I hope all our Floridians are safe and those in Georgia and up the east cost stay safe too!

 No major hurricane stuff here, just a lot of wind and rain this weekend. 

EFF off to:

• Work in general... I really need to win the lottery! lol
• Teenage hormones... Between DS16, DD15, FES16 and SS22(but really 14)- I can't take much more of the mood swings and tears! 

Forn:

Since we have rain and cool temps I am making Chili on Sunday and refusing to put on pants all day! It shall be PJ's and movie day (on my ipad because DH will want to watch stupid football). What do you guys do to make your chili special? I use london broil (pressure cook and shred) instead of of ground beef and I put fresh lime juice and cilantro in mine. 

I miss popcorn in general... I had gastric sleeve surgery 4 months ago and still can't have it. But buttery and salty is the best way all day!

Aniki, I hope you hear from your brother and his wife soon.  Very scary.

My EFF of is to my arm.  It needs to stop being so painful!

F0rn popcorn

I love all savoury popcorn and you'd have to have a big stick to beat me way from your butter popcorn *diablo* but my favourite is cheddar cheese popcorn.  I lived on this at college.  Now my mouth is watering and I have no popcorn.  *sob* *ROFL*

Fingers crossed for all of you who are, or who have family and/or friends in Ian's path. May they all be safe and sound. 

Popcorn? Where I live, there are 3 types - salted, sweet, and caramel. Not very inspiring, eh?  Then, one day, a local store started selling sweet chili popcorn (LOVED that) AND Chicago style parmesan and something sweet  (can't remember). Unfortunately, it was a one-off order and we're now back to the 3 basics. 

EFF OFF to whiners. I know the workplace is difficult right now. I wish you made more money too. (But you just got a raise and it would have been really nice to hear a thank you.) I didn't break the elevator. I'm not in charge of receiving parts to fix it. Exactly WHAT do you think I can do about it? I've had three grown women crying in my office this last week for things out of my control OR influence. I am not a therapist or a social worker. But I care about my staff and I will listen (to a point), it's just been a LOT lately, and I am a human with limits and needing self care too.

Popcorn. Cheddar for sure, right down to licking off my orange fingers.

Kettle corn is my favorite. Slightly sweet, slightly salty. Your idea sounds great too! Hope everyone in FL is alright. 

Eff-Off -  He's ba-ack.  My #2 worked nights to cover vacation for one of his direct reports.  Never again.  That whacked him out and he immediatley went batshit crazy for a couple of days.  Once I get him back on his regular schedule and off for a couple of days....  He is bact to his recent trend of pleasantness.

F0rn: Ideal Protein packets. They are my life.  THough one meal a day we can eat real food. Last night was Meatloaf Muffins and Artichokes.  Both were amazing.

Popcorn:  Orville Redenbacher's gourmet  plain kernels popped in an air popper.  Slather with melted butter, add copious doses of Old Bay seasoning. Mix thoroughly with a rubber spatula scraping the sides to keep the butter and Old Bay mixed in.  Pour your perferred popcorn accompanying libation, enjoy. This is like savory/spicy corn crack in a bowl.

Florida Status:  All of my cousins and close friends have checked in safe.  N. Fort Meyers, Punta Gorda, Port Charlotte got hammered. Last time was Hurricane Charley in 2004.  I have a number of policy holders I serviced after Charley who I have reached out to make sure they are safe after Ian.    I worked as a Catastrophe Adjuster on the insurance companies Fraud Investigation Team in 2004.. I arrived less than 48hrs after Charley hit. Over the next 12 weeks I evacuated 4 times. That year FL was hit by 4 hurricanes and 3 Tropical Storms in 15 weeks.  I pray that this year we are one and done.  Ian and Charley made the same land fall and are the same strength.  Ian is much larger and has caused far more damage.

I hope everyone's friends and family are safe.

Eff off to DH's mood swings. He's been all over the place lately and knows I've had it up to my neck. He's stressed over SDs, over work, over just doing things. I think he'd be happy running away from everything and just being a bachelor to live in some disordered hovel somewhere sometimes. Gah.

Eff off to the crazy too warm temps; ok, I love summer, I love the heat. But it's like 20+ degrees above normal. I'll take it. But we're having people over for dinner on Saturday and I'm roasting a chicken which means my kitchen will be super hot. I'll have to have lots of chilled white wine at the ready.  

I love cheesy white cheddar popcorn. Preferrably from the black bag. This goes extremely well with both white and most red wines AND incredible with champs.  And I have been known to have a bowl of it and a glass or two of vino for dinner if no one is home. BTW:  The Quaker white cheddar popcorn rice cakes as super yummy too for a less caloric treat.  DH loves salted popcorn and makes it for himself on the stove (a wok is a super good mechanism) about once a week. He adds yeast powder for himself but I abhore it so do not partake in that case. 

I got so many eff offs but not sure where to direct them.  Maybe this:

Eff off September!!!! You suck!!

