Day to Day

Ouch: On Crock-Pots, Band-Aids and Hyphens

7 Comments / Daily Dose, Day to Day, Health and Wellness, Money Talks, Personality /

It is still cheaper to buy a replacement crock for a crock-pot than it is to buy a new crock-pot. This disappoints, TW. I don’t know why since I like our crock-pot.

(I find it difficult to hyphenate crock-pot, don’t you?)

When you’ve sliced open a couple of finger tips on the crock-post stoneware, you should really put band-aids on them if you’re going to paint a couple of pages in your altered book. Or if you’re going to use gesso and chalk pastels in a couple of pages of your altered book. It kind of hurts to scrub the paint/chalk out of those cuts.

I should have listened to Ken Jennings when he said I should keep my cuts covered and moist rather than listening to TW (and my own hatred of band-aids.)

(Band-aid is another word I have trouble hyphenating.)

~~

If you broke the stoneware in your crock-pot, would you order a replacement stoneware or buy a new crock-pot?

If you cut a couple of fingers on the stoneware of your crock-post, how long would you leave band-aid(s) on the cut(s)?

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Missing This and Of Course, There’s That and TW is Nuts

2 Comments / Daily Dose, Day to Day /

Oops.

With the art journaling moved to the nice little dedicated corner of the family room… I’m not actually remembering to journal. hahah. When they were on my desk, I could pick them up and doodle. Or throw down a layer of paint. Or at the very least, remember to do something with the calendar a day thingy.

Out of sight, out of mind — I skipped four days of calendar journaling because the altered book is in the other room. I also haven’t done anything with The Pocket Scavenger because that book was also in the other room.

If only I didn’t mind prairie dog goo in all of my pages, then I could move the red table in here and the expedit into the other room and … but no. Not happening. I just need to develop a new habit — and maybe get back to taking those work-day breaks I’m supposed to be taking.

~
But not taking because work is weird and I can’t seem to find a good long stretch of time that works. Maybe it’s just this week that’s the problem and next week will be better.

I hope.

~
Speaking of weird work – TW has a new job so she’s doing that thing where she tells everyone all about how awesome her job is and how they should do THAT thing because DID YOU KNOW…?

It’s amusing but it can also get a little tiring.

Poor Annie, the librarian. TW tried very hard to convince her she should come over to BlogHer and enter sweepstakes and giveaways. We used to be Annie’s favorite library patrons — now, I’m not so sure. Hah.

~
In two weeks we’ll be in Austin. Where it’s warm. Where my baby girl will also be. TWO WEEKS! I’ll also get to hug some co-workers and some friends and listen to food bloggers talk about food and food blogging. Food bloggers are fascinating creatures. I always feel like I’m gawking at the exotic birds and flowers when I go to BlogHer Food. So awesome. I can’t wait.

And did I mention it will be warm there?

~
I’m back to wearing two pairs of socks and two jackets IN MY HOUSE again.

Damn Chicagoland. Can’t we just move to Savannah and be done with it?

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Dog Food is Complicated

4 Comments / Daily Dose, Day to Day, Personality /

When DID dog food get so complicated?

I’ve had at least one dog for most of my life and I’ve never spent more than two minutes choosing a dog food. What’s the cheapest? Have I bought it before, only to have the dog turn up her nose at it, (though honestly, this has always been more likely to happen with cats)? Have I bought it and the dog had any weird stomach things happen around the same time that might be attributed to this dog food.

And that’s it. End of thought process.

So why in the hell am I not only asking people on Chatter/Twitter/Facebook about dog food but also considering only higher priced dog foods — dog foods you can’t get at the grocery store?

Hell, I even asked the damn vet if he had a dog food recommendation.

And when did dogs start having gluten problems? Is that new? Because I’m almost 50 years old and for a good 40+ years of that time, I’d never seen a single gluten-intolerant dog. I worked at a KENNEL for three years and we never had a dog come in with a special gluten-free/grain-free food. EVER.

Skeeter will LITERALLY eat anything at all. It might not do her tummy any good to eat Elly’s sock or the Hershey’s chocolate bar wrapper she dug out of the trash — but she’ll eat it but here I am wondering about what food to buy. Whether we should just stick with the brand she’s used to, just in adult formula, in case she doesn’t “like” a different kind. Then again, she’s thrilled when she can break into the shih tzu’s room and eat his Kibbles n Bits (or whatever inexpensive food HE is eating.)

