Hi all. Haven't had much time to check in. Did go back and read some recent posts. Seems everyone is very busy too!

I hope everyone has a great week and is enjoying the upcoming Holiday season. Decorated the tree with DGD yesterday. She had a riot! Then this morning I got a call at work from her (on her mom's cell phone), she just wanted to tell me she loves me! So sweet! (she's 3)

Hoping to be able to check in again later.

Hi GG. I'm still in the hospital. The surgery went well. I'm still having one problem that I hope will be worked out. Hope to be home soon.

Hi Carol Sue,

I'm so glad the surgery is OVER and that you're able to communicate with your GG buddies from the hospital! Please get rested up and hope you resolve your problem and can come home soon!

Another cold day but perhaps a bit warmer than the last two. Our youngest dd's furnace is down ..she lives in No Cal but it's cold there too but they are managing and waiting for it to be fixed. Sure thankful for our furnace my dh installed several years ago! It will be strange to be home for the winter this year but I think I will enjoy it. Not so sure about dh though.

Dh continues to work on the bathroom floor. Taking a long time to get it all dried out but think soon we'll be ready to bring out the shower and see what's under it. So far haven't seen any rot, just dampness. Still stinks! So we are sharing one bathroom now and doing ok...we were remembering how we only had one bathroom with us for many years and even with two kids for a while before we moved here, so it's no big deal. Plus he washes up, shaves etc still in his little bathroom so only comes to mine to use toilet and shower.

One more gift to buy (for oldest son) and I can't for the life of me decide what to buy him! Today I texted his gf asking what he can use or might want. Maybe she can help me. Then all I need to do is wrap a few gifts and I'm done with gifts.

We're ready to go car shopping...not sure we have enough cash but we won't buy on the first trip, so will soon find out. We have read all the tips we could ...since we usually do this no oftener than every ten years, it's a big deal for us! I was ready to go today but dh was too tired. I told him we could do one dealership a day...

Slmn - glad surgery over and hoping for a smooth and quick recovery!

Sutter - What a sweet little gd! That's a great age! Know how good that must have made you feel!

Rie - No matter our politics, I think most of us want to stand behind our troops! They don't give the orders, they are handed down to them and they are only doing their duty. May God bless and protect them and I'm so glad many will be home for the holidays! Hope your knee is better soon!

Bobbi - Receipe sounds really yummy!

Karen31 - Are you talking about sharp pin-like pains by jolts? Or are you talking about jerks? What medication are you taking? Some strong pain meds cause jerks but I was thinking you are on antibiotics? Sorry, I haven't had time to read all the past posts.

Isabella - loved the panty hose story! Yes, I remember garter belts...sexy I guess but I never liked them. Used to love panty hose but then my belly got so big they rolled down. Too tight to fall off me of course, but uncomforable so now I just go bare legged or wear pants. In winter it's pants or long skirts and boots.

Freda/Marie - No word on the house. Our agent at the bank called but she didn't know about the offer until I mentioned it and then she looked and saw the emails from the realtor, but couldn't tell me anything and said to just send in the usual stuff each month (bank statements, income statements as we get them). Hope this doesn't drag on too long, but more and more I realize she is simply the "screen" person so people like me won't be calling and pestering them all the time. She said when it's settled we will get a letter

Gotta get something done around here...you all have a great day!

Evening all...I just had to say thank you Rie....I worked for years with Nam vets and they had so many problems beyond agent orange because they has to sneak back into this country. I cry every time I see people applauding service people at airports. This is not political. This about a fine generation of young people who have served us. Again Thank you Rie.

Carol Sue....just shut up girl and stand still so we can all give you cyber hugs. Welcome home chickie!

Mary...It is an antibiotic that gives me electrical jolts. But only first 24hrs. It's weird sensation like when you fall of the edge of the world as you start to doze off......I wouldn't have realized it did that except I restarted the darn stuff twice this week.

Marie....Those orantments are beautiful and I'd hang one year round.

Wednesday night....they say you have got to see Survivor tonight....supposed be surprising. hmmmmmm

My new cleaning girls start tomorrow....hopeful they will be okay. I just can't push the vaccum and move stuff around. Hey am tired of this stuff and want my old self back.

karen3

ps Bobbi...baked at 350? How Long?

Hi Everyone,

FINALLY got out of the house today! After 8 days of being pretty much stuck in my house, I NEEDED to get out.

