Watcha doing today?

[Jeepers]

I know how tiring starting a new job can be. BTDT. But you are correct, it is a God send. Especially in this economy. I wouldn't have turned it down either. 

[Annarchy]

Today, kinda took it sort of easy.  After clearing & cleaning the shed, cleaned & cleared out my art desk and under it, cleared out several things from under my bed storage, vac sealed jarred dried goods, mowed the lawn, fixed the sprinkler hose I ran over with the mower.  Washed several loads, emptied ‘mom’s’ dresser, got her heating blanket out, still need to wash & fold up the blankets I have been using, DH got her FireStick working, said I messed it up by asking Alexis to find “Golden Girls” for her….the system went crazy, so he had to fix it.  Told me “do not use voice control.”  So, why is it an option?!?  Stupid TV….Last time she was here, she asked me to find something, I used the voice button, it brought up nothing similar to what I asked, so I pushed the voice button and said “stupid Tv”. It turned the TV off,  3 times!  

 

And I still need to clear space in my closet for MIL.  DH had a great idea, I will see if I can make it happen…All my clothes are in my office/spare/MIL’s room…. You can imagine……. 
 

Sourdough…. Lol…it will not starve to death…BTDT…a 1/2” of hooch….for a week!  I’m so bad.  Soooo, I shared 1/2 cup of starter with my neighbor.  She loves sourdough bread.  I told her how to feed it, how to keep it in a warmer place, her house is rather cool, she sent me pics, asking if it was normal.  Yup….  
 

Then, two days ago, I got a text, “What did I do?!??”  

 

I told her, you fed “Betsy” she grew, it’s ready to make bread.  Lol. 
 

My Beasty had 1/2” of hooch, poured it off, fed it and got this…

 

Need to make bread again…. Any suggestions how to get heights instead of width?  Mine rises nicely but after baking, it seems to flatten out.  IDK, still working on it.  

[Littlesister]

I agree. I wouldn't have turned that job down either in this day and age. 

 

Momma3boys, glad it was nothing about the fires and you having to evacuate. 

 

Jeepers, 4 of the 5 waivers didn't even apply to him. So, his recruiter has to sort it out. But it means it could be a year before he gets called in for boot camp. Plus, he has to retake the test because he doesn't listen to me and study the book. He said he had been studying online but I know how he is. He never studied for it. And since he has been back. Yep, he has torn up the bathroom. Shoes and socks all over the den floor, messed up the kitchen and it goes on and on. Yep, he's back. He took off somewhere a bit ago. He has to work tomorrow also. 

[Littlesister]

We must have been typing at the same time Annarchy.   You have been really busy but sounds like you are getting it all together. The sour dough starter looks good.

[Jeepers]

Starter looks nice and healthy. 

 

So glad you took it easy.  

Girl, I don't get that much done in a week. 

 

Littlesister, that is disappointing about your grandson. A year...

[Annarchy]

@mommato3boys, very grateful the fires didn’t get too close.  Prayers answered!    I was very concerned.  Our wild fires are unpredictable …very concerning.  Congratulations on the new job, May it be everything you want and need.  

[Annarchy]

Lol, Jeepers.  After MIL called, I told DH, “…change of plans..”. I still have a lot to do to make our house elderly conformable.  Last time she fell twice….not my fault, she doesn’t like we make her go outside to smoke.  She tripped on the mat outside the door.    I’m leaving it there this year.  She just needs to watch her step.  After she said she stepped on the heel of her own shoe….  
that mat keeps a lot dog stuff, grass, dirt, etc. out of the house.  IDK…we shall see…

 

Can someone turn off DH’s spending spree…?  Good grief!  I swear I can’t tell him we have $1 to spend and he will spend it….  

[Necie]

Got up and worked on a spreadsheet for soap inventory on my phone from an app that I didn’t even know I had.  And, of course, I have no idea what I’m doing. I entered all my soaps... alphabetically. Then realized I missed one.  Can’t figure out how to just *insert* a new line. Worked on it off and on all day... asked the gals at the Verizon store. 🤷‍♀️ Text my DSIS6... she had me *send* her the thing... No idea how I even figured out how to do that. She couldn’t play with it cuz she doesn’t have the app— iPhone vs Android. Finally, tonight I posted on fb and she must’ve seen it and text me a screenshot of a google search on adding lines... well, that wasn’t it. But it did get me playing with *dragging* things and I figured it out!! I’m getting all techie. 

