Shortbread Sunday

[Lauralind]

Morning all. You got that right trissie. Some days are super hard with teens like that. There's just some barrier I need to find with mine in balance between understanding why he won't talk sometimes and then sometimes I feel like maybe I give him the impression I don't talk either? Am I actually a safe space? I don't know . I hope that issue is settled now. And glad you got out with dh.

I love shortbread too. Though for some reason I've never made them?

Ohh I hope the weather settles over there. All the cancelations.

Ds didn't come out yet. He went to bed right after he only had a few bites of supper. I hear him coughing now...

Guess I should go make the cookies now.. and maybe play a little music.

[Smile*Lee]

helia ~Nice that you made good progress yesterday. ugh on the tire. yes, very irritating. Hopefully, they'll get it right this time. oh.. windshield fluid - that' irritating too.
Frenchi ~ Fahrenheit. I don't really care, but it is weird that we're the only ones in the world that use it. The church is open for second service at 11. They've just closed for the first service at 9. My guess is that they figure the first service would be sparsely attended, and that heating the church to "people" level is expensive. Our church runs on a multitude of volunteers - which they'll probably lose a bunch today. Knocking off one service makes it easier for the church staff (& kids), as well.
trissie ~ kids argue? say it ain't so!
laurlind ~ hopefully, communication with ds will come easier as he grows older.

Had breakfast - a bunch of fruit - sounded good - and it was.
Filled out the planner for next week.
Hauled the humidifiers upstairs. I'm pretty sure one of them is older than my kids. Not even sure the last time I used it. Let's see if it still works.

Off to fill humidifiers and do a quick spiff.

[trissie]

lauralind, the issue is not settled, because it's kinda a bullying problem that DS is (once again) on the wrong side of (though, is there a good side to be on when it comes to bullying? even being the one who stands up against the bullies when somebody else is the victim sucks when you are teen trying to fit in). But I spoke with the scout leader and they will look into it. I know I am my son's safe place, but it's very emotionally exhausting when all I can do is remind him I will always be in his corner and maybe offer strategies but still have to let him deal with it.

[Smile*Lee]

trissie ~ so sorry about the bullying against ds. I dealt with some bullies at one of the schools I attended - and it's not a fun time.

-4 today and 50 on Thursday. It's going to mess with all this snow melting so fast.

[Doggedly]

So... my dog with the gourmet palate when it comes to dog food spent last night spreading pieces of a tissue around the apartment.

Thank you for starting us off, Kittykatt. I think that you are wise to keep Germane's advice away from Matilda. I'm sure that Matilda is creative enough to think of mischief all on her own, LOL.
I have a big tin of shortbread that I bought from Costco when I first started my membership before I went to visit my db in September. It has fingers, rounds and petticoat tails. They are all delicious. I had no idea that the ingredients are so simple. Only three of them and in an easy-to-remember ratio: 1:2:3.

I'm glad that you enjoyed your movie, trissie. I'm sure that the twins enjoyed being grown up enough to be at home alone. They will probably be sprinkling their conversations with casual references to looking after things when they are home alone to their peers, LOL.

Smile*Lee, I can understand not wanting to go out in -20F windchill. It's only -20C windchill here, and I find that more than chilly enough for my taste.

That is so frustrating about the car, helia. Bad enough in summer, but it's really worrying to drive around like that in the winter.

I think that you got the best task, FrenchFly: shopping vs referee? I'll take shopping, LOL.

I have made it to the end of Page 1. Time to get up and get on with things.

