Category: Friday Five

It’s been a crazy week this week. Despite the fact that I am still not my best, I decided to keep plugging away. Here’s my list.

1. I went in and had a bunch of tests. Still awaiting the results. I hope they find out what it is so I can start to get on the road to recovery. It’s so annoying to be sick.
2. I’ve cooked for Jack all week. I’ve tried to make meals that I can eat a little bit of too. Baked potatoes are my best friends right now and plain simple Chicken breast.
3. I attempted to make a new recipe for Peach Bread. It came out badly. I think I might make Jack a banana bread tomorrow. I have enough to do a splendid job of it.
4. I decided to release the turkey! By this I mean, I got a turkey for 69¢ a pound and it’s been in my deep freeze. So, I pulled it out and it will be a turkey this weekend for dinner. I expect turkey will also be fairly easy on my stomach.
5. Lastly, I ordered “Yesterday” and it arrived today.
   Over the weekend, I want to watch it with Jack. The music is great and I so enjoyed watching it with Mandy and Matt, so I bought the movie!

For me, this week seemed to go by at a snail’s pace. I haven’t felt well this week, so each day just seemed to go on and on. Luckily, we are at the end of the week and there is the weekend ahead. Here are the five things going on here right now.

1. I have not felt well for a while. I mean I feel okay, but I’m having trouble eating. Odd. I’ve had to go on a very bland diet, which is no fun, but I have no choice. Jack finally suggested I need to go to the doctor. I’m going on Tuesday.
2. I lost 3 pounds at WW this week. Now before anyone says woo-hoo, this is not the way to lose it. I joked with a friend that I need to ride this stomach thing for about 20 pounds! lol!
3. I spent Wednesday afternoon, preparing the peaches and oranges and rind and sugar for my Heavenly jam. Then Thursday I made the first batch and it came out beautifully! However, disaster struck my second batch and the bottom of my beloved heavy soup pot burnt the fruit and sugars! It all went down the disposal and I will need to start all over today! Ugh!
4. My pot was so badly burnt I wasn’t sure I could clean it. But I used Bartender’s Friend (Basically Baking Soda) and Vinegar. Put that in the pot and then brought the vinegar mixture to a boil. I let it cook for about 5 minutes and presto! The pot was clean! Whew!
5. Jack and I went to the opening night of Downton Abbey at our little local theater.
   There wasn’t an empty seat. I’d sent Jack out after lunch to purchase our tickets. Good idea! Our theater has new recliner seats! They were so comfortable. The movie was wonderful and I enjoyed every moment. Jack enjoyed it, even though he has not seen all of the TV Series. The cinematography was amazing, the costumes beautiful and the acting fabulous. A great way to start the weekend!

It was an amazing week, another that seemed to rush by.  I found myself driving here and there, getting a lot done. So here goes!

1. Anneliese had her Eye Exam and right now her eyes are stable. I need to keep up the drops and keep an eye on her, but hopefully, we are through the worst of it. She will never be perfect, but at least she is out of imminent danger.
2. My Repairman, Barry is here fixing my dishwasher! Yahoo! I have managed to do the dishes, but I admit that last night I’d had enough of the cooking and then cleaning it all up.
3. So. last night I got a takeout menu online for the local Chinse Restaurant and we ordered meals for each of us. A night off.
4. I fear I was being punished for being so lazy because we got the worst Chinese food that either of us had ever had. And things only got more annoying. When Jack went to pick it up it was almost $15.00 more than we had figured. It turns out that they had added pork fried rice to the order, and not just changed the option. (You know Pork Fried Rice, Fried Rice or White Rice?) S0 we had fried rice in the take out box and an extra box of pork fried rice. The good thing about being married to a thrifty Scotsman is that he wouldn’t accept the order! The woman eventually admitted her error and Jack came home with the meal. However, it was awful!
5. Tomorrow Savannah will be in another play. My darling girl just loves acting in plays.
   
   I am going down for the midday performance and then will head right back home. I’ve been so worried about Jack and I don’t want to leave him for too long.

Have a great weekend everyone!

This week has flown by. The first part I was really under the weather and not doing much aside from watching tennis, but the end of the week found me incredibly productive. So here we go people, with this weeks Friday Five!

1. Our weather has started to dry out and cool down. Do you know what this means? Tea! Now I do drink hot tea year-round, but my goodness, when the temperatures drop there is nothing quite like a good cuppa tea! My favorite os Twinings English Breakfast Tea. There is a richness and full body flavor to it. In fact, I am drinking some now, as I put my feet up at the end of my very busy day!
2. Thursday morning I put together all the vegetables I’d chopped and made a splendid Spaghetti Sauce and meatloaf for Jack.The sauce really came out well, and in a while, I will put the meatloaf in to cook.
   
