Daily Oos: February 27-28: Weekend Edition

[faerywings]

We are all breathing sighs of relief and feeling some joy in the house today!!!! *happy dancing*
We got a bunch of good news. Gary's test showed that he does have diverticulosis, but no growths or signs of Crohn's. Whew!!!!! He needs to be careful with his diet but his dad has this too and shouldn't be a big deal. I did fine in the car waiting for the 2 hours. (did you fall for that? Of course, I had an anxiety attack towards the end ) The wait wasn't terrible, the weather was very cooperative. It was cold at my house so I had bundled up, brought a blanket, wore wool socks. Down in "real NJ" the snow was mostly gone, the sun was shining and it was over 50* which mean the car heated up to the point where I had to take my coat off and open the window. Gary had texted me right before they got started and said that the Dr would call me when he was done. That was at 1 pm and by 2.30 I was panicking. At 2.45 I see him walking out the door, the Dr called me but must have called a different number because I didn't get any call.
Took me a few minutes to calm myself before I could drive calmly. Then on the way home, we could see thick smoke up the highway. I decided to get off the highway as soon as I could and take all of the backroads home which turned out to be very smart. There was a big fire right off the highway which backed up the two highways it was in between.

Scott got good news too- he got the job! It is a seasonal PT position but it will be steady work for 6 months and he will be able to supplement with mowing lawns or perhaps back at the garden center. They are interested in placing him at the parks "upcountry" where we live rather than where it is more city. (where I call real NJ haha!!) The nice part of this is that the County Parks Dept wants to hire a Naturalist next year so this will be a BIG foot in the door. It sounds like it is going to be a combo of maintenance work as well as helping visitors to the parks. But he will be getting paid to be outside and that will make him happy.
Cait's "good news" is that she is going to meet up with her crush next week,. She has a Drs appt near where he lives so she is going to see him few a few minutes before he has to leave for work. She can't wait to see him and his chickens. Yeah, he owns chickens, and she is already in love with them. Everyone in my family is getting good news! So much good news to share that I didn't even complain about the few more inches of snow that fell overnight.
We celebrated by ordering pizza which made me happy too.

Today I need to buckle down and get Oscraps work done. I have been all over the place in my brain and I feel like a weight has been lifted so no more excuses.

Have a wonderful weekend!

 

[faerywings]

Kay- ain't it the truth? This past week flew by. I am so sorry that your DDs family is moving, I can't imagine how hard that must be. I know that your family is good with your video meets but it isn't the same. Hugs!
The Color Play Kits are just stunning!

@taxed4ever Your Gary cracks me up, he must be so content to putter around with his wine. Was he playing the Eagles or is that just when you bottle it? How did it go at the restaurant?
Good luck with getting your vax!!!

@Cherylndesigns I bet it feels more strange when you don't have a houseful. Your family is really the best. Makes me so happy to hear how close you all are. Scott needs to start some medical treatment that I think is near my parents and I bet you anything that he will stop in to wave hi to them on the way home if he can.
Oh yeah, that is why I shop at Amazon too, poor Bezos...
I really hope that your wifi gets installed soon, it has to be so frustrating!

@bcgal00 *swoons and tosses a hat a la Buddy the Elf* I am in love and I don't care who knows it! That FACE!!! Remi is sooooooo cute!!!!!! Stinking adorable!!!!! Good luck with her and Taz-- give them both an extra treat and belly rubs from me, please! How old is she? Oh my goodness, look at her little tongue! I am so happy for you!! I can't wait to show Caitlyn!! <3

@felis Congrats on finishing Grace! She really came out so cute! How fun to play with the cats, I bet they are very happy to feel some spring weather too. I hope that the -wait-- I was going to say that I hope the snow passes you by but I bet that you would love to have one more snow for the season. Have fun organizing your photos.

Have fun today whatever you do!

 

[LSlycord]

I am so excited to read all of your news this morning @faerywings. Such great news about Scott’s job. Wouldn’t that be good if that is a stepping stone into a full time spot next year.

