[rujerro]

Happy New Year!

DH has jambalaya in the crocker. I noticed that he put uncooked rice in a liquid measuring cup and let him know that he has to use dry measuring cups....I measured it properly and good thing- it would have been adding 1/4 C more of rice. Now I know why the beef stew always came out like oatmeal (too much barley and not enough liquid).

I heated up bbq chicken & ribs. I have the dough rising for the garlic/italian seasoned buns. We'll have lots of leftovers tonight.

I ordered the vacuum today. Free with GC's and free shipping.

DS2 went to bed early (for him) last night and got up to work. He's home now and in bed. He says he's cold and I know allergy season is bad so maybe it's allergies? DH has bad allergies and the doc wanted DS2 on injections but we said no. I hope it's just allergy issues.
Enjoying ginger tumeric tea and keeping an eye on DS2 before church.....

 

[rujerro]

Everyone seems good today and DS2 sounds fine. I hope the snow melts. Thermostat set to 65 but I am cold with tshirt/sweatshirt/fleece pants/wool socks so I bumped it up to 68 temporarily. We have solar and don't worry about cost of electric anymore.

Lots of leftovers today. Heading out to gym today with the family.
Our job contracts are up and voting will be taking place. I worry about the "s" word (s- - i k e) and hope it doesn't come to that. I have a food stockpile and meds to last a few months, since DH and I work for the same company. Today was voting so we'll have to wait to see the results.

 

[rujerro]

Maggie- yoga near the fireplace sounds good to me....

We're expecting some snow. Hopefully not much. I feel for those in virginia that are stuck on the highway and have been that way for 24+ hours. No gas/food. As of my writing, it looks like crews removed abandoned cars and the highway reopened.
I made a casserole for dinner, choclate chip cookies and had leftover bbq. I'll make stuffed cabbage today or tomorrow.

I donated frozen food to a co-worker. I had a extra styrofoam cooler and cheese-filled items in the freezer so I asked if she wanted it. She said she doesn't cook and was excited about it. She said she doesn't have an oven but I said that maybe a friend has an oven to cook the chicken? The meatballs can be defrosted and cooked in the microwave so she said she would use her crockpot for that

I had to send the vacuum back. Missing parts. Unstable in the upright position. I am sending it back for free and requesting a replacement. I hope they send me a new and working vac this time..

DS2 has congestion and I can hear it. But he must be feeling better since he is back to his ornery self. 😈
Yesterday, I had a huge blood vessel in my eye that broke. It happened at the gym. I went to work and co-workers asked about my eye. Today, the eye is blood shot so I guess it diffused.

 

[rujerro]

I saw something about the east coast getting a storm? Buffalo got a lot, Nashville too. Something about a bomb cyclone getting New England. Is anyone here experiencing this? I hope the power stays on and everyone gets through this.

We had stuffed cabbage and I made french bread. I am thawing beef fora meat sauce.
I was told that we will str-ke and not sure of the day yet. We've never been through this, so it will be a first. The good news is that, coincidentally, DH had an interview, so we will cross our fingers on both of these situations.
DS2 has been using DH's aftershave so he wants to go to the mall and smell different types and then use his Amazon GC's to buy one. I don't even know prices of that stuff.

 

[rujerro]

GB- Happy Belated Anniversary!

My MIL was slurring her words and went to a hospital but it was full so, they drove to another one. She was placed in a bed in the hall. She is bedridden with MS and after a few days, it was a UTI and a scan showed dementia. FIL also shows dementia. DH was worried about all of it as he is 1500 miles away but they have nurses and a cousin coming daily to help with basic things like bathroom/dressing/meds when they are home. Not sure how long this can continue since my parent was independent at 83 and mentally sharp. DH thinks he has power of medical attny but no papers can be found. I discussed this with them and DH 7 years ago but all of them poo-poo me...

I put beef stew in the crock. Will add barley later on.

DS2 is wanting to get out of the house. I looked at activities in the area like a Chinese cultural dance event, comedy show, botanical garden.. Maybe we can go to go-karts or indoor gaming place during the week.

