busy day??

 When I arrived at our neighborhood WalMart I was amazed!! Then I remembered the weatherman talking about snow tonight and tomorrow and I realized that shoppers were doing that stock up routine! The parking lot was full... the store was full of shoppers, non-WalMart stockers, and workers filling carts for home deliveries!!

An older man decided I was an expert and asked for help in what he needed for the stuffing he was going to make!  Expert..no.. but willing to help.

I got everything on my list and even found where things were that I hadn't needed before..success!  Checked out... got the cart to the car,, and then the trunk would not open. Frozen shut. I had to load everything into the back seat and headed home.... btw it was 25 degrees... now  23 with  a winter advisory.

Bob lugged 75% of the groceries into the house while I did the rest. Everything is put away which left Bob able to wash the kitchen floor and the entryway area. Hooray.

After all that , it was a quiet afternoon for us... but not so much for my grand daughter ( husband and three cats ). There was another fire in her building. But now she has a routine... crate the cats and out into the car,  important papers and themselves out and into the car too. There was a fire truck and two police cars but no flames and no smoke. My grand daughter thinks it was probably a kitchen fire. Undid everything when the police ok'd it.  

 Tried a new recipe for bread pudding. It tastes great but too much bread. ... but the old bread I had in the freezer is used up now!!

 

Fireplace times

When we returned from another of our round robin trips we were tired and cold enough to turn the fireplace on for the first time this winter!!

A needy buyer from my retired freind's stash on etsy needed a piece of faux fur to fill a Christmas order. So I boxed it up , put on a "click and ship" label and dropped it off at the PO during our jaunt. It's going to Maine! 

We went to a craft and vendor show in Independence and picked up the cutest hand-made reindeer and a crochet gifted for a family member...The vendor mentioned 80  sellers and there were lots. It seems like every room in the  hotel was full!

Then it was a stop at Hy-vee for Nilla wafers ( hard to find) and chocolate morsels for peppermint bark.... I am going to make rum balls for our Christmas munch-a-long.

 Temps have dropped The rain we had off and on is gone. The wind is whistling around us...they are talking about snow tomorrow or Monday morning...

 

Turkey Day at Ophelia's

 Our turkey day buffet at Ophelia's was great!! Rooms I had never seen in the restaurant were filled with tables and people!! A long set of buffet tables were filled with delicious foods ... the dessert table was to die for.

Anyway... we all enjoyed ourselves. I wish I had been "allowed" by my family to take pictures but am determined to take them at Christmas!  We enjoyed being together... lots of "Happy Thanksgiving"s. I am thankful for it all!!

I took a long nap when we got home... the Moscow Mule and all that food.. did me in!

Today ?? probably a quiet day... 

The thought of not having turkey sandwiches for leftovers enticed me to buy our own turkey during the sales. It currently sits.. a frozen lump.. in the freezer. I think the thawing process will start next weekend.We won't have all the trimmings etc... but we will enjoy turkey and then TURKEY sandwiches . I remember years of turkey sandwiches with Hellman's mayo and lettuce of Pepperidge farm white bread. Also remember years of my m-i-l's 7 day "soup" which had everything in from mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, turkey from de-boning the bird etc. Even my kids shudder at the memories.

She was a good cook but could not bear not to use up everything ... the result of living during the depression when she was young and always having to stretch things as an adult.

 

Pre-Thanksgiving

We decided to stay home today.. no crowds... no lines and so on.

It was a weird day.. no Thanksgiving prep since we are all going to Ophelia's on the Independence Square for its buffet. No house cleaning... no putting stuff away and so on. So traditions be gone.. at least for this year. We'll see how it feels next year.

 Our grand daughter called to check on us.. a big accident near us on 7 Hwy  near I  70 with a sedan like ours. She wanted to make sure it wasn't us!! 

W treated ourselves to a special cheese box from Green Dirt Farm ..so an unusual dinner for us two. The cheeses, fig jam and walnut biscuits were wonderful... all sheep cheeses. I think I liked the blue cheese best. We did have a green salad too and glasses of Shiraz.

Another trip out

 While I grocery shopped Bob found where he could buy gift cards  ( in Wal-Mart ) for our senior adoptees. We've pretty much bought the wants on their lists but with the gc's they can buy their "needs" for themselves.

Now we are going to switch and start shopping for the family ... again. We did buy some things but there are some members without.

Fresh cranberries are now  92 cents a mesh bag!! Good thing they can be frozen! The piles of sweet potatoes are high in their wooden display containers and  78 cents / lb. ! 

