Having a Little Fun!

Today was one I’ve been waiting for, now, for about a month; took our cat to the vet’s for another check up and he’s doing good! The vet’s report: “Looks like the food is doing him good!” They checked him out and reported that there was no obstruction and very few crystals, so I was just thrilled!  So thrilled, in fact, that I went on a mini-shopping spree! (Actually, it was more of a “treat Pammie” spree). Came home with three nice pairs of earrings (Big Lots: they were a set and very reasonable: $3.00), a new container for my knitting supplies in my ‘carry everywhere’ knitting bag (for scissors, tiny ruler, crochet hook) from the St. Vincent de Paul thrift shop (for $1) and my last little find: Almond Chocolate Biscotti on sale for $3 at our local drug store! Yep, I’m a ‘cheap treats’ person, but it made me happy, so all’s good!

Finished another afghan yesterday, #209, and am ‘on to bigger and better things’…(actually, just #210….grin).

Tonight’s dinner is homemade chicken noodle soup which I have to get making very soon, as I like to let the chicken get to the ‘fall off the bone’ stage before using it in the soup.  Was able to obtain a really (in my humble opinion) fantastic, yummy treat recipe and thought I’d share it with you. WARNING: It’s very rich, but VERY yummy!

Reese’s No-Bake Squares

2 1/2 C. powdered sugar

2 1/2 C. graham cracker crumbs

1  1/3 C. peanut butter

1 C. melted butter

12 oz. chocolate chips, melted

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Mix together powdered sugar and graham cracker crumbs. Add peanut butter and melted butter; mix well.  Press into a 9 X 13 baking pan. Pour melted chocolate chips over top and spread around to cover top. Refrigate 15 minutes or so (NOT until hard), then cut into small squares.

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My youngest came home from a youth outing, brought one of these home and shared it with me. Of course I IMMEDIATELY wanted the recipe … it was gooey (could have been because it was in his hot hands?), peanut buttery, and nicely chocolatey! I have another recipe similar to this one, but that one comes out about 1/4 inch thick; the above recipe comes out about 3/4 inches thick!  Believe me…it’s worth making them (forget the calories…they all fall off when you cut the squares! …. wink).

Going into this weekend I have a bridal shower tomorrow at church for two of our choir members who are also friends of ours (well…the groom has been like another one of my ‘kids’), so it ought to be a fun adventure! They’re planning a January wedding (Brrrrrrr!). Before I go to the shower I have to help youngest bake a pan of brownies, as he’s attending a Chili CookOff and the teens are required to make (or at least ‘help’ make a dessert…he chose brownies, as that’s HIS favorite dessert!).

It’s shaping up like a fun weekend; our weather’s been a bit ‘goofy’ but I’m happy…it’s been chilly (in the 30’s & 40’s) with some rain, some gloomy days, BUT….NO SNOW so far! (It was predicted that we were supposed to get ’scattered flurries’ Weds & part of Thurs, but they didn’t appear…YAY!!!).

Enjoy your weekend; stay warm, eat something YOU like (brownies/biscotti/bagel?) along with a nice, hot steaming cup of your favorite beverage….gotta stay cosy, remember?

Hugs;

Pammie

“Apple Time”

Now that we’re cruising into Fall I thought I’d post a few apple recipes you might like to try:

Apple Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In large bowl add:

2 C. sugar

1  1/2  C. cooking oil

2 eggs

Beat these well then add:

3 C. flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

Mix together (this will be stiff) then add:

2-3 C. chopped apples

1 tsp. grated lemon rind (or lemon extract)

1/2 – 1  C. chopped nuts

Mix all ingredients well and pour into a 9 X 13 pan. Bake 50 minutes at 350 degrees F. After baking, let cake cool before frosting with:

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 (3 oz.) pkg. cream cheese (softened)

1 T. milk

1 tsp. vanilla

2  1/2 C. confectioner’s sugar

Blend together cream cheese, milk and vanilla and gradually add the confectioner’s sugar.

