working out for Disney

[Sans Souci]

Hello-

Today was a lower body work out. It was a longer one, but it went by quickly and it was fun. I've been using my rebounder to get my steps in. It's been too sloppy to go out walking.

My sourdough starter is meh. It gets bubbly, but it never doubles in size after feeding it. I am trying something I read online to rev up a sluggish starter, but if this doesn't work, I am giving it up. I using up about three cups of flour a day only to be discarded. I read online it can take a month or so to get a good rise after feeding, but I don't want to keep wasting flour, especially when it's touch and go to find. Plus, I've got some baking to do soon--I need that flour for tasty holiday treats.

 

[Sans Souci]

Good morning-

Today was an upper body and core work out. I typically don't like working these parts, but it wasn't bad today. I am feeling under the weather today, so this work out was a good match for my energy level today. I was going to make a batch of cookie dough to freeze and bake for Christmas Eve. I am also making lemon ricotta cookies and peppermint brownies, but I don't think those freeze well, so I'll make those on Thursday AM.

I ordered something from Old Navy on the 5th. It qualified for free shipping, so I selected that option. It was supposed to be delivered on the 15th, then the 18th, then the 21st, then the 22nd, and then the 23rd. Now it's at the 28th. I know things UPS and USPS are under the gun right now, but I thought I'd be safe in ordering on the 5th for something to get here before Christmas. I am probably going to reach out today, because I have this horrible feeling it's lost. I was able to track it up until a week ago, now it doesn't even show up when I track it on the UPS website. I understand things are slow, but if it's lost, I'd like them to send me out a replacement.

 

[Songbird76]

My son has the habit of using up the last of something, milk, candy, etc and then he never throws out the container or wrapper. It just stays on the kitchen counter, about 18 inches away from the garbage can. Don't get me started about the food he's consuming. He's eating so much food. We spent money on an unlimited food plan at his school, but we let him come home because he was basically living in his dorm room with very little interaction with other students, no access to the gym, etc. He is like a plague of locusts! I have starting making him pay for his food out of his own money. It is ridiculous. I go through gallons of milk and multiple loaves of bread a week. My husband bought a large bag of mini Twix bars and I took one. I went to get another one an hour later, they were all gone! The empty bag was left on the counter and I just lost it with him.

My husband blames "Leprechauns". Last week, my daughter asked me to get her some gummy bears for our movie night. I did, but she ended up not opening the bag because we had popcorn and were full. So it was still on the coffee table. The next day, she goes to open it, and it's empty. Empty bag just lying on the couch. I bought my son some chips a couple of months ago for after school snacks. He comes home from school and asks what he can have for a snack. I tell him about the chips I had bought a couple of days earlier. He can't find them. Empty bag on the kitchen table....my husband says "Well if they are just sitting there for months, I'm going to assume no one is eating them." I'm like "months?? I bought them 3 days ago!" I feel your pain.

 

[Songbird76]

Good morning-

Today was an upper body and core work out. I typically don't like working these parts, but it wasn't bad today. I am feeling under the weather today, so this work out was a good match for my energy level today. I was going to make a batch of cookie dough to freeze and bake for Christmas Eve. I am also making lemon ricotta cookies and peppermint brownies, but I don't think those freeze well, so I'll make those on Thursday AM.

I ordered something from Old Navy on the 5th. It qualified for free shipping, so I selected that option. It was supposed to be delivered on the 15th, then the 18th, then the 21st, then the 22nd, and then the 23rd. Now it's at the 28th. I know things UPS and USPS are under the gun right now, but I thought I'd be safe in ordering on the 5th for something to get here before Christmas. I am probably going to reach out today, because I have this horrible feeling it's lost. I was able to track it up until a week ago, now it doesn't even show up when I track it on the UPS website. I understand things are slow, but if it's lost, I'd like them to send me out a replacement.

You said it doesn't show up on the tracking site, but it's supposed to be delivered the 28th? How does that work?

 

[Figgy1]

My son has the habit of using up the last of something, milk, candy, etc and then he never throws out the container or wrapper. It just stays on the kitchen counter, about 18 inches away from the garbage can. Don't get me started about the food he's consuming. He's eating so much food. We spent money on an unlimited food plan at his school, but we let him come home because he was basically living in his dorm room with very little interaction with other students, no access to the gym, etc. He is like a plague of locusts! I have starting making him pay for his food out of his own money. It is ridiculous. I go through gallons of milk and multiple loaves of bread a week. My husband bought a large bag of mini Twix bars and I took one. I went to get another one an hour later, they were all gone! The empty bag was left on the counter and I just lost it with him.

