Happy thanksgiving 🔥🔥🔥

Happy thanksgiving!

What’s that saying? “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry”, Robert Burns poem “To A Mouse”.

I had a plan. An excellent plan. I wrote out my menu and researched what I could make in advance. Then made a schedule for Tuesday thru Thursday. Tuesday got whacked because of the plumber. Wednesday got whacked because my daughter’s team lead deliberately took my daughter’s money to her job instead of meeting me as planned. This wasted my entire afternoon because I had to go get it and deposit it into her account. It was stupid to drive all the way home only to have to turn around to go back to pick her up. Then when I got home I hurt so bad I took meds and went to bed.

So Thanksgiving day everything had to be cooked. Several things got cut because it was just too much to do in 1 day. Hence the reason I made a plan to split the prep and cook over 3 days. My son helped a lot. It was really great to see him at the stove sautéing onions and celery. He hasn’t cooked since his illness began. Before his illness he volunteered to cook entire meals all the time. Gourmet meals. They were always good.

It was quite late before we ate. My daughter had to work until 5. My spouse took over stuffing detail after my son did the sautéing and I did the seasoning. My spouse was taking turkey drippings to add to the stuffing. Brand new turkey baster. I was behind when my spouse started using the turkey baster. It exploded at me. Screaming hot turkey drippings. 🔥 Luckily my face and neck were missed. My shoulder, upper arm, wrist, chest, and thigh were hit. I immediately ran to the living room and tore off my jogging pants. (We did not have company, just immediate family. Wouldn’t that have been a sight if we had friends or relatives over?)  I wanted them off because I was afraid the material would melt and because I wanted to get the super hot drippings off my body.  Then I was literally pouring ice water on all the burns. (I am never without a tumbler of ice water.) We have nothing for burns. Tomorrow one of us will have to get aloe vera. I feel like crap right now.

Dinner was delicious. Even the new dish, corn pudding. Not the same corn pudding I had over 35 years ago, but close enough that I can tweak it next time I make it. After dinner it all went to hell in a hand basket over washing the dishes. If I hear “It’s not fair” one more time. Grrrrr.

The small engine repair guy rescheduled for Friday, 1pm. Makes it impossible to fit in the laundromat. Monday I have my MRIs, so I guess Tuesday will be laundry day.

We will probably hit 1 store in the name of Black Friday shopping. Meijer has shoes or boots buy one pair get one pair for $1. They have the sale every couple of months and it’s really the only time to buy shoes or boots. My daughter needs work shoes and my spouse needs boots. I think that will be it...and the aloe vera.

Lola’s Diner cc.  2008-2019

Success!

Sump pump is installed! Not a minute too soon. Pouring rain just before he finished. I had my spouse handle the plumber visit. I’m not good at it unless it’s something I know a lot about, I have questions, or I have a good rapport with the worker. I thought it was a guy doing a side job, but it was the actual plumbing company he works for. Big van with the company name plastered all over...I’m sure my neighbor saw it, he was home all day. Thinking back to my previous experience hiring a plumbing company I think I still got a deal, and it was for the price quoted. 

The small engine repair guy is coming this afternoon.

My head is spinning from all the maybe have to do things, not sure if I need to things, have to do things. Can’t even plan my day cuz of all the uncertainty. 

Got my recipes from Pinterest written on recipe cards. Got my list of what/how many of things that must be room temperature. Got my list of milks required. I’m pretty sure a run to the store will be needed. Evaporated Milk, Sweetened Condensed Milk, Evaporated Skim Milk.-???? Why are there so many kinds? Why do I always screw up and need a last minute run to the store? 

Come on S. L. E. E. P. 

Lola’s Diner cc.  2008-2019

This and THAT

Bubba is doing great. Eating a can of wet food split into 2 servings, morning and night. And she’s been snacking on the dry food. She jumps on the bed on her own and she’s been putting on weight. Since I’ve mostly been the one to feed her she’s practically attached to my hip. At night she sleeps ON me. My cats don’t even do that! I think my spouse is a little jealous, but Maddux has been hanging out with her, so she’s still getting some kitty love.

