoked foods in FoodSaver bags and stuck them in the freezer so they would be hard frozen for the trip home. 

Later we had a nice last supper together with conversation and laughs.

Tuesday: Dil3 and Son3 slept a little later than planned but they were only driving to Roanoke VA. the first day. Lola and Ella, the cats, travel with them and do not do well on a long car ride. I think they have learned they had rather not drive 17 hours straight either! Instead of leaving at 10 like they planned, they pulled out at about 11:45. 

My beloved sister came by the tell them goodbye, but mainly to ride to the lake with me. I had to meet an inspector there and J is as tired of staying home as I am, so she was a fast yes when I asked if she wanted to ride with me. We spent about 4 hours talking and laughing, then laughing some more. Half Moon chocolate chip cookies and coffee added to the fun day.

Wednesday: To be honest I was a little bummed out when I woke. TheHub leaves for work most days a little after 6 and I generally do not wake until about 6:30. For the past month, I have been able to have coffee and morning conversation with Son3 and DIL3. This morning I was totally alone and kept thinking "What do I do?"

I should have done some projects or started getting the house back in order, but instead I read for most of the day. I finished former blogger Sonya Ann's book "Their Hellfire" then began a new one "Like, Follow, Kill". I am not far enough in to decide if I really like it or not, but I will finish it anyway. 

Thursday: I am sure you all know the sage advice about eating the frog. It is, if the worst thing you have to do all day is eat a frog, then eat the frog first, Thursday morning the frog was getting all the 1099's for Mom's sitters filed.  Fortunately it only took a couple of hours and then it was done and over. Now all I have to do is get all of the information together for the final tax return. It has been kind of hard to review everything because memories attached to specific dates and times come flooding back. 

I did finish reading "Like, Follow, Kill" and did enjoy it. It was a well written thriller with an ending I did not see coming. 

TheHub and I also finished watching the Netflix series, Lupin. If you are looking for something interesting to watch, and like a bit of intrigue, I recommend it highly.

I hope you find your daily joys! They are out there each and every single day if you just look for them!

Another Imperfect Plan

As usual we had some dinners I had planned, but life and what really sounded good on any particular night got in the way. Instead we ate different meals. Additionally who, in their right mind, is going to say "No, I have a meal planned already"when their son and dil offer to make dinner?

What was planned:

1 Smoked chicken wings, baked beans, coleslaw

2 Chili, cornbread, crudité

3 Mac and cheese, peas and coleslaw

4 Grilled fish, green beans, baked potatoes, rolls

5. Take out

6 Steak, baked potato, salad

7 Soup and sandwich 

What we really ate:

Monday: Ball game night. Roll Tide, Roll!

Chili, corn chips, crudite

Tuesday: No idea what was going on but whatever it was, it kept me from cooking until the last minute. Trader Joe's frozen meal to the rescue!

Chicken Fried Rice, tossed salad

Wednesday: The day was cold and I stayed in most of the day, but Son3 volunteered to do the grilling. Win!

Grilled tuna steaks, baked potato, broccoli, rolls

Thursday: TheHub was in the mood for Thai, so that makes for a pretty easy dinner. All I have to do is call Blue Pacific and order.

Pad Thai, Pad Si We, or the Thursday special, spring rolls

Friday: DIL3 had never eaten Cajun food and Son3 wanted her to have it. He mentioned it too late in the day for me to make it. (That's my story and I'm sticking to it) Instead we ordered take out for a Cajun restaurant near TheHub's office.

Alligator bites, blackened grouper, gumbo, crawfish étouffée, cajun slaw

Saturday:  DIL3 and Son3 offered to make  dinner. We had a traditional Swiss meal

Flamm kuchen (2, each with different toppings) spring greens with dressing

Sunday: We had a little surprise birthday party to celebrate DIL3's birthday. The actual date is Tuesday but they will be traveling then, so we fast forwarded. Son2 and DIL2 came over to help celebrate. (yes masks were worn)

Steak, mashed potatoes, roasted Brussels sprouts, tossed salad, rolls, red velvet cake

And going on to this week's plan:*

1. Firecracker Chicken, rice or caulirice, broccoli

2. Stuffed bell peppers, coleslaw, green beans

3. Pasta Carbonara, tossed salad

4. Chicken chowder,  tossed salad, rolls

5. Chili, coleslaw, cornbread

6. Take out

7. pork chops, collards, cornbread

Have a great week staying on plan, going off plan, or with no plan at all!