And it will be fun for Cait to get to see her guy friend in person!

But the best news of all is Gary’s health. Way to go all of you!

 

[LSlycord]

Like Chris, I need to get some of my Oscraps work done. I have had a lot of re-learning to do. Trying to figure out a new scrapping tool, finding new places to post, keeping up with my uploading. I have learned a lot...and re-learned a lot.

it is a beautiful sunny day here. Going to get to upper 70’s. Shaun, Brian and I are heading to Palm Coast for breakfast. Brian And I found a restaurant with outdoor seating that looks out over the ocean a few weeks ago. So we are going to try that again today. I have a feeling that it will be quite a wait but it will be fine if we can go. Down to the beach to wait.

Sydney had a friend coming down for a family vacation and we were going to go over to Tampa to spend a couple of days. Got bad news about her aunt...pretty aggressive cancer so they aren’t coming. I am disappointed for Syd and for me too...I enjoy her friend’s mom.

 

[LSlycord]

@bcgal00 i am so thrilled that you got the puppy. I understand about the lack of sleep. Our oldest turned 3 this month. Our youngest is 15 months. Those nights without sleep are the worst. But definitely worth it.

 

[LSlycord]

@Cherylndesigns your WiFi situation makes me want to throw my hands up and give up. I am amazed by your patience! Love that you babysit the dog. That is how my parents were. I miss them terribly. How much time does your SIL need to be back in Florida for work? One of the really great things for me with the Pandemic is the shift to WFH. I’m in IT and should have been able to do this for years so grateful that it is finally becoming the norm.

 

[LSlycord]

@BrightEyes I hope that yesterday went ok. I’m sure it was hard to see your DD leaving...even if you are happy for her. Glad that you still have family nearby. Hopefully you are finding time for reading those library books.

 

[LSlycord]

@taxed4ever cant wait to hear if you went out to eat or not. And how fabulous is it that they are starting to roll out the vaccine. Our governor is predicting that sometime in March, they will release the age restrictions. i am hopeful that my time is soon. And your one pot meal sounds good!

 

[LSlycord]

@felis I would so love to be able to pick my own lemons for a lemon meringue pie. Or have fresh squeezed orange juice from my own tree.
I am glad that you are enjoying some spring like weather. It is very good for mental health.

 

[BrightEyes]

Morning all... Had a very busy day yesterday. Made it over to the grocery store so am stocked up on some fresh veggies and fruit plus eggs and a few other need items. Then made a quick run over to the Senior Citizen Center to drop off a printer (from DD#1), liquid hand soap and some books. Picked up a couple of books there from their "little library" cart. Wish we could go back to the library room as it has lots of books - but that part is closed off for right now. At least they have the cart in the front lobby so we have a few books to chose from. Will be donating some ink cartridges to them... both full and empty. They can turn them in for credit toward more cartridges. Since I no longer have the printers that they go to and my printer doesn't use cartridges, I am happy to past them along to the center. Made a quick stop at the public library to drop off books and then back home. Worked on a few LOs but ran out of steam to do any more. Will try to get a couple more done today.
Decided that I wanted barbeque beef for supper so pulled a bun out of the freezer to thaw. UGH!!! It was hard as rock - dried out and crumbly when it was thawed. Looked at the half-empty package and it was from over a year ago!!! Tossed the rest of the package and had the beef on bread. Looked in the freezer and no more buns... so will have to pick more up the next time I go to the store.

Chris, what great news on all fronts. Glad Gary got a good report from the doctor... and how exciting that Scott got the job. Hope it turns into a full-time job later on. And how neat that Cait can visit with the BF. So glad you avoided the highway where the fire was.

Rae, the puppy is so cute! Great photo of him... and I saw the other one on FB. I am sure that Taz will make friends with Remi - it just takes time for that. Yes, puppies are like babies and need lots of time and care. I am sure it seems so different now that Jen has moved out. Seems like there are lot of families that are having changes lately.

