[annie175]

Ha ha...I LOVES YA..this stupid computer posts or does not post when it is ready!

Dinner tonight was chicken crusted pecan baked....cauliflower, broccoli, carrots grilled and cheddar rice....fudge or cookies for dessert.

DSIL and her mother joined us for dinner and it was one of my best creations. Wanted to know if they started a restaurant in France would I be the head cook/baker...well yeah. I am sure that won't happen but was delighted to entertain the thought!!

Tomorrow should be short and sweet, which is good as I have a few errands that I need to accomplish. Sassy is being dropped off at the vet for her spay....then have to pick her back up by 5:00. The weather is NOT cooperating and should make tomorrow a real challenge.

I guess I had best get some sleep...getting late and do not want to lose this post..

xoxoxo

[happy2bme]

Hi girls,

Well it's 12:01 am - world is still spinning as far as I know...

I did get my house decorated. It's just the living room and dining room with towels in the baths and kitchen. I did put up the small fiber optic tree - gotta get something better looking for next year. In Tennessee we had lighted garland around the front door - found that rummaging through a box so I strung it on the big staircase going up to the second floor. Hung some glittery ornaments on it an added some maroon and white poinsettias - looks nice if I do say so myself. It is festive looking but I honestly don't feel Christmasy at all. We got a couple of inches of snow which is nice to look at but better to stay inside instead of out.

Went to the eye doctor today. Neither of our prescriptions changed much. DH did not get new glasses - which I need to ask him about now that I think about it - I think he scratched his lens. I did get new glasses - frames that are not round, not square but are more centered in my eyes so I hope that will help me to see better. Should be here in about 2 weeks. There went a pile of money. But my computer glasses were really cheap = will probably be made out of recycled coca cola bottles and weight 80 pounds Was going to work on my cards today but they dilated our eyes and it was annoying to me because I could not focus well. Takes a long time for my eyes to get back to normal. DH did remind me at this point even if I mailed the cards tomorrow, most people will not get them until after Christmas - so I am sorry ladies With cards out of the picture, I did laundry, cleaned the kitchen and decorated. Last night we had frozen, store bought pizza :P and then headed over to the casino for a night out. DH did well - made a nice little wad. I played my budget won some, lost some but had a nice night out.

Annie, not sure about a restaurant in France - the phrase "classically trained French" scares even me - they take their cooking VERY seriously. But I'm sure that any place you opened here would be a big hit with your style of yum yum cooking. Wish I had me some of your dinner tonight Be careful running about with your errands tomorrow. Guess you got some of that dreadful storm Draco they were talking about. Poor Sassy - her first surgery Bummer that Lil Man did not want to smile for his holiday shots. Maybe he's just the serious type

Ceejay - yes, the E/R doctor said to avoid the caffeine, alchohol, smoking, fatty foods - but DH avoids that stuff. Well not caffeine but he tried decaf coffee and it didn't make a bit of difference. I think it's more electrical. Maybe he needs to discharge static as much as I do Have you tried running a load with just hot water and 2 cups of vinegar in your washer? Sometimes the fabric softener gums up and that creates a bad smell too. Not a bad idea to get a wider pair of shoes for days when the feet are swelled up - especially if they are bound in laces. I wear my Crocs alot at home - roomy but that's probably why I have duck feet now

Laura - I used to get red X's on the graphics on the work computer too. I figured they blocked something or other as I never had the problem anywhere else. If I was paying the bills, I'd be updating the check register too. Makes me CRAZY that DH doesn't do this - never did. Makes it REALLY hard for me to work on a budget by looking at past expenses, so I gave up. Now I assume there is always money in the checking account (hey, he made me be that way, right? ) Interesting idea about having the virtual movie night - we'll have to try that. Got a big smile over your comment about the aged meatloaf and youthful side dishes Very clever.

Mel - thank you for the mediation links. I'm going to try some of them. Hope your stomach finally settled down. Ugh. Loved the graphic of the house with the Christmas lights - I keep threatening to do that "next" year. Inthe meantime, DH is hiding all the lights. Sorry you missed the grocery run - hope the kids can pick up whatever you need yet.

