Throwback Thursday

 

Some words of advice from Ma. "Don't borrow trouble." She meant when you were going through something try not to think about all the negative what-if scenarios. 

Whatcha Doin?

 

Today and Friday, I'll be "Shipping Up to Boston." But I won't be running from gang members or the police along the East Boston waterfront. Whatcha doin?

T Stands for Countdown

 

114 Days until the Summer Solstice

Lunch overlooking Long Sands Beach in York, Maine

Drop by hosts, Bleubeard and Elizabeth's blog to find out what the rest of the T Stands For gang is up to. If you want to play, include in your Tuesday post a beverage or container for a beverage. Don't forget to link your blog to Bleubeard and Elizabeth's page.

Crockpot Lasagna

 

I got requests for the Crockpot Lasagna recipe I mentioned the other day. So here, goes:

The recipe for Crockpot Lasagna can be found at   https://stockpilingmoms.com/slow-cooker-freezer-meal-lasagna/

This recipe calls for vegetables like carrots, celery, and green pepper. I leave the veggies out. As my dad would say, "Not our food"

The recipe calls for cottage cheese. Dad, again. So I use Ricotta cheese. And I leave out the sugar. 

 For the freezer meal, I bagged everything except the can of tomatoes and jar of pasta sauce. I wrote instructions on the Ziplock bag to add these when the meal is going to be used.

You'll have 8 lasagna noodles and Ricotta cheese if you use that, for another meal. So I made one to use and one to freeze.

The recipe is very customizable to your taste. I think 8 hrs. is too long a cooking time so I set it for 6 hrs. Some of the noodles got a little scorched. So I think anywhere from 4 - 6 on low would work. The noodles aren't al dente and are on the soft side but not bad. It doesn't serve as pretty as the clipart image, but it does taste good. I never hear complaints from my crew.

Cleanup is easy if you use Slow Cooker Liners.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Snow out front

Lots of traffic on this side

Not much traffic and still a lot of snow on the other side

Calli showing off her murder mittens after she had her claws trimmed

No snow on the main solar array. 

Rocky peeking through the snow

No snow on the Western array

Calli posing in the window.

How does your garden grow?

Happy, Little, Time Waster

 

Have fun designing an 18th century hairstyle at V&A Design A Wig

The Friday Five Good Things

Five good things that happened this week.

1. I made a crockpot lasagna meal. Lots of leftovers and no cooking for a day or two

2.  I went to mail a package in the afternoon.  My friend, S, was working the counter. She usually works a morning shift so is gone by the afternoon.I had a nice little chat as the post office wasn't too busy. 

3. I was able to get an appointment for Saturday morning for the groomer to come to the house to do the kitties' nails.

4. For Valentine's Day, Himself had ordered me a garden stake of a kitty and a bell. The company sent temple bells instead. Himself called the company. They are sending the kitty and we can keep the temple bells.

5. I had a nice, long chat with my SIL about her new granddaughter

How was your week?

Throwback Thursday

 

Last week I mentioned being deliriously happy that I found pastina in the grocery store. I was asked what it is.

Pastina is tiny, microscopic, star-shaped pasta. While people think this tiny pasta is made for soup, it really isn't. Tubetini or Orzo are the pastas used for soup.

While other babies start solid food with rice cereal, Italian babies are fed pastina, the food of Life. Pastina plain. Later on pastina with a little butter, with a little butter and Parmesan cheese, sometimes for added protein pastina with a beaten egg. The heat of the pastina cooks the egg.

It's Italian comfort food at it's best. Unless you have to clean up a million sticky, little, stars from a toddler's hands, face, clothes, high chair, table, then it's a pain in the butt to clean up.

Whatcha Doin?

 

Trying to decide whether this afternoon or Friday afternoon would be a better time for the Eldest and I to run some errands. Then we'd treat ourselves to Bubble Tea.

Whatcha doin?

T Stands For Teaching Assistants' Luncheon

Himself chose last Saturday to be the day he takes his teaching assistants out to lunch to thank them for all the work they do helping him in the chemistry lab.

Our friend, Elaine, owner of the UxLocale started a lunch service so that's where we decided to go. Elaine never disappoints.

