Forever Friday

[Elizabeth]

I almost called today's topic Foolish Friday because I stayed up way too late. It is 2:40 am where I am and I still have to do cat care.

I have updated Quicken and transferred money to cover that enormous check for the brakes. Mostly I have been playing Hearts on the computer. Why do I do this to myself?

Good morning! Good night! Good grief!

[OKay]

Good Morning!

Elizabeth - Thanks for starting us off today. I hope you were able to get some good hours of sleep.


PODA -
** most of the day at home to catch up. Will follow my time slot schedule as much as possible
** 2:00pm go to LO school for program
** 7:00pm FNG - we are taking several hundred pounds of fruit, nuts and candy in cases. The Friday Night gang has volunteered to team up and package it into 300+ individual bags.

SHE cards completed 44

B: Omelet & Breakfast burrito
L: Pinto Beans & salsa with Cornbread slathered in butter
D: Homemade Pizza

[Twins' Mom]

OK, your menus sound wonderful!

Pinto Beans & salsa with Cornbread slathered in butter

We had pinto beans regularly when I was growing up and I was never that fond of them, but they always sound so good now, especially with the salsa. I do like to order then when I go to a restaurant that has good pintos as a side order.

I need to get rolling - I slept late thinking this was a slow day, and after I got up I realized that the dcleaning lady is coming, I need to see dmom, then pick up ds in ATL this afternoon. He's requested two p.m. or soon after which should get us back out before afternoon traffic.

So I need to get moving.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

I'm awake.

Still not s2s but the bed is stripped and remade, the room tidied and my clothes laid out. Then I got a phone call, CM asking me to babysit the boys after church while she's at the second service. Pointed out I'm preaching. We'll play the day by ear, if necessary, dh will take them home with him after he's done the carolling at the beginning of the second service.

My goal today is to write a sermon.

And finish the US cards to be sent off (actually that's a nag dh job.) If they don't get done, I'll take them with me to mail from upstate NY when we go to pick up my parcel at the border (which apparently arrived 2 days ago, so I have 5 days to do that but tomorrow and Sunday don't count because the lineups will be huge. I might go down on Monday morning earlyish (they open at 7:30 but I'm not sure I can get there that early.)

First, I'm going to finish my tea and then restart my day.

[OKay]

IMHO the flavoring and method of cooking make all the difference in how Pinto Beans turn out. The Instant pot (electric pressure cooker) makes cooking the beans quick (30 minutes) and easy. I have tweaked the spices/flavoring until it is perfect for us. (cumin, curry, paprika, onions, garlic, molasses or BBQ sauce or ketchup). DH and I like them spicy with a touch of sweetness. We tone down the spiciness because of LO. That boys literally jumps for joy when we have beans. He l-o-v-e-s them and always ask for second helping.

LO launched to school. It is finally staying above freezing and the moisture is falling as rain (YEAH!) Our coats were both wet by the time he got onto the school bus.

We didn't clean up after ourselves last night. We were rushed trying to get the stove installed then immediately had to shift to must-do PM cards. So that means I have the old stove sitting in the middle of the dining room.....the huge cardboard carton it come in is laying in the front yard...wet from the rain.
LIlac!!! I think we need you in our home today! I thought of you when I looked at our mess this morning.......I love how you clean behind the mess makers so it doesn't pile up and get worse.

My phone is buzzing over and over and over as pictures arrive from DDIL sharing their adventures in NYC. I'm loving each and every "buzz"

[Nancy]

I am waving a hearty greeting to everyone! On a forever Friday. Bs # is perfect today yea for that! I am calling this flexible Friday bc that is what I need to be.

I see that we have snow it is a wintery mix in the forecast & has melted off the drive way so that is good.
32* - *40 today's temps.

Hens light is on I am waiting until it is light out to feed them h. Is up early and leaving for work.

Not sure if dgd will be here, I think babyN will be here today not sure when.

I need to journal and figure out a plan soup in a can for h. For dinner, glad I did errands yesterday.

My heel is better it is good that I can walk with out limping. Yesterday I had to sort of tippy toe. I am thinking of getting a roast to cook up in a crock pot . Love how that makes the house smell so yummy!

[helia]

Those pinto beans sound SO good, OK. That is one thing I've never cooked. I don't have a pressure cooker, but I remember my mom cooking with one when I was small. She was always so stern with us re: not touching it and possible consequences that I think I was a little scared of the thing! Not bad for a small child - but I think I'm still a little intimidated by it.