*Keto begins on Wednesday after Son 3and DIL3 leave. It is not so much a choice as a necessity. This meme stolen from Facebook says it all.

Ooh La La, Breakfast

 DIL3 brought a beautiful panettone when they came to visit. In her family it is a tradition to have a slice along with a class of wine, while toasting to good health and a good year. Though we did not get it done technically during the holidays, because they are still with us we are continuing in holiday mode. We had some last night before eating a traditional Swiss dinner (prepared by DIL3) but there was still more than half a loaf left. 

As we all know food waste is something everyone is trying to avoid, so we did what DIL2 taught me a few years ago when we had a similar loaf left over. We atenpanettone French toast this morning. Everyone has their own method of making it so feel free to change it up to suit your tastes.

3 beaten eggs

1/4 (ish) cup  egg nog (lingering and needed to be used, use milk or cream as desired)

sprinkle of nutmeg (just because)

1 tablespoon sugar

butter (for the cooking process)

leftover medium thickness slices of panettone

Beat the eggs well, stir in the egg nog, sugar and nutmeg. Soak the panettone slices briefly then cook on a buttered griddle pan until one side is set and golden, flip and cook the other side. Serve with either powdered sugar or syrup. Since the bread has a citrus flavor TheHub choose blueberry syrup. He said it was delicious. We had just enough of it for one serving so I used the remaining butter pecan syrup. Son3 and DIL3 opted for maple syrup because it was all that remained. (You snooze, you lose!)

I did not even to begin thinking about posting this until after we had eaten almost everything so there just one solitary picture of one slice. I guess I could take a picture of our smiling faces and full bellies__but, NO!

And speaking of full bellies:

(Pilfered from Facebook)

And now that I have lived through an actual plague I totally understand why Italian Renaissance paintings are full of naked fat people lying on couches.

   

Joys For Week 2

This week, as all weeks are, was filled with joyous moments. I post these and save them till the end of the year when they will be re-read, and I will hopefully feel the joys all over again.                                         

    And now following this banner week, please indulge me with this moment of obnoxiousness! 

Friday: The days are much the same, with the exception of having Son3 and DIL3 here. We had decided on having take out for dinner, cause I was still missing our usual (pre-covid) date night. We ate out every single Friday night, and now, if I remember it is Friday, I still pine for it.

After we had ordered, Son2 and DIL2 called to say they were on their way so they ate with us then brought out some games. We played Ticket to Ride and Joe Name-It. There was a ton of intense competition and a lot of laughs.

Saturday: DIL3 sewed most of the day. I admire her ability to find a solution to any issue that arises. TheHub and I had to conduct a little unexpected business, then we drove to the Peanut Depot. It is a small place on an old cobblestone street which sells nothing but peanuts, roasted and boiled. It's been in operation since 1907 in the same place, but the owners and name have changed. Too bad! To me it will always be Peanut Depot. We walked out with roasted peanuts, Cajun peanuts and a carton of boiled peanuts.  Delicious!

Later I met a roofer at Mom's so he could take a look and see if anything needed repairing before we list the house. A couple of small repairs is all it needs! Extreme joy!

 Sunday: I overslept and missed our church service, bummer but was able to watch it later. Technology is a wonderful thing. Later Son2 and DIL2 came over for a bit. Love having them here! BTW we all wear masks and have 

Monday: DIL3 and I went to Aldi to grab some things that we needed for our football meal. Son2, Dil2, and granddad Shelby, came over to eat and watch the College Football Championship game. I know some of you who watch college football are sick and tired of Alabama winning. We are not! Roll Tide Roll! 

Bonus points to DIL3 who knows nothing about college football, yet she watched the entire thing, asked questions to try and understand the game a bit, and cheered with the rest of us!

