[cottagebythesea]

Happy Humpday! Since it's almost spring, it's time to put that warbling word back into our vocabulary, don't you think?

Jake woke me up at 4:15 to tell me we didn't have any hot water. NOT a good way to wake up in the morning, let me tell you. He could have just left me a note. But since I couldn't get back to sleep after that, I got up and filled several pots with water to heat on the stove for a nice bath. He's going to try to get off work early to go buy a new hot water heater, and I hope we can have it installed today, too.

I'm going to refill my coffee cup. Is anyone up yet to join me?

[CyndiM]

Up but not cheerful. I'll definitely have a cup of coffee or more with you

I hope your bath made up for the early morning wake up.

Last night was my turn to be awake too much. Yuck. Glad I have two visits today because those are fun and keep me energized. Sitting at the desk all day would be tough. Of course this time of year all visits are on pavement because some of the dirt roads are impassable. It's the official 5th season here in Vermont - mud season. No one without a truck can travel some of those roads.

[TwynnB]

Good morning chicks.

Cottage - men aren't too bright sometimes, are they? Hope it is repaired soon!

Cyndi - Is there something in the air? I haven't slept well the last two nights....annoying. Enjoy your visits!

Me - well. The closing for the house was SUPPOSED to be today....and now it's not. As my realtor said (although I wasn't supposed to hear her say it)...too many cooks in the kitchen. A slight overlook of the seller's bankruptcy status....hopefully, it'll only take a day or two to clear up, but they mentioned it could take up to 60 days. You have GOT to be kidding me! I keep telling myself..."I have no control, I have no control"...I can't do a darned thing about it. Sigh. Hopefully, we'll get news today.

Otherwise, short day at work. SInce we're probably not closing, it'll give me time to get some errands done, and hopefully go on a run.

Hope your day goes well!

[Ruthxxx]

Holy smokes! Slept until 7:30, fed the dogs and got a coffee and then teh phone rang. Donna is coming to clean at 8! She usually dawdles in here well after nine but has a 10:30 appointment. A quick tidy is about to happen - it's really in pretty good shape but still needs a bit of a tiddle.
Back later.

[cottagebythesea]

Twynne, that's a shame about the delayed closing! I hope they can get everything cleared so you can move into your new home soon.

[elusivekoolaid]

Hiya ladies

Just a quick run through...

cyndi: It's UK wide, the whole red nose thing. I'll be sure to take pictures

jennygirl: I thought he could use some of the words I've learned since I came over and end up using all the time!!!

(I was going to send this as a private message, but I thought others would enjoy the scottish patter)

Aye: yes
On yer bike, pal: Which is kind of like sayin, pull the other one!
Manky: yucky or dirty
gonnae naw dae that? : gonna not do that?
wee: small
stourie: dusty
weeyin/wain: child
blether: a chat (what us gals get up to in here)
tumshie: turnip..can also be used as an insult (ya tumshieheed!)

An easy enough recipe you could put into dixycups and make mini portions would be cranachan. It's a lovely dessert that is purely scottish and it's always served around Rabbie Burns night.

Here is a quick recipe (for those on plan look away!!! FOOD PORN warning!!!)

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup fresh berries
1 tablespoon dark rum (optional)
4 fresh mint leaves for garnish (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spread oats out in a thin layer on a baking sheet. Toast in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes, or until nut-brown. Set aside to cool. Remove them from the pan for faster cooling.
In a medium bowl, whip the cream to firm peaks, but not grainy. Gently fold in the confectioners' sugar, vanilla and toasted oats. Spoon into 4 serving bowls, and top with fresh berries. For an extra touch, drizzle a bit of dark rum over each serving. Garnish with a mint leaf.


And now to our regularly scheduled WOL on the beach

I need to go and heat up my veggie lasagna for lunch...I'll stop by for more personals later. You gals have a grand day!!!

