Hello girls!

Just a quick one today as I am behind. Got to chatting w/James this morning and time just flew!

But do want to say: Welcome back Michelle!! We missed you!


Gotta get going. Busy friday.

Will chat more this weekend.

Hi Michelle...welcome back. Sorry to hear you have been through so much and hope things improve for you.

Having a rather slow day here for a change. We met DD at Applebee's for lunch and had my birthday margarita. Needless to say I came home and napped...(as did Mom and DH)

Other than that I am doing laundry and watched Oprah. Lazy today for sure.
I felt like I deserved a day of rest. DH is in his shop now and I am sure he is loving not having to get one tool out and put it back before he can get another. He has "stations" for all of his big machines and can work on projects without being cramped. And also has the wood from all of the trees we cut down...stacks in the garage and workshop.

I will BBL gotta fold clothes.

Hello ladies...

JULES...I'll be looking for the pm with the address. If he just went over there, it will probably be a couple of weeks. Trying to think of how long it took Josh to get me his address. Sorry that your DD is going to have to move after all the decorating you guys did. But, I know if she moves home you will be a happy camper! I don't know what I am going to do when all the kids are gone, probably cry all the time. Sorry too that DH might have to look for a new job. It's terrible when so many family, friends etc. work for a company. Well, sometimes it is a good thing but from past experience...like you said, they don't do anything because they know they can get away with it, and that is sad when others have to pick up their work.

MICHELLE...so good to see you back and WTG on the exercise and weightloss! Sorry to hear about your mom though. I hope they are making her comfortable. When you get a chance if you would e-mail me or pm me your e-mail address. For some reason when i went to e-mail you I couldn't find it anywhere. I remembered that you had changed it.

SASSY...my bad day was Wednesday, seemed like nothing went right that day. Hope you're day got better. About the stockings, you can do it anyway you want. I've not started stuffing them yet so it wouldn't be a problem to stuff yours too but again, whatever is easiest for you.

MARTI...I've done that before. V works so much sometimes when he is home we will start chatting and lose track of time. I usually stick to a schedule for the most part and when he is home it throws everything out of whack, but a good whack that I enjoy.

Hi to everyone else

No special plans for the weekend. Oh, me and V are going to look at Open Houses tomorrow after he gets off work. No we are not moving, already went through that, lol. Just being nosy I guess. We like looking at them and getting ideas. And working on my scrapbook pages.

Take care ladies and I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Edited to say HI to SUE! I could use a margarita! Sounds so good right now. If I had liquor in the house I would make some to have with our mexican dinner tonight.

Hi Cristina- I know I am definitley NOT moving, but if DH would go with me I would look at Open Houses. Like you, for the decorating ideas. I love seeing what other people do, color wise and all. I am slowly getting things on the walls and still have a few ideas of my own.

Marti- Don't blame you at all for chatting with your DH. You did say "chatting? ' LOL

Jules- That is such a shame about your DD moving..after all the hard work of fixing up her place. Hope she finds a nice little 1 bedroom place so she won't have to share. (unless, of course, you get her to move home.)

Sassy- Hope things are going better for you. A bad day can really be upsetting. Add to that the fact that you have not been feeling well anyway. Sorry gal...hope all is better.

Mary Kate- Hope you are not having too much pain, or too little sleep. Yes, I know the moving will end and, like having a baby, I will forget how hard it was. We heard that our buyers are still on track...and the 30 days are not up yet. So, we just have to be patient.

Norma- Thanks for the calorie info. I know several years ago when a nutritionist told me how many calorie I could eat and lose weight I thought she was crazy. Sounded like way too many...but I lost 13 pounds. Hmmm, why can't I do that now?

Jane- Where, oh where are you today? Are things okay with Mary? Thinking of you both with good wishes.

