After reading about the severe cold in the south and midwest, our weather is something to be thankful for. I love living in California and am so grateful that we have a conscientious governor despite what the orange king has to say!
I’m grateful my LLS grant money came for my insurance. It makes a huge difference. Without it, I’m quite sure we would be struggling money-wise.
I’m immensely grateful that B is feeling so good for now. He’s doing all kinds of chores and is outside a lot of the day. Soon enough, with the Stanford surgery, it’ll be different but for now, it’s great. He still doesn’t have a date for the laparoscopy but hopefully soon.
I’m grateful for the other usual things, the Mike Shelito pool, the gym, and how well Roseville Parks takes care of things. It is much appreciated. If there was one other place I’d move to, besides Tahoe or Capitola, it would be Roseville. The former two would be beyond anything we could afford although if we had bought in the 70’s or 80’s it would be worth a fortune now. So much for hindsight.
I’m thankful for family and the support we all give each other. I do miss my sister, Heidi, even if we weren’t that close, she was still there and very supportive.
Well, that’s it from mi casa. Today is mostly a home day. I want to catch up on some house things and then pop into town to go to the bank.
It’s a chilly morning here in N. Ca. I hope the fires are under control in SoCal. what a thing to go through. We live in a high fire danger area and so many insurance companies have dropped policies. What is going to happen with the cost of policies now? I’m sure everyone’s is going up.
I’m thankful for a warm house and we have enough wood to get through. I think next year ( this coming winter) we’ll need to buy wood. I don’t see B getting the wood splitter going and going to get wood. We could take some more small oaks down in the woods, so maybe that’ll happen.
I’m thankful we’ve all been healthy( of course that is somewhat relative with cancer) but still no colds or flu here. Although I do have some sinus stuff going on but hopefully that’s just seasonal stuff.
I’m thankful, as always, that we can pay our bills with our SS. We don’t have ‘extra’ but we have enough! Of course, I’d love to re do the kitchen and fix our foundation but it is what it is.
Speaking of money, I’m very grateful to LLS that gives me a grant for Myeloma and pays my insurance. Without that, we would be struggling. Insurance adds up.
I’m thankful for this time in my life. It is hard getting older. It is a gift though to reach 72. Lots of people don’t. So I try to do the best I can and I’m thankful for that.
The VW should be done today or tomorrow. The mechanic said it needed lots of things fixed, hmm, yes, we know that) but we said just do the starter, battery, and an oil change. It’ll come in @ $ 1200 I think. I have $300 in my auto repair envelope and then I’ll put the rest on my card. Not ideal but needs must.
I plan on going to the gym this morning. Then we have the video visit with Stanford. Plus I’m soaking pinto beans to can so I’ll try and get the canner going after I get home.
Well, we made it to the end of the year. After the election, I pretty much haven’t read too much news. Little blips come in now and then but overall, I think my mental health is better for it.
I’m dreading frump taking office. It’s beyond comprehension how he can stand at that podium and take the oath of office after everything he’s done. I’m convinced he’ll go down in history as the worst president EVER. It’s going to be a shit storm for sure. Well, I can only control myself and my little world, so I’ll focus on that.
I was planning on staying home today but I need to return an Amazon purchase. I accidentally clicked on 2 of a calendar and I don’t need two calendars. Since I’ll be in town, I’ll get the veggies for the fondue tonight. if my daughter comes with me, she mentioned needing to go to Target.
The dinner menu was simple for the week :
Pasta bake from the freezer
Costco’s vegetable soup and rolls
fondue (tonight)
nut loaf and potatoes from the freezer
pizza of some sort
something else from the freezer
tofu scramble with leftover veggies
Lots of simple meals this week.
I have a few goals for 2025 but mostly it’s maintaining my swimming, gym workouts, and walking.
I’d like to add finding one new place to camp with full hook-ups and going to the coast, but so much depends on how the surgery goes and recovery. And as of right now, we don’t even know if that’s what will happen. If he gets the green light then we need to plan hotel stays and how that is going to all work out with me staying there. As far as we know B would be in the hospital for probably 2 weeks and then I’m not sure if he needs to stay within 15 minutes of the hospital like he did at UCD. If so we will need something like an extended stay hotel. I guess we’ll know by mid-January as that’s when Dr. Lee is back from vacation.
I could think of lots of other things I’d like to set as goals but I don’t want to commit to anything.
