Good Afternoon, Flowers! The sun is shining, the wind is blowing, and it's another cold day in my neighborhood. I went to get my nails done this morning and have been trying to balance the gift shop checkbook ever since. I don't think the hospital paid a credit card bill in February but have to check that statement for sure. I thought I was going to do a mailing at church this afternoon but the envelopes aren't here yet. I am home again until bell practice.
Sonny update is that he had surgery to close up part of his wound so it would heal faster.
"Gma" -- Someone on one of the tv programs said this year will be the worst for allergies because of our crazy weather patterns. I would think the mini Snickers, cut in half, would work fine. The thing I like about this recipe is that you can make as much or as little as your would like. You could even make one serving for yourself. Jack just won't know what he is missing!
I came upstairs to find the gift shop bank statement book, so better keep moving and find the mistake. Enjoy the rest of your day.
♪ ♥♫ GOOD AFTERNOON MAGNOLIAS☺♫
Just got in from being out and about this day. Had a dentist appointment and got my pearly whites cleaned this day. It is currently in the 40º area and early we did get just a few snow flurries that didn’t amount to anything to speak of. I got the neatest book that I am going to enjoy going through ~ Spanish for Dummies. I took Latin in school which will be a help in learning Spanish of which I know some that I have picked up through the years. I am just not as fluent with it as I would really like to be so this book may be the answer. It is by the international leader in language instruction - Susana Wald - so it should be a good book to learn from. The book included a CD to take the skills learned to the next level with real-life conversations.
The TV man came and hooked our box up to the system so we can now watch baseball. He said our TV is the clearest he has ever seen ~ very sharp images. That was certainly good to hear from an expert in that area. The 3D movie “Dredd’ we watched last evening was awesome. Tonight we plan to watch “Avatar” which was recently shown in the theater here in town and those who had been to see it were very pleased with it in 3D.
Will is out to the museum where they are having a surprise birthday party for one of the young collage men that work there. I know the kid will be so elated that they threw him a surprise party. Gracious sakes it is 5 pm and I don’t have a clue of what I am making for dinner yet. I need to start thinking of that and get something out to thaw. We probably won’t eat until after Bible study class which ends at 8 pm. We don’t usually eat before that class on Wednesdays.
JEAN Thanks for the recipe ~ sounds great and makes my mouth water. I will definitely make that for a pot-luck. Hope that is the case with your balancing act and you don't have to look any further than hospital to balance it. That is good that they did some work on Sonny to make his wound heal faster. Poor kitty has sure been through the wringer.
DONNA FAYE Aren’t you glad that wasn’t a cold you were coming down with but an allergy. My allergy to this wind is kicking up and making me sneeze and my eyes water.
SUSAN Hello.
Have a wonderful evening Magnolias ~ Type at y'all later.
Good Morning, Flowers! The usual weather today: sunshine, wind, and cold. I came upstairs to get dressed and decided to check on the pc wireless because I finally managed to get it to work yesterday. I didn't do anything different than all the other times I tried to do it. My house needs some serious attention today and maybe I will work on the church mailing this afternoon if the envelopes arrived.
Maggie -- I did find the missing item to make bank statement jibe. Sometimes the gift shop buyer will use the hospital credit card and that paperwork seems to take forever to process through the ranks. I balance each month so knew my figures were right even though they didn't match with the accountant; I just had to dig a little deeper. I go to the dentist next week for a cleaning. Bob just went and it was a $125 for cleaning and two x-rays. I guess that is a small price to pay for keeping our choppers.
I need to get dressed and get busy. Hope you all enjoy a terrific Thursday today!
♪ ♥♫ GOOD EARLY AFTERNOON MAGNOLIAS☺♫
It is another chilly day here in the ♥-land and I am so pleased that our heater is working just fine. Will has gone to the museum and the dogs have new bones to chew and the cat is being a pest. Before he left he asked me if I wanted one of the new Blackberry phones that are just out ~ duh ~ do I ~ well yesssss. I love my Blackberry and certainly will love the new one with more bells and whistles.
