Did you accomplish anything today?

[cariad]

Yesterday, we just had a phenomenal day (although Liot had, count them THREE, meltdowns). I took Liot to gymnastics so that Gwyn could take Aidan to his karate and weapons class, and participate. Gwyn has wanted to get back into martial arts for ages, but his knee is always playing up. They both had a great time, and I think Gwyn will continue with the class for as long as he is able. Aidan is one of only two children, and the younger of the two, to be invited into this class. Liot did pretty well at gymnastics, though he does not have the focus that Aidan does, and this frustrates me.

We bought our weekly fruit and veg supply from Growing Power (where we can use a special account, so it costs us nothing), then went to the godawful shopping centre made to look like a faux city. I bought two outfits for my interview, if I am not asked to return for a second interview, I'll return one of them. Then, since we were in the neighbourhood of the only Trader Joes in town, I loaded up on their amazing priced tea that I use to make my iced tea. Also, bought many other fun items at great prices. Ran into a friend and mentioned my job interview, and she wished me luck.

Then since it was raining and chilly outside, we started cooking. The kids asked to help (since we cut off the television! ha!) and we let them use our ultra-safe food processor to shred cheese and carrots, I sent them upstairs to the balcony to cut fresh parsley, chives, and one of our outstanding heirloom tomatoes, they trimmed the stems and loaded the parsley into the food processor for chopping, followed by two tins of chickpeas and my red peppers that I roast and saute and store in the fridge with the oil in which they were cooked. I think I have finally stumbled upon a decent recipe for my veggie burgers: carrots, parsley, chives, bit of sauteed onion, sauteed red peppers with saved oil, chickpeas, veggie grill seasoning, salt, pepper, breadcrumbs and two eggs. Mix it all together, shape into patties, Gwyn then coats them with a layer of breadcrumbs to try to keep them from falling apart, and grills them on the cooktop. Last night, we had a voucher for a free on-demand video, so we let the kids choose, I had my veggie burger with a thick slice of heirloom tomato, lettuce, and sriracha mayonaise on a cheese roll from the local bakery. Best veggie burger I've ever had. Gwyn made his James Beard recipe for cheese burgers with the cheese shredded and added right in with the grass fed beef. I had a bag of organic tater tots in the deep freeze, and we all went up to the first floor to watch Rio (boys choice) while eating our burgers, homemade onion rings for the adults (I did not think I even like onion rings, but Gwyn's first attempt was remarkable) and tater tots for the kids. Kids chose soda for their drinks, and we just had an amazing time with some truly fab food.

After the film, Gwyn finished making both types of burgers, and now we have enough for many of those instant dinners that we need to have available on weekdays. Also, the film was cute and at times quite funny. We both thought Eddie Izzard was playing the villain, and it turned out to be Jemaine Clement - a kiwi! That was my favorite recurring joke in Flight of the Conchords - that everyone, even their best friends, were always alluding to them being English, I never tire of it. We have lived that joke around here. Gwyn does not even bother correcting people half the time anymore. One close friend cannot shake the idea that Gwyn is actually Irish, which is the catchall "non-English but with a funny accent" category.

[Riki]

I accomplished a massive sunburn.. and I'm rather happy about it. *LOL*

I did notice something while looking at the burn on my shoulder, on the left side, which is the fistula side, the veins pop out much more than on the right side.  It kinda reminded me of the movie, The Rage: Carrie 2, when Rachel finally snaps, and you can see all her veins showing on her arms and legs, looking like vines.  Weird

[MooseMom]

NO, I GOT NOTHING ACCOMPLISHED TODAY BECAUSE I AM DROWNING IN RED TAPE AND NO ONE IS AROUND TO ANSWER MY PHONE CALLS AND EVERYONE HAS LEFT THE OFFICE (AT 3:45 IN THE AFTERNOON?) AND NO ONE KNOWS WHAT THE HELL THEY ARE DOING AND IT SEEMS LIKE TODAY IS THE DAY THAT EVERYONE IN EVERY MEDICAL OFFICE HAS DECIDED ON GROUP INEPTITUDE.

I am now going to do some gardening to calm down.

[Cordelia]

Lots of cleaning, made me feel good, getting a lot of it done.   

