Holly: You're going to be a grandma like Grandma Linn. At least when you lose your chub.
Me: o__o
Holly: Well, you're not fat, but Grandma is a stick, and if you'd exercise, you could be like that.
----------------------------
ETA: Holly was not implying that I am fat, she was referring my own comments about me being fat.
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Monday, December 30, 2013
Adventures of Vader
Pumpkin scratched off a slice of poor Vader's nose last month. As a result, he has a white scar across his little nose. :(
-----------------------------------------
Prophecy: "Tiny cats, with their eyes all a-glow, will find it hard to sleep tonight."
Vader, for the first time in his life, spent the night outside last night. It was 30 degrees. I had some trouble getting the dogs hooked up outside, and he must have slipped out the door. I'm sure there was too much commotion when I later let the dogs back in.
Robert was wondering where Vader was this morning. But sometimes he is hiding away and makes an appearance later. When he didn't come for the food in his bowl, I wondered if he'd gotten out, not really believing it. Sure enough, I went outside, called, "Here, kitty, kitty," and he emerged from a pile of stuff that is next to the door. Complete with a dried leaf stuck to his tail. POOR kitty!! (That'll teach him.)
Sometimes being a cat is hard.
-----------------------------------------
Prophecy: "Tiny cats, with their eyes all a-glow, will find it hard to sleep tonight."
Vader, for the first time in his life, spent the night outside last night. It was 30 degrees. I had some trouble getting the dogs hooked up outside, and he must have slipped out the door. I'm sure there was too much commotion when I later let the dogs back in.
Robert was wondering where Vader was this morning. But sometimes he is hiding away and makes an appearance later. When he didn't come for the food in his bowl, I wondered if he'd gotten out, not really believing it. Sure enough, I went outside, called, "Here, kitty, kitty," and he emerged from a pile of stuff that is next to the door. Complete with a dried leaf stuck to his tail. POOR kitty!! (That'll teach him.)
Sometimes being a cat is hard.
Sunday, December 29, 2013
Christmas Day
I found these photos several months later and am backdating this post. I don't remember many specifics about Christmas, other than it was typical--relaxing, quiet, and quite possibly two people even stayed in their pajamas all day!
Robert and I now have plenty of time to wake up, read the paper, drink coffee while waiting for the kids to wake up.
Trevor has long assumed the role of present-passer-outer.
Robert assumes the Christmas coordinator/director position.
And the annual dinner photo. We did it totally differently this year, and we all liked it very much. Not so much food that it was a challenge to eat it all, plus there was much less cooking required. We had flank steak, potatoes with peas, roasted asparagus, orange jello salad, and cranberry nut bread. We'll have to remember this again for next year!
Pretty Pumpkin!
Robert and I now have plenty of time to wake up, read the paper, drink coffee while waiting for the kids to wake up.
Trevor has long assumed the role of present-passer-outer.
Robert assumes the Christmas coordinator/director position.
And the annual dinner photo. We did it totally differently this year, and we all liked it very much. Not so much food that it was a challenge to eat it all, plus there was much less cooking required. We had flank steak, potatoes with peas, roasted asparagus, orange jello salad, and cranberry nut bread. We'll have to remember this again for next year!
Christmas Eve
I desperately needed to grocery shop and was out at 7 a.m. Incredibly, I was the ONLY person at the store. I don't think that's ever happened in my entire life. When I left half an hour later, there was only one other car in the parking lot. (The cars on the far right belong to employees.)
The other grocery store was surprisingly not crowded either.
I hadn't even planned to get gas, but at 8:30, there was only one other car at the gas station (well, there was when I stopped to take the picture, but a second car pulled up).
Where in the world IS everyone?
It's a far cry from the days I remember of Kroger on University in Littleton. The grocery store was c-r-a-z-y on Christmas Eve, and they would pull in $1M on those days. Hard to compare that with my Food Lion, which brought in only my $38 within the first 30 minutes of opening.
Spent the rest of the day at home, wrapping presents and catching up on blogging. Robert had a few gifts to deliver. We had considered going to church but since we aren't even sure of the plans for the church we go to sometimes, we've opted to stay home tonight instead.
The other grocery store was surprisingly not crowded either.
I hadn't even planned to get gas, but at 8:30, there was only one other car at the gas station (well, there was when I stopped to take the picture, but a second car pulled up).
Where in the world IS everyone?
It's a far cry from the days I remember of Kroger on University in Littleton. The grocery store was c-r-a-z-y on Christmas Eve, and they would pull in $1M on those days. Hard to compare that with my Food Lion, which brought in only my $38 within the first 30 minutes of opening.
