I took a slow day today. I am still creaky and moving slow. No fevers today and I was able to eat some food. Progress!
I think tomorrow I will be able to work which is a good thing. I am going to get an early night's sleep. Last night I actually slept the whole night and I was so happy. After two nights of less than a full nights' sleep I needed some sleep.
Until tomorrow...
I am still in recuperation mode from getting my COVID vaccine #4. No fevers today. I just have an upset stomach, have chills and feel tired. I spent the day watching Marvel Comic movies. I watched Thor and Iron Man 2.
My joints and muscles hurt a lot. Less than yesterday but still a lot. I have a hard time going up and down stairs so I am trying to stay on one level.
I am trying to feel better by tomorrow.
Until tomorrow...
This will be short. I barely slept 20 minutes at a time last night between sweats, chills, fever, body aches, pains, and a massive headache. I am hoping tonight is better. I spent the day in bed watching movies. I have no appetite. Lucky is whiny. I am sorry I am complaining. I just had a 100 degree temperature. I know this will pass, I just want it to pass faster.
Until tomorrow....
This is going to be quick. I just took my temperature and it is 99.3 degrees. It has been normal all day but it just spiked. I need to get a cool cloth and cool water.
The vaccine went well. I got up in the morning and left for my appointment at 10 am. I drove part of the way down to the site and then walked a short distance. I got there and the form I filled out online would not print so I had to fill it out again. The same guy that did my 3rd vaccine did this vaccine. They were super nice and I was only there for just over 30 minutes.
I got home and did a little work and then put my feet up and watched TV. I started to feel crappy around 2pm. I have horrible aches all over. Of course my arm is sore. My neck is sore. I have no appetite but I ate a little anyway. I have been drinking water and green tea like crazy. I am drinking the immunity boosting tea my sister-in-law gave me. Figure it can't hurt.
That has been my day. I am going to sleep now.
Until tomorrow...
Today was a busy day getting ready for my 4th vaccine tomorrow. If history repeats itself tomorrow I may not feel well for a few days so I need to be prepared. I did laundry and put clean sheets on the bed. I put fresh towels in the bathroom. I have plenty of clean clothes and comfy clothes. I made some sheet pan roasted veggies. I ordered food to be delivered. I charged my devices. I am ready.
I am going to drive part way to the vaccination site and park so I don't have to walk all the way home.
I made some more of the Vanilla Chocolate Clouds so I could have some candy to munch on.
The sheet pan veggies made a great dinner.
I want to get to bed early so I am rested.
Until tomorrow...
I started out this day with nothing on my calendar. I had the whole day free from appointments and things to do. Then the dam broke.
First, I called the pharmacy about getting my 4th COVID shot. I called because people all around the country are reporting that they are having problems finding places that will give them the 4th shot. I called to ask and the pharmacist seemed puzzled as to why I was asking. He said there were no appointments for two weeks. Or at least that is what I thought he said. I went online and filled out the pages and there was an appointment on Friday, two days away. Either he mistakenly said weeks instead of days or I heard weeks instead of days. Either way, I am getting my 4th shot on Friday morning. Wish me luck. I am still nervous but cases of Omicron have really subsided here and I don't plan on being in the pharmacy for more than a few minutes. I will wait outside like I did last time. I already filled out the paperwork online. They are much more organized than they were for shot #3 when I was one of their first patients.
I did get good news about Lucky! She does not have a UTI. She is doing good. Little Miracle dog. I think the doctor calls them all Miracle dogs. I used to think he called Happi that as a special thing. Now I am not so sure.
I was already to bake something and then a work thing happened and I spent hours sorting that out. Plus I realized that I didn't have my new health insurance card so I had to print one out before I went to get my COVID shot. Next thing I knew it was dinner time. It was a weird day. I thought it was Thursday all day and kept thinking it was trash day. So confused.
Tomorrow I have to get myself ready for the possibility that I may not feel well for a few days. I need to do some laundry and put fresh sheets on the bed. You know things that make you feel good.
Until tomorrow...
Today was a busy day again. I had work zooms and a webinar. The webinar was sort of boring so I did other things while it was on.
I made Hot Cocoa today for the cooking course. It was hot cocoa from scratch and was super chocolatey. I put milk froth on top but I didn't have a frother. I used a hand blender instead.
I put sprinkles of cinnamon, chili powder and coriander on top. Such yummy goodness.
This was the easiest Chocolate recipe in the chapter. I have to wait for ingredients for a few days now.
Until tomorrow...
