Fearless February

[Lavande]

Good Sunday morning friends!

Sunny, cold & as windy as it gets - hurricane force winds, oh my
Hoping the power stays on - geez!

Dill, thanks for the history lesson! I don't think I've ever heard the whole story before, just bits & pieces.
I'm with you on slamming the door to this winter asap!

Star, sorry about your rude houseguest!
Reminds me of the last two times my oldest brother & his wife came to visit. She was so rude & actually had the balls to change my Thanksgiving dinner menu! I never invited them again just because of her behavior. That was probably 7 or 8 years ago, my brother is gone & I have blown her off completely! Good riddance!
Interesting that this was in my email this morning:

http://positiveoutlooksblog.com/2015/02/14/create-a-safer-space-for-yourself/

Cyn, we ended up with just a couple inches of snow last evening. The wind & cold is the biggest problem here. My Maxie will be busy for a few days cleaning up outside
I haven't been out yet to check on my chickens - better get myself in gear. Hope you husband feels better soon & it doesn't turn into a case of man-flu, ha ha!

Papmom, are you OK?

Stay warm everyone!

Lav

[dill]

This is one of those days for me. I don't have time to post I'm afraid. But I am thinking of you all, and will check in tomorrow. And yes, Cyn. It was a blessing to wake up on this Sunday morning without a hangover. Grand kids are fussing with each other, gotta go break it up!

[papmom3]

Hello from Antartica!! Actually I think we have more snow than the north Pole LOL!! We are all doing fine. The storm is over I think but boy oh boy, we got hammered with another foot and a half or so and some nasty winds. Made DD bark his fool head off! I haven't stepped outside since yesterday. I went to water aerobics and then shopping to stock up. Made it home just as the snow started. It's -11 now and the boys haven't been outside all day (except for Mickey who will only do his business outside). I've had to clean up a lot of messes but it's worth it as it is just too cold for them and me and I wasn't able to get the deck cleaned off for them.
I was very motivated today-made a huge batch of chili, tried to do bread in the bread machine (epic fail-yeast must have died), worked on my dad's wall hanging-almost done except for binding. Have also been watching a marathon of Suits on Amazon Prime and now SNL 40th.
Tomorrow will be clean up and maybe outside for some light pushing around of snow-really depends on the wind chill.
Lav-so sorry about all the illness in your family. So not fun. Glad you haven't gotten this weather!
Dill-great news about the gym membership! I hope you'll love it!!
Star-what a bummer about your friend. How rude she was! Glad it was an early departure. Hope you had a good time with the little one!
Cyn-wow! what a story about the septic and the loud noises!! I would have been totally freaked out! You have such a great attitude about the weather. Wish it would rub off on me a bit. I just don't like the cold at all. Only liked spring skiing and insided skating lol!
Pups are doing well. LM is eating a bit better and Mickey is driving me crazy. Can't wait to get him outside for gentle walks and to get him off the meds! DD is being surprisingly good but again, once the weather gets better out we go!
Tomorrow I will see if my nephew can shovel me out. The drive and sidewalk looks done but not the walks. I wasn't going anywhere today anyway!!
Downloaded 50 shades from the library. Might get to it tomorrow.

[SnoopyC]

Good morning all...

Pap, good to hear from you, sorry it is so wild and crazy up there. I lived through it last year, although not quite as bad. You and Cyn are doing all the right things, shoveling, cooking, staying warm. Be safe and know it has to end soon. I enjoyed SNL, can't believe it has been 40 years.

Lav, what an interesting article, I signed up for the emails. Yes, it is time to give this relationship a break, I cannot be around the negativity and selfishness. I was so relieved when she left, it was sad. I know her family feels the same, and there is no talking to her. She is right. Period. All the time. Cannot see another point of view. Must be constantly productive. 24/7. No room for anything else. That is just so not me, I cannot do that, don't want to. My goal is to be positive, warm, loving, flexible. My energy makes people feel comfortable, loved and I feel comfortable and loved.

Cyn, appreciate your feedback, you have had many houseguests and know what is acceptable. I guess I just didn't care. I felt like taking it easy and did so, all day. I have to give my body what it needs. Had a little too much sugar this weekend, it is good I am going back to work today to be on a regular eating pattern. I have to remember in the future, if I eat healthy all week, I have to be really careful on the weekend. Hope your hubby feels better.

It is really cold here, some snow predicted but so far not more than a few inches, which is not a big deal to me. Have a great day.

