Good Afternoon, Flowers! For whatever reason I could not get into the 3FC site last night. We had a nice day yesterday and I would highly recommend the Rockettes show any time. Their precision is truly amazing. We stopped at a new HUGE mall after the show and it was so busy. The stores looked like they were ready for Christmas shoppers instead of it being after Christmas; that area has had several bad weather weekends so I suppose that might have had a lot to do with the amount of merchandise. I know several families that are doing Christmas get togethers this coming weekend.
We had a dusting of light snow this morning that didn't amount to anything because the temperature is too warm for it to stick. Now the sun is peeking out in time for it to go down soon. I checked the newspaper and it is setting a minute later today so the days are really getting longer minute by minute.
Bob's mom has started calling him on his cell phone during the business day to complain about the fact that she doesn't want to go back to her Tucson house and be alone, doesn't feel good, knows that the AZ people are getting tired of having her underfoot, etc., etc., etc. She's going to call Bob's brother and have him get her an airplane ticket back here asap! It doesn't matter that she has no place to go and we can't get into the cabin, for furniture, because the road is dug up for a new sewer line. She has a house full of stuff to get rid of down there plus get the house listed to sell which no one has bothered to help her do. She's got 5 grown grandchildren who could whip it into shape for her, but she never thinks to ask them. Needless to say Bob's patience is wearing thin and especially so after we got her settled into assisted living two years ago and she promptly moved out. Please bear with me!!!!! Bob rants to me and I will no doubt unload here. *sigh*
The good news is that his brother came through surgery in good shape yesterday! He didn't have it until mid-afternoon which surprised me since he is diabetic. My "sister" has to wait for her lab results and has an appt. with the doctor on the 7th. She says she looks like she has a bad tan (yellow) and her teeth look like the old gum Chicklets! Ryan was able to leave the rehab center and spend 4 days with his family at his sister's house.
"Mom" and I had another nap this afternoon. That could get to be habit forming for sure.
"Gma" -- I'm glad you had a safe trip and a wonderful Christmas in IN! It would be interesting to know the story behind your first hotel room. Your grandma gifts sound darling and I understand the tears -- I feel the same way. Thanks for sharing the great pictures with us! Who does the cat belong to that is in the picture with Jackson eating the paper? It's too bad you don't live a few hours closer so that you could get together more often. Yes, Maggie's card was a poem. I was surprised to see the return address as CA because I thought they would be either in Texas or TN by now.
Susan -- I'm glad Stan's surgery went well. We've been "windless" for a few days now and it makes such a big difference in how often the furnace runs. We used to keep the thermostat set pretty low but any more we like it warmer. Must be our age creeping up on us. I remember when my parents used to visit and say that our house was cold to them.
I need to do a load or two of laundry so had better keep moving. Yesterday seemed like Saturday and so does today. Have a relaxing evening and a nice weekend coming up!
Good morning to you all. Fortune is back home so of course he wants to be up and around at 5 am so here I am. That's ok as I want to get my grocery run done this morning and haven't even done my menu or list for the next two weeks. I also have a felt handbag I have to whip up for my friend's dd for her birthday the 20th and ship so I have to get on that. I have the bottom/floor of the purse half done.
Susan: I forgot about Stan getting his surgery. Glad it came out a-ok and hope this will be the end of his being chopped into all the time. Jack has a card he carries in his wallet that has a heart on it and has the bypass drawn in so if he has any heart problems they know what is what. That is some long name for the procedure! Glad you had a nice holiday too. I am sure you enjoyed the friends that visited.
Jean: Sounds like poor Bob is in for a long haul with his mom. I remember all the hard work you guys did to get her into that assisted living place and they he hauled herself right back out of it. We are hear to listen. You just have to pass it on from Bob's gripe to your ear to us! We are pretty good listener's, aren't we Gloria and Susan? Since I abhor Christmas shopping, I really didn't go into a lot of stores except the one Meijer store, but they seemed to have a lot of stuff right before Christmas. We were in there on Christmas Eve and I expected the place to be nuts, but it wasn't. Maybe people either didn't have the money or were just finished early this year. Jack had forgotten his pullover sweater that goes with his gray turtleneck so we looked for one there and found a beautiful maroon one on sale. As for weather, it was rainy but nice and warm yesterday. I let the dog out and it is dry but pretty chilly this morning so I don't know. It is supposed to get into the 50's today though.
