Steve had jury duty again on Monday so I took a vacation day to see all the Christmas (which was especially wonderful because it was not super crowed and I did not have anyone complaining while I spent my time soaking it all in!)
It was super cold, but the sun was out and it was truly a gorgeous day. I even managed some knitting time with a hot cuppa while I warmed up.
Into every bloggers life, there comes that moment when you say to yourself – wow, I would love to hang out with all of them, like every day! And, you wonder what might happen if you could spend a few hours with a blogger friend. Would it feel like you have known each other forever? Would it be weird? Would they be nothing like their blog? Would it be the best time ever.
That happened to me this week…on Monday I was incredibly fortunate to be able to spend a couple of hours with Kym and it was so awesome! (Really, you can’t tell at all that I was having any fun especially with the grin I have from ear to ear and I think subliminally I am trying to hang on to her so she could not leave… lol)
So, true fact – we are a one car household and Steve heads off to work at the ass crack of dawn, so yeah – my hair was looking marvelous – not. Oy.Vey. And, I cannot even believe I am sharing the above photo…haha! Although, Kym tried to clue me in on the angle thing… she won the day for sure! (Also, her Peace Cowl is gorgeous! And, Peace Cowl… Peace Sign Earrings – she had it all going on! Oh, and her LipSense was perfect!!)
So – because you probably want to know – it did feel like we knew each other, it was not weird, she is even more incredible than her blog, and it was the best time ever!
But, you know what Dickens said about the best of times; it is directly followed by the worst of times…
Yep, enter Thursday… and the day of the DOCTORS APPOINTMENT.
I simply love how everything about visiting the doctor is “hurry up and wait” – I mean really. I get to the appointment (early) and I am told that in 10 minutes I can check in via a “remote user-friendly” access point. Why the 10-minute wait? Apparently, you cannot check in more than 30 minutes early!
Once the 10-minutes have expired, I head off to the kiosk to “check in” only to have the remote log in station tell me I need to go to the desk to check in. I kid you not. They needed to get my “finger print” for future visits… really. So, how hard would it have been to ask me that first? (or freaking look at the record, which they have access to on their computer system – right?) By now, it is about 15 minutes before my appointment time and I am pleasantly surprised when they call me back almost immediately.
This surprise quickly was squelched when I realized that I was only being taken to another ‘waiting area’ where the board with all the physician’s names were listed along with if they were “on time” for appointments. Please note, every physician BUT mine was on time. My physician – 30 minutes BEHIND.
However, I am not the only one sitting in “cattle class” and the children there are beyond adorable so I have plenty to keep me occupied. (AND, dear Armand Gamache was with me too!!)
So, by now it is over an hour after my ‘scheduled appointment’ and I finally get the fun necessary part started – you know, those lovely vitals. I was most certain my blood pressure would be at dangerous levels… however, crazy as it may be my BP was LOWER than it has ever been (and I have never had high blood pressure) and when I had to get on the scale, the nurse said – wow, you have lost weight! I wanted to do the dance of joy! So maybe that was the fun part after all.
The appointment ended on the highest of notes – my very behind doctor is behind for a reason, he actually talks with his patients and more importantly – he listens to what they say. My office is a “teaching office” so he usually has a “doctor in training” with him – so if he can share with the new generation of physicians that this is the most crucial part of being a doctor, I don’t mind waiting.
Oh, and I won the “award of the day” for listening to him about losing weight.
The REAL reward of the day was (a very late for us) dinner at Casa Reyna’s in the Strip – with Guacamole prepared tableside and Margaritas for two! (Because you know Guacamole and Margaritas are the BEST of diet foods! LOL)
Now, how about some links?
First up – did you all notice the excellent update to Ravelry this week? If not, you should head there and look! It is AWESOME!
Next… this craziness happened this week. Really… I know, crazy!
That is all I have for this week, have a safe and very happy St. Pat’s Day! See you back here on Monday!
It’s Tuesday and that means that Carole wants to know:
10 Songs About Where You Live
Hmmm….
About now would be the perfect time to be from Chicago, New York, or San Francisco, but, Pittsburgh???
Now I know lots of songs, but not a single one about Pittsburgh. Thankfully the Google was able to help me out on this one!
