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

[Breezy_Carol]

Tina, glad you are feeling better.

Today DH and I met with a real estate agent about putting his office building on the market. I baked a cake to celebrate DD's birthday tomorrow night. I guess we will no longer be putting candles on it to blow out.

Then I finally planted my mini-garden. It's only 6 ft by 3 ft but a start. Four tomato plants, some marigolds, and some flower seeds.

I had defrosted chili for dinner and was going to have that and a salad. Then DH and I decided to get carry out nachos from a local brewery for an appetizer. By the time we stopped eating them, we couldn't finish, we were too full for dinner. The chili will wait til Sunday. Just had some ice cream now before bed.

Well, I'm sitting here on the porch cocktail in hand, waiting for the t-storms. I highly suspect they will skirt around us...Natchos for supper tonight.

I think we are living the same life tonight. We had our nachos on the porch with drinks waiting for the storm that didn't come. I am jealous of you having crabs Sunday.

This is a nice story about the church I attend and its outreach. I used to help at the Welcome Center before COVID.

Question of the day 5/29: What's your favorite kind of appetizer?

We rarely get appetizers out unless there are a lot of us to share them. Out I like nachos, crab dip, chips and guacamole. At home, usually its cheese and crackers or chips and dip or salsa.

Gratitudes:
Garden finally planted
Nachos for dinner
Enjoyed out porch and a fire pit fire.

 

[Praying Colonel]

When DW and I go out to dinner, sometimes we just order 3-4 appetizers and nibble on those.

My favorite appetizer is done by a local restaurant: dates in a blanket. Dates stuffed with goat cheese and roasted garlic, wrapped in bacon, drizzled with smoked honey and tomato sofrito then broiled.

 

[Bianca and Bernard]

Question of the day 5/29: What's your favorite kind of appetizer?

I saw Easy mentioning Natchos for dinner and I saw NYCgirl having potstickers for dinner made me think about appetizers.
I would much rather eat tapas or several appetizers than a big entrée sometimes. I love happy hours with small plates or half price apps with a drink or two. I'm looking at Cheesecake factory for this! Some of my favs include buffalo chicken dip, potstickers, lettuce wraps, and tatchos. What about you all? Favorites?

Mmm, food. my favorite topic. I like all sorts of appetizers. Chips and dip or salsa, potstickers, those southwest egg rolls, regular egg rolls, charcuterie, veggies and dips, bloomin' onions, tapas and...

can you tell I like food? haha

Today, I went to the post office to get two packages for DH; they still aren't allowed to leave packages at our complex office, so we have to go get them if they don't fit in the tiny mailbox.

Then I hit Fresh Market and picked up dinner, and some other things (ground beef, fresh veggies, and pretzel buns). We had their Little Big Meal, which was Chicken rollups this week. Chicken a la Vienezia (chicken rolled with ricotta and spinach); tomato bacon pasta salad (just ok); fresh veggie mix (onion, carrot, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini and summer squash, with thyme); garlic knots (which were horrible) and CoolHaus ice cream (Buttered French Toast---buttered brown sugar ice cream with pecan pralines, cakey toast pieces and maple swirl). The meal is only $20, which is a bargain, as you get 4 chicken rollups, and those are $3.99 each if not in the meal; the ice cream is $5.99, the veggies were $7.99, the rolls are $3.99 and the pasta salad is about $6.00, so the meal is definitely good price wise (for this one). Sometimes they aren't as good of a deal.

Did some laundry, cleaned the trash can and the kitchen floors. Stood on the balcony in the thunderstorm and watched the 'commencement' for DS's high school tonight. They lit the football field up in the school colors, and played the song very very loudly on the speakers. They had the seniors come up today, to pick up their diplomas and cap and gowns, and they could take pictures with their teachers if they chose to (or they could just stay in the cars, and graduate that way). The school also did a video of the 'graduation' and the speeches that would have been said, and put it on their FB and school pages.

Fourth day in a row with pretty heavy rain, at least for part of the day. We live by the playground, and there is at least 2" of standing water on the mud.

