what are you doing right now?

[jerseygirl]

Dec 18, 2023 11:48:28 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

Hmmm...pot luck at work tomorrow.  Normally I'd be really excited about a day of grazing, but I just don't feel like making anything. 

I went to holiday pot lucks in university and pharma companies, all with international people. Fabulous food!! But I remember one young Chinese guy. He brought a can of lychees just opened and put on the table. It was surprising and funny.
So don’t stress about what to bring!!

[jerseygirl]

Was going to buy some pillows and things for Christmas meal. Pillows because we’re expecting 6 people to stay here.
Opened garage door - nope! Pouring rain

[chiver78]

Dec 18, 2023 12:10:59 GMT -5 andi9899 said:

Dec 17, 2023 16:21:04 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

I forget what I used in the strawberry the last time I made jello shots. I haven't tailgated in awhile, at least since before covid. lime always gets tequila, there's always a fruity rum one and then two different vodka flavors, but the vodka is cheap unflavored. strawberry might have gotten the rum.

We're definitely making jello shots the next time we hang out.

I'm game. I made so many last time that we were selling them in the parking lot at Gillette before we went in for the concert. lol... 

[MarionTh230]

Just finished showering.  Had to color my hair to cover the grays.

Cold front coming in tonight.  I need to set up the humidifiers.  We don't do so well during the winter with the heat running.  Dries the air out too much.

I have to finish spray painting some pinecones today.  One of Kiddo's extracurricular activities still has classes this week.  We will take her tonight, but I don't think we will take her Thursday night.

May also sneak in some work on my sewing projects today.

[MarionTh230]

Dec 18, 2023 9:51:12 GMT -5 soupandstew said:

Dec 17, 2023 21:04:22 GMT -5 countrygirl2 said:

Doc said my lungs were clear yesterday, but my lower rib cage all the way around feels like somebody has been beating on it. Also I'm still coughing some, when I take the cough syrup it knocks me flat. She said it would make me sleepy, that's and understatement. I have slept almost all day today. will probably do me good. I am breathing better, but super tired. Have lost my energy.

Son and DIL brought us breakfast this morning and we all ate together. That was nice. Little guy gets out of school on Wed, so I imagine him being here Wednesday. DIL said she heard little guy talking to the beautician today telling them about his grandma. I think that's funny.

Tonight he came up with e=mc2 and also pi, 3.14. He is understanding the concept of square roots but I'm not sure he knows what the other two means, he is learning this stuff off Utube so there are good things there to learn.  At least he is getting exposure to all kinds of information and he is interested, sure won't hurt him. Hope he stays this curious. I was and his dads pretty sharp. His mom has been talking to him a lot in Russian, she wants him to learn to understand his relatives when they visit Russia. I haven't heard him speak it much but he said he understands it, so that's good. I'm trying to teach him about anything and everything, exposure to experiences and knowledge is always good and he is getting it.

I hope I feel better, its not a sick like the flu its mainly the pain around my ribs and coughing up some stuff at times.

I am boiling chicken feet to make broth for dressing for Christmas and I cooked up some pork tenderloin in the instant pot this afternoon.  DD and I will have some with some mashed potatoes and gravy with mushrooms for a late dinner. I thought DIL was on this healthy eating kick and she brought frosted cookies?? Before I realized it, DD had eaten a bunch of them, we don't do that so will have to have a very late dinner. Jeez I'm sure she isn't hungry right now.

I'm just not hungry period, but I ate a little of the pork.

I've been tempted to try pork tenderloin in the IP, but I'm worried about overcooking it and it's too expensive to ruin - it's running about $8.99 a pound here.  How long do you cook yours under pressure?  I'm thinking of trying the 0 minute method and see how it works.  The desired internal temp is 145 degrees and I have a good instant read thermometer

Ouch!  That may be regular price around here, but pork tenderloins go on sale pretty regularly.  I think the last one I bought was about $4 a pound.  

I cooked one a couple of weeks ago.  I sear it and then put it in the IP.  I did 5 minutes.  But, that one was still partially frozen because we forgot about dinner and we were late pulling it out to defrost.  I normally do 3 or 4 minutes depending on size. 

You could probably get by with something like 2 minutes if you are concerned about overcooking.  I would think at 2 minutes you'd be more likely to undercook, which could always be corrected by throwing it in the oven if needed.  Then you could just adjust the cooking time for the next time around.

[MarionTh230]

Dec 18, 2023 12:14:12 GMT -5 busymom said:

I LOVE Christmas, but it is absolutely exhausting.  The years I worked full-time, and was juggling the kids, I would almost always end up being sick over the holidays, but had to power through, because who else was going to make sure everything got done?  DH tries, but nope, not happening.

