Early this morning an architect friend of mine brought her contractor to look at the water damage in my bedroom. It looks ugly so, I was afraid that, it would be a difficult fix but luckily she told me it is very easy. I do not have the quote yet but, I was afraid more of the work and mess rather than the price. So, I feel good about that.
After the guy left, my friend stayed for a nice chat and a cup of coffee. She is not only a clever business person but, also a very compassionate woman who volunteers a lot of her time for an NPO who takes care of abused children.
In the afternoon, I went to meet with my colleagues on one of the upcoming projects.
My slippers were so worn out that I had to throw them out yesterday. So, I went to the mall after my meeting, walked in one of the stores, got my new slippers and walked right back to my car. All of 20 minutes. No wandering around without a real reason, no temptation to buy something unnecessary. Go me!
Had a dinner of pasta and spinach, watched an episode of Law and Order SVU and now, I am ready to read a while and retire to bed.
This was a good day and I am happy with it.
Tomorrow, the shower door will be installed and I will need to work from home for a while.
I need some structure in my life. Not having or knowing what to do in a given day is not good for me. I immediately become lazy.
Have a good day!
Thursday, February 28, 2019
Wednesday, February 27, 2019
Do I need Marie Kondo?
Despite the cold, I guess Spring must be in the air because, I feel like decluttering. There are so many items that I do not use just staying and collecting dust or taking up space. After all this is a two bedroom, one bathroom 940 sq.ft. apartment.
I watched a couple of episodes of the Marie Kondo Show. Some people have enormous amounts of stuff and I consider myself lucky because I am nowhere near that. I do have things that serve no purpose other than having sentimental value. For instance I have 4 model sailing ships my father had made and painted. There are also a few earthenware things that he painted. I have received some serving dishes that I never use. I just cannot get rid of these. They spark joy I guess :) If I had to throw away everything that didn't spark joy, perhaps I would need to empty the apartment. My idea of feeling joy is very much different than Marie Kondo.
I watched a couple of episodes of the Marie Kondo Show. Some people have enormous amounts of stuff and I consider myself lucky because I am nowhere near that. I do have things that serve no purpose other than having sentimental value. For instance I have 4 model sailing ships my father had made and painted. There are also a few earthenware things that he painted. I have received some serving dishes that I never use. I just cannot get rid of these. They spark joy I guess :) If I had to throw away everything that didn't spark joy, perhaps I would need to empty the apartment. My idea of feeling joy is very much different than Marie Kondo.
I got rid of an old lamp and an old silly hat plus half a garbage bag of stuff today.
Part of my problem is I do not usually put things back in place after I am done with them. I had a serious look at the kitchen countertops and the living room and confirmed this. So, I attacked those areas and I am almost done. I think I have an hour more work. While I put things in place, I am also dusting. After I am done, I will vacuum the apartment.
Before taking a shower, I will take care of the bathroom and my apartment will look nice again!
I have also discovered that, the cleaning lady is not doing such a great job dusting. I will tell her the areas she keeps forgetting. She comes every two weeks and I know it is not enough but that is all I can afford. I always tell her that windows do not need to be washed every time especially in this season. Instead she can do a better job with deep cleaning and dusting but, she always washes the windows. I guess it is easy and can be easily seen so that it gives a clean feeling.
May be I should sit less on my butt and dust and vacuum the place on the weeks she does not come.
Hopefully the shower doors will be installed on either Friday or Saturday. It was supposed to be either today or tomorrow but, reading One Family, One Income, I know contractors never deliver on time.
Off I go to complete my chores! Have a great day!
Before taking a shower, I will take care of the bathroom and my apartment will look nice again!
I have also discovered that, the cleaning lady is not doing such a great job dusting. I will tell her the areas she keeps forgetting. She comes every two weeks and I know it is not enough but that is all I can afford. I always tell her that windows do not need to be washed every time especially in this season. Instead she can do a better job with deep cleaning and dusting but, she always washes the windows. I guess it is easy and can be easily seen so that it gives a clean feeling.
May be I should sit less on my butt and dust and vacuum the place on the weeks she does not come.
