What are you up to today? This week?

[Muriel]

Poor Mary!

I went to bed at 9 last night feeling shivery and not so good, but the long nights sleep did me well and fit as a fiddle this morning! Yay!

Made a yummy Sunday Roast today. Pork roast with some crackling and lots of trimmings. Cut the fatty layer off the top of the roast, leaving just a little bit. Rubbed it with a little oil and veggie stock powder and did the same to the taken off fat layer. Draped the fat layer over a little jar so that all the fat would drip off while baking leaving just a thin layer of crackling. So the little bit of fat on the roast kept it moist and flavourful, and then the crackling wasn't as evil in terms of fat content as it could have been. Still only have a penny sized piece or two as a treat though.

Chris forgot to get potatoes for roast potatoes, so we had potato wedges from the freezer instead. Roast carrots, peas, delicious gravy and yorkshire pudding. Mmmmm. And leftover pork for tonight or tomorrow.

Worked yesterday, so today not doing much. We were debating going to watch the local fireworks and bonfire last night, but after finding out online that it was £5 each to get in we decided not to. (Turns out it was only £4, but still!) The 'do' was on the side of the Cheddar Reservoir, a round lake. Got some fish and chips, and while getting that thought, what about going to the next village which has the boat club on the reservoir, eating in the car, and then watching the fireworks over the lake. So did that. Was lovely seeing them reflected in the very still lake, though the wind did blow the smoke in our direction so could't see all the fireworks that well, but still good. I love fireworks!

[woodland_miniatures]

I've seen rice flour in the health foods section of a couple of larger supermarkets - it's worth a look.

Mary, I'm so sorry you're ill, and hope you don't have the nasty I had last week. I'm still a bit wobbly, but don't feel as if death is a good alternative anymore LOL! Here's hoping you feel better soon.

You know, I just realized I'm turning into my mother in many ways. I'm making my breakfast, something I never used to eat when I was younger but now canNOT get along without and suddenly realized how familiar it was. For the last many years of her life, my mother's favorite breakfast was two slices of raisin toast with peanut butter, a big glass of orange juice, and a banana. So what have I been having the last several days and would be happy to eat every morning? A toasted cinnamon raisin English muffin with peanut butter, and a banana!

It's true, it's true - we DO become our parents!!!! OMG!!!!!

[Muriel]

B) we certainly do!

[grazhina]

It's true, it's true - we DO become our parents!!!! OMG!!!!!

I notice myself slowly turning into my mother in some ways. Although we loved mom, we all thought she could get to be a bit much sometimes. I hope I don't cross the line and my kids start to think that about me.

Has anyone here ever had to delete over a 1,000 duplicate songs off their iTunes? That's one of the things I've been doing.

I bought a new ipod a couple of weeks ago because mine would only hold less than half of my songs anymore.

Then I got the bright idea of backing up all my tunes to an external hard drive. Everything was working fine. I tested it on an old computer that still had itunes installed on it. A few days later I plugged the hard drive into that computer to check something, and discovered a lot of the songs on it weren't playable. Back to Google to see what I could have done wrong. Eventually I figured it out. I then managed to get all my tunes into the right folder, why they wind up in so many different folders in so many different places with weird names like HJDX I don't know, and neither does anyone else, apparently.

I figure I have about 130 duplicate songs left to delete.

When I'm sure that everything is working right I have to relay the info to my daughter. Her computer crashed a while ago and she had to replace it. She hasn't been able to plug her ipod in, because if you do it the usual way, itunes will delete every blessed thing on it. I went through that a year ago when our computer crashed and I saved some instructions.

When I'm done with the music, I might as well start saving more things to the new hard drive, like all my collected scans, history and dollhouse files. It'll be easier than looking through CDs every time I want to find something.

Otherwise I haven't been doing anything interesting. I should finish the beach house, there's very little left to do really, but I'm just not up for it right now, even though I do have some ideas for another project.