Friday my son went over to Anastasia’s house for a movie, while the rest of us went to dinner and picked him up on the way back home. Anastasia wanted to talk about her back issues, basically compare notes, so I hung back and chatted with her. BIG mistake! I am still incredibly angry over 2 things she somehow brought up in conversation. She said, ‘The kids haven’t changed a bit. They are the same as when they first became ill.’ That was like a kick in the gut. It was like she was insinuating it was my fault. They have changed a lot. My daughter is able to work part time, she has a boyfriend. Many people with mental illnesses don’t improve much, and they rarely, if ever return to even close to what they were like before their break. Some are incredibly fortunate and get well enough to stop medications and live close to a normal life. But for her to say that...it was soul crushing. Especially with her follow-up. ‘What if something happens to you, who will take care of the kids?’ Not her business. I changed the subject at that point. I told my spouse that will be the last time I have a one on one conversation with Anastasia. She has never treated me right since we split (which was her doing) and is always putting me down or making fun of me. It’s bad enough I have no friends, then to have someone who was my partner continuing to treat me this way? I don’t need this. She was there 12 years ago when my daughter became ill, she knows exactly how bad it was. Enough is enough.

My biopsy results are in. I don’t know what they are, but I would like to thank the medical website for notifying me I had new test results. Then I log in and see the details of the cyst removal, but no results. So I have to wait until Monday.

I have instituted a no Black Friday ad viewing rule. I’m not looking at any ads, I just don’t want to know unless it’s a major appliance store for a washer and a dryer. And even then I’m still window shopping. I used to line up for the Black Friday sales at Target and hit up Kohl’s and Walmart after. It’s not something I can physically do anymore. I may do some Cyber Monday shopping. I do need to replace a lot of clothes that were ruined in the flood. Lately I’ve gotten good deals at Meijer on clothes, so I can’t think of anything I’d be interested in for Cyber Monday.

So I don’t overwhelm myself for Thanksgiving I made myself a schedule of what to prep and cook starting Tuesday. Mariano’s had Butterball frozen turkey $0.77/lb with $25 purchase. Because they had only small frozen turkeys left they were substituting fresh for the same price. I got there early and shopped while my daughter finished her shift.

Lola’s Diner cc. 2008-2019

Sunday Stealing-SwapBot

Stolen from SwapBot

1. You can breathe underwater or be able to fly. Which one would you choose and why?  I'd choose breathing under water. I think being able to fly would be dangerous. You’re not protected from the elements, other flying vessels, birds, and debris. I remember riding my motorcycle with the visor up, stuff was always flying in my face...dirt, bugs, etc. I would think flying would be worse. I‘m not really a fan of underwater in general because I have poor eyesight and wear eyeglasses.

2. What's your go to order at a café?  I don't really go to cafes...unless you count Starbucks. My order there is either coffee or a Frappuccino using 1/2 the syrup to cut the carbs and make it less sweet. Those drinks are too sugary tasting to me when made according to Starbucks recipe. I don’t order food there. Too expensive.

3. Where do you feel the safest?  At home. More specifically, my master bedroom.

4. What is the one book or book series you could reread without getting bored for the rest of time?The Left Behind series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. I had all the books, but seemed to have lost a few when I moved in 2005.

5. You will receive ten million dollars, but you need to spend one million dollars in 24 hours to receive the other nine million tax free (and you can’t tell anyone what you’re doing). What do you spend it on? I can’t say. I can’t tell anyone. 😉

6. What was your favorite vacation to date?  We can’t afford destination vacations. But if I had to pick one of our camping trips it would be when my spouse and I went to Galena. It was a trip planned with the kids, but they both ended up being in the hospital. We really debated whether to go or not. I was so devastated that my son became ill I really needed to breathe some fresh air. We booked 2 nights, but stayed 1 and went to see the kids the next day. We arrived to light rain and were scurrying to get the tent up. Part way it started raining hard. We worked as fast as we could and finally got it all up. We were freezing, the rain pouring down, then the winds started. You might say that all sounds horrible. But it was just the 2 of us and we got through it all by working together. In the morning we were rewarded with a rainbow and hot air balloons flying over the lake.

7. Is there any scent that reminds you of a specific memory? What is the scent and what does it remind you of?  Coty Air Spun face powder. My Mom wore it. Every time I smell it I think of her. 

8. What is your favourite TV series? Do you have just one or more?   

I have several. “The Good Place”, “Dead to Me”, “Manifest”, “Schitt’s Creek”, “Breaking Bad”, “Orange is the New Black”, “Wentworth”, “Veronica Mar’s”, “Travelers”.

9. They say that in life you need to try everything. Are there things you will never try?  I’m sure there are lots of them. Bungee jumping, zip lining. Never gonna try! 

10. If I ask you to close your eyes and remember a picture of you, what do you see ?  I see the thin me with my shag haircut from Freshman year of high school. I went on a diet with my Mom the year before. We really did well.  