But all in all, a good day.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Yes, it is, but I am always changing and updating small things as I find them. We’ve been here a long time and renovated about 11 years ago so even those renovations are in some ways getting a little stale. The big thing we need to do is purge and I am working my way up to that, lol.

Today would’ve been both my kids’ college graduation, and DD’s nursing pinning would’ve been earlier in the week, so a little sad. But we feel worse for the HS grads seeing them around with their cars decorated and being a little unsure of what’s going to happen in the fall. Tough times.

I was thinking of you all as we were grilling last night and thought you might like to see some pics of the new grill (flat surface as opposed to grilling rack if you missed my posts about that). Pork was on sale so I picked up some marinated garlic Parmesan pork chops and some country style spear ribs (which I haven’t bought in ages) that we marinated in teriyaki marinade and we thought we’d cook them both to have on hand. They were good. I liked the teriyaki best, the kids seemed to like the garlic parmesan best. DH liked both.(The country style spear ribs w a simple marinade of brown sugar, garlic, soy sauce and orange juice is really good marinated for a couple of days even better.) I was unsure about the grill but it is growing on me; DH really likes it.

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I've seen a version of your new grill before and I'm glad it's growing on you. The one I saw was at Cabela's and a woman was buying it for her husband. I smiled and asked her if it was going into the man cave or the back yard. She laughed and said he was taking it camping.
Would you believe I saw them a few weeks later camped near us? I told him he was greatly loved and how she "struggled " (total exaggertion but she got where I was coming from, LOL) to get it through the cashier. He had a grin so big you'd think he had been eating homemade pie for a week. You'll be the life of the neighborhood in no time at all .

 

[lynxstch]

Not a big appetizer eater normally. Will have an egg roll once in a blue moon, or loaded baked potato skins. If I get the craving- mozzarella sticks. Does shrimp cocktail count as an appetizer? If so, that would be my first choice.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I've seen a version of your new grill before and I'm glad it's growing on you. The one I saw was at Cabela's and a woman was buying it for her husband. I smiled and asked her if it was going into the man cave or the back yard. She laughed and said he was taking it camping.
Would you believe I saw them a few weeks later camped near us? I told him he was greatly loved and how she "struggled " (total exaggertion but she got where I was coming from, LOL) to get it through the cashier. He had a grin so big you'd think he had been eating homemade pie for a week. You'll be the life of the neighborhood in no time at all .

That must've been a riot! It sounds like something that would happen to me, too! Lol

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I was looking at what time I posted here yesterday and it was just before 3pm. DD and I were on our way out when we decided to wait for DH as he was almost home from work. He asked for an hour to work on the pool which was fine because I thought pictures at sunset for our "ceremony" would be nice, and DD and I had sort of dressed up for the occasion. Meanwhile DS came home from work as did his girlfriend and they wanted to come too. And of course we'd be taking the dog in that case. (He has been doing so many fun things with us lately that he gets absolutely crushed if he can't come.)

Meanwhile DD and I hadn't really eaten all day and everyone else was hungry so we pulled out all our leftovers and dug in. It was sort of fun catching up in such an informal way even though it got loud and a little chaotic! DH had stopped at the barber's on his way home as they weren't answering the phone and got himself (despite the nice haircut I gave him ) and DS appointments which were over a week out! So we were all fighting for the microwave when DH's phone rang, it was the barber saying they had a cancellation and can one of them get down there quickly! So DH told DS to go and he literally threw on his shoes, grabbed his car keys and flew down there! When he came home he had a huge smile on his face feeling so much better with his hair freshly cut and despite the barber getting some wise cracks in! DS said the hair had gone inside his mask as well as down his shirt, so he had to hop in the shower, but finally we got going after that and cleaning up.