The lemon tree has buds. Not sure if it will produce since it's young but I hope so.
The walnut tree sprigs have multiplied. At first, there was one but now there are several. I have no idea if they will be separate trees or what but they are close together.

 

[rujerro]

GB- Congrats on the win! So happy for you!
Dlrcpa- I do think that those are walnut shoots. But does each one turn into a tree? hhmmm... Hope you're feeling better.
Zhoen- Keep up the pursuit of the prize! You're almost there!

DH went to picket. He came back home for a coat. It's in the 30's....I'll be out there in the rain/snow and below freezing temps-if my body lets me. I already have neuropathy so once I can't feel pain or cold, I will leave and take the financial loss. No choice. I won't be buying food and the stockpile is it for me. If anyone wants/needs something, they will have to get it or dial-a-friend.

 

[rujerro]

CH-The chicken treat site makes me want to have chickens too! Sorry to hear about the memorial service. I'm glad you were able to be there for your friend.
GB- Your dinner sounds really good right now...I put some french fries and popcorn shrimp in oven.
Maggie- How did the chimney work out?

It's been a rough week so I took time off the gym and have not picketed yet. I'll try to picket starting tomorrow. They want me outside at night but I have not seen anyone at night and don't wanna be alone....I may show up during the daylight instead.

 

[rujerro]

My sis in Florida sent photos of bare shelves at Publix/Walmart...No toilet paper. DH went to several markets today looking for chicken. HA. I told him about a food shortage and fertilizer issue but he keeps telling me it's not true......I told him to get water on his search tomorrow- if he can find any. He shook his head no....Mind you, I asked for a bottle of water from the market the other day and he brought me sparkling water. I said I don't drink sparkling anything and he said they were out of water. I said we are having a repeat of 2020 but he said no we aren't. Well, I believe I need to get gardening this year but know he will not want that as he loves his lawn. He yelled about my stockpile claiming I "just wanna buy stuff." Yup. Let's see how this plays out......

I was in the mood late last night for broth and had a bag of soup mix. I made that and finished it today.
DS2 is back to online classes. I don't know if he is happier about it or not but it does keep us out of the elements while waiting for the bus. And me driving in bad weather to get to the bus.....

 

[rujerro]

A turkey was taken out of the freezer and DH can smoke it if he wants. I have powdered potatoes and canned whole potatoes along with gravy packets for the turkey. We're out of fresh fruit so I told DS2 that we have some fruit cups and canned fruits. I don't have any money coming in so I have not shopped. Nothing spent for a week. DH hasn't gotten paid yet. Maybe next week from picketing.

DS2 asked if we had notebooks. I said check school supplies. I asked why he didn't check for this a week ago and why, right before class, did we just notice this? I said that if he has a binder and loose leaf, then it will have to do.

I went through my stockpile since the church bake sale is coming and I had gotten clearance mixes for it. Church woman said that the church kids are online and the mom group and mops group are dissolved. So, she felt that we won't have as many bakers this year and we need to bake a lot.....Well, I'm making 2 cakes, 2 dz cupcakes, 2 dz kiss sprinkle cookies, and 2 dz GF chocochip cookies.

 

[rujerro]

Peg- Sorry about the lamps. How rude. I still haven't received the replacement vacuum for the broken one that Target sent me....They received the broken one on Jan 10th....

CH- Did your pharmacy co-pay go up? Speaking of meds, Express Scripts won't cover 2 of mine. Wants me to take generic thyroid and cheaper insulin. My current doc won't write a letter to keep me on my current regimen so I pay retail. We don't really get along TBH. At some point, I'll just be working for meds. But I hope to find a new doc before that.

Dlrcpa- I hope the extra time away from the dog club is beneficial for you.

DH found chickens to smoke. He is making jambalaya tomorrow. The turkey is still thawing so I'll make that on the weekend. I made orange cranberry muffins tonight.

 

[rujerro]

A very eventful day today.
I needed meds and didn't hear back from the doc so I started the process of doing a online doctor through GoodRX....But the doc called in a script (yay) and I'll have to call the CC to get a refund but that's ok..

