As you know, last week I had a first date with a new guy. He's called and texted every day since our date. So far, so good.
Originally, he was supposed to have his kids this past weekend so we weren't going to plan anything. He called on Thursday telling me his kids weren't coming to visit and did I want to do something on Saturday. A few days notice... I liked it!
He also offered to drive 40 minutes to come and get me. What a guy! I declined but expressed my appreciation to him for offering.
He said he'd think of some options and let me know on Friday. On, Friday he asked how I'd feel about going to dinner and a hockey game with his bro, SIL, and 3yr old niece. He said he wanted to know how I felt and if I was comfortable with it before telling his bro we'd go, if not we could do something else. I said I was OK with it, as long as he was. Afterall, it was only our 2nd date.
Saturday arrives and he calls to tell me that not only were his brother and family going... so were his parents! (His parents live over an hour from where the game was.) So, I wondered "Did it get through the grapevine that C was bringing a date?" LOL
I met him at his house and from there we went to the restaurant. Dinner was great... we ate at one of the oldest restaurants where German cuisine is served. There was a LOT of food and it was pretty good. His family was friendly toward me, and I wasn't uncomfortable in the least but I was quieter than usual. I tend to be quiet around people I don't know. His little niece was the cutest little girl, and very well behaved.
Then it was off to the hockey game, which was great! The local team won, 7-2. During the game, several times he asked if I wanted something to eat or drink. LOL, I was stuffed from dinner but it was thoughtful of him to ask.
Lastly, I LOVED that he opened the car door and building doors for me every single time! Oh, and he pulled my chair out at dinner.
Dec 14, 2008
Dec 10, 2008
Worst Date #11 - Great Conversationalist
A few weeks ago, I went on a date with a guy who spent 3 hours discussing the technical minutiae of computer installation. I got lost after the first five minutes, couldn't ask any questions because I didn't have a clue what he was saying, just kept saying "mmhmm", and he decided I was the best conversationalist he'd met in years! Adding insult to injury, when the date was over, he expected me to pay half. I am willing to go out with a bore a second time, to see if he was just nervous on the first date, but I'm not willing to pay for the privilege of being bored stiff!From: So Suave
Dec 8, 2008
Creamy Potato Soup
I received several inquiries for the potato soup I made and showed in my last post. Rather than email it to everyone, I thought it'd be easier if I posted it here:
CREAMY POTATO SOUP
6 slices of bacon
1 c. chopped onion
6 c. potatoes, cubed
2 c. water
1 tsp. salt
2 (10 3/4 oz) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
2 soup cans of milk
2 tbsp. parsley
In saucepan, cook bacon until crisp. Set bacon aside. Pour off all but 3 tbsp. bacon fat. Add onion and brown. Add potatoes and water. Cook covered 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Watch carefully so that water doesn't evaporate; add more water if necessary. Stir in salt, soup, and milk. Heat, but do not boil. Garnish with crumbled bacon and parsley. This is a hearty soup. For a thinner soup, add more milk or water. Serves 6.
NOTES: I use the above recipe as a guideline only. This last time, I didn't have bacon so I browned some ground turkey and used that instead. I also added a bay leaf, and more milk to make it the consistency I wanted (also to dilute the mushroom taste). I added garlic and pepper, too. Other times, I've used cream of celery soup or cream of chicken soup. You can also add fresh celery and carrots, but be sure to cook them with the potatoes before adding the other ingredients. I also tend to use more potatoes than what this recipe calls for. And I *always* sprinkle with shredded cheese. Yummy!
For those of you who'd like to try a crockpot version, I posted THIS recipe last year.
CREAMY POTATO SOUP
6 slices of bacon
1 c. chopped onion
6 c. potatoes, cubed
2 c. water
1 tsp. salt
2 (10 3/4 oz) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
2 soup cans of milk
2 tbsp. parsley
In saucepan, cook bacon until crisp. Set bacon aside. Pour off all but 3 tbsp. bacon fat. Add onion and brown. Add potatoes and water. Cook covered 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Watch carefully so that water doesn't evaporate; add more water if necessary. Stir in salt, soup, and milk. Heat, but do not boil. Garnish with crumbled bacon and parsley. This is a hearty soup. For a thinner soup, add more milk or water. Serves 6.
NOTES: I use the above recipe as a guideline only. This last time, I didn't have bacon so I browned some ground turkey and used that instead. I also added a bay leaf, and more milk to make it the consistency I wanted (also to dilute the mushroom taste). I added garlic and pepper, too. Other times, I've used cream of celery soup or cream of chicken soup. You can also add fresh celery and carrots, but be sure to cook them with the potatoes before adding the other ingredients. I also tend to use more potatoes than what this recipe calls for. And I *always* sprinkle with shredded cheese. Yummy!
For those of you who'd like to try a crockpot version, I posted THIS recipe last year.
