Nothing doing... till tonight

 It has been another quiet day...Bob is organizing things so he can do our taxes. Yesterday he bought the software necessary.. I don't envy him this "job"....The computer room floor is covered with old paperwork, receipts and bits of paper from the shredder!

We tried this morning to cut Jack's front nails.. they had gotten so long they curled back on themselves. Bob held him and I tried snipping. No go! He didn't even like the snippers touching his foot. So we now have a vet appointment ( next week) so he can be put under and they can take care of it. I think he is in pain and we just didn't notice... poor Jack ( the grey striped one).

I started working on another bear for the upcoming April show... and cut out several more. 

My daughter will be picking me up around 6.30  for our quilting/stitching meeting. The weather has settled down enough that we didn't have to cancel tonight's meeting!! Everyone is eager to get together!!

later... the"meeting" went well. We are all caught up ( we hadn't met since December what with the holidays, illnesses and weather!)

 The snacks were great! Chocolate drizzled popcorn was a hit. Pink pineapple looked strange but tasted wonderful. The store doesn't sell them with the tops on to prevent people from growing their own! Guess they are a really new item ! The watermelon and strawberries were great too! Finished up with cheesecake!!

glasses fixed

Headed out fairly early to the place where I bought my glasses last October for repair!  Left with new nose pieces and an adjustment of the frames. We'll see how well things work!!

I stopped at the grocery store on the way home. Price Chopper advertised chicken legs for $.49/ lb ...but you had to buy a 10 lb bag ! The sale ends tomorrow so I wanted to pick up  the bag full!

The couple in the check out line  before me had a cart ful of groceries... and I mean full. I don't think I have seen such  full cart before! Luckily another person opened a check out line and I was done in a flash. Bob helped me divide up the bag of legs...two legs in each freezer bag and then two bags in a second freezer bag. That should do it. My freezer is now pretty full!!

Time for some new chicken legs recipes?? 

The temperature has reached 59 F ! And it's sunny!! Poor Punxsutawney  Phil is not going to find it so nice out when he pops up on Friday the 2nd.

We've ... well mostly him... have munched our way through his last loaf of bread so he will bake again tomorrow.

 

sun... shadows... no snow

 The sun is actually out... no more fog ( at least for now)... shadows abound and no snow except for the piles left by the snowplow!

My online bear show starts Friday morning. The promoter wants to check out  "my page" tomorrow. So I spent this morning checking things out myself and adding PayPal buttons! I think I am all set.

My "quilting/ stitching " group has been postponing meetings for weeks. People have been sick One person's job as dispatcher for the electric company has worked non-stop with all the downed power lines due to the cold. Others just don't want to be driving late at night with all the snow, ice and cold! 

We are hoping that nothing interferes this week!

The nose piece on my newish  glasses - 5 months - came of last night. So off to the glasses place tomorrow morning. Not happy. Never had that happen before.

later ...Fireworks going off all over the place... The Kansas City Chiefs won and are on their way to the Super Bowl

 

Division of tasks??

I headed out to the bigger Blue Springs Walmart this morning. We have two WalMarts... the bigger one and a neighborhood one that just has food, cleaning stuff, a pharmacy and usually a person on the checkout lines not just the self-checkout!!

Anyway I had a list of food things and I wanted/needed Polyfil ( fiberglass stuffing stuff) for my bears. Found what I needed and an actual check-out person ( hip hip hooray)

While I was gone... Bob started on the laundry, vacuuming the downstairs and eating a slice of the bread he made yesterday ( Another successful bake!) And he helped me unload the car when I returned!! Successful division of jobs I think!!

This winter and its cold and snow has left many many potholes. Yesterday there was one on the Interstate which left 5 cars at once with flat tires. MDOT - Missouri Dept. of Transportation - closed down part of the interstate to make repairs today. People are complaining on Facebook!! I really watch now!!

later... the laundry is done, beds made and clothes put away! Tasks we do together. Looking out the window.. the ground is wet, still lots of oak leaves left and tiny bits of snow. Everyone is wishing for some sunshine!

