We write to taste life twice

Last day for NaBloPoMo! Then I can slack and not post for a day or two. Although I doubt I'll run out of things to say for the next several weeks. :)

Today's moving tasks: photographing things in the bedroom and finishing the book inventory.

Non-moving tasks: taking the dogs for a nail trim

I'm starting to assess what we need to use up in the fridge, freezer, and pantry. I'm happy to give away any unopened packages of food that we have, but I'm trying to use up condiments and spices. And obviously, the opened packages of food. Therefore, tonight's dinner was cheeseburgers and tater tots. And we'll have it again, because there are still burger patties and tater tots left over.

So...I have 2 kinds of mustard (both pretty full bottles) and a lot of Heinz 57 to use up. I see a lot of meals featuring these two things in our near future. Time to get creative and figure out how to incorporate them into recipes. I should also include honey in this because honey is great with either of these things, and I also have a bottle of that to use up. Hmmm...and mango chutney, which will probably work better with Heinz 57 than mustard.

This will be our only Christmas decoration this year.



And that's only because Mom shipped it to me from Grandma's house, and it arrived with one of the peppercorn eyes missing. I just glued that back into place today, and hung it on the hutch. I have to put it in the Christmas box anyway. I might as well just wait until after Christmas.

I think Grandma got this at her Christmas party with her siblings. It was still hanging in her kitchen when I arrived in late January. I guess it used to hang by the back door all year round. It was either Mom or Sue that wanted to make sure SOMEBODY in the family got this, because the stocking is made out of an antique quilt that's been passed down through the family on Grandma's side. The quilt had apparently seen better days, so stockings were made from it. I seem to remember something similar happening several years back with a quilt being made into pillows. Either Mom or Sue has that pillow now, I suppose. And I, the eldest granddaughter, am now keeper of the heirloom quilt stocking.

I glued a few other things of Grandma's back together too. Pretty much everything that came in that box arrived broken - some of it beyond repair. I thought the little angel bell that once graced her fireplace mantel could be saved. But I couldn't repair it. The wings broke off, and I tried to glue them back on separately, and that didn't work. And I realized that the wings fit together, so I glued the wings together and then tried to glue them on the back, and that also didn't work. I think another piece chipped off somewhere that I no longer have. I had to throw it out.

I have another ceramic knick-knack that I tried to glue back together, but the broken piece wouldn't adhere no matter how much glue I used or how long I held it together (I was using Gorilla Glue, btw). I just fit the broken piece into place and left it alone, hoping it would adhere on its own. And it seems like it is, but there is a big enough gap between the broken piece and the rest of it that I think it'll break during the move and I'll have to glue it again.

There was another angel with one broken wing. I successfully repaired it, but you can still see a crack, and I'm pretty sure it'll break again during the move. That was something handmade by Grandma's SIL in 1990, so I would really like to save it if I can.

So that's been my main task today...trying to repair these little trinkets. None of these things are items I have memories of growing up (one of the few things I took from her house that does is the tiny metal and stained glass hand mirror that I used to play with). But they have sentimental value simply because they were once in Grandma's house, and they are the only tangible things that still connect me to it.

The bad news (unless you're a Michigan fan) - Ohio State lost today. But they put up a damn good fight. Considering our last two games, I wasn't feeling optimistic anyway, but considering we've dominated over the past decade and it looks like we're getting a new coach...well, there's always next year.

Otherwise, it's been a good day. I've been very productive. Two loads of laundry done and one in the washing machine. I bathed both dogs (and cleaned up the aftermath). I am nearly done photographing all of our movies for inventory. And I suppose I'll vacuum at some point when Lance is watching something that's okay to interrupt (he's got one of the Indiana Jones movies on right now).

Lance needed to buy a couple new pairs of Levi's, so we headed to the Levi's Outlet Store at the SuperMall. Fifteen minutes later, Lance had 2 new pairs of jeans, and we popped into the Sprint store there to get car chargers for our phones. They were on sale for $10 each (original price - $29.99). SCORE!

He decided to go to Walmart, even though looking at the parking lot was enough to turn me off from going in. But it wasn't that bad. We made a quick trip to the automotive and electronics departments, but didn't turn up anything he was looking for. Then we got a few groceries. Unfortunately, their bakery is no longer selling pumpkin rolls. They had red velvet cake rolls instead. I suppose that's actually a good thing, since I don't really NEED more dessert. But at least I got the ingredients to make penne alfredo with Italian sausage tomorrow night.

