Lists & other March Happenings

Hello there Adventurous Friends, greetings from South Dakoka.  How you doing?  I traveled to North Carolina mid-month to visit family & friends.  There were signs of spring down there with the daffodils & Bradford pears blooming.  I heard frogs crocking while I was at a ball game.  Let's see what else happened in March as I join others & write a little something about each of my days, wrote in one long drawn out sentence or 2.

Spring in NC, daffodils are one of my favorite flowers, these were in bloom
at Moma's Sister-in-Law's place.

* Celebrating the 1st - Went on several outings in February & had a few picnics despite feeling down & out most the month, got most things finalized for my trip to NC, Yay!

* Wed 2nd - Scheduled for 3 hours work, worked on fine tuning family activities & menus while messaging with Daughter, made a list of things to add to travel bags at the last minute - lunch, meds, house slippers...

* Thurs 3rd - Folded laundry, found a load of forgotten laundry in the washer, Opps, cleaned the bathroom & vacuumed, balanced books, made an online grocery order for Daughter to pick up, coffee & popcorn on the top of the list, scheduled to work in the late afternoon, got a certificate & pin for accumulating 2500 hours of sick leave,

* Fri 4th - Made a grocery list for Kevin, he wanted to shop at a different store after dropping me off at the airport, boiled eggs, Kevin fried fish & figured out how to make hushpuppies after all these years, Grand gave us the idea to use a small sauce pot as a fryer, so simple yet never thought of it.

Week 10

* Sat 5th - 3 to 4 inches of snow forecasted for the weekend while making preparations to head to the airport, set foods out for Kevin to pack his own lunches, printed boarding pass & list of events for the next 2 weeks.

Delayed due to weather.

* Sun 6th - Headed to Daughter's at 6 am, 1st flight was delayed almost an hour, connecting flight was already boarding when got to the gate, Daughter & Son-in-Law along with the Grandgirls scooped me up at the airport drive thru, stopped for bathroom & ice cream, Grand threw up several times, stopped for a clean-up, late when we got to their house, happy to see all the Grands.

* Mon 7th - Spent the day with Daughter helping out in her daycare, took kids outside for a walk to look at the daffodils, helped do a butterfly art/craft project, picked a different sick Grand up at school, drove down & picked Grand's up at their bus stop due to the pouring rain.

A fun & cute project to do with the kids.

Painting butterflies using
 butterfly noodles.

* Tues 8th - Went to Moma's house to spend a few days, Sister cooked us delicious meals, went to the cemetery where Moma's parents were buried, visited Moma's Sister-in-Law & looked at some of the quilts she had made.

Found out Moma has the same
birthday as her Mother.

Laughing, trying to get a picture of
us down by the river.

Spring at Moma's house.

Go Chandler Go!  He's the one
wearing black & gold.

* Wed 9th - Had lunch with Friend at the Mexican restaurant, she had just got back from a trip to Colorado, she talked about their skiing adventures & troubles with high altitude, went to Grand's track meet, it was so cold. 

* Thurs 10th - Went dollar store shopping with Moma, made a flower arrangement for Kevin's parent's grave, back to Daughter's before Grand's got home from school, Evil elf showed up.  

Happy Birthday to Grand Jemma.

Invited guest to the birthday party,
Oh No!

Taking a walk down the street
with Moma.

So many flowers to choose from.

 

* Fri 11th - Went to Grand's baseball game, had a family cookout with Daughter's In-Laws.

Smash burgers, cowboy beans - Yum!
Everyone had a feline time...

He scored 2 runs during the game,
Yay, Colton!

Elfis, the good elf, came to save the
day, Elfis brought baby elves, the same
number of kids in the house, WAIT, 
there are 9 little elves, announcement
made that we'll be expecting
Grand #9 in the fall.

Week 11

* Sat 12th - Daughter & Son-in-Law went on an extended weekend get-away while I was there to stay with the Grands, had to reschedule the planned pizza picnic in the park due to the cold & snow, Grands did some cooking & helped take care of the littlest one.

It was cold, they didn't stay out long,
then there was hot chocolate.

Helped take care of the dogs too.

The parents enjoying a ride
during their get-away.