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Sour Cream Apple Pie

(my all-time favorite!)

3/4 C. sugar

2 T. flour

1/2 tsp. vanilla

2 C.  peeled and sliced apples

1 C. sour cream

1 egg

dash salt

(1 9 inch unbaked pie shell-or make your own crust)

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Preheat oven 450 degrees F.

Combine all ingredients well and pour into a unbaked pie shell. Bake 10 minutes then turn down heat to 325 degrees F. and continue baking for an additional 25 minutes. (leave oven “on” to finish baking)

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Topping:

2 1/2 T. flour

2 1/2 T. brown sugar

1 T. butter

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

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Sprinkle this mixture over the pie and bake another 25 minutes at 325 degrees F.  Let cool completely before serving; makes 1 9″ pie.

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I’m not sure if I’ve posted the Sour Cream recipe before (seems like I might have); we first had this tasty dessert in Frankenmuth, MI. at one of two very famous restaurants there (can’t remember which one-they’re both directly across the street from each other; the area is highly German and is famous for their chicken dinners).  I love this recipe because it’s both flavorful AND very creamy, due to the sour cream. It’s not a very sweet pie, either, which I really like; you get the apple flavor mixed with ‘creamy’… very tasty, I think!

Hope you’re having a great day; it’s Saturday, a ‘day of rest’…for the most part I’m going to try to do just that (amid doing a little laundry, emptying the dishwasher, knitting a bit, sewing more squares together on #201…perhaps reading one of two books I checked out at the library – more mysteries.)  Last night’s Gym Night went very well, however we didn’t have as many people attend as we’d planned for, hence there’s lots of cooked hot dogs, chopped onion and shredded cheese in my fridge today! (I had one for breakfast…don’t laugh! It’s protein!).

Anyway, I’ll close for now…enjoy your day!

Hugs;

Pammie

ps:  It’s a glorious sunny day today with a nice breeze blowing…just the kind of day to go to a football game! (youngest son is going in about an hour…guess who’s driving?).  Thermometer outside reads:  68 degrees F.

You Know You’re Getting Old When…

you don’t see the things around you in the same way/manner others do. Let me explain: I am NOT a person who likes to go shopping at large malls but yesterday my youngest asked if I would take him to our local gigantic mall and we went.  I don’t know about you, but I was inundated with the continual feeling of being ‘just plain OLD’! Mind you, I haven’t been to this mall in probably 4-5 years (I hate malls, remember? It’s the agoraphobia-’fear of large places/crowds’ thing-I end up having a panic attack … not pleasant, for sure!).  We walked around and through several of the areas and stopped in several clothing stores to purchase youngest’s clothing (earnings from his job). I was totally amazed; no, guess that’s not the right word…shocked would fit better here, at just how much the ‘world of merchandising’ appeals to the younger (teens to 30’s) group. My last impression of this mall was ’spot on’ with yesterday’s: shoe stores, clothing stores, shoe stores, more clothing stores, etc. I’m not a ‘clothes horse’ at all; give me a good garage sale find and I’m happy, so you can imagine my feelings at having all this ‘junk’ stare me in the face. My family says I’m ’sheltered’…I guess in this instance, they’re right! For example:  we were at American Eagle clothing store and youngest picked up a pair of jeans . . . these were the ‘distressed’ look: very faded blue jeans with what I would describe as ‘wear marks’, holes all down the front of both legs and some on the back. This pair of ‘new’ jeans sell for $49.99!!! (he didn’t buy them…thank Heavens!). Next store: Hot Topics; a very ‘trendy’ teens store full of more (JUNK!) items to appeal to the younger set. In this store he picked up a pair of turquoise high-top tennis shoes which sold for, you guessed it, another $49.99! (we went to PayLess shoes and found a black pair of high tops for $29.99…with my $5 off coupon, they were just his price!). I know I’m getting older, but just looking at ‘what’s fashion in the teen world today’ made me sick to my stomach! Walking around the mall I had feelings of being WAY out of date (I kind of knew that, but maybe not as much as now); I was wearing a knit top, blue jeans and sandals. All around the mall were various ages of women with several things in common:  all were wearing tight fashion jeans with a leather belt, most were showing some skin at the waistline, and various kinds of shoe wear, all very ‘in fashion’ and, I’m certain, very expensive.  I’m not criticizing them, just making an observation. Do I feel less ‘chic/hip/in fashion’ after this experience? NO! A little ‘old’ because I’m certain I didn’t ‘fit in’, but really if you get down to it,  my body was covered, I was comfortable and the clothing I was wearing was totally affordable for me, therefore I declare:  I’m JUST FINE in my own skin! It’s sad to know that others feel the necessity to spend such exsorbitant (definition: “exceeding the customary or appropriate limits in intensity, quality, amount, or size”) amounts on ’skin coverings’; I’ll get off my soap box now…

