Saturday 9: You Make Me Feel So Young

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) This morning, do you feel younger or older than your years? I'm answering on Friday evening and since I haven't developed the ability to see into the future, I'll tell you how I felt this morning. OLD. I felt old. I went to bed Thursday and when I woke up, I realized I hadn't moved at all in the night. That suggests deep sleep and you'd think that would be a good thing, right? As it turns out, it's not. My entire body was stiff and achy. I felt like I might be 102. 

 

2) In this song, Frank Sinatra tells us that every time he sees his lover's grin, he's happy. What's something you can reliably count on to lift your spirits?  Reading my Bible, singing and dancing along to favorite music (with no witnesses), and my grandchildren will all usually do the trick.

 

3) The lyrics mention hide-and-seek. What games did you play when you were young?  Hide-and-seek for sure, but also Red Rover, freeze tag, Mother May I?, and kickball.

4) Frank Sinatra was a fan of Campbell's chicken and rice soup, believing it helped his throat feel better after an evening of performing. Is Campbell's soup in your kitchen right now?  There is probably some tomato soup, because tomato soup and grilled cheese is the ultimate comfort food on a cold day. I think there is also some cream of chicken, cream of mushroom, and cream of celery. I use all of those in recipes from time to time.

 

5) Frank's favorite dessert was a slice of lemon ricotta torte. He believed every meal should include "a final flourish." Do you more often indulge in or skip dessert?  I rarely have dessert other than on holidays. It has gone the same way as the belief that every meal should include bread/rolls and butter. Remember that?

 

6) At Sinatra's home in Palm Springs, CA, you'd find a less sophisticated dessert. He always kept Entenmann's Crumb Cake on hand for his young granddaughters. Share a memory of your grandparents.  My grandmother was a fantastic cook, I wouldn't even know where to start if I talked about a favorite dish. It was all so good and she taught me a lot when we lived with her during the early years of our marriage. My grandfather was, like all of his family, a true character. He was always joking, teasing, and clowning around. I adored them both.

 

7) In 1956, when this song was popular, Frank was tooling around Southern California in a blue Continental Mark II. That model was known for its interior of hand-stitched imported Scottish leather. 70 years later, Scottish leather is still used in luxury cars because it's both soft and durable and the production methods minimize environmental impact. If you could splurge on something right now, what would it be? A luxury car, jewelry, travel, clothes, something else? (No responsible answers allowed!)  I'd buy a house near the water on Chincoteague Island.

 
8) Also in 1956, The Invasion of the Body Snatchers and Forbidden Planet were popular at the box office. Do you have a favorite sci-fi movie?  I had avoided seeing it for years, thinking it wasn't my thing, but my grandchildren (the things we do for them!) begged me to watch Avatar with them last year and to my surprise I loved it.

 

9) Random question: What were you doing three hours ago?  If it was Saturday morning my answer would be "sleeping." Since it's Friday evening my answer is, enjoying dinner at a local restaurant with my husband.

Thanks, Sam, for the music and questions!

Play along here.

Thankful Thursday

I'm thankful this week...

1. for pretty Valentine's nails. The ladies where I go are so good about humoring me when I come in with my ideas.

2. for a good response to my teaching yesterday. It was National Farmers Day and National Homemade Soup Day. We learned about farming, animals, and growing food. We made vegetable beef soup from things that farms produce. We made farm themed Valentines and played farm-themed bingo (I made them yell E-I-E-I-O instead of BINGO). They enjoyed the soup and we made enough to share with all the staff in the building.

3. for my doctor and I reaching a decision I am comfortable with.

4. that today is over and it went well. The one guy in my department at work was off for his birthday today. He only works with one client, a notoriously difficult client who does what he wants and has been known to get violent. My coworker and I get along well and often take his guy and my people to do things together. His guy has gotten used to me and actually likes me, he just isn't the best at listening to me. Still, I am the only one they will assign him to if my coworker isn't there. I have to catch him in the parking lot before he even gets in the building, hustle him into a van, and keep him out all day, not returning until the last minute. I am always relieved and very, very thankful when it goes off without a hitch.