* Sun 13th - Went to Moma's for a family cookout, Sister cooked burgers & hotdogs on the grill, Neice & her family came to visit, more Grands sick with a stomach ache, throwing up & no appetite.

* Mon 14th - Remote school day, helped youngest school age Grand's do their paperwork, older Grand's logged in to do their schoolwork or to at least make their presence known, had our postponed pizza picnic in the park, took a walk along the river, older Grands played basketball, Sister sick with the stomach bug, helped one of the frenchies deliver her puppies.

There were geese & ducks in the river, the weather
was so nice & warm, what a difference in the temperatures.

* Tues 15th - Another remote school day, played outside, went exploring in the woods, blowed bubbles, Daughter & Son-in-Law back from their get-away, went to Grand's baseball game, woke up during the night with a stomach ache.

* Wed 16th - Put the homemade flower bouquet on Kevin's parent's grave, visited Kevin's brother & Sister-in-Law, Sister-in-Law made a delicious chicken pot pie for lunch, ate a large helping even though didn't have much of an appetite.

Found a little something for
each of the Grands - games,
puzzles, t-shirts, flip flops...

* Thurs 17th - Made sure everyone wore some green, last day at Daughter's, went thrifting, tried a different BBQ place for lunch, still didn't have much of an appetite, had lots of ribs leftover, Moma & Sister come down, tacos & Easter smores for supper, one Grand had a baseball game, one Grand had a track meet, stayed up late to give bear hugs & Nana love kisses to all.

Oldest Grand talking about going
to college next year, majoring in
computer science, along with
his girlfriend. 

Daughter, Sister, Me, Moma.

Made it to the gate with plenty
of time to spare, lots of folks
going thru security, the line
went down quick even though
I was in the wrong line to 
begin with along with a
lot of others.

* Fri 18th - Up at 4:15 am to head home, all flights on time, had some stomach churning turbulence in the air, maybe it was just me still with a queasy stomach, Kevin picked me up at the airport, stopped at Culver's for supper on the way home.

25 piece nesting doll on display in the Atlanta
airport, I have a 15 piece set that has the littlest
 one missing so now I guess mine is  
actually a 14 piece set.

I got a window seat on one of 
the flights.

Week 12

* Sat 19th - Back to work, bingo night, didn't get a bingo though come close several times.

* Sun 20th - Put the patio table out on the deck & had a snack in the warm sunshine with Kevin & Rose, worked on arranging cots for Grand's visit, added some things to the activities list, went for a ride in the truck, a beautiful sunny day for the 1st day of spring.

* Mon 21st - Made attempts to get back into the mundane daily routine, didn't go to Club meeting with Kevin due to an aggravating head cold, watched episodes of The Handmaid's Tale, ate a bowl of cereal in bed for supper.

* Tues 22nd - Worked in one of the other offices, nice sunny drive out of town, Kevin fried shrimp & hushpuppies for supper, watched episodes of camper living.

* Wed 23rd - 2 days scheduled off work, set the stove timer to get stuff done between blog writing & reading, washed clothes & hung on the line to dry, dusted in the living room, gathered up camper stuff, organized in the utility room & the pantry, added things to the shopping list for when I go pick up my glasses, made spaghetti for supper along with the leftover shrimp & hushpuppies.

* Thurs 24th - Drove up & got my new prescription reading glasses, wind gusts whirled the dust & tumbleweeds, did some spring stock up shopping at the dollar store, got me salad mix, got Kevin coleslaw mix, put gas in the car, folded clothes & put them away, relaxed on the couch with Rose.

* Fri 25th - Full day of work, worked on knocking out yearly training modules, boom chick a pop salted maple flavored kettle corn watching episodes of The Handmaid's Tale & Naked & Afraid.

1st game of the season for the Rec League 
Grands & Coach Son-in-Law.

Opening Day ⚾ - "So we'll take this
 opportunity to announce that we stayed
 busy during the off season." - Grand #9 

Week 13

* Sat 26th - Finish another training module at work, helped Kevin hook the camper to the truck, got inside of the camper ready to go camping, made up the bed, Kevin changed a light, ended up changing all the lights because it was so much brighter, will add water to the tank later, still having freezing temperatures.