Pools of melting snow

It got quite a bit warmer today... 40 F - and snow has been melting all around. Water has been dripping everywhere and it has been super foggy as well! With all this melting we have pools of water all over. The ground is so saturated the water has no where to go!

Neither of us has any tasks requiring us to leave the house... so  we didn't!  We have been reading or "working" on our computers. Bob helped me send off paperwork to Missouri's Dept. of Revenue - sales tax reporting. The website for the Dept. had been "updated" since last year and luckily he was the one to wade through the changes.

He also was working his way through OLD tax paperwork  - IRS stuff. The shredder worked full force and trash bags were filled ready to go into the trash bin for next week's pick up.

While he was doing that I worked on my Weebly website for the next online bear show...pictures and descriptions of bears.

During a reading period my grand daughter called to tell me all about her classes. She is taking her first actual in person drawing class.. and is enjoying the techniques the class is working on... and the compliment she received from the professor. Her college graduation is getting closer and closer. 

Her Spanish class and her drawing class are actual physical ones... other classes are online. But these two meet with a two hour break . She has found a student space where she can work on her laptop and get her homework done! I really enjoying listening to her talk about all her classes and work!!

Out of the house

 Yes... the back streets were icy this morning. My daughter mentioned , in a text, that she had slid in spots on the way to her school.

Her class of first graders were glad to be back in school! She brought out Prof. Blue ( a big bear I had made her as she went off to college in '93). The kids were delighted to see him again . My daughter reminded them he was old and that I had made him. One little girl was surprised to hear I was still alive since I am her teacher's Mother!!  She wanted my daughter to tell me!! Aren't 6 year olds something else? She also wants me to make another.. a friend for Prof. Blue.

By noon... the temps had reached 39F and though the streets were wet, there was no ice! So off I went to Hobby Lobby for some bear Valentine accessories and then to WalMart for groceries!! Nice to be out! WalMart's parking lot was packed and the store was busy. There were even several manned check out lines!

It's still above freezing... wonder what tomorrow will be like!

warmer today

 It has been warmer today but the beginning began with icy roads and accidents so schools ( schools called at 4.30 am to let everyone know) were closed and everyone did the same thing as last week.

My s-i-l leaves early for work ... roads still icy and he slid his way there.  I decided to stay home! 

Now. looking out the windows, we have wet streets and puddles. They are forecasting rain and ice overnight . Tomorrow morning it will be icy again!! 

Irish colcannon potatoes

 I was really tempted by the recipe below. Tempted enough to go grocery shopping this morning. I needed a leek and cabbage plus some other things.

The grocery store was packed.Was it because today is a little warmer? Or customers getting ready for the KC Chiefs and Buffalo Bills game this afternoon. Who knows but the store had lots of check out stations open and all sorts of game snacks available.

Found everything on my list and when I got home Bob helped me unload. The list had yeast on it .. thanks to all his bread making and there is a new loaf in the oven right now!

Looks like the schools will be back to their normal schedules this week!

We enjoyed them... maybe more leeks next time??

 

Irish Colcannon Potatoes Recipe

Servings: 4

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

4 large potatoes, peeled and diced

1/2 cup unsalted butter, divided

1 cup green cabbage, finely shredded

1 cup leeks, sliced (white and light green parts only)

1/2 cup milk

Salt and pepper to taste

Fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)

Instructions:

Place the diced potatoes in a large pot of salted water.

Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are tender, approximately 15 minutes.

In a separate pan, melt 1/4 cup of butter over medium heat. Add sliced leeks and shredded cabbage to the pan. Sauté until vegetables are softened, about 5-7 minutes.

Drain the boiled potatoes and return them to the pot. Mash the potatoes using a potato masher or fork. Mix in the sautéed leeks and cabbage.

Heat the milk in a small saucepan or microwave until warm. Add the warm milk and the remaining 1/4 cup of butter to the mashed potatoes. Mix until smooth and creamy.

Season the colcannon with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley for added freshness.

Scoop the Irish colcannon into serving bowls. Create a well in the center and add an extra pat of butter if desired.

Calories: Approximately 300 kcal

Left the house!!

