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

[flyingdumbo127]

Thanks, Carol I wanted all of you to get to be an extra part of this through the pictures. Hooray for your new rug that was also quick service!

Dad and I are going to make his birthday puzzle this afternoon. I'll post a picture

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Love all the puzzles, Mona! Happy Birthday to your Dad!

Last night DH made a chicken stew with dumplings, it was very good.

Heading out to an event tonight with my SIL. Have a good evening, everyone!

 

[footballmouse]

Happy Saturday

The sun is out and hopefully the snow and ice will start melting soon. There was so much ice under the snow, it was hard to shovel. Ds3 used to pointy spade shovel to get under the ice and then Ds2 would follow with the snow shovel to get off the driveway & sidewalk. What a mess.

Working this weekend so I figured I'd hop on for a quick "hi". Made porkchops in the crockpot last night. Not very good, will be deleting that recipe.

Hope everyone has a good day.

Forgot the QOTD: I don't play Wordle, never tried it. What I am addicted to is the paint by numbers app on my phone . So addicting!!!! I tell myself that I'm going to do just 1 picture and end up doing 8.

 

[AuntieMe3]

Mona, so happy your dad had a nice birthday and enjoyed his surprise.

QOTD: Wordle....I am playing when I remember. LOL I can see how it would be addictive so I am glad you can only do 1 a day. LoL I do better when I play myself but sometimes DH tries to "help" and he's not very good. I got today in 4 tries. There have been a couple I haven't got at all too. LOL

I'm out of town with DH for his job. We're staying at a Residence Inn so we have a little kitchenette with a dining table, living room area and seperate bedroom... like a little apartment. I much prefer this to a regular room for our long stays. We went to the store our first day to get groceries and have been eating in, plus we've been enjoying the hotel fire pit and seating area. It's been nice. Tonight we're going to dinner at a nice restaurant.

I also have started doing some stretching everyday. I downloaded an app and it gives you guided stretching exercises....most have been like 7-9 minutes long, each stretch about 30 seconds long. I'm already feeling like it's been helping, especially with my back. Thinking I'm going to start doing twice a day. I did it last night before bed and the last couple stretches are on the floor. After I was finished, I didn't get up right away and DH, who was on the bed, said.... are you OK? Your phone stopped talking and you didn't get up. I said yes, it's just taking me a minute to get back up.

I'm going home Tuesday but DH has to stay at least another week... maybe I'll come back to join him after my appointments and watching my niece a couple days.

Hope everyone enjoys their weekend. I'm off to stretch and then relax before dinner.

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Thanks, Pea. Have fun with your SIL tonight

Footballmouse, glad you're enjoying some at last! Hope all is going well at work, my friend, too.

Thank you, AuntieMe3. That sounds like a nice hotel room. I'm thankful you were able to accompany your DH. If ever I stay more than 1 night post plague at a hotel, I'd want a kitchenette. Safe travels as always!

 

[lynxstch]

Happy Saturday

The sun is out and hopefully the snow and ice will start melting soon. There was so much ice under the snow, it was hard to shovel. Ds3 used to pointy spade shovel to get under the ice and then Ds2 would follow with the snow shovel to get off the driveway & sidewalk. What a mess.

Working this weekend so I figured I'd hop on for a quick "hi". Made porkchops in the crockpot last night. Not very good, will be deleting that recipe.

Hope everyone has a good day.

Forgot the QOTD: I don't play Wordle, never tried it. What I am addicted to is the paint by numbers app on my phone . So addicting!!!! I tell myself that I'm going to do just 1 picture and end up doing 8.

LOL Ditto..but I end up doing a lot more than 8 in my down time. There are so many sites that have them to choose from. I have 6 different ones downloaded now. I do call them 'coloring by numbers' though, lol!

 

[Snowysmom]

@flyingdumbo127 Nice pictures. So glad your Dad had a nice birthday.

