This and that on a Sunday

Last week, Mom and I took her first non-medical trip in a long time.  We headed down county, across the too-tall bridge to St. Mary's County for a little retail therapy.

Mom had an Estee Lauder offer to redeem and some creams she wanted to buy.  Younger son needed some new khakis and shirts and a tie for his job.  Belk was having a sale and we had an additional 20% off coupon.  So - off to California we went!  California, MD, that is!  :)

The pants I bought were too big.  They were nice pants too.  I was sad.  :(    Anyway, the trip was repeated today.  This time I went solo.

I got a refund for the pants at Belk.  I looked around and found some new pants in the right size.  Of course, the sale was over and the coupon was long gone.  I wasn't paying full price.  So, I left.

Luckily, JC Penney is in the same shopping center and I got a $10 off coupon in the mail yesterday!  Over to JCP I went.  They had pants in the correct waist size, but either too long (34) or too short (32).  B wanted 33x33 close to impossible to find.  I examined the 33x32s and the hem was long enough to lengthen, so I picked up a pair of those, plus a GIFT receipt for him to exchange them next time!!

Score. Khakis, 33x32, on sale for $29.99, less the $10 coupon and bonus 'free tax day at JCP' - new pants were $2 less than the ones I returned! :)

SUPER BONUS!  He tried them on as soon as I got home and ---- They FIT!

On the way back from the Great Pants Exchange, I stopped at Chesapeake's Bounty, where I discovered you can pick your own strawberries!  That's not why I stopped, but I was happy to see that they do that!  The only other place I knew closed a couple of years ago.

Today, I stopped to pick up some new annuals and perennials for the garden.

Older son and two of his friends cleared the weeds last week and it looked so bare.

It will soon be bursting with color!

Planted: Marigolds - big ones (yellow and sweet cream) and smaller one in disco (a multi-orange); begonias - one pink, one red; Astra Blue Balloon flowers; and Astra Osteospermum in yellow and sunset purple.

These lovely plants will join the irises and daisies and cone flowers and whatever else pops up from last year! :)

And - last but not least - I'm knitting myself a gift.  I'm participating in a CPaAG C/KAL.  Everyone is doing some version of the Baktus (link to Ravelry search results for Baktus)  I am doing the Lacy Baktus (my project page on Ravelry; you can click that link and see the project page, even if you don't belong to Ravelry!)

Last, but not least - we are seeing the end of the treatment tunnel for Mom's cancer.  Last infusion should be June 7th.  There have been and will be more doctors for other issues as the cancer treatments wind down.  Important for overall health.  She had her six month mammogram and it was all clear.  She'll have another next Fall.  If that one is clear, she'll be back on the yearly mammo plan

She fell twice in March and fractured her L1 vertebrae.  We are looking into Vertebroplasty.  The compression fracture is significant (50-60% and a backward tilt).  Doctor says she's a candidate and it is more indicated than not for this fracture at this level and severity.  We decide tomorrow.  If it's a go, we'll be heading to Annapolis on Friday -- getting out of the house before 5:30 AM for a 7:30 or 8:00 AM out-patient surgery.

I think that's enough for now!  :)  Hope to see you sooner rather than later next time!