I have new ostomy bags and I think I am really going to like them. The old ones had a plastic clip at the bottom opening for disposal and it would pinch my leg or get stuck under my fat shelf, etc, besides it showed through my clothes. These new bags have a roll and snap bottom sort of like those closeable plastic bags food comes in only better. The opening rolls down three times with each roll having something akin to plastic velcro then the fastening is like you would do when you close those packages. It has a sort of packing bubble feeling, you know like when you squish the plastic packing bubbles. You do it all the way across and you know it is sealed. Without the clip, it makes the bag shorter a bit too, which helps to keep it from getting stuck under my fat.
Well, I have to do my menu, grocery list, balance my checkbook, get some knitting done, etc. You all have a very nice Saturday!
Good Evening, Flowers! I spent the day putzing through a couple of drawers. I found some credit card papers that you get when they send out new cards. Some I knew we didn't have cards for so called to make sure the accounts were closed. I got one rep who spoke very broken English and he couldn't understand why I was calling. I finally gave up and called back to get a different rep. I also pitched a pile of catalogs that I never took time to look through. I don't know why I don't just pitch them when they come in the first place. Little by little I am rounding up Christmas items and putting them together so I can pack them away. My house still looks untidy and what I accomplished today is not visible to anyone but me.
"Gma" -- Hope your trip to the commissary was a good one. We are pretty much done with the leftovers so I need to make a grocery list and go too. MIL didn't call today and Bob thinks she probably had enough people around that she forgot about her aches and pains. We haven't heard when his brother will get to come home, but I feel sorry for his wife having to wait on two people. Does it take a while for Fortune and Butterscotch to get used to each other again or do they just act like they were never apart?
Guess I will head off to bed. I could get used to these lazy days with catnaps and "Mom" on my lap.
Good morning everyone! Hope you are having a good Sunday.
Jean: I hope your bil is coming along fine and will get well real soon along with your sister. I am sure Ryan was thrilled to be home for awhile. I know how the walls cave in on you when you aren't in your home and that poor young man has had enough hospitals and rehab centers to last a lifetime I imagine. Fortune and B get along so well they don't have any problems. B has been acting strange so he may have to go into the vets. He has lost some weight, but I thought that was due to the fact we changed Fortch to canned dog food awhile back and he couldn't eat the dog's dog food, which he prefers over his own. I know they say that dog food is fattier than cat food. Anyway, he is meowing more and sleeping odd places is all we have to go on. He is eating, putting out urine and poo so who knows? The calico cat in the photo is my son and dil's. Her name is Lolita, Lo for short as they have a theme going with their cats. One had to be put down and was Tokayama, Toe, for short, then their is Moe and I don't know his full name, and Lo and she is ornery. She bites and scratches like the devil. I won't even let her sit with me. Luckily, she leaves the baby alone except to sit in his things.
I am afraid my dog is going to have to go back to the vets. The last couple times he has come back from the kennel he is urinating with pink tinge but it improves in about 24 hours but this time looks darker so I imagine it is a urinary tract thing and I bet it is either he holds it too long and/or they aren't taking him out of the cage enough. So, next Indiana trip he is coming with us and if he isn't better the first of the week he goes to see doc Montgomery. Since the doctor is attached to the kennel, he will get an earful about it, nicely.
Oh, I got a $50 off merchandise coupon from Penney's with a very nice letter regarding the rocker. The only problem is the young woman sent me a coupon with no code so I can't order online or over the phone, I have to go into Penney's and order through the catalog, which is a pain because it is clear across town, but at least they acknowledged the problem. I just hope they pull the availability of the things so other parents don't have the same problem.
I got the shopping done, came home and put it all away, we went to lunch then to see the new National Treasure movie, which was great, and finally a small run to Wally's to get Jack's frozen meals and such for work lunches then home.
Well, I am going to go back to bed. I had a nightmare and got up but now I think it is ok enough to go back to bed or at least get into the recliner with a blanket and it not re-occur.
Have a wonderful Sunday everyone. I have housecleaning duties to do later today...UGH!
Good afternoon. It is almost the end of the year and I thought it is
about time I made an appearance here.
We have been busy with the holidays and that has been fun. Went to
DD#2's for Christmas...actually we also went there for Christmas Eve as
well! Christmas Eve is Sean's birthday...16 this year WOW! It has
become a tradition for us to visit after the 4PM Mass and wish him a
Happy Birthday and help him blow out his birthday candles. With the
size he has become he really doesn't need help any more. Then on
Christmas afternoon we visited DD#'1 who was going to her in-laws
after and then on to DD#2's again. DD#'3 join us with her husband and three
kids. It was great to see everyone together and the kids were just
delightful. The youngest of Carrie's 3 has started piano lessons and
I thing they will have a fine little music group when they are through.
