Crowdsourcing Life

[2chatter]

Ok people, what do you need help with this week? Ask here....shopping, planning, deciding, etc.

[xctsclrx]

perfect timing:

I need an emergency food stash at my office that can replace lunch in a pinch. I am trying to challenge myself not to eat out for a month, so I need something at my desk for those days I forget to grab it.

[2chatter]

Here is mine ...

I invited my mom and two of her sisters (one in town from Chicago, that I saw last weekend) to dinner this weekend. What’s easy to feed 8 people but pseudo impressive? I don’t want to do something like a baked potato bar, am considering broiling steaks but that’s kind of boring. Needs to be pretty easy as I get impatient. My other go-to is lemon caper chicken. Should I just make that? Could pair with roasted vegetables (carrots, Brussels sprouts, broccoli) and a spinach salad.

www.keyingredient.com/recipes/225156101/chicken-in-lemon-caper-sauce-weight-watchers/

[xctsclrx]

2chatter, You could do something like a beef tenderloin with a bake potato and asparagus with a hollandaise sauce

[186momx]

I have a huge to do list for this weekend
-I need to finish painting my cabinets so they can dry and get rehung next weekend.
-Line the kitchen drawers since DH threw out the liner by accident when we were painting those.
-switch summer clothes for winter clothes for DD
-fall outside chores: leaves, gutters, screen/window washing, pulling dead annuals

I also need to decide on hardware for my freshly painted white cabinets. I was going to go with simple round/smooth black knobs. DH says they look like dominos. I already bought black hinges. What kind of knobs do the WPs having on their white cabinets?

[186momx]

2chatter, is the weather cool enough to do a fall soup and pair it with a couple artisan fancy loafs of bread that you can stuff with cheese or herbed butter and then add a salad to go with. Another go to for big groups is spaghetti with the same bread/salad combo. I also always add a fruit salad for the kiddos and ice cream for dessert.

[covergirl82]

xctsclrx, how about a stash of cans of soup, fruit cups, and individual bags of pretzels? Not super exciting, but relatively shelf-stable for a while.

[186momx]

xctsclrx, during tax season I keep extra cans of soup in my filing cabinet. I will also bring a whole loaf of bread and sandwich makings to keep in our little kitchen area so I only have to pack lunch on Mondays. But my only co-worker is my dad so no swiping food issues.

[waverly]

Oct 17, 2018 10:37:39 GMT -5 xctsclrx said:

perfect timing:

I need an emergency food stash at my office that can replace lunch in a pinch. I am trying to challenge myself not to eat out for a month, so I need something at my desk for those days I forget to grab it.

It's not the best food in the world, but I buy several frozen dinners or lunches and stash them in the freezer at work.  Lean Cuisine or something more on the healthier side if possible.  Annie's for organic, ethnic or vegetarian.  Then I keep sides to go with that like protein bars for snacks.  

[waverly]

Oct 17, 2018 10:50:38 GMT -5 186momx said:

I have a huge to do list for this weekend
-I need to finish painting my cabinets so they can dry and get rehung next weekend.
-Line the kitchen drawers since DH threw out the liner by accident when we were painting those.
-switch summer clothes for winter clothes for DD
-fall outside chores: leaves, gutters, screen/window washing, pulling dead annuals

I also need to decide on hardware for my freshly painted white cabinets. I was going to go with simple round/smooth black knobs. DH says they look like dominos. I already bought black hinges. What kind of knobs do the WPs having on their white cabinets?

When we rented it was off white cabinets with black counter.  I don't remember a contrast, so they must have been stainless steel or off white.  

ETA-  I also like mini bagel sandwiches with provolone cheese, avocado and turkey. Bring it all in on Monday and make 2-3 lunches with it.  

[waverly]

I need help with fall break which is the week of Thanksgiving. Last year DH said why didn't we go somewhere? So we should since the kids are off for a week.

We can't decide on a place. I voted fly to Nashville with points see Nashville and Mammoth Cave. He voted NYC. Problem with NYC- expensive hotel rooms, and my friend from NYC is visiting 2 weeks before so weird timing maybe. 3rd option anyone? Something not a super long fight like not the West Coast, and can get to with Southwest Miles. Or driving distance from Chicago. Not Michigan, since we go there all the time. We've already done St. Louis, and sorry didn't care for it that much except the City Museum. We've done the quad cities. We've done Springfield. We've done Milwaukee and Madison. Not to say we can't go back, but I would like there to be a reason to go back if that makes sense...

I also don't have a ton of days off, so more casual would be good. For example I would like to see ME, VT, NH, but I feel that would take more time. Thinking about maybe 4 day trip... Somewhere where the weather is not snowing per se.


ETA- places I think he would go for- Denver, Washington DC (but not sure if relatives from there are coming here).  And a low key driving trip would be fine as well as long as it is not a ton of driving.  

[rere]

2chatter , What about Mexican? It is super easy to cook up some chicken and ground beef then lay out the tortillas, veggies, guac, sour cream, cheese, queso, etc?

[supertrooper1]

xctsclrx, I have both Gopicnic and Barilla shelf stable meals in my desk at work for unexpected overtime shifts.

gopicnic.com/

www.amazon.com/Barilla-Italian-Style-Entrees-Chicken-Alfredo/dp/B0199RCO26/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1539794417&sr=8-1&keywords=barilla+chicken+alfredo

[supertrooper1]

I need some good yoga videos, preferably on youtube. I started going to yoga once a week and I'm still trying to figure out which style I like. So far I've done yin and hatha flow. But I need some videos to do when I can't make it to a class.

[supertrooper1]

2chatter, my go to is a pre-marinated pork tenderloin.