I have 2 home full time

 

[Figgy1]

You said it doesn't show up on the tracking site, but it's supposed to be delivered the 28th? How does that work?

Right now due to volume the USPS isn't scanning except at the departure point and at delivery. Nobody can track anything. It's a total mess The USPS is also "the last mile" which is basically rural delivery for companies like Fed X and UPS so they're really getting slammed

 

[Songbird76]

Right now due to volume the USPS isn't scanning except at the departure point and at delivery. Nobody can track anything. It's a total mess The USPS is also "the last mile" which is basically rural delivery for companies like Fed X and UPS so they're really getting slammed

Over here, they are closing all package pickup points. We don't have post offices as such. There are little kiosks in our grocery stores and office supply stores, etc, and if you aren't home to receive a package, it gets sent to the nearest one and you can pick it up the next day....but apparently they are closing for a month, so now if you aren't home, you'll have to wait a month to get your package. Last month, I had ordered some beads and they didn't come and didn't come...I got on the computer and according to etsy, the package was "in transit". When I clicked on that, it said it was waiting at the package pickup point. The problem is that it didn't tell me which package pickup point and there are 2 just a block or so from my house. And I also couldn't see which service was used to deliver it, and the 2 pick up points are only for one of the international delivery companies...if it was another company, it wouldn't be at those pick up points. And there was no tracking info. They are supposed to put a little card through your mail slot to tell you they tried to deliver a package, and tell you where they brought it, but they didn't. So this package had been sitting at an unknown location for a couple of weeks because I didn't even know they had tried to deliever it. Someone had knocked and I wasn't dressed, E ran down the stairs and opened the door, but the guy was walking away. Since he didn't leave anything, we assumed he had been trying to deliver it to the neighbors and they weren't home...they will sometimes try to deliver to a neighbor if you're not home. So I thought it was for someone else and he wanted to leave it with us. But why he didn't turn around when E opened the door I don't know. I had to call around to several different pickup points and ask if they had a package for me before I finally tracked it down. It WAS at one of the 2 close to my house, so it was easy to pick up, but the whole thing was just....so chaotic. The postal delivery people don't give a rat's patootie if it's lost or not.

 

[Figgy1]

Today is a cleaning and yoga day. Lots of sorting things out and a good dusting(achoo). Anyhoo @Sans Souci a USPS update. Take this with a mountain of low sodium salt The USPS is supposedly going to try and get all packages in the system delivered by Friday. Supposedly people have been hired, some have shifted positions and O/T is supposedly authorized until all packages are delivered. Something I don't need until the new year is moving in the system. It's been scanned on it's way to the next destination

 

[Sans Souci]

My husband blames "Leprechauns". Last week, my daughter asked me to get her some gummy bears for our movie night. I did, but she ended up not opening the bag because we had popcorn and were full. So it was still on the coffee table. The next day, she goes to open it, and it's empty. Empty bag just lying on the couch. I bought my son some chips a couple of months ago for after school snacks. He comes home from school and asks what he can have for a snack. I tell him about the chips I had bought a couple of days earlier. He can't find them. Empty bag on the kitchen table....my husband says "Well if they are just sitting there for months, I'm going to assume no one is eating them." I'm like "months?? I bought them 3 days ago!" I feel your pain.

Leprechauns! OMG, that sounds like my son...saying something was uneaten for a "long time", so he went ahead and ate it all. He acts like he's doing everyone a favor because it wasn't "wasted food."

I have 2 leprechauns in my house. One will leave a little something for me, the other one just inhales everything.

 

[Sans Souci]

You said it doesn't show up on the tracking site, but it's supposed to be delivered the 28th? How does that work?

I have no idea, but after spending the past few days trying to contact Old Navy, my order arrived to today! I went to their website and it was somewhat reassuring others were having the same issue. Some people had orders from mid-Nov. that hadn't been delivered.

 

[Sans Souci]

I have 2 home full time

It's getting to the point where I am thinking of making him live in his dorm full time next month. He has an unlimited food plan, but he says it's unhealthy. You lose that argument when you're having Philly cheesesteaks delivered to your house 2-3 times a week.

 

[Sans Souci]

Today is a cleaning and yoga day. Lots of sorting things out and a good dusting(achoo). Anyhoo @Sans Souci a USPS update. Take this with a mountain of low sodium salt The USPS is supposedly going to try and get all packages in the system delivered by Friday. Supposedly people have been hired, some have shifted positions and O/T is supposedly authorized until all packages are delivered. Something I don't need until the new year is moving in the system. It's been scanned on it's way to the next destination

My order arrived today. I think it was delivered by UPS, because it was on my porch. USPS rarely leaves packages on my porch unless they don't fit in my mailbox and this was a small, squishy package.

