Come for Tea

Happy birthday Zaphoon

Doug and I traveled west when he graduated from college in 1976 with $100 and a credit card for 3 weeks. We planned to camp in our pup tent often to save money. After one night we decided to go to cheep motels. One we stayed in California actually had an old refrigerator with the freezer door removed and put up to a window. We covered the bed with a tarp and laid on our sleeping bags and used our own pillows. Oh to be so young and carefree.

too funny! Whatever works...

Good morning everyone, back from vacation. We had a great time and wonderful weather. I am ready to go again! Hope everyone had a nice 4th of July.

Dana

Danaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, where did you go? I've wondered where you were! Sounds like you had a great time.

Good morning everyone... Marvelous Monday is here... muffins for all!

Mornin', y'all! What a weekend!
My parents came over yesterday and we did some MAJOR moving around of stuff. We moved the piano from the living room into the wee man's room... don't think that is weird... I had my piano in my bedroom growing up, so just seems natural to us! We moved all of my bedroom stuff into what used to be the guest bedroom and in a few months will be my parents' bedroom, but for now I have to use it while my bedroom is being remodeled. Also had to move all my craft stuff out of the bathroom in my bedroom (once again, don't think it's weird... it's a HUGE room with a GIANT closet and it worked great as a craft room!)... craft stuff is now taking up most of my dining room. We also took up some tiles in the bathroom prior to the remodel, trying to determine if the big cracks in the tiles are from foundation problems or just because of the drought and house settling. Turns out there was hardly any thinset under them... no wonder they cracked. Good thing we will be pulling up the whole floor! Needless to say, we are all exhausted!
Will spend today organizing stuff and waiting on the respiratory therapist from Electromed to train me on how to use the SmartVest that is in giant boxes and taking up a bunch of space in the kitchen. I'm tired just thinking about it all!
Y'all have a GREAT Monday!

Sarah - You just exhausted me - and all I did was read your weekend activities. We Just cleaned up after the tile guy installed a new back splash in our kitchen (to match new counter tops). Feels weird making our place nicer - so it'll sell faster. We live in a 20th/21st floor condo downtown - but it's on 2 levels. It's small with L/R D/R Kitchen open concept. (there used to be a powder room on main floor - but we converted it to a pantry when we removed a wall of kitchen cabinets for an open plan 10 years ago when we moved in).

I've been on the hunt for a large 1 level unit - hopefully we can stay in this building. Lots of great neighbours and well managed and funded. Thankfully the real estate market is brisk here in Ottawa. But still - I hate the thought of moving. Dang! But I want to do it while I am still in charge of my stuff - it's a control thing - to be sure.

Pace yourself!

Don't worry Helen, I was keeping an eye on you when I was gone to make sure you behaved yourself !

Dana

Wow, Elaine!

I remember going through the make-the-house-better-to-sell-it thing. When I was married and lived in Miami, we bought a house for $205K. It had pink walls, green splatter/drip-painted walls, contractor grade crap kitchen, pink carpet, pink tile, and was just ugly, ugly, ugly! It was a slow fixing up process. First I painted all the walls white just so they wouldn't be pink and green. Then we had gray tile put in through the whole house. I had to sand the stairs, stain the treads, and paint the risers white (while living there, which meant doing every other stair so we could use the stairs... huge pain in the rear!). Hurricane Katrina ruined the kitchen, so we ripped it out, I had to redo the sheetrock on the outside wall because of the mold, then assemble and put in new cabinets, new appliances, and a gorgeous deep single-bowl white enamel cast iron sink (I miss this sink like you wouldn't believe... I bathed my son in it every night and never had to kill my back or knees when he was little!). At least we had a plumber do the plumbing, and Home Depot did the granite countertops. I petered out and never got around to doing the tile backspalsh. We put in a new front door. We had the outside painted. We had the landscaing done. We had a new AC and new hot water heater put in. It was beautiful when we were done! Anyways.... so around the time we were ready to sell, the house next door (not as nice as ours) sold for $412K! We just knew we had it made and were expecting to make around $150K on the sale... then the housing bubble burst, and it never sold. It's in foreclosure (it was in ex's name, not mine, thank heavens!) and sitting empty... ex took out the kitchen and installed it at his grandmother's apt over by the ocean, and someone stole the new AC and other robbers apparently gutted anything else that was left... AND it has squatters, but none of that is my problem!

Ha, what a story... anyways, what I meant to say was, I had a crazy experience trying to sell my house, so I hope your experience is much better and goes quickly for a great price! And yes, we are doing these things now so I can go through my things in private and not have people in stuff that isn't their business! Stay in control as long as you can!

Dang Sarah that had to suck doing all that work, and it not selling.Hey laurel, I see you

Joni, $#!* happens... us PALS, CALS, and friends know that on the most personal level possible. Seemed a horrible tragedy at the time... now it's like "who cares?!" Besides... I like DIY projects... it was fun for the most part!

We drove our '70 convertible up through the islands up to a small town in Quebec today. Doug had some parts to be rechormed. It was a beautiful day to cruise. I put on sunscreen but my shoulders feel burnt. My manual chair barelyqq fits in the trunk. He struggled to get out when we made a pit top. We will both sleep well tonight.

Sounds like a nice ride, Becky!

I like to cook quick and Easy. Have any of you tried the new Philadelphia cooking cream? I use 2 boxes of pasta roni fettucini Alfredo, add half a tub óf the cooking cream, ana a pkg of Frozen shrimp scampi. I also buy the cheap frozen shrimp to add to the pkkgd scampi so I only use half of the pre made stuff since the kids Love shrimp Costs about $7 to make a batch. You can also add vegies to it. This makes 4 big servings

Hi All~~~~

Sarah-- your weekend wore me out reading it! I hope it works!
Sadie- recipe sounds delish... I've used the cooking cream before and had dishes turn out ok!
Becky- how fun! The top down, oooooohhhh!
Joni- how are you?
Any word on Toto?

Busy day today with phone calls to the VA, A/C guy (tomorrow), the super nurse for insurance, tried to retire but no one in the office..., carpet cleaners, lunch with Melissa and Maddie and a box store run. Next trip is to St Louis in Sept. Rog gets to drop a pill as he has no more re flux since the tube and it's a pill that won't crush or dissolve... Whoopee!
Leaving out crackers and artichoke dip...sun tea as well! Enjoy