I’m looking forward to the next year. This one was not terrific.
We’re recovering from Christmas. Attacks Things Husband and Quasi-Daughter are supposed to be here about half an hour ago, and I’m trying to decide between takeout and a big salad for dinner. I don’t want to cook, and the kids are unlikely to eat much salad.
Mr. Lissar is playing with the kids’ new toys behind me. 
They got a fort-building kit.
My daughter called - poor thing was stuck in stop-n-go traffic in NC, still about 50 miles from the SC border. She was hoping to get to Jacksonville tonight. I-95 doth well and truly sucketh the big weenie. 
**LiLi **- the best part of being a parent at Christmas is playing with the kids’ cool toys!
In happier news, we’ve been madly spending our Christmas cash. I ordered some storage containers for my studio, a new vacuum cleaner, and 5 new tops for the cruise. **FCD **just finished ordering new wildlife for the aquarium - 4 new fish, a dozen shrimps, and some corals and I can’t remember what else.
I’ve got a fire going and it’s taking the chill off the room. Critters have been fed, and I shall soon assume the knit position for the evening. Since I slept in and had caffeine at lunch, I expect I’ll be up pretty late. I see a lot of Netflix in my evening.
An ageless beauty.
:grumble: too ea- 3pm ALREADY!? Whoops.
I sat down with a pen and paper and tried to determine the good to bad ratio for 2011.
The good:
I have been employed steadily and at the same job if @ part-time for the first time since 2006. Amazing, considering my six years of full-time employment with the same company prior to that.
I have returned to school, and have been successful, with good grades.
My family is healthy.
Reconnected with an old friend. I’ve only been able to talk to him the one time, but we exchanged Xmas cards and have emailed a bit, which is too awesome for words.
The bad:
Still have no money. Santa shopped at the dollar store this year. Nothing wrong with that in and of itself,but the fact that it was done out of sheer necessity kinda sucks. Thankfully, the boys liked their gifts.
My depression and anxiety issues are getting worse. Nobody, not even my wife, knows how bad it is, and am running out of distractions.
Both my wife and I cannot stand our house. It simply isn’t a good place to raise a family. We don’t have the money to move, so we have no choice but to stay.
Woody, sweetie, have you seen a doctor about your depression? I know a simple prescription really really helped my husband - a pill a day can make a huge difference. Take care of yourself for yourself and your fambly…
Howdy Y’all! I’m here! Don’t worry! I haven’t forgotten y’all!
I spent part of today doin’ stuff for my mother in Ye Olde Home Towne. I left there around eleven this mornin’, got to da cave, unpacked and have been in cave cleanin’ mode. Everything is all spiffy. I’s also tahrd!
Christmas with the family was fun. I’m waitin’ on an email from next to oldest bro with a couple of family pics which I’ll do my best to share if and when I get 'em. They are (IMO) good pics of my family and me.
As far as 2011 goes it was pretty decent. I’m pretty much ok with stuff right now.
Yays, boos, hugs, gropes, awwws, chitlins, trouts, how you doin’s as needed.
You know you’ve been playing with an iPad too long when you start swiping and pinching on things that don’t even have touch screens. :smack:
Were you swipin’ and pinchin’ on DH? He might like that. 
I got a question for the cooking types who are more exotic than me. How the hell do you (intentionally) melt chocolate for purposes like making candy? I can melt it easily enough by accident. 
I remember my mother using a double boiler, so I tried that first. I wound up with a gloppy mess that had spurts of boiler water in it that wasn’t useful for dipping buckeyes; the point of my exercise.
I then resorted to trying the microwave the recipe called for (no instructions, just said melt the chocolate and a teaspoon of shortening), and I got a crumbly substance that looked like chocolate cake. At that point I was out of chips and said screw it for the night.
Anyone have advice for me?
How the heck did you get water in the chocolate using a double boiler?
I am so blah right now and I don’t know why. I suspect that vacation boredom is setting in already, which is bad since it’s going on for another 3 weeks. I just took a long bath and now I just want to curl up with a book until I fall asleep. Blah blah blah.
Because I don’t have a true double boiler. I found a steel mixing bowl that fit inside a saucepan with room for water; when the water boiled, it splashed upwards, falling into the chocolate our out onto the stove.
