Quarantine and chill and kindness chatty clubhouse: Jump in and join the conversation! All is welcome!

[Bianca and Bernard]

Question of the day: 5/5: How long have you lived in your current house?

We bought our house (the first one! could be the last if I keep having to pay for things) 3 years ago. I wanted "normal" size house but we got a great deal on this house and in very nice area and just has gone up in value which is good for us to sell. Truth be told I'm getting itchy feet to move because that's all we've done for the last 20 years or so. I'm ready to take on a new adventure!

Well, we're in an apartment, and we've been here since....Dec 20th. LOL Before that, we were in our place for 7 years, 1-1/2 months. We've talked about buying a house forever, but truthfully, I don't think we could handle the upkeep. I hated mowing and weedwacking and edging. I like gardening, but my allergies don't like me being outside plus death, you know, from bees is bad. And not being responsible for fixing the roof when the hurricane swept in, or the fence or the screens...I'm responsible so many other things in life, not having to fix or pay to fix that mess is kinda nice, kwim?

For lunch, we did Taco Tuesday Takeout from Tijuana Flats. For dinner, we're having burgers (regular for DS/myself, Beyond Burgers for DH), fries and sweet potato tater tots, and a veg, I suppose. I bought corn to make elotes, but I think I'll wait and do them tomorrow.

I stopped in at Fresh Market (and picked up the tacos curbside instead of having delivery this round). They were close to being out of their ground chuck, (so I didn't get any, as I have enough for 6 meals of ground beef in the freezer) and they didn't put it on sale this week; the chicken breasts (deboned/skinned) were still on sale, but limit of 3 lbs instead of 5. Picked up 2 lbs of the breasts, 2 lb ground chicken, 2 lb Nueske bacon and a lb of banger sausages (trying something new), so 4 more dinners right there. The only things I'll have to get for the next month are fresh veggies/fruits, a few more bags of frozen veggies, milk/creamer, and bread/buns, unless I find a new recipe in my magazines or online that I want to try and will need ingredients for. LOL Maybe I'll get some crab legs in a few weeks, if they are on sale, but other than that, we are set meat-wise.

Almost everyone in the store was wearing a mask, like they were supposed to (signs everywhere at this location saying you have to have them on to shop). The two people without masks that I saw were told they couldn't be helped (one at the meat counter and one the bakery counter). The guy huffed away from the bakery counter; the other pulled a mask out of her purse and put it on. Then they told her she had to go get in the line again. She also tried to "cut the line" before they told her not without a mask, so I think she deserved to have to wait. I wanted to the meat guy; he's so funny, and so helpful on cuts of meat and how to cook them, and what to serve with them.

 

[apirateslifeforme]

We actually all went out today! My mom, Josh and I went out to get some plants...Mom wanted some tomato plants, and I had her choose the hibiscus she requested for Mother's Day. Josh also picked out a hanging flower pot for Granna (DH's mom). It was Josh's and my first time wearing our masks that I sewed. Mine kept crawling up and getting in my eyes; Josh's kept slipping down because his little button nose is too small to keep it up Then we got Josh a kid's meal from Wendy's - thankfully he'll only eat chicken nuggets, so we didn't have to worry about them being out of beef.

Schools in CT have officially closed for the remainder of the year. I knew it was coming, but I still want to cry. I can't believe Josh won't be going back to that wonderful preschool ever again. I'm glad that I "friended" his teacher on FB (and she works a second job at Barnes and Noble...if they ever reopen). It could be worse, but I am truly crushed.

Question of the day: 5/5: How long have you lived in your current house?

We bought our house (the first one! could be the last if I keep having to pay for things) 3 years ago. I wanted "normal" size house but we got a great deal on this house and in very nice area and just has gone up in value which is good for us to sell. Truth be told I'm getting itchy feet to move because that's all we've done for the last 20 years or so. I'm ready to take on a new adventure!

Let's see...I have lived in this house for about 34 of the past 44 years:

My grandparents bought it toward the end of 1973 when they were transferred here from the Chicago area.
My mother and I joined them in April 1976.
I lived here until I got married in October 1998.
My ex and I separated; I moved back and lived here from July 2000 until we reconciled and moved back in together in November 2001.
After our divorce, I moved back into the house in October 2007.
I moved out when I married DH in October 2011.
We moved back in June 2014 and have been here since.

 

[Meriweather]

Question of the day: 5/5: How long have you lived in your current house?

