Category Archives: This and That

Happy Homemaker Monday, October 28th

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Happy Monday everyone! Hope you had a great weekend. I definitely did. My birthday was on Saturday and I had a fantastic day! The weather was gorgeous and we spent a lot of time outside. We also had a fantastic lunch at Deising’s in Kingston (oh, Rueben on a homemade pretzel roll, you were soooo delicious) and brought home a yummy chocolate mousse pie for my birthday treat. It was just a fun, family day… exactly what I wanted.

Yesterday I tried to focus on some cleaning, so I vacuumed, washed the floors, did laundry… Last night I went out to dinner with a friend I had not seen in a while. We went to Santa Fe in Tivoli where I got the pulled pork tacos. Again… just a delicious meal and it was so great to catch up!

But, now it’s back to the old grind! Lucky for me I took today off, and the schedule at work this week is quite light so I am happy about that. I feel like I have been going non-stop! I am really looking forward to Thanksgiving because I have that whole week off. The library is always closed on Wednesdays, and we are closed Thursday and Friday for the holiday, so I just had to take off Monday and Tuesday. It is going to be wonderful!

All right, on to HHM. Linking up with Sandra.

The weather outside is::::
It’s partly cloudy and 55 degrees at the moment — pretty typical for this time of year! Looks like we may be in for a rainy Halloween night, so we will have to play the trick-or-treating by ear. Also, the temperatures are really going to drop towards the end of the week, so I think we will be revving up the wood stove for sure!

On the breakfast plate this morning::::
Toasted English muffin with butter and orange marmalade

As I look outside my window:::
The leaves have all pretty much fallen of the trees. Some of the oak leaves are hanging on (barely), and they are always the last to go.

Right now I am::::
Listening to the washing machine, drinking tea, grilling chicken, and typing this up

As I look around the house::::
I did some cleaning yesterday, but honestly it still kind of looks like a tornado ran through it, LOL…

On today’s to do list::::
I am off of work today, but I have to pick up Laura from school and take her to the periodontist for her follow-up exam. (She had her upper and lower frenum lasered two week ago because they were “high” and pulling on her gums). I’ll run some errands while we are out — Joann’s, Dollar Tree, Walmart, and then pick up my levothyroxine on the way home. Later on I need to pick up Jake from play rehearsal.

On the menu this week::::
Monday – Baked ham, scalloped potatoes, green beans
Tuesday – Chicken bacon ranch quesadillas, salad
Wednesday – Chicken Tikka, rice/cauliflower rice, cucumber salad
Thursday (Halloween!) – Mummy Dogs, cole slaw, chips
Friday –  Pizza
Saturday – Cheeseburgers, french fries
Sunday – Chicken Parmesan, whole wheat spaghetti, salad

Currently reading::::

Getting ready to start Imaginary Friend by Steven Chbosky and The Whisper Man by Alex North.
      

It’s the season for spooky reads!

On the TV today::::
Finishing up the latest season of The Walking Dead on Netflix with Drew & Jake. Couple more episodes to go. I’m also watching Unbelievable, and want to check out the Jenny Slate stand-up special.

What I am creating at the moment::::
Working on a shawl for Laura.

New recipe I tried or want to try this week::::
Not sure… we need to bring a snack to the Boy Scouts Halloween party tomorrow night so I want to make something fun & festive. I’ll see what inspires me when I’m out shopping!

Favorite photo from the camera::::
Saturday night was trunk-or-treat at a local church and we always go because it’s really fun. Drew loves Halloween and loves dressing up, so he wore his “Business Panda” costume, which just cracks me up for some reason!

Hope you all have a great week and a fun and SAFE Halloween!

Happy Homemaker Monday // April 29, 2019

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Right, so jumping back in here…

This week we are pulling ourselves together and forging ahead! Really, what is there to do besides that? We were not expecting another blow like this, but I’m sure there is a reason for it so we will try to remain optimistic that my husband gets a new job soon and we will keep plugging along.

In the meantime, let’s get back to it. It’s Monday, the sun is shining, and it’s a brand-new day. Time to link up with Sandra at Diary of a Stay-at-Home-Mom for Happy Homemaker Monday.

