Saturday, February 14, 2009

Sunday Dinner, February 15, 2009

Another week has passed and it's time for my Sunday Dinner post again.

And I'm afraid I'm not cooking Sunday Dinner this week.

My sweet hubby is going to church with his mother on Sunday morning and spending some time with her because it's her birthday, so for Valentine's Day he's sending me out to eat for Sunday Dinner.

I have no idea where I'll be having Sunday Dinner tomorrow, but I won't be cooking it. Somebody else will be wearing the chef's hat for my Sunday Dinner this week.

Thanks, Lamar! I love you, babe. :o)

Feel free to post your Sunday Dinner menu/plans in the comments if you'd like to participate this week.Several times this week I've thought about writing a post, but just about the time I'd form the thought our power or internet would go off. I realize it's been almost 3 weeks since the ice storm here, but there are still people who don't have their electricity restored yet. Honestly.

Our power was off all day long Wednesday and it's been off for anything from a couple of seconds to a few hours here and there. Then there were the times that I had power but no internet.

Very frustrating, but I also realize that there are those people who've been without electricity for 3 weeks and I feel really selfish and snarky because I'm inconvenienced so little compared to them. Time to suck it up and be a little more patient and sensitive to others who are far less blessed than I am.

Most of the power outages are due to the linemen purposely turning off the electricity so they can add more circuits back online and get power back to more people. And occasionally as they add more lines back in service there are transformers that blow and other incidents that overload the system so it shuts down again until they can locate the problem.

Still, much better to be inconvenienced a few hours a day than to be without power at all. And I'm always thankful for the crews who are working upwards of 12 hours a day to get power back on for all of us. We pray for their safety as they work because it's a stressful, dangerous job on an average day, never mind the additional dangers of broken limbs just waiting to fall and snapping power poles, just to name a few.Another reason I haven't posted much is that I've been having some major problems with my computer. I don't know if I've ever mentioned it here on the blog but I was blessed with a new laptop in October. I love the convenience of being able to blog from my recliner, but one thing I don't really like about the computer is that I was stuck with Vista as the operating system.

I'd heard a lot of negative stuff about Vista, and to be fair, I've heard some good things as well, but the bad far outweighed the good. Nevertheless, in order to get the deal I got on the laptop it was Vista or nothing, so I took it.

The first several weeks or so I had no problems at all with the laptop, then occasionally it would lock up or crash, maybe once a week or so. Then gradually, almost before I even realized it, my laptop was freezing up or crashing at least once a day.

Finally on Thursday night I turned on the laptop to check my email, and before I had even read 4 emails it crashed on me again. That was the last straw for me. I told Lamar, the laptop is useless if I can't even have it on for 5 minutes before it crashes, so I was bound and determined to either fix it or tear it up for real.

I had some suspicions that at least part of the problem was my Firefox browser because after my laptop automatically downloaded a Firefox update back in November was when I first noticed the problems and it just steadily got worse. I'd also heard that Firefox and Vista were having some compatibility issues, much like a couple of hormonal teenagers. So last week I uninstalled Firefox and then reloaded it thinking that might fix the problem.

Nope.

So yesterday I did a go back on my computer where I reset it back to a former date where things seemed to be okay with it. I then uninstalled Firefox again and restarted my computer, then visited the Mozilla*Firefox site via Internet*Explorer, where I downloaded the latest version of Firefox including all available updates.

And......so far so good! And I hope that's the worst problem I ever have with my laptop. Or as I like to affectionately call him, Clyde Earl.

(I have no idea why my laptop is a male - it just seems right.)For those of you who've been following my daughter JESSICA'S BLOG, I have a bit of news. Jessica is taking Certified Nursing Assistant classes at a neighboring town in addition to her regular job. She's going to classes and doing hands on learning there at a nursing home during the day, then working her regular hours during the evenings and on Saturdays.

After she finishes her classes there and passes their test, she'll be licensed by that nursing home. After she works there for a while she'll be able to take the state test to be licensed as a CNA and then will be able to work in other nursing homes or hospitals.

It's a complicated matter but I think I have the basics correct. If not, Jessica can correct me and straighten out the details.