[AnAbsoluteDiva]

Elusivekoolaid, I love your jargon. As a kid, I watched an episode of I Love Lucy where she was in the UK somewhere, and dang if I could understand ANYTHING the UKers were saying. Even now, when I travel to the UK, I need an interpreter. DH has no problem with it (he's been out there a bazillion times) but I struggle. Good to have you here, and your humor. You're delightful!

Twynn, as a Realtor, I feel your angst. Bankruptcies and short sales are an absolute pain in the butt. I keep first-time homebuyers away from those deals if I can help it. They lack the inner fortitude to get through those deals. Are you selling your own home now? Or are you renting? It shouldn't be a six-month delay so don't expect that. If you had a clear-to-close and something snagged, it happened in underwriting. They're the ones that give the clear-to-close, not the injured bank (seller). Call your lender and find out what the heck happened. I suspect it's going to be a title issue.

I've got to go meet with a seller this afternoon whose home is in foreclosure and is about to be condemned by the City. Wish me luck. Good thing is that if the City does condemn it, the Bank won't fight me so much on what I can sell it for.

Lost another pound (so excited) and on target to reach my goal by May 25.

Have a good day, ladies!

[jenny515]

Cottage: Oh yes water heaters we had 3 go out this last summer. I heard my husband compaining constantly.

Today not much going on. I'm going to the library and getting Confessions of a carb queen. I'm sure I can relate to that.

Everyone have a good day whether your off to work or off to play.

[ThoughtfulOne]

Good morning ladies! It has been a hectic week, yesterday I was only able to stop by for quick second. Hopefully today will be better.

Today is going to be a busy day at the office and then I am supposed to go bowling tonight. I may cancel bowling as I have not seen my house in 2 days and I know there is work I need to be doing there. Plus, I really want to start working out. (I didn't think I would ever say those words in my life!) It's amazing the amount of energy I seem to have lately!

Hope everyone has a wonderful day!

[Chelby29]

Good Morning!

Sitting at the computer with my first cinnimon omlette. Not too bad!

Another sleepless night in Alabama. The problem is I'm too hot! It's been in the 80s during the day. I'm trying to be thrifty and not turn on the AC. Plus, I know that winter isn't over, so the flannel sheets are still on the bed. Starting today, we're back in cool weather. Hopefully I'll sleep tonight. My dear, sweet hubby is not going to like me when menopause hits...

Cottage: Good luck with the hot water heater!

Cyndi: Mud season. My son would be in hog heaven!

Twynn: Breathe in; Breathe out.

Koolaid: Thanks for sharing your patter. You need to read the "Outlander" books. I hear the characters in that book when you 'talk'.

Diva: Congratulations on your loss! WooHoo!

Jenny515: Let us know how you like that book.

Me: DS and I are having lunch with a good friend. I'm so excited! We are meeting at the Cracker Barrell. First, I have to wash my hair again. Got a new mousse that did ugly, crunchy things to my hair. Don't you hate that?

Hope y'all have a great day!

[beachgal]

No chance the pilot light was just out, Cottage? What a way to wake up. Ugh! A friend of mine had just gotten her hair wet in the shower last week when the water ran out. Her well pump broke! Thankfully, they were able to put a new one in that night.

Wow, Cyndi, it's hard to imagine that many dirt roads...though I guess we have quite a few in our area. Hope the visits are pleasant and the drive helps keep you energized. I'm the same way about sitting at a desk all day!

Twynn, the run sounds like a great way to deal with the stress! I hear your on the frustration. It's good to remind ourselves that since we can't fix it, we need to let it go. Not that I'm good at doing that...

Ruth, I love that you clean before Donna comes. I'm the same way, though it does seem silly...it's just frustrating when things get tidied away in places that don't make sense to me and I can't find them later. Hope it means a clean house early in the day!

