summer 2011

summer 2011

Paul and I, all 16 kids and Ashley, Benjamin's wife...Christmas 2012

Paul and I, all 16 kids and Ashley, Benjamin's wife...Christmas 2012
family

Wednesday, November 27, 2024

just grab the day and hold on for dear life...

 ...but alas, it doesn't work.  The sun sets, and the body tires, and good night.  

This fine day, after swim class, I stopped home to let two doggies out, then gave them one doggie biscuit, hung up my suit and towel, grabbed some shopping bags, and set out to the store.  I got really important things like Christmas M&M's, the huge-0 plastic container.  I bought potatoes, a big box of mozzarella sticks for Friday Pie Day, cream, Reese's Trees (the giant bag!), a roll of really pretty double sided wrapping paper, 300 sq ft, for ten dollars, a case of seltzer, a jug of apple cider, some small pie plates, and eggs.  I drove to Starbucks for an blonde roast iced Americano with heavy cream, and I was a happy girl.

Home...ahh, home.  I made a trip in with the essentials, then put them away.  I also put the clean bedding on the guest bed for Abigail, and vacuumed the room.  Then I decided to make a second trip to the car because my coffee was still over half full and was still out there.  Well, wouldn't you know it, I got back in the house, harrumph, had forgotten the coffee.  It'd down a whole flight of stairs to the driveway, so I just made a coffee.  I'll have that one tomorrow ha. 

It was almost two o'clock when I started the pumpkin pies.  I also doctored up last night's chicken soup, added some diced potatoes, rosemary and salt and pepper, thickened it up, and rolled out that extra pie crust, and yay, chicken pot pie for dinner!  

Camille made two lemon meringue pies completely from scratch.  mmmm. 


That meringue!

This crust looks a little dry, but let's call it flakey!  Look at those butter chunks!
The bowl of apples...
Gluten free blueberry on the top, two little dairy free blueberry on the bottom
Regular big fat blueberry

The two apple...I didn't take pictures of the two pumpkin.  Cam had leftover graham cracker crust, so I'll be making a chocolate pudding pie tomorrow.  Rosi is also making two pumpkin pies, Margaret two chocolate, one blueberry, one pumpkin and one pecan.  Evelyn made chocolate pie with marshmallow meringue.  Mariel:  crustless individual chai spiced, chocolate pudding pie and a bourbon sweet potato.  Kathryn is working on cheese cake, and I think Grace is making pecan pie.  Some will be had after our Thanksgiving meal, some will be for Friday Pie Day.  I hope we have enough, ha.

Abigail made it here safe and sound, she's such a dear girl.  She drove up from Delaware, and made it in record time.  I was shocked when she walked in the door!  We had a really nice evening, which went by too quickly.  We get tired, after busy days.  I'm super tired right now, the kind of tired where you are too tired to get up and get your rear end into bed where it belongs.  So you just sit there and write...

I invited a few of the girls to brekky tomorrow morning, I'll make some scrambled eggs and sausage, and there are the blueberry muffins I made this afternoon, that's what I forgot to mention!   I had exactly two cups of frozen blueberries left in the bag, just what the recipe I googled happened to call for.  It had five stars with almost fifteen hundred reviews, and we know why!  Those muffins are delightful!  The recipe is from culinary HILL, Meggan Hill. 
This is Camille's marshmallow meringue from yesterday, to serve with lemon curd.  I had one small spoon of them together, oh my goodness.
The muffins, I tasted part of one...so good.  I thought they would be yummy for brekky tomorrow morning.


I baked them at 375 for about 22 minutes.  After I put the streusel topping on,  I swirled it into the batter a little bit.

Anyway.  The house has smelled wonderful all day, and I need to be careful, with all the yummy stuff around here.   Tasting it is one thing.  I do love baking, but I can't be eating it all, ha.  

So, have a very nice Thanksgiving...goodnight!


Tuesday, November 26, 2024

when all is said and done...

