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Post by duskymonkey on Dec 9, 2019 23:21:40 GMT -6
doodlemommy I can’t believe your DS2 is almost 3 months right!? August Blooms Taitai I hope you both are doing better. Happy to hear you’re finding joy decorating your new house. If you do make Baslers, don’t roll it too thin and definitely don’t over bake. I made that mistake the first time. I also use these tiny like 1.5” cookie cutters to cut out the dough. I’m hoping to make it this weekend and I’ll post pics. Taitai ,I’m envious of your vacation and hope everyone will be in good health to travel and enjoy the vacation. danvers hubs and I just finished JR and we both enjoyed it. We’re also started The Expanse and so far we like it. How long are you off for school? curmudgeon love that your lil guy is enjoying some sushi. We’re a little sad, our fav sushi joint changed owners. The chef owner retired and sold the restaurant. We ate there a few minutes months ago and it was ok. Prices have also gone up. When we went, DS kept asking where Mori San was.
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Post by duskymonkey on Dec 9, 2019 23:44:58 GMT -6
Gosh! What a week. Lil fella is finally sleeping again but it was rough last week. I dunno how I survived the first newborn weeks. Just a few days of no sleeping did me in. We did end up back at the clinic last Friday because he started coughing up a storm again Thursday night and didn’t sleep a wink eventhough he seemed to be getting better the past 2 days. As the weekend was approaching, I was worried and desperate and had done everything I could and needed him to sleep. Poor guy was so tired but can’t get a good nap or sleep. Anyways he seems to be recovering. My dad on the other hand has gotten worse ( lil guy prob got it from him) and my mom started to feel unwell too 😩 I’m like praying it doesn’t spread. So yeah, I’m not feeling it this holiday season 😑
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Taitai
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Post by Taitai on Dec 10, 2019 1:28:12 GMT -6
duskymonkey Oh no!! I’m so sorry the sickness is spreading through your family. Both of the boys have been slowly getting better, but their coughs sound awful. It keeps them up at night, and I’m so exhausted with all the wake ups. I can’t wait until it’s over. Hoping your mom and dad can get over it quickly as well - they’re in their 70s right? Getting sick is always more risky as age goes up. Thinking of you guys!
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Post by August Blooms on Dec 10, 2019 7:21:08 GMT -6
danvers I still have to watch the last episode, I liked season 1 better but John Krasinski as Jack Ryan is very attractive in this season. duskymonkey Thanks for the tip. The baking workshop made me so optimistic about being able to bake more. We got a tutorial on royal icing and I’m so exited to decorate all the pretty cookies. Here is what DD and I did. Not bad too bad for the first time.
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Post by August Blooms on Dec 10, 2019 7:24:47 GMT -6
I’m feeling much better, my coworkers had something similar on our days off. A strep thing is going through the office so fingers crossed that doesn’t happen.
Everyone finished their Christmas shopping? I’m working on DH’s stocking, something for my brother and my stepbrothers family. I may do a family board game for them. I really have to start writing these things down so I don’t do repeat gifts.
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Post by doodlemommy on Dec 10, 2019 11:15:38 GMT -6
duskymonkey sorry for the sickness!!! DS2 is 2 months today! He is the littlest of all my kids (15%ile for weight) and a little red head. I don’t post pics but imagine a not quite 10 lb super white kid with ambiguously grey/blue eyes and tons of fine red hair. He is seriously the cutest
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Post by doodlemommy on Dec 10, 2019 11:18:21 GMT -6
August Blooms I was 100% sure I had strep too. I was swabbed Friday and it was negative but they said it could have just been too early. I never was reswabbed but today is the first day it doesn’t feel like razor blades when I swallow. On Friday I had chills, headache, was lethargic/exhausted so figured the other stuff like cough or rash would come but instead I was totally fine by Saturday except the razor throat 🤷🏽♀️
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Post by duskymonkey on Dec 12, 2019 1:00:55 GMT -6
doodlemommy I can totally imagine what a cutie he is and red head too! I am sorry you're under the weather too but glad to hear you're on the mend. Taitai the random wake ups are really screwing me up...so tired especially with the holiday season. I hope wellness will visit and stay a while for you too! Yes my folks are in their 70s. My mom is starting to feel better and I thought my dad was but he's not doing good again today. He's really stubborn and refuses to take the OTC meds I got him and when he does, he doesn't follow the proper dosing directions. He doesn't have a fever. I should take him to the doctor but I know they would just suggest OTCs so I really don't know how to help him more if he doesn't want to help himself.
