What I'm Reading This Week #22

Happy Friday everyone.  I hope you've had a great week and are ready for another scintillating weekend.  We spent the week re-watching season 3 of Dexter, got out for a walk or two in the sweltering heat and looking forward to a 20 degree dip in temps this weekend even if all we do is hang out on the patio.

Let's dip into...

12 Things Making a Huge Comeback During the Pandemic  (Bidet was literally the first thing we bought.)

14 Cute And Clever Change-The-Date Cards For Postponed Weddings  (Some really cute ones!)

People Are Posting What ‘Extra Pay’ They Receive As Encouragement For Working During The Pandemic And Some Say It’s Humiliating   (I understand both points of view but yeah, "here's some candy in exchange for potentially deadly disease?"  Just do nothing at that point.)

30 Of The Coolest ‘Covid Projects’ Shared By People On Reddit   (People are so talented!)

3 Mental Blocks That Keep You From Doing What You Say You Want to Do  (Get out of my head)

How to Get Shaker Style  (Shake what your mama gave you)

48 Can't-Miss Summer DIY Craft Projects to Get in the Seasonal Spirit  (Super cute stuff to occupy your time and spruce up for summer)

Exercise and Plantar Fasciitis   (The struggle is real)

65 DIY Father's Day Gifts for the Guy Who Has Everything  (15 and 16 are pretty cute)

The Dark Reality of House Flipping  (In case anyone thinks it's as easy as it looks on TV)

He Grew Up Without A Dad. Now, He's Become The Internet's Dad On YouTube  (This dude isn't that much older than me and I'm still going to watch his videos.  My dad checked out when I was 8 (and wasn't there much before that anyway as a third shifter I never saw) so I'm sure there is still much for me to learn.)

This Mansion's Basement Looks Like Disneyland's Main Street During Christmas  (LOVE IT!  You can keep the rest of the house, we'll live in the basement.  You can see the whole listing here but for the basement start with slide 54)

Enjoy the last weekend of May.  I've thought about going paddling this weekend but we haven't blown up/cleaned off the equipment from last season so I don't know if there's enough time to do it.  Plus I think it's still going to be crowded and I'd hate to drive 90 minutes just for it to be uncomfortably crowded.  We'll see.  I know we'll regret not paddling in 70 degrees tho.

Anything planned for the weekend?


====================
Like this post? Don't miss another one...subscribe via email or RSS feed. (Or you can follow me on Facebook )  Some posts may contain affiliate links that help keep this blog running at no cost to you.  See the Disclaimer page for more info.

Hump Day Poll: Water Not An Option

If you could jump into a pool of anything (other than water), what would it be?

I don't know why I immediately thought Jell-o!  😂  Like you could kind of be suspended in it like Dwight's stapler but you could also squish it through your hands and that would be super satisfying to a tactile person like me.

====================
Like this post? Don't miss another one...subscribe via email or RSS feed. (Or you can follow me on Facebook )  Some posts may contain affiliate links that help keep this blog running at no cost to you.  See the Disclaimer page for more info.

Memorial Day Weekend Recap

Howdy y'all!  I hope you had a nice long holiday weekend.  We got a break from the rainy weather to have a spectacular Saturday weather wise.  The rest of Saturday kind of blew with the Mr starting out with a nausea inducing migraine for a few hours.  I was dumb and didn't do any prep work for our cookout the night before so it was just thing after thing between baking an apple dessert to getting all of the sides ready and the burgers seasoned and dealing with a grill that never wants to cooperate and I'm pretty sure is cursed anyway.  It was just a lot and I was ready to say screw it and grab lunch somewhere.  But I persisted and we ended up with a pretty standard Memorial Day cookout.

(Apple Puff Pastry Tart similar to the Mr's grandma's dish with a scoop of Dulce De Leche ice cream and lite Cool Whip)

We decided to go for a drive to several beach and rec areas to see what the public was doing about the holiday weekend.  We basically shook our heads and went home.  Should've stopped to buy more TP since a spike will be hitting sooner than later.

The clouds started moving in and we somehow dodged predicted storms and got a bit of color just before sunset.

We hung out on the patio for a few hours just kind of staring in silence until the June bugs started weirding us out.

We bought a misting fan because gross hot weather is coming and every year we go through the same routine.  1)  Get amped up to use patio.  2)  Invest in tons of flowers/some new crap that will razzle dazzle our outdoor lives  3) ungodly heat and humidity move in 4) only go on patio when the plants start to crisp as we press our faces to the slider from the A/C inside.

(This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.  Should you buy through them, I may receive a few cents commission to go toward blog expenses at no cost to you.)

