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

[flyingdumbo127]

Good Morning from me, too!

Cool and overcast but dry here. Dad is out on errands from a half hour to an hour away. He's going to Costco to order and pay for hearing aids. I admire his courage to do that! He goes back to be fitted and pick them up within two weeks when they have arrived. that they work for him and improve his quality of life!

and feel better Footballmouse!

Lynn, I also love your adorable morning picture. Here's a hug back to all of you.

PollyannaMom, for safe and efficient home repairs!

Not much else going on here, quiet morning.

I will check back in later. Have a good day, friends

 

[tazdev3225]

Good afternoon.

It was a busy week last week and another busy week this week. PSA - NEVER have a 14 year old give you an address to take them somewhere and believe it. My granddaughter needed a ride to Volleyball Camp yesterday. She sent me the address. I googled directions and it was the wrong address. We went 20 miles the wrong way but I got to tour Princeton and the University grounds. Needless to say she and her friend missed half of the camp session. If she had confirmed the address it would have taken me 20 minutes to get her there. I knew where the camp was because her sister had her dance recitals there.

Anthony is back to playing baseball and he hasn't lost a step. He even managed to evade an out in a rundown while trying to steal home, he was safe. He had 2 games last week, Wyatt had a Basketball game and Ella had 2 volleyball games so I was busy. This week is even more hectic. Today was 2 doctor's appointments - one for me and one for Jim. I am in the boot for 2 more weeks so I will decorate it for Easter. Tuesday I have to get the boys to school, food shop and pick the boys up and then head to Anthony's baseball game. Wednesday is Lancaster and I need to be home in time for Anthony's second Baseball game of the week. I have been asked to take pictures and post them of the whole team. Thursday will be an egg filling session for the church Easter Egg Hunt.; we should be filling about 600+ eggs. I think I may actually have Friday free depending on if I have to watch the boys. I may take Jim to the cemetery to visit his parents graves. I'm not really into that but his family is. Saturday Ella has Volleyball and then Jim and I are heading to a fundraiser for his cousin. She has Metastatic Breast Cancer. Her sister died from it two years ago. The following year she lost her husband to Pancreatic cancer and her father (Jim's 1st cousin) died of metastatic cancer. She worries about her 3 boys getting cancer at some point, so the fund raiser is for more research for metastatic cancer. Easter Sunday may actually be a day of rest after church. I am tired looking at my schedule and Wyatt hasn't started baseball yet.

The 2 QOTD answers.

Pasta - I always precook it. My aunt, who I loved dearly, made spaghetti in the sauce and a meat sauce separate. It was the vilest spaghetti I have ever eaten. I could never understand how she cooked it all day and the onions stayed almost raw. It was so bad that I have never made anything where I didn't precook the pasta. It brings back bad memories.

Easter - It's always church in the morning and the Easter Egg Hunt that I have been in charge of for the last 15+ years.

From the time I was born Easter was always at my aunt's house for dinner. All of my grandfather's siblings came with their families. There could be upwards of 50 people crammed in the tiny rowhouse they were all born in. Thankfully this meal was good, and I loved her spaetzle and green beans although the canned ham she insisted on was a little odd. My uncles would make eggnog, some spiked, and argued the whole time they made it. My first Easter I slept the entire afternoon because they labeled the containers wrong, and my bottle had the spiked eggnog.

My aunt passed away 35 years ago and my mom took up the challenge of Easter. The extended family no longer comes. Now it is my family minus my son, my brother's and my nephews are there as well as a stray aunt or cousin at times. My one cousin is back in our lives so she comes with her 2 children as she has no other family. Mom always has ham, turkey meatballs, potato salad, deviled eggs, Cole slaw and her Jewish Apple Cake. I bring a side dish, it may be the Mexican corn salad or a pasta salad, and a pineapple upside down cake. Sometimes I make a carrot cake too or last year I made a strawberry cake with a whipped cream (Cool Whip) icing and fresh strawberries. I may surprise my mom with a lamb cake this year. My grandfather was a baker and he made pound cakes in a lamb mold. When he passed away my uncles, who were also bakers, took the molds and continued the traditions. My cousins who now run a bakery don't make the cakes. They stick a plastic face on a cake. We have missed that cake for years. I found the molds on Amazon so I may try and buy one and attempt it. If not this year, definitely next year.

