August has been...interesting. In mid July we were told our home ( we rented) was finally being sold and that the closing was on 9/30/10. Ok no biggie and the new home process was started. Then, on July 31 we rcvd a letter stating the new owners wanted us out in 30 days. Nice. I thought that couldn't happen until the closing? Funny part is the closer we got to leaving the worse the house was getting fast. Almost like our things were holding it up? lol. I know the new owners are going to do a lot of modifications.. i hope they are really prepared for that house.. as far as I know there was never an inspection... and I think an inspection would all but condemn it.
It really was not a hardship to leave that house of horrors. The only reason we stayed so long was to improve our credit score before searching, so that we would have good options. So much for waiting for a better time, lol. After 2 very long and argumentative weeks we did find a place we both liked. For the last week I've been doing the bulk of moving while working as well. I'm not surprised that I'm so tired, lol.
The new place is bigger and to my joy.. has a dining room! Yay!!!! no more 3foot sq kitchen 'table' where you only had room for plates and cups. I also have a kitchen and bathroom circa 1950's complete with avocado green oven and pink tub and sink, lol. No more carpets, all hardwood floors and just nicely laid out and roomy. JP can run in circles from living room - to kitchen- to dining room - to living room and he's loving it, lol. His room is huge and I'm loving it as ALLLLL his toys except the train table will be in there.
It's also only a few miles from my mom... instead of being 30 minutes or so.. I'm now only about 6 minutes. She's alone now as her companion is having a lot of serious health issues and he's now in a nursing home. I like that I'm closer ..just in case. After last years huge snowstorms, I hated being so far away and not able to help... being this close ( i drive by on my way to and from work) makes me feel better.
In a previous life, many years ago, I had a small apartment with a dining room... and at the time was well known for calling people up and saying 'hey! I made some new recipes, c'mon over". Never huge parties, but frequent entertaining. I've missed that with the old house. It was just not easy to entertain with more then 1-2 extra people making it feel over crowded.
The new place is currently decorated in Early American Box.. but I knew I'd be doing an official 'Sunday Dinner' tonight, even if just for us. I had found a gorgeous dining table on craigslist and was set to go. We had my IL's up and they wanted to give us more time to settle in, but I told them I'd be making dinner anyway and there was more then enough. It was so nice to entertain again, lol...although I did forget to turn the oven off for a bit and couldn't figure out why the kitchen was still so hot, lol.
Thats another nice thing about this apartment. Heat and hot water are included- yippee! in the old house I all but stopped cooking because the hot water leak in the bathtub drained the propane ( water heater was a propane heated version). Our monthly bill was about $150 a month for propane. Now I can cook all I want with the propane.
oh and for any that know my stories about the kitchen in the old place? there is NO CARPETING in this kitchen! I have a normal kitchen floor again and its great :)
tonight I made:
an appetizer tray of:celery and blue cheese dressing/assorted olives/tomato and feta bruschetta
main course was:
lasagna
tossed salad
peas and onions with prosciutto
dessert was brownies and cookies provided by my MIL
it was a very nice dinner and Joe enjoyed it so much he suggested his parents come up every Sunday - yeaaaah.. both his mom and I looked at him and told him he was nuts, lol. I do however plan to have a nice Sunday dinner each week unless we are invited out otherwise, lol.
my meal plan for next Sunday is in progress.... right now it's:
Crusted Salmon with mustard
and that's about it at the moment, lol. I want to avoid stopping for any additional ingredients so thats part of my challenge. I think my side dish will be a basic tossed salad with another pasta salad of some sort. I tossed the rice I had at the old place... but rice is inexpensive. Oh wait! I have a seasoned tube of wild rice! that's a perfect compliment to salmon. I've invite my mom over for next week and think I'll also ask my SIL and niece. The piece of salmon i have is huge, so thats not a problem. there is a farmers market down the road on thurs evenings...maybe i'll find an inexpensive veggie side dish idea.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Peanuts's Overdue Weekly Wednesday - Vet visit
I went to the Dr today for a 'checkup'. Blah. Made my point clear to all that I was not a happy puppy about being at the dr.
the good: overall I'm in good shape... well my shape is round, but other then that I;m in overall apparent good health.