Cheryl, hoping that you can get a hot spot or router that will help you get WiFi again. Know that must be so frustrating. So glad to hear your weather is warming up finally. We are back to cooler - then on the roller-coaster of ups and downs. They are talking about snow again next week.

Linda, it is a learning curve getting back up to speed on scrapping again after being away from it for a few years. I am sure you will catch up quickly. So sorry to hear the sad news about your friend's aunt. How nice that you found a place with outdoor patio eating and it is right on the beach. Sounds delightful.

Trudy, sounds like you had a nice anniversary celebration even without going out for it. Hope you get the vaccine soon. I know I will be glad when I have my 2nd shot in a couple of weeks. Not that I plan on traveling or going out more even after I have it.

The coffee cup is empty to time to get dressed and get busy on scrapping again. Hope everyone has a good weekend.

 

[taxed4ever]

Happy Saturday everyone! A blue sky out there this morning and the temps are a bit warmer. Does that mean that spring is on its way?? Today will be an outside day, the car needs washing and the dead blossoms need to be removed from the Hydrangea Bush in the front yard. The back fence is very green and needs to be power washed. So we are hoping for a nice sunny day with very little wind please!! We did go out for dinner last night, to our favourite steak place and it was so nice! We had a bit of a wait, but they txt us as we sat in the car to let us know when it was safe to come in. The meal was so good and I was glad to see that they had a keto menu. So DH had his rib eye with potatoes and I had mine with a lovely avocado salad yummm!!! The steak was too big for me so I took what was left home and will have steak and eggs for my brunch. I too have lots of catching up to do here at the O and coupons to get ready for the winners of all the great challenges here for Jan/Feb so it will be a fairly busy day!

@faerywings - That is such wonderful news about your Gary!! Your whole household must be on cloud nine with all these great things happening for you all! All I can say is it is ABOUT TIME!!! You so deserve this good news! So happy that Scott got this job and hopefully it will turn into that full time position for him! Hooray for Cait to be able to see her man also and how cute that he has chickens! I love chickens too, I used to own a whole bunch of Bantam Chickens. The darn things used to escape from the hen house and go roost up in the trees LOL. That is too bad that you got the scare while waiting so long for Gary to come out from his appt. but hey the good news must have made up for it! The restaurant experience was better than I thought it would be, so we might have to try it again one day soon. Yes my Gary loves to putter around with his wine and usually keeps the Eagles for when he is bottling, so instead he puts on some oldies that we both like to listen to.

 

[taxed4ever]

@Cherylndesigns - I would have thrown my hands in the air and said I quit a long time ago! I can't believe how much patience you have! Your family really is great helping out and pitching in when you need them! I so miss having our kids around! Hope that darn wi fi gets installed soon!!

 

[taxed4ever]

@bcgal00 - I too am in love with your new addition to the family! What a sweet face! Hope you don't lose too much sleep and that Taz becomes great friends with your Remi! They will be keeping you busy and hopefully take your mind off of your daughter moving out. (((hugs)))

 

[taxed4ever]

@BrightEyes - Sounds like you had a very busy day yesterday! How nice that you could donate the printer and the ink cartridges! Hope you found a couple of good books to read at the centre and nice to have fresh fruit and veggies! Ugh on the dried out bun, but guess it should be if its a year old LOL! Hope you get some fresh ones soon! Yes it will be a relief when you get your second shot. My sister who works in a seniors home got her second vaccine the other day and said it made her feel a bit queasy, but not bad! First shot never bothered her at all. Hopefully you will have no ill effects!

 

[taxed4ever]

@LSlycord - decided to try out commenting separately like you do, but not sure I will do this all the time, I keep losing track of where I am LOL. I saw the place where you went for your meal with the view on facebook. It is a beautiful spot for sure! Lucky you!! Let me know if you want the recipe for the One pot Keto meal I will happily share!