Tomorrow's dialysis in the am, so I expect to get......nothng done around the house   

[cariad]

I dropped off a thank you card to the person who interviewed me yesterday. Normally I would have just mailed it, but in the midst of my post-interview obsessing, I completely forgot to go get my blood drawn across the road. Also, I had brought some materials yesterday that they had asked me to bring in, then forgot to hand them over. I really did not want to email those as it had sensitive information on it. So, I wrote up a quick card, put on a nice outfit, and gave the receptionist the card, the materials, and an updated copy of my resume as I had accidentally attached an older version. (d'oh!) My perfectionist self cannot handle making these stupid mistakes. Then I got my blood drawn and found a load of soccer gear on special at the shops, along with my beloved Clif bars. Oh, and I have started the process to refinance and save us a fair amount on our mortgage. Being unemployed and in financial difficulty is so stressful, so I need to make sure I do as much as I can to address these issues. I also filed my application for my Ph.D. Sounds like a lot when I write it all out, but each thing only took a few minutes, and somehow most of the day is gone. Is the earth rotating faster, or is it just me??

[monrein]

I WAS feeling all accomplished but next to cariad I'm actually a slug in slo-mo.   

Spent 2 hours at the gym...30 minutes rowing and an hour and a half on the Pilates transformer machine trying to master the breathing and muscle control...time goes by so fast, despite the lack of shoulder pads which is a big impediment.  I improvise with my running shoes or a yoga mat but it's still crap without the pads...I want to buy my own since the gym won't but anyway...this evening while watching TV I plan to do an arm workout with bands.

Then the garden...watered, inspected, lightly weeded and huge accomplishment, managed to finally get my crowbar under a fair sized rock I've been wanting to move, then rolled it ever so gingerly to it's new home where it ought to protect a part of my hosta collection from the zeal of my grass cutter's weed whacker.  Now, sweating like a crazy menopausal woman and wishing it would cool down so I could walk.

[jbeany]

I accomplished falling asleep last night almost as soon as I laid down, and waking up rested.  Heck, that may be enough for today!  But I've already done some laundry and added more clothes that don't fit to the ongoing donate pile. 

I've also gotten confirmation that I got the office hours I wanted for my legal clinic class this fall (all the same day as the class, so I only have to drive downtown and pay for parking once a week.), and researched all the parking options and printed out maps to have ready so I know where all the closest lots are if the best one is full. 

12 days until classes start!

Auugh!  I've got to go buy books!  Well, there's tomorrow's plan...

[Desert Dancer]

I accomplished falling asleep last night almost as soon as I laid down, and waking up rested. 

,

I wish I could do that. Seems I haven't slept in months.

Today I made four gallons of iced tea (Peach, Blackberry, Raspberry and Plain), a meatloaf and an apple cake. Did two loads of laundry, ironed a half-dozen work shirts, scrubbed all the salt up off the RO room floor and set up the machine for tonight. Scheduled half a dozen modeling sessions and finished two more sections of a 1500 piece jigsaw puzzle that takes up most of my dining room table.

Boring, I know, but I feel like I was actually useful today.

[cariad]

I WAS feeling all accomplished but next to cariad I'm actually a slug in slo-mo.   

Spent 2 hours at the gym...30 minutes rowing and an hour and a half on the Pilates transformer machine trying to master the breathing and muscle control...time goes by so fast, despite the lack of shoulder pads which is a big impediment.  I improvise with my running shoes or a yoga mat but it's still crap without the pads...I want to buy my own since the gym won't but anyway...this evening while watching TV I plan to do an arm workout with bands.

Then the garden...watered, inspected, lightly weeded and huge accomplishment, managed to finally get my crowbar under a fair sized rock I've been wanting to move, then rolled it ever so gingerly to it's new home where it ought to protect a part of my hosta collection from the zeal of my grass cutter's weed whacker.  Now, sweating like a crazy menopausal woman and wishing it would cool down so I could walk.

Wow! Slugs must be really FAST in Canada if this is the slo-mo version.... 

