Well the Remodeling Work is Finally Done! Part One, Outside

Here is a before of the outside of the house from a few years ago......

This photo was taken in 2007, before the dusty blue wooden trim around the garage door frame began to rot and fall off.  The dusty blue shutters were original to the house went it was built in the 1980's.
1986 called, it wants it's shutters back...... ;-)

Here is the house in September 2009 after we had the original  white roof replaced with a dark tan architectural shingled one.......still with the dusty blue shutters and trim.....

And here is the house today, with the new vents, trim and shutters.....

It might not look like much of a change in these photos, but up close in real life, it is a big difference.


Next up is the before/after of the inside work and the numbers on the cost.

Sluggy

Decluttering Porn

Just a bunch of stuff that finally left the house Sunday......

This weekend #2 Son's room gets cleaned so we'll start another donation to take in later this month.

Sluggy

On the Dining Table this Week

The "Some Weeks you Feel like a Horse's Rear End" Edition.......

This was the view as I left the furniture store last Sunday.
How fitting is that?!


Here's what was planned last week-- 

Sunday--Hubs had leftover Halushki, I didn't eat anything.
Monday--Leftover barbecue pork and coleslaw from our lunch stop on the way home Sunday
Tuesday--Spaghetti and Meatballs(balls in the freezer/pasta in the stockpile), Italian Green Beans(freezer)
Wednesday--Leftover Halushki, Quiche(freezer), Salad(using garden tomatoes)
Thursday--BLT sandwiches(tomatoes from garden), Fried Apples
Friday--Baked Fish and Crabcakes(freezer), Veggie Medley(freezer)
Saturday--Leftovers or something from the freezer

And here's what actually got eaten--

Sunday--Hubs had leftover Halushki, I didn't eat anything
Monday--Leftover barbecue pork and coleslaw from our lunch stop on the way home Sunday, watermelon
Tuesday--Spaghetti and Meatballs(balls in the freezer/pasta in the stockpile), Italian Green Beans(freezer), Strawberries
Wednesday--Quiche(freezer), Salad(using garden tomatoes)
Thursday--Leftovers-Hubs had spaghetti, I had a burger and watermelon
Friday--BLT sandwiches, applesauce
Saturday--Bob Evans-I had a BOGO meal coupon

I had a bad foot day on Thurs. so leftovers instead and the BLTs got moved to Friday, bumping the fish to next week.

As for food spending last week.....I spent $175.85 on $268.07 worth of groceries at 2 stores in 3 trips.
I stocked up last week on lunchmeat(so I don't need to purchase any this week because nothing I can have is on sale this week), dog kibble(2 large bags on sale), canned veg sale(corn, peas, beets and kraut), panko and bread crumbs(sale), bread(BOGO sale), local apples, OJ, Gatorade and frozen french fries(for #2), baking needs(sale), salad greens(sale), reduced muffins(#2), burritos and corn dogs(#2), bacon(sale), fruit, beans, some canned soup(reduced sodium), yogurt(sale), and seltzer(sale)accounts for most of it.

As for food waste, a couple of cukes last week. I was pickled out and nobody else wanted any cukes in salads or in vinegar for a couple of weeks so they went bad.  8-(

Leftovers going into this week--still picking tomatoes and there is leftover Spaghetti and leftover Halushki that has to go soon, either to the dogs or us. ;-)

Here's this week's meal plan---
Sunday--Leftovers-Hubs had Spaghetti and I had a roast beef sandwich
Monday--Hamburgers, mixed veggies, Cantaloupe
Tuesday--Baked Fish, Corn Pudding, leftover Green Beans
Wednesday--Out to eat, using a coupon
Thursday--Lobster, Rutabaga Casserole
Friday--Meatloaf, Roasted Potatoes, Beets
Saturday--Leftovers and Broccoli Cheddar Soup

