[gma22]

Good morning gals. Unlike Jean, it is 50 degrees and supposedly still raining here. I am going to see if I can get out and walk though. I haven't stuck my head out of the door yet this morning.

Gloria: How wonderfully exciting for you. My two would fight the whole time to plan a party for us so that will never happen! Maybe I should have had more children so they could gang up on each other or might be more inclined to get along. Sounds like it will be fun and shopping for furniture too! Wow.

Jean: Do you have a nursing supply shop around you anywhere? I bet they would have the retractable ones. I would check with your drug stores too. Next time you work the hospital shop, ask a nurse where you can get one, I bet she will know. I am not sure what goes on month to month with the Red Hat luncheons. The group I am in pretty much sticks to just a luncheon every month. Group one I guess does stuff like going and learning how to do beading and stuff like that. It is whatever the hostess for the month plans I guess. I have only been to the Christmas lunch and than this one, so I don't know if we get favors and gifts every time or what. I don't even know how it is funded as it has to cost a bundle to give that much stuff out to 20 women. It's a nice diversion for a couple hours. Yes, there is an official website, redhatsociety.com. You can do a chapter search and see what chapters are in your area. Each chapter "queen" runs the show as to what the chapter is all about. Some do a lot of stuff in the community like shopping, trips, etc and some just do lunches like the group I am in does. Each gal has to have a chapter name beginning with "queen of..." I was going to pick cleaning, but someone had something similar so I went with knitting. I am not the queen of knitting. Truthfully, it isn't as much fun as I expected, but I am kind of stuck in the group for the year at least. I really wanted to meet women to have friends outside the Red Hatters, but with this group it isn't going to happen. They all seem to go their own way and most of them work or are much older and unable to get around to do much. We have a couple of big drinkers I noticed and I shy away from them. Then there is the loud mouth. This woman weighs about 230-240 and has bleached blond hair. At Christmas, she wore skin tight capris and a see through purple lace blouse with stiletto heels. This month she was in those lucite heels hookers wear, a skin tight pencil skirt which made her big belly stick out like she was pregnant and a blouse too small so the buttons puckered. Her drunk friend made a comment, "Doesnt she look just like Lana Turner?" I almost spit out my diet coke. So there is comedy relief so to speak! It is a nice diversion once a month though.

We got the dining room shampooed yesterday and I brought in fans from the garage to dry it all out. I cleaned the downstairs afterwards and we are going to do our bedroom rug today and I am going to try and get the rest of the upstairs cleaned today and tomorrow.

Fortune has a vet/grooming appt this morning so he has to be over there bright and early around 7:30 then stays all day to get groomed. $$$$$ goes right out the window today to the tune of probably $230 or so. After the bazillion types of shots he has to have, the heart worm stuff and then probably a more expensive grooming since he hasn't been since Jack's heart surgery, we may have to take out a loan....

I hear the washer is finished and I need to unload the diswasher. I am itching to finish the baby sweater. It turned out just gorgeous, but I am out of yarn. I started the sweater yesterday using leftover I had from my dd's shrug and knew I couldn't do the whole thing and have ordered a skein, but it won't be here until the end of the week more than likely. It is probably the easiest thing I have ever knit and yet it looks really hard. I can't wait to finish it. I only have about 14 or so more rows and it is finished.

You gals have a great day. I am off to do chores.

Faye

[QuilterInVA]

Hello, Ladies. Haven't felt like posting...got bad news at the doctor's office when Stan went for his appointment. His kidneys are deterioriating and they are going to do an ultrasound and then start dialysis. Just when I thought he was doing so well. I really had put the renal failure in the back of my mind.

It was 75 degrees yesterday so I took Stan for a long walk, me walking and pushing his wheelchair. Some of the daffodils are blooming...and tomorrow it's a high of 40--winter returns.

I got weighed and measured at Curves on Thursday - 1 month down 4 pounds and 3 inches total. Since I didn't stop my holiday eating until January 1, that was pretty good.

Faye, you are doing so well...I know you'll be a success! Keep those knitting needles flying. If you are too crowded on the needles, you might consider a circular needle. Much easier to work with.

Jean, glad you got your cat pin back...it was sure your lucky day to have him turn it in instead of sweeping it up. I hate and despise nametags!

Gloria - good to hear from you. The anniversary plans sound great.

Have a good day ladies - I've got to get to work!

[gma22]

Susan: I peeked in and saw your post. I am so sorry that you and Stan have to go through another medical obstical. Does his disease always cause the kidneys to fail eventually? Is he a candidate for kidney transplant or not? I will surely pray for him daily and ask my sister's prayer group to add him and you too of course. I do hope you can get some good news out of this. The two of you have worked so hard to get him healthy and I would hate for this to be a step back for you.

Faye

[Jean]

Good Afternoon/Evening Flowers! Bob is off to practice at church and I have a few minutes to myself. Tonight is card club and I don't want to leave my warm house; the car said -1 on my way home from school and it will be even colder once the sun goes down. We had a two hour late start today so it was a weird morning. I spent the last hour of the day listening to a kid rant and wave about how much he hated math and the math teacher hates him . . . yadda, yadda, yadda. I finally told him it was not my idea to pull him out for one on one and maybe if he got his poop in a group, he could go back to the study hall. I worked harder with him than the whole rest of the day!

"Gma" -- I did stop at a local office supply store and they can order the retractable badge holders . . . $60 for 12 plus shipping and tax. I wore mine around my neck today and under my sweater which I buttoned the top button so it kept the badge from swinging around. It flipped over backwards and I left it like that. I noticed several teachers had them clipped to their pants pockets. I supposed we will be notified that they have to be so many inches in the shoulder area if using a clip. I had to chuckle at your description of the drunk red hat ladies.

Susan -- It was nice to see your post today, but I am so sorry to hear about Stan. It seems like life is just not fair at all. Your Curves numbers are looking good! Keep up your motivation . . . you are doing just great!

I need to figure out what I'm wearing to school tomorrow and get something started for supper. Have a terrific Tuesday!

Jean -- from Iowa!

[gma22]

Good morning gals! Ok, Jean, why send us your cold weather??? It is 28 degrees this morning, the coldest it has been this year so far. It's going to be mighty cold to walk this morning. Glad I have my fancy pants earmuffs to put under a hat to keep them warm. I don't even own a winter coat as I haven't needed one down here so will just wear sweatshirt under my lightweight jacket, hat and gloves.

Susan: You are doing spectacular at Curves, wtg! Again, so sorry about your hubby's set back.

Jean: I sent you an email with a place to buy a badge retractor online and reasonable considering.

It rained her all day until last night then blew like the dickens so thank goodness the streets and such are dry before the cold got down below freezing.

Everyone have a good day today and try and keep warm and dry.

Faye

[QuilterInVA]

Rainly and the temperatures are dropping this morning. Hope we don't get an ice storm on top of everything else.

Faye, Stan has had renal failure for several years. It only gets worse. Because of his cardiovascular problems, he isn't a candidate for a transplant. The concern now is that everything changed so rapidly.

Started a new applique quilt - it's a calendar quilt, with a different block to represent each month. That should be a good carry along project for me.

Have a good day...