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Post by duskymonkey on Dec 12, 2019 1:06:54 GMT -6
danvers I still have to watch the last episode, I liked season 1 better but John Krasinski as Jack Ryan is very attractive in this season. duskymonkey Thanks for the tip. The baking workshop made me so optimistic about being able to bake more. We got a tutorial on royal icing and I’m so exited to decorate all the pretty cookies. Here is what DD and I did. Not bad too bad for the first time. This is your first hand? That' looks fabulous. I am a big fan of Stella Parks Royal icing recipe.
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Post by duskymonkey on Dec 12, 2019 1:13:24 GMT -6
After reading about how happy August Blooms was with the holiday season, I decided to finish trimming the tree and that totally got me in the mood and I made about 150 pineapple tarts yesterday and today when DS got home from school we made some sugar cookies.
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Taitai
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Post by Taitai on Dec 12, 2019 7:34:38 GMT -6
After reading about how happy August Blooms was with the holiday season, I decided to finish trimming the tree and that totally got me in the mood and I made about 150 pineapple tarts yesterday and today when DS got home from school we made some sugar cookies. I love these pineapple tarts dusky!! Our nanny used to work for a Malaysian family and she makes these jam pineapple cookies that look similar to these tarts. Soooo tasty. Maybe we should make some for the holidays this weekend 🤔
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Post by curmudgeon on Dec 12, 2019 17:57:08 GMT -6
After reading about how happy August Blooms was with the holiday season, I decided to finish trimming the tree and that totally got me in the mood and I made about 150 pineapple tarts yesterday and today when DS got home from school we made some sugar cookies. these look sooo good. I have my online cart filled with cookie baking and decorating ingredients. I hope to bake some this weekend and let the boys decorate a few. I need some cookies.
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danvers
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Post by danvers on Dec 13, 2019 17:10:05 GMT -6
Just normal day to day life here - nothing exciting but just busy.
I have still done zero wrapping. Our bedroom looks like an Amazon box warehouse but I’m just too tired after bedtime to stay up and wrap.
We did convince MIL to just get us an annual pass to the aquarium for H and mine gift. We don’t want more clutter stuff but she was insistent for a gift despite our protests we need nothing. She is not super thrilled about it but I’m hoping she’ll come with us sometime and see how happy the girls are (especially for something to do during long midwest winters!)
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Post by August Blooms on Dec 13, 2019 18:08:10 GMT -6
duskymonkey Thanks! Yes first time for both me and DD1. It helps to have a professional baker wandering around to get tips from and make the icing. The bakery is doing a high tea themed workshop in the new year that I’m going to bring my mom to. Those tarts look amazing! danvers The front hall looked like an amazon depot, my husband runs a warehouse and was joking that he drives from one warehouse to another. I managed to get some of it under control. I need to start wrapping too, I have a tendency to leave it until the very last minute and then curse myself.
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Post by duskymonkey on Dec 13, 2019 23:40:27 GMT -6
Taitai pineapple tarts are a specialty from my ancestral home. I know it's already the weekend for you. Let me know if you like my mom's recipe. It's labour intensive that you'd have to make the pineapple jam. It's definitely not a one day thing. However with kiddos, I find that breaking up tasks suits me better. I actually hated grating the pineapples when I was a kid. It was easy for me this time as my mom made the jam from back home. I actually find the pineapple from SEA less juicy and fibrous which makes a better textured jam.
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Post by duskymonkey on Dec 14, 2019 0:07:26 GMT -6
danvers, August Blooms I haven't even wrapped anything yet. Lil fella doesn't care much what he gets. He's loving all the ornaments on the tree though. We're still deciding what to give the boys and have gotten a matching outfit for them and some items from Santa from DS' list. He wrote a baby stuffy bunny, a wooden train to paint, a writing book and metal train set. So I found stuffies which have microwavable inserts and decided to get them each so DS got a bunny and lil fella a hedgehog. I am tempted to just wrap a ream of xerox paper for DS lol! he's been drawing so much and loves it. Anyways hubs and I need to go shopping in the basement for trains haha! so I think we're good there.
