Sunday January 9

[Shirlv]

Morning All, cloudy and 29° Rain later should get rid of the lingering snow. Still too cold to rescue the fairy lights on the balcony. My youngest daughter is interested in buying an rv and ask for my help. Didn’t realize how much prices have increased. I haven’t made chicken and dumplings in years and since yesterday was a flop it might be several more years before I try again. Think it will help if I replace the ancient box of Bisquik in the pantry. BJ, think sassy puppies are hilarious. Luca gives daughter the evil eye if she doesn’t jump when he rings the bell. Be safe

[Colliemom]

Out with the old and in with the new. The bathroom remodel is done. Only things remaining are painting and a new piece of moulding along the one wall. Those are my projects. Contractor will be back on Tuesday to rewire the vent/fan fixture, so I can turn on the light without the fan running if I want. While he was installing the new tub, he had to cut out a section of wall to get it to fit. He was going to replace it and I suggested maybe just cutting it all the way to the ceiling and widen up the opening. I love the difference it made.










I also had a lght fixture change over in my bathroom off my bedroom. This is the old fixture



New fixture

[MandysMom]

Nice changes Sue!
It's sunny and 55° here. No rain in near future, but those commuting in early hours may find fog.
I woke while still dark with my neck hurting a lot. So took my CBD and put CBD cream on neck and changed pillows to my memory foam roll and slept until 9:30!
Looking forward to possibly having floor project done by end of week, or close. I'm more than ready to move on to my other projects here!
Velda

[Redetotry]

Already afternoon here and we have sunshine!!! Does wonders for my mood. Sue you found a good contractor to get so much done in one day! we need our bathroom changed to a walk in tub/showere for DH.
Liz thanks for all the beautiful photo of your garden and yard. Shirlv, I've never heard of using Bisquick for dumplings! Do you make 'slickers' ?
I did not sleep well last night the eye patch I'm supposed to use kept falling off. I had all sorts of tape on it and after the fourth time I came in the kitchen and was trying to get it back on with band
aids and I dropped it! At that point I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. I just thought a lot of bad words and stuck it back on after I found it and washed it. Needless to say I need a nap. My vision is starting to clear, thank you Anita for the explanation. I hope you get your car out someday!
Tina good to hear you are on the road again!! Enjoy.
I'm off for a nap and my noon time eye drops.

[Shirlv]

Just picked up the snazzy purple cane. I will now tackle those stairs without bannisters. Sue, a great renovation. Removing that piece of wall was a good move, really open up the space. BJ have always made puffy dumplings with Bisquick. Checked and the recipe is no longer on the box but is online. I searched and couldn’t find the definition of “slicker”. While I was searching I saw a question about dumplings. Answered my disaster, I over coated the dumplings, forgot to set the timer. It is a dreary rainy day so closing shades, turning on lamps and Christmas tree lights. Might even practice the Stroll. Lol

[Bethers]

I'm pretty sure my mom made dumplings using Bisquick. It's been years since I made any and have no memory what method I may have used. Shirl, I love the idea of a purple cane.

Sue, I love it all and opening that portion up to the ceiling was brilliant.

I'm bored. I can't get into reading. I can't get into TV. I've played my games more than I want to lol It's cloudy and muggy with rain expected later so not going anywhere. Except I'll try to get another good walk with Ty in before the rains come. I did some chores in the rig, but finished them quickly. I feel like I could easily nap but know that would mean I'd be tapping my toes at 1 or 2 in the morning lol. I usually have no problem keeping myself entertained. Thanks for listening

[JudyJB]

Nice changes to your bathroom, Sue. It is amazing how much bigger it looks by cutting down that wall! When I bought my last condo in 1997, the doorway to my kitchen from my living area was small. The unit was new and was drywalled with a base coat of paint, but not completely finished, so I insisted they widen the doorway at least a foot. It cost me some money, but really made it feel more open.

I just took my second at-home COVID test, and it was negative! And so far, my granddaughter is the only one from either family who has tested as positive. She has been vaccinated and boosted, and really not feeling that bad, but very bored having to stay in her room. Luckily, I was gone to Detroit on Saturday and Sunday, and did not see much of her because I had a doctor and dentist appt on Monday. Kids were in school all day Tuesday. I sat in the living room but did not even eat with everyone because I was on soft food. And when I got up on Wednesday to leave, they had already left for school. She tested positive on Wednesday and Thursday night.

