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Thanksgiving Shopping and A New Pantry

I’m a firm believer in lists. While going through my pantry, and listing what I have and what items I need to buy for Thanksgiving dinner as well as to basically stock up on, I realized that the pantry that I have is not roomy enough. I need more space. Yes indeed, I feel another project coming on. I haven’t decided yet as to why it is that I always have a mega need to do home improvements at the most inconvenient times. With the holidays coming and I’ll be in the kitchen for a good ten days, my mind is on the pantry project, I would indeed call this an inconvenient time.

Shopping today (while my mind was/is still on the pantry project) did not go as well as I thought it would. Normally I use coupons, but not to the extent a lot of my friends do. Today I forgot my coupons. Fail #1. While looking for 22 to 24 pound turkey who I just know will catch my fancy to the point I want to take him home, will show himself, was shy today. Fail #2. I did however get a good deal on giblets, necks and backs. Also some pretty good prices on spices I needed.

I’ve got a couple more days to power shop if I can get the building of a new pantry off my mind until after the Holiday season, I’ll be just fine and dandy!

 

 

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Deep cleaning at a reasonable price

When my daughter and her boyfriend moved to a new home they had purchased, they discovered that the carpets had been soiled deeply by the people who had moved their belongings into the home, and yet they couldn’t prove that the moving company had messed up the carpets, so they couldn’t be reimbursed for the cleaning of the floors. My daughter got online and found http://www.thesteamteam.com which is a site of professionals that cleans everything from dirt to smoke damage and a whole bunch in between.

My daughter’s boyfriend was a bit skeptical about having more people come in to do things, but the steam team are reputable and they have a long list of satisfied customers to vouch for them. And they were reasonably priced.

I must say, that my daughter is very happy with the service provided. She called to tell me how clean her carpets were and that they looked brand new. Then she posted pictures to me of her laying on the floor in the middle of an empty room, and she said she didn’t want anyone walking on her nice new clean carpet! Of course she was joking, but the rugs and carpet does look nice and the “kids” are happy with it, so I am too! Now they have to learn to take their shoes off at the door!

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Time to pull up the flowers

Today I have to go outside and pull up all the flowers and vines that I planted and then put down some winter mulch so the soil will be easy to turn next spring. I’m not looking forward to doing this, since it makes me sort of sad. We’ve had some beautiful weather this October, but I have a feeling that the winter is going to be bitter cold.

I have leaves in the yard that have blown in from other people’s yards. Makes for not only my maple’s leaves to rake, but every one else’s in the neighborhood too!

I miss the kids being small and playing in the leaves while I rake. Even the grand kids are too old to do this they think, so it’s just me and the dogs to tumble and play! At least the with the dogs out playing with me, it makes it so I don’t look like a crazy adult playing in leaves by myself!

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To dress or not to dress

Each year by this time, I would already have my Halloween dress at least started and yet I have no creative energy hitting me. With the kids darn near all grown, except my 16 yr. old son, dressing up isn’t what it used to be.

I have made a few costumes for some kids that acquaintances commissioned me to make, and they turned out well, but to make my own, I’m just not into the spirit much.

Hopefully as the time gets closer, I’ll kick out something that is Halloween and party worthy. I’m glad I can work well under pressure, since I think it’s going to go down to the wire with this project!

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Checking out Reality in Miami

My daughter and her boyfriend as I have blogged about is looking for a home of their own instead of living with the boyfriend’s family. they decided to check out a real estate agency’s in the Miami area. LuisInglesias Real Estate Miami is one of the agency’s that they are looking into. When my daughter called, she sounded so well informed about the places they will be looking at, and I think to myself that I am seeing a side of my daughter that I have never seen before. She has been well informed and I know she is determined to find exactly the right place for the two of them to live.

When she called, she told me that she and her boyfriend were quite informed of the Real Estate Agency, which made me feel ever so much better, and it’s showing the business side of her, that I actually have not ever heard of seen before. My daughter is bound and determined to get a place and she trusts that the agency they have picked will help with that.

I can’t wait to see the photos of places that they are checking into. Also, if one trusts the professionals it helps a great deal in finding just the right place to call home at a price they can afford.

