Friday, July 18th, 2025
Weekend Roundup
TGIF!!! Let’s jump right into sharing five random things about our week. Here’s mine:
- I forgot to mention that I made a terrible gluten free lemon poundcake last weekend. Wizard ate a piece, then agreed I could throw it out. Some of my efforts most definitely fail
Also, this is another example of listen to your instincts — when I read the recipe I was pretty sure it was going fail. So why did I do it anyway? Good question! - I’m waiting for a CT scan for my sinus area. I’ll be waiting for a while, because the insurance takes forever to approve those, but I’m not really in a hurry anyway. Overall, I’m glad that I went. My doctor could definitely see that my nose looked “irritated and weird”. Why am I always weird? LOLOL!! (No worries, the most likely cause is a polyp or even severe allergies/irritation–we’re hoping the CT can show us where the source of the problem is).
- I finished sealing the deck. It took a couple days, but I did it. Next up, we need to get rock to put around it. Maybe next week, we’ll see. Now I need to get back to paying attention to my plants. A couple need some help…repotting, feeding, etc.
- The price of the coffee I buy jumped $2.00 between my last purchase and the one this week. I was displeased. It’s been going up for a while now, but this jump triggered my deep rooted fear of Severe Caffeine Withdrawal. Other prices are going up to, but the coffee one got to me. On the upside, the price of eggs been down for a while now. Why am I talking about this? Because this week was my highest grocery shopping bill ever and I’m not over it yet. Fun fact, we took a car in this week for a dent-and-paint fix that was way more than the grocery bill but I shrugged that off. Funny what gets to us.
- It’s a Pool Party weekend! Now that Youngest if freed from the indentured servitude of building a deck for his parents, he’s having a family pool party. We’re going, and Middle, his wife and CiGi are going. Oldest, his wife and Turbo have another commitment. We will miss them, but still….Pool Party!
That’s my rather bland week. I did a lot of chores and such but nothing interesting I bet you all have better things to share! I hope everyone has a great weekend!
July 18th, 2025 at 7:40 am · Link
Oh, man. I hate when I bake something and it doesn’t turn out. Sorry to hear about your weird and irritated nose. Yay for finishing the deck sealing. Ack about your coffee and your high grocery bill. :hugs: Yay for a pool party! I hope you guys have a blast. Sorry Turbo can’t be there to have fun with you.
1) I made a layer cake from scratch this week. Just a yellow cake and it wasn’t perfect, but it was still pretty darn good. I made vanilla buttercream to go on it and I also put strawberry jam in the middle – because I keep seeing people do that on baking shows and I wanted to try it out. Yum!
2) My deck garden is doing pretty good. There’s one tiny tomato and the other tomato plants are flowering pretty good. I also repotted my green pepper plants. I may actually have food from the garden this time around. Yay.
3) I hit a sticky spot in my WIP and I’m not sure how to proceed, so I haven’t written much this week.
4) I’m totally addicted to my Roku. There are so many new (to me) things to watch. For instance, I found a cute British mystery series yesterday called ‘Rosemary and Thyme’ about two middle-aged women who solve crimes. The first episode was really good, so it’s in my saved list now. This does not bode well for my productivity. LOL
5) I’m still super-excited about being able to kick Brightspeed to the curb. After all the months of our phone service being crap, it’s so nice to have a consistent dial-tone. YAY!
July 18th, 2025 at 11:21 am · Link
Argh! *muppet flail* How can it be Friday already? Sorry about the cake but you cook enough you really should listen to your instincts. Hope the CT scan happens soon. It’s frustrating knowing something isn’t right but NOT knowing what’s wrong. Yay for decking and plants, even if it means work. Ugh on the groceries but I really think a lot of suppliers are taking advantage of the perceived idea that tariffs will make everything cost more, whether it does or not. Family Pool Party FTW!! Okay, my five. 🤔
1. We’ve had atypical July weather. Hot? Yes. Humid? Yes. But not very hot and with pop-up thunderstorms–which only adds to the humidity. Still, it beats triple digit temps.
2. PassionFlix, a streaming service just for romance readers, has produced a Black Dagger Brotherhood series, in conjunction with JR Ward. The 1st season is finished and I’m debating wheter or not to get a subscription so I can watch it. Not sure there are other things on there that would warrant the $$. Decisions, decisions.
3. I FINALLY got the first 6 chapters of the WIP straightened out. I think. I did write a snippet yesterday for a flash fiction challenge that I really like. In fact, I have a bunch of snippets I really like. The boring part is the words that pastes them together.
4. Our neighbors next door that we really like have moved and put their house up for sale. They spent a ton of time and money rehabbing the house. It’s gorgeous inside now. They bought a newer house that’s closer to her work. Open house this weekend. It should sell fast but we worry about who might move in. Yes, I WILL be the nosey neighbor as I notice traffic over there.
5. It never fails. I “caught” Pete sitting on a stump in our “Nessie island” staring out at the street, surveying his domain. Did I have my phone in my pocket? Noooo. Why would I take my phone with me when I’m taking out the trash. You can bet I’ll have the darn thing in my pocket just in case Pete decides to be king again.
