SLEEPY SPINSTER

 

I cannot get out of bed, Dearies. Either my thyroid levels are out of whack again, or the cool and cloudy weather is leading me straight back to bed. I'll get to the bottom of it, I promise, but in the meantime...night night!

ENOUGH WITH THE BOARDS ALREADY!

Butter boards, breakfast boards, fig and jam and rosemary blue cheese olive boards! I'm all for it, Dearies, but can we just go back to cheese and crackers on a plate, please?

EASY LIKE A SUNDAY MORNING

 

It has been a very very quiet lazy weekend here at CS2....which is lovely and appreciated. I have a ToDo list as long as my arm but am completely uninterested in even looking at it, let alone doing any of the tasks on it.

Instead, I think I'll stay right here with some stitching and TeeVee and enjoy the sunshine and cool breeze coming in the window!

What's new with you, Dearies?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM

Today she would have been 89. There isn't one single part of my brain that can imagine that, since she was only 54 when she died. I'm thinking about her today, and hoping that I have just a spec of her wonderfulness in me. She was elegant and smart and yet somehow very very funny and warm and goofy all at once. My friends remember that she made the very best sandwiches, my sister honors her with her little etsy shop, and Rich, I'm sure, would have adored her.

If your mom is near, hug her close today. If, like mine, she's passed on, know that you will be in my prayers today that your own memories are giving you comfort. Do something lovely and come tell me all about it!
 

GOLDFISH MOMENT

In The West Wing,  one of my favorite scenes is when Danny gives CJ a goldfish named Gail, because Josh tells him that CJ is crazy about goldfish and can't get enough of them. As he's standing there with the goldfish in the bowl to give to CJ, she bursts into laughter and explains that the goldfish she loves are the little cheese crackers that you get at parties.

Rich was heading "to the market" as he likes to say, and I said "Lovey, can you please grab a bag of candy corn and Autumn mix and little pumpkins for my jar?", and he mumbled something about not liking candy corn and off he went.

When I awoke from my nap, here's what greeted me:

I'm still laughing about it and he still hasn't figured out why.

Happy Tuesday, everybody! It's National Taco Day!

BISCOTTI FROM MRS C ... AND A LITTLE STITCHY UPDATE

 Hard Biscotti

 

1/2 lb sweet butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

4 eggs (1 at a time)

2 tsp vanilla

4 cups flour

3 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp almond extract

 

Mix alll ingredients, then refrigerate for 2  hours.  Bake at 350 on middle shelf of oven for 20 to 25 minutes.  Cut and rebake to dry.

 

This reminds me a lot of some of my own mom's recipes....not exactly detailed in their instructions! I followed them precisely, but when it came time to shaping the "log", I only made one on the larger side, rather than three or four much smaller ones, so my baking time was more like an hour rather than 25 minutes. 

After baking and cooling, I sliced them and then re-baked to form the final product...which were actually quite good!

If I can, I'd like to try it again this afternoon so that Rich will have a nice big batch of them for his coffee. The freezer is almost full, but I'm pretty sure I can find space for a little bag or two!

Here's my little stitchy update:

SUNDAY NAIL DAY

 

Rich is doing his thing at the golf course and I am doing my nail thing at the dining room table and making biscotti. Mrs C (Rich's mom in New Jersey) was kind enough to share her recipe, so I whipped up a batch of dough and it's resting in the fridge before baking.

It's been a lovely slow Sunday so far, with lots of resting and fluid drinking. This silly flu has decided to up its game, and in addition to the usual lousy symptoms, I'm feeling just...blah. If I don't feel better by Wednesday of this week, I'll take myself in for a poke and prod. I promise.

No new stitching to report, unfortunately, but I am very determined to get needle and thread in hand tonight. I have been falling into the iPad thingie these last few weeks, so methinks it's time to stow her away in the afternoons from now on.

I hope your Sunday has been wonderful and that you'll come tell me all about it! What's new, Dearies?

AAAAHHHHHHTOBER!

Thank you, Dearies, for your lovely comments about my BellyBeanaversary! We started the day with breakfast at my favorite place downtown South Bend called The Early Bird Eatery, and then went to campus for a nice visit to the Grotto.

It was just perfect.

My silly little flu was on its way elsewhere when it decided to linger a bit longer, so today will be a big girl sleigh bed day with lots of rest and fluids. No matter...the sun is shining and the breeze coming through the bedroom window is absolutely delicious, so I will enjoy a burrow or two under the big fat cozy blankets with my book!

