All Things EARTH... part 2

[pacruise804]

I think the TCL show was Clean Sweep.  They would take one or two rooms in a house, remove everything and separate onto 3 tarps (keep, sell, throw away) and have a large yard sale.  A designer would re-do the room to help make it more functional.  I like that show too.

[laurspag]

Yes, it was called Clean Sweep!  I remember that.  I miss a lot of the older shows.  I very much enjoyed when they did a lot of decorating shows and the like.  Then again, I don't watch a lot of TV, and if I'm not watching a Syracuse University sport or the Red Sox, I'm not usually watching TV.  I guess I should look and see what they have on these days.

 

My daughter who is getting married LOVES cooking shows.  Which is kind of weird, because she doesn't cook much and is the fussiest eater going. 

 

I used to binge watch Say Yes to the Dress as a guilty pleasure, but I can't remember the last time I watched it.  I am always to intrigued by clothing, the fit, style, etc.  Remember What Not To Wear?  I watched that.  I didn't always agree on everything, but I loved that the basis of the show was about taking pride in yourself and caring about the message you send.  This is something I think about a lot.  I don't dress to impress others, but I want to look as good as I can because I care about myself, and I care about sharing an image of myself that is what I want people to see me as. 

 

Did that make sense?  Anyway, I always found that show interesting. 

 

On HGTV, I used to watch a show called Room by Room, and there were a bunch of others.

 

Anita, I like that sweater...especially the red one!  We have a Bass Pro Shops about 35-40 minutes from here.  It's a bit out of the way for us, but I will check it out the next time I'm near by.  The top is cute too.  I wear henleys, most of which are from Eddie Bauer.   I find that even though my daughter doesn't work there anymore, I still love the store for well made basics.

[Anita Latte]

Clean Sweep!! That was it. I remember watching that show as I went through all my magazines...years of magazines...and tore out recipes and other items of interest. I made little folders of those things, but I've talked about that before.

 

I watch a tv screen...but I mostly watch Netflix and Amazon Prime. I'm a binge watcher. I do have a few broadcast shows that I stream weekly. We stream everything. Yay for unlimited internet!!

 

I rearranged a bit of the living area today. With DH no longer working at home, I decided to make it easier to work out at home. Not a major change, just enough to make it as easy to sit on the recumbent bike as it is to sit in a chair and have clear space to stretch out a yoga mat or have some floor space for some Zumba. A good day. I actually got on the bike twice today. This is the point. It's very good on my knee to work the joint. I can always feel the difference when I regularly do something like the bike.

[Sailor_Sally]

Anita , I love London and I hope you love it too .It is easy to get around using the subway and even the buses .It is a little expensive but having a air B&b will save you money . The Pubs are so much fun.

We are having weird weather . One day warm then chilly .I do not have tons of cold weather clothes so it has been interesting ..Plus we have been invited to a lot of social events so I am constantly figuring out outfits .I did purchase two light weight sweaters from the loft that are getting a lot of use . Every day I look at cruises or other trips but nothing has really convinced me to pull the trigger .We may have a boring year .

[Anita Latte]

Sally, I'm predisposed to liking London...I'm confident that I will. I'm a person that appreciates travel and generally look for the positive so I believe that I'll enjoy London tremendously. I'm looking forward to going to a Pub. I have a group of ladies that I affectionately call "the Brits" and I've heard so many stories about Pubs. DS will be 18 when we go so we're all looking forward to going to a Pub together and having him order himself his first brew legally. Maybe we're odd like that...but our family has tried to teach and model response drinking and we let DS indulge at times. We actually consider it a major plus that he will be able to legally drink in London and at undergraduate school...I think it will be very beneficial for the idea of alcohol to not be what it typically in US schools.

 

Many of the residential options are "self-catered" which means that DS will have to cook to eat. He won't have the budget to support eating out 100%. This is part of our scouting trip over Spring Break...check out the local area grocery stores...see what that's like in London. I'm curious to see how seasonal produce, etc., might be over there and what all is in the stores. Then I'll have a better idea of how to help DS...I think it's important to know what supplies he'll have. That's another reason for the AirBnB. Another motivation for checking out the grocery stores and actually making a purchase with the intent to cook.

 

I don't plan to prepare every meal though.

