Today and Tomorrow and Then Radio Silence

I shouldn't be so rushed on a Monday morning, but I am. I have thoughts of the sale email that we've been tweaking in my head and I need to get that finalized and sent out for out after-Christmas sale. I have this and that, gifts and groceries, and a refrigerator full of food (for just the two of us - LOL). We have a ham and a prime rib. I guess I'll be cooking a bit - LOL. 

I've got a baked ham in the refrigerator. I think DH has 
already pulled off a piece or two (just to test the taste, 
you know? - LOL). 

I don't know if I'll have anything magnificent to say over the next few days, and I'm quite sure most of you will be busy with your own Holiday events and preparations, but I want to make sure to wish all of you a Good Solstice, a Happy Hanukkah, and a Blessed Christmas. If I missed any of you with the greetings, just pick your own and plug my name into it. I'm hoping for everything good for each and every one of you. 

I'll be cooking the Prime Rib on Christmas Day. It always 
makes me a bit nervous to cook such an expensive piece 
of meat, but really, they just cook themselves - LOL. 

I'll try to post tomorrow, it's a swimming day so I should be on schedule, but then I'm off on Wednesday and Thursday for the holidays and I won't be posting those two days. Enjoy, I'll be here tomorrow and then "radio silence" for two days of much needed holiday. Slava Ukraini. 

Fill The World With Some Joy Today

Yesterday's sales numbers were excellent, and we have three days of our year-end sale still remaining. We were all kept quite busy helping customers or getting them rung out and sent on their way, merchandise clutched to them. It helps that we're having good weather. It's cold, but it's the end of December. It's supposed to be cold. But the roadways are clear and there's no snow, rain or sleet happening or expected in the immediate future. I'm relieved. 

Things are going well. We still have three days remaining 
in our year-end clearance sale, and I'm hoping the numbers 
will be strong for all four days. Then we can collapse. LOL

I've always believed that we have the BEST customers in the world. They're polite, they help others find what they're looking for, they're not pushy, and they know that beads are one of the sure ways to happiness. Beads are rather extraordinary - they're good forever. Beads are found with prehistoric burials, or clutched in the hands of a five-year-old as a charm against bad things. Beads are magic, they're portable, and they create bonds between people. I love beads, and I love selling them to people who make extraordinary items with them. It's been my task for more than 30 years, and I love it. 

These stone beads date from the Neolithic, and there have 
been beads far older than that also discovered and cherished. 
Beads seem to have been with mankind for as long as 
we've walked the earth. 

I finally had a chance to get to the grocery store yesterday, and picked up all of the ingredients necessary to make a nice hearty soup tomorrow that will take me through dinners for much of next week. Tonight's dinner might be a bit scant, but I have some stuff in my freezer that I can add to my usual salad. I certainly won't starve - LOL. 

I'll be making a vegetable soup of some kind tomorrow. 
I got all of the ingredients yesterday morning on the 
way to the shop - just need to pull out the stock pot, 
load it up with all the good stuff, and start it cooking. 
I do love soups during the Winter months. 

And I finally got a good night's sleep. Yesterday night's sleep was fussy and stressed, I don't think I managed more than two hours all-told. But last night I crashed until my alarm went off this morning. I feel MUCH more human. It's rather amazing what sleep can do as a restorative - probably why sleep deprivation is used as a torture device by some regimes. 

What a difference a good night's sleep can make. Today 
I actually feel human and ready for Day Two of our 
Four-Day End of the Year Sale. Yippee! 

So we go on. The month and the year are almost complete. Look back at your year, a few days early. Look back and see what positive things you have done that has made the world slightly better for everyone. It doesn't have to been anything major - how about being friendly, smiling at everyone? That can leave so many good feelings behind you as you progress through your day. Why not try it today? If you like the results, make it part of your daily regime from this point forward. The world will benefit from a bit more joy. I'll be back on Monday, so have a safe and joy-filled weekend. Slava Ukraini. 

I'm Totally Into the Holiday Season Now

So I made it through our first Sunday of working, and we actually did make a few sales, so it wasn't a total loss. I've been head-deep in the latest of DH's project. He decided he needed to update the pricing on our most popular bead style. It's not out of place - but it's probably something that should have been done in the summer when we had more time to spend on it. As it is, my board for Delica beads looks a bit desolate and I'm pushing things through as quickly as possible to return the sample tubes to the board and have up-to-date pricing on the sample as well as the tubes that would be purchased. It's a huge job, and of course, I don't have Chickie to help out until tomorrow. With luck, however, I'll finish up the task today. 

