irishrose

I've figured out why I lose weight in the spring. I'm too tired to cook after I work outside, plus there's just too much to do. I need a house husband. I'll play in flowers, quilt, take care of the dogs and he can do everything else.

I'm enjoying my fresh vegetables today. I should go shopping more often. I do have to shop tomorrow because I'm doing cookies for my GGS's open house. I'm the cake baker, but I said I've retired from decorating cakes and this GD took me seriously. I am serious - it's too hard on my hands, but I would have done one this one. I have been obsessing about what kind of cookies - chocolate chip, of course, but what else? Betty Crocker sent a recipe to my email today. CC cookies with chocolate frosting topped with a mini pretzel. Sweet + salty and too cute! I will have to wait until I get there to frost them as I don't want to serve soggy pretzels. Another had CC oatmeal cookies with coconut pecan frosting (think German choc cake). Recipe was for canned frosting, but I'll make my own. I hate canned frosting. That and some Rice Krispie treats with green and gold decorations and I'm golden.

I ate well, I worked in the front flower bed, I walked the dogs, I drank lots of water and some yummy concoction - Arizona Tea with rhubarb and crushed strawberries. What else can I do besides have no candy between now and bedtime? Not much. I think I have it covered. Have a good evening, y'all. Off to FMQ.

Pam H

Judy, thanks for mentioning rice krispie treats. I am gathering some things to send my son in Korea for his birthday and he loves those. Hopefully they will still be edible after a week with the shipping.
So many changes happening for my family. My hubby gave notice at his job today and will start new job 6/11. That means I will be making a trip to Texas to get the house ready to sell and also searching for a condo or apartment in Shakopee, MN. Pharmacist daughter just got a job 30 min from here and starts 6/18. She will be living with me until her hubby finds a job in this area and they buy a house. Youngest daughter goes to Korea 6/20. Almost forgot to mention I will be on a trip to Ireland 6/3-6/11. Yeah, I think June will be pretty busy around here.

nancia

everyone sounds so busy! i plant with perrenials only and invite my son for the week end so he can weed. the potted plants on the patio i will deal with since they are not too far down to reach. i tried tending to the front garden but kept falling and rolling down the hill. thank goodness i planted a rose hedge or i'd roll right into the street! as much as i love my roses, i am tired of landing in them. however, i did notice they are aphid free. yay, knock-outs! the backyard belongs to the dogs, cats, rabbits, possum and any other beasties that need shelter from the storm! it is like walking in a mine field, so i let my lawn mower take care of it. i do have a pool but the liner has pretty much disintegrated and it needs an overhaul. at least it's one area that is dog proof and safe to walk in. climbing the ladder up and down makes it less appealing. i've been told i have raspberries back there, but i don't care to forage for the few berries i'd find.
may take the aforementioned dogs for a walk today. dh gets off early and it's not raining. seems like we've had a lot, but we need it. rather rain than snow!! i am avoiding talking about food. good thing i can't win this month! i can't wait to see my fq's! i'm still at 2lbs down. i'm grateful for those 2 to be gone. my excercise is cleaning my sewing area. i am still setting it uo to maximize the new table and (old) sewing desk arrangement. i need a better ironing board but not sure dh will agree. going through a big cardboard box, i found a summer quilt my grandmother made. it's crazy squares, appliqued onto a whole cloth and then 'filled' with muslin and backed with cotton. since she was from vt i know this can't be a winter quilt. she didn't finish it, but as all of her other quilts i've seen were tied, i will finish this one and tie it. btw, it is birthed. i plan to post a pic on the dq thread. i also hope to include pictures of the victorian crazy quilt that was my other gm's. she didn't make it but gave it to me as my wedding present! it is lovely, all silk, and what we think of as a crazy quilt with lavish embroidery. my gm called it a 'graveyard' quilt. each block is made by a different quilter, has her name and birth year or death year , is surrounded by thread 'fencing (hence the name graveyard) and the last survivor gets to keep the quilt. sort of like a tontine. there are pieces of silk grosgrain that she claimed dated just post revolutionary war (u.s.) and had been used as cigar wrappers at that time. my gm was a great embroiderer, of the truth mostly, so it's hard to say how accurate the info is. wish antique road show would come to philly! anyway, it is one of the 2 items kept next to the front door so in case of fire i can grab it on my way out!