Marvelous Monday Update 12/8/08
Weather
Mother Nature has blessed us (ahem!) with an accumulated total of 7" of snow three different times in the past week. It takes me two hours to clean my driveway each time it snows. Even though I have a snowblower, there is still a lot of work that Shove has to do to clean up places the blower can't get to.
Here's what my house looked like at 8:15am, after I cleaned the driveway on Sunday:
Tis The Season
I've been debating whether to put my big tree up this year. I will be the only one who will see it... even though I love seeing all the ornaments, it's not quite as enjoyable if I don't have anyone to share it with like my nieces/nephew, or someone special. What to do? What to do? I have two smaller trees and put one of them up this weekend. I'll get the other one up when I get time.
I put all the ornaments I stitched this year, and the ones I've received in exchanges on it. I still have to get a topper for it, as the one that came with the little silver balls isn't size proportionate for the tree.
See all the gifties? Those are the 12Days gifts from my sister and my niece. Next to those are the ones for the 12Days exchange for the SC group. Can't wait to open them!
Side Note: Those pre-lit trees are a great idea... UNTIL the lights no longer work. What a PITA! I spent 40 minutes removing the dead lights and re-stringing the tree. I'll just leave those on when I put the tree away for the year.
3 Days, 3 Cities, 3 Women
Last week I mentioned that I volunteered to be a speaker at a seminar on behalf of my firm. Trepidation, Anxiety, & Fear consumed me each day. The first day, we spoke before 30 attendees. The second day, there were 50 attendees. The third day was about 12 and most of those were company employees. Everyone I talked to said we did an excellent job! I looked at the comment/rating sheets after each seminar and we received 4's and 5's (5 being the highest rating). I put in over 51 hours last week, and was sooo tired at the end of each day. It will be a LONG time before I volunteer to do something like this again, but I will say it was one of the most intrinsically rewarding things I've done... because I'm in NO WAY a public speaker, and it was definitely outside my comfort zone. I was told by one of the other speakers that she told her DH it was really wonderful for her to see how I blossomed through this entire process. (She's such a great lady!)
School
Now that my public speaking debut is over, I can concentrate on finals which is on Wed. Not only is it a cumulative final, it also includes the last 5 chapters we went over last week. Yikes! All I want is a "B" on the final. That'll ensure I get a solid "B" as a final grade.
Dating
The last guy I mentioned just dropped off the map. Not quite sure what happened, as he was calling and emailing me after the date. Then *poof* gone. Ah, well. Next!
So on Saturday, I had another first date. He lives about 40 minutes away and drove to my city. We had lunch at a fun Mexican restaurant. The food is great there! He seems very nice, is stable, and quite the talker! He also has texted, emailed, and called after the date. He's also indicated he'd like to go out again. He even invited me over for dinner on Sunday. Since I had studying to do, I had to decline.
Stitchy Stuff
I started my December ornament for the SAL's I'm involved in. Two hours yielded me a border. I used 18ct aida and the ornie is turning out to be quite tiny! It's OK, though since I'll be putting it on my small trees. No pics yet... sorry.
Hearty Yum-Yum
Seeing as the weather has been really cold lately (Think single digits and teens), I thought I'd make some Creamy Potato Soup. Mmmmmm... good!
I made so much that I was able to freeze four double servings.
Mother Nature has blessed us (ahem!) with an accumulated total of 7" of snow three different times in the past week. It takes me two hours to clean my driveway each time it snows. Even though I have a snowblower, there is still a lot of work that Shove has to do to clean up places the blower can't get to.
Here's what my house looked like at 8:15am, after I cleaned the driveway on Sunday:
Tis The Season
I've been debating whether to put my big tree up this year. I will be the only one who will see it... even though I love seeing all the ornaments, it's not quite as enjoyable if I don't have anyone to share it with like my nieces/nephew, or someone special. What to do? What to do? I have two smaller trees and put one of them up this weekend. I'll get the other one up when I get time.
I put all the ornaments I stitched this year, and the ones I've received in exchanges on it. I still have to get a topper for it, as the one that came with the little silver balls isn't size proportionate for the tree.See all the gifties? Those are the 12Days gifts from my sister and my niece. Next to those are the ones for the 12Days exchange for the SC group. Can't wait to open them!
Side Note: Those pre-lit trees are a great idea... UNTIL the lights no longer work. What a PITA! I spent 40 minutes removing the dead lights and re-stringing the tree. I'll just leave those on when I put the tree away for the year.