Jenny, I love the Scottish! One of my favorite words from my friend Helen is "sprogs" (which refers, unflatteringly, to children). How do you say some of them (gonnae naw dae that?, specifically)? I'm listening to a book on CD about a Scottish detective in Edinburgh. They seem to have bad opinions of Glasgow...bet those in Glasgow feel similarly about Edinburgh! It's fun to hear her "brogue" and the little words here and there. The dessert sounds delish! It'd be easy to replicate on SBD, I'd think. Sounds very spring-ish! When is Robbie Burns' day? I know they did a celebration here (with a Haggis and the requisite Burns poem along with a lot of alcohol) a couple years ago, but I don't remember what time of year it was.

Diva, sounds like a hard job in these times! Just reading about it makes my head spin! Congrats on the pound--you're working hard! I agree with the UK English--right after we arrived in London and stored our luggage at the hotel because we couldn't check in yet, I asked the hotel clerk where the restroom was. He stared at me in confusion, so I asked for the bathroom. He said, "You want to take a bath? You'll need to check in first, miss." I then explained that I wanted the toilet (which made me blush!) and he understood me then. Who would've guessed I'd have so much trouble finding a bathroom while speaking in my own language!

Me:
I'm glad it's hump day. I've been so tired lately that I really need a rest! My home laptop seems to be riddled with viruses. I worked on it for hours yesterday but am going to have to give up and take it in for help. I hate to think it, but I think it might be Facebook applications. Ugh. DH started using Facebook this weekend and that's when things got really bad. Guess two of us accessing it mean a lot of craziness in the 'puter. Hope we can get it fixed quickly and with little cost.

Not much else going on. We have faith formation tonight--more about Paul--and a quick visit to gym and eating of dinner beforehand. Hope to get to bed early.

Have a great day, chicks!

[Ruthxxx]

Beachgal's post reminded me of a phone conversation with my friend Angela from way back in the sixties: "I thought I'd come round knock you up this morning. We can put on wellies and Macs and take the children to the roundabout in their pushcarts." It took a while for me to figure that out.

Let's get something straight: I do NOT clean before Donna comes. I do put away sink and kitchen clutter and straighten up doggie toys and ditch the newspapers. There is no way she can clean properly with "stuff" around. She's been and gone and I'm going to go out to shovel the slush off the walk before the big freeze hits us around noon. It would be glare ice otherwise.

I'm also going to the florist to get some table flowers. I found a length of daisy and poppy patterned fabric for my table and would just love daisy mums in a red bowl on the table. We need a shot of Spring/Summer these days!

Outta here, Ruthie, and you just might work in a nap this afternoon.

[zeffryn]

Laurie - my ad-aware catches lots of little things after being on facebook. Just a lot of cookies and stuff...it's a free download if you don't already use it.

-
DS1 is back...dun dun dun...he's being so cute but thoroughly needy.

lots of little things to do today. check in again later.

[elusivekoolaid]

Ok...back for personals!!!

Cottage: Happy Hump Day indeed!!! I hope you enjoyed your bath. Do you like bath fizzies? We get them over here out of a shop called Lush. They are amazing!!!

Cyndi: the fifth season...it sounds like a grand old time. I hate the in between winter and spring. I hope your visits go well.

Twynn: that hella sux about your closing date. I hope it all goes well for you. My dad says these things happen for a reason!

Ruth: I hope you found some lovely flowers.

Diva: It took me about three months to understand everyone and even then sometimes I have to ask people to spell things. TV was the worst. My husband's family would be watching a comedy thing and would be crackin up and I would be sitting there like Huh...what did he say?

Jenny: Have fun with your book

Thoughfulone: Hope you get a chance to work out!!!

Chelby: Ah pure don' know what ye mean when ye say ye cun here me pure gibberin in they books o' yers! (I don't know what you mean when you say you can hear me talking in those books of yours )

Laurie: lawl, they burgers think they're so smooth. Just cause they're the capitol city doesn't make them anything special!!!

Zeff: Hope you get all you need to get done today!!!

Whew I think that everyone!!! Back to the masses TTFN :BROC:

[Kim_Star060404]

Hey, everyone! Busy work day today. It's raining buckets outside. What a refreshing blessing!

I hope you're all doing well!