Morning ladies,

Looks like some of the ice down south may make it's way up here later this afternoon. Good day to hunker down and stay in.

Mel - what a story about the money and the phone call! I guess you'd better check things out thoroughly before you regift them. Good thing Jen checked the bag. And I have to believe that your phone call was a kindness repaid to the lady who gave you a gift. Goes to show you how much just reaching out to someone means. Glad you were there when she really needed someone. I have been in that situation where not everything was discovered in the gift and it's always an awkard thing - I think we tend to not say anything and just wonder but it makes you wonder how many cash gifts /gift cards got trashed?

Shad - hope it's a brief power outage. I understand being able to use the laptop on battery but how do you get your Internet connection? Our router while wireless, does not run on a battery so no network connection if we're operating by candlelight.

Annie - glad the new plumbing went well. I'm short but even I liked the height of my Mom's toilet. Some of them - especially the water efficient ones are so low to the ground you feel like you are sitting on a milking stool Hope you get to relax with a movie in between all the chores.

Hello to the rest of the ladies. DH is downstairs making a big racket in the kitchen. This can only come to no good. Lord give me patience...

I was gonna type a proper post, but we're going out to lunch and do whatever for the afternoon. Our furnace went out last night around 9-ish whe I saw the temp was 67 & it was set for 70. Cranking it to 72, nothing happened, so it was confirmed something wasn't right. Bf did some troubleshooting himself & w/ an hvac co on the phone & it has been narrowed down. Naturally the part is not on hand or gettable today, so we will save the service fees & get them in tomorrow. In the meantime a space heater suffices, much as I hate to use them. And the heated mattress pad was fine for last night & will be fine tonight too. Good thing the temps are moderating!!

Off to dress. Prolly get doggy out for a walk before the freezing rain hits.

TTFN.

Morning,
We made it through the night. Wild winds, plenty of damage around the South East corner of Queensland. Still raining. Still blowing. Still no power.

Happy - see picture for my mobile broadband connection. Runs off a mobile phone number. You buy the gadget, works like a USB connection. Costs vary depending on the gigabytess you buy for the internet. I use mine constantly when I am away, saves me a lot of hassle trying to connect to hotel internets or paying big prices for slow connections with the hotel or apartment providers. I just top up when the money runs low. With this particular one, I top up with $150 and get 200gig for the year. Have never needed to re top up yet. And with my isp I can go to the most remote parts of Australia and still have my internet.
Right move on. Hope the power comes back soon I only have 44% of my battery remaining and I need to get some news on airports, flights etc.

Love to all. I'll be back when I can get there.

Shad
I once had a wireless internet connection when I used my lap top all the time. I really liked it. The pictures of the baby is adorable. Glad I'm not answering the phone's, and hope that the power returns soon.

Mel
What a nice surprise! Glad you called the boss to thank her. Sounded as though she needed some one to talk to.

Happy
I don't blame you for wanting to take care of your feet. It is always good to have a weight loss buddy.

Laura
Wow, what a time for the heat to go out. Hopefully things can be repaired tomorrow.

Annie
Sounds like you are getting things accomplished this week end.

Michelle
Don't work to hard on those boxes. A couple at a time.

----------
I've had a busy Saturday/Sunday. My trip to Paragould was good. One of my uncles didn't get to come but the other two were there. Afterwards my aunt and I went shopping. Then I came back home. This morning I got up and went to church, and afterwards my friend and I went to Jonesboro. She did a lot of clothes buying. I did a lot of looking. We didn't get home till 6 p.m. Ugh work tomorrow.

MORNING LADIES OF THE WORLD.
MY MIND IS A BLANK THIS MORNING.
DRUGS & TOO MUCH SLEEP.
SO THIS WILL BE SHORT PERSONALS
.TALK TO YOU TOMORROW WHEN I WAKE UP
HAVE A GREAT DAY




SHAD...I AM SO SORRY THERE WAS STILL NO POWER WHEN YOU POSTED.
WISH THERE WAS SOMETHING WE COULD DO TO HELP.
WE WILL BE WAITING HERE AND HOPE YOU MADE IT BACK TO WORK




CEEJAY....WHAT A FULL WEEKEND YOU HAD!
WAS THERE ANYTHING YOU DIDN'T DO???
GOOD OF YOU TO TAKE THE FRIEND SHOPPING.
BET SHE HAD A GREAT TIME.




