snippets of the weekend 10.17.2022

Friday work event prep and an evening at the Doylestown Bookshop seeing Lisa Regan talk about the Josie Quinn series! I saw that she'd be there Friday morning and made sure I got there. Very cool! If you aren't reading the Josie books, you should - #16 comes out in December and they are consistently solid reads. 

Saturday was entirely centered around errands for, set up and break down, and running an event for my company at Franklin Square in Philly.

Sunday I did some returns from that event and could not pass up the Feliz Navidad pillow in the Target $5 spot (a pompom promptly fell off). I was on my way to the shore by 11 and unpacked, hit the thrift store and grocery store, and did a beach walk with all the dogs and started the newest Tracy Crosswhite book.

Monday I was off and did nothing aside from annual vet visits for Bruce and Ben, back to pick Bruce up after a dental, a solo beach walk with Ben, lounging and reading, porch sitting, a bike ride back by the bay, and the interior door work started in the main house which is not exciting to most people but is definitely exciting to me. 

In addition to snippets here, I've been doing weekending reels on Instagram if you are interested. 

Second week in a row where snippets of the weekend is happening on a Wednesday. Let's not call it a pattern yet.

Snippets of the weekend 10.3.2022

I spent the weekend with my BFF Kim and her fam in Massachusetts. I got to walk my goddaughter to and from school on Friday, and we did a lot of lounging and cooking for the freezer and eating. It was a nice chill fall weekend that was actually borderline chilly temp-wise Sunday. 

It was grand until the shit weather drive from PHL airport back to northeast Philly. Poor visibility! At this age, who needs it.

If you are new to batch or freezer cooking, some easy ways to start: pluck a rotisserie and shred or chop the meat to freeze and throw in future dishes, then use the carcasses to make bone broth and base a soup off of that (I did chicken and rice this weekend); pulled pork - spice rub only so it can be used for carnitas or doused in BBQ for pulled pork sandwiches - when you liberate it from the freezer, you can crisp it up by throwing it under the broiler for a few; turchicken (mix ground turkey and ground chicken, it helps with the blah turkey flavor) and ground beef - brown and freeze plain for use in future dishes or do what I did here and season for use in tacos or enchiladas; chili; french dip sandwiches

Happy happy birthday to my fabulous niece Lola yesterday. 

In addition to snippets here, I've been doing weekending reels on Instagram if you are interested. 

Hope yours was good!

Friday is the new Thursday here

Friday might be the new Thursday for me here. Thursdays are always my most packed day and the chance of being prepared for a blog post on them is not realistic at this time, and we do like to deal in realism here.

First day of fall swooped in and ended with cooler temps and no humidity and we are here for it. Today is crisper than I'd like but we get what we get and we don't get upset. I hate heat, humidity, and bugs but love swimming in the ocean and longer days so summer is up in the ranks as I age. Last year for this door, the new one is on order and should be in by Thanksgiving.

My favorite season of all of course is the fall of the patriarchy, and that is year round. Solidarity ALWAYS with women who want choice in what to do with their bodies, if and when to have a child, what to wear, what not to wear, how to act, who to be, and the ability to live freely wearing and doing whatever they want without fear at any time of the day or night. Solidarity ALWAYS with those who live outside of the heteronormative in any and all ways constantly battling the patriarchy as well. Government, the state, the world, patriarchy, men, misguided religious fanatics pushing their religion on others, & other women gatekeeping patriarchy can all fuck off and stop telling people how to move around in this world and when. Let people fucking live and get a life of your own to worry about while you're at it

Yunizon Kickstarter on Sept 27!  Please take a minute to click through to the Kickstarter preview to see what Yunizon is about and please please consider showing up for them this Tuesday, September 27 by pledging to buy a pair or three of glasses and sharing the shit out of the kickstarter when it goes live so they can amass the amount of backers they need (follow them on instagram and facebook). The fit is great, the new collections are excitin, and I'd love to see them fully funded! Support a small women-owned business, of which one of my BFFs is co-owner. Congrats Kim & Bec & best of luck! All pics below are Yunizon's from their IG stories. Herc and Veros are unlocked options if they hit a certain fundraising goal so let's do this because I want Veros! I'm going to go for Amba and Andy on the kickstarter. 

