What are you up to today? This week?

[Anna]

Have enjoyed a fairly relaxed weekend, ie been at MIL's house preparing for the holidays, baking cookies, :thumb: atleast I like the baking part and the rest enjoy the eating part LOL

It has been snowing through most of the day as well so we have another four or five inches of snow now... so hubby and I spent an hour clearing the driveway and the cars. As it is well below freezing temps it is staying a little while longer I suppose. Hopefully the snow plows will have had enough time to clear the roads for tomorrow morning.

We've set the alarm clock earlier than usual...

Hugs

[woodland_miniatures]

Need to run/walk/slide up to the hardware store this afternoon (old family place that's open 7 days a week) for, of all things, superglue. My glasses have been gradually disintegrating for months and while I will get new ones soon, I've been running on one earpiece for at least a couple of weeks and the other one is hanging by a thread now. Need to patch them up with a little superglue, but of course my old tube is dried solid and none of my neighbors has any in liquid form, either. Hate the fact that you buy some of that stuff, use two drops of it, then when you need it again it's bitten the dust - or turned to stone!!

It's been hovering right around freezing during the days and down in the 20's overnight, so it's slick, slick, slick out there - but I have my walker AND my YakTrax ice cleats that go over my shoes, so I really don't have trouble walking out there at all. Just always end up buying more than I should in the hardware store - it really is one of those fascinating old places with shelves stacked to the ceiling and then stuff hanging FROM the ceiling in several different rooms, wavy old wooden floors, and one room that seems to be almost a yard sale full of all kinds of things a person just can't live without, like baskets, old sewing thread, clay canisters, a weird assortment of indoor/outdoor/camping cookware, cold weather clothing.....I do love it! :thumb:

[woodland_miniatures]

Got back from the hardware store with, yep, more than I went for. :thumb: Yes, the superglue, gut also some wood glue, a new exacto knife and blades (couldn't find my old one and have visions of it still sitting in my desk drawer, that wonderful desk that's been gone for years....), and gold spray paint. I'm going to try making some mini picture frames for some needlework I've started and then thought, hmmm, guess I'll do my own framing here. Between popsicles sticks, wood sewers, old lace and what not, should be able to come up with something!

[sparklepuppies]

Hope you feel better Beverly! :thumb:

Tiring weekend, but it was good. Lawson's WAVE Team had 4 performances (2 were duplicate performaces), and I managed to make it to 3, plus Brennen's Lego Robotics competition. They placed 12th out of 27, so that was pretty good, considering how (un)prepared they were. They also got 3rd place in Overall Core Values!

The WAVE Team performed for almost 2 hours tonight at a mall about an hour away from here, so that made for a long afternoon. But they did great as always, and actually had quite a few spectators!

Band concert tomorrow night, then we have 3 days with nothing!!

[woodland_miniatures]

Just got through scrubbing some new kitchen acquisitions: two nesting heavy commercial-grade stainless steel stockpots, one big enough to do a LOT of pasta and the other big enough to do a LOT of spaghetti sauce, no lids but that's fine. And an 8-quart Mirro pressure cooker, complete with rack, lid with gasket, two of those little widgets that sit on the escape valve and rock when the pressure's right, and all in beautiful shape. I don't dare use it as a pressure cooker because they scare me, and I've no idea how old this baby is, but it ain't new and old ones can have weaknesses that will blow catastrophically - think hot food and shrapnel flying around. But it'll make a truly grand stew pot or for pot roasting.