DD was the first out to the car with the dog and by the time we got out there, she had a welt the size of a quarter on her forehead from a mosquito bite, as well as another big one her leg. In just that short time they had gotten huge so we had to stop at CVS to get some benadryl cream and a benadryl pill, as she reacts really badly to bug bites. The ice cream store was nearby and everyone wanted an ice cream, too, so that was stop number two. Then off we went to one of our favorite locations to have our pinning ceremony. Annnnddd of course by the time we got down there the wind had picked up tremendously and a storm was rolling in with dark clouds replacing any sun that may have been there before. But we got out, found a bench and sat and had our ice cream before it melted. In the blustery storm with everything blowing around. A woman walking her dog passed us and told us we looked cute!

I could tell DD was a little disappointed as it was going to be difficult to take pictures because of the huge wind, but we decided to go ahead anyway as we knew it would be a while before we could do it again, and this was the week it was supposed to happen originally. So we pulled up the Nightengale Pledge and both recited it together. (Maybe a bit outdated but her class officers were including it in their originally planned celebrations and Flo certainly is an iconic figure in our profession - and I believe was ahead of her time.) I also managed to find some words that seemed appropriate and loving, then we took some pictures and climbed back in the car to head home. DS suggested we try another spot as it likely wouldn't be as windy but by the time we got there it was raining so DD said she was good and we headed home. Seemed like a whirlwind few hours and things didn't go exactly as planned, but it was a memorable evening that some day I'm sure she'll laugh about. Man, she will have a lot of stories to tell to her grandkids about how she started off as a new nurse - between losing her clinicals, caring for Covid19 patients, having botched improvised homebrewed ceremonies, etc! But it's all good! She knows that despite the craziness she is fortunate to have a loving family to share these moments with. We all are. For her, now it's on to study for her boards and find a job!

 

[PollyannaMom]

Question of the day 5/29: What's your favorite kind of appetizer?

Stuffed mushrooms!

(But I'm a big appetizer fan, so I like lots of others, too.)

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I never answered the appetizer question! We like appetizers but don't order them much, depending on who we're with. I would like to maybe get appetizers and split a meal, but DH does not share his food well! Appetizers and a meal is too much. But if we do get appetizers we love some of the ones others have mentioned - stuffed mushrooms, shrimp cocktail, nachos, a bloomin onion, etc. If we go out for Chinese food we get more appetizers like lettuce wraps, coconut shrimp, egg roll, dumplings, etc. (I don't like the rest of the fried Chinese stuff but the family does.) At home I will put out cheese and crackers, chips and salsa, kielbasa and beans, shrimp cocktail, fresh fruit, or a board with a variety of things (never caught on to the name for that but you know what I mean).

 

[sparkle78]

Disney - ahi tuna nachos at Yek and Yeti, it serves 3 people and large pieces of tuna
Beach - crab toast or lobster bisque
Home - warm spinach and cheese dip
Have a wonderful Saturday everyone, suppose to be in the 70s for us so hoping to get some yard work done .

 

[lynxstch]

Its a beautiful Saturday here. Sunny , breezy, mid 70's. Did grocery shopping this morning. Walmart's meat department almost looked 'normal'. Got everything I wanted . Came home and mowed the lawn, again. I just did it Tuesday and can't believe that it grew that much in 4 days! Off to relax for the rest of the weekend. Have a lovely Saturday everyone!

 

[Breezy_Carol]

We had a nice day today. Beautiful weather.

It was DD's birthday so she, her DH, and her 3 yo and new baby all came up for dinner and cake. We had the baby pool out but really only their dog enjoyed it. Ordered pizza and salad for dinner, her call, and I had baked a marble cake with chocolate frosting. Gave her the gifts we were able to get ordering online. DS zoomed his birthday greetings.

Gratitudes:
Scrubbed the deck to waterproof tomorrow
Nice dinner with DD and family. Got a nice picture with the grandkids.
Beautiful weather.

 

[AuntieMe3]

Hey everyone...I'm a few days behind, again. My heart has been heavy this week with everything going on in our country. I'm hearing a lot of things from people I never thought I would hear from them, it makes me so sad and really mad. *sigh*

Anyway, sorry to come back with such a down post but it's just where I'm at right now and need the positivity of this post so thank you all for being that for me right now. ❤ Today has been a pretty good day with my hubby, he's been trying to make me feel better before he heads out of town for work for the week. Wish I could go with him but I'm starting back to work slowly and she needs me this week so I can't go. We've been talking about getting me a new car soon. Hubby thinks I should get a midsize SUV but I'm thinking about a crossover, does anyone have one they really like or even love?