Do you remember the episode from the "I Love Lucy" show 
entitled "Lucy and Ethel Wrap Chocolates"? That's rather like 
I feel with this latest repricing project. It's almost overwhelming, 
but it can't be because it has to be done. Still, it does seem 
never-ending and brought this old TV episode to mind. If you're 
too young to have seen it, it's worth the hunt. 

Of course, that "luck" runs both ways. If I'm lucky and can finish the project today, then we probably didn't have very many customers and our sales, during the time of year when we count on good sales, will be crappy. If, however, I can't get the project finished because I'm working with customers all day. that also will be bad because I still have a LOT of beads off the boards. *sigh* It's a total LOSE/LOSE situation all around, but I don't have any real say in it. I'm just trying to get the repricing done ASAP so that I can go back to actually selling product to customers instead of slicing, dicing, labeling and hanging. 

Luck is a two-edged sword. It can be good, or bad, but 
it's luck no matter what. Right now I'm walking the edge, 
and it's damned sharp! 

I'm not seeing the Broncos score, so I think they were on a "bye" this week, but the Vikings did beautifully, victorious over Atlanta with a score of 42-21. That was great. I think DH might have watched some of it, I had it on in the back room. I, however, was too busy with "The Project" to spend any time at all. In fact, I was so wrapped up in the whole thing that I forgot my "coffee" cup at the shop. (I actually only drink herbal tea, but tea cup sounds so demure for a honking big thermal travel mug). I'm using my secondary travel mug today to get to the shop. Then I'll deal with my normal mug and hopefully remember to bring BOTH of them home with me tonight. 

I couldn't have done it without you. I'm sorry I had 
to bow out early, but time really wasn't on my 
side. I have to be focused on the business right now, 
we rely on this season to pull us into the new year 
with a positive bank balance - no guarantee if we 
don't get the sales numbers. 

I'm also sending a HUGE thank you once more to all of you who voted for my stories in LJ Idol. I really hated to pull out early - I don't know if I would have won the write-off or not, but I didn't stay to find out. At this time of the year, I don't HAVE time. Any time. I've already received my first holiday card (from my dear friend Shruti in India), and mine haven't even hit the mail yet. That's going to be a HIGH PRIORITY item for my Wednesday because I need to get these out to my friends both near and far. I've also accepted an invitation to the family get-together which will be held in early January (a very sensible schedule). 

Don't lose sight of the fact that it's a season 
of joy, shared with strangers, friends, and 
family (your choice). Enjoy it to the best 
of your ability, and turn the Christmas carols 
off on the 26th - LOL. 

But, the Season is upon us. No time to waste. I'm going to grab a quick breakfast and get moving. I have a LOT of work still waiting for me at the shop, and little time in which to deal with it. Have an excellent Monday, I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

I'm Pulling Out and Focusing On My Business - Reality Has Come Knocking

As of this moment, I have no idea if I will win the write-off, but to be honest, I actually am going to have to pull out of LJ Idol and I'm a bit sad about that. I'm also very happy - I did VERY well this year, coming down to a write-off for Top Five. And I'm falling one position short, to a writer with true talent and great imagination. I feel as if this season of LJ Idol has been a total WIN for me, and I thank each and every one of you for your votes over the past weeks. Every vote made a HUGE difference. 

I have to pull out of LJ Idol. I simply have run out of time 
in which to do the myriad amount of tasks that have to be 
accomplished at this time of the year. And the shop is 
now open seven days a week until Christmas, so I'm working 
on Sundays too. "Spare Time" has evaporated for me. 

But, it's the "Holiday Season" and my "spare time" evaporates at this time of the year. I can't afford to short my livelihood for my hobby, and it's totally a rock/hard place type of choice. I'm working on Sundays now until Christmas, so even my weekend disappears under the constraints of "Holiday" sales and marketing. And, of course the holiday will be followed by our "End of the Year" sale. I can't collapse until January. Too late for Idol, I fear, and no actual time to devote to it. 

I already had a pretty good idea of where I would pull my 
story for Wabisabi (the next prompt). But, right now 
I'm resembling this bowl all too much - too many cracks, 
too many things to do, and barely hanging on. 