Not much else going on here. I did read to catch up and prayers and good wishes for all who need them. Hope you all have a great day.

 

[AuntieMe3]

Good morning all or afternoon for most of you now...its raining AGAIN!! OmGosh....I'm soo tired of it. I think I've said it before but Southern Californians are not built for this. We need sunshine. I just saw a FB memory of my lilac bush fully bloomed and so far there's nothing yet.

My mood is a bit better today. Second guessing what to do for Easter. Wondering if we should just stay home, my dad has plans in the morning but will be home alone most of the day. DHs out of town work has extended a couple days so he won't be home until at least Thursday but most likely Friday. I know he's not going to want to travel 2 hours close to where he is now for the day. So I'll need to decide what to do so I can pick up food for us to eat if we stay home.

Feels like a lazy day today, hoping Dolly feels that way too.

Have a great day all.

 

[lynxstch]

Absolutely beautiful here. Sunshine, slight breeze, 70 degees. I got the rider out and did the back lawn, then did all the weedwacking. I think I started something, all I could hear after I turned the mower off was the sound of mowers and trimmers going, lol. Everything looks so pretty now. I bet it lasts less than a week before it needs it again.

Before Dave left yesterday I told him to bring his work notebook and his bigger tape measure. We want him to give us an estimate on a new metal roof. The guy next door just came over and asked me for his number, for his landlord, who claims he doesn't have anybody to fix their roof. I told Micah that Dave will be here tonight or tomorrow and I'll make sure he talks to him. I don't like giving out his number without asking him first. So he may have 2 roof jobs to do soon.

@AuntieMe3 Sorry you are getting more rain. I didn't think Southern CA got that much rain!

I am taking the afternoon off and going to sit out on the new deck in the sunshine. I give it 15 minutes before the little boy next door sees and comes running over to sit and tell me silly jokes, he's so cute. it always starts with him standing in his yard yelling Hi Miss Lynn, and he comes running over. I send him back to tell either his Mom or Dad where he is. I don't want them not knowing. His older brother yelled at me yesterday, Miss Lynn, I need to give you a hug and came running over. He's going to his Dads house in NY and he always wants me to give him a hug before he leaves and when he comes home. He's 7. and Cash is 5 He showed me his 2 missing front teeth and told me all about his girlfriend. He says I like her but she's a pain sometimes, lol!


Have a nice afternoon

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Dad thankful update is that all went very well at the Costco hearing center. He's still so pleased by the quality of care he's received there. Extra to God for that for sure. One day, when he’s not at Costco for any appointment, he will use our free $10 Costco gift card that he got when he met Terri there to become a member. The refer a friend program really is a nice thing that Costco offers. He even found a good parking space today which as you know is a rare Costco feat! He was briefly headed to nearby Walmart and i just heard him come

Taz and as always I so admire your spirit and outlook! Thank you for all you do for so many especially through church and for your grandkids Oh no, to wrong directions How frustrating! Good reminder to double check especially with younger teens! I do hope she and her friend enjoyed the camp! Other than the spiked eggnog perhaps, what a lovely long lasting Easter tradition! Thank you for carrying it on and hopefully personalizing to work for you, for all in your family. Health prayers to you and your DH always!

to you as well AuntieMe3, prayers you feel better and lighter of spirit, too! Paws and prayers for a cozy and restful day withI'm sorry it'sthere. Here, for a change all is dry for now, just for me as usual, too chilly. Take care please!

God Bless those precious neighbors of yours, dear Lynn! What kind boys. I'm so glad you have them in your life to bring you extra cheer. Thank you for making a kind difference to them as well. Roof and more so R and R for you this afternoon please I didn't know we got this much rain either! So ready for Summer. But as I always say and sincerely mean, I pray to give thanks and be grateful to God in all.

Enjoy the rest of the afternoon everyone and please stay well and warm!

