JEAN if you re-read my earlier post you will see that we bought the smaller “Can Cook Jr” which is half the size of its bigger brother. We certainly don’t have a need for the larger model. Since it will work on any cook surface I imagine it will become quite popular with the backyard cooking crowd, besides the fishing, hunting, and camping crowd.
Good morning to you all. Everything is right in the Wilkinsons' world once again. The guy showed up about 10:30, though come to find out the moron that is now the manager didn't bother to tell us the guy had a job before ours! Anyway, he walked the front with Jack and they talked and Jack plugged him into our house. He pulled off the cap at the end and out poured tons of mud. When he started cleaning it out Jack set it was a mess with grease and normal toilet stuff and condoms. No wonder it was a mess. I still don't get why the people to the north of us weren't completely stopped up and complaining. We have lived here 13 years with no problems so hopefully none for another long time to come, but at least we will know what to look for. Best of all, Jack found out this is totally the associations bill nothing for us. Too bad we had to pay almost $400 before we found out that part. It amazes me the shortcuts they took when they built these things. I am pretty much done with problems this year between the plumbing, the dishwasher, the ac, the dryer vent mess, I am ready for a vacation!
I cleaned house and did up all the laundry including three loads of towels we had used to keep toilet overflow from becoming a mess. So, this morning I am free as a bird to relax and relax I am going to do now that the stress is all gone.
Took me over an hour of searching, but finally found white 50/50 bamboo/cotton fingering yarn to make Thomas his ankle socks for Christmas. He can wear them riding his bike or running as this is what is recommended by Runners World magazine and what they actually sell. I did have to order it from England though and paid more for shipping than the yarn. Hey, love the grandson what can I say?
Maggie: Congrats on the loss. I am up some more, but no surprise considering we had to eat out for three days and try to do it on the cheap. We are back on firm ground now though so will push ahead. Jack only has 5 lbs to go to vacation goal. He even got into some 36 shorts the other day and hasn't been able to do that in a long time. Enjoy your cooking thingy. I know nothing about camping stuff at all. I haven't been camping or even in a cabin or such in 50 years.
Jean: You're a sweetheart for wishing you could help. I was a total mess for sure. I was to the point where if they didn't get it fixed by today I was going to have Jack go out and buy a portable john so we could at least go to the bathroom. Glad the money finally came out a-ok. Do you leave next week for MN? Hope you have great weather. We are going to rain here all week and the humidity is unbelievable already.
Good Afternoon! Just got home from my stint at the hospital. We hosted other volunteers from around the area, and my day started at 5:30, a few minutes before the tv was set to come on. I had to be there at 8 to help set up. Everyone started out together for a general over view of the break out session topics and schedule. That end of the hospital has several winding hallways so I ended up showing people where to go for whatever session they were looking for. We had a nice lunch of chicken salad, a bread stick, cantaloupe, and a lemon dessert. After lunch, session facilitators gave a short review of their topic. We gave 15% off coupons for the gift shop, and there was a coupon for a free cookie from the coffee shop so the ladies could stop there on their way out. Some of the downtown stores gave coupons too. We are supposed to get storms this afternoon so I'm not sure how many just headed home.
I'm waiting for Bob to come home so we can go vote. I need to start working on my list for MN. I hate thinking about food when I'm full, nothing sounds good.
"Gma" -- I'm so glad your plumbing is working again! Even better that the association has to foot the bill! I'd send them your $400 bill too! I'm sure Thomas will love his socks because they were made with love! We are leaving for MN Saturday morning. I am so excited! NOT!!!
I need to do some paper sorting and check if the mail is here. Hope you all enjoy the rest of your day!
PS: Jack is on his way to buy a new tire for the car!! He found a nail in the same one he had repaired a month ago so I told him I wanted a new tire to go on vacation. We bought Affinity touring 70,000 miles, so.......$$$ to purchase one. June is shaping up to be a rotten month lol
It is another warm (hot) day here in the ♥-Land and I got my hair cut this afternoon. It was getting to the point where it needed a trim so no time like today to get that done. Will also got his head shaved and his beard trimmed.
