TWTW - last one in March

Friday I was up, showered, had the best friend dogs walked and fed, and was sitting at my computer working by 7 with the goal of being done by 3. It was so warm at lunch I could have cried with happiness. but windy AF so not a beach walking day. The dogs closed their eyes immediately which is a sign. I was still happy to open the windows and finish my workday on the porch, transitioning right into reading. I threw together dinner of chicken breasts in the air fryer/steamed red potatoes/steamed cauliflower (that's MFD's plate I put aside for  him, my food would not be touching like that), and MFD and the old dogs arrived around 8. 

Saturday Up by 7 despite praying for a sleep in. The dogs all got nails clipped and ears cleaned so there was howling, biting, scratching, misdirected rage, and general assholery. I got rid of some stuff via Buy Nothing pickups, went to the hardware store, sanded and spray painted the stools and bench, had a family beach sit, hoagies from Sack o’Subs for lunch (never again, unacceptable roll), then I went off in search of two replacement porch chairs. I got stuff at HomeGoods but it took three more stores until I found chairs. When I got home we ordered dinner from Luigi’s for pickup, I grabbed a few groceries before getting that, and left a fucking grocery bag at the store which I only realized after coming home so I had to go back and get it. We lounged and started watching Ginny & Georgia. 

Sunday I painted my nails in an Eastery fashion, showered, packed up, and was on the road by 10:30 with all four dogs, stopping to get gas (they pump your gas for you in NJ, you are not allowed to pump your own - I do not drive alone with a mask on lol) and driving through horrible downpours. In Philly I did five loads of laundry, got a bunch of shit out to the curb for trash day including two tables from the back yard that were broken from Tornadogate 2020 yet were still out there, got four boxes/bags of donations together, ran to the grocery store for sweet potatoes which of course they were out of (but had steamable in a bag, which I hate due to the extra plastic, but this is where we are), made dinner, and fell out on the couch. MFD was at the shore doing more of the small bathroom wall tiles and got home just as dinner was done. 

It felt good to get stuff done this weekend at both houses, which is not the usual. 

I'm sad to see birthday month go, as always, but looking forward to warmer weather and being outside more and being vaccinated and seeing my fucking friends. I'll still celebrate next week with family over Easter weekend too. 

How was yours?

TWTW - the one with a lot of nothing

Does the title give away the whole weekend? Maybe.

Friday I worked from home because it was fucking cold. I stood working from 12:30-5:30 at the counter and now I really really want a stand up desk at work. We got a photo of our shore house, lots of big drifts but otherwise it looks okay. Aside from the downed wire. I called the electric and cable companies so hopefully someone goes and checks it out. MFD picked up Brother's Pizza for dinner and I read most of the night.

Saturday I slept in and read when I got up, with the intention of organizing stuff in the early afternoon. Eight hours and a new book later, I finally showered and got rid of a bunch of shit on the top floor. So basically, here are some dog photos that sum up the day.

Sunday up and at 'em prepping food and paying bills. Then I left the house for the first time since Wednesday night (that's shut-in status, yo) for a trip to Marshalls. With MFD. Which is not as enjoyable as a solo trip because it takes much longer. I couldn't find him forever. Then I saw him...wearing his Griswold hat, carrying a huge ass wreath, trolling the Christmas clearance. We did end up getting the desk and chair we went for to set up his basement office. In a fit of hanger we stopped at Chili's and it was abysmal. MFD at least made it funny obsessing over feeling weird about wearing a turtleneck in public.

A quick stop at Produce Junction for this week's flowers before heading home.

Weekly food prep

Breakfast is scrambled eggs. Snack is power breakfast muffins, kiwi, or Noosa yogurt. Lunch is pesto chicken and roasted sweet potatoes two days, a meeting another, and dinner leftovers the other two. Dinners are london broil and baked potatoes with steamed broccoli and chicken thighs thrown into the crock with homemade cream of mushroom soup and carrots. I'll probably serve over rice but it could be a soup in its own right.

I spent the evening reading, looking at my new bread book thanks to Rachael's recommendation, picking shit up, and telling MFD 100 times things that need to go out in the trash.

It's a glamorous life.

Also. Oprah is the queen and time’s up. 

It's been a while since I did nothing but read all day. I loved Saturday so much. And tomorrow is Show Us Your Books so you can find out what I thought of those books. See you back here for that.

Today it's going to get over 25. Heat wave.

Thursday Thoughts da do ron-ron-ron, da do ron-ron

1. I should not be laughing so much at this stuff because it's insane that this shitshow is real life, but I can't help it. Thanks to Michelle for sending me this one yesterday morning.

2. I don't understand why people think you support police OR the black lives matter movement. It's not an either/or thing. A few bad acts by minorities don't make all minorities bad. A few bad acts by cops don't make all cops bad. I support the hell out of good cops and people of any and all colors standing up for social inequity. I've seen people make "defriend me" declarations over this, and man...I just don't know how we continue like that. When have we ever solved a problem by slamming the door in the face of others? I also don't know how people can't see what black lives matter means versus all lives matter. I don't know what else to say but I know I don't want to stay silent. I don't think that helps. I don't want to stop talking to people who think differently than me either. I do want the violence to stop, even though I am aware that grand change doesn't often come about without it. Hopefully we can move forward by talking and listening and stopping the violence as all it does is perpetuate stereotypes on both sides of the line. Maybe we can move forward like this, or by reading and embracing the words of Montrell Jackson, murdered Baton Rouge police officer. I'll help heal you if you help heal me. Deal?