11. What was your childhood bedroom like?  I remember in my tweens insisting my Mom buy me curtains and a matching bedspread from JC Penney. It was red white and blue plaid. I had a chenille bedspread underneath for warmth. The honey oak Art Deco bedroom set that I now have in my master bedroom. Walls were cream colored. My Dad installed a shelf above the closets that ran 1/2 way around the room. I kept my books, magazines, crafting stuff, and 8-track tapes. I had a JC Penney stereo with turntable and an 8-track player/recorder. (JC Penney was my Mom’s go to store. Back then it wasn’t pricey like it is now. We shopped their outlet and she ordered from their catalog.) Closets, because I had the master bedroom because my room was really dark and I talked my parents into trading rooms because the master was sunny all day.

12. Are you a GoodWill, or any second hand store customer?  Yes! I shop there all the time. With the weight I’ve lost and my limited income I find clothes that fit and don’t break my budget. I also have purchased a lot of housewares. I replaced all the Corningware casserole dishes my kids broke when they were littles. And I’ve purchased everything but a set of dishes for my daughter when she moves from the group home to an apartment. I procrastinated too much and missed out twice on full sets of Corelle dishes. I continue to be on the hunt for them. 

13. How do you feel about the death penalty?  Conflicted. I do believe some prisoner’s crimes are so horrific and rehabilitation unlikely that the death penalty may be appropriate. But I’m also concerned about the wrongly accused and mentally ill people on death row.

14.  If you could live in any fictional world, where would it be?  Fantastica from “The Neverending Story”.

15. Do you believe in ghosts/spirits & have you had any experiences with them?  I've had a few experiences that I can't explain. Like when I sense one of my departed pets rubbing against my feet, biting my big toe (when none of my current pets are in the room.) It’s rare, but I have smelled my Mom’s Coty Air Spun face powder when none has been around. I don’t have any. 

Thanks for stopping by today! If you enjoyed the questions, please visit Sunday Stealing and join in the fun for yourself.

Lola’s Diner cc.  2008-2019

Sunday Stealing: Facebook

November 16, 2019

From Facebook

Hi! I'm your host Bev Sykes of the blog "Funny the World". . Welcome to Sunday Stealing. This feature originated and published on WTIT: The Blog. Here we will steal all types of questions from every corner of the blogosphere. Our promise to you is that we will work hard to find the most interesting and intelligent questions. (Past hosts include: Our first - Judd Corizan, Mr. L, Kwizgiver and

Bud)  Cheers to all of us thieves!

Whew.  That's over.  Let's get back to normal and use "safe" questions that won't offend anybody (I don't think).  Thanks, everyone, for your support.

Stolen from Facebook


1) What is your favorite TV show (currently)? The Good Place was, but I’m a few episodes behind and I’m confused. Not sure what’s going on. American Housewife has taken its place. Always full of laughs.

2) Would you like to be a child again? Hell to the no! I was relentlessly picked on because I was overweight. In today’s realm I have no doubt that I would also be bullied. No thank you.

3) Has anyone ever told you that school times were the best period of his/her life? Would you say that to someone? Why? I can’t say I recall anyone I know saying school was the best time of their life. I certainly wouldn’t say it. My best friend, a sophomore who lived across the street was my best friend. Before I started my Freshman year she told me she couldn’t be friends with any Freshman. We were best friends for literally our entire lives up until that point. Through the rest of high school I made 2 friends. I think that experience is why I have no friends. I find it impossible to make friends at 58. I don’t have a clue where to begin. When I turned 40 I belonged to a social group and had so much fun going out to clubs, house parties, bbq’s, etc. That was until the person I was seeing broke up with me and took ALL the group members. After a few months I found that the 1 who claimed to be my friend was still going to their events on the down low. Now she is my future sister-in-law. Talk about awkward!

4) How's the weather? Cold. Not too cold like a few days ago. Medium cold. Cold enough for a light jacket or hoodie.

5) Do you like camping? Love it! I camped a lot with the one who took all the people in the social group. After that I got my own camping supplies and took my fiancé and kids camping. 

6) Do you believe in paranormal phenomena? I don’t think so. 

7) If you would create a holiday, what would it be called and how would we celebrate it? When would this holiday be? I always thought there needed to be a Federal holiday in between the long stretches with no holidays. Maybe between New Year’s Day and Memorial Day. I had a few bad jobs, not the work, I usually loved the work. It was the employees and the bosses. I would always look forward to any days off so I could breath and not get screamed at. At times when it was really ugly I would pray for a day off. Reporting it to the top just made it worse. These are long stories, but suffice to say I kept to my cubicle, was quiet, did my work well, minded my own business. They were just ugly, ugly people. 