Tuesday: Mom had a word she used to describe a gloomy gruesome day. She would call it gloosome and to her it was a day meant to be at home doing nothing but looking out the windows, having a fire, something hot to drink, and some hand work (knitting, needlepoint, or mending). My beloved sister called me early in the morning and said it was a "gloosome" day which made us both start laughing. The joy for the day was having a "gloosome" day at home (I did not have anything pressing to do) and having some laughs with my sister.

Wednesday: The day was really cold (for us) which caused me to change some plans. I intended to cook tuna steaks on the grill, but I do not cook outside  when it is cold. I was just going to broil them when Son3 volunteered to man the grill, because we all know tuna cooked on the grill tastes better than tuna cooked under the broiler. They were perfect! Fortunately, we like them on the rare side so  4 minutes was all it took. My joy was being able to eat delicious food without being the one to freeze while cooking it.

Thursday: I was very lucky to get the first round of the covid vaccine. . Whoever thought getting a shot would be so joyful!

I hope you all have a joy filled week. If you just look for joy you are guaranteed to find it in the most unusual places>

Meal Plan Phooey!

At the beginning of the week this is what I thought might happen

1. Stuffed baked potatoes with various veggie toppings, coleslaw

2. DIL3 plans to make a Swedish meal

3. Steak, baked potato. salad

4. Roast chicken, dressing, green beans, tossed salad

5. Sloppy Joe's, coleslaw

6. Coconut Soup

7. Take Out

Yeah, it didn't! This happened instead!

Monday: Dil3 had to fly back to NYC for a quick visit to have her Green Card Biometrics appointment. (fingerprints and a photo) I had a small lamb roast I had bought and was about to put in the the freezer when I remembered she does not like lamb and would not be here for dinner. (Son3 loves lamb)

Lamb roast, brown rice, salad.

Tuesday: I had decided to make something in the crock pot that would hold until DIL3's flight got arrived. I knew at least TheHub and I would go ahead and eat, but I figured Son3 would probably wait for her. Then I completely forgot to take anything out of the freezer to put in the crock pot. I am very thankful I always keep packages of browned ground chuck in the freezer. It makes quick cooking possible!

Sloppy Joe's on brioche buns, coleslaw

Wednesday: In an attempt to have some traditional southern foods I decided we would have an almost Thanksgiving dinner. Never mind that the dressing was from the frozen section at The Pig. It really is almost as good as mine and infinitely easier.

Chicken (not turkey) and dressing with gravy, broccoli

Thursday; Once again the day got away from me while I was doing little to nothing. I could be whiny about cooking, but I am doing such a poor job of it that I feel like I have no whine platform available to me at this time..

Sautéed peppers. onions, tomatoes and sausage over couscous.

Friday: There is no reason why, but it was Friday and I decided I was not going to cook. We had already ordered when Son2 and DIl2 said they were coming over and would eat with us. Fortunately we had ordered ziti for 2 from Costa's. We knew it would be plenty for 4 but in reality it was more than enough for 6. I even had to insist they eat a little more just to get rid of it all.

Baked ziti, tossed salad, bread sticks, red velvet cake, salted caramel cake (cakes from Publix bakery)

Saturday: We decided to do take out one more night because nothing sounded really good except___

Pizza

Sunday: I was busy gathering up the fragments of dinners past so I made 2 pots of soup which I intended to have for dinner. (Garbage soup, made from bits of this and that, and coconut soup using the remaining chicken from Wednesday's meal ) They smelled so good though that both were hit for lunch. In the process of cleaning out I took a container of left over pot roast from the freezer and it became the headliner in our dinner.

Beef Stoup (Thicker than soup but not quite stew) coleslaw, pickles (pickled radishes, okra, green beans, and regular dills)

Now on to the new week

1 Smoked chicken wings, baked beans, coleslaw

2 Chili, cornbread, crudité

3 Mac and cheese, peas and coleslaw

4 Grilled fish, green beans, baked potatoes, rolls

5. Take out

6 Steak, baked potato, salad

7 Soup and sandwich 

As usual this is completely subject to whim and mood!

Have a great week staying on plan, going off plan, or with no plan at all!

The Joys Continue

I got to spend some time on New Year's Eve re-reading a years worth of joyful things. There were some laughs, some smiles, some tears, and immense joy recounting the joys from every single day for a year. So naturally I am going to do the same this year.

