Prep Genrl Weekly Prep Thread: December 7 - December13, 2025

ginnie6

ginnie6

Veteran Member
This week has started better than last week was thankfully. I have to go to my sister's today. We're all three getting together and trying to plan a supper out with the spouses. I'm in a peopled out mood though so it's tough. Not sure what's set me off but I just want to stay home. Went last night with my young friend from church and had supper and ran a couple errands. She called and asked if we could as she needed some help. All she wanted was opinions on a winter coat....this girl just misses her momma y'all. So we went to a burger place that got rave reviews online, I wasn't impressed. I did get the fleece I needed to finish a baby quilt and she got her prescription picked up so that was good. I woke up at 2:30 and couldn't get back to sleep so I went ahead and got up and cleaned the kitchen. I just did not want to do it yesterday so I ignored it all day. Took me 15 minutes but I procrastinated and put it off all day.....sigh.

Moldy its my hand that tells me we're about to get a storm. Got a splinter in between my knuckles years ago and had to get it surgically taken out. That hand didn't bother me for years but now its very reliable when there's wet weather coming.

We still waiting on an amazon package that has been delayed. It was supposed to come Sunday originally. DS ordered it so I told him he needs to check on it as the link he gave me is not saying anything anymore. It's dh's Christmas present we've all gone in on together and that is stressing me out.
 
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WanderLore

Veteran Member
Rained all night and still raining a bit, so some of the snow melted! Brutal weather this weekend.
Going to get coal this morning, then son will get hay.
After this weekend, temps look to moderate back to more normal for awhile.
We're going to go to China buffet in the kids town, week from this Sunday.
3 months today since I lost my sweet hubby.
 
SouthernBreeze

SouthernBreeze

TB Fanatic
We're still having a mini heatwave here through Saturday. Sunday, we'll be back to having winter, again. 59 with a low of 31, today. 65 for our high, Saturday. Sunday night low of 17*.

Nothing much going on the rest of the day. I got rid of some old pots/pans that I hardly ever use anymore this morning. I need to get rid of more items in my kitchen cabinets that are taking up more space more than they are used. I mean, how many serving platters does one need? Serving trays? Cutting boards? We did a lot of entertaining in years past, and I needed all that. Not anymore. I got rid of all my non-stick skillets that weren't worth the money I paid for them. Won't be getting any more of those. If it's not stainless steel, glass, cast iron, or crockpot I no longer use it, so why keep it? Today is garbage pickup day, so Cary had several bags to take to the road, after I finished.

I'm taking a long coffee break, before starting on anything else. I can't think of anything that really needs doing, right now.
 
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connie

Veteran Member
Hubby is taking donations to Habitat today. Big , heavy, or unused kitchen items and other miscellaneous. Don't want to store unused items.

Have some wool blankets and sheets for homeless shelter and he will see if they will take like new rollaway bed.
Hate to take to dump and thrift stores can't take mattresses. Could just put on sidewalk if shelter can't use it.
 
SouthernBreeze

SouthernBreeze

TB Fanatic
sssarawolf said:
Got more cranberries in the dehydrator, we just sliced up a 10 pound precooked ham, foodsavered it in packs and stuck them in the freezer for sandwiches, soup and etc.
Not supposed to rain today and a high of 51 WOW.
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I have a pretty big smoked turkey breast thawing in the fridge. I'm going to bake it, and take all the meat off the bone. I'll divide it all up to go back in the freezer for use in my pasta salads and turkey dressing. We're not big turkey fans, but smoked turkey, we can eat if it's mixed in with other things. I do my hams the same way for later meals.
 
kyrsyan

kyrsyan

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Finally got past the mental block and filled out mortgage paperwork today. We'll see what my local CU says first. If the interest and payments aren't what I'm looking for, I'll check a couple of others. But I've heard that some of the more common ones have some issues. If you have any recommendations, please share.

A few surprises I wasn't expecting. Since this is being purchased from family, I don't qualify for a lot of the first time buyer programs. On the flip side, due to "gift equity" I shouldn't have to pay closing costs or down payment out of pocket. Basically, the family member will "get paid" extra and it will be reduced from their cash payout. That means that the savings account buffer can continue to grow. (And it will be allowed to continue to grow.)

Other than that, just dealing with life and insanity.
 
