With a Little Help From My WebKinz
Oh, and meet my newest WebKinz, Ringo the Lil'Kinz Black and White Cheeky Dog! Yes, I decided to continue the Beatles theme. He moved in with his mates John the Ginger Cat and Paul the English Sheepdog and now inhabits one-third of their eclectic city flat based (somewhat) after their flat in Help!.
Life is a lazy river - no matter where you are. Movies, musicals, mysteries, pop culture, and lots of other great stuff.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Mall Madness
I learned four important things from my very long mall trip on New Year's Eve. The first was "start early." I was up by 7:30 and out the door by 9:30. It wasn't a very attractive day. In fact, it was pouring when I headed to the Collingswood PATCO, and has continued to pour on and off for the entire day. I arrived at the train station dripping wet.
The second was "bring the bike unless you absolutely can't. You won't be up for walking home after spending three hours walking around a mall." Despite the rain, yes, I did ride the bike to the PATCO, and yes, I am glad I did. Got me home a lot quicker in the lousy weather.
The train and the buses were all on time, despite the weather. I heard Bob Kelly on WOGL mention this morning that the PATCO was delayed 10 minutes this morning due to track repairs, but they must have cleared that up by quarter of 10. I was going to walk down to the Haddonfield Bike Shop when I arrived there, but the rain was coming down so hard, I just sat in the train/bus terminal and read a book until the bus to Deptford appeared.
The third was "only cross the street if absolutely, totally necessary." I just stuck to the large Target and the Deptford Mall this time. Getting to Target had been my main objective, since I hadn't made it there at New Year's. I did very well, once I found my way around. They'd added a more extensive grocery section, with a small area for meat, produce, and dairy items, since last fall, and that whole side of the store had been completely rearranged. I ended up with trash bags, two bags of Target-brand dried cranberries (cheaper than Craisins), a bottle of lemon extract, and The First Easter Rabbit, the only Rankin-Bass Easter special I didn't have.
Had lunch at the Pizza Hut across from Target in the same parking lot area. I haven't eaten at a Pizza Hut since I lived in Wildwood (where it was one of the few restaurants opened year-round on the island). I love their lunch buffet. Pizza, pasta, salad, and those divine cinnamon breadsticks. What more could anyone want for in a meal?
Hiked over to the Deptford Mall after lunch. The rain had let up while I was in Target. It was spitting as I made my way down the highway...and just started pouring again as I ran the last yard or so across the parking lot to the Deptford Mall's main entrance.
It wasn't nearly as busy at the mall as it was on New Year's Eve. They still had those cute fuzzy mechanical animal rides and the train on the lower level, and I saw children greeting the Easter Bunny as I headed past his area. Still, I didn't hit anything like the lines I saw in December...which was the fourth thing I learned. "Try to hit the mall at off-hours...and not during holidays."
I arrived at the mall around 1PM...and was done shopping by quarter of 3. I picked up a cute Lil' Kinz Black and White Cheeky Dog from American Greetings for $6.99 from a sale basket. JC Penney had some great sales, too. I got a St. John Bay yellow t-shirt for $9.99, a pack of (much-needed) socks for $7.99, a work-out t-shirt for $8.99, a pair of sandals for $30, and a red turtleneck on clearance for $3.17. The girl who helped me find the sandals in JC Penney, Dawn, was really sweet and a great help. She found everything I needed, including a second pair when I decided I didn't like the backs on the first one.
Made my best find at Sears. I was browsing their Lands End section when I found the perfect spring jacket for me. It was lightweight, waterproof, and it had a hood! It would figure, though, that the only extra-large they had left was also the only one that had lost its tag. The salesgirl here was really nice, too, and handled it quite well. Lands End was having a 20% off sale, so I got the jacket for $39.60.
Good thing I did buy the jacket. The heavy rain had returned as I hopped on the bus back to Deptford. Thankfully, it slowed down after I arrived in Collingswood, but it still wasn't a day to linger around. I made a very quick stop at WaWa for milk, then hurried home.
I got incredibly lucky. It showered on the way home, but it wasn't as heavy as that morning, and I wasn't nearly as wet. However, thunder rumbled even as I pulled up at the apartment, and five minutes after I stepped in the door, the shower had stepped up to monsoon levels.
Needless to say, I spent the rest of the night inside, watching The First Easter Rabbit, crocheting, and baking a Cranberry-Spice Cake. It's continued to do the on-and-off rain and thunder. I'm glad I got to the mall...but even I have my limits.
I learned four important things from my very long mall trip on New Year's Eve. The first was "start early." I was up by 7:30 and out the door by 9:30. It wasn't a very attractive day. In fact, it was pouring when I headed to the Collingswood PATCO, and has continued to pour on and off for the entire day. I arrived at the train station dripping wet.
The second was "bring the bike unless you absolutely can't. You won't be up for walking home after spending three hours walking around a mall." Despite the rain, yes, I did ride the bike to the PATCO, and yes, I am glad I did. Got me home a lot quicker in the lousy weather.
The train and the buses were all on time, despite the weather. I heard Bob Kelly on WOGL mention this morning that the PATCO was delayed 10 minutes this morning due to track repairs, but they must have cleared that up by quarter of 10. I was going to walk down to the Haddonfield Bike Shop when I arrived there, but the rain was coming down so hard, I just sat in the train/bus terminal and read a book until the bus to Deptford appeared.
The third was "only cross the street if absolutely, totally necessary." I just stuck to the large Target and the Deptford Mall this time. Getting to Target had been my main objective, since I hadn't made it there at New Year's. I did very well, once I found my way around. They'd added a more extensive grocery section, with a small area for meat, produce, and dairy items, since last fall, and that whole side of the store had been completely rearranged. I ended up with trash bags, two bags of Target-brand dried cranberries (cheaper than Craisins), a bottle of lemon extract, and The First Easter Rabbit, the only Rankin-Bass Easter special I didn't have.
Had lunch at the Pizza Hut across from Target in the same parking lot area. I haven't eaten at a Pizza Hut since I lived in Wildwood (where it was one of the few restaurants opened year-round on the island). I love their lunch buffet. Pizza, pasta, salad, and those divine cinnamon breadsticks. What more could anyone want for in a meal?
Hiked over to the Deptford Mall after lunch. The rain had let up while I was in Target. It was spitting as I made my way down the highway...and just started pouring again as I ran the last yard or so across the parking lot to the Deptford Mall's main entrance.
It wasn't nearly as busy at the mall as it was on New Year's Eve. They still had those cute fuzzy mechanical animal rides and the train on the lower level, and I saw children greeting the Easter Bunny as I headed past his area. Still, I didn't hit anything like the lines I saw in December...which was the fourth thing I learned. "Try to hit the mall at off-hours...and not during holidays."
I arrived at the mall around 1PM...and was done shopping by quarter of 3. I picked up a cute Lil' Kinz Black and White Cheeky Dog from American Greetings for $6.99 from a sale basket. JC Penney had some great sales, too. I got a St. John Bay yellow t-shirt for $9.99, a pack of (much-needed) socks for $7.99, a work-out t-shirt for $8.99, a pair of sandals for $30, and a red turtleneck on clearance for $3.17. The girl who helped me find the sandals in JC Penney, Dawn, was really sweet and a great help. She found everything I needed, including a second pair when I decided I didn't like the backs on the first one.