Agh! Well, I finally canceled our U-verse subscription. We have had it over a year, and the remote in the Great Room never worked properly. It would only talk to the reception box when it felt like it, and AT&T always found ways to muck up repair attempts. Each phone call will cost you at least an hour of your time, and just try scheduling a techie to come by to look at it. One day many months ago I decided I was going to fix the problem, so they sent the tech over and the man told me that he was only an 'outdoor' tech, not an indoor one, so he could not look at the equipment. Oh, great! There's useful! Calling today, they somehow got it into their heads that I was calling from a small business. I was transferred to 5 people before I got through to someone who knew what she was talking about. I was so beyond furious that even the robotic phone menu voice apologised to me! (I'm sorry I'm having such a hard time understanding you....)

We get NetFlix through our Wii, with loads of kids programs on instant view, so for now that is plenty. We also have Internet access to Daily Show, Colbert, and MSNBC and I just ordered two boxes to get Internet played over the television - Logitech and Roku. If any one has any experience with either and could let me know how you got on with them, I would so appreciate it! Between canceling the television service and refinancing, we stand to save over $3000 in a year, with that going up to $5000 if we stay in the house for an additional year. I really hope the refi goes through without incident. I meet with someone about it tomorrow.

[cariad]

ReFi meeting was canceled yesterday, but not until 10 minutes prior so I had already cleaned the ground floor. Then when I received the cancellation news, I went up to Costco. Spent over $300, which is actually pretty good for me. I bought non-organic red pepper, and have already roasted them, but not done the saute. I also bought a giant pack of non-organic raspberries, and a bag of non-organic avocado. We were out of our typical cheeses, so I bought the 2-lb packs of cheddar and colby-jack (kids' fave) plus a queso blanco and some Jarlsberg on special. Rest of the money was spent on various and sundry products, almost all of which were on a discount. I have a few returns to make, but will probably wait until we're back from holiday.

I wanted to be lazy and go to Chipotle yesterday, but decided that after that massive purchase, better just make do with what was at home. So I made the kids cheese quesadillas with watermelon and raspberries on the side, and Gwyn and I made our own version of a Chipotle burrito (more of a soft taco since we do not have those massive tortillas that can hold all of those ingredients). Gwyn made up some of our volcanic rice from Java, added a squeeze of lemon since we do not have lime nor cilantro right now, a tin of black beans, cheese, avocado, salsa from a jar, and sour cream. We forgot the lettuce and by the time we remembered we were halfway done and could not be bothered. It was messy and it was not the same, but not in a bad way. Plus, we saved nearly $14 which certainly makes me feel better. All of this while enjoying two episodes of Fetch! (kids' request) over the laptop. I am so sad that show has been canceled! I have been telling Aidan that I was going to take him to Boston to audition for it and he was going to GET ON THAT PROGRAM OR DON'T COME HOME! He would have been old enough to audition as early as next year. 

[jbeany]

I accomplished spending much less money that I thought I was going to.

 I went to the mall with my sis today, looking for clothes.  I had a list of things, most meant to replace things that got emptied out of my closet in the purge of over-sized clothes after my too-sick-to-eat 25 pd weight loss.  I've purchased a number of lovely things second hand, but haven't found everything I thought I should get yet.  I was looking for a casual and a dress winter coat, separates for a suit to wear to court, which I hadn't owned before but thought would be useful, and a skirt or two. I tried on a lot of things and just didn't manage to find much of anything I liked.  A whole mall to look in, 5 hours to look, and nothing worth spending money on.  Either I've gotten really picky, or the styles this year just aren't to my taste and new shape.  I gave up on the coats for now - I'll hunt for them at Goodwill until it gets cold enough to really need one.  I gave up on the suit idea completely.  I have the same problem with suit coats that I do with button down shirts.  None of them are meant for broad shouldered women.  If I get one that fits my shoulders, it's at least 2 sizes to big for my waist line.  Bah humbug and never mind.  I'll wear one piece dresses  and a wrap, shawl or scarf instead.  Those I have, thanks to my sister's hand-me-downs, so no need to spend money on them.  I really just needed one silky brown long skirt to replace the one I wore all the time last year.  I saw a hundred skirts - but none in that style or fabric.

 I bought a couple of tank tops and pair of shorts on sale and gave up.  So my bank account is still full and my closet is half-empty.  I think, if I can't find it at Goodwill for now, I'm just going to make do without it for a while.  I do live in Michigan, so eventually the coats will be a necessity, but not yet, so I can stall for while.  I'm going for less is more in a wardrobe for now.  That decision is an accomplishment for me!