 Well, I don't know, because nothing is ever all the way done!  This fine day, I stayed home.  There was the usual puttering, and the morning coffee, which is delightful every single day.  I had that food processor out, and I was trying to procrastinate those pies, but, well, I moseyed out to that kitchen and got started.  Eight pie crusts, so four double batches, two sticks of butter for each, as there's one stick in each crust.  

I whirr up the flour, salt, sugar, then add the two sticks of butter, in slices or chunks, whir it just until those butter pieces are in pea sized pieces.  Today, I dumped each flour mixture into a different bowl, then when I had four bowls, I sat down with a big measuring cup of ice water, and started tossing each bowl of dough into two balls, wrapped them up, and into the refrigerator.  I measured out frozen wild Maine blueberries, then grated lemon peel for the blueberry mixture.  I added lemon juice, then the sugar, corn starch, flour, and a dash of cinnamon.  I also added lots of fresh blueberries.  

In addition to the big fat pie, which flattened quite  a bit, I made two cute little dairy free blueberry pies for Emily, using a shortening crust.  Then for Mariel, a little gluten free pie.

It was time to peel the apples while the blueberry pies baked.  Camille, in the mean time, was playing with the new Kitchen Aid.  She made a meringue cake thing with fresh lemon curd.  

I peeled so many apples!  Two heaping pies, into the oven when the blueberry came out.  We put frozen chicken breast chunks in the soup pan, added broth later, then veggies, and a separate pan of noodles, some seasonings, and a nice hot bowl of soup when we were done baking.  There are two pie crusts left in the refrigerator for the two pumpkin pies I'm making tomorrow.  Cam will be making a lemon meringue with a graham cracker crust.  I might make a sugar free pumpkin, maybe a dairy free one too.  We'll see.  

I don't know where the day went, honestly.  I did vacuum, and washed some bedding, and of course washed all the dishes between baking stuff, I am a clean-as-you-go person, don't like a big mess at the end.  

I do have some pie pictures, they are a little neater, I trimmed them before tucking the edges.  I used an egg wash, and regular sugar on top, as the coarse grain stuff was all gone.  I usually use heavy cream, not sure I like the egg wash look, but they're fine.  

Ah well....I'm getting really tired...when you stare off into space thinking what you're going to write, then you realize you just don't feel like writing at all...goodnight!

a little out and about...

 ....there's an Amazon package store not too far from here.  You can bid on things online, then pick them up, or shop in their bins.  Yesterday everything in the bins was $6.  Camille got a memory foam pillow and a package of four beautiful white towels, I got a nice doll, an airtight coffee storage container, a phone charger/speaker, and a couple of Christmas gifts.  I was there to pick up a $14 travel backpack I had gotten in the online auction, as well as a dog bed, and some pretty fake candles with a rechargable remote ($8).

Sonja and Oscar, me, Camille
The travel backpack is really really nice, I have one in a different color, comes with packing cubes.  
The candles look real, and fit nicely in this glass thing-y.

We stopped to eat at a little place that specializes in chicken tenders, I got Buffalo style, and brought a few home for Jonny.  We also went into the grocery store because I wanted a 48 cent a pound turkey.  I found one a bit over 20 pounds, and it's thawing in the extra refrigerator.  I think I'll make it on Saturday or Sunday.  We're eating at Benjamin's and Ashley's on Thanksgiving, and there's nothing like making your own turkey.  

Abigail is coming home for Thanksgiving, she's our second oldest, and lives in Delaware now.  I am super excited about that.  

I got up this morning, made the bed, got dressed and washed up, came out, let the dog and cat out, let them back in and wiped dog down with towel, got coffee, got out the food processor, and here I sit in the comfy chair.  I am going to make that pie dough today!  I'm thinking to make all the pies tomorrow though, so they'll be as fresh and yummy as possible.  

So all these things that make our lives fun and interesting, but how is life itself going?  I often remind myself that this is it.  This is life.  It's not someday.  Or when I'm skinny.  Or when our house is all done and nice.  No, it's now, this is it.  We each only have today.  More and more I see that when I'm thankful for everything that comes my way, and trust that God sends what I need, then rest and peace come.  Even in all the aches and pains, there are lessons to learn.  God didn't just create us, then leaves us to figure things out, if we listen, He is speaking, He is near.  