Meemur

Meemur

Voice on the Prairie
Long day here, but my staycation starts tomorrow, which is awesome because there's freezing rain in the forecast for Thursday and more snow on Saturday. I'm looking forward to staying in and working around the house. Deep cleaning is on the list, followed by starting "retirement cleaning," which I like better than "Swedish Death Cleaning," the name of a book for those who haven't seen it. [The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning]

This project goes beyond "decluttering." It's little stuff.

I need to start going through photos, files, and what remains of my papers. The last two moves have been very helpful in forcing me to cull, but there's still too much left, plus I still haven't uploaded photos and docs to Ancestry/etc. Once that's done, I will save some of that to a hard drive but the hard copies are mostly going bye-bye. I will save a few items in a scrap book for my use.

I no longer have several 4-drawer files crammed with stuff, but there's still too much. The goal is to cull it down to a scrap book or two and one or two "memory boxes," the smaller ones, not the copy box sized ones. I'll see how it goes, but I know I can get rid of additional stuff. I'm not a minimalist, but there's too many boxes in two of the closets.
 
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WanderLore

Veteran Member
Up at 3:30 tend stove. Coffee. Nasty weather this weekend. Son goes to work Friday for a 36 I think. We got coal, hay and I think pretty much whatever is needed.
After Monday, temps will moderate.
Made some cookies yesterday that were the best. Don't ask me the recipe lol, just started with peanut butter and oatmeal.
 
Meemur

Meemur

Voice on the Prairie
WanderLore, we call those "kitchen sink" cookies because there's no recipe and the ingredients change each batch, depending on what's on hand at the time. Back when I did more Christmas baking, I'd make a batch of those for New Year's Eve to use up the remaining candied fruits, nuts, and chocolate chips.

I'm going for my walk as soon as it gets a little lighter. I've almost got my steps in for the week, and I'll do some extra. Then I can do stretching and chair exercises in the living room until the roads get better. They are fine now, but freezing rain or snow (they can't make up their mind) is coming in later this morning.

Onward! Wishing everyone a great day!
 
patriotgal

patriotgal

Veteran Member
Supposed to hit 55 deg today. New construction means jackhammer during daylight hours. Can hear the trains at night even tho they aren't terribly close. Love the train sounds. They don't wake me but I enjoy them when I am awake.

We were 5 min late for school one morning. It appeared everyone else was too, lol. I forgot that it is my job to make the pbjs.

Grands want us to stay 2 more weeks. DH is chomping at the bit to go home. He is sooo bored. Will see who wins. Kids won't be back from camping til Sunday. It is supposed to be below freezing tomorrow night. I am sure DD is ready to call off the rest of the winter camping trip.

Took pics of items running low in pantry so I can replace them today while grabbing more lunch snacks for grands. Off to school. Have a blessed day!
 
SouthernBreeze

SouthernBreeze

TB Fanatic
53 and 37 for our high and low, today. Sunny skies. Sunday, high of 32 and 16 with single digit wind chills.

I'll be doing more kitchen cabinet cleaning and tossing, today. I want to get it down to only those items I use on a regular basis, not every 6 months to a year, if ever. As I get older, I want less and less stuff. That goes for the rest of the house, too.

DDIL is to find out this morning if she is getting laid off from her job. She works in the fraud department at a large bank in Tupelo, but works from home. Another bank took it over, and this new bank is planning to use all it's own employees. That leaves her bank having to get rid of a lot of workers. She is to call to let us know how it goes, after her meeting this morning.
 
SouthernBreeze

SouthernBreeze

TB Fanatic
patriotgal said:
SB, if she has to find job and doesn't mind call center work I can send a link. I love the job I am doing and it's from home on a schedule you set for yourself. Decent pay. Only issue is no pay for training so basically a month without income at first.
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I have no idea what she wants to do if she gets laid off. I do know that she has a set of parameters that she has set for herself where jobs go, but I don't know what those are.
 
nomifyle

nomifyle

TB Fanatic
Its a balmy 58 today and may reach 70 in the next day or so.

Back during the pandemic I was serioously stocking up on everything. Now I have aging bottles of condements, particularly ketsup. We opened a bottle recently and it was seriouly dark so I'm cleaning them out. We don't actually use much ketsup so I'm only going to stock a couple bottles of organic ketsup.
 
