Showing posts with label shopping. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shopping. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 12, 2023

Tuesday 4 ~ Gifts

If you missed my reading challenge update, you can find it at this link. Thank you.

Welcome to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4.

It's the giving season and people are shopping for presents for people they love.  Can we talk a bit about it?

1. Do you enjoy shopping for gifts at the holidays? Why or why not?

Yes, I enjoy shopping for gifts at the holidays. It puts me in the holiday spirit. I really enjoy pondering over what a particular friend or family member might like to have and trying to do it within a budget.  Often I give hand made gifts and without exception, most of the people I've gifted with a handmade gift appreciate it.  They recognize how much time was put into the making of it and it touches me.  In general people don't appreciate the time it takes to make things when they have to pay for it but if you make it and you gift it, they seem to love it.

2. Is the price of things putting a damper on buying this year?

Not really because I don't buy expensive gifts anyway. I enjoy looking for gifts that don't break the bank yet are nice to receive. I keep my gift giving in mind all throughout the year and buy things here and there for those birthday and Christmas gifts that will be needed.  I also make handmade gifts and the fabric and yarn I use can add up to a large sum if the item made is large.  Usually in those cases I am using what I already have on hand and have purchased at sales prices throughout the year.

3. Do you shop online or in stores and why do you choose that way to shop?

I do both. I would say I shop on line for 50% of what I need and 50% in person.  Sometimes you just need to feel or see a gift to determine if it is the right thing so in person shopping is preferred. The beauty of on line shopping is convenience.  So far, I've never purchased a gift on Amazon though I do order from the site for myself. I tend to shop at the big box stores in town online and in person , and in the small shops in person.

4. Which people do you find hard to select gifts for and what do you do when you just have no clue!

So far I've never really had an issue with selecting gifts although I do find for the men in my life, it is harder to buy them something.  My gift ideas for them are not as plentiful as for the women but so far, it's all worked out.

Sunday, March 7, 2021

The Weekend Was Fruitful

 Hi friends,


I hope you've all had a beautiful and productive or relaxing weekend.

I have certainly been busy with this and that. 

First up is some sad news. Pastor Jonah lost another family member earlier in the week to pneumonia. Please keep a kind thought for him and the family. Also the court hearing for the land grant is scheduled for Wednesday. Hopefully this will be the last item of business before the court rules on the issue.

Friday I spent trying to get my young relative situated for getting the community garden plot weeded and compost added. Surprisingly it took a fair bit of time because I wasn't meeting her at the plot and she needed orientation with everything.  Fortunately I showed her the plot last summer so basically she just needed a refresher. I also spent some time repackaging seeds (I have too many for my small balcony garden) to share with her.

Friday I also went to the library and picked up a few novels and decorating books. I'm really looking forward to reading all of these.  I made a small start today (Sunday). I was going to stop at the grocery store for a few items but had forgotten my phone at home so I decided to wait for the next day. I have a few apps on the phone and I accumulate points based on buying certain things. 

Later that night I had a call from a friend I haven't seen or heard from since the pandemic. It was good to catch up with her. I also binge watched Netflix catching up on the most recent season of  The Crown. I watched so many episodes and by the time I finished I was very sleepy.


Saturday I found myself running more errands. This time I had my phone so I did a small bit of grocery shopping and stopped for coffee afterwards and began reading one of my books. I also stopped in at the pharmacy. Fortunately the owner was in and I was able to discuss various issues related to my latest prescription refill.  He had left me a voice message and I didn't want to call back and talk to one of his staff. It's just easier to question and explain things in person and I'm glad we did since I had misunderstood his voice message. We managed to sort everything out satisfactorily.

One of my brother's called and we had a nice long catch up. He gave me some wonderful person news about his children and a great report about his own health update. It made me realize how much I've been missing hearing good news! 

Afterward I spent a lot of time scouring various websites looking for some home decor items, pricing them and seeing what might work for my needs.  I find this kind of research very time consuming and very tiring.  I didn't make any final decisions about anything. I want to take my time and make the fewest purchases possible to deal with the different areas I want to deal with in my home.  I also watched the movie, The Pianist with Adrian Brody on Netflix. I didn't see the movie when it was released in 2002. It was very well done and heart wrenching.  If you haven't seen it and have Netflix, I would highly recommend it.