3. My happy smiley precious genius niece Lola Jean is back from her two week vacation. I was so happy to see her on Tuesday night. It's amazing to watch her figure things out and see how proud she is to do things on her own and how much she loves her own reflection. My dream is that she is always proud of herself, independent, and loves who she is. I think that dream will come true -  she has encouraging, loving, patient parents and a full family of people on both sides who absolutely delight in her. Love is so powerful and a tough as nails binder of people as they're being formed. 

4. I've been getting into bed relatively early but not falling asleep. Tuesday night I made myself a mug of go the fuck to sleep tea (AKA Yogi Honey Lavender Stress Relief tea, mug from Lola, book I finished Tuesday) and I think I've got myself back in a good rhythm. 

5. MFD was at the shore yesterday to have a new dishwasher installed. I'm still in the trenches battling it out with Samsung to get a refund for their shitbox dishwasher. Between the dryer at home, the double window air conditioner shitshow at the shore last weekend, and this dishwasher, I'm hoping that's three appliance things and done for us.

6. Midweek trip to Marshalls? Don't mind if I do. It felt nice to stroll the aisles in an empty store even though they didn't have the thing for which I was searching.

7. Excuse the weird contortion. I had to get a pedicure yesterday and I said fuck it and got my nails done too. I tried that new OPI Infinite Shine on the nails, it's supposed to be shiny for 10 days but doesn't require any lights or special removal. I'll report back on how it does. Toes: OPI I Manicure for Beads. Nails: OPI Pretty Pink Perseveres.

8. I love fake dinosaurs. Video from a walk past the Academy of Natural Sciences, which is going all out dinosaur this summer. Local parents, your kids might like to make a visit if they're into dinos. 

9. Reminder:

10. E-card of the week. Asking for tomorrow...

TWTW - the one before Thanksgiving

1. Friday night Friendsgiving at Bridget Foy's. I've been friends with these guys since high school, and some of us have been friends longer than that. Their partners have rounded out our circle nicely. We've seen good, bad, and ugly together, supported each other through a lot of bad shit, and shared a zillion laughs over the past 20 some years. A lot of my best memories involve these people. I'm grateful for them.

2. I had fish tacos and a side of mac & cheese. Alagash, cheesecake, and coffee rounded out the meal. They show their desserts on these little viewfinders there. It was pretty cool.

3. Saturday morning I split up the book ends and took Gus to get his nails clipped early. That was an experience that's best summed up by the phrase shit show.

4. Speaking of dogs, I got this mat for the basement that has their photo on it from Personal Creations. Now they can walk all over themselves.

5. Weekly food prep and freezer cooking...ham and cheese egg muffins for breakfasts, a mix of wild and brown rice/steamed broccoli/chicken for lunches, Hungarian mushroom soup for dinner on Saturday, breakfast burritos to freeze, and cheesy chicken and wild rice casserole (no cream of soups) to freeze for my girl Marla at Luck Fupus along with veggie beef barley soup and power breakfast muffins. The morning wore me out.

6. Like all weird dog owners, I was taking selfies with Mae. She's not good at them. She provides eleventy billion outtakes.

7. Saturday night errands followed by Designer Bag Bingo.

8. Coffee talk with Brie from A Breezy Life Sunday morning. We were talking nonstop for nearly two hours. It was great!

9. A blissful wander around Marshalls. I needed a new suitcase for our upcoming trip. I did not need anything else.

10. Sunday dinner: korean beef over brown rice with a side of steamed veg.

On Mondays I'm doing a picture linkup called Picture Practice with Kelli at Just Beachy. If you'd like to participate, here are the prompts through December. Share on your blog, or if you don't blog on Twitter or Instagram every Monday with the hashtag #PicturePractice. This is my photo for the prompt thankful. I'm thankful for these fools and the comforts of home. Here's MFD with hat hair in case you've ever wondered what that looks like. And me with no makeup/shower, but you know what that looks like.

Short week! Let us give thanks.

Linking up with Kelli for

Linking up with B Loved Boston for Weekending.

The Marshalls Law

There must be a blip in the universe this week. I beat The Marshalls Law.

The Marshalls Law is when you see something in Marshalls and even though you want it, you don't buy it because you like to play with fire. As soon as you get home, the desire to have it burns deep inside of you. You wake up the next day obsessing about it, and you return to the scene of the crime to purchase your treasure.

Only it's not there. You got hit by the Marshalls Law, sucker! If you see it and you want it, buy it, because when you return it'll be gone.

Not this time! I beat it! I was there Tuesday night and was too lazy to stand in line even though I was on the phone with Laura and could've entertained myself. I hightailed it back there Wednesday after work and HARK! My precious buddha for out back was still there, nestled on its shelf. Thank you universe.

Have a fortuitous Thursday.

p.s. Thank you to my fabulous stylist Kristi Morgan at Sensational Scissors in Penndel. I had long hair for two years (leading up to and after my wedding) before bringing my bob back. Delayed wife chop. Do you want to borrow my hot pink pajama jacket?

p.p.s. I had to get a gel rest mouse pad and thing for my keyboard. Carpal tunnel? Hinky wrist? Whatever it is it's an enormous PITA.