Made my best find at Sears. I was browsing their Lands End section when I found the perfect spring jacket for me. It was lightweight, waterproof, and it had a hood! It would figure, though, that the only extra-large they had left was also the only one that had lost its tag. The salesgirl here was really nice, too, and handled it quite well. Lands End was having a 20% off sale, so I got the jacket for $39.60.
Good thing I did buy the jacket. The heavy rain had returned as I hopped on the bus back to Deptford. Thankfully, it slowed down after I arrived in Collingswood, but it still wasn't a day to linger around. I made a very quick stop at WaWa for milk, then hurried home.
I got incredibly lucky. It showered on the way home, but it wasn't as heavy as that morning, and I wasn't nearly as wet. However, thunder rumbled even as I pulled up at the apartment, and five minutes after I stepped in the door, the shower had stepped up to monsoon levels.
Needless to say, I spent the rest of the night inside, watching The First Easter Rabbit, crocheting, and baking a Cranberry-Spice Cake. It's continued to do the on-and-off rain and thunder. I'm glad I got to the mall...but even I have my limits.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Free As A Bird
The weather couldn't have been more perfect today. I threw my windows open to a bright, sunny spring morning that was already in the upper 60s at quarter after 9. I made Chocolate Chip-Peanut Butter Pancakes for breakfast and turned on the WOGL Brunch With the Beatles show. "Award-winning songs" was the them today. The last one played was the Beatles song released in the late 90s, "Free As A Bird," that I remember hearing on the radio a lot then.
Called Mom after breakfast. She was looking up other ways to get up here on Google Maps. She was fine. My brother slept in after helping with security at Lower Cape May Regional High's spring musical; my stepfather was (understandably) out riding on his motorcycle. We talked about the baby shower yesterday and her frustration with Craig's odd but well-meaning mother (who seems reluctant to cut the apron strings with her sons), and about my mixed feelings on being an aunt.
We also had a nice, long talk about sewing and crocheting doll clothes. I'd love to make simple shorts, skirts, sweaters, and pants for Molly and Jessa, modern tights for Jessa, and muffs, hats, and gloves for all of the girls. It'll probably be a long time before I can make elaborate Victorian and Colonial outfits for Samantha and Felicity, though I may crochet or sew them capes and cloaks. I have a pattern book for Samantha that I bought forever ago, but never really used. I may have to break that out again. I don't care if the clothes match the books. I've seen some wonderfully creative doll outfit designs online. As long as the clothes look even vaguely right for the time period and good on the dolls, that's what matters.
And they aren't the only ones who need clothes. While I've had no problem finding clothes for the fashion-doll sized Sailor Soldiers, the Cabbies are a somewhat tougher find. Carrie in particular needs a new outfit badly. The Velcro on her original yellow dress from 1984 no longer wants to close, and the green overalls I bought for her a few years ago don't really fit. Dulcie's missing her original tights, too.
Mom and I talked for so long, we were on the phone for over an hour! The Beatles show was more than half-over by the time she finally said she had to do some chores. I did the breakfast dishes, then started dinner. The slow-cooker beef stew I made a few Sundays ago was so tasty, I decided to do it again. I tossed beef chunks, a sliced red potato, a carrot, two stalks of celery, some onion, water, a can of fat-free, low-sodium beef broth, and some pepper and spices into the Crock Pot.
Rose called as I was slicing celery. She said yesterday that she'd like to come visit me and return a book on bread baking she'd borrowed a few weeks ago. Mom had said that she would probably be tired after the baby shower yesterday, and it turns out Mother really does know best. Rose said she badly wanted to take a nap, could she come later in the afternoon? Sure! I rarely make major plans on a Sunday, even on days when I work.
I finally left the the Crock Pot and my dinner simmering away and went for a nice, long walk around Newton River Park. There was never a nicer spring day. By the time I was swinging at the first, red-and-yellow playground across from the Parks of Collingswood condos, it was in the mid-to-upper 70s. A beautiful breeze drifted across the river, cooling the kids running around slides and riding their bikes. I hadn't seen so many boats on the river since the 4th of July! Men fished on the docks. Teenagers jogged with pals or threw Frisbees. People walked their dogs and pushed strollers with sleepy babies.
I walked a little longer this time than I did a few weeks ago. Though the snow is long gone, there's still some muddy spots in places that show the effects of last week's storms and flooding. I ducked around bikers, fishermen, and really big mud puddles as I headed to the narrow, steep stone steps that lead to East Oakland Avenue.
From there, I went back up to the White Horse Pike for lunch. As I mentioned a few weeks ago, pretty much my only lunch choices on the Pike on a Sunday are Taco Bell, WaWa, or a diner. I didn't feel like a big sit-down lunch, and I definitely didn't want Mexican fast-food. I opted for a 4-inch hoagie, a soda, and a bag of the new Coconut-flavored M&Ms from WaWa instead.
Headed home after that. Said "hi" to Miss Ellie, who was organizing recycling and various gardening tools on her front porch. Even she couldn't bring herself to sit inside all day when it was so nice outside! Waved to my neighbor Michael on the way in. He was blowing leaves in his backyard, and I don't know if he saw me.
After lunch, I went right back out again. It was still too nice to be inside! I tossed my red Frisbee around Veteran's Park next-door for about a half-hour. Alas, this wasn't as good of an idea as my walk. Half the park is still really muddy and swampy from the storms last weekend. I slipped and slid a lot. I was only out for about 20 minutes to a half-hour.
Decided when I got in that I needed a rest after all that running around, so I worked on crocheting for an hour and listened to some of my old rock cassettes from the 80s. Rose finally arrived around 4. I showed her the two chain stitch rows and one chain/single crochet row that I'd made into collars for some of my WebKinz. She enjoyed my home-brewed Raspberry Herbal Iced Tea. We discussed her delight over her impending child, our worries about our sister Anny and her ongoing troubles with her sons and being a single parent, how well the baby shower went yesterday, and her exasperation with her boyfriend's mother.
(And yes, she did finally bring that bread book back. Good. I need to make bread rather badly this week.)
My cookie tin was empty again, but I haven't had time to fill it. I finally made Lemon-Wine Sugar Cookies. Used the basic low-fat "Stir and Drop Sugar Cookie" recipe from the Betty Crocker Cookie Book and replaced some of the oil and the vanilla with lemon juice and white cooking wine. Alas, it still tasted more like sugar than lemon or wine; maybe I'll cut a little sugar next time.
I had a delicious dinner of Peppered Beef Stew, a banana, and a Cranberry-Orange Muffin while listening to Broadway cast albums. "The Dress Circle," the other radio show I listen to on Sundays, was on after dinner. The theme was "An All-Star 42nd Street." Most of the selections came from the 1980 original or 2007 revival casts, but they mixed in vintage recordings of Al Jolson singing "About a Quarter to Nine" (which was from his 1935 vehicle Go Into Your Dance) and Bing Crosby singing "You're Getting to Be A Habit With Me."
The weather couldn't have been more perfect today. I threw my windows open to a bright, sunny spring morning that was already in the upper 60s at quarter after 9. I made Chocolate Chip-Peanut Butter Pancakes for breakfast and turned on the WOGL Brunch With the Beatles show. "Award-winning songs" was the them today. The last one played was the Beatles song released in the late 90s, "Free As A Bird," that I remember hearing on the radio a lot then.