I knew what I would write for the next challenge piece, but on the paper where I have the prompt is also notations that I need my address list for my holiday cards and some more holiday hours sheets for our customers. When you're self-employed there really isn't any "off" time. You're always on the clock, and you're always working whether you're actually at the shop, or just at a computer. It's not the first time I've wished I simply worked for someone else. It's a lot easier to let someone else make the decisions - scheduling work days, assigning jobs and tasks, etc. If you get high enough in a large enough company, you can use delegation. You can delegate "your people" to do this or do that. LOL I'm one of three - that's not leaving any room for "your people", that's just A, B or C. 

Long ago we had a dream, DH and I, about 
having a business selling fine art and crafts 
that were Native American made to the larger 
audience. Over time we shifted over to offer 
crafting materials to the Native American 
and general crafting community. We've been 
successful, but it's time to back off and regain 
our lives once again. After this holiday season, 
of course - LOL. 

So, as you enter the rest of your holiday season, think about the small business person and if possible, shoot some business their way. It's hard to swim in an ocean of Amazon and other large retailers. Those of us with small businesses are paddling and kicking as hard and fast as we can, but we're barely holding our heads above the waterline. Please, when possible, shop local and use small businesses when possible. We need the business and appreciate your patronage. So, I'm off to email Gary and pull out of LJ Idol. One less bit of stress in my life, but I'm feeling sad. I don't give up on things, and I'm giving up on this one thing I adore - writing. But it's just this time. Watch out, Idol. I'll be back! Slava Ukraini. 

Turkey Day Eve, LJ Idol Voting and My Sale Email Flyer - It's Always Something!

I was awake at 1:30 am today, and decided sleeping was not going to happen, so after my meditation I went down, took my laptop, made last-minute additions for my Black Friday/Small Business Saturday email, added two more names to the mailing list, and hit SEND. Hopefully we'll get good business from all of this, we really need the dollars, and we love seeing the people. Busy is good, for us at this time of the year. 

Busy is good ... at least I know without a doubt that I'm 
alive - LOL. I'll be glad to be a bit less busy after the 
holiday season is over. 

I think DH will bring the Christmas tree up from the basement today and get it set up. Personally, I advised against it because we don't have many holiday ornaments left to hang onto the branches, but he's a person of "tradition", so ... it wasn't worth the argument. 

Usually I try to avoid the grocery store on the day before 
Thanksgiving, but I don't have a choice this year. So, I'll 
read a book on my phone while I'm inching ahead in line. 

On my end, I'm willing to face the long lines of a "day before Thanksgiving" grocery trip, because I'm out of some things that I HAVE to have and since I'm working on Friday, I don't have that day as a fall-back. But, what the heck. The only things I want/need to cook today are my baked fruit, and a butternut squash. I'll probably pick up a frozen Kevin's for my dinner - I just don't have the time to add cooking a dinner to that, and I'll have a large bird roasting tomorrow. 

I would very much appreciate your vote for my 
current story on the theme "Fools Errand". I actually 
had a lot of fun with this one once I got going, 
and so many of the other stories are rather 
depressing. I am a firm believer in positive thinking. LOL

I'm going into this Holiday season the least prepared that I've been for years and years. So let's concentrate on LJ Idol instead. I'm in the Final Six, and voting has opened for my current story. There are some good ones in the mix - a lot of depressing outlooks. I, on the other hand, took the positive for the prompt because I try to be a positive person, and I enjoy writing about happy people. There's too much angst in this world as it is. Anyway, the link to the poll post is here https://therealljidol.dreamwidth.org/1175673.html and I hope you'll be kind to vote for me. I'm sure it will be close, and I've never gotten this far in any previous year, but all of these writers are REALLY good, and I'm breathing in rarefied air just being in the same group as they are. Please vote. Have an excellent Wednesday and a good Turkey Day. Slava Ukraini. 

Friday, Wildfires and Holidays

Good morning, happy Friday and happy last day of June. Looking at my calendar, next week will be a busy one, despite the fact that I will have Tuesday off to celebrate the 4th of July. Chickie will be lucky - she's going to get three days in a row off - Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Her body can probably use the rest - it's not been her friend over the past year or so. DH and I thought about taking both Monday and Tuesday off for Independence Day. Certainly many people are indulging in an extra long weekend. But when we thought about it, it seemed more logical to grab what sales we could, and DH can continue working in the warehouse, one step closer to closing. 

