Friday, December 28

[karlinann]

Good morning Rounders! Yesterday was a beautiful day and I did get out there. We went to the thrift shop, but didn't buy anything. DH cleaned out the gutters for the last time, I hope. There were only a few sticks, twigs and leaves left over from when they cut down the tree. I plan on salting the tree stump today and covering it up with plastic and letting it rot. January and February are our driest months so I hope it works.

I will be back later. Didn't sleep well and tossed and turned all night.

[maxie]

Good morning! Yesterday it rained and the wind was terrible. We had to detour on our way back to pick up Sierra's car because a pole had been blown down onto the road. Much cooler today but still not much sun. Winter is not a very pretty season with all the gloom. However, on the bright side....the stitches are finally out today. Then I am heading to buy some groceries. Jon cooked yesterday and made a very good spaghetti sauce but eating it over spiraled zucchini noodles was a different experience. He cooked them in the wok first and they were soft but I think maybe they needed to cook longer? I dunno...the first experience with healthy eating sorta left me wishing for the old days of pasta noodles.

I am so lost as to what day it is without Andrew in and out. I don't mind not doing anything but always having to wonder what day it is I am doing that nothing in is a little discombobulating! Ya know? Guess I haven't lost it if I know I don't know what is going on. Right?

Going to make on last cup of coffee and then hit the shower. I have a 9 AM appointment and an hour drive. I will take the earliest appointment I can get to assure I can get in early or on time. Healthy people have no business sitting in doctor's offices waiting rooms! Yikes!!

I am in a much better mood today. SPent some time on line looking at shower curtains. I want something bright and colorful and fell in love with poppies! But who will be putting that much money into a shower curtain? Then matching towels and rugs...for these guys? I do try to change out the baths for the seasons but coming back into a house of guys is still a culture shock. They object to frills and ruffles...imagine! so I am guessing no poppies. Maybe stripes? Getting time to take down the Christmas curtain and need a replacement. Cyber shopping is very relaxing.

Gotta go...have a great day and hope the sun shines on you.

[Paula A]

I think poppies would brighten things up! Tell them it will help them wake up!

[cookielady]

Good Morning! We got your rain last night Maxie! It's crazy...it's suppose to go up to 57 today.

Wednesday I went to the thrift store & had a wonderful time shopping all by myself. I had mentioned that I wanted a new winter coat and found a Lands End one. Everything except furniture was 50% off. For $60I came home with 25 pcs of clothing for Blaise, 3 for Cork, and 6 for me. The coat looked brand new and I got it for $20. My friend Maureen sent money for me to get gifts for us, and that's what I chose to use it for.

The last couple of days I've been putting the house back in order and pitching stuff. It feels good to be getting back into control of this house. There is a TON to be done and most probably won't get done. Last night I found my desk. Now to pay the bills.

I added up my cookie orders and we sold approx. 790 doz cookies. That's up from 720 last year. Sue really sold a lot more for me this year. We are a great team. Today I'm baking the last Christmas order I have....2 pies. I might mix up some cookie dough....I know....crazy. I learned something new. Last week I mixed up 3 batches of cookies & only one was going to a customer. Well the customer called the next day and said her lemon bars were salty. Well I thought the same thing with the other two cookies. Here I had put the new box of sea salt in my salt container. I didn't know that sea salt was saltier. New lesson learned. I immediately pitched it because I didn't want to make that mistake again. So I want to remake those 3 kinds of cookies, with the lemon bar going to my customer as a replacement.

Yesterday Becca came back down and we all went to the funeral home for the afternoon visitation. Becca then went with Blaise & me to the Clowes Christmas gathering in the evening. The funeral service was in the evening at the funeral home, but Kathy didn't think we really needed to be there. Thank heavens. This is the first funeral that Kathy has actually been involved in. Part of growing up.

Well I better get my act together. Cork is off running errands. He ask why this vacation week has flown by, yet when he works, it's so slow. His back has been killing him all week, so he's going to try to get into the chiropractor.

Have a good one all!

Oh BTW...whoever was talking about getting a mandolin from Dollar Tree...DON'T! I use mine very often & I don't think you'd want one that's cheap & flexible. I'm afraid it'd break easily & you get seriously cut.

[karlinann]

Thank you Cookielady. It was me. I found something that said grater, but it looked like a grater/mandolin combo, but I didn't think it was sturdy enough. I can use my chef's knife to cut thin strips of veggies, and I won't need to buy a mandolin. It's sounds like too much of a risk and anyway I don't fix zucchini that much and only when it's in season. I know they are still selling it at Aldi's, but I really don't have a taste for it until summer.

[Aunt Maye]

Good MORNING.

surprise surprise , I am still here.... its been a long ,great week,, grandson Kiel is a good house guest.. neat, clean, and will eat anytime and anything..
our son and his Mother were raised in this corner of the state and thus Kiel has relatives galore , on our side particularly, and he has aunt and cousins just a few miles from us... so he has been a happy young man,,, will leave tomorrow morning to go back to Virginia ,, where he lives and works.. no relatives but lots of friends ..

Maxie, I always hate winter , not only the cold and the darkness but everything is so ugly,, no color to the trees, and you can see all the junk around everyone property....all those dead branches on trees and bushes.. yck... BUT we will turn the corner next week and be getting more light.. and maybe ,it will snow light layers to cover up the junk... .

