A Miserable Day

Today was another miserable day. My cold was really bad. I slept off and on throughout the day and took Coricidin HBP. I haven't been out of the house since Thursday afternoon when I took our friend home from the Thanksgiving dinner. We got a thank-you card from her today for inviting her.

We've been eating leftovers from Thanksgiving dinner for two days now and we are both getting a little tired of them by now. I think tomorrow we will want to try something a little different.

The day after Thanksgiving

We had a good Thanksgtiving.

I picked up our friend at 10 a.m. and took her home later in the afternoon.

We had turkey and stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, vegetable relish tray, cranberry salad, homemade bread and pumpkin and pecan pie. We will probably be having “reruns” for a few days.

The weather was good. After a cool start of 40 degrees, it got up to 67.

But somehow I caught a cold – my first in a long time – and during the night and this morning I have been feeling miserable. I’ve been taking Coricidin HBP, the only thing I’m supposed to take with my high blood pressure, and it helps, but I have to repeat the dose every four hours.

I’m really glad I don’t have to work today. I’ll call and cancel my weekly beauty shop appointment. Not only do I not feel like going, but I don’t want to spread my germs around everyone there.

Thanksgiving Day

If anyone is following this blog (which I doubt, since I never get any comments), you may wonder why I haven't posted for a few days. To tell the truth, I've just been lazy.

And, nothing much different has happened anyway. I worked Monday and Tuesday and until noon yesterday.

We have been cooking up a storm for Thanksgiving. We have a guest coming for dinner. I have a snall turkey in the oven. I made the cranberry salad yesterday and baked a pecan pie. Sis baked a pumpkin pie. She is fixing sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and Basque Sheepherder's Bread. We'll fix Stovetop stuffing. She prepared a relish tray of vegetables and little sweet pickles.We will have iced tea.

Sunday evening

At church this morning we had a fellowship coffee between 9:30 and 10:00 a.m. Many of us brought rolls and sweets to go with the coffee.

Then church started at 10:10 a.m. Two young children were baptized during the service.

After the service there was cake and punch for the reception, but I didn't stay for that. I went to Sis's church where they were having a Thanksgiving dinner after church.

All in all I ate way too much today.

Sis talked to Fred tonight. Holly is planning to get married on Dec 27th.

Saturday night

I helped clean the church this morning. I vacuumed both offices and the filing room.

Then I took the dog to the vet and got her annual shots, had her nails trimmed, and a flea treatment. It all cost $94.50.

Sis cooked a turkey for tomorrow's dinner after church.

For supper tonight we had beef tips with rice, pea salad, and mixed fruit.

Thursday and Friday

Friday night: I cancelled my beauty shop appointment. It was just raining too much. it let up later in the afternoon and Sis and I went to the Third Friday Supper at a nearby church. I had lasagna, green beans, salad and garlic bread with pumpkin pie for dessert..and coffee. Sis chose fried fish, green beans, cole slaw, garlic bread and banana pudding and coffee. It was a really good meal and only $13 for both of us. That church puts on this dinner on the third Friday of each month, as a fund raiser.

It rained a little more tonight after we got home.

Friday morning while at work:
It has been raining extremely heavy most of the morning and flood advisories are out. The roof is leaking at church and I've got buckets catching what I can and mopping around them on the floor every so often. I get off at noon, so if it keeps raining it will be more to clean up by tomorrow.

Okay, so it's Friday morning when I'm writing this and now I'm trying to remember what all happened yesterday.

Sis and I went to Wendy's for lunch yesterday. I had a double stack hamburger and a small chocolate Frosty. For supper we had leftovers. I ate the rest of my Chinese dinner from the other day. They give such large servings. I got three meals out of that one.

Calvin is being a nuisance this morning. He has already had his breakfast but I guess he just wants attention. He jumps on chairs at the windows and pulls the window blinds back and forth - or jumps on the back of the swivel rocking chair and tries to turn it over. Sometimes he succeeds.

It started raining during the night and is raining very heavily right now. The forecast is for it to continue throughout the day. I don't enjoy driving in rain and hope it slows down somewhat by the time I leave for work.

We have a leak in the roof at work and so there will be water on the landing despite the buckets we keep under it. Too bad we don't have the $62,000 it will cost to replace the roof on that aging church building.

