Simple Sunday and Happy Mother’s Day

Posted in Uncategorized, Myeloma, Walking, California, home stuff, swimming, knee injury by

It’s a beautiful day here in N CA. The weather is just great. We just got back from our walk and the park was empty except for the many Canada goose families. Yesterday I did 1.6 miles so I’m getting close to my 2-mile goal. My knee did feel a little stressed after that but it seems to pass more quickly now. I’m also wearing my brace less and less.

A Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there of human kids or furry kids.

My son plans to do a lunch BBQ for us all and then head off to Sacramento to move more stuff into their apartment.

The week ahead looks good. I have my doctor appt on Thursday and I will want to discuss the dex stuff and my thinning hair from either dex or Velcade. I’ve lost almost 40% of my hair and it’s quite upsetting. I’m not sure if it’s dex or Velcade or both. I checked on the Facebook myeloma group and a few people did say it was a side effect of Velcade. But a couple of people said Dex. And then I vaguely remembered going to my primary care doctor years ago when I was in treatment(2015) for hair loss and I remember him saying probably dex. The biggest problem with dex is raising my blood pressure so that’s what I’ll focus on. Either lowering the dose or dropping it and see how my numbers go. Of course, I’ll see what his expert opinion is.

Other than that I plan on swimming and the gym and the library.

We haven’t heard from the people who were going to do the bathroom so I guess we’ll need to start over looking for someone to at least get the plumbing done. sigh:(….

Thankful Thursday and Frugal Friday on Saturday

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It was a rough couple of days prepping for the colonoscopy. My last meal was 6:30 on Wednesday and then I didn’t eat again till Friday at almost 2pm.

I am VERY grateful it is over and nothing serious came up. I had 2 polyps which was fantastic and I guess they were small. I think they still do pathology because they are polyps but I’m not worried. The worst was being so bored on Thursday, having no energy to do anything and then taking the first prep at 6pm. Then the next worst was getting up to go into the bathroom 5 thousand times. We only have one bathroom so I felt bad for everyone else.

I am grateful though, I slept ok that night. The next morning the prep was at 5:30 am and wasn’t quite as intense. Then no water after 7:30 so that was tough too.

I’m grateful for the nurses and the doctor. He’s the one who did the last one.

The frugalness was not spending any money or even thinking about money. My brain was definitely fuzzy and unfocused. I didn’t even read just laid around.

Earlier in the week, we did a WinCo shop since I did need a few things. I think that came in around$100. Katy from the Non-Consumer advocate was just blogging about the prices at Winco and how great they are. I agreed and we are lucky that our Winco is in a nice area and not too sketchy. I don’t think I’d shop there at 10pm but overall in the mornings, it’s nice.

Today is a home day although I wanted to go to the farmers market, I decided to do stuff around the house and then do a meal plan for the week.

Tomorrow is Mother’s Day and my kids are planning to do a BBQ for me. That’ll be nice. My son is in the process of moving out so he’ll use B’s truck again to move a few more things. He’s still planning on working from here next week as his internet isn’t hooked up yet. I think in the future he’ll spend a few nights here too as he’ll need to go into the Auburn office 2 days a week.

Our weather is just beautiful. Yesterday, for dinner, we used the Weber for the first time and ate outside. It was in the low 80’s. Today looks the same.

We walked a bit earlier and I think tomorrow we will try to get there maybe 10 minutes earlier. My eyes are very light sensitive which is one reason I walk early.

Warming up

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We are going to be getting very nice warm weather over the next 10 days. In the 80’s even. Most of the weed eating is done so that’s good. B probably still needs to do one last weed eat before it all dries out. And with the warm weather comes having to start watering. The big rain we had on Saturday did help but things dry out quickly.

We have the tomatoes planted and the peppers too so they might need watering later in the week.

I’ve been keeping meals very simple partly because I want to use stuff up but also with the colonoscopy, there’s no solid food for the day before only liquids so I’ve been practicing by not having anything too heavy. Last night I used the last 2 tilapia and had a spring roll on the side. I might see what soups I have in the pantry for tonight.

Today I plan on going to the gym and dropping off books at the library. I read Thomas Perry’s new book ‘Hero’. It was good not great but good. I also read Grisham’s new book,’ The Exchange’, about the lawyer who exposed the bad ones in ‘ The Firm’. It was ok not great but a good read. I think I’ve read all the Craig Johnston but I I will check and his new one is coming out this month. I have it on hold at the library already.

I was home yesterday and finished the kitchen zone and the bathroom. We’re still waiting on a date when a plumber can come. If we don’t hear from this one we’ll need to go back to our list and pick another plumber. I figure with everything happening this week ( with me and my son’s big move-out date) the earliest would be next week and the one plumber couldn’t do it then. We’re still trying to figure it out but I’m sure it’ll come together. Also, this week was finals week at Sierra College so my daughter was working late in case students needed help with research projects.