Tuesday is the 4th of July - Independence Day in the USA. 
We'll have the day off from work, and thought about taking 
the Monday off too, but decided against it. We both need 
to get work done at the shop, so it'll be a good day to get that 
done, and maybe do some sales also. 

Yesterday's swim was magnificent, despite the poor air quality. We're getting slammed with smoke from the hundreds (perhaps thousands) of wildfires in Canada right now. The pool has a sign that the outdoor pool will be closed if the air quality reaches 201, but yesterday's quality was around 125-130. Not great, but not horrible. Our outside lifeguard, Beth, was wearing a mask, however. It makes sense - she's outside for hours while doing her job. Several of the swimmers opted for the indoor pool instead of the outdoor one because of the smoke. We're fortunate - we have two lifeguards, so both pools are usually available. My friend Gail swims indoors only - two hours of non-stop swimming every day. She had both hips replaced a few months ago, but as soon as she was able, she was right back in the pool. She's amazing! 

The air quality has been horrid. The wildfires in 
Canada have been affecting all of the northern states, 
from Washington through to New York. It's not 
fun for anyone with breathing issues. 

I noticed, about half-way through my swim, that Walter, the guy in the lane next to me, and the guy directly to his other side, both stopped, nodded to each other, and raised their hands in salutation to the sun as it crested the eastern treeline. I loved this - got a real kick out of it. It wasn't anything serious, but so out of character for these two - I totally had to smile. 

Just to give you an idea of the scale of the Canadian 
wildfires, here they are. Spread across the entire nation 
of Canada, they are affecting the air quality of everyone 
south of them. I'm just to the West of the Great Lakes, 
so my area is certainly impacted. 

So, today's blog is up a bit late. I had some shipping stuff I had to take care of first thing, so that I could start my day out comfortably and a bit less rushed. But that box is by my exit to the garage, and I'll be dropping the box by my Post Office within the next 90 minutes. For today, I'll be making a batch of Ogre Juice, paying a couple of bills, and working on my beading project for my holiday cards. Sunday is the first day of Le Tour de France, so I'll put up the Stage 1 profile for all of you tomorrow. Summer is officially here - Le Tour is starting again! LOL Have an excellent Friday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

A Fish Fry and Memories of Mom - A Holiday Weekend for Many, Too

Last night's final fish meal was actually delightful. DH had warned me he needed the oven, and, as it turned out, I needed the stove top, so that worked out well. I had a small Walleye fillet and a Tilapia fillet that I wanted to fry up. The last time I tried frying, it was good, but not quite what I wanted, so I was determined to do it right this time. I almost succeeded completely, and I'll definitely do this again. 

I coated my fish completely, not just on the top as 
this photo, but the coating was perfect, and crunchy, 
just the way I had wanted it to be. I'll call last 
night's meal successful. 

I washed and dried the fish completely, then dusted them with a thin coating of almond flour. I then dipped them into a raw egg that had been whipped with a fork, and finally I pressed gluten-free Panko crumbs onto each side. I used a heavy pan, heating it until it smoked before adding 3 tablespoons of avocado oil to it, then I added the fish and let them fry, turning them when I thought they had cooked enough on each side. They cooked beautifully and quickly, and had that crunchy exterior that I had wanted in my earlier attempt a few weeks ago. It was an excellent Good Friday meal. 

I love eating heirloom carrots. I like carrots in general, 
but the flavor of the heirloom ones is varied and 
deep. They're wonderful roasted, so I have some waiting 
in the refrigerator for my Sunday dinner. 

For Easter Sunday DH picked up a marinated roast, so I'll be putting that into the oven with my thermometer, and roasting it to a medium-rare. I have some Brussels sprouts and seasoned heirloom carrots to go with my roast, DH has some potatoes and other things he wants for his. All in all, as long as I don't overcook the roast, we should have a lovely Easter Sunday meal. 

Thanks to all who were kind enough to comment on  
yesterday's "Five Questions" post. I learned some 
things from reading your comments, and smiled 
with each one. *hugs* to all! 

Thanks to all who commented on my little "five questions" post yesterday. I got to find out a little more about friends, and had my error in Spanish gently corrected by my dear friend in Peru. You're all the BEST! 

As you know by now, this is Mom when 
she was between 30-40 years old (I suspect 
closer to 40). Happy Birthday, Mom! 