With this gloomy weather it will take awhile for the ground to warm up sufficiently to get a garden of any sort going. We have a bag of good for tomatoes soil being warmed inside the house so we can pot some of the tomatoes that have sprouted in their little peat pots in the kitchen window. We were out and among them this morning and most places are just getting in their plants now. We are all hoping that we ease into summer this year so our plants have a chance. There is still a chill in the air and I am wearing my sweatshirt jacket even as I sit here in my office.
I was so glad last evening for we were able to watch my Dodgers play ball. The management have bought some good players and now they all need to work together to make a team. It didn’t appear they were playing with any enthusiasm during that game and they need to snap out of it for the season has just begun. The stands were jam packed with spectators that gave their support. If the Dodgers aren’t doing well in a game it is tradition that the stands start empting about the 5th inning. It just isn’t the same without Tommy LaSorta as the manager and Vince Skully calling the game and giving editorial and let us not forget Mikey being the catcher. Those were the good ole days of watching the boys of summer with green grass on the field. ♫Put me in coach, I am ready to play ~ today.♪
This afternoon I am going to start a study in my Spanish for Dummies book and see if I can learn some things.
JEAN I am so glad for you that you located that missing item and were able to balance. What a relief for you and such a good feeling. Any word today on how the kitty is doing today? Want another one? I would ship Cecil to you today for he is being such a pest. I guess it may be because his dogs have new bones to chew and he is being ignored by both of them. Maybe we should get him a nice meaty bone to chew also.
Everyone have a wonderful afternoon. Type at y'all later.
Maggie -- I know you will have lots of "fun" with your new phone. That would be big time for me! The vet called this morning after I had posted here. Sonny's stitches didn't hold. They are going to keep doing the laser treatments. He is eating good, drinking, pooping, and peeing, but just not healing as fast as they would like. The vet said he is the mystery cat for sure. Bob is watching the Iowa Hawkeyes game and they were behind when I came upstairs. I'm going to read for a bit and head off to bed. We have a memorial service tomorrow afternoon; the guy was a 64 year old insurance agent in town. His parents live up the street from us and I give his 90 year old mother rides to P.E.O. meetings. I really don't want to go but feel we should. See you tomorrow!
Good morning girls. I have been under the weather with female stuff yesterday and it is still bad this morning. Not a whole lot I can do but take some of my pain meds and wait it out, but the quivering can be so bad you don't want to move.
Jack was home yesterday, went and got his haircut and we watched the Cubs play around lunchtime then I just sat around a lot. I am doing a batch of laundry now, (it is in the dryer.) unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher, and hopefully around lunchtime I feel well enough to sweep and mop the floors. I didn't do them yesterday as it rained all day and it seemed futile to do all that work and Jack tramp his shoes all over it. It is hard enough to keep decent.
Jean: If you get a chance, get some of Anne George's series. She died in 2001 so only put out about 6-7 books, but they are about a pair of 60ish sisters who keep getting caught up in murders. For some reason the narrative sister reminds me of you. Maybe it is the schoolteacher thing. She has one heck of a pushy sister, but they are hilarious books and easy reads. Glad you got the accounting situation cleared up. Your poor kitty. He must think he is being tortured for some reason. I wonder if his resistance is down and that is why he isn't healing?
Maggie: Hope you are doing fine today. You are right about Lasorda being gone as the manager. You could always count on that little round guy in his uniform. I believe Vin Scully is still calling the games at Dodger Stadium, just not traveling with them. He said the end of season last year that more than likely his only trip would be to Yankee stadium. You sure do know that voice when it is on. They are yakking it up about moving the CUBS to Rosemont, but the fans will have none of that. There are only 2 original baseball fields left, Wrigley and Fenway. Baseball is all about nostalgia, tradition and such and moving the CUBS will take that all away. Part of a trip to Wrigley is basically going back to the good ole days and sitting in seats where folks watched Ron Santo, Billy Williams, Ernie Banks play. To listen to the seventh inning "Take me out the Ballgame" by Harry Carey, who by the way started the whole singing of it in the first place. No, Wrigley needs to always be Wrigley imo.