8) What word(s) do you dislike? Can you tell why? Swear words. I use them too often. I need to stop. I’ve been using the alternative swear words from “The Good Place”. Ashhole, bullshirt, fork, wtfork, motherforker. My autocorrect knows them all now. 

9) What color do you dislike? What do you associate with it? Brown. In a high school business class I read that brown doesn’t look professional. I don’t think I have any brown clothing as a result. 

10) Do you believe in otherworldly creatures, eg. ghosts, etc? Kind of. I sometimes sense my beloved dog Maxwell or my cat Sophie at the foot of my bed, rubbing against my feet, or Sophie biting my big toes. The cats I have now never do any of that.

11) Pick two of your favourite fictional characters. Where are they from (what movie, book, etc?) and why are they your favourite? Can’t think of any. I rarely read fiction. I usually read memoirs. I did really enjoy Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren in Orange is the New Black, played by Uzo Adubo.

12) If you could change anything or add anything to your body would you? (this can be interpreted however, but, think, would you like to have fins or extra hands?) I’ve lost so much weight that I have skin hanging all over and skin that is crepe paper looking. I’d like these areas to be toned and normal looking. Just more normal looking would be good.

13) What are some family traditions you have/had growing up? Do you still continue them, if yes, why, if no, why not? When I was a kid we went to Grandma’s house for Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and day, and NYE. My parents passed away when I was in my early twenties. I do prepare the foods we ate like Grandma and my Aunts made for the holidays. My kids look forward to Sfincioni and a tray of veggies and cheeses on Christmas Eve. Seafood on NYE, although due to the expense, it’s never been the extravaganza of seafood like when I was a kid...octopus, calamari, shrimp. Maybe shrimp cocktail and cheeses and veggies.

14) What do you think of tattoos? Do you have any? I don’t have any. I’ve thought I’ve wanted one, but I can’t seem to figure out what I want. It’s permanent you know.

15)  What is the most disgusting habit some people have? Screaming at people because they are different, or because you wrongly think they threaten your job. Continuing to do it relentlessly to try to get the victims to quit. It’s really a form of bullying which is disgusting. I am NO quitter!

16)  If you could bring back one TV show that was cancelled, which would it be? Travelers

with Eric McCormack. 

17) What was the most unsettling film you have ever seen? If it was unsettling, why would I want to think about it again? Ok, this movie always scared the bejeepers out of me. Karen Black was in it. “Trilogy of Terror”. No need for me to Google, it’s permanently imprinted on my brain. The part of the trilogy with the terrifying, ugly little creatures.

18) What book has impacted you the most? Can’t think of any.

19) You're on Death Row and get one final meal: What is that meal and why do you choose it? Seafood boil, or surf and turf. I’ve had seafood boil only once and it was so good.

20) What is the first profession you remember wanting to become as a child? Teacher. Doesn’t everyone want to be a teacher when they were a young child? It’s really the first profession children are exposed to. Second was Accountant, which ended up being my career.

••I don’t know why, but when I Copy these to my blog I end up with excess blank rows that I cannot delete. Sorry for the inconvenience.••

Lola’s Diner cc.  2008-2019

Sunday Stealing-The Talk

Thanks, as always, to our hostess Bev, for finding and stealing the questions we love to answer week after week. You can join in the fun at the Sunday Stealing site.

Stolen from Free Talk Random Questions 


1. If you were offered a job in another part of the country, would you take it?  If my spouse and I both wanted to move there, yes, otherwise no.

2. If you were in a bank and someone started to hold it up, what would you do? Not make a sound and try to not draw any attention to myself.

3. If you found a suitcase filled with $1,000,000 what woud you do?  If I found it out in public I think I would just leave it there. Financial freedom, or vacations and a spending spree are not worth the bad karma that would come along with such a find. What are the odds that would be “clean” money that wouldn’t be missed by whoever left it? Now if I found that suitcase in my attic? That’s divine intervention and you know you don’t mess with that! My attic, my suitcase and I would definitely do some good with the money.

4. If you had a 25 hour day what would you do with your extra hour? Spend it with my family.

5. If you had the opportunity to be different, what would you change?  My weight, and definitely my proclivity to stress and worry about things I have no control over.

6. If you received a lottery ticket as a gift and won a lot of money, would you share with the person who gave you the ticket? I would. 

7. If you spoke two languages and your spouse spoke only one, would you raise your children as bilingual? No.  

8. If you were candy, which candy would you be? A tootsie roll pop. 

9. If you were a toy, which toy would you be? Etch-A-Sketch. 

10. If you were abducted by aliens, would you tell anyone? I don't think so. I think it would go the way of that SNL skit. I would be like Kate McKinnon’s character, Miss Rafferty. All the cool stuff would happen to everyone else and I’d be dropped 1/2 naked, down 7 feet onto the roof of a Long John Silvers with my pants hanging in a pine tree 30 feet away.

