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

[footballmouse]

Happy Friday!

Looks like we might get some snow starting this afternoon . I asked Evan last night if he had a plan set up in case he gets called out to plow or salt while Bailey is away. He said "yeah, Mia will go with me" . I told him that as long as it's not on a weekend, he needs to bring her to my house to spend the night.

On Wed I went out to get the kids at the bus at the usual time only to see the bus drive off with the kids in it. I was horrified.

Well that would have scared anyone picking up their kids ! Especially for someone like you who doesn't pick them up everyday. Who knew she looped around. Glad it was straightened out quickly.

overshadow and ironworks

Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! I had 2 other people working on this puzzle and none of us could figure it out!

New season of Ghosts started last night so I was able to catch that.

I had my meeting yesterday with my boss, I didn't get fired . I did get back my 1 day working from home . I also mentioned that I think it's dumb to have an out of office message on my email indicating that I'm working remote. That should only be used if I'm actually out of the office and not working. And I asked why I'm the only one that is required to have this. He agreed and said I didn't have to do that.

I have to work my other job tomorrow but at least I'm off on Sunday. Evan's chickens are really plopping out the eggs . He has 4 dozen as of yesterday so I'm going to run down on Sunday and grab a dozen . Cross that off my grocery list.

Almost forgot, Evan acquired another cat yesterday . It ran across the street towards his driveway while he was backing out, he said he almost hit it so he stopped. Cat ran right up to him. He said she's a scrawny little thing, very skinny. Of course he brought her in the house and she's doing fine with his other cats and none of them are bothering her. I told him that his next pet was supposed to be a dog, not another cat. Oh well, I've always said my boys are just like me when it comes to animals.

Guess I should get to work. Have a great day!

 

[Judique]

I'm behind but back home! Cat hair everywhere! I'll be doing a lot of cleaning today.

Trip was wonderful! I did parks before family arrived.

**edit: enjoyed Yak N Yeti while at Animal Kingdom, plus quick service a few times.

Then we ate, ate and ate some more.

So good to see them! Brother is doing well after having cancer and is walking with the aide of a chair. He can walk a bit, then sit and be pushed, or he can walk quite far just pushing the chair.

First morning they met me at Ale and Compass for breakfast on me. This was a hit as they didn't really know about it and everyone found something to enjoy.

I moved over to Swan after their arrival and we started with having dinner at Il Mulino. Everyone shared app's and a few entrees for four which is an option to make a family style dinner on their menu. Still had leftover food. I thought it was all delicious.

Two mornings we had breakfast at Garden Grove at the Swan. Large portions! I could barely eat half of my fruit and yoghurt.

My evening there we went to Riviera and dined at Topolino's. This was outstanding and beyond my expectations. Prior I was of the opinion that it was over hyped. Meanwhile, older brother declared it one of his best dining experiences of all time. So good that Neice booked it again for after her husband's arrival.

Next, we moved over to Celebration. Brother and Sil love this area for walking around the lakes, using the aide of the chair. (Chair was available from the hotel as needed through there bell service.) I saw so many birds this time that I didn't expect, two being a Green Heron and a red shouldered Hawk, so close and pecking at grass. The hotel has a lot of charm in my opinion and was comfortable and accommodating. That said, it's showing some age so may not be up to some expectations. I'll be back and hope we can stay there again next year. We had very nice breakfasts here. And happy hours with charcuterie to share. I have to call and get the name of one of their cabernet's on that menu.

While here we went back to Disney Springs to Boathouse. That was overall, pretty good. We ate outside looking towards the water and could see the hot air balloon going up and down plus the amphicars and the boats coming and going from OKW and SSR. The lobster bisque was delicious and everyone loved their little rolls. All of the food was good. A bit noisy and less organized than the more formal restaurants, but overall, good. I should say our servers everywhere we ate were all excellent, friendly and knowledgeable.

My last evening dinner that I looked forward to was Reggiano's at Celebration. This replaced D'Antonio's which I used to love. It was a disaster from start to finish. Some of the food was good, but there were too many misses. Our server was not the problem and did their best.

After I left, family were still doing more, such as Citrico's at the Grand Floridian and Charley's Steak house in Celebration. This group travels on their stomaches, lol. We enjoyed our last breakfast together and I repeated an earlier breakfast which was quiche, fruit and muffins. I only gained 2 pounds!