As I mentioned yesterday, today would have been my Mom's birthday. She was a hurricane in a small frame - only 5 foot, 2 inches tall but with energy enough to power a small town. She was a talented seamstress and clothing designer, as I'm sure many of you know, and she was always broadening out into new crafts and art forms. Through my time with her we did mosaic (I have one of her exquisite bowls in my living room) and painting - she was quite good, I was rather dismal although I do enjoy it now and again. In my teen years she did some jewelry making until her hands gave out, and then she turned to working with stained glass. I have one of her sun-catchers in the upstairs bedroom window. 

Mom was never afraid to do what needed doing. Dad was hopeless when it came to home maintenance, so if something broke, it was up to Mom to fix it. She had a small collection of tools, and the phone number of a variety of handy-men upon whom she called for the larger work like putting up false walls or installing ceiling fixtures. I still remember George, who did occasional work for Mom for many years. He was an ex-con, a super nice guy, and we went to his memorial wake when he passed from a heart attack. Mom moaned that she never had a better handyman than George. 

Mom rewired lamps, painted many walls, and redecorated until she was happy. She always bought quality - her couch was from the early 1960's and she had it re-upholstered with every house she moved to. The large round living-room table was also from the 1960's and moved from house to house with them, along with her sideboard credenza and the two armchairs. When they moved to their condominium, there wasn't any room for me when I visited, but that was fine. They would put me (or us, if DH came along) up in the hotel next door (a very nice suite hotel) and we would just walk the block over to visit. Mom loved the opera and ballet (Dad adored opera, but really was NOT a ballet fan). Somehow they clicked - the scholar and the designer. They were married for almost 60 years. Dad died a month before their 60th wedding anniversary. 

So, today's post is a bit long, but I thought I'd share a remarkable woman with all of you. I'm going to wrap this up and start getting ready to go to work. Have an excellent weekend, and if you're celebrating any of the numerous religious holidays this weekend, Be Blessed. Slava Ukraini. 

Happy Valentine's Day to All - Computers, DH and Pictures

Happy Valentine's Day to all of you who read my blog - my friends and relatives scattered throughout the world. Is Valentine's Day celebrated in your part of the world? A feast of love and chocolate is what it's become in the USA. I'm not so sure the chocolate has followed the feast into other lands as well, though. DH has once again decided that the calendar doesn't work for him, so we'll be "celebrating" on Sunday instead. *sigh* He does this often - changing a holiday to be more "convenient" for him. I guess calendars were made for other people. 

I'll be calling my Computer Guru today and arranging to bring my main computer over to him tomorrow. Hopefully the weather won't be horrid. Today and tomorrow are supposed to have a fair amount of rain, and with temps hovering around freezing for some of each day, ice is definitely a possibility. I'll need to be careful as I go to and from Dale's place and on my shopping trips tomorrow. Adding trips to Dale's will make my plan to do stuffed cabbage for my dinners a bit mor difficult, but I'll manage one way or another. 

I'll need to figure out why photos weren't coming through into my DW posting yesterday. I really don't have a lot of time to experiment and practice, but I'll try to set some time at the shop aside to try a few things. Don't be surprised if there's a quick afternoon "test: run just to try a few things out. I'm not doing it to confuse you, my friends and readers, just to attempt to get my photos back and into my daily blog. 

So today is a swim day, At least I've got something I'm looking forward to. It's one more holiday that isn't a holiday in my life and I have a lot of them. I'm going to work really hard at making today a really positive day. I need one of those in my life. Talking to Dale should help. He always seems to "get" me in one way or another, and if I can get my old computer to access Google once again, I'll get Dale started on building a new main computer for me. I think it's time to upgrade from Windows 7 - LOL. Have an excellent Tuesday and HAPPY VALENTINE's DAY to everyone (other than DH). I'll be back tomorrow. (I'm going to skip pictures today until I have time to figure out why they weren't coming through on DW. Sorry about that!) 

I Enjoyed a Busy "Day Off". But The Snow is Already Getting Boring - LOL

I got a lot of busy work done yesterday, ended up at the grocery store two times, and had one more trip to that shopping center to go to the office supply store for a new ink cartridge for my printer. I started work on our 4-Day End of the Year Sale e-flyer, and I made a quick batch of four alkagizers for next week, and maybe into the week after. I have two of them in the freezer, and one waiting for some freezer room. It seems that my tiny 1/4 of the freezer has been overtaken by a large roast and an herbed sirloin. I'll have freezer room back after our Christmas dinners. 