SouthernBreeze

SouthernBreeze

TB Fanatic
DDIL just let us know that the new bank is letting her keep her job for now. Another round of lay-offs coming the first quarter of next year, and she will be in that round. I don't think she will wait about looking for another job, but that's just my guess. Like I said, she has strict parameters set for jobs. She won't do just anything out there.

I got my cabinets all cleaned out. Tossed a lot more old items that I never use. Some of them were over Cary's protests. He didn't like me getting rid of some of his mom's things, but they were taking up space and never used. I still have lots of her things stored away in my mini storage barn, so he gave in to let them go. I accidentally dropped and broke one of her crystal sugar bowls in the process. Now, everything I kept is right up next to the cabinet doors, arranged in such a way that they can all be easily reached. Nothing stuck in the back of the cabinets. These were all under the counter cabinets, and I had to get down on my hands and knees to drag everything out. I'm glad Cary was here, because I couldn't get up by myself. My back just wouldn't let me without straining/twisting it. That's the main reason nothing is in the back of the cabinets, now.
 
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anna43

Veteran Member
My computer was out-of-service from Saturday until today. It is "fixed" but not sure if it will stay fixed because computer expert could not determine cause. Just spent an hour and half catching up on forum and deleting e-mails. Still need to go back and read remaining e-mails. Cousin has blocked me from reading comments/commenting because last week I disagreed with what she posted. I was polite in my answer so guess it's another person who cannot bear to hear a different opinion. Narrow minded people who break out in hives whenever a discussion raises a different viewpoint.

Our weather has been nasty and even on the warmer sunny day all it did was melt snow which refroze into a glare of ice. It's currently 18º/feels like 8º and snowing/sleeting. We got another 4 to 5 inches of snow last weekend and people are complaining about not having a place to pile new snow. I stayed home from church Sunday planning to watch online but, of course, no computer so now need to go back and watch Sunday's sermon. On Tuesday, which was a decent day, I took care of numerous local errands including a haircut, library, both banks, post office, paid bills and got gas. Returned to hibernation since!

I have two large bags and a box in the garage to go to thrift shop. Slow progress but still moving forward which I guess is what counts. I have a lot of glass dishes that I need to sort and discard. Neither of my dd's want anything so it will be thrift shops or across the street to the senior apartments to see if anyone is interested.

I found a recipe for Russian Tea without the tea and made a batch yesterday. It made two pints. I really miss real tea, but this mixture really appeals to me more than the various herbal teas I have. Real tea = kidney stones so I avoid 100%. It's a simple mixture of Tang, lemonade mix, sugar, cinnamon and cloves. I'm going to gift some to a friend who likes Russian Tea. Yes, it'd be better with tea but needs must.

It was amazing what I got through with no computer. Six books and nearly finished with a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle plus some sorting and organizing.
 
Meemur

Meemur

Voice on the Prairie
Wow! Six books and a nearly finished 1000-piece puzzle is impressive! Those puzzles take me at least eight or nine evenings, and I'm doing well to finish a book per week, unless it's large print. I'm glad you're okay and back online.

It started snowing here about 2 pm, light and fluffy stuff, and it's still snowing. They're calling for 3" but I think there's closer to 4" out there. We didn't get the expected rain, so it should be easy to shovel.
 
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connie

Veteran Member
NF - I too have gotten much more mindful of what we actually use and how much as we age. Long term storage is freeze dried thaat I already have. Trying to be more mindful of rotating everyday and smaller quantities.

SB - I decluttered seldom used things several years ago. Kept more than I wanted because of hubby. Some things too heavy. My bottom cabinets only have items at front too. ( bad knees) I had seldom used gadgets that I put in a basket that is easy to slide in and out.

The older I get (74) the less I want to keep.
 
SouthernBreeze

SouthernBreeze

TB Fanatic
It's going to be 64* today! 37* for tonight, but no rain. There's going to be a dry cold front move in tomorrow night bringing the warm temps back down to winter time temps. Since, Mom is in Alabama with her sister, we need to make a run to Mom's house, tomorrow, to turn more heat on in her house. Sunday's low of 13*. She doesn't want her house getting too cold. She'll be coming home Wednesday. She's coming home early, and we have to go bring her back home that day. I dread this trip, because my aunt has moved. Florence is a big city, and I hope we don't have any trouble finding her new place. She sent Cary her new mailing address, and he plugged it in to our GPS system in the SUV.

