Good Afternoon, Flowers! It is a hot one here today -- 90 degrees at noon. I am getting clothes ready for the weekend and doing laundry. It is Bob's 125th all school reunion; small town type of thing but they have planned activities starting tonight. He was supposed to drive a tractor in the parade tomorrow but the owner got sick and is in the hospital. Tomorrow night is a banquet that we are going to and Sunday is church in the park which we will go to. I'm hoping to stop in and see the grandkids after dinner. Beth is babysitting Ian and Zowie for the weekend. I just got my car back and the mechanic said the problem was a dead battery with no hopes of revival. Shouldn't have happened in a new car, but it did. Yesterday Bob turned the key and when nothing happened, he couldn't get the key back out. I'm glad I didn't have to be anywhere at a certain time.
"Gma" -- Thank you for the "bee" explanation! You did good! The "ex" was to clean the cabin after her kid and grandkids left on Monday. I have no doubt that she spent most of her time at the cabin before the 4th also. Her own mother lives in a mobile home park at the other end of the town. When they used to live in Iowa she would take her kids and spend the summers at the cabin -- just moved in like she owned the place then too. We own 1/3 so pay 1/3 of the utilities, upkeep, and taxes. MIL owns 2/3 getting 1/3 from a sister who lived in Oregon and had to go to a nursing home. We bought our 1/3 from MIL's sister who lived in CA and hated the lake. Her daughter and family used to come every summer and the daughter took over paying her mother's share of the expenses until her husband died and then she didn't think she could afford it so quit paying which left MIL paying 100% for awhile. You will have Thanksgiving and Christmas to look forward to; that will be exciting and fun for you.
Susan -- I knew you would enjoy the quilt guild and lunch with your friends. Let us know what the Beck Diet Solution has to say. If we didn't have to eat life could be so simple! I don't think asking the relatives to help pay for use of the cabin is out of line. When my in-laws spent the summers there it was a little different as that was their summer home and they could entertain or invite anyone they chose to. Since MIL is not there all the time, and we own part of it, it's a different story.
I hear the dryer buzzing so it's on to the next load of laundry. At least I won't have much on Monday, I hope. Have a nice evening and a super weekend!
Today is Wayne's birthday. He's 57. Still looks pretty good for his age so I'll keep him! In a few minutes we're going to go to Dunkin Donuts and buy coffee, ONE donut a piece, and then we're going to sit on a bench at the marina and enjoy the treat and watch boats and ducks. Later this morning, the girls w/kids are coming over. Later today we're going to a bbq. I plan on staying on program.
Official weigh-in day: I'm down another .3 of a pound. If yesterday was official weigh-in I would have lost more. It all evens out in the end. So, for three weeks, I'm down 5.3 lbs. total. I am happy.
Jean, sounds like you have a full weekend ahead of you! Enjoy. I know you will. I agree with what you said to Susan, if we didn't have to eat, life would be simple. But I love food. Any kind. I'm willing to try new things. I'm always thinking about my next meal. I guess that's why I have a weight problem.
Good morning to you all. Just quick posting as I need to get showered to get out to the commissary first thing so we can get back, watch the Cubs, then we are doing a date night this evening. Harrahs bought the Grand Casino and hotel and when they did, they remodeled their buffet and it is now a Paula Deen buffet. We are curious as to what kind of food there is since it is supposed to be stuff she makes on her shows and in her restaurant. We are going to go down there this evening for awhile on a "date."
Jean: My mom had only two brothers, both of which were scum. The one thought he was God's gift and called me and my older sister a variety of names and such because we were overweight. His wife was 2 steps from a streetwalker, even wearing a white crocheted pantsuit with NO lining underneath to my wedding. The other one was a thief, pure and simple. When my dad died he somehow got into my dad's apartment and stripped it of everything of value and my dad had expensive radio and tv repair equipment in his apartment. He even took the silver dollar my dad slept with that was somehow connected to my mom. When my grandparents died, he stole very valuable antiques from their home too. Rumor had it, he owed the mob gambling money. So, believe me, I know what a pain relatives can be. They are both dead and I see none of their children and haven't in years. Have fun with the reunion and grandkids.
Gail: Congrats on the losses. Sounds like you have a lovely day planned.
Susan: Sounds like you are having a good time with friends and that is great! Hopefully, the smoke will stay away from your area for the most part!
I gotta run. Have a good one today and do something fun!
Faye
Good morning, ladies! Got up and went to Curves and got my workout out of the way. I sure do better going when I am refreshed and not tired from the day. Guess I should get up a little earlier and go before work but I don't really see that happening.
