I am making city chicken for dinner. I haven't made that for years. I had to get our my recipe to remember how to make it. I like it, but dh doesn't. Finally he told me he would eat it if I made it with veal instead of pork. I like it with veal or pork, so I bought some of each. It is breaded and ready to go and resting in the refrigerator. I am curious to see how it turns out. DH might just be making a run to McDonald's. LOL He is such a picky eater. I am so tired of making the same 4-5 meals over and over. He was never this bad before. So many things I used to make he won't eat anymore. I think he ate those other things so that the kids would eat them. Now that they are out of the house, he has limited his food choices. I will eat just about anything and I like to try new things. If I could do it over I would have wanted to marry one of those guys who will eat whatever you put in front of them as long as they have something to eat.

When my step children were growing up, I used to buy big cans of Chunky Soup and pour it over rice or noodles. They loved it, and I thought I made it up. Now, Campbells is advertising that on TV for a quick, inexpensive meal. They stole my idea.

Haven't gotten to the gym yet. Not sure I will. Dh went to his mens early am meeting at church. I'm glad he enjoys it but I would have a very hard time going anywhere that early in the am!! He sleeps in the recliner after he gets home and then wben I wake up we usually go to the gym but this am he said he's still too tired so he went back to bed. I'm trying to catch up with things around here as I haven't done much at home for several days. It's a beautiful day and I'm enjoying it. Got more bad news about the motherboard...it's now on back order and won't be sent until the 22nd. That feels like a long time to do without my computer. My life is on it! I have a app for my budget program (YNAB) on my phone and ipad but not the complete program. I can enter transactions but they are not yet connected to the Cloud so I have to sync with my desktop program and I hadn't done that recently so the app is off. So I'm just entering transactions....you know how I feel about my budget so I sorta feel like I'm spending with blinders on. Speaking of spending, Joe had his hearing tested again yesterday and sure enough he is now ready for hearing aides. I had a feeling he was the way his hearing seemed to be worsening. So they will cost $3500-$5000. Since they can wait a bit I'll start pushing bits of money toward that category in our budget now. Just means not as much can go toward travel but it's important. I offered to cancel our fall trip but he feels I need to see my family. We also have another trip planned for later on but don't think it will cost much.

About my computer again...I'm going to call Best Buy in a little bit and find out if the Gook Squad will cover the cost of the motherboard itself. If they will, I may just buy their $279.99 service agreement and have them install it. I already know that will cover the installation and if it also covers the motherboard too it would be a good deal since I will also be covered for two years on other stuff. I can cancel the order from Dell and get my $$$ back.

Slmn11 - My dh used to eat anything I set before him but as he gets older he is more picky. He is Filipino and although he still likes some American food he tends to want to eat Filipino food more and more. I'm ashamed I haven't fixed it more for him through the years ...I did some but not often enough. It wasn't til I was older that I thought about how I'd like it if I had to eat another type food that wasn't what I really wanted almost every day. But he never complained til the last few years. At least we have always eaten a lot of Asian type dishes, and he likes them. Now I try to also prepare a Filipino dish at least once or twice a month and sometimes weekly and regardless of what I fix I try to make sure we don't have many meals without rice in a row. It makes me feel badly when he doesn't like what I cook.

Sounds like your dh has a money tree in the back yard! Perhaps he hasn't told you about it? ;) My dh suggested maybe it would be just as cheap to buy a new computer but I don't think so, not one I want anyway. If I can do it for less than $300 at least and if the motherboard fixes it. If it doesn't I won't be happy about what I did. I'm going to have them test it with another monitor at their shop and make sure before they do the work but I'll probably have to pay for the service plan before that and not sure if I can get my money back. Will ask about that too.