I didn't do much else after my earlier post. Finished the laundry, took Mom's little dog for a walk and actually went through 2 boxes of pictures. I have a nice big plastic tub I am storing framed pictures in...so sorted those and put some out on a shelf. Every box is emptied and everything is put away. I am not guaranteeing things will stay where they have been put, as we live here and move things about. But I am feeling pretty good about what is finished.

Plans for the week-end...Mom and I WILL go shopping tomorrow. Finally! I have quite a list...plus some BD money to spend. I am in desperate need of long sleeved blouses and/or sweaters. Kohl's is having a sale.

I just wanted to check in and say hi to you all. Hello, Michelle, I'm Norma. I must have joined after you took a break. I love it here. These are terrific ladies! Cristina, terrific pictures. I was tickled to see that you are a doily person on your furniture. I think we are a dying breed.
I've been in the dumps lately. I cried off and on all day and I can't tell you why. My poor sweetie kept trying to apologize for doing something to make me unhappy but I coudn't get him to understand that he didn't do anything at all. I couldn't tell him why I felt so blue. My ear infection came back and the pain now goes down my neck into my right shoulder. The doctor put me on stronger antibotics and more pain meds. Nothing is working yet.
Sorry to be a whiner. (See Sassy, you haven't cornered the market.LOL) I get an "A" in whinning. LOL
I hope you all have a super weekend.
Norma

Good morning, ladies,

Julie - Grey's is just so good, and we like the new show that comes on after it, too - Six Degrees. I didn't think Meredith would pick the vet, even though she should have. I just love George's interaction with Dr. Torres, but wow, she made a mistake taking Dr. McSteamy home w/her! George isn't really committed to her, but still. Yowza, you had a busy day, yesterday! Too bad about your Dd having to move, especially since she did all that work to the apartment. Hopefully she'll come home, but that's hard once you've been out on your own. The other apartment you mentioned sounds like it would be good. Not many places let you have a pet like they would.

Cristi - thank you for the Halloween card! I'm not sending any this year, but will probably send Christmas cards. TY also for the prayers for Mary. She will know more by the first of next week, I hope. Love the photos! You've put a lot of hard work in this project. How long is the average stay for a soldier over there? Did you say he'll get Christmas leave.

Sue - glad you're getting so much done in the house. Have fun shopping with your mom today. Thanks for the good wishes for Mary.

Norma - hope you're feeling cheerier today and that your ear infection pain has lessened.

Tiffany - check in with us, ok? Hope all is well.

Hello to Marti, Sassy, Michelle(glad you're back) and anyone else reading this.

I was so busy yesterday, I didn't get to come here at all. We took the kids for Mary, and gave her most of the day off. They're better for us than they are for her - you know how kids can be.

Today I'm pretty sure Neal and I are going to Evansville after while.

Have a good one.

Jane--I loved doped up Meredith--it brought out alot and I loved her interaction with Addison who is one of my favorite characters. I knew she wouldn't pick Finn either even though I believe he would be better for her, Derrick just makes me mad--the man needs to resolve his issues. I can relate to Meredith, during my dating years before hubby I never stayed with the "nice" guy, it was like because I was damaged from childhood abuses I didn't understand that I am good enough and I deserve to be happy. Our joke between my friends and I were that I could walk into a room of 100 guys and 99 when be nice and treat me good and there would be that one that wouldn't and I would walk up to that one and say "take me I am yours". What is it about sexual, physical or emotionally abused women or those who have abandonment issues that make us do that??? I guess if I had the answer and could fix it the world would be a better place and I would win a Nobel peace prize.

Sassy--I watched a program with Dr Oz on Discovery Health and he makes alot of sense. My hubby actually wants to get one of his books, I think it was mentioned on an earlier thread. Hope your tests come back good and you have a good weekend too.

Norma--I am a doiley person too, I have several that were my grandmother's and I have always had a lace runner on top my dresser since I was small. After I get better at knitting, I want to move on to crochet and make them myself. My daughter has one on her dresser too. Ear infections are the pits. A few years ago I ended up with sinus infection after sinus infection and each one also gave my bad earaches. My balance was so off I felt like the "before" person walking slanted in the old "you need a V8" commercials.