As for appetizers....I like them all. LoL When we have people over, i always have tons of appetizers to snack on and I usually order an appetizer for my meal when we go out for dinner. About 5 years ago, I had gastric bypass surgery and I still can't eat much at one setting so getting a big meal is usually a waste for me. Appetizers are just the right size.... My absolute favorite off strip restaurant in Vegas is a tapas place and its so good. My favorite app is bacon wrapped stuffed dates. OMG...its just so good and definitely not something I would make myself at home so I love when I find it on a menu. I love those little puff pastry apps you can find at Costco or the regular store. Trader Joe's has one thats a puff pastry with caramelized onions and gorgonzola(?). OMG they are so yummy.

 

[Breezy_Carol]

Hubby thinks I should get a midsize SUV but I'm thinking about a crossover, does anyone have one they really like or even love?

I had a Saturn Vue for 12 years and 225,000 miles. I loved it but, of course, could not get another. So November 2018 I got a Honda CRV and I do like it very much. DD has a Toyota Rav 4 and likes it too.

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Hug, AuntieMe3 and prayers for all! I ask for prayers extra tonight. I am near all the fires and looting going on currently in LA. Scary and so sad. all afternoon and evening, I hear helicopters. A friend who lives farther from this immediate area but close to me has even seen fire. Thank you!

Extra things I am grateful for today:

Calls from friends checking in on me to be sure I am safe. Also a nice text from Associate pastor at church.
Briefly had on the new A/C in living room this morning, works so well.
Enjoyed watching a recorded episode of the old Game Show Chain Reaction.

 

[AuntieMe3]

Hug, AuntieMe3 and prayers for all! I ask for prayers extra tonight. I am near all the fires and looting going on currently in LA. Scary and so sad. all afternoon and evening, I hear helicopters. A friend who lives farther from this immediate area but close to me has even seen fire. Thank you!

Extra things i am grateful for today:

Calls from friends checking in on me to be sure I am safe. Also a nice text from Associate pastor at church.
Briefly had on the new A/C in living room this morning, works so well.
Enjoyed watching a recorded episode of the old Game Show Chain Reaction.

Almost all of my family lives in the LA area, its so scary. During the Rodney King riots, my grandma and some of my aunts left to come to our house here in the high desert as they were very close to some rioting and looting and the national guard was set up in a grocery store parking lot behind their house. My grandpa and uncles stayed to try and keep their house safe, I guess. It was really scary for them leaving that night, my grandma said they were surrounded by fire driving on the freeway through downtown. and prayers to you.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Sending prayers.

 

[PollyannaMom]

We've been talking about getting me a new car soon. Hubby thinks I should get a midsize SUV but I'm thinking about a crossover, does anyone have one they really like or even love?

I have a Toyoto Rav4, and I do love it, but it's a 2009 - back when the rear hatch opened to the side, and that's one of the reasons I love it.


And @flyingdumbo127as well. So sorry you are near all that!

 

[NYCgrrl]

Moments of elation, anxiousness, and melancholy on my end. I guess the unknown brings that to the fore. One of my sons attended a protest in CO, and the other observed one where he's stationed in.

The man and I stayed pretty close to home Saturday glued to the TV. The man didn't want any leftovers but he got some anyway, LOL. Made a soy chicken and finished off the cold sesame noodle stretching it by adding more vegetables.

AuntieMe3 said:


We've been talking about getting me a new car soon. Hubby thinks I should get a midsize SUV but I'm thinking about a crossover, does anyone have one they really like or even love?

No help from me as we have never owned a car (I'm a native New Yorker and the man is a "wannabe": born here but raised in Long Island ); we rent when the mood hits.

 

[gwynne]

@flyingdumbo127 sending prayers and