Our thoughts are like the rudder that steers the ship.  When I say NO to mean thoughts, judgy thoughts, anxious thoughts, then I don't let those things into my heart.  Check out activechristianity.org.  There's a song Hear the Trumpet My Brother....so good.  There are a lot of songs on there actually, and some really encouraging articles. 

Anyway, life is good, today is good.  It's dark and rainy today, the ground is just a big soaky mess.  The dogs like to go out in it and get all wet, but if I leave the towel on the floor near the door, the cat, Miss Old Kitty, will squat daintily and pee on it.  Yes, she will.  I don't know why.  

These two....old Suri girl and Little Miss Sunshine, Sunny...I batten down the hatches when we leave, because they are piggy-pig pigs.  The garbage can goes into the laundry room, nothing left on the counters, the bathroom doors closed. Well, they went into Paul's office, and got the bag of licorice that Riley sent him from Phoenix...I didn't know that Paul had already eat it all, ha, and I thought these two had, but they only got the empty bag.  Poor hungry girls.  

Ah well, have a really good day!


Sunday, November 24, 2024

just imagine!

 ....a dark rainy morning, when the rain turns to sleet and snow then back to rain again, driving down a lovely back- road with dear husband, in search of a Christmas tree.  The corner in the living room is cleared and ready, the tree stand and little pieces of wood and the drill are ready to hold any sized tree perfectly in place.

But, both the tree places we went to had other ideas today.  They were maybe baking bread for their Sunday dinner, or doing some last minute shopping.  Google said they were open, and their signs were out, but upon calling them, no, not until Black Friday.  Seriously, as it should be.  But, we had hoped.  

There were trees we could go buy at Tractor Supply, or Lowes, but Lowes said they were shipped from Oregon. Um, we live in the middle of rural upstate New York, surrounded by pine trees, no, we don't need one from Oregon.  So, we wait a little bit.   It was a lovely drive though, we drove down some roads not too far from here that neither of us had ever been on!

After church, we came home and got the lasagnas in the oven.  I made them last night after all!  From 8:00 to 9:30, in fact.  Two pans of lasagna, and one small bread loaf glass pan of zucchini lasagna. ( I baked the zucchini in the oven first, got the water out of it, then made it the same as the other stuff, with lots of meat sauce with hot sausage and ground beef, layers of assorted shredded Italian cheeses, two layers of ricotta.)

Kathryn and Margaret were planning to go do their Thanksgiving meal shopping this afternoon.  Their husbands and their children were going to stay here at Grandma's house to hang out.  Well, then they invited me, and Evelyn, and Camille, how could we say no?  We took Rhys with us, and left Paul, Darius, and Adrian with Wulf, Tennyson, Blythe, Achilles, and little Jamie.  

We went to Aldi, where I got some snacks for Friday's Friday Pie Day, and the stuffing stuff (celery, onions, bagged stuffing cubes), some butter, eggs, cream, and some beef to put in the crock pot tomorrow or Tuesday.  It was a great outing, lots of laughing and fun, then home...the lasagna was done and the house smelled amazing.  I had also made a pan of brownies, so the kids were happy.


Rhys, Wulf holding his baby sister Blythe, Tennyson, and Grandpa and Achilles watching Bugs Bunny.   Jamie was toddling around.

Jonathan got home from Winnipeg safe and sound, it's like a 23 hr drive each way.  He was tired, to say the least.

Pies, pies, pies!  I think I'll make a big fat blueberry, two apple, two pumpkin, and Camille is making a lemon meringue.  Maybe I'll make a chocolate too.  I guess I should go buy some blueberries, I think I have everything else.  If Cam wants me to make the crust for her, that's a total of ten crusts, because the blueberry and two apples have double crusts.  Maybe I'll make those tomorrow.  I also need to get more whipped cream, perhaps some vanilla ice cream.

