What are you up to today? This week?

[grazhina]

It's clammy and gloomy out. I've been feeling very tired and listless the last several days, finding it hard to get myself moving.

I found a bunch of scans I did from my old magazines way back last fall that I had completely forgotten about. I really need to update the picture files in the computer. I've been brightening them up and adding them to the Picasa albums.

http://picasaweb.google.com/grazhe

It's a good thing I found them or I might have done that issue all over again. There were maybe 80 scans in that folder.

All these 50's ads & recipes are making me feel like maybe making porcupine meatballs, mashed potatoes and succotash for dinner. I might even get out one of my old dinner roll recipes. 20 years ago I often baked rolls for dinner.

[champagne]

Just came in from working outside. Cut back the crepe myrtles and trimmed all the bushes, left Bill out there to weed wack. Grilling hamburgers for dinner and making some spicy potatoes. Have been on weight watchers for over 3 weeks and been craving hamburgers but eating them out they have way to much fat and points so decided we can make them here. I use very lean beef so it does not equal many points. Losing weight takes so long.

[Muriel]

It is Mothers Day here tomorrow. Was planning on going up to see Mummy, but I've been placed in further away pharmacies with extra long hours this week and will be the furthest away on Monday with a 10 hour day in branch, plus the long drive, so made the decision that I really needed the sunday at home to rest. She will be visiting us with my sister and niece next weekend, so we'll do a delayed mothers day then (did send her something in the post though)

Took Chris to gaming today, which is about half an hour away, and then went shopping at the outlet mall. Was very disappointed I must say! Monsoon, which is an expensive shop with often gorgeous clothes, especially dresses and going out outfits, didn't really have anything! Usually I can't decide cause there's quite a few things I like (and they're all discounted), but this time didn't get anything. Also the other shops where I sometimes find things weren't very good.

Tonight finished attaching the plasticard to Bullwinkle Terrace, hoping it'll still be stuck tomorrow morning. But looking forward to spending the day working on the buildings.

[KathieB]

I spent the afternoon at the home show and made contact with several companies to come give us estimates -- gutter screens, shower stall insert, energy assessment, insulation, and basement leak repair -- and bought a set of 1,000 count cotton sheets and some home made horseradish. And it was just a small show! Also managed to sell a few raffle tickets for the quilt, which was the whole point of being there. :lol:

[heidiiiii]

I cannot sleep. The wind is howling and that just bothers me to no end. Always has. More of the same tomorrow. Thankfully we still have power (crossing fingers!)

[havanaholly]

The annual jazz festival in Tallahassee is this weekend so we went yesterday; it's always held at the Junior Museum (former name, it's now the Tallahassee Museum of Natural History), so after the first set we toured the grounds. There's a zoo that cares for injured indigenous wildlife. There's also a Cracker homestead with a few original buildings and some newly constructed outbuildings using materials from old abandoned tobacco barns and other old structures too far gone in their original state to move. The farm includes the breeds that were historically used on the pioneer Cracker farms. I love the old herb garden, it was just beginning to bloom and smelled lovely. They had acquired the Murats' Tallahassee home as well as the first African-American schoolhouse and Baptist church buildings in the area, as well as a Seaboard Airline caboose.

After we had as much jaz as we could stand we hit one of our favorite charity thrift stores and a used book store and then went to supper at our favorite Chinese buffet restaurant. Today I hope to work off some of it lopping the suckers off the pear trees and sweeping out the Little House on the Highway and changing its bed.

I also started priming the exterior trim on the insideout Fairfield; the last thing needing doing before making roof templates and shingling.

[Sherry]

Cleaning house today. I'm starting with my craft room closets and working my way out from there. I don't think there's a single thing in that closet I want to keep!

[heidiiiii]

Storm is finally over. We have water in the basement but it is over in the sump pump area. It is okay. Fred says that the water level is rising. He did not have to tell me that..I can hear the pump going off every 5 minutes. LOL

I slept for like 3 hours but I will survive. I will take a nap later.

I have half a bagel and a bowl of leftover cucumber/tomato salad from last night for brunch. Then I am going to clean the kitchen. walk the dogs again, and play Just Dance.

I have no idea what is for dinner. I had Fred bring up some Tilapia so maybe I will make that!

