Travels in the South

Can you look at that picture and say yummo!?  Mom recently got a coupon – the woman is Queen of coupons here at the Hotel Thompson.  This coupon was buy one 12 piece shrimp and get one for free.  Now mom/dad have gotten these shrimp at a local ‘bar’ restaurant before and they have been awesome.  They usually get them medium extra crispy with a side of blue cheese.  But the restaurant has recently changed their sauces.  The usual sauce esd a light colored less saucy kind of yum.  These were more wet and you could smell the heat before you even bit one. In fact, dad was the one that brought up the smell of the new sauce before mom did.  The restaurant did not tell us about the change in the sauce before we ordered.

These were H.O.T.  Mom/dad ate them but way prefer their old sauce more.  Why do restaurants do this and change a good thing?  They hope this restaurant brings it back or gives the patrons a choice in the future.  But hey, free buffalo shrimp you still can pass up, right?

 

The Most Useless Utensil

It’s flimsy.  It bends when you don’t want it to bend.  It breaks when you don’t want it to break.  It’s not a spoon.  It’s not a fork.  Do you stab your food?  Do you scoop your food?  t’s made by the devil himself.  The spork.

They serve the spork in a lot of fast food restaurants.  Can you tell me how you eat chicken with it?  Can you tell me how you eat a salad with it?  It can’t stab your salad the way a fork would.  Why oh why is there a spork?

 

Pay it Forward

Okay Friends – Here We Go!

My sweet friends at Nikitaland have started this monthly issue of Pay It Forward.  We asked for you to keep this in mind all month and to share things here today on what you have been able to do.  Paying it forward is not for bragging purposes – it’s an attempt to show how many different things we can do to pay it forward – lots of them don’t even include money.  Gestures that we take for granted may be a God send to another person.

---

You know my mom has been going to the plasma clinic now for several months.  There is a nurse there named Val that mom has just fallen in love with.  No matter how busy her day, she has a smile to open the sky and always a kind word.  Last week, it was birthday.  Mom surprised her with a small gift of appreciation – something she could share with her family.  I hope it brought a smile to everyone like she always brings a smile to my mom’s face.

And speaking of the plasma clinic – mom has made her 20th donation this past week as well.  When she started, she made a personal commitment to herself to do 20 donations.  There have been up and down times – times she has wanted to quit – but she kept on to meet her goal.  I’m not sure how many people mom has touched with her donations but we are proud of her here at the Hotel Thompson.  And you know what, she is trying to do 20 more.  At that end of 40, she will reevaluate how she feels. 

---

My buddy Nikitaland made up a good deeds sheet.  You can get it here.  You can print it, hang it on your fridge and just jot some things down that you do during the month.  That way at our next meet up, you can share what you have done to PAY IT FORWARD.

AND if you are interested in getting some Pay it Forward bracelets, check out Nikitaland’s post here for ordering information.  Believe me friends – WE CAN ALL MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

Next meet up will be March 2nd – mark your calendars!

 

Pay it Forward – Mark Your Calendars

Okay Friends – Here We Go!

My sweet friends at Nikitaland have started this monthly issue of Pay It Forward.  We asked for you to keep this in mind all month and to share things here today on what you have been able to do.  Paying it forward is not for bragging purposes – it’s an attempt to show how many different things we can do to pay it forward – lots of them don’t even include money.  Gestures that we take for granted may be a God send to another person.

My buddy Nikitaland made up a good deeds sheet.  You can get it here.  You can print it, hang it on your fridge and just jot some things down that you do during the month.  That way at our next meet up, you can share what you have done to PAY IT FORWARD.

AND if you are interested in getting some Pay it Forward bracelets, check out Nikitaland’s post here for ordering information.  Believe me friends – WE CAN ALL MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

Next meet up will be February 3rd – mark your calendars!

 

It was a LONG weekend – I mean really LONG

Oh my friends.  Have you ever had one of those weekends where you did so very much that you finally just prayed for Monday to get here STAT because of being tired?  Can you relate?  Mom and dad had one of those weekends.  Mom was already feeling slightly under the weather with her flare up.  But Sunday night, she could barely walk.  But I’m getting ahead of myself.  So this is what those two humans of mine did.

Saturday – They got up for breakfast early and tried a new restaurant.  Yes mom took pictures that I will post soon.  They looked good too.  After breakfast, they had to go to Kaiser to pick up some prescriptions.  Then mom finally got her nails done – which was long needed.  Then they went to Petsmart.  Trust me, all of us anipals here at the Hotel Thompson wanted to go to Petsmart.  But mom/dad said we couldn’t go because they were running all errands this morning before coming home to crash… which mom did 🙂  So after Petsmart and doing what dad said was ‘buying them out’ – rolls piggy eyes, they went to Wally World – Walmart for those that know the place.  Daddy then got a haircut and afterwards, he and mom looked around for some things they needed.  So, you see mom/dad did a LOT of walking all over the place.  Which normally wouldn’t be bad but with mom’s current flare up situation, it wasn’t good.  They left the house this morning around 8AM and didn’t get back home until way after 2PM.  Then they had to unload the Jeep and put everything up.  That’s a lot of work.  With mommy not feeling too well lately, daddy wanted to go someone special for their date night tonight.  So they left the house again at 4PM to go to a restaurant that is about 35 miles away.. not just any restaurant though.  They have crab legs 🙂  Yum…. not that they brought me any back tonight – snorts.