[willowtreewren]

We did our usual Saturday shopping today, with an additional stop at Lowe's. I headed to the super sale plant rack and picked up some nice "slightly sad" flowers to spruce up my deck planters. I'll have to wait until the temps drop back down out of the 90s this evening before tackling the re-potting job, though. In the past two months I've lost 19 pounds, so I had a bit of fun trying on some of the clothes that used to be too small for me.

 

I discovered quite a few gems that I had forgotten about. After about 25 more pounds I'll be able to wear some really lovely clothes that I never wanted to part with since they were so attractive. Next week I'll get a pedicure to celebrate the second 10 pounds....That is my reward for losing (besides, just feeling better).

We are two weeks into the new school year here, and already my class is settling in. It has shifted younger with an influx of 7 new first grade students. Some of my really, really challenging students have moved on, so it looks like it is going to be a good year. Even more exciting, we are going to be able to leave "early" this year - 3:30 ish instead of 5:30. I am so looking forward to that.

[Chris]

Let's see, slept, got up at 1:30 pm, showered and took pup to puppy class. Came home and slept some moreSoooo my accompplishment was a shower!

[RichardMEL]

Well at least you were clean!

Hope you didn't sleep through taking your meds on time, mate!
(I did just last week and OG when I woke up 2 hours later I was in a bit of a panic! )

[Chris]

Well at least you were clean!

Hope you didn't sleep through taking your meds on time, mate!
(I did just last week and OG when I woke up 2 hours later I was in a bit of a panic! )

No, did not do that sort of. I was an hour late since I moved my time to take meds to 12:30. This sems to fit how the hospital shifts screw up all the time.
 
 
Today I did more sleeping, took the dog out once, set pills for the week up, and fell asleep on the floor. Accomplishment for the day, turned pc on and came here and FB.

[jbeany]

Shopped 'til I dropped again - sis had to go back into town, so we headed back to the mall for round 2 this week.  I swear, I'm getting pickier about what I buy by the minute.  The first stop she had to make was JoAnn's Fabric and Crafts store.  This is usually a place of unspeakable temptation for me.  Beads, Fabric, and Poly clay, oh my! 

I bought glue-sticks and floral tape.  Wheeeee....big spender today!  And I even had coupons.  I needed the glue and tape for projects I already have materials for.

I looked at all the beads, but the only stuff I really needed they didn't carry, so I ordered the stuff I needed online tonight.  For the price of just one of the handmade pieces I've bought from other jewelry artists, I got enough supplies to make about 20 pendants.  That ought to keep me busy for a while, and I plan to sell a few of them to pay for the materials.  The rest will be gifts.  I'm already planning ahead for November birthdays and Christmas - how's that for an accomplishment?

I did try to buy some jeans.  And if you are female, you already understand what I mean by "try."  Nothing fit right and after about the 5th store, I just gave up.  I have one pair of jeans that fits right now, and those were second-hand.  Everything else is dress pants, skirts and dresses.  Guess I'll be dressing up a lot more for a while.

I think all my luck finding designer clothes at the local Goodwill has spoiled me for buying them new.  Even $30 jeans seem to pricey after finding them for $3!

[jbeany]

Okay, more jean shopping today, and actually found some.  At Walmart, for $13.  Okay, I can live with that price.  I ended up with 2 of the same style, in different colors of blue.

Of course, I had to visit two different Walmarts to find them.  Not like that's a big deal here.  I live on the outskirts of a major urban area.  There's another shopping area every 15 or 20 miles, 'cause heaven forbid anyone need drive more than 10 minutes to find a mall or a big box store.

I figured the second stop would be easier - if they had them, I just had to grab the same style, same brand, in the same size.  Right.  I still had to try them on when I realized that there were 3 pairs, all marked the same size 12, same A for Average length, with all the same stickers and names - but in 3 different lengths.  Huh?  The first one was too short and too small, the second one was too long, and the third one fit - although not quite as well as the darker blue pair with the same style and size from the other Walmart.  Oh good grief.  What, am I Goldilocks looking for jeans instead of porridge now?  "The last one was just right."

Well, close enough, anyhow.

After all this fuss, I hate clothes shopping.  I'm quitting, and I haven't replaced half of what I had to get rid of.  I don't care.  I'll just do laundry more often instead.