[mustardseed2007]

supertrooper1, I have you on this one: www.doyogawithme.com/

Free online videos of yoga classes and they are very good. If you subscribe you have access to more videos but I never have and I've never run out of videos to do.

[ilovelucyvv]

waverly, Denver sounds awesome. I'll throw out Atlanta as a suggestion as I think there is a lot of kid friendly stuff there, plus it is usually pretty warm.

[rere]

I need my Roomba IRobot already that I asked for Christmas. I also need a Roomba type machine invented that will clean my bathrooms. All this because I am busy this week with meetings at night, teacher conferences, and a meeting on Halloween costumes for adults. All because I want to spend Saturday an apple festival eating everything in sight and Saturday night at a Halloween party and Sunday at a Pioneer village open house, so between running and church, that really doesn't leave housecleaning time. I have already outsourced the groceries.

[2chatter]

I am thinking about chili after the soup suggestion. It’s rainy and cold, it’s a very Texas food, and could do yummy breads with it for sure.

Check out AKA hotels in NYC - I stayed in a one bedroom for under $300 and the couch and a cot would have totally worked for two kids, full kitchen. They feel like a doorman building (and people do live in them). There was a rooftop deck that I worked on for a bit and it was really nice.

[covergirl82]

Sewing WPs... the zipper pull tab on DS's winter coat broke off. We have his next-size-up coat he could wear, but the one with the now-broken zipper pull tab fits better and is still in good condition. Is there an easy way to just replace the zipper pull, or do I need to replace the whole zipper? My neighbor is retired and sews, so I could pay her to sew in a new zipper if that is the best option.

[waverly]

rere, +1 to a robot that will clean my bathrooms, and I'll add kitchen and dusting, trim and windows to that since we are dreaming. I too have a Roomba and have grocery delivery. I need laundry service, but I don't mind laundry that much. It is the bathrooms, kitchen and deep cleaning. I tried task rabbit last year to outsource deep cleaning, but the lady took the job with the hours I had put on there, then told me she couldn't work the hours then canceled with a most likely fake family emergency. So not sure what to do about that. I would still like a service that does a deep clean twice a year though, and should hire out the windows. I've been saying that on the windows for 8 years.

[waverly]

Oct 17, 2018 12:08:44 GMT -5 covergirl82 said:

Sewing WPs... the zipper pull tab on DS's winter coat broke off. We have his next-size-up coat he could wear, but the one with the now-broken zipper pull tab fits better and is still in good condition. Is there an easy way to just replace the zipper pull, or do I need to replace the whole zipper? My neighbor is retired and sews, so I could pay her to sew in a new zipper if that is the best option.

The answer is it depends.  I took my jacket to the dry cleaner and the way it was constructed he could not replace the zipper easily so he jimmied another stopper on it.  It was the stopper that was broken not the pull.  

Other garments I have had my mom replace the zipper no problem.  It's all in how it is originally sewed in and the material.  I would check with your neighbor on what she could do.  They do sell pulls separately- I just checked on Amazon so it seems it is possible.  

[waverly]

supertrooper1, no advice on videos, but is this where I admit I still have this book published from before I was born. www.amazon.com/Lilias-Yoga-You-M-Folan/dp/B00072KHWW/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1539796779&sr=1-4&keywords=lilias+yoga&dpID=41Wp4ESFALL&preST=_SY291_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch

[mommyatty]

Oct 17, 2018 12:08:44 GMT -5 covergirl82 said:

Sewing WPs... the zipper pull tab on DS's winter coat broke off. We have his next-size-up coat he could wear, but the one with the now-broken zipper pull tab fits better and is still in good condition. Is there an easy way to just replace the zipper pull, or do I need to replace the whole zipper? My neighbor is retired and sews, so I could pay her to sew in a new zipper if that is the best option.

How much of the pull came off? Like the entire thing that goes up and down, or just the pulling part? If it’s just the pulling part, you can replace that with all sorts of cute things or even a paper clip.

[k3am]

Okay for family photos??? I’m not sure if DS’s clothes will fit him (they’re from last year) and we will not get the opportunity to get him to try them on prior. I think it’s more early spring than fall but my options are very limited.

DD will need tights and shoes to wear that I can hopefully get delivered by Saturday.

[mommyatty]

2chatter- we had chili last night. Also we made Jiffy cornbread muffins with a can of roasted green chilis and diced jalepenos. So easy and amazingly good.

Funny note. My phone keeps trying to change “jalepenos” to “kale penis”. I can not recommend kale penis in these cornbread muffins.

[k3am]

Also if anyone can recommend any pair of leggings or any pants with enough stretch to get them on over a cast, that'd be great. I am freezing wearing shorts over here. Or at least I am until it's 80 out...

[mellym]

supertrooper1, I really like SarahBethYoga on You Tube. They're short workouts but very effective.

2chatter, chili sounds great to me this time of year, especially with cornbread

[mommyatty]

k3am, boot cut stretchy yoga pants from Academy?

[2chatter]

k3am - love the outfits!!!

Could you do guys sweatpants? They are way more generous in legs.

mommyatty - will avoid kale penis totally! But genius - I will do the cake cornbread (Jiffy, vanilla cake mix, can of creamed corn). So good!

Since you guys are on a roll - nibbles for before chili? One of my aunts is crazy. Like nuts. And weird. And says whatever pops into her head. And a multimillionaire who acts broke - like she appeared at my house to ask for my mom’s bed after scoping out my mom’s condo. She gave me a garage sale stroller with a hole in the seat for DD for her birthday one year. I will need snacks to either keep my mouth full so I don’t say anything or to self soothe. Or both.