Everyone seems so busy and industrious lately. I was at the house today and the cleaners came. They were at the house for 4 hours and it looks really nice. Once the carpets are done and more boxes taken out to DS's houses, it will hopefully be ready for a real estate agent. I did text the landscaping guy to see if he wants to see the house next weekend. If he makes an offer and it is what we expect, we can move ahead. After the cleaners left younger DS and I went out to lunch. We went to a restaurant where Chris and I would go to for dinner. We know one of the waitresses and have for many years. I told her about Chris and she was so sad. She said what a good man he was. That is what everyone says. Then she told me about the serious health issues her DH is going through and all the losses she has had in her family. I was so sad for her. We are going to pray for each other so God will be getting an earful from us. It was nice to have lunch with DS and just relax and chat. Buying him lunch is just a very small gesture for all that he has done. Older DS had to work again this weekend so he couldn't come along. Younger DS and I also got to chat alot waiting for the cleaners to be done. He is so comforting and kind. He knows I am having tough days and just tries to be there to listen. I love to hear about what the grandkiddies are doing too.

I asked Chris for a sign that selling the house is a good idea and OK by him. Today I got in the car and it was on his radio preset again. I put on the station and the song playing was called, A OK. I take that as a sign that he agrees with me and is OK with it. As my son said before, Chris just wants me to be happy and safe. It is still emotionally hard to sell the house but I know Chris is on board and wants the best for me.

Have a nice Saturday.

 

[tazdev3225]

Good afternoon.

Mona, glad your dad had a nice birthday.

It's a blustery 27 here and I feel it. We started the demo work on the downstairs. My grandson has most of the ceiling down. The pipes look to be ok so that is a worry off of my mind. He got to the section under my son's old bedroom and odd things started falling out of the ceiling. We found a Walkman, Legos, a Nintendo game, at least 3 books, baseball and football cards, empty cigarette packs (he is a smoker and this one annoyed me), GI Joes and some other small stuff. I knew when I would tell him to clean his room, he would stuff into the heating vent so I guess I should be glad there was no really old socks and underroos. The only bad thing is there is a draft coming down now. This room is on the list to be redone and the biggest thing it needs is a window. My grandson climbed in over the junk I have to go through in there and found out that he never bothered to tell me the window had broken, and he shoved a piece of plexiglass in there as a repair, but it is not adhered to the frame anymore. That room may need to be done before the garage.

We looked at furniture and I cannot find anything I am totally happy with. I found a sectional I loved but it won't work in my house because of the way it's configured. It would block that patio door or the basement door. I cannot find tables at all. I wanted USB charging ports built in but they are not easy to find. I may look into charging strips that I can attach to the back of regular tables. Then I hit a new bump, my husband has decided we have to get Leather furniture. I am not happy with that at all, 3 cats and a dog will not make that look very nice after a bit. My decision is how do I compromise what I want with what is available? I need to make up my mind this weekend so I can get the order going. It is taking 6-8 weeks for orders to come in,

I went to my grandson's Basketball game last night. It was a huge game against their rival school. They won the game but lost my grandson for the season. He made a great play to keep a ball inbounds but he fell awkwardly. He bruised his hip, that's not too bad, be laid on the floor clutching his knee sobbing. When he fell his knee was trapped under his body. I knew it was bad when they had to carry him to his dad's truck. They saw Urgent Care today and he is in an immobilizer and on crutches. He goes back Thursday for an MRI to see how bad the damage is; it is still too swollen right now. He has 7 weeks til baseball season starts so we are praying he recovers quickly for that. I did tell my daughter I think he should go to the last 3 games and I will take him. She is on night shift this week. The team is undefeated and will most likely take the Championship so he should cheer on his teammates.

Oh well it is dinner time and I have no idea what to make. I may order Chinese Food or Bob Evans. Hope everyone has a good evening.

 

[lynxstch]

Good afternoon.

Mona, glad your dad had a nice birthday.