3. My other goal for Thursday was laundry. I am currently on my 5th load of laundry with one more to go before I quit for the day! It’s amazing how much I can get done if I use a timer to remind me to change the loads of laundry! So far things are actually washed, dried, folded and put away! Yes, I amaze even myself!
4. I am back to reading a little each day as well as crocheting. I’m trying to diversify how I spend my time. I fear I have been spending too much time on the computer and not enough time in the real world.
5. I finished watching Downton Abbey, but I am tempted to watch again, perhaps this time with Jack.
   I want to catch all the little things I might have missed the first time and I think Jack would enjoy watching the entire series. He only watched the last two seasons.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Here we are on the last Friday of August. The summer certainly sped by. In fact earlier this week it was so cool in the morning I had the distinct feeling that it was closer to the end of September than the end of August! Thursday did warm up slightly, but overnight the temperatures will fall again.

So, here are this weeks Friday Five!

1. The people who supposedly fixed our driveway did a very poor job. The very next day after work was completed, the driveway failed! We have attempted to have the company come back, and see what they did wrong and fix it. So far they have avoided us. I am afraid that a lawsuit may be required for us to get the work done correctly. We held up our end of the bargain with prompt down-payments and then final payment when the work was done, but to literally have it fail overnight was something we could not have foreseen. If we had they would not have gotten their final payment!
2. It’s Eggplant Season. I’ve been getting eggplant cheaply and it is beautiful. I admit to being an Eggplant Addict! I love it. I simply spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray and roast the sliced eggplant until they are brown and tender-crisp. I’ve been eating this for lunch for the last couple of weeks. Jack thinks I am crazy. He likes Eggplant Parmesan maybe once every five years. But for me, I don’t need any sauces or anything I just like the plain and simple roasted eggplant!
3. One of the greatest joys for me this week was having my grandchildren with me.
   They wanted me to stay with them while they fell asleep and when they did I snapped this picture of the two of them. It’s pretty dark and Savi is turned away, but Quinn is sleeping and peaceful as they both were and that filled my heart with such happiness!
4. We finished watching Downton Abbey. Jack is now interested in the movie too. Just a few more weeks and we will actually go to the movies and enjoy! I so love Maggie Smith! She is such an amazing actress!
5. I’ve been watching the US Open Tennis. I’ve seen some really tough matches, some great matches and a few where neither player deserved to win. But oh my! I do love to watch these talented athletes!

It was a somewhat crazy week this past week. I did get some things accomplished, but not as much as I would have liked. Still, as I sat down to write this today I realized just how quickly September is coming upon us. So as the summer winds down here is my Friday Five!

1. Anneliese is doing pretty well. At least she is not in pain. The doctor says she has a very dim, cloudy vision. She also will navigate better in the day as opposed to the dark night. But she is happy, has several spots around the kitchen and family room where she likes to nap and enjoy life.
2. After waiting part of the summer to get the upper portion of the driveway regraded, it was finally done. The next day, after a rain, a large portion of the ledge pack had washed away. I’m furious! The owner of the company that did the work is coming tonight. I hope he will fix the workers errors. I am quite upset about this!
3. Jack had a little fall last night and thankfully he did not hurt himself. I had gone to bed when I heard a great crash! I leaped out of bed and came into the family room to find him on the floor. He said his legs gave out when he stood up after sitting for a while. I helped him up and made sure he was okay before heading back to bed. He is okay today, just a slightly sore shoulder.
4. The sunset was just spectacular tonight. I was out with the dogs and snapped a few pictures.
   
5. I think I have Jack interested in Downton Abbey. That’s great because he will be interested to go to the movies with me when it arrives here in my little town!

Well, here we are again. The end of another week! This week seemed to fly by. Between Anneliese and traveling around, it appeared I did not have enough time to get things completed as I went through the days.

But I did get many things done and so here is this weeks list of the most memorable moments.

