Steel Magnolias #2

  • Morning ladies! Hope your weekend is going great!

    Remember I told you dh was taking the car in today because it still wasn't running right? Welllllll, he just called a few minutes ago and said it needed new spark plugs and that when he changed those things that go over the spark plugs a couple weeks ago, he threw out one of the new ones and put one of the old ones back on! Ya, gotta love him, he can take apart a computer or tv or anything electronic and fix it, but cars....... So, the mechanic did a nice thing. The diagnostic cost us $100 so he halved that and then charged us for the other part. At least my car is going to be working right again, yahoo and it is going to the fancy car wash when he gets home. I used to take it about every two weeks or so but with it running rough I haven't taken it in a long time. I want my beautiful car back!

    We decided to take our one night out a month to eat last night and went to a seafood restaurant. Instead of my usual fried shrimp, fried mushrooms, ffries etc, I had raw shrimp, grilled fish, rice and broccoli! I was so proud of myself for making a good choice instead of a poor one. Jack got hazelnut cheesecake and I took about 2 bites of it was all and told him to scarf it down!

    When dh gets home from Firestone, we are going to the dreaded commissary to go grocery shopping. I am dragging him shopping with me today. I have to get dog food and litter and laundry soap, all of which is heavy so I need him to haul the stuff!

    It has turned really cold here today, but I bundled up and went out and got my walk in. I need to still do my weights today though, but since I am all cleaned up and ready to go shopping, it will have to wait until this afternoon I guess.

    Hope everyone has a great weekend. Keep warm!

    Faye
  • Good Afternoon, Flowers!
    It's a bright sunny day in my corner of the world. It feels like we are having a "heat" wave at 9 degrees ABOVE 0.

    We were gone most of the day yesterday so I am trying to catch up on the laundry today. DH spent most of the morning at church since his group sings at both services. I went to early church and came home to read the papers and pick up the kitchen. I always thought that once the kids were gone, the house would stay cleaner and neater . . . not so unfortunately.

    "Gma" -- I'm glad your car will be running in top shape once again. How can you eat raw shrimp? I thought that would make you sick. No? I'm not big on fish so you couldn't prove it by me. I'm glad you enjoyed your night out.

    We got to see both Ian and Maddy yesterday. Made a quick trip to Menard's looking for frosted 15 watt bulbs for a lamp and could only find 25 watt which is too bright.

    Hope you all have a nice relaxing Sunday. I hate to see Monday come so soon but know it is better than the alternative.

    Jean -- from Iowa
  • Good Afternoon Magnolias

    It has started to snow and the possibility is for 4 inches. I hooe it will be less as the plow man comes if it is 4" or more. It is getting expensive....he charges $45 for 4-8" and $65 for over 8". I think he charges by the hour for anything over 12". But I will admit I would rather pay him than have DH have another heart attack. We have a very long driveway 100 ft.

    Next weekend we are having a couple in for dinner and I bought a whole tenderloin. DD#2, the cook, has it for her parties. Well, with only 4 of us I had it cut in half and today I did a dry run. I have never cooked one before. It came out sooooo good!!!!! 2 1/2 lb. took 1 hour at 350 using my convection oven and it was perfectly med. rare and so tender you could cut it with a knife. I had bought some brussel sprouts that I put in a baking sheet with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and baked them along with the roast. They are nice and brown, crisp on the outside and tender inside and do not taste like brussel sprouts. I am tempted to have them next week but am worried that the other couple won't like sprouts. Maybe I'll be safe and have green beans. Roast potatoes and a salad on the side will complete the menu. Since we had such a big meal, mid afternoon we will skip supper. Which means I have not been too bad in the eating dept. today, I hope.

    FAYE: I'm glad you got you car working well again. It is always something between cars and appliances. I don't know what is worse. Your seafood meal sounds great and was a good choice over fried food.

    JEAN: On Friday we had a real heat wave as it went to 60 deg. but had been going down ever since. Today and tomorrow calls for snow and then clearing on Tuesday when we will go to Bedford to shop at the Commissary. Last time we went was just before Christmas and went on a Sunday and it was so quiet it felt unreal. I am sure, being a weekday, we can expect the usual lines at the registers.