11. If you could go to the moon, would you? No. Even though it’s weightless up there, no. Who knows what else is there now? 

12. If you had a time machine, where would you go and why?  I’d go back and see my parents. If I could go back and change things I would go back to shortly after my son was born... 

13. If you saw a robbery, would you report it? It would depend on the circumstances. Could the perpetrator and possible accomplices have seen me? Could I do so anonymously? I just feel like today’s criminals don’t value human life, they are stealing to fuel their drug habits, and were they to be arrested they would bond out in hours and may not even face prosecution, let alone face any jail time.

14. If you were to speak to a graduating class, what would you say? I don’t think anything I say would be of interest to them. I am not a celebrity or a person of interest and I’m not a public speaker.

15. If given the choice between being given great wisdom or great wealth, which would you choose? I would choose great wealth because I could do more good with the wealth than with the wisdom.

Lola’s Diner cc.  2008-2019

Sunday Stealing-From Tuesday 4...a bunch of questions

From Tuesday 4.. a Bunch of Questions.

Sunday stealing was stolen from Toni this week!  Thieves are getting close to home now!

These are several questions stolen from the Tuesday 4 meme


1.   Have you ever known anyone that’s been on TV, including you?
No.

2.   What do you find yourself buying all the time?
Groceries. We cook from scratch and rarely eat out.

3.   When was the last time you got a real letter in the mail?
A real letter? I think it’s been years.

4.   Have you ever lived in a house/apartment that has been broken into?
When I lived in an apartment near Wrigley someone stole my very expensive mountain bike from the basement. I had a cable lock and a Kryptonite U-Lock and was using them. I guess they were determined and had the tools needed to cut the cable and defeat the U-Lock. 😢

5. Did you walk to school with your friends?
Take a school bus?
I walked to school grade school. It was around the corner from my house. Junior and Senior high school I rode the school bus until I got a used car at 17 and drove to school and my part time job after school.

Ever have someone carry your 
books home from school?
No. In grade school I wanted to make friends with a girl in my neighborhood. I helped carry all of her books home in the pouring rain one day. She never did become my friend.

6. Do you like pumpkin seeds? Do you carve the pumpkin and roast the seeds? Do you buy packaged, prepared pumpkin seeds?
I love pumpkin seeds. So do my kids. I buy the packaged ones at the store and carve pumpkins and roast the seeds when we buy pumpkins.

7. Does your car or did a family car have a name?
My family didn’t name their cars. I had a ‘91 Ford Explorer that I named Rudolph. It was metallic red.

8.  The first week of October was National Mystery Series Week. Do you sleuth alongside Nancy Drew or Miss Marple? Fan of Nero Wolfe?
I occasionally read mysteries. I prefer memoirs and biographies. I do enjoy the Patricia Cornwell books. 

9. Have you ever spent ages writing something on your computer when it suddenly crashed and you lost it all?
Yes. It’s very frustrating. I get caught up so much in what I’m writing that I forget to take the time to periodically save the document.

10. Are you one of those people who can sleep through anything?
No.

11. What type or kind of art do you like? And do you draw or paint yourself
I took an art class at De Paul and studied Impressionism. I used to draw and was quite good. I had a drawing place at the 4H Fair and had it displayed at the WI State Fair Grandstand. I tried to get back into drawing recently. I planned on making a gift of it. I don’t think I was being overly ambitious, I was short on time and it had been so many years that I just couldn’t get into it. I attempted to paint a landscape in Art in high school. I had no idea what I was doing and it showed! Lol! I would really like to get back to drawing and try painting again.

12. If you went to London, where would you go first?
Soho. It’s often considered the center of the cities LGBT community. It would be nice to check out the nightlife. That’s one thing I miss about moving out of Chicago 14 years ago. 

13.  What is one quote that you love to quote?
“You can’t always get what you want. But if you try sometime you find you get what you need.”

The Rolling Stones

Whenever my kids complain about something I sing this. I still do it! Sometimes just the first sentence. Oh the groans and the eye rolls!

14.  Do you ever at times see the world in black and white?
Not really. Too many gray areas. 

15. Do you believe there is life somewhere else in the universe?
I’m sure there is life somewhere else in the universe, but that doesn’t mean it’s similar to human life. It could be microorganisms, bacteria, insects, some form of animal. 

Lola’s Diner  cc.  2008-2019