I’ve become one of those dog owners. I have to just admit it – to myself, and to all of you (who have already figured that out.)

It wasn’t the making of the dog toys last weekend that cinched it. It is the indecision over dog food.

Hell.

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Rearranged

Daily Dose, Day to Day, Personality, Pet Peeves /

TW has been threatening to rearrange furniture and she finally did it.

It made me and Skeeter very nervous.

Neither of us are fans of the furniture moving.

We are both creatures of habit and we like our spaces to stay OUR spaces.

Skeeter will probably go pee on the floor or chew something up.

I’ll just bump into things for awhile. Maybe have a few weird dreams or nightmares.

Gah.

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Not Reading Today

Daily Dose, Day to Day /

It was the #Readathon today but we weren’t reading.

Instead, TW, the girls and I met my brother (yes, I have a brother) and Christine at Fox and Obel (one of my favorite places in Chicago) for lunch, a walk along the river and a visit to Michigan Ave.

I’m a big fan of the Tribune building and Tiffany’s and the Apple store, on Michigan Ave.

One surprise from today’s outing — there’s a dog park right across from Fox and Obel. Who knew?

Since Fox & Obel validates parking… and there’s a dog park… and I really like the riverwalk… maybe we’ll have to take Skeeter out for dinner in the city?

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The Things We Have Not Seen

1 Comment / Daily Dose, Day to Day, Friends & Family, Travel Log /

My brother (yes, dammit, I have a brother) and SIl (no, Christine is NOT my sister) are coming to Chicago this week. Yay! Christine is coming! (errr, and Mike, too.)

My brother and I are alike in a lot of ways but in other ways, we’re very very different — I think it might be most noticeable in talking about the things he and Christine might want to do while they’re here.

Some things I suggested, things I’ve enjoyed and other visitors have enjoyed, didn’t appeal to him/them at all. Other things that he asked about are things that I’ve never seen/done, often because they’re not high on my “things I want to do/see in Chicago” list.

But, that wee little phone call with my brother caused me to start thinking (again) about leaving this place in three years. Before we leave, there are things we should see and do and rather than wait til the last few months of living here, maybe we should make a list now and start seeing those things now?

Time to get out the Chicago guide books and make some lists!

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Letter to My…

1 Comment / Daily Dose, Day to Day, Memes and Quizzes, Personality, Questions and Answers /

I was reading Adela’s post again, Advice to My Younger Self, and realized I’ve never written one of these types of letters. Or if I have, it was when I was a child and forced to write one in school (and then promptly forgot about it.)

I thought I might be the only person in the world who’s never written such a letter because they’re so common online but TW says she’s never written one either.

Interesting.

Are we the only ones?

And did you write these kinds of letters to yourself when you were a kid? Michelle Belle did that and then read them when she was… I don’t remember… 18 maybe? But she’s very much a time capsule, look back on my life, look ahead to my life sort of person.

I am not.

Maybe I should be?

I’m considering writing a letter to my 60 year old self. Or at least attempting it. Is that dumb? It feels kind of dumb. But if the rest of the world can write letters like this, why can’t I?

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Changes Feel Weird

3 Comments / Daily Dose, Day to Day /

Two weeks into … changes.

Work and life changes.

Two weeks… and it still feels weird.

I still feel like I should be doing something … else. Something… different. Something… differently.

I always feel like I’m forgetting something.

I have to force myself not to do ALL – OF – THE – THINGS and just do the things I can do, in the time allotted to do them.

None of this means that I’m complaining. Or unhappy with the way things are going.

I mean, I am. In some respects. Unhappy with the way things are. The ones I can’t really talk about and try not to think much about lest I think too much or say too much.

In other respects, it’s good. Good for me. Good for others.

It still feels weird, though.

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Doodling

2 Comments / Daily Dose, Day to Day /

So weird to be doodling every day. It’s been forever since I did anything arty or crafty on a regular basis — even the five, ten, fifteen minutes I’m spending on doodles seems like a lot.

And, ordering a box of gel pens for myself seemed … decadent.

So weird.

Next thing you know, I might actually start cooking or baking or something like that.

Scary, right?

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