On the shopping list......Lobsters(on sale again), hot dog rolls and lemon juice is it.  I have everything else here already.  These 3 things will run about $30 and I hope to stay out of the grocery stores except for those items this week to get my food budget back on track. 8-)

I might need some milk or some odd or end thing but I might do some stocking up the next 4 weeks or so, as the local independent market has begun their Thanksgiving Promo-get a $ amount reward toward your turkey meal dinner depending on how much you spend during the coming 5 weeks.  Since I don't spend as much on groceries per month, compared to their usual customer, this means I'll have to give up Weis PMITA Markets until Thanksgiving and only shop at this other market in my town to accumulate enough points to get a reward.  I won't go out of my way to buy stuff I won't need just to get a reward but I will buy stuff I'll need in the future to get to a $ amount to get a reward.

That's what's appearing on the kitchen table this week here at Chez Sluggy.

 What's getting fixed and served at your house this week?

Sluggy

For Judy-AN UPDATE

At Judy's request I have disabled the Go Fund Me site, as of Sunday, and I will no longer accept Paypal payments for the Fundraising we were doing for her.
She says what has been raised so far is more than enough and far greater than she ever imagined it would bring in.   8-)

There are some snail mailed payments on their way but here is what has been collected so far.....

The Go Fund Me site.....$775.00
After fees of $65.72, $709.28 will go to Judy.

The Paypal-ed donations tallied in at $1,381.50.
After fees(a couple folks didn't elect the "send to family or friends" method)of $1.37, Judy will receive $1,380.13.

There is $20 so far sent through the regular mail as well, which gives us a Grand Total at this point of.....

$2,176.50 raised and after fees of $67.12, the funds amount to $2,109.41.

So the goal was reached with a few more payments still on the way.  8-))

I am in the process of getting all the funds transferred into Judy's accounts as quickly as possible.
One Paypal payment is in progress and a second one was initiated yesterday.  This will clear out all monies received there.

The Go Fund Me monies are now winging their way to my credit union and I'll cut Judy a check as soon as they arrive and either hand deliver that to her(along with an Money Orders/Cash sent)or snail mail it if we don't hook up in person soon.

Once all the Money Orders arrive/all funds are in Judy's hands,  I'll send one last update in a week or so.
Just trying to be transparent with the funds here.....

You all deserve a pat on the back and a "huzzah!", whether you were able to send money or sent good wishes/prayers or both.

Let's close this with a little bit of fun and dancing.....

Y'all did indeed help Judy tap away some of her troubles! ;-)



Sluggy

Chez Sluggy as a Vacation Destination--Part 2......Long but Picture Heavy

If you didn't read Part 1 of this saga, go HERE to check it out first.

On Friday....oh we had some fun on Friday!
The one activity I mentioned, among them all, that lit a spark in Tanner was the one with trains.

You know?........"chugga chugga, toot toot" type trains.
So we headed north to Steam Town National Historic Park in Scranton PA to go look at all things train.

Steam Town is an old rail yard with a train turntable and train houses/sheds that they've preserved.  They have exhibits in the train sheds as well as actual train engines from various periods of rail history there.  They also have a piece of the train line tracks still in place and they give train rides of various lengths during the day.
We made it there in time for the last short train ride of the day!

Since Tanner works in a train related industry, she really dug Steam Town.
I mean dug it like a 4 year old boy!   *Not that she IS a 4 year old boy..... 8-)
Seriously.
Loving.
Trains.

Me? I had enough of trains for a lifetime, having a train obsessed son who had every word to every Thomas the Tank Engine video or PBS tv show memorized and liked to recite them constantly one after another on a daily basis from the time he was 2 until 7 years old.
So.
Over.
Trains.

But even old jaded me found it thrilling to see the real thing up close and personal either sitting in a train car being pulled/pushed by an engine or watching an engine scoot by and being close enough to reach out and touch it.
And Tanner was a great companion to have along for this excursion.