Hopefully the shower doors will be installed on either Friday or Saturday. It was supposed to be either today or tomorrow but, reading One Family, One Income, I know contractors never deliver on time.
Off I go to complete my chores! Have a great day!
Saturday, February 23, 2019
Snow!
Finally it snowed today! There is about an inch of it on the ground. Today started with a storm. It both rained and snowed all day. It is now 33 degrees F but feels like 20.
The shower cabin guy showed up and took measurements and said that they will install the new shower doors next week. There will be one stationary and one sliding door this time. I also told them to change the thing that surrounds the shower base. I have no idea what it is called. It will match the metal frame.
I have done absolutely nothing today.
The shower cabin guy showed up and took measurements and said that they will install the new shower doors next week. There will be one stationary and one sliding door this time. I also told them to change the thing that surrounds the shower base. I have no idea what it is called. It will match the metal frame.
I have done absolutely nothing today.
Thursday, February 21, 2019
Gonna get cold...
Today I went grocery shopping because the weather report says, we are going to be hit by cold weather over the weekend. There will be some snow around me but not where I am. Bummer.
I needed bread, meat, some cheeses, some veggies, yogurt etc.
I prepared some stuffed swiss chard, meatballs with the remaining stuffing,- and sauteed leftover swiss chard. I will make meat patties and a soup tomorrow. Some of this stuff is going to the freezer.
I will be set till the end of the month and do not have to cook anymore. A break from cooking and cleaning the kitchen is truly needed.
One of the sliding doors of the shower cabin is broken again and I no longer have the spare hardware to fix it. It was problematic ever since I had that shower cabin installed. That is why the guy who installed it gave me a bunch of spare parts that break easily.
I asked for quotes online and decided to order a new shower cabin. It is a little over USD 100.- (a fraction of what it would cost in the US/Canada) so, I decided to go for it. No need to curse everyday at the shower cabin and the guy who installed it.
The contractor is going to come and take exact measurements tomorrow sometime. I hope, they will do a good job.
I needed bread, meat, some cheeses, some veggies, yogurt etc.
I prepared some stuffed swiss chard, meatballs with the remaining stuffing,- and sauteed leftover swiss chard. I will make meat patties and a soup tomorrow. Some of this stuff is going to the freezer.
I will be set till the end of the month and do not have to cook anymore. A break from cooking and cleaning the kitchen is truly needed.
One of the sliding doors of the shower cabin is broken again and I no longer have the spare hardware to fix it. It was problematic ever since I had that shower cabin installed. That is why the guy who installed it gave me a bunch of spare parts that break easily.
I asked for quotes online and decided to order a new shower cabin. It is a little over USD 100.- (a fraction of what it would cost in the US/Canada) so, I decided to go for it. No need to curse everyday at the shower cabin and the guy who installed it.
The contractor is going to come and take exact measurements tomorrow sometime. I hope, they will do a good job.
Wednesday, February 20, 2019
Today is a sad day...
My dad passed away 25 years ago today. He was a tall, slender man with glasses. We share the same smile. He valued his family the most and made us his number one priority. He never missed any opportunity to teach us something new.
He loved my mother and respected her a great deal. He was a good man, a loving husband, great dad, loved co-worker and neighbor.
An aortic aneurism took him away from us way too early.
Today I am feeling blue.
On top of that, I have learnt that a very dear friend of mine is hospitalized. He will have to go through a set of surgeries due to clogged arteries and veins. He is only 60. I am hoping that he will recover. I spoke to his wife and later to him today. He sounds good but, I know he is scared as we all are.
I need something to uplift my mood today and think positive. So, I will work on learning some Tai Chi moves and use the treadmill. I am not going to make or get any comfort food. No pasta, no chocolate!
He loved my mother and respected her a great deal. He was a good man, a loving husband, great dad, loved co-worker and neighbor.
An aortic aneurism took him away from us way too early.
Today I am feeling blue.
On top of that, I have learnt that a very dear friend of mine is hospitalized. He will have to go through a set of surgeries due to clogged arteries and veins. He is only 60. I am hoping that he will recover. I spoke to his wife and later to him today. He sounds good but, I know he is scared as we all are.