* Sun 27th - Went for a ride in the side by side, took several good little walks, had a picnic.

It's officially Spring in SD!
Found some crocus.

* Mon 28th - Gathered decluttered things for Kevin to sale at the Vender Show. 

* Tues 29th - It rained, it'd been so long, gathered a bowl set to donate to the Club's kitchen, decluttered several things into the trash, cleaned tops of the fridge & freezer, went to dentist appointment for a teeth cleaning, rain turned to snow, driving was sketchy at times.

* Wed 30th - Got a little snow, shoveled the sidewalk at work, didn't take long, gathered  things to sale on local buy/sale group.

For Sale: Used this vanity & seat as
 a nightstand, Grand's pictures were in
the frame, the mirrored door has hooks
 inside for hanging jewelry & such.

* Thurs 31st - Gas pumps bagged, new management taking over, got groceries, picked up a pizza for supper, stopped in the bank, Kevin got a refund for an overpayment of a medical bill.

These are some of the things that's been going on in my neck of the woods, how about you?

Sweet tea & other February Happenings

Hello there Adventurous Friends, greetings from South Dakota.  How you doing?  We saw -33 on the thermometer one morning, though we did have several decent days for getting out to do some picnicking.  We both experienced a touch of SAD (seasonal affective disorder) whether the other one of us denies that diagnosis or not. This is Sentence a Day where I join others & write a little something about each of my days, wrote in a long drawn out sentence or 2. 

 

2 sweet surprises, made tea for supper &
noticed the amaryllis has a 3rd bloom.

* Celebrating the 1st - Got good results from yearly physical & screenings, planned summer visits with Daughter, went on some good walks & had a picnic regardless of the cold weather & snow, got new carry-on bags for traveling.

* Wed 2nd - Read the newspaper - small fire starts at school, shortage of classroom substitutes, seatbelts save 2 from serious injury in rollover, 4-H rodeo planning meeting scheduled, gourmet chocolates for your Valentine at the hardware store.

* Thurs 3rd - Scheduled day off work, got a lot accomplished in between blog reading, did some laundry, opened mail, balanced books, wrote check for propane $2.145 per gallon, thought about income taxes needing to get started on, boiled a dozen eggs, prepared Grands Valentine box to mail & set it aside, waiting on a t-shirt for one of the teens, meatball sandwiches for supper.

* Fri 4th - Got a much needed haircut.

Happy Valentines Day!

Week 6

* Sat 5th - Kevin made kabobs on the grilled, watched another movie from the Love Comes Softly series & episodes of Little House on the Prairie. 

* Sun 6th - Went for a ride in the side by side & had a picnic, hotdogs & chili my favorites, rode through snow in some places, took a walk, nice day.

* Mon 7th - Finished reading one of the Novels Moma got me for Christmas, A Haven for Christmas by Patirica Davids, there is 2 books with 4 novels.

* Tues 8th - Scheduled day off work, made ribs for supper, did some decluttering, started a box of items to send to Grands - gloves, hats & socks; started a box to donate to the thrift store, some stuff went in trash bags & hauled to the dump.

Used my special bbq
sauce blend.

The fixings - baked beans, baked
tators, deviled eggs & garlic
cheese toast.

* Wed 9th - Leftover ribs for supper, made a peach dump cake in the crockpot, got called back into work after hours to do reports coworker had troubles with, ordered 2 DVDs in the Love Comes Softly series that I didn't have.

Sloppy joe soup was a success,
good with a grilled cheese
sandwich on the side.

* Thurs 10th - Made Leslie's sloppy joe soup, needed a couple ingredients at the grocery store, looked over the union ratification & made my vote.

* Fri 11th - Kevin picked me up after work at lunch time, he used a gift certificate from Christmas to get us lunch, we took a drive, ate lunch in the truck & did a 15-minute sunshine walk, saw deer, antelope & eagles.

A cold, windy, snowy day.

Week 7

* Sat 12th - Went for another truck ride after work, both of us needed to get out in the sunshine to ward off cabin fever & personality issues, took leftover soup in the thermos with a pbj sandwich, watched the wind swirl, roll & twist the snow while we sat in the truck & ate our lunch.

