for fun: Do/Would you still put on all your makeup and decent clothes if you are quarantined

[sjb317]

1 hour ago, Lois R said:

Good morning friends,  Melody, lovely pictures of your family.🙂

 

Kat, how is work going?

 

And hope all of you are doing ok these days.  The virus is getting worse as the time goes by.

Hope all of you are staying safe!  Have a good day.

Hi Lois,  You’re right about the virus,  I think our only hope is to get people vaccinated as quickly as possible but that will take months.  I don’t think we will see it making much of a difference until late spring.  In the meantime, I guess  we need just need to keep following the recommendations for masks, etc. and hope for the best.

 

Sorry, but I am feeling as dreary as the weather on the Space Coast today. 😞

 

Very nice pictures of your family, Melody!

 

Sherri🤪

Edited December 7, 2020 by sjb317

[Lois R]

Hi Sherri, it has been raining this morning here....stopped enough I could get in my 30 minute

walk but it is ugly outside and on the cool side.

 

It is all about everyone's behavior.......if 95% of us would mask up it could save about 67,000

lives before that springtime you mentioned.   And you are correct about the vaccine timing.

For the majority of us, it will probably be in the March/April arena.   I know  all the first

responders need to be top priority since they are the ones putting their lives on the line every

day.  Let us hope people decide to do better.

 

 

[cruise kitty]

6 hours ago, Lois R said:

Good morning friends,  Melody, lovely pictures of your family.🙂

 

Kat, how is work going?

 

And hope all of you are doing ok these days.  The virus is getting worse as the time goes by.

Hope all of you are staying safe!  Have a good day.

 

Hi Lois, ( & hi everyone :) )   I've been trying to keep up, but also just trying to keep busy at home to distract myself.   We're pretty much on lockdown again here, so doing lots of hiking, bike riding, & Christmas decorating...  decided to decorate our back yard as well, cause why not? 

 

Lois, so glad your endoscopy  turned out more or less ok, hopefully that last bit will get under control.

 

Kat, congrats on losing that C-10 :)  & on improving your blood numbers!  You've come a long way!

 

Melody, great that you got to have some family time, I'll bet that was a huge mental & spiritual boost for all of you :)

 

Lois, I'm with you in wishing people would follow the safety guidelines.... things are pretty dark here, there are almost no ICU beds available so our lockdown is pretty extreme

 One bright spot is that people are going over the top with seasonal lights on their homes, which is wonderful to see :)  went on a late night bike ride last night & it was beautiful & peaceful :)

[slidergirl]

Hi all!

 

Work is going well.  The condos aren't very occupied at all right now and, unless we get a lot of last-second reservations, we're most likely going to be quiet for the holidays.  We have 37 units and right now there are 13 going to be occupied Christmas week.  I started doing my 11am-7pm shift on Saturday.  Man, it was soooooo dead quiet from about 4pm on.  I brought my little speaker so I can at least listen to the local radio station or smooth jazz.  I might take my adult coloring book tomorrow!!  I'm still tired when I get home, but hopefully that will get better as I get more into it.  

 

I've had to gently remind some people at the condos that they have to have masks on at all times inside and outside.  One of the owners' college son is here with some of his friends and they are always running down to the Front Desk maskless.  I've even handed some out to them.  The others are some kids between about 7 and 12 - at least they apologize and run back up stairs to get their masks.  Their dog is maskless, but he's sooooo cute. 

 

I'm fearing that a boatload of folks from California are going to bolt from lockdown and come up here to get away.  I hope it doesn't happen.  Unless you reserve a spot in advance, you can't go skiing - no walk ups allowed.  It's how they are keeping the social distancing and crowding down.  

 

On masks - I am loving my masks that I got from Society 6.  Very comfortable on, more so than my ones from Johnny Was.  I'm happy with them.  

 

OOTD:  the black Woolx leggings, natural color Sundance tank that has embroidered flowers on it, blue Athleta wrap.  I'm happy that I can dress pretty casual for work - I can wear what I wear normally.  

[awhfy]

[Lois R]

Hi girls,  I made chicken parmigiana tonight and it came out really good. I defrosted a package

of boneless/skinless breasts (I always keep a couple of packages in the freezer).  I didn't

have any bread crumbs so I decided to use oats! I have a can in the pantry for oatmeal and

they worked just fine👍.  I put a bunch of it in my small chopper and turned them into 

bread crumbs.....and I used milk for the wet portion........put the chicken in milk and then put

the oat crumbs on it......I heated them in some olive oil to get them partially cooked and then

put them in a baking dish and put them in the oven........oh, I had a jar of 4 cheese sauce I used.

Along with topping them with mozzarella and provolone cheeses.......baked them for about 30

minutes and had one large one with some spinach.   The package actually had 3 large pieces

in it so I have 2 leftover.  It was a good dinner🙂

 

Hope all of you are doing ok!!!!!