Around the house and yard, we need another carport as the one over the VW broke in the summer. We need to budget for garden stuff.
The VW needs a starter and battery so that needs to be budgeted.
I’d like to start painting some of the rooms, especially the living room.
Anything with remodeling the kitchen is totally on hold as we just don’t have money but we do need a new stove so that will get budgeted. Our stove has knobs on the front and because it’s about 10 years old the knobs will turn on if you lean over the stove and that is way dangerous. We’re all aware of it, so we’re careful but it has happened and then you can smell gas. I think I can find a good stove for around $1000. The one we have is Whirpool and it’s been a great stove except for this knob issue. I’ll check Costco first and then Lowes or Home Depot.
Of course, I’d like to keep minimizing things around the house and making sure we have only the things we need, use, and love. Mostly, that’s just keeping on top of hot spots like the entry way because things do pile up there.
Financially, have most of my cash envelopes fully funded for annual bills. That does take some effort as SS only goes so far. Right now, I have $70 for car maintenance so that needs some money for the VW repair. I’m sure it’s going to be around $1000.
As always, we’ll see what happens.
Wishing you a happy new Year!! “let’s hope it’s a good one without any fear” John Lennon.
The rain is still with us and the storm gates are open. Santa Cruz really got hit hard with the wharf breaking off. I was hoping to walk this morning so as of 6am , it’s still raining so I see how it is in 30 minutes. I can walk a little later if it stops.
I have most Christmas stuff away. The little tree in the living room just has the lights on it, so I may leave that up a day or two more. Otherwise, Christmas is over.
i went down to the pool yesterday and it was AWFUL. I can count on one hand how many times it has been crazy busy and does not invite swimming. I waited 10 minutes and then did get a lane to share. But the coast guard was training, then the college kids; maybe 15 of them were taking up most lanes. I almost left but glad I did my swim. next week I won’t be able to go at all because of New Year’s, it’s closed and then on Thursday I have my Velcade shot. I wore my new Apple watch to track swimming and it was fun. I still couldn’t remember how to unlock the water though. ( a feature to release any water if any in the watch). But when I came home my daughter showed me. I didn’t see any water come out.
I’m mainly using it to track sleep and sleep disturbances which basically is sleep apnea. So based on a week’s tracking, I was elevated every night which means some sleep apnea. This is giving me a good idea of my sleep patterns which was the main reason I bought it. I’m trying a few things, like no wine after 7pm and seeing if I can lose some weight. The thing is if I’ve had sleep apnea for years with no problems, then I’m not sure what it all means. Well, my appt with the sleep doctor isn’t till April so it gives me time to work on different things.
Budget wise, I have January’s budget in place. I don’t think we have any annual bills coming up so that’s a relief. I’m trying to get ahead with the spring annual bills like property tax but there’s not a lot left over to add when it’s all said and done. Still something is better than nothing. I’ve set the food budget at $500 for the 3 of us. That’s a little tight but I am going to try and use up freezer stuff. So far for food, I’ve spent $139. I plan on hitting Costco this week so that’ll add up. I don’t need a whole lot but buying from Costco means each item is more expensive though you get more. Plus that’s what stocking up is about.
In January, I need to buy some clothing items such as socks and a few T shirts. I think I’m ok on jeans, but may need a new polar fleece jacket. The one I have is LL Bean and it’s held up for 5 + years so I may get another one. Since I wear the same things daily( levis, T shirt, a demin shirt or flannel and my LL Bean fleece. some stuff does wear out. I’ll try to budget a $100 for January and see how it goes.
Today is a home day for me and I plan on cooking some brown rice and tidying the house. If I can kick the cats out, I’ll vacuum.:) they are spoiled!!!
It’s been a lot of driving back and forth to infusion and there’s still more this week. Yesterday, I dropped B off at 10 and picked him up at 2:45. Tomorrow he needs to be there at 11am so I plan on staying down there and doing a few things. Depending on the timing, I will hit up the old Costco( as it’s closest) and I think maybe the library. Tomorrow is platelets so they go faster than blood transfusions. This week is all about appts so I’m not even thinking about the gym or the pool. Next week, I can pick up the rhythm again.
This is his last chemo as far as we know and I’m so over it all. Next week he has a video visit with the UCD doctor and that should give us a good idea of the next steps. Cancer has a way of shifting priorities. There’s not much you can do but go with the flow of it.