Guess I'd better head off to bed. I do work the next 4 days but don't have to go in tomorrow until 1pm. One of the summer girls was supposed to work tomorrow but there's a bad snowstorm down in the part of the state where she goes to college so she's stuck there until they get the roads cleaned up. Maybe I'll be lucky and have Christmas eve off going to be a LONG 4 days ahead. Not doing this again next year, that's for sure.

Anyway, hope you all have a good weekend - don't get too rushed with all the holiday hustle bustle and use hand sanitizer and wash frequently - this is the time of year when everyone is out even tho they are sick. Heard the flu is starting up early too. So have a snort of hootch as a preventative measure 'Night all...

[MELODY525]

GOOD MORNING CHICKLETTES.

YESTERDAY I GOT FULLY DRESSED AND ATE.
THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN I ASKED MYSELF WHAT ARE YOU DOING?
I LEFT A MESSAGE AND REPORTS THRU THE DOOR SLOT.
SAW THE MAINTENANCE MEN AND LEFT.
THEY TOLD ME IT WAS ALREADY NUTS AND NO ONE WAS IN YET.
ONE ELEVATOR MISSING IT'S MARK, PLUMBING LEAKS AND THEN NO HOT WATER
I LEFT AND CAME BACK UP. TOLD THEM I WILL SEE THEM ALL ON MONDAY.
LET THIS INSANITY OF THEIRS PASS AND THEN I'LL GO DOWN.
IT'S ALL ABOUT THE NEWS ON TV & THEY DO LOVE TO TURN IT INTO THEIR DRAMA!
THE SENIORS HAVE COME TO ME AND ARE IGNORING THE DRAMA NOW.
FUNNY HOW THEY TRUST MY WORD...BUT THEN I DON'T LIE TO THEM OR RILE THEM UP NEEDLESSLY.
I JUST WISH THE OFFICE WAS CLOSED ON MONDAY AS WELL.
WOULD RATHER DEAL WITH THE SENIORS MYSELF.
THE POOR PLUMBER WAS HERE TWICE. BACK AGAIN LATE LAST NIGHT.
HE HAS TAKEN TO TEXTING ME SINCE I GOT SICK.
HE WAS THE ONE LAST NEW YEARS WITH THAT CONTAGIOUS RESPIRATORY THING.
HIS TEXTS ARE FUNNY AND HE SAYS SO MUCH MORE THAN IN PERSON.
SUCH A CUTIE. GREAT HUBBY TOO. MARRIED 25 YRS AND THEY ARE SO CLOSE.
MAKES A HEART FEEL GOOD TO SEE THAT.
HE'S BEEN A GOOD FRIEND TOO.
OK I AM RAMBLING ON & ON. YOU GALS HAVE BETTER THINGS TO DO.
FYI....MY BOSS CAME TO MY APARTMENT YESATERDAY TO FILL ME IN.
WE AGREED....I AM NOT WORKING UNTIL THE NEW YEAR.
MY BOSS WILL BE BACK BY THEN
OF COURSE I WILL HAVE THE EMERGENCIES AS USUAL.
HAVE A GREAT DAY EVERYONE






LAURA....YES DYLAN WAS IN THE MOVIE.
I FORGET WHO BROUGHT HIM HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS.
BUT I WOULD TAKE HIM IN ANY DAY OF THE WEEK
I ALSO LOVED HIM IN THE ORIGINAL "JERSEY GIRL:.
THE GIRLFRIEND IN THAT MOVIE WAS JAMI GERTZ OF COMEDY TV FAME.
IT WAS MUCH CUTER THAN THE ONE WITH BEN & LIV.
YES THE ILLNESS DATES BACK TO LAST THURSDAY.
TURNED OUT TO BE SOME KIND OF VIRUS.
JUST HARD FOR ME TO GET BACK ON TRACK.
.WOULD LOVE TO SEE GUILT TRIP TOO!!
HOPE YOUR DAY IS FREE IF CRAPPY EMAILS AND JOBS
GLAD YOU CAN SEE THE PICS FROM HOME...THEY MAKE ME CHUCKLE.