We bought our house (the first one! could be the last if I keep having to pay for things) 3 years ago. I wanted "normal" size house but we got a great deal on this house and in very nice area and just has gone up in value which is good for us to sell. Truth be told I'm getting itchy feet to move because that's all we've done for the last 20 years or so. I'm ready to take on a new adventure!

10 years in August.
Last house was 34 years.
Got tired of rain, snow and cold/damp weather.
Both kids and grand kids are here, so all is good.
Large house, but works for us......5 bedrooms (Master, 2 bedrooms for company which is usually the grand kids and we each have our office). 3 full baths. 2 2 car garages, one is DH's shop.

We had Mexican last night, so tonight is chicken and gravy in the crockpot, quinoa, salad and green beans
100 degrees right now. My AC is running a lot and will be for months.

 

[minthorne]

Question of the day: 5/5: How long have you lived in your current house?

We bought our house (the first one! could be the last if I keep having to pay for things) 3 years ago. I wanted "normal" size house but we got a great deal on this house and in very nice area and just has gone up in value which is good for us to sell. Truth be told I'm getting itchy feet to move because that's all we've done for the last 20 years or so. I'm ready to take on a new adventure!

17 years

 

[Breezy_Carol]

Nothing new here today. Cleaned all three bathrooms and changed the sheets on our bed.

Dinner was turkey burgers, sweet potato, and asparagus.

It was Josh's and my first time wearing our masks that I sewed. Mine kept crawling up and getting in my eyes; Josh's kept slipping down because his little button nose is too small to keep it up

In Maryland, kids age 2-9 are to be encouraged to wear masks in stores but only required for over age 9.

Question of the day: 5/5: How long have you lived in your current house?

We have been in this house 32 years this month. Bought it new after it was built as the spec house for the neighborhood. We got to chose the floor coverings. Normal upkeep until a few years ago. Between 2014-2018, we had the windows, doors, roof, HVAC, kitchen counter, and kitchen floor all replaced. Then this past summer we had a screened porch added. So we are almost in a new house. Have been redoing bedrooms as the kids moved out.

Gratitudes:
Email contact with two church committees I'm on.
Clean bathrooms.
Nice yard to watch the birds and squirrels.

 

[Breezy_Carol]

Oh boy, 20 lbs of frozen boneless, skinless, chicken breasts. I'd be so happy to make such a score!
I'd poach some for chicken salads, julienne others for stir fry, freeze in brine or marinade others, and butterfly some for piccata/schnitzel cutlets, and the like, without fully defrosting most of the meat so I can safely freeze again while retaining the full flavor of the meat.

This is what I wondered. If I defrost enough to break some off, can I refreeze the rest? I was going to research online.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

I have lived in this house for a little more than 3 years.

 

[queenofthehive]

We have lived in our house for 26 years. It sure doesn’t feel that long!

 

[AuntieMe3]

Then your “learn something new every day” is that you like Return of the Jedi - which was the 3rd movie to come out (last of the original trilogy) and is labeled episode 6.

It's one of my favorites as well!

And now I know. Thank you. I have been telling my daughter we should watch them all since we have Disney+ now. Everytime we go through Galaxys Edge at DL she always says I bet this would be even more amazing if we knew anything about Star Wars.

 

[NYCgrrl]

This is what I wondered. If I defrost enough to break some off, can I refreeze the rest? I was going to research online.

Absolutely!
"Question: I thawed some frozen chicken breasts for dinner tonight, but now I’ve had a change in plans and don’t have time to cook them. Is it okay if I refreeze them?


Answer: It’s fine to refreeze the chicken breasts — as long as you thawed them in the refrigerator and kept them there for no more than two days.


If that was the case, you can pop the chicken breasts back into the freezer and they’ll still be safe to eat, says the United States Department of Agriculture. "

A hot chef's knife or spatula is useful for separating as well if the chicken parts are rock hard .

In honor of Cinco de Mayo I made Cuban sandwiches for dinner, LOL. Not at all the same but we'll do a real celebration when DGD returns since she loves tacos. No panni press so I just used a CI skillet as a substitute weight. Green salad with radishes as a side.
Made a Pyrex pie plate of creme caramel (the French occupied Mexico for a time, right?) for dessert. DGD is due back on Thursday so hopefully there will still be some left when she returns. The man already asked if he can have some for breakfast...

We have lived in this apartment for about 2.5 years now and it's a work in process. Smaller than our last abode but much much easier to clean.

 

[Moliphino]

I bought a house at the end of December 2019. We're not actually living there yet (delayed due to a long line of circumstances at this point), so 22 years at my parents house.

 

[Breezy_Carol]

@NYCgrrl Thank you!

