Category: The Weekend Wrap

My kitchen on Saturday and most of Sunday looked like the aftermath of a ticker-tape parade! Bits of paper, ribbons, and bows were strewn all around the kitchen! It was time for me to wrap the gifts I have ordered the last few months, and I guess I am getting old because it took me far longer to wrap than it ever has!

I have these wonderful shopping bags that I stacked the presents in, and they are now ready to go, whenever it is that I will go and see my grandchildren.

I did have one problem. a cute outfit I had purchased for my grandson, was not in good shape! It appeared that the outfit had been slashed with a knife! So, that one is going back!

I fretted about this and in the end, I found a supplier of the exact same outfit that will have it here on Monday afternoon!

Once I finished up with the wrapping, and folded the paper up, and stored the bows and labels, I came into my kitchen to wash my hands. I turned on the water and we had almost no water pressure!

I put on my boots and coat and went to check the cell-cocks around the house to make sure none of them had turned on. Sure enough, there was one near our screened-in porch that was gushing! I trudged through the snow and got it to shut off. Water pressure problem fixed! Of course, I was soaked, as the snow is well IP past my knees.

And then, mid-afternoon, it started to snow once again. This time just a few inches.

The weekend was finally over. Wait! Monday is laundry day! No rest for me!

I’ve been thinking a lot about life, people, love, and where we each have come from to get us to this moment in time.

There was a saying I saw recently, it said:

And this is so true. In fact, Some days I almost don’t know who that woman was, the one who was so lost and confused.

There are many people who just knew me at different times and ages. Thankfully, I did not stop growing and changing. I wish I could sit down with a few people and they could see the person I have become.

I’m so grateful, really. I have learned so much along the way, and despite the year from hell, also known as the Covid Pandemic, I’ve somehow made it without totally losing my mind.

I hope your week ahead is a good one.

Sunday morning dawned cold, icy, and slightly white. We did not have much snow, but we sure had a fair bit of black ice on our driveway. It was not a problem, as our plowman came and sanded the drive for us. I like Shawn.

As I sat down to drink my coffee, I recalled something that Brad once said to me. “If you are having a problem type into your search engine exactly what is wrong and chances are someone in the world will have had that problem.”

So, I did. I typed in the error message I kept getting when attempting to install Adobe Photoshop Elements, and sure enough it told me exactly how to fix it!

After that, I had a clean installation of the program! I wanted to jump up and down, but I restrained myself, so as not to wake the dead!

I admit that I was actually able to relax a little and the feeling of accomplishment made my Sunday a nice one.

My little Christmas tree is up, and I got out a few more decorations. This week I think I will take note of all the presents I have and do some wrapping.

Christmas is coming quickly and I know I am close to being prepared. I so want to enjoy Christmas this year. So many difficult things have happened to me, and I just want one perfect day.

What are your plans? Family? Friends? Or are you staying in and away from all you love?

Happy Monday!

Well folks, here we are Monday morning and the last day in the month of November. Where has the year gone? As I close out the weekend and the month, I think how much life has changed over the course of the last year.

Still, despite all the social distancing and no physical contact with people, I am alive and well. I guess that is saying something.

I admit to being a warm loving hugger. Oh, how I thrive with a warm embrace. Someday, one day, I will have that again.

I was able to get four loads of laundry done and actually make turkey soup. In spite of that, I find that as I sit here on Sunday night I have no desire to eat turkey tonight. In fact, I am just not very hungry at all.

I started the Christmas card. Somehow I forgot how arthritic my hands are. But I am determined to send them out.

Aside from that, it was another quiet weekend/month. Enjoy your Monday morning!

Well, we don’t have snow yet, but we are expecting a “wintery mix” today. So I decided to break out my snow and Hairy Woodpecker header to start this post.

The weekend began with an announcement that we now have a mask mandate. We are all supposed to be staying at home unless there is a need for food and prescriptions.

On Sunday they announced food shortages. Well, whoop-di-do! Do you know what that means? Everyone and their brother were at the grocery store trying to get food so that they don’t starve while they shelter in place.

The hardest thing for me today was watching several elderly people trying to get food and drink at the store. I could see the fear in their eyes and a sense of being lost.

I tried to help when I could. One old man literally was so upset he couldn’t figure out where to go to check out. I gave him my spot and reassured him it was going to be fine.

Meanwhile, as of tonight, we have 493 new cases and one new death. Things are grim. Our Thanksgiving holiday is Thursday. A time usually spent with family and friends. This year, people will be alone. The celebrations will be small or nonexistent.

I’m still cooking. I enjoy cooking. So I will be roasting a turkey, stuffed with chestnut dressing, serving up mashed potatoes and gravy, butternut squash and green beans and pearl onions. Dessert will be apple pie and mince tarts served with hard sauce and champagne.

