Friday, August 5, 2011

The Simple Joys of Living

Often I get very behind on housework and domestic tasks despite my best efforts. Does anyone else have that problem *wink.  Then when I energetic  I whirl around like a dervish trying to catch up with things.   I am always pleased when I see how much I've accomplished.

This week I got a lot of domestic tasks done:

  • finished loads and loads of laundry. They were all small loads so I was able to conserve water.  As part of my laundry exercise, I was trying to shrink some linen clothing and a rayon dress I purchased recently for comfort in the summer heat we are finally getting.  While the dress shrunk a bit in length, the linen clothing didn't shrink at all!  Now I think I have to alter them or have them altered. It is okay because they were purchased on a very good sale. I can alter the clothing myself if I have time but I want to wear them before I'm likely to get the job done myself. I'm torn about whether to spend the funds because I like to save pennies too.  So we will see what happens in the next week or so.
  • loaded up on food shopping. It seems I was out of all the basic items and then some. I didn't even have eggs, milk or margarine on hand.
  • baked muffins and bread. Baked goods are so expensive and there was no bread on sale today. The banana muffins saved my bananas from going to waste and the blueberry muffins were made from last year's blueberries which needed to be used.  I also made a loaf of bread and half a dozen rolls from a new recipe.
These buns have a crispier crust than the ones I usually make. I like a crispy crust so will likely use this recipe again.
  • baked some navy bean and beef soup with a tomato base in my Kitchen Aid casserole. It may seem like a hearty dish for summer but this week I seem to have a craving for beans.  In a few days I'll try my hand at some black bean salsa or black bean relish and pair it with some fish or chicken.
  • washed lots and lots of dishes and pots and pans. My room mate generally makes the dinners.  I clean and run the household.  The cleaning part never seems to end and it can seem tedious.  Given that the work will always be there, I'm making a concerted effort to look at my daily tasks in a new light. I am fortunate enough to have a home, hot running water and hands to to clean so I am trying to take joy in these simple tasks and be grateful that I can live the life I live.
I've been busy with other things too.
Like shopping for my mom. I learned a few days ago that she needed some grooming and toiletry items. It's taken a few days to pull it together but it's all done now.  My brother will kindly deliver these things to her on Tuesday as he is travelling to her city for a quick trip.

I also bought her a few dresses as she is celebrating her 75  birthday later this month.  I bought one each of the dresses you see on the left and right and a 3rd dress for which I don't have a photo.  The dresses in the photos are being modelled by store clerk.

The dresses were shipped a few days ago.  I wish I was there to see her surprise when she gets the package.  The dresses are  nice and roomy so that they won't pull when she sits in her wheelchair. Moreover, the width shouldn't shrink when the care home washes her clothes as they tend to wash clothes in scalding hot water.

I've had a chance to update my blog.  It took awhile but I finally have a new header and a new layout. I hope you like it. The header has a "lomo-ish" effect which brings out the colour of the lily and blurs the images a bit.  Let me know what you think. I plan to change out the header every now and then. It seems to be a popular thing to do amongst bloggers.

Well that it's for now. 
I've got a gazillion things to do this 
weekend around the house and more errands.  
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

    8 comments:

    Jan said...

    You have had a great day, beautiful baking, and your Mom will love the dresses.
    Love, Jan

    Diane said...

    I also have blitzes on cleaning and try to leave things as long as possible!!!! Diane

    Katy ~ said...

    You are such a good daughter. Truly you are a blessing to each other! I am sure your Mom will love those beautiful dresses.

    Joyful said...

    @Jan, it was lovely to see you. I'll start visiting you again now that you are back my friend :-)

    @Diane, you too! Your place always looks so nice and neat in photos.

    @Katy, it is so great to see you again. I'm glad you stopped by because I'd lost your link and I did some searching. Now I can find you :-)

    Kilauea Poetry said...

    Well ya, I'm out of laundry soap..and its just as well, I'm pretty sure (husbands convinced) son brought over a dandy flu virus. He thought he just got sun stroke..anyway, my husband picked it up first and I'm feeling quite strange! Well, the muffins and soup sound healing to me an the bread of course looks yummy! I empathize with you on having to alter stuff after a purchase..least you got a good deal.
    The dresses look pretty and I'm sure your mom will appreciate the thoughtfulness! Before I forget- yes, I do think your header is lovely! Anyway, wishing you a wonderful weekend~

    Kay L. Davies said...

    Beautiful header photo, and I positively drooled over the bread and buns. Sigh.
    The dresses will be perfect for your mom in a wheelchair.
    I hope your roommate is a very good cook because doing the cooking sure sounds a whole lot easier than cleaning, especially if you're stuck with the pots and pans, which I should think the cook would do.
    — K

    Kay, Alberta, Canada
    An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel

    Joyful said...

    @KP, hope your virus didn't last too long my friend. Mom did like the dresses a lot but commented that they are VERY wide, lol. I said well at least they won't pull when you sit down :-)

    Joyful said...

    @Kay yes my roommate isn't a bad cook and often a very good one. I do not enjoy cooking on a regular basis so I wouldn't eat very well if I had to rely on myself.

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