 

I've watched more episodes of Tidying Up. The first ones focused on Clothing and then Komono (everything that isn't clothing, books, or paper)...but a couple finally went through books and paper. If anyone decides to watch...the episode Margie is emotional. She's a recent widow (her husband passed within the year before the episode was filmed) and she's using the process to deal with everything in the house, including his things. A bit of a tear jerk at times, but overall, an inspiring episode as she was obviously ready to tackle this hurdle and transition into the next season of her life. 

 

Our weather is odd too...Within these few days we have a 40 degree swing from the lows and highs and 10 plus degree differences in highs over 24 hours. I looked at London and the weather only swings 10 degrees between lows and highs over 10 days.

[awhfy]

Here’s the Eddie Bauer peacock blue jacket. Great buy & did great in the mountains as a layer piece 

Edited January 8, 2019 by awhfy

[awhfy]

These are some of the  Ice Castles pictures. It was a great evening, but wicked cold -5 when we finished. I’ll post the big camera pictures soon. Melody

[Anita Latte]

Great pictures Melody!! Jacket is a lovely color on you!

[purduemom1]

Wow, Melody, those ice castle pics are amazing! Bet you were up for a hot beverage after your visit.😉

Sharon

[purduemom1]

Anita, what a wonderful life experience  your son will have as he pursues his degree. Checking out the grocery stores in London will be interesting. We do that when visiting different countries-it’s fun. I remember doing that when we were in London and while we saw totally different  items we also saw many of the same products that can be found in the US. 

Sharon

[Ginster1]

Wow Melody, those pictures of the ice castles are amazing!  Love the jacket too. 

-Ginny

[awhfy]

19 hours ago, purduemom1 said:

Wow, Melody, those ice castle pics are amazing! Bet you were up for a hot beverage after your visit.😉

Sharon

😂😂😂. I’d packed a small bottle of Baileys & when we got back to hotel we made Baileys & hot cocoa & warmed up in the hot tub!  Melody

[awhfy]

Here’s a couple more pictures. I bought the parka at Columbia Outlets (in Dillon CO) for under $100, it has the Omni Heat & is mid calf...I’ll get a lot of use out of it 

[Anita Latte]

Wow...SUCH fun!! I would love to go explore there!! Melody...sent you an email.

[Sailor_Sally]

Melody , Love your jacket and love this adventure ! The ice castles are amazing !

[MJC]

A quick hello from Lake Ndutu! We're at the "camping" stage of our safari. OMG!!!!! Can't wait to share my real photos when I get home (took this with my tablet). Every day is incredible.

 

Pic of our tent, and view from our tent this afternoon. 🙂

 

 

Edited January 10, 2019 by MJC

[awhfy]

17 hours ago, Anita Latte said:

Wow...SUCH fun!! I would love to go explore there!! Melody...sent you an email.

Thanks Anita, Les is checking out that photo editor

 

if anyone is interested this is the fleecy long jacket...several earthy colors & great sale. Melody 

 

[awhfy]

Margaret!  Zebras!!!  What an amazing adventure you’re having!  Melody 

[Anita Latte]

I can’t wait for your big share when you get back Margaret! A quality amuse bouchée. So exciting. Glad you are having a fun holiday.

[laurspag]

Sometimes, I find that travel can be so amazing and freeing.  I have made every effort as of late to live in the moment.  In the past, I'd come home with literally hundreds of pictures I'd take, only to realize I was focused on the photo process, not enjoying what I was seeing. 

 

I still love photos, but I don't dwell on it.  And I love professional photography to capture the outfits.

 

That zebra picture is just incredible.  I can imagine taking a few good photos, and then just watching, and enjoying it.  Wow.

 

So, I got my cortisone shot today.  If anyone is curious if it was bad or not, I think my first thought is to say yes and no.  It hurts to get a shot in the top of your foot.  A LOT.  But it is over with in seconds. I had to do some deep breathing exercises while my husband held my hand.  I must sound like a total wimp, lol.   I have been told that this works in the majority of cases, and can take from one day to two weeks to feel the effects.  I can resume all normal activities tomorow, including the gym!

 

I don't think it is necessary to stay home the day of, now that I have had this done.  But you do get some twinges here and there, and I'm also not wearing shoes right now.  I would imagine pressure where the shot was would be a bit uncomfortable, but maybe not.  After all the snow the past few days here, I don't mind being inside for a day.