 

Mom came down at noon and we went to town. Verizon store, Rural King, Meijers... Meijers always pi$$es me off, so we went to WM too. 
Highlights:

Red Pontiac seed potatoes at RK— got 50#/$50. Not sure if that’s great, but I got them. 
Meijers— got chia and hemp seed for some crackers I want to make. 
WM— labels and card stock for soap/lotion. 
Got a bunch of other stuff at all places and overall probably spent too much... but we had fun!! 

 

Tomorrow, starting a batch of beef bone broth (with veggies) and making lotion. Hopefully will have time to play in the kitchen and if nice enough, get my van cleaned out (didn’t get done whatever other day I was gonna do it—Tuesday??). I keep forgetting what day it is... 🥴😂

 

and 

Necie

[Jeepers]

Necie, I feel your pain. I can't figure out the simplest things on a phone. I'm not much better on a computer. I know just enough to be dangerous. And mess everything up. 

 

I have repairmen coming in this morning. Three days in a row they have kept me from getting the rest of my errands run. It would help if the other ones would have told me if they were coming either AM or PM. They usully come PM after I've wasted a day waiting for them. This one will probably be here all day today and tomorrow too. I'm over it. I hate repairmen in my house. I'm here alone and with no furniture to sit on. I never know what to do with myself. I can't work on getting the bedrooms cleared out because he will be up here working.

 

 

[Littlesister]

Jeepers, hang in there. It's almost over. I know how frustrating it can be. I went through it with the construction and remodel on my house. Then the 2 replacement windows, the well and a few other things. But it is nearing the end.

 

GD will be here around 10 with the baby.  I have already cleaned up the kitchen and den from GS's mess. I really need to hold him down and have a talk with him about cleaning up behind himself. For what good that will do.  I don't think I can survive another year of waiting for him to get into Coast Guard. Might have to start looking for him a room to rent or very small cheap apartment. But he doesn't pay his bills before his wants so not sure it will work. Dropping him off at mom's and running sounds like a good idea. But his job is here, and they have a Food Lion where she lives. Wonder if he could transfer. 

 

Going to try to go through things late this afternoon after the baby goes home. I can't get anything done while she is here because this baby loves attention, and fights sleep really bad. And even with a different bottle she just will not take one. So, mommy is working out of my dining room today. 

 

I have so much to do and just can't seem to get it fit in between grandchildren. And no help. Though GS is working on the firewood. But that is only on his days off and weather permitting. 

 

[euphrasyne]

bake it in a narrow pan to get more height.  You can make your pan thinner by using aluminum foil to narrow the width.  Many of the times you see tall loves it is because of a narrow pan.  

Edited March 8 by euphrasyne

[snapshotmiki]

Already walked, this morning.
Will visit a friend who is cleaning out a freezer and has stuff to give me.
Gong to make burgers for dinner.
Not sure what else I will find to do. Rainy day all day.

[Jeepers]

Thanks for the baking pan tip Euphrasyne.

 

I saw on Ryan Hall yesterday where the south was supposed to get storms today and tomorrow. Stay safe Miki.

 

Dude came and did the first round of repair on the wall. He also helped me replace a window screen that was taken out. There are two of them but the clips are missing from one of them. I'll bet I have a devil of a time finding replacements. If I do, I think I can get the other one in. If not h3ll with it.  

 

I got my dinning room table cleaned. It was FULL of all kinds of dust and debris. Men are pigs. This afternoon I'll do the chairs. I noticed some scuffed up areas of wallpaper in there too. Two places but they are in the corner so not too horrible. I need some glue to help hide the fact. 

 

@Midnightmom <--- I learned how to do that. Donkey Shane and Grassy A$$ for the tooteral. You can rest easy. None of my donation bags  burst going down the steps. 

 

 

The work men carried them down for me. So I kinda take back my 'men are pigs' statement. They do have good muscles. And they are tall. And some of them even smell pretty good...sometimes. 

[Littlesister]

Baby went home a while ago. Mom had a long day of work. 5 meetings. Baby did good, but she is teething now. And not happy about it. But we got through it. I will be keeping her 5 days next week. So, I won't get anything done. I just keep getting further and further behind on things. But she needs the help right now. Though she is ready to quit. She's just not quite ready to, living where they do. She said the rent is high but was all they could find at the time. They are trying hard to save up for a house. Seems GD's DH's mother is a substitute teacher, and she is working all next week. So, no splitting the babysitting.

 

Right now, I am too tired to work on the office, but did a little bit before GD got here.  I will give myself an hour and then get back to working on the office. Might work till GS gets home.  Not used to keeping babies again after 22 years of not having babies to care for. And never a 22-year-old to deal with. But it will all work out in the end. I least I can say I feel needed. 