 

[taxed4ever]

@felis - Sure hope you get that one more snow, I know how much you love the white stuff! Yes I miss being able to go out to listen to the music and going to dances! Not sure I would want to do that just now though. Hopefully with everyone getting the vaccine we can return to some kind of normal life again! Enjoy your time with your Cats, give them lots of scratches under their chins for me!

 

[taxed4ever]

Well it is time get something to eat and get on with this busy day! Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

 

[felis]

Hello lOvelies!
(I'm sorry Chris BUT) We gardening today . Some bushes trimming, a little pots repland, and almost whole day outside. Was really lovely sweater weather. My favorite temperatures.
On my dogs too. Middleton goes crazy, and run so much and he is so faster than before. Like I told Rae yesterday, it's not always the right dog we found. I know, that he just ain't the one for me. Can see him with more sport person, who loves to run and exercise. I'm snuggling type of owner, but it is what it is, we will have to meet somewhere in between.
I'm so exhausted. I wasn't move so much from ages.

Chris, OMG, my heart sing for all your good news, and I'm doing the happy dance too! Congrats on Scott ! I'm happy that Gary at least know how to handle this situation! And go Cait <3 !
And you are right, I'm hoping for snow!!!!!!!!

Linda, enjoy to the restaurant! I'm happy for your plans for entertaining! But also surprised, looks like you wear mask everywhere and and the same time not limited your contacts?

Trudy, I'm extremely happy to hear that you had your special anniversary celebration!!! Hope that your weather today will be like mine was!

@scrap-genie Jean, your LO about the exhibition is gorgeous!

 

[bcgal00]

Good afternoon everyone. It's the first time I got to sit down and relax except for an hour this morning to watch a show with D while I rested my back in my chair and puppy slept in her crate. We've been outside a lot b/c she has to pee about every 20 minutes or so and has diarrhea. She had bright pink spots on the pads of her feet so she could have been reacting to her old kibble. Puppy kibble, limited ingredients and has fish (same as Taz but puppy food) is what I'm transitioning her to and the pink spots are fading now and she's not biting at her feet much now. She loves the new food but honestly I think she'd eat anything, she is very much a foodie and wants to eat all the time. She lays in front of her food bowl gazing longingly at it and gently sighing. She is so smart. Today is day 3, and she can hop out of the tub, I had a shower with her today. She races up the cement stairs out back (nearly gave me a heart attack b/c she's so small she could slip thru the side rails) and she races up the stairs inside like its nothing. She wears me out but in a good way. I've bought her a ton of teething toys and stuffies to keep her busy.

I did a challenge yesterday but couldn't post it. Unfortunately, I'm not getting the right screen when I try to upload so it won't accept my layout. I posted about it and will see if it can be figured out. It's probably something simple of course.

Met a couple today who had a mini aussie and we chatted for a bit. They love their little guy and agreed on how smart they are and pick things up so quickly but also can be stubborn which I am already seeing. I can't wait for our dogs to meet at the local dog park this summer. Jen said their move went smoothly and she loves her new apartment. Bella is settling in just fine. They were happy to come visit last night though and the dogs had fun together. Bella seems so big compared to Remi. They'll be back in a few days for another playdate.

I'd better go get some stuff done before Remi wakes up. It's almost dinner time for all of us and then playtime to hopefully wear Remi out to get some sleep tonight. I think I got a 3 hr stretch in last night that was an improvement over Thurs night.

@faerywings awesome news for everyone Sorry you had a panic attack but glad G's diagnosis wasn't worse than it was. I agree, a good diet will work wonders for him I think.

