TGIF! I really hope Friday is a great day for all of us (my Thursday was exhausting and a little weird.) Okay time to share five random things about our week. Here’s mine:

1. Biker Witch had a birthday!  We went to lunch on Tuesday to celebrate which was nice. Probably more for me than her because I dumped a lot of current life stuff on her :-). Seriously guys, she’s a saint for listening to me! But the next day, her daughter, who is currently living out of the country,  showed up for a surprised birthday visit. I am thrilled for my sister getting to see her daughter! It’ll be nice if I get a chance to see my niece too, but life’s moving fast at the moment, so we’ll see.
2. Wizard’s brother arrives later today (well technically it’s yesterday since you’re reading this on Friday, but I’m writing it on Thursdays). He’s been trying to get here for a while, so we’re glad he’s able to do it. It’s going to be a very quick trip to see another of their brothers and their mom, so it’s not precisely a fun trip. But I’m very glad he’s here, and it’s good for Wizard too. He’s leaving Saturday morning, so it really is a whirlwind.
3. There’s been a lot of weirdness this week, but so far, this one stole the show. I was washing  sheets and blankets for company. When I went to move the blanket from the washer to the dryer, I couldn’t hope the door. It was jammed and I could only open it maybe a quarter of an inch. I figured out the laundry basket was wedged behind the door somehow. I used a yardstick (anyone remember those??) under the door and with a bit of maneuvering, I was finally able to moved it, and we opened the door. The washer had gone off balance, moved several feet and wedged the laundry basket into the closed door. It was one of the weirdest things I’ve seen. But all worked out. Sometime in the next several days, we’ll get one of our sons over here and to help Wizard reset the legs to balance it.
4. Maggie is still waking me over and over at night. Once my brother-in-law leaves, we’re going to try to various things to see what works with her. There’s a solution and we’ll find it once we focus on it. In the meantime, I’m a zombie, but at least my timing for zombiehood is good with Halloween right around the corner
5. No idea what will happen this weekend, but we’re getting pretty good at rolling with whatever comes our way!

That’s my five, now I’d love to hear yours! I hope everyone has a good weekend!

TGIF! It’s the last Friday of the month and time to share five random thing about our week. Here’s mine:

1. I got the towels I was fretting about, which is good. Wizard’s brother will be here at the end of next week for a couple nights and I should be set there. However, I kind of wished Id ordered the color I originally wanted. I made the mistake of asking Wizard’s opinion since he lives here too But the towels are fine, they are an orchid color which is darker than I wanted. I had a spice color picked out that I thought would brightened the bathroom more. And yeah, this is not even a real problem, LOL. It’ll all work fine once I bright in a bit more decor (which I don’t need for Wizard’s brother, he won’t care).
2. I got my hair cut by the new person. I kept it simple, I just asked her to cover my gray roots and even out some issues. I’m letting it the length grow a bit as the last time it was just too short. This new stylist did well. I’m not committing yet for two reasons: I need to wash and blow dry it a couple times to see if I’m happy; and I may have another recommendation. I’m debating if I try that stylist too then choose the one that is the better fit. Again this is a slight dilemma not a problem!
3. I don’t think I’m going to have any luck getting in sooner than November 13th to see the ENT for my throat and nose issues. However the good news is that at least I do have the November 13th appointment as now everyone is booking well into January and farther out than that. So I have that much to be thankful for.
4. I made and baked bread and granola yesterday. I planned on making some cookies too, but ran out of energy I’m also excited as I ran out to Trader Joes and found a gluten free (or close enough) cereal that I should be able to eat for a reasonable price. I was super excited because I really like eating
5. In fun news, we have a small, two-night trip planned for the beginning of November with two of the boys and their families. The third son already had a separate trip planned. However, we have another trip mid next year still in the planning stages, and he and his wife have committed to going on that one. Those are both fun thing to look forward to!

That’s my five, now I’d love to hear yours! I hope everyone has a fun and safe weekend!

TGIF! Let’s dive into sharing five random things about our week. Here’s mine:

1. Ack my roots are showing and I don’t have any idea where to go for my hair. I didn’t get a response from the person my previous hairdresser recommended, and when I called another place they wanted a deposit to make an appointment. I’m seriously considering trying a Fantastic Sams near me. Or coloring it myself. Or…I don’t know, my hair just hasn’t been the most important thing to worry about this week.
2. This week has been a meanie head and therefore, Wizard and I are off are game in hilarious ways. For instance I went to make tea at night and found ice cream in the microwave. That was Wizard’s doing. For me, I was testing a gluten free chocolate chip recipe, and this failed like other the other by spreading too thin. But I thought I could do a little better with the second tray of cookies by making them smaller and it worked. I turn off the time…and left them in the oven until they burned into black disks. All while I was standing right there talking to Wizard. We both just shook our heads and laughed. Overall though we are fine and will get through this too.
3. I took Maggie in for a drop off x-ray yesterday, and while she was gone, I cleaned the carpets. The floors drive me crazy, but its what we have until we have the time, money and focus to replace them. And Maggie can’t help her accidents.
4. Thankfully her x-ray did not show any stones. We’re working on her issues with meds and other things. The doctor also suggested melatonin for her nighttime restlessness, including her need to “check” on me several times a night, and I love that suggestion. It’s a natural meds in the right does, and it could ease whatever is bothering Maggie and help her rest more. Maggie checking on me is not stressful for me, I worry it’s stressing her. I’m hopeful the melatonin will, over time, return her to a more natural sleep/wake rhythm for her.
5. I hope that today I will finally get my Halloween decorations outside. We’ve been distracted by life, but we’ll get it done either today and sometime this weekend.

