To-do list

Looks doable.

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Already adding to it…

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As the day wore on, the list changed.

Mr. Aitch and I have waffles every Sunday.  I used to buy a mix but now make my own.  I just mix up several batches of the dry ingredients and store it in a container with the rest of the recipe taped to the side.

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After a shower emergency (more on that another day) last month, I have to repaint the repair.

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When we cleaned out the garage earlier this summer these pots “were” scrubbed.  They have been sitting here for way too long so they need washed again before going back into the garage.

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That big black thing on the left was the collar for the septic tank that was removed in June.  It was buried up to the top for easy access clean-out for the septic tank.  Now that we don’t need the collar anymore I want to fill it with soil and transplant my mint so it doesn’t take over the yard.  It won’t stay there but I’m just not sure where to put it.

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Mr. Aitch can’t weed-whack around all that.

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Yes.  Rain water and grass clippings in that tub.  Gross!

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Again from the garage cleanup: Hardware cloth/mesh and tomato cages.  Two of the three tomato plants don’t need any additional support from the cages and the third one is a monster and too unwieldy to get a cage around it now.

 

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Mr. Aitch said four little words to me and I am on it!  Today!!

What did he say?

This will attract snakes.  It was the last word that got me.  Snakes.

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In the 22 years we’ve lived here, I’ve only seen three snakes.  That’s pretty good for living in a rural area.  God has a purpose for all creatures but I’m not a fan of snakes and I certainly don’t want them close to the house.

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These have to go NOW so the grass/weeds can be cut down.

What I really want to do is sew and start making a box bag.

Do you make to-do lists?

Do you follow them?

Did I cross off everything on my to-do list?

What’s for dinner?

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When the kids were still living at home, I planned our weekly meals based on who had to go where and when each evening.   Piano lessons, drum lessons, band practice (for Mr. Aitch and the kids), soccer practice, orthodontist appointments, meetings, teaching, you name it.  Something was happening practically every weeknight so I had to be organized.  I made 30-minute meals long before Rachael Ray coined the phrase.

I went to the market every Sunday morning right after church while my kids were in CCD (Sunday School for the non-Catholics).  I still go then even though I don’t have to.  It’s just a habit.

The newspaper ads helped me decide our meals as I mostly bought whatever was on sale.  Ribs were on sale this week so that’s what we had Sunday evening but I didn’t think much about the rest of the week.

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Like tonight.

I have no idea what to have.

What are you fixing for dinner tonight?

What did you have last night?

Any ideas for tomorrow?

 

 

The most amazing jigsaw puzzle

Five of us put together this amazing puzzle while we were visiting my brother in New Hampshire last week.  My brother, sister, sister-in-law, sister-in-law’s nephew and I.  Mr. Aitch and Mr. Are (my brother-in-law) cheered us on.

The puzzle has irregular edges.  It was in the shape of a frog.

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The pieces were not the typical shaped pieces either.  There were frogs, fish, mermaids, sharks, at least one seahorse, buffalo, birds, and many other fun shapes. Sorry, no separate photos of those but you can make out some of those shapes below.

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009-NH-Trip-Frog-5The puzzle called “Frog” by Sue Coccia and is produced by Liberty Puzzles.  Their logo piece is an eagle with the word “Liberty” on the back.  The cut pattern for this puzzle is different from the one currently one their website.

As we started oohing and awing over the various shapes Sunday afternoon, my sister kept saying “It’s too hard.  It’s too hard.” But we persevered.

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And by Tuesday afternoon it was complete.  The amusing, whimsical shapes and family interaction were extraordinary.

What fun group activities does your family do?  Do you like jigsaw puzzles?

 

Adventures in NH

When riding a motorcycle 600 miles, one must be prepared for inclement weather.  We started out in our rain suits because everything was wet.  Good thing we did as we hit rain less than seven miles from our house.001-NH-Trip-Canal-Place

It rained off and on most of the morning.  I kept checking my phone weather app to see if we could remove those hot suits. Mr. Aitch took off his rain jacket when we stopped for fuel when this popped up.  We are the blue dot.002-Sheetz

We hung out there for about an hour while waiting for the rain to lighten up and spent the night near Albany, New York.

From  Albany, New York to my brother’s house in New Hampshire was a better ride and beautiful weather.

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My brother, sister and I went to the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen’s Fair and I met Carrie Cahill Mulligan of cmhats fame.005-NH-Trip-CCM-Hats

I’ve never met a knitter that wasn’t nice.  She is so warm and friendly and her hats are incredibly beautiful!  My favorite one is the grey and tan hat hanging just above my head in the photo.  Her hand embroidery is divine.

There were so many things to see that I forgot to take photos.   I did fish out my phone for a photo when I saw this quilt by Jane Frenke.  I love the bright colors and irregular edges. After doing some research I discovered her studio is about and hour and half away from me  Small world.006-NH-Trip-Jane-Frenke

We also worked on a very challenging jigsaw puzzle that my sister-in-law gave to my brother a few years ago and was never completed.  More about that on another day.

Three days of warm, sunny weather and then it started to rain.  On the day we left.

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This time we spent the night in Scranton, PA. Our boots were damp and Mr. Aitch’s glove were wet so we propped them over the fan in our room while we went for dinner.

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Rain showers were in the area when we got up on the last day of our trip so we decided to take our time at breakfast.  We donned our rain suits before we left the hotel though the radar was relatively clear.  Pop-up showers were in the forecast but after mostly sunny skies and the heat of the day, we decided to get out of those hot rain suits.

Thirty minutes later…

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Again – we are the blue dot.

013-NH-Trip-TyroneWe managed to get off the highway just as the skies opened up.  You can see by Mr. Aitch’s shirt that we did get a little wet.  We decided to have lunch hoping the rain would once again subside.  It didn’t.  After an hour wait we braved the rain and headed home.

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To mostly sunny skies.