I drove back on wed and thurs, arriving mid afternoon. One of my best trips because I spent it with family. Hard almost to believe I'll be back last week of March for another family trip, unusual for me as I do some solo or with just one friend.

 

[lynxstch]

Good morning. Cold, but sunny. Hitting the mid 40's today, winter storm warning for tonight. Depending on who you listen to , it's either an inch or less, 2-4" , and 6+ to the west of us. An inch would be fine with me.

I was lucky yesterday. The local country station was giving away concert tickets. When they played a certain artist, if you were caller 4, you won a pair of tickets. I tried a few times in the morning and couldn't get through. Yesterday afternoon as soon as I heard the song, I tried,, and it rang, and I was caller 4! I won really good seats to see Scotty McCreery (From American Idol and now a country star if you don't know who he is). I'm excited. It's on March 14 in Johnstown PA (about an hour from here). Summer is going to go with me, and she bought 2 more tickets for the girls, (different seats, but no big deal, they'd rather sit together than with us anyhow, lol), so we're going to make a girls trip out of it. It's been ages since I've been to any concert, and she's never been to one. She's worried the music is going to be too loud, lol. I told her unless you're standing in the middle of a crowded floor during a KISS concert, a country music concert isn't going to be that loud. Been there done that. It should be a fun evening. Hopefully nothing comes up before then to spoil it.

I'm going to start spring cleaning the master bedroom today. Windows, blinds, and curtains, at least to start with.

Have a great Friday!

 

[bobbiwoz]

@Judique, I enjoyed reading about your culinary adventures. We feel we have had some best dishes EVER at Topolinos, so happy your group enjoyed it too! My DSis declared it her best experience ever as well.

 

[Snowysmom]

Lynn Congrats on the concert tickets. Sounds like it will be a great concert.

 

[Judique]

@Judique, I enjoyed reading about your culinary adventures. We feel we have had some best dishes EVER at Topolinos, so happy your group enjoyed it too! My DSis declared it her best experience ever as well.

One of my brother's other favorites was the dry martini he had at Belle Vue Lounge at Boardwalk. He kept talking about it!
Since moving around wasn't all that easy for him, we sought out spots that were easier to access, such as riding the Friendship boat to Boardwalk and using the BWI elevator to get up to the lounge.

Riviera disappointed him in the 'pre dinner cocktail' category. We all arrived early and the lounge area at Toppolino's does not open until the dining room opens. That left a selection from Petit Cafe or Bar Riva - they serve in plastic glasses, probably because of the pool access. I care not, but he felt this was not acceptable. The solution would have been a later dinner, but early was what we stumbled upon. By chance Neice found a last minute table and I said 'book it before it disappears'! Otherwise it would have been a night at Flying Fish.

 

[PollyannaMom]

Loving the sunshine today!! I think it's all the brighter for the snow on the ground. It's windy, but one of the cats wanted to go out anyway, so I wore the big puffy coat and took her for a little while. It wasn't too bad.

DH and I went down to Bourne yesterday, as it would have been his brother's birthday. - Thankfully we weren't on the bridge when that ice fell on a car!

(@Pea-n-Me, we did drive by your folks' section and give a wave.)

We stopped for lunch on the way home at a really eclectic place: http://stompinggroundsgrille.com/#home-1-section
It was tiny - just a converted house, but it had the coolest cool music memorabilia on display, and the food was excellent!

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Happy Friday everyone with a big extra hug to Snowysmom. I am so sorry you went through that. How scary, grandma! Grateful to God all is ok. PollyannaMom, extra hug to you of course, too, my friend. Kiddos are sure resilient. God Bless your son and the little girl.

Grandma drove me to school until 10th grade when I opted to attend a magnet school rather than very close to where we lived regular high school. The school I went to was a good half hour+ away. 10th and 11th grades I rode the bus both ways except when grandma picked me up for an orthodontist appointment. I was thrilled to get my braces off at the end of 10th grade. I was so blessed to have a wonderful orthodontist. The morning pickup was in front of a nearby McDonalds. It brings a smile to my face to remember grandma often enjoying breakfast there. The afternoon drop off was across the street.

I remember one afternoon when my regular bus driver was off, my route home ran super late. This was in the days before cell phones. Grandma, of course, was very concerned! I had no way of reaching her. Finally, did make it to my stop an hour later. Thank God all was fine and of course I was much older than the kids in both of your shares were.

Prayers extra indeed for all kids and bus drivers!'

