I am still in contact with my best friend from childhood. We live indifferent states now. We have been friends since just before second grade. It has been almost 58 years. Boy, am I dating myself. We have even met up at Disney a few times including her daughter's wedding. 2 of my other great friends from childhood have passed but I was in contact with them right up until they passed.
I am grateful to have seen the grandkids Easter weekend, social distancing so no hugs. I want this to end so I can hug my grandbabies.
I am grateful to still have my job even though my hours have been cut alot.
I am grateful for the sun today even though it was snowing earlier today. Crazy weather!
@Pea-n-Me, on the loss of your mom. My mom died of cancer years ago, and I get the not wanting to talk about it everywhere right away. We're here for you.
Glad you were able to get a plumber, and a huge thank you to both you and your DD for your work on the front lines!!
I'm late to the party today! I sort of hit the pause button this afternoon to just be. I saw appointments this morning by computer and then worked on my accounting homework. As I mentioned a few days ago, my health issues are starting to flare again and I think between my allergies and hormones and just worry about the current state of the world, I needed to hit the pause button.
I took a nap! I started new book and I watched Spring Baking Championships. Mostly I just did for me for the afternoon. Matt called and checked in on my mom and sent her some pics of on her Facebook page to reassure her we are okay. Hitting the pause and reset button is never a bad thing for anyone. It helps reset the center and be ready for the next phase. Tonight we are going to pop some popcorn and watch the Disney sing along. I have my favorite Minnie shirt on and ready to go.
Dinner tonight was breakfast hash made with leftover chicken sausage brats from the other day and lots veggies starting to go.
Gratitude today:
1. Blessed to have the time and support to just stop in the middle and take a knee for moment.
2. Good authors who are smarty enough to write good books to be enjoyed
3. Disney sing along time tonight.
What's an indulgent dessert for you? Is it deep chocolate cake? Crème Brule? I am very blessed to have had some great desserts over the years. Cannoli in Boston (Mike's Pastries!), Pecan Bourbon chocolate brownie in Louisville, Strawberry goat cheese cheesecake at WDW, Tres Leche cake in El Paso (yum!!) and lots other goodies. One of my favorite is pralines in NOLA and in Nashville.
So what is an indulge dessert you have had or just enjoy at home?
@lovemygoofy I had one of your type days yesterday! Around 2am DS went to get a Claritin out of the medicine cabinet and accidentally knocked a pill bottle into the toilet as it was flushing! So in the middle of the night, DS and DH had to break out the coat hangers to try to fish it out, without luck. So no one could use that toilet all day. DH bought an auger on the way home and spent an hour or two trying to get it out - it would've been DS's job but he was working a 12 hr shift (of course, right) and we wanted to get that toilet back in use. By late afternoon we realized we'd have to call a plumber, so started calling around and couldn't get a hold of one anywhere! Till finally we found one and lucked out as he came out by supper time and was able to fish the pill bottle out by taking the toilet off the wall - all the while, while social distancing! He was actually quite the character, walking downstairs holding the pill bottle with his mask and gloves on saying, "Here is the culprit!" So we got it fixed but it cost us almost $500 plus we gave him a cash tip for coming out right away. Ugh.
My Gratitudes for the day:
- Good friendships
- Family you can work and laugh with
- Ability to still pay bills
- My dog who has been like Velcro to me and is such a good buddy
I really haven't mentioned it here before but I lost my mother before this all happened. Still coping with the loss. We'd cared for her at home for a year and were fortunate enough to see her through to the end. As many of you know from my posts she'd lived with me for a long time so I am still finding my new normal. It is another blessing to me that I do not have to worry about trying to protect her from Covid as that would've been a huge challenge (and probably next to impossible) since both my daughter and I are now caring for Covid patients, too. No stress here! So thanks again for this thread that celebrates some of the "normal" things of our lives during this craziness and helps us remember all the blessings we have despite the difficulties. Love to you all.
I wanted to send you some hugs. And good wishes for safe health for you and your daughter. I'm so sorry for your loss. I have admired how you have taken care of your mom and how your family also contributed. As I mentioned before that shows a lot about you and them and your mother. I love people's stories so share anytime you'd like!
I have to say that for me, the most indulgent desserts I ever had were on a vacation to CA, where I tried several varieties of Cheesecake Factory Cheesecakes. I am a cheesecake a holic, and I induged myself to the utmost. It was withing walking distance of the hotel we were staying it, and I took advantage of it. I had it for lunch and dinner several days, lol! I can't even remember what my favorite flavors were, there were so many.