I had an eye doctor appointment this morning so actually left the house. It is warmer today and the roads were clear... school is back in session so there were loads of school buses on the roads!!

The appointment went well but as soon as we arrived home, the phone rang. It was our grand daughter. It turns out that she has a severe upper respiratory infection. The doctor did a covid test which was negative but Lili needed Grandpa to go to the WalMart pharmacy and pick a prescription.

He ran into a few glitches... like whether she is using her maiden name at the pharmacy... her birth date.. and which WalMart!!

Everything worked out finally. He left the prescription on her back door and called her on the phone to tell her. He didn't want to catch her bug! She opened the door, got the bag and gave him a wave!!

With a little hint and a nudge, Bob has started on another loaf of bread. A new recipe using milk instead of water. It is rising...  As it rises he is on his XBox with a new game.

later.. house was a little cool for good bread dough rising. We tried the oven but even with that it was slow going. BUT... the result was a brown tasty loaf. I'm looking forward to toasting some for breakfast.  BTW no school tomorrow... too cold!

BTW...  For Donna... Bob is still experimenting with bread recipes... no favorite one so far!!

Tiny bit warmer

Well... today has been a tiny bit warmer. It actually is still above 0 F at 10.30 pm. But it's still cold. We have done a few things to block the wind . Our front door has a full length window ( single pane glass)  next to it. Bob found a sheet of 1/2 inch Styrofoam in his shipping stash and covered the glass minus a small look out section! Really helped!!

We didn't go out at all and the local school districts are back to AMI because tomorrow will be just as cold and very windy! Too cold and windy for kids to be waiting for the bus!  AMI is alternate method of instruction...ie everybody will be online!

Guess we'll be staying home again! By the way... Bob turned down the furnace a bit so it didn't run ALL THE TIME!

dropped to 2F while I was writing this!

Wow!!!! COLD

 The temperature is -9 F right now!! Luckily I did my running around early mid-morning. I was all out of polyester fiberfill for stuffing bears and friends and so headed off to Hobby Lobby for a bag , some more pins, scrapbook paper. tissue paper ( for wrapping when sending bears and friend off in the mail!) and craft glue!!

It was cold but not bad. When I walked out of Hobby Lobby it started to snow and the temp dropped. But we needed a few groceries so I stopped at Price Chopper just to make sure we had everything just in case.

When I left PC it was even colder. I tried putting things in the trunk but it was frozen shut... put them in the front on the seat and foot well. As I was about to head home I noticed two cars had had some sort of accident and the owners were talking about who was going to pay!! Right in front of my car!!

When they had things settled and the one at fault drove off, I headed home....I was really cold by then. Traffic had increased... the road was getting slushy.

Bob and I unloaded the car and I put things away... very glad to get home and warm up!!

So all day ( it had stopped snowing) it got colder and colder...and it will get even colder overnight. Neither of us wanted to go out and get the mail!!

Obituaries... and saved by the cooks

 Does that title draw people in??  I have been messaging back and forth with a cousin on Ancestry. She is the great grand daughter of one of my grandfather's siblings. We have exchanged family stories .. correcting at times! lol She is really into genealogy !

Anyway she had purchased some obituaries of family members. I learned what my grandfather had died. from from one of them...hypertrophic cardiomyopathy ( genetic). When I told her my family's heart deaths she bought more obits and laid out the family for both of us, Some probably would not have died today... medicine  has changed...But I am going to pass on some of this to my cardiologist.

ps... did not know one had to buy obits!! Maybe that's only true in the UK?? My husband says "no".... for actual official papers one has to purchase them, here in the US too.

My grand daughter called this morning...She is on winter break from college so has been working double shifts in the kitchen at Houlihan's. She said going to work yesterday wasn't bad but no servers showed up. So just the bar and the kitchen were open. So slow that the cooks taught her how to make Creme Brulee's and to do the topping with the small blow torch.

But when it was time to go home , her car's tires just spun. She tried salt and the restaurant's snow shovel but "no go". The five cooks came out and told her they were going to push her out. Success and home she went! No work today.

what's ongoing

 Went to our local hospital Monday morning for a sonogram... checking the circulation in my legs and feet. The weather outside was gray but no precipitation. But when I was done two hours later it was pouring.