Have a great weekend, all. No plans here beyond laundry and attempting to add word and make sense of the WIP. Oh, and stay inside under the AC. 😰
July 18th, 2025 at 12:23 pm · Link
B.E., thanks on all! I’m really not worried about my nose. I’m leaning toward irritation, but will do the CT scan because I am not psychic nor do I have a medical degree
1) Sounds like a great cake! I know jam is a favorite of the British baking shows (at least the handful I’ve seen). It makes for a lighter more refreshing cake. I also have used really good pie fillings– like say a spiced cake with apple pie filling, or a white chocolate or cheesecake flavored cake with raspberry filling.
2) I’m excited to find out how well your garden does. Take pics!!
3) Ah, that kind of Writer’s Block (I hate that term but am too last to figure out a better one right now) often leads to your number 4 issues! Although I believe doing something else almost always helps us solve the story problem. Hope you come up with a solution soon.
4) There’s nothing wrong with having fun shows to look forward too! Roku is awesome!
5) I bet!!! I can’t believe that crap service and stupid excuses you had to put up with. I’m so glad you guys were able to find a better provider.
Have a good weekend and go talk to your deck garden to encourage them to grow you tomatoes, peppers and whatever else you have out there!
July 18th, 2025 at 12:38 pm · Link
Silver, well I’m glad I’m not alone at being surprised by Friday showing up the same time each week, LOL! I imagine the CT scan will happen within the next 6 weeks, but there’s no rush. I’m thinking it’ll turn out fine.
1) I feel for you. Humidity moved in here yesterday and we had early morning (3am-ish) thunder storms. I hope the humidity moves out of your weather soon!
2) I’ve seen a ton of talk about the Black Dagger Series. Get it if you want it! Then you can tell us what you think of it!
3) Man you said it!! It’s the words in between the fun scenes that are boring! But yay for getting your first 6 chapters straightened out, hopefully the rest will fall into line.
4) Losing good neighbors is sad. I hope delightful new neighbors buy the house, and give it the love it deserves. Neighbors are a real thing and I’m right there with you.
5) Animals have some kind of club or pact that ensures they will do funny or cute things when we don’t have our phone on us!
Smart plan to stay inside in the AC. Hope you get lots of words and find some fun filled moments this weekend!
July 18th, 2025 at 2:36 pm · Link
1. It stinks that the lemon cake was a fail, but like you said, they happen now and then. It must have been really bad if Wizard had you throw it out 😆.
2. Insurance is such a pain in the butt. Do you remember the “old” days when everything was covered? How I miss that! Hopefully the CT will happen soon and your nose will be in a happier place🥰.
3. Good job on the deck.
4. I noticed coffee jump $2+ a couple weeks ago. The one that I often buy at Aldi isn’t even there anymore.
5. Oh man a pool party – FUN! And CiGi will be there too💗. Does she have a little thing to float around in? When C was a baby I bought him a turtle floatie. He was so cute lounging in that thing.
1a. I had to take hubs to the Dr. this morning for his yearly. All went well. His doctor just lost his dad to dementia so he’s really in the know. He said other than the cognitive issues hubs is healthier than 99% of all 73 yr old men in the USA. I get a pat on the back😂.
2a. We’re celebrating DIL A’s birthday this Sunday. We’re going to go to the Thai place nearby.
3a. I spent more time with Spectrum. They gave me a new promo rate but also said my modem wasn’t high speed enough and have sent me one of theirs. They say I can just plug it in and go but I’m going to wait for C to show up and have him do it. I don’t know if I ever mentioned that I have a weird magnetic filed around me. My grandma did do. I can disturb all kinds of electronics just by walking past them. So it’s best to have C plug it in.
4. So far my neutralizing tank seems to be leak free. It flushes tomorrow. We’ll see how it goes.
5. Tomorrow is also pillow washing day. I haven’t washed pillows in the new washer yet so my fingers are crossed that all goes well.
Have a great weekend and enjoy the pool party!
July 18th, 2025 at 3:10 pm · Link
Viki, I do remember insurance covering most things. Now all the co pays and co insurance is costly. I’m worried about the increase this next year for all of us self insured, but we’ll see what happens. Things are often not as bad as predicted. But coffee prices are just mean! Aldi is a good place to buy it. And yes, Cigi is pool-ready with long sleeved bathing suits, sunscreen and float devices. Plus Uncle will likely buy her more. Uncle Youngest spoils his nephew and niece any chance he gets
1) You deserve a pat on the back! Hubs clearly is doing well. And the doctor having personal experience with dementia is very valuable. Not only can he help his patients more, but also their caregivers.
2) Happy Birthday to Daughter In Law A! Sounds like fun to go to dinner.
3) Probably a wise plan to wait for C. I’ve heard people talk about the magnetic field around them. Not sure if there’s any validation in science, but why risk it when C can do it in a few minutes. Then you won’t have to worry about it!
4) Crossing my fingers the tank will flush as it should!
5) Your new washer should be able to handle the pillows, but I always worry when I put unusual sizes or things that have the potential to throw the “balance” off. We’ve had some weird things happen — the funniest was the time the washer pushed the laundry basket in front of the door and locked us out. A little ingenuity and an old fashion yard stick saved the day
Hope you all have a lot of fun celebrating DIL’s birthday at the Thai restaurant!