CEEJAY....GLAD THE SHOES FELT GOOD AT WORK.
THAT MUST BE A COMNFORT WITH RUNNING AROUND ALL DAY.
HOPE MR. SEARS REPAIRMAN GOT THE JOB DONE.
I HATE WHEN YOU CAN SMELL SOMETHING AND CAN'T FIND IT!!
HOW WAS WALMARTS?? CROWDED??
ARE YOU WORKING CHRISTMAS THEN???




ANNIE....BE CAREFUL OUT THERE.
THE WEATHER MAP LOOKED TERRIBLE OUT THERE LAST NIGHT.
SOME OF THE FILMS WERE UNREAL.
ALL WE'RE GETTING RIGHT NOW IS WINDS AND RAIN:rainy:
HOPE ALL GOES WELL WITH SASSY GIRL.
YOU CAN GO & WORK IN FRANCE...
BUT IF I HIT THE LOTTERY I AM GOING THERE TOO THEN AND YOU CAN COOK FOR ME





HAPPY....SOUNDS LIKE A NICE NIGHT OUT.
GLAD YOU BOTH GOT OUT & ABOUT. DOES A BODY GOOD.
CONGRATS ON WINNING A NICE WAD!! GREAT XMAS PRESENT:t
IT'S TOUGH TO KEEP THE SPIRIT FLOWING WITH THIS WORLD SO OUT OF KILTER.
I REALLY DO KNOW HOW YOU FEEL. WE'RE GETTING IT HERE TOO.
BUT I AM STAYING CALM & CARRYING ON!! ROFLMAOFF
NOTHING WILL DELAY SANTA'S ARRIVAL!
HOPE THE 4 DAYS OF WORK FLY BY!!
MAYBE WITH A LITTLE LUCK IT WILL SNOW SO MUCH SHE'LL HAVE TO CLOSE!!

[annie175]

Good Morning Chickies....

We did get the snow they predicted. It is blowing over the already plowed roads making it slick as snot. Got Sassy to the vet on time, however left the house a lot earlier than usual. The normal 25 minute drive took about 50 mins. Then had to drive from the south side to the north side to work, that was about 70 minutes. (Normally about 45 mins). At least I arrived safely. We got about 3 or 4 inches of snow, hard to tell with all the blowing and drifting.

Posting and will come back later...gotta work of all things...

[Laura705]

Morning all. Well, it's the winter solstice today and winter is here for sure - blustery and cold, and not much snow but thanks to last night's rain/snow, slick as heck. I wore some old boots this morning but didn't bother to dig out the spikey things that go on the bottom of the boots. What a mistake that was - the boots were not comfy, and the sidewalks were very slippery. I ended up walking on the grass most of the way to the train. Live and learn.

Annie - Ugh, what a day for extra trips to and fro, and you not only have to worry about your car and driving, but everyone else out there, especially the ones who don't take heed of the crummy conditions and continue to text, etc.!! Be careful when you go pick Sassy up. Poor little Sassy - she's gonna get some special treatment tonight, huh? Your dinner sounded fantastic!! What's on the menu tonight? Might have to show up at your door for dinner, dessert, and whatever else is cookin'.

Ceejay - Good idea to order a wider pair of sneakers for when the tootsies are swollen. Sorry you haven't figured out the source of the smell, but good that the washer and dryer are operating properly. I've heard that the washer supply line failure is one of the big causes of water leaks, so it's good to rule that out.

Happy - Glad you've got the house decorated now. Now for you to just watch some of those Hallmark movies and we'll have you in the spirit yet!! I still have some stuff to drag our for the kitchen and bath, and our stockings still need to be hung!!! Nice that dh had a win at the casino. Ugh, four days of work. Gonna be hard, but after that...you can collapse and have a nice quiet Christmas celebration with the hubby. Will you quit this job after this busy time ends? Re the check register - yeh, I have the accountant's to-the-penny mindset, so it would drive me nuts to not know how much is in the account. It drives me nuts just to see people leave their ATM receipts behind after they've made their withdrawals! We have some leftover ham from last Friday's dinner w/ bf's mom, so there may be some more aging leftover stories to tell, though ham lasts a good long time. Like your advice re a snort of hooch, LOL.