Jan 3 is my traditional day to start on diet.. getting rid of all those added pounds from Thanksgiving and Christmas goodie eating binge... it also will be the day I have my first visit with a new PCP Doctor.. I did make out a health report of all major events ..so I won't have to fill in their little paper with 5-6 lines.....this is David's pcp dr. and I know him very well.. so not uncomfortable about going to him.

better get back to the laundry.. and make our plans fit Kiel's plans for the day... want to take him OUT for a meal at our favorite spagetti restaurant.. sometime today..

see you all later..

ps. Karlin , never heard that before about putting salt on the stump!.. will make a note of it and pass on to relatives.who lost tree in our big wind storm (where we lost elec power)..

[karlinann]

Yes Aunt Maye please pass this info to them. Get 2 or 3 boxes of regular salt. Drill holes in the stump or cut some chunks out with an axe. Pour the salt into the holes and on top of the stump and then cover with a tarp or plastic so the rain cannot get to it. They need to wait for the dry spell, or when it does not rain much. It really works. Hey, so good to see you posting.

[bethina]

Good morning. A day of baking and cooking with my mom

[Paula A]

Good morning and good to be here. I am going to be positive and look on the bright side.
It is windy here, too and still sunny, so tht is the bright side of that.

Maxie, I never change out my shower curtain...I change the liner often to keep it cleanand clear, but I might just take a leaf from your book and get a new shower curtain. You could have the poppy curtain and use solid color towels and stripes to keep the guys happy.

Today is spaghetti per request of one school chlld. Yesterday there were only 4 children and today may be the same. Then I have the next 4 days off (I always count my weekends with days off.)

I am clearing out one side of a big closet in the daycare room for the Christmas tree.

I better get moving before the bell rings. I like to have the door unlocked to the daycare and no one waiting on me.
Hope your day goes smoothly and warmly!

[JoGee]

Good morning, friends.
yesterday we had light rain off and on all day. Then last night the temps dropped to the 20’s, and will be in the low 50’s today. This weather will last another week. Brrrrrr! But I don’t think we will get the lovely benefit of snow.
It is almost 8 a.m. and still dreary. The sun will probably clear things about 9 o’clock.

Today, probably some minor shopping to do. I need to pick up birthday cards. Plus the usual odds and ends.

Yesterday I did get the laundry done.

i do not think I can disguise zucchini much. E won’t eat it. At restaurants, it falls under the category of “veggies in season”, and that season is year ‘round. He will ask for something different.

cookie, sounds like you got some very good deals at the thrift store.
Aunt Maye, good to see you posting!

everyone, have a very good day. ☀️

[karlinann]

I have to smile when you write about things like E not eating the zucchini. I know a lot of people don't like veggies, and it does not matter how much trouble you go to try and disguise them. I love that commercial about the Savor credit card where the little boy plays with his egg breakfast that his dad ordered for him. He pushes his finger into the top of the egg. There is no way that kid is eating that mess. You just know he wants a bowl of cereal.

[maxie]

Back home and boy is it cold!! And windy...what a difference a day makes. I was hauling groceries and was dressed for yesterdays 60s and not todays 30. Dumb!! It is so windy that the styling gel was blown right off my head and I have this head of flying flat hair...and got two separate compliments. That is indeed a testament to my hair cutter! Or to the eyesight of those two ladies because what I am looking at looks like it got out of bed a few minutes ago.

Stitches hurt like heck coming out and now I have restrictions. NOW!? He doesn't want me using pressure and to watch my stretching and driving. Did he think I haven't been driving? Or shopping or doing stairs etc. I'll watch my driving all the way down the interstate to my sister's tomorrow. HEE hee! Doesn't he know you cannot keep old people down? Unless it hurts...then I am a big baby.

Groceries are put away and it was to early to stop for lunch so I may be forced to go back out later. Not sure I can handle another veggie noodle meal tonight. Oh I will be supportive and eat the stuff but I am also going to eat a lot of fast food to kill the taste and my appetite.

Paula, those poppies were so bright and cute. I may have to go back and rethink them since I have your permission to frilly up the place. I dunno, you'd think it was my sons house or something..oh forgot..it is! I switch out the shower curtains and towels for every season and add holiday hand towels for each holiday. The towels hang on the rack and are not to be used...grrr! They are for decoration.

Jo I like zucchini, I can even eat it raw but something was lacking in the noodles. I throw it into most everything from stew to spaghetti sauce if it is here. My mom would bread it and fry it. Yum! I have some mashed potatoes that I may patty and fry. Potato cakes were always a treat since we seldom had leftovers. Salmon patties and potato patties..is it a wonder I lived this long with working arteries after all the fried food?

Maye good to see you. I too have never heard of the salt method of killing a tree. Beth enjoy your baking. That will warm the house up this cold day.
Time to get off my break and get up to do something. No sun but plenty of cold!!

[Paula A]

we have that same frigid air. Too windy for the kids to be out for long. As soon as I said it is cold, everyone wanted to go in!

[JoGee]

Maxie, battered and fried zucchini is the best. But we both are pretty much off fried foods. . Another pitfall of aging!
Hmmmmm. Can it be battered and baked? That would make a great snack if he doesn't ask what it is.

The best bet for us is my buying smaller zukes, and dicing them into soups. Shopping, he doesn't know zukes from cukes.