Kevin plays the guitar and Ryan plays the clarinet and now Steppie on
the piano. Chris's older two were just so funny as they were like
little parents with the younger kids. As I told Chris the food was
delicious, the company sparkling and the fun non stop.
We also had a lovely conversation with ds in Raleigh. His kids had an awsome Christmas and I heard that Catalina got a hampster ...they are in for some fun!!!
It has been snowy here for the month of December and we are to get more
before the new year. Love the fact that we have someone come to plow
us out but it does get expensve. $65 for a 8-10" storm and $45 for
a 4-8" storm.
Jack's arthritis in not getting any better and when we have 'black ice'
he does not go out...slippery conditions are not good when you are
limping. We still have a full schedule of doctor appointments in
January...hope the weather cooperates.
Faye: Glad to hear that you had a safe and enjoyable trip to your son's for Christmas. That baby is beautiful and it must have been fun to babysit him!
Now that you are back take your time getting back into your routine...that cleaning is not going anywhere...it will actually wait for you!!
Jean: Sounds like you had a good Christmas, as well. I am sure it must be difficult to have your mil change her mind so often. I hope it will all settle out well for you and Bob. Enjoy your last few days of vacation!
Susan: Happy to hear that Stan's surgery went so well. I hope the New Year is a very calm and uneventful year medically speaking.
Well, I want to wish all of you a Very Happy and Healthy New Year!
See you next year!
Good Afternoon, Flowers! It is foggy and frosty in my neighborhood today. We skipped church and slept in which is very unusual at this house, and for me especially. I've been sorting through the cupboards over and next to my refrigerator and couldn't reach the top shelf by standing on a chair. Bob thinks he left the mini stepladder at Jason's so he went to town and bought another one. I tried to tell him it wasn't tall enough, and I was right. He ended up doing the top shelf for me! He would pitch every thing if he could. Some of the things I never use but were my grandmother's and my mother's so I won't part with them. Other stuff went into a Good Will box. He and "Mom" are napping in front of the TV and I can't do any more without his help so here I am.
"Gma" -- I had to laugh at the IN cats' names! We have had a stray (?) calico cat show up and she has black circles around her eyes so that she looks like she has one of those plain half masks on. She is spooky and takes off as soon as she sees any movement inside the house. I hope that Fortune and Butterscotch mend on their own w/o a visit to the vet! Another online friend took her cat to the vet and she was dehydrated so the catmom has to give her an IV daily for a few days. I'm surprised the Penneys coupon didn't have any #s on it so that it could be scanned in the store if that's where you have to go. Someday when you want to take a road trip head that direction.
Gloria -- What a nice surprise to see you today! It sounds like you had a nice Christmas with your family. Grandchildren certainly grow up much too quickly that is for sure! I hope the new hamster will stay in his cage like a good hamster should! We ended up putting a brick on the lid of our acquarium -- more to keep the cat out than the hamster in. When we had "Mom" to the vet we could hear a parrot in another room. I asked to see him before we left and the vet said to notice the padlocks on his cage doors. The keys were in a little plastic box nearby because he would pick them up and throw them if they were just laying on the table beside the cage. He was fun to watch.
I hear the dryer buzzing so need to fold some towels. Have a nice afternoon and remember to !
Good morning ladies! I got up with Jack this morning so I could watch "The District" on A and E at 6 like I always do and they took it off and put on something else. On top of that, Jack and I watch "Coach" in the morning before he goes to work while he is eating his breakfast. It is a hilarious show with Craig T Nelson and we really enjoy it and they have on Law and Order something or other. Those stupid L and O shows are on all day about 3-4 channels. I used to watch them, but they just repeat and repeat and they are all alike anymore that I am sick of them. So, anyway, I could have slept in another hour or so instead of getting up at 5, **sigh.**
I have two handbags at the moment I am making for a friend. I am doing the work for free but I won't make more than the one for her sister and the two for her dd's without charging for my work. It takes time, effort and electricity, etc to do felted bags. She never mentioned paying me for anything but the yarn, which is fine, but if other people are interested I am not going to do them for free and they would be expensive to buy. It would be easier to go and buy a nice handbag. The one I am making right now cost me around $28 just for the supplies. That doesn't take into account gas to do the running around and get the yarn, the water, soap, electricity etc to do the felting in the machine and my time and work doing it. The bag would probably need to cost $60 if I sold it and that seems a lot for a felted handbag! Anyway, here is a couple pictures of the bag before I finish and felt it and the button I am putting on it.