We made a quick stop at Home Depot before going home. I stayed in the car and there was a guy sitting in the parking lot playing guitar. He was just outside our Subaru. He was very talented, actually, so it was nice for me to sit in the car and listen to him play.

Home now and I want to relax this evening. I'm just reheating meatballs for dinner. I think I want to watch Mary Poppins or something this evening, but it's likely that I'll watch it on my laptop. I'm sure Lance will find something he wants to watch tonight, and I'm pretty sure it'll be something that I have absolutely no interest in seeing.

"Small cheer and great welcome makes a merry feast." - William Shakespeare (The Comedy of Errors)

It was nice to wake up (early, thanks dogs) to the realization that I did most of the grunt work yesterday. In about 45 minutes, I'll get started on the scalloped corn, which has to bake at 325 degrees. I'll take that out, turn the heat up to 350, and roast the tenderloin for an hour or so. Then I'll take that out, turn up the heat to 375, and finish off the mushrooms that must start roasting while the turkey is still in the oven.

And then I'll also need to reheat the scalloped corn, make the stuffing, and warm up the gravy (from a jar, since I doubt I'll get any juices from the turkey tenderloin).

The mashed potatoes are reheating in the slow cooker right now. Because I *HAVE* to incorporate my slow cooker into Thanksgiving. I have never had a Thanksgiving without it. :)

It's been a fairly leisurely morning. Had a light breakfast, as I usually do on Thanksgiving: a couple slices of cranberry bread, vanilla yogurt, and coffee. Made phone calls and texted Thanksgiving greetings. Watched A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.

This has been the worst year of my life. But today, I'm thankful that this year is coming to an end, and it's ending better than it started. I'm thankful for what's ahead in 2012. I'm thankful for every single friend who supported me through all the highs and lows this year. I'm thankful for the closeness of my family. And I'm thankful that Lance and I are fighting through all of life's difficulties together.

Also, I'm thankful my dogs are so cute, so I can't get too mad about them getting me up so early every morning. :)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!!

The house is starting to get clean. And I found that listening to the Michael Buble channel on Pandora helps me with that. Don't ask me why. I felt compelled to listen to his music (which I enjoy when I hear it on the radio, but never beyond that before), and Pandora threw in some Sinatra and Dean Martin. And it was all very happy-making. And the cleaning got done.

And I'm feeling pretty good today. No shoulder soreness/discomfort like yesterday. I took a nap this afternoon, which I needed on account of the dogs always waking me up so early in the morning.

Looking forward to Thursday. Tomorrow, I have a bit more cleaning, and I have to bake a loaf of cranberry bread. I have no plans to go anywhere, so I suspect that tomorrow will be much like today. Only tomorrow's dinner may be better. I made tuna and noodles for dinner this evening, and it was pretty bland. To be honest, I was craving a huge, steaming bowl of bibimbap from Chopstick Teriyaki. I really should go back there and get some before we leave. That's the perfect dish for nasty weather like what we had today.

I had a morning of baking (and I started laundry, too), but the afternoon was for yard work. Lance did most of it, since my shoulder's still not entirely healed, but I felt strong enough to help him with the leaves. The windstorm we had a few days ago dumped a bunch of leaves all over our front and back yard, so Lance blew the leaves into piles with the leaf blower and I picked them up and put them in the yard waste bin. I was outside for almost an hour.

It was kind of chilly - upper 30s. But the longer I worked, the warmer I got. I have to say that my shoulder hurts more now that I'm inside. I hope it doesn't get any worse. I felt like I could handle it.

I'm making tacos for dinner tonight. I decided on this a bit late, so the beef will mostly be frozen, but it wouldn't be the first time I made something with frozen ground beef. It'll thaw out once I put it in the pan.

There's a good possibility we'll wake up to snow tomorrow. That might cause some traffic issues, but Lance said it should be warm enough by 9 AM or so to switch to rain. And then it would be a bit safer for me to go out. Because I need to deliver the turkey to the food pantry tomorrow and then go to the grocery store to pick up some things. I should stop by my salon and get my bangs trimmed too, although I'm actually almost due for a haircut. But that can wait a little longer.

