I can understand not knowing kombucha, but she doesn't know what sauerkraut is?

It's like face-blindness, but for fermentation.

It's like face-blindness, but for fermentation.

Heh!

Eaten lots of kraut, don't really know how they prep it. But that's when you smile pretty and ask the kitchen like Laura said.

I actually came across someone blogging about making their own sauerkraut. It seems it's basically shredded cabbage and salt. You can add other stuff - caraway seeds seem to be popular and some, seemingly, add sugar - but you mix them up, the salt pulls out the cabbage liquid, and you set it aside to ferment a bit.

I thought this seemed like it belonged in Bitches.

I noticed a synagogue on some property right in town, a block from the beach, which isn't something I usually see in Maine. (We usually go to a different town.) I asked my mom about it -- that property has to be incredibly expensive, and it's surrounded by stores and restaurants on every side, and judging by the architecture, it's been there for a long while -- and she said that this used to be the town that all the Jews vacationed in, back when a lot of the other towns didn't allow Jews. (Old Orchard Beach, for those who know the area.)

Toddson that's kind of awesome and hilarious but it's hideously ugly big jewelry??

I accidentally posted this in movies yesterday

I've been stressing all week but today was fairly relaxing. I got pretty much nothing done until we went to Matthew's brother's for sunday dinner. It was kind of fraught, his mom asked if we were going to go (and take her) and we said yes, what time are we going --between 3:30 and 4.Ok, but then just after 3 his sister calls and asks where we are and she relays the 330 to 4 and I guess there was some misunderstanding (I wasn't trying to evasedrop but she puts her calls on speaker and leaves her door open so it's hard. I just pretend I haven't heard anything). She then finds us and asks if we are ready to go. We aren't but we will get ready. She then tells Matthew to take her over now and come back for me because she wants to spend time with her grand kids. She got a little upset when he said no but within 10 mins we were out the door.

After we got back I straightened up more. Someone is coming out to look at the house about putting in central heat and air. His Mom has been fretting over the things I have in containers and how bad the house looks (it doesn't. I mean it's not everything put away tidy but it's everything is put away ...mostly and there is no dirty dishes or anything) but it turns out she's worried the guy will come out and see the house and report us to Social Services for ... something. I'm not sure what. I mean the house does need work but there is nothing that says "this is uninhabitable". It's probably her anxiety on overdrive so I'm trying to work with it and just be ok with this.

I ran off to Wal Mart for a few groceries and stopped by Goodwill and found an old chifforobe in fairly good condition for $46. I bought it and it's as splurge but I've wanted one. It has black paint on it and a small piece of wood is missing off the front but the drawers open smoothly and the bar for the hanging section is there.

Matthew's brother ended up coming to Goodwill and getting it for me and bringing it home. And then I finally went to Wal Mart

Mom of Matt sounds exhausting. I give you a million points for putting up with her so calmly.

Luckily it is in small doses so far. I was feeling bad because she is doing all the laundry and dishes and Matthew has been cleaning and I grocery shop and cook. I said something to Mom of Matt the other day about this and she said "well you go work all day" and also she told me I was a sweet person to put up with all her "bipolar and schizophrenia stuff". And having the chores around the house taken care of gives me more energy to do things so that has been a win.

Although sometimes Matthew tends to be the one who can make me feel exhausted. His mom wants to buy shoes for the grandkids for school, there are 6 of them. I guess she and his sister are taking them all shopping on Sunday. It's tax free weekend this weekend and Matthew and I were going to go to Costco. But I started thinking about tax free weekend and Costco and told him maybe we should wait. And then he came up with the idea we should go to Costco to get shoes for all the grandkids. And take them all. All 8. I mean we would take 2 different cars but it was like hearing the summary of a horror movie.

Luckily I remembered Costco limits the people you can take and I didn't want to push it by taking 10 additional people. Instead my compromise was to offer to pick up school supplies of his sister got us a list of what they needed.

Which means I'm going to Costco on tax free weekend. But I told him that was it. Farmer's Market and then Costco and then I'm chilling for the rest of the day and probably won't be social at all.