Off to the grocery store with my "stuck in the house" grocery list. Bought more milk than usual "just in case" and three strips of rapid rise yeast in case he's bored and wants to bake again!

When I was done it was still pouring but the store set things up so I could go out to car and drive to the drop off area and a bagger would have brought my cart and would unload into my trunk ... big help!

Bob unloaded at home and I put things away... but by then the rain had changed to big  flakes of snow!!It snowed off and on all evening. By morning all schools were on virtual snow day - everyone stays home and works from online classes! Teachers without students do zoom meetings.

My neighbor - the one that owns a local trash company- put our bin at the end of the driveway so it could be emptied. By 10 the trash company was closed. No emptying today!

I had a doctor's appointment to go over yesterday's test results... but no way. The doctor's office is closed. The doctor called to tell me!!

It's actually very pretty out. We've gotten about 4 inches of snow. With no wind and everything wet from the rain, everything is coated - railings , ground , trees ...even chain link fences! And it is still snowing... tiny flakes!And it's not very cold - 31 right now.

We had a bit more snow and it did get a little windy... From the weather reports we may be hibernating for all of this week... Friday is supposed to be the worst.

One good thing about online snow days is that the the school calendar doesn't get lengthen next May

Bob's bread making

Bob has taken to bread making. The other day it was a UTube/Facebook bread. It had no recipe or real instructions so he slowed the video down until he could actually make the bread. It was good.. first time he had used olive oil instead of vegetable oil. Taking it out to our daughter's house for baking meant it's rising was interrupted. Tasted good!

Today he made bread from the James Beard Bread book... the dough rose dramatically and the bread had great texture and taste. I think this was partially due to his using a  smaller bread pan... 

Other than bread making and teddy bear clothing making it has been a quiet day. They ( weather people) are talking about snow tomorrow afternoon and more off and on ending with a big snow on Friday... we'll see..

Teacher daughter's school district has prepared for snow with online snow days...

Daughter's tasks

Our elder daughter asked if we could come to her house Saturday and help her assemble a new table and chairs for her kitchen.... sure was the answer.  They look really  nice and it is great to be able to sit and "eat" . The box containing the table was super heavy. The UPS delivery person managed to get it up half (13 steps) the front door steps. Not sure how our daughter managed the rest and got it into the house!!

After assembling the table was the task of bagging up the packing material - the dogs really wanted the Styrofoam ! - and the cardboard box. Anyway.. all broken down and into the trash bin for Monday's trash day!!

As we were leaving she asked if we could come today and help put up a ceiling light in the basement. Sure.. we were given dinner and Bob's  (he baked bread that morning) bread! Great ! But no light was put up ... too much time talking around the new table and chairs! Who cares... we'll do it next time.

Wonderful visit

Today I visited a friend I hadn't seen in quite some time ....lots of talking.. lots hugs... lots of catching up!!  What a delight! Why do we sometimes put things off?  We've been friends since our daughters were in 9th grade...

Afterwards I went to the grocery store with my list...found everything but  only milk went down in price. Too many things made a big jump up in price. This makes me shop with sale price tags hanging on the shelves!  One of my favorite baggers came running so she could bag my groceries!! Nice!

Then it was back to a book I am reading mixed in with a bear I am working on!! 

New Year Open House and FIREWORKS

We received an invitation to an Open House to be held today. The hosts do this every year... we've missed several due to Covid and Bob's heart attack . So it was doubly nice to go today and see people we haven't seen in ages. It was catered so food was everywhere  .. and delicious. People were munching, talking  and moving around !

We had a latish dinner due to the munching and finished last night's bottle of bubbly wine!!

And then the fireworks started.. some small booms and lots of huge ones. Tigger, the orange cat, was not happy!!  I have no idea why.. the Chiefs' win was yesterday and NY Eve was last night. It was loud enough that I almost wished to police would show up... it's only legal in Blue Springs over the Fourth of July !

I received and paid for the invoice for the next online bear show .. first weekend in February. Better get going and make some bears!!