[awhfy]

Lois, great substitute in your chicken parm. One if our favorite meals. 
 

our weather is turning tomorrow (from mid 60s! To snow tomorrow). More seasonal

 

I'm having a tooth implant removed & replaced tomorrow along with another bone graft. The docs have decided that I’m reacting to the titanium posts in the implants (I’m allergic to titanium) so they’re trying (I love being a guinea pig 🙄) a new composite. Hope it works, I’m glad I have good dental insurance. Melody

[Lois R]

Hi Melody, good luck with the tooth!  I have a Mammogram later this morning.......since the

lumpectomy they told me I need 2 follow ups......I had one in June and now this is the 2nd one.

 

This year has really given me some food for thought. I don't normally do a lot of donations

but I think I want to do it this year.  Trying to decide about which organization to give to...........

So many families need so much stuff these days and I know I am in the lucky group.......I really

don't need anything.  Was thinking of getting a bunch of toys for kids but then I thought, some

parents are going hungry too...........

Any suggestions on a legit organization?  I know there is Toys for Tots and I think they always

help children......

[gotta cruise again]

2 hours ago, Lois R said:

This year has really given me some food for thought. I don't normally do a lot of donations

but I think I want to do it this year.  Trying to decide about which organization to give to...........

So many families need so much stuff these days and I know I am in the lucky group.......I really

don't need anything.  Was thinking of getting a bunch of toys for kids but then I thought, some

parents are going hungry too...........

Any suggestions on a legit organization?  I know there is Toys for Tots and I think they always

help children......

You can Google something like “how to find reputable charities” for links. Consumer Reports has a list of some charities along with suggested links of some websites with reviews of charities; it also has great tips about donating and what to look for in a charity.

[Anita Latte]

You mentioned being hungry so I did a quick search and found this article talking about two different local to you area food banks. There are links at the end of the article for donations.

 

https://www.news4jax.com/community/2020/04/08/how-you-can-help-food-banks-that-are-helping-your-neighbors-survive-pandemic/

 

The article is old but I can't imagine that the situation has improved for these local organizations much.

 

I'd like to also post a shout out to whoever posted earlier about making dressing/stuffing muffins. I'd never heard of that idea before. I made them today with left over dressing that I made just a few days ago for one of my ongoing Thanksgiving meals with new sides for DH and I. Such a great idea...with some green beans on the side, it was a perfect lunch.

[Lois R]

Hi Anita, the stuffin muffins were me......glad you enjoyed them🙂

[Lois R]

53 minutes ago, gotta cruise again said:

You can Google something like “how to find reputable charities” for links. Consumer Reports has a list of some charities along with suggested links of some websites with reviews of charities; it also has great tips about donating and what to look for in a charity.

Thanks for that suggestion👍

[slidergirl]

If you do consider donating to a charity, I've heard that the most forgotten group are teenagers.  People want to give food to feed a family or toys for young ones, but we don't seem to remember the teenagers.   Cheap earphones, a backpack, hair stuff, board games, cool water bottles and glasses, journals...

 

Clothing:  I need to give a major shout out to Woolx.  I got one more pair of their leggings, the McKenna with pockets. Oh My!  perfect for work.  The pockets can hold the big iPhone that I have to carry around if I leave the desk.  And, comfy cozy.  Merino on the inside, a recycled poly outside (works good when I have to get down on my knees to get into the coffee cupboard).  They are a "lightweight", but not see through.  I'm lounging in them right now before I head out for chores.  I also have the Stella legging, a more mid weight one, but still not heavy.  I wear them to work, too.  They would make a good base layer for someone or for cooler season outdoor running/biking/walking.  And, I have to give a major "yay" to the Callie Hoodie.  I'm a hoodie freak.  I LOVE this one.  It's lightweight, but oh, so comfy.  I have it on right now.  Built like a hoodie sweatshirt, but without all the bulk.  I have the carbon stripe one - goes great with the black leggings and jeans (if I ever wear jeans again).  I'm trying to figure out a way to get away with wearing the hoodie at work - maybe the days the boss isn't there!!  I'm turning in to a real Woolx fan.  I have several of their Tshirts.  They were great when I was camping and they are good to wear under my wraps at work.  Merino, also, but not heaters when it's hot outside.   No, I'm not making money from them.  But, I know we all are into comfy clothes especially now.  And, some of us live in Athleta and Lululemon all the time.  Just another good brand to add to the wardrobe.  

 

Off to get the car washed - it looks pretty bad with road dirt.  I may get the monthly "club" fee this year so I can drop in and get a wash when I want.  When I had my TT, I had to hand wash because it was a rag top.  With my Sportage, I can go through the car washes without fear!  Have to keep the road salt/ash off the vehicle during the winter!  Kind of like keeping the lovebugs off the car in Florida (man, those were NASTY!) 

 

 

 

 

[awhfy]

Lois. Toys for Tots is the annual Marine Corps fundraiser, every penny & toy goes to the children. I also agree with Kat, 12-18 year olds are the forgotten ones, a food pantry (especially this year). All these take cash or goods. For instance $75 to Toys for Tots gives a toy to 50 kids. 