Went to the office supply store today and saw an item I didn’t know existed: print them yourself bumper stickers! They come in a package of 6 for $9.99; you put them in your printer -  interesting idea! (yes, I do see that they ‘could’ pose a problem for those who decide that the world needs to know their inner secrets or where they think YOU should go or where they think you should stick things, but I’ll leave that to your imagination … grin)

Lately I’ve been immersed into the world of organizing a fund raiser for our special needs group. It’s been decided that we’re going to have a baked potato dinner with silent auction.

My job, so far, is to research the costs involved food-wise and design tickets (my fun project!). We’re shooting for the third week in October and 100 guests. Our silent auction will consist of donated ‘baskets’. Years ago we did a bowl-a-thon and had baskets; they were a hit so we’re hoping to do this again. I’m making two: a “Baby Shower” basket which will have a hand-knit baby blanket, three coordinating baby hats, a pair of crocheted ‘Mary Jane’ baby shoes for a girl and a crocheted pair of ‘high topped tennis shoes’ for a boy (my very talented friend Kim did the shoes for me). Also in the basket is a large, very soft stuffed cat. I haven’t decided yet whether to add a few small infant toys (like teething rings) to it. We’re hoping each basket will have a value of around $25-50. The other basket I’m putting together is a “Pie Time” arrangement consisting of a Pampered Chef pie dish, pie roller and flour/sugar sprinkler and then I’m still working on the rest of the items. Thinking maybe a set of measuring spoons, measuring cups, perhaps an apron or linen dish towel…who knows. We’ve composed a list of basket ideas and are in the process of asking people for donationed baskets. (Don’t worry…I’m not hitting you up! These will be to the ladies of the church where we meet). Our ultimate goal is to raise $300-400, which will cover our expenses for about a year. In years past we held garage sales (my favorite) but the other two ladies on the board felt we were not getting the profits and expending far too much effort for our work, so hence the potato dinner idea. We’ll see how this goes; if it works well we might do it again next year.  There are only three of us doing all the organizing/work, so you can see why we’re trying to conserve energies and get the most for our efforts.

That’s about ‘it’ for me lately; just got back from the chiropractor and he said that my back is now ‘better than when I first came in’; I’m feeling ‘well’ and it’s down to 2 visits a week for the next week then he’ll see if it will become once a month (YAY!). It’s not as painful to go through the manipulations, which I’m very glad of!

Next up is getting my organizing skills working towards tonight’s “Gym Night” for my special needs group. Once a month in the fall/winter months we hold a Gym Night for our kids. From 6:30-8:30 we have a meal (hot dogs, chips, pop and cookies tonight…I’m the hot dog cooking queen), a short Bible devotion, then the students are free to play basketball, bowl (using sets of childrens plastic bowling pins), color, do jigsaw puzzles, or just chat with their friends. We also host another church’s special needs group, so we’re expecting a total of 35-50 people tonight; ought to be fun!

I was listening to a gentleman at the chiropractor’s office talk about  now that he’s retired all he does is golf and rest and he only golfs twice a week; the rest of the time he just rests. My thought on that was: I’ve been retired now 26 years and I’ve NEVER been as busy in my life as I am now; guess it’s all in how ‘old’ you feel, eh?

