2012 July 22... This week's fun

Sunday morning dawns and I lazy in bed until 7:45. Coffee in hand, ready to go. It's a great Sunday morning. We separate the Panera bread and place in plastic bags for the taking. Our cafe couple are on vacation so I help set up then have a quick breakfast before I go to my post checking the children in with Lauren. Irv has been commandeered to fill in as greeter at the front door. Service and sermon wonderful. At testimony time, I got to share that today is my 15th Anniversary in Sobriety by the grace and healing of God for which I... and I'm sure all who knew/know me are thankful also.

Relaxing Sunday afternoon... Irv watching Atlanta play Dc in baseball after the British Open. I took a quick trip to the thrift store. Sunday is the 50$ off color of the week changeover so I picked up a few service dishes and baskets. As I told Irv... all the years I took for granted all the "stuff" we had for ourselves and to entertain.

Quick phone call to Michael to invite he and Grace over Tuesday for Irv's "real" birthday dinner!!!
Had a chance to have a good conversation with daughter-in-love, Cam this evening. We are going to be studying a book written by Kerry Shook One Month to Live. Cam suggested we make it a group study. As I told Irv and Cam... with the events in CO this week, it is imperative we remember that we aren't promised another minute to live and act accordingly; loving, forgiving and asking forgiveness for God and others; remembering what's really important. As Hank Williams, Jr. used to sing "We need an attitude adjustment"

Saturday, Irv's 77th Birthday lunch at the Marietta Cuban Diner.
I had a sure-fire plan to surprise him so Saturday morning just told him that Julie said to be at her house at Noon where I planned to join them in  saying, "Surprise, we're taking you to lunch" but when we got there... Julie and Kelly weren't there (what's up with that?" So while Irv watered the garden and all her outside plants I called her and she said, "Oh, I thought we were supposed to meet you at the Cuban diner". It's never boring here!
So I just told him we were going there for lunch and... he was surprised with the balloons and reserved table. The owner greeted him and took us to the table. We were treated like royalty and the food... oh, my how good!!! We made a plan though... do not eat all your food. Take it home. Have desert. Irv got a free desert for his birthday and chose "Three Milk Cake"  (blowing out candle on cake in pic upper left and birthday kisses pic on right). I had Mango, Key Lime pie and Julie Flan. We shared so had a variety.

During lunch I was sharing that the electric bill for 6/17 - 7/17 was $57 which is a God given miracle with the A/C when I turn it down to 74 degrees to sleep at night. I told them sleep and sweat do not mix. So they said, "Buy a fan". All the frugal websites I've read lately say the same thing so we walked down the block to Family Dollar and I bought a $15 fan which I put together as soon as I got home. What a deal!!!  Jack seems to love it...


8:45pm comes and we head over to Panera Bread to pick up the day's left-overs for church Sunday morning cafe.

After setting 3 different alarm times on my phone to get up at 0-dark 7am so we can take the goodies to church, I fall asleep in comfort with the new fan blowing a cooling breeze. Good night all.


Friday is exercise and return day... I returned nasal spray to Walmart, bought balloons at Dollar Tree to drop off at Cuban Diner for Irv's birthday surprise and reserved table.
Dinner is a joint affair... Irv tried his hand for first time at frying fish. We bought a bag of frozen talapia a while back and Irv has been cooking it in the microwave. Mushy, Mushy so he found a recipe for breaded, fried fish. It still fell apart but I told him that my Mother and Mother-in-law were expert fish frier's and theirs fell apart also. It was delicious. My contribution to the meal was a new recipe for kale topped with yellow beets. Again, delicious. Saved the Pot Liquor (for those of you who don't know, that's the liquid leftover from the kale with all the spices, garlic, ginger, basil and thyme plus red onion and olive oil). I'll use it to cook other vegies or on my pork roast in the crock pot. Always open to your ideas.
Thursday is afternoon run around... I went to a follow-up visit with Kim, my Nurse Practitioner at Atlanta Allergy and Asthma who wrote RX Nasal spray for post-nasal drip which I've had a problem with the last month or so (ongoing off/on deal) developed causing a need to clear throat frequently. She had given me a sample to try at last visit a month ago which helped about 55-60%.
Afterward we went around the corner to Michael's Crafts looking for bottle corks. Irv wanted a container to pour olive oil on his food which I found at the thrift store but needed a cork. Done! Irv is using olive oil, Apple Cider Vinegar and Turmeric on his food.

Afterward we headed over to Walmart to fill RX...  Kim prescribed a generic to save money so I was shocked at a cost of $29 at Walmart no less, for a spray that was a lessor strength which didn't meet the dosage prescribed. As it turned out. There is no generic for Aspero .15% so to get that would increase the cost by $40. Trust me, a 55-60% improvement for $69 a month is not going to happen and... that is the cost with RX insurance I pay at $25.70 a month. My friend, Nancy pointed out I've had the problem as long as she's known me... 1979.

We then head home quickly to miss rush hour traffic coming off 285 (Atlanta's beltway) onto I-75 (9 lanes at that point as in pic left) onto South Marietta Loop onto our Roswell Road which is a 3 lane (one way) race trace but 4:30+ is a parking lot. Amazing, in our cozy Swiss Family Robinson apt 2 blocks into the woods off Roswell Road, we are clueless about rush hour traffic. Yeah!!! The year Julie bought her house, we rented a van so Irv could transport his chain saw to be the "grim reaper" on her overgrown property. In Greenville, SC he asked me when we would get there. I asked him how many lanes we had and he replied 2. I said, "well, keep counting and when we have 9, we're there".
Wednesday is exercise and shopping ... Now that Irv has reached his goal of 100 miles on the stationary bike in one week, he has a new work-out schedule. He goes M-W-F and since Wednesday is our grocery/thrift store shopping day, he decided to go early. Like in 6am early (crazy). He road the bike, walked the track at the YMCA and was home by 8:15.   He got all that done while I was still sleeping... imagine that!
Rested, Irv and I head out after lunch (always eat before grocery shopping) on our appointed rounds. I have to get very little 3-4 items at each store but with stopping a 2 thrift stores, it still took us 2 1/2 hours.
Irv made yummy Salmon for dinner. My contribution was sour cream and dill sauce, basmati  brown rice, black beans from dried with onions and cabbage, and broccoli.
Bible Study was great as usual but it felt funny without the joyful noise of our youth. Also missed the cookies they bring. By the looks of pictures on FB, they are having a blessed time at the KOA in
Cherokee, NC.
Tuesday's only outside activity was a quick trip to the Goodwill Store. Tuesday's is their senior day.
Monday, Irv exercises in the afternoon. I have decided to follow in my pastor's footsteps and take Monday off... a DO NOTHING day!