the bad: I have Lyme's disease. Which explains my grouchiness and more achy feeling of late. I'm on a month long antibiotic and probiotic regimen. The test showed a very VERY faint positive (sort of like a pregnancy test) so the dr said I've probably only had it for a few weeks and that I'll make an easy and full recovery. At least mom bought me some yummy treat like things to 'hide' the antibiotic in.
now i'm off for a nap .....
the good: overall I'm in good shape... well my shape is round, but other then that I;m in overall apparent good health.
the bad: I have Lyme's disease. Which explains my grouchiness and more achy feeling of late. I'm on a month long antibiotic and probiotic regimen. The test showed a very VERY faint positive (sort of like a pregnancy test) so the dr said I've probably only had it for a few weeks and that I'll make an easy and full recovery. At least mom bought me some yummy treat like things to 'hide' the antibiotic in.
now i'm off for a nap .....
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Day 2-21 of detox
Moving my detox posts to a new blog that I'm hoping to expand into a well functioning raw food resource:
Live Well with Raw Foods
Live Well with Raw Foods
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Day 1 of the 21 Day Detox
Mid Morning-
It has been pretty much 4 years since I had a positive pregnancy test... and probably 4.25 years since my last detox, and I feel it. Our office does a fall and a spring detox program, but I wasn't fully thrilled with the last version we had switched to. The product was good, but was marketed as a MML and I just don't like that. My boss recently completed a new program and I am now going thru it. I love this program, the nutritional support behind it (shakes and supplements) are from a phenomenal company, and the foods that are recommended are living (or raw) foods. Being a Raw Foods Lifestyle Coach (who's been sorely slacking in that department) this is ideal for me.
I actually started the program last night to let the first round of nutrition work its way thru my system as I slept. Woke up with a headache which I expected as its generally a constant detox sign for me. Its mild today and easily ignored. I have an odd day as we have expanded hours at work and my partner in crime is also off today.. I need to better plan my mornings to get everything in right away. I'm not far off but am still working on my first shake and haven't taken my cleanse tablets that I need to take 3 times per day. I did however make a delicious green tea/ginger/lime drink that surprised me. I do not care for ginger and i could drink this tea all day. I need to run out at lunch actually and get more limes, lol. So far I am not irritable, but that could change easily, lol. I am pleased though that either thru mind over matter, or sheer luck, that I am happily functioning without coffee this morning. I'm not a huge coffee drinker but do have the office habit of a cup in the morning either on the way or once at the office. The shake is ok, definitely not something I would crave. rather bland actually, doesn't really taste like anything. hardest part for me of course is the grittiness that is a apart of pretty much every detox shake I've used. The cleanse supplement is interesting, but primarily because it has some cayenne pepper in it and I tend to repeat certain things, lol. I'm hoping the detox corrects that as well, lol. I am allowed unlimited fruits and veggies (should be a 1:2 ratio) but as of yet haven't eaten anything due to trying to get the shake taken while at work. I'm not often hungry first thing in the morning though so its not surprising.
My most difficult times will be the evenings, I must remember that I'm primarily doing this to feel better and have more energy.. and to fit into a cute pair of denim capri's and be able to breathe while sitting, lol.
Side note: I may switch these posts to a different blog dedicated to the detox and raw foods, haven't quite decided yet.
It has been pretty much 4 years since I had a positive pregnancy test... and probably 4.25 years since my last detox, and I feel it. Our office does a fall and a spring detox program, but I wasn't fully thrilled with the last version we had switched to. The product was good, but was marketed as a MML and I just don't like that. My boss recently completed a new program and I am now going thru it. I love this program, the nutritional support behind it (shakes and supplements) are from a phenomenal company, and the foods that are recommended are living (or raw) foods. Being a Raw Foods Lifestyle Coach (who's been sorely slacking in that department) this is ideal for me.
I actually started the program last night to let the first round of nutrition work its way thru my system as I slept. Woke up with a headache which I expected as its generally a constant detox sign for me. Its mild today and easily ignored. I have an odd day as we have expanded hours at work and my partner in crime is also off today.. I need to better plan my mornings to get everything in right away. I'm not far off but am still working on my first shake and haven't taken my cleanse tablets that I need to take 3 times per day. I did however make a delicious green tea/ginger/lime drink that surprised me. I do not care for ginger and i could drink this tea all day. I need to run out at lunch actually and get more limes, lol. So far I am not irritable, but that could change easily, lol. I am pleased though that either thru mind over matter, or sheer luck, that I am happily functioning without coffee this morning. I'm not a huge coffee drinker but do have the office habit of a cup in the morning either on the way or once at the office. The shake is ok, definitely not something I would crave. rather bland actually, doesn't really taste like anything. hardest part for me of course is the grittiness that is a apart of pretty much every detox shake I've used. The cleanse supplement is interesting, but primarily because it has some cayenne pepper in it and I tend to repeat certain things, lol. I'm hoping the detox corrects that as well, lol. I am allowed unlimited fruits and veggies (should be a 1:2 ratio) but as of yet haven't eaten anything due to trying to get the shake taken while at work. I'm not often hungry first thing in the morning though so its not surprising.
