Name Three Things - 2022

[Winchester]

It is cold and blustery today. I have the electric blanket turned on and, after their after-breakfast breakfast, the girls are all sprawled out on the bed, even Muffin.

Our neighbor came over yesterday with a rack of ribs from the food bank. We keep telling him that we'll make the ribs and they can come over for dinner. They've never had ribs and they don't want to deal with them. Period. We will gratefully take them.

• Rick got up with the girls and then Mollipop came back to bed to lounge with me for a while. I'm enjoying my coffee now.
• I put the dough for a loaf of sourdough bread together and have it in the oven to rise. Then I'll shape it, let it rise again and bake.
• Get the laundry on the bathroom floor for tomorrow.

 

[strider rose]

finish addressing the new christmas cards when amazon delivers them
talk to mamanyt1953 when she is online
make something to eat for lunch soon
maybe work on the cat book shelf some more

 

[Margot Lane]

1. Sorted dry brush, branches to be chipped for fire safety
2. Moved logs into a pile
3. Cursed myself for being a wuss about using a chainsaw & had a cup of tea & a think

 

[catapault]

Today I baked the second batch of fruitcake. Need more brandy before I can bake the third and last one.

When the fruitcake (which bakes at 250 degrees F for a couple+ hours) came out of the oven I turned the temperature up so I could bake a tray of chocolate chip cookies for Himself.

After all, he deserves a reward since he made a repair to the flying saucer bird feeder so I could get it outside before the ground freezes solid.

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Which won't be too long if we keep getting temperatures like last night's low of 19.9 degrees F.

 

[nurseangel]

1. Cleaning my closet.
2. Looking for a dress to wear to a Christmas party. IDK to dress up or not, but need to make up my mind soon!
3. Got my Track a Shark bracelet today and can't get the QR or whatever it is on my phone! Hope to see my brother soon for help!

 

[nurseangel]

1. Sorted dry brush, branches to be chipped for fire safety
2. Moved logs into a pile
3. Cursed myself for being a wuss about using a chainsaw & had a cup of tea & a think

If you've ever cleaned out a chainsaw wound, you would see that you are not a wuss at all! It stresses me out if anyone uses one at my house, even a professional we've hired to trim trees.

 

[Winchester]

Tired this morning. I had a very restless night.

• Breakfast for the girls, emptied the dishwasher, and am back here with my coffee.
• First load of laundry is in the washer. There are two loads, but one may have to be divided as it's fairly large.
• Bring cookie cutters up from my stash in the basement to see which ones I want to use this coming weekend.

 

[catapault]

Bed sheets in machine, swishing around.

Unloaded dishwasher.

Have a list for Walmart - distilled water for humidifiers, English muffins, etc. The liquor store - Beaujolais nouveau, more brandy. The farm & mercantile - cannot find the thisle seed feeder and am hoping she has one.

Revise my menu for Thursday - I think I'm getting carried away for dinner a deux.

 

[strider rose]

talk to mamanyt1953 online in a few minutes
finish doing my christmas cards later
probably work on my cat story
play my video game

 

[Winchester]

I woke up this morning around 6:00 with a bad headache. Went out to the kitchen, drank a cold glass of water, and came back to bed. I think I slept the worst of it off....at least for now. I feel fairly decent. The only food I ate yesterday was a tuna salad sandwich for dinner last night and a bit of iced tea, not even a full glass. Haven't had a Pepsi in over a week as I'm trying to lay off the soda. I feel OK right now and hope it stays that way.

Busy day today....

• I ordered Dear Richard's Tasmanian Devil tree ornament for 2022. He's been getting a Taz ornament from me every year forever. Last year I couldn't find one to save my life. It's back for this year.
• Going to rip through the house: vacuum, swiffer, wipe everything down. I can't believe T-Day is Thursday.
• Make my pie dough and chill for tomorrow when I'll make my pumpkin pie. Make my sugar cookie dough to make cookies tomorrow.

 

[strider rose]

write two pen pal letters
open my amazon stuff
wrap sis in laws christmas present
talk to mamnyt1953 later

 

[Winchester]

Another chilly night. But we're close to 50 during the day and will be so until Friday. Rick is taking advantage of the warmer weather to finish up around the yard. He burned some brush and leaves yesterday. I am hoping that he manages to get some trimming done. The weigelas are out of control; they're almost up to the top of the arbor now....and I had trimmed the heck out of them last year. Holly bushes are taller than me.