But now that we're trapped in the house a good bit and want to be outside, we're hoping this misting fan does the trick to take it down a notch heat wise.  It takes me back to the days when we were stupid and would lay out on the patio to get a "base tan" when we were first married before trips.  We had these misters that we'd set up on either side of this blow up mattress we had and lay out for an hour or two.  The dog would lay on it with us when she wasn't hiding in the shade.  Miss that pup.  If it doesn't coax us outdoors this summer then chalk it up to yet another thing we waste money on in anticipation of a summer that is never quite the way you envision it coming out of winter.

Sunday was gross hot and after a big brunch of lemon blueberry ricotta pancakes, I declared myself done with cooking for the day.  Over it.  I didn't get my usual 2-3 week cooking break for vacation so I'm particularly irritated with cooking/baking right now.

The Mr saw some commercial for these s'more bomb pops and when he actually saw them in the wild, he grabbed some.

They're pretty good but be aware they aren't nearly as big as they're portrayed on the box.  More the size of a fudge pop.  The marshmallow in the middle was a fun surprise.

I needed to get out of the house because I was going stir crazy.  We drove around for like 3 hours.  We stopped at the hippy store to grab some of my favorite low sodium marinara sauce because no one is ever there.  A cable company had the nerve to be set up to try to hustle you into new service at the entrance.  Seriously!?!?!  *flick*  We grabbed a pizza for dinner and watched the Netflix special Have A Good Trip about celebs doing psychedelics.  Pretty interesting stuff and sure makes us straight edge folk feel like we seriously missed out on some stuff.  The Mr's job does random drug tests so he freaks out eating poppy seed buns.

I decided Monday's meal was going to be me chucking a pot roast into the crock pot for BBQ beef sandwiches.  I put it in the night before so it was ready to roll for lunch.  I had the last of our corn on the cob, chips and beans so we had that on the patio.  Since it was hotter, we had the misting fan on.  The Mr was getting the brunt of it but we had on the Bluetooth speaker and a local station was playing 80's all weekend.  It felt like laying out in the backyard as a kid.  We just sat out there for a few hours listening to music before my sinuses had enough of whatever is floating around out there and we came inside and napped for like 2 1/2 hours in the A/C.  Not that we could really do anything else because our internet has been down all weekend so they come out today to fix the line in since it's on their end.  (They'd better.)  That was about it for the weekend. 

It would behoove me to meal plan a few bigger items to make ahead, divvy up and FoodSave because it's just been all about doing what's quick lately.  I suspect that won't change much.  I think I have one or two Food saver meals left of beef roast/roast turkey and homemade noodles.  I'm saving that one for a rainy day which could be any second now.   So I'll think on that one for more summery meals.

How was your weekend?  Grill out any goodies? 

====================
Like this post? Don't miss another one...subscribe via email or RSS feed. (Or you can follow me on Facebook )  Some posts may contain affiliate links that help keep this blog running at no cost to you.  See the Disclaimer page for more info.

Happy Memorial Day

If you don't have any loved ones that served, a cemetery is a great place to get some exercise while getting outside, staying safe and paying respects to our heroes we never met but affect our lives every day.

====================
Like this post? Don't miss another one...subscribe via email or RSS feed. (Or you can follow me on Facebook )  Some posts may contain affiliate links that help keep this blog running at no cost to you.  See the Disclaimer page for more info.

What I'm Reading This Week #21

Happy Friday everyone.  It's finally here and a nice long weekend to hopefully get your grill on!  We had an infinitely better install experience with our microwave yesterday as it wasn't the same bonehead jerks they've sent us the past two times.  He seems to be a one man operation and was professional, like actually measured stuff and then shook his head at how bad the previous install was.  He asked what the guy looked like and the Mr looked to me and I said "shady."  He said "small guy covered in tattoos?"  Ding ding ding!  (For any sleeved folks, I am not saying that people covered in tattoos are shady, that's not what made him that way.  It was just fastest way to identify him.)  He was here longer than the previous toolbags both times combined.   Call me old fashioned, but I appreciate a dude in a polo and khakis showing up and actually taking the time to do what needs to be done for a correct install.  

Now let's take the time to see...    

(This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.  Should you buy through them, I may receive a few cents commission at no cost to you.)

There's an Emerging, Promising Link Between Exercise and Your Immune Health   (Good news!)

How to Create a Classic Cottage Garden  (Love them ALL!)

7 Ways to Become a More Loving Partner  (Excellent things to put into practice.)

25 disappointing photos that show the ugly truth of living in a tiny house  (Hell no.)

8 Strategies to Manage Overwhelming Feelings  ("Their brain’s power grid is overloaded, so the result is like summer in the city when everyone’s running an air conditioner—the lights flicker, and then go out."   Yep, that's about right.)

13 Cheap (or Free!) Ways to Practice Self-Care  (Gotta love that.)

15 Amazing Camping Gadgets  (Or travel.  I can vouch for the extendable roasting forks.  We take them on vacations and use them for patio s'mores!)