Talk maybe tomorrow when I get a chance. BFN

 

[faerywings]

Good morning, my dears! How are you all today? I am pretty OK, I was so happy with all of my good news yesterday, it definitely helped my mood a bit (in case you couldn't tell from my posting). I don't think I got much of anything actually "done" but I am all caught up on laundry, so that is good, right?
Scott had another Dr's appt and the GP thinks he might have colitis so it is now his turn to see a GI for a possible colonoscopy. It makes sense for him to have it done to keep an eye on diverticulosis at any rate since it's hereditary and Gary and Gary's dad both have it. He is just getting frustrated with all of the appts with no solid answers. It is good that he is going to be able to get a lot of this taken care of before the job (yay!! so nice to say it!) starts in April.
I can't get over that tomorrow is March 1. January seemed to go by so quickly but February most definitely did *not.* I have all of my fingers crossed that March gives me the sunlight and warmer weather that I desperately need right now.

Leah is coming up today and I promised to make her Oreo Pudding. (Pudding and Cool Whip with Oreos on top). I would make it every time we had family get-togethers but it's been a loooong time since we did that! I guess I am going to be in the kitchen for much of today because I also need to make Cait's fried rice for the week. She likes to have that as a quick lunch or dinner in between classes or meetings.

Not much else happening but I am used to that.
xoxo

 

[LSlycord]

@taxed4ever I’m not sure how much I like posting individual posts either. But when I’m on my iPad, I worry about losing my posts. If I could remember to hit the save button (which is the best feature of all) I wouldn’t have to worry about losing posts. But while I whine about the potential for losing posts, I was the one who was sitting in the car, posting as Brian drove us to breakfast. Who could have imagined a world like this?

@felis our family is very diligent about wearing masks. However, we will eat out if we can sit at a patio and not be too close to others. It is one of the best things about living where the weather is nice. My teenagers go to school but they are both so careful with masks. I am so proud of how they have responded to the adversity.

@bcgal00 I hope you got some sleep last night. Glad that the dogs got along and that your daughter likes her new place.

 

[faerywings]

@LSlycord It was such a day filled with good news! My mom also switched her kidney doctor. She hasn't been comfortable with him since she first started seeing him and I kept pushing her to see a different Dr in the practice but she is of the mindset that Drs are *the* authority. She was unhappy with the last test results and his communication so when her cardiologist wasn't happy with her kidney function she decided it was time. I am so freaking relieved!
Bet your breakfast was amazing. Does the ocean smell really good in FL too? I love driving down the Parkway and you get to the point where you can smell the ocean. *sighs happily*

Kay- you had a very productive day, getting food and then books at the Senior Center. That is great that you can drop off the ink cartridges, I have a closet full of them and I really don't want to put them in the garbage. I should see if there is anywhere local that accepts them.
How disappointing to wish for a bun and it was freezer burned. I am keeping my fingers crossed that the snow doesn't get near you!

@taxed4ever How was your yard work? So happy/jealous that you can be outside, we still have feet tall piles of snow. I should take another picture of J out there on top of the pile, standing guard. She looks like Simba on top of his cliff. LOL I am so happy that your dinner was good and that the restaurant was very careful too. Avocado salad sounds delish!

@felis- Oh, your day sounds amazing and perfect if a bit chilly (you know me, the hotter the better!). Middleton is still young, he might settle down and become a snuggler. Cait is disappointed by the babies since they aren't as snuggly as all of her other rats but they have gotten a bit better, Imogene more than Evie, about being handled. My first dog was a huge snuggler and I don't think I will ever have the same connection with a dog like that again. W is a snuggler but she doesn't care *who* she snuggles, where Harley was mine, all mine

Thank you and everyone for sharing the good news mood with me! I have been such a downer lately that it feels fab to have some happy things to celebrate~

@bcgal00 I showed Caitlyn Remi's photo and she is in love with her-- her first response was OMG, those eyes! She is so cute and I know that you are going to do a great job getting her on the right food, the right training and socializing. Just be careful with your back! How big do you think she will get?
That is weird about you not being able to upload. Hope you can figure it out. Change browsers maybe?
Your house is going to be too cute for words with all three dogs having a playdate. I cannot wait to see your pics!

Hugs!