On that note, I’ll close. It’s a wee bit chilly here today: in the 60’s, overcast with brief bits of sunshine (it’s supposed to rain today).  I’m not letting the cold air bring me down…still looking for the sunshine!

Enjoy your day!

Hugs;

Pammie

Of Cabbages and Kings…

Hello, all! It’s been awhile since I’ve posted – not that I haven’t thought about ya, just been too busy/pooped/stressed (fill in the blank here) to compose my thoughts enough to make up a blog post. What’s been happening, you ask? Where to start . . . I guess, for starters my BACK is doing MUCH better (I’m still dreading going for the adjustments but it’s worth it). I actually went from Monday to Friday before having a return visit/adjustment . . . that’s a three-day reprieve! YAY! Next visit is an evaluation and adjustment, but I’m actually much more agile which makes me happy.

Second: Middle son’s “CCC” (Constant Car Curse): without going into tons of details, we got the title for the ‘gift’ car, got all the paperwork transferred, had it towed to Midas to find out why it wouldn’t run; turns out it was the alternator. They replaced it, called us and we went to pick it up (5-10 min. after phone call). Got there and were met by the mechanic who was just shaking his head – it seems that when they were pulling it out of the bay, the ‘Service Engine Soon’ light came on! When they checked it, the alternator was charging TOO MUCH (which would cause the battery to blow if let continue). They assured us that they would order another alternator/no charge to us. That took another 2 days.  Yesterday we FINALLY were able to pick up the car, take it to the local tire place, get a new tire for the front ($60) so he’s not driving on a donut anymore, and now he’s ‘on his way’….for how long, we don’t know.  Amidst all the other car ’stuff’, the first time they thought they had the car fixed for us it stopped running while the mechanic was taking it for a test drive and had to have it towed back to the shop! Oh! Forgot to mention the ‘fun’ adventures of Wednesday! I spent most of that day either sitting and knitting in my car or listening to car dealers talk. Middle son had decided that since his ‘luck’ (or lack of) with cars was so dismal, he would look into buying a NEW CAR! He’d decided to go with (don’t shoot me here, it wasn’t MY idea!) either a KIA or a Honda. (the rest of the family are dyed-in-the-wool Chrysler people). He test drove a Kia something (not sure what model) that would run him something like $14,000, then we went to the Honda dealer and they were all ready to give him a car for something like $17,000 out the door (with his dad’s co-signing). He put $200 down and we were all ready for him to (finally) have a reliable vehicle until… his older brother called yesterday and we chatted about the ‘new car’ idea. He mentioned to me: “Mom, are you aware that he’ll have to have FULL coverage for insurance? That would run him AT LEAST $250!  Add that to the monthly payments of $335-350 and he won’t have any money left per month to even buy gas OR go to college classes!” (Well, folks I’ve never in my life had a new car, so I had NO idea on all this.) Back we went to the Honda dealer to get his $200 down payment back. He was very disappointed, to say the least.  AT LEAST he now has a ‘car’, even though it’s this beater Neon that leaks oil big time. Our neighbor said he would look at it to see if he can figure out why it’s leaking oil so bad. (a quart a week).   That’s my big CAR WOES story for this week (let’s hope this doesn’t continue to other weeks…at least not any time soon!).

The holiday weekend is upon us; my husband’s on vacation for a week which takes some of the stresses off me (YAY!) I’ve still been knitting/crocheting squares and am hopeful that today I’ll be able to lay out another 4-5 afghans to begin putting more together. No particular plans for the weekend – no outside barbecues, no picnics…nothing special other than relaxing (I HOPE!!!).  The laundry is almost caught up, the dishwasher needs running soon, but other than that…Pammie’s taking a break from life  and it’s stresses (I HOPE!).

Hope you have a great holiday weekend and that it’s filled with nice, relaxing things that you enjoy.