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Thread save with cozy and sweet dream wishes to each of you with love.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Good morning! Was so exhausted I fell asleep at 8pm last night - rare to go to bed bed before DH does, but then woke up at 1am. Toto was whining around 3:30 to go out and my stomach hurt I was hungry so made some toast and marmalade. DS worked a double shift overnight. We’re like ships passing in the night around here.

DS and DH made a lot of progress in the family room, primarily cleaning out stuff but starting the demolition, too. Walls are half bare. We did stop at Lowe’s Sunday and they do still have our nice gray paneling which I was glad about. We also looked at insulation and bought some boards for something they needed to do w the walls. DD and I went to the section of the store we liked and looked at window shade and lighting options, lol. DS wants a palm tree down there, he is obsessed with FL. With their work schedules on opposite ends it might be a little challenging for them to do the work but they’ll chip away at it.

I was thinking as I was reading here this morning that it’s so nice that we can think of eachother during our days, isn’t it? Nice group of friends!

Taz, your “wrong way” story reminded me of one of ours. We were in FL for a baseball tournament and this trip we had to bring my 92 yr old mother (cause I couldn’t leave her alone anymore). We’d gotten our minivan at the airport, then me, DH, DD and Mom went to Denny’s for lunch and quickly ran to the grocery store before we had to go back to the airport to get DS’s girlfriend who was arriving on a different flight. It was her first time traveling w us in FL. So picture this motley crew in the minivan with everyone’s luggage and groceries all jammed in. Mom and DD were in the middle and the gf was in the way back on a single seat. (She seemed ok but we didn’t know till much later that she was apparently hugely car sick back there that day!) Before we checked into our condo we had to go to the game. We plugged the address in for the field, and off we went.

The field was an hour away, and in an area we were unfamiliar with that was all a bunch of nothing. The gf reluctantly mentioned she was hungry and hadn’t eaten all day, so we were looking for somewhere to pull in so she could get a bite to eat, but there was nothing. We saw one strip mall w a restaurant so we pulled in and it was closed. I told her to rummage through the grocery bags to find something and she did, but it was just like a cereal bar or something. Finally when we were nearing the field we found a McDonalds. She doesn’t eat McDonald’s but said she didn’t care, she’d eat anything at this point. So we get the food and off we go to the field right down the street. (This has already been the longest ride of my life!) So we get to the field and I’m saying this can’t be right, no one is here. So the gf texts DS and he is at a whole other field 50 mins away in a different direction! OMG!! Fields were changed but we never saw it! So off we went again once more and we finally made it to the field after what seems like FOREVER, and it turned out it was a field we’d been to many times before which was right near our condo! We’d missed half the game. (Thankfully DS a relief pitcher and we did get to see him pitch that night. I have a great pic of Mom watching him warm up from outside the bullpen that is one of my favorites - she adored him!)

Things got even better later on when the game went into extra innings. The sun went down and Mom got cold, wanted to get going! So we found a blanket somewhere and wrapped her up in it in her wheelchair, she was not a happy camper! (For some reason she was “off” that night, totally not used to traveling and it had been a super long day already.) Thankfully she got better later, but we do have some funny stories from that trip. Like the morning we were sleeping and the door to our bedroom burst open around 5am and it’s mom with her walker (bang, clang) looking for the bathroom, which was weird because there was one right next to her room where she was with DD but she walked through the whole condo to come use ours, lol. She also made a little remark about the gf and I had to read her the riot act. She was a proud lady and it was hard for her letting someone she didn’t know see her in a vulnerable state, but she had to get used to it. It turned out the gf was very helpful to me and to her so she did learn to deal with it. But omg, what a trip! (Rides at WDW with her are a story for another day!)

@tazdev3225, will you share your recipe for Mexican Corn? We made some the other night with that mexican spaghetti, I’ve been into it lately. We used corn, chopped red onion and peppers, chili powder, lime juice and that fresco cheese (or something like that). It was pretty good. There’s a restaurant we like that has corn on the cob covered with something (I think it has mayo maybe and Mexican spices, then you put an avocado dressing on it) and I can’t get enough of it!