Since our custodian is off work, recuperating from major surgery, guess who will end up having to mop up water. I am the only working there today, so that should give a clue.

Calvin must have gotten tired. He's lying quietly on the back of the rocker right now. Precious had to go outside but put it off when she saw it was raining. She kept coming back and wanting to go out, so finally I went outside on the patio with her and made her go out into the yard. Then when she got done and came back in, I dried her off with a towel.

Wednesday night

The food pantry at church was open today and I've never seen such a crowd. I guess the word really spread around that turkeys were being given out. The pantry doesn't open until 1 p.m., but people started lining up outside the door at 11 a.m. and by 1:00, the line was clear back through the parking lot by the building almost back to the street. More kept coming and at 3 p.m. when they closed, there were still a few people outside in line. They took them all inside and shut the door to any new ones. It was 3:30 p.m. by the time they got them all out of there. They had 100 turkeys and 40 packages of turkey breasts. They ran out of turkeys and almost out of the turkey breasts. They had plenty of fruit and shelf-stable milk, but ran out of rice, vegetables and bread. There were a few packages of dry beans left. But no one left without getting some turkey and other food.

Sis worked with the volunteers and by the time she got out of there and came home, her back was really bothering her.

Tuesday night

Sis was going to bring some lunch to me at work today and when she started out, she discovered she had a totally flat tire. She called me and then was going to call AAA, but the neighbor saw what had happened and he came over and said he would be glad to change it for her. So he did and then she went to Firestone and bought a new tire. The old one was totally shot. So I drove home and had some leftover pizza and Snapple tea for lunch.

We had our finance meeting at work and it lasted a little longer than usual so I was a little late getting home from work.

This evening we went to a Chinese/Mexican restaurant for supper. I had the almond chicken with rice, Sis had chicken huang (or something like that), and we shared an order of 6 crab rangoons. They have such large servings that we asked for carryout boxes and brought enough home for two more meals each.

Sis’s cat, Digger still won’t eat, but she does drink a little water.

Mon, Nov 16, 2009

It was a hectic day at work. Lots of reports to work on and I ended up finishing up the treasurer's report at home tonight.

The pastor and Nancy and I went to lunch at a Chinese restaurant. I just got a side order of six crab rangoon and iced tea.

When I got home, Sis was cleaning out the refrigerator out in the garage..a long overdue job that we had been putting off.

We had carne guisada and cole slaw for supper.

Sis's oldest cat, Digger hasn't been feeling good today. She didn't eat anything all day. She is 18 years old. Sis took her to the vet last week and he ran tests, but I think it is mostly her age.

I was so tired tonight I could hardly stand it so I went to bed a little after 7 p.m. Then I got up at 8 and watched most of Antiques Road Show before going back to bed. A little before 3, Precious woke me up wanting to go outside, so I stayed up a litttle while longer to check email and write this, but I'm about ready to go back to bed for a little while.

Sunday evening

It is only 6 p.m. but seems so late. Since the time changed and it gets dark so early, it is a bit disorienting. Makes it feel like much later at night.

After church today we were going to go to Luby's for lunch. But we couldn't get onto Military Drive. It was blocked off by police cars every where we tried. I'm not sure what was going on. It's odd to have a busy highway like that closed for construction on a Sunday.

We ended up coming back and having lunch at Pizza Hut. That turned out "different" too. We ordered a medium supreme pizza, salad bar, and diet Pepsi's. We got our salads and beverages. Finally the waitress came back and asked again what kind of pizza we had ordered. She said they would have to make another for us, as evidently the delivery man had taken ours on his route. So we ended up getting a freshly made pizza at a $4 discount and they gave us our salads and drinks free to make up for the inconvenience. We got the pizza to go and brought it home.

It got up to 78 degrees this afternoon but has started to cool down now and rain and a cold front are expected after midnight.

Saturday night

Sis was at the craft show from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. today. I was there with her a lot of the time, but I also went to the grocery store, Wal-Mart and Office Depot. I picked up my prescription at Wal-Mart and got a wireless computer mouse, printer ink cartridge and 2010 desk blotter calendar at Office Depot,as well as groceries at the grocery store.

I got my hair cut this afternoon. I have to look slightly down when I take my picture with the webcam to avoid reflections on my glasses.