I need something to uplift my mood today and think positive. So, I will work on learning some Tai Chi moves and use the treadmill. I am not going to make or get any comfort food. No pasta, no chocolate!
Monday, February 18, 2019
Cooking
I am no longer eating out as much as I used to. This is partly because, I am home a lot more and have the time to cook and partly because, due to sky-rocketing inflation in this country, eating out has become very expensive.
I do like to have things to make my taste buds happy so, I have looked up a marinade recipe yesterday. It turned out to be really awesome. Here is the link
I have a roasting pan with a grill rack that I had bought from IKEA. I lined it with parchment paper and sliced some potatoes which I drizzled with EVOO. I put the chicken breast pieces that I had marinated on the grill rack and 30 minutes later, I had dinner! I also had a salad made with grated carrots and red meat radishes. Oh I used some baby arugula too. Lemon juice and EVOO for dressing as always.
I also cooked celery roots with potatoes and carrots in EVOO. That dish is usually served cold but if you like it warm, it is a healthy veggie stew. I start with sauteeing cubed onions and add cut up pieces of the veggies and a little tomato sauce. It takes about 20 minutes on stove top. You have to watch the water you add. It should not be watery at the end.
So now, I have this veggie dish and leftover chicken to last me at least two days with a salad. In order not to eat the same thing on two consecutive days, for Wednesday, I am thinking manti, Turkish Meat Ravioli. And no, I bought it ready to cook. It is too much work. I only prepare the garlic/yogurt sauce and heat the butter with red pepper flakes. Very tasty.
For Friday and the weekend, I would like to eat out of my pantry so, we will see.
I do like to have things to make my taste buds happy so, I have looked up a marinade recipe yesterday. It turned out to be really awesome. Here is the link
I have a roasting pan with a grill rack that I had bought from IKEA. I lined it with parchment paper and sliced some potatoes which I drizzled with EVOO. I put the chicken breast pieces that I had marinated on the grill rack and 30 minutes later, I had dinner! I also had a salad made with grated carrots and red meat radishes. Oh I used some baby arugula too. Lemon juice and EVOO for dressing as always.
I also cooked celery roots with potatoes and carrots in EVOO. That dish is usually served cold but if you like it warm, it is a healthy veggie stew. I start with sauteeing cubed onions and add cut up pieces of the veggies and a little tomato sauce. It takes about 20 minutes on stove top. You have to watch the water you add. It should not be watery at the end.
So now, I have this veggie dish and leftover chicken to last me at least two days with a salad. In order not to eat the same thing on two consecutive days, for Wednesday, I am thinking manti, Turkish Meat Ravioli. And no, I bought it ready to cook. It is too much work. I only prepare the garlic/yogurt sauce and heat the butter with red pepper flakes. Very tasty.
For Friday and the weekend, I would like to eat out of my pantry so, we will see.
Sunday, February 17, 2019
Gorgeous Day and Bike Riding
Today it was a bright and sunny day in the lower 50s F.. Not one cloud was to be seen. After having coffee with a friend of mine, I decided to walk by the water. There is a very long shore where you can walk your dog, grab a bite, ride your bike, bring your kids to any one of the children play areas on the Asian side. There are about three sailing schools too.
During the last few years, the local governmentn installed rental bike parks along this place. I have always wanted to try riding a bike but never dared due to not having ridden one in many years and due to my weight. My entire childhood was spent on a bike and I loved it. I think, the last time I was on one was back in 2010 when I was visiting Chicago. That was the first time ever since 1997.
Today, I decided to act courageous and try the rental bikes. They looked sturdy enough. After figuring out how the automated kiosk worked, I rented one bike and rode it. I was very wobbly at first, but my muscle memory stepped in and at the end of 10 minutes I was feeling a lot more confident.
Next time, I will be wearing sweatpants instead of jeans. I enjoyed it very much so, I am sure I will go back to doing it. It was also very crowded since it was a Sunday. I am sure İt will be much better during the week.