Today, I have my doctor appt in Sacramento. After that, I need to pick up a prescription and maybe go to the bank. I need the insurance printout but I’ll see how I feel after getting back to town.
last night we had the black bean soup and it came out good. I never follow a recipe with it just black beans in the crockpot and chili powder, cumin, garlic, and paprika. I also made turkey chili and there’s plenty left over to have tonight or freeze. Of course, B doesn’t eat meat so it’ll just be me tonight as our daughter works late at the library.
I’ve been working on organizing my cash envelope binders and have one just for savings challenges. The challenges are fun and usually, I only do ones with $1 or $5 bills. I’m saving up for an LV GM agenda preloved. I think this is what I want to use as my daily book. Once I get it, I can get some inserts and use them to write my lists and plans. Right now I’m using a really nice Leuchtturm 1917 my son gave me for my birthday. The paper quality is really nice. I use a CrossFountain pen and it doesn’t bleed through. The LV GM is the largest agenda and will make it easier to write in. Well, that’s a ways off yet but maybe by February/March.
First off, B has done really well with this last chemo. He’s been engaged and has had energy(some). So that’s very positive.
Sunday night- we had spaghetti with Rao’s sauce and some meatballs
Monday- Tamales and rice with salad
Tuesday- Quiche of some sort
Wednesday- Brinner
Thursday- TBD??
Friday- I’ll do a pizza, either homemade or take out
Saturday- Soup of some sort, I’m thinking a split pea.
The pool was nice this morning but busy. Everyone was doubled up in the lanes. Then I went to Costco to return an item and got some ink for my HP printer. Also milk, eggs, bread, cookies, and some cheese.
Our weather continues to be lovely. Sunny and temperatures in the mid 60’s.
The rain has stopped and it’s patchy puffy clouds and some blue sky. It looks like the rain comes back in tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully some of the run off can be absorbed.
We had a nice walk this morning. The air was fresh from all the rain. We did see one of the park cats. I’m guessing he was dropped off. I hope he finds a new home.
I went in for my mammogram early and then to the gym. I was back home by 9 a.m., so it was a productive morning.
After I had breakfast, I started the IP with a chicken carcas to make broth. I’m not going to pressure can it but will freeze it. I might do a Avgolemono soup tonight so I’d need some for that. It’s one of my all time favorites.
Our new December budget start tomorrow. I hope it’s better than November. We had lots of extras to pay for and it made for a tight month. Next month includes Christmas but I have most of that done. Not all of it but most. The last big annual bill will be our property tax which I plan on doing this week. I had about half in my cash envelope so that helped but next year I will get it all in. I did fairly well with my annual bills using cash envelopes but I want to do better next year.
I’m roasting a pan of veggies for dinners this week. It has sweet potato, broccoli, red onion, mushrooms and cherry tomatoes. I can use this with rice for at least one meal.
I still need to mop the kitchen floor and then I’m done. I’ve finished reading all the Baldacci’s I had and really enjoyed them all. John Puller is an interesting character. The Simply Lies, is a stand alone and I like that one as well. Tuesday after I drop B off at infusion, I plan on going to the library so I can checkout a few more books.
The good news is that his hemoglobin went up to 10.4 so he had his chemo yesterday. I really do hope the 25% reduction helps keep his numbers at least above the cut-off for transfusions. I am very thankful he could do the chemo. So now we have to wait and see what will happen this round.
I’m certainly thankful that I could drop him off at Rocklin Infusion and then go down to the pool. It’s maybe 10 minutes away even with traffic.
Speaking of traffic, yesterday must have been crazy driver day. It started as I was getting on the freeway here in MV and a white BMW was right on my ass and then cut out in front of me and then swerved back right in front of me. I couldn’t believe it. How much of a hurry are you in? Anyway, I’m grateful there wasn’t an accident.
I’m thankful we have rain this morning. It’s only a drizzle but it is getting things wet. I decided not to walk. It’s going to take some time to adjust to fall behind on Sunday. Ugh….why can’t they pass the law and leave DLS in place?
The only thing I need to do is go in to get B’s anti-nausea medication. He thought he had gotten it but he didn’t. The pharmacy opens at 10 so I’ll go then.