I stayed within my points allotment yesterday and did start my walking program once again. This week I plan on walking 3 days and working up to more time each week. I just had a couple chicken strips for lunch and will have some fruit this afternoon.
JEAN OH I am sorry for I didn’t realize I had regaled you with the information about that Can Cooker in a previous post way back when I was thinking of buying one. I was so jazzed when we finally bought it and my memory must be slipping as I get older. Hunters and fishermen are saying how much they like theirs. It would certainly depend on how big the group is to feed on what size one would want to have. It sure sounds like you already have had one busy day. Bet you sleep well tonight.
DONNA FAYE I was wondering how the condo place could charge you for the clean out since that was not exclusive to your unit and took sewage from elsewhere also. Too bad you had to be “out of the pocket” for that $400 though ~ surely there must be a way to get the condo folks to pay it since the guy was out of the area and not available for your emergency. Jack has been doing really good in his weight loss efforts. Give him a thumbs up for me please.
Good morning to you all. It is going to be hot, hot today in the 90's but no rain until tomorrow then it is supposed to rain for something like 5-6 days straight. I hope we don't get in another situation of flooding like we 3 or 4 years ago and Jack has to be working those 12 hours shifts.
I think we are going to put the deposit down on the ship for our next cruise because we get $200 on board credit and only have to put down $200 instead of $900 if we do it online. Since we aren't going until April of 2016 we have a nice long time to pay it off. It will be an 11 day cruise going to islands we have never been to before, I think 6 islands.
I sure hope we have no more emergencies that cost us money for quite awhile. Sheesh all totaled it cost us almost $500 since Saturday.
Maggie: We are lucky if the association pays for lawn mowing anymore so no chance they would reimburse us. They used to have a whole company that managed us, but to save money they went with this jerk and he is a jerk. They have had the pool closed for around 6 years now and won't open it back up, cut out painting the condos almost completely and they used to do it every 3 years, almost all the condos need concrete fill ins around the garages because they leak and new roofs but they won't do any of that work either. We have so many people in arrears thousands for maintenance fees that the money isn't there I guess. It isn't fair to those of us who pay every month though as we get gypped out of everything too. Moving is out of the question because we would have to put so much money into this condo to move we would be in the hole so we might as well stay. We start preliminary renovations next year doing smaller stuff like replacing doors, buying some of the shelving for the new pantry and replacing AC unit then the following year do the floors then start on the kitchen and get it fixed up. Depending on how long Jack can stay working we may be able to replace the carpeting and do some work upstairs too, but that is last on the list.
Jean: I think the best chicken salad I have ever had is from Bob Evans. They put pecans and grapes in it and it is just delicious. I always order that in the summer if we eat there. I sure hope we can get the dems out of office and maybe get someone in there who can make some improvements to this country instead of just doing as he pleases and not following the law. Who knows what is going to happen?
Good Morning! The sun is shining, a slight breeze, and it's a beautiful day in my neighborhood. We got a much needed 1/2" of rain yesterday afternoon late. I am home for the day! Have laundry washing and drying, addressed church birthday cards for next week while we're gone, and balanced the gift shop checkbook. Have to decide if I want to do the grocery shopping on Friday or this afternoon. I am to plan two dinners and two suppers for next week. I have my "sister's" list of what she is making so will work around that. Bob took my microwave down last night and the cupboard will go today. I hate losing a shelf but it is what it is. Will have to do some rearranging in that cupboard and the one next to it. My kitchen looks like a disaster area with tools on the counter and dishes scattered around; I need to get a box and get them out of the way. I hope the guys can get the cupboard done while we are gone.
Maggie, good for you for staying within your points range and starting the walking plan yesterday!
"Gma," The chicken salad yesterday had apple slices and celery in it, then dried cranberries and the green part of little onions sprinkled on top. It was served on top of a layer of fancy lettuce. Arby's makes a chicken salad sandwich with grapes and nuts that is really good. It's so big I usually bring half home.
I need to start on something for lunch. The dryer is buzzing so I'm off. Enjoy the rest of your day!
We have been out and about this day and all is well around the town this area. Aw, but we could really appreciate some more rain. I am sipping a sugar free, fat free vanilla latte and enjoying every drop. We went by our most favorite coffee store, that is owned by friends, to pick up some beans and had a nice chat with the owners. Always if I am waiting out in the Jeep she comes out for a chat for we have become good friends. She is the sister of our friend that is a manager at Applebee’s® who invites us over for holiday meals.