Pittsburgh Town by Woodie Guthrie
There’s a Pawnshop on the Corner by Bob Merrill
Ode to Pittsburgh by Louden Wainwright III
Pumping Iron by the Iron City Houserockers
Homestead Town by Mike Stout
Pittsburgh by They Might Be Giants
Dahntahn by Mark Eddie. And really I do not know anyone who talks like this. Promise.
I Love Pittsburgh by Jimmy Sapienza
I’m In Pittsburgh by the Outcasts
And you really can’t do a list of songs about Pittsburgh, and skip the Steelers….
Black and Yellow by Wiz Khalifa
And, one bonus song, from my most loved home town – Holland, Michigan – home of the Tulip Time Festival:
Tulips are Blooming in Holland, Michigan
Personally, these kids singing might be the best thing ever. Do you have a song your city is famous for?
It was a warm summer weekend here in the ‘Burgh. Our usual Friday snacks were done Al Fresco, including a Bee’s Knees Cocktail, and it was so nice to have a spot on the cool porch to sit. There were beautiful breezes though, which made sitting under the pergola after we had eaten a real treat.
The Fireflies even put on a light show. It was really a lovely evening.
Saturday was Mt. Lebanon Farmer Market and a visit to our favorite farmer. He still has strawberries and we got some raspberries as well. I turned both fruits into jams – another batch of Judy’s Oven Roasted Strawberry Jam and Nigella Lawson’s “Hand’s Free Raspberry Jam.” I have not tried the raspberry jam as yet, but I will give it points in simplicity. I am not sure how it will set up but, worst case scenario – it will be perfect in plain Greek yogurt. I will let you know when I have tried it.**
Saturday also saw us spending another good chunk of the day in the gardens. There were some things that still needed planting (3 Weigela bushes and 4 Salvia plants, to be exact) all of which required the expansion of a garden bed.
I also began working on the clue number four for the mystery shawl – however, I think my brain was done in by the heat from earlier in the day – I kept making the same mistake over and over. If you like me are having some issues with the Knit 5 Together’s – I think Lorilee Beltman has something that might help you – it certainly helped me!
Some easier knitting was in order in the form of Carole’s Picot Edge Socks! A pair completed and I immediately cast on another pair. This is really my favorite knit.
Sunday we decided to make the early trek to Mount Washington to cross an item off my Summer Bucket List – a sunrise was beautiful and the skies were clear. It made getting up at the crack of dawn so worthwhile!
Hope your Monday is over before you realize it and it is filled with a little of this and that.
**The worst case scenario is really excellent on yogurt. Oh man, so excellent!
After a very cold, snowy, blowy weekend a milder Monday has arrived. Milder temperatures, softer breezes, and gentle rains greeted my morning.
It was so bitterly icy and cold on Sunday morning I am afraid I may have lost my poppy and yarrow, which were growing nicely and this morning look quite miserable. I could just cry!
But, there was some fun this weekend!!
There was a simple, but delicious Friday Cocktail Supper. A bit of hummus, salami, carrots, grapes, crackers, and Manhattans were perfect to usher in the weekend.
There were new herbs obtained. They smell so much like summer! I am itching to get in my garden, but these little beauties are a nice way to pacify that urge until the weather is more conducive to gardening!
There was some spinning. I think I did a fairly good job of replicating the singles in the Briar Rose Yarn, I won’t know until I have washed the yarn though. I hope to ply and finish the sample skein later today and maybe it will be dry enough to knit a sample with it tomorrow or Wednesday!
And there was an impromptu get away on Saturday night – a change of scenery can have a positive impact! And, confession time – I took knitting, but I did not knit one stitch! There was some discussion of Sheep and Wool in Maryland, and while I know Steve is not overly thrilled about the prospect, I think we figured out an option to satisfy (okay, maybe not satisfy exactly) err, make it work.
On our way home we stopped for lunch at Fathead’s – two words – Buffalo Cauliflower. The sandwiches and beers were fantastic (I mean, a Reuben with Kimchi?? YUM!!) but the Buffalo Cauliflower stole the show! The cauliflower was not at all over cooked, and it was not breaded! I think this might be a fairly healthy option if you are a fan of wings! There was much discussion of how we could replicate this for our Friday Night cocktail suppers. I think we might have figured it out, stay tuned to see.
I hope your Monday is like the weather here today – mild, soft, and gentle.
