Knowing the final episode of the season was airing tonight, I tried to catch up on all the episodes online today. But I ran out of time. The final episode is showing now, but I still haven't seen episode 6. So I will wait and catch it and episode 7 on the computer as well.

Still, it's been a delightful day, living in Downton Abbey!

We finally got my son's birthday dinner under our belts! It all went well. The only mishap was the cake. I had frozen the layers, but when I unwrapped them, some of the cake peeled off with the foil. I couldn't hide the damage, but it still tasted good. Everything else was a hit. He loved his presents -- especially the jacket, which fit well and which he said would be just right to wear in the helicopter. After lunch he, his wife and I took a nice walk with his dog in the almost springlike weather -- it was just a good day all round.

On Friday night I did my $20 grocery shopping. This time I only counted food in the $20 and I spent $19.32. I spent a little more for birthday candles and cat food, so the total bill was $26. The $19 bought a gallon a milk, a jug of Simply Orange, a pint of sour cream, 8 ounces of cream cheese, a half-gallon of ice cream, a package of frozen spinach and two packages of sliced cheese (one Swiss, one cheddar). Everything was on sale except for the spinach. Sure was a lot of dairy, wasn't it? Most of the items were needed for the birthday meal, which was, in its final incarnation: London Broil, sour cream smashed potatoes, mushroom-Swiss crescent rolls, creamed spinach, and banana cake with vanilla filling and orange-caramel glaze. And a nice cabernet sauvignon.

On Friday I had an out-of-town all-day meeting for a professional organization I belong to. I volunteered for a committee, and was surprised to learn that I am expected to go to board meetings once a month. And they are held downtown. I guess I thought I would do my committee work by phone and email! Well, I will make the best of it, but that will be an expense I wasn't counting on. The College won't pay the expenses, not with their budget problems.

On the bright side, for this particular meeting I got a free lunch, but on the other hand, had to pay $5 for parking. This meeting was NOT downtown but in a small town about an hour away. Parking in the city will be much higher.

I've been fighting a sore throat all weekend. It just won't go away. Usually a sore throat means a cold is coming on, but so far, no other symptoms. I do hope I don't have strep, or something ugly like that!

Today I made chicken soup, which sure tasted good on my throat. Since this is a low carb day, it is just broth, chicken and onion. Tomorrow I will add noodles. I also made some granola, which is drying out now. I'm looking forward to having some for breakfast. My $20 challenge is forcing me to do a lot more cooking from scratch, but I am enjoying the process. I am feeling quite accomplished, actually!