Painted Toe-nails and SteinMart

Well, I guess I'm really feeling more and more flu-less..... I stayed up till after midnight last night..... reading James Michner's Hawaii and polishing my toe-nails --- in bed. My husband hates the smell of nail polish, so I don't polish my nails in the bedroom when he's here, or in any other room that he happens to be in at the time. So it was a treat last night to spread out on the bed with my book and the nail polish. I haven't polished my nails since before we went to Hawaii....... couldn't polish them after that trip because I got sick two days after we got home and up till just a few days ago, I haven't felt un-sick.

But today is a new day...... woke up at 8:00 this morning and my rib cage has stopped hurting so I guess every bit of the congestion is finally cleared up. I spent the morning doing a few things on my pre-party to-do list, like making extra ice, moving the large table lamp away from the living room sofa (so it doesn't block the view when we play Charades on Saturday night), and I dusted/cleaned everything in the coffee-bar, so that's all set to go for the party. It's really a wet-bar, but we don't drink and we don't serve drinks at our parties, so the wet-bar is used as a coffee/tea bar and it works out really well.

This afternoon, I drove to the jeweler's to give her my charm bracelet so she can attach the silver palm tree charm I bought in Hawaii. She'll have it ready for me tomorrow and I'll pick it up as I head out of town towards the airport to get my husband. Being that I was so close to SteinMart when I finished at the jeweler's, off I went to see what was new in that store. I can't even remember the last time I walked around SteinMart.

I love that store because it isn't too big. They also have enough employees so you don't have to walk around looking for someone if you need help, and they keep that store nice and neat at all times, no matter how busy it gets. It has beautiful wooden floors, and it's just one floor, not two or three. They don't carry everything, but their selection of clothing, accessories and housewares is just enough to give you a very good selection without getting you crazy with way too many things to choose from. I didn't even look at the clothes today........ after going through my closet looking at possible outfits for Halloween, I knew that I didn't need one more pair of slacks, one more blouse or sweater, or one more skirt--- so I just stayed away from the women's clothing racks. If I look, I'll find something. If I don't look, I won't buy a thing.

I found some Christmas gifts for young Miss C....... holiday earrings, warm slipper-socks that she likes to wear around the house, and a dress-up purse that I think she'll love. They also had a sale on bras, so I bought myself three of those. Before I put those bras away, I went through my dresser and took out some bras that I haven't worn for months and months. I'm at the age where if I don't like the feel of the material, then I won't wear the clothing. I don't want anything scratchy, itchy, too tight, too loose, too long, too short, too-anything. So the old bras went into the donation box right away. One thing in, one thing out...... I try so hard to stick to that rule.

I had dropped off my husband's car at the repair-shop after dinner-time yesterday, and they gave it an oil change today, rotated the tires, checked all the fluids and checked everything else. It was ready this afternoon, and they came to pick me up so I could get the car. Great service at this repair-shop, and they're right close to the neighborhood. They give your car back bright and shining-clean....... they wash it, vacuum the inside, clean the seats and the dashboard--- everything. My husband doesn't often think of making time for car maintenance, but the repair-shop sends a postcard when the oil changes are due, so I thought it would be easy to get it there and just let them do the work while my husband was out of town. So that's another thing I got to scratch off the to-do list.

Tomorrow will be grocery shopping for the party. Hate, hate, hate grocery shopping..... but it has to be done. That's one thing I didn't miss while I was sick. I didn't mind a bit when my husband went out to Kroger, list in hand, to get what we needed. If it were up to me, I'd have a long salad bar installed in our kitchen, so it would look like those salad bars in a restaurant. Then I'd order all the salad stuff, to be delivered twice a week....... and all I'd have to do is just re-fill all the containers and bowls in the salad bar. Voila--- Lunch! Dinner! And for breakfast, I'd have my usual oatmeal sprinkled with crushed pineapple, chopped dates, and a spoonful of Grape Nuts Trail Mix. Delicious!

But the salad bar in my kitchen is a fantasy....... the reality is that I'll be walking around every aisle in Kroger tomorrow, list in hand, hating every blessed minute I'm in that store. (Nothing against Kroger.... I just hate the mindless chore of shopping for groceries.)