Gloria: It was great to see you in here. Sounds like you had a nice holiday with all the family. I think you will be getting some more winter weather soon as my son got another round of snow and they are expecting more today through Wed. I can't believe they charge more for deeper snow to be plowed. I could understand it if you had someone that was bringing their little snow blower and doing it, but a truck with a plow can make pretty quick work of a driveway and such no matter how deep the snow. People make their money in odd ways sometimes I guess.
Jean: I have one of those mini cabinets above my refridge and rarely get into it so I am sure the stuff up there is all dusty. I usually let Jack clean off the top of the fridge as even with little stepladder, my arms are too short to get into the very back. Parrots are pretty smart birds from what I know about them. They are one of God's beautiful creatures that is for sure. I have never seen one that didn't have beautiful feathers.
I got the upstairs finished and we got all the suitcases and such in the attic again. If Jack had his way, they would just sit on the bed in the spare room all the time! I was tired of seeing them as they have been in there since way before vacation. The room is tiny as it is without more stuff thrown in there.
I guess I better get to work. I need to get the downstairs cleaned today so Jack can shampoo the living room carpet tomorrow. I have to go and get more soap before he can do that though.
Everyone have a nice new year's eve and a great beginning to 2008!
Good Afternoon, Flowers! The sun is shining but it is cold outside . . . 10 degrees this afternoon. There is no wind so that does help a bunch. I rode with Bob to another town this morning. He had to deliver some papers to another insurance office which just happened to be in the same block as a huge Hallmark store. From the looks of their Christmas merchandise, at 50% off, they either had poor sales or a huge inventory. There is no junk in this store and it has lots of year 'round gift items; I told Bob I am going to Christmas shop there in October next year! Remind me of that please! We drove on up to the lake and checked the cabin out. There is a snow drift but Bob thought he could get in with 4 wheel drive should MIL decide she is coming back before spring. If we get more snow and/or wind there will be no getting in without a plow. We ate lunch at Perkins which is always a treat for me. I stopped at WM to pick up a couple of items and now have another load of laundry going. I was looking for something else and found a couple of sweaters and some sweatshirts I forgot I had.
"Gma" -- I certainly would charge people to make the handbags or anything else for that matter. Your time is worth a lot! Besides that, anyone else would charge to make special order items! Our TV channels were all goofy today too! I like to watch the old Family Feud game show and it is on at a different time during the weekends. I guess they must be considering today as part of a long weekend or something. I have a box of "stuff" for the girls to look through (from my cupboards) and if they don't want any of it, it will go to the Good Will. There are a couple things that local people have given to me that I don't care for so will send those with one of the girls to dispose of if they don't want them. I'd hate for my friends to find them at the GW store! I don't shop there, but several of the teachers look for antique/gift type things.
Wishing you all a Happy New Year! May 2008 be the best year for you all!
Good morning and a happy 2008 to us all! I hope we all have healthy and happy times this year.
Jean: I think your idea of having things go to a GW away from where you live a good idea. I am a believer in regifting simply because if you get something and don't care for it, I think it is more of an insult to put it away then to give it to someone who would like it and use it. When Jack and I got married I bet we got 8 sets of those little cake plates that have the little coffee cups that sit in them. Good grief he was in the Navy and I couldn't use stuff like that so I gave them to other married couples that I thought might be more inclined to use them. I also got a huge punch bowl and cups, which I have no idea why anyone would buy something like that for a newly married couple, but I did use it several times and loaned it out. I think it is up in the attic.
I had a rough night last night with gas. It really started yesterday and I was uncomfortable all night long. It gives me a backache and sort of a crampy feeling until it releases. I am going to get up and moving around this morning and hope that will help.
Happy New Year, Ladies! Now that the holidays are officially over I'm back on my Curves Eating Plan. These medications are not kind to my weight. I feel like I'm starving all the time. I've laid in a big bunch of veggies so I can keep munching and lose what I've gained.
Gloria, great to hear from you! I'm so thankful we live in VA and don't have to worry about snow and ice anymore. I had my fill in OH.
Jean, sorry for your MIL problems. We're here to listen anytime you need to vent!
Faye, you certainly need to charge for your work. When people pay for something, they value it more. A rule of thumb is 2-1/2 times the cost of your materials. I charge a lot more than that for a quilt, but I don't do commissions. I only sold one quilt - an applique I loved. It was in an exhibit at a gallery and you had to put a price on it. I put $7,000 and a fool bought it. It took me nearly a year to make it. It wasn't a bed quilt, but an art quilt. Now I don't show if they make you put a sale price on it.