It’s started to snow (Sunday night) and I am sure it will not amount to much. It’s just a reminder that winter is on its way.

My weekend was a good one. On Friday I went down to see my daughter’s family and celebrate my birthday a little early.

What this means to a person who has been so very good on the Weight Watcher program, is that for that one day I would eat meals that I really enjoy and have not eaten in nearly a year.

It all started at lunch with a yummy real cheese pizza! It was amazing! I truly enjoyed each bite!

For dinner, I asked for steak! Matt is an amazing “Grill Master” I asked for him to cook steaks for me and for him. I mean, WOW! The steaks were the best I have ever had! I adore baked potatoes, and for dessert, I wanted a Dairy Queen Oreo Cookie Ice Cream Cake!

During the last year, I have learned that I really am not a big cake fan. But I sure do love my ice cream. Now, I just don’t eat cake. But an ice cream cake? Oh yeah! Mmmmmmm!

During the meal, we enjoyed a delicious Cabernet Wine, and for dessert, Matt made me an Irish Coffee!

Since I have also not been drinking during this time I will admit to being pleasantly toasty!

This was the most amazing meal I had had for a while, and I enjoyed every sinful bite! (Which included a second piece of the ice cream cake!)

Savi and me playing around!

I got to play with my two grandchildren and the new puppy, Winter, as well as their two-year-old dog, Freya.

Quinn and Freya!

I must say, both dogs are real sweeties and they also love their Oma!

Quinn and Winter.

Oma and Winter!

Oma and Savannah!

Needless to say, I slept well, and when I did get up in the night, Winter always greeted me when I returned to bed with little kisses and her demand for belly rubs!

In the morning we all had things to do, so I left early to buy a few groceries, fill the car with gasoline and stop and shop for some new clothes. I had some wonderful coupons, a birthday discount, and a gift card.

When you have lost a lot of weight, I will tell you that you don’t see yourself as you are. I went through the shop selecting items at a size I thought I was. I got into the dressing room and started to try things on.

I came out to show the saleswoman (who I know well) and she looked me over and said, “Maribeth, those things are too big on you!”

Then she had me stand in front of the mirror and asked me what I saw.

Well, I saw a little bit of fat I hope to lose around my waist. I saw the baby belly I have had for over 40 years. I saw the hips. A little too curvy I think.

She giggled. “Okay,” she said. “When I look at you I see an amazingly slim woman in clothes that are too big.”

So off she went to get me items I’d selected but in a smaller size. She came back and I started trying them on. I zipped up the corduroys and put on a top and I was shocked. They fit!

Then I tried on a pair of black slacks and a white top. I looked at myself over and over, realizing that I really could see the 60-pound weight loss.

I am still trying to wrap my head around the fact that I am wearing size 12’s!

The sales were great and I bought 5 pairs of slacks and a bunch of shirts and sweater shirts. I filled two shopping bags with lovely new clothes. But looking at what I have here at home, I really did need new clothes!

Suddenly, sixty-two doesn’t look too bad to me!

Well, I was sitting here writing this entry and I went to add the header and the footer for my piece. I added the header and saved it and what should I see when the little tab stops spinning? Nothing! My computer ate my entry. I am unsure why, but it is gone! So, after lunch, I will try to write something else. Rewriting it all, just wouldn’t be the same.

Okay, so I think I will do a bullet list instead of a normal entry. I’m still so frustrated that the other entry just vanished!

• I woke in the night as I could hear a dog getting sick in the family room. Choke, choke, choke, Barf! I decided to stay in bed and deal with it in the morning.
• It was Anneliese who’d gotten sick. She is not doing well. Her 14th birthday is December 10th and I sure hope she will make that and maybe have more time with her as well. I will baby her.
• Just when I was happy to have gotten all the laundry done, I had to wash up Lili’s bed as that was where Anneliese had gotten sick. Ugh!
• Our clocks went back last night. Most of our clocks self adjust, but the microwave, stove, coffee maker, and family room clock all needed to be reset. Done!
• I really have been enjoying my Alexa Echo 5. It’s the perfect bedside clock/radio/information box. I listen to music, ask Alexa questions, and get the time and temperature. Very handy!
• Our leaves are falling fast and soon they will be all on the ground. Between the clocks falling back, the fact that it gets dark so early, and that it is so cold, I’m feeling a wee bit on the grim side.
• Still, I wish you all a very Happy Monday and also have a great week ahead!

Maribeth

Well, I’d hoped to get all the household items done by Friday, but unfortunately, I did not, and in the end, I spent both Saturday and Sunday doing things around the house.

I did have fun cooking on Saturday night when I made lo-calorie Chicken Fajitas! It was so much fun rolling up the chicken and onions and peppers and then sloppily eating them! The best part was knowing that they were low points on my Weight Watcher plan!