 

In addition, one of my dogs needed to have a few teeth pulled.  It's not the first time - even though we clean his teeth, the vet told us a long time ago that certain breeds are prone to dental issues and he is in that group.  Unfortunately, while pulling them, one of them had three roots and was giving them a rough time.  They had to break the tooth to get it out, and dropped a piece.  It is in an area where the vet was no comfortable trying to get it, as it is near a major artery.  He now needs to see a vet that specializes in canine dentistry to remove it.  Now that it has been a few days, he is starting to get back to normal but he is still pretty sleepy and lethargic.  He is on antibiotics because they want to make sure the tooth chip doesn't create an infection.

[pacruise804]

We are in the midst of some major & moderate home repairs so life has been interesting this week.  I assumed one big project would be tackled per day, not realizing that the person we are using actually has a fairly large crew (5-6 total each day) so the list is being tackled all at once.  We had major plumbing issues, plus some attic issues which caused issues to our bedroom too.  

 

I'm glad I tackled my closet a few months ago and at least attempted to organize the clutter even if we couldn't quite get rid of it because it made it much easier to bring everything out to the living room.  I took the tree down earlier this week and that gave me room to push everything out of the way.  Chairs and couch are loaded down with the closet stuff and we still have a spot on the floor for the mattress since the paint prep odors are a bit strong for us to sleep in the bedroom (bed frame and dresser were able to stay in the room.  I cleared out my spice cupboard today and threw away a few things that were way out of date and never really use anyway, but less than I thought I would.  I do now have a better layout and flow of what is left so hopefully that will make cooking easier.

 

Daughter and I are making a road trip tomorrow to shop for her senior formal dress.  Hoping to find something she really likes that I like too 😉 

[Sailor_Sally]

Margaret , I am so glad you sent a picture of the tents . I have always wondered what they looked like and those zebra pictures are WOW .

 

Laurie . I had a shot in my foot years ago that really really hurts and I am no wimp . I hope it works .

 

Paccruise , We will also be going through some major inside painting and disruption of routine drives me nuts ..

[laurspag]

Update on my foot...first,  found that later in the day, my foot really started to throb due to the shot.  I took Tylenol, and the next morning, there was no further pain from the shot itself.  It appears to be working.  My symptoms are not gone, but much better.  Since I was told it could take anywhere from a day to two weeks for the shot to help, I am feeling very optimistic. 

 

I will be able to test that  little bit today as I'm going to a basketball game today.  Between where you have to park and the Dome itself, there is a lot of walking involved. 

 

It's funny you have mentioned cleaning our your spice cabinet because that is on my list.  I have done some of what I planned already, but the area where I keep some baking supplies and spices needs a good cleaning.  I have things to throw out, and a few things to replace.  I used to go to Seneca Falls where they have this wonderful Amish shop that sells spices in bulk.  I used to split them with my sister a lot.  Since she passed away, I don't think I have been back out there.  I use spices more than ever though, so maybe the sizing won't be back as long as I stick to my go to items when I buy.  I avoid salt to a certain degree, and I don't use a lot of fat when cooking overall.  I find that I can create a lot of rubs or marinades on my own to add flavor to food.  I like knowing what is in what I eat. 

 

I found the knife and cake server from my wedding in a drawer yesterday.  It's a bit tarnished, but I asked my daughter if she wanted that to be her something borrowed, and she enthusiastically said yes.  It's not exactly her style, but she likes some mix and match, and it seems to me like it fits, for some reason.  Also, they have a small cake to cut, but are serving cookies and pastries for dessert so it's nice in a way not to buy something special that will barely be used.  They were prepared to use whatever we had around, as it didn't make sense to them to spend money on a special set.

 

I really love that so many couples these days incorporate their personalities into their weddings.  It is so nice and refreshing to see.

 

Now, to clean those up!  I found a bottle of TarnX in the cupboard, but it is ancient.  I need to read up and what to use these days.  I did wipe it down with the TarnX and then wash them gently and they aren't bad at all.  I would prefer to clean them up better though.

 

Just a thought here, but if all of you were to get married tomorrow and plan the wedding of your dreams, what would your style be?  I'm thinking mine would be vintage - maybe picking up a 50s vibe?

[laurspag]

[awhfy]

Laurie, I love the servers. 

 

On the cortisone shot, I’ve had my share & hate them; hope it works for you. Les had one in his ac joint (shoulder) just before Christmas, he’s no wimp; but he complained more about the shot than any injury (or surgery) he’s ever had. Ice alternating with heat & Aleve finally helped. The bad thing is we think he’s looking at surgery on the shoulder, just hoping not a replacement. I’d been antsy not having a cruise this winter, but it’s likely a good thing that we don’t this year. Melody