Sue--I love Kohl's they have really nice stuff. I am a rearranger myself--drives hubby nuts--he wants stuff to stay in the same place forever!! I am actually washing all dd's fall/winter stuff to freshen it up to go to her house. It's getting cold fast. According to the wooley bear catepillars in this area it's going to be a COLD winter.

Cristina--Hubby has been extra grumpy because of a twisted knee and doesn't deal well with anything including me when he is in pain. He may change his mind as the pain goes away. I'll keep you posted about Tony, DS called his wife Katy and she doesn't have an address yet though he has talked to her. He called DS when he was in Kuwait waiting to go into Iraq.

Marti--quick hi back at you!! and everyone else who is lurking but didn't post since the last time I posted.

DD and I did go to the apartment yesterday and though it is small she really likes it-she fell in love with it as soon as we walked in and we already have her stuff arranged in our heads. It's a quiet building and I really hope she gets it. While we were there the landlord asked if we had looked at any others and she said this was the first but there was another we had yet to set a definite walk through at. She told him that it was less money ($85 a month less actually)but she wasn't sure about it though since it was right smack downtown on a busy noisy street with no off street parking and with her getting home late working nights she wasnt sure she would feel safe, but that she definitely needs to move out before Nov 1 so she would have to keep looking unless she definitely got this place which she loved. She said she was waiting for the Sunday paper to come out which has alot of new listings every week. He told her that he would leave her know by then, that it is between here and a couple--he said he got some really strange applicants. He has already called all her references last night so I think it's looking good for her. He likes longterm tenants and she said that she moved out of our house into her husband's in July of last year, then after three months he left and she moved in with her brother in October, DS's girlfriends lease was up in August and was moving into their apartment and her friend had just leased a place she couldn't afford on her own and she wanted to give her brother and his girlfriend privacy so she moved again in July to the little house with the friend that they fixed up and now that friend wants to move in with her boyfriend and she can't afford the place on her own and she isn't sure she wants another roomate and she is definitely tired of moving all her stuff and will be here at least four years until she finishes her new major. Her brother lives up the street and we live close and the apartment is halfway between school and work and close to the mall and Walmart so it is a perfect location. Another friend wants take over their lease on the cute little house they fised up. Her boyfriend and her and their 9 month old daughter have been looking and she loves it. Her boyfriend does home improvement and can keep up better with the upkeep because that landlord has turned out to be as shady as all the neighbors tried to tell DD. I think if they hadn't done the extreme cleaning and all the painting it wouldn't have been done by July 1st when they moved in. My dh, dd and a family friend did the yard cleanup in AUgust that the landlord said would be done before the move in date of July 1 and the work to help with water runoff form the backyard to the back porch still isn't fininshed and hubby cleaned out and fixed the gutters that were never finished. The oil furnace has not been repaired and the tank isn't hooked back up yet. Once DD knows for sure that she has the place her and her roomate are going to talk to the landlord about it for this friend. Hopefully it will ease him being mad about losing them even though there is a clause that lets them out of the lease, but he has broke alot of promises he made them also. As cold as it is getting the heating system needs to be fixed and dd is currently using some electric heaters that don't keep the house very warm at night with the temps getting down in the upper thirties.

Well I gotta go!!

Cristina -- Thanks for the Halloween Card! I need to get mine out! lol........

Hi Jules! Yeah The book I want is "The Perfect Patient" and he is supposed to be coming out with a Diet Plan one too that is supposed to be out around Halloween, I think I read from an earlier thread on here.

Hi Everybody else, I hope your having a Great Weekend.