That’s my five, now I’d love to hear yours! I hope everyone has a really good weekend!

TGIF! How is it Friday again? My calendar swears it is, and therefore, it’s time to share five random things about our week!

1. The refrigerator is supposed to come today. However I’m writing this blog before I get the confirmation phone call with our time slot, so we’ll see. If they do need to delay the delivery for some reason, I won’t mind as long as they let me know ahead of time. That’s the beauty of buying one before our old one dies I’m just so glad to have the decision made! I should also add that it’s probably best for our budget if I stay away from appliances with all the pretty cooktops and ovens — those are appliances I can actually get excited about. But mine are just fine and I don’t need to get any fancy ideas, LOL!
2. I use an app called Map My Walk to track my daily miles. I checked it yesterday and discovered I walked 45 miles in August. Okay I exaggerated, it was 44.91 miles :-).  And if I walked it, that means Maggie walked it too. It also explains why my knees are complaining a lot more these days, especially my left one.
3. I didn’t do much interesting this week. I haven’t been at my normal energy level. It’s so irritating (really, I get mad at myself, like that’s helpful?). But I did make some gluten and dairy free cookies I can eat. I need to make some bread too but can’t seem to carve out the chunk of time I need.  Maybe this weekend!
4. Biker Witch and I had coffee yesterday then shopped for fun Halloween decorations. I’m up to four now Wizard asked how many I’m going to get, and I just laughed. It was great to see my sister, but I wore out too fast which is super annoying.
5. This weekend is uncertain, but Turbo has his first T-ball game on Sunday. If I’m not busy, I’m going to drive out there to watch that hilarity of five-year-olds first attempt at T-ball. My biggest hope is that they all have fun! All the skills will come with time and practice. I’m wondering too if I can take Maggie with me. I’ll have to ask Turbo’s mom if dogs are allowed at the field where they play. She would love it!

So that’s my five now I’d love to hear yours. And I hope everyone has a great weekend (with no hurricane action)!

TGIF!! Time to share 5 random things about our week. Here’s mine:

1. It’s been so hot this week, I stayed inside and cleaned the beginning of the weak, and felt that by Wednesday night, LOL. Thursday I consciously slowed my pace and treated some RA symptoms and by today I’ll be fine. I suspect the humidity coming in hard then leaving also was a factor.
2. For a Maggie laugh, she loves to run and jump onto her bed in our room, and slide it into the corner between the wall and the nightstand. She does it intentionally, and has done it two or three times in a row. It’s fun, I guess or that’s how she moves her bed. Well the other morning she ran ahead of me when I heard a thunk. I went into the room, and Maggie was staggering slightly, tilting and shaking her head. Sure enough she’d finally hit the nightstand. She recovered 30 seconds after I got in there, and once I realized she was fine, I laughed. She looked like a confused drunk those fist few seconds, and I don’t think she quite knows what happened. After that, she did a two mile walk, ate breakfast, and acted normally. That very night, she ran and jumped on her bed to make it slide into the corner again. If she does hit the nightstand again, I’ll move the bed. But it was the first time in almost a year of living here so I’m not too worried.
3. I’m writing this on Thursday, and tonight we’re going to dinner with my daughter in law and youngest son for my DIL’s birthday. We are so looking forward to that, and I imagine it’ll be a nice night.
4. After dinner they coming over our house for cake. I made a gluten free, dairy free cake and because of the dairy free butter, the layers were slipping making the cake lumpy and tilted. It was pretty funny, but with a bit of work, I managed to get it straightened out. My original plan was to put a marbled fondant on it over the layer of buttercream, however I didn’t trust the cake without gluten plus the weaker non dairy icing to be able to support the weight of fondant so I improvised. This is how it turned out: By the way, if anyone is worried about food safety, I washed the silk flowers on the top
5. Turbo is coming tomorrow! It should be fun. I’m not sure if his parents were able to get the reservations they wanted at the spa, or if they’ll be here too. Either way is fine, it’ll be a fun and easy day. Today I’m hopefully going to Trader Joes and since I’m not baking anything else, I’ll buy some fun snacks there. I have nothing planned for meals, we’ll just pick something up if my son and daughter in law are here.

That’s my five, now I’d love to hear yours!