* Sun 13th - Took a truck ride to Rapid, saw geese going north, saw the 1st baby calf of the season & saw a load of pontoon boats, got supper at Culver's then drove up in the Canyon & ate sitting in the truck on the side of the road, gave Kevin his spring haircut.

Saw 4 mountain goats up in the Canyon.

Potential truck like this for full time
travel & camper living when retire
 in May 2024. 

A nice drive up in the Canyon.

* Mon 14th - Kevin gave me a box of chocolates, watched youtube videos about full time camper living, joined several camper living facebook groups.

* Tues 15th - Started downsizing clothes, got called back into work due to coworker hurting her arm/shoulder. 

Coffee & chocolates after work.

* Wed 16th - Got a dusting of snow, glad to get off work early, didn't feel good - coughing, headache, woozy, sneezing, tired; watched Living in an Off-Grind Log Cabin in the Yukon Territory.

* Thurs 17th - Got up not feeling good, slept in a little but it didn't help much, back was sore from coughing, did a home preg Covid test, made it through the workday moment by moment, got the t-shirt for Grand's Valentine box had been wanting for.  

Off to work I go, boss out with her foot,
coworker has appointment for her arm.

* Fri 18th - Felt worse, scheduled off work early, mailed Grand's Valentine box, Kevin brought in vaporub that was the saving grace for my stuffed up nose, watched episodes of Little House on the Prairie while resting.

Week 8

We got the predicted snow, seems the wind blew the
snow from that bare spot & put it in front of the
garage door.

* Sat 19th - Felt better, nice sunshine, wind picked up, weather expected to dump 6 to 8 inches of snow during my 2 days off, didn't go to bingo due to recouping from cold symptoms, (heard a few days later that 5 people bingoed at the same time).

* Sun 20th - Cooked pintos in the crockpot, boiled some eggs, made sweet tea, made bread using Sam's recipe, sorted laundry & did some loads, started a list of desired items for camper living - dry bath with compost toilet, thinking recliners instead of dining table, researching solar system & diesel appliances.

* Mon 21st - Purged more clothes, experimented with the roll method of folding to try to fit more clothes in a smaller space, started putting together travel bag stuff, no Club meeting due to snow.

* Tues 22nd - Got called into work earlier to give others extra driving time & to do shoveling, had to call in a skid steer for the drifts.

* Wed 23rd - Leftovers for supper, watched Cupcake Chronicles, Arctic Fox truck camper living.

* Thurs 24th - Schedule 2 days to work in one of our other offices, nice drive, got groceries, Kevin's name was drawn for $15 grocery coupon, he chose to get pizza & ice cream, had a $5 beef certificate from Christmas, got a steak priced $5.99 a pound, did taxes, relieved to get that done, watched some of a virtual RV show.

* Fri 25th - Had an early supper, Kevin cooked the steak on the grill, juices were a little lot redder than our preferred well done, had enough left over to have for breakfast, ice cream for dessert along with watching truck camper videos.

Daughter got 3 new babies,
French bulldogs.

Week 9

* Sat 26th - Facetimed with Moma, decided to have the leftover steak for supper, watched Stonyboot, Cirrus truck camper living.

* Sun 27th - Nice day, went for a ride in the side by side, saw elk through binoculars, did some walking, had a picnic, toes got cold.

"Rose, are you ready to go
play in the snow?"

Kevin cooking up my favorite picnic foods,
guess what it is, hotdogs & chili.

I think the new shirt fits
ok, got a greenish one &
a pinkish one.

* Mon 28th - Started a grocery pickup order for Daughter to get to have during my visit, got one of the new shirts I ordered for the trip. 

These are some of the things that's been going on in my neck of the woods, how about you?

Frugality & other January 2022 Happenings

Hello there Adventurous Friends, greetings from South Dakota.  How you doing?  Happy New Year!  A word I choose for this year is contentment - to have satisfaction living a simple life, preparing for retirement May 31st 2024.  I started the month inspired & motoviated to get back to some old habits: drink more water, eat more fruits & veggies, no snacks after supper, go outside for at least 15 consecutive minutes every day for the sunshine & exercise, read before going to sleep.  

