Good morning!
My RDO is tomorrow, and I am sooo ready. I’ve had a headache off and on for three days now. I’m sure it’s stress, because I have to keep telling myself to relax my shoulders. I don’t have anything to feel stressful about, though! I don’t have an impending deadline or anything. Hmm.
Hugs, trouts, butt pinches - take what you need and pass 'em around…
ETA: I got a call from my ex-coworker friend last night. She’s pregnant! w00t!
Thanks again for the good thoughts. They seem to be working so far! No news on layoffs yet so maybe it won’t happen until after the holiday season. Wouldn’t that be nice??
And maybe by that point KT will get going on looking for a new job. I asked last night if he had a resume I could send to a coworker who has a friend whose company is looking for engineers. And despite the fact that he fully expected to get laid off yesterday, he doesn’t have an updated resume. :smack: :rolleyes:
What do you put in your crumb topping? Here’s my recipe and I’ve never had a problem with it melting into the apples.
Crumb topping:
½ cup butter (1 stick, not too soft)
1 cup flour
½ cup packed brown sugar
More cinnamon, optional (I like cinnamon!)
I made spinach “lasagna” the other night (layered pasta but using rotini, not lasagna noodles because they’re easier to work with) without a recipe, just winging it, and it turned out really tasty. Unfortunately, I don’t think I can give out a recipe since I just kept putting things together until it seemed right. But in any case, it was gooood! A good follow-up to the Mexican lasagna I made last week, also without a recipe that turned out really well. I think I need to go recipe-less more often!
Morning all. Just a drive by today as Imma gotta run out and get a card and gift for an intern who is leaving. We are real nice about that kind of stuff. We are taking her to lunch too.
bobbio, you’ll have to let us all know when the episode is going to air so we can gather round the TV. Also, belated {{{}}} for v-wife and RIP Audry.
Mork, glad to provide you with verbal fodder.
Well, I’m off. (But you all knew that.) 
Tupug
w00t!!! Weekend and then public holidays from now until next Wednesday, so I only have a 1/2 day of work left before our vacation (1/2 day, as we are having a departmental Eid/Christmas lunch next Thursday). 
: waves to all : More later!
I need work to stop for a bit.
sigh.
Morning/afternoon/whatever, all. I’ve been up for hours, but just haven’t had a noticeable quantity of get up and go. Or anything much beyond sit and be boring.
I have absolutely nothing of interest today except a transcript I should have had done last week but totally forgot I had waiting to get done until after I finished the last (really big) one, when I realized it was still sitting there. Oops. So today is a work, work, work day.
<yawn>
Sounds like you’re not using enough flour in your topping, Herbs and maybe not enough flour and sugar in the apples. When you make the topping, you should use butter that’s softish but not melty and use a fork or pastry cutter to really work the crumbs over and get the butter all through it. It should end up as a fine crumb that will hold together if you squeeze a bit of it in your hand, and it should kinda stick to itself if you make your pies the way I do–with about a 4" mountain of apple mounded up over the edge of the crust. I also like to use about a 2/3 brown sugar to 1/3 turbinado sugar ratio because I just love the flavor and crunchiness of the large crystal sugar in baking.
I get to go to Fry’s again this morning, joy. DVD drive is FUBAR’d on Himself’s 'puter and it’s a leetle difficult to install an OS without an optical drive of some variety… His training starts tomorrow, and he has to have an XP platform installed by then so Driving Girl gets to schlep down to Wilsonville, hooray. I think I’m gonna get all manly and go get my van’s front end fixed tomorrow. I’m getting tired of the wobble and the uneven tire wear. Then I’ll have to have it aligned as well, which my mechanic can’t do and I just hate taking my baby to anyone but my guy because they always screw something up… I’m such a worrywart about my vehicles, I swear.
It looks like a nice day today, clear and chilly and a bit windy this AM–our forecast is calling for some possible snow in the next ten days. It’ll be nice to have snow but not have to worry about travelling in it–as long as the power’s on Himself will be able to work and in eight years I’ve only lost power here a few times, and the longest was just a few hours.
Whoops, Himself just knocked over his coffee cup onto his keyboard–bad bounce from a dog toy! Hmmm, perhaps we’ll be picking up a new keyboard as well this morning! :smack:
L8R!
I agree… it definitely looks like I’m doing a bad job at it… 
Well, I feel generous and will help set someone up for the next page…
Welcome home, SO…
Off to a work related social function.
Eh, I tried.
We’re having the entree part of a progressive dinner at our house on Saturday. I’m thinking we’re going to go with a Greek theme, but now I’m starting to worry about what we should make. Spanikopita, either a pork roast kind of thing or gyros but I’m thinking maybe gyros are too informal, and then I need veggie ideas. Everyone will have already had salad as the previous course at someone else’s house. What would be a non-salad Greek-like vegetable dish?
I had to stop by to tell you all my news…
My dad and I went to Hartville today to see if any spaces had opened up inside. To our great surprise he said that he had one space open! We didn’t hesitate to sign right up. We can start moving in on Tuesday of next week and if everything goes our way we’ll be open for business a week from today!!!