We're having our dinner at Ben and Ashley's house, but I think I'm going to try to get a turkey tomorrow for another day, perhaps when Miss Charlotte Claire is home from Germany for Christmas.  We bought her a plane ticket:)

Abigail is coming for Thanksgiving, yay!  I need to wash the bedding in the guest room, and vacuum it up in there.  It'll be super nice to have her.  I think most of the family will be piling in on Friday for Pie Day.  I love it.  I simply don't know who to sit and talk to, I move from here to there, and try to soak it all in. It'll be loud and busy and crazy and it'll get all messy again, but it's so nice to have them all here.  

Tomorrow, after water aerobics, I might try to get that turkey, drop off stuff at the thrift store, pick up a few more things I had ordered, then start on the pie crusts...then stay home on Tuesday and get things done.  Plans, ha.  Right?  They're loose, very loose.

If I was giving a prize for the bestest commenter on my blog, wouldn't we all agree it would be Marilyn?  She's my dear Aussie/Canadian friend, from the frozen north:). She's so kind and sweet, and I always like hearing from her.  As I've said before, long ago, I was a scoffer and a sceptic about "internet friends", but now I am a believer.  I have experienced good, positive comments, kind thoughts, loving encoragements, and I care deeply about my dear online friends.  I think the internet can be used for bad things, obviously, but also for really good things, and my blog friends are evidence of that.  I am truly thankful for all of you guys who read here, and who write blogs I can read too!

It's too quiet in here after such a busy day.  Jon went to bed, Paul went to bed, as he's hunting in the morning, and Camille is  at the diner with some of the girls.  The dogs are snoring, the cats are sleeping quietly, and here I sit in the comfy chair, facing the empty corner with no Christmas tree ha.  I've had a good day, I'm a good kind of tired, a happy tired.  Have a good sleep, all!

Saturday, November 23, 2024

just staying home...

 Two days in a row, what a streak I've got going!  This fine day, I puttered.  I put some lights up, I hung wreaths, put some solar Christmas lights on the deck, put a new bow on the old wreath for the front door and hung it up.  I moved my chair from the Christmas Tree Corner, vacuumed there, dragged it across the floor.  Sunny didn't know what to make of it.  She was wagging and looking at me the way Labs do, head tilted, ears up.  Suri didn't notice, she can't really hear anymore, and she was sleeping.  She did however, sneak down the stairs when I wasn't looking...we keep the gate closed because the cats' food is on the second step, and Labs are hoggy pigs.  I had carried some things downstairs, and noticed while I was down there a big mess in the hallway...Suri had peed in the hallway, on the nice new flooring.  ugh.  I had to lean over for SO long to clean it up.  My knees no longer allow me to squat down, so.  

Well, I don't know when that was from, but she sneaked down there while I was doing things, forgot to close the gate, heard the crunching of cat food...when a dog like Suri crunches cat food, it isn't the dainty little munch of a cat eating, no it's more of a slobbering gobbling crunch.  She also went down and peed again.  ugh!

She is old, and I make her sound like a monster, but she's darling and sweet and lazy and her back leg gives out on her.  

Anyway, enough of the awful stuff.  The house is all ready for the Christmas tree!  I cleaned out and sorted coats and jackets today, donated a few, put a few in the kids' rooms, just made it neater over near the door.  Now I have three big bags to bring to donate, wonder when that will happen?  There's also a boatload of cardboard to burn.  What?  You don't burn your cardboard?  hmm.

Here's my take on doing this decorating stuff all alone:  it's hard.  Even last year, when Sonja wasn't married and lived at home, and Miss Char was here, it was way easier.  With Cam and Jonny too, just ask them to bring up the Christmas stuff, and voila, it's here.  If they all help get things out, and move things around, and put away fall stuff and random stuff, it gets done.  Jonathan is in Winnipeg, Manitoba this weekend, btw, it's where Rosi is from, his fiance.  

Anyway.  I may have to scale it back in the future, but who knows.  

I did make it through the day without going to Walmart.  I need a few extension cords, but managed with the two I have, so far.  I need a few things for Thanksgiving, but I thought about the Saturday before Thanksgiving at Walmart, and decided that I'm good.  Also, I need air in my tires again, and I've leaned over enough today ha.