[purduemom1]

Hello Everyone, 

 

Lois, your chicken parmigiana sounds delicious and also good to know that oatmeal worked. Probably healthier than bread crumbs.

 

You are so right, there are so many suffering and those of us who are able can help make a difference. We donate to Toys For Tots using cash so they can purchase what is needed. We have several local charities that really need donations this year more than ever. So those will be on our list. That way we are sure they are legit. We are grateful to be ok and not suffering as are so many.

 

Melody, I hope all goes well with the implant and the composite material works for you.

 

Kat, sounds like work is going well-nice that you don’t have so many guests. Must make your life a lot easier.

 

Take care all.

Sharon

[Lois R]

I think Toys for Tots is one of the things I will do and tomorrow I may just go up to 

Target and buy some toys!  There is a drop box at Sephora's which is in the same shopping

center.   Thanks for all the suggestions🙂

[Lois R]

Hi girls, well, I went to Target and got multiple items for kids...........feels pretty good🙂

I got Monopoly and Yahtzee along with a Play dough set. I got a 3 way puzzle and a set of

4 small size athletic balls.....one is football, one a baseball, one basketball and 1 volleyball.......

they came in a box together.  I also got a small lego set.  Hopefully they will find their way

to some nice kids!

I then went to the grocery store and bought a bunch of can goods/dry goods and will bring them to one of our local food banks.

 

[awhfy]

19 hours ago, Lois R said:

I think Toys for Tots is one of the things I will do and tomorrow I may just go up to 

Target and buy some toys!  There is a drop box at Sephora's which is in the same shopping

center.   Thanks for all the suggestions🙂

I just re-read my post $75 to Toys for Tots gives gifts to 5-6 kids, not 50. Sorry for the autocorrect. 

[Lois R]

4 minutes ago, awhfy said:

I just re-read my post $75 to Toys for Tots gives gifts to 5-6 kids, not 50. Sorry for the autocorrect. 

 

Hi Melody......the items I bought totaled just under that amount so I would say  6 kids

will be receiving gifts! (I am guessing they give 1 toy per kid). 

[purduemom1]

5 hours ago, Lois R said:

Hi girls, well, I went to Target and got multiple items for kids...........feels pretty good🙂

I got Monopoly and Yahtzee along with a Play dough set. I got a 3 way puzzle and a set of

4 small size athletic balls.....one is football, one a baseball, one basketball and 1 volleyball.......

they came in a box together.  I also got a small lego set.  Hopefully they will find their way

to some nice kids!

I then went to the grocery store and bought a bunch of can goods/dry goods and will bring them to one of our local food banks.

 

Nice going, Lois! We spent some time earlier today figuring  out our donations based on several requests that we have recently received from local charities. So I wrote out checks (not nearly as much fun as actually shopping) and have just returned from mailing them off. Just hoping that it will make a difference for a few people, especially this year. 

[purduemom1]

Ouch, Melody, Not a good day at all for you. I hope the meds do their job and you heal quickly without complications.

Sharon

[Lois R]

3 minutes ago, purduemom1 said:

Nice going, Lois! We spent some time earlier today figuring  out our donations based on several requests that we have recently received from local charities. So I wrote out checks (not nearly as much fun as actually shopping) and have just returned from mailing them off. Just hoping that it will make a difference for a few people, especially this year. 

Hi Sharon,🙂 I am sure the money will help!  Sometimes organizations prefer it to gifts but I know for kids, the toys/games will be good.  I will drive over to the Food bank tomorrow morning.

[purduemom1]

Hi Lois,  Toys For Tots is happy with either. In past years I have also donated toys but because of the virus I’m trying to avoid stores whenever possible. I know one of our local radio stations is having a T for T drive tomorrow. People can drive up and drop off either toys or money. I hope they do well. There is a lot of “need” this year!

[PurpleHays]

Y'all! My limoncello is so pretty. And so sweet and tart. It goes down nicely and was worth the wait.

[cruise kitty]

Melody, sending healing thoughts to your mouth, hopefully your meds won't preclude having a little wine :)

 

Lois, what a wonderful idea to shop for charities this time of year,  I'm going to steal your idea if you don't mind. :)  Hope the mammogram came out ok too!

Sharon good to hear from you, I had no idea toys for tots would take cash donations, going to check that out.

 

Anita, good to hear from you!  I'm going to have to look for the stuffing muffin post!

 

Purple Hays, your limoncello looks wonderful, I'm going to give some of mine as gifts I think.

 

Kat, great to hear about your job adventures...  I think that doing things like getting the car washed just feel so good & normal & are good for us...

 

I had some super good news a couple hours ago, my husband & daughter received the "real" pfizer vaccine....  My SIL & I received the placebo...  next step will be waiting for a bit to see what they do with the placebo people.  I'm just so relieved as they are the two family members most vulnerable to this :)   

 

After we got the news, we met up in a parking lot & drank champagne out of plastic cups (socially distanced of course, except for DH & DD who hugged each other for the first time since february.   Then we all cried.   Going to sleep like a baby tonight :)