 

[Riki]

I didn't do much, but what I did do was ok.  After I pulled myself out of bed and had a bite to eat, I went on FB, then I pulled my lovely new rocking chair out onto the back doorstep. I read for a bit, then took clothes off the line, which made me feel a bit less useless, then read some more.  I went into town with Mom, got my ice cap, and now I"m watching Rachel Maddow

[Pam]

jbeany......just reading about your shopping trips wears me out. I didn't think I could get more tired than I already  am.
Pam




 















i

[Chris]

I'm still trying, but it isn't easy!
I wonder if I should just go to a travel agent!

[cariad]

We made it back from our annual end-of-summer holiday. Nice to be home, but sad that summer is so close to over. Kids start school Thursday!

[cariad]

I am so flipping knackered. I spent the day filling out forms, sending emails, chasing up information, and tidying up the kitchen (it's back to its disastrous state again already). I have decided that we cannot afford school lunch this year for both kids, so we are just going to have to find the time to pack one. We attended the open house only to find out that my son has been put with the one teacher I did not want for him (but then I met her, and really I think she was not described very well to me and that it is going to be fine). More annoyingly, the simple request I made that Liot have at least one friend in his class was not granted. I know he'll make new friends, but for flips sake, the mothers of the other kids and I think all the kids from the afterschool program were purposefully separated. Four kids in Liot's grade and each in a different class.

One of our support people from the transplant will be Liot's afterschool teacher. Oh, she is so great, this will be so good for him to have a few hours with her each day. I got into a bit of a, well not exactly a row, more of a strong difference of opinion with a friend of mine. I got the boys' bus schedule and it is supposedly going to take an hour (AN HOUR!!!) to get them from their school to the afterschool program 5 minutes away. I spoke with so many teachers about this, and Gwyn, and I guess I just really did not want this friend's opinion (I did not ask) and she was not getting the hint that she was overstepping her bounds in telling me how to handle it. I ended up just flatly saying that I expect the principal to sort it out, and if she cannot, I will see no choice but to find an alternate school for the kids. I have been told by S., Liot's afterschool teacher, that there is no way that five year olds can handle spending an hour a day sat on a school bus, and I know this is true for mine.

On the up side, Gwyn and I have an FSA account that we completely forgot about, so I had our tuition reports pulled and we should be getting a big reimbursement check in a few weeks. Also, a prof has stepped in to talk to the grad school about cutting through the red tape and just getting me set up to take classes. Those start as early as Tuesday. I am going to do this.

[Chris]

Was up early so I could get to my surgery on time, but the person taking me was not so dependable. Then surgery didn't get going till after 9 am instead of 7:30 am. Came ome (no idea what time or when I took my meds, and slept most of time except to empty drainage bag. Feel crappy and sore. Back to doctor tomorrow and then call neph about graft sorness in one area, not related to surgey people.

[Riki]

I managed to get through a 10 minute ride with my 8yr old nephew after dialysis today.  We were dropping him off at a friend's house.  It may sound bad that I was irritated at an 8yr old, but I was tired, and he's a motormouth like his mother.  The kid did not shut up for the whole ride.  I'm not sure how he was able to breathe and talk at the same time.  I kept my cool, and did not say anything to him.  I'm actually rather proud of myself.

[cariad]

I managed to get through a 10 minute ride with my 8yr old nephew after dialysis today.  We were dropping him off at a friend's house.  It may sound bad that I was irritated at an 8yr old, but I was tired, and he's a motormouth like his mother.  The kid did not shut up for the whole ride.  I'm not sure how he was able to breathe and talk at the same time.  I kept my cool, and did not say anything to him.  I'm actually rather proud of myself.

It doesn't sound at all bad, and you should be proud, Riki! I know exactly what that is about because BOTH of my boys have been delivering a non-stop monologue since roughly 2009. In fact, Aidan was quiet one day on the way to school and I said "Aidan, what's the matter? Normally I'd be telling you to shut up by now." (I am extremely lucky that my older son has such a sophisticated sense of humour and does not take offense.) So, well done, you.

Have not done much today. Went over half an hour on the Wii Fit, and Gwyn and I just roasted and sauteed all of our red peppers. Food of the gods!!!