Called Mom after breakfast. She was looking up other ways to get up here on Google Maps. She was fine. My brother slept in after helping with security at Lower Cape May Regional High's spring musical; my stepfather was (understandably) out riding on his motorcycle. We talked about the baby shower yesterday and her frustration with Craig's odd but well-meaning mother (who seems reluctant to cut the apron strings with her sons), and about my mixed feelings on being an aunt.
We also had a nice, long talk about sewing and crocheting doll clothes. I'd love to make simple shorts, skirts, sweaters, and pants for Molly and Jessa, modern tights for Jessa, and muffs, hats, and gloves for all of the girls. It'll probably be a long time before I can make elaborate Victorian and Colonial outfits for Samantha and Felicity, though I may crochet or sew them capes and cloaks. I have a pattern book for Samantha that I bought forever ago, but never really used. I may have to break that out again. I don't care if the clothes match the books. I've seen some wonderfully creative doll outfit designs online. As long as the clothes look even vaguely right for the time period and good on the dolls, that's what matters.
And they aren't the only ones who need clothes. While I've had no problem finding clothes for the fashion-doll sized Sailor Soldiers, the Cabbies are a somewhat tougher find. Carrie in particular needs a new outfit badly. The Velcro on her original yellow dress from 1984 no longer wants to close, and the green overalls I bought for her a few years ago don't really fit. Dulcie's missing her original tights, too.
Mom and I talked for so long, we were on the phone for over an hour! The Beatles show was more than half-over by the time she finally said she had to do some chores. I did the breakfast dishes, then started dinner. The slow-cooker beef stew I made a few Sundays ago was so tasty, I decided to do it again. I tossed beef chunks, a sliced red potato, a carrot, two stalks of celery, some onion, water, a can of fat-free, low-sodium beef broth, and some pepper and spices into the Crock Pot.
Rose called as I was slicing celery. She said yesterday that she'd like to come visit me and return a book on bread baking she'd borrowed a few weeks ago. Mom had said that she would probably be tired after the baby shower yesterday, and it turns out Mother really does know best. Rose said she badly wanted to take a nap, could she come later in the afternoon? Sure! I rarely make major plans on a Sunday, even on days when I work.
I finally left the the Crock Pot and my dinner simmering away and went for a nice, long walk around Newton River Park. There was never a nicer spring day. By the time I was swinging at the first, red-and-yellow playground across from the Parks of Collingswood condos, it was in the mid-to-upper 70s. A beautiful breeze drifted across the river, cooling the kids running around slides and riding their bikes. I hadn't seen so many boats on the river since the 4th of July! Men fished on the docks. Teenagers jogged with pals or threw Frisbees. People walked their dogs and pushed strollers with sleepy babies.
I walked a little longer this time than I did a few weeks ago. Though the snow is long gone, there's still some muddy spots in places that show the effects of last week's storms and flooding. I ducked around bikers, fishermen, and really big mud puddles as I headed to the narrow, steep stone steps that lead to East Oakland Avenue.
From there, I went back up to the White Horse Pike for lunch. As I mentioned a few weeks ago, pretty much my only lunch choices on the Pike on a Sunday are Taco Bell, WaWa, or a diner. I didn't feel like a big sit-down lunch, and I definitely didn't want Mexican fast-food. I opted for a 4-inch hoagie, a soda, and a bag of the new Coconut-flavored M&Ms from WaWa instead.
Headed home after that. Said "hi" to Miss Ellie, who was organizing recycling and various gardening tools on her front porch. Even she couldn't bring herself to sit inside all day when it was so nice outside! Waved to my neighbor Michael on the way in. He was blowing leaves in his backyard, and I don't know if he saw me.
After lunch, I went right back out again. It was still too nice to be inside! I tossed my red Frisbee around Veteran's Park next-door for about a half-hour. Alas, this wasn't as good of an idea as my walk. Half the park is still really muddy and swampy from the storms last weekend. I slipped and slid a lot. I was only out for about 20 minutes to a half-hour.
Decided when I got in that I needed a rest after all that running around, so I worked on crocheting for an hour and listened to some of my old rock cassettes from the 80s. Rose finally arrived around 4. I showed her the two chain stitch rows and one chain/single crochet row that I'd made into collars for some of my WebKinz. She enjoyed my home-brewed Raspberry Herbal Iced Tea. We discussed her delight over her impending child, our worries about our sister Anny and her ongoing troubles with her sons and being a single parent, how well the baby shower went yesterday, and her exasperation with her boyfriend's mother.
(And yes, she did finally bring that bread book back. Good. I need to make bread rather badly this week.)
My cookie tin was empty again, but I haven't had time to fill it. I finally made Lemon-Wine Sugar Cookies. Used the basic low-fat "Stir and Drop Sugar Cookie" recipe from the Betty Crocker Cookie Book and replaced some of the oil and the vanilla with lemon juice and white cooking wine. Alas, it still tasted more like sugar than lemon or wine; maybe I'll cut a little sugar next time.
I had a delicious dinner of Peppered Beef Stew, a banana, and a Cranberry-Orange Muffin while listening to Broadway cast albums. "The Dress Circle," the other radio show I listen to on Sundays, was on after dinner. The theme was "An All-Star 42nd Street." Most of the selections came from the 1980 original or 2007 revival casts, but they mixed in vintage recordings of Al Jolson singing "About a Quarter to Nine" (which was from his 1935 vehicle Go Into Your Dance) and Bing Crosby singing "You're Getting to Be A Habit With Me."
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Come Together
Thank goodness it remained absolutely gorgeous when I stepped out this morning to run a few errands on the White Horse Pike. The sun was bright and warm as I headed down to the bank to deposit money from my regular paycheck and vacation paycheck. Since I was in the neighborhood, I went a few blocks down to the Post Office to buy a book of stamps. The bank was dead, but there was a short line at the Post Office that was quickly dispatched when a second teller opened.
I headed home and tidied up around my apartment. I wasn't sure if Mom and Anny and Keefe would be coming over later or not. I vacuumed. I put books away. I found a basket for my sewing and crochet items. I made my bed. I straightened dolls and put up windows.
Went over to Uncle Ken and Dad's around 11 to help out with the party. As it turned out, Dad and Jodie were mostly done by the time I arrived. Jodie had almost all of the food done but the baked black bean dip and the yogurt dip for the fruit. I did get to help Dad bring three coolers to the porch and load them with ice. One had beer, one cans of soda, and one bottles of water. I got bored after that and went for a walk, stopping briefly at CVS to pick up something...and forgetting what it was. I didn't remember until just an hour ago! (It was Raid. I'm seeing ants in the kitchen again.)
The party was just starting when I arrived. There were so many people! Eventually, I saw Rose and Craig, Dolores and Uncle Ken, many of their friends from the restaurant in Haddon Heights where they work, Rose's long-time friend Sheila and her husband Jerome (she's pregnant, too - her baby shower was yesterday!), Craig's mother and stepfather, my cousin Samantha and her little daughter Faith, Mom, Keefe, Anny, her new boyfriend John, Skylar, Dad's friends Diane and Brian who have lived in West Cape May for as long as I can remember, and my friend Erica and her mother Miss Helen who live next-door to Jodie, Jodie's son TJ and his friend, and a few other friends of Uncle Ken's and Dad's.