I got up early to take Lucky to the veterinarian. It was all outside and no contact. They take the dogs in but that is it. The doctor said I was a good mommy because I noticed she was bothered in her ear. She has an allergic reaction in her right ear that was caught early. They put some medicine in her ear that should help. They tested her for the UTI to see if it has gone away. Results will be available in a few days.
I have been working a lot these days. I have been very busy. It is good after so many, many months of no work.
I did get some baking in though. It ended up being late in the evening. I made the vegan milk chocolate inside in the afternoon and put it in the fridge to cool and then got busy and it got too solid. Then I had to let it thaw later in the evening so I could finish the dish.
Once the chocolate thawed a bit I could make the "clouds". Then I had to let those get cold while I made the dark chocolate coating. I dipped the clouds into the dark chocolate and put them in the fridge.
These taste so good. The dark chocolate outside with the creamy milk chocolate inside. I have a high from all the chocolate I ate today. I think I really like making chocolate. Two of my favorite things: desserts and chocolate!
I had a phone call about my ex-foster kid that was informative.
I am feeling a bit better today. Let's see how I feel tomorrow after pushing it a bit today.
Until tomorrow...
Well, all my plans to make another scrumptious chocolate delicacy went out the window when I woke up this morning and I could not move. I was so sore all over. My feet, legs, arms, hands, back and hips. I had a hard time getting up to pee and let Lucky out. I decided to lay on the couch today and rest. My body was telling me something. Maybe the walk and yoga were too much yesterday.
I took a long hot bath and laid around. I decided to watch the whole Marvel Comic Universe movies all over again. I missed a few before I started going with a group to see all of them pre-COVID. I decided to watch them chronologically and not by the dates they came out in the theaters. The movies came out in the theaters in a weird way that was super confusing if you were not a huge fan. Watching them chronologically will really help figure some stuff out. Plus, I realized I missed a few in the early days.
Yesterday and this morning I watched the first two Spiderman movies prior to my decision to rewatch the whole series. Today I watched Captain America. It is interesting to watch them again after so many years.
I made a comfort dinner: pasta with spaghetti sauce, fresh spinach, black olives and vegan cheese. It was very good.
Tonight I must have deleted at least 800 emails from my phone. I haven't done it in a while. I used to do it on my commute to clients and at doctor's offices while I waited. I had a lot of junk in my phone to delete.
Until tomorrow...
Lucky and I went for a walk and met some neighbors to have distanced catch-ups. I found out my next door neighbor is having new windows installed soon. Lucky is used to our walk where we need to avoid people, so we go back and forth from sidewalk to sidewalk on different sides of the street. We weave in and out of parked cars to avoid people who have no masks on. I don't want to get too close to them. Most people are polite when they see me in a mask but some still walk too close. We try to walk on unpopulated streets but sometimes we need to mail a letter and that is a populated street at all hours. Lucky has favorite neighbors who she wants to visit because they give her treatos or lots of attention so she wants to walk certain directions. We do our best.
I decided to plan out the Chocolate Chapter of the cooking course now that I have most of the ingredients. Today I made the most amazing Vegan Hazelnut-Cranberry Nougat Cups. They are dark chocolate cups (which I bought) holding a creamy filling made from vegan white chocolate, hazelnut paste, pistachios, cranberries, almonds, and cocoa nibs. Think of a creamier Ferrero Rocher candy. These are so decadent and creamy. I have eaten four already and I have to get them out of the house before I eat them all. It is like having a box of fancy candies in the house and you want to eat them all.
I also met with my Arthritis group this morning virtually. We had two guests who did a mindfulness meditation and a RA yoga. It was nicer than I thought it would be. I have been to many of these things over the years and the yoga is always too hard on my joints for me to participate. I am not a huge fan of meditation because I just sit and make To-Do lists which is the opposite of what you are supposed to be doing. I went to four day retreat once where I did reiki, energy work, etc. I loved all of it but I was consistently told that I needed to relax. I am not good at relaxing. I have a constant dialogue running in my head. I enjoy this group a lot.
Until tomorrow...
Another day with no cooking. Ugh. But I got a good review from both my neighbor and my dog walker for the chocolate cereal bars. My dog walker wanted more of them but I forgot to give them to him. My neighbor came by for some and she sent me a text saying they are great.
Today I got some more deliveries for my chocolate chapter so I can begin making some of the recipes. I also got my COVID test kit. I will now have one on hand.
I found out I was granted my postponement for jury duty. I am good for a couple of months.
