Well, I am beyond thankful B has felt good. There is no need for platelets or blood. Whoo hoo!!! He gets labs today, so we’ll see how much more they increase.
We are amid a rain deluge. It’s been raining almost nonstop. I didn’t walk this morning as it was pouring. It looks like next week will be raining off and on. I plan on staying home today but tomorrow I will probably go to the pool. I need to return those sweats so that’s a good reason to go rather than Saturday. Both days will be busy as Thanksgiving is next week. I don’t need anything at this point but I haven’t made a checklist yet. I’ll do that today ( I did it below).
I’m thankful I don’t really stress about Thanksgiving and keep it very simple.
Menu for Thanksgiving:
Turkey roast from Diestal( which didn’t show up yesterday???)
Nut loaf is made and in the freezer,
and mashed potatoes are from Costco and are in the freezer. My son might make homemade made which would be fine too.
cranberry sauce is my canned cranberries from last fall. My son will get or I will a can of Ocean Spray
green beans
rolls, I have a package of Hawaiian rolls in the freezer.
stuffing is just a box of Stouffers. Now that I think about it I need celery and carrots.
I think my son is going to roast some brussels sprouts too.
I have 3/4 of a Costco pumpkin pie in the freezer I’ll defrost. We rarely eat dessert at Thanksgiving but I still want it there.
I’m thankful for quiet times at home. It’s peaceful and cozy.
I’m thankful for my daily routines that keep things running smoothly in our household.
I’m thankful B installed both grab bars in the shower and even though the pan is nonslip it’s best to safer.
First, the biggest is B’s numbers went up enough that he didn’t need the transfusion. Today is his labs so we should know if they increased. The doctor will reduce the chemo by 25%. Also, we’ll know what to look for this time. Dr. Lee from Stanford doesn’t want to go down too much more otherwise the chemo is really for naught. So he thinks he’s still a good candidate for the Hipec so that’s what matters here.
I’m thankful to still keep walking at 6am even though it is very star-filled. I like it early but I have to admit I am feeling somewhat less motivated. Maybe that’s an age thing too or just that I need to find my why again. Right now I’ll just stick to what I’m doing which is 5 days a week sometimes 4( when I’m feeling lazy:))
I’m certainly thankful my daughter can take her Dad for labs etc. This morning I’m meeting up with the library friends so I can’t do it till later and it’s better to get them done early so the results come in.
I’m thankful to be able to swim at the pool even though it’s been hit or miss. With everything going on if I get one swim a week in that’s good. Yesterday, made it twice this week( hurray) but the pool was crazy busy. I had to wait 2o minutes for a lane and then because the pool closes at 9:25, I barely got a swim in. There seemed to be a lot of people there I hadn’t seen before. It’s odd how it is that sometimes it empties out at 8:30 and other times people were NOT giving up their lanes even though they had been swimming over an hour. I wonder if Roseville P and R could put an hour limit on lap time. ?? I doubt it but it does seem unfair when some people are swimming an hour and a half when there’s 3 people waiting. And that’s 2 to a lane. I won’t do circle swimming( that’s where there is another person who follows you and you swim in a circle. Last time I got kicked in the head. Oh well, it is what it is.
I’m grateful for our beautiful fall weather. We’re having a wood fire in the mornings to take the chill off the house. It’s very cozy.
I’m thankful we’re near the end of the whole campaigning thing. I’d just like to be over. It’s going to be very tense that Nov 5 and beyond whatever happens. I voted early and just got the notice my vote was counted!
I’m grateful for the Roseville Public Library. It’s a welcoming place and I love getting my books there.
First off, I want to thank a reader, NW, for a very generous donation that took me by complete surprise. I do have my Paypal linked to my blog but haven’t thought about it in years. It was such a kind thing to do and will help most certainly with the trip to Stanford, gas, lodging, and food. So thank you again for such kindness. Honestly, I was blown away by your thoughtfulness.
My dentist appt was a cleaning and then x-rays. It was pricey and I had to put that on a CC as my cash envelope had been emptied when B went to the dentist. I hope by the next appt, I’ll have my envelope fully funded. Oh, I have a tiny cavity she(The dentist) wants to fill so I’ll do that in October. We need to get through these appts of B’s and see how that goes.
I went to Costco after I had my doctor appt in Sacramento. Yikes, the traffic going into Sacramento was awful and took over an hour. Usually it’s 45-50 minutes. So coming back out it went smoothly swung into Costco. I spent $188 total. $15 was nonfood, $20 was wine, and the rest was food. I used my cash envelope.
We filled up the VW this week and that was $45.
We went to the nursery and bought 2 bags of potting soil and 3 pots and that ended up $60.
After that was a stop at Panera, and that was $28. I had cash in my coffee date envelope but forgot to use it so I’ll need to move that to back to the bank. Although I haven’t put any money into dining out for this month so I could wait and deduct that. I usually only do $50 as we don’t really eat out that often.