Pam H

Nancia, your gm stories reminds me of my fil. He told my kids that his gf was a stowaway on a coconut ship from Germany. They, of course, used this info in school projects. I did a little traveling in Germany and never saw a palm tree. I got an ironing board at Walmart that I really like. It is big and sturdy. It was about $40 but I did need to buy a cover for it right away which was maybe about $12. Don't hurt yourself on those rose bushes!

irishrose

Love the Knockout roses. I will never buy anything else from now on. I wish they'd hurry up and develop a climber. Don't they know I'm getting old. I have an apricot shrub rose blooming already. That warm spell way too early confused the plants. Three of mine have multitones on the same bush. Several of my perrenial gardens have grass in them. That will be some serious weeding that I will put off until after the annuals are in the pots and beds and the feeding and mulching is done.

Dizzy day here, too. So much for working outside or trying the bicycle. The adult tricycle is looking better and better. I guess I'll put a 'wanted' on Craigslist'. My third daughter knows of some similar local sites. Maybe I'll put her on it. She is back to work too soon after having a foot rebuilt so she sits a lot when she's home. Her children bought her a Kindle Fire for Christmas which has been a blessing to her. Another daughter gave me a Nook reader. I don't have WiFi, so it defeats the purpose. If I go to the library to use their provider, I may as well get a hard cover book. I think I prefer paper books anyhow. I know I can get a USB cord, but I haven't found the correct one. Too lazy to search.

My weight is finally below the dreaded number than ends in zero, now to keep it going. I put on a pair of Capris from last year. Brick colored paint, anyone. They are back in the closet.

May as well go FMQ after I strip my bed. It's time for the summer sheets.

Have a good day, a healthy eating day, an exercising day, etc, etc, etc.

Everose

Greetings! Wouldn't you know it, sweets haven't been a big part of daily life here - UNTIL it became the taboo this week. Now I really want a candy bar. I did make rhubarb bar cookies today. Got the recipe off the QB for our mystery quilt. They are really good. I had one - sent some over to the neighbor and will limit myself to one tomorrow again. Hoping they go fast so that the temptation isn't there. I also made the mashed cauliflower again. Oh, it is so good. Told DH that I would share tonight - then hands off.

Supposed to have a rainy/cold weekend. So might be a good time to get the fireplace going again and play with the new sewing machine. Started another scrappy quilt top for the ladies at our church. They make quilts and send them over seas. So I use all the scraps that I have and make a crazy quilt. It is so fun to just sew and not worry about colors or matching seams. I'm making the blocks 16" by 17". Have the first row done. Another project that I can't wait to finish.

Irish, those cookies you were talking about sound wonderful. I grew up with 3 brothers so CC had to be made every week along with a Sour Cream Choc. Cake. Now I don't make either.

Take care - treat yourself good and have a wonderful weekend.

jlwheart

Hi all, it's been a hard week or so and I've not lost any more weight. The severe weather has really laid me up. I did a bit of sewing but mostly worked on getting my embroidery design color change sheets printed out. I think I'll do better next month.

meanmom

Happy Memorial Day weekend to everyone. I am really going to enjoy the extra day off on Monday. It has been a tuff couple of weeks at school. I work with MD kids and there is a boy in the class who is 8. He is severely disabled. He only says a few words. He is autistic and several other undiagnosed disabilities. He has a brother just like him, also in the class. His parents said they did drugs during the pregnancy years. His mom is very low herself. She didn't even realize until recently that her boys are disabled. She is really unable to care for them properly. At home they are pretty much like wild animals. Eat with their hand, run over furniture etc. We are trying to work with her to get her some help. Not much success so far. He has been so disrupting the classroom that the room is like a zoo. I have been assigned by the director of special ed to be his one on one aide for the rest of the school year. He is killing me. When we are working he just randomly jumps up and grabs the neck of my shirt or hits me, usually in the face. We are in a small separate room off of the classroom because he hits and grabs the other kids. I have scratches all over my neck and arms from him. He also runs away from us. The list goes on and on. THe teacher talked to the principal on Friday and she said they are MD kids those things happen. SHe has no idea how bad it is. THe teacher and I talked to the director of special ed and he is out for the rest of the school year. I am so relieved. He is really wearing me out. Thanks for letting me vent.
Weight loss is not going too well this month. I think I am staying the same. At least it isn't up. only 7 more days of school

Pam H

Meanmom, I am so in awe of people who can do a job like yours. I wouldn't last a day. At least now he is gone and your last 7 days will go more smoothly. I'm sure you will have a great summer to make up for the rotten school year!

Pam 304

I feel for you I worked in a group home and have been hit with hightops, shirt ripped off, pounded in the back with a fist and lost my breath for a sec. and bit near an place that would have hurt like all get out....LOL LOL one could rip a leather jacket with his teeth... loved the job but did get disabled from it hurting my back and he was being good. He just fell back on me and I tried to push him on in the van instead of both of us hitting the sidewalk.
PamS