[Mt_Rider]

Still in the middle of Family Feud but a calmer day for DH.   

 

We're both trying hard not to fully go down with a common cold.  We've got a lot of herbal formulas that are fairly good at shooooo ing them away.  Not even trying for a ride tomorrow.  Not that they've indicated there was a ride to be had anyway.   

 

Gloomy with low cloud cover but we only got 2-3" of snow.  No snow plow guy then. 

 

Hope GS gets into Coast Guard sooner!!  

 

for Jeeper's while the workmen are coming and going to finish off the details.  Few men are into details!  Hmph!

 

MtRider ...Hawaiian then bed! 

[Jeepers]

 

3 hours ago, Mt_Rider said:

for Jeeper's while the workmen are coming and going to finish off the details.  Few men are into details! Hmph!

Boy isn't that the truth! Most of my issues were because of lack of details. Sloppy work. Things like using clear caulk around a sink and leaving the bolts too tall at the bottom of the toilets so the little white caps wouldn't fit on. And power washing a mess the first guy made.  Easy fixes but they should have been done as part of the installation process. And the mess they have left is appalling. I wouldn't be as picky if I wasn't going to sell this place. I feel like everything I see, someone else will see too. All I see is money flying out the door.  IMO they should hire a woman to go around and check things out at the end of a job.  

 

The guy replaced the caulk around the sink. Did a crappy job. I really think I'm going to have to do that myself. He said the first guys used silicone and tried to paint over it. Silicone won't take paint according to him.  He did ease my mind a little bit though. He told me to not worry about all of the little imperfections in the walls (nail holes and dings) because kitchens and bathrooms are what will sell the house. Those little things had nothing to do with the reconstruction. Mostly where I had hung pictures etc. I was going to try to repair them myself. 

 

I thought I would be in the house a few months earlier so I would have more time to work on things. But it's already March. 

 

Whatever I get for the house sale, it will pay off the mortgsge and give me enough to either pay the mortgage down a little at the other house or do a lot of repairs. I'm leaning toward repairs. I want a forever home fixed up so I can forget about a house for awhile and get on with life. 

 

I shouldn't complain. Whatever shape the house is in now is 100% better than it was even before the epic flood. I'm just weary and getting cranky-er. 

[Necie]

Long day yesterday, but didn’t get as much done as planned. I did get the broth started... I’m not sure what I’m calling it. I got beef bones for it. But when I went to add all the veggie scraps out of the freezer, there was a chicken carcass from one of my niece’s chickens that I roasted. And every veggie imaginable, plus apple, plus lemon halves and ginger from the chicken. This ought to be some miracle cure $hit!! I added acv, and will add amino acids later today or tomorrow. 
Didn’t get lotion made... instead, I bought a CAMPER!! 😂 It’s an older one and needs a little bit of work. Hubby can fix about anything and, if not, DS2 works at a trailer factory and can help. 😉 We’re going to put it at the farm. So now I don’t have to camp in my van. And Mom has shown an interest in camping with us occasionally, so she can stay in it too. 🥰 

 

Running today... hair appointment with DD and DGD(13). Was DGD’s birthday yesterday, so will do lunch after hair and then she has a big birthday party this afternoon. 
 

 

[Becca_Anne]

Jeepers hope all the final fixes get done. Just put the house on the market and don't fuss over the small things it will still sell and then you can move forward with your life. I am sure it has been exhausting. 

Necie- glad you figured out your inventory issue. I love it when apps let me drag items where I want them.

Littlesister- watching someone else's baby is tiring but glad you are getting some time with her. I hope GS gets into the Coast Guard.

Mt Rider hope you feel better soon

Miki we are having burgers for dinner too

 

Today I have quilt guild going to be good for me to get out of the house I need some people time. Also going to start seeds this weekend.

[snapshotmiki]

i love the little camper @Necie!  Probably will be a big improvement over the van, once it is fixed up.

 

@Mt_Rider, I hope you two can keep from getting real sick!

 

I'm glad that your little problems are getting fixed @Jeepers!

 

Already walked.
Will take DH to Walmart for shower handle/ head.
Walk dogs.
Start cleaning in shed.

Edited March 9 by snapshotmiki

[Jeepers]

Very nice camper! 

 

I'm trying to not stress over the small stuff. I just want to get as much money out of the place as I can. I'm gonna need it. But you are right! When I list it, it is going "as is" because I'm not going to fix any more stuff. I'm not going to haggle over the price either. If it's within reason, I'm taking it.  I want gone. 