Snowysmom, absolutely sleeping in the chair overall is much healthier for me. The chair as you said is supportive and soft. The kitchen table chair is hard as a rock! What happens sometimes is when I am laying on right side (remember the boot is on my left foot so I don't want to be sleeping on that side) the area of my leg just under my left knee and before the start of the boot feels sore! It's the leg pressing into the chair. I hope this makes sense! I definitely am grateful to also be able to rest here at the table.

Prayers dear Bobbi for health always and peaceful rest to dear you and Tom!

Footballmouse, God Bless your son for giving a home to another cat. Thank you always for all the love you give Mia!

Welcome home, Judique! I am excited and so thankful extra to God that you enjoyed such a fun trip, yay!

Congratulations dear Lynn! I am thrilled that you have something plain happy to look forward to!

Dad is on his way home now from the laundromat. Quiet morning here. All is well. XO to all. I will come back later.

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Thread Save with xo

 

[SpaceMan5]

Just wanted to say Hi to ya'll. Still following along.

 

[PollyannaMom]

For your morning amusement, my kitty watching a bird video:

 

[Snowysmom]

@PollyannaMom Cute kitty picture.

@dazedx3 Thinking of you. Have you been on your trip yet?

Good morning. It is 26 degrees here now, going in the mid 30s. Yesterday the wind was so strong. I walked a couple of times and even with a hat, heavy coat, and gloves I was freezing. Glad the wind is less today. My friend and I have been talking about our Disney trip in May. We are going to basically wing it, doing what we want when we want. I want to make one ADR at Brown Derby. Chris and I never got there and I really want to try it. Other than that we will snack our way through the parks and hit the food and wine booths.

This is an alone weekend as Jeff and family are in Maine and Kenny is working. I may go to the gym later or walk at the local lake. I am going to go to Target to see if they have Easter candy out yet. I was surprised that CVS had very little out right now. I am also going to the Paper Store to see if they have an Easter basket toys for the grandkids. I have been looking for a floor lamp for behind my chair but cannot find anything that I would want. I am going to take a break for now. I need a break from making decisions right now anyway. Some days I can't even decide what I want for dinner as crazy as that sounds. I have been missing Chris alot lately, feeling lonely, and need to just be with that for a bit. My therapist tells me I need to let the kids know how I feel but I don't really want to. I feel like they have their lives to live and not worry about me. Thankfully they have been able to move on with their families which is great. Now on to housework. Cleaning the bathrooms and showers today. Fun times.

Have a good Saturday.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I have been missing Chris alot lately, feeling lonely, and need to just be with that for a bit. My therapist tells me I need to let the kids know how I feel but I don't really want to. I feel like they have their lives to live and not worry about me. Thankfully they have been able to move on with their families which is great.

First, it's natural to be missing him around Valentine's Day.

But I also think it's OK to talk to your kids about it. It's not as if they've "moved on" from the exact same situation as you and wouldn't understand. They'll get that even though you lost the same person they did, your loss is different. It didn't just involve Chris himself, but all your day-to-day routines and plans for the future.

They're in a part of their lives that would revolve around their kids anyway, even if Chris was still here. But I bet they'd draw you into that kid stuff more if they knew you wanted to be included.

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Snowysmom and PollyannaMom, such kind and wise words to Snowysmom, ITA. Thank you both for sharing.

Grace of God, I did get more sleep last night. Cool morning here. coming possibly later tomorrow. So ready for I have meant to share how much I am enjoying Guideposts 40 Devotions for Lent. This is a little booklet, each day with a very short devotional and related Scripture. I would recomnend.

Happy Saturday. Love and Peace to all.

 

[Snowysmom]

Thanks PollyannaMom. My kids do try to involve me in their lives but they have such busy schedules that it is hard for them to find the time. I do spend more time with Kenny's kids just due to they are less busy and Kenny is nearby. I do help Kenny by picking up the kids at the bus when he has to work later. And then I usually have dinner with them. He also invites me to the Museums if his GF isn't going with them. Jeff with 4 kids has a very hectic schedule. I just miss the life I had with Chris and you are right, I have a different type of loss than they do. I know they miss having their Dad with them. When Chris was with me, if the kids didn't have time for us on a weekend, we at least had each other. Now I try to stay busy when I have a weekend like this. I appreciate the kind words.