It's now Sunday and again it was a busy day. The dishes are done, the kitchen, bathroom and entry way floors are vacuumed and washed, the living room and dining room are vacuumed and all the recycling has been taken to the recycling bins. It feels good to get excess stuff out of the way.  I also managed to get rid of 6 items of clothing (2 old tops and 2 sets of pajamas) that have seen better days. I have a lot more to do but will get to it all in due time.

In the evening I did a few loads of laundry and steam refreshed my pillows. Now I have clean bedding on the bed and ready for a good night's sleep. This will be likely (and hopefully) be the last time I wash and return the blue mink sheets to my bed because the weather has warmed up and the sheets will be too heavy soon.  I'm glad it's finally warming up. I love this time of year when the sun returns on a regular basis, the weather warms up and it is not too hot to get out and enjoy a walk or an outing.

 

In  between cleaning and getting ready for the week ahead, I watched the Oprah interview with Megan and Harry. I was shocked by what I heard from the both of them and my heart went out to them for what they have endured.  I must say, before I heard the interview I was in the camp of thinking they were privileged and spoiled.   I felt they were honest in the interview and tried hard not to say anything negative about the Royals.  However they also tried to speak truth and I cannot understand how Prince Harry could be denied security for himself and I cannot understand how his own father could cut him out of communications. I am honestly stunned because you do not expect a parent to stop talking to you. It must hurt so much after having lost his mother when he was so young. I am glad those two are out of the Royal Family and making their own way in the world. I think they are better off for it and the public can stop complaining about having to pay more members of the Royal Firm. At least their mental health should be much better now that they are 'free'.

I hope all of you have a wonderful week ahead and that you too enjoy better mental health as we seem to be getting closer to having restrictions lifted off of us all with the mass vaccinations now taking place.

Tomorrow, Monday, March 8 is International Women's Day. To all the women reading this, may you have a positive day where you feel loved, supported and respected not just on this one day but in each and every day.









Friday, February 26, 2021

The Last Friday in February 2021

This week I thought for sure we were going to get spring weather but it snowed again.  When I awoke on Thursday this is what the scene looked like (left side). As the day progressed the sky clouded over and the snow melted

There was a pinkish glow over the ski mountain (to the right of the church steeple in the photo). The phone camera didn't capture the colour so well.


I bought most of these small cans of herbal teas on sale and I've only just started drinking them. The two I've tried (Antiox and Immune) are quite good. The Early Grey is not herbal tea but it is decaffeinated. 


These came in handy this week while I was fighting off a sore throat during the snow spells we've been having. Normally I enjoy a cup of Rooibos tea (Red Bush tea from South Africa) at night.


I baked these beef pot pies a few days ago as lunch items or snacks.  They are store bought and I don't like them much but they fill a need if nothing else is handy.

 

Reading

I finished reading Woman in the Wilderness which I found interesting. This woman who lives in the wilds of New Zealand has written two books but my library only has this one.


 

I'm finishing up with these two books. The fashion book is super interesting and is basically about the psychology of fashion or clothing and also provides tips on how to construct a minimalist wardrobe. I've been trying hard to fill the gaps in my wardrobe for years but with steady weight loss it has been challenging. I keep having to get rid of things and buy new things though I only ever buy on sale. Thus I don't always have the best selection or the colour selection I want but I do my best. There is no way I will pay full price for things though I do try to buy good quality regardless.  This week some on line purchases arrived. I didn't have much luck with them though. Most of the clothing was either a tad too small or a tad too big. I was very happy to have get a pair of slip on shoes for a fraction of the regular price. They are just a tad too long but I know the next size down would be too small and the store doesn't have any stock left whatsoever. I guess the clearance price made it appealing to a lot of other women. Anyway, whenever items don't fit it is a lot of work to package it all up and return it. I will try to do that this weekend. I may even go to the store in person to speed up the refund.


 

The next book on my list, The Beekeeper of Aleppo, looks and sounds interesting. If you click on the title of the book I've linked it to an article in the Irish Time, summarizing how the author came to the idea for the story and how it took shape.
 


Shopping and Air Travel Points

I went shopping today a bit farther afield than I usually go because there is a point promotion going on for collection of Air Miles. I made a list of items I need that gave bonus Air Miles.