Well, I am going to sit and read for abit, then fold clothes and try and get mopping done. Have a great weekend, we are going to shampoo rugs again. lol Faye
♪ ♥♫ GOOD AFTERNOON MAGNOLIAS☺♫
WOW ~ we watched the 3D version of “Avatar” last evening and it was wonderful. 3D sure makes a credible difference. The regular TV programs are razor sharp on this box also and it is a good TV all around. This screen must have many more pixels in it than our last one. The more pixels the sharper the image they say.
It is in the high 50º’s and said to top out at 70ºs this day here in the ♥–Land. Ah and the wind is coming after 2pm ~ always the wind.
Here is a yummy way to treat an apple ~
RAW APPLE SNACK Ingredients:
• 1-2 apples
• 1 medium orange
• 1 medium lemon Preperation:
• Juice lemon and orange into a small bowl
• Slice the apple into thin slices
• Place slices into juice bowl covering all slices
• Place bowl in fridge for 30 minutes to 2 hours
Remove from fridge, serve and enjoy! Warning: contents are addicting!
DONNA FAYE Yes that round but mighty Dodger manager was a kick. I loved to watch him in action. Good ole' Dodger Stadium back in the day. OH that Harry Carey was a character for sure. Couldn't carry a tune but gave it a good try and got the fans aroused. Hope you get to feeling better soon.
JEAN I won't be getting a new Blackberry until probably next Fall ~ let them get any bugs they may have out of them first. By then they aught to be the best they can be. Sonny certainly has deserved that title of the Mystery Cat.
Good Evening, Flowers! It was a typical day for weather, sunshine, and wind, but a bit warmer today. Rain showers are predicted for tomorrow then on and off through Thursday. We need the rain! The memorial service this afternoon was really nice. Two brothers shared childhood/young adult stories about their brother which added so much to the service. We saw a couple we went to college with as well as several others who had moved away over the years.
I went to visit Sonny this afternoon! He is in a big wire cage in what I would call the dog/cat food storeroom. I sat on the floor and scratched his ears and chin. He didn't growl at me so I'm in hopes he recognized my voice. He ate treats out of my hand although he never eats his regular food during the day. The vet who admitted him was working and said she was very surprised about his leg wound. I will go again on Monday since the weekend crew is college kids who are just there in the morning to clean cages, feed animals, and walk the dogs.
"Gma" -- I will have to look for the Anne George books. You mentioned another author but our library doesn't have any of the books. We do have a lending option with other libraries but I'm not sure how that works and didn't take time to find out. I hope you feel better soon! Whenever I hear the Cubs mentioned I think of you!
Maggie -- Thanks for sharing the apple snack recipe. Any time I hear the word snack I think of Ian. He will have just finished a meal and is asking what there is for a snack. I teased him that he has hollow legs and he wasn't quite sure about that. Sonny is still getting laser treatments since the stitches didn't hold. The vet's assistant said it just takes a long time to heal, but I'm getting impatient. She mentioned keeping Sonny confined to a small area when we bring him home and I'm thinking, "yeah, right!" He's too fat to really run very fast and he sort of hops up and down the steps now so can't imagine he would do that any differently.
I've got a kitchen sink full of pots 'n pans that I need to wash so best get at them. Have a nice weekend!
♪ ♥♫ GOOD AFTERNOON MAGNOLIAS☺♫
It is a day today in the ♥-Land that is in the 50ºs and 60ºs and they say the wind will stop around noontime. It is blowing petty hard as I type. If it settles down as they say it will this afternoon we will go to the range and do some target practice. I have been having fun with my Spanish for Dummies book. Maybe one day I will speak it fluently. Phrases and things my Mother taught me are coming back. She had a good grasp of the language having been raised in Texas on that ranch. I can sing “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf” in Spanish. Having taken all those years of Latin while in school makes it easier for me to pick up the Spanish then it would have been otherwise.
