Monday freebie of Halloween 2017

Not feeling well (lightheaded & don't know why) so was going to post Monday early (not quite 11 pm Sunday now) and just saw that Friday and Saturdays posts are no where to be found! Not even a case of forgetting to "publish." The drafts aren't even there & I remember previewing and publishing both! I don't have any idea what happened.

Forgetting any message there might have been to go with pieces of Halloween 2017, here is Fruday's zip:

Link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/hqm7xyvfkrzzeib/ws_Halloween2017_1.zip?dl=0
Saturday:

Link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/3klepph4c5prj8g/ws_Halloween2017_2.zip?dl=0
And Monday's:

Link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/fsajkdc7s79zjkq/ws_Halloween2017_3.zip?dl=0

Last day of Boho Baby freebie

This is it - last day of Boho Baby:

Link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/og5oeultbg3k0l5/ws_BohoBaby_30.zip?dl=0

Tomorrow we begin with a Halloween kit. No fancy title, just going with Halloween 2017. Typical colors. Finished Sandy's lapghan last night and started a messy bun hat for Robin, one of our pharmacists. I'm off to go back to Dad's and work, then come home and do more work. Relaxation today will be watching Big Bang Theory and crocheting. Oh and packing up first zip of Halloween kit for tomorrow.

Hugs!

Mid week & freebie

Got a few things done yesterday but not all I'd planned. Went to post office with a packed envelope of papers to send to paralegal and a stack of bills ready to go out. Had solved the mystery of APS retirement vs New York Life retirement checks. Don't know how the paralegal missed it but I had too. The check stub from New York Life clearly reads APS pension plan/retirement check! So that one stub we had reading APS from December 2016 was just a summary of benefits paid that year. The paralegal kep putting it down in calculations as a $300+ check he received monthly. I suppose because who can imagine only getting $56/month as pension payment? But APS, which my husband remembered stood for Auto Parts Services (or did he say Systems?) - anyway that company went bankrupt soon after my father retired and it seems New York Life picked up the pieces of the pension plan. They must have done some investing because the most recent check stub shows that this year so far they have paid out more than $500.

I stopped by Dollar Tree on my way to my parents house and was able to pick up a few small boxes. I started by tagging a few things I know are going to various family members. Then I went into the "car room" and started going through a couple stacks of papers to see if they were something I needed to keep or trash. The only things not trash were some tax assessments on the house and paperwork for the covered gutter system Dad had installed a few years back. Next I cleaned out the desk drawers and filled boxes with adding machine tape (there's an adding machine somewhere in the house), scratch pads and post-it notes etc. When I ran out of small containers to box the stuff up, I put the other small office supplies in the long top drawer. Took a couple boxes back to Dad's bedroom and boxed up outwear Tee shirts, bagged clean but used undies & socks for thrift store.

Next I decided to gather up family photos. Thom and I had discussed seeing stacks of frames in the bottoms of the closets in my old bedroom and the car room. I began pulling out those in the car room. The majority of the frames were empty! Started boxing those up. Found my paternal grandparent's 50th anniversary album and the album I made my parents for their 50th and set those aside. The only photos I found in frames were a couple from my brother's wedding, a small collage with his boys, and a double frame with my son's graduation photo on one side and wedding photo of John and I on the other. Put the ones for my brother on the bed he'll use when visiting and mine in a bag to take home. I was especially looking for a photo of my mother taken when she was 16 for her piano recital. So beautiful. It used to be on the dresser in my old room but was moved at some point. Figured I'd find it in the closet there. Pulled out more empty frames! No clue to what Dad did with the photos that used to be in them. I wasn't feeling well - stomach pain again - and began to get upset over the missing photos. Why had he taken them out of their frames? What did he do with them? If he didn't want them, why didn't he ask me if I did? He's asked me about other stuff he wanted to remove - odd things. I would have said yes. Suddenly I was sweating and it was only 71 degrees in the house. I had planned to go to the bank to deposit a check and get funds, drop off my mortgage payment, and stop at the grocery store for a few things. Started having bad reflux with acid coming up in my throat and serious headache. Had to come home and go to bed. Pretty well ended my day, once again unable to do much more than sip water.