Overall, a frugal week. I didn’t need gas in the Santa Fe so that was nice.
Today I do plan on swimming as I haven’t been all week and I can feel it. I don’t need to get gas or get anything from Winco( across the street from the pool).
Next week is open with no appts so we’re thinking of driving up to Tahoe which we had planned on doing for our anniversary. After Labor Day is the start of the off-season although September is still busy up there. We still have our Nevada Beach reservations for the end of September but the Stanford trip is right in the middle of that week, so I’m guessing we’re going to have to cancel. We could trailer up and stay 2nights, but then we’d have to come back down for Stanford 2 days, and I just don’t see us able to go back up for 2nights. We just don’t have that kind of energy. I don’t want to cancel yet in hopes we’ll get a cancellation at Stanford. I love it up there at the end of September. The air is so crisp and the lake so blue. Plus, we get the annual parks pass discount so where can you go on vacation in Tahoe for $150 for 6 nights. But if we don’t get into Stanford sooner then I’m not sure it’ll work.
Being in limbo with all this is pretty tough and I have to say my anxiety is fairly high. I guess since we can’t really control these things, I need to let it go some. Easier said than done.
Enough of that, I made a frittata last night to use up that spinach I had. Tonight is pizza night. I think I have one last dough ball in the freezer I can use.
We had another video visit with the doctor and it was somewhat productive. She requested that a team of oncologists, and radiologists review B’s scans, biopsy, etc. There were lots of ideas floating around but again nothing too conclusive except that it may be peritoneal primary cancer which is exceedingly rare. One pathologist was going to do a few more tests on the biopsy tissue for something. We should know something about that today. If there’s anything conclusive the Friday Biopsy would be cancelled or postponed. The one positive thing was she was going to make the referral to a medical oncologist for discussion of treatment. That’s good news as the tumors aren’t going away on their own. We haven’t heard anything as of today though.
I’m off to the pool this morning. I figured I better get a swim in since I’ll be taking Dex tomorrow and the next 3 days.
Other than that, no canning or bread-making for a bit. I’m caught up and I don’t need bread today. So when I get home the only thing I need to do is vacuum and I might have someone else do that while I’m gone. Later I’m meeting my library friends for a coffee at our cafe. I won’t stay too long as it’s busy down there and usually loud. Both of which I’m sensitive to. Still, it’s nice to get together for a coffee or probably iced tea by then.
We actually sat outside for dinner last night. The first in months. The weather is finally cool enough and quite nice actually. It’s been a tough summer.
I made a new recipe from Budget Bytes of Honey Garlic Chicken. I liked it because yo cut the chicken up in smallish pieces. Then the sauce was a honey sesame with some garlic. It was very good. Then I tried something new which was I did the same recipe but with frozen tofu chunks I had and Whozze! We all liked that better than the chicken. ( well, the chicken eaters anyway).
Our neighbor’s cat is missing and presumably eaten by a coyote. I hate coyotes for doing that. The cat was a very pretty all gray cat. We called him Little Smokey. We have lost a number of cats to coyotes here. It’s just part of this landscape. When we moved here we had no idea of this because in Foresthill we had 13 cats at one time and NEVER lost one cat to coyotes. Now all the cats we raise are indoors unless monitored outside except for Chester ( he’s the one who showed up one day and Mama Cat who is the mama to the 4 we have inside). They do go out unsupervised but there’s not much we can do about that. They are used to being out. But it’s still sad when a cat goes missing and with coyotes, there’s never any trace. Sad:(
Today is our town’s annual Pioneer Day. There’s a parade and lots of booths in the park. We live in town so we always walked down with the kids when they were young. Back then the firetrucks threw candy to the kids. They don’t do that anymore. It should be a nice day for everyone, not too hot.
Our heat wave starts Tuesday with temperatures about 100. Yikes. All our window coolers are in so we should be good to go.
Friday, my labs were canceled by Quest due to a glitch closing down the lab. I had to reschedule and the earliest was Wednesday. So I won’t know my kappa numbers till probably next Monday. Kind of a bummer when I’m anxious to know how not taking Dex affected my numbers.
We’ve lined up a handyman to come and put the plumbing in the wall for the shower. Hopefully, it’ll all be good. We will need to have the water off for a few days so we will use Rubi’s shower and bathroom. I might even sleep out there.
After swimming yesterday, I went over to the Paris Bakery and bought a mini strawberry cake for my daughter’s birthday.
Wow, it was delicious.
Not too much on the docket for today. I plan on going to the Auburn gym and then to the store to have my other knives sharpened. The butcher will only sharpen 3 at a time. Plus I wanted some cottage cheese and wine for the week.