Bottom line, it will give Jessica more options as she's working and will enable her to have more job opportunities and better salary options.

Times are hard all over and our area is no exception. Businesses and factories that have been in operation for generations are closing, and the ones that aren't outright shutting down are laying off long standing employees left and right.

Jason, bless his heart, has been trying so hard to find a job but they're just not out there right now. Until something comes along for him, he's staying home with Emmy while Jessica works. He's doing such a good job with Emmy and holding down the home front.

Jason cooks most of the meals for him and Emmy, including supper every night, and sometimes Jessica has time to stop on her way from her classes, eat supper and see them for a few minutes before she has to go to her other job. Jason is also doing a lot of the housekeeping and other chores to pick up the slack since Jessica is working and gone so much.

I'm so proud of him, and so is Jessica!

Also, they seem to have fixed at least some of their computer issues but with Jessica working and going to classes her computer time will still be limited. Hopefully she can find some time to post and update a little more often than she has lately.I want to wish you all a very Happy Valentine's Day, or what's left of it. Of course all you cool sweethearts are probably out celebrating right now, but you'll find this when you get home, turn on your computer and read your favorite blogs.

Thanks to all of my readers/lurkers who've taken the time to leave me a comment or email me to let me know you're out there reading. I appreciate you all so much. :o)

Hope you all have a great Sunday and coming week. May God richly bless you by meeting all your needs, and may you have enough to share.

37 comments:

Dawn said...

Wow - I'm first for you and Susie both tonight. Amazing!

I can't believe that you guys are still having trouble with your electricity.

Last night we celebrate Kev's birthday with the 3 kids - no little kids. We had such a good time and good food - too much food! Tomorrow DC is going to get some Boston Market with a Valentine gift we got from his mom. So I won't have to cook.

Kev is desperately trying to get a job, too. He had to drop out of school to pay off some bills, but he's not having any success getting a job, either. Really scary.

I have never had trouble with Vista, at least that I know of. I've had trouble, as you know, with my laptop, but I don't think they're Vista-related. I have Firefox, because my young techie genius thinks it's safer and better than Explorer - I'm not so sure about that. But I have to depend upon others for their expertise, because I have none!

Have fun wherever you eat out tomorrow!

Lucy Stern said...

Hope you have a wonderful dinner after Church tomorrow...It is nice that Lamar is able to go visit his mom and you are not jealous of this attention he is giving her.

Sorry you are having so much trouble with your computer. I am keeping my fingers crossed and hoping that it is working now...Good luck with that.
I have heard all kinds of horror stories about Vista...When TF got a new computer, for his business, he went through Dell and got Windows XP.....

I hope things work out well for Jessica...It is good that Jason can help out will all the cleaning, cooking and taking care of Miss Emily..I don't know what Jessica would do if he didn't help out.

Tomorrow is my son's birthday so I will be cooking a birthday dinner for him....Still not sure what I'm going to cook....But we will have chocolate cake and chocolate ice cream to go with whatever I cook..lol.

Have a great week, Diane.

Anonymous said...

sori about your computer problems
Ive always wanted a lap top maybe one of these days
and Im afraid I cant reccommend a computer guru anymore
hope you get it sorted

wow wtg to Jessica. Ive missed her since shes been doing the hubby challenge. Good on her for trying to better their situation. And good on Jason for being a house dad :) Much nicer than having Emmy in care :)

have a good week my friend
Jen

Mountain Mama said...

I'm not cooking Sunday dinner either. I have been under the weather since last Sunday so will be warming some soup.

I have heard a lot of negative about Vista. When I got my new Dell last year I didn't get it.

I suppose the reason your new laptop seems like a male is because it takes a bit of getting used to and you have to slap them into shape once in a while.
I hope Clyde will behave himself now.
Happy Valentine's Day Diane.

Susie said...

Enjoy your dinner out tomorrow! I have loads of food in the frig, so I think we'll have something light have the big dinner tonight!
Glad to hear Jason is such a big help to Jess with all she's doing.
My Firefox and Vista don't always get along either. The type sort of freezes when I'm typing. Then it thinks a bit and gets going. Annoying as can be...
Thanks for catching the boo boo on my roll recipe. I've corrected it now..
Have a wonderful Sunday.
xo

Pug1 said...

