Weekending it - a whole lot of random

This weekend was definitely not our most exciting.  Dan was still away on his "retreat" until late afternoon on Saturday so I spent the day running around doing errands.

I peeled, sliced, and prepared two bags of prepped apples for freezing (thanks for the tip Aunt Kandi)

I also dropped off a giant bag of accumulated clothing and stuff we wanted to get rid of at the local Salvation Army.  Then I headed to the mail center in my old neck of the woods to pick-up some boxes and ship a package.  On my way out of the mail center I ran into Don/Ron the mailman.  I was worried I would never see this character again since I moved away from 2C and I never got to say goodbye.  Wanna know what his first question was when he saw me?

Are you pregnant yet?  Holy cow Don/Ron!  Who do you think I am?  Gosh.  Obviously the answer was no and I pretended not to be offended and then humored a 20 minute conversation with him.  Here are some of his opinions that were expressed in the conversation. I'm leaving out the most offensive statements.  

- The local Pentecostal church is a "nut church"
- All elderly people are Catholic and would never attend a "non-denominational church"
- Cities in Kansas are not actually cities, they're just pretending

Oh, Don/Ron.  I kinda hope I never run into him again.

After my chat by the post box I went to Key Foods to get the ingredients to make pulled pork in my crock-pot.  Now, if you've ever been to a grocery store in NYC you know they are about 1/4 the size of grocery stores in other cities.  While the ethnic food selection is vast, they fail to stock a lot of basics.  For example, last week I had to change my meal plans because they didn't have Rotel diced green chilies.  Really?  It's like a 4 oz can you can't find room?  They have cow tongue and pigs feet but no green chilies.

Anyways, I was standing in the meat section for 10 minutes trying to find the cut of meat I needed.  I called my mom to see if she could clarify other options to use.  She wasn't sure and my dad didn't pick up his phone.  Finally, a butcher came out (he must have seen me standing there for 10 minutes) and I asked him for 4 lbs of boneless pork shoulder roast.  He showed me one cut of meat with the label that just said "pork roast."  I asked if there was anything smaller since it was over 4 lbs and I only needed 4.  He said he would cut it for me and to wait there for 5 minutes.  10 more minutes pass and he finally comes back with a 5.28 pound chunk of meat and says "they are all big."  Well geez, thanks for nothing.  I didn't want to offend him so I took the meat.  It cost $15.

Usually Dan comes to the store with me to help lug everything back since we have to walk to the store and our building has stairs in front of the door.  The granny cart I had was filled with boxes and grocery sacks, including a 5.28 pound chunk of meat. Now, I'm a strong girl but this large cart is clunky and had to weigh at least 60 pounds.  I struggled down the stairs and to hold the door open while I got the cart in the first door.  An old man sat there watching me the entire time.  Never offered to help, not even to hold the door.  That annoyed me because clearly I was having issues.  Finally an older woman rushed to my aid and held the door and even held the elevator for me, meanwhile the mean old man watched.

The struggle was worth it, however, because all the boxes were filled with treasures.  We got our Christmas cards (I'm not showing them so they can be a surprise...but they're cute and you can hang them on your tree!).  We also got a highly anticipated wedding gift of a handmade quilt from a family friend.  My parent's friend Zoe put so much love and care and special details into this gift.  We LOVE IT!  I was overwhelmed by how special it was.

There are hearts, stars, and moons embroidered all over it and a special note as well.

It matches our bedroom colors perfectly and it will make its debut on our bed this week!  Squeee!

Mandy sent us a box too! Filled with goodies for the apartment.  I requested she make a collage of felt flowers in frames for our kitchen wall.  It really pulled everything together and I added a matching pom pom garland to the mix for added flare.

Comment if you think Mandy should add more inventory like these framed flowers to her Etsy shop?

Sorry for the poor quality photo.  It in no way reflects the quality of the felties

Anyways, Dan came back and I gave him a big squeeze hug and we soaked-in company we had been missing.  

Sunday was our usual church gig and I had two friends over for lunch.  Dan did the laundry - what a guy  - while we made cookies.  That morning I had prepped the pork to cook all day in the crock-pot.  It took me an hour to trim the excess fat off of the meat 1) because I had a dull knife 2) because I had never done it and 3) because it was a total hack job.  Anyways it tasted great and we have tons of leftovers. I should mention it was the real deal recipe with all kinds of spices and stuff including coke and chili sauce (I had never in my life seen chili sauce and was stunned that Key Foods had it).

Some homemade applesauce in there too!

PSA:  Every Monday should be a holiday Monday.  I just can't seem to be productive on the big M.  Fortunately it's almost over.

Side note:  Did anyone watch the Broncos vs the 49ers game last night?  We did for a bit and since I only pay attention to the game a quarter of the time I had no idea what all the fuss was about when Manning hit 509.  I was going on an on about why is it such a big deal...it was just a touchdown it's not like they won the game or anything...why are there so many cameramen in his face?  Then Dan was like, "do you want me to tell you why it's a big deal?"   I felt pretty silly.  But now I feel like records should always be a round number.  510 career touchdown passes seems like a way bigger accomplishment to me.