 

Of course all this food needs to be sorted and put away. My fridge needs a good cleaning too.

It takes forever to collect these points or rewards unless you shop at all participating stores. Which I don't. I save these and eventually hope to use them toward a few nights hotel somewhere.  I'm not sure where I will go yet or how easy it will be to use the points. I only used Air Miles once before on a trip to New York. We stayed in Seacaucus, NJ and another place near the Jersey Shore. It was many years ago now but I do remember that both places were Holiday Inn hotels with the latter being an Express (limited services).  I especially enjoyed the service and the location of the Holiday Inn at Seacaucus. They are located in a mall area with access to restaurants, cinemas and a few shops.  There is a shuttle bus that takes you to the train station which you can hop on and it drops you right downtown Manhattan at Penn Station.  We actually chose this location to avoid paying for car parking in Manhattan.  It can get rather pricey. In those days I was barely walking so all these things were very important to my stay. If I should ever return to NYC I would gladly stay in Seacaucus again. 

Covid 19 Vaccination Plan

We are a little behind in my province for getting vaccines though they did start implementing them in late January to residents in care homes and staff. On Monday the government and top medical doctor will release details of where and how to register for the vaccination. They have already identified in which order different groups of people will be vaccinated and it is for the most part based on age. It means I will be at the end of the queue though I suppose that could change. Either way I'm okay with it. I'm more concerned about those that are older and in care or dealing with people every day. At least I can keep myself at home and much safer than many others can.

Kenya 

Pastor Jonah has been working on the court documents for the land grant and a court hearing will be held in early March. Hopefully this will conclude the court process for the land grant to be effective. After that land will need to be registered at the Land Title Offices and so there will be some cost and time involved in that process as well. 

I realized the other day that I hadn't sent any funds for planting. In earlier years I would help the people do the planting in January which is the normal start to the planting season but the last few years I've had to delay the planting as I've found myself over extended as costs have risen both in Kenya and in Canada. We really cannot delay anymore otherwise several families are without food to eat through the year. So funds have now been sent. In a few days additional funds will be send for the day to day needs (medical, soaps, additional food stuffs like flour and oil, etc.). If you are able to assist in any way kindly get in touch.

At Home 

I'm marking my 3rd year with the community garden plot located a few blocks from my home.  Last year I found it difficult to manage two gardens during the time of Covid.  This year I've asked a young relative to take over the garden for me and she readily agreed.  The garden overseers have already been in touch about compost, garden repairs and so on that will occupy the summer months. My relative is eagerly studying and learning about what to plant and how to start seeds. If she enjoys the gardening experience maybe she will want to continue with me the following summer or get her own plot.  With the help at the community plot I will only have to care for the patio garden and I have a lot of work to do there. Despite my best intentions of cleaning it last autumn I never got around to it. I need to start buying what I need soon and I hope if all goes well that I can start this weekend. If not, it will be next weekend.

Take care everyone and stay safe.

I'm joining in with Skywatch Friday.


Tuesday, April 21, 2020

My World Tuesday

Hi friends,

I hope you are all doing well and finding ways to keep happily occupied.  What follows is a general summary of  how I'm coping with the lock down and how the province as a whole is coping.  It is  not a pity party or a complaint, just the reality of things at the moment. It probably looks and sounds quite similar to what is going on in your part of the world.

Since we've been told to only go out for essentials I really try to stay home. I don't even go for a walk. In the beginning I went shopping once a week and went to 2-3 places to try and buy everything I wanted.  Now I don't bother with that.  If I don't find something at one place, chances are it isn't at the 2nd or 3rd place and I don't want to expose myself to too many people.  These days I am going out about once every 8-10 days to one grocery store.  I also go to the pharmacy every other week for eggs, milk and some small things I may need.

Just before Easter weekend I noticed that we had to queue at all the shops and pharmacies. I thought it was due to larger numbers of people out on a sunny, long weekend.  But I've learned that it seems to be the new normal for grocery shopping.  It helps with social distancing inside the store when they limit people who can go inside at one time.  They also mark where to stand in the line outside and that helps too because no matter what there are always those that just don't do the right thing.  For some reason this seems to make most people behave better and do the right thing.  I've been fortunate that the lines I've been in have been short and fast moving.




