The Extra Step to Victorious Living

[ellenmelon]

homeopathy worked for the thinking clarity as always, remarkable since the stress of travelling was there, still enjoying the benefit

uti non existent so looking at other causes for BPS

have returned to WW guidlelines to drop a few pounds that aren't helping

garden is lush and productive with the rains and cool temps we've been having, need to watch for late blight on tomatoes and potatoes

enjoying a lunchtime salad each day
still looking for work past next April
hoping hubby has job through next March
could be an interesting spring next spring

DD2 got her roommate name and we are waiting to hear back email, roommate not blatantly on facebook so that is a good sign, once burnt twice shy with the roommate thing with dd1

had a great time at the wedding with bluegrass band, outdoor ceremony, thunderstorms that passed us by, few bugs only, about 150 guests and each received a homemade pottery tumbler made by the bride, learned how to cut a watermelon by chopping it with a hand saw! slept for three hours in the car when the airport wouldn't open until 4:30 am for our 6 am flight in the town nearby, figured out that dd1s bf is going to be all right after all for her, interesting, nothing like a road trip to tell all, good news

[ellenmelon]

I have been finding simpler means to clean our labware and can say that using a pampered chef brown scraper works really well for removing silicone (think fishtanks if you want)

electronics going well and still studying

moved the living room to the family room, the family room downstairs, and the tv room to the living room, a good switch as it will keep the tv noise levels out of the bedrooms

dd2s roommate responded but briefly so dd2 tried again with being friendly so will see what the nature of the beast that lies within will be

[ellenmelon]

The weekend brought us a baseball game in Pittsburgh (a win on Saturday night and a loss on Sunday afternoon) and before that a look at the new Robot exhibit at the Science Museum. The exhibit has appeal to a variety of ages. I especially enjoyed the history of robots through movies and through actual robotic development. They even had an ethics panel where one is queried about robots and interactions with humans in daily life. Also took a look at the model railroad and a debate between my dd2 and I on whether the water in the lake was real or not was quickly settled by a museum worker, yes the water is real and must be filtered and changed often.

Sunday evening we had a nice dinner of Bertolli chicken and bow ties with added chicken, colorful sweet peppers, and garden sweet peas. Six for dinner with boyfriends present and then marshmellows by the campfire. We have one of those backyard campfire stands on legs and use it often, very relaxing after a long summer day.

DD2 hears more from roommate to be and looks not bad, promising.

I get permission from the genetics professor to attend his lectures and am waiting on the intro to molecular biology

[ellenmelon]

one week of good eating, fiber, fresh veggies and fruits, only a little bit of snacking and that within reason, so tomorrow hopefully a good visit at the doctors and hopefully next year this time an even better report

dinner is ribs on the grill, parboiled first, then oven herb potatoes, corn, and and and pineapple for dessert, too tired to go pick wash and prep a salad

[ellenmelon]

got my biology text book yesterday, after a week of reading the answer key, being able to read the text is a treat

cleaned out under my desk at work, had to, moving from an office that was 10 x 10 to a desk that is 4 feet wide was a challenge and remains so,,,but all my text books are in order and I am busy reading ahead for class...my dd1 forewarned me that it's 4 chapters for every class and it is hard to keep up with it, so I am getting started now and some of the electronics time will have to be shoved over to the dinner table eating time (when I eat alone, not when family is there!)

[ellenmelon]

seems like every day in the summer brings some new things.

dd2 is off to a week long hiking trip with school, it is 2/3 of her phys ed credits, a pretty decent deal, they have a journal to keep and some reports to make but all in all, what a way to do your PE credits!

back at home I found a picture of her roommate, looks normal and reasonable, was the salutatorian of her class so no problem there with studying...after the nightmare of a roommate that dd1 had, we have hopes that this time will be much better

it's almost everything I can do to not email the roommate and invite her and her parents up to spend the day so they can be reassured that my dd2 is a decent and reasonable person...summer is so nice and peaceful here and the fall is so nutso crazy it might be nice for the roommate to see campus at a leisurely pace.

dd1 and I set up a sleeping space for the bf...he spends a lot of time at our house. I wanted to keep dd2s room available to her anytime she wants to come home for the night or two, so we set up a bed in the basement (which is finished and carpeted) in our old yoga and meditation corner. It is a peaceful and private spot and he said he got a good night's rest last night (after the long, bad, and very tiring day he had with walking to work/church/town and back many miles each time each way).

