Category Archives: Brian

Oct21

Sammies aka Sandwiches

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My pal Zoey was talking about making a sandwich spread that her husband loves-ground bologna spread (pick a recipe that appeals to you!). I’ve never had it, nor has Brian or the lady at the grocery store who checked me out. So I did a Google search, and lo and behold it’s a Midwestern thing. I definitely want to try it as I purchased buy one get one free Oscar Meyer bologna yesterday. The recipe called for grounding up the solid piece of bologna in a meat grinder. Think I’ll use the food processor. Also it has sweet pickles-will use pickle relish like Zoey does, Spanish onion, mayo and yellow mustard. Zoey skips the mustard. Sounds good! I’ve had my share of Deviled Ham, so this sounds similar.

I asked Zoey if she had heard of Lebanon bologna. She had not. It’s a Lebanon County, PA lunchmeat. I had a LB food jag as a teen. Everyday I had it with a slice of American cheese, a dab of mustard on white or rye bread, but mostly on white bread and potato chips (when I was skinny). It’s smokey and tangy at the same time. I do still buy it on occasion.
Update:
I did mix up a fast batch of the ground bologna and it’s quite good. Like ham spread, not as salty and very similar to a hot dog taste because of the relish and onion. So we give it a ‘thumb’s up’! We thought black olives or red peppers would be good in it too. Thanks for the idea Zoey!

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I’m wearing the waist trimmer as I type this. Bri’s been wearing it while using the ab-lounger (doing sit ups) and then leaves it on for a few hours afterwards. I put it on him. I have to put it on me, so it probably could be tighter. I like it! Mom said she’d go get me another one. I guess it gives you support like a girdle. One reason we are fixated on our tummies is because of what Bri’s dad has been going through. He’s had a huge tummy as long as I’ve known him. When he finally ‘deflated’, he got the terrible sores from the skin hanging down-I know gross. Sure would do everything I can to avoid getting that problem.

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Thanks for all your sweet comments on my ‘Think Pink’ ATC card. I must join in some more challenges. : )

Oct19

Gadgets-I love gadgets

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Zoey over at Perennial Passion said she found some really ‘rad’ kitchen gadgets lately. It’s true, I love gadgets and have an entire drawer of them!

I noticed my static duster (a larger household gadget) was looking old and worn and the handle, made out of plastic, had broken in several places, making it hard to shake out.  Today, Bri took me out to lunch and then to a store that he collects ads from for the paper. I hadn’t been in there in years and it was much bigger than I remember. They are a bit pricey, but when I saw that chartreuse duster with the telescopic handle, I knew I was bringing it home! The handle part is metal. I have already tried it out and it reaches the corners of most of my ceilings (the family room is higher as it was the garage at one time), and holds the dust like a trap! This was my consolation for Bri not taking me to the Delaware Home Show where I could have meet Nadia Geller from the Learning Channel. She was the only reason I would have gone.

I hope you can see that I placed the duster, that looks like a broom, under my Wicked Witches’ house sign. I do live on the west end of my road. ; )

Yesterday my mom and I were in a 5 Below store (everything is $5 and below as the name implies) and I saw this waist trimmer, thinking of Bri and me. I decided to try it on and it’s comfortable. I took that photo, hello girls! LOL I guess you are suppose to make it as tight as possible. My mom was commenting on my tummy the other day and how it needed squishing. Well it’s been out of control for almost 22 yrs (with the one exception when I lost some decent weight). I guess you are suppose to ‘exercise’ wearing this thing? My tummy muscles have been really weak lately, moving involuntary like an eye twitch when I sneeze. In my mind’s eye I keep seeing Sigourney Weaver in Alien. Also, Brooke Burke, one of the celebrities on ‘Dancing with the Stars‘ wore some kind of contraption after she had her last baby and her tummy is flat as can be (it’s called ‘Taunt’, but what I linked to looks like a pricier version of what I bought). Hey, I think she’s going to win! I’m really hoping the fat gets pushed down to the butt region as it’s suppose to be better to have it there. In my dreams.

Oct16

Let’s Go Phillies!!!

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Phils reach first World Series since ’93
10/15/2008 11:38 PM ET
By Ken Mandel / MLB.com

LOS ANGELES — Using a perfect script without a surprise ending, the Phillies captured the National League pennant with a 5-1 win over the Dodgers on Wednesday at Dodger Stadium. With it comes their first trip to the World Series since 1993.