[Starfire]

I had to send in my Nook for replacement about a week ago as the case cracked and I am really lost without it. This was the second time it has happened. Glad it was still under warranty. Hope the replacement comes soon. I have several "books" waiting to be read.

Well until DH and I can figure out how to create a "cradle" for the Montclair so I can work on the ceilings and inner walls I will be working on completing the various pieces of unfinished furniture, curtains, floors, and accessories. There are a few pieces of furniture I have to reupholster so will do that when I disassemble them to stain.

Have to attach the door and drawer pulls to the kitchen cabinets so that is another thing I can do while I wait. I also can put the door handles on all of the doors that are waiting for me to complete the walls before they are installed. The new stairs arrived and I will be staining the treads and the banister rails before painting them.

I spent this afternoon trying my hand at putting together little bottles for the bathroom basins that are surrounded by shelves. As soon as the glue dries I will take a picture and ask for comments and suggestions.

I spent most of yesterday cruising e-bay and darned if I didn't find the cloud wallpaper I seem to have lost somewhere in my stash. Even though I did paint some replacement sheets, I did order it and will see which I like better. I also ordered several turnings to use as accessories.

[Merry]

Thank you for thinking of me. I'm a tad better....A TAD! haha!!!

(Still looking for the soup in the mail!) B)

[Syphon79]

Thank you for thinking of me. I'm a tad better....A TAD! haha!!!

(Still looking for the soup in the mail!)

I'd try to overnight some of the chicken rice soup to you Mary, but I'm worried I can't exactly hide the scent from the postal worker/Fedex/UPS person who'd be doing the delivery....

What if they open the package and devour the soup?? B)

[kellee]

Not feeling well today... head cold. I have been sitting on the sofa reading Greenleaf all day. I am supposed to be decluttering again.... Have really got a lot to do... I cannot get to any of my Christmas Decor at all.... and I need to really declutter this house and try to keep up with it all... Just been so busy with the boys, and my mother I dont have time to go thru stuff... I get frustrated very easily anymore. I am hoping to declutter the basement this next week or two and make it ready for me to take time for ME. Not sure when I am going to get time for ME but I just will do my best to make me time.!! I need motivation to get the basement usable and a dollhouse on the table.!!

Kellee

[Merry]

I'd try to overnight some of the chicken rice soup to you Mary, but I'm worried I can't exactly hide the scent from the postal worker/Fedex/UPS person who'd be doing the delivery....

What if they open the package and devour the soup?? B)

Oh, thank you, kind Daphne!!! I'm so sick that I have tried to find this topic but couldn't. Duh!

We have the postman from hell, so it's probably best that you not send it; it might make him feel better!!!! HA!!!!!

I'll just mull it over and over in my mind. Ah, yes, I can smell it now.

After all, it is the thought that counts. (No, I'd rather have the soup! )

[Merry]

Not feeling well today... head cold. I have been sitting on the sofa reading Greenleaf all day. I am supposed to be decluttering again.... Have really got a lot to do... I cannot get to any of my Christmas Decor at all.... and I need to really declutter this house and try to keep up with it all... Just been so busy with the boys, and my mother I dont have time to go thru stuff... I get frustrated very easily anymore. I am hoping to declutter the basement this next week or two and make it ready for me to take time for ME. Not sure when I am going to get time for ME but I just will do my best to make me time.!! I need motivation to get the basement usable and a dollhouse on the table.!!

Kellee

I'm sorry you are sick, Kellee. I hate feeling bad! I look around and see all that needs to be done, yet I can't do it! It's depressing for sure.

The sun always rises in the morning. Hopefully, you'll feel better in a couple of days. B)

[woodland_miniatures]

And you, too, Mary!!! (sending hugs in lieu of chicken soup)

BTW, I was terribly sick last week with what turned out to be the flu (for a while I thought it was another infection related to my $#%% foot, but not this time thank God), REALLY high fever and horrid, teeth-chattering chills, weak and disoriented - BUT I GOT BETTER. Y'all shall too, see if you don't! Mary's right - the sun does always rise in the morning! B)

[KathieB]

I'm heading to the VA tomorrow to help deliver some quilts made by the local guild. NJ is in charge of the quilts and I volunteered to go along. Afterward we're going to stop at the mall to look at bedding for our condo.