Tina- I am glad that you took some time for yourself to day to just 'reset'. We all need to do that. I am right on the verge of needing to do exactly what you did today. Just turn off, tune out, take time to do nothing, and reset. I am an avid watcher of Spring Baking Championship, along with most of the other Food Network shows. They are just the thing, you can watch without paying total attention sometimes, and just enjoy what they make. I love to watch Lorraine as one of the judges, you never know what she's going to say by her expressions!
Dinner tonite was leftover Easter dinner..once again. An 8 lb ham for the 2 of us (smallest I could find), gives us a lot of meals. Planning on making a big batch of ham and pickle salad this weekend. It was another blustery , not very warm day here in Western MD, and although I wanted to do yardwork, I just didn't feel like dealing with the wind.
I am looking forward to the Disney sing a long tonite, hubby not so much, so I have to go indulge him and watch Chicago Med, Fire, and PD just to get him to play along with the sing a long!
Peace and safe wishes to all
Desserts!!
The ones I find hard to resist are molten chocolate cake, double chocolate brownies, and chocolate cheesecake.
See a theme?
But I can't eat them much or often.
I had a day off today after a trip to the pharmacy......movie day, delivery from Red Robin, foot soak, watching TV.
Dinner: Chicken, ham pecan salad......made it before movie time, so also a free evening.
Babysit the grand kids for a couple of hours tomorrow. DIL has to make an appearance at the office.
I admit that now that Easter is over, April feels sort of draggy. It was another beautiful day here for which I am grateful to God for, as I am every day
Three extra things I am grateful for today:
A long phone chat with a good friend plus a shorter call from another.
Early delivery of a book from Amazon.
Also mail related, a lovely flower postcard from a friend in TX
Hands down my very favorite indulgent dessert is Chocolate Chess Pie at Golden Corral!
I have to say that for me, the most indulgent desserts I ever had were on a vacation to CA, where I tried several varieties of Cheesecake Factory Cheesecakes. I am a cheesecake a holic, and I induged myself to the utmost. It was withing walking distance of the hotel we were staying it, and I took advantage of it. I had it for lunch and dinner several days, lol! I can't even remember what my favorite flavors were, there were so many.
Tina- I am glad that you took some time for yourself to day to just 'reset'. We all need to do that. I am right on the verge of needing to do exactly what you did today. Just turn off, tune out, take time to do nothing, and reset. I am an avid watcher of Spring Baking Championship, along with most of the other Food Network shows. They are just the thing, you can watch without paying total attention sometimes, and just enjoy what they make. I love to watch Lorraine as one of the judges, you never know what she's going to say by her expressions!
Dinner tonite was leftover Easter dinner..once again. An 8 lb ham for the 2 of us (smallest I could find), gives us a lot of meals. Planning on making a big batch of ham and pickle salad this weekend. It was another blustery , not very warm day here in Western MD, and although I wanted to do yardwork, I just didn't feel like dealing with the wind.
I am looking forward to the Disney sing a long tonite, hubby not so much, so I have to go indulge him and watch Chicago Med, Fire, and PD just to get him to play along with the sing a long!
Peace and safe wishes to all
It's just the two of us here as well. I take leftover ham and put it in various freezer bags. I dice up some and throw in soups or breakfast burritos. I leave some in slices for sandwiches or ham slices for later dinners. Just a thought for ya'll. Instead trying to use it all up.
It's just the two of us here as well. I take leftover ham and put it in various freezer bags. I dice up some and throw in soups or breakfast burritos. I leave some in slices for sandwiches or ham slices for later dinners. Just a thought for ya'll. Instead trying to use it all up.
So sorry for your loss Pea-N-me. Losing a parent is hard. Sending good thoughts your way.
Today I'm grateful for my house, which seems to be functional and not falling apart. When I was small I spent a lot of my time showering/eating at friends houses for reasons related to utilities and things. Just having a functional home is still amazing to me... which I try to remind myself every time I have to clean it.
Health, always health. Got struck with a massive headache yesterday that thankfully abated. I was worried, but it wasn't anything worse.
Hubs, who thinks he's funny and has good taste and is wrong on both fronts yet is still the best company I could ever have on a sofa.
Fave indulgent dessert has to be creme brule' which I've managed a few times using the broiler to make the sugar crust! Might want to pick up some eggs and make some soon but I need vanilla paste. Also the way I've been eating when this quarantine is over I might need a new door... a wider door.