Sunday is Mother’s Day and we decided to do a BBQ at lunch or early afternoon. My son will still be trying to move stuff into his new apartment so I want him to feel he can be here for a bit and then leave to take more things. The apartment is in Sacramento so he will need to come up to Auburn 2 days a week to work. His partner, Alia, doesn’t work remotely so that’s why they chose Sacramento. They are well suited to each other and I’m happy for him. It’s a big step for him.

Simple Sunday

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HAPPY CINCO DE MAYO!!!

A cloudy Sunday morning walk but it was still nice. I did 1.4 miles so it’s getting there. I’m still aiming at getting to the 2-mile mark, hopefully by summer. Next week is a bit hit or miss with my procedure and of course the day before of no food, just clear liquids. It’ll be fine just an inconvenience.

We got the Ikea stuff for the bathroom so we’re set there. It’s a small sink cabinet and a mirrored medicine cabinet. The cabinet has 2 shelves, which will help to put a few things in.

I’m planning some kind of Mexican food for tonight, maybe nachos. I have beans, corn chips, avocados, cheese, and sour cream so that seems a go. Oh, and we have a whole bed of cilantro to make salsa!!

That’s it for this post, I want to tidy up things and then read.

Rainy Saturday

Posted in books, California, cooking, home improvement, home stuff, husband, reading, Uncategorized, Walking by

We were able to get our walk in before the rain started. It’s supposed to rain all day and quite a bit. Well, we always need the rain maybe not the wind but certainly the rain.

Today is a home day and not a swim day. I plan on making a big pot of broccoli cheddar soup. I need to use the big bag I got from Costco. We’ll probably have that for dinner plus baked potatoes. I got the bakers at Costco too and plan on doing twice-baked potatoes. I usually start with 12-14 potatoes and then after I bake them, cut them in half and fill them with the cheese, and potato mixture. I usually end up with 12 half potatoes because I mound the filling. These do freeze great and are an easy meal with salad.

B got the new window in yesterday and it looks fresh and clean. We opted for no grids. All of the other windows( except the sunroom)have grids but as we replace the windows we are going for gridless windows.

We’re working our way through watching Inspector Lynley. We have the 3rd season to watch. It’s a great show and Lynley is a good character. I’m reading another Longmire book now. I am so impressed with the way he writes and how he brings in so much cultural stuff about the Cheyenne and Crow. Very different from Hillerman and the Southwest. In this one” As the Crow flies’, he takes part in a peyote ceremony. It was pretty accurate in his description. I’ve done peyote 3 times( B says, he thinks it was only 2) and it is a very mind altering/spiritual experience. Of course, I was in my 20’s and early 30’s and very much into the whole Native American thing. We also have had 2 teepees. The first one was given to us by a friend and it was painted with different Indian motifs. That one finally fell apart and we bought one from a company in Oregon. When we moved here we set it up and used it till it too finally deteriorated. We used to smudge our house and ourselves with sage as a way to cleanse negative energy. I haven’t done that for years but I still have some abalone shells that we used for that purpose. Longmire is in his early 50’s when he does peyote and also the character is very tuned into the whole spiritual side of the Native American, Cheyenne in his case. Anyway, I digress, they are great books!

Frugal Friday

Posted in Blood test, California, cancer, frugalism, home stuff, Myeloma by

It was a good week overall. We did the extra Costco trip for the tent for camping and the rest of the stuff on sale. Vitamins were on the list, laundry soap, Kerrygold butter, and misc. I think food came out to $200 and nonfood to $100. So not too bad really. I wanted to go to Trader Joe’s but it just didn’t work out time-wise. Probably next week or the week after I’ll add in a TJ’s trip.

My new Levi’s showed up and I like the lighter blue color. My oldest pair are now pretty ripped in the knee area but I’ll still keep them and maybe turn them into shorts.

We’ve been buying the stuff for the bathroom remodel but that’s separate from other bills. We plan on white subway tiles with a grey grout and the floor a waterproof vinyl. I wanted the small black and white octagons for the floor but after looking at them I decided that wasn’t quite what I wanted. We found some nice looking vinyl that looks like slate. Sunday we plan on going to Ikea for the bathroom vanity and medicine cabinet. It’ll all take some time but we’ll get there.

Tonight is a homemade pizza so not takeout. I’m trying to think if we had anything out and I don’t think so. Usually after swimming it’s too early to get something for lunch. Our favorite Mexican place doesn’t open till 11 am so I’m usually home way before that.

Next week is my colonoscopy so we might do lunch out earlier in the week. I’ll be glad when this is over.