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1. Anneliese has definitely taken up a lot of my time this week. Today she seems more comfortable. I got all her little dog bedding together and washed it all up. As soon as I put it all back together, she hopped right in!
2. I went to WW Class this week on Wednesday morning. I knew I had done well, but I was really surprised by the three and a half-pound weight loss! Let’s just say, Yay for me!
3. I found three thick cutworms on my tomato plant. Yesterday my plant was beautiful, today I noticed that the plant was severely defoliated!
   After much searching there they were! Three big, fat, ugly cutworms! Tomato worms (A.K.A. cutworms) love to snack on tomatoes and tomato plants! Tomato worms, or more specifically cutworms, gobble up stems of tomato seedlings. They work mostly at night to do their damage.
4. Yesterday I decided to go through Jack’s closet. You see he had more shoes than Imelda Marcos, and since he can no longer wear any of them due to his toe amputation, it was time to get rid of them. We have almost new shoes that I will bring to St. Vincent to donate and then there are two bags to go to the recycling center. But it is wonderful to be able to step into his closet again!
5. It’s Lobster Fest this weekend! My cousin Janet, her husband Dave and my other cousin, and Janet’s brother, Larry will be coming up for our annual feast! I can hardly wait!!!

I’m still binge-watching Downton Abbey and enjoying every moment! I want to be all ready for when the movie comes out this fall. What a great show!

Here we are, at the end of another week. It’s been a good one with many positive things happening. So, here we go.

1. This week I went back to the doctor who evaluated my neck and shoulder problems and sent me to PT. He is really pleased with my progress and wants me to continue with PT for a few more months. I am so encouraged. I am feeling better and moving better too!
2. Our EZ Pass transmitters were dying. Well, one was quite literally dead and the other was close. It had been close to 20 years since we got them. The old office was in a trailer off the highway. The new office was out by Concord Airport. And the office was quite nice. I am thankful for WAZE. I never would have found the office without it!
3. I watched a really good movie today. It is called “Still Mine”.
   It’s about an elderly couple fighting against local authorities in rural New Brunswick, Canada to build their final home.  James Cromwell, and Geneviève Bujold star in it. This movie has such heart and soul to it. Put it on your must-see list. You will not be sorry.
4. I went to WW Class on Wednesday with renewed determination. I’ve really been struggling this summer, but today, I managed to grocery shop and when I was overcome with hunger, I bit into a wonderful Honeycrisp Apple! I truly savored every bite!
5. I will be seeing my sister and our closest cousins on Saturday. We do not come from a large family so there are just five of us left and I am hoping this will be the first of many get-togethers. Saturday we are celebrating my cousin Erica’s marriage to her Joe! We’re all so happy for them!

So that is the week that was. Have a great weekend everyone and enjoy your summer! (Or winter if you are down-under!)

Welcome to August, and what is commonly known as the dog days of summer!

We certainly have had our share of hot, humid and hazy weather. But, after a cold, rainy Spring this is almost welcome.

So, as I close out the week and look forward to the first weekend of August, here’s my Friday Five!

1. My grandchildren continue to delight me. They are both happy, healthy, and good kids. I get Snapchats and pictures from them all the time. They are my joy in this world!

Savi.

Quinn with Freya.

2. My neighbors are having their porch rebuilt. The workers arrived at 7:30. I was up, but the dogs are not appreciating the noise.

3. Another neighbor decided to demolish her old house (a small bungalow) and build a new one. So there are all kinds of changes going on here on my street!

4. I have a little summer cold going on. I feel a little run down and have a slight fever. Nothing dramatic. Mostly I feel like sleeping and being quiet.

5. This weekend I have no plans. I’m enjoying reading my book  “Alice: Princess Andrew of Greece” by Hugo Vickers. It’s all about Prince Philip of England’s Mother. Alice was an amazing woman. You can read more about her: Here

Princess Alice

A day late!

I sort of lost my days this week and instead of doing a Friday Five yesterday, I wrote about my sister’s birthday. So, even though it is Saturday, her

1. Connecticut is far away from me. WAZE said I could get there in 3 hours and 55 minutes, but trust me, this is not possible. I left early and it took me 4 hours and 20 minutes. Glad I left early! Still, it was a pretty ride and a beautiful day.
2. It was so good to see my sister, her kids, and grandchildren. Her oldest grandson was the reason I moved back to New England from Florida. I wanted to be closer so I could visit the baby. The baby is now all grown up, finished with school and working at a great job!
3. Driving home was more hectic. I took a different route and it was more highway driving. There was a lot of construction and it was not a fun drive.
4. Friday, Jack and I drove out to do our weekly grocery shopping. I sort of nagged him to hurry up, as it is tourist season. The store was mobbed, the lines long (40 minutes at the Deli counter). From 10:30 to 1:00 we were shopping! Too long.
5. We stopped at our usual Chinese Buffet and it was terrible. Not just the food, but the waitresses were rude. The previous owners sold out this spring, and it has only gone downhill! Sadly, it’s the last time we will visit this place.

So that was the week that was. Lots of good stuff and a little frustrating stuff.e is this week’s Friday Five.