Ahhh, that explains it. The only time I’ve melted chocolate (making soy butter cups for my Peanut allergic nephew), I had an actual double boiler. The lid is very tight so the steam and water can’t get in.
Wow. The MMP is as dead as my attempts at melting chocolate.
Blurf.
Good Mornin’ Y’all! Up and caffienatin’. YAWN ‘Tis 61 Amurrkin out and rainy. It’s rained all night and will continue throughout the mornin’. After that the temp drops to 59. Thus, I am right now as I post experiencin’ the high for the day. I know y’all have missed my mornin’ weather forecast. 
BBBobbio here’s what Better Homes and Gardens says about meltin’ chawklit. After all, who should know better! It does take practice though.
Ok, now that we’ve had today’s weather forecast and cookin’ lesson, I believe I shall go find more caffiene and brekkie for rumbly tummy. Then, alas, 'tis back to irk today so I must purtify.
Happy Monday Y’all!
swampy, ya gotta stop living in the past!
I made the mistake of having caffeine for lunch yesterday, so I was still wide awake at 11:30 last night. Plus I was worried about my baby making is safely to her friend’s house. I eventually dropped off, but my bladder and the dog got me up early, and after tending to the critters and cleaning up horked-up hairballs in this room, I was too awake to crawl back into bed, so here I am. Oh, and daughter did arrive alive just about at midnight, according to the text she sent.
It’s supposed to rain most of the day today. My big plans involve laundry and running the vacuum. I’ll probably tidy the kitchen also, since it’s a disaster area at the moment. **FCD **wants to run a few tests on his system in the basement, so I’ll be helping with that. If I’m lucky, he’ll get tired really fast so it won’t take all day… I don’t like futzing with the aquarium and its systems nearly as much as he does. I’m good with looking at the fish and assorted critters, I’ll even feed them, but it’s not my hobby.
My ex boss needs to be calling me today also - I need him to give me a time and place for our lunch date tomorrow. I’ve still got his number programmed in my cell, so if I don’t hear from him soon enough, he’ll be getting a call. I’m looking forward to all the gossip, altho I know we can’t discuss the stuff I really want to know about. Stoopit classified material.
Happy Tuesday!
BBBBobbbbbio, the water in a double boiler should never boil, just simmer (despite the name–perhaps it should be changed to double simmerererer). Failing that, chocolate can be melted in a microwave at 50% power and check it every 15 seconds. I will PM you my address for buckeyes.
2011 sucked. My mom died January 7, 2011 so way to start the new year. 2012 can’t be any worse. Well, it could, but I’m not goin’ there.
I’m at irk and it’s deader than a door nail (and I work in a hospital so that’s saying something). Going to exercise class after work. I put on 2 pounds from eating Christmas goodies so I need to get back on the program. Blurf. I’d rather eat Christmas cookies.
It is so Monday! It’s irk Monday. So There!
Nice and quiet here at irk. This is expected given the week betwixt Christmas and New Year’s Day is a time for people to take off irk. So, yay for quiet. I’m messin’ with paperirk and cleanin’ up files and such. Nice busy irk for a week like this.
It was a pretty good year for us I suppose, everyone’s healthy and in good spirits. The drought wasn’t worth a damn but you find ways to cope and eventually it’ll right itself. I do hope it gets better in 2012 for all that had a rough one.
What I do like this time of the year is all the year in review shows that are on. News, sports, who we lost, what we discovered, etc. Kinda puts it all in a grand, proper perspective.
Time for a little whine. I was perusing a jobs website. I entered “Engineering” and the location from which I want to engineer. It’s here in southern Merrylande. And yet the search brings up vacancies 3000 miles away!!! Way to waste my time!
Maybe I don’t wanna get another job after all. Maybe I’ll just be a retired bum.
Yesterday my granddaughter (hee!) came to spend the afternoon with me. We played doctor, and she did my hair, and we colored and watched cartoons. And we texted silly things to Mr Rebo. We ate peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwiches with the crusts cut off, and apple slices, and chocolate. We played with the dogs, too.
It was fabulous! And I was exhausted!
Today will be spent mostly sitting on my butt, with occasional bouts of cleaning.
Happy Tooooooosday!