[MELODY525]

PS CARLA~ WISH YOU WOULD SEND US YOUR ADDRESS TOO. I FORGOT ALL ABOUT ASKING. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE IT THAT IS! SEND A PM.

AND ALSO....WHERE THE **** IS EVERYONE????
DON'T THEY KNOW IT'S A HOLIDAY AND WE ARE WAITING FOR THEM????? TOO MANY PEOPLE ARE MISSING HERE!! GET THE PROD OUT AND DUST IT OFF!! FOR TONITE WE RIDE!!!

[ceejay52]

Morning every one,
Just have time to pop in and say hello.

Shad--LindaT had gone to PA and then to Atlanta to visit with her mom. She may not be home yet. The journals are very quite right now.

Mel--I'd forgotten about the bad boy James Brown until I heard his music on tv when they were telling about his death. Our ex President Gerald Ford died also yesterday.

I almost feel like I'm having a holiday today the light office is back to work and the phone is quite.

Holly (((hugs))) get well soon. Have fun shopping at Linens and Things.

Carla-- Hello--Hope your friends husband is doing well. It's very thoughful of you to chill wine for them.

[Meadow]

Did everyone have something to smile about this Christmas?
We had a terrific Christmas! It snowed again last night. Hubby is out shoveling the neighbours driveway. Nope, he's back and just threw a snowball at the window at the dog Bo (the dog) just sighed and gave him doey eyes... he wants to be out there. My sisters are here till tomorrow. They bought me this wonderful Ikea shelf, brown/black with twelve squares, four across, four up. We have just been relaxing, watching the dvds the kids got for Christmas. The girls got a spa/bath making kit, so we made lavender bath balms last night. The kitchen smells very garden like We had the big turkey dinner on Christmas day. My inlaws came over and we all crowded around the kitchen table. Everything was ready at the same time and tasted good.

I'll be back

[Shad]

It's not all that thoughtful. Carla wanted some for herself. She needs a glass after the wicked stepmother Christmas.

I'm awake if not exactly cheerful. I keep feeling like I am getting the flu. Guess I need a good workout to get back to my old self. I'll ring the gym today to find out their hours.

Nothing else is new. The day has dawned grey and cold. They actually got snow down in Victoria this week. A white Christmas in the middle of summer. What is happening to the weather. Mind you - it's good stuff for putting out fires.

Time to go clean up the house. At least it will keep me warm. Not a big lot needs doing but a sweep, dust and clean in the kitchen should keep it looking better. Going to lunch with big bro, little bro and SIL today. I should go get emotionally prepared for that one.

[Shad]

And now Meadow has snuck in. Morning Meadow

[suzi in auz]

ok time to post...you have all been so busy and you are supposed to be in holiday mode.
I have finally come back down to earth...unfortunately with a crash!

The rellies are all gone home to their nests and it is just us chickies here now.
It was a wonderful time but we are happy to be 5 once again. I don't think I have had a spare moment to breath without thinking of someone else.
We have planned a lovely break away to the Gold Coast Jan1 - 11th. Will you be around shad? I would love to catch up. MIL and FIL have a lovely balcony to mooch on and have a cup of tea. I promise no french toast or poached eggs this time
OUr Christmas was lovely and I am enjoying that really nice time when the kids rediscover playing instead of wanting to be entertained all the time. They actually discover they like each other again too.

A little bad news to finish the year with. My little new car is broken!!!
I was going to the shops yesterday and was parked in a field that was run by the owners of the shopping mall, it was a school. On the field there was a hole that was hidden and my car fell in it. I have huge damages incured to the undercarriage of my car. It is covered by insurance but still it is a worry.
I am going to try and get something out of Westfield ( shopping people) as I feel there is some responsibility there to signage a problem. It was certainly hidden. So now my car is being fixed and I have a rental.
2nd problem, I checked DH's passport as he is travelling to Asia on 2nd of Jan. It expires on the 27th of Feb. This means that he travels without having 6 months left on his passport. This isn't a good idea. Sometimes officials can be quite strict. We have contacted the NZ consulate here in Sydney and they were able to open their doors at 9.30am today which meant rushing around madly last night to a late night pharmacy that would take passport photos. We were so lucky. I felt like my head was going to explode by the end of the day but now all is well, when I think about our turn of events now it is quite comical but at the time ...............

Ok I have read all your lovely news. I hope you all have a wonderful New Year.
I will try and pop in before our trip away.

love to all
Suz

[Hollyhock]

I slept 9 solid beautiful hours last night...yippee!!!!!

HUGS to all!!!