Bobbi - Sounds like your dh is beginning to get it. We all need a wake-up call at some point I think. My dh has always depended on me to do the budgeting but he is very frugal and almost always asks me before he spends much. One exception, many years ago he bought an over-the-pickup camper without asking me. He had mentioned it, just never said he was buying it. But we managed and enjoyed it. Recently since we've been doing well on our budget, I've actually felt I had to tell him he can loosen up a bit and spend more. I mean he's 77 if he doesn't buy what he wants now (within reason/budget), when will he? So he spends a bit more freely but still doesn't go overboard and still usually asks about the budget first.

Marie - The gc will help with the computer expense so I am grateful. I wish dh knew how to work on computers. I'm sure he'd be quick learner if someone taught him, but I can't and I don't want him fumbling around in there not really knowing what he's doing. He's very handy with most things but dosn't know anything about computers. If my oldest gs were here I'd have him do it but he's away at college.

Well it's finally time to call Best Buy (don't open until 10 am!). Let you know what happens. I SO miss my desktop!

Well, things have changed. Called Best Buy and they will have to ship it out to fix plus hardware would not be covered under the Geek Squad agreement. Called a local tech and he said it's not worth doing as my computer is now only worth about $125. He does not sell computers so wasn't pushing anything. Very nice guy and helped me understand a lot. He said often when they do install a motherboard it doesn't fix the problem as they find other things wrong. I would definitely go to him for smaller repairs. So guess we're going computer shopping today..love a new computer but it's bittersweet as we need the money for other things. We will start at Best Buy...I don't care for that store but I do have the GC to help out, but I will also check other places too. Have to get ready to go out. Talk later again if I have time.

ETA: My printer is also not working! It's old so probably not worth fixing too.

Hi All,

It's cool out again today. That means jeans and sweatshirt to the games tonight. Work tomorrow. those days just seem to come around so quickly! My washer is dying. It's so loud you can hear it outside, and it's leaking at times too. Went today to look at new ones, but they are very different than my old one. Mine has an agitator, and the new ones are supposed to be more energy effecient and use less water. You also have to use a special detergent with them. Any recommendations?

Marie, we did go for our bike ride yesterday. Made it about 5 miles, and we were both tired when we got home. It was fun, and I'm looking forward to doing a lot of biking this summer. Maybe i'll even get up to your 35 miles. Nah!!! won't happen. The coconut water is at all the grocery stores here and not too expensive. I've never tried it, but my niece buys it all the time. And actually, you do have to be careful of too much K. I seen a lot of recomendations to drink chocolate milk after a work out, instead of the usual sports drink. Actually, saw it again on the Doctors this morning. And most doctors recommend magnesium instead of the K.

Carol Sue, I think I was thinking about depositing a check into an account. I have direct deposit from work but never really paid much attention to it.

Bobbi, I think the meat will be ok also. But make sure DH's insurance policy is paid up first! ha!

Dee, You're a nurse too, right? I'm sure you know too much or too little K can affect the heart. When we get a high K leavel we're moving really fast to get it resolved, along with a rapid response team.

Donna, I think Sabrino will remember where the hand outs are and you will be seeing him again. And I agree, where does the time go!

Lynn, I am one of those people that know nothing about art. And I'm one of those crazy people that say "I know what I like". I can't stand there and stare at one painting for too long. Maybe if you are looking at brush strokes and compisition? Like an art student?

Mary, sorry about the computer problem. Since I know nothing about them, they are such a mystery thing. I just want them to work when I need them. Get very annoyed when I don't. I eat a lot of Fillipino food at work, sine 90 percent of our midnight shift is fillipino. Love most of it, but it look like it would take a little extra effort to make. My friend made sweet and sour soup not long ago and it was sooo good.

Gayle, where are you? You're being missed.

You too Karen. I hope you're not still sick.

Rie,miss you too.

Freda

Hi all...I'm Back! Gee the two of us have been flat out sick for what almost 3 weeks. Nothing like a hostest gift that keeps giving....Good thing DH had the same symptoms or I would have blamed the med change. I have been cold med clean for almost 24 hrs.

Played bridge today...it felt soooo good to have cards in my hands.... Yup even came in 1st which also felt good.

