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Post by karen54171 on May 10, 2021 11:53:25 GMT
Whether you are regular poster or a lurker, we encourage you to talk with us. We do talk about books, but also about our lives, and Weight Watchers. We are women who are spread around the country, and eventually you will learn you we are, and what books we like to read. Don't be intimidated, just pop in and tell us who you are, and what you are reading now.
This is a thread we had on the WW 50 Year old board, so even though most of us have moved beyond our 50's, I am keeping it here. Some prefer to post on Facebook, but for those who may also like to post on something that resembles our old format, I decided to start this. Although we were brought together by our love of books, and we love to share our ideas about books and authors, our friendship has grown, and we know a lot about each others lives. We are spread across the country, and that adds a bit of interest as well, learning about other people's way of life through the "book" they write on the thread.
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Post by karen54171 on May 10, 2021 12:24:27 GMT
Good morning. Chilly again, going to the 50's once again. But the heat is in sight for later in the week. Gareth, don't feel bad about the vacuum, I had been wanting one for a long while, but DH wouldn't let me. As I think I mentioned on here, we had a system worked out that I vacuum the bedrooms, and the hall, and DH would vacuum the living room, which is big. My back just could not take all that. So with him gone, I knew that was the time to get the robot vacuum. There are 2 things I don't like about it, which is it does not do a good vacuum, like an upright would, and does not get right next to the baseboards. So I have learned; before I get that vacuum started, I use my light weight upright I bought, to do the baseboards, and the main traffic areas, then turn on the robot. This one does the map thing, like the one you returned. Anngie, it is in the contract that the venue is NOT charging to cut the cake. If that were the case, I or someone else, like my sister would cut it. That seems foolish to pay for that. I had not given decorating a thought, as this takes the place of the funeral luncheon, which would be right after the funeral service, in normal times. So that event would be more of a somber occasion, but as is normal in our state, having cocktails is the norm. Sounds like you were very smart, in planning your afternoon with your family. Way to go. Was it fun? Love your comment about your DS and the jewelry store!! Carol, how long ago did your parents pass? I have lost count on things like that, for my parents. I have to stop and think how long they have been gone. I am glad they weren't around for the pandemic, that's for sure! Thank you, I too am glad to have that part done. I am NOT paying to have cake cut. That is silly, as I told Anngie, if that was the case, I or someone else, such as my sister, would do the cutting. There was a mix yesterday at the supper club of mask wearers, and non maskers. I checked the doors of the place and since there was no signs about mask wearers, I did not put mine on. A lot of places took their signs down. How was your salad? I think you were smart, getting it as take out, as yes, it was very very busy at the places because of mother's day. Robin, I would be lost without my heating pad! I can go weeks without needing it, then something flares up, and it is a godsend! Glad it worked for you. There is no charge about anything to do with the cake. Lol, I had french toast yesterday at the brunch, as I too love it. Only 2 slices, as normally I would have 4, especially if the bread is small, but there was too much else to try. With brunches, I do very small portions of quite a few things. Everyone was laughing at me, as I had, after eating the main things, 3 plates of dessert. But I was sampling, as every dessert looked beautiful. I was sharing with one of my DGD's, so it was fun. I probably had 2 bites of each dessert. Funny how your DH bought you something for Mother's day, and then it was something you really did not need. But the thought counted. About maskless and masked, I felt very comfortable going into the supper club yesterday without a mask. If they would have had a sign on the door requiring a mask, I would have put it on. Most people did not have a mask on. Pinky, so nice to see you stop on yesterday!! I am sure you were busy; hope you had a nice Mother's day. Hi to Marsha. Hope your Mother's day was nice. Someone asked about DD1. In a little while I will be calling her, and most likely the crap will hit the fan. All of us in the family have looked aside and ignored how her DD's are turning out; looking. But yesterday was the last straw for me. DD was the one that wanted to take us out to eat, and the place we went to, is a chance to dress up a bit. Her DD's looked horrible! Which is their normal. Hair unwashed, (both), with the hair looking like ratsnests, and both girls had on the most ugly, huge looking clothes! DGD2, the youngest, even had on her ugly, huge ugg(spelling ?) boots, and some kind of huge dress (?) and pants that one leg was shorter than the other. I was SO embarrassed! They look like ragamuffins all the darned time.....really? You could not have those girls washed and dressed nicely to go out to eat for Mother's day? ? I am done with her. I will be calling her in a little while, and tell her that if those 2 can not change their appearance for the Memorial, they will not be allowed at it. I was on the phone for 4 hours yesterday afternoon, venting to first my sister, then my DD2. They both agree that something has to be done. So we shall see how this turns out. Ladies, I have to say, I am truly sorry to always have some kind of drama posted on here! That is not what this board is for! I am tempted to delete this whole paragraph; I will leave it up, but if anyone thinks I should, please say something, and I will come back and delete it. Have a wonderful day everyone.