Here's shot of an engine in the yard.  Old 514 is a diesel engine and it was to be the engine that pulled our cars on our little ride.

Here's a brief clip of the Park Ranger trying to talk over all the rude passengers who can't seem to keep their mouths shut long enough to LEARN SOMETHING.....ggggrrrrrr.....




Here's another quick video before the ride began.....


Here are some shots while we rode around the train yard at 5 or 15 mph.....

                               A really old steam engine.

                            More train cars.....

     T enthralled as we pass another train with a caboose sitting on another set of tracks.

After finally getting T's attention......lolz

                        Me trying to get a "selfie" shot.

Me again, take 2 of the "selfie" shot.  Gawd!  Throwing a peace sign and smiling gritting my teeth! lol

This is my *favorite shot*-note the high degree of sarcasm.  The set of tracks we took runs past the old Train Station which is now a Radisson Hotel.  It displays French Renaissance style architecture, having been finished in 1908.  Of course my shot is of a back employess parking lot and a big blue dumpster.....with the station/hotel in the distance.  8-P

A History of the Lackawanna Train Station is located HERE if you are interested in learning more about it and seeing much better pictures. lol

And here is what is written on the train car overhead as you exited the front car after our ride.....like I would even CONSIDER doing that......

I made a couple of short videos of one of the engines being taken to the turntable and being turned and then run back down the track to get it ready to hook up to some cars for the weekend longer ride to Moscow PA.

First up is the video were I thoroughly EMBARRASSED the hell outta myself.
As I was watching the engine come down the track onto the turntable I was looking through the camera's view finder so I didn't see the Conductor standing on the outside of the engine as it went by and I was being silly and cute and all and talking TO THE ENGINE and oh my!.....Open my mouth and insert a foot or FOUR!
Just watch it and you'll see how bad what I said sounded.....



I swear you can't take me anywhere!! 8-P

And here are the rest of the train videos......




And here is the video after T told me I had embarrassed myself propositioning the Conductor.....

  


And here is the last video, the one where I called the Engineer the Conductor.....doh!
I guess after 14 years, the time since my oldest son was gaga for trains, I haven't retained much of what I learned. lol



Then after the thrill of watching that big engine move about, we climbed up on the outdoor platform and took a couple of shots....

   They were bringing another engine back from the line, having switched it to the yard line.  The smallish building on the left is now the Gift Shop.

And a shot of  T with the turntable and sheds in the background.  I think she needs to blow this one up, frame it and put it on her desk at work!


Then we went inside and checked out the exhibits.....

Then we walked to another building and Tanner had to sit down and rest for a bit.  She wasted that pose since no dating prospects were around.....hehehehe

And then I got silly too....ha!, like I am NOT always silly.....

Sluggy the Eastern European peasant immigrant with her parents so happy to be in this brand new land....

And when I couldn't talk T. into sitting on the conductor mannequins lap and playing "nice" with him, I got fresh with a hunky porter.......

Funny but he was real standoff-ish and didn't cotton to my advances, even when I tickled his ear.
He was all business.
Some men......

After we closed down the Park(I think we were the last ones to leave that day!), we headed over to Friendly's for Lunch....Dinner....LINNER......

And of course, there was ice cream.

Hhhmmmm.....this seems to be a recurring theme for this visit.....

Gawd!  Look at the face.....it could melt ice cream......and it did!


Later on that night we sat out at the fire pit and started a fire.
And I learned that T has pyromaniac  tendencies.......
Yep, the girl likes fire!
And likes to catch small sticks a light and write in the air with them.
But then again who doesn't like to do that?? ;-)

On Saturday we had a nice picnic lunch and then had a surprise Birthday cake for T.  I know I shared it in August but here it is again if anyone missed it the first time around on the blog.....




And then a quick photo of just the two of us.....

And then, just like that, T was gone....

Thanks for the good times T.  And maybe it wasn't too too boring and you'll want to come back again sometime.  ;-)

Sluggy