Gail - Congratulations on the loss - you are off to a great start. Hope you enjoyed your donut and the BBQ.
Faye - Memphis will have a butter shortage if they are cooking stuff Paula Dean prepares. Do let us know how the dinner was. Better not tell SIL that you went there or she'll be calling 911 to take Jack to the hospital.
Jean - You certainly have a nice weekend planned out...have fun.
I'm going to clean out some more kitchen cabinets and mop the floor then I'm going up and quilt.
Good early morning to everyone. Had to let Fortune out as he was bouncing around so I decided to just stay up for awhile and post while I was at it.
Susan: I let Jack talk me into just eating at the buffet at another casino and yck yck yck is all I can say. $35 and the food was scarce and intolerable. So the butter and Paula are safe for the moment. It was a real waste for me because I don't eat a lot at one meal anymore. I eat several smaller ones. We had a fun time though so that is all that matters. Can't say I came home a winner but I rarely do. It is how they stay in big business after all! lol
Got the shopping done except for a few pick ups we will do today then tomorrow I am going to try and get my nails and feet done. I hate to even go out in this incredible heat and humidity here, but they really need to be done so I want to just get it over with. Think I will get red toesys this time.
Not much else is going on here. It is just stiflingly hot and the humidity is over the moon. I came home from shopping yesterday, put the groceries away and stripped to a tshirt and undies until I cooled off. I imagine we are going to have a real corker of a rest of the summer. We aren't getting much rain out of it either.
Have a wonderful Sunday girls! Talk at you later.
Faye
Faye, you were up early. Tell Jack I was really looking forward to that report on Paula's cooking. I haven't been to a buffet in a long time. Like you, I don't eat enough at one time to get anywhere near my money's worth. We had talked about going to the Shady Maple Buffet in PA. It is really good and they cook steak and seafood to order, etc. but it is up to $20 and so we are going somewhere else. Two of us are on WW, one is diabetic and lives on cheese and pasta and doesn't like meat or seafood, the fourth is skinny as a rail and eats more than anyone, just blessed with a great metabolism.
The rain brought the temperatures down into the high 80's and the humidity is down so it is pretty nice for July.
I finished the last block of my calendar quilt and now find that August block is missing. I've got to find it because I don't have enough fabric left to make it again. That's what I get for taking so long to get a project done. I'm sure I've managed to get it mixed in with some other fabric but the amount of fabric I have is huge and people keep giving me more.
It's going to be a gorgeous day in Delaware! We have nothing planned for the day and that can be a good thing.
Yesterday was fun. The girls and the grandkids came over to wish Wayne a happy birthday. We had a mini-cookout of hotdogs and chips with ice cream to follow. I ate one hotdog w/mustard, about 5 chips, and shared my cup of lite ice cream with the youngest--the 14-month-old grandson who loooooves ice cream and always wants more than his share. We are a perfect match--he eats some of my share! Later that evening we went to a cookout and that turned out to be nice too. We were home by 8:00pm and then we sat out on the deck until it was dark. Nice day.
I'm thinking about going back to work. I think I retired too young. I don't have a clue as to what I want to do--work in an office or work in retail. I don't want anything that I have to think too much about. Entry level would be fine with me. Nothing stressful. Still thinking.
Anyway, like I said, nothing is planned for today. So I'll knit. And I'll read some.
Good Afternoon, Flowers! It's been a beautiful weekend of sunshine, light breezes, and blue skies. The hometown shindig committee couldn't have ordered nicer weather. We had a good time and saw lots of people we hadn't seen in a long time. We went to church in the park this morning, then out to eat with friends at a Chinese restaurant where they cook the food in front of you, stopped by to say hello to Beth and family for a few minutes, and headed home. We just missed Jason and family by about 15 minutes; he called while we were at Beth's and both kids were fast asleep before he hit the interstate. I should be working on laundry but haven't made it downstairs yet.
Gail -- Congrats on your losses. Slowly but surely is the way to go. I love to watch the water and whatever happens by. Coffee and a donut would be an added treat. I'm glad you enjoyed your day yesterday. I've thought about retiring, but I'm not sure what I would do. I enjoy my job on most days and when I walk out the door I don't have to worry about what is on the next day's agenda. I know I would miss some coworkers.
"Gma" -- That is too bad you didn't get a taste of Paula Deen food! I'm sure with real cream and butter everything would be tasty. The cold front came through here in time for the weekend and I was so glad. I don't do hot and humid outside very well.