I'll be back tomorrow when I've read up on everyone. k3

Well, I have a new computer. Spent more than expected of course but so far I like it. It is an HP. I've had an HP laptop several years ago and really liked it and it lasted a long time. This one is a desktop and has a touch screen. Very very different from anything I've ever had but I'm used to my ipad and iphone touch screen plus I can still use the key board and mouse. It's all wi-fi so no cables connected which is nice. My keyboard and mouse used to fall off the little slide shelf for them on my desk. No more dealing with that. The CD drive is just a slit in the side of the monitor, no tower...everything is in the back of the monitor. I have 60 days (or 90?) to return it but so far I think I'll keep it. Right now the only thing I miss from my old monitor is that I could tilt the screen...can't do that on this one I don't think. but I can touch the screen and make it bigger so that may make up for it as mainly I tended to tilt the monitor to make it easier to see.

I still have the nurse coming every day to pack my wounds. My regular nurse is on vacation and I have a substitute. She did things differently the first couple days, but I got her straigntened out. LOL She is an experienced nurse but new to home care. She told me she doesn't like wound care. Really made me feel confident! On Monday when she first came, the skin had grown over the two holes. I knew they weren't closed up inside so I told her she had to poke them open. She didn't like that at all. She doesn't like to inflict pain on her patients, but I told her, that's the only way to do it and I would rather have the pain than to have the wounds close up before they are healed inside, so she kept on poking til they opened up. I had to call the doctor and get more pain pills because now the area is very tender. So I'm back to naracotics. I felt so good all day yesterday because I had no pain anywhere until it wore off in the evening. It's a shame these are not something I can take all the time. My life would be so much better.

The weather has been nice for a few days. Yesterday, although it was not real hot, it was humid and DH turned the air on. We didn't really need it....I just wanted to get the humidity out of the house, but he left it on until evening. Now we're back to open windows. That effects my allergies.

DH bought a desktop thermometer that shows the inside and outside temperature. It has a girl on the screen who takes her clothes off as it gets warmer outside. She only strips down to a bikini. DH was really disappointed that she didn't take it all off! LOL I told him to wait til July when it gets into the 90's.

Maryea- Boy, you sure got a cadillac! My computer is an HP. It doesn't do anything outstanding, just a normal computer. I don't remember how long ago we bought it, a few years I think, but it was the previous year's model on clearance for the display model. I'm satisfied with it, but there is something wrong with it. When we turn it on we get an error message, something about a program we installed is causing a problem. DH keeps saying I downloaded something but the only things I downloaded were the programs I needed to download my books from the library and that was long before we started getting the error message. He is the one who downloads things. The past couple computers we bought, I told him I wanted my own computer that he would keeps his hands off and he swears he will leave it alone, but he just can't help himself. He has to get in there and play around. Then when something goes wrong he says "What did you do to this?" LOL Men!!!

I am wondering if someone can answer this question about social security. If a husband and wife are both collecting their social security and the husband passes away, does the wife then get her social security plus half of what her husband was getting? Someone said that is what they are getting, and I thought she should be collecting either his amount or her amount, whichever is larger. I couldn't find the answer online. I am not planning on anyone here dying, but I was just curious. If my husband would die I could get by on just my ss, but he would not be able to do it without mine. He never had to budget and has always just spent whatever he wanted to.

Good morning GG’s,

Freda ~ thank you for asking. I’m here, read the posts every day, but don’t always get a chance to join in.

Carol Sue ~ what is city chicken? When you said that ~ it made me think of growing up. I remember mom fixing that. It was some kind of meat on a stick. I hadn't thought about it in like forever. Remember playing with the "city chicken sticks".

Worked the weekend. Sunday (Mother’s Day) my daughter wanted to go out to dinner after I got off work. Just the two of us. That was fun. I felt bad ~ she had had kind of a disappointing mother’s day. SIL didn’t help the kids do anything for her. Not even make a card (she didn’t expect them to spend a bunch of money because SIL had lost his job). But she thought maybe (because it was such a beautiful day) that they would go to a park or something. She spent the day crying and then took herself to a movie. Glad I got to spend a little of it with her.