I was supposed to make lasagna for tomorrow, but guess what?  I didn't.  

The coffee counter...after I took this picture, I removed the "coffee" sign and put up a cute little snowman that says JOY.  
Sunny lying on the new little rug, in front of the fake fireplace which gives real heat. 

The little bookcase that I moved to make room for the new one I just finished.  This replaces a tall ugly bookcase that didn't look right at the end of the living room.
The new coffee table!  Well, it's old, but it has a new look.  
The new bookcase and the new mirror.

Ah well.  Camille is at a music weekend, Jon in Winnipeg, it's just Paul and I here.  Football is on, and I am an expert at tuning it out.  Oh, once in a while there will be an interesting play, but meh.  We had bacon and eggs and Ezekial toast for dinner.  It's cozy and Christmasy in here...can't complain.  Have a good evening!


Friday, November 22, 2024

damp, rainy, cold...home!

 Yesterday was a wonderful day.  It was dark and dreary, a good day to stay home and do things.  I unpacked, washed clothes, washed some throw blankets, and put a polyurethane coating on a brand new bookcase that Paul put together for me while I was gone.  (I had gotten a great deal on it, only fifty dollars at the Amazon store I like to haunt) 

It's a nice oil based coating, a warm semi-gloss.  It went on nicely, I sanded it lightly with really fine steel wool, then added one more coat.  I didn't want it super shiny, so I'm happy with the finish.  I'll maybe post the "after" picture tomorrow.  

Today was a scrambled up day.  I had a bad headache in the night, was trying to lie really still and fall back to sleep, was almost there when Orange Guy started in.  MEOW, MROW...he is loud loud loud, and persistent.  So, I got up and let him out.  Then, three ibuprofen, because I was bordering on throwing up, it had gotten so bad.  Ahh, back in bed, the throbbing finally slowed down, and I fell back to sleep.  But, it was Pool Day, and I really had to get into that water...so up I got, made a coffee to drink in the car, got into my suit and put some clothes on over it, and out into the cold rainy morning.

It was SO worth it.  As much as I hem and I haw, I'm always glad I went.

Home....ahh, home.  I puttered and cleaned and puttered some more, then Sonja came over to help me get the Christmas stuff out.  We went through all the bins and containers, and got rid of a bag of stuff, and got two big bags to donate.  She took some things, it still left me with way. too.  much.  stuff.  

Christmas blankets and couch pillows, Christmas hand towels and placemats and mugs and the countdown tree, and the wall hangings and the little trees, and the lights and the ornaments, ugh.  I do love it all, but wow.

Paul put the shelves in the bookcase, and hung up the new mirror I got a few weeks ago, which I was absolutely itching to do.  I started decorating, put some lights around the kitchen sink window, and put some things up, but there is a mess of stuff still out and not finished.  

I made ribs for dinner, and a cauliflower crust pizza.  Miss Camille came home from work and made a pan of shortbread with brown sugar filling, using the new Kitchen Aid! (We watched the latest episode of the Great British Baking Show with the aroma of that shortbread baking...that's the best!)

She had helped me with a lot of stuff around here on Thursday.  I told her when we were done, we would go do something fun.  I had talked to Paul about the mixer, and my struggles in finding a used one.  (The latest one that was promising was six years old...). He said just to get the new one, it would be my Christmas gift.  So I didn't tell Cam until we got to Target....but ooops, they didn't have any left!  I had checked online before we left, but the info wasn't updated!  So, we drove to another Target.  She was a happy camper when she saw it on the shelf.


It is our dream mixer.  We looked and drooled, there are some really nice ones out there, but we like the tilt head, not the one with the fixed top and the bowl that raises up.  We just love love love the creamy off-white color and the copper bowl!  It's happiness in a box!
It looks so lovely on the counter, too.  :)

Paul's going out hunting tomorrow, Camille is going to a music practice thing for the day (she plays the violin), and I'm going to get some extension cords, and finish decorating in here.  I also am planning to make lasagna for Sunday, when Paul is getting the tree.  I'm also going to dig out the bags of gifts I have already gotten, and see what I have for whom, and at least write it down.  I don't have wrapping paper or tape yet.  It seems like Christmas was forever away, now it's coming on fast.  