On Sunday I woke and it was fah-reez-ing freezing!

So when I hopped quickly out of bed I grabbed my new legging set and put those on. The best thing about this new set is that they are fleece-lined! So soft, snuggly, and cozy!

It never really warmed up today, despite the bright sunshine, but I was warm and comfy all day long.

Dinner tonight will be an easy fix and will also give us leftovers for a few days. I have my clothes laid out for tomorrow and have set Alexa to get me up early enough to take a nice hot shower!

By the way, I asked Alexa once again what the current weather was in my town. “Partly cloudy” was her response. I came back quickly, “Alexa, you lie! ” at this time she informed me that “Alexa never lies!” Ha, Ha! She sure does. At least about the weather.

Have a great week everyone and I will report on Tuesday about how I made out with my surgery!

 

The weekend was a fairly good one. Since I’d gotten almost everything done on Thursday and Friday, there was not a rush to do laundry or to cook too many meals.

This turned out to be great luck, as on Sunday I really needed my rest my sore foot.

Jack and I are not watching the news right now. So, instead, we watch movies, series TV such as “Air Disasters” on Smithsonian, as well as countless hours of “Chicago PD“, “Blue Bloods“, “Law & Order SVU” and “NCIS“. Truth be told, I spend a lot of time with my headphones on, listening to podcasts and music and basically checking out.

It’s strange, but when I watch TV I see people hugging each other, sitting closely or kissing, and I wonder what planet they are on.

Yes, it’s pretty isolating right now. And with New Hampshire’s numbers of Covid-19 cases climbing, it makes me feel pretty uncomfortable to just go out. I will be even more careful, as I think this will get worse before it gets better.

So, Happy Monday everyone. Here in the USA, enjoy “Columbus Day”, and everywhere else, I hope your day is a really good one!

Now that I am back home, I can write about my visit with Mandy, Matt, and the kids and my trip home. It was all pretty interesting, so here we go!

After getting my prescription I headed to Mandy and Matt’s house. The kids were so thrilled to see me and to introduce me to their new puppy, American Eskimo Puppy, Winter.

I will say that Winter is one of the sweetest puppies ever and of course, I am already crazy about her

Naturally, since she is not quite 12 weeks, we spent a lot of time taking her outside to learn how to do her business there, before coming back in for more love and cuddles.

I offered to watch everyone so Mandy and Matt could go on a date. Restaurants here are allowed to serve outside and with social distancing. I think it was their first date night since February.

I also was able to ask Matt some questions about my Amazon Echo. I was not getting the coverage from my Wifi with it and I wasn’t sure what was going on. Matt had some good suggestions.

So while their parents were out, we watched Frozen 2, which I had not seen, and I made dinner for them.

I also brought with me Mickey Mouse Ice Cream, like they have at the Theme Parks and they both enjoyed that!

Savi and I talked and played word games and Quinn got into my lap and cuddled quite a bit.  It felt wonderful!

Soon, I crawled into bed with them both and fell asleep almost instantly. There is no better feeling than snuggling with your grandbabies!

The next morning, Mandy made an awesome breakfast and we sat talking for a long time. She is such an amazing woman and I am so proud of her.

Before I knew it, I needed to start my journey home. I needed to stop at the grocery store closer to my home to stock up on food and drinks.

The trip from Mandy’s house usually takes me 45 – 50 minutes, at the most to a good grocery store called Market Basket. But as I got onto the highway, I drove less than two miles and came to a dead stop! Seems there were many people from Massachusetts coming up here to New Hampshire to go Leaf Peeping. The trip took me two hours and fifteen minutes! I don’t think I drove over 15-25 miles per hour the entire way. It was grim!

While shopping I discovered that two of my favorite items are back in! Koru Apples from New Zealand and a cold cut called Cranberry and Sage Turkey Breast! I also got a Roast Beef, which I am currently cooking.

Soon I was home and Jack helped me carry up the sacks of food, and I got everything put away. I was feeling pretty tired by then and so I had picked up a frozen stir fry meal, which I cooked at the appropriate time. It was just okay.

Soon I collected Arnie and went to bed. I was still having trouble with the Echo Show. It was not connecting to the Wifi. I was simply too tired to care and I fell asleep.

Today (Sunday) I woke up and noticed the Echo was sending me messages. So I stopped what I was doing and sat there and entered my Wifi password and then my Amazon password and now it is working fine! I swear to God that if I sleep on a problem with a computer or it’s peripheral, the next day it fixes itself!

So, the weekend was a very interesting one, and despite the traffic jam yesterday, I have been able to kick back and relax and work toward recovery from my UTI.

Here is hoping the week ahead will be calm and relaxing. Something I think we all need during this time of Covid.