Today is better but then I slept in late because I was up and down all night. Deb, your suggestions about the buttermilk were right on target. And, as it turned out, my husband had made buttermilk pancakes for his breakfast and saved some batter for me. He was happy to make it for me when I got up and they were so good! I've only had buttermilk pie once when I was at a tearoom in Richmond but a dear friend who was with me had given me her recipe for it. Wanda said their mother used to make it often when they lived in West Virginia. Thanks to Deb's suggestion, I'm going to pull that recipe out and get busy.

We are supposed to pick up Sissy and John E. and go for Chinese buffet tonight. To be honest, I'd rather stay home and do liquids but if I don't go, my husband won't and everyone's plans are ruined. Guess I will make a show of craving wonton or egg drop soup and then get a little rice. Afraid to do anything heavy.

Finally, here is another Boho Baby zip:

Link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/oyunfytxgmruaua/ws_BohoBaby_29.zip?dl=0

Cooking adventures, clearing things up & freebie

It's about 1 am here and I'm still up because of an upset tummy. Hope to get a lot done tomorrow so going ahead to post. A few days ago we came across a copycat recipe for Kentucky Fried Chicken, something my husband really enjoys. I can't eat it because of the MSG - makes me deathly ill. We decided we would try to make the recipe minus the MSG. That is, my husband would attempt it. First quandary was would the breading stick to skinless, boneless chicken breasts? Thought of a fix for that, mixed up all the spices etc. Recipe suggested cooking in a pressure fryer. We have a pressure cooker that includes a fryer basket and is supposed to be able to fry stuff. Getting the oil to the proper temperature recommended was a bit of a problem. Got it all going and after a while it smelled good. When it came time to remove the chicken and put the fries in the new crisper in the oven, I could hear my husband grumbling. He had taken the chicken out and put it on a rack to cool down and drain but it looked awful. Oil soaked with a gooey coating. Don't want to tell you what my first thought was when I saw it. He scraped off the coating and tested the chicken. It was done and had flavor so once the coating was removed, he deemed it edible. One disappointment. As for the crisper, I was cooking frozen fries meant for oven prep. I can't see where there was any improvement over just cooking them on a foil covered baking sheet. Weren't supposed to have to turn the fries with the crisper but might have helped. Disappointment two. Fixed a veg and sat down to eat. We both ate the portion of chicken we had on our plates but agreed it was too salty and oily. My husband isn't one to throw food away but he told me we weren't going to bother with the rest of it. He said he is looking forward to safe, leftover goulash tomorrow.

Re-read Thom's message and it made a little more sense. Then he called and told me what happened. His doctor had made arrangements with a facility in West Virginia to fill his pump. He and Roberta had driven as far as North Carolina and stopped to see their son and family. Thom got a little nervous because there have been problems with pump refills before so called to confirm they had all the required information and were ready for him. They said they never got the information his doctor sent. So he called her and she contacted the facility again and this time was told they would not refill a pump for a patient who did not live in their state! My nephew paid to fly his parents back to Florida so Thom could get his meds. They plan to fly back to North Carolina on Friday, spend a couple days with son, DIL, and grandkids, pick up their car and drive up here. We talked a little about clearing out Dad's house and how things are. Explained I'd been ill a good part of September and am feeling overwhelmed. Even the simplest things I have to do for Dad's fiances and Medicaid application get complicated. And meanwhile, I'm not getting my own stuff done.

Now, having complained yet again, I'll give you more Boho Baby.

Link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/woatdcii1byl3z4/ws_BohoBaby_28.zip?dl=0

Guess I'll be dreaming about what to do with the rest of this buttermilk hubby bought for the chicken recipe. Biscuits sure but what else?

Monday & already behind for the week + freebie

I seem to be slipping in terms of getting posts published. First I didn't get Saturday's post out on time because I forgot to push publish button and walked away. Then I just wrote a little chat note yesterday and today I see I hadn't published that either. Not that it makes any difference but still. Lots on my mind.