During the last few years, the local governmentn installed rental bike parks along this place. I have always wanted to try riding a bike but never dared due to not having ridden one in many years and due to my weight. My entire childhood was spent on a bike and I loved it. I think, the last time I was on one was back in 2010 when I was visiting Chicago. That was the first time ever since 1997.
Today, I decided to act courageous and try the rental bikes. They looked sturdy enough. After figuring out how the automated kiosk worked, I rented one bike and rode it. I was very wobbly at first, but my muscle memory stepped in and at the end of 10 minutes I was feeling a lot more confident.
Next time, I will be wearing sweatpants instead of jeans. I enjoyed it very much so, I am sure I will go back to doing it. It was also very crowded since it was a Sunday. I am sure İt will be much better during the week.
Friday, February 15, 2019
A recipe and about food...
I feel very lazy to cook dinner today. Tonight's dinner will be a can of cannelini beans, onions, olives and boiled eggs. I make a salad with these and use lemon juice and olive oil for dressing. Yum!
I know it is healthier and cheaper to use dry beans but I have none at home and I am using the canned version. I also have two cans of chick beans which I will use in salads. This week, I could not let myself buy any salad greens because they not only looked very sad but were very pricey too. So, I got carrots and red meat radishes to make salads. I basically grate them and use lemon and olive oil on top.
Tomorrow, I think I will have what we call "kisir" something similar to tabouleh for brunch. I have my own recipe perfected over the years and it is neither tabouleh nor kisir anymore. Lol!
Here is how I make it:
Ingredients: (2-3 Servings)
1 cup of fine bulgur wheat
1 bunch of parsley (about two cups chopped) you can use less or more depending on your taste buds
2 cups of finely chopped freash sweet peppers. In the US, I use green Italian peppers.
1 small onion
Half a lemon's juice (I use a bit more since I like it that way)
1/4 cup of tomato sauce
3/4 cup of hot water
Cumin
Dried mint leaves
Salt
Pepper
Red Pepper flakes
Olive Oil
Put the bulgur wheat in a container that has a lid. Pour the mixture of hot water and tomato sauce on it, stir so that all the bulgur is wet and put the lid on. That needs to sit for about 10-15 minutes while you wash and chop the parsley and the sweet peppers. I use my food processor and put them both in together. Set the chopped veggies aside.
Chop the small onion finely and using a table spoon of olive oil, cook the onions slightly. Do not caramelize or overcook. 2 minutes is enough over medium heat.
Now combine everything you have prepared and season with the above spices to your liking. I use about two heaping tablespoons of dried mint leaves and at least a teaspoon of cumin if not more.
Add some more olive oil and voila! I like this best with tea. There is nothing bad for you. Since I use the food processor, it takes all of 20 minutes to prepare and a lot less to eat:)
I know it is healthier and cheaper to use dry beans but I have none at home and I am using the canned version. I also have two cans of chick beans which I will use in salads. This week, I could not let myself buy any salad greens because they not only looked very sad but were very pricey too. So, I got carrots and red meat radishes to make salads. I basically grate them and use lemon and olive oil on top.
Tomorrow, I think I will have what we call "kisir" something similar to tabouleh for brunch. I have my own recipe perfected over the years and it is neither tabouleh nor kisir anymore. Lol!
Here is how I make it:
Ingredients: (2-3 Servings)
1 cup of fine bulgur wheat
1 bunch of parsley (about two cups chopped) you can use less or more depending on your taste buds
2 cups of finely chopped freash sweet peppers. In the US, I use green Italian peppers.
1 small onion
Half a lemon's juice (I use a bit more since I like it that way)
1/4 cup of tomato sauce
3/4 cup of hot water
Cumin
Dried mint leaves
Salt
Pepper
Red Pepper flakes
Olive Oil
Put the bulgur wheat in a container that has a lid. Pour the mixture of hot water and tomato sauce on it, stir so that all the bulgur is wet and put the lid on. That needs to sit for about 10-15 minutes while you wash and chop the parsley and the sweet peppers. I use my food processor and put them both in together. Set the chopped veggies aside.