Having DH around so much this holiday season has been a game changer!!!  He still can't really just 'know' what to do or just 'know' what needs to be done, but once we have a plan or a list he is a huge help.  I feel so lucky that he's been home with us right now because it has been so much less stressful across the board this year.

[azucena]

Struggling to get thru this cold. Just ordered myself some panera soup to be delivered. Cost way too much but sounds like what I need esp as I try to get thru the work day.

[wvugurl26]

We used to play Uno for hours with my grandma and her oldest sister's family. They used to play different games when they were growing up but Uno was what we played. I heard a story that their grandma and grandpa showed up unexpectedly one Saturday night and one of the boys had to sweep the deck of cards off the table and into his shirt pocket. No one ever played for money but I guess they considered cards evil.

I would like to have gatherings but my house is always an unorganized mess. I was making headway before my grandma passed and I had to clean out her house. I'm off this week so I'm doing to try and clean up the main level. I'm very over this dumb townhouse layout with no storage. We never planned to be here this long but housing prices and interest rates went stupid high.

Fingers crossed we can remodel the two smaller bedrooms and bath early next year and that will help.

I'm trying to make it through Christmas. I'd like to do stuff to help me but stupid messy house. And if I knew where to put the boxes, they wouldn't have been in my living room since July. Puzzles, gingerbread house, crafts, bake cookies, decorate. But no first I have to clean up to make the room and ugh.

[alabamagal]

Texted DD to verify she had informed Santa to deliver grandkids presents to DS house. Also offered to fill in for stocking stuffers.

[NoNamePerson]

Dec 18, 2023 12:15:35 GMT -5 The Walk of the Penguin Mich said:

Dec 18, 2023 11:51:50 GMT -5 soupandstew said:

I am definitely a creature of habit and Aldi did a very substantial merchandise reset since I was there last week and I could not find a thing - I was blind to stuff that was right in my face because it was moved 10 feet  .  

I HATE this.  My grocery store did a ‘reset’ about the time Covid hit.  Shopping took me twice as long as I had to backtrack so many times.  I still need to stop and try to figure oute. Waiting for campbells  where they moved something.  

The point is to keep you in the store longer.  The longer you are there, the higher your groceries are going to cost.  I get it, but it doesn’t help the frustration.

 But it also drives me bonkers when a product decides after 50 years to totally change design and color of label!    Maybe it’s just old age setting in. 

[daisylu]

Dec 18, 2023 12:10:59 GMT -5 andi9899 said:

Dec 17, 2023 16:21:04 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

I forget what I used in the strawberry the last time I made jello shots. I haven't tailgated in awhile, at least since before covid. lime always gets tequila, there's always a fruity rum one and then two different vodka flavors, but the vodka is cheap unflavored. strawberry might have gotten the rum.

We're definitely making jello shots the next time we hang out.

Let me know when and I'll be there! 

[daisylu]

I did not take a nap but I listened to my "Beach" playlist  on Amazon music. I feel much better. Next up is my Nelly playlist.

[Peace77]

Dec 18, 2023 11:48:28 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

Hmmm...pot luck at work tomorrow.  Normally I'd be really excited about a day of grazing, but I just don't feel like making anything. 

Put a bag of frozen meatballs in a crockpot with either a jar of marinara sauce or barbecue sauce.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Does someone want a cat?  Sheldon is up for adoption.

While we were gone, my sister dumped all my clothes into a box.  These were clothes I no longer wore and needed to take to Goodwill.  Some I needed to try on again, others were clothes that needed gentle wash, block dry and I just hadn’t gotten around to it.

Sheldon has been using this box as a litter box and peeing (luckily not pooping) in it.     I now need to wash everything in it.  Right now, the sweaters that needed gentle wash are in the washer, but next there is a huge load of dark pants, and an equally large load of light ones.  

At least this is forcing me to get these clothes washed, bagged and put into the car for delivery.  

If TD knew, Sheldon’s guts would be made into violin strings.  

[wvugurl26]

Deep Eddy's lemon vodka is excellent in strawberry jello shots. Pretty good in the blue mixed berry too.

[minnesotapaintlady]

Dec 18, 2023 13:21:02 GMT -5 Peace77 said:

Dec 18, 2023 11:48:28 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

Hmmm...pot luck at work tomorrow.  Normally I'd be really excited about a day of grazing, but I just don't feel like making anything. 

Put a bag of frozen meatballs in a crockpot with either a jar of marinara sauce or barbecue sauce.

I thought about that, but two other people already signed up to bring meatballs!  I usually just bring a pan of cheesy potatoes and besides having to get up early to bake them before I leave, they're pretty easy.  They're just a pain to keep hot very long when I get in at 7am.