[Merry]

And you, too, Mary!!! (sending hugs in lieu of chicken soup)

BTW, I was terribly sick last week with what turned out to be the flu (for a while I thought it was another infection related to my $#%% foot, but not this time thank God), REALLY high fever and horrid, teeth-chattering chills, weak and disoriented - BUT I GOT BETTER. Y'all shall too, see if you don't! Mary's right - the sun does always rise in the morning!

Thank you, Mary. Yeah, what you said....chills, high fever, etc!

Where is that sun anyway?!??

[pdlnpeabody]

Sounds like everyone is getting sick around here!

Luckily I only have to deal with my allergies reacting to the change in weather. I took the past three days off to take care of some tests and get some work done on the houses, but I only got a few things done on the minis.

I was supposed to get an MRI yesterday, but after several conversations over the past few weeks and the radiology staff insisting that my metal implants wouldn't react to the magnet, they told me at the last minute that they couldn't do the test without the card I was supposed to get when the embolizing coils were put in 14 years ago. Problem is, I never got a card. I was told I could never get near an MRI magnet again, but no card. so they did a CT instead.

My employer also emailed our new "benefits" package today. The old, almost affordable policy has been phased out and the new policy includes a $60 co-pay for doctor's visits, and I have to pay 20% of the total bill for all tests, procedures, outpatient and inpatient stays! If that was the policy when I had my gallbladder removed, my out-of-pocket bill would have been $12,600 WITH insurance! They can stick that policy right next to my Lear jet maintenance plan.

[Momof2Moos]

And this is why I live off of antioxidant rich foods! My splurge every week when I grocery shop is pomegranate juice. It's $10 for a little more than a liter, but whooee that stuff will keep you going. I have a sicky force field! Now, if only it worked on allergies.... Silly dramatic weather changes freaking out all the trees.

I hope you all feel better soon! Lots of Vitamin C and chicken soup. And if you can handle it, spicy food (jalapenos) are GREAT at beating up nasty little viruses!

Jeremy, don't you hate how sometimes health insurance plans are like not having them at all? Silly really. The kids have medicaid, but James and I make $20 too much a month to have coverage. Apparently, they expect that extra $20 to morph into whatever stock pile of cash we need when needed. I WISH!!!!

[havanaholly]

We got home yesterday from our ten day road-trip to spend the past two weekends paddling. I got to go on the Big Escambia Creek in AL from a Creek Indian campground & launch site for a tubing ride to a take-out at the highway bridge in Flomaton, AL, about 13 miles. The weather was chilly but GORGEOUS! I managed to stress BOTH rotator cuffs and spent Sunday resting my shoulders whilst the rest of the folks paddled the Blackwater River from the Bryant bridge to the state park campground, about 8 miles. We've been so long without rain that was the only stretch with enough water to paddle.

One of our projects is to start researching available (and affordable) housing that is closer to medical resources than where we are now, with an idea to buying/ moving once we hit 70s. We spent last Monday over in Baldwin County, AL, with a realtor who has been emailing us some of his listings. Weds we were in Ft Walton with another realtor, who decided to show us some houses after printing off a slew of listings and letting us choose the ones to show, and one of them was a "fixer-upper". NEVER, never agree to physically go into a "fixer-upper"! I spent the rest of the week fighting what felt like a full-blown viral infection! Someone had tried painting over the worst of the black mold...

I'm starting to feel better, no more chills, but can I ever feel for those of you who have started the cold & flu season!

Daphne, I'm wondering if a few anchovy fillets would work in place of the fish sauce?

[Syphon79]

Daphne, I'm wondering if a few anchovy fillets would work in place of the fish sauce?

