Weekly Chat - Monday 10/6

More company Tracy?  Sheesh, you should start a bedand breakfast and start charging. lol  About the western themed event I've seen a lot of gals wearing the lacy dress with cowboy boots look. Weird looking to me even when you have the shape to pull it off, which I don't.

I think being annoyed is a better frame of mind for when you talk to your boss.

The kitchen remodel hit a snag on Saturday. Hopefully that will be resolved this week.  I did get everything put back in my cabinets. I donated several large boxes to Goodwill.  I sure had a lot of redundant stuff in my cabinets.  I think I donated at least thirty drinking glasses. :(I don't have a functional kitchen sink which is a real hassle. I did cook a pot roast in the crock pot yesterday. We were dying for something homemade besides sandwiches.

Off to see what I can do with this mess on my desk. I've made a dent in some of it but the rest I keep shuffling around.

We had sleet on Saturday. I was helping a friend move at the time - we couldn't believe it.

I broke down and put my roll of toilet paper backwards on the spindle yesterday. So far Oscar has been very disappointed because it is not unrolling for him. 

I'm so buried under work that I don't have any space to shuffle it to.

@sharismom

I'm so buried under work that I don't have any space to shuffle it to.

That's when you have to start using the floor as another horizontal storage area.  Thankfully, I don't have that kind of problem these days, but at my previous job, there were certain deadline times when my floor looked like a paper hop-scotch pattern!

I'm sorry to have a laugh at Oscar's expense, but the visual of a cat looking rather sad and confused as he tries his usual TP rolling exercise really made me chuckle!

Isn't it amazing how things in the kitchen seem to multiply on their own?  Having moved across country more than once, we've had to really go through cabinets carefully before packing things up.  I remember saying things like, "How did we get 3 rolling pins?" and "Do we really need 4 whisks?"  It's not like I buy these things, I swear!  

Had the kids and grand daughters down Sunday.  Mankato State put on Disneys' Beauty and the Beast.  GDs showed up wearing yellow princess gowns.  It was like a pointer on a pheasant.  They stared and didn't move.  I don't know if they were breathing.  I've never seen little girls that attentive and well behaved.  Then we took them home for dinner.  All in all, a great day.  

My daughter ran in the Minneapolis Marathon, competed in the 10K and did well.  She was able to walk afterwards.  She constantly amazes me.  It is of course due to her genetic heritage.  Son is going to try to qualify for the Boston Marathon next year.  Me, I tried running once and didn't like it.

Junior is really growing up.  His face is filling in and looks adult now.  Went through the WMA today and he was bounding through the weeds.  He is chasing tweety birds now, and he is fast.  He starts his new class that is to develop off leash skills Wed evening.  

Weather man used the "snow" word yesterday.  Way up north, but he did use it.  Had to melt frost off the work truck today, wore gloves and Carhart coat for most of the day.  It's coming.  Uff da!!

Still picking and preserving apples.  You can see the lower parts of the tree have been worked on.  The apples in the top appear to be bigger than the lower fruit, are definitely redder and sweeter.  Two a day seems workable, three is pushing it.  I'll have to take some more to work this week.

Doug, my sister who had MS when she ran the Chicago Marathon did qualify for the Boston one.  She was 53 at the time!  Me?  I only run if there is a snake in the area, and then I can run like the wind!  Sounds like you had a really special day with the family.

Last night got into the lower 30's and we had frost warnings, but luckily no frost.  Of course I went out and picked any tomatoes left on the plants and brought all my herbs inside, so kind of figures it wouldn't frost.  And today was in the 60's!

Yesterday I went with DH to do the Fall Foliage parade and just about froze my fanny off!  The right hand, stuck out the window and waving stayed frosty for a good hour, and the facial muscles have FINALLY relaxed out of a smile.

I had my pneumonia shot on Friday and I can finally use the left arm again today.  The armed swelled, it bruised all the way down to the elbow and it hurt like blue blazes.  Thankfully, the shingles vaccine today was sub-q and not IM.