Man Enjoys Sweetest Post-Coronavirus Lockdown Reunion With His Family's Donkey  (Aww!  Make sure you turn it up real loud toward the end to hear the donkey's response and freak out anyone in your house in another room.)

Virtual Vacations You Can Take Straight From Your Couch   (BRB, going to climb Machu Picchu)

Stewart Copeland on Life in Quarantine, Mourning Neil Peart  (Love reading his perspective.)

Remembering Lynn Shelton by boyfriend Marc Maron  (OMG, this is such a beautiful tribute to her and my heart so breaks for Marc. The raw emotion of his love for her and talking about her last days is so gutting.  Tissues required.
Marc talking about Lynn and what happened to her: 00-8:09
Marc's podcast with Lynn prior to them dating in 2015: 8:09- 1:22
Marc's final memorialization post podcast: 1:22-1:33)

I've got some potting I have to do for some bare root plants that came in ahead of the window box I ordered.  Again, a case of we say it'll be done in this amount of time but it won't be and we need you to contact us to remind us how to do our jobs.  So hopefully they'll like their temporary homes and we can be almost done with the patio's final look.  We've also got some grilling on the menu, of course.  I've got a few pounds of ground beef squirreled away since the hint of a meat shortage happened just in case.  I'll thaw the Portillo's street polish and make some baked beans so we can skywrite by the end of the night.  Might take a drive north on some country roads if we get antsy.  Other than that...the usual.

Anything planned for the holiday weekend?

====================
Like this post? Don't miss another one...subscribe via email or RSS feed. (Or you can follow me on Facebook )  Some posts may contain affiliate links that help keep this blog running at no cost to you.  See the Disclaimer page for more info.

Nope...Not Friday As Told in Gifs

Howdy, everyone.   I was kind of hoping it was Friday but nope... 

(via Giphy.com)

It's been a frustrating week.  Last week, the kitchen reno place came to install the final door in the kitchen and replace another that was damaged inside.  The replacement door was cracked in shipment and once they left I saw the final door had the same damage the other door had.  Obviously, some kind of tool the cabinet company uses to package the doors to send to the contractor goes through the cardboard because the scratches/holes are the same width apart.  I wasn't down there during the install because I had a headache but I saw it after the fact and had the Mr call the contact and told him to tell them not to come back to install unless they were inspected first.  They got those in on Tuesday and were supposed to come out yesterday to install them.  Well, they found fuzz under the clear coat on one of them and said they're reordering AGAIN and won't come out until they have them all ready to install at once. 

(via Giphy.com)

Add to that crap show that we are on our third microwave now.  We replaced the GE Cafe with a lesser GE model that got good reviews but still had a dent though not like the massive one the previous one had.  It was making the same vibrating noise the original microwave we had was making.  I don't think the Mr saw it as a problem, more of a nuisance but for me, this effing noise was the whole reason we were spending a couple of grand on new appliances and I'm not paying $600 to hear the same noise as the "last leg" sound from the original 9 year old one.  I didn't say anything and quietly got angrier with every use for a week.  Then Monday, it started making a noise that sounded like something was really wrong with it and I said we're done with GE microwaves.  We're likely getting an LG fridge in the next year so we'll just go with that and take our chances.  Plus the new install would be done a full two weeks ahead of the replacement date we were given.  It meant they would have to drill even more friggin holes in the cabinet which I'm going to have to use wood filler or lay down some luan to keep me from going nuts from how botched this whole thing was by the third-party company Best Buy uses for delivery/install. 

(via Giphy.com)

I've been grinding my teeth down to the pulp and headaches for 3 weeks now and I just want crap done.  I don't understand how hard it is to make something and make it right.  I'm tired of stuff being in disarray from me not being able to put my kitchen fully back together because this or that has to be replaced.  I'm still not putting my cupboard over the microwave back together yet because I don't trust it and will give it two weeks to make sure this third microwave is the final one. 

We had one of our perennials die already and took it back with the receipt per their 1-year guarantee.  I was looking for the replacement while the Mr was dealing with the witch giving him lip and basically ignoring him.  I found a lavender plant that was going to have to do because I'm not traipsing all over town for a perennial that likely won't come back next year anyway.  I walked up to the register and the chick was radiating bitchiness and was within 6" of me much less 6'.  I jumped to the side more for her safety than mine because I was at my wits end with her and her manager's attitude about their own policy.  We said we were taking the lavender for the same price and see ya.

(via Giphy.com)

I guess the only good thing this week was Tuesday we were finally at the point where we would've come home from our vacation so I could stop mentally playing the "today we'd be _____" game that would not stop no matter how hard I tried.  I'm sure that's contributed to the headaches whether I knew it or not.  The silver lining is we usually spend Memorial Day weekend just starting to get the patio together and cleaned up much less do the arbor I had planned and get out to plant stuff.  That's all done so I'm hoping we have a few good hours once the Ark floats by to sit and enjoy our patio completely finished for once in 20 years! 

