Tammy- No it isn't Eleni..She is married to a wonderful guy.. It was my sister Mary.. She lived in Middletown ,N Y for about 30+ years and then moved down after she and her hubby called it quits.. The guy she was with for 7+ years died with leukemia..He was in his second round of chemo and got pneunomia.. He had no resistance..I am sorry for her but find it difficult to be around her much.. Trouble is her middle name..For some reason I am usually in her spotlight..I will do as much for her as she will let me.
I not only made 7 pillows but a afghan for my son and his wife. They will get 2 pillows..The rest of the gifts will be gift cards..It is easier as I never know what to give.. I would be happy for you to join us on Christmas day.. There will be 11 of us so what is one more..
Kate - It is supposed to be warm through Christmas.. That will make a lot of people who are down part of the year happy. I personally like enough cool that I don't have to run the heat or air..Big light bills I can do without..
Candice- I have no one to help me either.. That is one reason I don't put out a lot of decorations..I have asked my hubby a number of times to go with me to buy our Christmas. Not much response ,so I am just going to forget it..
Hello Mima-- Hope your holidays are going good.
Hello Happy and Meme..Joanne

Kate..the fudge recipe sounds great..do you have the WW fudge recipe..it is really easy too and tastes great.

Joanne....how come we married such old farts!!!!!! I think they are brothers!LOL

Hi Tammy....you seem to stay busy which is good. I do not have much out inside either since the is still no furniture. Did you get my pm of pics?

Gotta get to bed if I can fall asleep got to the internist at 8:30 AM, DH is going to drive me...we have terrible ice on the ground now and it's not melting and we get snow tomorrow. My snowman will not fall over now he is glued in position with the ice!LOL

Hi ... sorry I've been MIA. Had the crud. Temp, body aches, sneezing, coughing, snot ... you name it. Still not completely over it. GD, Daughter and best friend & her hubby all had it and now hubby is getting it. We like to share!

This ringing in my ears is about to drive me nuts. Went to the ENT Dr. and he said not much can be done. Went to the Neurologist and asked him if he thought it might be the Topomax causing it. He said, could be. So he's trying to get me off it and see ... hoping the migraines don't come back. Had a bad headache all day today. Can't win for losing ...

Raining here ... rain forcasted for the whole week - along with some ice and possibly snow.

I tried to read all of your posts. There were a LOT. Can't remember everything. I really want to try that easy fudge recipe, though.

I think we all married old farts! HA And mine is only 2 years older than me. Do your husbands 'listen' to you? I mean really listen. Do they hear what you are saying to them or do they do like mine and just nod when they should, etc. We just sat through a 12 week marriage class at church and I don't think it did one bit of good.

For once I got all my shopping done (on line), my cards done and my house is fairly clean ... and all way before Christmas. I hope to get my cakes baked in in the freezer this week then I'll only have to do pies and the cheese cake next week. This will be a first for me. I'm usually a last minute person. Hubby has off from Thur. to Mon. but we are not going anywhere this year. I'm staying home and taking it easy!

Tammy ... thinking about you. My dad died in November and that was a tough Christmas for me. My mom, dad and brother have all passed on now and Christmas was our family's favorite time of year so I still have some problems around this time.

Joanne, hope you feel better soon. Family can GIVE you an ulcer! What was your blood count ... did they tell you? I'm anemic, too.

Well, I'm going to bed, hello to everyone else and hope you have a nice week. We're having a very wet one here! Not good for what ails me!

So nice to hear from you, Meme. And sorry you were sick. I did a lot of online and gift cards and I only have 4 people to wrap gifts for-doing Christmas cards every day. I will bake some small breads to give away.
I know that move was difficult for you Candice-I still have nightmares about when I sold my house. And rib pains from lifting in the year 2000. My husband would do anything I asked him too but he doesn't finish things. Our new floor is done in the hall but there is no trim.And the closet at the end.
Oh tammy-my first Christmas was so awful after my husband died, I am thinking of you. A change of scenery is good.
Brad talks about going back home if the pipes freeze. What a disaster area back home. They don;t know whan the power will be back-they are working on Main St today. They have to fix all the poles etc first.
I am feeling punk-I have not been good eating-a little bread, ice cream. and cream soup=and then wham -my sinus membranes swell-not going to art and using the Netti pot.
Joanne-I will bet your pillows and afghans are gorgeous. I love to quilt too. After Christmas. I will finish Suzanne's wedding present.
Anne-hope you back is better.
I definitely will make some fudge,
When is that service, Joanne? Hope it goes ok.
My sil Jim did not see Bush but he saw Airforce One at the base.
Hope you are ok at the doc's, Camdice, Mima
Hi kate