I called Target to see where my vacuum is.....Well, he said there was a glitch on their end. It will be here on Wednesday and he emailed a $10 gc for my trouble.

The strike is over and we can all return to work. We still need to vote on the contract, however. I have no idea what's in it but both sides are promoting it. I'll make my own decision on that one.

DH made jambalaya and I'll probably make enchiladas with leftover chicken tomorrow. The oven kicked in and I'll bake something- banana bread or berry muffins (blueberry or cranberry).

 

[rujerro]

CH- That's sweet of you to help people in need. It sounds like the family really needed the food and was appreciative.
Dlrcpa- I hope you didn't receive any emails from the club. Good thinking on avoiding the computer.
DH smoked a turkey and I made potatoes w/gravy for dinner. I asked DH if he wanted turkey soup and he agreed but threw out the carcass. He said it didn't occur to him to make soup with it.. ::sigh::
During the strike, I used pantry/stockpiled items and it worked out ok. DH wanted cinnamon rolls and bread but didn't mention it. He bought them when I could've made them. Bummer. I'll have to go through and see what I have/need. I hope to clean out the cellar and get some shelving down there for canned items.
Snowy and bitter yesterday. It may warm up for a few days and then more snow.

 

[rujerro]

GB- Those are great deals!
Jetts- I hope you get some rest after the girls' visit. I have to admit, all of those fun activities would make me want to visit alot!

The prices at the market are crazy. Yeast is up 40%. yikes! Rice krispies are sold out and corn flakes are $6.49/box. I'm looking for store brand but those are sold out.
DH wants to go to the mall and run around before the gym. I don't know that I'll be up for that.

 

[rujerro]

Martha- I agree with mom thoughts..Warch his stiff neck for meningitis....
CH- Hope your DH is better.
Jetts- Is your back/neck ok? I have stepped on cats many times and it is unexpected for sure.

The hunt is on for cereal for DS2. He will be back on campus and loves cereal before school. I was able to find clearance cereal under $2 a box (cocoa krispies,chex) and saw a sale for honey bunches of oats so I'll see if there's any left.

I will try to get 6 free bagels with my points at Einstein's. Their sandwiches ( bagel/egg/bacon/cheese) went up to $6.49 each. They're good and I can get a free sandwich with the points but I think the bagels are the way to go. Their bagels are now $1.59 each.

I went to the pharmacy to get meds but the insurance company said it won't cover it as the script is written. ::sigh:: So I called the doc again and left a message stating that insurance companies will have the patient use every last drop in a bottle, despite the shelf life of a bottle being x days. In my case, I can only get a bottle every 3 months, despite the company stating the potency is gone after 28....And I know this to be true.. When doctors don't take these meds or have enough patients that take them (despite my being told that they have a lot of patients like me!) they are clueless. I need to give a class on patients and their meds and how insurance companies work.

 

[rujerro]

Peg- Hope the labs are good at the doc today.
CH- Is there a potential water leak? Hmmm. Cranberry anything sounds good right now...
GB- Congrats on your DD's new job!

It's getting cold this week. In the bitter negative digits. I am not looking forward to standing outside with DS2 and waiting for the bus...I hope the bus shows up, and starts up and has a driver....

DS2 didn't buy bus/train pass this semester. Not sure if he missed the memo or what... So, he has been getting on transportation through sheer luck. Today, he has $ to get on the transportation today and get a new pass while at school.
I have various meats thawing for a casserole and a macaroni dish. I'll try to thaw a ham.

I need to see a dentist as a filling in the front of a tooth has fallen out. I don't know if they will suggest a crown or what and I'll see the surgeon to find out if I'm a candidate for dental implants. This tooth is right behind the canine.

I'm still trying to get my meds. Now the insurance company wants me to have a "generic" insulin that recently got approved. It can cause heart failure....There are others that don't list that as a side effect but of course, they are more expensive and insurance is wanting me to try the generic...The doc needs to preauthorize me to get my normal drug but she has never agreed to preauthorization for anything. She always told me that I can take whatever the insurance wants me to take... Let's see how this plays out... If she decides she doesn't want to preauth me, I'm gonna have to find a new doc. And pay out of pocket for this until someone wants to do a preauth. Good thing I'm working more hours and got a pay raise.

