Good Wednesday Morning

[Wiped Out]

Good Morning Friends,

This morning I can't believe how tired I feel. The first day back with the kids was so much fun. I think this is going to be a great year!!!!! My students are a ton of fun! Still, the sudden change really wears me down. I am already feeling the start of a sore throat. I did make it to bed earlier than usual; we'll see if that helps today.

After work today easy child is having a possible cheer try out (long story-I'll post another time) so husband is going to wait around til 6:30 for her and at 7:00 we are meeting with our roofer and siding guy. Hopefully we aren't being too ambitious by thinking we still can make it to the health club! (We did get there yesterday.)

Wishing everyone a peaceful day

 

[tiredmommy]

Good morning.

Sharon- Have a great first day (with the kids). I hope everything goes well for easy child and with the roofer.

I'm going to try to get Duckie's hair trimmed and maybe do some baking. Then there's cheer.

Hi to anyone that snuck in. Have a great day.

 

[Fran]

Good morning Wiped out.
Hope you are feeling better soon. You may need to push up your vitamin's and iron. Seems your immune system is somewhat challenged. I'm sure your body is just adjusting though.
Are you relieved that you have such a nice group of kids? It makes going into work so much easier.

I'm still in SW Pa at my mom's house. We have had a great time with my sister, brother and their kids. difficult child was here also. We went to an amusement park and the zoo. It was great fun. Mom finally allowed us to push her in a wheelchair which made her enjoy the trips. I think she is sold now. We didn't have to stop or walk slow and the kids weren't restless. Add her new hearing aids(that she fought me for 10 yrs) and she is feeling much more optimistic.

difficult child is heading home today. I think he is ready. Being the oldest is a tiresome responsibility. LOL. He says he doesn't quite fit in with adult conversations and he is too old for the 8 and 10 yr old.(you think?!) I'm sure that a certain little lady in NC is probably his biggest reason for getting home as soon as possible.

This morning I'm heading down to The Strip. It's a series of warehouses and wholesale stores where the food is brought in and sold. It's really fresh. I'll pick up some great foods that aren't in some of the regular supermarkets and some fresh fish. It's an experience all on it's own.

So that's what I have been up to. Sometimes it's a refreshing change of pace to get out of my nest. I'm sure I'll be ready to go home by Monday though.

Hope your day is rewarding.

 

[Marguerite]

G'day for Wednesday.

Fran, sounds like you've been having a wonderful time. Safe travels to difficult child.

TM, enjoy your baking, if you get to it. I love a good cooking session.

Sharon/WO, go easy. You probably got more exercise tan you are giving yourself credit for. If you're feeling a buit unwell you could well becoming down with something. Take a big vitamin pill and have an early night.

Which is what I'm doing right now - I begged off choir practice tonight because I only got home from difficult child 3's tennis game, about 15 minutes before I would have to leave again for choir. Normally not a problem for me, but I was feeling worn out, much more than usual. Down at the tennis courts the cooler night air was bothering me more than usual even though I had wrapped a scarf round my neck. So I tihnk it's a wise choice. I've been resting but still feeling like I've been on the run all evening.

I took things quietly all day, after yesterday's traipsing around the mall. Just before difficult child 3's tennis, I dropped in on mother in law and made an order from there, to the mail order company she got me hooked into. They have a lovely longline cardigan I hope I can wear with the dress I chose for the wedding. Because if I'm still sensitive about being out after dark in the cold, I'm going to need something like that cardigan to wear over the beautufil but flimsy silk dress I bought yesterday.

I've got my hair appointment organised. After all that talk on the thread about orange hair over in Watercooler, the hairdresser commented on my hair as I made the appointment, that she's happy with the way the grey is showing(!?!) so I'm hoping she's right.

easy child 2/difficult child 2 rang me tonight - the groom's parents were paying the bill for the drinks at the wedding. Now it seems the groom's mother is saying, "We never promised that. Only for the bridal couple, not for the rest of the bridal party." So I've got some phone calls to make tomorrow, including asking for an estimate on how much extra it looks like husband & I will be up for. The groom's mother has also promised to pay for the flowers and armed with a budget, easy child 2/difficult child 2 has ordered flowers accordingly. I was looking to the possibility thatI would put osmething together amateurishly myself, or ask a friend of mine to help, to save money. So I'm hoping the groom's mother doesn't renege on this one too.

husband said he was half-expecting it; we know the groom's family are not well off (nor are we, but we've budgeted for this and husband at least has his job, while the groom's father recently lost his). But we're not telling the kids that we will cope if we have to. I think people need to sweat, at least. The kids will get the wedding tey want, we'll just have to sort things out later. And in the interests of family harmony, we will keep the peace and trust to the groom's very strong sense of honesty and fair play.

