Good morning from the snowy Great White North. At least there was not a drift at the deck door this morning. That sure is refreshing when you open a door an snow falls onto your feet! Paul is keeping me company again this morning but it's the last pod for the K.

Wish me strength and determination today, Chickies. It is the morning of the last service in our little Church which will be closed. I will have to read the Gospel and do some of the prayers and it's going to be hard to choke back the tears. We just do not have enough people to keep it going. I'll probably get through it OK but it's going to be really hard.

Not sure what the rest of the day will bring but do know I want to get together with Joanne to plan food for her NY's Eve party tomorrow night. I still have unused things from my Christmas Eve party and hope she'll use them. The frozen samosas and mushroom tarts keep calling my name!

It's the Sixth Day of Christmas and those six geese a-layin' are due here any minute. Maybe omelet for breakfast?

Hi Ruth, thinking of you today. It is very sad your Church has to close. Will it be able to remain open as a historical site? Hopefully a new parish will welcome you with open arms

Ruth, I'll be thinking of you as well, along with the other parishioners, and you celebrate your last service in your dear little church. I know you won't be the only one wiping a tear or two.

We ended up with not quite 4" of snow, and it's very cold and blustery this morning. We've been warned that the roads are quite slippery, so we're staying home until they get better. My DS went over to Mom & Dad's to plow their drive and shovel their walks last night, so they'll be fine until I can make it over there later today.

Good morning chicks! I did pick out the Cuisanart Keurig maker....mmmmm.... I had a cup of decaf last night that was amazing, the french vanilla this morning is okay (I'm not into flavors all to much). Maybe I need to invite Paul over here too?

Jennifer - congrats on moving the belt notch!!

Ruth - prayers for you and your little church today. Maybe God will open another door.

Linda - drive careful! We got all our snow by midafternoon, I'm guessing another 6".

For me - lazy, lazy, LAZY!! The family is gone and I'm doing nothing, and it's fabulous. I let the cat stay out with me last night (DH doesn't like that), and my little lover boy here was with me all night. Makes up for all his destructive behavior! Reading a book, planning on going to the movies. I've done the most minimal cleaning required!!! I keep thinking of dumping out my DD's room while she's gone, it's an absolute pit.

And now, to finish this cup of coffee so I can try another!!

Oh, Tammy, I do envy you with having the house to yourself! I'm glad you're enjoying your new coffee maker, although I didn't know Cuisinart made a Keurig one. I don't really care for the flavored coffees, either, although I do like the Vanilla Biscotti one. My favorites are Newman's, Wolfgang Puck's Sorrento, and Eight O'Clock Italian Roast.

Good Morning

It's a bit balmy here this morning. We're going to stay in today while I work on the photo project. I have meals planned and am enjoying getting back on track with food choices.

Ruth,

Pearlrose, glad you made it safe and sound. Have fun!

Twynn, enjoy your quiet time!

Jennifer, yay on baggy work pants!

everyone else...gotta keep moving before I lose all motivation.

Good morning from snowy Vermont We don't have as much as Ruth but we sure have enough!

It's stopped for now but it's very cold out there so I plan to hibernate all day. I've got a list of stuff to do including trying out my new treadmill desk. I've been wanting one for awhile and was given one made just for my treadmill. I'm so excited! The idea is to walk slowly, maybe 1 - 1.5 mph while working on a computer (or I suppose writing). It's not a ton of exercise but much better than sitting.

I'm also planning menus and prepping foods for a return to food sanity. Tomorrow I'm making a spicy seafood stew for dinner (combining several online recipes - anyone have tips, recipes to share?) along with french olives, avocado dip, healthy crackers, some good Vermont cheese, and champagne. I'm not going too crazy but want festive.
Kalyn posted her 10 favorite recipes of the year and another on her healthy slow cooker site so I'll plan some interesting new meals from those.

Jennifer - have you found some good cycling DVDs? I have a spin bike and am looking for some for myself and for a friend who is training for a triathalon in the spring.

Ruth - Hope the morning's service is loving and memorable, something to warm you all for months to come.

Time to get moving around here.

Good morning.

I feel very spacey and out of it today. Not sure if it is from the cold medicine I took or that today is the first day at a lower dose of prednisone or maybe a combination of both. I'm working all afternoon so hope I can get a grip! Yesterday we had lots of returns, so today will likely be more of the same. Snow is predicted for tomorrow!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

I think we ended up with about 6 or 8 inches of snow in the end; we live in a neighborhood of older homes which are close together, and shovel for some of our elderly neighbors as well, so ... good exercise! I needed to drive my daughter to the diner where she works on weekends, and my husband and I timed the pick-up with lunch; planned to stay on plan with a veggie omelet. It's funny - the plate looks empty without home fries or toast, but I'm full just the same.

Ruth, I'm so sorry about your church! We don't have heavy attendance except for special events, but my synagogue people are a tight little community, so I can imagine how hard it would be if we lost our home. Do you think you'll all start attending a new church together? Or is that not geographically possible?

Just in from shoveling. It was just a small dump this time - about 4" - a mere piffle compared the the 15-18 inches last week. I did clear a lot of the deep drifts from the deck so my poor short-legged dogs could manage better.

The service at Church was difficult but I kept an Anglo-Irish stiff upper lip and did not cry. We are a 3-point parish - 2 points now - and know we are welcome at the other Churches. It'll just take a bit of getting used to and the other buildings are a good 15 minute drive away - OK in the summer but not great on country roads when we have snow or mud.

Right now I am going to tackle some Mill accounting and break down some of the boxes left from gifts so they can go to the recycle. Time to "Just get on with it, Ruthie." You'd think at nearly 74 I'd stop hearing my Mother!

Ruth we always are our mama's babies! My mom's quote "get grippers." She certainly has said it to me a lot over the years......I wonder why lol