And none of this cost me a penny - one of my neighbors is in the process of cleaning out her mother's house and bit by bit this lady's kitchen is being re-distributed around my building. Over four years ago, during a moment of total madness, I gave away essentially all of my own kitchen equipment, you know, all those goodies you acquire over decades of moderately serious cooking, and I'm beginning to feel like I almost have a fully stocked kitchen again. Still would love to have a water-bath canner to put up some of the summer farmer's market bounty, wouldn't mind having a few more baking pans/loaf pans, and you can never have too many mixing bowls, but yep, it's starting to feel okay again.....:thumb:

Also, I finally figured out where and how to soak my feet, which I'm supposed to be doing at least a couple times a day and preferable three times, warm water with epsom salts for 30 minutes. Well, slopping a basin of rapidly cooling water around to under my work table didn't have much appeal, so I finally realized the only practical place to do this was in the bathroom. Sitting on the "throne" right next to the bath tub and using the hand-held shower to add warm water....But what on earth was I going to do in there for an hour to an hour and a half a day???? Light's not good enough for mini-ing, but I can't just sit there....so I finally set up a work basket with cotton yarn to crochet dishcloths and maybe potholderss, etc., all stuff I need. Stuff you don't have to think about but that needs to be done, and doesn't need a strong worklight to do - hah, I foresee I'll soon have an excellent stock of kitchen linens! Might even make a dishtowel or two, who knows? Put a radio in there, and I may never come out of the bathroom again LOL!

[Muriel]

What a picture you describe Mary, fantastic!

Glad you've got those pots now, I'm just starting off with our collection. At the moment have a lovely deep casserole dish with lid, and a great frying pan with lid. Also have a beat up pressure cooker, that mostly gets used as a regular pot for things like chilli, curry, stew/soup and to cook lots of spaghetti in. We also have an ancient cast iron pot with lid that weighs a ton, and that only comes out occasionally - usually when I need another big pot! Although I oil it regularly it tends to get little rust spots in between use :thumb:

I was sitting here bored - have packed away the Franklin until we move and didn't fancy working on the other houses. But then though I can't just sit here, gotta do something! So got out the bits for my red studio flat again. Have been trying to figure out what to make it in. Have one container with too many windows and not tall enough, or another that is a little small. Decided on the smaller one and just cut out the front entrance and utility space and a lot of the cupboards - the occupier will just have to have less clothes! Worked away on the kitchen bit yesterday. I have a sink unit and cooker top unit, but wanted black granite worktops, so took the sink out and pried off the cooker top and put on the granite. It is made from the worktop edging stuff, so is very difficult to cut, but eventually managed it and managed to cut out a new hole for the sink to go in the corner between the two units. The granite comes in a curled up strip, and it was really hard getting it cut and then sticking on straight, kept wanting to curl again! Grrr. But seems to still be stuck this morning, which is a relief!

Next will cut the stairs down to right thickness and decide what to cover them with (currenlty just mdf stairs). The container is a see through plexiglass box, so also have to decide whether to put walls in and window frames, or just leave it all see through. Will try and take/upload some pictures today between my trip to Bristol for more appointments and making yummy pasta salad!

[KathieB]

We're staying with a cousin until the bed is delivered (tomorrow), but there is the cabinet scrubbing before our things can be put away and figuring out where stuff will go. Lloyd and I seem to have different ideas about how the various closets will be organized. The refrigerator will be delivered on the 15th. Thank goodness there are numerous wonderful restaurants here. :thumb: Cable/internet/land line scheduled for the 14th. Bed will be delivered tomorrow, so we can move in to stay.

When we opened the box to put the dining room table together, we discovered it is the wrong one. I'm waiting for a call from the salesman to find out how that's going to get sorted out. We bought the set on sale the end of October, so I only hope there is another one in the warehouse. (Come to think of it, the one he sold us ought to be in the warehouse since it wasn't delivered.)

Today we'll shop for a washer/dryer stack and miscellaneous furniture, like bedside tables, lamps, TVs, etc. The sectional ordered for the living room won't be delivered for a couple of weeks. If we're halfway settled by Christmas, I'll be mightily surprised.

This sure isn't as easy as decorating a dollhouse!

[Muriel]

Happy St Nicholas Day everyone!

Well I'm a tad jealous Kathie! I'd love to be moving into a new to me home with things to buy and especially do up! :thumb:

But do hope the next 3 weeks go smoothly for you up to and over Christmas.

[havanaholly]

The plumber has returned to play with the halfbath.

