Daily Ooo's: March 25-26: Weekend Edition

[faerywings]

What a difference a day makes!!!!

(feel free to skip ahead if you don't want to hear about my feeling on US Politics -- it is all good, I don't mind at all).

You all have seen that I have been in a major funk this past week. I didn't realize how much of it was because of the health care repeal vote. But I am going to go out on a limb and say that yes, a lot of it is the weather, but even more of it was from the stress of not knowing if I was going to have health insurance in the future or if my kids would either. without the ACA my insurance would cost me well over $600 aa month and I do not have that. I would have to have some crazy Catastrophic plan which means my mammograms and some of my Lyme meds/blood tests wouldn't be covered at all.
I was having lunch with my mom when I looked at the news and saw that it looked like they were going to have the votes to pass in the House and I literally felt that weight lift off of my shoulder. Yup. Literally- the muscles loosened up.

I also didn't realize how it had made me so exhausted because I slept until 8 am. I could have kept sleeping too.

A little while after I got up, Scott came downstairs to see if I wanted to see something really neat. His praying mantises hatched. He has two eggs in a terrarium and one egg hatched and he thinks he has about 50 babies but not all make it. He is going to put the other egg in the fridge to hibernate and then will hatch those guys in the summer. they are really cute! (I know, you all think I am isnsame- rats, snakes, praying mantis- all cute in my book. :rofl: )
They are tiny- less a 1/2". His plans are to release a lot of them into our gardens as a natural pest control. He is also thinking about seeing the Eden Farms wants to use or sell them for the same use.
We sat watching them for a long time, chatting about bugs and life. What else should you do on a Saturday morning?

Cait just came down with her girls, and now I have Muffin hanging out on my shoulder while Cait is checking out the bugs upstairs.

My brother invited me to go to a St Patricks parade in the town next to me. I am not up for that but I invited him and Christopher to come here afterward. So I get to see him too! It is a good day!!

Oh yes. what a difference a day makes.

::grouphug

 

[nancyr]

good late morning - I had forgotten just how loud my son is. He came home Friday night and it was fun to have him back and boy was he talkative. But he was awesome and wants to learn to cook so he went to the grocery store. That was nice. Today he and my DH got up and took Luther to the dog park. Then I walked him and now he is out. It is awesome weather. Cloudy put the sun peaks through and OMgosh the temperatures are balmy. My son is down visiting friends so it is quiet. I will be heading to the Devils game later so that will be fun. There is a TV show in our area called "George to the Rescue" who does home renovations for deserving families. Well this week's episode had on people that my son actually knows and has is the brother of one of his best friends. They helped a family in the town next to ours. It was pretty cool to see.

Chris I am not surprised that the Republicans could not get the bill passed. My NJ Representative Lenard Lance said he was a solid no as it would hurt his constituents. So that was a pleasant surprise. What a joke to have so much taken out of the bill as to what constitutes basic insurance requirements. Now to have Trump blaming the Democrats for the loss is pathetic. Glad that you are feeling so much better. Enjoy the time with your brother and nephew. How did the talk go with your mom. Glad you had time with the pets. I love praying mantis.

Trudy I do not get moody when my team loses but I am bummed for a while. Hope things go well with the in-laws and planning the birthday party. Hope not too much rain. We are to get rain this afternoon.

Rae so glad that you are so happy with your diet not just because of the loss but also sounds like you really enjoy the food you are eating. That is awesome. Have fun with Ava and Taz!

Sharon so glad that your dog is doing so well getting rid of the heart worms.

Have a great day all!

 

[bcgal00]

Good morning, ladies. I have been up since 6 am thx to Ava licking my face and softly whining for me to get up. It was full on play time for a few hours, then breakfast for them and now they are finally quiet. It is a joy to see Taz and Ava together, they love each other so much, kissing and playing constantly. She'll go home later this afternoon and I'm pretty sure Taz will be sleeping all evening LOL. Jen is coming over in an hour to help move a new LR cabinet from the garage to the LR. Its heavy so it'll take 3 of us to help push the dolly up the stairs. Then I will take the dogs for a walk along the river since the sun is out.

I have taken photos of the dogs this morning with my little mirrorless sony camera. Not the best quality but fast and easy. I do love working with a small, light camera and I have an awesome Zeiss lens for it but the camera does have its limitations. It makes me realize that I want the newest model that should be in our stores soon. I think I will sell off some digi and photog stuff that I don't need to fund the purchase. Its really pricey but I know I'll use it for years to come.

Chris - glad you are feeling happier and more optimistic. Sounds like a fun family morning.

Nancy - I love TV shows that help people out. Good for your son wanting to learn to cook. My husband never did and he's too old to care now LOL. I think all men should be able to cook for themselves.

I'd better go hop in the shower and get dressed so I'm getting out of here. Have a great day, everyone.

