Friday, December 30th, 2022
Friday Five
TGIF!! Time to share five random things about our week. Here’s mine:
- It’s almost 2023!! It’s been a year for sure. While 2022 brought some challenges, I’m very grateful we were able to get into the new house, which has made life easier for us.
- I made lemon bars and wasn’t entirely happy with them, so then I made brownies. But I can stop baking any time I want. Really, I’m fine
Okay, I’m also making thumbprint cookies today, but that’s entirely Wizards fault because he asked me to make them to take to a small a New Years Eve gathering at a neighbors. And now I have a question: Why are men so bad at party plans? The neighbor saw wizard and invited us through him, but I’m getting like six different versions from him on what I should bring…men! I’m not big on blaming men for most things, but it’s so true and that men and women communicate very differently! Oops, this was a run-on random thing, LOL. - We had Biker Witch and her Biker Hubby over last night for dinner as a latish holiday celebration. I made manicotti which I haven’t made in years. Did you all know Manicotti shells are hard to find? At least they are in my area. I managed to improvise with oven ready lasagna noodles and I was very pleased with the results. I also found both a decent ricotta and mozzarella. I served the lemon bars and brownies for dessert (that’s perfectly normal for a four person dinner party, right?) We really enjoyed having them out. And now that this dinner is over, I’m out of excuses and probably have to put the Christmas tree and decorations away.
- I bought a new cookbook by a blogger I follow. I’m weirdly excited by this. I haven’t bought any version of a cookbook in years, but love thumbing through it, seeing the pictures and reading about dinner parties and such. In my head, I could pull off an amazing dinner party. In reality…it’d be a clown show, LOLOL! But I I’m totally enjoying the “old school” (as in a real book, not online) cookbook.
- I mentioned going to a small gathering at a new neighbor’s for New Year’s Eve. This party starts at 8pm. That’s perfect for me…if it’s a pajama party! I’m pretty much a couch potato about that time at night because I generally get up at 5:30 and go nonstop until about 7 or 8. But I really want to meet and chat with neighbors so I’m going to try to pull myself together into something presentable. Wish me luck!
I hope everyone has a great New Year’s Eve and we all take on 2023 with positivity and hope! Now I’d love to hear five random things about your week!
Happy New Year!
December 30th, 2022 at 8:11 am · Link
2022 broke the terms of it’s contract. I’m holding off judgement on 2023. Baking is not an addiction, it’s a calling and it calls to you. A lot.
Yay for time with The Bikers. And cookbooks. You totally could pull off a dinner party. I can see you in a LBD (Little Black Dress) with pearls around your neck wearing a frilly little apron while passing a silver serving tray of perfect hors d’vourse while Wiz mixes martinis as the built-in bar. *ducks and runs* Oh, and yeah, men can be clueless but we love them anyway and I’d be home in bed by 9:30. The only reason I’ll be awake at midnight this weekend is the idiots setting off firecrackers and/or shooting into the sky. Freaks out Jake and makes me all 🤬. Okay, my five:
1. My new knives are very sharp. Also, I won’t be trying to make onion slices thinner once I’ve cut them. Just sayin’…
2. I sing “I love you, oh yes I do” to my new kitchen trash can every time I step on it, the lid opens and I dump stuff. It’s the little things, don’cha know.
3. Someone(s) bought 21 of my books between yesterday and early this a.m. on Amazon. Color me shocked. I’m lucky if that many total are bought in a month here lately.
4. Am I the only one who gets new calendars for Christmas and then has the urge to hang them up immediately, even if I will have no clue what the actual date is? I’ve managed to refrain so far but tomorrow? Oh, yeah, those puppies are goin’ on the office wall and my fridge!
5. Have I mentioned T-shirt Cat? This long-haird cat wearing a t-shirt occasionally shows up on the security camera eating the front porch cat food. 1) Who puts closthes on a cat? 2) IF you put clothes on a cat, why do you let them go outside? My ferals lined up on the bench, stared, and made fun of the poor thing. No Pete story this week. He’s just hangin’ out being all Margaritaville.
Have a very safe and sane New Year’s Eve and a very Happy New Year! See y’all next year!
December 30th, 2022 at 8:13 am · Link
Argh. Sorry. I obviously didn’t “close” my html code and i obviously need more coffee. It’s Friday. What can I say? Oh, and since I forgot to add this emoji to my New Year’s wishes — 🥳
December 30th, 2022 at 4:00 pm · Link
1. The new house is really one of the best of 2022 :).
2. That’s right. You can stop baking whenever you want. It is a fact that most men are not good with party plans.
3. Smart using the lasagna noodles for the manicotti. There isn’t a lack of the noodles here but you have to look for them. It’s the same with shells.