(via Giphy.com)

Then there is the underlying constant stress of the state of the world and most of the dipsh*ts in it. 

(via Giphy.com)

It's 12:30am and there's a bevy of sirens and I feel like I'm staying at the Omni on Michigan Ave across from the hospital day and night.  Plus Aunt Flo and Uncle Red are popping a tent in the backyard and well...there you go. 

Oh good...more sirens.  Like lots of them.  I hope the SWAT team isn't coming back to the neighbors.

Yep. 

Happened.

(via Giphy.com)

How's your week going?

====================
Like this post? Don't miss another one...subscribe via email or RSS feed. (Or you can follow me on Facebook )  Some posts may contain affiliate links that help keep this blog running at no cost to you.  See the Disclaimer page for more info.

Hump Day Poll: Missed Out

Name someone you wish you would've seen in concert in their heyday.

Me?

(Source)

====================
Like this post? Don't miss another one...subscribe via email or RSS feed. (Or you can follow me on Facebook )  Some posts may contain affiliate links that help keep this blog running at no cost to you.  See the Disclaimer page for more info.

Zippy But Not Weekend Recap

You ever have one of those weekends that feels like it's gone by both fast and slow?  That was this weekend for me.  Friday the Mr did a Home Depot pick up of the plant food I needed and got the mulch we needed for the flower beds.  He finished up some training and we had dinner and I was bored.

(This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.  Should you buy through them, I may receive a few cents commission to go toward blog costs at no cost to you.)

 For some stupid reason, I said I never saw Hellraiser and by the end of the night, I had.   It was way better in my head.  I've never seen such horrible acting.  I'm actually positive that was the prerequisite to be in the movie.  Yeesh.

Saturday morning, the Mr got up early to take a practice test for a certification he has to have for his new job.  He's basically been rudderless this whole time as he's not actually doing his job but training for it and studying for this test.  A previously reliable test aid program he's used for years gave the wrong study guide and won't return his emails so there will be a dispute placed on the credit card for that transaction.  He's only got two practice tests available from the official certification site so he took it to see where he was at and what he needed to study more.  He passed which is more than most people who were averaging 45% on their first test and he got 71% (with passing being 68%).  It told him the questions he got wrong so he can study those parts more and continue with the boot camp too.  I'm so proud of him as I know it's been weighing him down lately.  So that started the day off on a good note. 

We grabbed some lunch out and drove around a little and then came back home to lay the mulch.  I cannot tell you how nice it is to just have COLOR now.

I used high heat black spray paint I had on hand to spruce up the chains on the hanging baskets.  We got galvanized chain to replace the rope that finally failed and I didn't care for the look.  But I really like the black and I'll need to keep an eye out for similar ones because I notice some rusting going on.  I'm hoping the hydrangeas take in the very back because I only want them for "cutting flowers" and the lilac we planted two years ago looks pathetic.  The morning glories I did from seeds are planted and haven't keeled yet so I'm praying they take hold.  I planted a disease-resistant climbing rose bush out front with a trellis so I'm really hoping for some luck on that front even though that patch of devil soil seems to kill everything except annuals and one rogue phlox.  It was Grandma's birthday so we went back out to visit and put new foam and flowers on the grave of the man's wife we met on Mother's Day.  We saw the flowers were beside the vase and are pretty sure the rocks he put in there to hold the vase down were too high so the flowers were flying out in high winds.  I jammed some foam down in there and tied a card to him double-bagged onto the vase telling him what we did and we'd keep an eye out that if the foam was getting damaged that we'd replace it.  I don't know when he'll be back to visit but hopefully, he sees it. 

Then it was back home for dinner and I read some horrible news.   I have been getting through this whole pandemic crapfest with Marc Maron's live check in's he's been doing.  He would occasionally have his girlfriend, director Lynn Shelton in them if they were cooking together or hanging out.  She was ALWAYS laughing, either with or at him and her attitude was the complete opposite of him...total sunshine and roses to his piss and vinegar.  Over the past week, she'd been ill not with anything Covid related but still not well.  People always asked about her on his broadcasts and even as recent as 4 days ago he said she was getting better.  Friday morning, after feeling better, she collapsed and they took her to the hospital where she died of an undiagnosed blood disorder.  She was only 54.  I burst into tears because even if you've never met someone in person, when you're watching an hour of someone's life every few days for two months and how they're coping and keeping each other sane, you get very attached to them.  I could barely read Marc's statement to the Mr just sobbing.  I am so heartbroken for him and everyone who knew and worked with her.  Such a beautiful, talented lady gone entirely too soon.

In and out over the weekend, we watched the Amazon Prime show Upload.  It was pretty good and right up the Mr's alley.  Sunday we got up and had breakfast and started watching a little more of Dexter Season Two and I knew after a few hours, we could easily toil the day away with Dex and Deb.   I threw together a picnic of charcuterie stuff I had on hand, put some tea and lemonade in their respective mason jars and we headed out.  I suspected my old abandoned elementary school would be empty and I was done with the sounds of the city.  We had our snacks in the dugouts where I dreaded going up to bat in gym class.