 

[taxed4ever]

Good late morning ladies... I slept until almost 8:30, but I was awake from 3am until almost 4:30 that horrible half awake, half asleep kind of night. Anyway I feel pretty good this morning had a great brunch with DH (stuck to my diet) he had pancakes. Funny because he is also losing weight, not sure why, because he is really not eating like I am. Makes me mad that men seem to lose weight without even really trying. :mmph: Oh well I am happy with this new way of eating and don't plan on going back to High Carbs anytime soon!

Chris - So glad for you that the weight was lifted off your shoulders!! Now maybe you can get on with your life without the constant worry!! Ya, right! Thats what Moms do they worry! I think Praying Mantis are cute too, but not sure I want any in my house. LOL. Enjoy your visit with your brother and nephew! So nice that you will get to see them!

Nancy - That is great that your son wants to learn to cook! Every man should know how to take care of himself and not depend on anyone else to do it! My son is an amazing cook and he and his wife take turns making meals. I had lots of fun teaching my kids how to cook when they were growing up and both have thanked me for it! My husband however does not like to cook but does like to BBQ and thats just fine with me :hungry: Enjoy your day and how nice that a deserving family in your area got such a great gift!

Rae - Sounds like a sweet way to wake up, even it was a bit too early! Hope the three of you manage to get the cabinet moved without injury! That camera sounds cool, I might have to check that out, my DSLR is so heavy and my iPhone really does not take that great of a picture. Perhaps my new iPhone will be better when I upgrade. Hope you have a great day!

So I best get busy and make my grocery list etc. Not too much running around to do today so I hope to get some scrappy time in today! Wish me luck!! :wave:

 

[scrapinmom]

I too had a wake up to puppy kisses. We took Londo for a walk and Lyta saw us so she was scratching on the door. We try to hid what we do! Did some work in the garage and now I am ready to relax The back is hurting. Hope everyone has a great day!

As far as health care goes, after Obama care was passed, my daughter and her hubby had to choose a plan. They found joint plans costing upwards of !,000 $ a month and still had a deductible. They choose a catastrophic plan where they have only a $6k deductible. As long as you don't have major illnesses, you are ok. It is such a shame it has to be that way. I knew the republicans couldn't get their bill passed. It wasn't good. The best thing they could do is tweak what they don't like about Obamacare. That's my political statement for today. I am very lucky, that my husband was career Navy and we get health care through the government. It doesn't cost us and we have a $300 deductible and $3k catastrophic cap. Last year with 2 surgeries between us we met our catastrophic cap.

 

[faerywings]

HelloOOO! Happy Sunday!
The house is very quiet right now and I am feeling very lazy. I had all intentions of making it back here yesterday, but it didn't get a chance. Soon after I posted here, Scott asked if I wanted to go over to Eden Farms and see what he had been working on the last couple of weeks to get ready for the opening. I had to get in the shower first so I wouldn't embarrass him.
He brought me into one of the greenhouses and I was in heaven! Just being in there was rejuvenating. I told him that I was going to sneak in there and breathe on occasion. Some of the flowers they have this year are really neat, much nicer than what you get at the supermarket. And the lavender smells amazing. I can't wait for the weather to be warm enough to plant things.
What made me really happy-- was to see how happy he was there, wandering around, showing me what they ordered, how he is working on some of the displays. He has a really good eye.

I tidied the house a bit before my brother came over. But they were only here for a little while and all Christopher wanted to do was play on the keyboard. I was able to get a few hugs from him before they had to leave. They were going over to my mom's for dinner. Had I enough foresight, I would have invited my parents up here.

Today I want o catch up on so many things, that I don't even know where to begin. My head is finally feeling better and my BP has been "normal" for the last 2 days. Yay! It is still all over the place but at least I am not feeling like I am going to either pass out or have a heart attack. It is the little things!

I am going to post this and then work on the personals. xo!

 

[faerywings]

Saturday:

Nancy- heh! Funny how you adjust so quickly to not having your DS at home Good for him to wanting to learn how to cook, what did he decide to make?
That is really neat that he knows the people in the home rescue show.
What an absolute mess that AHCA was. Lance was one of the ones that was getting protested at Town Halls, so I am encouraged that he flipped his vote after listening to constituents.
Bwuahahah! Yeah, yesterday DT was blaming the Dems, now he is blaming everyone else except himself while he goes golfing again. :roll:

The talk with my mom went better thanI expected. Not good/far enough when I updated my brother but it was the best I could do. Their wills are the biggest issue, that my uncle is *still* the Executor. They don't talk anymore so it would be a difficult thing to deal with. But life insurance/safety deposit boxes are all up to date, as well as their long-term health care if they need that. The other thing I didn't ask but need to find out is if they have burial plots and where/how they want services.
Sad to think about but necessary.

Rae- oh you had Ava with you, how nice for you and for Taz. bBet he slept well! I bet the photos of the pups came out great even with a small camera.