Susan -- I need to do some deep cleaning in my kitchen! I have cupboards that go to the ceiling and rarely use anything on the very top shelves so I know everything needs a good wash job. A calendar quilt sounds interesting. I hope you found August without having to dig too deep.
I need to get moving and start on the laundry piles. Have a marvelous Monday tomorrow!
Good evening! Well, today was definitely quiet but the day still went by very quickly. We ate grilled steak, baked potato, string beans for dinner outside on the deck. Nice. Right now I'm drinking lots of water. I find whenever I eat steak I feel like I'm retaining fluid and drinking water helps.
Jean, I'm glad you had nice weather for your reunion weekend. It's always nice when Mother Nature cooperates! Did I hear "deep cleaning" a kitchen? Oh...I really need to do that!! Well, I looked in the newspaper for possible jobs and did not find anything. But my main problem is I don't know what I'm qualified for. BUT...I did read there will be a jobs fair on September 15. I will attend that. I'll take a bunch of resumes, hand them out, fill out applications (hopefully) and perhaps I'll get some kind of idea then. If not...well, it wasn't meant to be.
I do have a load of clothes in the wash and I need to go upstairs and check to see if they're ready to go in the dryer...
Good morning to you all! Hope your week has started out well. I am about to get upstairs and finish up the cleaning I didn't get to do yesterday. Jack was in a lot of pain yesterday so had on a heat pack on his back and opted for one of his muscle relaxers, which knocked him out. Unfortunately, knocked him out in our bed so I couldn't vacuum and dust. Poor me, I had to sit downstairs and read a book and try and be quiet! I am reading a Fern Michaels series that is quite good called the "Sisterhood." She has started a spin off series of these books which I should get to fairly soon as I am halfway through her sisterhood books already and only got them on Saturday! I read fast!
Susan: I just can't believe with Paula and her butter fetish she doesn't weigh 300 lbs! I saw a show awhile back and the woman puts butter chunks in hamburger patties! She says it makes them taste so good. I am sure, but every bite has to be closing a heart artery! Oh dear, we really need August! Otherwise, Jean can't go back to work because she does so miss those kids..... Hope you found your pieces by now.
Jean: Oh, too bad you missed Jason, Amanda, and the kiddies. I am sure you enjoyed the visit with Beth though. Thomas is supposed to go to his kids cooking class today that I bought him for his birthday. Hope he enjoys it. Jack and I are going to take their cake decorating class together if I can find out about whether I can sit on a stool for the class at least part of the time. I can't stand for 5 hours and that is what the class time is. They also have advanced classes we would like to take. We think it sounds like fun and who knows, maybe we can make a little $$ at it for family and friends. We are doing it just for the fun of it though.
Gail: Your dinner sounds yummy. I used to eat a goodly amount of steak when we had it, but I make at least two meals out of whatever I have anymore. I can usually only eat a few bites. Anything that takes a bit more to digest seems I eat less of. I have no interest in going back to work. I enjoyed working for the law firm a lot, but not so much the mechanical company. I never finished my degree because of money and am too old to do it now and then go into therapy so I am happy at home with my doggie, my knitting, my home and my books. It isn't for all people or even most people, but I am content with it.
Maggie: Hope you and Cowboy are having a great time roaming.
Gloria: Hope you and Jack and the family are all well!
Good afternoon, ladies! Cloudy and overcast today. Might even be some rain later. Only 79 degrees now...can you say "global warming" seems to have gone the other way here but I'm not complaining.
Faye, hope Jack's back is better today. The cake decorating sounds like fun. I don't see why you couldn't sit to do it. I like my kitty, quilting, reading time alone but I need to be with people for a part of the day so work is good. When I finally do retire, I'll probably do some volunteer work. I'd love to do it for the library. I know what you mean about not eating so much. I made 2 chicken breasts one night last week. The darn things lasted for 4 meals.
Jean - I have way too much stuff in my kitchen that Stan used for catering and it's all going to have to go to new homes. Steam table pans, huge glass bowls, serving pieces - it's all going. As well I am getting rid of a lot of mis-matched dishes and glassses and cups that have collected. I intend to get rid of a lot of plastic storage containers, too. Four shelves of them does seem to be overkill for one person - and there is more in the freezer.
Gail - good to hear from you.
Maggie, Nanna, and Gloria - looking forward to hearing from you; hope things are going well.
I still haven't found that block so everything will have to go on the back burner until I do. I have plenty more to work on so it's not a complete disaster . I sometimes look so hard for things I can't see them when they are right in front of me - then days or weeks later I'll suddenly see them, usually right in plain view the whole time.