Spent the rest of the day at home, wrapping presents and catching up on blogging. Robert had a few gifts to deliver. We had considered going to church but since we aren't even sure of the plans for the church we go to sometimes, we've opted to stay home tonight instead.
Saturday, December 28, 2013
Annual shopping day
For many years, the kids and I have had our annual Christmas shopping day in the week or two before Christmas. It doesn't necessarily mean we buy presents, but we go to the mall, and enjoy doing whatever it is we need to get done.
We had our shopping day on Monday. Holly had to stop at the doctor's office first to get updates on a couple of vaccines. (Poor girl!) We stopped at Walgreen's and Petsmart, and then went to the Mall. We wandered around a bit, got giant pretzels and people watched, and found some great deals on clothes for both me and the kids. We ran into a friend of Trevor's and spent a bit of time chatting.
We went home to pick up Robert and ate dinner out. I got a few really nice pictures of Trevor, although the lighting at the restaurant leaves much to be desired.
We wrapped it up with a bit of shopping at Walmart and catching a few Christmas lights. We also were right behind a car that hit a deer, one of my big fears. UGGGGHHHHHHH.
But I'm successfully erasing that from my memory, at least for the most part.
Happy Christmas Adam!!!!
We had our shopping day on Monday. Holly had to stop at the doctor's office first to get updates on a couple of vaccines. (Poor girl!) We stopped at Walgreen's and Petsmart, and then went to the Mall. We wandered around a bit, got giant pretzels and people watched, and found some great deals on clothes for both me and the kids. We ran into a friend of Trevor's and spent a bit of time chatting.
We went home to pick up Robert and ate dinner out. I got a few really nice pictures of Trevor, although the lighting at the restaurant leaves much to be desired.
We wrapped it up with a bit of shopping at Walmart and catching a few Christmas lights. We also were right behind a car that hit a deer, one of my big fears. UGGGGHHHHHHH.
But I'm successfully erasing that from my memory, at least for the most part.
Happy Christmas Adam!!!!
Friday, December 27, 2013
Thursday, December 26, 2013
Christmas week at work
We celebrated Christmas as we do everything else--with food.
The week began on Monday with one of the departments hosting a holiday brunch for the other teams.
We had our office-wide door decorating contest on Tuesday. My team won the team theme prize (Pizza Hut gift card!), and our very own Eddie won the "Most Spirited" door. LOL. The contest was followed by an Open House hosted by our supervisors.
We went to the County Employees' Christmas Lunch on Wednesday. I believe we have about 1000 employees total for a county of just under 100,000 people. That seems like so many workers, don't you think? Our lunch was held at the Salem Civic Center.
It was very nice, with dressing-stuffed turkey rolls, and other traditional style holiday foods.
I couldn't help but take this picture. It's one of the few times I haven't seen the county police without a phone stuck to their ears. I guess it has to happen at some point in time . . .
We had an eligibility workers staff meeting on Thursday morning, which included Panera bagels and coffee for breakfast. Our agency has the number one lowest rate of payment errors in the state, and as a result, we win some sort of incentive money. I usually only work four days a week, but there were a few good speakers I wanted to hear at this meeting, so I went in for a few hours.
We had our team out of office meeting on Friday and went to a local restaurant for a late lunch. Unfortunately, many people were in a grumpy mood, so it fell flat--a rarity among our group.
Lastly, although our original county holiday were to be Tuesday and Wednesday, the commissioners voted earlier this month to also give us Monday off. It will be a nice and welcome break from work.
The week began on Monday with one of the departments hosting a holiday brunch for the other teams.
We had our office-wide door decorating contest on Tuesday. My team won the team theme prize (Pizza Hut gift card!), and our very own Eddie won the "Most Spirited" door. LOL. The contest was followed by an Open House hosted by our supervisors.
We went to the County Employees' Christmas Lunch on Wednesday. I believe we have about 1000 employees total for a county of just under 100,000 people. That seems like so many workers, don't you think? Our lunch was held at the Salem Civic Center.
Hah, caught Joanna and Jill walking past with their food while we stood in line.
It was very nice, with dressing-stuffed turkey rolls, and other traditional style holiday foods.
I couldn't help but take this picture. It's one of the few times I haven't seen the county police without a phone stuck to their ears. I guess it has to happen at some point in time . . .
We had an eligibility workers staff meeting on Thursday morning, which included Panera bagels and coffee for breakfast. Our agency has the number one lowest rate of payment errors in the state, and as a result, we win some sort of incentive money. I usually only work four days a week, but there were a few good speakers I wanted to hear at this meeting, so I went in for a few hours.