    Gloria in MA.....hunkering down for more snow. Have a great week everone!
  • Morning girls. Quick post before I do my weights and get out and walk.

    Jean: I have never had any problems with raw shrimp. It is the only kind of seafood I eat raw though. My dd and sil and even Thomas love sushi, but that I can't take. Usually, T eats california rolls though, which is rice and seaweed rolled together. I watched him put away about 4 of those on Christmas eve. It is amazing to watch a 4 year old eat sushi, fresh fruit, raw veggies instead of hot dogs, fried chicken and mac and cheese! The day he was here, I had made beef stew for dinner and he even ate some with us while he was waiting for his mom to pick him up.

    GLoria: I would stick to the green beans or make both. Brussel sprouts are pretty strong and there are a lot of people that don't like them, though your way of cooking them sounds interesting. I love cabbage, but I find bs a little strong for my taste so I rarely eat them.

    It was a quiet weekend. We took the car and got it washed and waxed to the tune of $45 yesterday. Isn't that awful? We had the guy hand wax it so that is the extra cost, but the regular wash/vacuum is $21. I think it is highway robbery! Especially when we drove off after having sat there for an hour and found the outside mirrors spotty and the windshield not clean. We were in a hurry or would have gone back and made them rewash them. It looks beautiful but hope it doesn't rain anytime soon!

    I talked to my sister yesterday and she told me a story Jean, you would probably understand pretty well. She works for city schools in charge of their bus program. I guess sometime last week, the bus driver went to drop off these 2 little Hispanic kids at around 3:30 pm and no one was home. She called my sister who called the mother (they had no # for the father or other relatives) at the restaurant where she works, which is just a few blocks from their home. She didn't speak English well but kept telling my sister 6:30. My sister told her no, she had to come and get her kids now! She hung up the phone and called juvenile justice, after having paged protective services 3 times with no answer. (I guess the police will not come and get the kids because there is no place and no one to watch them at the station like in the old days.) Anyway, the guy she knows at juvie said he would try and get ahold of prot services and call the mother's supervisor and get her home. Those poor children AND that bus driver, sat on that bus for 3.5 hours. The mother was let go home from work at 5 til 4 and never came home. The father showed up at 6:30 pm with the kid's aunt (I guess the father and aunt work together). My sister said, she left these peoples' home at 7 pm and the mother had still not shown up! The really truly horrible thing is it was the little boys birthday and he told my sister he was getting soup for his birthday. Sheesh, some parents!

    I need to get going. Everyone have a great day! Jean, are you off school today? Of course, the kids here are.

    Faye
  • Good Afternoon, Flowers!
    I'm waiting for it to be time to start a supper of leftovers. I have card club tonight so will save most of my eating for that. It's a cold 8 degrees and cloudy. We are supposed to start warming up to the mid 30s tomorrow and I'm ready!

    Not much going on in my corner of the world. I'm tired for some reason; I think I stayed up too late last night just putzing around.

    We had a bad accident over the weekend -- a van of 7 Mexicans pulled out in front of a loaded semi at a visually wide open, well traveled intersection, on the edge of town. Four of the 7 were killed, all young men in their early 20s. I only knew one from having him in school and he was life flighted to a trauma hospital in Sioux City. It happened around 2 AM and rumor has it that they had been drinking and/or doing drugs. The one I knew is a nice kid, very polite, etc., but he always seemed to be in the wrong place, wrong company, at the wrong time and was sent away for awhile. He's in a coma so I am hoping he will be ok.

    Gloria -- Enjoy your warm weather because the cold is on the way! You menu sounds delicious! I like brussel sprouts!

    "Gma" -- YUP, we had school today. People were grumbling about the "no mail" today . . . MLK is not a big deal around here. I wonder if there is supposed to be an adult at home when the bus drops kids off, in your sister's school district? They would definitely be SOL in this town! That is sad about the little boy's birthday. We have kids coming to school at 7AM because their parents work at the packing plant and drop them off on their way to work. At the high school level we don't have to babysit them but I know that the elementary buildings do have a "before" school plan for the little kids. We do serve them all breakfast however.