Oh what a bother ~ they painted the curb yellow right in front of our front walkway so that means we won’t be able to park the motor home there when loading things into it. Before it would have been a straight shot from our front door but now we will have to do some jockeying around. I guess the city thought they were doing us a favor to keep folks from parking in front of our front door.
DONNA FAYE Have you thought of this ~ since the owners are letting the condos run down and not fixing what they should just maybe they want them condemned ~ then wouldn’t you and all the other “owners” be out with nothing? Think about this before you pour more good money after bad. I have heard of this happening before so beware it could very well be happening to you. I sure hope it doesn’t but it would pay you to check it out for you don't want to lose all that money you sink into it to fix it up since it is all crumbling around you.
Good morning to you gals. It is going to be hot today and rain, rain, rain sometime today and then for most of the week and part of next week.
This weekend is commissary weekend and on Saturday I have a hair appt to get it colored and cut. I am going to change the style back to very short as I really like it better and I get so hot during the summer.
I am leaving in an hour to go and get my nails and toes done and shop a bit at Walmart, go get the car washed, go to the library and get my card renewed and stop at Wendy's for chili. Then it is home for me and put things away, do up breakfast dishes and eat lunch.
Maggie: I would love to send you our rain. We are getting swamped and that means mosquitos and lots of them I imagine. Kind of strange to paint a no parking in a residential area that really doesn't need it. Is your street particularly narrow or something that they would only want parking on one side of the street?
Jean: I like the Arby chicken salad sandwiches too. Sounds like the stuff you had was yummy. Hope you can enjoy your trip this year and not be cooking all the time. I would sure make casseroles and such I could freeze than just pop them into the oven for dinner each night so you could just add a salad or veg or something. If you need a yummy dessert/snack to take here you go.
Amish Butterscotch Cookies
2 cups brown sugar
3 eggs
1 cup shortening or lard
4 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cream of tartar
1 cup nuts
Mix all ingredients but the nuts thoroughly in a mixer. Stir the nuts in by hand.
Roll the dough into ropes about 2 inches thick. Cut in thin slices. Cross-press with a fork to make a design.
Bake at 350* for 8-12 minutes.
Makes 7-8 dozen
There is no butterscotch chips in these as the ingredients give the butterscotch flavor.
SOPAPILLA CHEESECAKE
16 OZ CREAM CHEESE
2 CANS CRESCENT ROLLS
1 CUP SUGAR
1 TSP VANILLA
½ CUP MELTED BUTTER (USE BUTTER IT TASTES BETTER!)
½ CUP CINNAMON SUGAR (I just shook cinnamon in sugar and mixed until I got the consistency I wanted)
GREASE PAN WITH PAM
IN A 9 X 13 PAN, UNROLL ONE CAN OF ROLLS, PINCH SEAMS TOGETHER AND LINE BOTTOM OF PAN. MIX CREAM CHEESE AND SUGAR AND VANILLA. SPREAD OVER DOUGH IN BOTTOM OF PAN THEN UNROLL SECOND CAN AND COVER CREAM CHEESE MIXTURE WITH OTHER ROLLS. POUR THE BUTTER OVER THE TOP OF THE ROLLS THEN COVER COMPLETELY WITH THE CINNAMON SUGAR. BAKE 350 FOR 30 MINUTES
Nothing different in the weather around here except last night we had wind gusts up to 70 miles an hour. That is blowing hard folks. We got some driven 1 1/2 inches of rain with it though which we are grateful for. Lots of rolling thunder which the ancient people called “the gods are bowling.” It is rather still this day.
For dinner tonight I am making Beef Enchiladas using a recipe from the Betty Crocker Cookbook, New Edition which is the same recipe my mother used to use. Two of them are great served with a nice tossed green salad. I once asked her for her recipe and she smiled and said, “You have it, for it is in that red cook book by Betty.” And so I do. She always doubled the recipe for we had a large family. The recipe makes 4 servings of 2 each so I will be freezing half of it, that is, unless Will wants to eat more than two ~ which will undoubtedly be the case. They are so good.