We ordered some homemade potato chips with an onion dip as an appetizer. I ordered meatball sliders, and I had a glass of unsweetened ice tea with lemon.

Himself ordered The Mac Daddy: shredded mozzarella, ground beef, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed pizza. Did you sing the jingle? I did.

Usually at the lunches some of the students are shy and there are lots of awkward silences. I understand it's hard to talk to strangers who are old enough to be your grandparents. Not this time around.

The two students were bright and funny. We had lots of laughs and lively conversation besides a great lunch.

Drop by hosts, Bleubeard and Elizabeth's blog to find out what the rest of the T Stands For gang is up to. If you want to play, include in your Tuesday post a beverage or container for a beverage. Don't forget to link your blog to Bleubeard and Elizabeth's page.

Do They See Ghosts?

 

Cats sometimes sit still just staring at the ceiling. Do they see ghosts? I quietly approached Calli so I could try to see what she was looking at. It was...

Little fly upon the wall,

ain't you got no clothes at all?

Ain't you got no shimmy shake?

Little fly, ain't you cold?

From a Three Stooges Short recited by "Curly" Howard

How Does Your Garden Grow?

The weather dudes began hyping the snowstorm last week. By last weekend, the storm was downgraded from 8 to 12 inches to 1 to 4 inches. I was happy dancing for the lower totals. 440 school districts across the Commonwealth had cancelled school the night before the storm

Heavy wet snow didn't keep the birds away from the feeder.

At noon, I went to clear snow from the walk, stairs, and to clear the snow off the car. The plow guy hadn't gotten to us yet, but temperatures were supposed to drop and everything would freeze making the clearing much harder.

This was supposed to be a nothing storm. I measured 7.5 inches (19.05 cm) on the walk and it was still snowing!

The gnomes measured a little less, but they are on higher ground.

Most of the state got next to nothing. The band of snow just blew through my area. Deep sigh.

A few days later, we got a dusting of snow. I went to clear the snow from the car and the sky facing West was so pretty. When I was little Himself's dad told me the name of this color was Sky Blue Pink

How does your garden grow?

Happy.Little, Time Waster

 

Typography from Ronnie Bruce on Vimeo.

The Friday Five Good Things

 

Five good things that happened this week.

1. Calli whines at the studio/office door. Lately, she's been flying down the hall to get into the room when the door opens.  I put a baby gate up. She can see in and see me. She's not sure what to make of my cage, but she's not crying at the door anymore while I work

2. Market32 had pastina!

3. I connected with my cousin's daughter (first cousin once removed). We had a nice chat. She's in her 40s now and I felt ancient 😺

4. Himself gave me a solar powered cat mobile and temple bells garden stake for Valentine's Day. though The garden stake  was not what he ordered. He had ordered a cat with a bell stake.

5. Teague and I went out to breakfast. We tried stopping at First Bite in Grafton, but there were people milling around outside as the place wasn't opened. We found another place called Star Donut though the donuts were wiped out. I had a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich on a croissant with home fries. Yummy and very reasonably priced.

How was your week?

Out to Lunch

 

Schedules haven't collided for two weeks so today I'm out to lunch with Teague. We're actually going out for breakfast, but may go out for lunch, too.

Whatcha Doin?

 

I'm cutting and chopping ingredients for crockpot freezer meals. Whatcha doin?

T Stands For The Rodent Lied

The Groundhog didn't see his shadow so we were supposed to have an early Spring. The weather dudes also lied. The Nor'easter that had been hyped all weekend as bring 8 - 12 inches of snow in my area, and caused nearly all the school systems across the state to close, was downgraded late Monday night. Snow totals to 3 to 6 inches. Though it was hard to tell on the weather map, we might be on the 1 to 3 inches of snow line. 

It's a good day to stay inside and

to sip a cup of tea.

Drop by hosts, Bleubeard and Elizabeth's blog to find out what the rest of the T Stands For gang is up to. If you want to play, include in your Tuesday post a beverage or container for a beverage. Don't forget to link your blog to Bleubeard and Elizabeth's page.

Happy Mail

Friday was a jackpot, happy mail day.