 

[felis]

@faerywings I know, Chris! But this is the karma. How many times I'm told you to be more hard and to show who's the alpha, when you was shared here how your dog was push you and pulled with the leash? I know the theory, but it fails here, and I'm feeling like a victim of home violence who continue to insist that she can see his soul and he isn't like that! LOL! I'm whole in bruises and abrasions. He is so strong and wild in games. I've never thrown a ball like that before, run, and pull so much .

@LSlycord Linda, it's looks like I didn't clear my question correct. I was wondering for your state, not concretely for your family. As here we don't wear mask outside, but has to limited visits with people outside of our extended families, and restaurants was closed this month, but will reopened tomorrow.

 

[taxed4ever]

Morning ladies, another busy morning with my Gary as we are bottling a red wine today, so yup the Eagles are playing loudly in the background LOL. I have to finish off my duties here today at the O and get busy with doing some scrapping too, but not sure that will be today or not. We are looking at a few options to re-do the fireplace so we might be heading out later to Home Depot. May as well get all these things done while we are home alone. It will be nice if the kids can come home this summer, or if we can go out there for a visit and to see Jason's new house, but I guess time will tell if we will be able to travel. So I will just say hello to everyone today and get busy with my day! I hope you all have a wonderful Sunday!

 

[bcgal00]

Good afternoon everyone. I am finally sitting down at the computer for a few minutes. I really have to pick and choose what I do with my limited free time right now. Remi requires a lot of supervision and when she sleeps in her crate for a bit here and there I try to get housework done, spend time with Taz, run errands when hubs is home and am out in the yard a lot b/c she has to go about every 20-30 minutes right now (unless she is sleeping and she'll be ok for about 45 minutes to an hour. Last night I got a 4.5 hr stretch of sleep, went to bed at 11:30 and she got me up at 4 and then again at 6 and at that point she wouldn't go back to sleep so I got up and grabbed a coffee. So, I am exhausted (again) LOL. But I know it'll improve over the next 2-4 weeks (hopefully sooner than later though).

@faerywings Remi should be around 20 lbs, give or take a few. She's half the size of Bella. Bella looks like a monster next to her with her big fluffy head LOL. Remi is smart, she hid under the cabinets and inside the toybox to protect herself from Bella and then would strike a paw out at her to play and would lunge at her and then fly back under the cabinet. I only took a few pics b/c I just wanted to watch all the fun. Taz played with Bella but didn't join in their playtime. Today tho Taz finally played a little with her so the bonding is starting with them.

Gotta go, she'll be up any minute and after her bathroom break I'm off to the store. BFN

 

[Cherylndesigns]

Hello my lovlies!!!

Chris @faerywings my family is THE best!! What wonderful news about Gary's tests!! At least they KNOW what is wrong and with the proper diet, maybe he can control this. Crohn's is terrible!! Thankfully, he doesn't have that!!

Trudy, @taxed4ever you don't know how many times I've been ready to "chuck it all"!! I honestly don't know what keeps me going -I've never been so frustrated in my entire life!! If I don't get high speed internet soon, well...............................

I could NOT download the designers' products that put their designs on "Box". Don't ask me why, but there was NO way.

@felis I was going to try to make Kinleigh an afghan but yesterday I found the most adorable kits for cute animals to crochet. I bought one of those - it's an elephant and has EVERYTHING I need to finish the project, including the plastic darning needle. Wish me luck.

I'm JUST getting my energy back. Adrienne, Ava and I went clear to Tulsa yesterday and then shopped ALL day. We didn't get home until about 7 PM. We're all still exhausted today!! We are NOT going to do that again. There's wonderful shopping in Tulsa but it's over an hour to get there, then walking all day, then driving back home. Too much. I could hardly walk this morning when I got out of bed.

Oh, I forgot to tell you that we have a "resident bear". Ava saw these tracks in the snow a few days ago. My son-in-law's feet are up in the left corner so you can see how big the prints are. Yikes!!