12 years married on Sunday. 20 years together this year, although the top pic is from September 2003 because I can't find any from September 2002. Then of course September 2010 and this September. This concludes the anniversary post for this year (I typically do better ones, see here but we're not doing what we've always done just because we've always done it at the moment). I'll throw a reel together LOL. MFD's aunt and fam are upstairs in our shore house this weekend and Mom and Rich are in our apartment, so we're celebrating up here and making good use of some long-held gift cards. Anyway...we still out here.

Philly bathroom reno progresses. Our house in Philly is covered with a fine layer of dust but there's a tub in, walls base of walls and floor are in, electrical re-routed, plumbing done, light over shower installed, exhaust fan installed and vented out, HVAC re-routed out of the shower. And I have a car full of shit to return and may be popping in to use your shower if you are local to me. LOL I'll be home for about a week with no access to a shower. Knock knock, Motherfuckers!

Curiosity and the cat. Billy Hicks got into the access panel (which was off) behind the tub last night and was in the ceiling. He spent quite a bit of time in there, and after coming out to eat the tuna I used to lure him, he was intent on getting back in and pried the put back into place access panel away from the wall. I heard the crash and could get up there before he got back in since I had a basket in front of it. What a dick.

Grooming Day with Doggie Do's Mobile Salon Family via family, and they are great. Convenient and less stressful for the doggos, which is less stressful for you. Lower Bucks area peeps, they are accepting new clients! Support another small, women-owned biz, save yourself from dog bath and nail day, and visit them on the web here. Ben was rolling with happiness after his turn - he was first to set an example for Bruce, the Gretchen Wiener of the group.

Have a great weekend! Sticker from an artist via South Street Art Mart

Happy birthday to Jenny today and Amanda Sunday!

Thursday Thoughts - it's okay with me if you don't have that much to say

1. I set myself up with a fall back plan: start work earlier because I'm up anyway, get outside for at least a half hour at lunch, and then finish work at 4 and be out walking from 4-5. That lasted for two days before I missed out on the 4-5 but those two days felt super so barring anything major, that is the plan going forward still. I can come back and clean up work stuff from 5-6. Light is everything.  Still out here in bare feet but it takes my feet a while to warm up after that. 

2. We have discussed possibly shutting this house down in January and/or February for a month but I would be hard pressed to leave my outdoor oasis and treasure trunk. I walk at lunch in the city but the 4-5 hour is always inside. Last year was the first year we kept it open all winter because one of us could always be here if the temps got too low. We will be able to do the same this winter so we'll probably just keep it open again. 

3. Officially a carry a pair of readers around person. Between this and yesterday's peri menopause post it's like guess my age around here

4. We watched Ted Lasso season two over two nights this week and can I just say how incredible Sam is and also that I have always hated Nate. Billy was passed out because we took a timer set family holiday card photo this week and that went over as well as you think with four dogs and a cat.

5. How cute are these from World Market? 12.99, I got the tree one. Trees are sort of my thing and I love the holly jolly one but the word vibes bothers me not really on this mat but like in general. Weird, I know.

6. Yo, have you guys tried Wawa's new salads? They have definitely upped their game. I had one for dinner this week. Other things I've been having:

7. Thanks to those who joined us for Show Us Your Books Tuesday. I did one of my standards - committed to clearing up what's due to publish or has recently from my Netgalley list then went to the library and picked something up the first in the Holly Jackson trilogy which I told myself I'd start in January. 

8. Early dark has sucked this week but the temps have not. Cheers to night biking on the boards, blurry pictures and no wind. Also sucking this week: Kyle Rittenhouse acting like a motherfucking victim when he brought a gun he should not have had across state lines to a fucking protest he should not have been at if he was afraid and used it to murder innocent people. People defending Kyle Rittenhouse. White supremacy. Racism. Republicans introducing zero pieces of legislation for the good of everyone. Republicans obstructing everything. Centrist democrats. Oligarchy. Patriarchy. 