According to our head doctor who along with our Health Minister, gives a daily update on Covid 19, we have been flattening the curve in British Columbia over the past few days. She thinks that some restrictions can begin to be lifted by mid-May.  Even so she has been cautioning us that things will not go back to the way they used to be and there won't be any larger gatherings of probably more than 50 people throughout the summer (concerts, fairs, festivals, sporting events, weddings).  Our Prime Minister has also been saying that things won't be going back to normal until there is a vaccine available.

Right now all schools and universities are either closed or carrying out activities on line as best they can.  Governments are mulling over how to return children back to school but say that it won't be back to regular classroom sizes. More information to come in future for those parents who wonder.  Sadly many businesses are probably bankrupt. Though the government did provide assistance to many individuals and for many different purposes, I'm not sure exactly what happened as far as places like restaurants and small retailers go. Those are the ones that struggled almost immediately.  Then in the last few days we've been hearing about drastic reduction in public transit services (buses, sky trains/subway, sea bus and trains). There are also layoffs in many places. I'm sure this is a similar situation the world over so things will look very different in our communities in months to come.

I came across what I thought was an interesting short video about what Vancouver, British Columbia looks like during this time of quarantining. It may look like a ghost town and though most people are staying home there are people on the streets each time I go out.  I know there are people walking on the beaches where permitted.  The provincial parks were closed until further notice just before the long weekend to prevent people from crowding at the parks.  The large downtown park, Stanley Park is not open to the public at this time either though I think the smaller city parks remain open for the most part.  The community gardens in a park near me remain open for gardeners though I haven't been to mine yet.


My nephew who is doing his Ph.D. here has said his life is actually busier with all the teaching and other requirements that now have to be done on line. The university is even planning for graduation ceremonies on line.  I'm not sure what will happen to admissions for foreign students.  I  have a young friend in Kenya waiting to hear if he will be accepted to study at University of British Columbia. Sadly he did not receive an offer from the Vancouver based program.  He is waiting to hear about the program at the Kelowna campus of the university.  Kelowna is a resort town located about 5 hours north east of Vancouver.  If he gets an offer I think there will be other challenges that did not exist before Covid 19. But we take one step at a time.

The quarantine has brought out a lot of creativity in the way Canadians try to stay connected.  Have a look at this short video.


On Sunday I waiting for a cousin to come by with her friend and pick up 6 dining chairs which I've been holding for her for many weeks.  She lives about an hour and a half away and  I haven't seen her since my dear mom's funeral.  We couldn't even hug and so we just did our business at a distance and she left.  I am so glad that she took the chairs though.  The chairs were a gift from my mom and I really didn't want to get rid of them.  But after years of hanging on to them and not using them I just wanted to find a new home for them.  My cousin absolutely loves antique furniture and items with sentimental value so I know she will appreciate them.  Moreover she lives in a small town where people appreciate old time things antique furniture and decor items and quilts made with fabrics and yarns. She also says she knows someone who can do the minor repairs that the chairs need.

Sunday was the day I also started working in my patio garden. There is so much work to be done to clean all the debris from the garden and the many containers I have. Everything also needs to be washed, the patio tables and chairs as well as all the cushions and tablecloths. I do not bother washing the container pots since they quickly get dirty if it rains even once.  The furniture and containers have to be moved around and some of them are very heavy.  Then of course the 40L bags of soil amendment material is also heavy.  Even 20L weights quite enough.  The next day I could barely move or get up and down without a lot of pain. The past weeks of inactivity resulted in more impact on my slack muscles than usual but this too shall pass.  I did only a very little work on Monday and need to do a lot more before the patio garden can be considered ready.  I like using starter plants in the container pots but I was only able to buy 5 pots when I went out on Friday.  They were too expensive and the variety was just not there. Much of what was on offer was in baskets (lots of hanging baskets) and big tomato plants in buckets at a steep price.

I am not sure what I will find when I try to go out later this week. I do have some seeds but have basically run out of time to start the seeds. I bought them before the Covid 19 pandemic was announced and I just didn't have the get up and go to get started before now.   In fact I don't really have the get up and go now or even all the tools and materials but I have to get rolling or just forget about it all for this year.  Hopefully I can get everything planted soon.  I think I'll be spending a lot of the summer sitting on the patio. It it will be a good place to have my coffee, read my Bible and listen (quietly) to music.