Sorry the remodel hit a snag, Jackie.  Hoping you can report real progress tomorrow.

Doug, your grand-daughters sound adorable.  What an experience for them to see that show.   What is it with little girls and princesses?  I was at a store recently, and  little girl was wearing a princess costume, just because!  

Hearing the word snow this early would be disturbing.  My SIL is here from Wyoming, and they had about a foot of snow on day in September.  She's enjoying are Indian Summer here this week:  reaching 80 again today.

Glad your arm feels better, Glenda.  I've not had a pneumonia shot, but I think this year I'll get a flu shot.  I've not had one for several years.  Maybe it's all the media coverage of Ebola, but I'm fearing illnesses more than I usually do.  I'd like to adopt more preventative measures!

Nice story about your granddaughters, Doug. I was never into the princess thing, much to my mother's chagrin, but I'll bet the girls were adorable.

Tracy, you'll laugh at this - Oscar has a thing for hair ties (you know, the elastics to make a pony tail). He will scrounge through my vanity drawer or in my purse in search of one and when he finds what he wants, he runs with it in his mouth and then starts to chew on it. I'm going to have to keep the bathroom door shut if he doesn't stop thinking it's his amusement park. WTH? I bought him toys. Silly cat.

ETA: am already using the floor for stacks of paperwork. I'm sinking fast.

Tracy, it is not even remotely logical, and I KNOW they don't use the live virus, but.  Everytime DH or I has had the darned flu shot, we've gotten sicker than heck.  My doctor doesn't even push for it anymore, but he was rather insistent on the pneumonia and shingles.  He SAYS that if I do have outbreaks, they will be less severe and shorter duration.  Sure hope he's right!

Have been playing Suzie Homemaker today.  Made a ginormous pot of spaghetti sauce, mixed up a couple meatloafs and about 10 lbs of Italian meatballs.  Need to get the lasagna's put together and into the freezer.  DH has a b'day coming up on Monday so need to have his special meal ready.  Of course, once I get started I can't seem to stop.......

Thanks for the reminder about getting a flu shot. Need to put that on my to do list, right at the top.

The kitchen remodel is at a stand still for the time being. Two stainless steel sinks in a row have been dented on arrival. The backsplash has to be done differently due to some confusion between contractors.  DH is driving me crazy. I just want a functional kitchen. I know it hasn't been all that long as a friend reminded me when she told me to suck it up and stop whining. lol

I don't want to cook that much Glenda. I'll let you be the super cook. lol My DH has a birthday coming up soon too. I'd forgotten all about it. I think I'll get him a cast iron skillet to wear on his head.

I've spent most of the day trying to fill out a waiver for a city contract. It's a critical form and I need to attach a letter. That letter is the hard part. Trying to tactfully tell the city that their contract provisions are impossible to meet without pissing anyone off is not one of my strong points.

Tina, Oscar sounds like a hoot. Hope you can keep him out of the ponytail things. Last thing you need is a visit to the vet for a blockage.  

I'm sorry Jackie.  I forgot that you can't cook right now.  That really stinks about the issues, and it sort of sounds like your DH might just deserve the cast iron "hat"!

The thing is....I never intend to go crazy in the kitchen.  My clear cut purpose today was to make a big batch of spaghetti sauce so I could make the lasagnas.  Remember, I'm one of those people who prefers to cook once  (and clean up my gawd awful mess just once) and eat multiple times so it isn't likely I'll do lasagna again until this time next year....there are six large pans of it balanced in the deep freeze.  That was honestly all I intended to do.  However, I sent DS into the butchers yesterday and instead of the 5 lbs of ground sirloin I had ordered, along with some other stuff, they screwed up and put in 20 lbs.  I called as soon as I discovered it and they said, they couldn't take it back, I hadn't been charged for it, so to consider it a gift.  So, I've got an extra 15 lbs of meat that needs to be used or packaged and frozen and it isn't that much more work to just DO something with it, especially since I had the herbs, garlic and tomatoes all chopped for the sauce.   I always do way too much, and then dry the leftover herbs, so what I had was just right for everything.  Honestly, I think this is a genetic condition...this inability to stop once you start.  Sis does the same thing and then wonders why she's exhausted!  Oh well, the end of the freezer where prepared stuff lives is going to be very well stocked for awhile.