I had a rough night's sleep last night because my jaw and mouth were aching so bad. I got up and took both Advil and Tylenol, but it was still sore. I think what happened was that I had some chicken and rice for dinner, plus some fruit. I tried to eat on the other side, but the area around the surgery felt really raw and painful. I don't know what the dentist did, but he sure messed up a lot of my mouth! Plus, my sinus on that side has been aching and causing me to have a headache. One interesting thing, however, is that my morning sinus drip has lessened. I'm taking my antibiotics religiously, so i hope it does not get infected.

[BarbaraRose]

Just got home from work (noon). I couldn't stay any longer. I have a slight fever and feeling dizzy. The little pain pills for my UTI seem to not be working as well now. Time to start the antibiotics! I felt a little guilty leaving since it is just 2 stylists, one of whom is new and still needs to be watched and worked with. But I just couldn't hang in there anymore.

Am hoping I don't have the dreaded side-effects from the meds. I have the whole week off so am hoping I start feeling better so I can get stuff done around here while I have the time.

Good news is my shoulders are both feeling good!

I texted my old coworker from the pot place and she said it is total chaos there! Almost everyone last week ended up with Covid and some are still out with it. She is about ready to quit too. I guess I got out of there in the nick of time!

Sue, love the new tub! Taking down that section of wall really opened it up and will let in more light from the window!

Just gonna lay low today, read, nap, etc.

[Acadianmom]

Sue, send those guys to my house. Your bathroom looks great. There has been so much damage in Louisiana the last 2 year that you can't get anyone to do anything. The metal for my roof is still in the yard and no word when they are coming. What I can't understand is that there are subdivisions going up all over South of Lafayette. Every time I pass a different road I see new houses. I don't know who is going to buy all of them but it looks like they are selling.

I got back from my camping trip about noon. I unloaded the refrigerator and dirty clothes. There were about 17 women and we had a great time. My sister came to meet me. She can hardly get around I am alway worried she is going to fall. She did slide down and ended up sitting on the camper step. I had to go out the driver's side door and help her get up. She has to walk with a rolling walker or hold on to something to get around. She keeps me from doing what I want to do. I will just have to quit going to some of the campouts. There is a campout in Mississippi next weekend and if I didn't hate I-10 and going through Baton Rouge so much I would go. Several of the women are spending another night in Abbeville. I will go meet them for supper later.

It doesn't seem like I can make a trip without something going wrong. When I got to the campground one of my front tires was low. I tried to air it up and the valve just kept letting out air so I had to call Coach Net. I hope the valve stem is all that was wrong. I noticed when I got home he didn't have the hub cap back on good.

We had a range of weather. It started out cool, got down to almost freezing one night and today it's 81. We were suppose to have severe storms this afternoon but all I see now is scattered showers.

My son's girlfriend likes chicken and dumplings and I told them I would make some when I have time. It's has been years since I tried to make dumplings and I remember not liking them. I'll see if I'm any better now.

I'm sure Sugar would like to have a bell to call me. If she can get to me she just stares at me like I'm suppose to read her mind. One of the ladies at the campout had a new young dog that was so cute.

BJ, hope your eye continues to improve.

Barbie and Judy, hope you feel better.

Martha

[chalet05]

Shirl, Steven liked chicken and dumplings. I wasn't great at making them so my mother would make them for him from time to time. I stayed with my aunt after her knee surgery, and when she was ready for a cane I got her a purple collapsible - Kansas State University color. Sue, great bath remodel! I enjoy following your projects. Happy Tina is headed to warmer weather! BJ, good news about your vision. Beth, I had those times of boredom during the week between Christmas and New Year's. Seemed crazy since I have so much to do! Barbie and Judy, hope you feel better. Karen, hope you are better each day.

I decided this morning I would like to start the day without some stupid thing to take care of - usually someone else's mistake/issue. I saw snow equipment make one pass so they must be working in a different area today. Cannot believe how high they have piled snow. Several others have chosen not to dig out. Once they clear things, I will be tempted because there is no snow predicted for awhile and hopefully not like what we just had. Under normal more normal conditions, I could go shopping in Wenatchee. Need a hair cut and would like to see what I can find at the Dollar store for Valentine tree ornaments. Yep, I'm leaving the 'holiday tree' up. People trying to get back to Seattle and the airport are having a bit of a time with passes closed. Several avalanches along one route. Train has been canceled. A mess.

Time for football although Seahawks aren't really worth watching now. I'm a Kansas City Chiefs fan for rest of the season.