4. I love looking at cookbooks too. In fact, I just picked one up from the library. I don’t ever have dinner parties because it would be a clown show.
5. Have a great time at the New Year’s Eve party. It’s nice that it starts early.
1a. Finally got my hair done. It looks great.
2a. Hubs has been a real pain in my behind with his tooth and refusing to follow directions. He is having it pulled Monday at noon.
3a. Because youngest’s lady is a vegetarian she can’t eat my lasagna on Sunday. Therefore I decided to make her shells. That’s how I know that shells are hard to find 😄.
4a. I can’t get over it being 64F right now. It was -7 Sunday. Crazy weather.
5a. I had a good time while waiting for hubs prescription the other day. All the Christmas stuff was more than 50% off. I bought a few throw rugs and some candy. Yup – I’m naughty.
Have a fantastic afternoon and
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
December 31st, 2022 at 8:35 am · Link
Yay for the end of 2022. I expect 2023 will be more of the same, but it’s a new beginning. Yay for lemon bars (even if they weren’t quite right) and brownies! LOL about Wizard. Yay for Biker Witch and Biker Hubby coming over! Yay for manicotti! (Never made it myself but yum.) Yay for new cookbooks! And have fun at the party, even if it’s later than you usually do. HAPPY NEW YEAR!
1) It was a week that I would prefer never to think of again. Work, not home. Everything is wonderful at home.
2) The eagles are back in the area and I love hearing them shriek at each other as they fly lazy circles overhead.
3) Map reading is a lost art. GPS is often wrong around here, so I don’t use it, which makes my awesome map reading skills particularly crucial when giving directions to lost people. Jus’ sayin’.
4) I’m back at the genealogy again. I paid for a month at Ancestry and I’m swinging through the trees on my off time. Fun fun fun. And also very relaxing. Yay. (That is not sarcasm, by the way. LOL)
5) Someone gave me an Amazon gift card for Christmas, so I jumped on the site and ordered two new sweaters. Brown and Camel (‘brown and brown… very creative’ says my mom jokingly). They arrived yesterday and I am so please with them. Yay.
December 31st, 2022 at 12:53 pm · Link
Silver, LOLOL on your description of us hosting a dinner party! The truth is more like a clown horror show. Especially with all Wizard’s “helpful” suggestions as I’m killing myself getting things ready. It drives me insane or to drink.
I’m with you on fireworks. Some of them I can’t tell the difference between fireworks and gunfire. Aside from terrorizing animals and those suffering from PTSD (or, you know, common sense), we also live in a high fire area. And just a qualification: I have no problem with safe firework shows.
1) I winced at your onion cutting. I cut myself badly with my first set of good knives so I totally sympathize. I hope your cut heals fast!
2) You and your trashcan are a beautiful love story! I honestly can say I never thought I’d write that line
3) WOW!! That’s a great holiday gift to have that many books bought!
4) Hang that calendar!!
5) T-shirt cat has to have a story! I’m pretty curious.
Hope you have a great New Years Eve and day doing whatever you enjoy the most!
December 31st, 2022 at 1:04 pm · Link
Viki, its sadly true about men and party planning. I’m thinking about doing a little collection of cookbooks — just fun ones I enjoy. But we’ll see, I’m so easily distracted by new ideas, LOL.
1) That’s a great feeling when we like our hair!
2) Hubs is making it harder on himself by not listening to you. But his pain must be awful. Hope he feels better after it’s pulled out and healed.
3) I bet youngest’s lady appreciated you making her shells. And yeah, they are hard too.
4) The weather swings are crazy. Here’s it dreary, misty and threatening but so far not delivering significant rain.
5) That’s not naughtý in my book, that’s smart shopping! You’ll be so happy when you decorate next year!
I hope you have a great New Year’s weekend! See you next year! )
December 31st, 2022 at 1:14 pm · Link
B.E., thanks! The lemon bars taste great, they are just too messy for taking to a party. If I didn’t them again for a party, create shore bread shells with my mini muffin pan and prebake them, then fill them and bake — making them easier to handle and eat at a party. The lemon bars are in the freezer and I’m taking brownies and two kinds of cookies.
1) Sorry work was so tough this week.
2) It must be amazing to see the eagles flying!
3) Yep map reading is a skill! I know because Wizard can read a map really well and it’s saved us more than once. And definitely makes giving directions easier and better. A side note: Our address is not on Google yet, so that’s a challenge with deliveries.
4) It’s great to have a hobby that relaxes you. I can see why the quiet time or genealogy research would appeal to you. No ringing phone or endless questions! Enjoy!
5) Your mom is funny! I’m happy you are so pleased by your new brown and brown sweaters!
Happy New Years!!