Last evening I made chicken fingers and Rice-A-Roni Spanish rice which was a fun meal. Chicken fingers bake up nicely coated with Panko. There is some left in the fridge for a re-run today for dinner. I think I will cut up the chicken and put it in with the rice before heating it up. There is still some fruit I cut up in the fridge waiting to be eaten also. I also baked a loaf of bread in my bread maker. It is a small yummy loaf of bread that has chopped up onions and shredded lo-fat sharp cheddar cheese in it. I will make Panini’s for lunch today using that bread with some thin sliced deli roast beef and Swiss cheese. I will slice an onion very thin and put it next to the cheese so the cheese melts on it and the meat. I will spread the bread with basil pesto mix that has some garlic in it and spray the outside with one of my spray cans of oil. Probably I will use the garlic flavored spray. It will toast so nicely with the light sprit of oil on it and be O-SO-YUMMY. Anyone want to come to my place for lunch?
JEAN That cat will think you are his hero when you bail him out of the vets and take him home. Good luck on the keeping him confined to a small area. If Cecil had to be confined it would have to be here in my office where his butt hutt is located. As it is he only uses it ocasionally since he is such an outback cat. I check it each day and clean it as needed though. But I am sure if we tried to confine him in here he would "squirt out" when the door was opened. It is very hard to confine a cat unless you have one of those caged in dog run thingies they sell for outside dogs.
Good Afternoon, Flowers! It's a cloudy, windy, cold day in my neighborhood today. We had a few sprinkles of rain -- just enough to make the windows look worse. I made a grocery run for Bob's crock pot oatmeal this morning, did a couple loads of laundry, and really feel like a nap.
Maggie -- I wish the wind would stop here! Beth took 6 years of Spanish between high school and college. She sometimes uses it at work but has always said the dialect is different from one person to the next; she can pick up bits and pieces enough to know what they are talking about but can't translate word for word. Our so called Spanish teacher is from Portugal and the Mexican students argue with her all the time because her Spanish is quite different from theirs. I would have to put Sonny in a bathroom or leave him in the basement if he had to be confined. In either instance I'm sure he wouldn't be happy nor would Ernie. Ernie has teased to go out in the garage so I finally let him. He checked every nook and cranny like he was just so sure he would find Sonny.
Guess I will fold some towels and get the next load going. Hope the sun is shining on you and you enjoy your weekend!
Good morning to you all. I have been having an awful time with allergies and having some trouble with the female stuff so the combo wears me out.
We had to go out to Walmart for a few things yesterday. I was sure glad to be back home for the rest of the day. I had to take out my contacts this morning because my eyes were burning so much. Gonna be an interesting summer.
Maggie: My son Jay is learning spanish first hand since his fil is Mexican. My dil says he is better at spanish than she is. I got a giggle last night watching the CUBS game. The CUBS relief pitcher is Japanese and was really messing up. The pitching coach went out to the mound to talk to him with an interpreter tagging along. I have found with that most of the players who are foreign can understand english pretty well but can't speak it. It is amusing to watch.
Jean: Poor Ernie can't find his buddy. I am sure Sonny wants to be home. You make a whole crockpot full of oatmeal? I will stick with the one packet of the easy peasy stuff.
Good Afternoon, Flowers! We got up to dense fog this morning and it has been a weird weather day ever since: wind, clouds, sunshine, and sprinkles of rain from time to time. It would be nice right now if the wind wasn't blowing so hard. We went to early church; I was in charge of getting the offering from the plates to the locked file in the office today. We drove up to check on the cabin and pick up some boards that Jason needs to build a lawn 'n garden building. The people next door to us have torn down their small, much better than ours, cabin and are building a two story year around house for when they retire next year. It will be fun to watch the progress this summer as it is supposed to be done by August. It sure looks different with nothing there and I'm sure the people behind would love to have the current view of the lake forever.
We stopped at Penneys on the way home so I could look for jeans. Evidently jeans aren't considered part of spring fashion because they just had a few leftovers from winter I guess. I'm not into "holes and bleach spots" so looked no further.