Sunday – They got up for round 2 of shopping and getting errands done.  They got up and went to a local place for breakfast – Cracker Barrel.  Afterwards they had to go to a home improvement store named Lowes.  Mom had some stuff she needed to return and they had pick up light bulbs and air filters for the Hotel Thompson.  Of course, one things leads to another and the next thing they know they have a buggy full of stuff.  But some of the things they found my friends – Oh my piggy heavens.  I’ll share with you on another post on that – my parents are too hilarious!  After dropping off these items at the Hotel Thompson, mom and dad wanted to go to another Wally World location to see if they had something they wanted that the other store didn’t… so off they went again.  Not only did they find some things they were looking for but of course they found some more stuff.  Did I mention that mommy *hates* shopping?  She does.  She can’t stand it.  So she waits and makes lists and then tries to get everything at once.  Silly mom huh?

Afterwards, it was time to do the monthly shopping so off they went to Kroger.  Once there, they had to pick up some other medicines they had filled at their pharmacy.  Then the major shopping for the Hotel Thompson.  And did I mention that mom is a HUGE coupon shopper?  She tells us anipals that she has to be so she can’t keep us accustomed to the way we are living.  I don’t get it – do you?  Mommy keeps up with her grocery list on her iPhone – there is actually an ap for that – snorts.  So when we are out of something, she adds it to the list for the next trip.  She also keeps up with her coupons on her iPhone.  Mom says the one thing about shopping with coupons is organization and that it takes time.  So they were at the grocery store for over two hours!  Daddy told mommy at one time that just because they have room in the Jeep now doesn’t mean she had to fill him to the rim in this one trip – snorts – silly daddy.  But then daddy also said that thank goodness they had Casper the new Jeep because everything they got would NOT have fit into Albert the Smart car.  See all of the stuff in the back of Casper.  You want to take a gander of the cost?  Now mom/dad grocery shop majorly every 2-3 months.  They will go every other week just to get milk and bread.  The total cost of this shopping spree came out to be $178.00 – she then handed the cashier all of her coupons and told him to ‘make it rain savings’.  Snorts – that’s my mommy.  After mom’s coupons and such, it came down to a final price of $127.00 – mom said even the cashier was shocked and amazed at that.  All of this for two somewhat adults, one pooch, two purr things and of course me who daddy says eats like a small child – snorts.

Then they came home to unload everything.  Now mom has a great conclusion to this.  She says, you shop all over the store and put things in your buggy.  Then you have to unload everything at the register to be rung up.  Then you have to load everything in your car to take home.  Then you get home and have to take everything into the house and THEN put everything up.  What a crap play huh?  But daddy knew that mommy wasn’t feeling to good so he parked her in the kitchen and he brought everything into the house for her… aaww – that was sweet.  Mom put everything up and crashed on the couch afterwards.

There she was medicated trying to get some rest while waiting for my Auntie Tina and cousins Savannah and Maverick to make it home.  See they are visiting for a couple of days and was due to arrive at Nanas Sunday night.  Mom finally got the call and her and dad then went to pick them all up for dinner.  They went to a great pizza place and talked, laughed and got caught up.  Afterwards, Auntie Tina and my cousins came to the Hotel Thompson to visit all of us anipals.  That was great fun!  We are all older now and loved the extra attention.  And a certain piggy may or may not have done some cute things for that extra attention – just sayin’ .  When they were done visiting, mom took them and Houdini up to Nana’s for a short visit.  She was only there for a little over 30 minutes and then came home.  After doing the medicines, for the week, she crashed pretty hard.  Who cards that it was only 7PM, right?

So you see, we are all kind of excited that this past weekend is done.  Completed.  Over.  Finished.  All but one little itsy bitsy thing.  What you ask?  Snorts – I’m glad you asked.  Tonight mom/dad are taking Houdini to a new groomer.  This should be fun.  Their appointment is at 6PM, right after mom’s work.  Houdini doesn’t know yet.  I’ll keep you posted on the results my friends.  And one little question, is it the weekend yet?  Snorts

 

Mom’s Food Adventure

  I have to tell you my friends that I just ❤ it when mom/dad go out and bring back glorious pictures of the eating adventures.  What do I like even more than that?  When they bring me a piggy back which they DID NOT in this case – snorts.

Mom/dad went out recently and go dessert which they normally don’t order.  I asked mom why they did this time.  She said it was because their favorite Mexican restaurant has the best fried ice cream.  Yep, I said FRIED ICE CREAM.  Have you ever seen such a delectable creation in this picture?

Now, of course I had to ask mommy.  How does one make fried ice cream?  She says that this restaurant rolls frozen ice cream into cornflakes and then quick fries the creation for just a couple of minutes to brown the cornflakes.  Then it is garnished into this beautiful creation.  Have you ever tried fried ice cream?

 

Mommy’s Food Blog Reminder

Friends – If you get a chance, you *must* check out mom’s food blog here.  You will NOT be disappointed.  Those pictures of hers just make me want to lick the computer screen.  YUM-YUM!  Don’t forget to let her know what you think.  ❤

 

Mommy’s Food Blog Reminder

Friends – If you get a chance, you *must* check out mom’s food blog here.  You will NOT be disappointed.  Those pictures of hers just make me want to lick the computer screen.  YUM-YUM!  Don’t forget to let her know what you think.  ❤

 

You must check it out to see the other ‘woman’ in dad’s life.  Oh my piggy heavens !  WOW!!

 

 

Mommy’s Food Blog Reminder

Friends – If you get a chance, you *must* check out mom’s food blog here.  You will NOT be disappointed.  Those pictures of hers just make me want to lick the computer screen.  YUM-YUM!  Don’t forget to let her know what you think.  ❤

 

Mommy’s Food Blog Reminder

Friends – If you get a chance, you *must* check out mom’s food blog here.  You will NOT be disappointed.  Those pictures of hers just make me want to lick the computer screen.  YUM-YUM!  Don’t forget to let her know what you think.  ❤