With the Phils never straying from their opportunistic best, Jimmy Rollins scorched a leadoff homer on the game’s eighth pitch, much like he did in the Game 4 NLDS clincher against Milwaukee. With a lead and the ball in ace Cole Hamels’ capable left hand, it seemed inevitable.

The Dodgers never had a chance.

The star of the game!

There’s a lot of celebrating in downtown Philadelphia tonight.

I’m so glad Brian and Sean got to see the team that made it to the World Series. : )

Oct12

Packing up the lawn ornaments

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Packing up the lawn ornaments, originally uploaded by DianthusMoon.

I have ‘things’ scattered in various gardens around the house that are getting put away soon. For instance, there are mostly squirrels in here that are looking a bit green and sad from spending months and months outside. Since we’re going to have good weather, I’ll give them a little spray with bleach. I also double check to see if I really want to keep them. It would be a good time to clean the beds out better to avoid all the work I have to do in March and April.
Unfortunately between planting 20 odd iris rhizomes and playing Word Twist like a maniac last night ( Bri was helping), I had a achy left hand until 4 am when I finally went looking for an ace bandage and the icy hot. It’s much better now! Bri was wearing one on his knee. The price for yardwork!

Rant-
I bought a tiny pot roast (they call it oven) for dinner. It was like 1.5 pds and cost $8 and was fatty, tough and horrible. I want to complain, but the local store has a large patronage of shoppers. The Hispanic shoppers tend to go in one day and buy an entire cart of meat. Frankly, they don’t care what I say, as they are making money off of unsuspecting people. But if they are trying to sell cheaper cuts of meat for ‘oven roasts’ then I am perturbed. I think I’ll buy my roasts elsewhere. Dang, I’m hungry right now.

Oct8

It’s a matter of fact

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That our next president will be left-handed and be the 8th president to be a lefty (yeah for lefties)

Watched the town hall debate-McCain scribbled out a lot of smudged left handed notes while Obama didn’t-he drank a lot of water. Wonder what McCain was trying to remember? Not crazy about people who say ‘my friends’. What happened to ‘my fellow Americans’-is that not in fashion now? And McCain kinda sounded like he was selling snake oil.

Noticed more people wanted to pose for photos with Obama than McCain at the end.

Brian wondered what was wrong with Obama’s hair. I think he is getting gray patches and it looks like bald spots.

Obama reminds me of Kerry when he speaks, maybe not in a good way-that deliberate way about his voice. It is better than McCain’s-he sounds like a nice grandpa.

It sounded like the same arguments from the 1st debate, but they got to walk around and stare at the people in the audience.

Oh…later…James Taylor was on the Tonight Show and I took a photo off the new tv.  Pretty clear!

Oct7

SSSssssss

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Brian thought he’d contribute to my blog tonight. He almost stepped on this guy:

He’s showing you his tongue there! I’m pretty sure this garter snake (who looks bigger than he really is) lived in the vicinity of where I have an herb bed as I saw him there this summer.

It’s not funny how much I have to do outside to separate irises and put away decorations. I’ve felt a bit blah these last few days, so I’m waiting until I feel stronger to get the work done before it gets too chilly, though that is nice weather to work in. You bet I’ll be wearing gloves near that herb bed.

Sep28

Gloomy Sunday

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Yesterday, Bri and I took my mom home after 3.5 days. We had waited for 3 hours for brother #2 to show up to get her. He hadn’t been here for years. Actually, I can say that about all 3 of my brothers. They know they don’t have to be invited to come here. Mom called about 3 times and he finally answered and said he was peeved at her for something she said. I was going to take her by myself, but Bri came along and drove. He’s been really stressed out about his dad and kept playing with my air conditioner. If you recall, it didn’t work for the hottest months of the summer and I told him to leave it off or on. Geez.

Once we got to mom’s house, we did little chores for her that haven’t been done for months. Remember, I have two brothers that live a few miles away and mom’s SIL Bri (who lives 23 miles away) had to do these things that took minutes to fix. He replaced the belt on her vacuum that hasn’t worked for months. I ran the vacuum and what it got up was nasty. My brother had the nerve to do a mold test in her house, yet he wouldn’t replace the belt on her vacuum. And Bri fixed 2 lights for mom! She just had eye surgery on the 11th and is seeing major floaters. I think she needs to see around her kitchen! Plus the lamp post wasn’t working. I’ve replaced the bulb a few times and it still didn’t work. One reason her friend fell and hurt himself! I guess when Bri was flipping  circuits/fuses, he flipped it back on as mom said it was on last night. Unbelievable. I can see why she gets really depressed as her own sons don’t keep her in check. I can’t say stuff to them about helping either or they’ll get mad. They say they don’t like being ‘used’, but tell me, does helping your elderly mom categorize being used? Do any other women out there find their parents depend on them more than your brothers? And why are they acting this way? Not having a dad around caused them to treat their mom so poorly? I thought it was girls who suffered more from not having dads (electra complex). Sorry, venting.