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My daughter’s move

A year ago, my youngest daughter moved to Florida and got a really great job. Now she and her boyfriend are looking for a place to either buy or rent. It’s a strange thing to put my head around, that my “little girl” will have a home other than where I am. Or even close to us. But, they are looking for property and to me…it’s bittersweet.

I’ve been slowly filling her cedar chest, (Something I gave all of my kids) with items that are for the home that she wouldn’t think of to buy. Items that she will need in her own home, from dishtowels, to a can opener and other useful things. I’ll have to drive to Fla. to give the chest to her when the time comes.

I have to say, I really miss my kid. She and I are really close and I talk to her on the telephone at least twice a day. I still miss our time together. I hope she and her boyfriend will find a nice place and after that, I’ll take a road trip  to deliver her “Hope Chest” and see the place they move into. It’s still hard to realize my little girl is all grown up.

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Early Fall

Waking up this morning, I literally was shivering and had to turn on the furnace to get the chill out of the air. Looking out the back yard, I could see what I thought was frost on the grass. Of course, I didn’t go outside to check it out, but this 53 degree weather is a far cry from the 110 degree weather of two days ago. I’m not looking forward to the weather changing cold.

With the fall, come my favorite holiday, Halloween! The stores aren’t wasting any time getting the Halloween displays out either. They started that last month. There is even a Halloween store that opened up in town before the kids were back in school.

Time to start my projects! I should have started on costumes a long time ago, instead of figuring I had more than enough time. I’m mainly sticking to making masks and a costume or two for those who have already commissioned me. So much to do and so little time.

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Designing an Adiamor ring

When my husband and I got married, I only had a plain gold band. At the time, even though we had the funds, I figured that I didn’t need an engagement ring. As the years went by, I have lost my wedding band at least four or more times, only to  find it again in places that are so odd. Lately I’ve been kicking around the idea of finally getting a diamond ring that my husband and I can design together, and have found I really would like to design an Adiamor ring.

Getting help from a professional for picking out a diamond is the first step to the design. Myself nor my husband have any experience in the diamond industry and I would know the difference between a real one or a fake one. This is where the help comes in. Plus I figure I’ll learn some great tips in case I want another ring in the future.

I think I have some settings in mind. But the folks at Adiamor seem very professional in a friendly way, and while surfing the net for ideas to design my ring, that is the reason I was drawn to this site. Even the site is layman friendly and easy to comprehend. I just may get my ring for our 25th anniversary that with help, my husband and I have designed! Jewelry

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One long weekend to come

Two weeks ago, we had a storm come through while I was at the other house in Ohio. The high winds and rain along with hail flattened my tall zinnias which were one of the show pieces of the gardens. The trellis that was holding my Hyacinth vines tipped over and was pulled down by the wind and also the weight of the vines. I did some hasty repair jobs in order to get the flowers to stand up again with the help of twine but this weekend, I’m going to have to pull the flowers up.

This season was too short to allow me to get as much produce as I usually harvest. It seems to have taken forever for the cherry tomatoes to grow and ripen, and the husky tomatoes on grew the size of golf balls. I wasn’t happy with the zinnias in the front of the house. I had planted what I thought were the giant flowers I usually plant and it turned out that I must have gathered the seeds last year and put them in the packs then marked the contents wrong.

This weekend I’m going to have to pull up all the things in the garden that was flattened by the storm. We had another mega storm come through last night and I’m sure I’ll have more of a mess than I originally have seen. Where the heck did our summer go?

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Patriot Day Call And 9/11/01 Rememberance

This morning my sister called and wished me a Happy Patriot Day. To be honest, I am not into this “holiday” and would not even know what it is except for what my sister tells me. While she is telling or trying to explain it, she started getting political on me and that is one thing besides religion that I refuse to discuss, especially with this particular sister.

But for those who do indeed celebrate this day, Happy Patriot Day!  Now onto 9/11/01. I want to take a moment and we remember the people, loved ones and friends who lost their lives this day. I know some who have survived and lived to tell of the horrors. I remember where I was sitting and what I was doing with my daughter called and told me to turn on the television. I turned it on an instant before the second tower got hit, and watched in total terror, is the only word I can use.

God Bless our people who died on this terrible day. It never should be allowed to happen again, yet I’m so afraid of the state of affairs that our Country is in.