Rose and Craig got lots and lots of beautiful baby items from everyone! Most people, not surprisingly, gave them clothes. Mom gave them beautiful blankets she'd sewn and crocheted. Diane and Brian gave them a child-sized stool they'd built and painted themselves! I gave them the just-retired 2-disc DVD for Disney's The Jungle Book, which I found a few weeks ago at the big FYE behind the Acme where I work. Rose was looking for it at the Best Buy in Cherry Hill when we were out shopping in late January, but they were out of it.
There was tons of food, too. I had a pulled pork sandwich, macaroni salad, green salad, tortilla chips, pretzels, and items from the fruit, cheese, and veggie trays. Rose and Craig brought platters of cute little pastries from Dessert By Design, the wonderful bakery that also did my birthday cake last year. I brought a Banana-French Vanilla Mousse Pie. Erica and one of Rose's friends brought plates of chocolate-covered pretzels. And there was the stuff I didn't eat - meatballs (they were gone before I could have some), potato salad, potato chips, a strawberry pudding pie.
I was really hoping Mom, Keefe, Anny, John, and Sky could visit me today too, but they all had things to do this evening. After we took tons of group shots on the front lawn next to the pool area, they had to leave. I was disappointed, even though Mom had said they would visit next month when Keefe is on spring break, now that they know how to get up here.
I guess I'm just a little overwhelmed. I never thought I'd see all (or close to all) of my relatives in one place! Rose said she has a book she borrowed from me that she wants to return. She'll come over tomorrow for a cup of tea.
Thank goodness it remained absolutely gorgeous when I stepped out this morning to run a few errands on the White Horse Pike. The sun was bright and warm as I headed down to the bank to deposit money from my regular paycheck and vacation paycheck. Since I was in the neighborhood, I went a few blocks down to the Post Office to buy a book of stamps. The bank was dead, but there was a short line at the Post Office that was quickly dispatched when a second teller opened.
I headed home and tidied up around my apartment. I wasn't sure if Mom and Anny and Keefe would be coming over later or not. I vacuumed. I put books away. I found a basket for my sewing and crochet items. I made my bed. I straightened dolls and put up windows.
Went over to Uncle Ken and Dad's around 11 to help out with the party. As it turned out, Dad and Jodie were mostly done by the time I arrived. Jodie had almost all of the food done but the baked black bean dip and the yogurt dip for the fruit. I did get to help Dad bring three coolers to the porch and load them with ice. One had beer, one cans of soda, and one bottles of water. I got bored after that and went for a walk, stopping briefly at CVS to pick up something...and forgetting what it was. I didn't remember until just an hour ago! (It was Raid. I'm seeing ants in the kitchen again.)
The party was just starting when I arrived. There were so many people! Eventually, I saw Rose and Craig, Dolores and Uncle Ken, many of their friends from the restaurant in Haddon Heights where they work, Rose's long-time friend Sheila and her husband Jerome (she's pregnant, too - her baby shower was yesterday!), Craig's mother and stepfather, my cousin Samantha and her little daughter Faith, Mom, Keefe, Anny, her new boyfriend John, Skylar, Dad's friends Diane and Brian who have lived in West Cape May for as long as I can remember, and my friend Erica and her mother Miss Helen who live next-door to Jodie, Jodie's son TJ and his friend, and a few other friends of Uncle Ken's and Dad's.
Rose and Craig got lots and lots of beautiful baby items from everyone! Most people, not surprisingly, gave them clothes. Mom gave them beautiful blankets she'd sewn and crocheted. Diane and Brian gave them a child-sized stool they'd built and painted themselves! I gave them the just-retired 2-disc DVD for Disney's The Jungle Book, which I found a few weeks ago at the big FYE behind the Acme where I work. Rose was looking for it at the Best Buy in Cherry Hill when we were out shopping in late January, but they were out of it.
There was tons of food, too. I had a pulled pork sandwich, macaroni salad, green salad, tortilla chips, pretzels, and items from the fruit, cheese, and veggie trays. Rose and Craig brought platters of cute little pastries from Dessert By Design, the wonderful bakery that also did my birthday cake last year. I brought a Banana-French Vanilla Mousse Pie. Erica and one of Rose's friends brought plates of chocolate-covered pretzels. And there was the stuff I didn't eat - meatballs (they were gone before I could have some), potato salad, potato chips, a strawberry pudding pie.
I was really hoping Mom, Keefe, Anny, John, and Sky could visit me today too, but they all had things to do this evening. After we took tons of group shots on the front lawn next to the pool area, they had to leave. I was disappointed, even though Mom had said they would visit next month when Keefe is on spring break, now that they know how to get up here.
I guess I'm just a little overwhelmed. I never thought I'd see all (or close to all) of my relatives in one place! Rose said she has a book she borrowed from me that she wants to return. She'll come over tomorrow for a cup of tea.
Friday, March 19, 2010
"Repeat After Me - We Need a Vacation!"
I got up early enough this morning to work on the bike after breakfast. It was another gorgeous day, a little breezy but sunny and in the upper 50s at 8:30AM. I tightened the screws on the back wheel. I'm hoping that'll fix things. If the chain comes off again, I'm going to have to try to remove the whole darn wheel. That's a lot more complicated with the wheel I got last year. There's a piece you have to take off with a Phillips screwdriver.
At the very least, the bike got me to work and back. The ride was sensational. It was a perfect day for bike riding. I'm not the only one who was out and about today, either. We've had several classes of what appears to be first and second grade kids taking field trips to the store over the past few weeks. They're so cute! I love it when the managers let them use the scanners. They're too funny.
Other than that, this was a fairly quiet, off-and-on day. My relief was actually early, and there were no major problems. I was able to do my grocery shopping in peace. I had a lot to do, too, since I'm going to be eating at home a lot next week. Picked up steak, whole berry cranberry sauce, granola bars, yogurt (plain and flavored - Dannon was on sale), Skippy Natural Chunky Peanut Butter (tastes so much better than regular), the Favorit Swiss Preserves in Forest Berry (I wanted cherry, but they were out), and the usual restocking of vegetables and fruit.
My schedule this week is...no schedule. I asked for tomorrow off for Rose's big baby shower, but after that, I'm taking the whole week for my second vacation. Boy, do I need it. I feel like I've been going non-stop since early February. Unlike my usual vacations, I intend to pass this one at home. I'm going to go to the Deptford Mall on Monday and I have counseling on Thursday (which is kind of why I asked for this week off anyway), and I'll do all the usual library volunteering and yoga class...but beyond that, I have no plans.
And I love it. I haven't had a whole week to myself since I lived in Wildwood. I'll get things done around the apartment, go for walks, and work on crocheting and that ballroom dancing DVD I took out of the Haddon Township Library.
I got up early enough this morning to work on the bike after breakfast. It was another gorgeous day, a little breezy but sunny and in the upper 50s at 8:30AM. I tightened the screws on the back wheel. I'm hoping that'll fix things. If the chain comes off again, I'm going to have to try to remove the whole darn wheel. That's a lot more complicated with the wheel I got last year. There's a piece you have to take off with a Phillips screwdriver.
At the very least, the bike got me to work and back. The ride was sensational. It was a perfect day for bike riding. I'm not the only one who was out and about today, either. We've had several classes of what appears to be first and second grade kids taking field trips to the store over the past few weeks. They're so cute! I love it when the managers let them use the scanners. They're too funny.
