Quarantine update #11 - a few replies

Good afternoon everyone

Last week was an usually cold week for Oklahoma but the weather forecast for this week is much warmer and drier.  My husband has been getting garden work done and I plan to as well. 

I had a Walmart grocery pickup this morning,  it was a big order and everything was in stock.  I did laugh when I saw my substitutions.   I ordered 8 of the little 2 ounce craft paint bottles at .50 each.  I got 3 of the small bottles but they substituted much bigger size bottles for the other 5 colors.  

I’ll have plenty of paint for the future Friday night paint along classes.  

About the classes,  I have no past painting experience except for water coloring with my grandchildren.  The class really is a follow along process.  If you do what the instructor, Toni, says do,  anyone can have a pretty painting afterward.  

I keep seeing more requests for homesewn masks.  Today, our town’s police department requested masks so they could give them to citizens in need.  

I’ve ordered more elastic and it’s coming this week.   So I need to start cutting out and sewing more masks,  

Never did I think home seamstresses would be called upon to sew face masks.  

This shelter at home/quarantine/pandemic just seems like a bad dream that won’t end.  

About Walmart grocery pick up,  Walmart seems to have some of the hard to find items in stock in the stores but they are not always listed on the shopping app.  It does seem to be getting better.  

If I needed a hard to find item,  I would go to Walmart very close to their opening time in the morning.  The stores in our area are stocking at night.  So it seems first thing in the morning  would be the best time to see the shelves well stocked.  

Also about Walmart,  I know lots of people think Walmart is the worst store ever.  I’m not wanting to debate it.   I like Walmart though and I think it a geographic thing.  Walmarts began in Arkansas, less than 2 hours away from our town .  Their big headquarters is still there.  

It seems from my blog reading,  that the closer you live to Arkansas,  the better you think of Walmart.  And people that live many states away from Walmart, don’t like them one bit. 

About Jane and her closing her Hope and Thrift blog,  I’m sorry she did but I’m guessing she just got too many negative comments.  When you go to her blog’s address,  it says the blog is only open to invited guests.  That seems to the standard blogspot message when someone makes their blog private only to the author but doesn’t delete their blog.   Since her blog is not deleted,  she may change her mind and open it back up in the future but that is Jane’s choice.  She needs to do what works for her.  

I’m hoping she will change her mind.  She has lots of valuable information about living in difficult circumstances and making the most of what you have.  

I don’t have access to her blog.  

This above meme is not for the majority of my readers but for the commenters who contributed to Jane’s decision to close her blog.   
Why people think it is good to leave mean and unhelpful comments, I just don’t know.  I personally don’t have time to go around leaving insults and "advice" on social media like so many trolls seem to.  

I like to blog just to cyber visit with you all, especially homemakers and to learn or be inspired by what you all are doing.  

🏡🏡🏡🏡🏡🏡🏡🏡🏡🏡🏡🏡🏡🏡🏡🏡🏡🏡🏡❤️🏡🏡🏡🏡🏡🏡🏡🏡🏡🏡🏡🏡🏡🏡

That’s all the negative talk from me,  I’ll be back with just homemaking talk tomorrow 

Hope you are well

❤️ Rhonda 

 

Quarantine Update #10 - a paint along class

Have y’all heard of the painting classes people used to do when we could gather in groups?  I think the ones in our area are called Wine and Pallet.  Anyway,  I’ve never done one of the actual classes.  A person I really know is hosting free paint along classes on Facebook while we’re all at home.  So this was a good opportunity to try a class and do something different.  

I’ve done almost nothing today so when 7 p.m, rolled around,  I found some paints and joined in.  

If you want to do one,  you can watch live on Fridays or the past classes are on demand on Facebook under "Creative Disasters for Beautiful Minds” 

Above is the painting done by the original artist 

Above is where I set up to start- and all those groceries and kitchen things that were on this table in my last post have been put away 😀

My finished painting 

It was fun to do and my assortment of old craft paints worked fine but I want to get a small fine brush if I do another one.   Toni is the teacher and she explained mixing colors and the techniques in a clear, fun way.  

❤️Rhonda 

Quarantine update #9 - because I may be a bit crazy 😜

This week, I planned to redo the shelf paper and declutter and deep clean my kitchen.  I started it yesterday evening.  

Then I got frustrated with Walmart grocery pickup because so many items (and items I’m wanting) are not listed on their app.  

So I left this morning with my mask and gloves and sanitizer and went to a Neighborhood Walmart. - yes, Right in the middle of a strewn out kitchen! 

I could tell by the parking lot it wasn’t too busy.  I was able to go right in,  no line to stand in to enter, and did my shopping.  

I wasn’t looking to buy meat and it’s a good thing as the meat counter was almost empty.  So was canned soup.  

But I did find dry beans, rice, cereal, bread, toilet paper, flour, sugar, rubbing alcohol- all things that I haven’t bought in a month because I’ve done all my grocery shopping on Walmart pickup but those things couldn’t be bought there.  

On some items like flour and toilet paper, it asked customers to only buy 1.  

Many customers wore masks and gloves though they are not mandatory in Oklahoma.  

Every shopper I saw was just a single shopper,  no families hanging out together as they shopped.  Everyone was keeping their distance from each other too.  

And yes,  I took all shopping precautions as suggested by the medical people in the know.  

Below is my kitchen- torn apart 

And the dining table covered with kitchen stuff and today’s groceries.  


I don’t think I’ll get done today,  but hopefully it will be done tomorrow.  But who knows? 

Nobody is coming over so those piles can wait.  

Are y’all doing similar projects? 

❤️ Rhonda 

Quarantine update #8

Well, today was even less exciting than yesterday but I’m going to blog about it anyway.  

I did not accomplish much at all.  

Lowe’s delivered the pavers we ordered to put in our garden around the raised beds.  We were so glad the Lowe’s driver had a nifty fork lift and put the pallets in our backyard.  There is an empty field behind our house and he drove the forklift through it right into our back gate.  

Our son came over for a distanced visit and brought us some plants.  He bought the coleus at a school sale and he started the spider plants from baby ones on a big plant at his office.  I sent him home with some of those big cookies I made Sunday.  

Supper was simple -

Fried steak, Ore Ida fries cooked in an air fryer and California vegetables.  

And ketchup 

Our daughter and 3 grands came over for a short, distanced visit.  I sent them home with the rest of those cookies.  And masks, just in case they need them but they are staying home.  Our son in law teaches at a university and is teaching online.  The school has already announced all summer sessions will also be online.  

My big job today was starting to deep clean, declutter and rearrange my kitchen.  I didn’t take a before photo but I will show finished photos- whenever that is 🤷🏻‍♀️

Somedays lots gets done,  somedays it doesn’t.  

Hope you’re all fine

Now I’m going to have some hot tea and play a few rounds of Candy Crush Soda.  

❤️ Rhonda 

Quarantine update #7 a productive Monday

I usually make a weekly to do list on Monday.  My husband helped and we got so much done today 

I finished sewing all the masks I had started  - some people prefer the elastic loops around the ears and some prefer the ties 

I recently replaced my husband’s white t shirts and I cut up the old ones for shop rags.  

 


Ducky is feeling a bit frisky because he went to the doggie spa and got a shampoo and manicure.  

Sometimes I bathe him at home but he smells fresher and smells fresher longer when the dog kennel groomers clean him than when I do.  

Can you tell he looks especially fluffy?  


Today had no excitement but I’m glad so much is out of the way. 

Hope you all feel as happy as Ducky 

❤️ Rhonda