We sat and chatted for about an hour when we were done even as some rando and his boys were doing maintenance on the other ball field.  We drove past my friend's mom's house to see if they had it listed for sale and they did.  I cringed because there are weeds popping up in the driveway cracks and the trim around the door is peeled and brings down the curb appeal.   I desperately want to offer to do those things but I don't want my friend's brother to get offended.  I just know they're going to get lowballed and especially since the neighborhood looks less like the family-oriented neighborhood it was when she first moved in.  (That's as polite of a way to put it and not how the Mr and I describe it alone.)   

That was about it for the weekend before the rain tried to move in which I was actually thankful for because it was a pretty stagnant day otherwise.  It seemed to go by both fast and slow which made us happy and sad.

How was your weekend?

====================
Like this post? Don't miss another one...subscribe via email or RSS feed. (Or you can follow me on Facebook )  Some posts may contain affiliate links that help keep this blog running at no cost to you.  See the Disclaimer page for more info.

What I'm Reading This Week #20

Happy Friday all!  I hope the week has treated you well and you're ready for some productivity or downtime depending on what you need.  Everything from the mid-back down needed a rest yesterday after my gardening adventures the day before.  We did squeak in a quick lap around the hood just as a storm was rolling in and got home with 3 minutes to spare.  I hoped to grill out some pork chops but it was still raining so I did them on the grill pan with some sweet potatoes and peas/green beans.

Let's grill up...

(This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.  Should you buy through them, I may receive a few cents commission at no cost to you.)

Are You Forgetting What Day It Is?  (I sometimes have to check the day on the phone/laptop especially mid-week.)

How Do You Stop Being Afraid of Everything During a Pandemic?  (Definitely limiting exposure to news.  You will go insane.)

5 exercises to offset too much sitting  (They help for sure)

Chafing: The Complete Guide to Avoid the Dreaded Burn  (Underboob chafe season is here.  I knew this staple of mine would be on the list for prevention!)

32 Patio String Light Ideas for a Summer-Ready Backyard  (Anyone else do this?  If so, do they bring a boatload of bugs?)

25 Delicious Dump-and-Bake Casseroles That Can Be Prepared in Minutes (Cuz sometimes you just don't have the energy for more than that.)

16 DIY Porch Swings to Add Suspended Style to Your Home  (I cain't believe I'm out here on the front porch on the swang just a-swangin'...."  Such big props if you sang that and know what the hell I'm talking about)

How to Become Someone Who Stands Up  (Always have been and didn't care what it cost me.  I still do now but pick my battles depending on the foreseeable outcome.)'

7 Virtual Escape Rooms That'll Keep Everyone Entertained  (Cool!)

Hanalei Bay Resort Webcam  (Kind of nice seeing the beaches empty and the natural beauty.  A great sunset view as always)

Adorable Dog Plays Dead So He Doesn't Have To Leave The Park   (Bwaaahaha!)

I'm hoping I can get the flower food and mulch down between rain showers so we can get the baskets hung on the patio.  Other than that, no real major plans, obviously.  I know they are slowly reopening things this month but we won't be one of them out there as our numbers continue to climb.  We're prepared to not change much for quite a while.

Any plans for the weekend?

====================
Like this post? Don't miss another one...subscribe via email or RSS feed. (Or you can follow me on Facebook )  Some posts may contain affiliate links that help keep this blog running at no cost to you.  See the Disclaimer page for more info.

A Quick Check In

Yesterday, the Mr and I were planning on getting some flowers when he got off work.  He surprised me and took half a day so we could get there earlier than later.  We know that our patio is going to be our respite throughout the summer so I wanted to get stuff established sooner than later now that frost appears to not be an issue.  Ever since this started, I have craved color and life.  Call it my pandemic response.  We triple-layer masked, AirTamered and I took my spray sanitizer to spray down the carts and got down to business and spent $350+ hoping that some of these friggin' perennials will take and come back next year.  We have HORRIBLE luck with them but I want to give them another try.  We got home and scrubbed down Silkwood style and got to work.

Did y'all hear about how Brian May from Queen ended up in the hospital last week after shredding his ass muscles from "over-enthusiastic gardening?"  Yeah, I totally get it now after four straight hours of bending, digging, hunching over, etc.  My butt is TOAST.

(via Giphy.com)

This is a quick pic of the arbor the Mr built last Friday...

My hope is by this time next month, the vines I planted will be covering that bad boy and give us natural shade or I'll have a peaceful place to read a book which I haven't done all lockdown long.  I didn't get to take pics of everything planted because it was getting dark when we finished but I'm hoping with all of the rain we're getting the next few days and then the sunshine that in about 10 days I'll have something good to show y'all.