We had our team out of office meeting on Friday and went to a local restaurant for a late lunch. Unfortunately, many people were in a grumpy mood, so it fell flat--a rarity among our group.
Lastly, although our original county holiday were to be Tuesday and Wednesday, the commissioners voted earlier this month to also give us Monday off. It will be a nice and welcome break from work.
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
George does Christmas
When Holly came home over Thanksgiving, she stayed an extra day, and I took her back to school on Monday. We ate lunch on campus in the Johnson Center, where she had a meeting scheduled that afternoon.
As I made my way back to the parking garage, I saw that George Mason was dressed up and ready to begin the holiday festivities.
Merry Christmas, George!!
As I made my way back to the parking garage, I saw that George Mason was dressed up and ready to begin the holiday festivities.
Merry Christmas, George!!
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Trevor's newest Hollandaise Sauce
This is our new love. We don't get it very often, for obvious reasons. It's also hit or miss--you can't make it "pretty good." Either it's fantastic or it's curdled. There's nothing in between.
And then we found a foolproof method. The very same day I brought home Pioneer Woman's newest cookbook, Trevor had watched her make hollandaise sauce on tv.
No cooking required. No double boiler, no stirring. No need to perfectly time the sauce with the cooking of the eggs.
EASY PEASY HOLLANDAISE
4 egg yolks
1 T. lemon juice
pinch cayenne
pinch salt
1 stick of butter
Place egg yolks, lemon juice, cayenne, and salt in food processor (or blender--whatever's easier to clean).
Heat butter on stove until hot and melted.
Process egg yolks for a few seconds until well mixed. Open the top of the processor, and leave it turned on while you pour in the melted butter. Continue processing for 30 seconds or so until thick.
Can be done at the last minute.
And then we found a foolproof method. The very same day I brought home Pioneer Woman's newest cookbook, Trevor had watched her make hollandaise sauce on tv.
No cooking required. No double boiler, no stirring. No need to perfectly time the sauce with the cooking of the eggs.
EASY PEASY HOLLANDAISE
4 egg yolks
1 T. lemon juice
pinch cayenne
pinch salt
1 stick of butter
Place egg yolks, lemon juice, cayenne, and salt in food processor (or blender--whatever's easier to clean).
Heat butter on stove until hot and melted.
Process egg yolks for a few seconds until well mixed. Open the top of the processor, and leave it turned on while you pour in the melted butter. Continue processing for 30 seconds or so until thick.
Can be done at the last minute.
Saturday, December 21, 2013
Eddie's party
Several months ago, Eddie asked our team at work to save 12/7 for his Christmas party. We were a bit surprised to find out just days before that the invitation was *only* for work people, not even spouses! As if we don't see each other enough during work hours! I didn't want to be the jerk who backed out, so I went anyway. He's a super nice guy, started the job just before I did, and he makes work even better. Seven of our team of ten were there.
Eddie's been promoting his Bliss Lights. A couple of us have ended up buying our own, although Robert didn't like the blue and will be returning them. They are so pretty, throwing little dots of lasers over everything!
They had their house built two years ago. It's like something right out of HGTV, beautifully decorated, gorgeous furnishings. Unfortunately, I didn't get many pics of the house!
We ate, and Eddie even had a gift for each of us, and mine was a snowman Christmas decoration. I was soooo glad I'd brought him a host gift (bottle of wine)!
He got his chickens a few months ago, and many of us at work are buying the eggs. There was also the story about the chicken coop that burned down, with the chickens being saved by Eddie because he returned home unexpectedly and saw the smoke coming from the backyard. We took a nighttime walk down to the coop, waking the chickens up to take pictures.
Trevor was spending the night at Kurt's house, which is just a few lots up the creek from Eddie's, less than half a mile. Most of the people wandered down to the creek, but I stayed at the chicken coop, texting Judy about how close I was. Haha.
Before leaving, we got a nice little selfie: Eddie, and then clockwise from the bottom left: my boss Joanna, Brenda, Carol, Jill, Trina, and me.
Someone photoshopped santa's beard, reindeer antlers, elf ears, and more onto the picture, and now it's my screensaver at work.
It was a nice night, and I was excited to see Eddie's house. But next year, he already know that I am staying home!
Eddie's been promoting his Bliss Lights. A couple of us have ended up buying our own, although Robert didn't like the blue and will be returning them. They are so pretty, throwing little dots of lasers over everything!
They had their house built two years ago. It's like something right out of HGTV, beautifully decorated, gorgeous furnishings. Unfortunately, I didn't get many pics of the house!