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Post by mikendanni on May 10, 2021 14:18:15 GMT
Hello everyone - I only skimmed the weekend so mostly no personals, except Karen I'm glad you've got the venue all settled and I'm sure the memorial will be a meaningful and beautiful event. Where are you going? I want to try that black bean burger!
I had a very nice Mother's Day. DD made brunch - she made scrambled eggs with asparagus spinach and feta, hash browns, fruit, muffins, and mimosas. And she cleaned it all up. It was really nice. She and I went to Kohl's because on Saturday I went through my summer things and I have plenty of shorts that fit but they are all quite old and showing their age so I decided I should look for something new. I was pleased to see they have a fitting room open and I ended up with 2 pair of shorts, 2 pair of clearance pants, some t-shirts, and a pair of sneakers for everyday walking around in the summer. She found 2 pair of sandals. And I had a 30% coupon so I got great deals! So it was a good shopping day (and very obvious that we had some pent-up shopping needs!). DH commented that it is the first time he remembers us going shopping and we didn't come home with more stuff for dd than for me, but I know it is because she is very unhappy with all the weight she has gained. I offered to buy her a pair of shorts so she could have something that fits to wear while she is losing but she said no. Anyway - back to Mother's Day - dh made dinner - bbq burgers. I told him I don't want the tater tots and potato salad that he tends to like as side dishes so when dd and I were out we got bagged salad to make it easier for him, and he also served dd's leftover cut up fruit. It was nice to have all my meals prepared for me and I would call it a very nice Mother's Day. Only thing missing was ds, but we saw him last week and I guess that's how it is now. Says a mother of a son.
I don't think we paid to have the cake cut at ds' bar mitzvah or dd's bat mitzvah. Perhaps the difference is that you are already paying for food. They wouldn't want you to use the room but not their catering.
Karen - so sorry to hear about the struggles with dd. I don't think that conversation will end well but it seems that the granddaughters are not getting the right kind of attention.
DD and I are going to try to schedule a pedicure before we leave on Wednesday. That means our plan to walk every day probably won't happen after all. We didn't "walk" yesterday but I still ended up with over 8,000 steps, and today if we get a pedicure that would be our walking window so no walk today. I don't mind for me, but I really wanted her to get into a habit of working in exercise every day while she is not at school so she could take that habit back with her. I guess that won't happen. (no, she won't go alone).
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Post by gareth on May 10, 2021 15:23:14 GMT
Karen, did DD bring her boyfriend along yesterday? Wasn't it yesterday that she'd asked about bring him too? Is the DGDs appearance something new since their DF passed away or is this something new?
Marsha, sounds like you had a great Mother's Day!
Started out being a sunny day but is overcast now. Sprinkled a little as I was coming out of WM. I'll have to wait and see what DH thinks about walking when he gets home. 61º is predicted and for a change without a lot of wind so we should be able to walk unless it rains.
I'm really enjoying The Lost Girls. Still haven't figured out who recommended it but whoever did I'm glad.
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Post by mikendanni on May 10, 2021 15:23:58 GMT
Does anyone have a stovetop grill pan? How well does it work? I'm thinking of getting one for dd so she can grill chicken breasts for her salads. They have an electric stove with the coil elements. Obviously they aren't allowed to grill on their balcony and we were discussing meals and how to make a salad more substantial. She balked at the idea of cooking chicken in the oven to put on her salad.