Jules - I too was abused (molested) as a child/teen by an extended family member and I also used to go for the bad guys. It was as though I felt that's all I deserved, but oddly enough, I never did think the molestation caused my obesity, although some people can find a direct tie-in. I like Addison a lot, too. She's much prettier than Meredith, and not at all whiney. Wasn't she the one with poisen ivy on her va-jay-jay? tee hee

Sassy - I am having a great weekend, and hope you are, too.

For the record, I am going to be following Dr. Roizen and Oz's advice to the letter when the book You on a Diet - the Owners Guide to Waist Management comes out 10/31. It will be focusing on waist reduction which helps with heart health, boosting the immune system, healthy whole foods, and exercise. That's all I know until the book comes out Halloween Day. I admire both the doctors and have told my Thursday group and my family that I'll be doing the prescribed diet for at least one solid month. I respect these two doctors, and feel it could only benefit me to follow their advice.

Neal and I ended up going to Terre Haute instead of Evansville today. We had fun, and I really didn't spend too much money, either. I did get 12 new placemats at Elder-Beerman. They were 1/2 price, and I just love placemats and tablecloths. I also picked up a beautiful tablecloth for Christmas. Now that I have such a looooooong table, I need all new tablecloths, lol.

Gotta go. Chat at ya tomorrow!

Well, I was also at Elder Beerman today, and Kohl's, Sear's, Wally World and Meijer. Whew!
I bought blue and yellow hand towels for the half bath. (DH's domain) We put a painting in there of a log cabin by a stream. It has lots of blues and the logs are yellow/gold. I couldn't find the gold towels I envisioned, but if I find them I will buy them too. I sat a basket with blue weaving on back of the toilet to hold extra towels until DH can build a cabinet.
I bought a cream matelasse' coverlet/shams set for the master. The room is sooo big that I brought a chair and ottoman from the old house and sat it in the corner with a floor lamp. The chair is floral print on cream with navy blue, burgundy, two or three shades of green and some slight gold. Sold the matching sofa and loveseat, but kept the huge floor pillows. I PLAN to make smaller pillows for the bed from them...tying in the chair print to the solid bed color. Will use burgundy semi sheers over cream pleated shades at the windows. The windows are in the corner..so I hope to hang a panel at each window and pull them back...can't really explain, but as if each window is half of a larger window..
I also bought very pale lavender towels for the master bath....I know it sounds funny with the bedroom colors....but, long story: I couldn't decide what to use in the bathroom so I had all these wall things in a box, most from the extra rooms at the old house. I started laying them out on the floor and 2 floral pictures jumped out at me. They have the same colors as the bedroom, just more muted and a deep rose color also. One was in a walnut frame (the vanity is walnut, so no brainer) and one in a brushed nickel frame (the fixtures are brushed nickel, so another no brainer) Once I hung them in the bathroom I saw that one picture has lavender flowers just popping out...and my dried flower wreath just happened to have the same color flowers along with deep rose ones. I couldn't find the deep rose towels, but I will keep watching. I did steal my potted deep rose colored roses from the old great room and sat them on the vanity with a rose candle. So...it all pulled together and colors I would not have thought of! Very floral in there...luckily DH doesn't care.
What else did I buy? Hmmm...I bought slippers..2 long sleeved knit shirts and a corduroy shirt. (for me) A new phone/answering machine, bunch of hangers to organize the closet and some hand lotion. Spent every bit of my birthday money and then some. LOL...
Still need to go to Hobby Lobby, but I tired Mom out today and thought we better get home. I am looking for a new picture to put in a frame DH made with a matching mirror. The frame had another rose picture..as that is what I used in my old great room. Now I want something outdoorsy with fallish type colors. There is also a shelf (where I stole the potted roses) which I want to put a nice candle/candle holder on. Once that is done I will just have to decide on something for the mantle...and will be done in there. It is hard because DH was just ready to move things from the old house and put them right back up in the same settings. I don't mind using some of the same things and some things I cherish...but I was looking for new ways to use them and new things to add. The spare room got my snowfall oil paintings from the old dining room...and they look great and different in there. Funny how you can put things together for a new look. I told Mom I might end up with a house that looks like a hodge podge...but it is my hodge podge! LOL
Now...the next hurdle is the utility hallway and laundry area. I am thinking family pictures and photos on the long hallway...and that will take time to work on. Laundry room can be something cutsie since I need a smile when I go in there.