    Hope you all have a nice evening and a terrific Tuesday! It's time to head for the kitchen!

    Jean -- from Iowa!
  • Afternoon ladies. I am sitting here waiting for Jack to call and say he is on his way home. He called a little while ago and said he had to stay and work a little late. I am used to eating early so I am about ready to chew the furniture!

    We didn't do much yesterday. Ran a few errands. Jack got his hair cut. He is losing his hair at a pretty good rate now but you don't notice until he gets a haircut. Well, I clean out the bathtub and the sink so I know all that hair isn't mine! I told him at lunch yesterdy that he could get rogaine, but he said that he thought that was vain. He said he didn't care if he lost his hair. I told him I didn't care either. Actually, less hair, less clean up.

    It is pretty cold here today. I went out and walked and it was about 20 degrees. My hands, even with gloves on, felt frostbitten by the time I got home. I am just not used to this cold anymore.

    Hope everyone is well and have a good evening

    Faye
  • I'm Back
    GOOD AFTERNOON MAGNOLIAS

    I am so surprised I got in. I just couldn't not keep trying. I have still been told by the "experts" again that it is NOT my computer but something to do with the pathway to this site.

    I get my little Shih-Tzu (pronounced Sheed-Zoo) at the end of next week on the 29th. I have gotten all the stuff I need for it pretty much like clippers to keep him trimmed in between times I can't get him to the "beauty shop." I talked with the gal today that will be doing his grooming and she is as excited as I am to get him. I explained to her that I always wanted a "puppy cut" on him because I don't want all that long hair to contend with and really don't like the look it gives the dog. She said he will still look like a puppy at 10 or 12 years old which is what I want. This first trip will be just a bath and a bit of scissor trim but no blow drying. Want to slowly work the little guy into the grooming mode. She said if he has fleas that I should bring him in before I take him home ~ I don't think he does but if I am wrong I will go there first for sure. The people that have the puppies have them in their front room and when we were over there the mom didn't have fleas and none of the pups did either. I handled them all and the woman keeps a very clean home and is a great cook too. She made a great spaghetti dinner for us when we were there to see the pups. I tell Turn several times a day we are getting him a puppy. So when we do bring Ragg Mopp home Turn will know that is his puppy. I can see it now what is going to happen to all of Turn's stuffed animals that he has lined up along the hallway. If Turn wants to keep any of them he will put them up high. He was smart enough to do that with his favorites when we puppy sat a friends little one awhile back. Let's see if he wants to keep any of these.

    GLORIA that way of cooking Brussle Sprouts sounds yummy. We love those little things and I will definitely give it a try. I am sure you company will enjoy the green beans though for I do agree not every one does like the little sprouts like I do.

    FAYE that is sad about what happend to those children and the school bus driver. The authorities should have stepped in on that one ~ they would have out here in a heart beat. California is so tight with its rules and regulations that it squeeks. This isn't the beloved California of my youth. I am so happy for you getting your car back to exact. Drive and be happy.

    JEAN wonder how many states don't celebrate MLK day. I don't think it is really celebrated here but the banks and PO get the day off and school lets out. Maybe they do tell them in school the reason for the day off.

    Have a wonderful eveing my cyber friends Hope to be back soon..
  • MAGGIE: How wonderful to see you here again. I never heard of pathway problems. I just wish some of those pop up ads would have that kind of trouble getting to my computer Your puppy sounds adorable and I am sure you, Cowboy and Turn will all enjoy him. If ever were to get another dog I would like a small one, however, I don't think that will happen. After having dogs and other animals for so many years we are enjoying our 'freedom'.

    FAYE: Today was our commissary run and the place was deserted. I think it was because of the cold weather. We were down to 5 deg. this Am and then at noon we got to 18. Wow, a heat wave.

    JEAN: Hope your weather has warmed up so we can expect some warmer weather here later this week of next week. If it does warm up please send it on via a nice west wind.