Chop the small onion finely and using a table spoon of olive oil, cook the onions slightly. Do not caramelize or overcook. 2 minutes is enough over medium heat.
Now combine everything you have prepared and season with the above spices to your liking. I use about two heaping tablespoons of dried mint leaves and at least a teaspoon of cumin if not more.
Add some more olive oil and voila! I like this best with tea. There is nothing bad for you. Since I use the food processor, it takes all of 20 minutes to prepare and a lot less to eat:)
Wednesday, February 13, 2019
Phewww! I met my deadline!
I had to do some work at home on a project but being the queen of procrastination, I kept saying to myself "Gotta do the laundry", "Gotta hang the laundry", "May be I should put another load?", "the kitchen is a mess, I should put that in order", "These veggies need to be cooked" so on and so forth. Having to work until 3 a.m. in the morning the night before did not teach me a much needed lesson. So, I needed to give myself a pep talk and finally got my work done!
There are some types of work, I absolutely hate. Most of the stuff I do, I like but, working with strange templates? Not so much. That type of work is the curse of being a consultant. Lol!
I will be at a Customer's site all day tomorrow so I need my rest tonight.
On Friday, I want to take an inventory of my pantry, freezer and fridge to see if there is anything that must be consumed quickly. I think, I am stocked pretty well and do not need to grocery shopping at least till Monday.
I also need to move a little more too. If the weather is nice, may be I will go for a long walk by the sea on Friday. If not, treadmill will do.
I may be out for dinner on Saturday with three friends. Hope, we can make that happen.
Need to go and put my outfit together for tomorrow. I also should remember to drop the dry cleaning coming back home.
Time to relax now...
There are some types of work, I absolutely hate. Most of the stuff I do, I like but, working with strange templates? Not so much. That type of work is the curse of being a consultant. Lol!
I will be at a Customer's site all day tomorrow so I need my rest tonight.
On Friday, I want to take an inventory of my pantry, freezer and fridge to see if there is anything that must be consumed quickly. I think, I am stocked pretty well and do not need to grocery shopping at least till Monday.
I also need to move a little more too. If the weather is nice, may be I will go for a long walk by the sea on Friday. If not, treadmill will do.
I may be out for dinner on Saturday with three friends. Hope, we can make that happen.
Need to go and put my outfit together for tomorrow. I also should remember to drop the dry cleaning coming back home.
Time to relax now...
Monday, February 11, 2019
Busy busy...
I have been very busy with mom, projects and travel so much so that I did not realize I have not posted for a long while.
Healthwise I am fine. There is so much to be done. I feel a bit overwhelmed. I took mom to her home last Friday and came back yesterday. Now I can structure my days around project responsibilities.
In fact, I have been working all morning. Took a break to put a roaster in the oven and check on some blogs while having a light lunch. The bird will provide quiet a few meals and I will make stock using the carcass.
Tonight, I am having roast chicken with broccoli and mashed potatoes. I will also make some gravy to go with it. My favorite combination. Yumm...
I will have to plan what to do with the rest of the chicken. Some will be had with rice. I have some rice left and I need to use it up before buying a new bag.
A pot of soup is in the plans too. I think, I will freeze some of it for salads,sandwiches or small pot pies for one later on. I do not think, I can be eating chicken every day.
I have finished my tea as I typed this so, it is time to go back to work.
Healthwise I am fine. There is so much to be done. I feel a bit overwhelmed. I took mom to her home last Friday and came back yesterday. Now I can structure my days around project responsibilities.
In fact, I have been working all morning. Took a break to put a roaster in the oven and check on some blogs while having a light lunch. The bird will provide quiet a few meals and I will make stock using the carcass.
Tonight, I am having roast chicken with broccoli and mashed potatoes. I will also make some gravy to go with it. My favorite combination. Yumm...
I will have to plan what to do with the rest of the chicken. Some will be had with rice. I have some rice left and I need to use it up before buying a new bag.
A pot of soup is in the plans too. I think, I will freeze some of it for salads,sandwiches or small pot pies for one later on. I do not think, I can be eating chicken every day.
I have finished my tea as I typed this so, it is time to go back to work.
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