Pea-n-Me, Sorry for your loss. I can understand your relief at not having to protect your mom for this disease.
Tina, glad you could take time for yourself, and recognized that you needed to.
Question of the day: 4/16: Indulgent dessert!
I agree with fancy cheesecake like at Cheesecake Factory. Or, a local restaurant makes an indulgent brownie sundae that DH and I enjoy. It is also a bar so sometimes we go just for dessert. Funny story, when DS was still in college and home on break, we went there for sundaes. But it was after 9pm and he was under 21 so couldn't go in.
I went to the grocery store today, first time since April 1. Was able to get most of what I needed. So, I made a batch of chili tonight. Had that for dinner and froze three more meals.
Gratitudes:
1. Able to survive my shopping trip and get everything at one store. With the way of the world now, shopping makes me anxious.
2. Online WW meeting so able to see friends there
3. Watching Disney Sing-a-Long. So wish it was with DGD who is 3.
What's an indulgent dessert for you? Is it deep chocolate cake? Crème Brule? I am very blessed to have had some great desserts over the years. Cannoli in Boston (Mike's Pastries!), Pecan Bourbon chocolate brownie in Louisville, Strawberry goat cheese cheesecake at WDW, Tres Leche cake in El Paso (yum!!) and lots other goodies. One of my favorite is pralines in NOLA and in Nashville.
So what is an indulge dessert you have had or just enjoy at home?
I see indulgent desserts as something decadent and rich. Creme brulee, molten dark chocolate lava cake, flourless dark chocolate cake, tiramisu, a dense cheesecake... I've never actually had creme brulee, but I love all the others, lol.
One of the more indulgent desserts that I've made was a 'smore! I made my soft sugar cookies, homemade marshmallows, and homemade chocolate sauce; torched the marshmallows a little. They were so gooey and yummy. Another time, I made a dark chocolate mocha cake. I actually used the recipe off the Hershey's cocoa can, but added dark chocolate chips and Hershey dark chocolate syrup (from the can) and I'm not quite sure what I did, but it was so moist and amazing (probably underbaked it, IDK...) and had this wonderful deep chocolate flavor.
I purchased some ramekins and a kitchen torch (waiting on the butane to arrive) so I can try my hand at creme brulee. I want to order some vanilla bean paste (4 oz 29.99 on Amazon...ouch) for it. But I spent $300 on Amazon this month already (ice cream maker, ice cream containers, Dole Whip mix, puzzles, biscuit/cookie round cutters), so I'm fighting with myself over it. I also want an electric fondue pot, so that's on my want list as well. The puzzles, I'm considering my birthday gift from DH and DS, and the other stuff is for the household, so I'm just debating if I want to pull the pin on those or not.
For lunch today, we pulled the pin and ordered Tijuana Flats. It's Throwback Thursdaze, so I got my burrito bowl, chips and a drink for $5.99; DH got a megajuana burrito for $9.xx; and DS got a quesadilla and a taco for $7; and I had a free starter, so got chips and queso. Dinner was sandwiches, because I have a loaf of bread going and it needed to be eaten up; DH and I had pb&j and DS had ham and lettuce. I used the stimulus money for this and the Amazon orders, and then we gave DS $200 to spend how he liked, $100 on grocery orders (cat food, and some basics like veggies and stuff....and OH YEAH, I got a Walmart PICKUP slot!!!!!!!!! for my real birthday. /sigh ) We put the rest onto credit cards, dropping some of the debt down and leaving us some breathing room on the cards, in case we need it.
I really haven't mentioned it here before but I lost my mother before this all happened. Still coping with the loss. We'd cared for her at home for a year and were fortunate enough to see her through to the end. As many of you know from my posts she'd lived with me for a long time so I am still finding my new normal. It is another blessing to me that I do not have to worry about trying to protect her from Covid as that would've been a huge challenge (and probably next to impossible) since both my daughter and I are now caring for Covid patients, too. No stress here! So thanks again for this thread that celebrates some of the "normal" things of our lives during this craziness and helps us remember all the blessings we have despite the difficulties. Love to you all.
