The past week in review

Like a lot of my weeks, things just happen as they will and I tend to just go with the flow. 

Some plans work out and some don't. I get to do some of the things I/we planned and some have to be booted or rescheduled, and the world keeps spinning regardless of what I intended.

Meals that were planned: (Haha)

1. Steak, baked potato, cooked carrots, tossed salad

2. Grilled tuna, chopped veggie salad, dinner rolls

3. Grilled lamb chops, rice pilaf, asparagus

4. Spaghetti, tossed salad, dinner rolls

5. Hamburgers with all the fixings, tater tots

6. Veggie dinner TBD, cornbread

7. Out to eat

Daily joy and meal that really happened:

Monday joy: I knocked around the house for a good portion of the day, broken up by going to My Beloved Sister's house to do some dog tending. 

Her sweet pups have had their routine altered terribly, so I went over midday to do a little loving on them, then went later to feed and pet them. Finally at about 10 went back to her house to get them settled for the night. I feel so sorry for them because they are missing all the attention they got all day before BIL's never ending hospitalization. My joy was being able to do something that would really help her. A drop dead gorgeous day didn't hurt my joy either!

Monday dinner:  The day almost demanded for us to fire up the grill, so we obeyed!

Steak, baked potato, tossed salad

Tuesday joy: The day was just a mostly regular day, but the night was delightful. The American Baseball Foundation has a summer program teaching baseball, reading and math to underserved kids in the Birmingham area. TheHub has been a supporter of it for several years and one of the ways we support it is at their annual fundraiser. He purchased a table and we were able to invite 6 of our friends to join us for dinner and an evening listening to Goose Gossage (former MLB pitcher). He was fun to listen to and as one of our guests said "I think he could talk to anyone, anywhere except for church". He was entertaining, but was unafraid to use some very salty language, which was a little too salty for a banquet filled with several hundred people.

I am not a prude ,and have been known to drop expletives but I do know there are places you just should absolutely not use some of the saltier words.

Tuesday dinner: Banquet food, what else can I say?

Chicken over noodles (odd choice I thought) asparagus, green beans, carrots, tossed salad, cheesecake and The Club's locally famous orange rolls.

Wednesday joy:  I went to my Wednesday class. We meet at my church on Wednesdays and this was food pantry Wednesday. Every other week our church provides foods for about 245 families. I do volunteer sometimes packing it, but my left knee will not allow me to stand in the parking lot for 3 hours handing out groceries. I wish it would.  It is always nice to be there on those days just to see some of the faces of folks.

(Even though I do not participate interacting with the participants, it is a ministry I support both with goods and finances)

After class I met 2 friends at Panera to eat (and talk, mainly talk). I really do like both of them very much and enjoyed the meal and a ton of laughter. Laughing with friends might be the golden elixir for an otherwise ordinary day.

Wednesday dinner: I love when my freezer decided what we would be heating. I wanted a meal that would almost make itself.

Spaghetti with meat sauce, tossed salad

Thursday joy: I had a phone conversation with a friend. We have not spoken since before Christmas and it was so very nice to catch up.  

Right after we hung up, I got dressed for the day (as opposed to just keeping on the frumpy clothes I was wearing all morning) and TheHub and I went out for lunch. I would have been fine eating whatever leftovers were in the fridge, but he needed a small adventure. As long as he is paying, it's fine with me. (Of course it does not matter who does the actual paying since all of our accounts, investments, and what nots are pooled income sources. ) Even so there is something mentally gratifying about him picking up the check.

Thursday dinner: We had what I call a big lunch and the need for a real dinner was off the table. 

He had a bowl of soup and I had the tossed salad leftover from Wednesday night.

Friday joy: Advil! I had a screaming headache and when I went outside I saw why. Tree pollens have begun falling. The proof was all over my dark blue vehicle, which did not look so dark. Achoo!

Friday dinner: The upside of the warmer weather, which was causing the trees to bud a bit early, was the grill on the back deck screaming "Use me! Use me!"

Grilled tuna steaks, baked potato, tossed salad

Saturday joy: We did not do much, but we did watch Auburn play basketball in the afternoon before watching the Alabama game that night.  TheHub ran to Sneaky Pete's to grab us a hot dog for lunch. They  make the best dogs in town. Though I am perfectly capable of cooking them myself, they never taste quite the same. I gripe about it, but, there is an upside to TheHub wanting to eat out or do take out so often. Having to eat a delicious slaw dog for lunch occasionally is definitely an upside.

Saturday dinner: We had intended to use the grill again, but decided to just have a comfort meal instead.

Chicken pot pie, apple carrot and raisin salad.

Sunday joy: We woke and went to church, stopping by Publix on the way home. After fortifying our Super Bowl noshes, we settled in for a day of game watching (and snacking). Since the day was overcast it was an easy day to hang out in front of the tv. While we were about to settle in to watch the actual game, Son2 and DIL 2 stopped by for a bit. We do always love seeing them no matter when or where! They watched a few possessions of the ball then headed home to see their pups

The Eagles won and we were happy!

Sunday dinner: We ate during the halftime show. I am sure it was fine, but we are both out of the age demo for the show and did not care one way or the other about watching it. Instead we sat at the table and talked while we ate.

Turkey sandwich, mandarins

This week's possibilities;

1. Chili, coleslaw, cornbread

2. Veggie dinner TBD

3. Smoked trout toast, shirazi salad

4. Big salad meal TBD

5. Out to eat, or takeout

6. Conecuh sausage and steamed cabbage

7. Valentine's Day meal TBD (based on weather)

Books read in February:

Confessions of a Christmasoholic* 

Long List

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

May all your weeds be wildflowers.

Anne

* This was like an x-rated Hallmark Movie in book form. There were large parts of chapters that I literally skipped over. The story was cute and would have been perfectly fine without the graphic love and lust. 

If this is your cup of tea you might like it. For me those parts were just a waste of paper that I avoid reading. I will be much more selective with my March Christmas book and not choose one based on a cute cover.