Guess what this is?

Mother E. will probably guess it first.

Jen:  It looks like abstract art…but it's really the enormous bruise I had on my hip a few weeks ago.  The women folk in my family have a history of bruising (and then photographing the bruises...hmmm….I'm getting an idea for a blog post.  Or have I done that already?)  So having a bruise the size of a grapefruit on my hip is actually par for the course.   I'm still bouncing back from these falls at 50(ish)…but if you have a bet going on who will be the first among friends to break a hip you might want to put your money on the redhead.

Sue!

Look who's in town?  Sue - my almost twin (our birthdays are off by 1 year exactly)!

Stacey, Diane and I met up with her in Boston at Paparazzi (I know - we went into the big city and still ended up eating at a suburban chain restaurant. )

Despite not having seen her in several years we all picked up where we left off.  The only difference is now we all need spectacles to read the menu. And instead of talking about boys we talked about how we can't sleep through the night any more and how we don't want to fall on the icy sidewalks…really, we are all just a few prescriptions away from the retirement home at this rate. 

Stacey refused to be in a photo but she was there.  So fun to catch up on life in Vermont.

Come back again soon, Sue!

Who knew our sauce could be this weak?

We quizzed last night for the first time in a long time!!  Allie's mom Sherri joined us from Gloucester.

Picture Round - music celebrity mug shots.   We knew the woman wasn't Courtney Love but had no idea who it was.  The names were announced and I still don't know who it was!!

Despite the fact that it was a pitiful showing - we were all pretty happy to play.  

Oh - I guess we weren't happy actually.  Bill had us all do our mean faces.  I think he does this because Alllie and Joey have such good grumpy faces.  Their frowns are cartoon like!  (I mean that as a compliment.)

Sherri's is a thoughtful mean.

I just look confused.

Ready for Quiz Questions?

• Fagan and Bill Sykes were characters in what Dickens novel?  
• Who sings "You're Not the Boss of Me",  the theme song to Malcolm in the Middle?  
• Who was the only graduate of the US Naval Acadmy to become President of the US?  
• Where is Long Trail beer brewed?  
• What theater....Shakespeare....(didn't get the details but really, what more do you need? )
• Shannon Doherty, Lisanne Falk and Kim Walker played the title characters in this 1988 film. 
• Brian Johnson and Bon Scott were the vocalists for this band. 
• Who has been the Editor-In-Cheif of Vogue magazine since 1988? 
• George Eastman (of Eastman Kodak) founded a school of music in what University?  
• What NBA star is known as The Great Wall?  

Quiz Answers:

• Fagan and Bill Sykes were characters in what Dickens novel?  Oliver Twist
• Who sings "You're Not the Boss of Me",  the theme song to Malcolm in the Middle?  They Might be Giants
• Who was the only graduate of the US Naval Acadmy to become President of the US?  Jimmy Carter
• Where is Long Trail beer brewed?  Vermont
• What theater....Shakespeare....(didn't get the details but really, what more do you need? )  Globe Theater
• Shannon Doherty, Lisanne Falk and Kim Walker played the title characters in this 1988 film.  Heathers
• Brian Johnson and Bon Scott were the vocalists for this band.  ACDC
• Who has been the Editor-In-Cheif of Vogue magazine since 1988?  Anna Wintour
• George Eastman (of Eastman Kodak) founded a school of music in what University?  University of Rochester
• What NBA star is known as The Great Wall?  Yao Ming

We lost. It wasn't even worth tracking where we were in the pack.  Maybe we should change the team name to Stupid But Happy.

King Mickey

Look who came to stay with us on Friday!

Isn't he gorgeous?

Laura was having insulation blown into her walls so she and Mickey needed to stay out of the house for 24 hours.  Mickey spent the work day with us and then Laura came over for dinner and a slumber party.  We got take out italian and watched Hitchcock's Rope.

I'm born again Hitchcock after going to see the documentary Hitchcock/Truffaut - the two directors talk about Hitch's career with clips from the films. Rope was filmed in one long continuous take - - the only "break" is when they had to reload the camera with a new roll of film.  To do that, the camera hl's a shot on someone's back so the screen is essential black for a second or two.  The film was reloaded and the camera pans away to the next scene.  They had to do that every 10 minutes if I recall correctly.

Another little bit of trivia is that Rope was considered ahead of it's time for it's portrayal of homosexuals.  In fact it was so far ahead of it's time that I didn't even catch on that they were gay.

We loved it.  But we tend to love anything with Jimmy Stewart.

Mickey being in the house invariably means I'm going to get a big fluffy tail in my face!

Mickey will only drink from a fountain.

It's good to be King!

Patriots lose. Calzone survives.