{The weather}
Brr! Is it almost May or is it almost November? It was so cold all weekend, and looks to be a chilly week ahead.

{On my reading pile}
I’m in between books at the moment. Thinking of starting Mary Karr’s memoir Lit.

{Movies or Shows I watched this weekend}
Nothing really, just reruns for background noise, mostly.

{On my TV this week}
Honestly, I have no idea! There’s nothing I’m dying to watch at the moment and I have a really busy week ahead of me.

{On the menu for this week}
I’m not sure what I’ll be doing at the end of the week. I have kids going to visit grandparents, going to birthday parties, going to work… I’ll figure the rest out later, but at least I have the first three days planned.

Monday: Hunter’s sausage, mashed potatoes, steamed veggies
Tuesday: Grilled London broil, baked potatoes, salad
Wednesday: Meatballs and spaghetti
Thursday:
Friday:
Saturday:

{On my to do list}
— Laundry (obviously)
— Organize my craft supplies
— Vacuum/wash floors
— Clean bathrooms

{What I am sewing, crocheting, knitting or creating}
I still have to finish crocheting that baby blanket, which may or may not ever see its intended recipient. If not, I’ll just save it for another time or sell it.

I’m itching to get my sewing machine out. Did you know that scrunchies are back? Oh yes, they are. So L. has been asking for them and I have lots of elastic and fabric so I think I’ll make her a bunch.

{Looking forward to…}
The high school band and choral concert is this week. The teachers and students always do such an amazing job. I can’t believe how talented some of these kids are!

{Looking around the house}
Ah, the remnants from the weekend are strewn about, but really it could be worse. I’ll finish up this blog post, send off a couple emails and then straighten things out.

{From the camera}
This picture is actually from last week, Easter to be exact. My mother-in-law got a new puppy and even though I am not really a dog person, I think she is so sweet and just the cutest! She is some sort of terrier and her name is Sarah. (There were dog treats in those eggs, LOL!)

{What I’m wearing today}
Just jeans and a t-shirt!

{One of my simple pleasures}
I love opening the back door when I wake up and taking in a breath of fresh air.

{Bible verse, Devotional, prayers}
Lots of people on my prayer list this week. Seems we know a lot of people who are going through difficult times for a variety of reasons.

I hope your week is off to a good start!

Change is Good

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As if my typical Wednesday schedule isn’t crazy enough, today we started with a three-hour delay for school. Now, I know what you’re probably thinking. You’ve never heard of such a thing. What’s the point? Why even bother? Well, there was freezing rain overnight and given the hilliness of this area, and the fact that some of us (ahem) live out in the boonies and the kids don’t walk to school… I can understand it.

Nevertheless, it added another layer of schedule rearranging. On the bright side, the kids and I did enjoy a pretty relaxed morning!

Everyone had bacon and eggs for breakfast. I had an extra cup of coffee instead of rushing out the door. Really, it wasn’t all that bad.

After everyone was at school, I puttered around for a bit and then made myself some lunch. I was really craving a turkey melt, but 1) I let the kids finish the bacon and 2) I didn’t have enough sliced bread. So it was on to plan B… Turkey and cheese (slightly melted) on a multigrain English muffin with lettuce, red onions, olives, and a big slather of mayo.

It was so good, and again a reminder for me — things may not go exactly the way you want for a reason. It seems like such a little, insignificant thing: school delay, no bacon or bread… But it’s really easy to get annoyed or irritated over those things. But sometimes that stuff isn’t around for a reason — there’s something better waiting. I’m probably overthinking it, LOL…

Anyway, then it was on to the hairdresser’s. I was very much in need of a haircut!

Because everything shut down with yesterday’s storm, the place was really busy and running a little behind, but my amazing hairdresser still took her time and gave me a brand-new style! I absolutely love it!
 
My hair is really thick and it just feels so much lighter and healthier. And let’s face it (going with the theme of the day… change can be good.)
After I finished up at the salon, I hit the grocery store. Really, I just went there for asparagus, rolls and cold cuts, but there were so many great meat markdowns that I could’t help but stock up.