Although our refrigerator is full, it's not horrible. 
Our freezer, on the other hand, is overstuffed and 
that's not good for the life of the appliance. One 
of these days I'll have to discuss that with DH, but 
we'll have to get through the holidays first, to 
eat some of the foods that are currently taking 
up the freezer's space. 

I'll get my Friday off next week if all goes well, and then we'll be off for three days of Christmas break, before opening the store for our 4-Day End of the Year Sale, and then settling back down for another three days off. I suspect a lot of the food DH has purchased will be eaten in the next two weeks, although I'm not as sure about the cookies. He's gone a bit overboard on Christmas cookies this year. I think we have at least eight different varieties stacked up in the living room. He'll be eating Christmas cookies until Valentine's Day! 

Although I have some Christmas gifts for DH, I don't 
have enough, and I really have no idea what he might 
like or need. He's the one with the money, he can buy 
something for himself if necessary. I'll probably get him 
one gift card, now that he's reading again on his phone, 
but I really can't think of much else to get for him 
besides underwear, and how boring is that! 

The new year will start out fast with a family get-together on the afternoon of the 1st, an appointment at my Orthodontist on the 2nd or 3rd (I'll have to check the calendar at work since I haven't entered in into my phone - BAD ME). Then I'm on call for Jury Duty the week of the 9th and have my semi-annual dental checkup appointment on the 16th. I'm exhausted already, just reading what my schedule will be like over the next four weeks. Oy! 

This is pretty close to what my schedule looks like 
over the next month. I'm going to be crazy/busy 
until at least the middle of January. ACK! 

Apparently last night the phone lines were all kinds of problem when we were trying to batch out the charges for the day. The first thing I have to do today is get that settled. Hopefully it will transmit more easily and we'll be able to begin today with a clean slate, as usual. Apparently last night, over more than 15 minutes of trying, the connection kept getting interrupted and DH was never able to successfully batch out our charges for the day. I blame it entirely on the winter storm that's been hitting most of the nation. That can play havoc with phone lines and electronic transmissions. Otherwise, I'll be contacting customer service and seeing what they can do to help me get things settled. 

We have an older credit card terminal, but frankly, it's 
ahead of many larger stores. We can accept tap and 
pay, Apple and Google Pay, as well as swipe or chip 
transactions. We've been able to accept contactless 
payment for several years. The terminal might be old, 
but the regularly updated software platform is spot on. 

On that note, I'm getting ready to leave. I'm quite sure I'll need to shovel the driveway again, and I'm grateful that we're at 20 F (-6.6 C). Early next week we'll be dropping into the deep freeze of sub-zero temps and I'll be less than happy about shoveling in those. Have an excellent day and a good weekend, I'll be back on Monday. Slava Ukraini. 

I Messed Up Badly - It's Getting Corrected Today and Hopefully That'll Be OK

So, I screwed up - I made a mistake. I looked at the calendar and simply messed up. Normally we have three days off for Christmas, and again at the beginning of the year. This gives all of us time to decompress and celebrate the holidays with our families. I looked at the calendar and forgot to include the Mondays in my door signs and my check-out handouts. OOPS! 

I'm glad DH caught the error, although I 
wish he had caught it when he was 
proofreading the After Thanksgiving 
Day Sale e-flyer. There's a lot of 
incorrect information out there now. 

DH had a fit last night, but I simply said I had made a mistake. It was my fault and I had made a mistake. I've reprinted everything and will be handing out updated and corrected handouts beginning today. I'll hang the new door signs as soon as I get into the shop. I suppose it could have been worse, but it's not good. Hopefully a lot of people won't want to come shop those two Mondays, or will get an updated listing and actually pay attention to it. 

While looking for coverlets/comforters, I also came across 
this one and fell in love. So I now have two different 
ones coming. This one, and the one pictured below. I 
shouldn't have problems with wear on these for a while. 

I ended up ordering two different comforters/coverlets from JC Penny's yesterday afternoon. I have a bunch of linen - more than my linen closet can hold. So here I am, adding more to the "pile" so to speak. But the reality is, I don't own anything in Twin size at all. Well, now I will have two different covers and pillow cases. I think they're quite lovely. I could have saved a lot and purchased boring, but I refuse to allow boring into my life. I'm temporarily using an old crocheted lap cover that my Mom had made in the interim. It's a lovely piece - beautifully done and medium-heavy weight, but it's a bit shorter than I like. I'll be glad to put it back into the spare bedroom after the new ones arrive. 