I was off Tuesday ~ went to the dentist, then spent some time with Maddie. It was a dreary rainy day. I told Maddie she was my sunshine :D
My days off never seem to go like I hope they will. There is so much stuff I need/want to do and the day off flies by so fast and I don’t get anything I needed to do done. So frustrating. I have fun (like with Maddie) I wouldn‘t trade that for anything, just not enough hours for the rest of the stuff. Oh well.

Got out 3 hours and 15 minutes late last night. But, I have had quite a few days of getting out on time, so……..whatever.

The state inspectors are there (starting yesterday). They seem nice enough, but still ~ will be glad when they are done and gone. The one young RN will be in charge today. She has kind of filled in a couple times when the regulars were off, but hasn’t done it too many times yet. Poor thing ~ she is freaking out to have to be in charge when the inspectors are there. She called and texted to coworkers yesterday on her day off with lots and lots of questions. Wish for her that it goes well and that she could feel less stressed somehow.

Ok, guess I’d better get back to getting ready for work. Hope you all have a nice day.

Take care

Hello Gals. Hope everyone is well and happy today.

Mary, that's quite the computer you bought.

Bobbi, glad you survived the roast. I had to laugh at the comments the other girls made.

Freda, did you pick out a new washer? I'm surprised you can't find a regular washer. Did you find the price really high on the high efficiency washers? I know here they are really expensive. My SIL has the washer/dryer set and has had trouble with the washer since she bought it. It won't keep the washing load equally distributed in the tub and it rocks. My other SIL has one and has no trouble. So I guess there are lemons in the washers as well as any other appliance.

Karen3, so glad you're on the mend.

Carol Sue, I can't answer you question as I'm Canadian but I'm sure some of you American Gals can answer. In Canada if a spouse dies here all OAS (old age security) from the deceased spouse is finished. The surviving spouse's income will be adjusted but it is never more than what one person would receive. There are other funded pensions (Canada Pension, Private pensions) that the spouse would receive a survivor's pension which is considerably less than the deceased would have received. DH and I were just discussing this last week as I have applied for a small pension from a place I used to work some years before I retired. There was an opt out clause for a surviving spousal pension after death. I opted out so DH won't have that money if I die first. It's only a very small amount and wouldn't really effect his lifestyle. He could live on a dime as he rarely spends anything and only if it's on sale.

Gayle, we must have been posting at the same time. I must say Mother's Day is not one of my favourite days. It always seems too contrived to me (but that's just my opinion). Tell your DD not to feel too bad. My DH wasn't one to make cards with the kids and when we were young and first had a family I had a day like you daughter's and he had the nerve to tell me I wasn't his mother. He has improved with age and now I usually get a flower or two (but not always a card). Your daughter needs to set out on an educational campaign so he'll know what to do in the future. I'm glad you two had a nice evening together.

Yesterday was a lovely warm day and I was able to hang clothes on the line. I washed 2 sets of sheets and a few other things. I also washed the patio table and put up the umbrella. I wish I could have gone for a walk but it is too painful on my foot (which, if I had a gun I'd have shot it off yesterday as it was painful all day long).

Today it's raining and not so warm so it's damp in the house but too warm to put in the furnace (we burn wood). I guess it's going to be a sweater day. But I'll be hot when I get on my bike. I've got a little housework to do also because we'll have company on the weekend. It's a long weekend in Canada and my 2 DSs and wives and my darling grandson will be here so there'll be lots of food around. (Deliver me! LOL)

Have a good day and just pick yourself up if you fall and keep on going.

Huzzah, all! Was reading through this lively thread and wanted to say hello. I am new to this enjoyable section of 3FC, been posting in the 2012 challenge thread for a few days.

:wave: