Morning all. It’s a sunny day here, but still windy as heck. And it’s chillier today, with lower temps to come this weekend. No doubt I will be wearing my long down coats in the very near future!
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Annie – Wow is right! I’m so glad you didn’t have a serious accident with any injuries or damage. Yes, I do have the option of a high deductible plan with an HSA account. I think I’m put off (i.e., CHICKEN) about possibly having a big thing happen and having a giant deductible amount to pay all at once. That said, my employer does put some cash in the HSA for us, so that would be helpful until we could build up more of a balance to help pay towards the deductible. Still…After last year’s open enrollment ended, I probably said I should seriously consider it more carefully for next year. And next year is here and I put it off yet again. Sigh. It’s really a good thing when you think about it – much lower premiums, and if you don’t need the HSA money, it builds up year after year.
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I did a Body Electric workout last night – pecs, back, quads, & outer thighs. It was another show from one of my old VHS tapes, so I recorded it to the DVR in the event I didn’t already have it. But it turns out I already had this one recorded, so after I finished the workout, I erased it from the dvr hard drive. I keep wondering when I’ll get to the end of this VHS tape. Next time I think I’ll pull the tape out of the machine to see how much is left on there…
So next week I’ll only have a 2-day workweek. I’m taking the Wednesday before Thanksgiving off, as well as the following Monday. It won’t be 6 full days of time to myself, but it’ll be quite a bit of home time and me time. I’m looking forward to it!
Today my left eye keeps watering. I think something blew into it while I walked to the train this morning. This is going to drive me nuts. Dang wind!!
Hello
Woke up this morning with a sinus headache. ugh. All the weather changes does this to me. Blood pressure is back up to 180/85 this morning.
My co-worker called me to come finish filling out my time sheet. The boss wants them tomorrow. Next week is a short week so we will more than likely get paid on Wednesday. She told me that her sister in law is on jury duty this month too. At least I will know one other person.
My cable has been out since the storm Tuesday night. We did get around 6 inches of rain according to my boss.
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Annie
Glad their wasn't any damage to the vehicles. It's not the thunderstorms that I dread, it's trying to keep the tanks full and wondering whether or not the power is going to go out etc. But I did survive and that's what counts.
Happy
You are off and running again. Hope I can find something of interest to do when I retire that will keep me busy.
Laura
The HSA account sounds interesting. Our employer doesn't have this. It sure would come in handy.
LAURA....I love the HSA account here. Yes a higher deductible, but there is a finance company here that pays your high medical bill then you pay them back within 18 mos at no interest. Plus you can also use your HSA monies for dental and eye bills. WF has coughed over about 1000.00 bucks to my HSA for this year. We get rewarded for physicals, labs, on-line medical classes all kinds of stuff. Not only do I get rewarded but also C if he participates which he does to a certain extent. Also prescriptions go towards your deductible, you have to pay them till you hit your deductible, but they go towards meeting your deductible.
Location: A beautiful and peaceful place in the woods
Posts: 8,905
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Hi all,
Last couple of days I have had a really hard time getting to this site. It more often than not hangs and doesn't respond. Have tried Internet Explore and Chrome - same results. I know part of it is the lousy internet service up here but I have trouble with some sites, not all and this is one of the worst. So many times I just give up and forget to try later.
Been a busy week so far - working on the shelter software and training. Had our twice yearly board meeting yesterday. There were too many items on the agenda and in my opinion it was rushed. I think we should meet quarterly especially since this was an overview of next year's activities and budget. I felt we glossed over a lot and a few people left before the meeting was actually finished.
It turned cold. Winter is here. Snow flurries all day and brrrr. It's cold. I am not really happy to see it. Could stay in the 50's and I'd be ok with it. I need to go through some of my magazines and work out a menu for Thanksgiving so I can go shopping on Tuesday and avoid the Wednesday rush.
Annie - I think a lot depends on the company and what they will put into the HSA. My last job it was a total rip off - the "bank" handling the money charged crazy fees - so not worth it But it seems like you have a gem in yours. I do like that you can roll over the money in the HSA if you don't use it in that calendar year - was always a crapshoot figuring out just how much to allocate in the annual flex spending account. Sorry you had a bump tap but how wonderful that the other party was good about the whole thing. Maybe there is hope in the world yet! Nice that you get the better part of next week to relax and do what you want. I figured you might host the family meal.
Ceejay - if you decide to get involved in any sort of volunteer capacity once you retire, I promise you that the work will FIND YOU I was wondering how you made out with that heavy storm. Did you have to reroute any flooded roads?
Laura - I bought some Cuddle Duds for the first time ever to wear under sweaters or thermal shirts. Have you ever tried them? They are light weight - hope they keep in the body warmth. I just signed up for next year's health insurance today - had ONE more day to decide. Talk about back to the wall. The "cheapest" plan will cost me almost $11,000 out of pocket BEFORE I even make one claim. Definitely the one positive to a full time job is subsidized health care. And I am 3 and a half years away from Medicare whose premiums are shooting up in the stratosphere too. DH is opting to drop his prescription drug plan. With his current medications he would pay about $150 more in insurance than his meds would cost him paying out of pocket. At least that's what he said he calculated. I hope he's right as for once I did not double check this as we are on 2 different plans. Even the HSA or high deductible plans would cost me about 1500 - $2000 more than the mid deductible plan. And this is the group plan through DH's former employer. I am like you Laura - scared that if I took the cheapest plan I'd either suffer for the care or would get whammied for a big out of pocket cost. Then again, I had pricey insurance and still had to pay $3500 in cash out of pocket for my cataract surgery which left me wondering why I had insurance ... I hope your eye tearing calmed down. I used to hate the occasional hazard of flying schmutz downtown and heaven knows there was enough of it blowing from everywhere!
Laura - fool proof turkey. Chop up carrots, onions, celery. Place in bottom of pan. Wash and place turkey in roaster. Pour over the turkey a large box of Swanson's chicken, turkey or vegetable broth. Melt a stick of butter. Pour over the turkey. Season with pepper and lightly salt (butter and broth have lots of salt in them). Put the turkey in the oven and slow roast at 325 until done. I like the turkeys with a pop up timer or use a thermometer to be sure. I do a bad thing and occasionally baste the turkey while it's cooking - it's bad because you lower the oven temp quite a bit doing this but heck, I like crisp turkey skin. The bed of carrots, onion and celery makes just a wonderful broth for the turkey and keeps it moist. I have cooked it in a turkey sized cooking bag and have cooked it in a covered roaster - both came out juicy and flavorful. Easy peasy. We never put the stuffing in the bird - my mom was afraid of horror stories about getting sick with that so we always cooked it separately.
A few more things to do before bed tonight so I'd sign off. Sweet dreams everyone.
HEY HAPPY CAKES....I am going to try the turkey recipe above tomorrow. It sounds so easy, I may throw a chopped up apple in there for good measure. lol Probably not so much celery as IMO it can be overwhelming in recipes and I am not much of a fan anyway. It sounds delish. RE: HSA, WF pays all the administrative fees for all accounts, makes it all well worth it.
My bro stopped over for dinner last night. I made beef stroganoff, bread from the deli, he brought an apple crumb pie, also had salad and cauliflower. We got to laughing about something so hard we forgot what the heck we were laughing about. Fun times.
Happy
I was lucky in that I didn't have to drive through any water. Some areas of town did get there share of the rain. I love Cuddle Dud's.
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My cable has been out since Wednesday. Guess I should call them but the rabbit ears I bought yesterday are doing fine. The only thing is that I can't get the Jonesboro station but the Memphis stations are really better for my area for weather. And I have the Jonesboro's station app on the phone.
Like Laura I am taking off an extra day to have 3 day week and am looking forward to being off this week. I'm debating on having some me time in a hotel room on Wednesday after a couple of appointments and not having to drive back since I will be in Paragould the rest of the week. Turkey day will be with my uncles and their families.
Need to make a couple of calls phone and make another trip to Walmart.
Annie - Okay, I'm taking the plunge with the HDHP/HSA plan. I just have to try to get online. This is the last day and everyone must be trying to get on this site. Enjoy your early Thanksgiving celebration tomorrow!!
Ceejay - I hope your sinus headache is gone - those are horrible. So when you're on jury duty next month, can you be called at any time during the month to go serve jury duty? In my area, we get notices and are told to call a phone number the night before a certain date to see if we need to go to serve jury duty on that date. And then you're done for a certain period of time.
Happy - Our mild weather is at its end now. I wore one of my long down coats today. Snow is forecast. Here we go... Re the HDHP, I know that the HSA account won't be earning me much interest, but at least it won't be a "use it or lose it" situation like the flex spending account. Re cuddle duds...hmmm, can't recall if I have one piece of that brand. Some of mine are from Lands End and are a silky type of fabric. Gosh, my legs are feeling cold today and I kind of wish I had a layer on underneath my pants! That turkey roasting method sounds tasty. We're actually going to try a brined turkey though, so there will be no additional salt involved, but the veggies sound good to me!
Hellos to the rest of you, hope to see you check in soon!
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Well, I was all sure of going with the HDHP - until I saw that there are two out of pocket maxiumums - one for in-network and one for out-of-network and the out-of-network is double the in-network. Until I find out how that works, I don't know if I'll be doing this. Bf is the type that will not care about in or out as long as he's getting the best care, especially for an ear surgery he will be needing.
Nothing much else to report. I have a hair appointment tomorrow morning. The rest is the usual, but we also need to get a Thanksgiving menu figured out and then make our shopping list. And of course get going on cleaning. Maybe the crummy forecast is a good thing - won't want to be out and about.
Okay, off to lunch.
========= Update: Okay, I had all my HDHP/HSA questions answered, confirmed that our providers (incl the ear surgery dr) are all in-network - and any new ones selected will also be in-network. Enrollment's done. Ready for the weekend!
I finished my clients dining room yesterday & they said it's lovely & want me to do another room for them after Christmas. I made their valances reversible w a winter theme fabric to a Christmas fabric as they asked for so they wouldn't need as many Christmas knick-knacks setting out in the dining room making it look tacky. They r a family of 4, w 4 different birth months so I had the idea of using their month's flowers as the theme for the stain glass panels for their China cabinet, I haven't done any stained glass projects in over a year so I had fun making them & I used beveled glass panels for the remaining door inserts & the cabinet looks very high-end gorgeous now. The accent wall I did in a green sea-glass color, instead of the usual aqua sea-glass that I used with a textured technique & it compliments the dining room chair seats I upholstered. The homeowners gave me a bonus $ because they said to me their room looks like a magazine photo. I'm happy I finished it on schedule because I'm exhausted & I have the energy of a turtle.
It didn't rain today, but the wind was cold as I grocery shopped for Thanksgiving in a mob of shoppers. When Dh came home from work we drove 40 miles to a Amish grocery store for some extra's. My 1# container of dill weed from 2 yrs ago that I keep in my freezer finally ran out & the spices & seasonings from that Amish grocer are good quality. But I could've fainted when we read the price of the dill weed today, it's now $20 a pound We'll compare it w other natural food stores & online. Now I know what we'll b planting next summer 'dill weed' & I'll use my food dehydrator for it & mince it.
I'll b back this weekend to catch-up w you'all here & post personals. I'm going to bed early. We talked about going to see the final Hunger Games movie tomorrow for a date night, but I just want to stay home & rest & maybe go see it next weekend.
morning
Laura
I have a number to call the night before to see if I report the following morning. Jury duty is for the month of December. Headache is much better.
Dee
Glad the decorating project went well.
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Still need to call the cable company to tell them I've been with out since Wednesday. I will ask for a credit for these day. Doubt they will come out this week end. My rabbit ears are doing well, just miss my other stations. I bought a Roku system but you have to pay for the use of this also and it's mainly movies. I'm going to keep it set up just in case the cable goes out again. I down loaded some apps to have when I go to my uncles to have something to do.
Took a prescription to the pharmacy to have it refilled. And stopped to get gas.
Cleaning house today. It used to take me a day to recoop but now it takes me two days. I will pace myself to get through the day.
Work week got the better of me. I didn't work a lot of over time this past week (only 5 hours) but when I was at work, I was working intensely. Also with this crazy weather changing from hot, to cold and back and forth, it has kicked up my fibro. When I got home from work I would just collapse for an hour and take a nap, then work for about 1 hr, clean up the kitchen after dinner and go to bed.
I am also feeling very out of sorts when I look around the house. There seems to be so much to whip back in place around the house. I think it is because for the past 4 weekends, I have just done what had to be done to make it livable. But it's really starting to bug me.
I am happy to report that last week at TOPS I had a 1.8 lb loss. This week I stayed the same.
The one thing that I must and want to get back to is using the tread desk at least 3 times per week and I really, really need to get back on my exercise bike.
My knee is hurting again and I'm about to the point when I believe it is time for another gel shot.
Last night DH and I went to see Spectre (the new James Bond movie). I really liked it. The story kept my attention. I don't think that Daniel Craig is all that great looking in his face...he just looks average to me but his body is another thing! He played the part of James Bond very well and was quite dashing.
Today I didn't get much done in the way of housework, as we had my nephew Aiden, birthday party to go to at 11:15 a.m. My brother lives about 45 min away so with the drive, the party time and going back to their house to watch a kids movie, it was 6 when we got home. We ate, cleaned up the kitchen and I'm about to pay bills and then go to bed.
Annie: I'm so sorry that we weren't able to connect. I so really wanted to. When they changed the schedule and our band got pushed back, it really messed it up. Next year, we plan to go again but we are going to drive down the night before the day our band is going to be in the competition and stay all night so there will be another opportunity.
I am praying and crossing my fingers that your pap test comes back clear.
Laura: Good for you for taking those extra days around Thanksgiving.
I did an HSA this year and was really glad I had it when I needed the PT.
I am doing it again for next year. We just did our benefits at work too.
It sounds like you put your Kohls gift cards to good use. I love new sweaters! Especially if they are warm.
Ceejay: Did you get your house work done and things back in tip-top shape?
Did you check about the cable yet and get it fixed.
I'm sorry to hear that the BP is giving you issues. Do you feel badly when they numbers get that high?
Dee: The work you did for that family sounds lovely! Did you go see The Hunger Games? Did you read the books? I did not but I heard they and the movies are really good.
Happy: You will have to let me know what you think of the Cuddle Duds. I've been thinking of trying them.
Michelle: I saw your post on FB about your shoulder. I'm glad things went very well with the surgery. How is it feeling?
Morning
Things are getting to quiet in here but it is the week end.
I did get some things marked off of my to do list this week end.
It was cold this morning on the way to work at 29 degree's. Wished for seat warmers this morning.
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Susie
I understand about things around the house not getting done and making you feel out of sorts. It does me too. And yes I called the cable company Hopefully they will be there tomorrow. I did buy some rabbit ears so I haven't been completely without something to watch. re-blood pressure. I'd been dizzy headed but I had just gotten new glasses so I thought it was the glasses. I had been feeling tired.
Location: A beautiful and peaceful place in the woods
Posts: 8,905
S/C/G: Stuck/Working on it/Good 2 Go
Height: Fun Size
Good morning everyone,
Got down to 4 degrees last night. We were in the 50's a week ago so this has been an unwelcome shock to many of us. This is the time of year when DH regrets (just a little) that he started feeding the critters. At least 2 runs outside a day to feed the deer and turkeys. We did see our big buck Chuck the other day - haven't seen him in over a week. He was wary and I'm glad - yesterday deer hunting season (with guns) started for 9 days. They are only SUPPOSED to take bucks but the attitude up here is "only if I get caught". We hope our little flock goes deep in the woods and hides out the season. Deer bow hunting season runs longer. We went out last night and stopped in a restaurant / bar for dinner (which is the majority of our restaurant offerings). There were hunters all about at the bar. They were all complaining that the deer are in hiding. ( go deer! ) also we got just a very light dusting of snow which makes it difficult to track the animals. Soon the newspaper will be filled with smiling fools holding up a dead deer head.
One of my many errands was stopping at the eye glass place. The guy this time was very nice. I reminded him that he said my glasses were made to the prescription and the doctor says the prescription is correct yet the glasses are blurry. So what am I do do? He said my eyes have gotten used to the stronger cheaters so he was going to regrind my glasses for close up and the computer to the power of my cheaters. He said the benefit of having prescription lens vs the cheaters was that they were made to the curve of my eyes and would also correct for the astigmatism. He is remaking the other glasses with full distance instead of progressive bifocals and is putting in a lined bifocal so that I can wear the glasses for driving and be able to read maps. It's my mid range vision they can't seem to get right and he said my eyes have adjusted to using the close up cheaters for near and mid range. That is probably true. I think after wearing glasses for 48 years, psychologically I think I still need them which is also part of my frustration. I am also going to stick with one pair of close up glasses and one pair of distance because I think switching between a couple of pairs of cheaters is also messing with my eyes. I do long for my youth when the body worked a whole lot better and was less pain !
It got pretty cold in the house when I turn the heat down at night so I had to put a blanket by the door we hope to replace soon as there are small but definitely open gaps of cold air pouring in. I also cover the fireplace when we aren't using it. Even though it has a glass plate in front, the fireplace is all metal and it conducts the cold and chills the air around it. I also pulled the shades completely to the sill at night and put a heavier curtain and valance on the one metal exit door. That's how we "winterize" the house up here I don't mind the snow or gray - it's the bitter cold I hate. DH asked me what I wanted for Christmas and I said a soaker tub. One problem is that both of our full baths - the tub is about 1 inch longer than what would fit in the existing enclosure and no, you can't just make it longer because of support walls and such. Also all of our water drains out to the septic system - laundry, sinks, toilets and tubs. A soaker tub holds twice the water of a regular tub and he said that would be putting a lot of water into the septic tank. The septic drains a bit slower in the winter also. So I told him, I guess you need to buy me a hot tub!!!! We tried to figure out where we could put it. Right outside the back door would be great but we don't have enough open electrical to run the line for it. We do IF you want to go out the main door, go down 6 stairs, run across the length of a 3 car garage and head into the tub. We have an open cement pad that has outlets for 220 electric and a drain to the septic system which was for their large camper van hook up. That's an awful long way to run when it's cold outside. Also I said we'd have to build a gazebo or 4 season house around it so that the snow didn't build up on the tub cover. He said you have to have proper ventilation in the "house" or you'll get mold and rot from the steam in the tub. That's why most hot tubs are free standing outside. Would be cheaper to just buy a new house with a spa bath in it! The older I get, the more achy I am, the more I'd enjoy a good warm soak although it would probably in reality dry my skin out even more than it already is!
Ceejay- I'm surprised you don't have seat warmers in the Rav4 - I thought they were pretty standard. I know that cars sold in the south don't have the winter driving transmission and tires but I didn't think they'd skip the warmers. Brr. What a pain about the cable tv they want your money fast but they are so shorthanded on repair techs that it easily takes a week for service.
Susie - I wore the Cuddle duds for the first time yesterday underneath a light fleece pullover. I really liked them. I think they did keep me warmer without being overly warm or feeling like I was wearing 8 heavy layers. My only criticism was that during the day I tucked them into my jeans and they held fine. When I got home and changed into my around the house lounging pants, I wore them over the pants and they keep rolling up across my tummy - didn't like that. So I guess you have to plan on wearing them tucked in. Good for you for getting on the tread desk again. I have been doing a lot of sitting entering data on the computer and I believe the constant sitting is aggravating my hip and knee - I was thinking too last night that I need to consciously move more. Glad you see it too. I did hear from others that the latest James Bond movie was good - maybe a bit slow to get off the ground but good. Glad you enjoyed it.
Laura - are you having fun digging out of the snow? I see they got almost a foot of snow up your way. Yikes! Be careful with the cleaning. I guess you are also dealing with the brr sudden onset of cold too. Hope your new boots keep your feet warm. Please let us know how the turkey brine works out. I was skeptical although I have heard a lot of good things about it. I would like to hear from someone I know who actually did it. What sort of container are you going to use to brine the turkey in? Glad all of your doctors are in the network. I think for the most part most of them are although I do know of one case where my sister's doctor got fed up with all the red tape and dropped out of the network so she actually switched carriers to move with him. Pays to check it out ahead of time. Another thing to let us know next year if you feel the high deductible plan saved you money.
Dee - the cabinet re-do sounds gorgeous. I am thinking of doing an accent wall when we repaint but it's tough to think of a color. Will be something we'd both be happy to live with for a long, long time as the wall is 2 stories high and will require a lot of work on DH's new scaffolding to do. I love the idea of using their birth month flowers into the cabinet. VERY creative. I'll bet it looks really pretty. Do you take pictures of your work to show clients? Or curious online friend?
Speaking of scaffolding, DH bought some new stuff and is going to pick it up on Tuesday. He wants to take down the ceiling fan where the bats were, clean under the beam which he thinks is full of bat doo doo, check the upper trapezoid windows for air leaks, clean the windows and do some wall repairs from cracks resulting from the house settling. I don't know how speedy he is going to be with this and although I am not in the mood to do any major Christmas decorating, I can't help but wonder how long this scaffolding will be up in the main part of my house. Maybe I should plan on decorating the scaffolding?? He did clear out the area up on the loft where his computer was. It's an open space and would probably work quite nicely for the Christmas tree - I spend a good amount of time up here anyway. The only issue is dragging all the Christmas decorations up 2 flights of stairs (28 in all) numerous times from the basement to the loft area. With a very painful knee I would love a real tree for the smell but the warmest part of the house is the loft area (heat rises) and you want it on the cool side for the tree and lights. Also I always feel terrible killing a perfectly good tree for a 4 week decoration. But then again, as my friend would say - they already killed the trees sitting at the store - if you buy one and decorate it, then it didn't die in vain. Too many decisions in my life lately
Annie - I see the snowstorm was centered off of your area. Did you get walloped with snow too? I'll bet Sassy isn't happy to see the white stuff. That is a gorgeous picture of you and the grandkids. Did you have that taken professionally? A and R resemble each other a lot. Looks like J might favor Mom a lot? It REALLY is a nice photo and you look happy as can be too and a good looking Nana. Glad you had a nice dinner with your brother. Isn't sitting and laughing with good people the best? Now you have me jonesing for some stroganoff
I still have to plan our Thanksgiving Dinner. I am really leaning towards turkey which we have not had in a long time and saving the prime rib roast for Christmas. I will have to see how much DH was hoping for beef. I saw a bunch of old bread on the counter which made me quite happy - now I can make my Mom's stuffing. I love it and generally only have it once a year since DH won't go near the stuff.
Anyway hellos to the rest of you. Have a good Sunday everyone.
Woke up to a slight dusting of snow this morning. I wore tights under my dress with my boots to church and my long winter dress coat.
I finally found a pair of knee high boots I could get on with my calves! I got them at Lane Bryant and I love them. They aren't completely flat, have a little bit of a heel but not a dress heel.
I still have a nice pair of higher heeled dress boots but I don't wear them often as they kill my left knee.
I took a nap today and I worked for 1 hour on the work budget. I'm finishing cleaning the house and planning on reading after dinner (DH is making it right now). I started a new book by Debbie Macomber; it is the second (I think) in her Rose Harbor series. I love how she writes her books around a certain town with story lines that weave among the people in the books. With each new book in the series she introduces a new person and sometimes other new series spin off of those.
Happy: I was when you wrote about the newspapers being full of people holding up dead deer heads...we have that in our papers too and every time I think "who really wants to see that?"
Thanks for the information on the cuddle duds. I think I'm going to ask for a couple for Christmas and try them out. I do ok with winter under I get cold in my warmest winter coat...in Ohio that is around end of Jan through March. Once that happens I'm really just DONE with the cold weather, so maybe those will help me during that time.
Also, I found the information on the reading glasses very interesting. We were able to purchase vision insurance for the 2016 benefits year and I signed up for it. I am planning on seeing if I can get a pair of glasses for the computer and reading and not us cheaters. I see fine distance wise but up close and on the computer, it is only getting worse in that area.
Ceejay: One of our cars has the heated seats and I love them! We drive that car a lot more in the winter than the other one.
Hello to everyone else.
Time to get this house work finished, only have about another 30 minutes of work.
Evening all.* Was lazing around with the newspapers this morning, but got my laundry sorted and a load done earlier. I'll probably do another one in a bit.
Dee - I'm* sure having happy clients is very satisfying for you (beyond the financial rewards* ).* It sounds lovely - I really like that sea glass color.* I agree, there are a lot of great holiday knick knacks out there, but only so many spots to display them...good to get that holiday feeling in other decorative ways without the house looking like a retail shop!* --- So are you all set for turkey day?* Will you host your sons & the grandkids?* Should be a lively time.* Did you get out to see the new hunger games movie?* My bf is a fan of those movies & he'll probably go see it this week.
Susie - Sorry the fibromyalgia is sapping your energy.* The housework will still be there - get your rest when your body needs it!* Congrats on the loss at TOPS. I hope you can get in soin to get the shot for your knee!* Glad you liked the latest Bond movie.* Daniel Craig is easy in the eyes, but I agree he's not what I'd consider handsome.*
Ceejay - I hope your cable gets fixed soon!* It's been long enough.* Seat - warmers were a must-have in the two cars we have.* One of my favorite (non-safety ) features after heat and AC, lol.
Happy - Brrr, that's cold, but we got down to 11 last night.* We got whalloped yesterday - 11.2 inches at O'Hare, not far from us.* I think I'd be depressed if we didn't have milder temps in the forecast for this week...I got out and did the shoveling - good exercise.* But I did what I consider the minimum* - path to house & garage, one shovel-width*path for the front sidewalk and two tire paths for the driveway.** Tomorrow we'll* get temps in the high 30's - let the melting begin! ---The idea of a soaker tub sounds great.* No jets necessary for me.* A hot tub sounds good too, but I sure don't see myself running outside to use it in the winter!!---LOL re decorating the scaffolding!* * Oh, we bought a kosher turkey, which has already gone through a brining process of some sort.* From Trader Joe's.* I'll let you know what we thought of it.
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Had my hair appointment yesterday morning before the snow got bad.* Back at home I made some lentil soup.* Then the shoveling after the snow stopped, then a dog walk.* Got my 10,000 steps in, that's for sure.
I'd intended to get a jump on cleaning house this weekend, but nope.* I did get the living room dusted though - including the blinds.* Then bf and I watched the rest of the Bears game.* Then I walked doggy, after which we went out for a bite to eat & stopped at the market for some groceries on the way home.
We're in a real spot with the flex spending account.* It was bad enough when we had an $800 balance to use up.* But* in the midst of researching the HDHP/HSA stuff, I finally realized I shouldn't have had to pay anything for my colonoscopy in July (covered at 100% for preventive/wellness).* So the claim will be redone* & I will have $300 coming back to me & into the fsa.* Sigh.* Bf said he will try to get scheduled for a procedure to remove some nasal polyps.* Whenever he gets a cold they really bother him. He's been procrastinating on this forever. * Otherwise, we may have to buy a bunch of contact lenses for ourselves and lose some of that money.* Grrr.* I made my podiatrist appointment for mid-December.* I could go forward with that nerve test that tells me if I have the beginnings of carpal tunnel.* And ladies,* what type of physical complaints should I supposedly suffer to have a chiropractor recommend some nice massage-like treatments on me??? .** Any other ideas you have to help me use up this $$ would be appreciated.*
Okay, gonna copy & paste this & get it posted.* TTFN.
I’m taking the Wednesday before Thanksgiving off, as well as the following Monday. It won’t be 6 full days of time to myself, but it’ll be quite a bit of home time and me time. 
I’m looking forward to it!
I was wondering how you made out with that heavy storm. Did you have to reroute any flooded roads?
Definitely the one positive to a full time job is subsidized health care. And I am 3 and a half years away from Medicare whose premiums are shooting up in the stratosphere too. DH is opting to drop his prescription drug plan. With his current medications he would pay about $150 more in insurance than his meds would cost him paying out of pocket. At least that's what he said he calculated. I hope he's right as for once I did not double check this as we are on 2 different plans. Even the HSA or high deductible plans would cost me about 1500 - $2000 more than the mid deductible plan. And this is the group plan through DH's former employer. I am like you Laura - scared that if I took the cheapest plan I'd either suffer for the care or would get whammied for a big out of pocket cost. Then again, I had pricey insurance and still had to pay $3500 in cash out of pocket for my cataract surgery which left me wondering why I had insurance ... I hope your eye tearing calmed down. I used to hate the occasional hazard of flying schmutz downtown and heaven knows there was enough of it blowing from everywhere!
We'll compare it w other natural food stores & online. Now I know what we'll b planting next summer 'dill weed' & I'll use my food dehydrator for it & mince it. 
& my Love to you'all, Dee
go deer! ) also we got just a very light dusting of snow which makes it difficult to track the animals. Soon the newspaper will be filled with smiling fools holding up a dead deer head. 
Also all of our water drains out to the septic system - laundry, sinks, toilets and tubs. A soaker tub holds twice the water of a regular tub and he said that would be putting a lot of water into the septic tank. The septic drains a bit slower in the winter also. So I told him, I guess you need to buy me a hot tub!!!! We tried to figure out where we could put it. Right outside the back door would be great but we don't have enough open electrical to run the line for it. We do IF you want to go out the main door, go down 6 stairs, run across the length of a 3 car garage and head into the tub. We have an open cement pad that has outlets for 220 electric and a drain to the septic system which was for their large camper van hook up. That's an awful long way to run when it's cold outside. Also I said we'd have to build a gazebo or 4 season house around it so that the snow didn't build up on the tub cover. He said you have to have proper ventilation in the "house" or you'll get mold and rot from the steam in the tub. That's why most hot tubs are free standing outside. Would be cheaper to just buy a new house with a spa bath in it! 
The older I get, the more achy I am, the more I'd enjoy a good warm soak although it would probably in reality dry my skin out even more than it already is!
I would love a real tree for the smell but the warmest part of the house is the loft area (heat rises) and you want it on the cool side for the tree and lights. Also I always feel terrible killing a perfectly good tree for a 4 week decoration. But then again, as my friend would say - they already killed the trees sitting at the store - if you buy one and decorate it, then it didn't die in vain. 
Too many decisions in my life lately 
I saw a bunch of old bread on the counter which made me quite happy - now I can make my Mom's stuffing. I love it and generally only have it once a year since DH won't go near the stuff. 
when you wrote about the newspapers being full of people holding up dead deer heads...we have that in our papers too and every time I think "who really wants to see that?" 