Finished my red cat and accessorized him ... took pictures and put him on my online show site... next show starts Dec. 5. 

 

 

Another Christmas shopping trip

I headed out this morning on another Christmas shopping trip... managed it before the parking lots started to fill!  Hooray!

Home Goods was filled with loads of Christmas temptations.. some of which I put in my shopping cart. By the way... the aisles are so narrow with all these goodies that one can barely make through. No British All Sorts though... Amazon will be sending them instead!!

The checkout line was full but moving quickly... noticed the security monitor above it...I  could see myself and everyone behind me! Easy peasy area for shoplifting!

The weather people said we would have rain to day... and we have. Not steady but off and on. The temperature is 51 F... cold enough to make it chilly. My subdivision is beginning to have lots of Christmas lights and yard decorations. Nice to see lights on ! I haven't been able to talk Bob into bringing down our boxes from the attic, but I hope to soon!

 

 

Errands to run

Michael's was my destination but on the way a road leading out of my subdivision was closed. So after going around the long way I was at Michael's along with many others. The shopping area was packed - Target, Kohl's,  Home Goods,  and many others.

Picked up what I needed at Michael's and headed home. I could imagine the check out lines and didn't want any part of that! 

Checked out the closed road... loads of men and machines digging a huge area where water runs under the road.. Long way home!!

 

 All set for picking up !!!

 

Doing odds and ends

 It's a day of little tasks... I posted the last piece of fabric from my retired bear maker friend up on etsy! Hurrah! Fingers crossed that these pieces will all sell.. I would dearly love to give her a nice check.

I've been working on things for my next online show...  I have almost finished a red cat. Fitting for Christmas ( or a holiday), right?

Trying a new recipe for dinner. Our grocery store hands out a booklet ( Gathering)  full of recipes and ads... and this one was in it.... roasted sweet potatoes with bacon and onions in a maple syrup sauce...plus some seasonings.. Well...it was too sweet to my liking. But the combination of roasted sweet potatoes, bacon and caramelized onions was good. I may fiddle around with it.

Boy is it easy to spend money with all the online "stores" and sales going on!! 

 

 

gray day but no fog

 When I look out the window near our computers I see today is going to be cold and gray but not foggy!!

I am going to make the first batch of "Rita's Chex Mix" today...I have all the ingredients... just need to measure them equally into two pans .. stir and start baking... timers set to 15 minutes for stirring!

Finished...the mix has been ladled into plastic containers to finish cooling.. then tops go on and wait to be handed out to "lucky" recipients!!  Both daughters are excited!
 

Looking out my windows

 As I looked out our windows when I came downstairs  I noticed how foggy it was... barely could see across the circle!

Just looked again from my computer... it's still super foggy...

Yesterday was a make it day... getting ready for the show December 5th -8th. I decided the newest bear needed a quilt so I made him one from scraps - a 16 block. It was fun...though I really don't enjoy the bias tape edging. 

My younger daughter didn't have to work yesterday and so we went out to lunch at Olive Garden... It was cold out so the soup, salad and breadsticks  hit the spot! We had a great chance to talk and a very helpful server!!

 Today is a good day to start things  ( but after a box of mohair from an etsy sale got packed, labelled and put out for the mailman!) So after finding my bottle of dry sherry I made a batch of "sherried walnuts" It's an easy peasy recipe just having to boil sugar and sherry to 240 degrees and dump in the nuts and stir!! Bob tasted and ok'd them!!

 fog is lighter!! But still not bright enough to take pictures for my online show site.

The pile of things for our senior adoptees grows.... as does the things for our family. 

Tomorrow is Chex Mix day... 

 

Trip to Wal-Mart

 Started my Christmas shopping today with a trip to Wal-Mart. My daughter has requested the annual "Rita's Chex Mix"! So boxes of Chex cereal, Cheerioes, mixed nuts,  pretzels made it into my cart. I already have the rest including the 9 sticks of butter! Though I am missing Wheat Chex... not a box to be had in Wal-Mart.

I also picked up a big bag of "Crafter's Choice" polyester fiberfill for my bears ( it was on the highest up shelf and I had to ask an employee with a ladder to get one down!) ... and found a KC Chief's lap rug for our senior adoptee... it was on his want list!

I will schedule an afternoon for making the Chex mix... I will put everything into two huge baking pans and into the oven ... then stir everything every 15 minutes for several hours!  So... time to pull out the pans from my pantry and the plastic storage containers...