I tried my darnedest to carve the basswood pieces for the trims for the 1:24 Victorian settee, but basswood is just too soft & brittle to do the job, so I guess I'm back to Plan A. <mumble, mumble>

[Starfire]

Finally the bath reno plumbing was finished. Hopefully the electrical will be completed tomorrow and the wallboard and cement backer board will also go up. Poor guys had a leak that was a real bear for them to locate and fix. Our four day prediction looks like seven to ten days. Just hope we get it back before Christmas. And our snow has not helped. Three different contractor, cable and repair trucks stuck in our driveway today.

[woodland_miniatures]

Found myself walking on soaking wet carpet late this afternoon, so called the manager to let her know I had yet another leak - they are a dime a dozen in this building, the pipes are cr#p - and turned the water off in my apartment. That was after I filled some of those wonderful new big pots with water to flush the toilet etc., preparing to be without running water until tomorrow. Mercifully, about three hours later a handyman showed up, tracked the leak down, replaced the segment of pipe that had given way and turned the water back on, hooray! So I have two big holes in a wall, some soaking wet carpet and walls, and a dehumidifier going to help dry all this out. Not to mention everything in my storage/hot water tank room piled in my living room, and the catbox in the bathroom. Oh, well, it could have been worse - my neighbor ended up with two holes dug in his floor, complete with piles of stinking dirt when one of his pipes under the floor burst.

Folks, you just gotta laugh about this stuff - I mean, what else can you do???

[havanaholly]

Our plumber also does the electrical and construction stuff, and his timeline is two weeks (although with killer freezing temps and emergency calls I'm not holding my breath...) Today he plans to frame the walls, he's replacing 40+ year old dark brown wood panelling with sheetrock that will be painted eggshell over the Kilz primer. I think he's also hoping to get to the whirlpool tub installation today I didn't take "before" pictures because after the rodent infestation and other issues it never crossed my mind! When we bought the house there was a lavatory, commode and washer-dryer hookups and an elderly a/c unit of huge proportions. The same vinyl floor throughout the downstairs was in there, too. I will most assuredly take "after" pictures.

I made and we've eaten one of the loaves of gingerbread I made for the season, so today might be a good baking day!

[Steve_in_PA]

Today I am going to try to finish putting shingles on a project that I am working on. I hate that job !! It is a long & tedious job & drives me crazy !!

Sunday we had our Christmas Candlelight Tour in town. People decorate their houses for Christmas & open them for tours. It is a fund raising thing that our local historical group does every year. It was a very nice event.

I guess I better get to work. Have a nice day.

Steve in PA

[Starfire]

Got the big wreath up outdoors on the porch and the tree is all lit. DD shoveled the porch stairs and I salted them. Hope to drag out the rest of the decorations later this afternoon, but I am not feeling so good. Seem to have a touch of bronchitus. Am soooo tired. The contractors have not shown up either. Hope they call to let us know the plans for the rest of the week.

[havanaholly]

Beverly, keep warm & hydrated.

Still waiting on our plumber for today's session. I think I need to make us some hot chocolate, too.

[Anna]

Ummm, welll, can you all keep a secret for me??? I need to tell someone about it and, well.... I took a huuuge plunge yesterday as I actually sent in an application for a new job, eeek.... Not sure if it will lead into anything at all, but as DH and family said, it is the first step towards something else. I have been substituting part time as a principal/head master and that is soon finished and as I have been enjoying that a lot I have applied for a similar position in another town, same same in driving either way, just opposite directions....

Now to the waiting game.... Hmmm, I think minis might distract me LOL

Hugs

[sparklepuppies]

How neat Anna! Good luck!!

[havanaholly]

Toes & fingers crossed for you, Anna! And yes, minis are a wonderful diversion!

[Muriel]

Good luck Anna, you've got great experience now, so that'll add greatly to the prospect of success!