Hugs;

Pammie

ps:   Our weather is supposed to be just gorgeous all weekend – in the 70’s and sunny…who could ask for a nicer ‘end of summer’?

pss:  Perhaps you’re wondering why I chose that title for this post – the line came to me, while listing all the ‘car troubles’ stuff and searching for a suitable title.  The quote is from Lewis Carroll:

“”The time has come,” the walrus said, “to talk of many things: Of shoes and ships – and sealing wax – of cabbages and kings”

this is a quote: (from Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There, 1872); the poem is called: “The Walrus and the Carpenter”.

Crazy, but sorta ‘on hold’

a Neon (not ours)

As I promised I would report on our latest crazy/wild adventures. Let’s see…where to begin? As you know, middle son’s car (the one he purchased in January) finally died (think it’s the transmission-won’t shift into ANY gear, and now that battery’s died, too…it’s taking up space in our front yard at the moment).  I’ve been “Mama Taxi” for a few weeks now while he constantly complained about not having a vehicle. Last week his friend told him her sister was going to GIVE him her car! Sounds like a great idea, right? Well, if you know my middle son’s ‘luck’? with cars, this sort of fits right in. It’s a crazy story (what else, right?); son and 2 friends drove 45 min. to the ‘car owner’s’ house to pick up the vehicle. As far as they knew, all paperwork was in order.  The two friends drove their car and middle son drove the ‘donated’ car home. When youngest son announced that the 2 friends were in the driveway but NOT my middle son, I began to panic.  About 20 min. later he arrived, driving ‘new/donated’ car. To say that the Lord was definitely on his side watching over him is to put it mildly! Let me list the reasons:  son drove car home (45 min.) with (a) no license plate, (b) the left rear tail light not working (c) a ‘mini tire/donut’ on the right front, and (d) the paperwork was all wrong! Seems the owner gave him a proof of no fault insurance FOR HER MOTHER’S CAR! IF a policeman had pulled him over, I can’t even imagine the fines/charges! No insurance, faulty tail light, no license plate, no proof that he even had anything to do with buying this car, NO TITLE!!! Now we have a 1995 dark purple Neon (with peeling paint in several large spots)  in our yard. This all occurred last Friday…and no knowledge of just WHEN we’re getting this title in the mail!  Yep, we’re ‘on hold’ awaiting the title; now you see why I titled this one CRAZY! Guess it sorta fits my lifestyle lately.

Youngest son turned 15 yesterday and we had a small family celebration with Dairy Queen frozen ice cream Oreo Cake! YUMMY! Same son is getting packed today for his one-week trip to Georgia with the church Youth Group on a work/missions trip. They will be staying in a youth hostel and helping teach Vacation Bible School to needy kids in the area; my son is really excited about this trip.

Have to wrap this one up; driving middle son to work then coming home to babysit grandson for a few hours before continuing help with the duffle bag packing.

Hope you’re having a nice, calm week!

Hugs;

Pammie

Oh how I love a bargain!

Part of today has been spent doing the ’school supplies’ running; you know, when you hit all the great bargains at all the stores! Not the big ticket stores like KMart and Target…NO! Smart shoppers know that the best bargains for those things are at the…DRUG STORES! Yes, that’s what I said…drug stores! Had a great time hunting down their ‘get you in the store’ sales (can’t remember the exact technical name for those…it’s been a good 27 years since I took Marketing classes in college!). Walgreen’s had great sales on things like index cards for 25 cents ea, limit 2 (I paid $1.70 something a few months ago for one pkg!); college rule filler paper 10 cents a pk, limit 3…that’s just a few of the sales I remember there. Then it was on to Office Max (yes, I know it’s not a drug store, but they had great sales, too!) like: 2-pocket folders 1 cent ea.limit 5; 12 inch wooden ruler 1 cent;12 pk. #2 wooden pencils 10 cents, limit 3; composition books 50 cents, limit 2…yes, I had a good time shopping! CVS has some good sales going on their school supplies, also. Tomorrow is KMart for their mechanical pencils and a backpack for youngest son.