Watched another episode of Ken Burns'  "American Revolution" on PBS. Amazing ! I am also amazed  and horrified about all that I did not know... We have watched all of his historical documentaries and I am so grateful for what he has done!!

Tomorrow will be a busy one... another round of an errand run to Price Chopper for wheat Chex,  the purple Ripple box to get rid of our glass  for recycling, Habitat for Humanity to donate Bob's stuff and maybe the library!

 

Piles of leaves

 As I sit at my computer I am listening to my neighbor using his driving lawn mower to mulch all the leaves into huge piles. I was wondering what he will do with all of them when Bob reminded me that he and his family own a popular trash service including pick up for yard waste..

Bob and I have been "trolling" online stores for the things our seniors want or need. We have got to do better with printing out receipts and tracking info!!  This year's searches are turning out to be  enjoyable ones.

Our daughter called to tell us she had made her grandmother's Glorified Gingerbread... it's something the whole family loves/loved....great way to use up some milk that has soured though vinegar can be used.

 

 

Little of this .. a little of that

 We haven't done much today but I did   clear the pots of dead plants. Going to miss them until new ones next spring. Bob cleared the driveway of all the acorns and leaves. Driving over all the acorns was a very crunchy trip. He also did come cleaning out back.. getting rid of sticks and leaves. The garden waste trash bin will be full!

I also worked on things for the December online show!! 

Dinner is sending its aromas all over the house... Italian sausage, tortellini, spinach, mushroom soup!! Wal-Mart's bulk Italian sausage is tasty and so much easier without the casings!!

It was good!  There is enough for leftovers!

 

Aldi's

 I thought I would go early to our Aldi store... hoping for an empty parking lot. No such luck... loads of shoppers ad even the self-checkouts were all taken. But happily I found everything on my list.. even a smallish turkey.

We ( all the family) will be going to Ophelia's for the Thanksgiving buffet. We've never done this before. It maybe the last time too... who knows.

 

The smallish turkey is for Bob and me after Thanksgiving.

Believe it or not but the thermometer registers 72 degrees currently!It actually went up to 78 at 3 pm!!

 

 

Holiday elf

 Bob and I are officially Phoenix Family Holiday elves again this year. We have been assigned two senior citizens - one male, one female - with wants and needs for this Christmas.

We've done this for quite a few years and enjoy shopping with a list for someone else!! There are other elves and organizations that adopt whole families! I went on one of the shopping trips armed with lists of wants and needs for a family... The list included ages, sizes, likes and dislikes and so on. You would not have believed with face on the check out clerk when we arrived with several shopping carts full of stuff!!

Definitely a Christmas happy mood maker event !! 

 

 

 My living room couch is empty!! All the faux fur went home with a young couple who drove 40 minutes to my house. All of it was bagged up and they loaded it into their car..... Hooray!

Now just to sell some more of the mohair on etsy...To help with that I am having a sale next week. Would love to give my retired friend more $$$.

Hard to believe but it  is 67 degrees right now ...sunny and no wind!

Believe it or not... I've started working on new bears etc for the December show. 

 

Round about trip...

 Another one of those circular trips.. first to drop off toys for the Marine's Toys for Tots box at our fitness center.. then to  Bob's doctor's office to drop off paperwork and then to Target to pick up my pills and stuff Bob wanted!

By the time we arrived home the car was toasty warm and I had loads of "steps" and there was a message on Facebook about the pile of faux fur on my living room couch ." More pictures please" which I did and posted. Fingers crossed she wants all that faux fur!!  New message.. she'll be here between 10.30 and 11 am.tomorrow. Fingers still crossed. 

 Saturday someone "wanted"the orange faux fur... said she'd be here Sunday but no show. So the fingers stay crossed until $$ is in my hand.

 

Daughter called to remind us to look outside... KC can see the aurora borealis  .. a bit

 

  

 

Cold... 29 degrees

It's definitely cold this morning... at 9 am it is 29 degrees. Sadly my computer doesn't let me be ignorant of temps outside!!

 

 Boxes of bears waiting on the steps for our mailman to pick them up. They are all paid for via "Click and ship" and he will log them in!! He has a hand held scanner which reads the labels.

On her way home my teacher daughter told me all about her districts program on medical issues ..... she had to do tourniquets , wound packing and so forth. Some other teachers were reluctant even though the models used were rubber! Anyway... she did it well. 