I’m hoping to swim at least once next week before the procedure and also go to the gym once. We’ll see how it all goes.

My kappa light chains went up just a tiny bit(19.5) so a smidgen above high normal(19.4), so nothing to worry about. My next infusion isn’t until the end of May and I see my doctor before that so I can discuss lowering the dex again.

Thankful Thursday

Posted in California, Gratitude, swimming by

I do appreciate and am thankful we live in such a beautiful area. I’ve traveled the country numerous times(driving) and I don’t think there is a more beautiful area than the Sierras. Of course, every area has beauty. I loved living in Tucson in the 70’s with the saguaros, ocotillos and, the native American vibe. I also loved Santa Fe with its amazing architecture. Having grown up in NY, I did love the woods behind our house where I spent many hours but overall, to me, the East Coast is weathered and old and the towns seemed so close together. Of course, we have LA and San Francisco in California but where we are we have lots of national forests and space. I need space. I need space around me.

I am thankful then for being able to drive to Roseville( lots of people) to go to the pool but then in 20 + minutes be back home with space around me.

I’m so grateful that my children are happy and have good jobs which they love. They both found ways to pay for their educations and were lucky to get good jobs. My daughter won a full scholarship to UC Santa Cruz. And for her Library Science degree, she did some student loans. My son cash flowed his degree at CSUS and is now employed by the state. I’m very proud of them for their accomplishments. Nothing was just handed to them but we didn’t have the money anyway. I’m sure if we did we would have paid gladly. We did help where we could with buying books, and other things we could swing.

I’m grateful for a supportive husband who does so much around here. He just finished most of the weed eating and it’s a lot. Two of our neighbors haven’t done any weed eating and their grass is 1 1/2 ft high and a fire danger. Hopefully, they will get to it.

Having gratitude for the small things in life, I think, makes all the difference in the world. Yes, when the big things come along it’s easy to be thankful for those but it’s really the everyday small things that make all the difference. Watching the sun come up at an earlier time every day, the way the light is changing in the evening to that Maxwell Parish blue this time of year, and a thousand other ways to appreciate the life we’re given.

On a political note, I’m thankful that the judge in tRumps trial is fair and ruling with the law on things such as the gag order. Anyone else would be sitting in jail for contempt of the court.

Menu for the week and other misc.

Posted in Blood test, books, California, cooking, Gardening, home improvement, home stuff, meal planning, reading by

Last night neither of us felt like much dinner so I made a ramen bowl with tofu and a hardboiled egg. We like the spicy chili ramen.

I’m planning a few freezer meals to use things up.

lasagna is going to be first with some salad

scrambled tofu with zucchini I bought at Costco( probably won’t do that again since it is a lot of squash:( )

homemade mac and cheese and use more of the fish sticks up. (Costco has the big bags and they are good for a quick dinner). Salad stuff.

I have some naan bread in the freezer from Costco too, so I’ll make a curry for that. either tofu or chickpea. I like the Trader Joe’s red curry sauce. I have some frozen veggies I can throw in and use them up.

I made a recipe from Steve Sando’s Rancho Gordo cookbook. It was a chili using black beans and zucchini. It was a big hit and we all really loved the depth of flavor.

I have some goat cheese to use up so I might do a frittata.

I have a bag of broccoli( from Costco) and I’ll make a broccoli cheddar soup.

Yesterday, after my labs, I went to the gym and then the library. I didn’t have any holds but I dropped off 3 of the books I finished with and picked up a few books off the new shelf. Currently, I reading the very first Longmire book which is The Cold Dish. He writes so well and I love the history he brings into the books.

I had planned on swimming today and then Costco to pick up a tent that’s on sale but then just didn’t feel like it so it’ll be a home day. My daughter is planning to come up to Tahoe and spend a night( her birthday) and the trailer is too small so we thought we’d get a tent. We happened to see one when we were leaving last week so we thought we should get while it’s on sale. Plus, there were a few more sale things I didn’t get like the Kerry Gold butter. I think we’ll try tomorrow.

Today B is going to go to the plumbing place and order the shower pan and drain. The good news is he reached out on our local chit chat and asked about a plumber and got a few responses. So one guy showed up yesterday and gave us an estimate on the plumbing and even doing the tile. It was a reasonable estimate so we’re going to go with that. B still needs to take down the dry wall and open it up where the pipes will go. With the claw foot tub, the pipes are outside the wall so that needs to get changed. We might go into Home Depot tomorrow to buy the subway tile for the walls. We’re just planning white with a light grey mortar. Simple yet elegant( I hope). I’m hoping to do the floor in black and white tiles like you would see in a Parisian bathroom. Our bathroom is so small but I think the small octagon tiles will look good. I saw where you buy them as a sheet so that’ll make it easier to put down.