I need to go into the new Costco this week to get coffee. We always buy Starbucks ground for camping then bring the rest home. That bag is just about gone so that needs to get done. I need to check my list and see what else we need but right now I can’t think of things, maybe some English muffins or?? Fruit?
Frugal-wise all pretty good. After infusion yesterday, I went to the nearby Noah’s Bagels and bought 6 plus a schmear. Most mornings we like a bagel but it’s usually Costco’s or Trader Joe’s. This was a nice treat.
I went to Trader Joe’s and spent close to $200. There was a case of wine in there and the rest was food. That’s a lot of meals. Since we’ll be gone next week there won’t be any shopping except at the Safeway in Tahoe in case we need something. I do need to buy coffee at Starbucks because I’m not going to go in to Costco before Memorial Day. Our new Costco just opened yesterday and I’m sure it was a mad house. We will be going to this new one from now on as it is closer to us so that’ll be nice.
My daughter asked for a Nutribullet for her birthday and Costo had the Ultra one on sale. She likes to do smoothies and this one does ice and veggies. We have a Vitamix but sometimes it’s just too bulky to get out. I don’t keep things like that on our counter so it’s in one of my Heywoods. On our counters I only keep the toaster oven, my kitchen aid mixer and, the Brita water pitcher. Maybe I’ll see if my son wants it for his new apartment.
I was planning on swimming this morning as it’s my first time off Dex(whoo hoo) after Velcade, but since I’ve been out 3 days in a row, I think I’ll skip it. That does mean no swimming till after we’re back so that’ll end up over a week. Sometimes, you just have to call it. I did go to the gym and library after Velcade so that took some time. I only did a 20 minute weight workout but that was good enough.
In Tahoe, we’ll go to the gym once and do at least that workout plus we walk a lot when we’re there.
Last night I BBQed that trip tip and it was good. We’re not big meat eaters but this was a nice small piece and the flavor was good. B had roasted veggies, beans, tofu and, coleslaw. Tonight is a pizza night, no take out just a Trader Joe’s dough and I’ll do some toppings.
Overall, not a spendy week and next week will also be low spend in Tahoe.
So far this morning I feel good and my blood pressure is good too. I just hope being off dex doesn’t negatively impact my numbers but for now, hurray for not feeling crazy this morning. Since I’m home this morning, I will do some tidying up and I need to dust. The pine pollen is everywhere! I’m not planning on any bread making or batch cooking. Just using up what we’ve got.
May is moving along and it feels like full-on spring!
Everything in the yard is blooming and very green. I think it must have been that last rain we got that really pumped up the flowers and everything. The Iceberg roses are all in full bloom. They are my favorite overall. I wanted to buy some David Austen’s this year but time and money got away from me. We do have other roses in the backyard. There is a yellow peace rose, a beautiful red rose, and another yellow.
B got me 2 pots 0f carnations for Mother’s Day and those need to go in the ground near the birdbath. Carnations winter over here fairly well. My kind of gardening is perennials that spread. I love Shasta daisies as they spread and are very cheery flowers.
Today I plan to go to the pool as I want to get to twice a week minimum. Since I have a doctor appt tomorrow, I won’t be able to get back down for a few days and I need to do a gym day. So we’ll see. I’m planning on going out to the library after the pool as I have 2 Longmire books on hold.
I made some jalapeno cheddar sourdough baguettes.
I’m also trying a new recipe from my new favorite old cookbook. This is a sourdough rye bread. I added sunflower seeds and some pumpkin seeds. I didn’t have any caraway and since I don’t use them often didn’t want to buy any.
I just punched it down and am now doing a second rise.
The baguettes are very good.
And here’s a cute cat picture.
This is Smudge, or smudgy or wormie or noodle. He’s very sweet and very attached to Sachi. That’s their cateo that goes to their back yard which is cat proofed.
I’m thankful B was with me to do the Costco shopping. The cart was fairly full so it made it tricky. Mostly because we added TP, paper towels and bleach all of which are bulky. We bought a lot of fresh veggies, salad paks, fruit, and mostly food items. Oh, we picked up the 3 pack of geraniums which were a great price. ( 13.99)
I’m thankful swimming is almost back to normal. I’m doing around 35 minutes so I have to add another 5-10 to be back where I was. Actually, I’m fine with doing just the 35. I also like the later time. It’s more relaxed. By 9 am there are even lanes open, so I may try and push out getting there to 8: 40.
I’m thankful my son’s upcoming move is progressing. He and his partner are making their final decision about an apartment this weekend. Apparently, the rental market in Sacramento is very competitive and they have missed out on a few. It’s exciting for him and a big step. He will keep all his tools, crafts, etc in the barn, which is fine. I’ll miss him though. 😦
I’m thankful for all the small things in my life that help keep it simple. Routines I enjoy daily, always getting up early (5:30 or earlier), cooking, meal planning, and walking. I’m thankful for those small things.