So sorry to hear about the loss of your mom. I've been helping my dad care for my mom for a few years now so I know hard it is and can imagine it's hard to get used to new normal of not being the caregiver. (((Hugs)))
So in Italy last year, some of my husbands coworkers took us out to a fabulous dinner at a tiny little restaurant. I think one of the coworkers knew the owner because we were treated like royalty and were brought out almost every dish on the menu(which actually wasn't very big but OMG amazing). I'm not even sure what most of what we were eating was but it was delicious especially when it came to dessert. They brought out this in house made vanilla bean gelato topped with this custard that was out of this world. There was a bit of a language barrier but I know they said it was made with egg yolks so I googled when we got home and I think what we had was called....Zabaione or zabaglione. Wikipedia says it is an Italian dessert, or sometimes a beverage, made with egg yolks, sugar, and a sweet wine. Some versions of the recipe incorporate spirits such as cognac. The dessert version is a light custard, whipped to incorporate a large amount of air. OMGoodness...it was soo tasty.
Ok...so an indulgent dessert I get around here would be lava cake. Yum. If it's on the menu, I'm getting it. We'll even get domino's sometimes just to get lava cakes.
Today was another good day, it was really warm and I was able to get out of the house for a little bit. I had to do some running around, bank(drive up atm), dog food, prescriptions for my mom....I ended up getting my daughter and I taquitos for a late lunch from a little mexican place I love. I made enchiladas last night but hubby was sleeping before it was finished so I was going to feed him that for dinner. Instead he ended up making mac and cheese and hot dogs, his go to meal.
Got a good deal on 85/15 ground beef a while back and repackaged it for the freezer. Made a mistake and wrote one set up as a pack of 4 when actually it was a double pack of 4 patties. Upshot? Too much meat defrosted in one fell swoop so time to make meatballs, LOL. Made 2 types of Italian and one of Finnish (similar to Swedish but seasoning differs a bit) meatballs. Browned, half cooked in oven and back into the freezer they went properly labeled this time. Nice way to use my time as I binge watched "The Wire".
Long conversation with a friend who is trapped in a rehab facility. She was supposed to be moved to senior independent housing but got stuck in place when the shut down began. She's not one for reading/watching the news so I was very careful in my convo and expressed thoughts; actually I'm terrified for her. The workers have no PPE nor do the patients.She can't leave and no one can visit. Called her son today and emailed him a list of questions to get answered by staff or administration assuming anyone is available to communicate with him. Hope it helps.
Naked (no bun) burgers on the dinner menu tonight. Made a really simple spur of the moment guacamole to serve with it on a bed of lettuce. A meringue cookie with lemon sorbet for dessert. The lack of regular exercise is creeping up on us and I'm dropping the comfort carbs and serving smaller portions of dinner using luncheon instead of dinner plates. Here's hoping neither one of us look like the Goodyear blimp come summer, LOL.
Indulgent dessert? A strawberry eclair with whipped cream filling for me, chocolate molten cake for everyone else in house.
Tina, you’re entitled to a bad day. Well that doesn’t sound right. No one WANTS bad days, but we all have them. Sometimes I just lay down on my bed in the middle of the afternoon and watch TV. Last week I watched The parent trap on disney+ with my childhood idol Hailey Mills. Brought back good memories. I had a bad day yesterday when my doctor wouldn’t renew my prescriptions, which I need, because he said it had been too long since I’ve seen him. What bad timing! I had seen another doctor in his office when he wasn’t available and that’s the reason. Well, it really upset me, but it was resolved with a phone visit.
Thank you. I appreciate all the nice sentiments. I think it’s good to take a pause when we need to. I feel like in a way I’ve been doing the same, with so many emotions and so much information swirling around in my head, etc. Vegging out on the Dis or mindlessly watching a show feels about right sometimes. (Ok, a lot of times!) We are re-watching The Sopranos with our kids, who never saw it before. Amazing how much has changed since that series began. (‘99.)
Favorite indulgent dessert: Warm chocolate lava cake with vanilla ice cream! Or anything at WDW. (I think I mentioned the Pineapple Upside Down Dole Whip here last week. Yum, it was so good!)
I really haven't mentioned it here before but I lost my mother before this all happened. Still coping with the loss. We'd cared for her at home for a year and were fortunate enough to see her through to the end. As many of you know from my posts she'd lived with me for a long time so I am still finding my new normal. It is another blessing to me that I do not have to worry about trying to protect her from Covid as that would've been a huge challenge (and probably next to impossible) since both my daughter and I are now caring for Covid patients, too. No stress here! So thanks again for this thread that celebrates some of the "normal" things of our lives during this craziness and helps us remember all the blessings we have despite the difficulties. Love to you all.
I'm sorry for your loss. I also understand how you feel about it being a blessing that you don't have to worry about her with C19.