    Yesterday was a very interesting day. All went well until I was preparing supper. I defrosted a couple of nice rolls to go along with our leftovers and was cutting them open to heat them in the toaster over....when the knife slipped and I gave myself a nice cut on the index finger of my left hand. I didn't think it was much but it wouldn't stop bleeding even tho we put pressure on it and a bandaid. After an hour we called DD#2, the nurse, and went over for repairs. She had some steri-strips and gauze and a clear bandage that covered the entire top half of my finger. She also had something she called 'glue' ...but I think she was pulling my leg about that and I may have been an antiseptic. Long story short ....I lived....the bleeding stopped and although she did say that I may have a 'flap' of skin that I will need to remove eventually it will heal. She didn't think, even if I had gone to the ER, that it needed a stitch. It was right into the cuticle. From what I have heard they are all hiding the knives from me from now on.

    I have definitely decided not to have the sprouts and will go with green beans for the dinner party. Thanks for you opinions.

    Gloria in MA...staying warm.
  • Good Evening, Flowers!
    I peeked in earlier and had a nice long post typed . . . it went "poof" into cyperspace somewhere. Now I can't remember what I rambled on about so it couldn't have been very important. We are having a heatwave . . . NOT . . . because the wind is blowing so hard. It is in the mid '30s tonight. I hate it when it when the wind "howls."

    It was cold at school today and I never did warm up. I threatened to run duct tape around the windows to stop the draft and the custodian about had a spasm. I gave up and pulled the blinds all the way down which I don't like not being able to see outside; that didn't do anything except slow the cold air down a bit. I drank way too much trying to warm up and I'll probably pay for it later tonight when I go to bed and can't sleep.

    "Gma" -- I was surprised to read that your temperature was down to 20! I guess I associate warmer weather with anyplace south of us! At least you got out to walk . . . GOOD FOR YOU!

    Maggie -- How nice to see you again! I'm anxious to see a picture of your new baby! I had to at you telling Turn that you are getting him a puppy! Amanda was telling us that there is a new baby at the sitters so Ian and another little girl his age take turns "helping" with the baby. I'm wondering if he will be so anxious to help with his own when he figures out it is there to stay.

    Gloria -- I'm glad your cut finger wasn't any worse than it was! It was good that your daughter was able to fix it for you. Fingers and toes always hurt the worst I think!

    Not much is newsy from my corner of the world. I hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday. . .another week is flying by!

    Jean -- from Iowa!
  • Morning girls! Nice to see everybody!

    Maggie: What a cute name for your puppy. Shih-Tzu's do look like little mops. I get Fortune a puppy cut too as I don't like the REAL mop look Yorkie cuts are. It keeps him from getting tangled between trips to the groomer too. Let me know how much it costs you to have him groomed as I am curious if your prices are better. It costs me $40 for Fortune, which I think is outrageous, but she does a good job and he is used to the staff at the kennel so I stay there. I could understand it if he tried to bite etc, but he doesn't even bark at people.

    Gloria: Your dd may have been pulling your leg, but they DO use glue on cuts now. It is similar to superglue for certain cuts like on fingers. They use them on smaller sized cuts that aren't jagged.

    Jean: You poor thing. How horrible to have to freeze all day and not be able to do much about it. I would have duct taped the windows anyway and pulled the blinds down so no one could see! I know, you can't do that because of fire regs, but you shouldn't have to freeze either.

    It is warmer today. 38 degrees this morning so my walk with not be as frigid. It was really cold to walk yesterday.

    Hope everyone has a glorious day today

    Faye
  • Good Afternoon, Flowers!
    We have "warmed up" to 36 degrees and what a difference in the school, car, and house! The furnace is resting between heating surges and I came home without my gloves on. I hope that the cold doesn't come back!

    We had alot of kids gone for the funeral for three of the accident victims. Some came back afterwards while others took the whole day off. One of my coworkers is going to be gone on Friday which means I will have to put up with a sub . . . hope he/she is a good one! I've had one that the kids absolutely HATE with a passion in algebra for two days. The teacher is supposed to be back tomorrow and I hope she is!