Mel - I can see your graphic on my work computer today, no red x. Glad you're making yourself scarce around the building - who needs the madness?? And why are the tenants all riled up and freaked out? Not this Mayan end of the world thing??!! They should be more worried about the fiscal cliff!! Yes, liked Dylan in that move - watched it last night. Robert Downey Jr.'s character brought him home, but he was a bit of a mystery at first. Liked how it turned out. I hope the virus has run it's course by now, and smart of that plumber to be texting you - anyone around a lot of people is going to be at risk for carrying or catching something!!

Hellos to Shad, Ellen, Patty, Michelle & Java!!!
: candy:

It was raining for my commute home, so bf picked me up at the train. I was an exercise slacker again last night, and to make matters worse, bf picked up a couple steak burritos for dinner. I was a big lump on the sofa and watched "Home for the Holidays". I remembered nothing of it, so I'm thinking maybe I never did see that movie way back when. It was good, a bit frenetic, and I was disappointed that the dvd didn't have English subtitles because I missed a fair bit of the dialog, even though I kept cranking up the volume.

It was windy as heck all last night and our lighted lawn decorations fell over. When bf left the house after dinner last night (attending a mini memorial of the death of a family friend 15 yrs ago), he laid the decorations flat (well, the one that hadn't already fallen) and unplugged all of them. There was a 4th - our pengun, and he had fallen over and I uprighted him when I left the house this morning. Had a piece of mulch stuck to his nose, er, beak, haha. Poor doggy was on alert all evening because of all the noises from the wind...Ugh, hate this kind of weather. I want the snow globe weather. Peaceful gently falling flakes of snow.

Today the office closes at 3. I will either skip out an hour early to get the 2:24 or just a wee bit early to get the 3:10. There's a party to go to tonight. I was worried about what to wear, but now I've decided not to sweat it. It's a house party so I'll just wear jeans, flats, and my black velvet blazer (need to get some use out of it, right?). Not sure what kind of top to wear under it. I always wish I had a nice satiny blouse to wear with that - white or silver or maybe a pretty emerald green...

Before the party, I'd like to do some more shopping - bf's mom's gift (we know what we're getting, just need to get over there & buy it), a few small miscellaneous gifts, and groceries, including what we need for our Christmas Eve dinner.

Tomorrow will be an exercise class in the morning followed by my hair appointment. After that I'd like to do more decorating or maybe even baking!! My friend D threw out the idea of seeing a band on Saturday night. I feel like I have a lot to do the next few days, but I still want to have some fun, so I might just get bf and I out for that.

Sunday is dinner at my sister's place. And I will probably try to find time to make a dessert ahead of time for Monday - probably a cheesecake.

Okay, enough rambling. Back to work. Everyone have a good day!!

[happy2bme]

Hi ladies,

Well the day dawned nice and sunny for the end of the world Of course I cannot see what is out in space and I thought I might have heard the end comes from some sort of cosmic bang - just hope if that's the case it's quick It's pretty cold out there - 9 degrees when I last looked and snow is blowing gently off the roof and twinkling in the sun light. If you want snow globe weather Laura, this is the place to be. Because of the dryness and the fact that we are surrounded by pine trees that block the wind, most of the time our snow is exactly like a snow globe. Kinda pretty. Then you have to shovel it - but that's DH's job.