No plans today until 4:45( hockey). I plan on puttering and talking to a friend on the phone. Much new toy stuff laying about still.Yesterday was long but nice. I am still quite ill but am getting along with some meds. DS played hockey at 10am. He is in a tourny. Playing extremely well. Better than all season.In the running for 2nd place. Then each kids went to thier best friends at 1pm til 6:30 and I went back to the rink to work the "hockey mom" snack bar. I was exhausted after. Picked up the kids, came home, they played a bit. we were all in bed by 9pm. The big playoff game is on Saturday if the boys win today at 6pm. They get to be on the ice for the national anthem tonight.DS is just tickled.Very NHL for him. He has played the NHL Playstation game constantly while at home since he got it. Otherwise he watches sports news on the TV or computer. He certainly loves the sport.
DD is still sleeping right now. She is all about My Little Pony and puppies.
Both kids had a great Chirstmas. ( inspite of the rocky stuff with DH right before)
DS loves his accoustic guitar and is plucking out sounds and rythyms. When hockey is done I will take him to a friend for a few lessons. My parents are talking about paying for music lessons for DD.Vocal and piano. Or maybe to an "arts" camp in the summer. Way out of our league cost wise. She is a natural. I think my mom fels compelled to make up for not doing the same for me when I was a kid.My creativity was an embarrassment. I was supposed to be something better.

Enjoying my coffee but be doing somethign constructive.I need to tackle some business stuff today. My brain is inclined not to.

HUGS!!

[MELODY525]

*YAWN* *STRETCH* *YAWN*
I AM STILL TRYING TO WAKE UYP BUT I AM ALSO DOING THE HAPPY DANCE. THIS MORNING, AFTER TALKING TO SHAD ON THE PHONE LAST NIGHT, I GOT ON THE SCALE AND FOUND I HAD LOST ONE POUND!!! ;dance: IT MUST HAVE BEEN ALL THAT DUNPING OF BAD FEELINGS!! WHO KNEW THEY WEIGHED SO MUCH?!?!
STILL IT WILL BE A GOOD OMEN AND INCENTIVE FOR ME TO GO INTO THE NEW YEAR 1 LB LIGHTER. IT'S USUALLY THE OTHER WAY AROUND DURING THE HOLIDAYS FOR ME. I MUST RUN AND EAT. GOT TO BED LATE LAST NIGHT BECAUSE OF ANOTHER FRIEND IN NEED OF A CHAT. THE HOLIDAYS ARE TOUGH ON SOME PEOPLE AND THE CHAT REMINDED ME HOW LUCKY I AM JUST TO BE ME!! SHE IS IN A RUT AND CANNOT SEEM TO GET OUT....BUT THEN SHE'S NOT REALLY TRYING. VERY SAD. SO I AWOKE AFTER 8AM AND THE ONLY ONE FED AND WATERED IS MY GRANDSON!!!!
HAPPY THURSDAY!!

SHAD~ LOVELY CHAT. THANKS FOR LETTING ME RANT!! KIDS!!! I HAVE NOTHING ELSE LEFT TO SAY TO YOU EXCEPT....FAWLTY TOWERS

CEEJAY~MAYBE THE QUIET PHONES WILL BRING GOOD LUCK FOR THE NEW YEAR IN YOUR OFFICE!!!
MAY IT STAY THAT WAY RIGHT THRU THE NEW YEAR HOLIDAY!!!

CARLA~ I HAVE BEEN MEANING TO SAY SOMETHING. I HAD A STEPMOTHER FROM ****. SHE WAS TOUGH, CRANKY AND CRITICAL. EVEN LONG AFTER I LEFT I FELT RESPONSIBLE FOR KEEPING IN TOUCH. NO ONE ELSE DID. HER OWN DD STAYED AS FAR AWAY AS POSSIBLE.
WHEN SHE DIED I FOUND OUT SHE TOLD LIES AND CLAIMED SHE WAS SUPPORTING ME. WHAT A CROCK. JEN AND I COULD HAVE STARVED AND CAME DAMNED CLOSE TO IT BUT SHE WOULDN'T HAVE GAVE A RAT'S ***.
HER DD ENDED UP WITH THE HOUSE AND ALL THAT WAS INSIDE. THE MORAL TO THIS STORY: I WAS THE LUCKY ONE. I DID WHAT I FELT WAS RIGHT. THE DD, ALTHOUGH WEALTHIER BY ALMOST 200 GRAND, IS RIDDLED WITH GUILT AND NOT A HAPPY CAMPER. JUST TOO BAD YOURS DOESN'T APPRECIATE THE TIME SPENT AND THE EFFORT ON YOUR PART. HOPE THAT MADE SENSE!!

MEADOW~ YOUR CHRISTMAS SOUNDED WONDERFUL. I LOVE TO LOOK IN THE IKEA CATALOG. IN MY NEXT LIFE I MIGHT HAVE A WHOLE HOUSE FULL OF IKEA STUFF.
LAVENDAR IS MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE. I THINK I CAN SMELL IT OVER HERE!! ENJOY!
PS: SEND SOME SNOW THIS WAY!!!

SUZI~ I AM SO SORRY ABOUT THE CAR AND THE PASSPORT FOUL-UP. GLAD HE GOT THE PP READY THOUGH. GOOD LUCK WITH THE CAR. WE HAVE WESTFIELD MALLS HERE TOO. THEY SEEM TO HAVE INVADED A LOT OF COUNTRIES!! HOLD ON TO THAT HOLIDAY SPIRIT AS I THINK COMING INTO THE NEW YEAR IS GOING TO BE A VERY BUMPY RIDE!! SO FASTEN YOUR SEATBELT!!

[MELODY525]

**HUGS** HOLLY
CAN YOUR MOM ADOPT ME?? I WAS ALWAYS TOLD I SHOULD GO TO DRAMA SCHOOL!! THE ORIGINAL DRAMA QUEEN OF THE 50'S AND 60'S!!
ENJOY THE COFFEE AND THE DOWN TIME. MAKE YOUR MIND A BLANK FOR 5 MINUTES!

[Ruthxxx]

Hi Sweeties! I am so far behind I can see my own fluffy butt! I will try to do better and catch up with everyone soon.
I hope everyone is enjoying the holidays and is looking forward to a great 2007!

[MELODY525]

COME AND JOIN US FOR COFFEEE ONE MORNING WHEN YOU HAVE TIME!!! MISS YOU!
HAPPIEST AND HEALTHIEST OF NEW YEARS TO YOU!!

[Madcat]

Just so I don't get the prod {{Mel}}, just a quick note to let everyone know I am lurking and sick. Darn sinus thing has turned into a nasty cough. I'm so tired and I can't sleep because I can't breathe.

I'll be back when I'm a bit more coherent.

[ceejay52]

It's a quite day at home for me today. Except for the run to Blytheville that I want to make. I got 50 dollars in gift cards from my sister and niece to use at Wally world.

Suzi. What a horrible thing to happen to your car! Passports can sometimes be a pain can't they. Some of uncle friends from India lost her passport, but we think she wanted to deport.

Not much to say on my account.

[Hotcupojava]

I'm sorry I missed wishing you all a Merry Christmas (Bona Natale ~spell check!~), Happy Holidays and all that jazz, but I'm glad to POP in to wish you all a Happy and Blessed New Year

Mary in WV

[happy2bme]

Good morning ladies,

I'm back safe and sound. Christmas was good. My mom was soooooo happy to have us stay with her. She says no one ever comes to her house anymore - it's a small bungalow and it just makes more sense to have family gatherings at other places. I really did enjoy my time with her and the family - tho if I lived with her I'd probably weigh 400 pounds. She was CONSTANTLY pushing food on us - wanna coffee, juice, water, cup of tea? Want some cookies to go with your tea? I have some coffee cake here, here's some candy, want an English muffin? Are you hungry, want some ice cream? I have some nice turkey for a sandwich or would you like some of this ham? Mom Gotta love her - and I DO!!!

The road trip was terribly boring. We took a scenic detour coming home - it was actually 30 miles less in distance but took us an hour longer as we went through several small towns in Kentucky and Tennessee that I wasn't aware of. The countryside was very pretty but after 9 hours in a car seat, you just want to get home in the worst way. We picked up Kitty on the way home. She was none too happy about being put back in her carrier but when she got back home she calmed down pretty fast. She had to go in the yard and check every tree, bush and object to see which other kitties had been invading her yard while she was gone. Mr. Feral cat apparently slept in the blanket by the door every night while we were gone. He looked none worse for the wear as we did not leave food out for him - good thing as I saw a big raccoon lumbering in the azaleas last night and we have seen a possum roaming out back too. This morning we fed Mr. Feral and there was a showdown with another tiger cat who has taken to hanging around here. Our cat just sat up on the fence and watched it all.

I'm happy to say that while I enjoyed myself I did not over indulge so therefore I have not gained any weight while I was gone. I'm sure tromping up and down 3 sets of stairs at my mom's house several times a day helped too. I am recommitting to focusing on improving several aspects in my life with the onset of the new year. I will however on New Year's eve, enjoy the bottle of wine I picked up at the wine shop up north.

We did not have a white Christmas which was alright. It was chilly but I refused to wear my winter coat - however, I did get the chance to wear my Christmas sweaters. I got lots of nice gifts - this must have been the year for pampering - nice creams and comfy soft socks and clothes. I also got a new perfume - Beach by Bobbi Brown. It smells almost like Coppertone sun tan oil - a smell I have always loved and one that brings back fond memories to me. I am very fussy about cologne and only wear 2 scents - Avon's Odyssey which I have worn since the time they introduced it and is my signature scent. I also loved the original Ambush perfume by Dana and found a place that sells the original scent (not the reformulated one that is currently in the stores). And I will occasionally wear Love's Baby Soft when I just want a clean, non perfumey smell. Yes, a person my age should not wear Baby Soft but... hey, if you don't like it, don't smell me

I'm sorry to get back and read about all the sniffles and bumps and bruises going on with you. Carla and Suzi - that's so horrid about your new cars! Why do people have to key up cars? Also with the flinging the door open and whatnot. I have more scratches on my car doors in 2 years here than I did in 5 years up north. And that must have been quite the hole you fell into Suzi. Hope things can be repaired properly.

Hi Ruth nice of you to pop in! You're always welcome here...

Feel better soon Madcat get the snuggliest pajamas on and make yourself a nice toddy and get under the fuzzy blanket with your sweetie.

You too Mel. Congrats on making the scale take a turn to the south! I don't know, you don't seem like a drama queen to me - just a fiesty gal

Ok, looks like DH is back with the mail. I'd better get moving here. Hellos to Ceejay and Shad and Meadow and Teel and Holly. Will be back to comment later...