9. Reminder: fuck the shoulds, do the wants. The true wants. Art by Eliienkind

10. Ecards - woke up in a mood this morning

Saluting all Veterans today and every day. Hopeful to live in a world with no more wars and no more military occupation for economic interests. 

What appears beyond the hyphen in Thursday Thoughts titles is what I'm listening to when I'm starting this - this week is Hello by Martin Solveig & Dragonette from Ted Lasso's Coach Beard episode

Thursday Thoughts - I'd love to try and settle down, but everybody's leavin' town

1. I need you to know about these and I’m going to need you to try them. They are at DiBruno or you can go to the site to see how you can get them. They have made the cut for my Thanksgiving appetizer spread.

2. Athleisure shoes are my love language. Bonus when everything on them is the same color.

3. Loving the fall scenes. The leaves aren't even through changing yet. 

4. Two days in the office this week, and I'm doing a half day in there tomorrow. It's exhausting. It's not permanent or a new schedule, it just happens to be how I set this week up like a straight dumbass. I’ve taken the train in and not shared a seat with anyone until the ride home yesterday. An ass was in every seat and some were standing over me. I was not mentally prepared for the sardine aspect of commuting. I’m thankful for mask mandates on trains.

5. I have days to burn so I took Tuesday off and had a proper no computer drifting adult day. I rolled out of bed and took Mae to the vet, got groceries at Aldi, voted, had a nice salad for lunch, cleaned out the coat closet, changed sheets and pulled my quilt out, did laundry, got my hair done which I needed desperately, made salmon/potatoes/broccoli for dinner, and read. It was a great week day off. 

6. Cuteness. Also if you leave your dog outside barking incessantly without letting them in or addressing it in some way you are a fucking asshole. This is what I yelled out of my kitchen window last night at two of my back neighbors who do exactly that. Won’t you be my neighbor? Seriously though, I have four dogs who bark and I’m annoyed, imagine how everyone else feels. 

7. Show Us Your Books is already on Tuesday! I've been reading one book since Sunday. That's the way it is sometimes. About to get hygge with a long winter of reading with animals as backdrop instead of beach…this is a previous photo but you get the idea. 

8. White supremacy is doing the most to keep its stranglehold. None of these exhibit that, but if you really look at the heart of things, that's the struggle. The more people try to tell you it's not, the more you know it is. Also what in the hell are you all doing out there in America electing the book burning people from Footloose to school boards across the country? Let teachers fucking teach. You do what you do. Also before you go off on social media around politics, maybe know some more about it - the things I saw people posting leading up to and on Election Day made me LOL for real. If you think a governor can fix global supply chain issues, that the president is responsible for gas prices, that critical race theory is even taught in K-12 public schools, or that individual school boards can mandate certain things, you are a fool. Obviously I disagree with people who vote differently than me on a lot of things, but I can at least listen to them if they know what someone has the power to influence or control and what they do not. We should probably all go back to school and learn history as it actually was and also civics so we know how government works and who is responsible for what. 

9. Reminder via Sid the Visual Kid

10. Ecards

That’ll do it.

What appears beyond the hyphen in Thursday Thoughts titles is what I'm listening to when I'm starting this - this week is Good Time Charlie's Got the Blues by Danny O'Keefe

TWTW - settling into October

Friday Work was brisk. Carol and my Dad came back to the shore, and Carol made salmon and pasta for dinner. I took Bruce and Ben down to the beach and it was a beauty of a night. Came back and painted my nails, read, and relaxed. 

Saturday The return of the Fall Block Party, although not the full return of how we typically do the Block Party. The girls will be back for the weekend next year. I got to do it with first timers this year which always increases my appreciation for something I already enjoy - Dad and Carol and MFD. Dad and Carol will come back for the day next year but MFD probably is not invited back since he kept calling me for $1 and $3 and talking to everyone and making dad jokes. LOLOL They all loved the coveted grilled pretzels on our corner though so I'm happy I didn't overhype them. Weather was great, porch watching of the hubbub before and after was great, food was great. I was so happy for all the vendors, many of whom sold out of stuff after a 1+ years of no Block Party due to Covid. I was also happy to see Melissa and Stephanie and More Stephanie as they came through. It was a good day Can't wait to be back in full force next year! I also had to call the cops on the cops as a fleet vehicle was blocking the street and not picked up two hours after the street was open. We think they did not believe me when I made the call but they arrived within five and moved it swiftly.