5. I was able to find and order some very nice softball and baseball themed items and beads on Temu and order them. The season opening day for the local athletic association is only a couple of months away. I want to be prepared. My daughter and I had great success selling our crafts there last year.

6. for much less pain in my knees and hips. I haven't done anything terribly different so I don't have an explanation, but I am grateful.

7. the stores finally have normal eggs again.

8. our daughter got an appointment to be seen at a Magee Women's Hospital office. She has been tracking all her problems and digging into it and has noticed that all of her problems seem to start 2 weeks prior to her period and grow worse until she gets it. Sounds hormonal. The doctors here felt it would be better for her to see the best of the best. We are thankful and hopeful they can finally help her.

And now it's time to hit publish and call it a day. The alarm goes off all too early in the morning. I hope you've been having a good week and have plenty to be thankful for!

Ten Things Tuesday

1. Sweet or Savory: Are you hoping for a box of chocolates or a fancy charcuterie board? I would have said charcuterie board, but I learned yesterday that Lindor makes a big heart-shaped box of assorted gourmet truffles. You know I love my Lindor truffles.

2. The Classic Debate: Do you think red roses are a timeless romantic gesture or a bit cliché? Red roses are lovely and timeless, but I've always liked pink ones better.

3. Movie Night: What is your ultimate "comfort" romantic comedy to watch? Since Dirty Dancing isn't exactly a comedy, my favorites are While You Were Sleeping and Sweet Home Alabama.

4. Galentine’s vs. Valentine’s: Do you prefer a night out with your best friends or a quiet evening with a partner? It would depend on my mood. I tend to be an introvert so I have to be in the mood for hanging out with the gang.

5. The Soundtrack: What is one song that always makes you think of "love"? Breathe by Faith Hill

6. Handmade or Store-Bought: Does a handwritten card mean more to you than a tangible gift? Usually. I am at the point in life where I don't need more stuff.

7. The Menu: If you’re staying in, what is your go-to "special occasion" meal to cook? I don't really have a go-to. I've always experimented and cooked what I was in the mood for.

8. Childhood Memories: Do you remember the specific style of Valentines you used to hand out in elementary school? Just the classic ones with cute kids and animals and a really cheesy pun.

9. Flower Power: Besides roses, what is your favorite flower to receive (or buy for yourself)? Wildflowers or sunflowers.

10. The Vibe: Describe your ideal Valentine’s Day in just three words. Sorry, I've wracked my brain and it seems I don't have an ideal. 

I stole this from blogging friend, Kwizgiver.

 

Currently

I am

Reading... The Gingerbread Bakery by Laurie Gilmore

Watching... American Idol. This year's talent is crazy good.

Listening... to the furnace running (something it's been doing a lot for the last month).

Thinking... about things I need to do tomorrow.

Feeling... cozy under a fleece blanky with Oliver curled up beside me in the recliner.

Celebrating... nothing really. There's a special lunch at work on Friday for the Super Bowl and next Friday we have a big Valentine's Day party/dance.

Grateful... after the follow-up visit with my ob-gyn today. Since she was unable to get a biopsy last month she wanted to discuss where we're going from here. One option is a hysterectomy. I don't like that option. The other option is to keep checking the situation through sonograms. My doctor is comfortable with doing that as what they saw in the first sonogram was very minimal and there could be more than one explanation. So, I go back May 2 for a sonogram. If nothing has changed we'll check again down the road. If something has changed we'll reevaluate.

Enjoying... time with the grandchildren, decorating for Valentine's Day at work, and Lindor's raspberry cheesecake truffles.

Weather... 26* and clear. The extreme cold has lifted and everyone is mostly dug out. We are expecting more snow on Friday, but only a couple of inches and the temperature is supposed to stay more seasonable in the 20s.

Giggling...

In honor of Groundhog Day:

And just because:

Sunday Stealing: Old School

This week's questions come Kwizgiver, who was invited to play by a blogging buddy named Paula. Now you're invited to play along, too.

The Old School Blogging Meme

I am passionate about ...

1) My husband and family.