I made myself a cup of tea last night and enjoyed the Christmas decorations inside. Will look even prettier when I turn on the fireplace. I work the late shift today - 1 to 8pm. Hate that shift. There's not enough time in the morning to get much of anything done. I can't eat anything too heavy because let's just say it's not convienient to use the bathroom all day so I'm really hungry and I'm sure the kitchen will be a total mess that will take me even longer to clean and if we are busy, I won't get to it until the end of the night. I'm thinking from today until next Monday - it's going to be nuts at the store, particularly on Sunday and Monday. Ok, enough whining. Maybe I'll just have 2 eggs and some toast - eggs tend to hold me over for a long time. Trying to figure out when I will be able to get to the store for something for Christmas dinner too. I'm thinking beef tenderloin which is fairly easy to cook and is special enough for a nice dinner. Maybe Sunday after I get off of work. DH could go to the store but I'm not sure he will know what to get.

Laura - looks like you had and might still have fierce winds by you. Not good for slipping and sliding along. Sounds like you have a busy schedule - hope you get a chance to bake. Doesn't seem like Christmas unless you make something sweet The satin blouse is a good idea - IF you can find one. I think the sequinny tops are in now. I had 3 blouses - in white, Christmas green and a hot pink - they were my go to dress up blouses with a nice jacket. Coldwater Creek had a couple of cute dressy tops too - maybe you can get one on sale but probably not in enough time for tonight. Have fun over the weekend!

Ok, the I.T. person in me is still thinking in the background. When some of the pictures show up with a red X - I'm wondering if it's because there's a direct link to the picture site and it's one of those the corporate servers blocks access to. Yep, that's probably it. This coming from the person who yesterday for a moment could not remember her own zip code but techno things, no problem with that The brain is an odd thing indeed...

Annie - please be careful out there. Don't need you falling or smashing something. Doesn't matter if you only got 2 inches of snow - when it's swirling like that - just a big mess all around. Hope you got a decent sleep last night.

Shad - where are you woman? Last post I saw from you had something to do with being half naked and enjoying a beverage. Did Igor woo you away? Whatever you are doing, hope you are having a good time

Mel - as you well know, the office depends entirely too much on you. Hide hide hide. Smart of you to drop the paperwork in the slot and escape. Just be careful of the elevator car that doesn't stop even with the door I'm sure you are the life raft of sanity for the poor plumber too. Maybe you can have your own party in the laundry room Is the weather crappy up by you too?

Hellos to the rest of the Wordlie ladies. I have just enough time to make something to eat and shower up. Not that I need to shower - after an hour in the store I'll just smell like popcorn anyway. Not a bad thing. Have a good one all ...

[Shad]

Morning all,
And the end of the world seems to have come and gone. I can say for certain, but I think everything is still here, me included. Mayans may have got that one wrong. The end will come when the end will come!

Now 'They say' (whoever they may be) that if you put money above all else, you set yourself up to fail. Well I guess I did that, and I am now extremely sorry that I re-signed my contract. It seems that I haven't learnt my lesson.
Flew home last night and am extremely glad I will not be back until 1st Jan. Only good thing that happened yesterday was that the airline bumped me up to business class and I had an enjoyable flight home. My car was where I left it and the neighbourhood is still intact.

Can't seem to sleep for one reason or another and here we are at 3.00am and I am talking to you lot on line.

Mel - sorry that you have all this crap to contend with as far as the maintenance goes. All comes to roost when you fail to plan as the building owners have. Feel better soon

Happy - decorating sounds nice. Have to admit that I haven't done cards at all this year, and my Christmas letter will be more like a New Year one. Good going on DH's win at the Casino and your breaking more or less even. Didn't DH win last time he went as well? They will ban him shortly.

Laura - Hope you get the shopping soon. Maybe everyone is leaving the shopping to the last minute in case the world did end. I've bought few presents this years. DS2 got his money to buy some new tool (toy) or other as requested. DS1 will get his photos paid for if he ever gets his backside into gear and sorts out a photographer.
Hope your social plans work out fine. Yum on the cheesecake.

Annie - dinner sounded yum. I'll be right over for the second sitting. Hope Sassy is okay and getting back to normal. Doesn't take long for them to get over operations.

Loved the hot tub graphic. Wouldn't mind a hot tub right now. Girl next door has one. I don't believe she would be too happy if I scaled the fence and hope in right now.