Other than that, this was a fairly quiet, off-and-on day. My relief was actually early, and there were no major problems. I was able to do my grocery shopping in peace. I had a lot to do, too, since I'm going to be eating at home a lot next week. Picked up steak, whole berry cranberry sauce, granola bars, yogurt (plain and flavored - Dannon was on sale), Skippy Natural Chunky Peanut Butter (tastes so much better than regular), the Favorit Swiss Preserves in Forest Berry (I wanted cherry, but they were out), and the usual restocking of vegetables and fruit.
My schedule this week is...no schedule. I asked for tomorrow off for Rose's big baby shower, but after that, I'm taking the whole week for my second vacation. Boy, do I need it. I feel like I've been going non-stop since early February. Unlike my usual vacations, I intend to pass this one at home. I'm going to go to the Deptford Mall on Monday and I have counseling on Thursday (which is kind of why I asked for this week off anyway), and I'll do all the usual library volunteering and yoga class...but beyond that, I have no plans.
And I love it. I haven't had a whole week to myself since I lived in Wildwood. I'll get things done around the apartment, go for walks, and work on crocheting and that ballroom dancing DVD I took out of the Haddon Township Library.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
The Busiest Bee
Started a lovely day with volunteering at the Oaklyn Library. I figured this was the only other library I'd have the time to get to on this busy week! I spent an hour there organizing the kids' section and the DVDs. The DVDs in particular needed it. You can tell no one had done them in a long time. Kids' and adults' DVDs were mixed together, and everything was out of order.
I stepped out into a perfect early spring morning. Crocuses are popping up everywhere, including around the library's sign on their front lawn. The grass is so green after this weekend! All that rain we had was good for something. I quickly rode my bike home, changed into my work uniform, had lunch, and headed back out again to the Acme.
Work was a pain in the rear end today. Though we were on-and-off busy, we didn't have enough help. Almost the entire evening shift called out! I'm assuming all of the teenagers had spring sports they had to get ready for...or spring fever. I was asked to stay later tonight, but I said no. I felt bad, but I want to get ready for Rose and Craig's huge baby shower on Saturday.
Thankfully, it wasn't too crazy when I shut down to leave. I grabbed things for a pudding pie, then headed home...getting merely a few blocks before the chain came off my bike. Again. For the third time in less than two weeks. I got it back on, but I really need to figure out what's going on here, or at least try to tighten the damn thing.
Started a lovely day with volunteering at the Oaklyn Library. I figured this was the only other library I'd have the time to get to on this busy week! I spent an hour there organizing the kids' section and the DVDs. The DVDs in particular needed it. You can tell no one had done them in a long time. Kids' and adults' DVDs were mixed together, and everything was out of order.
I stepped out into a perfect early spring morning. Crocuses are popping up everywhere, including around the library's sign on their front lawn. The grass is so green after this weekend! All that rain we had was good for something. I quickly rode my bike home, changed into my work uniform, had lunch, and headed back out again to the Acme.
Work was a pain in the rear end today. Though we were on-and-off busy, we didn't have enough help. Almost the entire evening shift called out! I'm assuming all of the teenagers had spring sports they had to get ready for...or spring fever. I was asked to stay later tonight, but I said no. I felt bad, but I want to get ready for Rose and Craig's huge baby shower on Saturday.
Thankfully, it wasn't too crazy when I shut down to leave. I grabbed things for a pudding pie, then headed home...getting merely a few blocks before the chain came off my bike. Again. For the third time in less than two weeks. I got it back on, but I really need to figure out what's going on here, or at least try to tighten the damn thing.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Emerald Isle
First of all, top of the evenin' to 'ye! I hope all of you had a wonderful St. Patrick's Day, whether you're Irish or not.
Began an utterly gorgeous morning with chores around the house. I woke up with enough time to sweep the porch before work. I'm glad I did. It was a pleasant morning. The air was warm, the sun was shining, and the wind and clouds from the weekend had disappeared completely. The tides had gone down, too. What little snow was left from last month's storm vanished with the storms.
Work wasn't bad, either. It was pretty quiet all day. Steady enough that the time went fairly fast, but never really busy. My relief was on time, and there were no major problems.
When I came out it was...warm. Probably in the lower 60s. No wonder so many of my customers had been in their shirtsleeves. I peeled off my field hockey jacket, stuck it in my basket with my lunch bag, and rode home in my work uniform. It felt so light and cool.
Spent the rest of the afternoon finally getting the dusting in. It had to be done today. I won't have time the rest of the week. I'm hoping to get to the Oaklyn Library tomorrow before work, I was asked to come in early on Friday morning and need to go grocery shopping Friday evening, and Saturday is the baby shower. I wish I hadn't put it off as long as I did, but I keep getting called in or too many hours.
I also received two more American Girls outfits that I won off eBay in the mail. Molly's Christmas Dress is a really pretty green velvet outfit with a cute full skirt and ecru lace on the collar and cuffs, with tiny little buttons going down the front. I love it. Molly looks adorable in it; shame it's now too warm for her to wear it.
Samantha got a gorgeous hand-made recreation of one of her limited-edition outfits, an ice-blue dress with a square collar that was based after an outfit from one of her short stories. Though advertised as a "Winter Party" or "Skating Party" dress, the softer color and lighter fabric really say "spring" to me. It'll be Sam's Easter dress.
Listened to the soundtrack from the movie version of Finian's Rainbow while I dusted. As enjoyable as the original Broadway cast is, the movie has a cast that can't be matched - Fred Astaire as the title character, Petula Clark as his daughter, and Tommy Steele as the leprechaun who pursues the gold Astaire plans to bury near Fort Knox, hoping it'll sprout the way that famed bank's gold seems to have. Francis Ford Coppola directed the movie version in 1968. It's a little dated, but the cast and wonderful music makes it worth looking for.
First of all, top of the evenin' to 'ye! I hope all of you had a wonderful St. Patrick's Day, whether you're Irish or not.
Began an utterly gorgeous morning with chores around the house. I woke up with enough time to sweep the porch before work. I'm glad I did. It was a pleasant morning. The air was warm, the sun was shining, and the wind and clouds from the weekend had disappeared completely. The tides had gone down, too. What little snow was left from last month's storm vanished with the storms.
Work wasn't bad, either. It was pretty quiet all day. Steady enough that the time went fairly fast, but never really busy. My relief was on time, and there were no major problems.
When I came out it was...warm. Probably in the lower 60s. No wonder so many of my customers had been in their shirtsleeves. I peeled off my field hockey jacket, stuck it in my basket with my lunch bag, and rode home in my work uniform. It felt so light and cool.
Spent the rest of the afternoon finally getting the dusting in. It had to be done today. I won't have time the rest of the week. I'm hoping to get to the Oaklyn Library tomorrow before work, I was asked to come in early on Friday morning and need to go grocery shopping Friday evening, and Saturday is the baby shower. I wish I hadn't put it off as long as I did, but I keep getting called in or too many hours.
I also received two more American Girls outfits that I won off eBay in the mail. Molly's Christmas Dress is a really pretty green velvet outfit with a cute full skirt and ecru lace on the collar and cuffs, with tiny little buttons going down the front. I love it. Molly looks adorable in it; shame it's now too warm for her to wear it.