Elizabeth and Bleubeard sent a 10th anniversary T Day ATC, a charming kitty and 10 teacups. Two postcards don't that have any snow on them and note signed by E and Bleubeard. It took a day or two for me to get to the post office box where Elizabeth mailed the goodies. Thank you, Elizabeth and Bleubeard (and thanks to Squiggles, too) for such a wonderful surprise. I didn't expect an ATC as I didn't participate in the exchange. So many thanks for thinking of me.

For those that like stamps, Elizabeth used the Year of the Ox stamp issued in a virtual ceremony sponsored by the Chicago Chinatown Chamber of Commerce. USPS did a great job of running Elizabeth's envelope through the cancellator. Such a nice, crisp postmark.

L, my tablemate from the 2017 year-long class with Reggie Ezzell surprised me with a Valentine. L loves sheep and they feature in her artwork. Even more surprising is the stamp didn't receive a cancellation mark though the city where the card was posted is printed as well as the bar code along the bottom.

L doesn't read the blog so I'll be sending her a note thanking her for the Valentine.

She used the new 2024 Love stamp issued January 12, 2024, Romance, AR 72136

My blog buddy, Phillip from Envelope 100 sent me a first day issue, complete in a cellophane wrapper with a cardboard insert to keep everything flat, the festive, metallic envelope and lovely notecard. Thank you, Phillip, I was blown away by your thoughtfulness.

The first day issue have the date and place where the stamps were issued along with a special cancellation mark based on one of the animal stamps.  There are 4 animal stamps in the Woodland Animal series and you can see them on the flat that Phillip mailed to a friend.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Harvey is back! With the temperatures being so cold, Harvey hasn't reported outside temperatures or the high and low. I think the battery in the outside monitor device freezes, but it was warm enough this day.

Look at that, a 42! I haven't seen a 42 in quite sometime.

We went out in the afternoon expecting to return after sunset and forgot to turn on the outside lights. No worries. Santa and the Snowmen lit the way for us

Look at the high last Saturday! 53 oF. (12 oC)!

With above normal temps. and some rain, most of the snow is gone from the front yard. Except the little snowball sitting in the front window. Hi, Calli!

The backyard Tundra

No snow on the solar panels, but that will change by Tuesday as a Nor'easter is forecasted. The National Weather Service is predicting 4 to 8 inches of heavy, wet snow for my area. Is it July, yet?

Happy, Little, Time Waster

 

19 Sound Effects on a Violin

The Friday Five Good Things

 

Five good things that happened this week.

1. I made a lovely roast beef dinner, and he, he, Himself carved the roast beast.

2. I had an appointment in Boston and made good time going into the city.

3. Calli and I saw a bluebird at the mealworm feeder.

4. Chatted with my friend from Minnesota

5. I went to Best Buy and bought a very nice, cheap inexpensive keyboard

How was your week?

Free Time

 

No play day with Teague today so I have some unexpected free time. What will I do? Will I find some hole to clean? Catch up on projects?

Nah, knowing me, I'll probably fritter the time away.

Whatcha doin?

 

I didn't think I had anything specific to do today except to teach my online class tonight. The day may have other plans. 

The number 3 key on my keyboard is stuck. I maybe be running out to buy a new keyboard.

Whatcha doin?

T Stands for Teacups and Hearts

 

 I was searching Freepik.com for a background image to use during February on my blog. I found these cute teacups with heart-shaped cookies and one teacup with a heart-shaped handle. 

Help yourself to cookies, coffee, tea, or hot chocolate.

Drop by hosts, Bleubeard and Elizabeth's blog to find out what the rest of the T Stands For gang is up to. If you want to play, include in your Tuesday post a beverage or container for a beverage. Don't forget to link your blog to Bleubeard and Elizabeth's page.

Row Your Boat

 

Sometimes you hit a patch of white water, and all you can do is row your boat and go with the flow.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

A bird at the mealworm feeder! It's not a bluebird, but someone is eating the mealworms.

Animal tracks in the spirit of the month

Busy feet

An avalanche ready to go

Attempted murder

The sun finally came out after a week of snow/ice and cloud days. Bye-bye snow and ice on the driveway.

Another avalanche is forming.

How does your garden grow?