Trudy- Good for you for enjoying a nice brunch while sticking to your diet. That is always such a PITA when men lose weight just by thinking about it. Not fair!

The praying mantises are really cute. A few of the smaller ones have escaped, but for the most part, they are fine in the tank. Scott has branches and plants in there so they have a lot of places to chill out.

Sharon- aww, jealous of waking up tp puppy kisses, since I wake up to having my bag of bricks of a dog laying on top on my feet so I can't move
Poor Lyta wanting to go for a walk with you. It will be worth it in the long run. Puppy kisses to her!
It sucks that your DD is in that part where they must make too much for subsidies.There are so many things that could and should be fixed with O-Care but the R plan would have made it all worse.

*no more political soap box for me today*
Thanks for putting up with me!

::grouphug

 

[nancyr]

good late morning - well my Devils lost again LOL nothing new there. But again my kids are really full of energy and trying hard. Carolina Hurricanes have some great youngsters too so it was exciting until the end when my goalie gave up a late goal. Spending the morning walking Luther and we met Lucy the cutes pit bull. She and Luther really like each other and play fight. She is a lot smaller but she is tough. My DH has met her many times but this was my first time. We had a great walk. But the best is that my DH is making breakfast - Philadelphia sticky buns from scratch. They are the best and they take hours. I am glad he is willing. Charles did not cook yesterday we will do it this afternoon but I am off to the Devils hockey game. He wants mac and cheese which is pretty easy! We will add sausage and broccoli. Had fun yesterday before the hockey game as the traveling NHL 100 celebration exhibits. We got our photos taken in a mock of the Devils locker room. Pretty cool.

Chris that is good that you started the conversation with your mom. My mom never forgot it was me that helped her move into an assisted care apartment. She was not happy but she was cared for and safe. And she did well there. But it is a hard conversation to have with parents. As I said good you started. Hope all your pets are doing well. Will the cat look for the escaped praying mantis? How fun to visit the green houses and be inspired for spring!

Trudy great to being still staying with your diet! And yes men do lose weight so much easier than women. Saw that the Bruins did well against the Isles!

Rae bet Taz was sleeping last night! But I bet he had so much fun with Ava! Hope you got the furniture moved with no accidents or injured bodies!

Sharon that has to be hard to take one dog when the other has to rest! Congrats on puppy kisses.

Have a great day all!

 

[bcgal00]

Good morning, ladies. Yesterday flew by. We got the cabinet in place and I love it. Sadly, as I was moving and repositioning items in the other hutch, the shelf collapsed and a lot of my glass/crystal/ceramic stuff crashed to the floor. What a mess. I was so sad to see some favorite pieces destroyed but was also thankful that I had just moved some of the most expensive bigger pieces out just before it crashed. So lesson learned. Put heavier stuff on the bottom shelves and not to overload.

We went to walmart and I was able to get a box of suet for the birds. They often don't have it in stock so was happy to now have enough food for the birds for a few months. Its cheaper too to buy by the box. Then I found short gum boots which I've been looking for for quite awhile but didn't want to pay a fortune for. I found a pair at the Bay a few months ago but they were over $150...what???? for gum boots? Ugh. So now I have all weather conditions covered....slip on shoe type, lace up mid height and gum boots in short and tall height. Since I walk the dogs all the time and go hiking through the parks a lot, these get used a lot, aside from runners. That'll be my next purchase, a new comfy pair of slip-on sketchers. My fave pair is starting to fall apart.

Today is laundry, scrapping, housework, trip to the pet store with Taz and pork loin roast in the pressure cooker. I hope to watch the last Anna video today too, probably this afternoon while Darrell takes a nap (he often falls asleep in his lazyboy chair while watching HGTV in the afternoon). BTW...I just found out this morning that my online library site offers free membership to lynda.com which is awesome b/c I was a member years ago and gave it up because of the cost. Now I have it for free. It's great for software and photoshop videos, photography stuff too. I can't believe that was available and I just found out. That makes my day.

Chris - glad the talk with your mom was somewhat productive. It's great that you and your son share a love of plants. You must be happy to know that the worst of winter should be over and the warmth and blooms just around the corner.

Trudy - Yay for staying on track. I am at the point where I need a few snack things ready and also some quick grab and go lunch things. I'm starting to get bored with some of my foods. I love the baked cheese/pepperoni. I also want to make a fudge recipe I recently pinned. Yes, I agree, its frustrating when men blink and seem to lose weight LOL. My hubs loses quickly and easily but it never comes off his belly, he eats way too many carbs.

Sharon - puppy kisses are the best!

Nancy - sounds like you had a great day yesterday and look forward to seeing your photos soon in a layout. Sticky buns...yum. That was one of my fave things yrs ago.

Time to put on another pot of coffee and get dressed. Have a great day, everyone.