Tomorrow and Wednesday her students will be working on kindness. It will be interesting to see the differences between the two grades. My daughter has been stressing politeness ( thank you, please etc) to their classmates, the workers in the lunchroom, the janitors... Pert of what triggered this is an online contest about kindness.. no rewards but just what the kids think is kindness 

 

 

not as cold as expected...no snow

The weatherpeople... all of them it seems... had predicted really cold below freezing temps this morning. Didn't happen. Yes, it was cold.. colder than it had been days before... but not below freezing!

If the temps drop mightily tonight... it will be time to turn on the gas fireplace and enjoy the "flames". I am making chicken pot pie soup to go with the "fire". First time trying a recipe I had downloaded.

Spent the afternoon boxing up sold bears... ready for the mailman to put them into his van!! Still a few left so keeping my finger crossed that they will be sold too.

The soup was good.. next time I will break up the dried rosemary.It was like having small sticks in the soup... 

website problems

 The online show is having problems with its web host...When I try to access my promoter's page I get a security notification. Means buyers can't access the show either. The show's promoter is working with the web host... oh well...

later... seems to be fixed

 we went to the local craft show.. It is being held in the Blue Springs senior center. Most of the booth holders were OLD. We bought some great looking jam - Gooseberry and Frog - some small pecan tarts and a nice scrapbook Christmas card for a friend in Florida.

As we left it started drizzling ... also found a desperate message on etsy from someone who needed to get one of my fabric items up to Houlton, Maine by the 13th. I answered her.. she decided to take a chance and paid.. and we boxed it up and it is waiting for the mailman... So my retired bear making friend gets some more money.

Bob decided to replace the flapper valve's on the two upstairs bathrooms...no more listening to the water running every so often..  Tigger, the orange cat, had been sleeping all morning but was unhappy when he couldn't join Bob in a bathroom!! Unhappy means yowling and scratching on the door.

Our daughter dropped by with some gorgeous white sharp cheddar cheese from Costco... yum... that she had bought today. 

 Christmas lists became a topic of conversation...

 

 

 

warm day today.. snow on Sunday

 It looks like today will be warm... 70 ! But there is a possibility of snow and cold on Sunday.

My online show starts tomorrow so I will be sitting at the computer and hopefully boxing up sales.

Our local senior center - Vesper Hall  - is hosting a craft show Saturday. It's their first so Bob and I will give it a look see.

Our craft/quilt group met last night. It was held in the common room of one member who lives in a senior living facility. A man joined us.. a friend relative of the hostess. He said the facility is dead quiet after dinner and he was delighted to find us. Guess he's a little lonely.  

If one is thinking about moving into this type of a facility... that would be something to consider. Bob says we don't do much in the evening either but we do have each other....

 

 

Election day

 Bob and I headed off to our voting site this morning... There was only one item on the ballot and the voting site was almost voter free. We did see a few people leaving and a few more came in while we were there. Most were unbusy oldees like us!

When I logged onto the computer I found I had sold another piece of fabric from my retired bear maker friend's stash. So did the USPS click and ship... put the box outside for the mailman and emailed the buyer that it was on the way... still lots more.... Bob suggested and pushed...nagged..for me to have a sale on etsy. I gave in... it's set up for a week later this month.

If I do sell during the sale... it means less money for my friend, but fabric leaves mt house!! 

Watched the news this evening. We are keeping our fingers crossed ( later .. it looks good!!)

 

 

 

 

time change

 it's been gray enough and dull enough that changing the clocks hasn't made much of a difference.

Bob did all of the changing... though I did nag a little about changing the bedroom clock. I kind of want to know what time it is when doing the pee trip routine!! 

I headed out to the grocery store "early" thinking it would be empty because of the time change... but no it wasn't. 

Later I had two more tasks... a batch of tunafish for sandwiches and a pumpkin pie . The cats were delighted with their "tuna juice" ... the water in the can of tuna.

Did a little of this and a little of that 

Trick or treaters!!

 I think the week plus " trunk or treats"  all over Blue Springs made the numbers going house to house last night much smaller. I read on Facebook that some houses didn't get any!

We did get some... the best was the group of teenagers all dressed in great costumes and very polite! 

So what do we do with the leftover candy!! Some people are doing another trick or treat tonight. Some talk about making smallish bags of candy and donating it to food banks or to the little book libraries that have switched over to food.  Just so we don't eat it all!!

The weather people are posting a freeze for tonight...

Don't forget to change your clocks tonight if "applicable".