Doing laundry this morning. I'm waiting to do house cleaning for Sunday's home fellowship, until tomorrow, after we get back from Mom's. There won't be much to do.

I'm baking that smoked turkey breast for supper, tonight, along with potato salad and dinner rolls. That's it. I'm no longer cooking large meals. We just don't eat as much, anymore. I'll divide the rest of the turkey into single serving packs for the freezer to use in pasta salads, and I will make some turkey dressing out of some of it. I haven't made dressing in a long time, and Cary loves the stuff, along with giblet gravy to go with it.
 
SouthernBreeze

SouthernBreeze

TB Fanatic
connie said:
NF - I too have gotten much more mindful of what we actually use and how much as we age. Long term storage is freeze dried thaat I already have. Trying to be more mindful of rotating everyday and smaller quantities.

SB - I decluttered seldom used things several years ago. Kept more than I wanted because of hubby. Some things too heavy. My bottom cabinets only have items at front too. ( bad knees) I had seldom used gadgets that I put in a basket that is easy to slide in and out.

The older I get (74) the less I want to keep.
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Since Cary is an only child, when his mom passed away, he got everything. He went through her house and gathered up everything that he wanted. A lot of that were items that she brought with her from Germany when his parents were married. She had bought many more items through the years, especially, when they moved back to Germany. So, my house is filled with all that, plus all our stuff. That's why he gave in to let me get rid of some items that were hers. Believe it or not, I have the pair of Cary's little leather German shoes that he was wearing the day I was born. They are hanging on our bedpost. He and his parents were on the tar mac at the airport in Reykjavik, Iceland while I was being born at the hospital in Tupelo, MS.

My pantry is getting smaller, too. We don't eat as much anymore, and my eating habits have changed a bit. I'm still trying to use up some of the older things without replacing them. I only buy the basics, now. I have enough canned veggies of all kinds to open a small grocery store. Those are going to take us forever to eat. I'm cooking smaller meals these days, too.
 
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connie

Veteran Member
I am craving beef. Last week we had ham with sides and then a ham potato corn chowder. Still a bit of that left.
So beef enchiladas tonight and later meatballs and roast.
Smoked turkey sounds good.
Still in 70 's. Will be colder Sunday and Monday then warm again. High plains so nights are always cooler. Even in summer.
 
SouthernBreeze

SouthernBreeze

TB Fanatic
connie said:
I am craving beef. Last week we had ham with sides and then a ham potato corn chowder. Still a bit of that left.
So beef enchiladas tonight and later meatballs and roast.
Smoked turkey sounds good.
Still in 70 's. Will be colder Sunday and Monday then warm again. High plains so nights are always cooler. Even in summer.
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Cary is a huge beef eater, but I don't use beef every night. I try to use a different meat each night. Our meats are usually chicken breasts, boneless pork chops, ground beef, Polish sausage, ham, then back to chicken. We, occasionally, eat bacon and sausage for our "breakfast for supper" meals. Other occasionally eaten meats are fried bologna for sandwiches, or wieners for chili dogs. The smoked turkey breast was a spur of the moment buy, after seeing it had a good price. I don't know when the last time we had steak or a roast. Too pricy for us. I, once, would always buy a London Broil to use as a roast, until they got too expensive, too. Cary's mom always made the best roast using the London Broil. I copied her recipe.

I got a new internet recipe for making meatballs with a thick brown onion gravy last week. I haven't tried it, yet. Sounds good over mashed potatoes.
 
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nomifyle

nomifyle

TB Fanatic
Warmiish but not hot, I went out in shorts and a tank top, comfortable. Walked around a little, gave the dog some treats and came in. I gotten nothing else done, got a back ache and only taking pain meds a bedtime. Dealing with the pain from the surgery that’s apparently permanent
 
SouthernBreeze

SouthernBreeze

TB Fanatic
nomifyle said:
It actually got up to 72, freezing in a day or so, that’s Louisiana weather for ya
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That sounds like the weather we're having. Today's high was 65. We still have a small fire going in the wood heater, but the front door is open. It got a little warm in here while supper was cooking. Cary had to go outside to sit for a while to cool off. Me, I was quite comfortable, LOL. If you blink your eyes, twice, our weather changes just that quick.
 