It's a blustery 27 here and I feel it. We started the demo work on the downstairs. My grandson has most of the ceiling down. The pipes look to be ok so that is a worry off of my mind. He got to the section under my son's old bedroom and odd things started falling out of the ceiling. We found a Walkman, Legos, a Nintendo game, at least 3 books, baseball and football cards, empty cigarette packs (he is a smoker and this one annoyed me), GI Joes and some other small stuff. I knew when I would tell him to clean his room, he would stuff into the heating vent so I guess I should be glad there was no really old socks and underroos. The only bad thing is there is a draft coming down now. This room is on the list to be redone and the biggest thing it needs is a window. My grandson climbed in over the junk I have to go through in there and found out that he never bothered to tell me the window had broken, and he shoved a piece of plexiglass in there as a repair, but it is not adhered to the frame anymore. That room may need to be done before the garage.

We looked at furniture and I cannot find anything I am totally happy with. I found a sectional I loved but it won't work in my house because of the way it's configured. It would block that patio door or the basement door. I cannot find tables at all. I wanted USB charging ports built in but they are not easy to find. I may look into charging strips that I can attach to the back of regular tables. Then I hit a new bump, my husband has decided we have to get Leather furniture. I am not happy with that at all, 3 cats and a dog will not make that look very nice after a bit. My decision is how do I compromise what I want with what is available? I need to make up my mind this weekend so I can get the order going. It is taking 6-8 weeks for orders to come in,

Not a good idea with cats!


We wanted end tables with USB ports in them too. We actually found ours at Ollies. They are espresso colored, have 2 USB ports in the back of each, plus an electrical outlet. They were like $89, but I had a 20% off coupon so it made them not too expensive. They look nice and go well with our new living room set and I found a coffee table on Wayfair that matched them almost exactly.

I went to my grandson's Basketball game last night. It was a huge game against their rival school. They won the game but lost my grandson for the season. He made a great play to keep a ball inbounds but he fell awkwardly. He bruised his hip, that's not too bad, be laid on the floor clutching his knee sobbing. When he fell his knee was trapped under his body. I knew it was bad when they had to carry him to his dad's truck. They saw Urgent Care today and he is in an immobilizer and on crutches. He goes back Thursday for an MRI to see how bad the damage is; it is still too swollen right now. He has 7 weeks til baseball season starts so we are praying he recovers quickly for that. I did tell my daughter I think he should go to the last 3 games and I will take him. She is on night shift this week. The team is undefeated and will most likely take the Championship so he should cheer on his teammates.

Oh well it is dinner time and I have no idea what to make. I may order Chinese Food or Bob Evans. Hope everyone has a good evening.

 

[Breezy_Carol]

Watching the recorded Olympic Opening. Ceremonies because DH wanted to. But, he is asleep in his recliner. At least the music is good but the announcers cannot stop talking.

Finished my Bryce Canyon jigsaw. It was a challenge. Now starting one of Sanibel captiva.

They won the game but lost my grandson for the season.

That is too bad about your grandson’s knee.

Tomorrow going to church then to DD’s house to try the Royal icing on cookies.

 

[tazdev3225]

@lynxstch I never thought of Ollies for furniture. We have one not tremendously far away. Maybe I'll take my husband for a drive on Monday after the electrician finishes up.

@Breezy_Carol Thank you. I feel so bad for him. This boy lives for his sports and he is such a gifted athlete. I have bad knees and it's something I hoped my grandkids would never have to deal with. My left knee has had 5 surgeries and I said enough. I'll live with the pain.

Dinner wound up being a frozen pizza. My husband wasn't in the mood for much else. Have a good evening everyone.

 

[easyas123]

No big plans for the day--laundry, vacuuming, cleaning bathrooms. Making grocery list, gathering trash..same old same old..lol

Sounds like my plans for tomorrow! Plus grocery shopping!

Ds3 turns 21 on Super Bowl Sunday so I'm having the kids over for a birthday/Super Bowl party. Called the bakery that Ds1 used for the wedding cupcakes and checked on ordering some cake pops for the party. Since I won't have a big order, they suggested calling the day before to set some aside to be picked up.

Happy b'day to him!

QOTD Do you like the month of February?

I never thought about it....we usually travel in Feb. so it's a break we look forward to, so I guess l like it! We don't celebrate valentines really, so that doesn't matter to much to us.

