Good morning gals. It is supposed to be nice and warm here today. I am going to enjoy it while it lasts.
The guys finished the gutter cleaning yesterday and Jack found out both men had been in the Navy, one of them retired after 26 years. So of course after everything was done, they had a gab feast out at the street before they left. He came back in and I told him men were as bad as women when it came to blabbing.
Today the duct guy comes and finally, hopefully fixes the duct in the bulkhead. We shall see. He only takes cash so Jack had to go to the atm last night and then again this morning because our bank has a $600 per day limit.
I talked to my sister yesterday and her granddaughter is getting married in 2017 so I imagine we might go. She isn't one of my favorite people as she is spoiled rotten and kind of a snot sometimes but I am close to her parents. She hasn't decided where yet and it might be in AZ so don't know if we will go or not. It would be great to go and then see my other sister. I haven't seen her in 2-3 years. I then got a letter from my brother's son who goes to Wheaton College in IL. He is going on another mission trip over the summer with his football team and needs money to go so I wrote him out a check for that. I will mail it tomorrow when we go commissary shopping.
We had Chinese from Changs last night so I have to think what I want for dinner tonight as I don't know how long this guy will take and the laundry room is between the kitchen and the pantry. I don't want to be trying to cook with dust and such flying around into the food. I guess we will see.
Jean: Keep having a wonderful time. I am sure everyone is having a great time getting out of the cold and snow.
A quick hello from sunny Maui. It's only 79 degrees here today and very windy. We hadn't planned to go out in the boat today and I am so glad. Not even sure if they went out. The kids arrived safely yesterday, and on time. When Beth went to pick up her car, the computers shut down so the long line of people had to do all the paperwork by hand. They had requested a mini van and ended up with a top of the line Mustang convertible, much to Will and the kids' delight. The clerks were just grabbing keys assuming they were all van keys. I'll bet whoever ordered the Mustang was not happy. It took another two hours to process through the car rental snafu. We had fixed a ham supper for the kids and ended up eating in shifts.
"Gma," hope your duct work is all finished and done right this time. What a fiasco! A family wedding/reunion might turn out to be the most fun!
We are going to head down to the beach with kids now.
Good morning to you all. It rained last night but going to be a lovely day temp wise.
I am down 10 lbs since my last pharmacy appointment and I am hoping to squeeze a bit more before I have my next appointment a week from today. I am really close to my first big goal, which is going under 300 lbs so am really excited about that. Will be the first time in 30 years.
We got our commissary shopping done yesterday and went to Walmart in the afternoon and it was swamped. Every handicap space was full but I noticed a lady loading her groceries into her trunk. Jack was going the wrong way so I got out because there was a scooter right there. It ended up being dead so I left it and she drove away. I stood in the parking spot daring anyone to try and park there until Jack got up the lane to park in it. I had to walk around the store, which got a little rough by the end but I made it. We then went and got the car washed. It was really busy too, especially the vacuums but we got lucky and someone left as we came out of the car wash. We pulled in and dried the whole car, I used my leather wipes and wiped down all the leather while he vacuumed, then used my electronic wipes on the navigation screen and to wipe off the plastic stuff as they just have vinegar in them. We have a nice clean car again. We then headed to Raffertys and had dinner and came home. We watched a CSI marathon for a couple hours as it was the later episodes I hadn't seen and then went to bed.
I have to vacuum and mop the floors today and finish up the laundry. So far no problem with the dryer/vent.
The whole vent repair was a disaster. They ended up tearing out the wall and fixing the mess Sears had made when they repaired it a couple years ago as it was crushed and just duct taped. Then, they tore out part of the ceiling in two places and two places in the bulkhead and repaired all that. Cost us $1400 which IMO was pretty pricy. I took the hours they were here and divided it by the cost and it cost around $230 an hour. The problem is there are two 90 degree turns in the ducting so they don't know how long this will continue to work. When these were built, instead of going up the wall and straight through the ceiling to the outside, they went up the wall, turned right and went through the top of the wall, then turned right again and went across the bulkhead the turned left into the ductwork in the ceiling out to the street!!! So, that limits full air flow no matter what and on top of that they put a two x 4 right in the middle of the bulkhead and they had to try and wiggle the ductwork around it. The idiots also put the electric conduit for the dryer plug straight across the area where they ducted it and so they can only get small duct in behind it. So, we shall see how it goes as there is nothing more anyone can do. Luckily, I always clean out the dryer vent after every load so can't be too much lint going through.
Jean: Poor kids. What a nightmare that must have been. I am sure the kids are going to love the Mustang though. I can just see some hoity toity businessman or young guy going in and finding he is stuck with a van for vacation! Glad your weather is great and you are having a good time.
Hello from sunny warm Maui! Our whales must be taking the day off or were sleeping. We did see Dolphins, a first for us on a whale watch, and a few lazy whales not doing anything except floating. We have reservations for the kids to go with us on Thursday, so hope the whales liven up by then. Right now we are regrouping after some souvenir shop visits. We are all meeting for Mexican food later. We haven't had the tv on since we have been here and have really enjoyed no political ads nor phone calls. The predicted blizzard is to begin during the night so assume the caucus meetings will go ahead as planned.