Maybe I'll just grab a pie from somewhere.

[minnesotapaintlady]

Dec 18, 2023 13:27:21 GMT -5 The Walk of the Penguin Mich said:

If TD knew, Sheldon’s guts would be made into violin strings.  

Why would he care?  He's not the one washing everything!

[ners]

Eating lunch and hoping the weather needs are incorrect.

[TheOtherMe]

The cats were playing around this morning under an end table.  Suddenly I saw my scissors that have been missing about 6 weeks.  The furniture around the table has been moved for cleaning.

Wonder where they hid the scissors, but I am happy to have them back.

[raeoflyte]

For all the hassle the pet sitting has been, it's a neat glimpse into other people's lives. Only 1 person's home has been company ready when I came over for the meet and greet. Even the super fancy house I stayed at for a week had boxes of extra stuff around.

I think we're too hard on ourselves. Admittedly I don't really know how to stop that for myself either, but I'm definitely thinking on it.

[weltz]

We used to play Uno for hours with my grandma and her oldest sister's family. They used to play different games when they were growing up but Uno was what we played. I heard a story that their grandma and grandpa showed up unexpectedly one Saturday night and one of the boys had to sweep the deck of cards off the table and into his shirt pocket. No one ever played for money but I guess they considered cards evil.


Did they consider board games evil?  We used to play chess for hours.  Simon learned how to play when he was five.

[weltz]

Dec 18, 2023 12:35:30 GMT -5 MarionTh230 said:

Dec 18, 2023 9:51:12 GMT -5 soupandstew said:

I've been tempted to try pork tenderloin in the IP, but I'm worried about overcooking it and it's too expensive to ruin - it's running about $8.99 a pound here.  How long do you cook yours under pressure?  I'm thinking of trying the 0 minute method and see how it works.  The desired internal temp is 145 degrees and I have a good instant read thermometer

Ouch!  That may be regular price around here, but pork tenderloins go on sale pretty regularly.  I think the last one I bought was about $4 a pound.  

I cooked one a couple of weeks ago.  I sear it and then put it in the IP.  I did 5 minutes.  But, that one was still partially frozen because we forgot about dinner and we were late pulling it out to defrost.  I normally do 3 or 4 minutes depending on size. 

You could probably get by with something like 2 minutes if you are concerned about overcooking.  I would think at 2 minutes you'd be more likely to undercook, which could always be corrected by throwing it in the oven if needed.  Then you could just adjust the cooking time for the next time around.

Pork tenderloins often go on sale here, too. I rub it with salt, pepper, cumin, garlic powder, etc.
Then I heavily sear it in a cast iron pan with some oil. Then I cover it with a lid, and turn the heat down very low to finish cooking. I don't like overcooked tenderloin. The less you cook it, the more tender it is.
DS would cook everything until it had the consistency of a baseball glove.

[taz157]

Dec 18, 2023 15:07:39 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

The cats were playing around this morning under an end table.  Suddenly I saw my scissors that have been missing about 6 weeks.  The furniture around the table has been moved for cleaning.

Wonder where they hid the scissors, but I am happy to have them back.

We have a loft area that has a TV. DD1 is the one who uses that room majority of the time, but not the TV too much. Once DH wanted to be in that room and watch the TV. He spent almost 2 hours trying to find the TV remote. Needless to say, he couldn’t find it. DD2 found it later than day. She didn’t talk then so absolutely no clue where she found it. 🤣🤣

[weltz]

Dec 18, 2023 12:31:51 GMT -5 MarionTh230 said:

Just finished showering.  Had to color my hair to cover the grays.

Cold front coming in tonight.  I need to set up the humidifiers.  We don't do so well during the winter with the heat running.  Dries the air out too much.

I have to finish spray painting some pinecones today.  One of Kiddo's extracurricular activities still has classes this week.  We will take her tonight, but I don't think we will take her Thursday night.

May also sneak in some work on my sewing projects today.

I got rid of the old humidifier/vapourizer that was clogged with ants, and bought a new one from Amazon. It gets so dry in here that I can't pet Sushi without getting shocked.
This one holds more water, and has a translucent tank, that you can use as a nightlight. It glows blue, pink, purple, orange, green and yellow. Very pretty, and calming to watch.
In the rest of the house, I just leave the windows open for humidity, even in winter.  It's VERY hot in here.

[soupandstew]

Dec 18, 2023 15:45:15 GMT -5 weltz said:

Dec 18, 2023 12:35:30 GMT -5 MarionTh230 said:

Ouch!  That may be regular price around here, but pork tenderloins go on sale pretty regularly.  I think the last one I bought was about $4 a pound.  