Today I made some turkey rice soup with dumplings. I used the leftover turkey chunks and turkey bones from the Easter dinner. I didn't try to pretty it up so you can see some tendon or sinewy chunks in the soup.  I fish them out and throw them out after cooking.  This is only the 2nd time I've made dumplings in the pressure cooker. The first time I added the dumplings  at the beginning of the cooking process.  That didn't work.  The cooking time was too long and the dumplings fell apart.  This time I added the the dumpling at the end on the soup settings but without putting it under pressure.  The dumplings turned out well enough but next time they should be even better.  I read that you should let the batter rest before putting them on the soup. It is supposed to give time to the baking powder to work and make the dough fluffier.

I made big dumplings. The photo shows the soup after 2 dumplings were removed.




I used this recipe for a guide and added some herbs.
The recipe doesn't use butter but I saw a variation of this recipe using butter.

Take care and have a wonderful week ahead.
Stay safe. 

Joining with Our World Tuesday today.

Sunday, March 22, 2020

How I am Coping

Hello everyone,

I hope you are all faring as well as can be expected during these challenging and unique times around the globe.

Since I last wrote a blog post I have had a relative visit.  She has now returned to her sisters and is trying to get home to Alberta. I've been coping with a cold. I would say this is the 3rd time I've had a cold over the winter though maybe it never really left me. I'm just taking all precautions and getting lots of fluid and rest. I haven't felt like doing much so I've only really had the energy for the basic household tasks, being host to my cousin and a bit of reading here and there. I have not done any gardening though I did repot a number of plants and start some seedlings.  The seedlings are not looking that healthy as they seemed to have sprouted way too fast and are too tall and wispy.

I read two books and enjoyed them both.


I only have 2 more library books in my stash.
All libraries are closed indefinitely and we can only borrow digital books for the foreseeable future.



In my part of the world virtually everything is now closed except essential services. For most people that means they can access grocery shopping and the pharmacy.  When  I go out in my part of the city things are pretty quiet as all the usual hangouts like restaurants, cafes, bars/pubs, libraries, community centers and churches are closed.



Since most things were closed now for a week, I've only been out twice and that was to do a bit of grocery shopping  last Friday and again on Sunday.  Both times I was looking for ground beef and toilet paper. I didn't find either on Friday and today I found some ground beef but it was too expensive. I usually buy everything on sale.  I also didn't find any toilet paper. Though they are limiting quantities per customer, they still had run out. It doesn't help that I went out shopping close to closing hour.

Tomorrow we will go out with the car to purchase gas which has reduced in price by about 35 cents Canadian per litre. I will also look for ground beef and toilet paper at some of the larger stores like Superstore or Walmart. Hopefully one of these stores will have what I want.  Then again maybe not due to their high volumes of customers.

Grocery stores are now closed about 3 hours earlier and they open 1 hour earlier for the elderly and the disabled. The earlier closing hours are supposed to enable the staff to restock the shelves.

Last Friday when I went out I had some problems with other customers who were not displaying appropriate social distancing. I was standing what I thought was an appropriate distance from others in the line up to pay. Others took my distance as an opportunity to get in line ahead of me and this created a minor issue. I do not take lightly to these kinds of behaviors and I insisted on keeping my place in line.  However,  I noted today that the same grocery store has now put in place clear markings as to where people are to stand when queuing.  Today's experience was much better though it is clear I am going to have to get to the grocers much earlier if I am ever hoping to buy what I'd like to buy.

I am very appalled by these kinds of bad behaviors but from what I've been seeing in news clips from around the world, my city residents don't seem to have the monopoly on bad behaviors of various kinds. Thankfully I have also heard about a lot of compassionate behaviors on display.  But most people still don't take social distancing seriously and don't appreciate that community transmission of Covid-19 is what the authorities are now trying to prevent. It means governments and health authorities have to bring in strict controls and fines if people don't heed their recommendations of the past few weeks.  I am now beginning to see strict controls coming into place both here at home and abroad.