DONNA FAYE I was mistaken ~ they painted the curb yellow in front of the church walks not in front of our house. The street is a wide one though. I am sure you will enjoy having your hair short once again ~ especially during this summer-time heat. Sounds like you will be wearing bug repellent when you are out and about so those pesky mosquitoes don't get you.
Good Afternoon! It has turned cloudy although no rain is predicted. I spent the morning having coffee with a friend. The place we usually go is now closed in the afternoon so guess we will just go in the morning. We missed last month so had a lot of catching up to do. I will miss lunch bunch next week. I made a WM and bank run this afternoon. I need to start putting clothes together for next week.
Maggie, so glad the yellow curb isn't in front of your house! When I was little we lived with my grandparents and they had a coal furnace. When it would thunder real loud, my grandpa said it was God throwing coal in his furnace! Did you have any damage from the strong wind? We had tv news pictures from the wind and softball sized hail in NE. Scary!
"Gma," I just chuckled to myself. I never think about eating chili in the warmer weather. The guys cook bacon and eggs every day for their breakfast; I only have to plan for two dinners and two suppers. Connie and I eat lunch in town when we go to the mall and then we always go out to eat in a nice restaurant our last night there. Thanks for sharing the recipes, the both look hmm, hmm good!
I need to finish my food list for next week and start getting clothes together. We have to pack for warm and cold weather up there. Enjoy the rest of your day!
Good morning gals. It is supposed to rain again today, but the sun is shining at the moment. We had a real thunderboomer, wind and rain right when I went to pick up Jack yesterday. I got on the interstate and the wind was blowing the Mariner back and forth like a rocking chair. The rain was coming down so hard you couldn't see the cars in front of you and some nut case was going about 70 weaving in and out of traffic. The people drive like idiots here.
Went and did errands, nails and toes and came home. I decided the library to renew my card could wait and glad I didn't pay to have the car washed!
Tomorrow I get my hair cut and colored and can't wait for that as I said I am going to go pixie cut short. I printed out about 5 pictures of styles I like, one of my favorites is the way Jaime Lee Curtis wears her hair. So we shall see what I end up with.
We are having pepper steak with rice and a salad for dinner. I have the steak pounded and cut into strips as well as the onion and green pepper. I will blanch the pepper before cooking it with the sauce as we like our peppers soft not crunchy. Jack picks out all the peppers so I eat them! He likes the flavoring, but not the peppers themselves. I have a super easy recipe. The prepping takes longer than making the stuff itself.
My younger sister who lives in Arizona told me her dh lost his job the end of March. The thing is they could be in real trouble for a variety of reasons. They live too high on the hog as my mom used to say, he has no college education at all, is almost 65 and is trained in electronics like Jack, but isn't a very good one and only wants management positions. They have no savings, their 401K's they borrow from so much there isn't money there to cash out if they need it and they live in an expensive area. They do not own their own home so can't see a home for money either. Like Jack said, he would never do the job Jack does and frankly is a lousy elec tech, even my bil says that about himself so couldn't do the job. He isn't your "get your hands dirty" kind of guy. She is a legal secretary, but it took her 3 years to find a job in Arizona and the one she has is about half what she was making at her other job. It is a family owned business and they pay crappy she says. It is going to be interesting. He is retired marines and is higher up the pay scale than Jack by a couple ranks, but that won't keep them afloat for sure. It is going to be interesting to see what happens. I feel for them, but frankly he knew this was coming a year ago when they were here in Memphis for some convention and he never started looking for another job after that.
Maggie: We bought the repellent you hang from your clothing for vacation so I hope it works. They are expecting a lot of insects this year in the tropics too I understand. I don't make enchiladas too much as they are pretty high in points and when I do, I usually make them casserole style by layering the tortillas, meat, sauce and cheese.
Jean: I know you must be busy getting ready for the trip up north. I hope you have a good time. Take a lot of books!
Not much happening around here this day. We have been out and about seeing the buffalo and the little gals are sure growing. I do believe that is all that will be this year is a couple of babies born. The other females don’t look PG ~ just big.