@JackieG

My DH has a birthday coming up soon too. I'd forgotten all about it. I think I'll get him a cast iron skillet to wear on his head.

OK I totally needed that laugh.

My life at work is completely insane.

I am not saying it is bad insane, just insane. Not sure when I last posted so I'll say that the class I was supposed to deliver starting Monday was cancelled on Thursday and a new class was inserted (that is once again totally beyond my knowledge area). To make matters worse, some of that delivery conflicted with another project I was heavily allocated to. So a bit of a tug of war over who 'had' me ensued.

Meanwhile I am like, listen I don't care what you want me to do I can only be in one place at a time!

It finally got sorted late yesterday afternoon but I still had to drive to our other facility (120 miles from home) on Monday to deliver an 8 am class today, then arrange for someone to take my class after lunch so I could drive 90 miles back to the normal facility for a meeting. Then drive 90 miles back so I could deliver an 8 am class tomorrow.

Each time I log into my email I have about a dozen 'urgent' emails.

I am exhausted and it is Tuesday..............I think

Meanwhile my stepson is visiting from the UK. Good to see him when I have been able to.

Fall weather is here although today and tomorrow are well into the 80's

I am sure many of you can relate, I miss Bugsy when I am stressed. His constant joy and companionship eases my psyche.

Jackie's idea of an iron skillet hat as a birthday gift made me snort!  I need to remember that for DH's birthday next year!!  

As someone who hates to cook, I can't imagine doing the volume cooking you do, Glenda, but it's an excellent idea.  My friend cooks for a few hours on Sundays and doesn't cook all week.  I prefer to avoid cooking any day of the week.  If I lived alone, I wouldn't need a kitchen.  Just a microwave, toaster,  and a hot plate!

Karen , I'm sorry your work life is so stressful these days and that it keeps you from Bugsy more than you both like (and need!).  Just the driving sounds awful.  Sending you calming vibes.

i talked with my boss today.  In my nervous state, I didn't say much other than I'd had a draft of the letter for a while, but put it aside in light of the family crisis, and his news of the raise put the ball in my court to give it to him now.  I just said he could it take whatever time to share and discuss with his family and we could talk about it later.  I'm sure he knew it contained a request for more money, but I didn't say that.  The wording of the letter is much more clear than any verbal diarrhea I'd have had today!  We'll see what happens.

Any updates on Ginger?

I honestly do love to cook.  I just don't love getting so darned carried away.  But again, I only have to clean up the kitchen ONCE for all the cooking I did, so that's a darned good thing.  I hate cleaning up the way some people hate cooking!

@tacran

Jackie's idea of an iron skillet hat as a birthday gift made me snort! I need to remember that for DH's birthday next year!!

As someone who hates to cook, I can't imagine doing the volume cooking you do, Glenda, but it's an excellent idea. My friend cooks for a few hours on Sundays and doesn't cook all week. I prefer to avoid cooking any day of the week. If I lived alone, I wouldn't need a kitchen. Just a microwave, toaster, and a hot plate!

Karen , I'm sorry your work life is so stressful these days and that it keeps you from Bugsy more than you both like (and need!). Just the driving sounds awful. Sending you calming vibes.

i talked with my boss today. In my nervous state, I didn't say much other than I'd had a draft of the letter for a while, but put it aside in light of the family crisis, and his news of the raise put the ball in my court to give it to him now. I just said he could it take whatever time to share and discuss with his family and we could talk about it later. I'm sure he knew it contained a request for more money, but I didn't say that. The wording of the letter is much more clear than any verbal diarrhea I'd have had today! We'll see what happens.

Any updates on Ginger?

Glenda, I had a pneumonia shot a couple weeks ago also, and my arm hurt for a week.  Son hugged me and I said "Oh please, don't do that!"  No other shot really bothers me at all.