[cnq50b]

Hi all,

Anita, how the heck were you supposed to dig out your car? Crazy! Enjoy the snow there, I'm content to enjoy the sunshine here.
Sue, I love the update to your bathroom.
Judy, sounds like that was pretty major dental surgery. I hope it heals quickly.
BJ, hope your vision clears up soon.
Tina, its nice to hear you're out on the road again.
Beth, glad you got your propane - thank goodness you glanced back at just the right time.
Barbie, hope you start feeling better.

I'm procrastinating... I've unpacked from my trip, but need to declutter my place big-time. After staying in AirBnbs & a little hotel for the past 3 weeks, I'd like a more minimal existance than what I have here. Need to finalize all the bins of the kids stuff so I can give them out of here. And get rid of stuff I haven't worn or used since I moved here.

The trip was great. I never had a desire to go to Paris but I now know what the hype is about. It's an amazing city full of history, art, incredible architecture & great food. We walked between 10,000- 22,000 steps each day touring museums, churches, parks & landmarks; had 3 hour dinners after which I thought I would burst; had fresh baguettes with lavendar honey (yummy) & visited a number of chateaus, parks & smaller villages in the countryside. Each day was a new discovery. And.... I lost weight! Wish I could keep up the walking here, but not sure I'm motivated enough to do that plus there isn't anything that interesting around here to walk to. Loved my time with the kids & really fell in love with the Eiffel Tower - especially when it sparkles at the top of every hour.

Well, I'd better get in gear. Jordi started preschool 3 days a week in Dec, but it is closed until Wed so they can do a deep cleaning after a child/parent or teacher got a positive covid test so I'll have him Monday, Tuesday & Thursday this week. He continues to keep me very busy & I'm not motivated to get much done when he's here. I count these as precious days with him, but really, really need to make some changes around here.

Take care everyone.
Catherine

[Redetotry]

Just picked up the snazzy purple cane. I will now tackle those stairs without bannisters. Sue, a great renovation. Removing that piece of wall was a good move, really open up the space. BJ have always made puffy dumplings with Bisquick. Checked and the recipe is no longer on the box but is online. I searched and couldn’t find the definition of “slicker”. While I was searching I saw a question about dumplings. Answered my disaster, I over coated the dumplings, forgot to set the timer. It is a dreary rainy day so closing shades, turning on lamps and Christmas tree lights. Might even practice the Stroll. Lol

Slicker dumplings are made by rolling the dough made mostly with flour and chicken broth from a fat hen you have boiled. You roll the dough really thin, cut them into strips then cut the strips into about 4 inches long and drop them in the boiling broth and chicken pieces.. That is just the general idea I never was able to make them right so depended on friends or chicken and dumplings dinner at churches. But rolling the dough thin is why they call them slickers as opposed to dropped dumplings. Best food ever if made right!

Catherine I'm happy you had such a good time in Paris!! Sounds like an amazing trip!! Anita you may not get your car out until the spring thaw.

[BirdbyBird]

Made it to my campground near Forsyth GA after driving 300 miles and past Atlanta in the rain. My driving time seems to still work out to about an hour for every 50 miles between bladder and fuel stops. I expect to make it to Liz’s and ACV tomorrow afternoon. So far the only oops is that I can’t figure out where I put my extra set of keys for both the RT and the Honda…. Sigh. I have learned not to instantly panic so will give myself a day or two before I and copies….

[JudyJB]

OK, you have made me hungry for chicken and dumplings. My mother made "dumplings" by just dropping Bisquick biscuit dough into bubbling gravy, but I suspect there is more to it. Also, the ones my mother put on beef stew were very large. How big do you make dumplings for chicken??

So, could a couple of you please post detailed recipes for your version of chicken and dumplings? I will have some time this coming week to do some trying of recipes.

Also, I decided that my gums on the sides and the roof of my mouth, not just the middle where he did the surgery are really the sore parts. (It feels like when you burn your mouth with something too hot--just raw tissue. This has been more painful than the original extration.) And I think that eating certain foods, even if I try to chew on the opposite side are tearing up the sensitive, healing tissue, so tonight I had a toasted cheese sandwich with a tomato in it. Used soft bread and did not toast it much, so it was relatively soft. I am going to have some milk tonight and maybe try to pick up some cottage cheese or something similarly soft like ice cream tomorrow to allow the gums to heal. Vegetables and fruit are going to have to wait a couple of days!!

[Shirlv]

Judy, your Mother’s way is the right way. 2 cups Bisquick combined with 2/3 cup of milk. Drop sticky dough into boiling liquid. Cook uncovered 10 minutes and covered for another 10 minutes. I used a large serving spoon to drop dough. Make them any size you want. I found a slow cooker recipe for chicken and dumplings so will try that next time.