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Post by duskymonkey on Dec 14, 2019 0:31:19 GMT -6
I am on a roll. I've so far made pineapple tarts, sugar cookies, pecan sandies, ginger buttons, basler brunsli. I already have lime meltaways in the freezer which I had mixed along with the sugar cookie dough before lil fella got sick. The plan this weekend is to bake the lime cookies and decorate the rest of the sugar cookies ( the other half DS and I decorated and baked with sanding sugar ) Dunno why I haven't thought of it before but instead of royal icing, I am going to use melted white chocolate and dark chocolate. Oh I also just pulled out a batch of granola for my mom to bring back home. My folks are leaving tomorrow and DS is sad. This weekend is going to be so so busy. The firehouse is having their annual open house and there's a model train show going on too so we'll be hitting those. August Blooms these are the Baslers I make these days using 1.5" cutters. They are so good and I don't feel so guilty letting the kids eat them.
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Taitai
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Post by Taitai on Dec 15, 2019 7:51:04 GMT -6
duskymonkey Holy baking!!! You have been busy in the kitchen making so many tasty sounding things! I agree with you about the pineapples in SEA - I think they’re sweeter and less acidic here too. DH normally hates pineapple, but once we moved here, he actually started to eat it! danvers I think the aquarium pass is a great idea! Due to all the customs/import fees of getting presents sent here, our families just end up sending money. We use it for experiences for the kids, because they have way too many toys as it is. I know my mom and MIL hates that, but I don’t want any more stuff in my house!! August Blooms I haven’t heard of royal icing before, but those cookies look awesome! We make an icing kind of like that...it’s basically powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and a little bit of salt. It does set too...I wonder if it’s royal icing? We put it on with a spoon/knife, because I’m terrible at using those icing bags. The high tea sounds like fun too!
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Taitai
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Post by Taitai on Dec 15, 2019 7:53:49 GMT -6
I’ve been totally swamped with trying to get all my year-end work stuff done before we leave for the beach and our ski trip. I’ve been working like 65 hour weeks, and I’m exhausted. Will be so happy to get away from it and just enjoy family time very soon!
No time for our annual tradition of making Christmas cut out cookies this year, but we are definitely going to be weird and make them once we get back from Japan. They will be new year cookies 😂🤣. Each batch makes like 100 cookies, so I’m looking forward to giving them out as gifts to our neighbors and such.
At least almost all of my wrapping is done - just a couple presents to go for DS1 and wrapping for my employees 😅
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Post by curmudgeon on Dec 15, 2019 11:26:26 GMT -6
I tried out the ginger molasses cookie recipe and it seems to be a favorite around here. H is eating them nonstop and MiL asked for the recipe and made her own batch. H is going to a friends to watch the Texans play so I made more this morning for him to take along. He took DS1 with him so as soon as the toddler goes down for a nap I’m knocking out the rest of the wrapping. I also made sugar cookies for DS1 to decorate. He worked so hard on his decorations.
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Post by CoachTsWife on Dec 16, 2019 8:28:29 GMT -6
curmudgeon my Grandma used to make molasses cookies and they were so good. I don't think I'll start baking until next weekend and it won't be too over the top. Our babysitter had a hysterectomy last Monday and was closed all last week. We had the boys scheduled with grandparents and a couple of DH's aunts but they both got sick. I ended up staying home with them Tuesday and Wednesday. DS1 just had a cold/cough. DS2 had an ear infection and bronchitis so we're living the nebulizer life over here. DS2 will keep the mask on as long as the iPad is in front of him. I was sneezed on, coughed on, and covered in so much snot last week so of course I started feeling bad Friday evening and was sick all weekend. I still feel really awful. We got several inches of snow yesterday and nearly all the metro schools are closed so we're all home again today and I've retreated to the basement to work from home. I think we'll venture outside to play in the snow in a little bit.
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danvers
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Post by danvers on Dec 17, 2019 9:42:08 GMT -6
It’s a Snow Day here!
I was actually at daycare when they finally called it and, while I thought about just dropping the girls off anyway, I brought them home so we could have some Xmas/Snow Day fun. H had the girls outside sledding all morning and I’m now ordering real snow pants and heavy coats for them. We haven’t needed them in years’ past but each year sees us with more and more snow in this part of the state and they do seem to love being outside so Amazon to the rescue I suppose.