LAURA...VERY SORRY TO HEAR ABOUT THE FURNACE NOT WORKING.
HOPE THE PART & BF DO A GOOD JOB. STAY WARM.




HAPPY....YOU MADE ME LAUGH OUT LOUD WITH THE DH IN THE KITCHEN.
OMG I FOUND THAT SO FUNNY.
HOPE THE DAMAGES WERE MINIMAL

Hi ladies -

Quick post for me. I was really sore all day yesterday from moving the boxes on Saturday. I managed to run some errands and take Santa on a short trip to the dog park, but we didn't stay very long as my back and the weather were both getting worse. We got a "wintry mix" last night...snow, freezing rain, sleet. It all made for very slick roads and driveways this morning. It's suppose to get up around 40 degrees today, and maybe up to 50 tomorrow and then the cold weather will blow in and by the end of the week, we'll have sub-zero wind chills.

I was in a sort of "blah" mood yesterday. Late Saturday night, I learned that my cousin and his wife of 25 years are getting a divorce. They have two kids in their teens. They always seemed so happy. My cousin said they've been having problems for 10 years. I had no idea. So very sad. I'm feeling firsthand how difficult and sad divorce is. I wouldn't wish that on anyone...much less two people I care so much about. He asked for the divorce, and she's holding up pretty well. I talked to her yesterday. She said it's amicable, and she's dealing with it ok. She said it still just seems kind of surreal...I can relate to that. I'm saying prayers for both of them, and sending positive energy too. I told them both that I'm here for them if they want to talk with someone.

Shad - I hope you made it to work okay and that the power comes back on soon.

I hope you all are doing well.

Much love,

Morning all,

We must have gotten about 5 inches of snow yesterday - most of it fell in the wee hours of the morning. The tree branches are heavy with it. Good thing DH has a plow. I hope they got to the roads as we have to go out this afternoon.

Michelle - sorry to hear about your cousin's divorce too. Tends to make you think that nothing lasts forever. There's ups and downs in any relationship - even mine. It's more difficult when you are in a long term relationship I think. Do you wonder if you made a mistake picking them in the first place or better think to just accept that things have come to their natural end and it's time for a new beginning elsewhere. I can understand how that and the weather would have you a little blue. At least you can provide a soft shoulder for the wife to commiserate on.

Mel - go back to bed until the fog clears out. I saw on TV that Starbucks has a new, lighter coffee - Blonde. Sounded good. Too bad there's no Starbucks nearby. Don't like their bagged stuff in the store - too strong no matter how I make it. But I thought of you too when I saw it.

Shad - I was wondering if you had one of those plug in gizmos. Sounds like a great idea but alas, I don't have a mobile phone so that's out. Glad to hear it works well tho. Will keep in mind for possible future reference. I don't see a post today so I hope you are still not without power.

Ceejay - sounds like you had a nice, but busy weekend. Good for you for browsing instead of buying a bunch of stuff you didn't need.

Laura - bummer on the furnace going out. Why does that always happen smack dab in the middle of winter????? Yes you can get by with the mattress pad and space heater but it's quite cold to get up and get ready when you have a work day ahead of you. Hope they get it repaired quickly and without too much expense.

Annie - almost ready for Dad's arrival?

I guess I should be nice and go offer to help DH. I can shovel the garage area while he plows. Never did find out why he was making such noise in the kitchen yesterday. I suspect it was a ploy to let me know HE was washing the dishes - dishes he dirtied I might add. But I chose to just look the other way

Anyway will chat more later...

Happy
Maybe that's the anwer to your question about dh banging in the kitchen. He was letting you know loud and clear that he was doing the dishes.
Oh me, 5 more inches of snow.

Michelle
Sending you good vibes today.


---------
It's a bit windy outside and supposed to be a bit warmer, but to me it doesn't feel like it.
Back to work this morning. But I'mnot in the mood to do much.

Had a great post and got zapped. Poo. Not doing it again now. I am not in the mood.

