TWTW - the one with the thanksgiving

Thursday I woke up feeling like I had slept five minutes, which is never ideal especially when you have a long day ahead. I made a homemade cranberry dish and went to Mom & Rich's for brunch.

We had two hours at home, so I packed for the weekend and painted my nails. Dinner at Mark and Sarah's, the food was so delicious I didn't even have room for pie. I packed up the car and was on the road to the shore by 8:30.

That was a long and tiring drive and I fell right into bed after turning the heaters on and walking Bruce and Ben. The last two (three?) Thanksgivings I've spent at the shore, and I was happy to at least end this one there. Bruce and Ben were too.

Friday  An exceptional Black Friday sunrise.

Dad and Carol were down before 9:30 and MFD and Gus and Mae were close behind. Ben helped Carol with her Black Friday couponing.

MFD went fishing and we went strolling downtown for the Christmas in the Downtown when Santa appears on the roof of City Hall and descends via fire truck. We love this tradition. MFD rolled in after it was over. Mae went this year and she was very popular. Thanksgiving leftovers for dinner and finally pumpkin pie.

Saturday Sunrise with Bruce & Ben. 

Dad got donuts and breakfast sandwiches. A little after 11 we headed to the boardwalk to stroll and do some small business Saturday shopping. Pizza for lunch, and skipped the line but still got a photo with Santa. MFD went off to fish and me, Dad, and Carol continued onto Asbury where we saw Santa again and Carol got me a new purse at the consignment store. Necessary since my zippers broke and more environmentally friendly than new. 

I took Bruce and Ben to the beach where MFD was fishing. Someone left behind beach art, Bruce was enamored of surfers, and I found great shells. 

When MFD went off to be in a parade in Stone Harbor we watched the Auburn/Alabama game because we're on basic cable down there. What a nail biter. I was dead asleep by 10:30. MFD was upstairs after me with Ben and Ben was daring enough to sit next to my dad (not a dog person).

Sunday I slept in until 8 and that was amazing. Dad and Carol and already left and MFD was close behind. I ran the dishwasher and packed up and was back in Philly by 10:30. I changed the sheets, ran and emptied the dishwasher, unpacked boxes, did three loads of laundry, and we had a snack plate and fried goat cheese apps for dinner a la MFD and watched The Irishman.

Weekly food prep: I didn't feel like it Sunday, but I took sausage out to make breakfast burritos to freeze and chicken thighs out so I'll bake them tonight and do a side of rice and steamed veggies. I've got some freezer stuff for lunch, I only need three days of packable lunches this week.

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. I definitely did. It's one of my favorite weekends of the year. Happy December, everyone. 

TWTW - the one before Memorial Day

Friday I had off, and a Friday off is a glorious thing. I was up reading Thursday night until 1 and up by 5:15 for a walk with the best friend dogs and a lovely sunrise. 

Even better than having off, my niece and nephew, Stephen and Aubrey, and Carol were down and my Dad was arriving midday. Aubrey made breakfast and we walked to the park. 

Then Aubrey and Lola and I rode bikes to the library while Stephen napped. Lunch was from Cinco de Mayo and we went to the beach after that. It was cold but then the sun came out and it felt glorious. We came back to find a hellish grill situation so Aubrey and Stephen made dinner inside then we jammed up to the boardwalk. The new Lola Jean ramp was open by that time, rides were gone on (first time for Baby Stephen!), the first Kohr Bros of the season was had, and the skies were grand on the way home. I went to bed after I believed my niece was making chalk. Lack of sleep is not good. 

Saturday 

I was up walking dogs at 5:45 and 6:45, then jolted to get dressed and had my coffee on the boards as we rode bikes down to Dockside Kitchen where Dad & Carol took us out to breakfast. They all stopped at the park but I went home to get the dogs out and do some reading. When they got back my dad assembled the power washer and him and my brother power washed the grill while the ladies brought some Philly to the shore for sidewalk sitting and eating and playing with Lola. 

We spent a few sunny hours on the beach before doing the boards again. Opa for dinner, rides, ice cream, and another nice night. I also scored a purple zip up OCNJ sweatshirt. They never have them in my favorite color. Stephen and Aubrey went home and I went down to read after hanging with Dad and Carol for a bit. MFD arrived with Gus and Mae after 11 and I was up finishing a book until after 1 and then woke up many times before finally getting up at 7:30. 

Sunday 

Dad and Carol stuck around to hang up some stuff for me and help me clean the house before taking off with a bunch of our trash chairs and recycles to put out at home. MFD got us bagels from Dead End Bakehouse. I finished up cleaning the upstairs, ran to get some stuff at the store, and he power washed for what felt like decades and was over six hours. Everything looks great out there but if I never hear that noise again it will be too soon. 