Happy New Year to you all! The sun is shining and it is 1 degree above 0 outside. We got a light dusting of snow during the night and Bob is out shoveling the driveway. We were both awake at midnight; Bob was watching some movie and I was clearing off the kitchen counter and doing some dishes that wouldn't fit in the dishwasher. We both missed the NYC ball falling. Plan for today is to put Christmas away for another year.
"Gma" -- I hope you are feeling better as the day goes on. I have several of those snack sets too! I got two sets for a shower gift and thought they were so dumb! Over the years I have used them for showers, Tupperware parties, etc., and even borrowed another 6 sets from a friend for Amanda's wedding shower. When I tried to return them, the friend said, "No way! Keep them and I will borrow them back if I ever need them again!" So they are taking up space on a shelf.
Susan -- Have not heard any more from MIL . . . knock on wood. Do you have any idea how many hours you put in making the quilt that you sold? I didn't realize it should be 2 1/2 times the cost of materials involved. Do you think that comes out to be more than charging by the hour? I have a hard enough time finishing my own projects without taking one on for someone else. For anyone who doesn't sew, knit, quilt, etc., they have no idea the time involved.
I need to get my boxes lined up and get started undecorating. Have a relaxing day and remember to !
Good morning to you all! Hope your day is starting out right. I am felting the first handbag and cleaning house this morning. I have to keep a close eye on the felting as this particular yarn felts fast. I will be anxious to see how the colors come out on this bag. I really like them.
Susan: I'm with you on the weather. My sister called yesterday morning to wish us a happy new year and she had a foot of snow and it was still snowing and not expected to stop until sometime today. I don't think I could take that kind of weather anymore. I about froze to death when we were in Indiana over Christmas. You go girl on the Curves plan. You do such a great job at keeping your weight under control. I have to start getting back to being serious about it. For me it is plain addiction. I can lose weight and do what I am supposed to and one slip and I am back to bad habits, etc. It isn't so much overeating as it is eating what I should and staying away from stuff I know is bad for me in everyway or that I can't control eating or drinking of.
Jean: The shows they have on now for New Year's Eve are geared strictly for kids and young adults. All hip hop and crap like that. I wanted to see Dick Clark to see how he has come along since his stroke a couple years ago, but I couldn't stand watching the crappy music so I gave up. I fell asleep around 9:30. I watched a nice movie called "The Outsiders" about the Amish living in the west and a cattle baron trying to take over their land because they raised sheep. It was really good.
I have the bag felted and on a box, though it shrunk in height much more than I would have wished and not enough in length. I will fool with it when it is dry and make a nice bag out of it, maybe putting in a pleat on each side or something like that.
Hope everyone has a good rest of the week. Have a happy Wednesday!
Faye
Good Afternoon, Flowers! The sun is shining brightly but it is oh so cold outside today! The sky is a beautiful blue and it is a pretty "wintery" picture if I do say so myself. I've been spinning my wheels and packing away the Christmas items. Just found another box that hasn't been gone through nor used in a few years, and I haven't decided if I'm going to ignore it or go through it. I wish someone else could do this and just tell me when it's done! Bob offered to, but I know where the stuff would end up.
"Gma" -- I wish we could get some sort of TV guide that would show what movies are playing on the higher channels. Bob likes to surf and sometimes (rarely) will hit on a good one that is just starting. All too often we get started watching halfway through, then he'll watch the first half some other time when he happens to find it again. I'm not a good surfer! I hope you can get your handbag to shape up to your liking.
I need to keep moving. Have a nice "rest of the day" and a relaxing evening.
Good morning gals. It is quite nippy here this early AM. I let Fortune out and the cold just seeped right in. He didn't take long to get his business done either so I know it is cold out.
Jean: I pitched a lot of old Christmas stuff a few years back. I couldn't see keeping and repacking stuff I never put out or put on the tree. Now I have the new stuff that Alicia bought me, but I have to go out and get into the containers in the garage to put it all away and I am not of a mind to do that until it is warmer, so I left them in the gift bag and put them in a corner away from stuff, but where I won't forget about them. You have your caucuses today, don't you. It will be interesting to see the turnout and what comes from that. They are expecting a low percentage because of the really cold weather the state is having at the moment.