Happy October! 
 

One year ago, a man I never met gave me the gift of a new life. I don't know his name, or his age, or his hometown, or his favorite color, or whether or not he was a husband, a brother, a father, or an uncle...but I know that he was loved, and I know that he was extraordinary.

In my heart I've named him Angel, and his is the first name I mention when I ask God to watch over those that have gone before me, and his gift is one of hundreds that I hope to be worthy of by living a good and grateful life.

Thank you, Dearies, for all of your love and support and prayers and encouragement and good wishes, and for a constant reminder that this life of mine is very blessed, indeed.

And thank you, Angel, for giving me a chance to live it to its very fullest.

 

HAPPY NATIONAL COFFEE DAY, DEARIES!

 

SO MUCH FOR THAT...

I had to cancel my Kidneyversary extravaganza trip to Indianapolis. (Insert sad faced teary eyed spinster here).

Rich and I were going to go to the Monet exhibit at Newfields and dinner at St Elmo's, but alas, it is not to be.

So on Friday, I think I'll just take myself over to the Grotto for some quiet time and gratitude, and maybe look forward to doing something fun at a later time.

Stupid flu.

DANG. IT.

 

SATURDAY SPINSTER BLISS

 

FAAAAAAHHHHHHLLLLL!

 

I have high hopes for this weekend, Dearies!  After what can only be described as a ROUGH day yesterday, I awoke determined to put it behind me.

(Don't put off a colonoscopy, though. The roughness of my experience is completely attributable to me just being me. Your own experience will surely differ.)

It's already been a busy day. I ran for labwork early, then picked Rich up for breakfast in downtown South Bend at a great place called Peggs. He selected it, which caused me tremendous relief when our lovely little waitress began describing the coffee selections for the day, and I saw his eyes begin to glaze over. He listened politely and gritted his teeth a bit when she moved on to the artisanal fresh-pressed juice selections, and after allowing me to order my special damn good blend and an immunity boosting juice thingie with organic something or other, he looked at Gwendolin and said "CAW-FEE. Black cawfee. Just  simple, no funny business or precious little elves whipping it up on the other side of a carefully curated forest of dew misted compostable edible tree parts, CAW-FEE. Like Dunkin Donuts caw-fee. In a cup."

Fortunately, Gwendolin had a sense of humor and apparently lots of experience dealing with grumpy old men from New Jersey who simply do NOT appreciate the complexity of a coffee in today's world. So off  she went, and then came trotting back with two little insulated pots that stayed right there on the table with us...as they should have.

(I think it should be mandatory that if you charge more than 75cents for a cup of coffee, you should provide said coffee in a little insulated pot that the person can have right there next to them to pour and refill as they please.)

(That way you can monitor your own cup carefully and pour according to your drinking pace to keep it at the optimal temperature and sweetness/creaminess according to your own particular damn good drinking habits.)

CAW-FEE. 

Black CAW-FEE.

After breakfast, we headed off to the butcher shoppe/little grocery for a roast for tomorrow's crock pot.

Nope.

We ended up with a brisket the size of a twin bed, about eight different kinds of potato salad, seven onions, a jar of malt vinegar, and cinnamon rolls that look like they were made by the elves in Rich's magic forest up there.

(I think they are actually made by the Amish in this area, but all I know is that they look absolutely fantastic, and it's going to take every ounce of self-control I have not to heat them up and then spread them  all over my body like some kind of kinky Cinnabon mall kiosk fantasy.)

A quick car wash, mail retrieval from the little mailbox downstairs, and now I'm cozy, comfy, and very very happy on what promises to be a gorgeously cool and sunny Fall day that leads into a crockpot weekend.

(By the way, if anybody has a nice crockpot brisket recipe that they'd be willing to share, I'd really appreciate it. My plan is to serve it with veg tomorrow night with leftovers shredded on sandwiches for Sunday.)

So Happy Friday, Happy Weekend, Happy Fall, Happy Everything, Dearies! I hope you get to find lots of time for bliss over the next few days! Come tell me all about it!

I HAVE ISSUES...CLEARLY, I DO

The dining room table is the bain of my organizational existence, so every now and then I go into a frenzy and clean it up.