Joanne, I didn't think it was Eleni if I was remembering right. We'll be in Georgia on Christmas Day, so at least I'll be closer to you than I am in Ohio! I did enjoy meeting you and Eleni when we were down there. Have no idea when I'll get back that way. I'd love to visit with Bob's nieces (daughters of his older brother who passed away many years ago), but I don't want to visit his brothers. They just irritate me so much. I don't know how brothers can be so different. I'm with you on the gift cards. When my nephews were helping move Tim's furniture home on Sunday, I gave them each cash for their Christmas. They were pretty tickled. Need to get some to my niece also. After the kids are out of college or in the working world, I don't buy anymore.

Candice, I'm glad you mentioned the PM and the pictures! What a beautiful home you have! When would you like us all to come and visit? I think a slumber party would be fun!!! We are expecting ice later today and overnight tonight. Tim and his gf are bringing a load of things from his apartment that he didn't have packed up on Sunday. Glad they are coming this morning and not tomorrow. I don't think people will be going many places if we get hit with what they are calling for. I can drive on snow, but ice is another story.

Meme, so glad to hear from you but not glad that you are feeling bad. I hope that things get worked out and the migraines don't return. Bob dealt with those for many years, and I remember the pain he was in. Good for you for having things done! I do have my shopping done, and things are wrapped. I only sent a few cards this year. Maybe next year. I haven't even started baking anything. I always take cookies to the neighbors but it's not going to happen before Christmas this year.

Mima, I like the idea of the small breads to give away. Maybe I'll try that sometime. I agree about the change of scenery being good for Christmas. I was thinking about when Bob and I were there in February, and I sat and smiled. Then I burst into tears. Oh well.

Today I get a haircut and have reflexology. I need to hit Wal Mart before I do that, so I should get moving. Need to get some things to take when I go with friends to the B&B this weekend, and also need a few things to take with us to Georgia.

Have a great day everyone!

Okay ladies, I must have missed a post here somewhere. What cake recipe of Mima's is everyone talking about?? I don't see this recipe anywhere....and how I love to cook! Neighbors are beginning to love me! I give a lot away since I can't eat most of it...and my first attempts at buttercrunch didn't work out too well yesterday. I kept getting the "crystallization" glob....seperated at the end and was a greasy mess. I tried it twice: turning down the heat on the boil the second time around and it still "broke". Got frustrated and called it quits after the second fiasco. Maybe I will try it again in a couple of days.
Very humid and warm here today. I am hoping to not have to turn on my A/C either, Joanne. I refuse to turn on the heat but the A/C can be just as bad and I hate giving money to FPL. Next few days is supposed to be above-normal temperatures too. Definitely not very "Christmas-y"
Waiting for hubby's new recliner to be delivered this morning....I guess he deserves it even if he is just another old fart! I keep calling him by his father's name which really gets to him because his dad can be a real pain-in-the-a**. We've been together 33 years (married 27 of them) so I can get away with it! Hope the furniture company doesn't screw up my schedule and is here when they said they would be....
Need to finish cleaning the kitchen so will check back later. Hope everyone has a great day!
Kate

Kate - I got you beat.. I will be married 55 years the 26th of this month... And my hubby is an old fart and I call him much worse sometimes..It has been a struggle getting things done this year..
The memorial is tomorrow.. I am hoping to get through it and not lose my mind..I don't like to go to things like this anyhow.
I finished the pillows today.. Now I have to clean up that room and the rest of the house.. Still have some shopping to get done. Some I can't do till the last minute..I don't want to go to any stores Christmas eve..Last year I made the mistake of going for some last minute grocery.. The lines to the registers were clear to the back of the store..
Hello Everybody...Joanne

Kate.. cake recipes?????????? Happy posted a fudge recipe. I think we all like to cook here and eat!LOL

Mima..Trip to the new doc(internal med) went well ,she is very nice and young! I get an MRI on my head MOnday, just to rule out things. My blurred vision has been pretty good lately.