I started a Baltimore Albumn quilt in 1994 and still have 5 more blocks to do - there are 30 - and the borders. It is king size and I haven't worked on it for several years - just got burned out then started too many other projects. So now I'm going to finish that. And I have to have a small quilt done by September for the challenge. Wouldn't look good if the the chairman of the challenge didn't make a quilt!
Good Afternoon, Flowers! I've been doing laundry and made a grocery run this morning. The navigation thing still isn't working on my car and the garage wants it overnight. I said not without a loner and preferably a Cadillac; we'll see how that goes over. I have a birthday lunch date sometime this week and need to run some errands that I've put off all summer. It is 90 degrees right now, but the humidity must be lower because it doesn't seem all that hot outside. The air is on!
Gail -- We are grilling steak tonight. A week or so ago I bought fresh green beans in a bag that just go into the microwave as is. They were so good and I thought I would buy more. I'm not sure what I paid the first time, but today they were $3.89 a bag which Bob and I ate at one sitting! I passed. I noticed several prices have gone way up on the fresh fruit and veggies. Good luck with your job hunt.
"Gma" -- Very Funny! I hope Susan doesn't find August until at least October when it seems more like fall and school should be starting. You are never too old to finish your degree if you wanted to! What were you studying? There was just a story about a 93 year old lady who earned her high school diploma this spring. She had to drop out of school after the 8th grade to help care for her sick mother and run the household. Her mother died and then she was responsible for raising her borthers and sisters so never did go back to school. That was something she had always wanted to do and finally did it. I forget how many great, great-grandchildren were at her party, but the entire family attended. I thought that was such a neat story. I hope Jack's back is better today. I took a cake decorating class when I was pregnant with Beth. They had us bring an empty ice cream bucket to practice on. I did pretty good on the bucket, but my real cake was pathetic looking. I never did get the hang of decrumbing and getting a smooth base layer of frosting on the cake. My roses were pretty darned good if I do say so myself! I made one decorated cake and called it good.
Susan -- Someone will appreciate and enjoy having all of the kitchen and catering stuff. I need to go through my plastic and pitch too. I have mixing bowls that we got as wedding gifts stored in the basement. After 40+ years I think it is time to part with them if I haven't used them in the last year. It sounds like you have multiple projects to work on. I am still trying to get a Christmas stocking done that I started for Amanda years ago -- I won't say how many! Then comes one for Will, and then 4 more for the grandkids. I have a feeling that project will be waiting for when I retire.
I need to keep going or I won't get anything else done before Bob gets home this afternoon. I don't know where the time goes, but it sure has a way of slipping by. Have a relaxing evening and a terrific Tuesday tomorrow.
Good morning to you all. Short post as I have a dang stiff neck and it is uncomfortable sitting here. I am putting heat on it and that is about all you can do until it loosens back up. It hurts, but it more an irritant than anything. It "catches" when I turn to do something or bend or whatever. I did finish upstairs yesterday so at least the house is done for a couple days.
Jean: I like fresh green beans cooked with ham and new potatos. Yummm! My grandma used to make them when we lived there. I miss it as Jack won't eat it. In some ways he is wayy picky and others not so much anymore. He is definitely not a veggie man. Because we were going to do some errands last night we stopped and had dinner at Rafferty's. We both had the prime rib and I had a baked potato and a yummy salad. Jack had basically double starch as he had a baked potato and instead of the salad he substituted potato soup! lol That man luvvvvvvsss potato anything. Me, not so much. I have to be in the mood and though I occasionally will like french fries, they are not a biggy on my list, thank heavens. Well, looks like you may have gotten your wish since Susan has kind of quit looking. Think the principal will allow the excuse when you don't show up until October that the calendar is not finished???
Susan: Boy, where do you store all that stuff? I don't have enough cabinet space to put all that stuff in. My cabinets are packed as it is and I have a pantry we bought to store food in. Jack's office closet is such a mess I told him last night it needs to be cleaned out. I put my extra clothing in there and I bought some more hangers last night and could barely get in there for all the junk he just dumps in there. I am big into orderly, but I have had to learn to live with some things and it isn't easy for me.
Guess, I will get up in the chair and see if I can get this neck to loosen up a bit. Have a great Tuesday!
Faye
Faye, I hope your neck is feeling better. I live in a townhouse but it's 1900 square feet. We have a big, walk in pantry and that's where most of the catering stuff lives. I have lots of cabinets in the kitchen and an island so once I get done cleaning out I should have empty space. I love green beans, potatoes and ham. My MIL was Italian and used to make green beans, potatoes, beef cubes and tomatoes with basil and oregano. That's really good, too. Love my veggies. We were farm people and had potatoes 3 times a day. If we had spaghetti and meatballs, we still had potatoes. Now why was I overweight?