We ate, and Eddie even had a gift for each of us, and mine was a snowman Christmas decoration. I was soooo glad I'd brought him a host gift (bottle of wine)!
He got his chickens a few months ago, and many of us at work are buying the eggs. There was also the story about the chicken coop that burned down, with the chickens being saved by Eddie because he returned home unexpectedly and saw the smoke coming from the backyard. We took a nighttime walk down to the coop, waking the chickens up to take pictures.
Trevor was spending the night at Kurt's house, which is just a few lots up the creek from Eddie's, less than half a mile. Most of the people wandered down to the creek, but I stayed at the chicken coop, texting Judy about how close I was. Haha.
Before leaving, we got a nice little selfie: Eddie, and then clockwise from the bottom left: my boss Joanna, Brenda, Carol, Jill, Trina, and me.
Someone photoshopped santa's beard, reindeer antlers, elf ears, and more onto the picture, and now it's my screensaver at work.
It was a nice night, and I was excited to see Eddie's house. But next year, he already know that I am staying home!
Friday, December 20, 2013
Thursday, December 19, 2013
View
My new building is five stories, pretty tall for Salem. My office is on the top floor, although I don't have a window view. This is from the lunchroom. We have mountains on one side, Roanoke College and more mountains on the other.
Those are the Blue Ridge Mountains that circle the valley around the south, but the blue is from the window tint. LOL
Those are the Blue Ridge Mountains that circle the valley around the south, but the blue is from the window tint. LOL
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Dog daze
This is what I found when I went to bed the other night. I am guessing that Robert fell asleep, knocked my pillow down onto the dog. She didn't even move, although she was awake and watching me take her picture.
Princess
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Christmas break
Trevor and I drove up on Sunday to bring Holly home for Christmas break.
No snow in Roanoke last week. Some still on the ground in Fairfax. We saw quite a bit along the highway along the northern part of 81 and near Front Royal.
Trevor took a lot of great pics out of the window.
We ate delicious Indian food in the campus food court, and we loaded down the car to bring Holly home for the next month.
No snow in Roanoke last week. Some still on the ground in Fairfax. We saw quite a bit along the highway along the northern part of 81 and near Front Royal.
Trevor took a lot of great pics out of the window.
We ate delicious Indian food in the campus food court, and we loaded down the car to bring Holly home for the next month.
Monday, December 16, 2013
A few weeks ago
When Holly was home for Thanksgiving, she and Trevor went to see Catching Fire. Robert and I went shopping. While the movie theater is nice, and the nearby mall is nice, the nearby Walmart is not. We refer to it as "the ghetto Walmart."
This is evidenced by the Roanoke City Police's Mobile Command Unit parked next to the store on Black Friday.
Further proof can be found in the handheld shopping baskets. Every one of them has a security tag attached to prevent theft.
(Seriously.)
This is evidenced by the Roanoke City Police's Mobile Command Unit parked next to the store on Black Friday.
Further proof can be found in the handheld shopping baskets. Every one of them has a security tag attached to prevent theft.
(Seriously.)
Sunday, December 15, 2013
O Christmas Tree!
We didn't have time to finish decorating the tree when Holly was home for Thanksgiving. Robert, Trevor and I finished it up this week, and I sent her this picture to show what's waiting for her when she comes home.
Saturday, December 14, 2013
Found in my in box!
It's become harder for me to keep track of my pictures. I don't use my camera much anymore; I've never been overly thrilled with the quality of pictures it takes, it's big and bulky to tote around, and it's a pain to download the pictures to my computer.
I take a lot more pictures with my phone. Although the quality is definitely lacking, it's handy, and I always have it with me. I text the pictures to my email, where I can download them to my computer.
My camera and my phone number the photos differently, so they are never in true order anymore.
All of that to say that I just found another photo in my email in box from two months ago.
Trevor continues to line ref at soccer. He is placed in several games each season; it's a nice paying job, he enjoys it, and he gets great feedback from the (adult) center refs. He's one of the more popular line refs, and I'm proud of the hard work he does!
I take a lot more pictures with my phone. Although the quality is definitely lacking, it's handy, and I always have it with me. I text the pictures to my email, where I can download them to my computer.
My camera and my phone number the photos differently, so they are never in true order anymore.
All of that to say that I just found another photo in my email in box from two months ago.
Trevor continues to line ref at soccer. He is placed in several games each season; it's a nice paying job, he enjoys it, and he gets great feedback from the (adult) center refs. He's one of the more popular line refs, and I'm proud of the hard work he does!
Pinterest success!
It's common knowledge that many attempts to recreate Pinterest ideas turn into colossal failures. I really liked this and wanted to give it a try.