Sunday
Cleaned up after dog
Put on a pot of coffee
Cleaned up after dog
Put away dry dishes
CUOP

[FrenchFlybebe]

trissie I can't believe I'm an inspiration to you. There must be some misunderstanding ! I just cook a pot of mixed veggies and put them in lunchboxes, and I add pasta or rice or quinoa, sometimes the already cooked type, you just open the bag and put some quinoa in half the lucnhbox and add the veggies. And I add a bit of the leftover stuff from the Saturday or Sunday cooking. It does happen sometimes that I feel courageous enough to cook one dish in advance for the week, and maybe pre prep another one, but no more than that.
I wouldn't buy 25 cookie cutters of the same shape ! Unless I was still a school teacher maybe. We have 5 or 6 shapes here, only 2 kids, and they will inevitably fight at some point. Or just complain that the other one takes too long with the shape they want.
(( )) sorry to read about your DS's issues and your limited role in solving them.

laura sorry it is hard for you and your DS to communicate. Also, I hope he's on the mend soon. (( ))

Smile it is incredibly cold in Fahrenheit. We're so lucky on this side of the Atlantic, we don't need winter coats at all these days, but even in normal winter weather, we hardly ever go beyond 0°C (freezing level) in December.

Doggedly that is the right word : a referee. Not fun. Oh, sorry you have so much cleaning to do because of Germane.

MrNG took both kids to the local skate park (very small). I had some quiet in the house. They're on their way back. I froze the lunchboxes, cleaned a bit, changed the vacuum cleaner bag, cleaned the patio too - it needs a few more sessions, but it looks way better different.
And now the sun is setting.
One wore week of school to go, for the kids. I will have a few days off around Christmas, and the good thing is, I won"t need to walk them to school during the holiday break as MrNG will be home too, his training stops next Friday until mid January.

TADAs
cleaning, relocating... (entrance, entrance veranda, patio)
quiet time and quiet cup of tea
a short cleaning session in the kitchen

TODOs next
DS7's homework
wrap secret Santa present
cook dinner

Other TODOs
I would like to bake, if it's a peaceful family-bonding time
some Christmas-present-strategy talk with MrNG
progress on my stitching project? it won't be finished this year but I can work on it
some form of exercise
set things up for the week
weekly list
bed early

[kitkat]

Good morning Ladies! Thanks for the start!
I finished wrapping last night!!! I was really proud of myself AND exhausted...
Really cold here: it was -10 C this morning...

I'm back from the gym and gift drop off mission.
DDog has been fed/in/out on repeat.
Took my meds, having coffee:)

Must take pup for her daily outing.
Pick up random stuff.
Keep laundry going.
Pick up wrapping stuff from second bedroom

[trissie]

kitkat, must have been a wrapping weekend in the SHE world! It feels good, doesn't it?
Frenchie, it's not cookie CUTTERS, it's cookie MOLDS - you bake the cookies inside of those molds (to get these cute 3D shapes), and you really need a lot of them if you're making tiny two inch cookies 6 cookie cutters only? I think I have... well probably more than 6 dozen cookie cutters (on top of those cookie molds). yeah, I know, our baking traditions are crazy
Dogged, if there will be a reference, it will be "mom gave us money for pizza" and that will be cool!
Smile*Lee, is there risk of floods with such a change in temperature?

TaDas
- afternoon routine
- freezer cooking
- 15 on laundry
- dinner started
- homework with DBD

ToDos
- finish dinner
- 15 on laundry
- chase other kids to do homework (though I think they have a class trip?)

Braindump
routines
- evening routine
food
- dinner
- bake something sweet
- feed breadstarter
organization
- email to school
- plan out next week
- update land contract
- house insurance status?
- rework contract with DS14's therapist
- homework and backpacks
- DBD's speech therapy
- 15 on filing
cleaning
- spiff up twins' room
- spiff up DBD's room
- spiff up DS13's room
- spiff up master bedroom
- spiff up master bathroom
- spiff up kitchen
- spiff up living room
- spiff up office
- spiff up downstairs bathroom and hallways
laundry
- load of cleaning rags
- load of towels
- ironing
- folding
- mending
- laundry put away
me time
- 15 of exercise
- Bible study
- reading
Christmas preps
- gingerbreads - decorate
- merengue cookies
- coconut balls
- something with the 4 egg whites
- decorate rest of the house
- tree up?
House&Holidays - I kinda really should do something about it
- week 1 deep cleaning - office
- week 3 deep cleaning - DBD's room
- week 6 deep cleaning - twins' room
- week 7 deep cleaning - master bathroom
- week 9 deep cleaning - living bathroom
- week 10 deep cleaning - kitchen
- week 11 deep cleaning - pantry
- week 13 deep cleaning - storage spaces
- week 14 deep cleaning - public spaces
- week 3 Christmas tasks
- week 4 Christmas tasks
- week 5 Christmas tasks
- week 6 Christmas tasks
- week 7 Christmas tasks
- week 8 Christmas tasks
- week 9 Christmas tasks
- week 10 Christmas tasks
- week 11 Christmas tasks
- week 12 Christmas tasks
- week 13 Christmas tasks
- week 14 Christmas tasks
- week 15 Christmas tasks
- week 16 Christmas tasks