Bri and I did go to Ruby’s for a burger and then the bookstore. We watched Penn State win their 5th football game and wondered where Sean was in the crowd of 109,000.

I haven’t been to the store in 10 days-gasp-so need to head in that direction soon.

Sep18

Proofs

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We got our portraits today and I’d thought I’d tease you with showing you the proofs. Our church is making up a directory and one of these will be in it too. That’s the main reason we had them taken.  I will show the excellent shot of Sean as we are calling it his graduation photo (May 09). We also purchased one of the two of us to represent our 25th wedding anniversary coming up in April.  I did buy some Christmas cards with one of these also. Can you guess which two we used? And the seat belt mark is softened (my neck) on the 8x10s as is Sean’s shiny head, but they didn’t get rid of the string from my upper dress (like my Liz Claiborne?). You’ll have to look at these in larger mode. I didn’t wear my glasses so I wouldn’t have nose marks and then I get the selt belt mark! I personally like the one with #26 on the end of me and the one with  #18 on the end of Bri, but I had my eyes closed (we didn’t use them)!

I love this photo! Look at the cute dimples! His shirt is green, though looks gray for some reason. This is the air-brushed one. As I mentioned last month, it was the last shot the young photographer took when Sean was more relaxed. I can’t believe my baby looks so grown up here.

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Went to my mom’s on Thursday (I am writing posts late at night now) and took her to lunch at one of our favorite restaurants. They had the nerve to change their chicken salad recipe which I have salivated over for 26 yrs! They added tarragon, almond and grapes which doesn’t go in a club sandwich at all. Shame on them!

We then went to AC Moore craft store, another disappointment. Before that, we had gone to say ‘hi’ to the rescue kitties in Pet Smart. They were so cute. I fell in love with a black and white one with long fur and a pink nose who seemed playful. Most of the other kitties were around 7 and miserable looking as I guess they had to be taken from elderly owners.

We also went to another shopping center. Mom was having problems with what she thinks is a floater, but I think it’s the tail of a stitch. It’s driving her batty. I went in a Home Goods store and bought a little 3 drawer cabinet for CDs for my family room. Guess what, it barely fits any in the drawers! I asked Bri if he could make a shelf unit for the top and he half- heartedly said ok. He’ll have a spot for his collectibles then. I’ll show you the little cabinet in my ‘Show & Tell’ post.

Sep18

Twiddling thumbs

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We have a new HDtv, but still with no HD hook-up. I cancelled a class at a local cross stitch shop to wait on the technician. At 3 o’clock, the company called to say the guy’s van was still not running. I called dishnet to complain. They said my name was still not tied in with the account. Like Tammy, I’m the one who pays the bills, and my name is on the check too! Geez. Bri called after dinner and said if they don’t show up on Friday, we are switching companies. It’s ridiculous!

I missed meeting a cross stitcher from England. I had signed up for the class, but heard it was a mobile, so I wasn’t really interested in sitting there working on that between 5:30 and 7:30. If you want more info, Jennifer blogged about it at Sweet Pea Stitches.

Bri went food shopping with me after dinner because of my sore back (which is better) as I didn’t want to lift too much. It’s a wake up call for him as he can’t believe we spend so much for two people (and a cat). We got a few extras like vitamins and a magazine. I also saw the ‘Tim Daly’ (cutie) of our church (and the store was rather empty), so that made it more interesting for me as Dan said ‘hi’ to me and then Bri. Bri was not amused. HAHAHA

Enjoyed good tv tonight, for a change. I had 3 shows to watch in a row while I worked on my kitty and read my new magazine.

We are having a picnic dinner for my mom’s birthday this Sunday, similar to what we had last year. Bro #2 will probably be there-he wasn’t living up here last year, but not Sean. Not sure about the other two older boys. I plan to make a ham and cheese pasta dish and broccoli salad. I got buy one get one free on the broccoli. I figure they will hold up better than a lettuce dish, plus each are like a meal.