 

[flyingdumbo127]

I wish we had an a/c man here! As of now the owner still is refusing to do anything. 90 again tomorrow almost I would appreciate so much continuing prayers on this. Thank you! That said, prayers your a/c issues are not too costly, Tina. Prayers continuing also for your Mom.

Lilacs were my Grandma's favorite flower. Carnations are mine

Grateful today for:

Being able to text with a couple friends.
A somewhat cool-ish fan breeze at the moment--I'll take it lol.
One more day closer to brighter times ahead

 

[gwynne]

Hello everyone.
We had Costco salmon for dinner, nice treat!

We've lived in an apt for a couple of years. It is accessible unit. We decided keeping life easier for my husband made sense, so here we are. We are very fortunate to have a garage right across the hall. It's nice to not have to worry about upkeep and yardwork.

@lovemygoofy I hope your mom has as easy a day as possible tomorrow.
Sending a hug along to you. I know your mom is often on your mind.

 

[Grumpy's Gal]

Question of the day: 5/5: How long have you lived in your current house?

18 years. It’s paid off and we love our neighborhood. I’m pretty sure we’re here for the long haul.

 

[hereyago]

A year in the apartment.

 

[AuntieMe3]

1. People that are mechanically inclined. Bless my husband, he is pretty, but not always the most handy. He does have my internet, tv and surround sound and whatever else wired so well I feel like the Lord and Martians can hear me when I'm praying out loud.

This made me literally LOL Hope your AC problems aren't too expensive and your mom's treatment goes well.

Question of the day: 5/5: How long have you lived in your current house?

We moved in with my grandparents after they starting having some health problems. They offered us to move in and eventually buy the house from them. We moved in Mar 2001, paid them "rent" as our down payment, until 2005 when we bought the house from them. They lived with us until they passed away in 2008 and 2010. Its only been the last couple years that we've really tried to make it our own...new roof and paint, new floors, curtains, remodeled bathrooms, etc I don't see us moving anytime soon. I love where we live, the neighborhood (parents live next door)and our house, the yard... I just love our house especially because my grandparents used to live here.

Tonight we had Cinco de Mayo Taco Tuesday fish tacos with my parents....i got the tacos to go from a favorite local place and my dad made calabacitas and homemade beans. Yum...
Hubby worked from home yesterday and today. This morning I heard him on a work call and instantly thought we should go to breakfast... then got sad we couldn't actually got to breakfast. LoL

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Ramps? Think rampions and Rapunzel. Not the same but close enough.

The ex and I planned to open a B+B with a public restaurant for dinner only. He was a sommelier and knowledgeable about various aspects of front of the house operations. I had an interest in cooking and decided to expand on it.

Attended NYCTC, Cornell U, and finally, CIA in this country. Overseas, spent a lot of time learning from the ex's great aunt about her region of France's home cooking. Most any place I visit I try to learn something about the cooking there and sometimes take local classes. The ex and I ended our marriage before opening our place but I still retained a love and interest in food.
Always paid attention when my grandmothers' were cooking although neither was interested in anyone being in their kitchens; seems I've inherited that trait although I'm trying to teach DGD.
My Nana was a whiz at cooking Northern Virginian cuisine(where she hailed from) and worked in the kitchens of the Waldorf~Astoria for many years. She was also adept at Bajan cuisine which she learned to please Papa since Barbados is where he came from.
Grandmother, made her living as a cook in private homes, treated her employers like wayward children, and set the rules of what was to be eaten. Guess they enjoyed the treatment since several of their children, grandchildren, and great grands attended her funeral. She cooked American style for them but "burned pots" Jamaican style at home where she hailed from. Oh and years later I lived in a building she had worked at but didn't know until she came to visit me. When she decided to be admitted to a nursing home (to spite one of my aunts ) I asked her to come stay with me and promised we could throw water balloons out the window she just laughed and said that at least one of her family members was like her...oops.
She taught my mother how to make glorious coconut bread but that's about all Mom retained, LOL. I think my mother was stuck between two excellent cooks and gave up the battle to concentrate on needlework. The highest praise her rotten children gave her cooking was it was almost as good as one of our grandmothers .
I think cooking is an important aspect of living and way of passing the love on to those you care for. Satisfies my curiosity and amazes me how one group of people can take something as mundane as a potato and make it totally different from their neighbors, near and far.

@Breezy_Carol I wish there was a produce stand nearby. It would make my life much simpler. When I vac throughout the NE, one of my favorite places to explore: farmers' markets and produce stands!