TGIF!! Time to dust off our imaginations and come up with five random things to share about our week. Here’s mine:

1. There’s a Cat 2 hurricane heading for Southern CA. Um…what??? I heard that and thought it was a joke. It is expected to downgrade significantly before hitting land (assuming it does). However apparently strong winds and heavy rains are likely. Okay…not weird at all for So Cal in August. Mother Nature, is it possible you’re having a stroke? You might want to consult a medical professional like immediately. Just saying…
2. I feel I need to point out that I’m not excited by refrigerator shopping. We went out yesterday to get started. Our current fridge is okay, but very old, so we budgeted for a new one before we get in a situation of the old one going out. And since we know some people are experiencing delays in getting things delivered, we’re figured we’d better get on it. I found one I really like, but then Wizard went and ruined it by making a valid point about the ice maker. The upside is as long as the old fridge hangs on, we are not in a rush and I can figure out the best option in our price range that satisfies us both.
3. So the other day I came went into the kitchen after doing some yoga, and Wizard was making himself some breakfast. I’m innocently drinking water, when he blurts out, “When did I start looking like a walrus?” I choked so hard. Then laughed — not at him as he does not look like a walrus. But the sheer randomness of that comment totally undid me. He’s been frustrated this week with some of the limitations that come with the years which I can understand and go through too — but I can NOT figure out how he decided he looks like a walrus. Or why he chose a walrus. I mean I have so many questions, LOL! I did reassure him once I caught my breath,   I’m not mean just easily entertained!
4. I don’t think I ever mentioned this: Remember I had an infection that was causing nose bleeds? Well my doctor wanted me to see an ENT. I called the  ENT, and the very first appointment they have is in early November. I’m just shaking my head. Oh and I was nice to them, I believe they are really that booked as most specialists are in our area, but I keep thinking about people with a more urgent need to see an ENT. As for my stuff, it can wait but I’m  still grumbling on the inside because I’m always impatient to just get things like that done and off my mind. However, my x-ray came back fine, and we stopped the bleeding, so no one is worried. This is like a common sense follow up as some of the symptoms have persisted. But who knows, by November the remaining symptoms could be gone and the wait will be a win for me.
5. This weekend’s plans may be affected by — and I can’t believe I’m saying this — the hurricane (yes, yes, I know it will lose power and we’ll be fine, but this is so weird to me). Right now I’m planning to make two kinds of cookies — chocolate chip with walnuts and what white chocolate chip macadamia nuts from new to me recipes that are supposed to be dupes of the famous Levain bakery in New York. Then Wizard and youngest are planning to go to see Wizard’s brother to help out with a small project, and I’ll send some cookies if they come out. If they do not come out, then there might be two hurricanes in So Cal because baking ingredients are getting crazy expensive in my humble opinion! Just kidding, my opinion is never humble, LOLOL!

That’s my five, now I’d love to hear yours! I hope everyone has a truly wonderful weekend as we all deserve it!

TGIF! How did Friday get here so fast? Well since we’re here, let’s jump right into sharing five random things about our week.

1. Monday I took Maggie to her vet and put her through some minor testing. Her urinalysis came back with a bit of struvite crystals but no infection or other signs of stones. Yet she’s having weird accidents, so we have her on a “watch” for the moment. The plan is that if she’s still not quite herself in a bit of time, we’ll do an x-ray for a closer look, and if that’s clear, we’ll put her on some low dose meds to help her. This could just be an aging issue, but it’s upsetting Maggie and so we want to be sure she’s okay. I really appreciate her vet and the staff (they are more than just staff, they are true caregivers in the purest sense of the word) for their careful yet conservative approach. And they tell me they love her because she’s so sweet, even when they’re sticking needles in her. That’s my sweet Maggie — when she’s not out mercilessly hunting lizards and trying to get crickets to hop so she can chase them.
2. Maggie is supposed to sit and wait while I answer the door. However some religious women stopped by and Maggie decided she must go out on the porch and wiggle-circle them. I don’t know if it was some kind of religious bonding ceremony or my dog is just nuts. I suspect that latter. For a dog who was scared of everyone, let’s just say that she’s come out of her shell. As for her her breaking command, that is my fault. I wasn’t paying attention as I should have been to stop her. And I let her go out to greet my kids when they come over, so that’s made her think she can.
3. I had a really nice birthday, and thanks to all for the lovely birthday wishes! Wizard and I went to dinner where I had a filet mignon with herb butter and blue cheese topping. I paid for it with some indigestion which I knew would happen from the herb butter, but it was totally worth it! That steak was amazing! I also got an air fryer (I wanted it) for my birthday and I’m looking forward to playing with that.
4. Yesterday in the late afternoon, I tried making granola again, and this time I used some oil and maple syrup. It smells really good but I haven’t tested it yet. Making the granola necessitated a trip to Trader Joes where several checkout people asked me what I was baking from all the dark chocolate and various nuts in my cart. I sheepishly admitted that I’m just stocking up for when I’m inspired to bake, and that I seriously love their dark, non dairy chocolate chips. They were kind and treated me as if I’m normal, LOL!
5. I feel a bit spoiled; today I’m going to lunch with my sister and tomorrow evening we’re going to dinner with Youngest and his beautiful wife. I hardly ever eat out, so three times in a week is pretty amazing.

That’s my five, now I’d love to hear yours! I hope you all have a great weekend!