It's going to be strange to wake up in the morning and not have any editing to think about. Instead, I have spreadsheets to think about...I need to start the list making for our move. Titles of movies and books we own. Descriptions of electronics with serial numbers. I also have some house cleaning to do.

I think I'm mostly done working for today, with the exception of cooking dinner and cleaning up after that. And I want to tackle some of the paper pile that needs shredding.

I am somewhat inebriated after 2 glasses of Gewurztraminer. Lucky me...I still have impeccable spelling. HAHA.

But yes, this is my celebratory "I'm moving on to bigger and better things" toast to myself that I'm having right now.

I spent my afternoon watching Gosford Park. Kind of confusing movie. Too many things going on at once. But somehow, I liked it. I would watch it again. It might even make more sense the next time.

Anyway, allow me to write about the good that came from working with Remilon.

I learned that I can combine my writing and editing skills with my teaching background (in a way that does not involve teaching, I mean). I guess I never thought about it before I worked for Remilon, but there are people who write and edit for the education market. And it is something that can make a difference. And I like doing it. And I like doing something that can make a difference. And working for Remilon has taught me that writing for the education market is something I want to do with my life. It's something important. It's something worthwhile.

So, there is that. And I think D.C. has the potential to provide a lot of opportunities in education writing.

Made Grandma's beef and noodles tonight. It's a nostalgia thing. I grew up on her beef and noodles and nothing pleased me more than to come for a visit and have her fix them for supper.

Simple recipe. You mix cooked egg noodles, a 12 oz. can of roast beef with gravy (I used Hormel), and a can of cream of mushroom soup. Sour cream is optional (and I would've added some, if I had it). I'm discovering now just how simple many of her recipes are. I added some onion powder and fresh cracked pepper, but I used the low sodium soup, and I could've added some salt. She always served biscuits with beef and noodles, but I made crescent rolls.

Hit the spot. Lance just ate some leftover pizza, but there are plenty of noodles left for him to eat for dinner tomorrow.

***

I now have a pair of appropriate and practical winter boots. And of course, I bought a new winter coat a few weeks back. Now I just need a good pair of Thinsulate gloves (I was looking at some at Target today - going to ask for them for Christmas), some extra thick socks (to wear with said boots), and a Thinsulate headband (I don't like hats too much), and I'll be good to go. I have a lot of knitwear, which is fine for when it's chilly. But when it's super cold, I want something a bit warmer.

***

Once I'm totally unemployed in a few days (or, to be more precise, employed in the task of moving), I'll have a chance to get caught up on movies when I'm taking a break from doing inventories and sorting through things. I checked this morning, and Netflix actually has Gosford Park. Being the obsessed Downton Abbey fan that I am, I really should watch it, because Julian Fellowes wrote both and the fabulous Maggie Smith stars in both. And there are a lot if similarities between the two. I think I'll do this on Monday during the day, because I want a few days to relax before things start to get super hectic after Thanksgiving.

There is snow in the mountain passes today. On Twitter, I've seen posts about accidents and spinouts and jackknifed semis on Snoqualmie Pass. Of course, this is the EXACT route we're taking when we leave Seattle in 8 weeks, and even with traction tires and snow chains, we can't be guaranteed of total safety. It's the other drivers that worry me, and it's obvious from all the problems today that people still drive carelessly in bad weather.

Frankly, this is the part about moving that scares me the most. Well, it's the only part that really scares me, honestly. If only we could be making this drive any other time of year, but it's not possible.

But that's two months from now. I'll try not to worry about it until we leave. For now, I'm going to try to focus on the upcoming holidays and all the tasks that need to be completed before the movers get here.

Speaking of holidays - Thanksgiving is in 10 days. It's always been my favorite holiday. I'm anxious to start cooking already. It's too early yet, of course, but I'll probably start my food prep next Tuesday. I usually make the cranberry sauce a couple days in advance. This year is a bit of a bittersweet holiday for me, for more than one reason. I keep thinking that next year, I should be able to get home to Ohio. We'll be so much closer, and I'll be there for more holidays...more special occasions. That might very well be the best thing about moving.

I'm copping out of a NaBloPoMo post on LJ today.

Instead, I'll link to a post I made on my other blog. My much more interesting blog with fewer posts...

http://itinerantwriter.blogspot.com/2011/11/dungeness-recreation-area-and-port.html