Hope you pick a nice place to eat! Happy Valentines Day! CHEERS! Michele

Brenda said...

I love your laptop's name! Never heard of giving them a middle name too. Funny!
That's great, Jessica is going for her CNA license. Jason picking up the slack is such a blessing. Sounds like a great husband.
Didn't do much today except make Val. cookies. Chels did come over for a bit, so it was nice visiting with her. She's loving her new apt.
Have a great week, Diane.

violetlady said...

I hope you enjoy your dinner out tomorrow. I am sure you are so proud of Jessica and Jason. They are both such hard workers and have such high ideals -- and they are so young and so mature. You are very lucky.

Muhd Imran said...

Sounds delicious as every Sunday dinner is at your home.

Jess is inspirational. Nothing short of it.

Looks like you handled Earl quite like a pro. Awesome Tech-savvy Grandma!

Have a great weekend!

Judith said...

Diane, I am praying for you all down there, about the awful weather, and work situations. Jess and her great husband seem to be handling their job hunting well. I am so proud of her getting all the training she can. Think I'll go from your blog over to hers, to tell her so. Sometimes we don't compliment our friends as much as we could. Prayers and good thoughts to all of you.

Judith said...

Oh, it's me again. forgot to give you my fancy recipe for Sunday dinner.

Either a chicken and fancy looking noodle TV dinner, or Lasagna with meatsauce, by "Claim Jumper" ready prepared. Other brands available, but Claim Jumper gives you more. One of them is enough for two full meals. If I go with the lasagna, a tossed salad, and garlic bread, and some Italian peppers would be nice, but I think my cook just left town. Now I'm going over to encourage Jessica.

Anonymous said...

When I got my laptop it had Vista installed. It would freeze up on me occasionally. But my daughter told me that Vista has a lot of problems, so she took my computer into work and had someone there take off Vista and install Windows XP. No problems at all now, except the connection to the internet is different and I have to reconnect every I bring the computer out of standby. I'm going to have that connection changed.

I'm proud of Jessica. In these hard times, you need every bit of help finding a job that you can. Getting more education is wonderful. And dear Jason - he's doing what he needs to do by holding down the homefront. Hopefully something will come along for him too. They are such a mature couple for being so young.

Hope you have a lovely dinner today.

Donna. W said...

Wow, there are still people with no electricity? Good grief! You know, it's hard on appliances when electricity goes off so often. Not that there's a thing you can do about it, of course.

My laptop slowed to a crawl and started freezing up; I'll take it to the computer fix-it man, but I won't spend too much money on it; it's my "spare" anyhow, and it's getting up there in age.

Linds said...

First, Diane. I am so proud of Jessica for getting out there and taking on the load of new classes to train! What a star! And Jason too, for stepping in and doing all the other work, and we all know how much of that there is too, with a little one to care for.

It is now Sunday afternoon, and my lunch was toasted cheese rolls. I had a very lazy morning, and with all the waiting for the baby to arrive, have no preparations made at all. Sigh. I need to have a talk with myself.

Enjoy your Sunday with no cooking!

Hootin Anni said...

I don't think it's Vista...it's Firefox. Like you said...the browser is having issues with Vista's software.

It's good to hear that you are going out for dinner. Enjoy.

Just Terrific said...

Enjoy your dinner today!! You'll have to tell us where you chose to go. I'm sorry you're having electric/computer problems. The power going off/on is hard on electronics, too.

I think it's hilarious that you gave your computer a name! With a middle name, too :) Did you come up with a middle name when you were "scolding" your computer?? I think it's the mother in us to use the first and middle name when we're totally frustrated with someone(thing). (I'm 49 and I still get the full name treatment once in awhile from my parents:)

I love reading your blog. It always lifts my spirits! Happy "Belated" Valentine's Day!!

Unknown said...

I thought I would pop in and see what's cooking at your house today. Was I surprised!! lol
I do like what you are having though (someone else's cooking) sometimes that menu hits the spot doesn't it?

I know how proud your are of Jess and Jason. I am proud of them too. You are right though and times are tough all over. They are blessed with having each other and working together to keep things going.