"Gma" -- No, I don't make a whole crockpot full of oatmeal. The recipe says it makes 6 cups and I divide it into individual containers. Bob reheats them in the microwave and says they taste just as good as when first made. Can you take any OTC allergy meds? I do know some people have to get stronger prescriptions depending on what they are allergic to. I hope you feel better on both counts SOON!
I have sheets in the dryer that should be about done and another load ready to dry. It is the laundry lady's day off. Hah! Enjoy the rest of your day.
Good morning to you all. It is going to be a gorgeous day here again today. It got up to 75 yesterday and more the same. It is supposed to be 80 on Wednesday, ! I am ready for my warm weather. I even wore capris and sandals to Walmart on Saturday.
I haven't been weighing in every week, seems I do better that way. I did do a weigh in this morning and am down another 4 lbs. That makes it almost 30 lbs down now. I will gladly take it, just hope I can get down around where I want for the cruise. I have 27 weeks.
Thomas has a band concert on Thursday evening. At least the choir and such won't be there so hopefully we won't have the problems we did at Christmas time. That was nuts. We are all going to get there early and save seats for all of us.
Jean: I didn't know you could make oatmeal and it could be stored and come out ok in the microwave. I will still have to stick to the packets. I have so little room for storage, even in the fridge these days. It drives me nuts. I do take otc allergy meds, but only when it is really bad. I have to have one that doesn't make me sleepy, is ok for blood pressure, etc. Sometimes they work, sometimes not so much. We have so many flowering trees and such that I think that is what causes the year round problem. We have a very long pollen season! I just deal with it, but mostly it is this female stuff. Seems like this round of meds I am having a lot of problems with quivering, cramping, and backaches. I take some pain meds for that, but it sometimes works, sometimes not. I imagine after this round she will want to do another d and c as the lining has thickened back up again and that is what is causing the problem.
Well, girls, I best get going and get chores done this morning. Have a great start to your week. Faye
♪ ♥♫ GOOD AFTERNOON MAGNOLIAS☺♫
I really don’t want to go to WW this evening but I will dust myself off and get there to be weighed in. I showed a pound up on my scale this morning and know I am packing fluids because my rings won’t budge. I can’t figure out what I ate that packed sodium in it to make that happen. I just ate the best strawberries and when I looked on the carton to see where they were grown I laughed. From the very fields I used to pass by when going to work out in CA and would stop and take a flat of beautiful red ripe strawberries along to work with me. They are the best grown there than all I have eaten from there and elsewhere. Oh how I adore strawberries ~ nice ripe ~ plump ~ red ones that taste like strawberries should taste and not like juicy cardboard.
The dogs just came to greet me for they are back from the groomer and had a bath. Cecil is happy now and has quit searching for them. He sure misses his friends when they are at the groomer. Here comes Cecil being chased by Beanie down the hallway and into this room. Cecil jumped up on his food table and Beanie slid my entrance carpet across the room when he put his brakes on ~ like he was surfing. Those two are a crack up.
It is currently in the low 70ºs here in the ♥-Land and expected to stay somewhere in the 70ºs all day which is just fine with me. A bit of spring in the air ~ our trees are leafing out and the weeds are flourishing. Those weeds will have to be tackled soon before they take a good hold. Will is out there right now as I type doing something about it.
Did I mention I am going to make tacos for dinner ~ yep with store bought corn tortillas and not those pre-formed tasteless shells. I do the tortillas in a minimum amount of oil and they come out nice and crisp to stuff with burger meat, tomatoes, lettuce and cheese with a topping of salsa. Yum. The package of tortillas feels like they came fresh from the tortilla factory.
DONNA FAYE 30 pounds down is so close and that is great. Keep on going ~ if you don't want to weigh in every week it is your program and you make the rules. Just know that we are with you every pound you lose along the way. Keep your FOCUS and you will make your goal for vacation. I know you will enjoy Thomas's concert much better than last go round.