"Gma,". on the 10# loss! I hope your repair job will last a long time! It's too bad you didn't have several bids to choose from; repair people have customers at their mercy. You talked about the bulkhead, what is that?
I got all the ingredients needed to make a large pot of Jambalaya and plan to make it again when this is gone for it is so yummy. It is 5P+ per serving of 1 Cup and well worth it. The most time it takes is to cook the rice and get the veggies chopped. I use the mild sausage in it and if a person wants to add heat they can use some red pepper flakes.
Will now has 4 weeks off his treatment before he has to go back for the next session. His system has to rebuild itself after that chemo tore it down. This cycle will continue until they kill all those bad cells.
At WW last evening the talk was about eating breakfast. I am not a “breakfast” eater so to speak but do have something at around 10 am like a couple cuties and a oats & honey with toasted coconut bar for 5p+ or I do also have on occasion a boiled egg and some fruit. I guess you would call it breakfast but it is awhile after I have been up and about.
DONNA FAYE Congratulations on your great loss. Isn’t it a great feeling to be able to wear smaller sized clothing. Now I don’t like it at all you calling us hoity toity folks just because we drive a Mustang.
JEAN How neat they did get the Mustang. They will have fun driving it around with the top down over there. I am sure you are having a great time while there.
Good morning folks. Raining cats and dogs here this morning. I am continuing to clean up from the duct people. I am finding things they didn't clean up.
I bought a new Kindle book and ordered Jack a Valentine's present. I already ordered Jackson his and it is supposed to be delivered on Saturday the day before. I got Jack an Anthony Rizzo Cub's jersey for him.
Maggie: It was hardly aimed at you. Mustangs are one of the top expense levels for a rental car. Most people don't rent them because they're really expensive so more than likely only people who want to show off rent them because the expense is prohibitive for most folks.
Jean: Hmm wonder why the whales are quiet. I saw your picture in front of the Mexican restaurant and Jason's comment. Have fun today. Oh a bulkhead is where the ceiling isn't flat but looks like a long rectangle running across the ceiling close to a wall usually. It usually carries heating and cooling ductwork and possibly wiring and such. They don't use them in newer homes but the condo is 40 yrs old.
Good Evening! We are missing the blizzard at home; our cat sitter said there was 10" by 11 am this morning and everything in town was closed. The hospital asked for anyone with an emergency to call the hospital before trying to get there so they would know the patient was on the way. The winds are supposed to pick up tonight making it even worse. The wind picked up here this afternoon but it was calm and quiet this morning. We saw more whales today; spent quite awhile watching a mom and new baby. She would support him on her nose then let him go under the water. The naturalist on the boat said a new baby weighs approximately one ton at birth.
Maggie, I hope the time off will allow Will to gain his strength and stamina back. I always tried to eat something before I left for school because I knew I would be starving by mid morning, but now I like to eat something later. The bad part about that is I'm never hungry at noon when Bob comes home for lunch.
"Gma," Bob's birthday is on Valentine's Day, but he always says, "don't buy me anything." I usually give him black licorice, his favorite. We had 14 at our Amigos "party." We also invited a couple who we met in Maui the last time; they are friends of Amanda's parents and so fun to be around. Needless to say, we won't be hosting the group again any time soon.
Good morning to you all! I am nursing a sore ankle and heel and have no idea what is going on unless it is arthritis. I wrapped it in an elastic bandage for a couple hours and took some Advil and it is better, but it is on the side of my bad knee so I can't bend the leg back to wrap it properly. I asked Jack to do it when he gets home.
I am making a lasagna for dinner tonight. I only use 4 sheets and they are the kind that you bake uncooked. Jack eats about a half and I about a 1/3 of the other half. Too rich for me even though I cut out a lot of the calories. Jack has wanted lasagna for quite awhile and I couldn't stand up long enough to put it together without hurting.
Jean: I didn't know Bob's birthday was Valentine's Day. Licorice, huh? I like red and flavors but have never been a fan of black, which means I don't like spices and such that have a licorice taste. Sounds like it was a fun day whale watching. That was some hosting. With today's prices in restaurants you could go broke going as a couple let alone a big group. Hope the food was good.
It is a beautiful day here in Texas. Not much going on to speak of but I just wanted to check in and let you Magnolias I am still breathing. I can sure tell I haven’t been drinking enough water ~ just water ~ for I get plenty of other liquids. I have some packets of Orange Crush sugar free that you dump in a bottle of water and get a tasty drink so I am going to lay off my beloved Diet Pepsi and drink more water to clear out my system. I have gotta have my coffee though. It is getting time for me to order some of my favorite lip balm which has in it certified ingredients ~ Zum Kiss in Vanilla made by www.indigowild.com located in Kansas City Mo. They have lots of lovely items of which I have a few.