Snow..shovel..snow.. shovel..this is getting old. Have a hudge lump in my wrist and pain when lifting a glass or something from the shoveling. I have a wrist splint here I am wearing on it when I do heavy stuff but I can't type with it. May not beable to bake any more.....oh no! Gotta wrap too and cook Christmas eve...........I bought a big turkey breast to roast.

My old fart is younger than me! and MEME no he does not listen....I will say to him when he begins to knod "LISTEN TO ME"...are you listening to me...to get his attention. Then a few days later he will ask me something that I told him already or explained to him..makes me so mad..and I will say "who are you living with" I already told you that!LOL

Joanne...thinking of you..glad all your pillows are done. Clean up no fun...

Tammy, you are doing great and I know Bob would be proud of you. I do not care for DH's brothers either. Glad you got the pics..it was not working right when I sent them and had to do it twice.

Happy come and play.....

I sat for awhile in the sunroom with the dog and watched the snow fall on the frozen lake and one little goose running around. It is so pretty when it first falls before "man" messes it up! LOL

Candice-I don't think you shuld be shoveling/ Fibros cannot do stuff that hurts like that. Hope the test is ok. Glad you like doc-hope i feel the same way today.
No elec back home today. But they are getting closer.
I cannot walk around with that boot-figured out it maked my back hurt,
You have a nice day planned-Tammy, You are smart to go slow.
Brad was up before me-tv on and talk. I like to get up and read the Bible and meditation book and write in my prayer journal. I told him Quiet time had the word quiet in it. So he went and ate and read himself-now he is quiet. I think he has add. But I am crabby because I took an extra prednisone for my sinuses/ I need to go back to bed.
Snowing back home.
My pension fund lost 12 million in that Ponzi scheme.
Kate-I buy bread mixes-got gingerbread and some frosting. I know it would be rewarding to do from scratch but I spend all my time at PT and doc;s.
Bye for now. Mima

Okay, I got it now regarding the recipe! I was confusing Happy and Mima's post, sorry!! I need to pay closer attention....although a cake recipe sounds good. Maybe a red velvet one for Christmas dinner dessert?? Mima, I used to make all kinds of tea breads for Christmas but not so much now. Pumpkin bread and cranberry nut were the popular ones for this time of year. I have all I can do to get the cookies made and even that felt a little overwhelming this year. I think next year I will not bake so much, and only when the mood strikes me. Hopefully my feelings about all food will be different by next Christmas as I need to lose a lot of weight.... and holidays do make it more difficult. I mean, who really wants to eat a roast turkey dinner without the mashed potatoes and stuffing?? To me, that makes the meal.....and just an itty-bitty 1/2 cup of each hardly seems worth the effort for two people. If I watch my carbohydrate intake for a week prior to the meal I could probably pull it off but then what do I do with the leftovers? Too many opportunities there to over-indulge for me....best to avoid it altogether.
Off to do some bargin shopping....coffee is on sale. Hope everyone is having a great week so far. I won't complain about my FM today even though it is becoming an uncomfortable morning.....I need to keep a positive attitude today. Bye for now, Kate

Ok Candice, I will come out and play. My back is still not doing well, and I find it hard to sit, stand or lay - so I have to take turns. It just soooo much when I have to get up.

Here's a recipe for you all, just in case you really need a fix. Share it with somebody. It's easy and it's pretty good.

Chocolate Mug Cake

4 TBSP cake flour (not self rising)
4 TBSP Sugar
2 TBSP baking cocoa
1 egg
3 TBSP Milk
3 TBSP oil
3 TBSP chocolate chips (optional)
a small splash of vanilla
1 coffee mug

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well.
Add the egg and mix thoroughly
Pour in the milk and oil and mix well.
Add the chocolate chips and vanilla and mix again.

Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes (1000 watt power) The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed.

Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate, if desired.

EAT! This can serve 2 if you want to feel slightly more virtuous

Any why is this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world?? Because now we are all only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or night.

.........
Now, Candice,you should NOT be out shovelling walks. What a killer job that is. I used to do it, and I really enjoyed doing it, but it is one of the things that got laid to rest.

Kate - It's a really bad time of year for dieting. I baked cookies yesterday, and they sure did taste good, but I should NOT have been eating them. I wasn't going to do much baking, but then my kids started and wanted to know if I was making ginger snaps, peppernuts, sugar cookies, and on and on it went. Told them I would make each of them their favorite cookies, but then they only eat a few and I'm stuck with the rest. Good thing my gals at work like to eat these things.