Thanksgiving us creeping up on us too.   I have a few things to get for that, too.  I'm making some pies, and some stuffing, which is way easier than having and hosting the dinner!  We're going to Benjamin's house.

Ah well, I'm tired, could have slept for so much longer this morning.  I am super thankful for ibuprofen though, and that it works on my headaches.  I try not to take it, but when it gets that bad, I do.  Suprisingly, the headache was totally gone all day, no traces of it.  

Ah well, good night!



Wednesday, November 20, 2024

there's no place like...

 home, but honestly, it's hard to leave here.  We have had such a nice vacation!  

A few hot air balloons flew right over the house the other day...


Yesterday, we went out and about in the Space Car, ha.  Isn't Camille cute?   We went to World Market, and had way too much fun, then for coffee, then to Target.
I made this pumpkin pie for Aaron, and I would love to say that what it lacks in looks it makes up for in taste, but  I accidentally doubled the butter.  Now, as yummy as that sounds, it did make the oven smoke, and the house all hazy, but the smoke alarms did not go off this time at least.  The pie has a nice texture, the flavor is amazing except for the smoky taste.  oops.  
World Market had Halloween candy 75% off, so we tried these Pimlico candies from England...mmm.
And these from Australia.  Not too bad!
Riley making homemade pasta, Aaron helping with the chicken Alfredo.
They brought us some chocolates, and macarons for Miss Camille
Homemade chicken ramen bowl...
The chicken alfredo, that chicken was so good, hand breaded and oven fried.  


That Santa Claus cup and in the desert, well, it really doesn't make sense to me.  We're headed home to a snowy forecast, to chilly dark days.  We know our skin won't feel the sunshine on it for months.  These days have been a real gift, absolutely.  

Now the dreaded heading to the airport.  I like the adventure of traveling, but the scurrying and hurrying and being scanned and having the passport ready and finding the ticket on my phone and waiting in lines and squishing into the middle seat (we are middle and window for the six hour cross-country flight), not my cup of tea.  You're supposed to stay hydrated for flights, but when you have to wake up the aisle guy to get out to pee, and there's always turbulence when I step into the tiny lil bathroom, it's like I trigger it or something.  Our connection is tight again, and the first flight has been delayed a little, but I'm trying not to stress about it.  I didn't sleep so well last night, but I am mostly packed.  I brought too many clothes, then add to that the stuff I bought at World Market, and that silly tennis dress I bought to swim in, which was great, but will I ever wear it again?  I am already not bringing home the ridiculous Hello Kitty sweatshirt fabric skirt that I bought to sleep in with the American flag t-shirt.  I needed something, and well, clearance rack.  

We went the first three days here without our luggage, only bought that stuff on the first day, totals around a hundred dollars including the bathing suit I ordered from Amazon.  So we opted to apply for travel credit for compensation instead, hopefully they give it to both of us.  I've always like JetBlue, but their customer service has been absolutely terrible.  

Anyway, I'll bring the dogs outside again in a bit, get some sunshine, then change into my traveling dress and off we'll go to the big huge airport...


Sunday, November 17, 2024

the sunshine doesn't get old...

 

Aren't these beautiful?  They were in my room when I arrived.  It's truly a vacation, a nice big room all to myself with my own bathroom.  Nice shampoo and conditioner, facewash, all the good stuff:)
Camille and I have been watching The Great British Baking Show, and learning new words, like biscuit, sponge, fiddly, and stodgy.  She was inspired to bake something, she chose chocolate orange cupcakes with a chocolate orange buttercream.  There's orange zest in the batter, then the frosting is one of those Terry's chocolate oranges, melted and whipped with heavy cream and orange juice and cocoa powder, made into a buttercream.  They didn't have cupcake wrappers, so we made our own with parchment paper.
A random pic from the past, Miss Camille with her big brother Aaron...:)
Our dinner:  leftover steak, chopped up, thrown in the frying pan with some oil an onions, carefully so as not to set off the smoke alarms, served with chopped onions and cilantro on warm corn tortillas.  (Can you tell that Miss Cam just got back from Mexico?)
We're enjoying this lovely kitchen.  There's nothing like watching that baking show with the aroma of orange chocolate wafting through the air.  