 

[rujerro]

Lots of snow and all schools closed, even online classes.
No word from doc or the pharmacy about my meds. I sent another email to my doc stating that I need pre-auth for all of my meds now. Maybe a nurse will reply as most of the time that's how it goes.
I'll probably make spaghetti for dinner. I hope we can make it to the gym today despite the weather.
I was able to go thru part of my stockpile and put all the water in totes, canned goods in another tote... I still have to finish sorting but it is getting there.

 

[rujerro]

CH- What type of seed catalogs do you purchase from?
Dlr- Hope you feel better.

DH smoked whole chickens and a pork butt. I cooked out peppers/onions/rice and will use the chicken for a casserole.
The home next to us was purchased as a rental property and I noticed water gushing from the 2nd floor and down over the garage and driveway. Someone called the water company to shut off the water. The tenants were not home for days and the water company said the garage is full of water and it seems like a pipe broke. Well, it was in the negative digits last week.........I would not want to see the water bill or remodel bill.

DH's parents are needing care since mom is bed ridden and pop doesn't walk well and is forgetful. Mom has two CNA's and a nurse visiting her. DH has gotten involved (his parents live 1500 miles away) and DH has given options but dad is being combative and tries to dictate what will happen in his home. We'll see how this pans out

 

[rujerro]

GB- Those were great cereal prices.

The church bake sale is today and tomorrow. So far, I've made a cake, 8 cupcakes and 2 dz cookies. I'm making 2 dz stacked cookies and 6 mini banana/blueberry breads...I may make blueberry muffins and cake pops but dunno yet. It depends on how much time is left after the double cookies....She wants everything at the church by noon. I already dropped off most of it.
A cold front arrived and they said 1" of snow...Of course, the forecast changed and we have at least 6" with freezing rain and ice. The roads are slippery.
I have a ham thawing and will try to make it for dinner soon.

 

[rujerro]

Happy Valentine's Day!

CH- There was a lot of debate out here regarding the phone companies getting rid of 2G and 3G. In the end, they decided not to get rid of it as elderly use 3G with their alert items. Me and DS2 have 2G phones and although mine has spotty reception, his works great.

Lots of leftovers to get through- smoked pork, smoked beef ribs....Maybe DH will get some rolls for sandwiches.

Beautiful day at 60 degrees. Snow on Wednesday and the into the 40's the rest of the week.

I ordered a goji berry plant from etsy. I'll plant it where the strawberries used to be....I understand the first year may not produce much but the 2nd year will be a lot of berries. I also purchased a planter and hope to try my hand at onions in there. The wine barrel outside will have herbs and carrots since it did well with those last year...C'mon Spring!

Since I've been working more, I hope to buy flooring for the house. DH said he would redo the floors in the basement OR the main floor but not both. It's too hard on him. I think the basement should be first since it took all of that flooding and I have no idea if there's water under the flooring or mold or what. It's a smaller area of about 300 ft.

 

[rujerro]

Martha- Happy Anniversary! How many years?
Z- If you go to Philly, wishing you a delightful trip. Dad used to take the family to TV shows and us kids would go in all the models. They travelled two weeks each year to FL and we would drive to the mountains in PA to visit friends.. It was 40+ years ago but I enjoyed those RV models.
Jetts- Glad you were able to move the piano so it can be played. sounds like it took alot of effort to move it but I hope you can enjoy it more.

I'll make chicken/asparagus/noodle dish for dinner. I put a whole chicken in the crockpot to cook and will take it apart and add it to the dish.

DS2 withdrew from a class but hasn't told DH as he thinks DH will be mad. The class would've been ok, except the teacher added a lab. And the lab is 45 minutes away from campus. It interferes with his other classes and was not part of the curriculum. No choice but to drop it. The sad part is he lost alot of money because of this lab.

My brother and his GF will be in town in April. We hope to get together. Not sure how much snow we'll have so we'll see how this goes.