I was working today and I kept hearing someone talking. I thought it was my neighbor outside on the phone. But then I listened and it didn't make sense. I looked outside and there was a male sitting on my steps. I asked him if he needed anything. He said he wanted something to drink. I asked him what he wanted. He said a soda. I said If I give you a soda will you move along? He said yes. I got a Sprite and some snacks and put them in a bag. I put it on my steps and told him it was for him. Now take it and move along. He asked what type of soda is it? I said goodness you are mighty picky for someone getting a free soda and snacks. He took the soda and some of the snacks and left. Then a few hours later I hear this talking. He was back but in another spot. I leaned out the window and said Hello. He said do you have any... I said I already gave you soda and snacks and you promised to move along. What are you doing back here? He got up and moved along. I hope this is not a situation where when you feed and water they keep returning. I was trying to be humane and nice.
I attended a zoom webinar about how to frost cupcakes to look like flowers. I am excited to practice my new skills.
I made a fabulous stir-fry for dinner with noodles, tofu, spinach, bok choy, pine nuts, and carrots with a sauce.
I am feeling better today. I guess I was just tired.
Today I had a ton of energy and I decided to clear out my photography studio/guest room. The room had used as a drop zone for everything. It had empty boxes, full boxes, things I bought that I didn't have room for yet and all my photo equipment. Plus, I realized a while ago that the bed had never been made so the sheets and blanket were in a drawer taking up necessary space.
Today I took everything off the bed, made the bed, and only put my photography equipment on the bed. I have my two photo set ups on the bed. I have a lightbox on one side and softbox lights on the other side. I made a makeshift set up in which to take photos. I just love photography.
The room is now light and airy. I am happy to be in the room. I recycled many boxes and junk.
I spoke to my ex-foster child for their birthday. Their birthday was yesterday but I knew they would be busy so I waited until today. It was good to hear from them.
I just called for jury duty. That is not going to happen. I sent in for a postponement. I have six months. We will have to see how the world is in six months.
Until tomorrow...
I am going to get into bed early. I didn't sleep well last night. It was a bunch of things including Lucky waking up in the middle of the night and then I had to get up early.
I don't think I am sick but I want to get to bed early to make sure I am not run down. I haven't been near another person in months and the last person was my dentist in November.
I am not going to take my Orencia tonight just in case. I don't need to lower my immune system anymore. I can wait until tomorrow.
I did not bake or cook today. I just didn't feel like doing it today. I took Lucky for a walk because the dog walker's car needed his brakes fixed.
Until tomorrow...
Before I forget, here is a photo of the Vegan Dark Chocolate Orange Slices.
I had a bunch of work to do today so that kept me busy.
I got my new phone camera tripod today. It is sleeker and has a swan neck for the phone so I can do more videos.
Until tomorrow...
I was one ingredient short for all my recipes in the Chocolate Chapter so I decided to make dark chocolate orange slices. They are peeled oranges broken into the sections. Each slice is dipped in melted dark chocolate. Once the slices are put in the fridge they harden and they make a healthy and sweet snack.
I made my first social media video. It took a bit of time but I think it turned out okay in the end. Only my hands were in the video. I didn't want my face in it. Next time I need to clear the space a bit more. All sorts of things were in the video in the background. Not bad things but messy things.
It was just a day of doing what I wanted to do. I was supposed to attend a baking zoom but it was postponed.
Until tomorrow...
I decided early today that I would clear up some things today. First, I finished putting away the Christmas items. They are all safely tucked away in their assigned bins in the garage.
Then I took Lucky for a walk. It seems my knee and feet are feeling better. We walked a medium length walk for two days and I feel pretty good. I will see how I feel tomorrow. Fingers-crossed that I feel good and I am healing.
I came back and cleared out some things in the kitchen while I watched the Dallas Cowboys lose to the 49ers. The last minute was so sad. I was screaming "Throw the ball". He did not. They lost.
Until tomorrow...
I made my first recipe from the Vegan Swiss Chocolate & Sweets Chapter of my vegan cooking course. I made Vegan Chocolate Cereal Bars. I ordered special vegan milk chocolate chips so I could make these bars. I used peanut butter crunch cereal, hazelnuts, pecans and chia seeds. They taste so good. I just ate one bar and I just loved it. It is crunchy and sweet.
I am having a rethink of my kitchen. I have so many food items from all the cooking and baking. Plus I have so many baking pans, cookie cutters, pastry things, items for selling my baked goods, and plates and bowls for social media photos. I need a way to organize them all. I need my precious table and counter space and right now it is being taken up by all these things. I have such a small kitchen. I am thinking of ways to organize the stuff. I have food items in plastic containers because I have no room left in my very limited cabinets. I am always rethinking what to do.
Until tomorrow...
I haven't called Orencia about the ruined injectable. I was told by the pharmacist that the company will not replace one injection. If it was a whole box, they may replace it but that I could call the manufacturer but they didn't hold out much hope. I am not sure I want to spend my time on a long shot.
