A detour I didn't want to take

Hi friends,

I've been under the weather since last Wednesday. I woke up sick Wednesday morning with a bad cold. I was just starting to feel better when I caught another virus (different symptoms). So here I am today, tired, but on the mend. There are some nasty viruses going 'round that aren't covid or the flu. Unfortunately, we don't get to choose when we get sick.

I'm slowly catching up on all work. On the positive side, my week is mostly free for doing this catching up. My husband is visiting family out of town for a week. This will mean fewer distractions for me as I work.

While I'm really happy for my husband to be able to spend time with family, there's always a little part of me that feels left behind. My husband's family is spread out across the country. About once a year, he goes to visit a couple or three.

So, to help myself feel not so left behind, I try to do some special things for myself and for my daughters. Today, right after my husband was dropped off at the airport, I headed to the grocery store. In addition to restocking a couple of items in the pantry, I also bought a few special foods for the three of us, including some frozen blueberries, frozen whole green beans (the thin kind), bacon, some good coffee, and fresh strawberries.

You've seen my grocery shopping lists. I just don't buy fresh strawberries out of season or not for a celebration. So these will be a treat with breakfast in the morning. In the store, I perused the bakery section closely. There were some yummy-looking treats. However, I have these dietary issues. Then I thought I should buy some frozen blueberries and make some scratch blueberry muffins for my daughters and me, using my preferred ingredients. Add in the bacon and our breakfasts are looking scrumptious for the next few days.

I used the green beans in tonight's dinner. I made salisbury steaks and mushroom gravy to go with garlic green beans and steamed rice. The package of ground beef was too big for us three for one dinner, so I made enough salisbury steaks and gravy for tomorrow night's meal as well.

The kitchen now cleaned up for the evening, and I'm exhausted. I'll be back tomorrow, hopefully with more energy. Have a lovely rest of your evening.

My Simple Easter Wreath

I spent some time today getting our house prepared for Easter. We'll have guests before, on and after Easter Sunday this year. So I want our house to look like we're celebrating Easter and not just a "happy spring" look.

Here's the wreath I quickly put together today. I used an Amazon gift card from my birthday last year to order a faux square boxwood wreath and a large weathered white cross. Those elements arrived this afternoon.

I used florist wire to attach the cross to the wreath and also to make a hanging hook on the back side. It was quick and easy, the way I like decorating to be these days. And I love how it turned out. I hung this wreath above the fireplace in the family room.

I also wanted to show you my spring bulb flower planter. I put this together a couple of years ago, scavenging all of the plants from other spots in the yard and potting them in an old, cracked, and moss-covered azalea pot, with a free-pile bird figurine. I love how the moss just grows on pots here. The flowers in the pot are grape hyacinth, a pale yellow primrose, a violet primrose, and a lone daffodil. All of the flowers are just now looking wonderful. A completely free spring flower bowl.

Do you decorate for Easter? Any favorite Easter decorations?