I’ve been trying to teach myself how to use Canva. I wanted to make some vellum placeholders for my cash envelopes. I’m somewhat challenged in that department as I can never remember quite what to do. But I did get a template done so I was pleased. When I look on Etsy some of these placeholders or dashboards are $5-8 dollars a piece. I have bought some downloads in the past for my envelopes but generally those run about $4. Today I’m going to try a few more.
I thought about canceling my Washington Post subscription over Bezos not endourseing Harris but decided not to. Did anyone out there cancel their Post sub?
I might check out the NYT. Does anyone have both? Is it worth it?
So I spoke to soon. The shots are starting today at the infusion center. My daughter is taking him today and tomorrow as I have my Flu/COVID shot today and almost always have muscle aches and feel lousy for 24+ hours. Then Sunday the center is closed so then I will take him on Monday. The only time they had Tuesday was 4:30 and I said no way am I driving Ca 65 at that time. So I do hope they can change it otherwise he’ll have to skip that day. He absolutely cannot drive himself as he’s really not computing.
It is very stressful to have so many appointments. I really dislike having so much scheduled. It makes me kind of crazy. But hopefully, after these shots at the infusion center, they will be at home for the next cycle. Plus, this week I have Velcade so then the next 2 days are Dex days and I don’t drive or go out.
Back to what’s frugal. Well, after Stanford, which cost quite a bit for food, gas, and hotel, hopefully, this week has been better. I filled the Santa Fe up at Costco, but since we’re driving so much that will add to gas expenses. Then I shopped at our Holiday Market and that’s always more expensive than Winco. But I needed stuff so that’s that. I particularly wanted miso to make B miso soup. I spent $55 on food. Then earlier in the week I spent $47 at Bel Air. Again these are stores I try and avoid but if I’m not in Rocklin then I have to make do. I will go to Costco next week to get milk etc. B is drinking a lot of milk and using it in protein shakes.
A number of annual bills are coming due and the the biggest will be house insurance. We still haven’t gotten the Fair Plan cost which I hope comes soon. Our annual PO Box is due and that’s a whopping $182 just for a box at the PO. I did have the money in a cash envelope at least. Plus Barclay’s motorcycle insurance is due. He is going to have to sell his bike at some point but not right now so the insurance needs to be paid.
How frugal was your week?? Some weeks are definitely better than others.
We had a wonderful walk this morning with very cool temperatures and it was quite breezy. We were the only ones there except for the one runner who we like a lot. Very nice woman and a beautiful runner. She has a great pace.
I could feel the Dex drop of energy though so I was tired and knew I wasn’t going to go to the gym. Taking the 4 mg of dex on Friday and Saturday is good and keeps my energy pretty good but it’s still a tax on my system. So today, being Sunday, I’ll do my morning routine and then chill.
I decided to finish the kitchen zone so that’s done. And I did a quick swish and swipe in the bathroom.
I’ve been re-reading ‘Atomic Habits’ by James Clear because a YouTube I watched did a review of his book and I didn’t really get what his premise was initially but she explained really well so I got it from the library. Basically, so far I get, that he’s saying it’s the system of how to get to where or what you want not so much the goal. So on reflection, I thought about how the Flylady system and regular decluttering( like one in and out) is really the system I use to maintain a clean and tidy, and uncluttered home. I only started the book so I feel there might be more thoughts about all this to come.
B’s had a few good days and a few bad days with energy. He did go on the Mayo clinic site to read about the drug he’ll be taking and a lot of people had input and comments. That is the best way to really find out about some of these things are from real people taking that chemo. He was encouraged.
We had a fun night last night with my son, his girlfriend, his other friend who’s transmale( a wonderful person BTW), and my daughter. My son got out the OONI and I had made pizza dough so he manned the OONI handmade 4 pizzas which all came out great. Then he set up an outside movie screen and we all watched Alien!!! It was fun!! They left about 10. All in all a fun night.
Tomorrow I get my labs and then I plan to swim if my energy is good. I’ll just have to see how I wake up. I also need to get into Costco for eggs and coffee. I might add a few other things on, but not too much as the food budget is almost gone.
I've been married for nearly 20 years to a wonderful husband and I'm a mom to three great kids ages 17, 16 and 14. Oh, and I just happen to have cancer. Multiple Myeloma is a cancer of the blood that is currently incurable but IS considered highly treatable! My goal is to make people laugh, cry or feel a little less alone whether you are a mom, cancer patient or BOTH!
Tahoe Girl 