We all have to adjust and do our part to understand that we show our care and compassion for others through social distancing and using this time of quiet to check in with those we love. We also have to up our game when it comes to hygiene and learn what to do and what not to do when out and about.  Many people are suffering anxiety at this time for various reasons and the Coronavirus-19 pandemic has made their suffering worse. There are so many, many things being affected by the virus. It is important to for each of us take care of ourselves and our loved ones as best we can. 

Where we can help others without endangering oneself  that is highly desirable.  This may look like phone calls or face time to the elderly or with loves ones near and far. In my building one young couple put up a sign with their phone number volunteering to shop for those that need assistance. Usually this means buying something for another and leaving it at their door so as to keep an appropriate distance.  We also need to keep ourselves healthy physically, spiritually and emotionally.  We can nourish our bodies with nutritious food and in some cases supplements, make sure we are breathing deeply rather than holding our breath which we tend to do when we get stressed, drinking lots of water and resting and sleeping.  We can also do some light exercise indoors or outdoors if it is safe. Emotionally and spiritually we can benefit from prayer, good thoughts, positive meditations and soothing music or music that makes one happy. I wish each of you good health and peace through these trying times.




Saturday, July 5, 2014

Shopping South African Imports

Well friends, it has been a busy week so far and tomorrow (Sunday) I am getting a visitor so I will be busy for another week or so.  I went out today and had a very long day of shopping.  I was looking for some sheets (bed linens) as I have another family guest arriving tomorrow.  After that I ended up on an impromptu get together with a friend when I ran into her at a local coffee shop. We had a very long visit and needless to say I am ready to drop into bed, but first I need to get this post published.

Many of you seemed to enjoy my rather long list of "To Dos" posted for the last week of June. I did make excellent progress on the listed items in the short time I had.  Alas I did not have time to finish the "works-in-progress" or to start any new projects. What was I thinking?!  I don't know how I ever thought I would accomplish all that in one week but there's nothing like giving it a good effort, lol.  I won't likely have time over the next week either but after that things should settle down a bit and give me time to work on more enjoyable things (crochet, quilting and knitting).   I can't tell you how glad I am to have finished an enormous amount of work over the past few months. Now I hope to kick back a bit, enjoy my time with my niece and after that keep plugging away on on-going paperwork and crafting.
Antique store near 4th & Alma.

For those of you who read and enjoyed my post about outreach efforts in Kenya, I ask you to continue to pray for these efforts. Both for strength for those involved more directly in the work (Jonah and the missionaries and church volunteers) and education (Elvis) and for the funds to undertake and/or finish the work.

Today's post has a South African angle.
An interesting store in the area.

For a long time now I've been meaning to get over to what we call 4th Avenue (in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) to take a browse through a shop that imports and sells foods and products from South Africa.  I never seem to get over that way but just over a week ago I had an errand to run in that neighbourhood so I decided to stop there and see what was on offer.

The shop is called African Breese Imports and is located near Alma Street.  There is another location in the North Shore but that is much further away from where I live.

I had an ulterior motive in wanting to go to this shop. I happen to LOVE dried meat and had read on line that this shop sold 3 kinds of biltong (dried meat or jerky). I really love dried moose meat which you cannot buy in the store and is actually very hard to get these days.  I thought I might have a chance to sample some exotic meats from South Africa.

What struck me about the food and products on offer is just how global our world is these days.  Many of the snack products on offer are also available in Kenya and here in Canada. I recognized a lot of the chocolate bar brands, lol. I ended up choosing these snacks:  1 small bottle of bitters (I haven't tried it yet); 1 small chocolate bar called "TV Bar" and 1 small bag of biltong.



The biltong was very good and was seasoned with cilantro and a few others spices. I didn't get any exotic biltong (it was made of beef) because the wild game from South Africa cannot be imported for sale.  I should have known this would be the case because one can't sell moose meat in Canada either.

In any case, I did enjoy the biltong and will stop by and purchase  more whenever I get that way again.

If you happen to come to Vancouver you can find African Breese Imports at 3654 West 4th Avenue
Vancouver, BC.


Note:  I was not compensated for writing this review of the African Breese store. 

I'm linking with Our World Tuesday.
This view looks west. It is a just a few blocks from here to the site of  Vancouver's Annual Folk Festival.






It Was a Spectacular Day! ~ Skywatch

Hello friends and fellow bloggers, It was a spectacular, sunny day where I live. It's still rather chilly from my point of view but the ...