JEAN What a neat sight to see the mother whale playing with her baby. Yikes, I didn’t realize that those babies weighed that much ~ a ton is a big baby.
DONNA FAYE OUCH! That must hurt a lot. Think of it this way if it was on your good leg then you would have two bad legs then how would you get around. Lasagna sounds yummy.
Good Evening! We took the kids on the whale watch this morning and had the best trip yet, great captain! There were several pods of whales; some guys were following a mother and baby, hoping to get lucky with her. They will head butt and flap at each other to get into first place behind her. We also saw more dolphins and small sharks. Some of the sharks had small perfect circle bites on their side. The naturalist said they get to fighting and just take a bite out of each other.
"Gma," I hope your ankle is feeling better! Lasagna sounds good! Yum! I am tired of having fish as the day's special! We made a WM run, and there was a lady sitting by the front door with the cutest little dog. I have no idea what kind, but it had the dust mop cut with a tie dyed tail. I asked if I could pet him/her and she said, "of course!" This is our 50th celebration early; we opted out of a reception at home to do this, or at least I think we have.
Maggie, the adult whales weigh one ton per foot, on average. Most are 40 - 50 feet long. Today one swam right towards the boat and went underneath. The naturalist dropped a microphone in the water so we could hear them "sing." Only the males make the sounds. They are awesome animals.
We are getting ready to go out to eat so better close or I will get left behind.
Good morning, ladies! 35 degrees this day. 2 days ago it was 72. When I go up it was snowing but it has now turned to rain. We had almost 2 inches of rain yesterday.
As usual, I've been busy quilting. Monday was my new group - Bee Trio, Tuesday I went to Irene's to hook up her new tv and then lunch, Wednesday Glory Bee got together to make purses, yesterday I had to go to my old job to fix the backup program. Today I have nothing. And I did go to the Y every morning. I have a good book I'm reading so I may take most of the day off.
Donna, congrats on the huge weight loss You are doing so well. Bummer on the big repair job and your ankle.
Jean, we sometimes get whales where the Atlantic meets the York and James River. We've had some beach themselves, took and that is a mess.
Maggie, I always have breakfast within an hour of waking up. Today I had sweet potato hash with a poached egg on top. I'm still praying for Will to have this over soon. I've cut all sugar and artificial sweeteners. I put lemon, lime, orange or cucumber slices in my water for flavor. I feel a lot better.
Happy Sunday! It is 63 degrees, very windy, and cold here today! Bob is wearing his jeans! Our whale watch trip was canceled because of the wind and we were glad. It was windy and wet yesterday; not fun but did get up close to some whales. Kids left last night and all are safely home again. There is a blizzard advisory for home until tomorrow sometime. At least here we don't have to shovel.
Susan, you are having crazy weather too. I don't know who comes up with the names for your quilting groups but they are cute. It's nice of you to help with the office computer glitch. I am sure everyone is glad to see you come in the door.
We are ready to leave and browse through some of the shops nearby. When in doub, shop! Hope you all enjoy your day!
Good morning to you all. As Susan said, I had to end up at the ER for my ankle. I am not in an elastic bandage, have meds for pain and am supposed to stay off it. It isn't broken, but they weren't sure what it was either since the pain is in my ankle and under my foot. I am hoping it will heal up in a few days. I am keeping it elevated with the bandage on all the time as it is not swelling or too tight and more comfortable this way. I told Jack I felt so sorry for him as he always seems to having to take me to the hospital for some reason. It was nuts there yesterday even though when we got there around 9 AM the waiting area only had a couple persons in it. I got checked in and they put me in a wheelchair, I came out and had to go to the bathroom so I gimped to the restroom and when I came out there must have been 10 people waiting with more coming in. They took me for xrays but then back out to the waiting room as there were no empty rooms to put me in. All in all I was there 4 hours for a sprained ankle!!
House is going to have to stay dirty for a few more days as she didn't want me on my feet except for going to the bathroom and such. I guess I will live but it needs a good cleaning. I have only been doing bits and pieces since my surgery and had just started feeling well enough to get to it.
Maggie: I have really amped up my water because I have narcotics for pain that I take and they can really constipate you. Hope Will is coming along.
Susan: I saw the cutest quilt on FB. It was little girls dresses made out of old handkerchiefs, like the kind your grandma would have in her "pocketbook." Glad you are now feeling well again.
Jean: Sounds like your trip is really nice this year. Nothing worse than paying a lot of money and being a flop. Jack is not much of a fish eater so am not sure how he would do eating a lot of fish.
Steel Magnolias #1
on the 10# loss! I hope your repair job will last a long time! It's too bad you didn't have several bids to choose from; repair people have customers at their mercy. You talked about the bulkhead, what is that?
Tuesday ~ Almost Noon
Now I don’t like it at all you calling us hoity toity folks just because we drive a Mustang.
At least here we don't have to shovel.