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WanderLore

Veteran Member
High was 29. Highs for next 3 days will be low 20s if not 20. Lows in low single digits. Ice everywhere. If we can make it to Tuesday, it will start to warm up.
Son beloved dog of almost 15 years, is on his way to the bridge. We're just keeping him comfortable. Thank you Summertyme for chatting with me about this.
 
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anna43

Veteran Member
Another slow day. I hate dreary short days as they seem to sap my energy and inclination to do anything.

Currently 14º/feels like -11º and snowing. Forecast is for 2 to 4" tonight and then more tomorrow. I decided not to shovel the snow we got last night since it wasn't much and to wait for it to stop tomorrow before going back out. If we get too much, I'll call a young man from church to shovel for me and gladly pay him. Tomorrow's low is forecast as -15º.

I'm bummed -- my oven is not working again. It was repaired the week before Thanksgiving and had been working fine until I put supper in this evening. I'm debating between microwave and stovetop or maybe sticking it back in the fridge and having leftover stew. Won't go hungry whatever I decide. I was planning to bake muffins for breakfast tomorrow but have to rethink that.

Meemur -- most of the books were large print but two were not. I've always been a big reader and recall as a teen reading Gone With the Wind straight through in three days. Stopped only long enough to eat and pee. I checked out six more books at the library Tuesday and have finished two. Didn't read any yesterday and none yet today. I also tend to be a speed reader and sometimes miss something and have to go back and re-read!! I used to read romances and would skip the sex descriptions and finally decided most of the books were sex so why bother. I'm back to mysteries although avoid the ones full of gore and/or sex. I used to think if I started a book I needed to finish it, but not anymore. If it doesn't engage my interest in the first couple of chapters or has too much gore/sex, I do not finish it.
 
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connie

Veteran Member
I have been a lifelong reader but had gotten out of the habit. I am getting in the habit again. Lately I like mystery and espionage thriller books. I also read several Agatha Christie books I found online. Not a romance reader. Like books about Amish too. With my arthritic knee I don't get to library often. When I get new phone I'll learn to use app and read online.
 
Meemur

Meemur

Voice on the Prairie
anna43 said:
I used to think if I started a book I needed to finish it, but not anymore. If it doesn't engage my interest in the first couple of chapters or has too much gore/sex, I do not finish it.
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I agree! And I scan read a few pages of most recent fiction at the library on the spot. Some of it doesn't make it home, unless it has been recommended by someone I trust.

I'm mostly reading nonfiction at the moment. I'm learning more about AI and also about doing research with German genealogy records, which is challenging since I don't speak German, but I guess I'm going to have to learn a few more words. There's a difference between knowing "travel German" and "scholarly German" so historical records make sense. Google doesn't do a good job with scholarly passages.
 
SouthernBreeze

SouthernBreeze

TB Fanatic
I love to read, too. Like Anna, I used to love the historical romance novels, but they are mostly about sex these days, so I gave those up. Crime thrillers, some science fiction, and mystery are mostly what I read, today. No horror, though. I don't like guts, gore, or any kind of demonic activity.

We'll be going to Moms, later. A bit of house cleaning to do when we get back.
 
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anna43

Veteran Member
We have another 3 to 4 inches of snow and it's COLD. Currently 4º/feels like -10 with -13 forecast overnight. Driveway was plowed and the guy again plowed the flower bed and left the sidewalk a mess. I'm hoping that scalping the flower bed repeatedly will get rid of the creeping charlie that has overtaken it. Doubt it though, creeping charlie would probably survive a nuclear attack.

Finished my 1000-piece puzzle. As usual when I got down to the last pieces, I found four pieces were wrong and had to be moved to complete it.

nomifyle, are you in a recovery group with others who have been through what you're coping with? I think it can be very helpful to share information and support with people who know exactly what you're going through.

I haven't done much genealogical research on my German ancestry because I have a book 4½ inches thick from 1262 through 2004 for my dad's family. My dad, grandparents, great grandparents, great-great-grandparents and great-great-great grandparents are all buried in Wayne County, Iowa. Next generation back buried in Ohio and the one previous in Virginia. The one buried in Virginia was born onboard the ship coming to this country and served in the Revolutionary War. Genealogy is fascinating but I get bummed when people post incorrect information to Ancestry or Family Search.
 
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