Today was a day of deliveries: Target and Amazon. I got two big boxes from Target with cleaning supplies and paper goods. I decided to buy them before the shelves were emptied out. Then I got a few deliveries from Amazon of just stuff I ordered.
I had three zooms: one was another social media informational course, another was a training for work and the last was for my ex-foster child. It kept me busy most of the day. First thing in the morning my internet company came and installed a new piece of equipment. Turns out my equipment was very old and they upgraded me. The guy was super nice. He had me do the one thing that needed to be done in the house and then he checked it. It worked so he didn't need to come inside. It is amazing how much we can all do with a little bit of direction.
I made a leftover dinner. It was tofu, black beans, black olives, and fresh spinach. I put a sauce on it and it tasted terrific.
I am excited! I have food again. It wasn't much but I didn't have many staples like milk or mayo. I had two deliveries from two different stores.
I had a bunch of work today and then a two-hour zoom with a bunch of entrepreneurs to discuss home businesses. It was interesting and informative.
I called Orencia today about the one injectable that was left in my fridge when the power went out. When the power went out and had been out for a length of time, I put my Orencia in a styrofoam container with ice packs. I wanted to keep it at the correct temperature. It was in the middle of the night and I didn't want to open the fridge all the way. I grabbed the full box of Orencia but I forgot that I had one injectable in another box. I left it in the fridge and when the power came back on it went from about 50-60 degrees back to cool. I didn't take it out when it was warm and use it because it was too soon to inject it. Turns out that letting it get cool again ruined it. But the other problem was that it would have gotten ruined if I left it out of the fridge until I could take it. Being out of the fridge for over 24 hours would have ruined it anyway. So either way the shot was ruined. Luckily it was only one shot.
Until tomorrow...
I am still recovering from the power outage. I online food shopped today to replace the food I lost. The food will arrive tomorrow.
I worked and that is all I did today. I had a lot of work to do today. Suddenly everyone wants me.
I made a delicious dinner. Loaded sweet potato with black beans, spinach, salsa and vegan cheese.
Tomorrow I will do something for me.
Until tomorrow...
Well, the power was not back on this morning and did not come back on until 1pm. I got up and took my medication to my neighbor's house so she could put it in her fridge. That way it could keep it cold.
Once the power came on I went through and threw out things like soy milk, soy cream, dog food, etc. I probably could have kept it but I didn't want to risk it. I didn't need a case of food poisoning during a covid surge.
I had a zoom presentation at 11am that I was unable to present at "in person". I had to do it by phone. It was not ideal but I did okay.
Just a crazy day of no power and getting power back on.
Until tomorrow...
Today was going along nicely until this evening. I lost power. Not in the usual way. Half the house had power and half the house did not. I have never seen anything like it. When the power went out for a minute I thought UGH! then it came back on. Only some of it came back on. I thought a breaker or fuse or whatever blew so I went down to the electric box and started flicking things on and off. Nothing seemed to work.
So, I called a neighbor who is smart about these things. He had me do a few more things but nothing worked. Then he suggested I call the electric company. I called another neighbor who I saw sitting in his living room with a light on. He told me there was a flash and then the electricity went off. Then all the power went off. I was in the dark. I got a text from the power company saying it would all be fixed by 10 pm. Then 12pm. Then 4am.
Lucky and I moved downstairs since we could not watch TV. I watched a little TV on my phone and listened to my audiobook. I got to use my solar light that I bought during the last power outage and it worked great. All I do is leave it sitting near a window every day and then when the power went out it worked great. The only thing people don't think about is that the thermostat stops working when the electricity goes out so the heat doesn't work. It is going to be a cold night so Lucky is going to cuddled up with me.
I packed my medication in a Styrofoam cooler with ice packs so it wouldn't spoil. That should keep it until morning.
Until tomorrow...
Today was a good day. The sun was shining and it was moderately cold. Cold for where I live. Practically beach weather for some places in the world. Lucky and I took a walk in the afternoon. I took her around the block and when we got to the house, she wanted to go further. So I let her go a little farther. Next thing I knew we were going around the block a second time. I am sure if she had it her way we would have gone for number three. Mostly I think she wanted our neighbor to be home to get some loving and some snacks. He is notorious for giving the dogs in the neighborhood lots of snacks and since Lucky is a never ending pit for snacks, he just keeps giving them to her. I have to make him stop and then he sneaks one more! He is a sweet man who lost his dog about 5 months ago. This was his third dog since I have known him. Dog number 2 he had only a short time. The dog was not good in our area and was moved to a farm with some nice people. He was too anxious with all the noise and people and it made him aggressive. He is now living a leisurely life on the farm.
