Sam Squared

      Photo by Tara Clark On Tuesdays I try and gather a list of things that have made me smile or brought a bit of cheer. Spring is in the air, but it's a bit false as anyone in Minnesota knows, we do not get through the highschool winter state tournament season with out one or two major snow falls. Still, I'll start with weather in my list. I like that grocery stores carry simple bouquets.   Not my shop above but I enjoy seeing them and occasionally buying a bunch.  Weekend temperatures were crazy hitting the 50's° F. I watched the men's hockey game Saturday and took walks during both period breaks as it seemed silly to be inside for three hours straight. Lots of people were out and there was a cheery mood.  My sister's cat, plus the wanderer instantly greeted me by weeks end. Even the aloof one rubbed up against me and let me give him a little pet.  My sister had a great time, so glad, as she's going to have a rough time after her foot procedur...

      Valentine's Day is come and gone, and I I had not a hint of the day beyond stupid adverts popping up during the Olympics. My sister got home late Saturday night so I didn't have cat feeding duty today. We got along just fine and even the black and white one seemed to like me coming by weeks end. Of course, he knew I was good lady and he likes his food. I tried getting pup outside a lot with the warm temps, but as you can see from this little video, the melt freeze, melt, freeze makes for challenging walks with an old dog.       This week should be quiet and slow. My daughter has tomorrow off for Presidents Day so no big dog tomorrow. Friday is same sisters surgery. I asked for a few favorites from her for recuperation and lasagna and sloppy joes were instant requests so I'll make two separate pans of lasagna and a batch of sloppy joes. She likes goulash how my mom made it with leftover sloppy Joe meat. I'll make that too over the weekend but unli...

      Screen shot of a Jacquie Lawson Animated card      It's Valentines Day-not that I do much to celebrate it. If you do, I hope you enjoy. I liked it as a child and as a parent. The cheesy little cards bought in bundles, then carefully put together with a sucker or mini candy bar. One year I hit a great deal on the conversation heart boxes for both the older kids and those were their give away for the school Valentine's exchange, but we cut out assorted pink, red, and purple hearts to attach as the tag. With the youngest, I think we used fruit chews or fruit by the foot as the treat, though not at all healthier than candy but it felt like it was.       The grandmas got into Valentines action. My mom had a lot of grandchildren, but she'd buy the individually wrapped Russell Stover heart for each of them. The other grandma, not near the numbers of grandkids my mom had, but to this day sends a card with a $5 bill in it. Quite appreciated...

                                        As a reminder in case you feel repetitiveness to my Friday posts, I copy the previous week, delete the old and update as I go along the week. This will help me add as the week goes on. Here's my recap of Friday, February 6 to Thursday, February, 12 . I just sort of list things as they come up, then edit before publishing. I'm adding a subcategory, technically part of avoid spending and saving on needs, but with an emphasis on being more intentional- Use It Up/Prevent Waste. Use it Up/Avoid Waste  We had a very simple, but delicious little Super Bowl spread with loss leader pizzas, using the last of the Christmas brie with pears, some sausage my son received at Christmas in a charcuterie box, plus various chips and dip. I had these fun napkins from years ago.  Made four mini loaves of banana bread from bananas that ripened oddly My weekly b...

      In my old blog, before my husband passed away, I dedicated Tuesday  to find something positive to post about. The reason why I did Tuesday and not Thankful Thursday as so many people do was because I dreaded Tuesday's. Monday always felt like a brand new week and I was ready to begin. But by midday Tuesday, I was dragging low. The work week was in full on problem mode it seemed. I'd be juggling work and life and Tuesdays seemed crowded in both. Being retired, I don't have that same angst about Tuesdays. I don't have a crowded calendar. If I don't get something done, no worries, it can be done the next day instead of pulling a late night to get it done.       But to break up the week a bit, I think it's still a nice day to highlight anything positive in my life or that I'm seeing for others. Admittedly, some weeks it feels like I had to dig deep to find something worthy to post. Most of life is just live, rinse, repeat and that's not necessar...

      I enjoyed the Super Bowl and the halftime show. If fools want to explode on the Internet arguing about entertainment performed in Spanish in the middle of a football field, they're free to do it and look ridiculous doing so. Did I know any of the music? No, but to be fair, I rarely know anything music wise in the last decade; just ask my trivia friends just how unhelpful I am in certain sound rounds. The wedding was a real wedding I learned! Pedro Pascal and Jessica Alba dancing on the porch. The old men playing dominoes. How much more wholesome do people want?  Green Day was phenomenal to open the game and the always wonderful Brandi Carlile's America the Beautiful would bring a tear to a Patriots eye. (Maybe that's why the Patriots fell so flat on the field, too choked up, lol). Green Day      It was a small gathering. I ate too much pizza and as it's been ages since I made black bean and corn salsa ( some call it Cowboy Caviar), I went to town...