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Post by carol2 on May 10, 2021 16:55:38 GMT
It is only 54 right now and rainy. I have gotten 3 calls from the Weather Service saying we are under a severe thunderstorm warning. We have had 1 inch of rain since 10 a.m. and had some small hail. It should be cool tomorrow and Wednesday, too.
Well, DSIL's gift for DD's Mother's Day wasn't as good as her birthday's. She got flowers and then he took DGS out with him to run some errands so she could have some quiet time. He did buy a smoker so he was going to use it to fix their dinner. He does most of the cooking anyway. We are going to spend Memorial Day at their house and he is going to smoke a brisket for us. He is already planning to use it for the Thanksgiving turkey.
Robin, I know what you mean about having to clean up. When I was growing up, we would go camping with my mom's family and of course, the women were in charge of cooking and cleaning. It didn't seem like much of a vacation. I remember when we were first married, we went to visit ILs and DH suggested I help his mom which I would do anyway because that was how I was brought up, but it was irritating. He and FIL would go hunting or golfing but I was doing work on my days off work.
Karen, how does your DD get along with her MIL? She sounds like a disagreeable person. My parents died 20 years ago. I had to stop and figure out which anniversary it was. I don't usually keep up with it, but I noticed the date and remembered it was their anniversary.
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Post by Anngie on May 10, 2021 19:34:20 GMT
Karen, don’t EVER worry about us! We’re also here for venting purposes! I’m just sorry your Mother’s Day wasn’t quite what you hoped it would be. I was wondering the same thing, is this something they just started doing or has this been happening for awhile. Usually girls are so particular with how they look.
Marsha, does her school have a fitness center - treadmills, elliptical, etc.? Would she use a YMCA membership for when she’s home - providing there’s a YMCA near where you live? Just thoughts. Sorry, no stovetop grill pan.
Hi to Gareth, Carol & Pinky!
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Post by Anngie on May 10, 2021 19:34:51 GMT
And Robin!
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Post by RobinS811 on May 10, 2021 19:41:56 GMT
Karen, you know we don't mind hearing you talk about the drama in your family. I am always hesitant to say anything, and have not seen pictures that recently, but I can understand that this can be an issue. Other kids can be cruel, even with all the no bullying policies, but kids are kids, and they will say things or treat others a certain way. Are the girls in any kind of therapy? Sounds like it might be time for that.
Marsha, my DS's both registered for grill pans when they got married, and use them, because you certainly can't grill in a high rise. They are happy with them. I think they work better than the old George Forman grills because those never got hot enough, although maybe if something like that can still be bought, that could be an idea too. I used to use one of them. I have a cast iron grille pan that we use sometimes, but it is hard to clean.
Carol, I have to think twice about when everyone died, although I know my mother was less than 3 years ago. I know my DFIL died less than a year before my younger DS was born, and he was 2, and my older one 5, when my DF died. I know my DMIL died when she was 80, and I know she was born in 1927, so that was 2007. The one I have hard time remembering was exactly when my DBIL died. Now I think I just figured it out. This week on the Jewish calendar is the anniversary of his death. He was 47 when he died, his birthday was in Sept, 9/11 actually, and I know the year he was born. Takes a little math, but now that I did it, I can't believe it has been that long.
I didn't do anything exciting for Mother's Day weekend. DH made me french toast, we ordered in one of my favorite things from a restaurant on Saturday night, there was plenty left over so I had that last night and DH had left over stuffed cabbage that I had. He had the left over linguini from Saturday night for lunch. Now, back to tracking. I finished the book Eternal. It was very good, if you are ready for another WWII book. What was very interesting was that in the Acknowledgements, she mentioned a professor who gave her a lot of guidance, who has a fantastic CV, and teaches at a college right near us that we never consider to be a good school. I got my master's there because it was convenient, and they did have one of the 2016 Presidential debates there, but it is not a highly rated school or anything. However, I might share the information with the people who put together our Holocaust programs. I think he would be a very interesting speaker.
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Post by gareth on May 10, 2021 19:58:22 GMT
I had to come back and share about DH and French toast since Robin was talking about it. My DH LOVES French toast. The last time I made it I did it like I always do except for making it in the waffle iron like I'd saw on FB. DH LOVED it. He raved about it and said it was the best French toast he'd ever had. It was good.
