Happy Birthday, Alex!

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My next to the oldest grandchild, Alex, turned 29 today.  How can that be?!?  Here he is at four.  It took me a bit to figure out how to transfer a photo from my/Woody's laptop.  I use a Windows device so rarely these days that I struggle when I turn the laptop on.  But I had Payton fix the laptop so it can communicate with my iPhone.  That way I can get a photo that is on the laptop over to my Apple devices…Windows laptop to iPhone to iPad to blog.  Phew!  But…I managed!  I couldn’t user a baby photo of Alex, as I didn't have a digital camera back then. Well, I could have used one, but that would have been an altogether different process!  One process was enough for tonight!

Today I spent time in another happy place in my home…the kitchen.  I haven't done a lot of cooking lately…really haven't done much cooking since I got back from Alaska…just enough to get by…hadn't really felt like making a recipe that involved much time or effort.  For some reason this week I felt like making Swedish Meatballs.  So today I spent a good part of the morning and afternoon making that recipe.  There is a bit of a funny story behind this recipe.  It happens to be in the notebook that I collected recipes that were okay to make for Woody on his restricted kidney/dialysis diet.  One time when Woody was in the hospital, he got a craving and decided that he wanted Swedish meatballs.  Not a recipe that I had made him before, but something he decided he wanted…perhaps he saw it on a cooking show on TV.  Anyway, I took it upon myself to fine a recipe that I could adapt to his dietary needs.  So when he got out of the hospital, I gathered the ingredients and set to work to make them for him.  I set them before him and this wasn't what he had had in mind that Swedish meatballs were.  I don't think that we ever figured out just what recipe he had had in mind!  He did try them, but they didn't come up to his expectations.  I enjoyed them and kept the recipe…so recreated that recipe today and plan to enjoy them…but wonder what recipe Woody really wanted.  It got harder and harder to find food that appealed to Woody in his last years…one reason being that he wasn't too thrilled with his diet restrictions and another reason he just wasn't interested in food like he had been for most of the years of our marriage.  He always told me that he would try anything that I cooked…he might not want me to make it again…but he was willing to try anything once.  And, for most of the years of our marriage, he was very easy to please…but in the last couple years of his life his taste and willingness to be adventurous in his eating definitely left…what he used to like, he no longer did and he developed weird requests or just didn't want to eat.  My joy of cooking left for a period of time during those last years.  My love of cooking has returned…but…I will admit that sometimes it is just easier to cook the easiest thing and I don't try new recipes like I used to…prefer tried and true recipes these days.  

To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious! 

Friday Doings

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The Butchart Gardens, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

I didn't get off to do my Kroger shopping as early as I had planned…so much for plans!  But, I will say, I think that the later I go to Kroger on Friday, the more people I know in the store…lots of shopping and visiting!  

One of the reasons that I didn't get off as early as I planned was that I was reading.  I don't know if you like to read or not…but for me there often gets to a point in a book that I just want to keep reading and not do anything else until I find out exactly what is going on.  That is what happened to me this morning.  I have been reading this book for several days and was enjoying the story, but it was just going along as I expected…so this morning there was a twist and something that I hadn't expected happened…then I just wanted to continue reading till I found out more.  I did finally set it aside and I did go to the store, came home and put the groceries away.  I have done very little stitching because I would rather read.  I did get my wash caught up.  I still have to take my clean clothes upstairs and put them away…then I plan to get back to reading.  I’m not sure that much stitching will happen this evening! I just want to finish the book! 

To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious! 

This is Thursday

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Today's plan was to run the errands that I didn't run yesterday due to an accident that caused power outage in the area of Walmart.  I was going to go this morning, but it started raining lightly about the time that I planned to head out.  I decided to wait for a while since the rain seemed to be leaving us early afternoon.  I did a few things around the house that needed to be done and then decided that I would head upstairs to my sewing room…one of my happy places!  I did some straightening up in there and then did a couple of things that needed a little sewing to fix them…hand sewing.  I never turned on my machine, but enjoyed some time in the sewing room.  I keep telling myself that I want to get back to sewing…but so far I haven't listened to myself…maybe one of these days.  I did open the closet door and look at some fabric hanging in there…trying to get inspired to get back to doing some garment sewing.  