Chris is out learning to drive tonight. He's been learning since about the last week of October and is doing very well. As he's a teacher he can more or less only do weekends or after work, so weekend ones are in the light, after school lessons in the dark. Good experience! And learning in frosty weather too. Means tonight I've had dinner to myself and can watch whatever on tv for an hour or two.

Was going to take some pictures, better get on to that!

[Steve_in_PA]

Best of luck, Anna. When I was working & had to take a different position, I was always nervous about starting something or somewhere different that what I was used to. But it always worked out for the best. Fingers crossed.

Steve in PA

[Wolfie]

Am finishing up my latest 1/2" scale lady doll - a Southern Belle complete with beflowered and beribboned hat, jewelry, curls, and lovely in pink. She is just 2 3/4" tall complete with all undies. Just have to make jewelry and give her a stole and she'll be done! This in prep for two custom 1/2" scale dolls the Ghost and Mrs. Muer.

[sparklepuppies]

The heat in our house hasn't been working all winter. Brrrr. We've just had little space heaters in every room. Well, yesterday I wimped out and called someone out to look at it, as we have tried all we could, including replacing 2 different parts. 59 degrees is just too cold for me to wake up to. $650, and we still have to wait for the part to come in! Ouch! So we finally got some kerosene for the heater, and that should get us through the weekend. Ugh!

[Syphon79]

@ Anna -- oh, this is exciting! Will second what Steve said -- it's definitely nerve racking, but ultimately, if one decides to look for a job, it more than likely means that subconsciously, it's time to find new opportunities elsewhere. Hope all goes well!

@ Tracy -- oh dear, hope the repairs will be done soon. Is it just me, or this winter's WAY colder than usual?

@ Wolfie -- looking forward to the pics!

Ah, so jealous of everyone who got to post at the forum in the last couple of weeks. Been frantically trying to finish one web/online project after another at work before Bryan and I head to Cape Cod to spend the holidays with his family. My office closes the week after Christmas (was a deal made by my empoyer and the union), but took the week off prior to that. Just so we spend one week with Bryan's family and the following week with my family. Of course, when I told the departments I provide web support about my holiday plans -- bam! Found myself working from 7 am to 7 pm for the last 3 weeks! Think everyone panicked and just literally broad sided my station with work orders that had been sitting on my desk. I was pretty upset at the late submissions, but what got me seriously angry was the fact that many of these folks were sitting on these for months without so much as giving me a head's up. And yet they get angry at me when I've started telling them that I cannot take on anymore projects for the next 6 business days!! Bryan's already angry that I'm bringing home work and only getting 3-4 hrs of sleep a night.

On top of that, have to find time to squeeze getting holiday shopping done, vet appointments for our ratties (Bryan and I are worried one of our ratties won't make it by Christmas). And being the end of year, helping my niece and nephew with end of year school projects (my niece took up the clarinet like I did, so helping her figure out the piece before her school band concert; my nephew on the other hand wants to build a mini catapault that can launch marshmallows for his science class).

Am hoping to survive Friday at the office -- am drowning in one impossible web job after another, and trying so hard not to lose my temper with folks. Also upset that my home computer tower has completely died on me, and have to resort using my laptop to get anything done at home. So will have to wait until Saturday to go to Microcenter, buy a new computer tower, and take it home to install my software/swap components from my dead computer (like the video and sound card). Ah, good times.

Ugh, think I need a vacation after all this madness. Or a winning lottery ticket. My poor minis are sitting dejected in my dining room and I'm too tired/stressed to sit down and enjoy them.

(sorry for the rant folks -- guess one needs to blow some steam once in awhile)

[Wolfie]

Working on Mrs. Santa and three elves today for the tableau......

[havanaholly]

On my way back out to the camper to wake up DH and then back to start breakfast. The furnace died yesterday. I's located in the halfbath we're having remodeled, and since the plumber hasn't showed back up for two days, what with all the frozen cracked plumbing he's repairing, I'm half-hoping he'll at least wait until the furnace guy has left, who's supposed to show up in a couple of hours (like that's going to happen!).