California poppies!!

more, flowers.

Wisteria. It’s almost done blooming.

Red clover. That tree in the background is a liquid amber that must have started as a seed from the park. It’s gotten quite big.

Simple Sunday

Posted in Blood test, books, California, cancer, cooking, Flylady, Gardening, Myeloma, reading, Uncategorized by

Another week has gone by and it was an ok one with Vecade and Dex. I had a hard time again with Dex and my BP so when I see the Dr in May, I’ll tell him and ask that we reduce it further. Right now I’m on 16 mg down from 20mg but it’s still too much I think for me. My BP was high all day and then started going back down by afternoon and by 5 pm was 120/82 so back in a good range.

This morning we had our Sunday walk and it’s very light out now at 5;50 am. It was only us and the geese.

There are lots of babies!

Today, I’m skipping the Auburn gym and going to the nursery with my daughter. We need to get the tomato starts and some other things as well. We always enjoy going and looking at the flowers and everything. I plan on going down to Maheny tomorrow so I’m ok skipping today.

I have my labs at 8 am and then I’ll drive down and do a workout and drop off a couple of the books I read. The Hannah Kristen, “The Women” is a phenomenal book about the nurses in VietNam. She obviously did an amazing amount of research. I’m not sure I like how she developed the character after she returns from VN. It seems to me she could have taken the character in a different direction. I don’t want to spoil it in case you haven’t read it, but if you’ve read it, what do you think?

This week is not too busy which I always appreciate. I plan on going to the pool 2x and then maybe one other gym day. Next week is the dreaded colonoscopy so the week will be different.

Menu wise, I’m still working on it. I’m going to make some polenta for tonight to have with black beans and salad. The rest of the week, I’ll need to plan. I do have some zucchini to use so maybe a ratatouile over rice.

The Flylady zone is the living room and entry ways. My daughter recently redid the one entry with new plants and tidied it up so I won’t need to do that. I have the red geraniums from Costco I can plant in some pots to put by the other door.

I can’t believe May starts this week. May is one of my favorite months as my daughter was born and what a gift she was/is to us. I think I’ve mentioned this before but we had been married 15 years before we had her and used a fertility drug to stimulate an ovulation. It worked like a charm so to speak and we were pregnant. Wonderful memories and I loved being pregnant. She’ll be 39 in May. Where does the time go?

Frugal Friday

Posted in bread, budgeting, budgets, California, cancer, cooking, frugalism, library, LLS, swimming by

Since this was the first week of my May Budget we didn’t spend much. Costco we were able to use our rebate of $117 so that helped. The total was $345. So the breakdown was $190 for food, $109 non food, and $46 for alcohol which was B’s Sierra Pale Ale at $30 which comes out of his personal money, and $16 for 2 rose Proseccos. this was all paid with cash from my envelopes.

It was a lot of food and much of it will last more than 2 weeks.

We filled up with Costco gas which is the cheapest around. I’m trying to keep the tank at least half full.

After infusion yesterday, I added in the trip to the library to get my holds. I had 8. I was thrilled to see a brand new copy of Hannah Kristen’s The Women. I’m excited to start that. I thought of going into the gym but felt after infusion, to skip it. Just for reference, the gym is right next to the library.

We bought some tacos on the way back from Costco so we didn’t come home starving. I think that was $21. but I had 2 things, B had 2 things and a milkshake and I brought home a burrito for my daughter. Other than that no eating out. I did meet up for a coffee at our local cafe with my library buddies though.

Today is dex day so a home day for me. I don’t walk on Dex mornings as my BP is up and my breathing is affected( sort of shortness of breath). I have the sourdough boule in the oven already and plan to make a chicken salad with cranberries and pecans later.

Last night I made a brinner of scrambled eggs with Bourison, fried potatoes with mushrooms topped with cheese, buttermilk biscuits, and strawberries on the side.

It’s cloudy today and we might have a few sprinkles.

We finished Season 10 of Doc Martin( the final one). It was ok. Nothing too new but fun to see Portwenn. We’re still working on Lynley which I do like.

I did buy a new swimcap from Amazon. My old one was from when we went to Florida for UNFI’s awards and there was a saltwater pool that I swam in. So that’s 2016 I think. Actually, it may be older but I can’t place it. I won’t be back in the water till next week because tomorrow is still a no-drive day.

Budget wise all the bills are accounted for in May. Once my LLS comes in I’ll make another cc payment to get the Allstate insurance paid off. My award ends in June so I hope there is funding available. Last time it took almost 3 months.

I go for my labs on Monday so I do plan on driving down to Maheny (gym) after that. The pool is too close as it closes for laps at 9:25.