Boo-Bah AKA Iris said...

Good morning,

I am so sorry that your electricity is still giving you problems. I imagine the people that who are still completely without any power must feel desperate by now.

My son bought a laptop with vista running it, and he also was compaining of the problems it was giving him. I love it that you have named your computer. My daughter named her car kitty-cat.

I don't have the faintest idea of what I am having today for dinner. Guess I'll have to dig through the freezer and come up with something.

I hope that your dinner will be delicious today wherever you eat.

Take care and have a wonderful week.
Boo-Bah
from SO. CA.

kansasrose said...

Hi hon and Happy Sunday. Sweetie I'm not cookin' today either. Youngest is going to a movie with a friend at 12:30 and Dh and I are just wingin' it on the eats. A grilled cheese sandwhich and maybe some more tater soup will do us just fine.

Hon I know how the power on and off goes...it happened here a year ago. God Bless those crews that are workin' their tails off to restore the juice. Kansas had crews from all over the US helpin' on that...Hats off to those people! My prayers are still with the folks who don't have power after 3 weeks. It should be coming back online soon I hope.

Hats off to Jess and Jason too!! Stormin' heaven for prayers that this good young man can find work soon. These two young people are the best of the best. Jess is on the right career path hon..there is a tremendous need for nursing assistants. These times are testin' the metal for sure, even for seasoned old farts like yours truely and the hub. We just need to pray for each other and support and love our neighbors more. I know ya do that already babe. :)

Sorry bout your puter troubles. Sounds like the update may have messed it up. That happened to me last fall. I have to use Internet explorer to access my photos. Wierd dang thing. You are a wiz and hope the things you have done will help it run smoothly. Better get now...gots to give the piglets their bottle. Loveya, Jen

ps tell that sis Donna hi for me!

Linda said...

It's always so nice to visit with you Diane.
I can't imagine being without electricity for three weeks. Yikes! I hope they get it all restored very soon.
I'm saving up so that I can buy a laptop one of these days. I always get nervous when I hear about the problems other people are having with theirs. I am so computer "unsavy", I wouldn't have a clue what to do if mine crashed. I'm also clueless about which is the best brand to buy. I comfort myself with the thought that by the time I have enough money saved up there will be something new and wonderful out there. Perhaps Vista will be obsolete by then :-)
I'm so proud of Jason and Jessica too. They are both working so hard. I am absolutley confident that they will do well. I'm praying for them.
Have a wonderful sunday dinner out!

BigDadGib said...

Still problems with the power? so sorry.
And I am not happy with Vista at all. It takes up so much time and resources. arrrgggggg.

Love and hugs,
Gib

Barb said...

I suspected it was going to take a while to get power back to everyone Diane. I'm sorry you're having to deal with this, but like you said, very thankful that you have power most of the time.

I've heard nothing but bad things about Vista and several people I know who got a new computer with Vista, actually paid to have Windows XP restored on their new computer. Hope your problem is fixed.

I made spaghetti for our dinner tonight. Forgot to buy garlic bread, so I made bread too. :-)

Happy new week. I hope the power outages go completely away soon.

xoxo

Betty said...

Hi Diane,

I enjoy reading your Sunday menus, but I'm always happy for you when I read that you are not having to cook Sunday dinner. I'm glad you got to go out for Sunday for your Valentine gift.

Computers are so much fun when they are working right, aren't they? But, boy, when they are not then they can be a real headache. Just makes you want to throw them out the back door when they start causing problems.

I don't ever cook lunch on Sundays, but tonight I'm having crowder peas, corn on the cob and baked ham, corn bread and iced tea.

I hope you have a wonderful week, Diane.

Love,
Betty

kkryno said...

Since K. is working night-shift this week, I'll probably dig one of the meals out of the freezer. I've been trying to freeze the majority of our left-overs so they don't go to waste. I don't know how to cook for two, so this method works fo us.

Anywho; tonite it'll be a toss-up between cream of mushroom and chicken soup, beefy curly noodle soup, or perciatelli pasta and marinara. One way or another, I'll be eating well(and so will the fur crew!)