Oh boy, 20 lbs of frozen boneless, skinless, chicken breasts. I'd be so happy to make such a score!
I'd poach some for chicken salads, julienne others for stir fry, freeze in brine or marinade others, and butterfly some for piccata/schnitzel cutlets, and the like, without fully defrosting most of the meat so I can safely freeze again while retaining the full flavor of the meat.
DGD is 14.5 y/o going on 40 when the mood hits her. Shows signs of going full fledged teenager and and I hope she places the full brunt of it on her mother since I've already got the t shirt, LOL.

Ah ha! Knew it! Could tell by your ease of ideas, use of terminology, ability to dream up so many different meals with just a few ingredients and ability to plan and execute ahead so well, etc! CIA, wow! That must've been a great experience! DH is a J&W grad. He's worked with food all his life (family business) but later went to school as an adult. The piece of paper has served him well in his career. That is why I mostly shop and plan but he executes a lot of the time. He is used to working big, though, if you know what I mean. Although the mood struck me yest and I made a sauce with sausages (prefer meatballs but all they had at the store was sausage; the boys here were happy), rigatoni, salad and garlic bread. Also made a banana bread with overripe bananas and made myself some jello the old fashioned way, tired of paying so much for four little cups. I'm glad it's something you really seem to enjoy, and I like hearing your kitchen stories here! 🍽

We've been in our house for 30 yrs. It was the first home we bought. We always had big dogs and probably outgrew it once our kids came along, but in the meantime we added an in law apt for my mother, and it was perfect for her - not only the space itself but the location, where she could easily get to the store and to church, or take a walk outside safely, etc., so we stayed. We later added a sunroom off our kitchen for more space in the main living area so that helped a lot. We did a big renovation at that time, as well. As I mentioned before we have a lot of great outdoor space too, but only get to use it for five months of the year due to winters (and often chilly springs and falls). The thought of moving isn't something I relish, at least not now or anytime soon. We have to purge. But it's more than that - we're relatively happy here. If we ever go anywhere else it would be to a smaller place like a condo or cottage where everything is taken care of. And I would really love something new or newish for once in my life, but prices where we live are insane, so we'll have to see. DS would like to buy our house some day, he loves it. We've talked about it and we can't see leaving our general area, but you never know what can happen.

I have to work on Mother's Day this year. Maybe it's just as well being the first without my mother, and so soon. Kids and DH keep asking me what I want and all I can really think of is a Spotify gift card. DS helped get me started with an account and I must say I really love it. It helps keep me calm and sane on drives to and from work or anywhere else I have to go. I have some Disney favorites on there as well as music I grew up with and I can easily get lost in it.

I am watching DD finish up her nursing courses she is just about two weeks away from being done with her BSN! It's been bittersweet though watching all the extra work she's had to do and how her traditional pinning and graduation are off, but I'm so proud of her and how hard she's worked! It will be nice when she can finally relax a little bit.

Gratitudes:
1. Everyone's health
2. Everyone's jobs
3. Finding the good things, and the good people, among this crisis

ETA I saw this this morning. It is not DD, but I think it helps convey the sadness which some of these kids have or will be feeling.

https://m.tiktok.com/v/682347817508...694399601267573765&tt_from=sms&utm_source=sms

 

[Breezy_Carol]

Hubby worked from home yesterday and today. This morning I heard him on a work call and instantly thought we should go to breakfast... then got sad we couldn't actually got to breakfast. LoL

DH and I woke up early this morning and I said the same thing, wishing we could go out to breakfast.

I have to work on Mother's Day this year. Maybe it's just as well being the first without my mother, and so soon. Kids and DH keep asking me what I want and all I can really think of is a Spotify gift card. DS helped get me started with an account and I must say I really love it. It helps keep me calm and sane on drives to and from work or anywhere else I have to go. I have some Disney favorites on there as well as music I grew up with and I can easily get lost in it.

I think that is a fine idea. DH used to love getting iTunes gift cards so he could have his music. on a first mother-less Mother's Day. And congrats to your DD.

 

[Nox]

Question of the day: 5/5: How long have you lived in your current house?

We bought our house (the first one! could be the last if I keep having to pay for things) 3 years ago. I wanted "normal" size house but we got a great deal on this house and in very nice area and just has gone up in value which is good for us to sell. Truth be told I'm getting itchy feet to move because that's all we've done for the last 20 years or so. I'm ready to take on a new adventure!

I don't have a house. Apartment, which I will have been in for six years as of June 1. We are looking to rent a house at the end of the year, because we need a garage and more space.

My parents have lived in their house for 28 years. My mom will live there the rest of her life - she scattered my dad in the backyard.