    I have bell choir practice tonight and I'm hoping it will be a short one. Since we didn't play on the Sunday we were supposed to this month, we will be playing twice in February and both times will be at the late service. I opted out of one because it is DH's birthday weekend as well as Beth's significant other so we will be "partying" either here or there on that Sunday.

    "Gma" -- The windows that open, in our room, are the tiny fold in kind and there is no way I could squeeze this body through one! Besides that, we are on a tiny little courtyard and the doors are locked. Many years ago, some boys climbed up on the roof, got down into the courtyard, and on into the greenhouse area. They pulled the hose out in the hallway and turned the water on full blast then left. When the custodians came the next morning, the halls and some of the rooms were flooded. That's why they keep the doors locked now. Keep warm on your walks . . . 38 sounds pretty good to me!

    Not much else is happening, which is good I guess. Have a nice evening and a terrific Thursday tomorrow!

    Jean -- from Iowa!
  • Morning everybody!

    I got out and walked this morning and did my weights so now I am properly sore for the day. I had the "I am going to take a day off feeling" this morning but knew I need to work harder than I have been to get the weight back off and keep on going and taking a day off won't help. So, with that being said, I got out the ole weights and then went for my walk. I was a bad girl and made a cherry pie yesterday. Plowed into it pretty good, then threw it in the disposal this morning so I wouldn't scarf the rest of it. Sometimes I just yearn for sweets, you know?

    Jean: Man, I don't see how you can perform twice in the same month. I don't think I could keep it all straight. Does the group have "assigned" bells? I mean, are you always like A and D# or something? I guess that would make it easier if you were always the same notes. I was talking with my sister by e-mail about Easter and said, I thought it was funny that the holiday that is about a Jew is when we eat the most ham. Jack shook his head when I told him that and said, "Only you would think of that." We are going to go to Indiana to see my son and dil, sister, and her family and friends for Easter weekend. My dd, sil and dgs are all going too, so I am hoping maybe my two rotten children will mend their problems because they are staying with us in my son's house so they are going to have to get along. Do your kids live near each other? You have dd's, right? I can never keep track of who has what children.

    Well, guess I better go and get showered now that I have cooled off from walking.

    Faye
  • Good Evening, Flowers!
    It's been a damp, foggy, gloomy day in my corner of the world. But it was "warm" at 38 degrees! I've had a headache all day and I'm thinking it is sinus related due to the change in the weather pattern. I never used to have these and I don't like it one bit!

    "Gma" -- I love pie! I could eat a piece of two crust cherry or apple pie for each meal and not think twice about it. (with ice cream, of course) Since I don't make pies, I buy Marie Callendar's frozen pies and they are "almost" as good as homemade ones. I don't do it very often because neither one of us needs it, but hmmm, hmmm, hmmm they are so good! I do play the same bells all the time: E, F, E flat, and F sharp below middle C. We practice several pieces throughout the month and concentrate on whichever piece we are performing the practice before we play and then go early to practice before church on Sunday. The piece we/they are playing when I'm not, has very few bass bells playing so the gal who plays next to me can play her two as well as mine. We also have a couple of subs who are talented enough to play any of the bells if we are gone. We have a son and a daughter who live about an hour away from us. They are about a half hour apart from each other. They have their differences, mainly that Beth thinks Jason is selfish putting his wants before Amanda and Ian while Jason thinks Beth's significant other is a loser, but so far they have managed to stay on good terms with each other. I am thankful that we don't have a family that "fights" because as a kid, I can remember my dad having three sisters and one was always causing trouble between the other two and my grandma. My grandma was always trying to make peace but someone was always upset with someone else because of some stupid "something said or done" which was blown all out of proportion. My dad, being the only son, managed to stay neutral so we were always on the outside watching the circus go on. My mom only had one brother and he didn't have any children so there were no problems there. I sputter to DH and have voiced my opinion to the kids a time or two but would never create such a scene that would cause a permanent rift between us and them. Jason and Amanda are married and have Ian. Beth and Will are not married and have Maddy. Both girls are having babies in the spring: Beth in April/May and Amanda in May/June. They do keep life interesting! Beth was always "by the book and walked the straight and narrow with more common sense than Jason ever thought of having" so we never dreamt she would get pregnant before getting married. Will was raised and is from a totally different family background than we raised our kids; I'm not just sure why they didn't get married. Will wants to and Beth says, "someday." He was extremely immature and irresponsible to begin with and has grown up alot over the past couple of years. He is good to Beth and Maddy for which we are thankful.