I was thankful for pre-made frozen meatloaf servings I thawed earlier and threw together some mac and cheese because it sounded good and we had that for dinner.  We hobbled over to the couch where the Mr massaged my feet and legs while we watched the Survivor finale.  It's weird watching it at home this year and honestly, we weren't going to be thrilled with anyone who won and it seems to have been that way for a long time.  I saw Netflix, I think, has season one.  When we're bored, we might have to fire it up to see how it's changed in 40 seasons.

Do you have a green thumb?

====================
Like this post? Don't miss another one...subscribe via email or RSS feed. (Or you can follow me on Facebook )  Some posts may contain affiliate links that help keep this blog running at no cost to you.  See the Disclaimer page for more info.

Hump Day Poll: Early or Late?

People are usually split up into two groups...early birds and night owls.  I take after my mom and am a night owl for sure.  I am most productive in the evening and can't seem to get to bed before midnight but closer to 1am then asleep maybe half an hour later.  The problem is, my pill alarm goes off at 7am and I can never get back to sleep after that (if I'm not already up at 5am for no reason) so I feel like I'm kind of both now and not by choice.  If I try to go to bed at 10pm like the Mr, I'm up at 4-5am and won't get back to sleep.  I'd figuratively kill to be able to sleep like I did as a teenager!  To bed at midnight and on a REEEEALLY good day, up at 10-11am on the weekend.  That was the life.

Are you an early bird or a night owl?

====================
Like this post? Don't miss another one...subscribe via email or RSS feed. (Or you can follow me on Facebook )  Some posts may contain affiliate links that help keep this blog running at no cost to you.  See the Disclaimer page for more info.

Mothers Day weekend recap

It's Monday...ready for the new week? 

I was happy that one of my favorite local shops I frequent started to allow contactless curbside and I got a vintage pitcher from her I regretted not picking up when I bought its smaller cousin a few months ago.  She had it all bagged up and waiting at a table by the door.  When we were done, we drove a few blocks to town and walked the neighborhoods.  You never know the fun things you'll find.

We had a productive weekend mixed with blowing through some of my Netflix shows I was waiting for.  Workin' Moms seemed a little meh this season but at this point I will watch anything new that I've been waiting for.  We also torched the new episodes of Dead to Me which was worth the wait and more to come...someday.  Definitely kept the good writing up for season two which is such a rarity these days. 

Friday right after work, the Mr was ready to tackle our patio project so we got it assembled in a few hours.  And by we, I mean I handed him varying size screws while he pre-drilled and screwed in the hardware.   There is nothing more irritating than buying something months prior, only to find out that come time to assemble, what they gave you is not going to work.  Thankfully, we had better screws from a previous project and I just happened to have a matching piece we could cut to size but we shouldn't have had to.  We've got the majority of it assembled but later this week, I'll hopefully get what I need to finish it. 

I was glad to have that pretty much done Friday night because I feared we would have to waste our Saturday doing it.  The Mr got the rest of the patio together and hosed down while I made some homemade ice cream since the ingredients I got for it were going to expire soon.  I also made banana bread for my mom in case she wanted to get together.   The kitchen looked like a culinary bomb went off in there which is always a joy to clean.  Sunday morning I checked the radar and saw we had a bit of a break in rain bands and asked my mom if she wanted to meet at Grandma's "condo" and social distance.  She agreed and an hour later we set up a little spot for her.

I already mailed her a gift card but I've had these farmhouse containers for her since February and packed my chocolate chip banana bread in there which she was more than happy to receive.  Stayed our respective 6' away from each other because whether she likes it or not, we're into keeping everyone involved safe.   We talked for 3 hours catching up though to be fair, that is about the average running time of a normal visit anyway.  Caught up on good stuff and head-shaking stuff that I'm not even taking on because  not my circus, not my monkey.  I will say, something broke our hearts while we were there.  This older black gentleman came over about 2 graves away from grandma to sit and be with his wife.  My mom gave a sad look and asked if one of our flowers had a way to be broken off.  The Mr bent off one of the yellow roses and I took it over and handed it to him and asked if he needed a flower for her.  He said someone had stolen the flowers from her grave and he was crying and thanked me for the flower as he stuck it in her vase.   It barely stayed in there and that wasn't acceptable.  I unwound the two bouquets we had on grandma's grave and put the yellow roses in her vase with some foam we had in the car to keep it from moving and said: "no mom should be without flowers on Mothers Day...until you can get her the ones you want."  He thanked me and when he left, he honked and waved goodbye.  So now we will make sure Fran is taken care of too.  I've already ordered harder foam blocks to keep in the car and got her a new bunch of pink peonies until he can get back out with his preference.  We got home with about 30 minutes to spare before it alternated between monsoon and sunshine.  (As I typed that, it thundered loudly...guess we're going back to monsoon.) 