[Littlesister]

Necie, that looks like a nice camper. And gives me an idea. By a camper and park it in driveway. Anyone wanting to move in here again can live in camper. At least I wouldn't 't have to spend half my time cleaning up behind them. 

 

GS has to wait 30 days before he can take the test again. I am betting he will fail it again because he won't study for it.  He still has to take the phycological part of the physical. Not sure when that will happen yet. They don't do that one at the same time as the regular physical.  So, if he passes the test this time and they get the phycological part of the exam done and they figure out 3 of the 5 wavers he has, then he will be off to boot camp. I will give him another 6 months give or take depending on how long it will take the coast guard to get their act together on the wavers. Then I will ship him off to his mother's house and he can transfer his job to the Food Lion where his mother lives. I am done. 

 

I was so tired yesterday after the baby went home. And now going to keep her for 5 days next week. I will be worn out.  I just can't seem to keep up. 

 

Potatoes are soaking in water right now like the recipe called for. So just taking a break. I have everything ready to go once the potatoes are ready to go in the jars. 

 

Jeepers, don't fret over the house.  Kitchens and bathrooms are what sells a house. So, you should be in good shape to get it on the market now. People move in and want to put their own stamp on it such as painting walls the colors they want and such. So, they can fix any imperfections they need to do.

 

Mt. Rider, hope the person your DH is helping can get everything straight soon. Glad it is calming down some. 

 

It is raining here this morning. But the guy that cuts my grass did come yesterday. The yard was a total mess. But he got the work done. I asked him about the mulch he was supposed to put down last year and the bushes on side of house. He forgot and asked why I didn't call him. Because he never gave me his card. Now I have a card. And will call him. But he didn't cut the bushes down and wants to use round up to kill the weeks in flower beds. Nope, Nada going to happen. And I told him so. Told him I had the flower beds cleaned out and ready for the mulch and he never showed up and now I am not sure I can get them cleaned out on my own with knee and shoulder issues. So will see what happens. 

[Mt_Rider]

10 hours ago, Jeepers said:

IMO they should hire a woman to go around and check things out at the end of a job.  

 

      My dad was an exception to that rule and he also drove the work guys crazy.  But he'd go in and fix whatever when they left for the day.  They'd come back and see his work.  We've wondered what they thot.  

 

Ooooo.... LIKE the camper, Necie.  Yeah, might be an idea for LittleSister ....but, nature hates a vacuum.  If DGS had his own place at your place, would he get too comfortable?  He might vape/smoke/etc and you'd never get the smell out.  Maybe if you begged the Coast Guard to take him.....    He does seem quite good at shooting himself in the foot, so to speak.  But as you say, he also seems to be making progress in finally maturing a bit at a time.   

 

DH seems to be warding off my 'cold'.  I seem to be stuck in place.  Not getting real miserable; not getting any better.  We take a lot of herbal/supplements and I think that's what makes the difference.  Had to sort thru various odd stashes of those pills cuz we're running out of the immune types.  DH is taking them ahead of time to prevent catching my cold.  So he had to order more this morning.  I have an unfortunate assortment of little bags that I'd take with me to town or wherever and most were not labeled.    Some just mineral or vitamins.  Some for digestion/sinus/etc.  So I sorted them out today.  Some I could I.D. as what we're running out of.  If I couldn't get a positive I.D......they got dumped.  I've been labeling things better recently to prevent that loss.  I just keep the label-side of the box and stick that in the Ziplocks I use when I travel.  All data available and no more mysteries.  At least I'm not coughing ..heading for bronchitis!!!    Clearing throat a bit.  Thanks for your well-wishes!  AND I'm getting in bed earlier.  Asleep....not quite but improving.

 

DH's situation with his client .....     ....some people are so selfish, it's evil.  Second day wasn't too bad for DH.  But it's so hard to watch relatives harm others in their family.  Not that it's a new thing.  Began with Cain and Able.  Still     Prayers for that appreciated.  

 

Jeepers, as much as this whole past year has been a horrible hassle, do you think it's raised the price you'll get for the house?  Seems like it should with all new kitchen and such redone.  That's if the dratted insurance company pays what it ought!!!     Can't believe that turned into a year long project.  Two homes and you live at the hotel.  Hmph. 