This is the other one that I ordered. They weren't 
an inexpensive purchase, but they'll get used a 
lot and I've had good luck with linens from 
JC Penney's in the past. I'm quite pleased with 
each of them. 

We had a little bit of snow yesterday - enough to shovel, but not enough to really mess up the streets. It was over and done by 11:00 am, so pretty easy, all told. Tomorrow we're due for a repeat, although this one may skirt the Cities on the south and we may be untouched. I'm fully in favor of that - LOL, although I don't mind the exercise. 

Because I didn't put any additives into my Ogre 
Juice yesterday, it actually ended up almost 
as green as this stock photo. I've been missing 
the nutrients I get from my alkagizers, so I'm 
ready to dip my toe back into that set of 
waters once again. 

I spent yesterday in the kitchen. I cooked another batch of Roasted Peppers and Tomato Soup, and also did a batch of Ogre Juice, which I haven't done for three weeks. I needed a break from it for a while. I made this batch 100% veggies - no almond milk or nutritional additives. I put two in the freezer and kept two in the refrigerator. Hopefully that will help eliminate the slight food poisoning I had from the previous batch. So, one for today and one for Saturday, then I'll defrost the next ones for Monday and Tuesday. 

I'm off to the swimming pool, corrected Holiday Hours sheets in my computer backpack. I can't believe I made such a stupid mistake, but it is what it is. Good thing I haven't sent out my year-end sale e-flyer yet - LOL. Have an excellent Thursday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

 

What A Nice Weekend - Hopefully Yours Was Equally Enjoyable

I hope all of you had a good weekend, celebrating your holiday of choice if that's your thing, or just relaxing with friends and/or family if not. DH and I don't celebrate "Easter" because he's Catholic by upbringing and I'm Jewish in the same stream. But he does keep Lent - no meat on Fridays. That, of course, is a pleasure for me because I love fish. He, on the other hand, enjoys his Lent with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch and McDonald's fish fillet sandwiches for dinner. It's what he wants, so that's fine with me. I, on the other hand, had several lovely baked salmon dinners, a baked tuna dinner, and one weekend I ate shrimp. It was a delightful Lent - LOL. 

I had my favorite baked salmon recipe again on 
Friday night. It was absolutely delightful. I 
love things that are easy to prepare and turn out 
wonderful. This recipe will be used again and 
again because it's a good one. 

Now we're back to "normal", or as normal as we can get. He had two frozen baked Chicken Kiev with extra cheese along with various side dishes for dinner last night, and I treated myself to a lovely beef tenderloin broiled perfectly, along with sauteed mushrooms and a mixture of baked butternut squash and heirloom carrots. It was yummy for both of us, and it was one more triumph of being able to eat what I want without him having hissy fits. Baby steps ... LOL. 

I love heirloom carrots. They have a sweet 
taste and they roast beautifully. It's become 
one of those go-to veggies for me. Yummy. 

The voting for stories is open once again, and if you enjoyed my dragon tale, and are on Dreamwidth (because LJ Idol has moved completely over to Dreamwidth now), I'd certainly appreciate your vote. I'm not sure if he has me listed as Engarian or Erulisse over there, and I'm also not sure if you can vote if you're not a member of the group, but if you can, please do if you're so inclined. 

My tenderloin wasn't this thick, but I had broiled it 
on Friday, so I cut it into pieces and after the mushrooms 
were sauteed, I added the meat and to let it warm slowly 
while DH's meal was baking. It was an easy transfer 
to the plate and perfectly cooked when his meal was 
ready. With my veggies on the side, it was an 
excellent meal. I'd absolutely do this one again. 

It turns out that one author I've been enjoying in the LJ Idol competition is actually from a nearby Minneapolis suburb. It's been quite fun chatting back and forth - I'm always delighted to meet people with similar interests through posting boards as far-flung as the internet can host. 

I've never paid too much attention to what "they" say. I've 
met some really awesome people through the internet. 
Some I'm still in touch with, others have dropped away 
into their own lives, and that's OK too because that 
happens whether a friend is nearby or across the world. 
I've always welcomed my internet friends - they're 
pretty amazing people. 