I say ENJOY Christmas dinner. If you and hubby are both on a restricted diet, then toss the rest and don't feel bad about it - it's only one day. Try to be good the rest of the time.

Mima - I had to wear the boot when I broke my foot and it was hard on the back. I had to wear the thing, so I went a bought a pair of shoes that would be the same height and it worked ok. That Ponzi scheme was something else, and the fellow sure did a good job of swindling people.

Meme - nice to see you make an appearance. Sorry you have been ill. Hopefully, you will all be better by Christmas.

Tammy - (((((hugs))))) for you. I know this must be such a tough time for you. Glad you are going to get away for a bit. It will be good for you. How is the puppy doing?

JoAnn - nice that your daughter is getting home for Christmas. Just hope you are feeling better.

It is a snowy, blowy day, and I have to go get my haircut. I sure picked a winner of a day. Then, we are having a potluck lunch at work, so I will go there when I am done. I need to go back to see the Chiro as well, but I am NOT driving on the highway, and not sure if hubby is busy at work or not. If not, perhaps he will drive me.

Hope you all enjoy the day.

HI happy..I'm very tired..gotta go lay down for a bit..recipe sounds good and easy..thanks.

Anne, if you're using plain flour in the cake recipe ... what is your rising agent? There is no soda or anything listed in the ingredients.

I can't believe how much Ginger and Candice's Jasper look alike. When I get time, I'll try to put their pictures on here together. Except for Jasper's mustache you can't tell them apart. Ginger is getting a haircut Friday so hopefully she will look a little better than she does now.

Well, it is almost 2 a.m. I've gotta get to bed. I didn't get much done today, need to get groceries tomorrow and have kids Fri. This rain is about to kill me. It has rained every day this week (all day) and is supposed to rain all the way through 'till Monday. Don't know if I'm gonna make it!

Good morning-still no power at home but praying for today. It was 42 in there yesterday but it's going to be colder. Brad's bro said he would drain the pipes. We really got hiy hard.
Anne-so sorry your back still hurts.
I went to new doc-don't have a lot of confidence in him. He gave me tramadol but I am afraid to take it because I take 2 low doses of antidepresssants at night and he saw my list. Pharmacist said it doesn't absorb as well and did I ever have a seizure/ ??? I think I might call Dr ramey .
He is more of a take charge person.
Who takes tramadol-I am thinking it's Kate and Meme couldn't take it.
Still have a sinus headache-my remedies are not working. Want to go to the chiro but this one place wants my xrays or i will have to get new ones. I am working on that.
Anne-does your chiro use electrical stimulation on your back-that helps me big time.
Went to church last night-message was that God is in charge.
Boy those recipes sound good. My mother was the best baker!!!! She would make Spritz at Christmas=yum. Glad I wasn't wheat sensitive then.
Anne-you must know about them.
Hi Joanne and all. Mima

Hi. Mima - hope they get the power back on soon. Feel sorry for people who lose that, especially if they have deep freezes etc. We are so reliant on these things, and a lot of homes in Canada are heated by electricity as well.
My Mom used to make those Spritz cookies and my hubby's cousin makes them every year (Danish Butter Cookies).

Meme - I wondered about that as well, but the egg must do it. It rose just fine You have rain, and we have snow and -30!

Yesterday, I had a hair appointment for 10:00 a.m. booked weeks ago. You just can't change that at this time of the year. I slid downtown, as it had snowed, and it was icy. After I was finished there, I just had to drive 3 blocks to work, for a potluck lunch we were having. Then I came home. It had started to get colder and colder, and seems, more and more icy. I sure was happy to get my feet on the ground.

Last night, we had to go out for dinner to a friends house. As she lives just outside of Red Deer in the country, we had to go on the Highway. Well, we turned on and everything was fine for a few minutes, and then we hit the line up. What should have been a 10 minute drive, turned out to be 45 minutes and we were lucky. If we had to go further down the highway, it would have been up to 4 hours - so many accidents. People just spinning off into the ditch. They drive like maniacs around here at times, and people don't stop to think about the ice. I think they said no MAJOR injuries, thank goodness.

Everybody have a nice day. I am heading off to the chiropractor again this morning. Hubby will come drive me. Again, not so brave!