We are supposed to get a thunderstorm with rain late this afternoon which will be welcomed. The rain that we had last is just about all soaked in so another deluge won’t cause any flooding.
I am making some pork chops for dinner which taste real good with Panko on them, green beans and a nice green salad and watermelon cubes for later. Nothing out of the ordinary but exciting and yummy.
While out and about we got a call from the gun shop that the owners father was there with 3 wooden leather tools he had made for Will so we went by there and picked them up. That old gentleman can make some real neat items and Will drew up what he wanted and he did a perfect job of it. He charged Will a lot less for the three of them than Will could get just one from the leather factory.
I am sipping a sugar free fat free latte and enjoying every swallow of it. The manager of the coffee place makes the best!
DONNA FAYE I sure hope you will be satisfied with your hair cut and color. I sure like having mine short. Sounds to me like your sister and brother-in-law need to wake up to the reality of their situation and learn to live within their means. I am so thankful that both of our vehicles are paid for and we don't owe anything to anybody. It will make it so much better when we travel that we don't have any of those obligations.
JEAN No, thank goodness, we didn't have any damage from the wind. Around town and in the park some of the big trees did get a needed pruning. It is sure wonderful how nature comes along and tends to the trees. We are said to be getting some more rain late this afternoon and night. When we were out and about the clouds were around the edges of the sky but by the time we got home they covered all the blue and were turning dark overhead. How quickly they do gather.
Good Evening! I've been doing last minute laundry and crossing things off my "to do" list as I go. It's been a nice sunny day and quite a lot warmer as the day went along. I braved the grocery store this morning as we try to take as much from here as possible. Bob went with me and was shocked by the total. Being a resort area the little town store is really expensive, the other choice is to drive 20 - 30 miles to the city. We got an email from the house owner saying the dock and beach were flooded. Options are to wear waders to get to the dock or trailer the boat a half mile away. It could be a long week!
"Gma," what fun color did you choose for your nails? I may have mine done at the mall next week; I thought about getting a touch up today but just didn't have time. Pepper steak sounds good! We haven't had that in a long time. That is too bad about your sister and her hubby. We always either had the money or we didn't buy unless it was an emergency item. I did get three books from the library, am taking the dreaded afghan, and of course, my iPad. They have dish tv and I can never find what I'm looking for so don't even try.
Maggie, pork chops sound good too. We've had several groups or dark rain clouds headed our way in the last couple weeks. For some reason they split just west of us to go north and south leaving us with nothing. We need the rain!
I need to keep moving or I will fall asleep as I sit still for long. Hope you all have a great weekend!
Back for a bit ~
if you re-read my earlier post you will see that we bought the smaller “Can Cook Jr” which is half the size of its bigger brother. We certainly don’t have a need for the larger model. 
Since it will work on any cook surface I imagine it will become quite popular with the backyard cooking crowd, besides the fishing, hunting, and camping crowd.
nothing sounds good. 
Even better that the association has to foot the bill! I'd send them your $400 bill too! I'm sure Thomas will love his socks because they were made with love! 
We are leaving for MN Saturday morning. I am so excited! NOT!!!
Tuesday & a Nice Hot Sunny Very Windy Day
It sure sounds like you already have had one busy day. Bet you sleep well tonight. 
Arby's makes a chicken salad sandwich with grapes and nuts that is really good. It's so big I usually bring half home.
Two of them are great served with a nice tossed green salad. I once asked her for her recipe and she smiled and said, “You have it, for it is in that red cook book by Betty.” And so I do. She always doubled the recipe for we had a large family. The recipe makes 4 servings of 2 each so I will be freezing half of it, that is, unless Will wants to eat more than two ~ which will undoubtedly be the case. They are so good.
I made a WM and bank run this afternoon. I need to start putting clothes together for next week.
Sounds to me like your sister and brother-in-law need to wake up to the reality of their situation and learn to live within their means. I am so thankful that both of our vehicles are paid for and we don't owe anything to anybody. It will make it so much better when we travel that we don't have any of those obligations. 
We are said to be getting some more rain late this afternoon and night. When we were out and about the clouds were around the edges of the sky but by the time we got home they covered all the blue and were turning dark overhead. How quickly they do gather.