That might work Holly -- maybe chop it up and saute it with the onions and garlic? I've never tried it before -- might be something for me to try this week (Bryan just requested to have the chicken/rice soup again for dinner this week).

Mmmm....anchovies. Love cooking chopped anchovies, onions (or shallots) and garlic in olive oil, toss some shredded basil, and salt & pepper. Then toss in freshly cooked penne pasta, grated parmesan cheese, cooked peas, and more salt & pepper.

[pdlnpeabody]

My wife made another chicken soup yesterday. I think there are so many varieties of Philipino chicken soup that they each have their own name. The one she made last night was a cream based soup with ginger, green onions, carrots and macaroni.

[KathieB]

Took Lloyd to the airport today for his flight to New Orleans and 50th class reunion (Xavier of New Orleans). Friend Norma Jeane and I had a girls' day out after we dropped him off. We intended to go to the Atkins-Nelson Museum of Art in KC and have a nice lunch in the museum's palm court, but discovered upon arrival that it is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. We're both members; you'd think we would have known that. So we meandered through some lovely areas of KC and I showed her a house one of my uncles built stick by stone over a period of years. KC has some very interesting residential architecture. Then we went to a mall to get a gift certificate she needed and changed luncheon plans to the Texas Roadhouse, only to discover it doesn't open until 4 pm. So we had lunch at Winstead's Diner and stopped at a major antique mall on the way home. I found four small beer steins that will work in the Pierce Bohemian Inn/Restaurant. I'm eating warmed up leftovers and looking forward to putting my feet up for a while this evening.

[havanaholly]

Daphne, in the course of making aloo palak I discovered that making a paste of ginger & garlic really gives an added richness to the food. Our grocery carries anchovy fillets, but I'd have to hunt all our Asian groceris in Tallahassee to find a reasonable package of fish sauce.

[heidiiiii]

Chop up about 8 anchovies and put in fry pan with some olive oil. Mash while cooking so that you kind of dissolve it into the oil, grate 2 cloves of garlic into the pan, cook, add some crushed red peppers, cook, add some capers, cook, add some pitted black olives, cook, get some canned whole tomatoes and chop them to your desired size, put in pan and cook to a low simmer..add some salt and pepper to taste. Cook some spaghetti. Drain and toss into the fry pan and mix.

[havanaholly]

Well now I'll have to pick up a tin of anchovies next grocery trip. Heidi, I'm going into terminal drool!

[Lynette Smith]

For some reason I seem to go into dormancy somewhere in September and I don't know why. It happened the last two Septembers and this year took me a little longer to start coming around.

I've been busy, going to the gym, reading up on nutrition and fitness, and have been making good progress on the weight loss, though I've come down with a cold (hey, I guess I wanted to be in the "in" crowd!), which has been making it difficult to get the kind of workouts I'd like since last Saturday, which, in turn, is imperiling my weight loss goal for my birthday next month.

I'm hoping maybe I can get the Brookfield rehab done for my niece, she was visiting a few months back and taking mini things and putting them in the Pierce rehab, which surprised me, she's autistic and doesn't show conventional interest in things often, so I'd like to foster that.

[havanaholly]

For whatever RL reason, it's good to see you back & posting, Lynette.

[bookmarm]

home sick with a sore throat and wheezy lungs today. Yesterday Jim drove me up to do "monitoring" hours at the Southern Christmas Show "Enchanted Village" (dollhouse exhibit at the show) in Charlotte NC. I have the Glencroft, Westville, and HW conservatory up there. Afterward that we got some shopping and browsing hours in. I spotted a vendor selling the Woodcraft 3-d puzzles...including the "Fantasy Villa". I'm sort of intrigued now with the idea of finding that house (locally and hopefully with a coupon) and bashing it. It isn't a bad looking 1/2 scale house and looks like it could weather some design changes and strengthening. I know we have a thread here about these houses. Course last thing I need is another "house in a box" waiting to be assembled.