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Post by mikendanni on May 10, 2021 20:07:59 GMT
Robin - good idea on the George Foreman, and I actually have one of those. Very old, probably not long after they came out but it might just do the job for her. And I never use it, I didn't like it. I think I used it a couple of times but not much because I found it to be a bit of a pain but maybe she would use it. I'll ask her if she wants it.
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Post by karen54171 on May 10, 2021 20:54:21 GMT
Hello. Marsha, I read your post, late this morning, and I almost ran out the door, to Kohl's, hahahaha, seeing as they have their dressing rooms opened!!! (Well most of them, not all but what is open is good enough!). My Kohl's card got quite a workout!! Lol, thank you!!!! Sorry, no help about the grill, but I have that counter top grill I really like, but your DD wouldn't want that. Tonight I am air frying a few chicken breast, one for dinner, the others for the freezer. So would an air fryer work for her? The smaller ones, like the one I traded back from DD should work perfect for her. Sounds like your Mother's day was excellent! I do have to say, where we went yesterday for brunch, The Marc; the food was very good, my only thing to say about it, was a lot of the food was not very warm. I have the Windsor room booked at Rock Gardens. DD and I went into their restaurant side which is 1951 West, for our lunch. I would highly recommend that Black Bean Burger. Wherever I go to eat, if I see that on the menu, I get it. DD and I had gone to the Rite Place first on Friday, to see about using them, but, even though I love their friday fish fry, their set up for banquet rooms is awful! And don't get me started on their bar set up for that!!!! Pathetic! When do you fly out; Wednesday? Are you at work tomorrow, or taking off? If you are, then I will tell you now, have a safe flight, and a great time.
Gareth, yes DD brought her "friend". That was really not much of an issue, as he seems to be a nice guy, and my DS told me later in the afternoon, that her DH was happy that he talked quite a bit, unlike DD deceased DH. I did mention to DD this morning, when I talked to her on the phone about the girls, that I really believe she is rushing into this relationship; I am to the point of beyond trying to keep the peace, this whole thing with her is just an awful joke. I truly can not go into everything that is going on in her house, the laundry list would be a mile wide. I am done with it all. The girls appearances has been an ongoing issue, dating back maybe a year, or so, so DD hubby was around then. But of course being the dad, he was not really into pushing the girls into taking better care of themselves, I really believe this is all my DD responsibility. I did not raise her like this, I raised her to shower every day, take care of your hair, wear nice clothes. Those girls are just not caring how they look, and DGD1 who will be 14 in August, is still doing school virtual, which I believe she should be in school. Did you get an outdoor walk in? Strange weather around here, lots of clouds, and chilly but no rain.
Carol, good luck, I hope nothing develops into bad storms by you!! To me any woman that has a man that does the cooking is a very, very lucky woman! So your DD has it made! Nice that he took your DGS away for a little while, was your DD happy? DD1 DMIL is a very hard person to be friendly with. I think the only reason DD gets along with her, is because she was married to the son. And now, my DD is all her DMIL has left, as family; through the DGD's. I rarely try to think of how many years my parents have been gone, as with my DH, I feel they all should still be here. But don't we all?
Anngie, I almost wish this issue with the girls was something that just started. And the thing is, everyone in the family has been afraid to say something to DD. But my patience snapped yesterday, with having this Memorial coming up in 2 months, there will be plenty of people there that don't know them, and I don't think it is too much of me to ask they look presentable. I did talk to DD this morning, and she acted clueless! She insisted that the clothes DGD1 had on were new, and DGD picked it all out! Honest to goodness, I would not dress a homeless person in those clothes!!! DD did hang up on me, which I expected, so I do not know how this will turn out, but I feel I had to say something, and I did, so I am done with it. Say, how was your Mother's day? Was dinner good?
Robin, you have to remember seeing pictures of the girls before DD unfriended you? I know at that time she was posting an awful lot of stuff. That was when I spoke up and told her she was sharing way too much. So she got mad and cleaned out her friends on FB. I too love french toast, so I was happy they had it yesterday. I limited myself to 2 slices, when of course I wanted more, but being a buffet, there were other things also, that I wanted to try.
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