Enjoy your Wednesday, everyone. Sharon, here's hoping you and I are NOT coming down with something. I don't think either of us can spare the time or energy.

Marg

 

[therese005us]

Hi everyone

Wednesday was a little busy for me. After getting everyone up and off to their respective places, I went to a meeting at the school with the Special Education teacher and later with the principal. The Special Education teacher put together an IEP especially for the toileting and she seems to have had a ton of fun doing it. She is young and bubbling with enthusiasm.
The big emphasis is going to be non verbalising with cherub when she goes to the toilet - I can't see that part happening myself as she is selectively around age 3 (not 8) and just begs for attention ALL the time! However, this teacher has put together visual cards which are stuck on the wall of the toilet separated for her, detailing every process from taking off shoes, to pulling up underpants after she's finished, washing hands process etc. I have a set for home as well.
The principal wants to force me into giving a second contact name for the times that she is so messy she needs to be collected from school to shower (if I'm not there) and I'm wondering who would love that job! It's a bit hard being a single mum sometimes (but I couldn't see husband racing up to the school anyways).
The watch I bought works well when we're home - however, tantrums will still happen and I think that's an intellect problem which I'm going to have to deal with somehow.
After the meeting I came home and made some more lemon butter, supervised schooolwork and did a little sewing, adjusting a dress I made ages ago and putting buttons on it. Now I have a new dress to wear on the weekend.
Time flew! pick up scholars, take dancer to lessons (she had to give a violin lesson first) pick up dancer, put children to bed.
I've been up a couple m ore hours preparing a craft activity for the weekend.
Feeling lousy.
Have a great day everyone.

 

[Marguerite]

Trish, if you have lemons to spare, why not make a jar or two of Moroccan preserved lemons? I've been doing this and have begun cooking with them - the flavour is incredible! They are easy to make, you just need a jar with no metal in contact with the contents. I use a clamp-down glass jar with rub-ber seal. To make - put together some cooking salt with some spices through it. To about half a cup of salt I add a tablespoon or so peppercorns (pink ones preferably), a few bay leaves, a broken up cinnamon stick or two and a few crushed allspice berries. I also have about two or three star anise pods handy. Or you could use about four or five crushed cardamom pods. You toss in what you want, in about those proportions. Use what you have, basically.
Then you get your clean empty jar handy. Cut the lemon in quarters but don't cut all the way through the base completely. You should have something that looks a bit like a flower bud, a four-pettaled lemon one. Open it a little (without separating it( and pack it with seasoned salt. Close it up as well as you can and pack it into the jar.

Keep adding more lemons (cut almost through in four and packed with seasoned salt) then cram them into the jar. Force them in as tightly as you can, let the juice collect in the jar also. Then when the jar is as full as you can get, toss in any leftover spiced salt and the star anise and then top up the jar with liquid. Ideally top it up with lemon juice, but TV chefs say to use water. Either is OK.
Then leave it in a cupboard somewhere (not on a windowsill, basically, but on ashelf somewhere is OK because it does look good also) for about 6 weeks.

I'm doing some for friends for Christmas. These cost a fortune in the shops.

To use them - you take one out of the jar. You're supposed to scrape off the pulp and just use the skin, cut into strips, but I've been chopping up the lot, pulp and skin together. You just ease back on the salt you would otherwise add to the recipe. The lemon skin should be soft and will have taken up the spice flavour as well as still have an intense lemon flavour. I use them in slow-cooked meat dishes, there are some good recipes online and I'll send you more if you want.

I'm finding I need to have two jars - one to use, and one still developing.

It's a fabulously earth-mothering thing to do and even more earth-mothery when people eat what you've cooked and come back for more.

Marg