The felted bag was a total disaster so I ordered more yarn of a different type online and hopefully they will ship it out today so I can get it no later than Monday and can get another one started. I am well on my way with her aunt's bag and think the pattern difference will help a lot using this type of yarn. Sometimes the pattern and the yarn don't match up well even if they yarn types are the same and the same gauge. I am going to work on her bag all day and see how much if not all I can get done. I burned some spots on my hands over the weekend and they are sore so the yarn sliding through them sometimes hurts. They are a lot better today so I imagine I won't have trouble. One little spot blistered a bit and I hit it and opened it up yesterday so it was really sore. It seems scabbed over today though so it should not have that raw feeling while knitting.
Not much going on here. I talked to Jay yesterday and they have a lot of snow. He said he wouldn't mind except he keeps having to go out and shovel. I told him he should have asked Santa for a snowblower and he says he has one, but it is still a lot of work. I told him he had a son to tell him to do it. He emailed me back and said he had told Jackson several times to get out off his butt and get out there but he refused. I told him "He's his dad alright!" I said that more than likely when he is old enough to really do it, he will convince his little sister that snowblowing is fun! (that's what Jay would have done to Kelly!)
Looks like our nephew will finally be coming home from Afghanistan the first of February. He will be done with his deployment then so hopefully he won't have to go back or if he does, not for a while. He has made two tours. He is in the army and works with helicopters in some venue. I am not sure what. I know he wants to fly the dang things, but right now he doesn't have the schooling and such to do so. His parents will be coming through here, so Jack will get to see his sister. We haven't seen her since Jack's open heart surgery. Her oldest dd might come with them and that would be nice because we haven't seen her since she was a little girl and she is 28.
Well, best go for now. Have a nice day all and hopefully it will warm up today!
Good Afternoon, Flowers! It's another sunny, but cold, and windy day in my neighborhood. The weatherman keeps promising a couple of 40+ degree days next week. I'll believe that when I see it! I made a WM run this morning mainly to buy catfood for the outside "herd" that has discovered us. Bob thinks they are all "ladies in waiting" because the big black Tom doesn't run them off; he just sits and watches them. *sigh* I suppose there will be a bumper crop of kittens come spring -- the cat haters will have a fit.
"Gma" -- I'm sorry the handbag didn't turn out. Can you use it for anything else or is it small enough for a little girl? I know that we have missed a lot of the snow that south eastern Iowa has gotten which has moved on east from there. I think it has something to do with the high/low pressure and wind but I'm not sure. I'm just glad it isn't here because we have enough! I just hope it doesn't snow while we are gone in Feb. since Bob does the neighbor's and I am going to line up a gal from the vet's office to come every day to check on "Mom." There is a retired guy a few doors away who has an enclosed tractor/snowblower and I'm hoping Bob will line him up to come if it does snow. He does quite a few driveways because he just likes to blow snow. We had 14 political calls yesterday to attend the caucus! I was so thankful for caller ID! What I don't understand is why Iowa is such a big deal because we are such a small state and our electoral votes don't count for squat in the end. I'm so sick of the TV ads!
I need to finish putting away Christmas and check out one more box in the basement. I'm hoping it can all go to the Good Will as it is. Have a great "rest of the day!"
Steel Magnolias -- #49
We had a nice day yesterday and I would highly recommend the Rockettes show any time. Their precision is truly amazing. We stopped at a new HUGE mall after the show and it was so busy. The stores looked like they were ready for Christmas shoppers instead of it being after Christmas; that area has had several bad weather weekends so I suppose that might have had a lot to do with the amount of merchandise. I know several families that are doing Christmas get togethers this coming weekend. 
It would be interesting to know the story behind your first hotel room. 
Your grandma gifts sound darling and I understand the tears -- I feel the same way. Thanks for sharing the great pictures with us! Who does the cat belong to that is in the picture with Jackson eating the paper? It's too bad you don't live a few hours closer so that you could get together more often. Yes, Maggie's card was a poem. I was surprised to see the return address as CA because I thought they would be either in Texas or TN by now.
Must be our age creeping up on us. I remember when my parents used to visit and say that our house was cold to them. 
from Iowa!
Little by little I am rounding up Christmas items and putting them together so I can pack them away. My house still looks untidy and what I accomplished today is not visible to anyone but me. 
I could get used to these lazy days with catnaps and "Mom" on my lap. 
from cold, cold Iowa!
Bob thinks they are all "ladies in waiting" because the big black Tom doesn't run them off; he just sits and watches them. *sigh* I suppose there will be a bumper crop of kittens come spring -- the cat haters will have a fit.