Packing up cars and moving shit and moving shit back and putting shit back together and walking dogs and being so tired I just sat with my teeth in my mouth until it was time to order pizza from Randazzo’s and watch Game of Thrones. I was physically tired to the point of not being able to do anything and just having to lay down. We each put in seven hours of work plus what Dad & Carol did. MFD is doing some more stuff this morning but we’re pretty ready for the season. 

Weekly food prep: breakfast is greek yogurt with granola - I still have some from last week at work and I only need it a few days this week. Lunch is PB&J after I finish the pork from this weekend. Snacks are strawberries and bell peppers. 

Up at 5:15 to make the trek home this morning.

Happy happy third birthday to Laura’s son MBD! 

TWTW - the one con los madres

Friday Started with an hour on the beach with the best friend dogs, which is a great way to start any day but especially a Friday. I wasn't sure I'd get to the shore Thursday night - MFD and I planted vegetables when I got home, I dumped my clothes from last week out of my shore bag and added some new, folded sheets, put towels away, packed the car, picked up around the house, and was hemming and hawing about leaving early or after work Friday or just going. I just went right after 9 and I'm glad I did. 

Work work, and errands: Bungalow Bowls and Soma Cafe for food stuff, Hearth & Sole for gifts and the most comfortable shoes ever, returned a book to the library and cushions to Pier 1. After work I alternated between sitting on the porch reading and spray painting a rolly cart that's gotten rusted over the past three and a half years. This was one of the first things I bought for this house. 

Saturday 

Bruce was up at 5 so we were the only assholes at Dog Beach for the entire 45 minutes we were there. When we got back I finished a book and lounged. After finally getting a shower, I ran errands on my bike, including purchasing this year's seasonal beach tags. There was a modern hot rod show on the boardwalk and all the revving engines were startling the seniors and me.  When I got back I spray painted the remote holder, cleaned up, and took the dogs for a long walk. 

MFD was going to come down with Gus & Mae but the weather coming in was shit so I said I'd come home. I left at about 2 and thank God I did because there was a nail in my tire and if I would have come home on Sunday it would've been raining and everything would've been closed and it could have blown out on 95. There was a series of unfortunate events and I will have the head of one gas station owner and a call center worker at Mavis Tire but A.N.A. Towing went way above and beyond to save my ass and I will love them forever. My tow truck driver Brian was totally in that Bruce and Bender had a great adventure in the tow truck. I wish I would have gotten a photo of when we were driving and the tow truck driver was looking in the rearview and laughing so I turned around to look and there was Bruce with his paws on the steering wheel looking like he was driving. I hate car fuckery and I'm grateful nothing bad happened and I made it home thanks to A.N.A. Towing!

I finally got home around 7:30 and wolfed down a great steak dinner a la MFD. I was just a shell of myself and exhausted. I did three loads of laundry, unloaded the dishwasher, and peaced out to bed before 10. 

Sunday 

It was chilly and rainy and a perfect day to sleep in, which I did. Then I went to see Carol for Mother's Day complete with the piece of her gift Bruce tried to eat (he found out he does not like bath bombs). More laundry at home and I started a new book.

MFD headed to the shore to see his mom and stay over to paint the ceiling (tomorrow) and I went to Aubrey's parents' to see my Mom and have a lovely Mother's Day dinner. 

Weekly food prep: breakfast is greek yogurt with granola - I am totally into this lately. Lunch tuna salad over spinach, which I haven't made yet since I don't need it until Tuesday. Snacks are mango and pretzels. For Mother's Day I made cheesy sausage dip in the crock (file under: tastes better than it looks) and a pasta salad with tomatoes, mozzarella, and pesto. I'm figuring out dinner as we go along this week, I only need three nights.

Show Us Your Books is tomorrow, see you back here for that! 

TWTW - the one at the lake

Thursday night I had a work event. When I got home at 8:30 Mom and Debbie were at my house and we loaded up the dogs and headed almost three hours to the lake. Bruce had no idea the lake was there and was running like a loon and went in in the dark. He swam himself out as I was shucking off my shoes and cardigan to go in after him.

Despite going to bed after 1, Gus was up by 6 and we kicked off the weekend. Melissa arrived around 6 Friday and we had sunrises, sunsets, rain, sun, thunder, lightening. Weather ran the gamut.

It's so nice to spend a weekend doing fuck all with people I love. We read, napped, talked, walked, played a hilarious game of Cards Against Humanity and Golden Girls Monopoly that we shit out on early, ate, drank, lounged, and relaxed together. It's so nice to do that with your people far away from real life. I love this annual girls weekend at the lake. It would not have been possible for me without Michelle and Danielle at the shore doing turnover and taking care of shit that crops up always on Michelle's watch. LOL and THANK YOU!