This time, it was my sippy cup collection that demanded attention. The second shelf of the cart holds the ones that are used most frequently, and there are several more in a basket elsewhere.

If all goes according to plan, I'll keep everything nice and clean and tidy and will be much better about using the table to play with my book and do my nails.

Speaking of, I'm still playing with my nail wraps. This set is called A Royal Celebration:

 And this one is called Under The Sun:

I'm enjoying the transition to Fall colors, and eventually, I'll lean more toward pumpkins and Fall plaids. 

That's the quiet and boring for today, Dearies. No food, but plenty of fluids for me, and then the prep pills at 6pm and 2:45am. The procedure is bright and early tomorrow, so I'll have the rest of the day to rest and recover.

Happy Futzingday! What's new with you?

WRUNG OUT

 

By the time the coverage of The Funeral started at 5am, your intrepid spinster had not had one wink of sleep. I went to bed early with good intentions of getting up in time to see everything, but I could not actually fall asleep to save my life.

So I watched and cried and cried and watched for the better part of nine hours, with quick breaks for more damn good and cold water splashes on my eyes. I felt so...amazed...to be able to witness history, and was particularly moved by the constant remembrance that this was not just a Queen, but a wife, a sister, a daughter, a mother, an aunt, a grandmother, a great-grandmother, and a woman of deep and abiding faith.

Thank you for sharing her with the world, Great Britain. God save the King!

So then I pulled it together just a bit, took a little nap, made dinner, and then did my nails for the week:

I think, believe it or not, that this set is called Royal Celebration. They're a bit of a mess, but they'll do for the next few days of shenanagans.

We're supposed to play the golfing this afternoon, but I spy a thunderstorm approaching, so we might have to wait until tomorrow. That will actually be better for me, since it is prep day for my colonoscopy on Thursday, and I won't be able to eat anything all day and could use a nice distraction.

I'm off to fold laundry, Dearies! I did wash and dry everything, but it is sitting in the basket awaiting finishing. A quick fluff in the dryer, and it will be ready to roll!

No stitching last night, I'm afraid. I promise to remedy that and share updates soon!

What's new in your neck of the woods? I hope you're happy and safe and well and that you'll come tell me all about it!

FRIDAY

I'm making good progress on Up, despite not stitching for a few days. Wednesday was a true Futzingday, because I had to scurry around to try to get all of the stuff done that I hadn't done for two weeks, and then yesterday was a day to just...be.

Rich is back from New Jersey, and we have already fallen back into routine. Tonight we're heading over to campus for a lecture about the sports...something that he saw advertised on the interwebs that should be very interesting. 

Heat and humidity have returned to Hoosierville, dang it, so I am seriously contemplating some pool time. I never would have imagined how much weather could affect me, but....yowsa!

I hope you will do something fun today and that the weekend ahead is full of frolic! Come tell me all about it!

SORRY TO CONFUSE YOU, BUT I GOT EXCITED

Dearies, I'm sorry that I confused you by showing the gift I received from Aunt Chrissy yesterday.

The one year anniversary of my kidney transplant is actually at the end of the month...September 30 to be exact. Rich and I are going to drive down to Indianapolis that morning and go to Newfields to see the Monet exhibit, and then we're staying for dinner at St Elmos.

I screwed up. I really did. Notre Dame does not play at home that weekend, so I should have planned a big party/retreat/celebration that everybody who wanted to could have attended, but maybe I can figure out something for another time?

But thank you for your happy lovely wonderful notes and messages and comments!

Updates on Up In The Air tomorrow, I promise!

IN WHICH WE BREAK OUT INTO THE UGLY CRY

 

OH......FALL!!

 

They weren't kidding when they told me the shingles vac would knock me down. Yowsa!

But as a complete cure for everything that ails me, I opened the door to gather the paper, and a big blast of cool refreshing air smacked me right in the face. Fall! I almost broke out into an ugly cry and song all at once.

Despite the to do list longer than my arm, I am snuggled under my cozy Fall blanket with hot damn good and fresh sweats, and I'm in for the duration. Tomorrow will be a day to do all of the things that I didn't do today, but for now I'm sucking in every second of this!

 

REST IN PEACE, YOUR MAJESTY

 "I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong."

THURSDAY SPINSTER SHENANIGANS

 

Chello, Dearies!

As promised, here's an update on Up In The Air. She is just a delight to stitch, and I actually had to force myself to tuck her away last night so I could go to bed at a reasonable hour.