They picked up the dumpster yesterday. We still have the contractor sign in the front yard, but that can stay there for a while.

• Breakfast for the girls, emptied the dishwasher. The brine is chilling out on the back deck. Once it's cooled down (shouldn't take long!), I'll throw it in the fridge. I took bulk sausage out of the freezer to thaw for the stuffing tomorrow.
• While the cornbread was baking, I grabbed a quick shower. Got out of the shower just in time to get the cornbread out of the oven and it's cooling now. I'm back here with my coffee.
• Later on this morning, I'm running down to the winery. When I come back, I'll cut the cornbread and put it in a bowl, and mix it with my other breads to dry out during the day.
• Make my pumpkin pie and some cookies this afternoon. Start the gravy. Chop onions and celery for the stuffing tomorrow. Chop onions for the corn pudding.
• Throw Mr. Turkey into his brine bucket in the basement tonight. Rick will stop for ice on his way home from bowling.

 

[strider rose]

write two military letters
wrap the MIL christmas gift
make something to eat

 

[catapault]

Baked bread, a small apple galette, small sour cherry galette. Made mousse au chocolate yesterday. Remember - life is short, start with dessert!

Made chestnut puree.

Preparing to deal with venison backstrap / tenderloin.

Then dine. And drink wine.

 

[strider rose]

write two military letters and write to mamanyt1953
watch a movie or something on tv while i do other stuff

 

[Winchester]

It's raining this morning. According to our local weather-weenie, it's to continue into the early afternoon before stopping. Not overly bad temp-wise though; we're at 42 with a high forecast of 52. I'll take it.

I miss Black Friday shopping. Last night, we were watching tv and I said to Rick that I missed sitting down with all the newspaper ads, searching through the ads and writing stuff down that we might want to look at. I really miss the PetSmart Tidy Cats litter sale! We used to get up, wait in line at PetSmart first, then hit various stores before having a bit of breakfast and then coming home and crashing for an hour or two. Yeah, I miss it.

• Breakfast for the girls, emptied the dishwasher, and am sitting back here with my coffee.
• I have butter softening in the microwave to make cookie batters later on
• Three loads of laundry, including bed sheets; I changed sheets on Wednesday, but didn't bother to wash the old ones yet.
• We may try for Target later on to pick up meds for both of us.

 

[strider rose]

write three military letters
talk to mamanyt1953 in a few hours
work on some projects
play my video game

 

[Winchester]

Rick got up with the girls, so after breakfast, Molli came back to bed and we lounged for a while. I fell back asleep. After I finish my coffee, I'll do the boxes.

My main thing today, according to Dear Richard anyway, is baking cookies. Between Rick and his mom, I'm already cookie'd out and I didn't even start baking yet! Drop cookies today. I have drop cookie batter in the fridge: chocolate chip, vanilla chip and macadamia nut, snickerdoodles/hollidoodles, and peanut butter cookies.

And then make the batter for sand tarts for tomorrow. That has to chill. The doughs for my sugar cookies and the raisin-filled cookies do not require chilling. I have to check the recipe for the stamped cookies, but I think that dough might have to chill.

And by that time, I'll be out of eggs! Off to the store on Monday for a grocery run.

 

[strider rose]

get my two military ladies to write
try to finish my new project
read a book
play a game

 

[Winchester]

I decided to do double batches of the drop cookies (so used up all my eggs) and baked them all up yesterday. I made the batter for peanut butter cookies and let it chill in the fridge. When I finished with everything else, I started baking them. Started in at 11 in the morning and finished around 5. And by that time, my back was screaming and my knees were aching. And enough was enough. Must do that grocery run on Monday for eggs. Meanwhile I have today off from baking.

When I took the first batch of cookies out of the oven, Rick was right there. Munching away. You would think the man hasn't had a cookie in forever; you would be wrong! I swear he had a cookie from every other sheet I did yesterday (he calls it Quality Control). And then had a bunch last night as a snack. And yet.....he doesn't gain an ounce. Brat.

• Breakfast for the girls, emptied the dishwasher, and am back here with my coffee. I may go back to bed as I have a bit of a headache. Maybe I can stop it before it gets any worse.
• Rick put the tree up in the living room yesterday while watching football. He took the TWT out to the Shed and will put that up this afternoon, again while watching football. If it's not raining, Muffin and I will go out and decorate the TWT, but not while watching football. (I won't take her out in the rain.)
• Bring Muffin back into the house and take the vacuum out to the Shed to get rid of the white needles that fell off the tree while Rick was putting it together.