And a secondary QOTD, because I am on a roll and @footballmouse brought it up, Will you watch the Olympics?

yes we do -watched the relay biathlon and ladies ski jump this evening.

I have some political issues with the location. Nothing more to say.

I've got something to say about it... it's horrific what they are doing in terms of the internment camps. Just god-awful. I'm watching in support of OUR athletes and others who have worked so hard. The chinese are doing terrible things-

ditto ditto ditto ditto....though I llove the cross country skiiing events.

I'm looking forward to several events. But yeah, the skiing is fun to watch!

I try to get to the Festival of the Arts in February. We are on our way down there now

Just back from our trip there! HAVE FUN!

groundhog under my shed.

We have one that tunnels into one of our barns, and one that lives under a small bridge we have down by the pond...we call him Reginald. The one in the barn will have a pile of dire 2' high in no time!

This is Roscoe

Handsome fella. There have been several Boston's in my family - a great dog for sure.

My daffodils have broke ground

I think we are a good month if not more from that but I'm looking forward to it -

DH’s appt went well yesterday. Has another follow up in three months and if things are good, it will be yearly. If not, they talk about next steps. He treated me to a nice breakfast afterward.

Glad he made out okay!

My granddaughter was accepted to the local Community College. I really urged her to consider it for financial reasons and colleges all require the same basic courses for 2 years.

Damn good for her. And a smart & wise recommendation from you in terms of financial reasons.

My mom of course looked down on the news. Community Colleges are beneath her.

Then let her look down. I think it's SMART not to encourage kids to go into debt when they can get the classes taken care of cheaper at CC...unless of course, your mother wants to foot the bill.

I saw a Dr's name that they were explicitly told to not let go anywhere near my case.

I would call the Medicare place and tell them you never saw/dealt with that Dr. and you think the billing is incorrect.

QOTD Do you play Wordle?

No - but to be honest I've never been a big word game person.

I've attached a lot of pictures from yesterday

Happy B'day to your father!

They saw Urgent Care today and he is in an immobilizer and on crutches. He goes back Thursday for an MRI to see how bad the damage is

Good luck to him, hope he is back in fighting condition soon!

Welp, we are back from Florida no worse for wear. Tired. Had a good time. Quick takeaways....Art Festival was a lot more crowded than usual but it's a unusual time. Genie + is a clumsy PITA, we figured it out and used it but geez it's not very user friendly. Our stay at Wilderness Lodge - Boulder Ridge - was nice. The DVC units are in need of a update, which I understand is scheduled, but were clean and our view was great! The weather was sooooo nice, warm and mild. It was just what we needed. Anyone who is a fan of Lilly Pulitzer is in luck - seems to be back in style, it was everywhere!! As were high waisted BELL BOTTOMS. Noticed not so much empty shelves in the stores, but more of center aisle displays gone and a lot more walking space in the store. So they have removed a lot of tables and displays to distract from the fact that there isn't as much merchandise. What we had at the booths in EPCOT were good, although I took no pictures...we just lived in the moment! Did the new Rat ride in new France area. Ride was fine but nothing to write home about although we did decide to rewatch the move at some point soon.
Used several Ubers during our stay, always quick to pick up with no wait. All drivers say it's been slow for them. Buses not full, from what we saw. Mask usage seemed to be pretty good in areas that required it. Interesting - we saw a lot more folks on scooters and for the first time we noticed folks on scooters drinking beers. Like - several of them. And it was kinda busy, so I'm not sure how that was allowed. I will say the fact that almost everyone was on their phones was at times obnoxious. I think it's a part by-product of Genie but dang, every person is walking around face down in their phone, I was walked into several times. No one is living in the real moment. They are all trying to get their next ride booked. It was not a great look on humanity. Had some good food, some great drinks and wonderful service. Took the auto train back home. Left about 30 minutes early from Sanford, FL and arrived about a hour early in Lorton, VA. Didn't sleep great but it is what it is. Train was about half full. We had a roomette, tried to upgrade to a 1 bedroom when we checked in but they were all booked . Next time. Anyway - we were home and hugging on the dog by 10:45 AM. Dog did great with my niece spending the week with him and so we are thrilled with that - she is up for more dog sitting in the future and we are looking forward to be able to go away with full confidence he's in very good hands.