Samantha got a gorgeous hand-made recreation of one of her limited-edition outfits, an ice-blue dress with a square collar that was based after an outfit from one of her short stories. Though advertised as a "Winter Party" or "Skating Party" dress, the softer color and lighter fabric really say "spring" to me. It'll be Sam's Easter dress.
Listened to the soundtrack from the movie version of Finian's Rainbow while I dusted. As enjoyable as the original Broadway cast is, the movie has a cast that can't be matched - Fred Astaire as the title character, Petula Clark as his daughter, and Tommy Steele as the leprechaun who pursues the gold Astaire plans to bury near Fort Knox, hoping it'll sprout the way that famed bank's gold seems to have. Francis Ford Coppola directed the movie version in 1968. It's a little dated, but the cast and wonderful music makes it worth looking for.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Walking On Sunshine
Thank goodness, after three days of nasty weather, I awoke to nothing but sunshine. It was a little chilly when I stuck my head out at around quarter of 9AM and still windy, but the newly emerged sun felt nice on my nose. I listened to my radio and had Cranberry-Orange Muffins for breakfast. After I finished, I did a few chores around the apartment - took out the recycling, got my college payment bill and the Census envelope together. I stuck the bill and the Census in the mailbox in front of the house, then headed for the Haddon Township Library for this week's volunteering session there.
It was very busy when I came in. Today is Storybook Day at the Haddon Township Library, and kids were seeking their favorite books and DVDs. Not only that, but the DVD rack was overloaded with returns, too. A librarian also wanted me to find the Magic School Bus DVDs, one of which had gone missing. (They're still missing. I didn't see any of them on the racks.)
I took out two new girls' specials, Barbie In a Mermaid's Tale and Strawberry Shortcake: The Berryfest Princess, along with the Woody Allen/Diane Keaton comedy Manhattan Murder Mystery. I also took out the Felicity and Molly American Girls craft books, which had simple sewing crafts I wanted to try, a book on walking for fitness, and a crochet book from the 80s with easy instructions.
Headed over to the Westmont Plaza after work to run some errands. I really needed a small wooden crate for the home-made DVDs I've picked up from various sources at JoAnn's. I also bought some felt and thread for a project and more crochet yarn. I then headed to Dollar Tree for cards for Mom's and my friend Kelly's birthdays and Rose and Craig's baby shower. Had lunch at the Bagel Shop again, this time a Chicken Salad Club on a 5-Grain Bagel with just pickles on the side, no fries or chips.
When I got home, I put everything away, did some stuff around the apartment, and headed out to Dad and Uncle Ken's for this week's laundry session. Dad had stuff in the dryer when I arrived, so I had to wait a while. I read for a while, then went for a walk.
By 4PM, you couldn't have asked for a nicer spring day. It was now in the 60s, sunny, and though still a bit breezy, the wind was nothing like the other day. I went to CVS for shampoo for me and fabric softener for Dad and Uncle Ken, then hiked around the neighborhood. Not surprisingly after the weekend, everyone was out. People walked their dogs. They washed their cars. They chatted with their neighbors and weeded their yards. Kids played catch and chased their siblings and friends. That one orange crocus I saw in front of the big house across from the Oaklyn Library had been joined by a whole platoon of pretty little purple, white, and orange flowers, all blooming.
It was after 6 before I finally got home, put everything away, and started dinner. I just tossed a can of tuna and some vegetables into the tomato-beef broth leftover from the other night and steamed the last of the collard greens.
Ran Mermaid's Tale during dinner and Berryfest Princess directly afterwards. This time, Barbie came out the better of the two with a really fun story about a young girl from Malibu, California, who discovers she's half-mermaid after her hair turns pink during a surfing contest. I liked this funny parable about being different and accepting what we are. The references to real-life California surfing speak and actual mermaid mythology kept the story far more grounded than the pure-fantasy Diamond Castle. Also, no songs here, just one amusing rock-ish number "Queen of the Waves" and a reworking of "Walking On Sunshine."
Alas, Strawberry didn't come out nearly as well. Berryfest Princess is the second outing for the third revival of the famous American Greetings characters. Strawberry and her friends find themselves taking over the duties of the Berry Princess and having to run the Berryfest Festival and Parade by themselves...but Strawberry wonders if she's in over her head when the other girls won't listen to her. While I'm glad to see more of Strawberry's friends, they all come off as rather bratty, especially towards the middle of the program. It also feels rather fragmented, like three episodes of a series strung together (badly). Not to mention, the morals about working together and making choices are very sugary and shoved down viewers' throats. Little girls will enjoy it, but mothers may want to check YouTube if they're feeling nostalgic about Strawberry.
(BTW, the Acme tried to call me in today, but they wanted me in at 2 and I didn't get home until 2:30. I'm so glad they missed me. I've gotten plenty of extra hours in, and I really wanted to get some errands done today. I'm not going to get anything done on Saturday, my other day off this week - that's the day of the baby shower. They're going to need my help at Dad and Uncle Ken's that day.)
Thank goodness, after three days of nasty weather, I awoke to nothing but sunshine. It was a little chilly when I stuck my head out at around quarter of 9AM and still windy, but the newly emerged sun felt nice on my nose. I listened to my radio and had Cranberry-Orange Muffins for breakfast. After I finished, I did a few chores around the apartment - took out the recycling, got my college payment bill and the Census envelope together. I stuck the bill and the Census in the mailbox in front of the house, then headed for the Haddon Township Library for this week's volunteering session there.
It was very busy when I came in. Today is Storybook Day at the Haddon Township Library, and kids were seeking their favorite books and DVDs. Not only that, but the DVD rack was overloaded with returns, too. A librarian also wanted me to find the Magic School Bus DVDs, one of which had gone missing. (They're still missing. I didn't see any of them on the racks.)
I took out two new girls' specials, Barbie In a Mermaid's Tale and Strawberry Shortcake: The Berryfest Princess, along with the Woody Allen/Diane Keaton comedy Manhattan Murder Mystery. I also took out the Felicity and Molly American Girls craft books, which had simple sewing crafts I wanted to try, a book on walking for fitness, and a crochet book from the 80s with easy instructions.
Headed over to the Westmont Plaza after work to run some errands. I really needed a small wooden crate for the home-made DVDs I've picked up from various sources at JoAnn's. I also bought some felt and thread for a project and more crochet yarn. I then headed to Dollar Tree for cards for Mom's and my friend Kelly's birthdays and Rose and Craig's baby shower. Had lunch at the Bagel Shop again, this time a Chicken Salad Club on a 5-Grain Bagel with just pickles on the side, no fries or chips.
When I got home, I put everything away, did some stuff around the apartment, and headed out to Dad and Uncle Ken's for this week's laundry session. Dad had stuff in the dryer when I arrived, so I had to wait a while. I read for a while, then went for a walk.
By 4PM, you couldn't have asked for a nicer spring day. It was now in the 60s, sunny, and though still a bit breezy, the wind was nothing like the other day. I went to CVS for shampoo for me and fabric softener for Dad and Uncle Ken, then hiked around the neighborhood. Not surprisingly after the weekend, everyone was out. People walked their dogs. They washed their cars. They chatted with their neighbors and weeded their yards. Kids played catch and chased their siblings and friends. That one orange crocus I saw in front of the big house across from the Oaklyn Library had been joined by a whole platoon of pretty little purple, white, and orange flowers, all blooming.