But USPS was deliberately hobbled back earlier this year and I guess the postmaster general thought he could get away without people working overtime? My mail, even before the holidays, got so slow. I have a standing order of razors that ship on the 5th of every month, they would take 5 business days to get here. Now they take 3.5 weeks.

 

[Sans Souci]

Hello-

Today was a full body workout. I have been using my rebounder to get my steps in. I went for a walk yesterday and it's really icy. The snow melts and then it refreeze again over night. I slipped a few times. I am trying to avoid breaking any bones, because I don't want to go to the hospital. Plus, some people haven't shoveled, so I am trying to avoid getting close to other walkers and trudge through snow. I am hoping it disappears soon, because it's ruining my walks. It's not that pretty, fluffy snow. It's that crusty, crunchy snow that has a thick layer of ice on top.

My MIL started texting my husband on What's App at 3:30 AM. She is a little bit concerned about the food situation, since looks like no trucks are crossing the channel or any other ports in the UK. She's not panicking or anything like that, but it's just another thing to worry about. I don't think it helped that people in London bugged out all over the UK. For once, I am glad we don't live in London anymore.

 

[Figgy1]

@Sans Souci I found this rather illuminating. Good luck to your MIL! The whole situation stinks and so close to the holidays

 

[Figgy1]

Good morning I have my miles in and after all the cleaning yesterday the boys managed to trash the rest of the house Morning cleaning followed by maybe some cookie baking and yoga

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Hello!

It's been a lazy week. I've been trying to watch what I eat...well, minus my sugar intake, but I've been using this vacation time I've taken to just rest and do whatever fun I'm up for.

Over the weekend, I made hot cocoa bombs. Some are prettier than others. I think i've learned enough from my first two batches to make a third batch that's fairly professional looking, but do I really need them? IDK...I only have three left and I think they may want cocoa on both Christmas Eve and Christmas...so maybe I'll make a few more.



We tried the other method where you pour hot milk on it, but...
1. They tend to crack open when you drop them into a deeper glass/cup.
2. They took longer to open this way.

I chose melts over chocolate because you get a nice sheen without having to do any tempering. Unfortunately, the melts I used for the first batch seized on me and had some rough areas. Rather than scrap them, I decided to see them as rustic elegance and in the same vein as those popular fault line and geode cakes.

I also made a couple of trips up to the ball fields for the Great Conjunction. This kind of photography is not my forte, but on the peak night, I got a nice one that shows three of Jupiter's moons.

Definitely not in focus, but the night before, my blown up pic definitely captures Saturn's shape with its rings. No real definition, but you can see a color difference with the planets as well as a fundamental shape difference. I really need a better lens if I want to do pics like this...and remember to wear my glasses so I can focus better on fine details.

I too am waiting on some packages. The one that surprises me most is Disney. I ordered Magic Bands for our February trip back on Dec 8th. I specifically got fun ones and was going to gift them on Christmas morning. They supposedly shipped on the 10th, but the USPS tracking still shows that the post office is waiting on Disney to bring them the package for shipment. I emailed Disney once and they told me I'd have to talk to their IT group. I called their IT group and they couldn't help me and said the group that could was too busy, but would reach out by email when they could. I'm not feeling very optimistic. I brought this up on another forum and apparently, I'm not alone. Many are saying that their tracking is all over the place or that the bands just show up without the tracking updating. We'll see.

Eyeing a new fitness option after the holidays. More on that to come. Gotta see what the hubby gets me for Christmas first. LOL

 

[Songbird76]

Hello!

It's been a lazy week. I've been trying to watch what I eat...well, minus my sugar intake, but I've been using this vacation time I've taken to just rest and do whatever fun I'm up for.

Over the weekend, I made hot cocoa bombs. Some are prettier than others. I think i've learned enough from my first two batches to make a third batch that's fairly professional looking, but do I really need them? IDK...I only have three left and I think they may want cocoa on both Christmas Eve and Christmas...so maybe I'll make a few more.



We tried the other method where you pour hot milk on it, but...
1. They tend to crack open when you drop them into a deeper glass/cup.
2. They took longer to open this way.

I chose melts over chocolate because you get a nice sheen without having to do any tempering. Unfortunately, the melts I used for the first batch seized on me and had some rough areas. Rather than scrap them, I decided to see them as rustic elegance and in the same vein as those popular fault line and geode cakes.