(I didn't. I'm two hundred pages away from finishing Don Quixote again, so it was definitely wee hours before I finally closed the peepers and drifted off.)

(If two hundred pages seems like a lot...it's a thousand page book!)

Today is a chore day, I'm afraid. By this point in my Spinstercation, I have to buckle down and try to tackle the project list. I'd really like to start in the cube room studio offie and then work my way back to the closet in the bedroom. I heard a big thud in there last night and suspect that the tower of storage bags I had stacked up finally toppled over. Time for a good sort again!

Happy Thursday! I hope you are doing something fun today and that you'll come tell me all about it!

BACK TO THE WATER WE GO...

The water class started a new session today, so off I went to splosh with the other ladies. Rich will join us when he returns from New Jersey, but in the meantime I'm going solo.

Here's how I look trying to master the moves:

Here's how I THINK I look:

And then, when it's all done...here's how I feel:

I'm making good progress on my piece. I'll have an update for you tomorrow. I was going to attempt a big long to do list today, but I think I'll just enjoy some stitchy time instead! 

What's new in your corner of the world, Dearies?

TUESDAY

 

LABOR DAY SPINSTER BLISS

 

SUNDAY CHORES...COMPLETE!

 

Next up...newspapers and stitching and damn good slurping!

My Irish lost last night, but I was so very proud of their effort. They looked good against a formidable foe.  I think it's going to be a great season, and I absolutely adore our new coach! 

Happy Sunday, Dearies!

HERE WE GO!

 

I'M ON A MISSION TO CIVILIZE

I'm all over the place today, Dearies, so please bear with me.

First up...a great report from my Bean Team, and I think we might have solved the mystery of my unwellness: medication! Magnesium at night and an uncoated version of one of the immunosuppressants has likely done a number on my guts, so we're switching things up and I should be right as rain before you know it.

I stayed up until the wee hours watching a documentary on Prime called "The Booksellers". I just loved every minute of it, and started to think that my next life should probably include working in the book world if I am to be truly happy. I don't know what that looks like, exactly, but do you suppose I could be an editor or copy editor or publisher's assistant or something? 

Progress in the stitching department, in that I made a nice little start on "Up In The Air":

I need to check the fabric Miss Linda found for me for this. It's a 28ct and quite lovely. Instinct tells me that it's probably a Picture This Plus because of it's subtle shading, but I'm not exactly sure. Stay tuned.

The title of this post comes from some recent frustration I've had with the social medias lately. It seems that I am increasingly sucked into a pit of snark, unsolicited opinion, and general bitchiness lately, and it is really affecting my overall mood and feelings about myself and the world we all live in. 

(I think I'm guilty of being entirely too "thirsty" lately, and am gobbling up attention and praise like a fat kid with a ham sandwich, and am leading with my ego rather than my heart, but that's a whole other problem for a whole other day.)

But I am also noticing more and more incidents of my friends getting bullied or made to feel bad that they are just living their best life and are sharing it with us. I'm tired of hearing about people I love getting hurt on stupid Facebook or Instagram, and I'm really over having to delete crappy comments about something I myself have posted, or how this stuff can take a perfectly lovely day and send it spiraling.

My first thought was to create a team of PEOPLE that you could call on to blast the little trolls that hurt your feelings. So when you're innocently going about your business and come across a comment on one of your posts that hurts your feelings, you can say "Hey....I don't need to worry about this. I've got PEOPLE." And you would send up the little bat signal or drop a note to one of them, and they would go back to the little trolls that hurt your feelings and "take care of things" for you.

Who's with me? 

This thing of ours is precious to me for more reasons than I can possible articulate. I sign on to this stupid iPad thingie as a way to journal myself on this here blog, to check my email and the weather, and then to look at beautiful pictures of stitching and to catch up with my friends. I like the idea that I can make myself a cup of damn good and learn new things, or get all of the happy gossip (like who is getting engaged or who just had a grandbaby graduate from college or what color hubby finally decided to paint the dining room, etc). What I can't stand, though, is the incessant need of the peanut gallery to snark, shame, besmirch, ridicule, or terrorize. I've said it before and I'll say it again...these are not our people.

End of rant.

If you're celebrating such, please enjoy your long weekend and do something full of fun and frolic, and have a hot dog or two for me!  Happy Labor Day and unofficial End of Summer! Hello, Fall!