It was after 6 before I finally got home, put everything away, and started dinner. I just tossed a can of tuna and some vegetables into the tomato-beef broth leftover from the other night and steamed the last of the collard greens.
Ran Mermaid's Tale during dinner and Berryfest Princess directly afterwards. This time, Barbie came out the better of the two with a really fun story about a young girl from Malibu, California, who discovers she's half-mermaid after her hair turns pink during a surfing contest. I liked this funny parable about being different and accepting what we are. The references to real-life California surfing speak and actual mermaid mythology kept the story far more grounded than the pure-fantasy Diamond Castle. Also, no songs here, just one amusing rock-ish number "Queen of the Waves" and a reworking of "Walking On Sunshine."
Alas, Strawberry didn't come out nearly as well. Berryfest Princess is the second outing for the third revival of the famous American Greetings characters. Strawberry and her friends find themselves taking over the duties of the Berry Princess and having to run the Berryfest Festival and Parade by themselves...but Strawberry wonders if she's in over her head when the other girls won't listen to her. While I'm glad to see more of Strawberry's friends, they all come off as rather bratty, especially towards the middle of the program. It also feels rather fragmented, like three episodes of a series strung together (badly). Not to mention, the morals about working together and making choices are very sugary and shoved down viewers' throats. Little girls will enjoy it, but mothers may want to check YouTube if they're feeling nostalgic about Strawberry.
(BTW, the Acme tried to call me in today, but they wanted me in at 2 and I didn't get home until 2:30. I'm so glad they missed me. I've gotten plenty of extra hours in, and I really wanted to get some errands done today. I'm not going to get anything done on Saturday, my other day off this week - that's the day of the baby shower. They're going to need my help at Dad and Uncle Ken's that day.)
Monday, March 15, 2010
Rain's In Again
It wasn't raining when I got up this morning. It was just damp and gray. I took the bike to work and thought nothing of it, hoping it meant the rain was done. It had rained hard after I got in from work last night, but hadn't since then.
Work was on-and-off busy, not as crazy as yesterday but steady enough that time went by fairly quickly. There were no major problems, other than my relief took his sweet time getting in. I picked up a few things (spaghetti sauce, canned diced tomatoes, cider vinegar, plastic Easter eggs to put in my baskets, Smart Balance 50/50 sticks on sale), and headed out.
There were no problems...until I went outside. Yep, it was raining again. Hard. I waited a few minutes until the rain let up a little. I got wet going home, but not quite as dripping as the other night when I walked.
There were some surprises waiting for me in the mailbox. I've ordered some outfits off eBay for my four American Girls. The first of those outfits arrived today. The Felicity doll I got from my sister Jessa when she went to college last year is from the late 90s. At that point, Felicity was packaged in a gorgeous dress with orange-and-red roses on an ecru background and long ruffled sleeves. Sometime in the early 2000s, American Girl switched to a simpler lavender and white striped taffeta gown with embroidered flowers and short sleeves. It's not as pretty as the Rose Garden Dress, but but with the short sleeves and light fabric, I thought it would make a nice substitute for Felicity's now retired and rare summer outfit. It looks much nicer on the doll than it does online or in the catalog, very cute.
Since Felicity now wore her spring outfit, I decided to change three of the other girls to their spring costumes. Molly now wears her ruffled birthday pinafore over her white school blouse - it's still too chilly to run around in sleeveless dresses. Little Jess kept her corduroy pants, but replaced her yellow felt jacket and white and green Girl Scout turtleneck with a rainbow-striped short-sleeved turtleneck. I have a spring-y outfit coming for Samantha (hopefully) later this week or next week. I'll change her outfit then.
Next on the queue was doing the Census, which had also come today. That took all of one minute. I live alone, rent my apartment, and have no dependents. I don't have a whole lot to tell Uncle Sam. I'll send it out tomorrow.
I've been wanting to make tea bread or muffins for ages now, ever since the Banana-Coconut Muffins ran out, but I haven't had the time. I decided to try one of the Alton Brown recipes from I'm Just Here For More Food, Cranberry-Orange Muffins. I cut the sugar down to 2/3 cup instead of a full cup and replaced the orange extract (which I don't have) with a small squirt of honey. It's still too sweet, but otherwise quite tasty.
Spent the rest of a cozy, chilly evening trying crocheting again while watching the Disney Alice In Wonderland. (BTW, I know Disney just re-released this. My rule for Disney and their constant re-releases is...unless there's significant differences in the sets, what I have is just fine.)
It wasn't raining when I got up this morning. It was just damp and gray. I took the bike to work and thought nothing of it, hoping it meant the rain was done. It had rained hard after I got in from work last night, but hadn't since then.
Work was on-and-off busy, not as crazy as yesterday but steady enough that time went by fairly quickly. There were no major problems, other than my relief took his sweet time getting in. I picked up a few things (spaghetti sauce, canned diced tomatoes, cider vinegar, plastic Easter eggs to put in my baskets, Smart Balance 50/50 sticks on sale), and headed out.
There were no problems...until I went outside. Yep, it was raining again. Hard. I waited a few minutes until the rain let up a little. I got wet going home, but not quite as dripping as the other night when I walked.
There were some surprises waiting for me in the mailbox. I've ordered some outfits off eBay for my four American Girls. The first of those outfits arrived today. The Felicity doll I got from my sister Jessa when she went to college last year is from the late 90s. At that point, Felicity was packaged in a gorgeous dress with orange-and-red roses on an ecru background and long ruffled sleeves. Sometime in the early 2000s, American Girl switched to a simpler lavender and white striped taffeta gown with embroidered flowers and short sleeves. It's not as pretty as the Rose Garden Dress, but but with the short sleeves and light fabric, I thought it would make a nice substitute for Felicity's now retired and rare summer outfit. It looks much nicer on the doll than it does online or in the catalog, very cute.
Since Felicity now wore her spring outfit, I decided to change three of the other girls to their spring costumes. Molly now wears her ruffled birthday pinafore over her white school blouse - it's still too chilly to run around in sleeveless dresses. Little Jess kept her corduroy pants, but replaced her yellow felt jacket and white and green Girl Scout turtleneck with a rainbow-striped short-sleeved turtleneck. I have a spring-y outfit coming for Samantha (hopefully) later this week or next week. I'll change her outfit then.
Next on the queue was doing the Census, which had also come today. That took all of one minute. I live alone, rent my apartment, and have no dependents. I don't have a whole lot to tell Uncle Sam. I'll send it out tomorrow.
I've been wanting to make tea bread or muffins for ages now, ever since the Banana-Coconut Muffins ran out, but I haven't had the time. I decided to try one of the Alton Brown recipes from I'm Just Here For More Food, Cranberry-Orange Muffins. I cut the sugar down to 2/3 cup instead of a full cup and replaced the orange extract (which I don't have) with a small squirt of honey. It's still too sweet, but otherwise quite tasty.
Spent the rest of a cozy, chilly evening trying crocheting again while watching the Disney Alice In Wonderland. (BTW, I know Disney just re-released this. My rule for Disney and their constant re-releases is...unless there's significant differences in the sets, what I have is just fine.)
