Thursday, October 20, 2005

Slogging Again

Well, vacation week is over and we're back to work. We had a wonderful time in Indiana with DS and Mrs DS! They took us to lots of spots they've found in their area. A couple of diners for a good omelette, a funny little sandwich shop with chewing gum stuck to the outside of the building. The gum was disgusting but the inside was great and good sandwiches. Went to the local Kitchen-Aid store and did a bit of shopping. Got a bit of a discount because Mrs DS's aunt works there. Thanks Auntie. Wish that I needed a counter type mixer! They had every color you can imagine - including the spring green that I like best! We went to a grist mill (think stone ground wheat & corn and the selling of same). We went on Monday and they had a sign on the door saying they were closed. But the door was ajar and we peered in. There was a voice hollered - "Come on in, I'm here". It was the miller and he showed us around. Half the ground floor had arts & crafts from local artists. Needless to say (but I'll say it anyway) we made several purchases! The mill was 4 stories high and was powered by the stream underneath the mill. The miller even supplements his electricity by powering his lights by the mill. We got to see DS's home and it was great! Beautiful hardwood floors and lots of beautiful woodwork. Met the granddog Lucy. We took plenty of bribes and now she loves us. We've already stocked up on treats & squeeky toys for Christmas. We even bought some "greenies". We heard those are "crack" for dogs! Heard that from a Vet! DS & Mrs DS will be visiting us over Thanksgiving. Yea! DSR (dear sister R.) and daughter M. will also be visiting over Thanksgiving. We haven't seen them in years. We are all very excited. In fact, since the whole family will be together at Thanksgiving we're doing double duty - we're going to have Christmas on the same day. Who knows if we will ever all be together again. Our parents are getting up there in years. Gotta go.

Friday, October 07, 2005

Flights East

Happy Friday!!! Didn't think it would eeeevvver get here!! Only have to get thru today, then we fly out tomorrow to Indiana to see our DS and his new wife and the granddog. Since we've never met the granddog we purchased things last evening that should make us pretty much the favorite grandparents - at least until something else catches her attention. I was told she likes treats and squeaky toys. We got a chew bone thingy, some little bones for dogs breath (with a little carrying case included in the box) and we got two squeaky toys. One looks like a polar fleece mouse (10" long) and it has a squeaker in its butt - and its lavender. The other has a round squeaky ball on one end and has a braided cord coming out of the ball for the "thrower or tugger" to hang onto (I guess) (it has a really annoying squeak - should make the granddog happy) . I figure the worse the noise the better the granddog will like it. Sort of like giving a drum to a kid - the kid loves it and the parents would truly like to kill you! I think we'll take our cd players for on the plane trip. We're "reading" Harry Potter's latest adventures. Flying is not something I enjoy so listening to Harry will be relaxing. I read the book when it first came out and bought DH the CD's for his birthday. As he listens and is done with a cd, then I listen. Its really nice to listen to it being read. I was listening last evening and it had me laughing outloud. If you've not read the book and plan to - don't read this next bit. Its was at the Weasley home and Ginny Weasley kept referring to Fleur as phlegm. Those who haven't read the latest Harry can come back now. Very funny bit, that. THursday evening is grocery nite. We went shopping for food we hope the house/cat sitter will enjoy while we're gone. The only things she asked for (after much prodding) was milk, coke, lunchmeat and Lays potato chips. We also got pizza, lasagna, chicken strips & something else but I don't remember. Ah, Ice cream & eggs. There should be something in there she will like. Plus the pantry is full. Oh, I have a recipe (of sorts) for you. I've no idea what the real name for this is but we call it: Eggs in a bag. heat a large pot of water to boiling, on the stove break 3 eggs into a ziplock baggie add whatever you like in an omelette we like mushrooms, green onions, jar bacon (the real kind) NOT bacon bits & a little cheese a little pepper and some basil or marjarom zip the bag almost closed, push out as much air as possible, then finish zipping squish all the ingredients together Put the bag into the pot of boiling water and let it stay there for 20 minutes. - if you have several folks and their baggies have different ingredients with their eggs, be sure to write their name on the baggie After 20 minutes, when they are all cooked, get your tongs and remove the baggies from the pan. Open the baggie and slide the omelette onto your plate. Its a nice compact size & shape. If you like, now is when to add that big bunch of shredded cheese & maybe a little salsa. Give it a try, its a great way for a lot of people to all have omelettes at the same time. Enjoy! Thats it for me today. I'll be back with pix of the granddog next week. Take care of each other.

Thursday, October 06, 2005

Ming Wah

Good Morning. Just finished my latest Knitted Babe. Her name is Ming Wah. She is knit from Paton baby yarn. The yarn was very stretchy so it allowed a lot of stuffing. The little girly is a bit on the chubby side. Oh well, not everyone is thin. Lord knows I'm not. I had a hard time deciding how to make her eyes. I embroidered them. I like how they turned out. I knit her hair as I went along, rather than adding it to her head when she was all finished. This way she has no scalp showing. Only two days until DH & I fly off to Indiana to visit our DS and his wife and the "granddog". Oh that reminds me, we need to get some dog treats to take with us. I figure that is a good way to suck up to the dog - with goodies. Maybe a squeeky toy also, if we can find something fun. Been trying to decide what to take with me on the plane to keep me busy. It will probably be a small knitting project. Maybe I'll make a knit baby. I have a pattern I've been wanting to try but just haven't gotten to it yet. I crocheted a cute baby doll a while back and just made him a vest and hat. He is at the top of the page. His name is Earl. Couldn't figure out how to get his pix farther down the page. Have to work on that. My boss is gone all day today. That will give me time to get my desk all straightened up before we go on vacation. We'll leave for the airport on Sat. morning about 4am. We're going to take a taxi, rather than park our car at the airport. I think it will be less expensive that way. Our friend Edie will be house/cat sitting for us. Our crazy cat Ranger Bob will only eat canned food so someone needs to be at the house to feed him. Edie will get to try out the new beds we got for the extra bedroom. We really appreciate her doing this for us. Having someone at the house and feeding the cats is a big worry off our minds. Thats it for today. I'll be gone til Wed. of next week. Take care of each other.