I actually feel pretty good. Tomorrow evening is an Alumni dinner that I organized for the college where I used to work. I am REALLY happy to get to see some of my former students.

Take care,

Lynn

Morning'...say good morning to piggy here.........I hate myself this morning and the scale is way up. Christmas party at nursing home last night and you'd think everything was calorie free by the way I pigged out. Did someone start a challenge? If not, I'm starting one after Christmas to lose the fat that's accumulated around my waist. The only reason my jeans still fit is because they are all low rise, I have to use a belt to keep them from sliding off my rear end.
KarenFla...yes, 350 for 25-30 minutes.

Good morning GG's,

One day down ~ two more to go. Last night when I got out of work ~ the weather was so weird. December ~ 74* at 6pm and so muggy. Funny to think that I was out and about doing my errands in my shirt sleeves ~ no jacket needed. I didn't mind that ~ but I could do with out that muggy feeling.

Bobbi ~ you are not alone ~ I need some kind of after Christmas thing. I have been indulging in those calorie free cookies and such that the dr's and others bring around at Christmas. I eat right some of the time ~ but too much sampling I'm afraid won't balance out the better choices. I guess I should be thinking at least my choices aren't bad 100% of the time.

Off to work now. Hope you all have a nice day.

Take care

Oboy. Another day. Ten days until Christmas. I can hardly believe it. Seems like it just couldn’t possibly have been a year ago that it was Christmas 2010. Feels more like a few months. Oh, well, time flies when you’re having fun, or so they say. I’m guessing it just flies, period.

STILL tired. Yawning. Too much excitement lately. One kiddo or the other stops in every night now, it seems. They don’t stay terribly late – just ‘til 9:00 or so, but then I have to bathe, get things ready for morning and so forth, and I’m lucky if I make it into the bed by 10. Then I read for 10 or 15 minutes…sometimes longer…and then I’m up at 5:30. I seem to vaguely hear dh snoring at intervals through the night. Enough to disturb, but not fully awaken me. Good motivation, though, for getting my clothes finished up and out of the guest bedroom so I can crawl back in there and get a few nights of heavenly uninterrupted sleep.

Oh, Marie, we’d love for my sis to come up and spend Christmas with us. I wouldn’t offer to pay her way, though. She inherited everything that my parents left, which was considerable. My dad died first, and left everything to my mother. My mother and I never got along, and she made her feelings perfectly clear when she made out her will in my sister’s favor. It included large blocks of stock in a variety of oil companies – Getty, Exxon, BP, and a huge number of other assets including property and bank/brokerage accounts. My sister and I never talk about the way that played out, but I think we both know that my dad, had he lived, would’ve done things very differently. I don’t begrudge her the money, but I do begrudge the way her daughter – the one whose way she paid through nurse’s training, and who then worked for part of a week before deciding that they just expect too much of nurses and gave it up as a bad mistake – needs my sister’s help four or five times a year with paying her overdue mortgage payments, or replacing vehicles for her and her oafish and lazy husband, or buying new appliances for their house…etc., etc….the list goes on ad infinitum…and I can just imagine my father, who worked hard for everything he ever got (as have I) rolling around in his grave at the thought of all his hard-earned money going to support that useless niece of mine. So, yes, my sister is welcome – and encouraged – to join us any time she likes, but at her own expense. I don’t mean to sound harsh, but I’m not about to pay so that there’ll be more to dole out to the niece. I AM worried about my sister, though, and hopeful that she’ll manage to get past her grief at some point and move forward with her own life.

Val, I don’t think that appreciating service men and women is “too political”. They represent us and defend our interests without regard for our particular political views, after all. Besides, I’m not entirely sure that something political won’t slip out of me from time to time, and I guess I’ll just have to apologize in advance if anything I say offends anybody. I figure that we’re here, sitting around the table together – all women who have lived long enough to speak our minds. If we can’t do that, we might as well be sitting around with a bunch of strangers…or worse…MEN! Y’all know I’m mouthy, so that’s not likely to go away anytime soon. I’ll try to contain myself, but may not always succeed. Fair warning.

Glad to hear from you, Carol Sue. Update us when you can. Get well.

I know I’m not addressing most of you, but I AM thinking of you and sending lots of warm and friendly wishes your way.

Still on plan. Amazing grace.

Z