When we were at Office Max the clerk gave me a coupon good for $5 off a purchase of $25 or more at Pay Less shoes; THAT came in handy because youngest & I went there, too! He got sandals and new school shoes and I found a great pair of those backless tennis shoes ($10) AND we got $5 off on the total purchase! It’s my lucky day!!!

It seems to be a week of shopping for school and this upcoming missions trip for youngest son. Still have to get a pair of sun glasses ($5 off at CVS!) and a wallet with chain (there are no lockers or places to store any valuables where they’re going).

Just glad to be sitting down right now and resting my feeties; I have another ‘adventure’ tonight and tomorrow with middle son. Will be blogging about this one, I’m SURE! Stay tuned to the further adventures of this ‘constantly running’ Mom.

Hope you’re having a great day! (It’s a mild day out, something like 70 degrees and a little sunny…not our typical August weather but I’ll take it!)

Hugs;

Pammie

Cars & Cookies

Have you ever been given advice that just plain made sense? That was the case recently for me; Tuesday found me at my Knit Night, arriving in the rented PT Cruiser. After answering several ladies questions about my recent car troubles, a new lady to our group asked me a few questions then said that sounded exactly like the same problem she’d had a few years ago. She explained that when you move an older gas tank, there are small rust particles which are jostled around and can clog the fuel line filter, causing the start/stop problem I had been experiencing. She said it’s an ‘easy fix, not very expensive’, but also can be very difficult to diagnose.  The next morning the car dealership called to inform me that, once again for the third day in a row, my car “Starts up just fine!” I decided that I’d about ‘had it’ in the ‘waiting for them to find the problem’ department so I told him to just change out the fuel line filter. (He probably thought I was nuts, but Hey! It was a sale, so he wasn’t saying anything.)  $253.47 later, my car’s back home (same day/Wednesday), it’s running fine and I’m happy. WAS that the actual problem? I don’t know…we’ll just have to wait and see, but her advice sure made sense to me!  Yes, to answer Momma’s question, the PT Cruiser was fun to drive; it hugs curves very nicely at higher speeds (as opposed to my minivan, which doesn’t). My only complaint on that vehicle is that the seats-to-pedals ratio is a little strange for those of us who have short legs; I had to get in the car and move the seat closer to the pedals to drive, then when I wanted to get out I had to move the seat back some so that my hips wouldn’t hit the steering wheel! Goofy. I loved the floor shifter; very ‘retro’, but it took my husband to figure out how to open the back hatch/gate (have to double-click the unlock button…I ended up putting all my groceries on the seats because I couldn’t get it open when I needed it!).  It was a ‘fun drive’ and would be a good car for a single person or someone who didn’t need to transport more than 4 people. OH! The only other complaint I had was it’s horrible (in my opinion) on gas mileage! I drove a total of 42 miles with it, which registered at 1/8 th of a tank used. At $2.47 (9) per gallon, it cost me $10.00 for an eighth tank! In my minivan I can fill up the whole tank for $33.00 !!! (at that same price per gallon). I would sure hate to have to pay to fill THAT ONE up all the time…whew!

This week is the church youth group’s bake sale (to coincide with their garage sale), so that finds me baking up a storm. Have made brownies, multiple batches of Cranberry/Oatmeal/Walnut and Peanut Butter Cup cookies plus 6 mini loaves of Banana Nut bread and Chocolate Chip bread. The teens are going on a work/missions trip to Georgia August 8th and the monies raised will go towards their trip (that also goes along with the bottle drive, ‘fun run’ and car wash they’ve already held. I don’t mind baking and was able to snag some mini loaves of zucchini bread that one of their leaders baked (YUM!).

That about wraps it up for my adventures this week. Hope you’re having a good week!

Hugs;

Pammie

Like My Friend “Nemo”…

I “Just Keep Swimming”!