The year that shall never be mentioned by name again began on a Wednesday, so my list of daily joys because a Wednesday to Wednesday thing. Officially my weekly joy list is now moving to Friday. .2021 began then, thanks to a leap year, and since Covid is being blamed for everything else in the world I am blaming it for the 2 day difference also.  So for this post only I am adding the last 2 days of the Voldemort year and starting the weekly joy countdown beginning Friday. And now I will begin to recap the daily joys as we all move onward toward 2022

 Wednesday: The day was gorgeous and was truly like a spring day. My neighbor was taking down his Christmas lights wearing shorts and a tee shirt, while I padded around outside in leggings and flip flops. It was a great day for kids with new bikes!

Thursday: I spent the day  taking most of the decorations down. New Years Eve was only slightly different from those we have had the past few years, except we do usually go out early for dinner. This celebration was more homecentric, with take out food, Prosecco toasts, and ringing in the New Year via television celebrations.

Friday: The few remaining Christmas items were put away and the den was returned to normal by mid-morning. We had a small family celebration not necessarily because it wsa New Year's Day but because the college football semi-finals were played.  Son2 and DIl2 came over to watch the game and then join us for our traditional "lucky" NYD meal., followed by playing a new board game, and then more football. DIL3 was such a good sport because this football thing is literally a foreign concept to her as is welcoming in the New Year watching it.

Saturday: TheHub and I went out to run some errands and to give Son3 and DIl3 some time to themselves.  We like to get out early before the crowds are in stores, get what we need then either get home or ride around a little just to see something different. I really do like my home, but I am so tired of it. I am hopeful that this newest wave of Covid will slow down and (fingers crossed) the vaccine will prove to be helpful and life will regain some semblance of normalcy.

Sunday: I slept late (at least late for me) and woke just in time to stream our church service. Afterward TheHub and I had. lazy sort of breakfast, which set the tome for a mostly lazy day. Lazy days are nice, but since Christmas I have had too many of them!

Monday: I did not have to do anything, so I read, the watched some of the Great British Baking Show while I cleaned out drawers and rearranged my closet. There is a great joy for the technology that allows me to watch/listen to a show while I am in the closet.

Tuesday: We went to Mom's house and sorted through some personal things that we were still unsure about. While there we found another box of photos which caused a lot of laughs. BTW when my beloved sister was in her 20's she was a BABE! If she would not kill me I would share a photo, but I do respect her privacy. We found a picture of her the night she won an ADDY( for producing a PSA) and she was smoking' hot! You will just have to trust me when I tell you she bore a striking resemblance to a young Raquel Welch in that picture.What a joy to go through decades of long past times!

Wednesday: I am one of those people who will drive a car until there is virtually nothing left to drive. My 2004 car was doing fine (not a pretty girl but she was still doing fine) until about a year ago when a semi in front of me on the interstate lost the outer tread of its tire. He rolled on down the road while his outer tire hit my car right in the middle of the front. It did not cause a wreck (thankfully), but did some damage to the undercarriage of the car. It has been a downhill ride ever since.,  I finally decided I was tired of driving while feeling like the front end of the car was going to fall off any minute, in the middle of the street. We did a lot of telephone shopping (dealing) via the phone and the car was set to be delivered to the house on Friday.( Covid has changed so many ways we conduct business.) I knew I had to unload a boatload of things I had brought from Mom's the day before. 

Then all Hell broke loose and I sat and watched things unfurl. After being glued to the TV for a couple of hours I went into my bedroom to compose before cleaning out the car.. When I came out, much to my surprise Son3 and DIL3 had cleaned it out for me.  It was wonderful to be able to find joy!

Thursday; I was overjoyed that the confirmation of electoral votes was completed. We have processes and laws and whether you agree with the outcome of an election or not, really done not matter. The processes must be completed.. I do not discuss politics on social media, nor do I want to be a vehicle for any debate or diatribe, so I ask that any comments left here be non-political in nature. For the first time ever I have turned on comment moderation. 

Have a great week and find joy (and sow peace) wherever you can. It is always out there if you just look for it!