How odd. I have a small wind chime attached to the curtain rod on my left. It's muffled by the drapery, but has a sweet sound when I allow it to ring freely. It's an owl of course - (my love for owls is deep and has been held for more than 60 years). I suddenly heard it chime when I was writing the prior paragraph, and when I looked up, one of the bottom chimes was swaying slightly. Ooooooh! Ghosts - LOL. Probably not, but it's as plausible as a sudden gust of air since I'm seated, my fingers are the only thing moving, and there's nothing around that could start it singing. So ... ghosts it is - LOL. 

My owl windchime near me is quite similar to this 
one. Not identical, but this is the closest I could 
find. But, mine hangs by the curtain rod next to 
my computer desk, and is muffled by the 
drapery material. Having it ring one clear tone 
while writing my blog today was quite unexpected. 

On that note, I'm out of here. Have a fabulous Monday, do kind things today - we need a lot of kindness to overcome the evil in the world. I have every intention of being back tomorrow for a quick post before I head to the swimming pool. Peace! Slava Ukraini. 

Three Days Off Work Starts Today - Groceries Still Need to be Purchased, Though

I'm off work for the next three days, but I'm still up and getting ready to go swim this morning, and I'll take one last run through the grocery store because I need lettuce for my salads and a veggie to go with my turkey dinner. DH said he didn't care whether I made the turkey today or tomorrow, and I haven't made up my mind completely, but I have one more portion of chili left to eat, so I might do the turkey on Saturday instead of today. 

I'll have to be very conscious of calm today while I'm 
out at the grocery store. I fully expect it will be a bit 
of a zoo, and I just want to get in and out as quickly 
as I can. I need salad and veggies for my turkey dinner. 

I expect the grocery stores will be a total zoo today, so to make things easier, I'll go to Whole Foods instead of my local grocer. It's not that I can't get what I want at my local shop, it's that Whole Foods has self-checkout, and that speeds me up. I don't have to wait in a long line of people to buy my groceries, and I really don't need much, but what I need, I need. 

I'm thinking about getting some fresh green beans or 
some fresh Brussels sprouts. I enjoy both veggies, but 
the green beans might be an easier cook with the 
oven occupied by a large bird. 

I'll be on "radio silence" for the next few days, not returning to my blog until Monday. I'll read your posts and comment, because I don't like falling behind on that, and I'll probably post a "Happy Christmas" photo, but it's going to be minimal. Sharon's gift arrived at her house yesterday, so I'm totally on time, and I got quite a few prints backed and shrink wrapped for the shop. Our 4-day End of the Year Sale starts on Monday, so I'll be tied to the register for the four days. I'm happy with what I've gotten done, though. My art bins are filled with pretty things at excellent prices, and the store is as stocked as we could make it this year. Time to start selling down. 

Happy Holidays to all of my on-line friends. It's been 
a joy sharing this year with you. It's not over yet, but 
I'm already starting to look forward to sharing the next 
year with you too. Have a lovely Christmas Day and 
I'll be back on Monday. 

Have a glorious Holiday and be safe. Spend time with family if it's safe, or wish them a good holiday remotely if it's not. Stay healthy, be happy, and I'll be back on Monday morning. Namaste! 

Ham and Pie - It Must Be The Winter Holidays

I picked the ham up yesterday morning before going to work. I made sure I was the first person in line so I got in and out quickly, ham in hand. Today it's sharing space in the refrigerator with the prime rib we'll cook on Christmas Day, but for now ... I HAS HAM! and I'm pretty darned happy about that. 

I had TWO ham sandwiches for dinner last night. SO 
GOOD. I love my Honeybaked Ham. It's a once-a-year 
treat. 

DH is going to attempt to make a replacement Candy Cane Pie, since Baker's Square no longer has it available this holiday. I suppose I can be grateful that they at least did have their pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving. I will miss my Candy Cane pie, though, so he's been looking up recipes. I think he looks at it as a challenge, and if it turns out, I'll be delighted. I'll have to see what happens. All I know is he'll be baking all day today, so I'll try to stay out of his way. 

I had to go back to my 2016 blog to find a photo of 
Baker's Square Candy Cane Pie, but this is what it 
looked like. There's actually a lot of parts to it. 
If DH can come close, I'll be delighted. 

I'm going to wrap this up - short and sweet today. I want to get an early start to my day. I still have one of Chickie's mittens to sew up and that takes close to an hour of time, and I have some other computer stuff to do before I can get going. Have an excellent day, please stay safe, and wear your mask. I'll be back tomorrow to start one of my busier days.