 

[lynxstch]

Good morning. We had some snow, but it was weird. The driveway and roads are clear. The side lawn and front lawn have about an inch. But I had to get a shovel out and clear at least 2" off the deck and ramp. It wasn't light snow. It's sunny already and going to 43, so the rest can melt on it's own. I did clear the front walk down to the street, I have a Fed Ex package coming today.

@PollyannaMom What you said to Snowysmom was perfect. I totally get what you meant.

I'm hoping that Summer and the boys come over today so we can get the dining room table down and out, and get the treadmill out of the box. I want to make sure everything is there and that it works, just in case I have to return or replace it.

Have a nice Saturday morning.

 

[tazdev3225]

Good morning all.

We got snow overnight so at 7:30 AM I was out shoveling so I could walk the dog. She has short little Chihuahua legs and doesn't like snow on her little Tushie. Thankfully she did decide to at least do something after I cleared a patch off the lawn. She is a very SPOILED pup. I think we got around 3 or 4 inches; I haven't seen totals but thankfully it was the fluffier type so easy to deal with,

I am still getting used to the hearing aids. I'm working with voices, and the woman who did the testing said that may take a little time for my brain to reconnect to my hearing. Other things are LOUD. The toilet flushing sounds like Niagara Falls. I can hear better though so that is a good thing. My grandkids are so used to talking really loud that I had to tell them to stop shouting. We all laughed at that, but they are so happy I did this for me.

Yesterday was an amazing day for my grandkids. Last Christmas (2022) Crystal got a phone call from her great grandmother "GG" telling her she never wanted to see them again, they are all selfish and unappreciative and left Crystal to pass on the message. I dealt with the fall-out, comforting my granddaughters who were sobbing in emotional pain and tried to keep Mikey calm because he was so angry that she hurt his sisters. To be honest I was with Mikey but with age comes wisdom sometimes. I have talked to them at times that maybe they should forgive her. She is in her 80's and what would they feel like if they could never resolve this because I knew they still really love her. Out of the blue she texted Crystal early this week asking her to stop by and get the Christmas Cards she had for them. Crystal was very apprehensive and asked me to take her so we went yesterday. It turned into a box of tissue cry fest. GG apologized for what she said, she never meant to hurt them she was just upset (honestly, I think her son was behind it). Crystal started crying because she was happy that GG still wanted to be part of their lives and I played a mediator to an extent. The kids are ready to forgive her, and GG is thrilled to be back in their lives. She just couldn't understand why they didn't reach out all the time. I explained, as has her daughter, that they are teenagers and developing lives of their own. They weren't trying to exclude her but just were busier than they were when they were little with school, friends and jobs.

We made plans to try and get the kids over there during Spring break for lunch, but I made sure she knew that her son and his wife were not to be there. My grandkids will never forgive their grandparents for some of the things that they have done and said, especially about me, and to be honest I don't think I could hold back if they were there. Mikey calls his grandparents the "Strangers". They have made no effort to see these kids for 8 years. Why would the kids want anything to do with them. I think GG is a little envious of the relationship I have with the kids but as I explained to her, I took care of them from the time they were infants and my daughter and I are close, so we do a lot of things together. I am also their chauffeur as they know I will drop everything if they need me. I was so happy for the kids though as I know they wanted to resolve this but had some anger and hurt to deal with. I don't want them to live regrets if I can help them resolve the issues.

Part of my insight was because I had made a promise to my grandmother that we would celebrate our birthdays in Wildwood at the restaurant she took me to every year as a child. Our birthdays were 2 days apart in August. She had a massive stroke that winter and I couldn't fulfill that promise. I regretted, I still do, never trying to do it before then when I had so many opportunities. The year she died I went to celebrate her life on her birthday and left the restaurant in tears. I didn't want my grandkids to live with that regret. Anyway it ended on a good note and Crystal spent 2 hours visiting GG. We even called Mikey and Ella so they could say hello to her.

I am shoveled out and have no plans for today so I am going to just stay in and do nothing. Hope you all have a great Saturday.

 

[bobbiwoz]

@Snowysmom, we have “did the bathroom today” in common!

Our snow came down around 4 AM, even though it was 36° and by the time we got up, it was raining, and the snow is mostly gone now.

 

[PollyannaMom]

@Snowysmom, we have “did the bathroom today” in common!

Mine was yesterday!

Our snow came down around 4 AM, even though it was 36° and by the time we got up, it was raining, and the snow is mostly gone now.

It was sort of "spitting" snow on and off here this morning, but it didn't stick.

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Just extra thanks to each of you for each of you!