As I’ve said before, this has truly been a really crazy/busy/goofy week … especially when it comes to cars! I told you the tale of how my brakes failed on Tuesday; the repair place didn’t get my car back to me until yesterday morning which totally wiped out my going to Knit Night on Tuesday evening AND my special needs group on Wednesday night. That was a bit frustrating but, if I could have chose any week to miss both groups, I guess this one was the best-BOTH groups were really down on numbers which made the two lovely people who are my assistants in both groups have a better evening of it while managing both groups alone.

Thursday found me “with car” again and I happily completed several errands to the Library, Post Office (where I picked up a box of 168 more squares!) and a quick trip to the grocery store.  A little later I jumped in my car to drive middle son to work, turned the key only to find that the car would start then immediately quit again! This drove me nuts! Middle son ended up getting a ride to work from his boss and I waited until my husband got home to drop this latest ‘bombshell’ on him.  After a bit of tinkering with my car he came in the house and said: “You have NO GAS!”  “WHAT?” I sort of yelled; I just got a full tank on Monday and I haven’t driven very far at all!  We called the repair place and, of course, they didn’t have a clue WHY I would have lost an entire tankful of gas after they had to disconnect and remove the tank in order to put in new brake lines. Frustrating, for sure. Husband drove to the nearest gas station and got a gas can full of gas, poured some in my tank and then asked me to ’start it up’.  Low and behold, his guess was right! He surmised that my car had either: “vapor lock” OR  the on-board computer, after having the gas tank removed and re-attached, didn’t read that the car actually had gas…it read “empty”. Once we ‘boosted’ the tank with a little gas, all was fine again, the gas gauge read “Full”. We took a little drive around the neighborhood with my husband following in his car, just to test it out.  This has certainly been ‘THE week” for car troubles!

Today is babysitting my grandson again (as well as tomorrow, 3-8 p.m.) so I know that I’ll be needing a nap come dinnertime, for sure! (Last night we were all feeling a little tired and husband, myself and grandson all took about a 1- 1 /2 hour nap (mine was shorter as I had to get up and prepare dinner) but it was a well-earned rest, for sure.

Hoping that your day is bright & sunny; it’s now a wonderfully sunny day outside after yesterday’s rain. Had to get up early to go drain the accumulated water out of the sandbox; my grandson will SURELY be expecting to go play outside today (even IF the sand is actually more like sand/mud!)

Hugs;

Pammie

Another Busy Week

Lately it seems that my ’summer vacation’ isn’t as vacation-like as I’d hoped. Since middle son’s car died last week it’s turned into Mom’s Taxi Service; don’t get me wrong – it’s not that bad (he’s been also having his friends drive him), but tomorrow/Tuesday is one of those really crazy days.  It’s been a weekend of church and baking cookies & brownies for youngest son’s Youth Group Missionary Trip coming up next month. (he reported back that the cookies & brownies both sold out…they were both mixes, but turned out really yummy). Today was doing house bills, grocery shopping, cleaning up the dishes & garbage and a bit of laundry.  Tomorrow – ah, tomorrow…one of those “wish I didn’t have to try to schedule this one”‘ days. The morning isn’t looking too bad, we might even try to squeeze in a quick trip to the beach for a few hours; our local library had a special offer for all Library card holders: ask at the resource desk and they would give you a pass good for one free day at any of our parks (that’s $6.00 free).  The card is only good for a week and I didn’t really know that when I asked for it; that makes it a bit dicey on the scheduling – really hoping it doesn’t rain! At around 4 p.m. I get my grandson for 1 1/2 hours; during that time I have to drive middle son to his college Japanese class which is a half hour away/freeway driving. Oh joy…baby in car, me going the expressway to and from…sigh. At around 5:30 he will be picked up, then at around 6 I leave for my regular knit night. At the same time my husband is going to a “Boys Night Out” with the guys from work. It’s a great time for him to just ‘get out’; they stop at a pub near their work and he loves going because they have great Shepherd’s Pie…his favorite.  I don’t begrudge him this because it’s only once a month and lately they haven’t gone, so he’s more than ‘due’.  During all this rush of scheduling, youngest son will be joining his friends at the local high school pool for swimming. That wouldn’t be so bad, but I’m having a heck of a time figuring out just when I’ll be able to swing by and pick him up! I’m hoping for around 5 p.m….really hoping that works out. He ‘could’ walk home, but I’d rather he not. Ah, the fun of life, eh?