Well, I've gotten some things done on my computer this morning but that's not the way I'm "supposed" to start my day. I have
- responded to email from neighbor re: parking problem on our street which is resolving.
- responded to email re: volunteer tutoring of ESL groups
- reserved the Hobbit I movie at redbox for $1.27, cheaper than amazon ($10 to watch instantly) and instant video wasn't an option on netflix. I didn't check itunes - but this works. Dd15 wants to watch it tonight b/c she's going w/ friends to see the 2nd movie tomorrow as a bday party for friends (twins!) who moved in around the corner this summer and go to the same school as our girls. And who have visited our church twice this fall in an effort to find a church. They seem like nice girls, and we are happy with the budding friendships.
- ordered 2 tops for dfriend's dd14 in California; the company gift wraps for $6 so that solves the problem nicely!! I had the gifts wrapped and shipped directly to dfriends' home. It is worth the extra $6 to me to not have to drive 35 minutes to go to a huge mall, though it is a very nice mall.

Dh has gone for a run. It is 22* outside right now.

More bungles yesterday: as I was walking in the mall, I ran into a woman from church, a substitute teacher for our moms group PreK/K class. I realized I'd forgotten to put her Cmas card, which the moms had signed, + gift card in the mail!! I hope to do that today. I also realized that I'd forgotten dniece's bday, which is today. . .

Party last night was fun; I got to chat with some old friends, like S2, as well as women I don't know very well. It was well-attended!! And I just used the word "well" 3x in 2 sentences. . . And there was way way too much food. Not a single dish was completely gone, and all the desserts (except for one - mint brownies) were more than half left; one pie wasn't even touched!! I got home at 11 and everyone was in bed, except for dd15 who was finishing her homework.

Off to the days. I'll try to post a personal schedule later; I found it helpful as a guide, at least, even though I didn't stick with it - and new "todos" popped up during the day too.

[OKay]

not touching it and possible consequences that I think I was a little scared of the thing!

Me too! DMom actually had a pressure cooker blow up because she got distracted and forgot about it. It made a HUGE mess in the kitchen. I used a stove top pressure cooker for years and was always very attentive .....and yes, a little scared of it. All that has changed since Cowinkie shared about the Instant Pot. All the benefits of pressure cooking with none of the scary.

We are suppose to be above freezing for the next 48 hours. I'm very grateful to Nancy for sharing how she uses a crockpot to keep water warm outside. Using her method, our furkids water stayed warm the whole 9 days we were below freezing. Now that has warmed up, it is time to revert to our normal way of watering the critters.

SHE cards completed 68

[Twins' Mom]

House is straightened up and dcleaning lady here doing her magic. I need to eat oatmeal breakfast sitting next to me, then:
-get dressed
-take meds
-brush teeth
-walk ddogs
-head out to:
---bank
---dmom's
---ATL for ds

onward.

[Harriet]

As soon as I saw Elizabeth had started us off, I wondered how late she'd stayed up! Take care of yourself, Elizabeth.

Beans! I used to cook beans and peas so often that we joked it was beans and biscuits one day and beans and cornbread the next. Quite the thrifty meal-maker! We always switched types of beans and peas around, though, so we'd have the idea of variety! Years ago, hands who ate at my grandmother's house after working the farm called the lunch hour "Bean Time". I favor Crowders as the best of the best taste. That's one of the types of Cowpeas, like the Yardlong Bean and the Black-Eyed Pea. It's called "Crowder", not because of someone's name as I used to believe, but because it is more crowded in its pod than others. My ddad always liked certain canned beans and asked for them specifically, so we got into the Luck's and VanCamp's habit! If ever there was a recommendation for beans as a daily staple it was my ddad. He was insistent that the lowly Pork and Beans in cans was a super-healthy product, because a person got some tomato along with the beans in winter. HRH's ddad had a similar opinion and would take P & Bs on long fishing trips for that reason.

Frantic morning for dd15 as "You Forgot Your Flash Drive" scenario played out, causing a tardy at school and a worried Engineering partner. I hope everything turned out okay. HRH ended up being the parent taking her to school, because I just had to get something done around here and couldn't stop in the middle of my deviled egg prep. I kissed her on the forehead (egg fingers) as she left and had her take the ugliest deviled egg for the second ride in the car!

TaDa - 2 dozen deviled eggs are arranged prettily in their carrier.

Next up, gift wrapping. But I need some brunch first.