3 Days, 3 Cities, 3 Women
Last week I mentioned that I volunteered to be a speaker at a seminar on behalf of my firm. Trepidation, Anxiety, & Fear consumed me each day. The first day, we spoke before 30 attendees. The second day, there were 50 attendees. The third day was about 12 and most of those were company employees. Everyone I talked to said we did an excellent job! I looked at the comment/rating sheets after each seminar and we received 4's and 5's (5 being the highest rating). I put in over 51 hours last week, and was sooo tired at the end of each day. It will be a LONG time before I volunteer to do something like this again, but I will say it was one of the most intrinsically rewarding things I've done... because I'm in NO WAY a public speaker, and it was definitely outside my comfort zone. I was told by one of the other speakers that she told her DH it was really wonderful for her to see how I blossomed through this entire process. (She's such a great lady!)
School
Now that my public speaking debut is over, I can concentrate on finals which is on Wed. Not only is it a cumulative final, it also includes the last 5 chapters we went over last week. Yikes! All I want is a "B" on the final. That'll ensure I get a solid "B" as a final grade.
Dating
The last guy I mentioned just dropped off the map. Not quite sure what happened, as he was calling and emailing me after the date. Then *poof* gone. Ah, well. Next!
So on Saturday, I had another first date. He lives about 40 minutes away and drove to my city. We had lunch at a fun Mexican restaurant. The food is great there! He seems very nice, is stable, and quite the talker! He also has texted, emailed, and called after the date. He's also indicated he'd like to go out again. He even invited me over for dinner on Sunday. Since I had studying to do, I had to decline.
Stitchy Stuff
I started my December ornament for the SAL's I'm involved in. Two hours yielded me a border. I used 18ct aida and the ornie is turning out to be quite tiny! It's OK, though since I'll be putting it on my small trees. No pics yet... sorry.
Hearty Yum-Yum
Seeing as the weather has been really cold lately (Think single digits and teens), I thought I'd make some Creamy Potato Soup. Mmmmmm... good!
I made so much that I was able to freeze four double servings.
Dec 1, 2008
Marvelous Monday Update 12/1/08
December already? Where the heck did November go??
Weather
I woke up to 2" of the white powder on the ground. It snowed all day yesterday, so I set my alarm to get up early to blow and shovel snow. WooWee... fun... not! The streets were so slippery! I live on a hill and at least eight cars had trouble making their way up my steet. Slipping, sliding, and spinning. Most of them had to turn their cars around, go back down, and find another route.
Thanksgiving
I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving holiday and counted up your blessings. We all have at least one, no matter what dire circumstances we're in! I have so many things to be thankful for, but most of all would be the health of my Dad. For those of you who read my blog regularly, you'll remember that last year at this time he wasn't doing well. He retired in March, has had his meds regulated properly, and is doing much better. I hope it stays that way for a while!
Stitchy Stuff
I finally received my 12 Days of Christmas Exchange for the SC group. We're to start opening them on the 12th. Can't wait!
I did a couple hours worth of stitching on Quaker Rule, but no pics. I was too lazy to scan it. LOL
Work
Several months ago, I volunteered (YES, volunteered!) to be a speaker/presenter at a seminar my firm is putting on. Three of us put
together a seminar for not only our clients, but the general public also. This entailed creating presentations from scratch and what turned out to be an 80-page "how-to" document that follows everything we will be talking about during the seminar. We are having it at three different locations/cities starting on Wednesday. What was I thinking?! I've never publicly spoken in my life! (Let's hope my college speaking classes come in handy) This is definitely outside my box, but I am proud of the work we've put into it and just the fact that I stepped outside my comfort zone. Wish me luck!
Weather
I woke up to 2" of the white powder on the ground. It snowed all day yesterday, so I set my alarm to get up early to blow and shovel snow. WooWee... fun... not! The streets were so slippery! I live on a hill and at least eight cars had trouble making their way up my steet. Slipping, sliding, and spinning. Most of them had to turn their cars around, go back down, and find another route.
Thanksgiving
I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving holiday and counted up your blessings. We all have at least one, no matter what dire circumstances we're in! I have so many things to be thankful for, but most of all would be the health of my Dad. For those of you who read my blog regularly, you'll remember that last year at this time he wasn't doing well. He retired in March, has had his meds regulated properly, and is doing much better. I hope it stays that way for a while!
Stitchy Stuff
I finally received my 12 Days of Christmas Exchange for the SC group. We're to start opening them on the 12th. Can't wait!
I did a couple hours worth of stitching on Quaker Rule, but no pics. I was too lazy to scan it. LOL
Work
Several months ago, I volunteered (YES, volunteered!) to be a speaker/presenter at a seminar my firm is putting on. Three of us put
together a seminar for not only our clients, but the general public also. This entailed creating presentations from scratch and what turned out to be an 80-page "how-to" document that follows everything we will be talking about during the seminar. We are having it at three different locations/cities starting on Wednesday. What was I thinking?! I've never publicly spoken in my life! (Let's hope my college speaking classes come in handy) This is definitely outside my box, but I am proud of the work we've put into it and just the fact that I stepped outside my comfort zone. Wish me luck!