JEAN It will be nice to have year round neighbors at the lake for they can be a deterant to any mischif in the area. Since there isn't a limit on how high you can build they will be blocking someones view but have every right to do so. I remember out in CA where they built a row of condos along the beach front and folks were so happy to buy them. They they built another row and it was in front of thise first built and it sure made some folks mad for the new row cut off their ocean view completaly. lots of the original row's condos were put on the market for they no longer were wanting to live there.
Good Evening, Flowers! It was a nice "warm" day with sunshine and wind mixed in. We balanced at church and I also counted and deposited the gift shop money this afternoon on my way to see Sonny. The lady vet was there and said he was feeling much better. They let him "out" to clean his cage and he promptly headed to a corner behind some boxes to hide, so the vet held him which didn't go over well. The assistant thought he might bite her because he really growled when she tried to take him out a second time; first they gave him a laser treatment, put him back in the cage, and then later was going to take him out to clean his cage and he wasn't at all pleased with all the handling I guess. Anyhow, he had more room today, because several of the towels had been removed, and he could roll over so I could rub his tummy. He chowed down on treats and came to the door like he was going to come out. I was afraid he would get away from me so decided it was time to leave. Both said he was feeling much better because he was so feisty today.
"Gma" -- on losing another 4#s! Sometimes I do better when I don't concentrate so hard on what I can, can't, should, or shouldn't eat. This oatmeal recipe calls for vanilla almond milk and dried cherries. It really does smell good and I don't like oatmeal. With your history I'm really surprised your doctor hasn't recommended surgery.
Maggie -- I hope the iron monster was kind tonight. I've bought strawberries a couple three times but they still aren't as good as they will be. When we were in Florida we bought some from a truck along side the road. They were picked fresh and were so shiny; I'd never seen shiny strawberries but they were beyond delicious. New condos were built a few lots away from us and we noticed that there was siding missing. It looked like they were mending holes in the various walls on different levels. They aren't that old and there are quite a few that never sold in the first place. Bob wondered if they used cheap materials to build and that's why it's falling apart now.
I'm going to read while Bob watches basketball, then head to bed. Have a terrific Tuesday tomorrow!
Jack just won't know what he is missing! 
Wonderful Chilly Wednesday
He said our TV is the clearest he has ever seen ~ very sharp images. That was certainly good to hear from an expert in that area. The 3D movie “Dredd’ we watched last evening was awesome. Tonight we plan to watch “Avatar” which was recently shown in the theater here in town and those who had been to see it were very pleased with it in 3D.
Type at y'all later.
for me! The vet called this morning after I had posted here. Sonny's stitches didn't hold. 
They are going to keep doing the laser treatments. He is eating good, drinking, pooping, and peeing, but just not healing as fast as they would like. The vet said he is the mystery cat for sure. Bob is watching the Iowa Hawkeyes game and they were behind when I came upstairs. I'm going to read for a bit and head off to bed. We have a memorial service tomorrow afternoon; the guy was a 64 year old insurance agent in town. His parents live up the street from us and I give his 90 year old mother rides to P.E.O. meetings. I really don't want to go but feel we should. See you tomorrow! 
Whenever I hear the Cubs mentioned I think of you! 
Any time I hear the word snack I think of Ian. He will have just finished a meal and is asking what there is for a snack. I teased him that he has hollow legs and he wasn't quite sure about that. 
I would have to put Sonny in a bathroom or leave him in the basement if he had to be confined. In either instance I'm sure he wouldn't be happy nor would Ernie. Ernie has teased to go out in the garage so I finally let him. He checked every nook and cranny like he was just so sure he would find Sonny.
30 pounds down is so close and that is great. Keep on going ~ if you don't want to weigh in every week it is your program and you make the rules. Just know that we are with you every pound you lose along the way. Keep your FOCUS and you will make your goal for vacation. I know you will enjoy Thomas's concert much better than last go round.
on losing another 4#s! Sometimes I do better when I don't concentrate so hard on what I can, can't, should, or shouldn't eat. This oatmeal recipe calls for vanilla almond milk and dried cherries. It really does smell good and I don't like oatmeal. With your history I'm really surprised your doctor hasn't recommended surgery.