I did run my errands after lunch.  It ended up being a good time to head out.  There was next to no one in the Credit Union and I was able to take care of a birthday gift for a grandchild…my next to the oldest adds another year to his age this weekend.  Then I headed on to Walmart and it wasn't all that busy there, either.  I found the few things that I needed and got checked out by a real person and didn't have to wait in a line…a good thing!  On my way home from Walmart, I called Cheryl…she often calls me on her way to or from someplace so I did the same today.  Given the difference in where we live…me…small town and she…large city…my time in the car to get home doesn't take too long.  We did talk a bit longer than my trip home took!  

Since getting home, I found some time to do some more stitching and also fit in a nap.  I had planned to do some cooking, but decided that I could put that off till tomorrow.  

To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious! 

Lazy Wednesday

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It has been one of those days that I just didn't feel like doing a lot…so I didn't.  I have read some and have done some stitching.  I thought about running an errand or two, but then found out that a power pole/line had been knocked down due to an accident on the street that runs by so many businesses and that there was some power outage.  I decided that the proximity of WalMart to the power line that they might be without power so I would go another time.  And, I found out when I was talking to Ruth a little while ago that WalMart was without power for a time today…so glad that I didn't go.  Maybe I’ll go tomorrow!  I have enjoyed a do-nothing day…nice to have days like this at times.  Nice to not have anything that has to be done at home or any place that I need to go.  I just have to keep reminding myself about what day it is…helps that yesterday I worked in the library…so library day is Tuesday…thus my brain figured out it is Wednesday! 

To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious! 

Typical Tuesday

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Last night I decided that I was going to set today aside to work on my stitching of Christmas ornaments.  And, I have made a little more progress on the Christmas ornament that I’m currently stitching.  While stitching I watched a cooking show on TV.  For lunch I made a vegetable medley from garden veggies that Melany brought me yesterday.Tasted pretty good.  After lunch, Donna and I worked in the church library.  It's so nice to have a computer once again.  We continue to attempt to get things current in the computer…quite a few books were checked out and in “on paper" while we were without a computer…so some things are currently checked out but not in the computer records and some things have been checked in while we had no computer so computer doesn't know they are on the shelves.  Today we found quite a few books on the shelves that the computer didn't know had been returned…so we got the computer closer to up to date.  I came home planning to sit down and stitch…but a nap time took the place of stitching time. I woke up and got the trash taken out to the road for pick up tomorrow.  Now I plan to get back to stitching and watching TV.  I got a text and photo from Melany a little while ago showing me that she had gotten started on one of the stitching projects that we chose fabric and floss for yesterday.  So Melany is in her happy place and I am about to go to one of my happy places.

To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious! 

Busy Monday

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Tonight's photo is a Monkey Puzzle tree at the Butchart Gsrdens, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

Today was busy from beginning to end.  Melany came this morning.  She brought a Christmas stocking that she had cross stitched for me to sew into a stocking.  We got that planned out and set aside for me to do between now and when she decorates for Christmas.  Then we did some preparation for her to do some stitching.  I serged around the fabric that she is going to use so it won’t fray when she is stitching it.  Then she worked on choosing floss colors for her planned projects.  She left all ready to get going on a new project.  She has plenty to keep her busy in the stitching department for a while.  We also cleaned and filled my hummingbird feeders.  I can do all but the one that has the camera in it.  Cheryl and I had problem with it when we attempted to fill it back when she was here…and it was no different today.  But I think I now know that you can barely put any nectar in it so it won't come out the little flower holes…we think it is a design flaw and that there is too much water pressure if it is filled with as much as it seems it was planned to hold.  But my hummingbirds can be happy once again…three feeders.  My bird cam showed me that a ruby-throated hummingbird has been coming to my feeders.  Melany and I had a good time visiting during all our activities.  

Not long after Melany left, it was time to head to church for prayer meeting.  So like I said…busy from start to finish.  And, I am now ready for my chair and hopefully some stitching of my own.  

To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious! 

Sunday Alaska (Well, Canada) Favorite

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