I also made a couple of trips up to the ball fields for the Great Conjunction. This kind of photography is not my forte, but on the peak night, I got a nice one that shows three of Jupiter's moons.

Definitely not in focus, but the night before, my blown up pic definitely captures Saturn's shape with its rings. No real definition, but you can see a color difference with the planets as well as a fundamental shape difference. I really need a better lens if I want to do pics like this...and remember to wear my glasses so I can focus better on fine details.

I too am waiting on some packages. The one that surprises me most is Disney. I ordered Magic Bands for our February trip back on Dec 8th. I specifically got fun ones and was going to gift them on Christmas morning. They supposedly shipped on the 10th, but the USPS tracking still shows that the post office is waiting on Disney to bring them the package for shipment. I emailed Disney once and they told me I'd have to talk to their IT group. I called their IT group and they couldn't help me and said the group that could was too busy, but would reach out by email when they could. I'm not feeling very optimistic. I brought this up on another forum and apparently, I'm not alone. Many are saying that their tracking is all over the place or that the bands just show up without the tracking updating. We'll see.

Eyeing a new fitness option after the holidays. More on that to come. Gotta see what the hubby gets me for Christmas first. LOL

How does the chocolate bomb work? Do you drop it in hot milk? Pour hot water over it? I am not familiar with these.

 

[Sans Souci]

Hello!

It's been a lazy week. I've been trying to watch what I eat...well, minus my sugar intake, but I've been using this vacation time I've taken to just rest and do whatever fun I'm up for.

Over the weekend, I made hot cocoa bombs. Some are prettier than others. I think i've learned enough from my first two batches to make a third batch that's fairly professional looking, but do I really need them? IDK...I only have three left and I think they may want cocoa on both Christmas Eve and Christmas...so maybe I'll make a few more.



We tried the other method where you pour hot milk on it, but...
1. They tend to crack open when you drop them into a deeper glass/cup.
2. They took longer to open this way.

I chose melts over chocolate because you get a nice sheen without having to do any tempering. Unfortunately, the melts I used for the first batch seized on me and had some rough areas. Rather than scrap them, I decided to see them as rustic elegance and in the same vein as those popular fault line and geode cakes.

I also made a couple of trips up to the ball fields for the Great Conjunction. This kind of photography is not my forte, but on the peak night, I got a nice one that shows three of Jupiter's moons.

Definitely not in focus, but the night before, my blown up pic definitely captures Saturn's shape with its rings. No real definition, but you can see a color difference with the planets as well as a fundamental shape difference. I really need a better lens if I want to do pics like this...and remember to wear my glasses so I can focus better on fine details.

I too am waiting on some packages. The one that surprises me most is Disney. I ordered Magic Bands for our February trip back on Dec 8th. I specifically got fun ones and was going to gift them on Christmas morning. They supposedly shipped on the 10th, but the USPS tracking still shows that the post office is waiting on Disney to bring them the package for shipment. I emailed Disney once and they told me I'd have to talk to their IT group. I called their IT group and they couldn't help me and said the group that could was too busy, but would reach out by email when they could. I'm not feeling very optimistic. I brought this up on another forum and apparently, I'm not alone. Many are saying that their tracking is all over the place or that the bands just show up without the tracking updating. We'll see.

Eyeing a new fitness option after the holidays. More on that to come. Gotta see what the hubby gets me for Christmas first. LOL

All the hot chocolate bombs look great! I really like the ones that look like geodes. I would never guess you were trying to roll with seized chocolate. I just went up and looked again. They kind of look like quartz.

I wanted to see the conjunction, but the skies were very cloudy.

I am interested to see what your new fitness option is! lol

 

[Sans Souci]

Hello-

Merry Christmas Eve!

Today was a full body workout. Which was then followed by making a Brooklyn-style cheesecake and I am currently waiting on my brownies to cool down, so I can put a peppermint glaze on them. I made lemon-ricotta cookies yesterday. I made peanut butter chip cookies on Sunday, I think? But I just portioned the dough with a cookie scoop and froze them. I don't think I am baking them for Christmas. I think we have more than enough.

I am on my fourth attempt at sourdough. LOL. My husband suggested putting the starter on the water heater. I did that and it seemed really active on the first few days. It's just really liquid-y and doesn't double at all. It does get bubbly though. But I only started on Sunday. I hope it works this time. I keep reading it often takes more than a week.

 

[Songbird76]

Merry Christmas Eve! Hope you are all snuggled in nice and cozily with your families and enjoying your time together! Stay safe and healthy!