This evening we took Sis's things to the hall where the craft show will be held tomorrow. They had said the dealers could set up anytime after 5 p.m. The craft show starts at 8 tomorrow morning and runs until 4 p.m.

After she set up her table, we went to Wendy's Restaurant near there and had supper. I had my favorite - a double stack hamberger, and a cup of coffee. Sis had the homestyle chicken filet sandwich and a cup of coffee. Later at home we ate the two apple dumplings that were left from lunch.

Wednesday night

Our office did not close for Veterans Day but it was a fairly quiet day. The art group met in one of the rooms for their weekly class. One of the church members came to work on the sound system. A couple from another area church came and brought several bags of beans and rice for next week's food pantry. It is always open on the third Wednesday of the month from 1 to 3 p.m. I get several telephone calls daily asking about it. The volunteers give out food to nearly 100 families each time it is open. This month they will be giving out additional items such as turkeys and Thanksgiving-related items to help provide each family with the ingredients for a nice Thanksgiving meal.

It seemed strange not to get any mail and a couple times I found myself starting to go check the mailbox.

Recently I found a recipe for whole wheat Bisquick substitute. I made up a batch this afternoon after I got home from work and put most of it in ziplock bags in the freezer. I kept out enough to make biscuits for supper and we had sausage gravy with it. Delicious!

I did have trouble with the oven of our new stove. It has an electronic pad to use to set it and I thought I had it set for 450. It heated up and started baking the biscuits but when I checked on them a few minutes later the heat had gone off and they weren't done. With my cataract, I have difficulty reading that dial which is on the back of the stove and I had to wait until Sis got home from her Wednesday night church service to re-set it and finish baking the biscuits while she made the gravy.

I'm so short that I can't lean over and see the dial at a good angle, even with the light on the range hood turned on. I like this new gas stove but I wish it had the old style knobs to turn it on and off instead of that touch pad panel that I have to touch bake, then keep touching the up arrow until it reaches the right temperature, then touch start. It is the temperature part that is so difficult for me to see.

Tuesday night

It got into the mid-70's again today with lots of sunshine.

I was busy on the computer most of the day az work. You wouldn't think I'd want to touch a computer when I get home, but I do.

We had sauerkraut and sausage, mashed potatoes and salad for supper.

Monday

Mondays are always busy at work. We sent out a big mailing so that took up a good bit of the day. I didn't get them all ready until after the mail went so I dropped them off at the post office after I got off work.

Sis wasn't feeling well a good bit of the day - don't know what is causing that. She was better by evening.

We had spaghetti, garlic bread, and broccoli for supper.

Sunday evening

It has been a long, rainy day. I got a call last night from one of the church members who usually comes by bus, asking for a ride today because of the predicted rain. I was glad to do so.

It wasn't raining when I left for church but after the church service started I could hear it really coming down outside.

We had a meeting after church to discuss some of the options given us by the district superintendant at the church conference.

When I finally got home we fixed lunch at home. We had salisbury steaks, potatoes, green beans, and corn on the cob.

I wasn't feeling too well and took a nap for an hour or so. This weather gives me a little sinus headache. I'm feeling better now but it is raining steadily again.

Saturday night - a long day

Sis got home from her church retreat this afternoon.

I agreed to help serve lunch at the church to a group of volunteers from another church. They planted trees and plants in our courtyard and put down mulch. Sis made up bowls of egg salad and tuna salad and I made sandwiches out of that and pimiento cheese spread and brought three trays of them. The pastor is out of town today but she bought soft drinks and cookies to serve them. We also brought some potato chips. So we just put everything out on a buffet table in the fellowship hall at noon and let them serve themselves. Two other ladies came to help serve also.

I left before the volunteers had finished their work in the courtyard so I'll have to wait until tomorrow to see how it turned out.

Sis does a lot of crocheting and other crafts. She had our third bedroom all set up for her craft room, but she had so much stuff in there she could hardly move around. So over the last couple of weeks she bagged up a whole lot of it that she doesn’t use anymore and donated it to a thrift shop near us. They were glad to get it.

Right now she is working on crocheting chemo caps. She has some other crocheting projects that she has either started on or plans to.