I made us a loaf of banana bread with the final 4 decaying bananas before we needed to start cleaning the kitchen for some stuff happening in the kitchen this week.  I'm afraid to say it out loud so I'm going to wait until it's all hopefully done and I can report back a smooth batch o' upgrades. 

That about wraps stuff up on our end. 

How was your weekend?

====================
Like this post? Don't miss another one...subscribe via email or RSS feed. (Or you can follow me on Facebook )  Some posts may contain affiliate links that help keep this blog running at no cost to you.  See the Disclaimer page for more info.

What I'm Reading This Week #19

Happy Friday everyone!  I hope you've had a good week and are ready for whatever you have planned for the weekend.  We've had a nice week and I'm hoping this is our last week of frost so next week we can get flowers.  The only ones out now are what I call "suckah flowers."  The ones they jack the price up by $5 per flat for 1/3 less product for the people who can't wait to plant and better have invested in burlap.  I think everyone is very much ready for pops of color to have an extra place to "escape" to.  I can't wait to get the patio fully together but we've got a few small projects in our future.

But enough about my escape room, let's escape to...

The shelf life of bleach, hand sanitizer, and other cleaning supplies  (Good to know)

8 Clever Ways to Bring Spring Inside Without Leaving the House  (Some fun suggestions)

The 5 Best Cozy Home Essentials  (I can vouch for all of 'em)

These 28 Beautiful Patio Ideas Have Us Dreaming Of Lazy Summer Days And Outdoor Entertaining  (7, 9, 10 and 15 please)

7 Teas To Help With Bloating & Discomfort  (For those times when thumping your belly sounds like thumping a watermelon.)

How To Create A Vacation Vibe At Home: 5 Fun Ideas For Quarantine  (Already done a few)

Download West Elm Coloring Pages by local artists

10 Awesome Lap Desks Perfect for Working or Studying at Home  (Wow, some really cool and cheap options!)

Director Steve Barron recalls making A-ha’s ‘Take on Me’: ‘I knew we were on to something very good’   (Still such a great video)

40 Things Every House in the 70s Had That No One Sees Today  (I want a pod chair.  Also, you'll find about 1/3 of this stuff in our home.)

24 New and Returning Netflix Series to Put a Little Spring in Your Step This May  (Yes!  Dead to Me is back today!)

Depending on the weather, we may take a stab at putting together a project for the patio.  LOTS to figure out for it.  I hope all of you mothers whether to two or four-legged kids have a great Mother's Day.  It will be memorable if nothing else. 

What are you up to this weekend?

====================
Like this post? Don't miss another one...subscribe via email or RSS feed. (Or you can follow me on Facebook )  Some posts may contain affiliate links that help keep this blog running at no cost to you.  See the Disclaimer page for more info.

One For the Books

I took the week off to enjoy our anniversary and I'm glad I did.  It's been bittersweet.  I had a bit of a breakdown Saturday then we went for what we'll call a "drive"...for four hours.  We both were going stir crazy and needed a change of scenery no matter how fast it was whizzing by.  I'm glad we did because we got a few signs from Grandma that we wouldn't have gotten had we stayed home and this field of gold...

Sunday we peeled fence paint and sanded until my foot could no longer bear weight. 

I love the look of the cobblestone I chose for the patio but standing on it for hours on end sears my foot for days.  Luckily, I stopped before completely crippling myself but I knew I still had a long night in the kitchen ahead of me to prep for my anniversary surprises the next day.  I got to making about 8 different things and putting stuff in the fridge to assemble.  We were both so incredibly exhausted and were in bed before 11pm.

(This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.  Should you buy through them, I may receive a few cents commission at no cost to you, to go toward blog expenses.)

After the alarm, I rolled over at my usual futile attempt to fall back asleep from lack of adequate sleep the night before and was able to get in another hour which felt like a huge anniversary gift!  I got up and the Mr had masked up and slipped over to get some supplies we needed, our anniversary cake, and flowers I asked for from the store.  I grabbed a shower and when he came back he took one and I told him to stay upstairs until I called him down. 

I put together an afternoon tea spread because we were supposed to do one in Massachusetts that day and I wasn't going to let the current situation take that away.

I made some black currant cream scones like the ones we had in Chester, VT in October.  I put together finger sandwiches and little sweet bites from small-batch recipes I have and found online.  I ordered the teacups I passed up at Harney and Sons when we were in NY in October and it took us right back to that day. 

We had some of Harney and Sons Vanilla Comoro tea which is heavenly.  We opened our cards and he surprised me with some penuche fudge from our favorite sweet shop in Kennebunkport, Maine.

We looked through some old pictures and watched a few episodes of Arrested Development which you can only take in small doses and yes, I know I'm like 17 years late to the party.  I was looking outside at the half sanded/peeled fence and thought maybe an hour or so of painting could at least get us some decent results. 