The dogs had the best time as always at Treat Lady's. They were catered to and coddled, always on a lap or being fed fruit or chips or hoovering up food that was dropped. Gus got dipped in the lake and Bruce went in again on Friday: jumped in and went under and swam out. I might have a dog who swims. They napped in the shade and lived their best lives.

Sunday when I got home I did laundry and went to Sam's then off to Dad & Carol's for Carol's birthday dinner. Happy birthday Carol! Lola Jean and Baby Stephen were the stars of the show of course. My Dad isn't doing too bad after knee replacement last week. We stopped by to see MFD's parents too, completing the Langhorne circuit for the night.

Weekly food prep - not on the weekend, but it is happening. Tonight I'll be making scrambled eggs with broccoli and I picked up a rotisserie chicken at Sam's to kick off dinners. I'm also making a huge vat of veggie meat sauce later in the week to freeze and to share.

Local friends, MFD is having a fundraising taco party in South Philly tonight. I'd love to see you even if we've never met face to face! You can buy tickets that start at $25 here. You can buy a ticket in support and not show too.

See y'all back here tomorrow for Show Us Your Books with me & Jana & our reading posse.

How was your weekend?

TWTW - the one bebopping around

Friday night sushi at Ota-Ya in Newtown, Stephen & Aubrey's place, to celebrate Carol's retirement. Finally! She retired at the end of December. Baby Stephen was an angel and slept right through and Lola Jean kept us all entertained and was so good.

Saturday I was in the car by 5 am to head to the shore. I mean if you have to drop lighting off but be back by 10, you might as well arrive in time for the sunrise, right? Awesome treasure hunting too. 

We did a clean up organized by Friends of Poquessing Watershed of Philadelphia & Bucks County in Morrell Park. It was nice to have a neighborhood cleanup happen when we did not have something else to do. Holy shit, litter drives me nuts.

I rushed off to acupuncture at the Won Institute in Glenside for a 1 pm appointment. No pics, I was a chicken with my head cut off by this point in the day so I borrowed a free one from the Internets. While I was waiting for the student acupuncturist to come back in with the instructor, I finished my book. My neck is still jacked up but I can turn my head all the way to the right with no resistance for the first time since June. I will obviously continue to go back to address the remaining pinched nerve shit but what a freaking relief. Thanks to Aub for the info about this place, I was desperate to get in somewhere on Saturday.

I dashed back home to get in the shower and MFD pulled up soon to pick me up. We went to a gathering of friends for John Fetterman. This man is the real deal - more on him tomorrow but his site is accessible through the link. He's running for Lt. Governor of PA and is the kind of person I want in all offices. The hostesses, food, and company were all great. I did not wear my Fetterman shirt to the event, but I wore it earlier for the clean up. Yes, that's dog hair all over it. I have dogs.

We got home a little before 9 and I was fucking beat. These are three of the five pairs of shoes I wore doing all the things Saturday.

I slept in Sunday and it was glorious. Then I set about setting the house to rights because last week was like a tornado. I changed the sheets, did four loads of laundry and put it away, ran and emptied the dishwasher, unpacked all of my deliveries (here we have the housing for dog food, treats, cleaning products, laundry powder, green string lights because the senior ladies in the neighborhood rallied the neighborhood facebook page to decorate outside of our houses and you listen to the seniors, coffee, butt wipes, and a new Roku to replace the one that crapped out on us). I also made plenty of time for the dogs since we were out most of Saturday. I also painted my nails (OPI Back to the Beach Peach) and scheduled out my week. I didn't do that last week and it was a disaster.

Weekly food prep: Breakfast is Kodiak cake waffles with maple syrup. Snacks are hard boiled eggs, bananas, bell peppers with hummus. Lunch is quinoa with goat cheese, roasted red peppers, banana peppers, olive oil, and kalamata and green olives - it sounds like a cleaning out the pantry lunch and it is but damn if the weird combination is not extremely delicious. Dinners are what we were supposed to have last week and never did:  MFD's mom's lasagna from the freezer and ham chowder from the freezer. I also made homemade bread and power breakfast muffins to freeze.

Reading and watching episode one of the Waco miniseries and that's all she wrote. 

Happy birthday to my cousin Tiffany today, and I think I forgot to wish our Derwood a happy birthday on here (he was 1/11), my fab sister in law Aubrey (she was 1/13), and my girl AEB (she was 1/21). I have been the worst lately. 

How was your weekend?