He works nights so if he takes care of our dog at noontime and then comes into town it will be good for him because he can sleep in and then let the dog out, take the bus in and then we can get him later. We won't have to leave work to run home and take care of the dog...that would be a relief on our gas bills.

clearing out the space meant taking 25 grocery bags full of magazines and old school notes to the recycling center and there is more to go to make that room tidy and habitable

I am going to figure out a way to get a bus pass for him so he can also ride the bus to/from his regular home.

still cooking up a storm and with veggies coming in at the gardens, have plenty to bake with, made a pineapple upside down cake with a carrot cake batter and it was fantabulous...almost none left and this morning one of the researchers thanked me for the good chocolate zucchini bread I brought in last week...nice to be productive again

[ellenmelon]

sloth got me last night

I had a whole night ahead of me but ate leftovers and then sat on the couch and watched some teen movie

this morning I made up for it and put two loads of laundry in and made the beds

hopefully tonight I can get going again on the decluttering and finish out the desk switching I started two weeks ago

the late blight has gotten our tomatoes at our home garden but last check at the community garden they were okay, we are on a border plot so maybe that helps plus the winds blow on us first and then the other plots, will look up fungicides for at home but think it is too late for it now

garden beans are coming in and they are good and the voles haven't found our beets and I hope they don't either

[ellenmelon]

ah she is home, bug bitten but very happy

first out of her was the request for PIZZA, the food was decent though with fajitas, spaghetti, tacos, mac and cheese and something else starchy

the next words were about even though onthe third day they took second in the race to the new pavilion, they got the pavilion with the fireplace, perfect because that was the night it rained and they had a fire, the only one of the trip because all cooking in the woods was from a gas stove, again, leave no trace behind

hygiene highlights were about the bathrooming, schmoo and schmee, with points awarded for accuracy at your self dug hole, which matters when you want to leave no trace behind, along with using leaves and not tp unless absolutely necessary, desitin anyone?

friendships forged for a bit and I hope for a long time although I think your major and the people in your classes are another source of friendships

I had to go back to work so I guess I will hear more later but I bet she showers, eats, and then sleeps all afternoon...and then sees bf tonight...

watched a movie last night on video New In Town, heartwarming and sweet, also short enough to also have time for the deleted scenes and background info about filming in 60 below Winnipeg! was Harry Connick Jr and Renee Zellweger

oh yes, and a decadent pigout on half a cantaloupe, eaten right out of the shell with a spoon

[ellenmelon]

now we've got the sheets and bedspread and extra wastecan, all that is left to do are a few clothing items and packing

been a long two weeks at work, doing extra at night and attended a bioinformatics seminar the last two mornings, interesting info

think I am going home early with a baseball game slated for tomorrow and in the future putting down some carpet squares for my mil - i will make the food and let the others do the manual heavy work...anyone have experience with the glue on those? comes off easily or not bec the plan is to put them down on hardwood flooring...

a quick Sunday visit to my mom was wonderful, she looks great but could tell after three hours was tiring but very happy for all nonetheless

[ellenmelon]

drove down to my mother's late Friday night, she had been admitted to the hospital for CHF, and had a bad episode but they got it under control and I left Saturday afternoon, happily and rested because dd1 came with me and helped with the late night driving (11 pm to 2:30 am), ah youth, such energy...

started a pair of purple mittens because when I am an old lady I will wear purple, striped with variegated teal and white

late blight on the tomatoes, one small crop of cherry tomatoes with cukes and olives for dinner and now must pull the plants, in time to replant something else for fall though so will see what to put in now

generous gifts of cukes from friends and neighbors are very appreciated!

dd1 and her bf helped cover the dining room chairs, very nice, rust slubbed tweed with gold shot through it, put on a late summer ivy and fruit harvest tablecloth and used the summer scenes from the johnsonville plates with green glasses for dinner, a change from the everyday blue

made a venison stew with tenderloin, dredged and browned then set aside until the veggies and gravy were done and then added in the meat at the last, gravy's secret ingredients from a cookbook my mother had by Ellie Krieger, cocoa and rosemary