Let’s see – what else happened during the past 2-3 days? I managed to get four dishcloths knit for a young friend of mine in our knit group who just got married Saturday. (Kind of like knitting squares, just different material used). I got her two coffee mugs, 4 cotton dish towels, the dishcloths and a box of various fruit teas (she’s a vegetarian); it was a kind of impromptu gift, hope she likes it (didn’t know her kitchen colors).

Babysat my grandson several days last week and will again this week. We played in the sandbox, assembled puzzles, played ‘cars’ and took naps; kept me busy and tired out later! I get him Tues, Thurs, Fri. and Saturday this week…do I see a very tired Pammie in the near future? You bet!

Other than all that, things are good here -  everyone is healthy and that’s a blessing. I know I’ll muddle through this week same as last week…one foot in front of the other, lots of knitting and the occasional nap!

Big Hugs;

Pammie

ps:  I should add that middle son hasn’t had any free time to go looking for another car; he’s thinking Honda this time…we’ll see.

Driving, Groceries & Goodies

I’m kind of  ‘holding my breath’ while applauding the resourcefulness of middle son in asking for rides from his friends to get him to college and the midnight opening of the latest Harry Potter movie. Yay, son! Also youngest son volunteered to have the church bus pick him up for vacation Bible school (he’s working as a Teen Volunteer, escourting younger kids to and from events), thus freeing me up completely for my ‘fun event’ tonight: our Knit Group’s Movie Night! Yes, we get together to knit almost weekly, but this is a step-above that.  One of our members has a lovely condo complete with basement refinished into what she lovingly calls a “Man Cave”. That’s a basement furnished with those huge theater seats: reclining leather connected seats, cup holders, little built-in side tables, the whole bit! A built in bar and counter area and also several tables & chairs round out this total MOVIE THEATER experience. Did I mention Surround Sound? It’s got that, too.  Add to that opulence a pot luck dinner brought by our members and you’ve got a complete Ladies Night Out! We bring our knitting, eat great foods and watch a current movie…what more could you ask for? Tonight is Taco Night and I’m bringing “Triple Chocolate Mess” dessert with French Vanilla ice cream, just to be decadent. (I posted that recipe on a earlier post, just in case you might be interested). The movie is: “A Beautiful Mind” which I’ve been assured is a tear-jerker but very good … I’ll let ya know, later.

Managed to get my running done early today: Post Office (checking to see if there might be a box of knit/crocheted squares…nope), Library to pick up a free one-day pass to any of our county parks courtesy of the Library (that includes our local beach! YAY!) The pass is good for 8 days and I’m looking at my calendar and scoping out this Thursday (as long as nothing ‘else’ gets in the way…like sons with car problems). Did a quick run to the grocery store for THREE items: Kleenex, bacon, and Pierogies (I know…what an unusual grouping of things, eh?)…ended up with several ‘other’ items, like chicken legs & thighs on sale for $7.90…they were in a big bag and after cleaning and re-bagging there were enough for 2 dinners (1 leg/thigh each, for 4 people) and 2 extra leg/thighs left over. I looked over all of their various offerings of chicken parts and noticed that even if I only bought one package of one type of chicken part (like legs or thighs or breasts) I’d still be spending at least $7. 00 and getting less meat in the deal, so this seemed to be a good deal:  10 rather large legs & thighs for $7.90!  Also noticed beef cube steak  (hey, it just called to me! “Hey! Buy me! I’ll make a tasty dinner for ya!…I heard and complied), so much for my little foray for only three items.

It’s a beautiful sunny July day (in the 80’s); my ’schedule’ is relatively free (at the moment)…think I’ll go knit for a few. Enjoy your day!

Hugs;

Pammie