My most difficult times will be the evenings, I must remember that I'm primarily doing this to feel better and have more energy.. and to fit into a cute pair of denim capri's and be able to breathe while sitting, lol.
Side note: I may switch these posts to a different blog dedicated to the detox and raw foods, haven't quite decided yet.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
the consequences of ones actions, lol
Ahhh yes.. well It seems I've fallen off of my Weekly Wednesday reports. In fact this is Saturday, but let's just pretend ok?
For several months now I've been afforded an occasional freedom. I am allowed, under certain rules, to roam free as long as I behave. Or until I'm caught not behaving. This week I had 2 transgressions. The first was on Thursday about 6:30am. I decided to check out the pine trees across the road. On the neighbors property. Amelia (cat) encouraged me, which should have clued me in. Darn cat can move faster then greased lightning when we are about to get into trouble. Apparently mom was looking out the front window not realizing I had made an escape. She told me... with oddly clenched teeth.. that at first she was merely curious and trying to figure out what new animal was running across the yard. Until she realized the gold and white tail-less animal was me. I was on probation all day.
Now Friday is Dad's day with us.. and he's ... more relaxed with us. Since I was not being monitored I once again listened to Amelia tell me that deer droppings were ok to roll in and that mom wouldn't mind.
Apparently she did.. as you can see in these pics. yes I have paid for my transgression..and can only hope that I've learned my lesson and that I am a reformed dropping roller.
For several months now I've been afforded an occasional freedom. I am allowed, under certain rules, to roam free as long as I behave. Or until I'm caught not behaving. This week I had 2 transgressions. The first was on Thursday about 6:30am. I decided to check out the pine trees across the road. On the neighbors property. Amelia (cat) encouraged me, which should have clued me in. Darn cat can move faster then greased lightning when we are about to get into trouble. Apparently mom was looking out the front window not realizing I had made an escape. She told me... with oddly clenched teeth.. that at first she was merely curious and trying to figure out what new animal was running across the yard. Until she realized the gold and white tail-less animal was me. I was on probation all day.
Now Friday is Dad's day with us.. and he's ... more relaxed with us. Since I was not being monitored I once again listened to Amelia tell me that deer droppings were ok to roll in and that mom wouldn't mind.
Apparently she did.. as you can see in these pics. yes I have paid for my transgression..and can only hope that I've learned my lesson and that I am a reformed dropping roller.
 | |||||||||
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Just some silly spring time pics
After buying a new battery and new memory card I needed to test my camera. So far none of the weird problems I've had for the last week. Got a couple of pics that are just too cute.. at least to a mom's eye, lol. First one is naptime with Amelia the flying cat. Amelia and I are getting along MUCH better these days. The other are JP with his new $1 water toy. After each pic he had to come over and see how it looked. Took 4 or 5 tries to get the last shot, lol.
Drive in Movie fun - think the adults had more fun then the kids
Sadly I don't have any pictures. I didn't take my camera as it's been acting up. I'm hoping the new card and new battery resolve the issue. I also didn't grab the cell phone as I was too busy making sure JP didn't either go swimming in the puddles or stood in the way of driving vehicles. Thankfully he learned after the first time on that one.
Our original plans were for the group that was going, was to come to our place, eat pizza, and head off for the movies after that. Due to a few unforeseen incidents we ended up loading up the pizza's and going. This drive in does not forbid food, but reminds you that they make a profit from concession stand sales. With 6 kids total I knew we'd be at the concession stand no matter how stuffed the kids were, lol.