Ordered in from the local pizza joint tonight. We are just wiped - watched some Olympics, spent some time in the hot tub working out the kinks and are hitting the hay early. Grocery shopping on tap tomorrow. Back to work next week. Last Vegas (work trip) and Denver nest week. Still tossing back and forth our trip to Europe at end of March. What a hassle -
Have a wonderful evening everyone - Sorry for anything and everything I've missed over the last week.

 

[Breezy_Carol]

Welcome back @easyas123, glad you had a nice get away. Sometime I'll need to have Genie+ explained to me. Also nice that your dog sitter was a success. Always good to have one you trust. And nice to hear about your trip.

@tazdev3225, I forgot to mention about furniture. Have you looked at Wayfair? I have been happy with them so far. Got bar stools for DS's kitchen counter, outdoor porch furniture for DD, and a rug for us. The rug came in two days. The furniture is nice and holding up well. I was just looking at them and they have a lot, many end tables with built in charging stations.

 

[Kirby]

Loved your pictures Mona! Looks like your dad will have a good time for quite a while.

I also have started doing some stretching everyday. I downloaded an app and it gives you guided stretching exercises....most have been like 7-9 minutes long, each stretch about 30 seconds long.

I wouldn't mind doing some stretching. Would you mind telling what app you are using?

I went to my grandson's Basketball game last night. It was a huge game against their rival school. They won the game but lost my grandson for the season.

Hope he heals swiftly and all is well.

easyas, thank you for the trip report! I'd like to ride a train for travel some day. It's on my bucket list.

Slept in a little this morning. The temperature was still pretty cold outside but it warmed up nicely later on. Turned off the heat strips. DD cooked breakfast again, this time fried eggs and sausage. I did the toast.

Changed the sheets on the bed, washed them and towels. Cleaned the bathroom.

DH's oldest brother called today. Their older sister has been fighting cancer for over two years now. She is on her second chemo treatment in the last six months and it's not working. He called to ask DH if he would be willing to go stay with her for a couple of days to give her daughter (our niece) a break. She has backed out of our girl's trip so my sister in laws and I (we're all married to her brothers) decided to change the location of our girl's trip in March to be close to her. She gets so tired and the chemo doesn't make her feel good. This may be our last trip with her. We have told her that if she can't stay with us then we will come to her. I hate to think of never seeing her again but it's a reality that may happen within the year.

 

[AuntieMe3]

Night time bump....

What I am addicted to is the paint by numbers app on my phone . So addicting!!!!

Love my color by number app. LoL I do, at least, one daily but usually more. LoL

I put on the station and the song playing was called, A OK. I take that as a sign that he agrees with me and is OK with it. As my son said before, Chris just wants me to be happy and safe.

Love all your signs...

He made a great play to keep a ball inbounds but he fell awkwardly.

Ouch....I hope he's ok and heals quickly.

Welp, we are back from Florida no worse for wear.

Thanks for the trip report. I've never been to DW, Disneyland is my home and I miss it....we used to have passes but I don't like the new set up now so probably won't get them again and that makes me sad.

I wouldn't mind doing some stretching. Would you mind telling what app you are using?

It's called Stretching Exercises. Some are them are paid sessions but they do have free ones and those are what I use. There were alot of different apps when I searched but this was the first one with good reviews and 4.8 stars. LoL

Our dinner was at a seafood restaurant and it was really good. We had ceviche and crab cakes for appetizers and then I had fish tacos for dinner, DH had a crab Louie salad, and our friends split a lobster tail dinner with clam chowder. For dessert, we all shared creme brulee and a hazelnut chocolate mousse...soo yummy. We ended the night all hanging out in our 'apartment', watching Titanic. Great night.

 

[Snowysmom]

@AuntieMe3 I love the signs too. It makes me feel like Chris is right beside me. It sounds like you had a fun night.

@Kirby I am sorry about your SIL. How nice that you all changed your trip to be near her and visit her. So kind!