Brenda and Keith hosted a Patriots party.  Mom came over.  Joey and Allie were there.  Zoe and Bret and Wyatte and Malikai all showed as well.  Even friend Derek joined us.

The game was rough.  Tom Brady was on his back all game.

As beaten up as he was the biggest hit of the day was when Andrew, Brenda and Keith's 13 year old son, was kneed by either Wyatte or Malikai and got a bloody nose.

Joey and I have our angry faces on.  Didn't work.

Broncos win and go to the SuperBowl.  

Buddy Mike went to the game and sent a watered down text, trying to rub it in.

Then he followed it with a text how both team played hard.  He's too nice.  He needs lessons on insulting your friends team.  

Brenda bought three giant calzones, but barely any of it was eaten.  The calzone has to be the densest food.  Each box must have weighted 35 pounds (I'm rounding up a bit).  

Thanks for hosting, Brenda and Keith.  Freeze that calzone for next year.

Dibley in London

Mr Dibley was so happy to be back in London.  (That's right - we are squeezing out one more London post!)

He wasn't that impressed with our airbnb.  It was small and there were no stables nearby.  But beggars can't be choosers.

To make it up to him, we took him out to eat.

And he saw Ann Maria.

And read his book on the tube.  It wasn't long before he felt like a Londoner again.  

And for a few bonus shots - here is the Airbnb where we stayed….we sound like jet setters but this place was not glamorous.  We had to use the clothes drying rack as our "closet" because there was no place to unpack.  Let's face it, it was no mews!  But the location was great so we aren't complaining. (well, I guess Mr Dibley was, but Bill and I were just happy to be there.)

I wish I'd taken a picture of the enormous crack in the window.  There was a note not to touch it or the glass might fall out.  Eek!!  

It wasn't the Vic but we did have several meals at The Mitre across the street. 

I think this is the last post we can possibly do from our trip.  Hopefully something fun will happen this weekend so next week's posts won't be The Sink Series.

Fire, Fire, Pants barely on fire

The Old Newbury Bonfire is an annual event that we have never attended for some reason.

This year were determined to attend.

But Saturday the 9th was cold and wet and we were warm and dry in the house.

At 7:00pm we saw Facebook posts from others attending and the fire was a-ragin'.

We still didn't want to leave the house.....

But our two intrepid bloggers felt the obligation to our reader and trudged out in the cold to create a document of our sad little life.

Alas, when we got there after a two mile walk the raging bonfire was a waning little campfire.

Dibley was angry we took him out in the cold for this.

 Jennie looks good in a fire .... (that probably was worded poorly)

What's Cookin'?

For years I have asked a question that has never really been answered to my satisfaction.

What do other people eat???

We have about 5 meals that we cycle through   - none of them very labor inattentive.  My go-to dinner is to roast sweet potato, brussel sprouts, broccoli and/or cauliflower and just throw it all on top of spinach for a salad. Bill's favorite is a grilled chicken sandwich with tomato and cheese.

But really…that's about it.  Our cupboards tend to be bare which forces us out to the pubs for dinner.

Solution - Blue Apron.

You sign up for a meal plan and they deliver everything right to your door.  

We ordered 2 meals with 4 servings each.  My plan is to have leftovers for lunch or a second dinner of each.

We got two laminated recipe cards with step by step instructions so we can recreate a meal on our own if we like it.

The ingredients are all measured out. This is key.  I hate deciding to make a recipe and then having to buy a jar of spice that I'll only use one teaspoon of - ever - and then having the left overs sit around unused.  Plus I have very little patience for food prep.  When you watch a cooking show all the ingredients are already measured out in little clear bowls…but someone had to make it that way.  I want the life of measured bowls without the effort of making them!!

And here it is.

Honestly, it says "knick knacks".  I'm sold.

So here are the two meals divvied up on our kitchen floor.  

Salmon with broccoli, arugula, and faro salad and White bean turkey chili.

Bill's not big on salmon - but I am. So I'll make that one while he is away.

So this may be the one down side….they have to ship it with all these ice packs.  What in the world are we going to do with these ice packs when they arrive every week??  Anybody need ice packs? 

Fast forward to Tuesday night.  I'm cooking up my salmon.

Approximately 30 minute later….

This was…..delicious!!!! 

I'm thrilled.  Only 580 calories a serving, the food is all thoughtfully sourced (they make a big deal about the farms they get their food from where gluten-free midgets swaddle their vegan offerings  in cloth diapers…it's all very Portlandia).  It gave me the illusion of being a cook without really having to do the work.  And honestly - it's not expensive.  Less than $10 a portion and the portions really are human sized.  I know I sound like and advertisement but I was so happy with it.  And to make the evening complete I started watching the series Polldark that I missed on Masterpiece Theater earlier this year.   A very good night at home.