[treegirl]

Morning all -

Pap, so sorry for the winter this year - and all this cold, just when you could walk to work! Ah well, Mardi Gras tomorrow, and spring will return - eventually!

We got about 8 inches total, so I'll be out with the roof rake again today. The only good thing about the cold is that there's no more icicles forming at the moment. I did a great job sealing up two sets of french doors (from the '60s - warped) that are in our MBR. I had blocked the bottoms, but every time the wind blew, they sounded like they were going to burst open. So I did some fixing yesterday and added a layer of curtain sheers and sealed all the openings with Mortite (wonderful stuff!), and voila the room was warmer last night!

Star - so glad that you honored yourself when your friend was there -- she sounds like she's escaping some demon inside! Dill - good luck with the Gkids, I didn't realize you were on duty this weekend.

Getting ready for a wild week - cooking ahead for the dogs. Wed will go to to NYC, Thurs fly to AZ for the memorial of a dear friend, Sat back to NYC, and then home Sunday. Not looking forward to the travel, but it will be good to honor our friend in our old community.

So off I go to try to get some projects out the door, and breakfast/dinners/snacks cooked for the pups. (Lav - glad to hear that Maxie is working hard on her job...hysterical!)

Take care all - stay warm!

[Lavande]

Good morning frosty friends

Woke up to 0 degrees here this morning with a promise of 4-8 inches of snow on the way tonight!
I don't want it, didn't order it, ha ha!!!
My daughter texted me late last night to say granddaughter was feverish & congested. Woke up this morning to find YB sick with GI virus symptoms, yuck Yep, even the dogs have been off their feed the past few days!

Dill, hope you were able to quiet your young guests yesterday
I see my grandsons get a little pushy with each other from time to time - oh boy!

Papmom, I am quite sure you are sick to death of this winter! And it ain't over yet!!!!
I hope we see a little warm-up soon so you & your doggies can get back to your usual routines.
PS - store the yeast in a Tupperware or glass container in the fridge. I do that because I buy yeast in bulk & it stays good forever

Star, I love the Positive Outlooks blog & look forward to reading the emails everyday, I think they keep my spirits up.
Eliminating the massive amount of negativity in my life was a big part of my master plan years ago. Certain people & situations just had to go if I was going to be successful in keeping myself out of the depression hole. Yeah, that's still my plan, Ha Ha!!!!

Greetings Cyn, hope you are staying warm during this current brutal cold assault.
I never let my chickens out yesterday because the wind was so bad. I think I'll try to get them out in the sun for a while today. Tomorrow is not looking good for them with snow in the ground.

I am going to get myself to Curves & stop at the supermarket to stock up.
Wishing everyone a good AF Monday!

Lav

[papmom3]

good morning everyone! about 15 degrees below zero this morning. I got Mickey in his snow shoes and booties and all he would do was pee. Put a coat on DD (no way I can get booties on him) and within seconds he was in pain and wouldn't do a thing. Didn't even try with LM he's so fragile right now. After breakfast just put a coat on Mickey, shoveled a poop area and he went thank god. I think he's been holding it in since yesterday afternoon! DD still couldn't stay out for more than 10 sec but he used the poop pads inside as did LM. So the office is covered with pee pads and I'm changing their belly bands frequently. This has got to stop soon!! I can't even take pics anymore its so depressing. At least the sun is shining today but it almost doesn't matter because I can't go outside to do anything. The extreme cold is almost more dangerous for me than shoveling according to a newsletter I received from my health plan. There is so much to be done and I want to be able to do it but I can't and it's hard to accept. I don't even want to ask my nephew to come over because of the cold but he's young and will survive so I will ask.
Will try to keep busy today but probably won't do anymore cooking.
Lav-so sorry to hear that virus has now hit your house! Get that Oil of Oregano into you and we'll pray it doesn't hit you. Yuck. BTW, the yeast I have is in a sealed one serving packet in a cool dark cabinet so not sure why it went bad. I have 2 more packets-there's a way to proof it right? if so, I might try to do a loaf by hand-maybe the breadmaker has shit the bed even tho it's only been used less than 5 times and the last time it worked? I'll look it up.

Dill- I missed that you had the GK this weekend! How did it go? How is your pup doing? Are any of the OTC meds working?