Be sure to tell us about your dinner out, and have a good week!

Love, Vikki

Aunt Jenny said...

Gosh..I have been offline alot this week while I had company here and didn't realize you all were still having power problems. I hope everything is back to better than normal really soon.
You amaze me with the computer stuff...I am clueless with mine.
Jessica is a wonder..and Jason too!!
For dinner tonight we are having pork fried rice. I had leftover pork chops and will add green onion and other goodies too. My husband is sick with a stomach thing today so he will no doubt not have any..just me and the kids and then they are off to a youth fireside thing at church so it will be a quiet evening.
I am still keeping you all in my prayers. Your weather has sure been worse than ours has been lately.

Gigi said...

Hope you enjoyed your Sunday dinner out - always nice to get a treat!

I sure hope all the power issues are straightened out soon...we do take so much for granted until we're without, don't we??!! We just *expect* things to work!

I wish you a blessed week my friend!

auntpearl said...

I hope you had a wonderful time enjoying your dinner on Sunday.
It is so nice you are trying to be positive about the power being out. It must be awful for those poor people who have done without for so long.
So glad to hear Jessica is doing well. She would do well working with the elderly...I call those people angels.

Take care and hugs,

Mother Mayhem said...

I still have Windows. LOL.

Clyde Earl?

The Old Gray Mare said...

I hope you enjoyed your Sunday dinner out!

Lots of folks here are still having power problems too. Some have never regained power from the ice storm. Last week we had severe storms and major wind that took trees and lines down again.

On the bright side, Brownie got to come home Thursday for a long weekend because his campus lost power and water.

Brownie has Vista on his laptop, and I don't think he's had any problems so far. Knock on wood. :o)

Have a great week!

Nancy said...

Hi Diane!

I did not cook yesterday just for me. I made some chicken salad and homemade sandwich rolls...that was my dinner. My daughter brought dinner for her dad and me to my home Saturday night. What a nice surprise that was!

So glad Jessica is going to be certified. She's one smart little gal!!! Someone has to watch Emmy, and it sounds like Jason is doing a great job as Mr. Mom. Nothing wrong with that. Jess is blessed to have such a good man! Jobs are scarce these days, but I do think things will turn around eventually, in given time. Hopefully, something will open up for him later on.

How is dear little Emmy doing? I know she is your life! She is such a happy child...that smile melts my heart!!! Bless her little heart...

Hope you are feeling well these days, too! I know who call on if I have any computer problems! LOL You're quite the master there! I don't have Vista, but I have often thought if I did, that I would remove it and install Windows on a new one. I don't know what I'd do, really. I have been lucky with this Dell...have never had any problems with it...knock on wood!

Have a good week, Diane!

((( HUGS )))

Rachel said...

You are so right about the electricity. I feel for those folks who have been without it so long.

I had a meatloaf sandwich for my Sunday dinner. I love those!! Yum!!

Hoorah for Jessica taking the CNA class. I suggest working in a doctor's office. If you work for a good one (nice one I mean) they usually have good benefits!

MightyMom said...

my sunday dinner was boudin with toast. mmmmmmmm mmmmmm good.

Dick said...

I finally got the last paperwork that I needed to do 2008 income taxes on Saturday so told Pat I'd do ours on Sunday. I loaded TurboTax and started inputting data. I said that when I got finished we would go to dinner. If the results were bad, we'd go to McDonalds. If they were better, to a better place.

About 17:00 we went to Jimmy's Pizza and Pasta in Stanwood, WA for a great dinner. Now I'll see how long it takes for that refund to drop into my bank account.

Girl Raised in the South said...

Good for Jessica! And I'll pray for her sweet husband to find something that will bless their family.

Staci said...

There's an award for you over on my blog, Diane!

Mim said...

Diane
So you are cleaning and sorting too! It keeps me warm and I'm getting organized at the same time.
We are serious about job hunting but just trying to keep busy.
The job climate is not good right now as your family knows.

Anonymous said...

You know I always love to read your weekly summery and how good you are to describe all, very readable, in every details.

I'm so happy for Jessica - I'll be right over to greet her :-)

Wishing you a wonderful end to your week!

Love and stuff -Renny :-)