The kids and adults all had a great time. The kids ran around the 3 cars and played tag, ate pizza, and just had fun. The adults also had fun watching them...and just relaxing. Although there was this one incident with one person (ah-hem!) generously offering chips to the other friend.. and moving the bag so that it became an acrobatic act, lol. The chips were crab flavored chips and I told her it was worse then alaskan crab fishing, lol. This drive in also allows adult beverages as long as you do NOT sell (duh) and you do NOT become a problem (also DUH). None of the drivers went near this and those that did did not overdo..but well lets say crab chip fishing was not helped by this, lol. Oh and the other person that put the wine on top of their van? sigh... all I can say is men and their lack of discretion, lol.
The movie finally started to the great enjoyment of the kids seated in the back of our van. Next time the adults ( and teens) have chose to be smart and take chairs, lol. However btwn the 2 vans and the 1 car everyone was fairly comfy. After JP relaxed from running around I went to stand with some of the other adults and that of course was a bad choice as we had to be careful to not get laughing too hard. Oh and we went to see the last Shrek film... but Robin Hood was playing on the other screen and we kept trying to watch the more interesting scenes over there.. sometimes no sound is needed, lol.
one of the BEST kids moments was near the end of Shrek. I'm still laughing over it today. Friend #1 has a son JP's age and he came back over to us coughing. Friend#1 asked if he was ok and why he was coughing, but he didn't explain much and just wandered back to where the kids were btwn the vans. he wasn't coughing hard so none of us thought much about it. I went over to for some reason or another and realized what half the kids had done that resulted in the coughing. We had margarita salt in a paper plate on top of a cooler - the drink mix itself was sealed in the cooler. The kids had been tasting the salt! Thats why they were all coughing/gagging. I went back over to Friends 1,2,3 and told them what was going on while trying not to laugh!! We all got laughing then and so did the kids when we asked why on earth they were tasting what they knew was salt, lol.
Just got a call from one of the friends saying how much fun they all had. We are now planning on June 26th for our next monthly outing.. which will be the drive in again for Toy Story3. yay!
now to make the must have drive -in checklist of things we wish had or had done differently, lol
Our original plans were for the group that was going, was to come to our place, eat pizza, and head off for the movies after that. Due to a few unforeseen incidents we ended up loading up the pizza's and going. This drive in does not forbid food, but reminds you that they make a profit from concession stand sales. With 6 kids total I knew we'd be at the concession stand no matter how stuffed the kids were, lol.
The kids and adults all had a great time. The kids ran around the 3 cars and played tag, ate pizza, and just had fun. The adults also had fun watching them...and just relaxing. Although there was this one incident with one person (ah-hem!) generously offering chips to the other friend.. and moving the bag so that it became an acrobatic act, lol. The chips were crab flavored chips and I told her it was worse then alaskan crab fishing, lol. This drive in also allows adult beverages as long as you do NOT sell (duh) and you do NOT become a problem (also DUH). None of the drivers went near this and those that did did not overdo..but well lets say crab chip fishing was not helped by this, lol. Oh and the other person that put the wine on top of their van? sigh... all I can say is men and their lack of discretion, lol.
The movie finally started to the great enjoyment of the kids seated in the back of our van. Next time the adults ( and teens) have chose to be smart and take chairs, lol. However btwn the 2 vans and the 1 car everyone was fairly comfy. After JP relaxed from running around I went to stand with some of the other adults and that of course was a bad choice as we had to be careful to not get laughing too hard. Oh and we went to see the last Shrek film... but Robin Hood was playing on the other screen and we kept trying to watch the more interesting scenes over there.. sometimes no sound is needed, lol.
one of the BEST kids moments was near the end of Shrek. I'm still laughing over it today. Friend #1 has a son JP's age and he came back over to us coughing. Friend#1 asked if he was ok and why he was coughing, but he didn't explain much and just wandered back to where the kids were btwn the vans. he wasn't coughing hard so none of us thought much about it. I went over to for some reason or another and realized what half the kids had done that resulted in the coughing. We had margarita salt in a paper plate on top of a cooler - the drink mix itself was sealed in the cooler. The kids had been tasting the salt! Thats why they were all coughing/gagging. I went back over to Friends 1,2,3 and told them what was going on while trying not to laugh!! We all got laughing then and so did the kids when we asked why on earth they were tasting what they knew was salt, lol.
Just got a call from one of the friends saying how much fun they all had. We are now planning on June 26th for our next monthly outing.. which will be the drive in again for Toy Story3. yay!
now to make the must have drive -in checklist of things we wish had or had done differently, lol
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