Star-I hope your cold isn't like our cold this week! I totally get how going back to work keeps you on track! I'm the same way. I am on such a schedule with eating and exercise when I'm working. When I'm off it all goes out the window it seems. Lack of willpower and a weakness of charactor for me?

Cyn-quite the travel itinerary you have this week! Hope you will be able to keep your strength and immunity up so you don't get run down again. take care of yourself!! I'm awed that you went out in this cold and all the snow and fixed the fence!! I can't even see my fence any more!

Wind chill will be getting worse this week so I guess Ill be driving to work. Bah.

[Lavande]

Papmom, I've never used a bread machine - I really don't know anything about them.
It only takes a few minutes to proof your yeast. Put it in your mixing bowl with warm water (no hotter than about 100-110 degrees) & a spoonful of sugar or honey. Mix it up & just let it sit until it starts to foam & bubble - usually 5 minutes or less.
Those little foil packets of yeast aren't very good - I gave up buying them years ago.
This is what I buy & it keeps forever in the fridge in an airtight container:

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/saf-red-instant-yeast-16-oz

Sorry you are stuck in all that snow, it has to be tiresome
We are expecting several inches tonight - just enough to be a pain in the butt, ha ha!!
Hang in there, I hear Spring is on the way!!!

[dill]

Here I finally am again, just bobbing my head up above water! The grandkids are gone and it is all blessed peace and quiet here.

I just finished reading all your posts and I feel overwhelmed at the volume I missed by being occupied these last couple of days.

Star, your friend behaved badly. She needs to read The Power of Now! It's too ba she couldn't just slow herself down and sit quietly with an old friend.

Lav, so sorry your family has been so sick! I hope for rapid recoveries. My gkids are actually getting along better than they used to. The nine year old is finally beginning to mature enought to act more like a "big" brother instead of just a squabbling sibling. But, still, they have their moments! We had a rousing game of Old Maid last night. It was hilarious! So wonderful to be able to enjoy those times with clarity and presence.

Cyn, you are going to have a very busy week. I don't envy you the hustle-bustle and all the travel, but it will likely be a relief to get a break from all the snow!

Papmom, sorry your bread was a major fail. Must have been a bad batch of yeast, as you say. I buy the little jars of Fleischman's yeast and keep it in the fridge. Keeps a good long time in there. I love my bread machine for making dough but I usually finish by baking it in the oven. Tessa is doing a little bit better. She does not seem to be in too much pain and she is getting around better. We are still keeping her restricted as much as we can. Thanks for asking.

We had a little snow today and white out conditions, but I don't feel like I have anything to complain about when I compare my weather to Cyn and Papmom's!

Have a peaceful AF evening, Fearless Ones. I know I shall!

[papmom3]

thanks Lav and Dill for the yeast suggestions. My NY friend sent me a nice no salt added potato bread recipe i am dying to try out. I've got a craving for homemade bread and a fireplace LOL!!
today I cleaned my oven, inside and out!! It was so gross inside-I'm surprised a fire never started in there! The difference after the 2 hour self cleaning cycle was amazing (I don't believe I've ever used that cycle in the 10 years I've had the oven-whoops!!) and I am no longer intimidated by the super high heat. I did break out the instructions and precleaned the oven as best as I could and it worked. I also took all the range coils and pans out and scrubbed them down with brillo pads and opened the top and cleaned the "tray" underneath. Then all the surfaces. It almost looks like new! I might not even have to replace the drip pans now.
I also cut and hemmed a pair of pants my sister had given me. I had attempted to tape hem them previously and it looked horrible. Someone at work said I should cut them to the length I want plus an inch and them hem. I was appalled at the thought of cutting them but did it anyway and oh my! They came out great! So today was a day for firsts and now I feel inspired!

Lav-hope the snow doesn't keep you housebound for too long! Be safe tho, OK?

Dill-nothing like the peace and quiet that descends after the little ones go home! Glad the oldest one is acting like a big bro-that's always fun to see!

I tried to teach DD to jump into my arms today. He'll do it but also growls, snarls and tries to bite me!! He's such a PIA sometimes LOL!!

Well, guess I need to scrunge up something to eat. getting late!

[SnoopyC]

Good morning all...

Wow, Pap and Cyn, your weather is tough. Take care.

Lav, sorry the flu has entered your home. Looking forward to the positive blog.

Dill, take it easy today if you can. We had a affew inches of snow, just messy, no biggy. It is cold though, and I struggle with days of cold.

Have a good one.