My daughter and I had Covid at the end of last month and were dealing with that for a while. The unwanted yearly tradition.

We finally got my car back Monday and paid an obscene amount of money to have it fixed. My husband says we'll stick to automatic transmissions.  They replaced my clutch and flywheel.  My daughter went with me to get it.  She drove her car home after not having it for over three weeks.  She drove it into the ditch trying to pull into the driveway. Of course I wasn't home.  One of the guinea pigs was sick.  We thought it was Princess Popcorn but it turned out to be Princess Chatty.  I had taken them and Queen Twerp to the vet, dropping them off, so they could all be checked.   So I was picking up the guinea pigs from the vet 25 or so miles away.  My car insurance just couldn't find a tow truck to get her car out of the ditch.  My husband's nephew happened by and is friends with a guy who owns a towing company.  His friend got her car out before I got home.  I didn't lecture or yell, just told her to slow it down and be mindful of what she's doing.  When I got home the first thing I did was give her a big hug.  I've had my own ditch moment so I know how scary and embarrassing it is.  She says she knows what she did wrong and will correct it.  There was very minor damage to the car.  I'm not going to report it to insurance.  It's barely noticeable and maybe it will serve as a reminder for her.  

My husband checked the car over and, like I said, very minor damage, but he discovered that she needs new brake pads.  He put new ones on it when he was still driving it last year so they're under warranty.  He decided to replace the rotors too.  I ordered them from Amazon.  Only one came today.  They were both supposed to be here today.  What's up with that Amazon????

The sick guinea pig (Princess Chatty)has to take a breathing treatment with a nebulizer.  The vet drilled a hole into a plastic storage tote for the tube to go in and I put all of them in for 15 minutes twice a day.  The other two go in so Chatty won't be as scared.  

My daughter had surgery Tuesday on her nose.  She got hit with a bass drum mallet last Monday that fractured her nose. The ENT said that her septum was severely deviated so that was corrected and she also got a turbinate reduction.  One nostril had collapsed.  Her nose looks better now. It was crooked.  She's in pain though and is not allowed to do anything that will raise her heart rate because that could trigger a nosebleed.  Don't know when she'll be cleared to go back to school.  We'll hopefully find out Tuesday at her post op visit.  She unfortunately did trigger a nosebleed earlier.  I was grocery shopping and she spilled her drink.  She cleaned it up and her nose started bleeding.  We both thought she would be fine while I was out.  Nothing like something like that happening to make you feel like a bad parent.  

I really wish the school would stop calling.  I sent a doctors note that let them know she would be absent until the doctor released her.  Stupid automated calling.  I called and left a voicemail for the registrar.  

Sadly, I had to bury my cat yesterday.  She got hit by a car.  What is it with cats and roads?  She was 11years old.  

So this month has not been kind to us.  So eff off September!  Goodbye and good riddance!!!!

Eff off to YSD22 coming into town for the first time since the beginning of summer and first thing she does on the first day she is back is to ask DH to take her to dinner. (without me of course) DH declined.

I am happy that we haven't had to deal with any of her drama for several months as she's been off doing her own thing. I count my lucky stars. I used to worry I'd never see the day she had any independent living skills. She still reverts back to infancy around DH, BM and SD25 but at least she seems to be ok when she is at college and she stays away longer than she previously did.

Forn Adventures:

I love popcorn too. Watermelon and popcorn is my go-to on hot summer evenings.

Lately I'm on a spring salad kick with basalmic dressing, raspberries, and blue cheese.

We recently threw a big party. I made a puff pastry with brie and asparagus appetizer, everyone loved it so that was nice. Also really enjoyed spending a great day with friends & family.

I hate dentists.  That's all.

Eff-Off the the next 2 months of Step Family Birthdays.  It's been so peaceful lately, but sending birthday greetings out to them always seems to be an invitation for them to stir up havoc in our lives.   We're bracing ourselves.

Any word from your Brother yet, Aniki?  Really hoping that he and his fam are okay! 

Popcorn!  I LOVE popcorn.  Depending on my mood, I prefer three favorites.   Salt and LOTS of butter, White Cheddar and when I have a sweet craving, Caramel!  But, if  you put virtually any flavor in front of me, I will most likely devour it, one handful after another in a drug-like hypnotic daze. 

I had intended to make chili last night, but I was outside doing yard work, so I ended up throwing together a meatloaf instead.  I too, am taking in ideas from all of you posters, on ways to liven mine up a little.  I've already jotted down a few great suggestions!  Thanks!!!

Good news is always welcome.  So glad to read that they are safe!!!!

A little late to the party.. we were in the hurricane rodeo last week.. our place in the greater Tampa area was in the crosshairs for a while.. and we evacuated across the state.. then it hit further south.. but our area still had plenty to deal with.. power outages (though we kept ours thankfully)..gas shortages.. closed businesses... etc..

Everyone we know made it through alive.. though not all without some damage.. even if it was small... it was even rough over in Vero across the state!

Hope your people are accounted for and safe by now!