I'm hoping to snaffle some of the photos from Sophias shoot while I am there tomorrow or the next day. You can then use them for desktop 'wallpaper' and stick your icons on her nose or something.
I won't hold my breath for the permission tho' since the cd with the photos on belongs to you know who.

Maybe I can sleep now knowing that I am alive and have defied the Mayans. So I will read the new post. One came in a few minutes back - think it was from Happy. So that's two of us alive.

[annie175]

Ok...Miss Sass has come through her surgery with flying colors...I also had her micro chipped. Gotta get back at it. SOrry...will post this weekend.

[Laura705]

Annie - Glad Sassy got through the surgery successfully. And smart to have her chipped!! Good going.

Shad - Sounds like this trip home was much better than the last, with all the mishaps with the gate, etc. And you even got a seating upgrade! I hope there's a turnaround in the assignment when you return in Jan. so you don't have to be miserable for the next three months.

[ceejay52]

Welcome to the new age of Aquarius.
I slept sound last night and woke up just as the garbage men drove past my house. ooops But I took that to work and put it in the dumpster.
The water department had its luncheon today. BBQ with all the trimmings. And surprise, surprise my evaluation was today. Made above 90 except an 88 in one area. I think we all got a three % raise. I told my bosses that I wanted to work as long as my health held. They both said that I had a job as long as I could fulfill my duties.

----------
Laura
Be careful. I'm dreading the winter weather. BTW, I got your Christmas card.

Annie
Wow, on the blowing snow. Hope Sassy does well with her surgery. Be safe

Happy
Glad to hear you put up a few decorations. I don't have that many, but it does give the house that Christmassy feel. The repair man told me to clean the washer once a month with 2 cups of bleach and hot water. The washer has a cycle for that purpose. There wasn't any sign of build up. I'm thinking the smell is a residue from the sewer backing up in the past. Going to clean out from under the washer and dryer one day soon.

Mel
Good for you in staying put. But do watch out for the uneven elevators.

Shad
I'm alive too.

[annie175]

OMGoodness...poor lil tiny Sassy.......she has to wear one of those head cones when we cannot watch her constantly. The vet gave me antibiotics to give her and pain killers. I think too much time elapsed and she was hurting cause she was slightly making a slight whine ouchy noise. Vet said to wait till around 8 tonight to give her meds. I waited till 7 cause she was uncomfortable. Bless her heart. She is now soundly asleep on the couch under the blanket. She did finally eat a bit and drank a bit of water. Also piddled for a very long time outside, I guess making up for not piddling outside this morning in the snow, then coming in and doing it on MY BED. Yes, had to come home and do sheets and comforter. Rattling on and on about a dog...I am ate up!!!

Posting cause I always lose it from home...will continue in the next post.

[ceejay52]

Annie
Sassy has a good momma and nurse to take care of her. By the way I got your card. Thank you.

[annie175]

CEEG...marvelous that the eval went so well. They always have to have one area that rates lower than the others to give you something to work on that really doesn't need it. Ps me off they just cannot rank us the greatness that we are.

SHADDIE...glad you got to come home and all was good with the world. Amen! The end of the world did not happen her either....thank God I didn't take it seriously and go out and spend all the money we don't have....lol

HAPPY...I know what you mean on the late shift. Includes cleaning, sweeping, and all the closing stuff, plus just screws up you schedule as far as your LIFE! Watch the Hallmark channel....it put me in the Christmas mood, maybe it will work for you too! Decorations help also! Good you got some up!

LAURA...I skipped out of the office the past couple of days. I just do not want to be there. Today it was because I had to pick up Sass. Works for me! The winds are crazy here. I have a major drift on my driveway just in front of the garage door and one just outside my sliding glass door to the backyard. I should shovel but my body says NO!

Better get this posted before I lose it....loves and hugs....ho ho ho, snowy mess outside....working on laundry...blah

[annie175]

Thank you ladies for the cards...CEEG...LAURA...

[annie175]

My egg light is not on and I am here....what is up with that?