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Rain Out, Tide In
Slept in this morning, longer than I'd planned to, thanks to losing an hour last night! I got up just in time for Brunch With the Beatles. "Songs That Debuted In the Spring" was the theme today; wish more had debuted in the spring from their later albums, but we did get "Penny Lane" and "Strawberry Fields Forever."
Had Banana-Peanut Butter Pancakes and half a grapefruit for breakfast, then called Mom. Mom was in a pretty decent mood herself. The weather down there had never gotten as bad as here. They hadn't had half the rain, or any of the flooding.
She's not terribly happy with my siblings at the moment, though. First of all, Anny was supposed to have taken Keefe to see the new Tim Burton Alice In Wonderland on Friday. She canceled him to go out with her boyfriend instead. Keefe was really upset, and Mom wasn't thrilled, either. Anny's always been like that. Give her a man, any man, and she'll drop everything to be with him, including prior engagements. Whatever she's into is more important than other people.
Not only that, but Anny was supposed to have driven Mom up here for the baby shower on Saturday...and now she says she'd rather take her boyfriend and her sons. Rose tried to offer Mom the use of her GPS to get up here, but Mom would rather use a map. She's always complaining that Rose is condescending to her. I think Rose just doesn't realize how computer-literate Mom is. (Mom knows computers pretty well - she's taken classes at the local high school. She just doesn't like using it that much.)
After I finished with Mom, I pulled out my Easter, St. Patrick's Day, and general spring decorations. I compromised with the St. Patrick's Day stuff - it won't be up for long, so I just put up the St. Patrick's Day cardboard hangings instead of the Easter ones and put out the rest of the Easter stuff now. The Easter hangings will go up later this week or early next week, after St. Patrick's Day.
It was still pouring when the Beatles show ended, so I called Dad for a ride. This became fairly embarrassing an hour later when the rain ended, and it was merely cloudy, damp, and a bit cold. It's not even windy anymore. Dad said he didn't mind. He had to take my sister Jessa back to school anyway.
Maybe it's just as well. Work was a madhouse today. I have no idea why. Maybe people are in panic mode over the flooding in the area. We had lines going out the door and not enough help to fill them. Not to mention, I had no relief. I just barely got out on time. Jodie drove me home.
(And speaking of embarrassing, I found my trash can half-way down the block. I should have brought it in on Thursday, but I forgot...and then the weather got bad. I did retrieve it after Jodie left.)
I was greeted by the most wonderful smell. I tossed together two large beef ribs, a can of diced tomato, a bit of barbecue sauce, a bit of brown sugar, a bit of mild salsa, and some water right before I left for work...and it was wonderful when I got home. The meat on the ribs was so juicy, it almost fell right off the bone. The tomato stock was flavorful and just spicy enough. I added sauteed collard greens and leftover mashed sweet potatoes to one of the best "fast" dinners I've had in a long time.
Felt so good after dinner, I went out for a quick walk to run some errands. One of the advantages of Daylight Savings is more daylight hours...and thus, I can run errands later. I headed to the bank first to deposit my paycheck in the ATM machine, then went to WaWa for milk.
I wanted to treat myself to an ice cream novelty at WaWa. Mom used to let us pick a frozen treat when my siblings and I would go to WaWa with her as kids. Thing is, most of those frozen treats are either too sweet for me or fattening as heck, and my old stand-by the Froz-Fruit Bars are either gone or not sold in this area. I settled for what seemed to be a Hispanic Nestle Strawberries and Cream Bar - the package was in Spanish. Tasted like a frozen yogurt bar with big chunks of strawberries.
I enjoyed my walk. The night was cool and cloudy, but the rain seems to be gone. It was great to see all the grass and flowers shooting up where there had been over a foot of snow a month ago! I even saw a few open daffodils.
Slept in this morning, longer than I'd planned to, thanks to losing an hour last night! I got up just in time for Brunch With the Beatles. "Songs That Debuted In the Spring" was the theme today; wish more had debuted in the spring from their later albums, but we did get "Penny Lane" and "Strawberry Fields Forever."
Had Banana-Peanut Butter Pancakes and half a grapefruit for breakfast, then called Mom. Mom was in a pretty decent mood herself. The weather down there had never gotten as bad as here. They hadn't had half the rain, or any of the flooding.
She's not terribly happy with my siblings at the moment, though. First of all, Anny was supposed to have taken Keefe to see the new Tim Burton Alice In Wonderland on Friday. She canceled him to go out with her boyfriend instead. Keefe was really upset, and Mom wasn't thrilled, either. Anny's always been like that. Give her a man, any man, and she'll drop everything to be with him, including prior engagements. Whatever she's into is more important than other people.
Not only that, but Anny was supposed to have driven Mom up here for the baby shower on Saturday...and now she says she'd rather take her boyfriend and her sons. Rose tried to offer Mom the use of her GPS to get up here, but Mom would rather use a map. She's always complaining that Rose is condescending to her. I think Rose just doesn't realize how computer-literate Mom is. (Mom knows computers pretty well - she's taken classes at the local high school. She just doesn't like using it that much.)
After I finished with Mom, I pulled out my Easter, St. Patrick's Day, and general spring decorations. I compromised with the St. Patrick's Day stuff - it won't be up for long, so I just put up the St. Patrick's Day cardboard hangings instead of the Easter ones and put out the rest of the Easter stuff now. The Easter hangings will go up later this week or early next week, after St. Patrick's Day.
It was still pouring when the Beatles show ended, so I called Dad for a ride. This became fairly embarrassing an hour later when the rain ended, and it was merely cloudy, damp, and a bit cold. It's not even windy anymore. Dad said he didn't mind. He had to take my sister Jessa back to school anyway.
Maybe it's just as well. Work was a madhouse today. I have no idea why. Maybe people are in panic mode over the flooding in the area. We had lines going out the door and not enough help to fill them. Not to mention, I had no relief. I just barely got out on time. Jodie drove me home.
(And speaking of embarrassing, I found my trash can half-way down the block. I should have brought it in on Thursday, but I forgot...and then the weather got bad. I did retrieve it after Jodie left.)
I was greeted by the most wonderful smell. I tossed together two large beef ribs, a can of diced tomato, a bit of barbecue sauce, a bit of brown sugar, a bit of mild salsa, and some water right before I left for work...and it was wonderful when I got home. The meat on the ribs was so juicy, it almost fell right off the bone. The tomato stock was flavorful and just spicy enough. I added sauteed collard greens and leftover mashed sweet potatoes to one of the best "fast" dinners I've had in a long time.
Felt so good after dinner, I went out for a quick walk to run some errands. One of the advantages of Daylight Savings is more daylight hours...and thus, I can run errands later. I headed to the bank first to deposit my paycheck in the ATM machine, then went to WaWa for milk.
I wanted to treat myself to an ice cream novelty at WaWa. Mom used to let us pick a frozen treat when my siblings and I would go to WaWa with her as kids. Thing is, most of those frozen treats are either too sweet for me or fattening as heck, and my old stand-by the Froz-Fruit Bars are either gone or not sold in this area. I settled for what seemed to be a Hispanic Nestle Strawberries and Cream Bar - the package was in Spanish. Tasted like a frozen yogurt bar with big chunks of strawberries.
I enjoyed my walk. The night was cool and cloudy, but the rain seems to be gone. It was great to see all the grass and flowers shooting up where there had been over a foot of snow a month ago! I even saw a few open daffodils.
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