I, too, lost my dad just before all of this happened. March 4th. It was "sudden, but not unexpected." He had a variety of health problems, beginning with diabetes in 2008, a heart attack in 2011, two massive gastric ulcers later in 2011 (he nearly bled to death), end-stage kidney disease/renal failure in 2013, and finally culminating in colon cancer in 2016.
You can see why it wasn't unexpected, between kidney disease and colon cancer, but it still was sudden. He had been unable to walk for several days due to pain and weakness in his legs, so he had been unable to go to dialysis. (In hindsight, I realize this was a sign of "the end.") My mom took him to the ER because they are able to administer emergency dialysis there, and she assumed they could get his legs looked at to see if there was something amiss at the same time. I went after work to see them out of my usual concern. Insane to imagine now, but I just walked right into the ER room where he was. I was there at 4:02. Business as usual, doctors and nurses poking and prodding. Everything was fine until it suddenly wasn't. He went from talking to me, to agitation, to confusion, to silence. When silence came, at 5:57, I glimpsed his vitals monitor and it said "probe not connected to patient" and I thought someone had knocked it askew... but in the same second, my mom gasped, "[my name], he's not breathing." I walked over to his side and put my hand on his chest, and everything was gone. No breath, no heartbeat. Just like that. They were able to resuscitate him, but it was only long enough for us to say goodbye. My mom said goodbye first, just in case he only held on long enough for one of us. Then I heard his last little heartbeat right after I told him I loved him and it was okay that he was ready to go.
The strangest part of it all was walking out of the hospital knowing that was it. Every other time - and there were so many - I left knowing I'd be back the next day to see him. He'd be there on a ventilator, like always, because he always stopped breathing. Stopped breathing after his heart surgery. After the gastric ulcer repair. After the installation of his fistula for dialysis. After the colon resection. And this time, he stopped breathing, too. Just this time there was no "next day."
But I'm lucky. I'm grateful. I'm grateful that:
1. I didn't have to worry about him in this pandemic.
2. I didn't have to worry that he would die from a non-COVID19 cause just because he wouldn't be able to get a ventilator.
3. He didn't die at home alone while my mom was at work. I don't think she could have ever gone home again if he had.
4. I was able to walk right in to see him and be there with him through it all, just like I always had, one last time.
5. We didn't have to decide to remove life support and wonder if we made the right choice. His heart wouldn't even hold on long enough for life support. He had always told me that he "wouldn't want to hang around on machines." He meant it.
6. We got so much more time than we thought we would. I remember going home the night of his heart attack thinking it was the end. I remember being told his kidneys had failed, and thinking he would only have another two years. I remember when he was diagnosed with colon cancer, thinking he would only have another year, maybe a year and a half.
It isn't a happy subject, but I do try to find the comfort and silver linings.
I am also grateful that:
1. My husband is such a wonderful, loving person who truly loves my mom. When he came to meet us at the hospital that night, the first thing he did was take her into his arms. A while later, I mentioned how I would like to take my mom to Disney (since she can travel again, something she avoided when my dad was alive because of how ill he was) and he said "I think I'd like to go to be with her, too." I'm a lucky one.
2. As I sit here typing this, my little kitten (who we were only supposed to foster, but ended up keeping when it turned out she had a congenital physical defect that affects her breathing) is curled up beside me with her little paw on my arm. Earlier she happily greeted me with the sweetest little trill.
3. I discovered how amazing purrs sound on a stethoscope - I also have an adult kitty, my big boy who I have had since he was born on my couch, and who purrs SO. MUCH. And SO. LOUD. I was messing around with my stethoscope, and because he thought I was petting him, he turned on his motor. Let me tell you, that is amazing therapy.
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on the loss of your mom. My mom died of cancer years ago, and I get the not wanting to talk about it everywhere right away. We're here for you.
So in the middle of the night, DS and DH had to break out the coat hangers to try to fish it out, without luck. So no one could use that toilet all day. DH bought an auger on the way home and spent an hour or two trying to get it out - it would've been DS's job but he was working a 12 hr shift (of course, right) and we wanted to get that toilet back in use. 
By late afternoon we realized we'd have to call a plumber, so started calling around and couldn't get a hold of one anywhere! Till finally we found one and lucked out as he came out by supper time and was able to fish the pill bottle out by taking the toilet off the wall - all the while, while social distancing! He was actually quite the character, walking downstairs holding the pill bottle with his mask and gloves on saying, "Here is the culprit!" 
So we got it fixed but it cost us almost $500 plus we gave him a cash tip for coming out right away. Ugh.
Sorry for your loss. I can understand your relief at not having to protect your mom for this disease.
