Hi Everyone,

It is so nice to be able to spend time here. I REALLY missed being with you. I have all my shopping done – still have to do my wrapping. Christmas Eve we are travelling up to my Sister’s for a big family get-together. Christmas day, it will just be my DD & SIL and I at their house. I have NO cooking to do – just eating.

Hi Donna,
I have had a subscription to the Jackie Lawson site for several years. I no longer send paper cards. I send these to everyone on my list. NOTE: I did NOT pick this one because I got too upset about the cat being out in the snow.

Hi Karen,
Yes, I watched the finale. I was happy that Fabio and Jane won. Fabio made me laugh & of course, I LOVED Jane. Naonka should be FIRED! I think that girl is a sociopath. Yes, I was especially impressed with Holly. Almost makes me want to start using makeup again.

Hi Zoe,
I agree. However, my DD suggests that we decide to believe that she took off to Aruba and is hanging out on the beach drinking Mai Tais.

Hi Lily,
My son-in-law asked me to make my Christmas cookies for him. This was a biggie for me – I have not baked cookies since 2006 when I found out I am diabetic. Unfortunately, it turned out as I had feared – I ate the dough as I made the cookies & felt REALLY sick that night. Since then, I have NO desire to eat anything sweet.

Hi Freda,
So sorry to hear that you are not feeling well and that your son fell and got hurt and that you have to work on Christmas Eve. I am sending get well wishes and fun-at-work wishes your way.

Hi Bobbi, Rosie, & Everyone. Have a GREAT day!

Lynn

Hello all,

Still have a couple more things to find for gifts ~ then have a few things to wrap to get ready for Friday. We are are doing the family get together on Friday. We get together with my daughter and her family, my son-in-law's parents and brother, my son and us. S-i-l family is going to be with family in Dallas on Christmas day, so we will gather on Christmas Eve. I work Christmas day and was feeling kind of sad that I would miss out on the Christmas day part. I think they bought Maddie a little bicycle (she's 3 yrs) and I hated to miss getting to see her excitement of that. So I was excited the way it worked out.

Still have to put together some gifty things for coworkers. I feel bad ~ I sort of wish they would settle on one thing ~ but you end up feeling unsure of what to do. They have a secret santa gift exchange, then some of the people also fix up little gift baggies of candy and such for everyone in our department (that is like 30 people). Some give things like a bigger gifts like a tube of lotion from Bath and Body works ~ that has to be pricey. So, I feel like I should do something too.

Got to spend the day yesterday with my daughter and the kids ~ that was fun. Then Corbin came over last evening for gift wrapping help and after we watched a Christmas movie together and he spent the night. I am so thankful to live nearby and get to spend time with them ~ that is better than any gift

Well, better get going ~ stuff to do.

Take care all

Good Morning, like most of us...........too busy to post. I'm making my apricot meatballs today. I tried the yolkless deviled eggs yesterday and bhah! I only made up 3 eggs (6 halves) and not bad, just don't taste as good as the full fat, high cholesterol regular deviled eggs. I put the balance of the sweet potato mixture into my veggie soup I make up for my lunches. I never think to put barley in my veggie soups, I'm going to put barley in next time.
Have a great day!

Thanks Donna! This made me giggle outloud and I watched it all the way through twice and then called Tim in to watch it too!! Love it!!

Hi everyone..sounds like everyones ones into the xmas spirit and busy..my dh decided he wanted to bake cookies for neighbors and the folks that take care of his mom..and i must say hes doing a great job with alittle help..the house smells devine..i have been feeling weak and tired it seems some foods dont agree with me and go thru like a freight train its a learning process..will be glad when the 6 wks are up so i can have more normal foods..its warmed up to above zero today..nothing new going on here,hoping you all have the best christmas ever (((hugs))) rosey

Merry xmas everyone

Hope you're feeling better Freda. Such a terrible time to get sick with so much to do.

How nice that your dh is doing the holiday baking Rosey. He sounds like a great guy.

Got most of my shopping done online this year. I only had to shop for stocking stuffers and some office gifts. I think I saved quite a bit on gas and hours of time I would have been away from home. I still do venture out to the malls just to see the decorations and people. I took the last two days off to use up some of my vacation time before I lose it the end of the year. And it is snowing again. Up to 6" is expected by morning. Hope all of the travelers arrive at their destinations safely.

This is the 2nd time I've tried to post, only to lose it all. It'll be short this time.
Rosey....cute picture of you and hubby, were you a red head at one time?
I case I'm too busy to post tomorrow, I'll wish everyone a Merry Christmas today.

Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way….and Christmas Eve day is upon us once again. My 64th. I can hardly imagine how that could be possible, and yet it is, somehow. I have to say that I am less than thrilled at having the crowd at my house for dinner again; I did Thanksgiving, and expected to be able to relax some on Christmas. Alas, though, it’s not to be, and I should, of course, be grateful that my children – and grandchildren – are all well and happy, and that they still want to spend Christmas at “Ooh-mama’s”. But I’ve been spending every evening this week knitting furiously to finish DD’s scarf – and that’s in between shopping, wrapping, and working and commuting. Ah, yes. I’m at work today. Half a day, to be sure, but I think that 99% of the world is off today – I have Monday off instead. BUT, my commute was effortless – and took less than an hour as opposed to my more typical hour and a half, hour and forty-five minutes. That, at least, is something. So, anyway, my right eye is all bloodshot and watery, and feels dry – isn’t painful so much as uncomfortable. I’m thinking eyestrain, maybe? Computer all day, knitting all evening long, wearing magnifying glasses, and with a bright light over my shoulder? This is certainly not a good time to have something wrong? (Oh, Freda – SO sorry that you’ve been ill! I’ve been feeling overburdened with everything I’ve had to get done, but you have dinner for the family TONIGHT! Well, I know that the pleasure of spending time with loved ones outweighs the difficulties in preparing for it, but it’s still pretty challenging for those of us who are still working, you know? But, I know that you will handle it with your characteristic warmth and grace, and then tomorrow, when most of the rest of us are just getting started, you’ll be able to cuddle up on the sofa and watch a good movie, right?)
Lily, I was once where you are…preferring fruit over sweets. I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but over the past month, I’ve been the proverbial hungry hippo. It’s my intention to return to a VERY healthy lifestyle after the holidays. It’s the only way I can live with myself – to plan a program of austerity starting in 2011, I mean. As for joining Karen3? Oh, yeaaaahhhhhh. Karen3? You don’t need to store that sunshine for me anymore….Lily and I will be down to pick it up in person!
LOVE the pictures, Rosey! Sorry you haven’t been feeling all that great – let’s face it, you’ve had some major surgery, and any surgery requires time to heal properly. That, plus the changes in your capacity to eat and digest – well, it’s just a lot to contend with, you know? I hope you’re able to adjust – and feel better – soon. And , in the meantime, enjoy all the extra stuff that your dh is doing. Gotta love it, right?
Those little goats sure are cute, PT – some of those antics reminded me of lil’ Turtle. He’s taken to climbing up as high as he can get, and then leaping off like Superman without his cape. So far, no broken bones, but I swear that khat thinks he can fly! I have an antique Chippendale highboy in my bedroom – we have high ceilings, and the top of the highboy is only about a foot and a half from the ceiling. Turtle has taken to leaping from the bed to the dresser to the top of the highboy, where he perches, looking – in the dark – like an owl, or worse, like a wildcat ready to pounce. Rather disconcerting, trying to sleep with him sitting up near the ceiling staring down at you. Sometimes, with the light filtering in from the hallway, you can just see his two eyes gleaming up there like the Cheshire cat in Alice in Wonderland.
Bobbi, I’m glad you posted that info about barley. I used to put some in my homemade soups, and then started adding rice instead. I liked the barley, and only added rice for a change. Now, I’ll switch back to barley – I didn’t realize it was so good for me!!!!!
So nice having you back, Lynn! Arruba, is it? So perhaps she’s traded her flapper hat for a pith helmet? Somehow, though, it seems more like Isabella to be standing in the prow of a raft poling her way up the Amazon than lounging about on a beach in Arruba. BUT, I do find that people have an endless capacity for surprising us – so, with that in mind, perhaps Isabella IS lying about at a resort somewhere sipping Mai Tai’s and agonizing over what color polish the pedicurist should put on her toenails. Ah, yes. I like it. I do.
Well, I just want to say how much I appreciate – and really, really love – this group of ours! I know we’ve all been busy getting ready for the holidays, but it still gives me a lift when I can drop by here for 15 minutes or an hour and just hear your thoughts – and share some of mine as well. So thanks, everybody, and Happy Holidays to all (and to all a goodnight!)
Hugs, too, and Merry Christmas to Karen31, Gayle, Mary, and all the Golden Girls, wherever you may be!

Z

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE

LYNN

Rosey, I loved the picture of you and your DH! So much fun!! I don't have a lot of time here this morning but wanted to get on and Wish Everyone a Merry Christmas! I did get two batches of cookies made yesterday. I usually make rolled, cut out sugar cookies and decorate but knew I wouldn't have the oomph to do all that. So Tim was happy with just oatmeal and chocolate chip cookies. We got ready to go and pick up our son, he usually walks home from work, but we were going to go through the Christmas light display after taking him to cash his first check from his new job, when all of a sudden my tummy hurt so bad that I couldn't sit up, stand up, lay down or anything....sent Tim on and told him maybe after they got his check cashed I would feel better.....didn't happen. I got so sick to my stomache that I thought I must have lost 5 pounds!! That didn't happen either but I guess this bug has decided to turn around and come at me once more! I guess my Christmas dinner tomorrow will be very light since we are going to my sisters, they all have had this bug and are still fighting it too or I wouldn't go, but I sure would hate to get sick over there.

Anyway, enough of that! Everyone have Wonderful day today and enjoy your Christmas eve. Will try to catch everyone tomorrow.

Good Morning, All...
Aw, KarenMO! Here's a heartfelt "oh, poor baby!!"......... what a lousy thing to be sickly these two days! Do feel better!!!!!

Everyone, no news... so
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A WONDERFUL NEW YEAR!!!!

Good morning(still) The house is starting to smell lovely. Have 2 apple pies in the oven. One is SF and crustless for Dh. Soon as they come out in goes the ham. Got chilly again down here. Had the fire going this am, but the oven is taking over. Haven't tasted a thing but you know calories are airborne!

Having a retired husband makes things harder sometimes. I have had heck of a time getting his gifts out of my car and in the house. Everytime I tried he'd pop up saying watcha doing? So i hide them in plain sight. Have a book bag on the bedroom floor with library books on top and all his new books underneath. The super doper lifevest is in a brown bag hanging against a cabinet.....but still haven't found the hiden gift!

Looked up blue bird stuff online. Nesting season starts in feb, but I think Fl blue birds are precocius cause they are not only checking out the new house but doing Xrated flying around the yard. The vivid blue streaks jetting about in the sunlight is quite a sight.

Sorry so many of you are feeling punky. I get kind of paranoid this time of year and find myself holding my breath when someone is coughing/sneezing/etc. Need to start using that instant hand wash stuff.

Just checked the pies and of course burned me. Some reason they are really cooking slowly. Been in an hour and are still firm.

Merry Christmas and joy to all.....lov'ya, karen3