Jean, I like steamed veggies in the microwave too and I have a steamer as well. You can get microwave steamer bags and then put your frozen (or fresh) veggies in and it's just as good as buying the steamer bags and a lot cheaper. I've had Glad and Ziplock and I got them at Walmart. I like to steam shrimp in them, too. Its also a good way to warm up leftover rice or pasta. They have a chart with the bags that tells you how long to cook things.
Everyone else - hello!
Got a notice from the library that a book I had on hold is now in so I'll stop for that tonight.
Good Afternoon, Flowers! It's another hot afternoon with a 20% chance of rain, so I doubt if we get any. We have the 20% chance each day through the weekend, and we could use a nice gentle rain. The yards are beginning to look dry. I've been working on laundry; I bought some new towels this summer and they are loaded with lint. I just washed them for the first time and had to clean out my washer and the dryer lint thing was full. I hope they don't shed like that every time. They are really puffy towels and so soft. Other than that, I'm waiting for the mail to come. I do need to write a couple birthday cards for next week.
"Gma" -- I'm sorry you have a stiff neck. That is annoying, I'm sure. Hope it is better soon. I never know whether to go with heat or ice . . . I usually go with if I am hot or cold. I'm with Jack in the potato fan club! I'm not big on french fries unless they are made from scratch like some of the small rural restaurants still do them. I do like most veggies and could eat lettuce salads everyday too. I don't think one ever has the right kind of storage space or enough of it. I need to go through "stuff" packed away in boxes.
Susan -- Thanks for the steamer bag tip. I guess I never thought to look for them. I'm just glad I'm not feeding and clothing a big family with today's prices. Have you started the Beck Diet Solution book yet?
I'm off to do some much needed ironing. Have a great "rest of the day" and a wonderful Wednesday tomorrow!
Steel Magnolias -- #26
I'm glad I didn't have to be anywhere at a certain time.
The "ex" was to clean the cabin after her kid and grandkids left on Monday. I have no doubt that she spent most of her time at the cabin before the 4th also. Her own mother lives in a mobile home park at the other end of the town. When they used to live in Iowa she would take her kids and spend the summers at the cabin -- just moved in like she owned the place then too. We own 1/3 so pay 1/3 of the utilities, upkeep, and taxes. MIL owns 2/3 getting 1/3 from a sister who lived in Oregon and had to go to a nursing home. We bought our 1/3 from MIL's sister who lived in CA and hated the lake. Her daughter and family used to come every summer and the daughter took over paying her mother's share of the expenses until her husband died and then she didn't think she could afford it so quit paying which left MIL paying 100% for awhile. You will have Thanksgiving and Christmas to look forward to; that will be exciting and fun for you. 
I don't think asking the relatives to help pay for use of the cabin is out of line. When my in-laws spent the summers there it was a little different as that was their summer home and they could entertain or invite anyone they chose to. Since MIL is not there all the time, and we own part of it, it's a different story.
from Iowa!
In a few minutes we're going to go to Dunkin Donuts and buy coffee, ONE donut a piece, and then we're going to sit on a bench at the marina and enjoy the treat and watch boats and ducks. Later this morning, the girls w/kids are coming over. Later today we're going to a bbq. I plan on staying on program.
The cold front came through here in time for the weekend and I was so glad. I don't do hot and humid outside very well. 
Hope you found your pieces by now.
Good luck with your job hunt.
I hope Susan doesn't find August until at least October when it seems more like fall and school should be starting. You are never too old to finish your degree if you wanted to! 
What were you studying? There was just a story about a 93 year old lady who earned her high school diploma this spring. She had to drop out of school after the 8th grade to help care for her sick mother and run the household. Her mother died and then she was responsible for raising her borthers and sisters so never did go back to school. That was something she had always wanted to do and finally did it. I forget how many great, great-grandchildren were at her party, but the entire family attended. I thought that was such a neat story. I hope Jack's back is better today. I took a cake decorating class when I was pregnant with Beth. They had us bring an empty ice cream bucket to practice on. I did pretty good on the bucket, but my real cake was pathetic looking. I never did get the hang of decrumbing and getting a smooth base layer of frosting on the cake. My roses were pretty darned good if I do say so myself! 
Then comes one for Will, and then 4 more for the grandkids. I have a feeling that project will be waiting for when I retire. 
I'm with Jack in the potato fan club! 