Today I have about an hour’s worth of work from home and depending on the weather, will take dogs out for some exercise. Then I have something I have to ship and I’d like to get some work done in my bedroom. High hopes, I’ll probably be exhausted by then again. Wish me luck. Enjoy your Tuesday everyone!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Two things I forgot to say. Auntie I can’t help but thinking your mood could be hormone related? Peri-menopause does weird things to us. There was a large peri-menopause thread here, you could do a search. When I was at that stage it helped me. I realized that the night terrors I was having were hormone related from that thread. No one really talks about it, and if you ask about it at the doctor’s they don’t have much to say. (Maybe not a lot of definitive answers in the research, idk.) I think other women are probably most helpful in sharing stories. See what you think. And scratches to Miss Dolly!

Oh and thanks for the QOTD feedback on whether you cook pastas before adding to dishes. We always cooked pasta first, too. But we get a lot of our cooking ideas from posters on Instagram and I swear, it seems almost no one cooks pasta in water anymore except the old Italian grandmas! (Who I LOVE watching, btw. Some have their own IG cooking feeds.) Most people add their pasta to whatever they’re cooking. I’ve decided it’s definitely too starchy for me that way and I can’t eat it, so from now on if a recipe includes pasta we’re going to cook it first in water and then add it. I don’t know when that trend started but it must be fairly recent. I’m sure it saves time and pot washing, but I think, for us, it’s a worthwhile tradeoff.

 

[Snowysmom]

Good morning. I have been up for a while, made coffee, and changed the bed. All before work.

@Pea-n-Me You have a busy life lately. Toast and marmalade sounds so good. I have to buy some now.

We have a funny family story about getting lost. We were going to WDW and always rented a car. The kids were young, Jeff was around 7 or 8 and Kenny would be around 11. We were driving in an area we knew was not right. It was not going to get us to the resort. Jeff caught onto this and a quiet little voice came out of the back seat, Are we lost........in Florida? It helped to break the stress and we all laughed. We still talk about it. We did find out way to I4 and all was well. Jeff was a sensitive little guy.

Off to work. If you could please say prayers for a really good coworker. She lost her son over the weekend to sudden cardiac arrest. He was only in his 30s and had 2 children. We are all devastated for her. Thanks.

Have a good day.

 

[PollyannaMom]

Of course, @Snowysmom!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Prayers said. How awful.

@Snowysmom My mother was a big marmalade person. I always buy it. I use it on ham, too.

 

[easyas123]

Off to work. If you could please say prayers for a really good coworker. She lost her son over the weekend to sudden cardiac arrest. He was only in his 30s and had 2 children. We are all devastated for her. Thanks.

So young, and with small children. Good thoughts going out to your coworker and her son's family.

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Good Morning,

Snowysmom, how very tragic indeed, I'm so sorry. Not the same but that was similar to how my Grandpa died. He was much older at going on 75. Sudden and out of the blue. Extra humble reminder this morning to cherish every moment of life. Please don't wait to tell someone you care about or love that you do. Now. Many to your coworker along with an extra to you, her kind friend.

Just extra with appreciation and love to all of you.

I will check back in later.

 

[lynxstch]

I am late today. They are bringing a dump truck full of mushroom compost at 1 and I had to move the brush pile and pass the tiller through the garden one time. I will have to get the neighbor to spread it for me, assuming they can just dump it at the end of the garden for me. I am already tired and it's not even noon. I don't even have the energy to find a picture for today. Maybe later


@Snowysmom Prayers for your friend, so sad

@Pea-n-Me Thank you for the baseball tournament story, I needed that laugh right now. I know it wasn't funny to you at the time, but I was laughing all the way through it

Have a nice day

 

[lynxstch]

Just a bump from the bottom of the page. Garden is tilled, brush pile is burned, mushroom compost was brought in a dump truck. Guy next door is going to spread it. I uncovered the AC unit and my herb box, and I have had it for the day.

Have a nice evening

 

[Snowysmom]

Lynn You are making me tired with all you do. Please take a rest.

@Pea-n-Me I never thought to use marmalade on ham. My Nana loved marmalade on her toast which is why I love it too.

I went over to the new condo complex today as there was a small issue with color numbers for the cabinet and drawer hardware. The guy said we could resolve it on the phone but I could not really visualize what I had picked and wanted to see the actual stuff. If I were still in the old condo it would have been done on the phone. But, being 15 minutes away, I took a nice drive in the nice weather. Hopefully it is now all settled.