I’m very grateful for the public library system. Roseville’s library is exemplary. I’m going today to pick up my holds. I think I have 10. Yippee!!!
I’m certainly thankful we had an uneventful and safe trip down here to Capitola. Overall traffic wasn’t too bad even through San Jose. We arrived to find traffic though completely backed up going into Capitola. So from Santa Cruz to New Brighton, it took forever to go 2 miles due to construction.
We made it still a little after one only to be told the new regulations were no checking in before 2pm. I told the guy( park worker) that we had always been able to check in early. His response was so rude, he turned to get our plate # and said” Why are people always lying to me”. I was pretty shocked. So we drove down to the beach parking and waited till 2pm. Then we, along with 6 other RVs, checked in and then we still had to wait for RVs to back into spots. Terrible system and not efficient.
Regardless, I’m thankful it was a beautiful day and we got set up and relaxed.
We love our little ‘Rubi’. And I’m so grateful trailering has gone easy and we have a bathroom.
We headed out on Tuesday to go to Gayle’s for a croissant and coffee. I also bought a loaf of their Jewish rye bread which is one of my favorite. Then we went to the local Anytime gym for a workout. I’m grateful it is free to us and gives us a chance to strengthen our muscles. From there we headed to Trader Joe’s in Capitola, not Santa Cruz. We were surprised there was one on this side of Santa Cruz and boy, was it nice. A really beautiful store, big and well laid out as most Trader Joe’s are. We loaded up on food, a plant for outside Rubi, and some candles I’ve been wanting. Not too frugal but not much more than a regular weekly shop. Overall, a fun morning. Then we came back to camp and just relaxed.
Wednesday we discovered the Simpkins Swim Center. Oh my, it was wonderful. I was really ecstatic to swim. It’s a huge outdoor pool heated. What a find. I’m so grateful for cities that provide these amazing places. We paid $5.00 to swim.
Overall, we have been frugal where we can. We decided to do a day trip up to Half Moon Bay which is about an hour from here. We’ve actually never seen that part of Hwy 1. It’s quite beautiful with loads of State Beaches along the way. We had a nice lunch at the very well-known fish place, Sam’s. It was good but not as good as Fishetarian in Bodega Bay. From there we just took our time getting back to Capitola and once again hit the traffic snarl in Capitola.
We’ve kept our meals simple. Last night we had scrambled Mexican tofu on tortillas with salad. I’m not sure what we’ll do tonight but I’d like to get a pizza night in.
Sadly, on the home front, we had raccoons get 2 chickens because no one was home. They were in their yard but it wasn’t closed so there it is. Raccoons are always looking for opportunities and there it was. I feel really bad for the girls because we have been so careful and here it is just one night and this happens. My daughter who was working late just missed getting them in. She got home right after and I’m sure felt awful. Well, we know we don’t want chickens again but still it makes me sad.
This is Half Moon Bay. You can see that rock barrier if you look carefully. There were numerous ones on each side of the Bay.
Today, we’re going to walk and then go over to Gayles for a bit. The weather has been picture perfect. Today though, we’re in for a 20 degree drop in temperature and some rain overnight.
I don’t think we’ll go back to the pool as we’re both a little tired, so a day to rest sounds good.
I am very thankful this was a week with NO appts and no Dex. Boy, did that do me in last week. I guess I’ll go back to taking dex after I get home and not in the evening. maybe that’s the difference or the BP spike has been there all along and I just didn’t take my BP and notice. We’ll see.
I’m thankful we had a beautiful day in Tahoe with picture-perfect weather.
I’m thankful that all the month’s bills are accounted for and are in the budget. Slowly, I’m getting more envelopes set up for the annual bills. Even though I didn’t have the full amount, I did have something and that helped. As I think of different line items for our budget I add an envelope. I also bought on Amazon a binder that is for the 100 envelope challenge. Lots of cash envelope budgeters on You Tube have this as a way to do an extra savings. It’s not a quick thing as each envelope is numbered 1-100 and you put that amount in each one. I do like having these little challenges to keep me focused.
I’m thankful I got to swim on Monday but it was one of the few times it wasn’t pleasant. First, the pool was packed which I thought odd but then realized that it was a holiday. Second, I don’t circle swim( when there are more than 2 in a lane), but some woman plopped into the lane I was sharing with 1 person and proceeded to circle swim. I was not a happy swimmer. I go too slow and at some point, she cut in front of me and almost kicked my face. Anyway, at least I got my 30 minutes in.
I finished all the books I got from the library (8 books) so today after the gym I’ll go in and see if I can get a few things off the shelves to take to Capitola. The new Kellerman book ” Ghost Orchid’ is okay. I like his writing and the 2 main characters are well developed. So far all the Craig Johnston Longmire books have been great. Definitely worth reading the series although I haven’t read them in any order.
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 