We went to Target yesterday, to get the baking ingredients and to visit their Starbucks.  I got a decaf iced Americano, so I could sleep better.  I still woke up at dawn, despite going to bed at midnight.  blah.  Not that I mind being up and seeing the gorgeous desert behind the house, and feeling the night chill still in the air as the pups bark and run and boss me to throw the ball again.  They're all fed and watered and supplemented and played with, we're all being lazy now.  Camille and I have big plans for today, involving sunshine and swimming, and perhaps baking some bread.  

Ah well.  You all have a really good day!

Saturday, November 16, 2024

finally!!!

 We arrived here on Wednesday around noon.  Our luggage arrived last night at 11:11.  So Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday without our stuff.  We had stopped at Target on the way home from the airport, so at least we had a few things to wear, and we had toothpaste, toiletries, ect., but jeepers.  

I am super thankful I found this tennis dress for $7.49...it's hard to find my kind of bathing suit...I had ordered one from Amazon on the way home from the airport, but it took a bit to get here.  So at least I could go in the pool!  

It did the trick.

It really is lovely here.
We have enjoyed the sunshine.

Lilly loves me.  
Sometimes she can't get close enough.  

Camille and I did venture out a little bit yesterday.  We went to the new Fry's, a big grocery store not too far from here.  We got salads for our lunch, and some chicken, then strip steaks for dinner.  The store has $5 donut dozens on Fridays, we were tempted...but two people in a house with a dozen donuts?  Ideally, we would take a bite out of each one, taste them all, then throw them away, but that seems almost sinful.  Why torture yourself?  So we resisted.  

We spent hours outside, just enjoying the sunshine and swimming.  Dinner time, poor us, steak.  I set it out to reach room temp, seasoned it up, then tried to get the grill fired up...but the gas dial was turned so tightly, neither of us could loosen it.  So, we had to cook those steaks inside.

I know how to panfry a steak, get that pan hot and get a nice sear, mmmm.  Well, by the time I was done perfecting those steaks, the smoke alarms started shrilling.  We opened the slider doors and turned up the exhaust fan to high.  Riley got a notice on his phone (they are away on vacay for the weekend, seeing Adele), and asked if we were okay...well, yes, but how do we turn these things off?  I thought the firetrucks were going to arrive any minute.  

After a bit, the house aired out, and the alarms stopped, and phew.  We had leftover mashed potatoes from the little Thanksgiving feast Riley had made for us on Wednesday, (I also had some of the cornbread/sage/chorizo stuffing), and fresh green beans.  It was SO good.  We watched Hillbilly Elegy.  We waited for our lugagge to arrive.  I tell you, that was a saga.  I called and messaged and requests were sent to the airport, but you cannot just phone JetBlue and speak to a person.  Well, if you call the central baggage center, you can, but the most they can do for you is submit a claim.  We finally got a message yesterday morning that our suitcases were set up for delivery and a courier would pick them up.  That took another 12 hours.  

The worst part was that the bags arrived at the Phoenix airport just a few hours after we did, and it took that long for them to get them here.  If we knew it would take that long, we could have just gone there and gotten them, but we had already selected the "deliver our bags" option, and didn't know for sure if they were already enroute.

Oh, talk about a tempest in a teacup.  

We have very few plans for today.  We'll bring the dogs outside a million times and throw the ball for them, keep their water dish filled, give them their supplements, get lots of sunshine, maybe go shopping, eat the leftover steak with cilantro in corn tortillas, have a Coke Zero out by the pool.  Poor us, right?  The dogs are all sleeping right now, and Camille is taking a shower, so it's quiet in here.  I don't mind some quiet.  :). Have a good day!