[havanaholly]

I swept out the camper, took out the clean linens and brought in my unworn clothes from this last trip, still have to change the bed. It's quite "brisk" out there this AM, so the bed might wait until tomorrow!

I took chicken thighs out for last night and then we ate out on the way home (DH is good at making long days!), so I'm thinking I'll skin and bone them later and stuff them with fennel, mushrooms and celery and bake them in foil with a little olive oil.

I've begun painting the exterior trim for the iso FF.

[heidiiiii]

I took chicken thighs out for last night and then we ate out on the way home (DH is good at making long days!), so I'm thinking I'll skin and bone them later and stuff them with fennel, mushrooms and celery and bake them in foil with a little olive oil.

That sounds soooo good. I have boned a breast but never a thigh (get your minds out of the gutter LOL). Is it very difficult? I know I could probably look it up but I am only firing on one cylinder today. That recipe sounds really good.

I know I said I had some fish brought upstairs to go in the fridge/freezer but I have a small package of boneless/skinless chicken breasts. I am trying to figure out what I could do with them.

[Roxxie]

Cleaning and cleaning....

Its a beautiful day in VA after the rain mess.

Getting the itch to work on my gardens. :lol:

[Starfire]

After several nice sunny relatively warm days we have had a steady wind and it was a rough night so not much sleep. I am bleary eyed and very groggy and the daylight change over has not helped. I have not worked on the Country cottage for a few days because my hands have really felt painful from the arthritus. Probably the worst it has been for several years. Usual pain killers have not helped either. Think I will head back to bed for a nap. Maybe that will help.

[Sherry]

Woke up too late for early church, but in the mood to clean. So we stayed home and I cleaned up my craft room! Stuff to Goodwill, stuff to trash, DH's stuff to his office. Then I sorted and labeled boxes and have it all cleaned up. Won't stay that way long, but it looks nice right now.

Cold outside today, so I've got a potroast in the over and am continuing with my cleaning binge while it lasts!

[Muriel]

I've painted the inside shell of Bullwinkle terrace (ie the outside walls but not the divider walls, nor the front opening pieces) and put on the outside brick paper. Got some edges to paint still, and next I think I'll do the flooring before painting the divider walls and painting and papering the opening wall. Then gotta attach the hinges and decide what I'm going to do about the ceilings.

Was nice to have a day at home, but missing my day off tomorrow already (had to swap it for a consultants appointment on wednesday)

Chris has a second interview on Tuesday, so please keep your fingers crossed for him! He did well on the hour long first interview, but this one is a 6 hour one with team exercises and he has to give a presentation, and then another individual interview. Scary!!

[havanaholly]

That sounds soooo good. I have boned a breast but never a thigh (get your minds out of the gutter LOL). Is it very difficult? I know I could probably look it up but I am only firing on one cylinder today.

Not with a really sharp knife! I finally went on a concentrated hunt and found a set of carbon steel kitchen knives (those puppies really hold their edge!)

That recipe sounds really good.

I'll know tonight; I'm making it up, I have been wracking my elderly brain trying to come up with ways to use up the fennel tops I couldn't bear to discard after the last time I prepared braised fennel and carrots for a side, so they've been sitting in my freezer.

I know I said I had some fish brought upstairs to go in the fridge/freezer but I have a small package of boneless/skinless chicken breasts. I am trying to figure out what I could do with them.

Lidia (Lidia's Italy) made a risotto dish with chicken thighs, you could cut the breast meat into a 1" dice. She processed carrots, onion, celery & two cloves of garlic to a coarse chop and when they began to sweat in the olive oil she tossed in the chicken parts & a tad of salt, and when the chicken began to caramelize she added a cup of white wine and when the alcohol evaporated (a minute or so) she added boiling stock, a bay leaf and arborio rice and covered it and cooked it at a simmer until what she calls "creamy" (soupy, IMO); then she clogged all my arteries by adding a stick or so of butter and several handfuls of grated Parmesan and Gorganzola cheeses and stirred them until they were thoroughly melted in, and then she served it up and added another couple of cups of grated cheese.

...I have not worked on the Country cottage for a few days because my hands have really felt painful from the arthritus. Probably the worst it has been for several years. Usual pain killers have not helped either. Think I will head back to bed for a nap. Maybe that will help.