Tuesday 4

I follow Annie at Tuesday 4 who asks questions each week. Sometimes they throw me into thoughts of the past, sometimes the present, and often they make me evaluate future plans, hopes or desires.                  Today's questions hit all three!

Just Wondering

1.   When was the last time you tried something new?:

Yesterday. I started Duolingo. I am trying to learn a bit of Swedish

2.   Who in your family do you compare yourself to?: 

Sometimes I compare myself to my Dad. We are similar personalities, tend to think abstractly about things and are scatterbrained. I think I get my temper from my Mother. I am just not as reactionary as she was.

3.   What lesson in life did you learn the hard way?:

Most of them. I generally learn more from mistakes than from staying on the path.

4.   What can you do today that you weren't able to do before?: 

Skills? Not sure! Due to age I seem to be losing some physical skills. 

I am a much better upholsterer than I used to be.

I could do it before but chose not to always really listen. I do now.

I approach things more methodically than I formerly did.

So come on aboard and play!

Planning and Changing Plans

This was the plan for the week, and like all plans I make, it was a tentative plan:

Taco salad

 Spaghetti with meat sauce, tossed salad

 Heavy appetizers, veggies and dip

 NYD meal: Ham, black eyed peas, collards, cornbread 

 Chicken pot pie, coleslaw

 Pizza, tossed salad

 Smoked sausage, potatoes and kraut

And this is what really happened:

 Monday: I was exceptionally tired probably because I did not go to sleep until 4 and woke at 6:30. I did not feel like doing much in the way of cooking but had some ground beef in the fridge.It was a no brainer type of night

Taco salad (and an aside) My knee was hurting badly Monday night and in the process of cleaning out the medicine cabinet I found an almost full prescription of lightweight pain meds. I thought about popping one of those and then going to bed. Instead I remembered we had egg nog in the fridge, brandy in the bar, and Swedish gingersnaps. A much tastier solution, I had dessert, slept like a baby, and did not have the horrendous dreams Lortab gives me. Egg nog (or brandy) for the win.

Tuesday: Son3 and DIL3 went out to find some salmon . We have a smoker and Son3 could not wait to smoke stuff. While they were out they called to see if I needed anything. I had just taken chicken out of the freezer and realized I had no mixed veggies. They came back with a Costco size bag of them. I have plenty now!

 Chicken pot pie, coleslaw

Wednesday: I love it when I find I am in no way shape or form responsible for a meal.

Smoked salmon with dill sauce, mashed potatoes, tossed salad

Thursday: We did nothing extraordinary Thursday and normally TheHub and I go out for an early NYE dinner. That was off the table so we drove to a nearby restaurant offering easy curb service for take out food.

Assorted Mexican fare, decadent champagne truffles (DIL3 made them) Plus late night champagne.

Friday: New Years Day was filled with family and ball games., We noshed on heavy apps for lunch and watched Bama play ball. Roll Tide, they won which made it more fun. (Though win, lose ,or draw we are still Alabama fans) Son2 and DIL2 came over to watch with us. After the game we ate our traditional NYD meal, played Mind The Gap, then watched the second half of the Ohio State/Clemson game. 

Ham, black eyed peas, collards, cornbread, truffles

Saturday:TheHub and I ran a few errands early in the morning, then came home to watch even more ballgames. I honestly do not even remember who was playing but we watched (or pretended to be watching white reading, or made a really cool guitar case. DIL3 agrees with me that Mom's sewing machine is some sort of dream machine.) Midway through games, sewing, and/or reading Son3 and DIL3 came over for a visit, Even though I made enough they let right before dinner time. Leftovers for lunch!

 Spaghetti with meat sauce, crescent rolls, tossed salad

Sunday: We had a lot of leftover salmon and I had bought a 10 pound bag potatoes right before Christmas, so dinner virtually planned itself.

Smoked salmon, potato soup

And this is what might happen this week:

1. Stuffed baked potatoes with various veggie toppings, coleslaw

2. DIL3 plans to make a Swedish meal

3. Steak, baked potato. salad

4. Roast chicken, dressing, green beans, tossed salad

5. Sloppy Joe's, coleslaw

6. Coconut Soup

7. Take Out

Have a good week staying on plan, veering off plan or with no plan at all!