We took a walk (that was supposed to be short) after I participated in a Bharatanatyam virtual dance class. I took a live dance class years ago at a club and really enjoyed it. I wanted to go again but could not find anyone to go with me. Now that it is virtual I can do it myself and I don't care what I look like since my camera is off. I was a bit tired after the hour long dance class (we danced about 4,000 steps) but Lucky had different ideas.
I decided to take out my barely used air fryer and make air fried tofu tonight. It is super easy to use. I make tofu cubes, put spices on them and threw them in the air fryer. It took three batches since I have the smallest air fryer. But it only takes 12 minutes for each batch. I washed all the dishes while it was cooking. The tofu tasted awesome and the clean up was a breeze. No oil to dispose of which is better for the environment.
Until tomorrow...
I had a meeting for my foster kid this morning and I had to wait a while for the zoom to get started. Once it was over, I started on my work project. It is not a hard project it is just a time consuming project. The client just made it harder than it had to be because they wanted it a certain way. I could have done it so much faster another way but I have to do what the client wants. They are paying.
Then after a client meeting, I roasted some root vegetables. I roasted parsnips, sweet potatoes and potatoes. I added salt and pepper, onion powder and garlic powder and decided to add lemon pepper. I thought it might add something interesting. It did. I like it. My lemon pepper is old and I am now purchasing another bottle. I just love roasted root veggies.
I am going to finish the project this weekend because I have to present it on Monday morning.
Until tomorrow...
I am having a tough day. My joints hurt and I found it hard to walk. I really wanted to stay in bed but I got up and got going. Staying in bed is not going to solve anything. I need to keep moving.
I took a webinar on social media that was really interesting. I learned things I didn't know.
I made a quick stir-fry for dinner with tofu, bok choy, spinach and carrots. It was the sauce that made it. It was so tasty.
I am working on a big project and had little time to cook.
Until tomorrow...
It was a full day of taking down the Christmas tree, working on my puzzle, working, and making some food. I made roasted cauliflower steaks. I had both white cauliflower and orange cauliflower. Once the steaks were roasted I put a sauce on them made from soy sauce, sriracha and agave. It was a little spicy but good.
Today was National Bird Day and I thought I would include a photo of my bird Sunny.
That was my full day.
Until tomorrow...
Today was a different day. I signed up and listened to a presentation about The Kinks. I thought I would be able to get some work done during the performance but NO. I was so riveted I couldn't get any work completed. I was singing and dancing to the music. The stories this man told were so interesting. I learned a lot about a band that I like an awful lot and grew up listening to.
I clicked a button on a website and thought I made a mistake. I had to call customer service. If you have tried to call customer service at any company recently, you know what I went through. But it was super easy! I got right through and the woman helped me with a laugh and a smile. She walked me through the process and voila! it is all fixed. Actually, I didn't really screw anything up, I just thought I did.
It was a busy day of little things that added up to a full day.
Until tomorrow...
Well, I didn't get around to taking down the Christmas tree today. I was a bit busy doing other things. I made Mushroom, Kale, Carrot and Bean Soup. It started raining again and I thought soup would be a good dinner. It is really good. I ate it with the quiche. Yum.
Do you like my new bowl? This was from my new bowl collection. I was tired of always using my black bowls for photos so I bought some cheap bowls on sale. They are one pattern on the outside and another pattern on the inside. Then the next bowl has the opposite patterns. I love them.
Until tomorrow...
Today was the day to start taking down Christmas. I didn't feel much like Christmas this year. That was probably evident since I waited so late to put up the few decorations I did this year. I tried to get in the spirit by doing Christmasy things like baking cookies and watching all 35 (I have 6 left to go) of the Lifetime Christmas Movies. It still didn't feel like Christmas. Then came New Year's and once again it didn't feel like New Year's. There were no fireworks this year.
I had to give Lucky a bath today because she got dirty in the backyard. She doesn't like baths and was not happy. She ends up being happy when she is clean and poofy.
I relaxed after doing so much work.
Until tomorrow...
Happy New Year's Day 2022!! Feels so weird to write that. This year was so subdued with no fireworks and no celebrations.
I had my vegan quiche and I made Crispy Smashed Potatoes. Crispy Smashed Potatoes are where you boil the potatoes first and then you smash them with a fork and bake them in the oven. They come out super crispy.
I basically sat around most of the day. Lucky and I went for a walk around the block. I put away my Christmas gifts. Tomorrow I am taking down the decorations.
I watched the new Queer Eye season. That was my day. Relaxing.
Until tomorrow...