And it actually turned out pretty good. I'd do a few things differently. I'd add more blue, and I do not at all care for the font of my letters. But I took it to work and hung it on my wall. It's certainly good enough for that!
And it actually turned out pretty good. I'd do a few things differently. I'd add more blue, and I do not at all care for the font of my letters. But I took it to work and hung it on my wall. It's certainly good enough for that!
Friday, December 13, 2013
Finals week
Holly ended up getting enough snow between Sunday and Monday to shut campus down on Tuesday, which was supposed to be the first day of finals. It wasn't that they got loads of snow, but it was cold and icy and made a mess of the roads.
The entire campus shut down, which included most of the food venues. What the heck? If the students are on campus, what are they supposed to EAT??? The big dining hall/cafeteria remained open. Holly hasn't eat there since the first week of school and called it "puke food." And Starbucks was open.
When the dining hall closed on Tuesday night, one on-campus restaurant opened with a "limited menu." Guess where everyone went to get food? It's right next door to Holly's dorm, and she checked it out an hour after opening, then gave up and went back to her warm room.
On the plus side:
She has a good supply of food in her room.
Her RA made cookies for everyone.
Her final that was scheduled yesterday was rescheduled to Friday, so the shutdown won't affect the last day of finals next week.
Campus was open as usual, including all of the eateries, Wednesday morning.
She had Chik-Fil-A for lunch.
She got her Reflective Essay grade from her writing prof : A!!
She had a really good Wednesday.
The entire campus shut down, which included most of the food venues. What the heck? If the students are on campus, what are they supposed to EAT??? The big dining hall/cafeteria remained open. Holly hasn't eat there since the first week of school and called it "puke food." And Starbucks was open.
When the dining hall closed on Tuesday night, one on-campus restaurant opened with a "limited menu." Guess where everyone went to get food? It's right next door to Holly's dorm, and she checked it out an hour after opening, then gave up and went back to her warm room.
On the plus side:
She has a good supply of food in her room.
Her RA made cookies for everyone.
Her final that was scheduled yesterday was rescheduled to Friday, so the shutdown won't affect the last day of finals next week.
Campus was open as usual, including all of the eateries, Wednesday morning.
She had Chik-Fil-A for lunch.
She got her Reflective Essay grade from her writing prof : A!!
She had a really good Wednesday.
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Wednesday!
I've been working six hours a day, four days a week. It seems like a pretty good schedule, and I appreciate that I get off at 2:00. My "new" (compared to the library) schedule has its pros and cons at home though. I used to work just three days a week, and one of those usually included a Saturday. That meant that I was home for three weekdays, making it easier to keep up with school work. With the exception of math, Trevor is doing everything on his own, and we just meet when we can to review what he's done.
I've mostly been taking off either Wednesday or Friday each week. Trevor and I had big plans today. He took a break from his usual school work to join in his online chemistry class, which meets three times a week. Holly's Pumpkin settled in next to him.
He continued working during the morning, and we discussed some of his work from last week.
We headed for lunch out at Hibachi Grill, which was much better than I'd expected. We've eaten there a few times before, but it was nice to just relax with Trevor, go through the buffet several times together, leisurely deciding what to try, a little bit at a time. We chatted quite a bit about school this year, community college possibilities over the next few years, and college after that.
We stopped next door at Michael's and then stopped by my office to hang snowflakes from my ceiling. I assumed we'd be climbing off and on the chairs to reach the ceiling, but Trevor had no problems reaching it by standing on his own feet.
I was very proud to introduce him to several of my coworkers. We took a break to drink sodas, then stopped at Walmart on the way home. I enjoy these days of just hanging out with my kiddo.
I've mostly been taking off either Wednesday or Friday each week. Trevor and I had big plans today. He took a break from his usual school work to join in his online chemistry class, which meets three times a week. Holly's Pumpkin settled in next to him.
He continued working during the morning, and we discussed some of his work from last week.
We headed for lunch out at Hibachi Grill, which was much better than I'd expected. We've eaten there a few times before, but it was nice to just relax with Trevor, go through the buffet several times together, leisurely deciding what to try, a little bit at a time. We chatted quite a bit about school this year, community college possibilities over the next few years, and college after that.
We stopped next door at Michael's and then stopped by my office to hang snowflakes from my ceiling. I assumed we'd be climbing off and on the chairs to reach the ceiling, but Trevor had no problems reaching it by standing on his own feet.
I was very proud to introduce him to several of my coworkers. We took a break to drink sodas, then stopped at Walmart on the way home. I enjoy these days of just hanging out with my kiddo.
Finished
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)