@easyas123 I agree with your statement about the olympics and the venue. I am glad you had a nice trip to Disney. I am looking forward to our family trip in the Fall. My older DGD is excited as now she is tall enough to ride all the rides. She loves the coasters. Nana will be sitting beside her or behind her and Dad.

I am back to the house today to sort out some pots and pans. Time to throw out the old ones. I also need to bring more boxes to DS's house. I see what I have brought from the house and it is not alot of stuff. Yesterday I had to sort through a plastic drawer container that Chris kept. I found professional pictures from when we went on our cruise to Alaska. That would good for a long cry session. The pictures were so nice and he looked so handsome. It was our 40th anniversary. We had such a good time.

Have a nice Sunday.

 

[PollyannaMom]

Just saying good morning. I have a cat half in my lap and have been drinking coffee and watching "Crikey! It's the Irwins" on Animal Planet.

 

[lynxstch]

@lynxstch I never thought of Ollies for furniture. We have one not tremendously far away. Maybe I'll take my husband for a drive on Monday after the electrician finishes up.

I just thought of another store that had the same table. If you have a Big Lots near you, check them out too!

@Breezy_Carol Thank you. I feel so bad for him. This boy lives for his sports and he is such a gifted athlete. I have bad knees and it's something I hoped my grandkids would never have to deal with. My left knee has had 5 surgeries and I said enough. I'll live with the pain.

Dinner wound up being a frozen pizza. My husband wasn't in the mood for much else. Have a good evening everyone.

 

[tazdev3225]

Good morning. Nice brisk 16 degrees right now. I am done with the cold weather I want Spring even with my allergies.

@easyas123 - I agree about my mom. She is very judgmental and as much as I explain to her that most of my professor's taught at big NAME Universities, she still hates that I got my associates degree and am not a DOCTOR or have a master's in sciences like my brothers have. She tells everyone my youngest brother is a doctor and technically he is but it's a PhD in Nuclear Biophysics. Thanksgiving Dinner is like being in an episode of the Big Bang Theory, another brother is a chemist, and a third brother has a master's in urban Geographical Management or something like that AND retired as a Colonel from the Army. I am the black sheep of the family because i majored in Medieval History and Literature and then Psychology and Criminal Justice, and then was a stay-at-home mom after all that. She doesn't get that financially this is a great decision for my granddaughter. And the one campus is walking distance to her house, another plus. My granddaughter suffers from anxiety and will be coming from a very small high school. Going to a University where she is a very tiny fish in a very big ocean will overwhelm her. I am extremely happy with her decision. We all love my mom but pretty much have developed very thick skins around her.

Glad you had a nice trip. I rent a scooter because my body is falling apart lol. I have been known to get a drink on occasion, but it is rare. I read that sometimes people rent the ECV's just because they can and have the interpretation that it gives you advantages in the parks, it doesn't.

@lynxstch - I did start to look at Wayfair on the advice of my daughter and found cat boxes that are also tables. I am going to order 2 of them and hope my cats like them. They are very messy and are always sending litter everywhere. I am hoping that will keep it more contained and they will also be functional as I can use them for the printer and decorate them. My daughter did tell me to look further as she has ordered from them quite a bit. She has a large piece in her basement entry that stores the boys' things for sports and coats and the like. I never thought of them but something to do while hiding out in my room later while my grandson rips down the living room.

Hope everyone has a good day. I am hoping for a small miracle, and I actually get my Sunday paper today. It has been a no show for the past 2 weeks and I am really getting annoyed. Of course, I wait until tomorrow to get a replacement as they are only $1 at the dollar store compared to $5.50 if I got it today. I do love a bargain.

 

[lynxstch]

Good Sunday morning,,a brisk 12 degrees outside, but heading for 40. If it does, then almost all of the snow will be gone!

@easyas123--glad you had a good trip to WDW. I think we all need a break from 'real life' once in awhile'

@Kirby--sending prayers your SIL's way

@AuntieMe3--your dinner at the restaurant sounds delicious! And I am going to look up that stretching app also, might help my back!

Have a nice morning all