I cooked one a couple of weeks ago.  I sear it and then put it in the IP.  I did 5 minutes.  But, that one was still partially frozen because we forgot about dinner and we were late pulling it out to defrost.  I normally do 3 or 4 minutes depending on size. 

You could probably get by with something like 2 minutes if you are concerned about overcooking.  I would think at 2 minutes you'd be more likely to undercook, which could always be corrected by throwing it in the oven if needed.  Then you could just adjust the cooking time for the next time around.

Pork tenderloins often go on sale here, too. I rub it with salt, pepper, cumin, garlic powder, etc.
Then I heavily sear it in a cast iron pan with some oil. Then I cover it with a lid, and turn the heat down very low to finish cooking. I don't like overcooked tenderloin. The less you cook it, the more tender it is.
DS would cook everything until it had the consistency of a baseball glove.

Yes!  Tenderloins are so lean that they dry out in a flash if overcooked.  That instant read thermometer has really rescued me from overcooking a lot of things.  At 145 degrees a tenderloin is perfect, moist and lightly pink in the middle.  Your son sounds like my FIL who would also cook stuff into hockey pucks.  He'd call and say "Can you come for lunch Sunday - I'm doing steaks" and DH and I would both shout "NO!" because when he was done you couldn't tell the difference between the charcoal briquets and the steak.

[soupandstew]

After lunch we hit up one more grocery store for a red onion for Saturday's Thai curry and Sunday's bagels and lox, and a jar of Salvadoran crema for New Year's Eve caviar and blinis.  We prefer it to creme fraiche.  Personally, I could stand at the kitchen counter and eat that crema with a spoon.  I got a kick today because evidently there are differences in crema from different parts of El Salvador and darned if the store didn't have 4 different regional variations.  I wanted to get one of each but DH restrained me 

And I found what I want to give myself for Christmas in the monthly Costco magazine.  It's a drop-dead stunning 3-carat diamond wedding ring mounted in platinum, VS1 clarity and H color.  It's only $20,999.99 which is a seriously good price for platinum and GIA certification.  God bless DH, he didn't even blink.  He just suggested I go ahead and get it, and then sell my current diamond and platinum ring.  Of course I won't buy it, but it was sweet of him to embrace the idea.  

[weltz]

Dec 18, 2023 16:15:43 GMT -5 soupandstew said:

Dec 18, 2023 15:45:15 GMT -5 weltz said:

Pork tenderloins often go on sale here, too. I rub it with salt, pepper, cumin, garlic powder, etc.
Then I heavily sear it in a cast iron pan with some oil. Then I cover it with a lid, and turn the heat down very low to finish cooking. I don't like overcooked tenderloin. The less you cook it, the more tender it is.
DS would cook everything until it had the consistency of a baseball glove.

Yes!  Tenderloins are so lean that they dry out in a flash if overcooked.  That instant read thermometer has really rescued me from overcooking a lot of things.  At 145 degrees a tenderloin is perfect, moist and lightly pink in the middle.  Your son sounds like my FIL who would also cook stuff into hockey pucks.  He'd call and say "Can you come for lunch Sunday - I'm doing steaks" and DH and I would both shout "NO!" because when he was done you couldn't tell the difference between the charcoal briquets and the steak.

Exactly! I like my tenderloin with just a whisper of pink in the middle.

[busymom]

Ugh!  We just got our first "brag-fest" newsletter in one of our Christmas cards.  I think I'll look at it later.  

[TheOtherMe]

Dec 18, 2023 15:18:40 GMT -5 raeoflyte said:

For all the hassle the pet sitting has been, it's a neat glimpse into other people's lives. Only 1 person's home has been company ready when I came over for the meet and greet. Even the super fancy house I stayed at for a week had boxes of extra stuff around.

I think we're too hard on ourselves. Admittedly I don't really know how to stop that for myself either, but I'm definitely thinking on it.

My cleaners tell me that my house is cleaner than many of the super sized houses they clean.  

I have never kept a company ready house.  I think that exists for about 10 minutes

[soupandstew]

Dec 18, 2023 16:47:51 GMT -5 busymom said:

Ugh!  We just got our first "brag-fest" newsletter in one of our Christmas cards.  I think I'll look at it later.  

Oh, like the one where they tell you they will have to cut short their vacation in the south of France to make their child's graduation (with honors, of course) and by the way, said child is getting a full ride to an Ivy League school.  And they are going to be so stressed because they must move out of their $2 million mansion for 6 months while it's completely upgraded into a $4 million mansion?  It's so hard to find good contractors these days, you know