I freaking forgot Ben's fourth birthday until like freaking 6 pm. MFD was thankfully still there and hoofed it over to Wawa for birthday cheeseburger, eggs, and chopped beef since we celebrate Mae's birthday with Ben's. Total fail as people who celebrate dog birthdays but the rally was strong. MFD took Gus and Billy home and I finished a book and started another before bed. 

Sunday Easy like Sunday morning as miraculously these dogs slept until 8. Mostly because Gus the 6 am dog was not there. I read, cleaned up, cleaned out the fridge, had a bagel, exchanged water jugs at ACME, returned books and picked up a hold from the library, filled my car up with gas, sorted through some towels, made wings in the air fryer (if you haven't, try Black-woman owned Chef Curl Ardee mild seasoning and lemon herb seasoning), put out some football food, placed my orders of what I need for the week, and read and did some blogging while Dad & Carol watched the Eagles game. I mean while I watched the Eagles game.

I made change your life chicken for dinner and missed my window to hit the beach with the dogs. I can do drizzle or coming dark but not both simultaneously. We were in bed by 9 and I was up until midnight finishing a book. 

Happy Indigenous People's Day! No, I am not off for this, have never been off for the artist formerly known as Columbus Day since I graduated college, and in general work every bank holiday as those who don't get them off call them. 

The 7th Anniversary of Show Us Your Books is tomorrow - see you here for that! There will be prizes. 

Thursday Thoughts - it's like glass when we break

1. Perpetually under construction. Dead stop traffic at every and all times of day. I'm always shocked there has not be a serial killer triggered by the traumatic events of traveling 95 through Philadelphia.  

2. I got one front flower bed cleared under the cover of darkness and two left to do. And the weeds. Always the MFing weeds. Mums from Jen's girls' dance fundraiser are out and some Halloween stuff. MFD cannot locate my hanging skeletons in his shed of disorganized horror. 

3. At the shore, he missed trash day on the rug and has added a second chair to his driveway living room. I am not amused.

4. Billy Hicks is very interested in the driveway living room and outdoor happenings. Disregard the glass door that has perma sludge from humidity and salt air.

5. Since we are falling into longer pants, I thought it would be a good time to review my non-fashionista stance on 

• jeans: no, not at any time
• Jeggings: yes, pull on only not stretchy jeans with button and zipper masquerading as jeggings
• leggings: yes, and definitely under dresses instead of tights...and while I am looking forward to the LulaRoe documentary I would like to say that their solid black leggings are still king and I own multiple pairs with no regrets. Also into these garment died ones from Old Navy. I can never find navy so these please me very much.
• bootcut pants: Yes if they are the Duluth Trading Company NoGA Boot Cut Pants
• joggers: fuck off out of here, no

6. My mom and Rich were at the shore this week and before they left they dropped off the triple threat from Johnson's which is carmel corn, buttered popcorn, and cheese popcorn. I learned about it from Aubrey and shit is it good.

7. I've been reading one book all week. A few times a year I go into the declined requests section of Netgalley to make sure I've added what I want to Goodreads, and I am pleased in a petty way when I was denied for a book that has like an average 3 review. Bye. I've been reading one book since Sunday. My brain was tapped out Monday & Tuesday. I have library books on deck next. 

8. I shared this on Instagram yesterday but wanted to make sure I put it here for the last day of Recovery Month. I was a trash person who said junkie in the past and used to ask people why they weren't drinking. Know better, do better. If you didn't know, now you do. 

9. Reminder, 

10. Ecards

I'm reaaaalllly looking forward to Friday. 

What appears beyond the hyphen in Thursday Thoughts titles is what I'm listening to when I'm starting this - this week is Am I Wrong by Love Spit Love. It's the 90s up in here this week