Went to see Dad yesterday but he was determined to sleep even though I tried to wake him a couple times as he's told me to do. Cleared out all the phone messages he ignores and discovered one was important; have to see to that today. Went by Walmart and picked up signs for garage sale and house for sale. Both have to happen this month. Tried to contact my brother by email. He wrote back something about having been in West Virginia but had to fly home to get his pump refilled and would call me in a few days. West Virginia? Guess I'm confused as he had said he and his wife would be coming here in September to help me with Dad's stuff. Not hearing any more from him, I'd assumed he was ill and that was why they didn't call or come here. Yes, I had a moment of hurt and anger. But there is probably some great explanation, right?

Anyway, here is more of Boho Baby. One of you had suggested I do some babies in Halloween costumes but I didn't feel I was up to the task. However, I did come across some free vectors of costumed babies and I'm including them.

Link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/ql9ntbgxgons4r6/ws_BohoBaby_27.zip?dl=0

Sunday afternoon - just talking

I'm really sorry about yesterday's post not publishing on time. And because I was thinking 30 days hath September when I started putting Boho Baby together, I've got 30 zips. Didn't think to take out the Sundays I don't post. Anyway, 4 more zips - just elements. I think 46 papers is more than enough, don't you? As for October, I've got discovered a stash of items I'd been putting together for a Halloween pack sometime before I stopped selling. So, it looks like you will get a Halloween kit after all. I know some of you may not celebrate Halloween and I understand that. However, before you tune me out, let me tell you two things: 1) I don't do gory; 2) I don't do Satanic. Now there might be some witches but as in those who practice an old nature religion, not devil worship. Oh, there might be some minor scary like skeletons. Not a problem, I hope. Anyway, there should be some solids, bows, and accents you could also use for autumn pages.

Have any of you gotten into this big trend of Red Copper cookware? When it started, I thought, big deal, probably a lot of hype. Sure, I know copper conducts heat well & I've had pans with copper bottoms (I still keep a tea kettle with copper bottom) but what a pain to keep clean. Before my father became so ill, he became impressed with the commercials and bought a small red copper frying panto make grilled sandwiches. But he never got around to prepping the pan. One day while over at his house picking up mail, I thought about the pan and decided to take it home and try it out. My husband cooked breakfast in it and was so impressed, it became the only skillet he'd use. Then he saw an ad for a big square pan with rack and fryer basket etc. He has been wanting a large pan with metal handles he can put in the oven, so he went out and bought one. It's been getting a lot of use. I've been doing french fries in the oven for some time, trying to cut back on frying, and began eyeing the copper crisper thing. Bought one today and will try it out in a day or so. In short, we're in on the copper cookware thing and would recommend it to anyone.

Last day of September and another Boho Baby freebie

Today is the last day of another month and Boho Baby is coming to an end. I've begun working on something for Halloween. I've done so many Halloween kits over the years that I just don't want to do a full fledged kit. What I've started to put together is a set of Halloween borders and some papers. Might do some clusters. Depends on if I get inspired and right now I am not. In addition to having been battling illness, I've been procrastinating on clearing out my parents home and getting it ready for sale. Dad isn't going to get better; the medical staff has been frank, saying that with diabetes, congestive heart failure and kidney disease, his condition is only going to deteriorate. And he's 88 years old. My brother hasn't even called me since letting me know they came through the hurricane alright. Time to face the fact that I am on my own. My brother has said he wants to go through Dad's tools to get what he wants before we put things up for sale. Dad also has a small bedroom that, since my mother's death, he has devoted to a car "museum" - the cars being a huge collection of scale model cars ranging from Matchbox cars to detailed models produced by the Franklin Mint. Plus all sorts of car related paraphernalia. We intend to contact the Children's Museum in Portsmouth to see if they would like the collection and could perhaps have a little sign saying donated by my father. My husband suggested we could go ahead and at least clear that room out but my brother has said he wants to pick out a few things from the collection to save for when his grandson is older. I don't know what Thom wants and he isn't making a move to either tell me what to put aside for him or get here and do it. It's frustrating.

But enough whining. Here is today's zip:

Link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/h4a4u8dkzyi0z7r/ws_BohoBaby_26.zip?dl=0
***Sorry - I forgot to push the publish button last night after I previewed.