Happy - Yikes about the 5" of snow. I hope the roads were clear by the time you had to go out. As for your question...did I pick the wrong guy...I've thought about that countless times over the last few months. And, no, I don't believe I did. He is a good guy overall. He made a bad decision to start a relationship before ending the one he was in, and he takes responsibility for that. He also takes responsibility for his part in us growing apart...as I take responsibility for my part in that. He regrets moving me away from my family as that is when I began to be unhappy. He tried to do things to make me/keep me happy...but I missed my family. I was just in denial at the time how much I missed them. And then when I lost my dad, my mom and my best friend all to cancer in less than a year's time, I just sort of gave up on everything. I lost interest in just about everything. I didn't see it at the time, but it was then that I stopped caring about my health, my happiness, his happiness, or doing anything I or we liked to do. So, I didn't pick the wrong guy...we had many wonderful happy years. He and I went through a lot in the later years, and we weren't honest with ourselves, and didn't communicate well with each other...so we just eventually drifted apart. Yes, I can definitely commisserate with my cousin's wife, and with him too to a certain extent. Divorce is difficult and painful for all parties involved. I do want to ask my cousin (who has been renting a place since October) where he's living and how much he's paying for rent.

Ceejay - thanks for the good vibes.

Laura - I hope your heater gets fixed soon. Even though we are having a warm couple of days, they say the bitter cold will be back by the middle of the week.

Annie - Bummer that you lost your post. When does dad move in?

Mel - Sending you hugs.

Much love to all,

Evening everyone. Where did the weekend go??!!

Michelle - Sorry to hear about your cousin's impending divorce. As for you, it sounds like you had very hard times and it pulled you and the ex apart instead of drawing you together. I hope your back feels better after the moving this past weekend. Sounds like you and Santa got in some exercise just like Coal and I - I took Coal for his walk early yesterday, and about 15 min. after we got back home, it started to come down. "It" being a mix of snow/frozen rain.

Happy - Well, I hope the snowmobilers are happy with the snow you got - if it stays around during this brief spell of mild temps. My father used to make a big deal when he would on the rare occasion cook a meal instead of my mom. And my mom went back to work full-time when I was in third grade, but it was still expected that she would cook dinner... Glad you told your boss you were quitting - you need some relief for your poor feet. It will be really interesting if you volunteer for the theater. My sister happens to volunteer for a thrift store that supports an animal rescue out her way (northern suburbs). She enjoys it. I'm hoping to donate some items to that shop. I might not have much - she said it's sort of an upscale operation, lol.

Mel - Hope the drugs wore off and you woke up as the day went on! Whoohoo for finding the previously undiscovered $100 gift! Sounds like your thank-you phone call to the giver was especially timely and appreciated.

Ceejay - Sounds like you had a great weekend. Sort of nice to let other people shop and you just come along for the company. I guess I like that idea because I'm not a very good shopper, lol.

Shad - I hope you got your power back. Boo, it probably wrecked your long weekend. Crazy weather all over Oz, huh? Very cute photos of the new grand niece.

Annie - Sounds like a productive weekend, but you were really up early/late Sat/Sun.!!! I bet you'll be tired tonight!

---
Nothing much to report. After I walked doggy yesterday, bf and I went to lunch. We were going to do some errands after that, but there was ice collecting on the car and we just decided to go right home. We got the space heater going and watched tv/read the rest of the day.

The hvac co we called on had a great field service tech who came to the house this morning, but we didn't end up using him - that co. would have marked up the part we needed about 300% and it was ridiculously expensive. We have another person coming out tomorrow morning. One more night of the chill. We wouldn't be holding off if it were really cold...

The inch or two of snow we had on the ground and the ice rain we got all melted early this morning and it was just wet today. The sun peeked out at times and I took the dog for a nice long walk around 3-ish today. Didn't even end up putting on my mittens! What a nice break from those arctic temps!

This morning I had my gyn appt and I like the new doc and the new office. Less than a 10 min drive from home - what's not to like? Bf and I went to lunch and after that ran the errands we skipped yesterday. We had intended to stop somewhere afterwards to just lounge around in their heated premises, but both of us were actually rather draggy after lunch and decided to head home. I ended up walking doggy while bf cranked the two space heaters. I felt a bit more lively after the walk, so I went through the mail and submitted a claim to the flex spending account. Hope we're all done with 2012 flex spending crapola now!

Well, I think I'm gonna get this posted and make myself a cup of tea. Ladies, please cross your fingers that we don't run into any more issues with this furnace repair tomorrow!!

Nighty night all!

Back in Darwin. Still no power at home. DS2 is going around tonight to ditch the freezer contents. No point in keeping them.
I was lucky in that the solar water heater managed to keep the water reasonably hot so I could shower this morning but I will be looking forward to a long hot shower tonight.