I participated in the Uber Frugal Month Challange. Yes, I'm a frugal weirdo. This is Sentence a Day where I join others & write a little something about each of my days, wrote in a long drawn out sentence or 2.  Let's see if my New Year - New Beginnings inspiration & motivation continued throughout the month.

A cold start to a brand-new year.

* Celebrating a New Year - Had Christmas in the camper, the best Christmas I think I've had in years since being far from family, went from tent camping to a truck slide in to a toy hauler, found new caves to explore with the Grands when they visit this summer, got a new Grand back in June, she made #8. 

Week 1 

* Weekend 1st & 2nd - 2 days off work, stayed inside mostly, relaxed, cooked, cleaned, read, did laundry, watched tv, took apart the rest of the Legos, played with Rose.

It's too cold for Rose's feet, so I'm 

getting in my 15 minutes of sunshine

& exercise by myself.

Sunday snowday chocolate
gravy & biscuits.

I love the clothesline in the basement, let me tell
you I did not like it at all at 1st, I actually thought
it was hideous & wanted it took down, now I
could do without the dryer & not the clothesline,
not using the dryer makes a noticeable difference
in the electric bill, unplugging the alarm clock
 during the day doesn't make a difference, I know
from experimenting.

She thinks I'm going to get her new
bone, look at her ears laid back & she's
looking at me out of the corners
of her eyes.

The amaryllis sprouted a flower stalk,
wondered if it was going to bloom
 a 3rd year in a row.

* Mon 3rd - Back to work another year, same ol same ol, went to Club meeting, there was a pizza casserole & ice cream, more talk about having the gun show, talked about having burgers in the park sometime during the summer.

* Tues 4th - Blizzard conditions, Club's hosted community blood drive was rescheduled till March, cooked chicken in the crockpot to make meals the rest of the week, called to get retirement annuity estimate, 5 to 7 days wait to get it.

* Wed 5th - Made appointments to get yearly well women exam & a mammogram for the same day Kevin goes to the demonologists to have a growth removed from his elbow.

* Thurs 6th - Paid the insurance for the side by side & 4wheeler, wrote check for Club dues, got gas, dropped off the water bill, ordered checks at the bank, didn't need any groceries, Kevin made some brownies, I ate one two, watched Christmas with the Kranks.

* Fri 7th - Finished taking down the Christmas decorations at work, ate a couple more brownies.

Getting in my daily sunshine &
exercise walking to work
& not using up the gas
 in the car.

Week 2

* Sat 8th - Cold, finished off the last brownie with a 2nd cup of coffee, made chicken salad using the leftover chicken, made a sandwich for sampling, it was good.

* Sun 9th - Took a ride in the truck to the dollar store, had chicken salad sandwiches for a picnic lunch, stopped in the hardware store, chose a pot to replant the Christmas cactus, price check was $33, put pot back on it's shelf, planned summer visits with Daughter.

* Mon 10th - Got annuity estimate in the mail,  whooo hoooo, better than expected, bought plane ticket to go visit Daughter & Moma.

* Tues 11th - Planned menus with Daughter, Grands will take turns cooking supper as an activity while I'm Grand sitting when the parents go on their extended weekend get-away.

* Wed 12th - Got letters in the mail from each of the Grands, did a little extra cleaning at work, no one showed up to do the cleaning, Kevin got a sooner appointment to get his growth removed.

* Thurs 13th - Did an online training module at work, 2 more in the queue to be done by June, picked up 4 needed items at the grocery store, resisted getting the chocolate bridge mix, did bank business, didn't need any gas for the car, made oatmeal raisin cookies with Kevin after supper, there was oatmeal & raisins that needed to be used up. 

* Fri 14th - Listened to the wind howl around & around the house while doing morning reading, had to work all day instead of getting off early because the boss hit a deer on her way to work, got Grand's plane tickets for their summer visit, got property tax invoice in the mail that's due the last day of April.

Week 3

The amount left in the bottom that
won't pump out will last about 
a week.