I don’t do crafts, but I sure do love to read. I have two six-foot high bookcases that my husband built me and I have them full of books. I also have books on smaller bookshelves throughout the house, as well as on my bookcase headboard and stacked in the corners. I re-read the ones I really like, so I don’t like to get rid of too many of them.

I picked up some extra Thanksgiving-type stuff to donate to our food pantry. They will be open on November 18th and will try to put as much things in for Thanksgiving as they can. I brought 10 boxes of Stove Top Stuffing, 10 packages of gravy mix, and 2 cans of cranberry sauce. They ordered turkeys from the food bank and the things they usually give out, such as rice and beans, fruit, canned green beans, etc. Sis usually picks up bread at the bread outlet store and donates enough for the number of families that usually come. They usually give out food to nearly 100 families a month. With the economy the way it is right now, there are more families than ever that are having a hard time making ends meet.

Friday night

It was very foggy when I left for work this morning, but warmed up into the 70's during the day.

Sis is on an overnight church retreat and will be back sometime tomorrow afternoon.

i got my hair done this afternoon, went to a garage sale a couple of streets over from my house, and got groceries. The garage sale was a moving sale for a member of our church. I bought a one-cup coffeemaker, a desk lamp, and a cake plate.

I got a coupon in the mail today for a free meal at the new IHOP Express that just opened near us, so I turned it in for a turkey club sandwich with onion rings and brought it home for my supper. It was delicious and almost more than I could eat. I could (and should) have made two meals out of it.

Too early Friday morning

I'm being a night owl tonight. I couldn't sleep .

Sis and some of the other church ladies are going on a retreat today, but it will just be a 2-day one. They will be back tomorrow afternoon.

I will be busy helping out at my church. A group of young people from another church will be coming tomorrow morning to spruce up our courtyard and plant some trees and plants and spread mulch. We will be providing lunch for them and I will be taking sandwiches and chips and helping serve and clean up.

One of the ladies from our church is having an estate sale today and tomorrow and I hope to find time to get to that too. Her husband died not long ago and she moved to a senior citizen apartment building on the other side of town. She had lived just two or three streets over from me.

Precious just came wandering out, so I had to turn off the alarm and let her out. When she comes back in, I'll go back to bed and try for another hour or two of sleep.

Thursday night

Sis is feeding pastor's cats again while she is gone.

We had fish and broccoli for supper.

Thursday

Another beautiful day.

My 2-year contract for my cell phone will expire in January and I have been researching phones. When I looked at the reviews for the different phones available, it made me think more seriously about just keeping the one I already have. I have the "new every 2" feature but the ones available don't tempt me to change. The only problem I have with the one I already have is that I have to keep tape on the lid to the battery compartment to keep it from falling off.

From the reviews I have read, many other models also have that problem.

Each phone I've upgraded to in the past has required a lot of adjustment. My favorite ringtones were not available on the new phone - or the ability to assign pictures and/or ringtones to individual callers. I have that with my current phone.

The more I write, the more convinced I am that I'd better stick with what I have.

Wed night

Today was a beautiful day. It was around 50 when I got up this morning and got up into the mid-70's.

We had Subway tuna sandwiches for lunch and meat loaf and vegetables for supper.

There were several meetings and activities going on at church today but none that I had to attend.

Tues night - Nov 3

There isn't much to write tonight. I was pretty busy at work.

Sis brought us each a What-a-burger hamburger for lunch.

We just had sandwiches for supper.

The book I ordered from Amazon came today.

Monday night - Nov 2, 2009

After I got off work this afternoon we went to Wal-Mart and I picked up my prescription. Then we went to IHOP and ate supper. It was rather decadent: pecan pie pancakes, scrambled eggs and hash browns and hazelnut coffee. But it was delicious.

Sun, Nov 1, 2009

It was light when I got up this morning. What a difference an hour makes. But tonight was another story. It seemed to get dark so early and even though it is only 8:47 p.m. it seems like the middle of the night.

After church this morning we went to El Tipico's. They recently reopened after being closed for remodeling for about a year. I had grilled Monterey Steak, baked potato, salad and roll. It was delicious. I brought part of mine home for another meal.

We went on to Wal-Mart and I ordered a refill of my blood pressure medicine. They said it wouldn't be ready until 4:00 p.m. so I decided to go back tomorrow after I get off work and pick it up.

For supper we had pancakes.