Happy - the things (internet mobile broadband) have their own built in phone number. Don't need a mobile phone. You have to set up the computer to acknowledge the phone number but then you are away and doing. Just make sure if you think of getting one that you get one from a major isp. I tried a minor ISP in Melbourne and it would only let me use it around the local area. It wasn't much cheaper than my Telstra one that I use now which goes everywhere from the iconic outback Parabadoo dunny to the Sydney Opera House.

I'll go do some more work and then finish this from the apartment tonight when I get my own computer up and running.

GOOD MORNING CHICKS.

I WOKE UP AT 5, ROLLED OVER AND SLEPT ANOTHER 2 HRS.
I MUST BE IN HIBERNATION MODE.
MY LIFE IS SO QUIET THAT MAYBE I AM CATCHING UP ON YEARS OF LOST SLEEP
NOTHING NEW HERE AT ALL. NOT EVEN A DOORBELL RANG.
JEN WAS SURPRISED TOO. WE TALKED WITHOUT INTERRUPTIONS.
GOING TO GET SOME BREAKFAST NOW.
HAVE A GREAT DAY




SHAD....GLAD YOU GOT BACK TO DARWIN OK.
I WAS WONDERING IF THE AIRPORT HAD POWER OR A GENERATOR TO RUN STUFF.
HAVE A GOOD WEEK




LAURA....HOPE THE FURNACE REPAIR GOES SMOOTHLY WITH NO FOUL UPS
WHAT A TIME FOR THIS TO HAPPEN. I'LL SEND YOU ONE OF OUR HEATERS!
WITH ICE ON THE CAR, GOOD THING YOU GUYS STAYED HOME.
GOOD THING WE DON'T LIVE BY HAPPY!!!




HAPPY.....5 MORE INCHES? GEEZ YOU GUYS ARE HOGGING ALL THE SNOW.
ALL WE GOT WAS ANOTHER DUSTING & NOW THEY SAY RAIN IS COMING.
HOPE YOUR TRIP OUT WENT OK. DO YOU DRIVE WITH THE PLOW?
IS IT ON A PASSENGER-TRUCK-TYPE VEHICLE? I NEED ONE OF THOSE!!!





CEEJAY...I FEEL LIKE YOU DID YESTERDAY.
DON'T FEEL LIKE DOING VERY MUCH.
YOU MADE ME LAUGH WITH YOUR ANSWER TO HAPPY ABOUT HER DH & THE DISHES.




ANNIE...GOD I HATE LOST POSTS!!




MICHELLE...SORRY TO HEAR ABOUT THE COUSIN.
BE CAREFUL ON THOSE ROADS. I BET YOU'RE SORE.
ALL THAT MOVING & SORTING STUFF GETS TO YA AFTER AWHILE.
DON'T FORGET TO REST UP IN BETWEEN

Morning
Not much going on except the weather. Today the high is supposed to be 70 and tomorrow 30. What can I say, I live in Arkansas. We have a front coming through later tonight with rain and thunder storms predicted. We may have straight line winds also.
Had to do some house hold chores last night while watching the biggest loser.

Mel
Glad that you are getting caught up on your rest. You certainly deserve it.

Happy
I'm not much of a shopper either. My friend had a good time. She's petite and likes to try on things. And of course likes to strike a pose. She had me taking pictures with her cell phone. I would like to be her size once again. Can I do it? Well I'm going to try harder than I have before.

Laura
You are brave to endure the cold with only space heater's, grant that the small one I have sure does put out some heat. I'm glad that you are taking the time to shop around.

Annie

Hi ladies -

Just popping in to say "hi". Not much new here. I haven't started on the sorting and chucking through all my stuff in preparation for my move west. But as I'm looking on Craigslist at the available rentals to get an idea of location and price range...I'm realizing that I'll may have to somehow fit all my stuff into a one bedroom (or studio - ). So I need to really prioritize what I must keep and what must be donated.

Shad - I hope your power comes back on at home. That must've been one heck of a storm! Glad you, your family and your home are all safe.

Mel - I wanted to roll over and go back to sleep this morning too. Rest while you can, sista.

Laura - I hope you get your heater fixed soon.

Ceejay - We're going to have dramatic temp changes here too. From low 50s today to near freezing tomorrow and sub-zero wind chills by the end of the week. I'm not much of a shopper either. Maybe when I lose some weight, I'll enjoy it more.

A big and to all!

Much love,