It is so nice to take a walk in this great weather. The birds are really chirping away and I stop now and then to try to spot them.

Thank you for the prayers for my friend and her family.

Have a nice evening.

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Lynn, I agree with Snowysmom. All you have done today is making me tired, too. Please get some rest. Relax!

Snowysmom, I am also a visual person and would have also chosen to go see the colors/styles. Continuing new Condo prayers, my friend.

Quiet afternoon here. Dad will be staying home tomorrow which is always something I'm grateful for. Maybe we will do the last that we have right now with an picture. I will share a picture and virtual if we do

Have a great rest of the afternoon and evening, friends.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Quiet here today. Evening bump.

 

[Kirby]

Mona there are a lot of products out there for calluses.

I had a pedicure five years ago that left my heels as soft as a babys behind. The pedicurist told me to put Vaseline Petroleum Jelly on my heels and socks before I went to bed. She said it would keep my heels nice and soft. I tried it for awhile and she was right. But I don't like to sleep in socks so I stopped doing it.

QOTD: Are you old fashioned about cooking pasta and cook it in water? Or are you following the new trends of adding it directly to dishes and letting it cook that way?

I cook mine in water. Haven't tried to cook it any other way.

. If you could please say prayers for a really good coworker. She lost her son over the weekend to sudden cardiac arrest. He was only in his 30s and had 2 children. We are all devastated for her.

Done.

My mother was a big marmalade person.

So was mine, she also liked fig preserves. Whenever I would travel I would always look for them for her. I still find myself looking at jams, jellies, preserves, etc. for her, then remembering she's not here anymore.

It's been a week and I know some of you are wondering how things went last week for Carol. Last Wednesday was her Compel hearing. She didn't have to attend. Her ex's attorney did not show so the judge awarded Carol $2000 to pay for court costs and attorney's fees. It is to be paid to her attorney, we shall see if her ex pays it. Her ex also has until April 12th to turn in the documentation required for his Discovery. Her attorney also tried to get the Temporary Restraining Order, TRO, dissolved but the judge wouldn't do it. Her attorney thinks it was because he wanted her ex and his attorney to actually show up in court.

Last Friday was Carol's TRO hearing. Her ex, his wife and his attorney did show up but her ex and wife would not enter the court room. To make a long story short, the judge canceled the hearing but not before the ex's attorney was put in his place. Carol's attorney was prepared to lay into her ex, Carol saw the questions he was going to ask and confront him with. After this she is very confident in his ability to represent her. The liaison is going to put together a different visitation plan for the ex as far as summer visitation goes so he can't refuse her time to see the kids. The liaison now sees that the ex is the one that is being difficult, not Carol and he didn't make a very good impression with the judge either by not entering the court room. While it would have been satisfying to see the ex get his comeuppance, Carol is satisfied with how things turned out.

Carol and I went to First Monday Trade Days in Canton on Saturday morning. It was a nice, cool day for walking around. We bought a few things, I got a new Tupperware colander, some jerky for Joe and some pickles for James. I was so tired when we got home that I had to lay down and take a short nap.

Sunday we drove over to visit with James and have lunch with him. He drove down to Houston yesterday and is now there for the long haul and began his first transplant chemo today. He found out a couple of days ago that his donor lives in South Africa.

 

[Snowysmom]

@Kirby Thoughts and prayers for your DD and family as she continues to try to be sure the kids are the top priority. The ex is just being theatrical and judges do not like that. It is good that the liaison now knows who is the one who is difficult. Nice that you had a good day with DD walking and shopping.

I have been watching the birds at the feeder. I can see them from my room so I can take a work break and watch. One morning I saw a bunny there. We had bunnies at our old house. It is nice to see and Kenny was so kind to get that for me.
I go into the office tomorrow so I will be leaving Kenny's around 5:30 to beat the traffic. I don't mind as I am up early. I just get everything ready the night before. The kids are here tonight. I am making them mac and cheese from the recipe I made when Kenny and Jeff were little. I hope they like it.

Off to work. Have a good day.