The store also had the Valentine’s Day seasonal Polar seltzers, so I picked up one of each. Can’t wait to try them!
After that it was getting home, getting the groceries put away, getting L. off the bus, getting her a snack, then getting her off to religion class (thank goodness for the carpool my friends and I have worked out)! Then it was back into town to pick up J. from pit orchestra rehearsal, off to Town Hall so he could update a message about the rescheduled town meeting on the video scroller, then home to get dinner ready. We ate, L. got dropped off, I got her dinner plate made, then N. and I headed out for the CCD evening session carpool (which I drive in). D. pulled in the garage just as we were getting in the car (he had to work late because he’s taking off a couple days so there were a number of things that needed wrapping up).
Dropped the kids off, gassed up my car, and then finally, finally, finally was home for the night! Got my PJs on, made a cup of tea, and after I finish this up I’m going to watch an episode or two of “Russian Doll” on Netflix (SO GOOD) before hitting the hay.
Hope you all have a great night!

Cold & Tired & Sick

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What a whirlwind the last week was! Thankfully we were able to get our heating issue fixed just in time for some terribly cold weather. In fact, last Tuesdays the school had a delayed opening because of the dangerous wind chills.

The rest of the week was the usual blur of activity! Saturday I left work a little early so we could get a jump on our trip up to Massachusetts to see my family. I’m kicking myself for not taking photos, but we were just having a nice, relaxing time. My mom cooked us all a huge dinner of meatballs, Italian sausage, chicken parmesan, pasta, garlic bread, salad, and cake for dessert. No, we certainly weren’t hungry!

Sunday morning we stopped by my brother’s house and gave my niece and nephew their Christmas presents — we had not had a time to get together sooner ?? But it was great to finally get together! We got back home mid-afternoon and the boys had homework to finish up. I did some laundry, made everyone’s lunches for Monday, and that was about it.

Yesterday was grocery shopping day, and I wanted to get that done before the predicted snow. Got everything put away and sat down to watch a bit of the Ted Bundy docu-series on Netflix when suddenly I was just overcome by aches and tiredness. I drove J. down to the Town Hall for his work orientation (he was approved as a junior A/V engineer to help out with broadcasting public meetings), and then mustered the energy to make dinner, but I just crashed after that. In fact, I think I fell asleep by 8:30, only to wake up in the middle of the night with a horrible sore throat.

I did drag myself to work because I was pretty sure I’d end up needing to leave early anyway, and sure enough – the schools announced an early dismissal due to the impending snow storm! The library follows the school district, so we closed at noon as well. I wish I could say I made better use of the extra time, but I am really not feeling well so I’ve just been watching TV and doing a little puttering around the house.

I’m thinking about making some chicken soup… hot, salty broth sounds so good to me right now. Also planning on making BBQ chicken paninis for dinner, so a cup of soup will go well with that.

So now we will see what tomorrow brings! The snow continues to fall and I wouldn’t be against a snow day. Really, I’m just hoping that a good night’s sleep will help me to start feeling better. Not that anyone enjoys being sick, but I really don’t have the time to let things fall behind!

Trying Something New (Back to my Blogging Roots)

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Well, I don’t know if this will last, or if in a few days or weeks I will delete this blog and go back to where I’ve been writing for the last 19 years, but… I felt like trying something new/old.

The new? Obviously the name. And the web address. The old? Blogger is where I got my start way back in 2000. I’ve found myself really frustrated with the new editor in WordPress, so I thought I would give Blogger a go again. Why not? It’s free and familiar. Kind of like coming home in a sense.

And that brings me to my new blog title. “My Hudson Valley Home” is pretty self-explanatory! I have been wanting to get back to a more journal-esque style of blogging, and while I could certainly do that on my old blog, a fresh start seemed appropriate. I love my adopted home — New York’s Hudson Valley and it has become a huge part of me. And I enjoy writing about all things “home” like my knitting and crochet projects, scrapbooking and memory keeping, sharing recipes, and just rambling on about who-knows-what. I want to create a space that is cozy, friendly, and reflects who I am now. So we will see how it goes!