[Doggedly]

(((Lauralind))) You are carrying a lot. You have always done your best for your ds, and in the long run that is what is going to matter. In the meantime, breath, have a cookie and listen to some music while you work.

Smile*Lee, it is easy for people Canadians of my generation to convert back and forth between metric and imperial measurements as we only converted to metric while I was already in school. My thermostat in my apartment is in Fahrenheit. We buy our food in metric and cook our recipes in imperial. So you are not so strange to us, LOL.

(((trissie))) I have no wisdom to offer, just my sympathy that you and your ds have to deal with this.

Oh, the cleaning up after Germane is normal, FrenchFly. I just had my nose out of joint that I have to act like a sommelier when offering spoonfuls of premium dog food, and find that she's willing to eat garbage, LOL. That's a dog for you.
I'm a little curious. Do your boys heat up their lunches at school? It's the cooked vegetables that confused me.

Woo hoo on getting the wrapping done, kitkat.

Sunday
Cleaned up after dog
Put on a pot of coffee
Cleaned up after dog
Put away dry dishes
CUOP
Tried another dog food on Germane: she likes it. Slipped her Benedryl into it.
Mini grooming session with dog
More treats for her
Sorted dirty laundry
Filed papers from desk

You have a point about the temperature change, trissie. When the ground is frozen, rain runs along the top instead of being absorbed. British Columbia and Washington State just got an "atmospheric river" from what I am hearing on the radio, which has caused bad flooding and out of season.

[Kittykatt]

Hello everyone!

Helia, today's lunch menu was roast chicken, roast potatoes, gravy, Savoy cabbage ( it's really nice ATM) carrots and peas, followed by apple crumble and cream. ( I usually use cooking apples for crumble, but this time I had several dessert apples that were past their best for eating raw, so I used those instead. IMHO I think they lacked the depth of flavour and the sweet/ sour balance of the cooking apples, but still perfectly acceptable. And DH seemed to enjoy it).

How nice to enjoy a film with just DH, Trissie. Sorry about DS 's bullying troubles.

FFB, when you take your lunch of veggies and pasta to work, do you eat it cold, or do you have facilities to reheat? Mince pies will keep quite happily in a airtight *tin* (I use use old biscuit tins - I have collection of Christmas themed ones I've amassed over the years) in a coolish place for around 2 weeks. After that the pastry may get hard, but they are still edible. I've never tried keeping them in a plastic container so can't advise about that!

Smilelee, that does sound very cold, whichever temperature scale is used !

Laura, I hope DS feels better when he eventually surfaces!

Dogged, maybe Germane was bored! Does she usually still play with toys? Re metric v Imperial, cold weather is measured in centigrade, hot weather officially in centigrade (but unofficially in Fahrenheit!), heating thermostat in centigrade, cooking in centigrade or "gas mark" for those like me with a glass cooker, but people of my age who were taught both metric and imperial at school are "bilingual" amd use both for recipes!!!

WTG getting your wrapping done, KitKat!

The service today was lovely, including an infant baptism for a very sweet and well behaved baby girl. I've had a little time in my garden and a short walk. And had a chat with DNeighbour S - he has started painting our side of his fence this afternoon. Matilda has the blanket by the radiator. Freddie also wanted this spot, but she refused to move, so I've taken the scatter cushion off my chair and he's now curled up there instead. Jude is asleep on our bed.