* Sat 15th - Walked to work, took a short nap with Rose, bingo night, won $4.50 & a pack of chocolate chip cookie mix.

* Sun 16th - 2 days off work, got a dusting of snow, Kevin made the chocolate gravy & I made the biscuits, planned some activities for Grand's visits, started Valentine letters to Grands, washed a couple loads of laundry, hung clothes on the clothesline to dry, made those prize-winning cookies & some blueberry bread.

* Mon 17th - E-checked Kevin in for his dermatologist appointment, folded laundry, did some cleaning around in the house, looked on Pinterest for chalk art & playdough ideas, took Rose for a long walk, Club meeting, ate at #3, had enough left over for lunch. 

* Tues 18th - Went with Kevin to have his growth removed, it went well, he'll need to go for another removal deep down to make sure all the cells are gone, stopped by Runnings, got some trail mix to snack on, ate supper at Culver's before heading home.

* Wed 19th - Didn't get in the mood to work on the household to-do list, did some blog reading, attended a benefits & retirement webinar, watched episodes of Undercover.

* Thurs 20th - Got the grocery items on my list, Rose needed dog food, Card statement was a BIGGIE with vehicle insurances. plane tickets, photo puzzles, Legos, My Zoo Box, books about whales...everything goes on that card for the award points then the balance is paid in full when a payment is due.

* Fri 21st - Got a dusting of snow, went into work a little early to shovel the sidewalks, very windy in the afternoon.

Went on a good long walk
in the buttes.

Week  4

* Sat 22nd - Gathered free printable activities to go along with the Bible story Jonah & the Whale, made a delicious tator soup from ingredients on hand that we'll eat on all week.

* Sun 23rd - Cleaned the coffee maker, watered the flower, had a picnic, finished up Grand's Valentine's letters, need to get teething crackers for Baby since she's not ready for candy yet.

Having leftover soup hot from the thermos.

* Mon 24th - Work hours cutback since new hire is mostly trained, happy to get back to being semi-retired.

The amaryllis sprouted 2 flower
stalks, Grand's craft/artwork in
the background.

* Tues 25th - Up at 3 am with a sick dog, guess those nilla wafers & peanut butter that we enjoyed so much together didn't sit well with her, a dusting of snow turned into several inches of accumulation, read Frugality Is My Hobby, E-checked myself in for appointments, made snow cream, ordered carry-on luggage bags based on buyers guide top picks.

* Wed 26th - Felt starved for breakfast & coffee because couldn't eat before appointment, glad to have physical & mammogram over with, went by myself since Kevin already had his appointment, got items on list at Walmart, needed hangers & craft/art supplies, got a burger & fries at Culvers drive-thru.

Treat for the drive home.  Have you tried these?

* Thurs 27th - Got the tetanus & shingles vaccines, test results from physical & mamo came back good, weight was up a couple pounds from last year & cholesterol was within a normal range, made appointments to get a haircut & to go see the eye Dr.

* Fri 28th - Achy, woozy, sore arms, headache & upset stomach, came home from work early, laid on the couch then went to bed early, watched the last episodes of Undercover & Major Dad.

Week 5

* Sat 29th - Feeling better, worked later doing inventory, last day of Netflix for a while.

* Sun 30th - Did a couple loads of laundry & hung on the line to dry, picked up stuff here & there around in the house, put stuff away, did some blog reading & relaxed, started watching Little House on the Prairie DVD collection.

* Mon 31st - Folded the clothes off the clothesline, Kevin got an appointment in April to have the final removal of his growth done, cooked ham steaks, okra & butternut squash for supper.

** I stuck to my old habits most every day.  Yay!  There was a snack or 2 that was eaten after supper, I probably skimped on the other items a time or 2 too, but overall, I think I did good. Some frugal things this month were: rinsed out ziplock bags to be reused; intentionally ate more foods from the freezer & pantry without stocking up on more items; took lunch, snacks & drinks to work every day; had a laptop carrying case on hand & started using it as a lunchbox when my backpacked needed to be replaced, canceled the Hallmark movies streaming channel till next Christmas, cancelled Netflix for a time to watch DVD collections.

These are some of the things that's been going on in my neck of the woods, how about you?