Four hours later...

Again, my foot was not happy with me and before we knew it, it was 8pm and I had our dinner surprise ready.  I was able to slip in and hide a box shipped from Portillo's in Chicago from him.  Maxwell Street Polish are his favorite from there (mine too) and I wanted to try to recreate the campfire anniversary dinner we had in Montana last year of hot dogs, a mug of baked beans, and chips.  When I put on the paper hat they supplied, his jaw dropped and was like "are you for real!?!?!" 

24 married years say yes I am, sir. 

So he fired up the grill while I got the sides ready then I slapped those babies on there and we had a nice dinner on the chaotic patio.

We have a supply of some of our favorite sodas from our travels like the Huckleberry flavor from Jackson Hole he discovered last year as well as our favorite Orange Cream from Northwoods in Traverse City, MI.  (The only Orange Cream soda worth a dang and we tried a lot trying to find the same taste.)

To finish the Montana recreation, a few s'mores in our Radiate Campfire tin, which really gets movin' in a short time! 

Highly recommended if you don't have room for a fire pit.  Some people gripe about $30 for about 5 hours worth of fire but given there's no campfire smell or flying embers and you can work in up to 5 s'more sessions per summer wherever you want, I call that a bargain. (Especially this summer)  We came inside and massaged each other's arms and feet from all of the painting while we watched the tube and pretty much passed out.  Party animals. 

It was one for the books and the best we could pull off given the situation.  Cape Cod will hopefully be waiting for us for our 25th.  (It'd better be.) 

One thing we both realized that we always knew but was reinforced is just how much travel has enriched our life.  We have to shake our heads when people are like "so you missed a vacation, big deal."  It seems a shame to be on this planet not to see what's on at least part of it.  Our travels inspire the way we live, decorate, eat and so many other things.  It is a part of us that feels like the glue.  The first question anyone who knows us asks when they see us is  "where are you going next?" (or "where have you traveled to?" if we haven't seen them in a while.)  There are times we've driven 4 hours for lunch, poke around a few shops, and drive back home.  While I would've loved to do that this year, even on a small scale, we refuse to be part of the problem.   We know that the big milestone anniversary awaiting us next year will mean even more when we are able to celebrate it in the way that has become the cornerstone of our life adventures together.

====================
Like this post? Don't miss another one...subscribe via email or RSS feed. (Or you can follow me on Facebook )  Some posts may contain affiliate links that help keep this blog running at no cost to you.  See the Disclaimer page for more info.

Hump Day Poll: Where are you going?

You're going on vacation but you can only visit a location that starts with the same letter as your first name.  Where are you going?  

(I'm going to Acadia National Park)

====================
Like this post? Don't miss another one...subscribe via email or RSS feed. (Or you can follow me on Facebook )  Some posts may contain affiliate links that help keep this blog running at no cost to you.  See the Disclaimer page for more info.

What I'm Reading This Week #18

I can't see May 1st without thinking "May Day is Lei Day in Hawaii."  Ingrained in the soul.
I've been a happy girl after finding Cougar Town on Amazon a few days ago.  I loved the first few seasons so it's been a good lead into the weekend.

Now let's lead into...

WFH Posture 101: How to Sit, Stretch, and Upgrade Your Back Game  (The slouch is real)

5 Thinking Errors That Could Sink Social Distancing  (Very good points!)

5 Triceps Stretches to Loosen Up Those Arms  (I needed these this week)

11 Reasons You Have Swollen Fingers and Hands, According to Doctors  (Always on mile 2 1/2 of our walks when knuckledragger syndrome hits.)

The Healing Power of Music, Meditation, and Yoga in Alzheimer's Patients  (Please insist on this early on if you know of anyone going through this!)

What’s the Best Way to Deal with Rude and Selfish People?  (When a head flick just won't do.)

There's Never Been a Better Time to Get Back Into Snail Mail  (Some of us never got out of it.  The only change is no licky da envelope.)

60 Best Types of Flowers You Should Have in Your Garden  (Oooh, ideas!)

33 Things to Do with Mom on Mother's Day Even if You're Apart!  (I'm doing #2 this year.  Well, that sounded unintentionally gross.)

Go on a virtual webcam vacation  (No way in hell can I watch the Hawaii ones right now but I'll be watching otters beat open oysters on their tummies until the 18th.)

The Goonies reunited for an epic virtual hangout 35 years after film came out  (This is awesome!)

I've got some stuff I have to do for our anniversary Monday so I'll be busy in the kitchen in between sanding the fence if the mood strikes.  Today I'll need to clean up or else I'm going to develop a twitch.

Any plans for the weekend?


====================
Like this post? Don't miss another one...subscribe via email or RSS feed. (Or you can follow me on Facebook )  Some posts may contain affiliate links that help keep this blog running at no cost to you.  See the Disclaimer page for more info.