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Post by curmudgeon on Dec 17, 2019 11:37:41 GMT -6
It’s 30 degrees here so of course school scheduled PJ day today. Not sure why it isn’t Friday 🤷🏻♀️
I’m home with the little one because he got asked to leave daycare (again). I’m telling myself it’s for the best. I don’t think it was a good fit and the teachers had too much turnover. Our backup place from the summer is glad to have him back so he will start there after the new year.
We are doing heavy apps on Christmas because we are traveling to my brothers and no one wants to cook and transport a meal. I’m making a list of what to make but feel like I’m missing something.
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danvers
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Post by danvers on Dec 17, 2019 15:03:03 GMT -6
curmudgeon I agree with PJ day on Friday - that’s what ours is here! A Tuesday would seem to hype them up and make a long week for the teachers still. Sorry about LO and daycare woes, glad he has a place post new year though. And apps for Xmas sound wonderful! CoachTsWife we’re living the nebulizer life here too with DD2. She does better for H than me with leaving it on, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse definitely helps too.
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Taitai
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Post by Taitai on Dec 17, 2019 22:18:30 GMT -6
PDQ
Christmas travel has started, and I’m all done with work until the new year - yay! We made it to the beach! It’s awesome - one of the best beaches I’ve ever been to, and the resort is lovely. The whole place has an India/Thai theme going on which I’m digging.
The kids loooove the gentle waves in the sea!
Poof!
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Taitai
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Post by Taitai on Dec 18, 2019 0:25:20 GMT -6
CoachTsWife Sorry you are battling so much sickness over there. I hope you and the kids had fun in the snow, and that you were able to get some work done with them at home! curmudgeon Bummer about daycare, but thank goodness you have the backup place all ready to go! Heavy apps are my faaaaaav. I love baked Brie with raspberry jam with crackers. So friggin good. www.pillsbury.com/recipes/raspberry-baked-brie/7e5bb469-fe1f-439b-bdaa-fed3da9e1335danvers How nice that you all could have fun in the snow together! I used to get so excited for snow days when I was a kid - I looooved playing in it all day and coming in for hot chocolate. Happy memories 😊⛄️❄️
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Post by CoachTsWife on Dec 18, 2019 14:43:04 GMT -6
That looks so great Taitai. We have about 5 inches of snow on the ground (down from about 6-7 a couple days ago). DS1 regularly asks us when we can go back to Florida (where we vacationed last summer) and I always tell him "not soon enough!" I love the beach. Yesterday my MIL took my FIL to the ER. He wasn't feeling well, was confused and disoriented. We almost lost him to a heart attack 1.5 years ago - he ended up having 5 bypasses after that. Based on symptoms we were all worried about a possible stroke. After 24+ hours in 2 different ERs (transferred from small hospital to bigger metro hospital to consult with neuro and then no beds available at the 2nd hospital) and lots of tests later, he has been diagnosed with transient global amnesia. Amnesia. Of all things! We're super relieved it wasn't more serious. He's already remembering things he couldn't recall yesterday. So bizarre!
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danvers
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Post by danvers on Dec 19, 2019 6:49:37 GMT -6
What a wonderful vacation Taitai - it looks so relaxing! CoachTsWife how scary with your FIL. It’s so hard watching parents get older because it opens a whole new set of worries when things start to happen. I’m glad his memory is coming back though too!
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danvers
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Post by danvers on Dec 19, 2019 6:53:42 GMT -6
I’m home with DD2 today. She spiked a fever Tuesday night and has been home with H or I ever since ☹️ I *think* it’s just a bad cold but the fever won’t go away and the cough seems to be getting worse so I’m taking her in to the doctor later today just to check. She woke up at 4:30am coughing and we’ve been watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse ever since. She seems in very good spirits though... except for the nonstop coughing and running a fever still.
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Taitai
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Post by Taitai on Dec 19, 2019 7:38:03 GMT -6
danvers I’m so sorry your DD2 is sick again ☹️. Did the immunology tests ever come back with anything concrete? I remember there were blood draws and nothing specific, which was the best case scenario, right? Hope she gets better soon!! CoachTsWife Wow - amnesia! I’ve never actually known anyone who has had that. How bizarre and stressful. I hope your FIL is back to normal asap! We are almost done at the beach and head to Japan for part 2 of our Christmas travels in a few days. The beach has been great, but I am soooooo ready for the snow! Squeeeeeee ❄️ ⛄️
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