Soaking my hands in very warm/ hot enough not to burn water seems to help mine.

[Anna]

Way to go Sherry, I am a tad envious on that cleaning binge :lol: We are back at the ol' place now and toooo tired to do anything much really and still keeping that left pinky of mine high and still as it has a tendency of bleeding through the bandaid/tape... Oh well, there is always those gloves one could use huh??? LOL

Hugs

[Scotty]

Today is mothering Sunday in the UK and my stepdaughter turned up with a bunch of flowers, some wine and a card from herself and my stepson. I always get really tearful when they do anything like this as they are such fantastic young people (Cait age 20 and Matt age 23) and are such a pleasure to be around I never have to play parent, I just enjoy being with them so the fact they honour me on mother's day makes me go all silly and soppy.

[bookmarm]

mini club meeting was held today in the newly finished (almost...mostly) basement studio/workshop/family room. Great Kick off! Many mini wild women with projects, food, conversation, and friendship! It was a great afternoon. One group learned mini flower making skills, the other group worked on tiny, tiny dollhouse sized dollhouses. My guys have benefited greatly from the foodie leftovers.

Hubby and oldest son are working on orchid-arium projects. Youngest son has finished catapult project for physics class.

We all finished planting 3 roses, 5 daylilies, 5 perennials in the front yard. Still have the 2 raspberries and fig bush to work with. Starting to rain, so inside to start fajitas.

I am feeling so much better after the cortisone injection in my hip this week. Actually slept wonderfully last night with NO pain.

[havanaholly]

Got all my chores done and the Buddhists showed up to shovel the rest of the dirt and pressure wash the stupa. I think I'm going to transplant some of the indigenous flox that have migrated up into the yard.

[jeninky]

I took everything out of the building about two weeks ago and it is all sitting on the buildings porch with tarps over it... Hope nothing gets ruined.. (The dollhouses are NOT out there)

I haven't worked much on this week as I have been in a funk.. I am calling it my mid life crisis.. wanting to runaway and become a roadie for a rock band hahahaha Don't worry I won't do it...

So this evening I went out and emptied 2 large plastic containers.. so that is a total of 5 so far.. about 15 or more to go.. I think I will count how many I have left to sort through...

I am excited though that the rain is suppose to stop after tomorrow and suppose to be in the 50s later this week!

[heidiiiii]

Rain rain go away come again another day.

Sump pump is still doing it`s magic. Today is another dreary day. Add to that the lost hour of sleep, and I am not a happy camper! LOL

My friend and I were going to start walking the track today but it is not a good day at all. So we will do it tomorrow. I am putting out newspapers for the dogs again. The wind is just whipping out there.

Chelsea has an appt to determine if she is eligible for state medical. Then she can get a dentist appointment.

I am going to clean something today. Spring cleaning does not stop for the weary. I think I am going to clean out the craft cabinet. It is looking really beastly in there. A real mess!

As for dinner..I have no clue. I will figure it out.

[havanaholly]

This AM dawned beautiful & sunny, and then for some reason I got hit with a nap attack and 45 minutes later, when I woke up, it's all overcast & yucky.

I'm applying exterior trim to the iso FF.

[Sherry]

Grandson is here, I didn't want him to have to spend spring break at daycare. We're both at the bar, drawing, playing computer games, and eating cookies after our pancakes and sausage. It's pouring rain outside, and it's hard to keep a 5 year old entertained, but we're having a pretty good time. Sure beats cleaning house!

[havanaholly]

Houses will wait to be cleaned, 5 year olds don't stay that way! Keep right on having fun.

[what2craftnow]

I agree with Holly - 5 is a magical age, and it does go by so quickly. Enjoy, Sherry - seems like overnight they become pouty, frowning teenagers :o

No mini work done around here lately (sigh)...but I have done a few sketches of Fling ideas here and there...pondering, pondering....and waiting for the "optional" to make its debut before deciding..and then prolly decidin' once more, and once more..lol. It's a miracle I ever get it finished with all the debating I do. :lol:

Oh, and had a tooth pulled today...THAT was fun (not) ---just means more "bridges" that need to be built and no $$ to build them Am wonderin' if I could get away with Sculpey teeth..I have plenty of THAT!