 

Take care, all

MtRider    sniffles

[euphrasyne]

Got up, loaded up the washer and...nothing.  No juice, its dead and not worth fixing.  DH internet shopped around, we went to Lowes and I bought a new washer and dryer.  Ours are about 11 years old and needed replacing anyway.  It was expected, but annoying.  New ones are delivered Wednesday are Samsung and black/greyish colored.  My criteria was that it had to be big enough to do a king comforter, top loader, agitator, and dial over buttons.  DH's criteria was NO LG.  We did lunch at Longhorn afterwards.  We are going to have to pull out the current countertop that goes over the front loader washer/dryer and make it 1/3 the size with a shelf between them.  Also bought too many plants (mostly bulbs), so tomorrow will be a busy day.  

 

Everyone is planning wardrobes for tomorrow till Wednesday.  If there is only 1 load, I will handwash it and hang it to dry on my drying rack.  If there is more than 1 load, I'm going to the laundry mat.  ungh.   Hopefully not.  Is it sad that I'd rather do a tub of laundry?  I cannot decide.  

Edited March 9 by euphrasyne

[Jeepers]

Sorry your washer bit the dust. Your criteria for a washer sounds pretty much like what I have. Except mine is white. It's so big I have to scramble to make a load. I can't remember what it is. Probably either a GE or Maytag. I can't remember. I know it isn't LG or Samsung.  It will need replaced soon. One good thing about a laundry mat is things get done faster when you can use a couple of washers and dryers. 

 

Mt. Rider, the value of the house has risen mostly because of a new furnace, hot water heater, sump pump and water softener and new glass block windows all in the basement. Plus I bought all new kitchen appliances, really nice ones. Everything else is new, like the floors and cabinetry. But because of the insurance company being so cheap, the quality isn't there. I told D-ex that it looks like a cheap flip in my eyes.

 

Having said that, the old carpet was badly stained throughout the house and 3 different colors and the kitchen and bathroom cabinets were very old and brown and chipped. One of the bathroom vanities was lime green. Not in a pretty way. 

 

Now they are all white with brushed nickle instead if gold colored. It has a fresh coat of paint even though some of the nail holes from pictures are still there. And the posts on the porch, that were falling apart, are like new. The wood trim on the front of the house, that was peeling down to the bare wood, was painted. Two new bath surround inserts help a lot. The tub was iron and chipping and the shower stall was getting a crack in the floor. All of that is fixed now. 

 

The major issues will be a crumbling driveway and really bad windows. I'm not willing to fix those. And no landscaping. I might do that. It would really help the curb appeal. Not sure. I'm thinking I won't have time to get it planted because of the weather before I move.

 

To be honest, this house was in pretty bad shape before. Old ugly fixtures and really stained up. And ahem, hoarded. With most of my stuff out of here, the place looks huge. In hind sight, I can't believe I lived like that. Somewhere along the line I guess I just gave up.   

 

I know I'll be okay. All I NEED is $22,000 for the mortgage and maybe $50,000 for the construction company if the insurance doesn't pay up. I will make over twice that much I'm sure. I just hope the interest rates don't rise so people can get loans and that the market stays active. 

 

It's been one terrible year+ but I think it might turn out to be one of those blessings in disguise. I hope. 

[themartianchick]

Although my last day on the job was February 29th, today felt like the first day of (my second stab at) semi-retirement. We are back in Central NY and I laid out a few goals to work on. The first one involves taking care of my health: proper sleep, exercise, and nutritious meals. To kickstart that goal, I slept a little late and put a chicken in the oven at 10 am. I got a good workout in and fixed a couple of sides to go with it. I sorted through all of the mail that had accumulated during our month in Florida and watched Amazon Prime all afternoon in my pajamas. I did manage to unpack a few items that were in my suitcase but didn't work too hard at it. The good thing is that everything that we brought back is clean, as there is a washer and dryer in our condo.

 

I can certainly empathize with your laundry situation, Euphrasyne... In NY, I used to have a 2nd floor laundry room and a 2nd floor back porch that I could dry clothes on. During the years that I was caring for my mom, my husband re-located the laundry to the basement against my wishes. To line-dry clothes now, I would have to schlep them from the 2nd floor to the basement for washing and then haul them back to the 2nd floor to hang them to dry. I used to do his laundry...Not anymore!

 

In Florida, we don't have a drying rack and I have too many clothes that can shrink in a dryer. I had noticed a mildew odor in my closet and decided to wash all of the clothes that had been in there for the past few years. That is when I realized that I had no place to hang them. I ended up putting them all on hangers and hanging them up on the curtain rod for the patio doors, in the coat closet with the doors open, on the shower curtain bar, on the towel racks inside the spare bath, on my exercise bike, etc... I was positive that one of our friends would drop by unannounced and see the house looking like a weird, clothing store.