it's been MONTHS!!!

 Oh, I am such an idiot sometimes.  This fine morning, Sonja and I and baby Kaia went to the thrift store.  Sonja was a good girl, she dropped off a bag, I forgot.  Anyway, I found a sweet little pair of overalls for Evelyn and Nate's baby, due this summer, and a "new" purse for me.  (I like a small body-bag type of purse for traveling, to keep the passport, phone, glasses, earbuds, gum, protein bar...).  The one I have works, but is kind of too small, so I found one today marked $5.99.  It's Tuesday, so 25% off for seniors, 60 and up.  I told the lady I was eligible for the discount, and she said, "I figured."  Oh really?, I said, you could tell by looking at me?   Yeah, I said that.  I also went on to tell her I hadn't been there in six months, because I had a knee replacement and couldn't walk.  Why do I do this?  She was fine and nice and said, "Oh, I've heard those can be rough..."  oh dear.  Can't take me anywhere.

Going in to the store, there was an older gentleman about 30 feet in front of me, he got to the door and held it open for me.  Now, this is very kind, and people like to be kind, but don't make me hurry!  He read my mind, and shouted into the wind, "It's windy but I won't blow away, take your time!"  It's kind of embarrassing, but...people like to be nice.

We went to Aldi next, look at me going to two places!  I got strawberries and red skinned potatoes, tomatoes, salad, shredded cabbage, lasagna ingredients, and a package of chicken.  When I got home, we decided to have Chinese-type stir fry, so I cut up some chicken breast, Cam made a sauce of soy and sesame oil, salt and pepper, and put it over the chicken chunks.  The rest of the chicken, I pounded between parchment sheets, and sprinkled it with the Indian spice mix from Riley.  That went into the refrigerator for tomorrow.  

Camille made a pan of jasmine rice, I stir fried the chicken, sprinkled some corn starch on top, let it get nice and crispy.  I chopped an onion, and a yellow pepper, stir fried that with broccoli after the chicken was done.  I also made half a bag of cauliflower rice, for Paul and I.

I am thankful chicken is so inexpensive here, we eat a lot of it.  We did have bacon and eggs last evening, I had Ezekial toast with raspberry preserves too, so good.  

Anyway.  Not too much going on.  Miss Kaia is coming over tomorrow, Char is going to look after her.  I am going to the pool, then coming home to help.  

Saturday we are going to a few wineries, out to lunch, then back here in the afternoon.  I will make the lasagna on Friday and bake it on Saturday.  I'll get some fresh Italian bread, and shh, I am going to buy the cake, I think.  I COULD bake it on Friday...hmmm.  It's hard to pay good money for something you can make, but also, Wegmans makes such good birthday cakes.  

So.  I am still not "there" with my walking, but I have been ditching the cane around the house, little by little.  I still have to tell myself "heel to toe", and walk purposefully, so as not to limp too much.  It's getting better, and I am super thankful.  You'd never think to be so happy for something as basic as walking until you can't do it!  Now I'll never take it for granted again.  Remembering when I struggled so much, holding on to that walker for dear life, knee buckling, dreaming those dreams about walking, then waking up every morning and realizing that I could not yet do it.  So I am extremely thankful.  

I've had my dessert of sugar free cherry jello and a 2 gram of sugar Aldi Greek yogurt, with a little squirt of white chocolate cold foam (it was 99 cents today at Aldi!), it was quite good.  Staying away from sugar is hard, but I try!  

Miss Char and Miss Cam are almost done with their first year of college!  I am very proud of them, they've done quite well.  Char will be in nursing school in the fall, in person so she'll be leaving at least four days a week.  Cam will have some classes in person.  She will have to get her driver's license by then, or guess who will be driving to college?  No, she'll get it.  :). 

Ah well, you all have a good evening...