    I need to pick up the house before I head off to bed. Have a fantastic Friday!

    Jean -- from Iowa!
  • Morning gals! It is not too chilly this AM but for some reason I am freezing this morning.

    Jean: I have 2 sisters and a brother. My brother is a total boor. For example, he called here at 5:30 AM this morning and when I didn't answer, called back at 6:15. Why? Because he had a couple basketball tickets he wanted to know if Jack wanted so he could sell them to the highest bidder if he didn't. They were U of Indiana basketball tickets, which we would normally scarf up, but the fact of the matter is, he pulled a stunt with my nephew about football tickets around Thanksgiving and I plain don't trust him. He sold the tics to my nephew, telling him he would get them to him as he hadn't brought them with him to Thanksgiving dinner, then called my SISTER about 2 weeks later and asked her to let her son know that he was sending his check back that, "I haven't been able to find him the tickets he wants." Now everyone heard what he said at Thanksgiving and figures he put them up for sale on this website he belongs to and got more money than my nephew paid him, which was face value. My nephew, was livid because he was taking this 13 year old boy he kind of mentors who has a lousy home life and had never been to a game. My sister fixed my brother's cookies though, she found COLTS PLAYOFF tickets online for about $50 more and better seats along with the fact it is in an enclosed stadium instead of freezing their behinds off in Chicago at Soldier's Field. The boy got to see a much better game and the Colts even won that one! The younger sister thinks money and material goods are the only thing that matters and the older sister thinks because she is 9 years older she needs to mother all of us. She has backed off in the last couple years though so we have a better relationship. As for my kids, my son is the oldest but the dd is the more aggressive of the two. DS is slow to burn, but get his dander up and watch out. Kelly is more volatile and opens mouth without thinking, but never ever apologizes because in her mind being an adult means being able to say what you want. Now if they were teens, I could understand that kind of behaviour, but she is 27 and ds is 31 so they need to be more mature! You know, for kids who were not spoiled as children, they surely do act that way as adults. They tug on their parents like we are taffy sometimes. Jack and I try to accomodate them both as much as possible, but they live 600 miles apart! In fact, I said to Jack in bed last night that when we were up there in March I should give ds and dil their anniversary gift as it is only about a week after that. Jack asked, "Do you buy Tom and Kelly gifts?" His point was that we do the same for both or there is jealousy. At least we don't have 5 or 6 we have to juggle, but then seems like bigger families of children get along better!

    I hope everyone has a great weekend. Temps are supposed to plummet today from 50 to around 20 and then rain tomorrow morning. OH JOY, to walk in the rain in the cold! I am fudging on going out today. I am just so tired today. I find that about a week before my menstrual cycle my hormones must take a nosedive because I feel totally drugged out. Maybe a good hot shower will wake me up and get me going so think I will head off and do that now then maybe I can get my behind out to walk

    Faye
  • Good Afternoon, Flowers!
    It's another foggy day in my corner of the world and the weather is trying very hard to do something. The weatherman says whatever it does do, is supposed to go to the north and south of us. My "mom" is flying home from AZ tomorrow so I hope it waits until she is safely back on the ground and in her house!

    "Gma" -- I don't think I would trust your brother very far! I hope he found out that your nephew got to see a better game and in a better stadium in the end. Families do keep things lively at times, don't they? I have a hard time keeping my opinions to myself sometimes and DH reminds me that our parents didn't butt into our lives . . . but we also lived 1000+ miles away for almost five years. I do think that helped alot. DH was sent to Vietnam eight months after we were married. I was still in school, did my student teaching, and found a teaching job while he was gone. That separation didn't hurt us any. I'm glad we didn't have children though.

    I need to make a grocery list and head for the store tonight. . .my least favorite chore. Have a nice weekend, Flowers!

    Jean -- from Iowa!