2) My job working with adults who have intellectual disabilities.

3) Reading

4) Diet Coke

5) Politics, though I choose not to mention it much online.
 

I'd like to learn ...

1) New ways to cook.

2) How to sew.

3) How to crochet (I've given up on knitting).

4) To speak Italian...not practical, but it's such a beautiful language.

5) How to create things with resin epoxy.

Things I say a lot ...

1) Really?

2) Excuse you! (mostly at work after a client burps or passes gas)

3) Could you please put that back where it belongs?

4) I love you.

5) Thank you.

Places I'd like to travel to ...

1) Italy

2) Greece

3) Egypt

4) Spain

5) Israel

Thankful Thursday

 

It's been a bit of a week here. We began with the snowstorm that affected a large part of the country. EVERYTHING was closed on Monday. Tuesday the digging out and return to (semi) normal life began. We are still digging out. Many towns are resorting to private contractors to haul snow away and dump it elsewhere so that coming and going and parking are possible. This has all been going on while temperatures grow colder and colder. 

Still, there is much that I am thankful for.

1. While we have yet to dig out our front walk or clear the front porch, we got all the driveways cleared (ours, my mom's, and our daughter's), the walks to the doors we most often use and the one to my mom's cleared, the vehicles dug out and we've been able to get out to work and to the store. As I've been out and about I've seen so many cars still buried in the snow. I am grateful that is not our situation.

2. The stores are out of many things and waiting for supply shipments to reach them. I picked up a Walmart order after work today. Several items were unavailable, but I am thankful I was able to get what I did and we're are not doing without anything crucial.

3. The cold has kept many of the clients from coming in to work this week. I am thankful my employer has not put the staff to work in the manufacturing department. My legs can't take that.

4. After weeks (years, really) of pain, discomfort and other issues and yet another ER visit this past Saturday...our daughter saw a new gyno today and he is referring her to Magee Women's Hospital in Pittsburgh. If anyone can figure out what has been going on, it's them. I'm thankful this doctor listened to her and didn't treat her like it's all in her head.

5. I'm thankful we've had no problems from the cold. Our vehicles have started. Our pipes haven't frozen. Our power is on.

6. Our daughter and the grandchildren finally came over and cleaned out the playroom on Monday. They even rearranged the furniture and it looks so nice and there's a lot more open floor space for the kids to play. I am very thankful for that. The room had become a huge mess.

7. Lastly, I am thankful we were able to get our vacations approved and I booked our vacation house for July. We are so looking forward to the time away from work and home and the time with our daughter's family.

I hope you are all keeping warm, have had a wonderful week, and have a blessed weekend ahead!

 

Currently

I am

Enjoying... a snow day! My employer actually closed today, believe it or not. We did not get the amounts of snow we were told was coming. I'd guess, maybe, 10 inches fell yesterday. Not exactly snowmageddon stuff. Plus, it was light, fluffy stuff that blew around a lot. It's the drifting (for a while yesterday morning we had ridiculous winds) and the mix of sleet/freezing rain that fell from time to time. It's also still snowing today, though very lightly. I haven't been out. The main roads may be clear, but secondary roads are not.

How did you come through the storm?

Reading... Family & Other Calamities by Leslie Gray Streeter.

Watching... old mystery shows (Murder, She Wrote and Diagnosis Murder) on the Frndly streaming app.

Listening... to a neighbor's snowblower.

Thinking... I should get dressed and be productive. The grandchildren spent Saturday night with us and didn't go home until noon yesterday. At that point I just stayed in my jammies the rest of the day. It wasn't like I was going anywhere.

Feeling... unmotivated.

Celebrating... that my work is actually closed. Long-timers say it's only happened maybe once before. The fact that everything else is closed (even Walmart) probably influenced that decision.

Grateful... Tim made it to work safely. He has quite a long drive, but it's on a major interstate and the 45mph emergency speed limit is still in effect. Plus, only one lane was cleared. He had to travel slowly and he said everyone else did, too.

Enjoying... looking at the snow.

Weather... light snow and 14* (feels like -1*).

Giggling...