[Lavande]

Good morning friends,

So it's Fat Tuesday, huh?
Lol, I'm not participating!!!

Dill, glad your peace has been restored
It's been interesting watching the kids go through their various developmental stages. That's the great part about grand-parenting - we can watch & assist if necessary then step away! Glad your doggie is improving!

Star, we had some snow overnight, still snowing lightly here. I hope they get the roads cleaned up so I can get out safely for my 10:30 dental appointment. The cold is a real problem, I totally agree! Be safe out there.

Papmom, you sound like Suzy-homemaker, Ha Ha!!!
Glad you have enjoyed your weather related captivity. Baking & sewing are fun past times!

Cyn, I wish you safe travels this week!
I hope you get to feel some warm, non-snowy weather for a few days. Sorry for your loss!

Wishing everyone a good AF Tuesday!

Lav

[treegirl]

Good Morning kids - Happy Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras, or Shrove Tuesday (as we used to call it). Isn't Ash Wednesday coming awfully early? Or maybe it just seems that way because of this extreme weather. I have been thinking of the Shrove Tuesday pancake suppers we used to have at church in my youth -- did anyone else have that?

Lav - no! Not the flu at your house! Sending healthy-protective vibes your way...take care.

Dill - so glad all has turned out well with the gkids. And also glad to hear that Tessa is healing a little - it's hard to keep our big dogs from being too active. Good luck

Pap - wow, you really put yourself to work - great job! I have always failed at yeast bread making...I'm trying to get myself organized to make a GF banana bread for HB, to keep him happy while he's off wheat and healing his sinuses. We'll see if I get that done.

Star - dress super-warmly for your commute - hoping that your temps improve soon. Enjoy time in front of the fireplace...

Already did a batch of chicken and vegies, cooking ahead for being gone. I'll continue today to cook and bulk up the supplies, and then tonight will divide it into meal and snack portions...

It's above zero this morning, the snow has stopped, and sun is coming out; so there's progress! I'm hoping to at least take the pups for a ride today - they are getting nutty with all the time inside, even though I keep inventing more games.

Wishing all well today in their AF lives -

[dill]

Laissez les bon temps rouler!

Cyn, I don't believe I have ever heard of Shrove Tuesday. Maybe I just wasn't paying attention! I have been criticized in the past as being less than observant at times. LOL! You sound like a very productive lady these days, getting ready for your trip, etc. Please remember to breathe. Take time to rest.

Lav, so you are not participating in Fat Tuesday? What part are you not participating in; the Fat part or the Tuesday part?! Lotta drinkin' goin' on down there today I reckon. Glad I'm not part of it! I am looking forward to Lent tho. Forty days of good fish sandwiches offered at all the restaurants! I'm going to have to find some other way to "fast" because eating fish is no sacrifice at all. Hmm. Come to think of it, I wonder what I shall do for Lent. I haven't thought about it until just now.

Papmom, you are inspiring me to do a little cleaning. Hearing about your clean oven makes me want to run a cleaning cycle. I used to be afraid of the high temp too, but once you do it the first time it takes away that fear. This is the perfect time to do it with all the bitter cold outside the cleaning cycle can help warm up the kitchen!

Star, We got a couple of inches too but the worst of it is the temperature. It's so cold salt doesn't even work on the road surface. It's going to get worse before it gets better so we just have to hold on. Spring will be around the corner and you will have your new yard to explore and you'll be able to get out and take walks in the neighborhood to see what you uncover. Maybe you'll luck out and find a peach of a neighbor nearby.

I went to the athletic club today for the first time. I walked the track for 30 minutes and then timidly tried a couple of the nautilus machines. I felt pretty good about the whole experience and am sure I will become more brave about the machines with time.

Grateful for an AF Fat Tuesday!

[Lavande]

Cyn, I happen to have a GF banana bread in my kitchen now (and it's DF too)
Honestly, no one knows what they are eating around here. I fed my grandsons GF, DF pancakes & turkey bacon tonight. To them it was just pancakes & bacon. You sound super organized - cool!

Dill, I never heard of Shrove Tuesday either until I stepped in to the Lutheran church. They also used the term Maundy Thursday I had never heard of either (Holy Thursday to the Catholics). It's different but yet all the same
This cold air combined with the dampness from the snow is starting to make me ache a bit. I'll be happy to see it go!

The boys will be back Thursday afternoon for dinner so I need to make tomorrow count for me!!!

Have a comfy night all!