As of now we will be selling cookie dough in tubs and individual portions, a few heat and eat items, and food related jewelry and knick-knacks. I’ve also told TVMan that he may display one of his televisions there if he likes. We will also be pushing our catering services in hopes of racking up some holiday business. HOORAY!
(I’m quite excited if you couldn’t tell.)
So now it really seems as though I won’t even have time to lurk here too much for awhile. Wish us luck!!!
Home, tired, doing laundry, wishing it was Firday. <sigh>
I was pulled into a new project today, a quick turn-around deal that’s due on the 19th. Turns out my part of it is “We’ll call you if we need you.” So for now I stand by till they need me.
Ravioli for supper.
Yay, Pie!!
That’s all I’ve got now. I’s tahred…
Yay for CutiePie; appropriate appendages crossed for things to go well. 
Thanks to both Taxi and Smarty; I’ll try those suggestions next time. Yah, I’ll continue making the crumb toppings. I think maybe I used the wrong proportions too - I used 4 tbs of margarine, same of flour and brown sugar, so maybe it wasn’t quite enough. Also, the margarine was a bit softer than it should have been. And I did not put enough flour into the apples either. I love getting recipe help!
I’s tahred too, FCM! 
That weird noise you’ve been hearing is me, running wildly around like a one-armed chicken wallpaper hanger with his head cut off.
Now I understand why brides try to offload all of the planning onto their mothers. Last night, the phone was ringing constantly, bringing us people with all sorts of questions, mostly inane questions like “Can we bring our dog?” (No) “Didn’t you have candles for the tables?” (Yes, the caterer has them) "Did you get enough cucumbers for the tea sandwiches? (No idea. Cucumbers…what’s a cucumber? Oh, they’re food. Call the caterer!)
DH is on the way back from meeting with the florist and bringing her the vases for the table decorations. Says he wants a manicure. I’m a guy…the closest anyone ever gets to touching my fingernails is if I’m in the hospital and they put the glowing ET finger thing on me. I’m not the right person to ask about a manicure.
*
Yaaaaahhh!!!*
Aww gotti DH is just tryin’ to look purty for ya! Although, havin’ seen that pic of the two of y’all I’d say together y’all are already droolworthy purty.
Yay for the booth Pie! I hope you sell lots and lots and lots of stuff.
I got to watch an entire system die today. App by app. I swear. Every single troubleshooting and billing application on the entire system went doa at least once today. ‘Twas entertainin’ yet frustratin’. Plus, it looked like it was goin’ to be even more fun this evenin’. Glad I ain’t there. By mornin’ maybe we’ll have puters blowin’ up. :eek:
That’s about all I got for now. Glad tomorrow is Firday.
Howdy, everyone!
I’ve got you down for Monday, FCM. Anyone interested in subsequent Mondays?
How exciting, gotti! Hope everything goes super-smoothly!
::Waves at SO::
I had a lovely day off. Spent the morning decorating at the park (but really mostly running little errands and socializing because there were too many helpers and several of the others were of the type who get nervous or annoyed if they aren’t immediately given a task). I’ve gotten good at pointing people in the direction of stuff that needs to be done and making sure that no one is looking forlorn. Afternoon was laundry and shopping.
Went out to a couple of thrift stores and also stopped at Penzey’s and Borders. Walked to the grocery store for a couple of emergency items and some gift cards for places that I’m planning to shop at in the next few days. I get gas discounts through the grocery, and gift cards count, so I strategically by cards for places that I know I’ll go to. I’ve saved $90.00 on gas in the past year. (That might not sound like a lot, but I don’t drive much, so it’s really quite a bit.) It’s probably a little less because the gas station usually has slightly higher prices than the ultra-cheap stations, but even with the difference, I win. (I paid $0.80/gallon today.) Now I’m thinking about what to do next. Addressing Christmas cards would be good, I think.
It’s almost Firday!!! Yay!
GT
{{{PIE}}} I know how much this means to you!
Gotti- how much fun- I’m excited for you both!
A recipe my aunt, the prize-winning baker, sent me. Someone please try it out and report back; it violates my low-carb existence…
Good evening everyone.
That’s great news, Pie! I hope you sell lots of stuff!
**Bobbio, **I hope the whole court thing works out. What I really hope is that she does some time. It just doesn’t seem right that she’ll basically maybe get a slap, free treatment, and hots and a cot.
It was freakin’ cold today. When I left for work this morning, temps were in the low thirties. I don’t think it warmed up much at all today.
I’m tired. I’m glad today is my Friday. Not that this weekend won’t be incredibly busy. My son is turning 16 on Sunday. As part of his birthday gift, we’re taking him, his cousin and friend paintballing. Additionally, we have a 99 party to attend on Saturday night. I also have a hair appointment on Saturday (finally!), and I still need to buy my son’s birthday present. Between all of that, I need to clean my house, do laundry, and maybe just a very small bit of Christmas shopping.
Money is waaaaaaay tight, so Christmas will be small in the present area. I wish to Og we could just draw names, so we could concentrate on getting our kids presents.
I guess I should think about getting dinner started.