Oh wow...I am writing a book and no one really cares if I have zebra striped towels..ha. I guess I just got excited to have some of this finally come together.
Tomorrow...closet organization!!
Happy Sunday to you all!

Hi gals.

It's a little late here so this will be a short one. Wanted to pop in and say hello. Spent the day w/James running errands and a little shopping. Didn't buy what I wanted, but there is always tomorrow. I need to start thinking of Christmas gift buying!!
Jhanai fell in love w/the movie: The Notebook, so I will be buying her that and the book. One idea down! More to go!

Better get off here and get some sleep.

Hugs to you all.

Hello ladies....

SUE...oh, I do enjoy hearing about your decorating. I love the colors you have chosen and can actually picture it all together. Our bedroom and bath were those colors (burgundy's, pinks & navy) when we moved here. Our bath stayed the same through changing the bedroom to blue but we went with a cream color when we painted and went with sage. To be honest, I don't like the color in the bath, seems to plain to me. But it will stay that way for a while, DH is tired of painting, lol. And I've been there, done that...decorating a new house and I can tell by your post how excited you are about doing it.

NORMA...I'm sorry your ear is still bothering you. I do hope the meds do something for the pain soon. And yes, I am a doily person...have been for years. I love the crocheted ones and I even have a (plastic) tub full of doily's, placemats, runners and tablecloth's. I just feel that a table, dresser, etc. needs a little something and a doily is the perfect touch for me.

MARTI...I've been thinking a lot about Christmas shopping too. I think the first of November I am going to start. I know what I am getting Carrie, and Josh, Jason is the hard one. I don't think V and I will exchange gifts this year as I would rather donate the money to help the Troops or homeless. I too liked The Notebook and have both the DVD and the book. But I must say, I was a little disappointed in the movie. It was good but the book was sooooo much better. I'm glad I read the book before I got the movie. Actually, that was one of the DVD's V got me for V-Day last year. Along with my other two favs, Sleepless in Seattle and While You Were Sleeping.

JANE...you don't have to thank me for the prayers for Mary. I was thinking about her and hoping she is doing well. Not sure when Josh will be home. He said they are sending some guys home for R&R but didn't say if it was his platoon or not. Last he told me he thought Jan or Feb but the cut-off date is March thru May for them to go home so who knows. I did tell him to let me know if he thinks they will be coming home for Christmas so that I can send the stockings earlier if I have to...thinking I probably should anyway. Glad you and Neal had a nice day of shopping.

SASSY...I will definitely go check out Oprah's site. I used to get her e-mails but haven't in quite a while. Glad you are feeling better and I hope the tests come out normal.

JULES...does your son know where in Iraq Tony is going to? I thought where Josh went wasn't too bad...any place over there is bad but some places worse than others. I just pray there is an end to this war soon, before too many more die-it breaks my heart. Keeping my fingers crossed DD gets the apartment. Well, I hope DH is feeling better. V is like that too. He's working too much and is stressed and tired and tends to be grouchy towards us. I told him to take some time off but he won't, so...just have to deal with it right now I guess.

Hi to everyone else, MARY KATE, MICHELLE, TIFFANY, JUDITH, and anyone I missed.

Well, we got some great ideas from the open houses yesterday and, I want o sell our house and buy one of them. OMG! Those Model homes were GORGEOUS! Well, some of them. Every year they have a Parade of Homes and last year we didn't go but made a point of going this year. We don't go in people's homes, it's just the new model homes. I love the lay-out of this one in particluar so we got some info on the builder. Our plan when we bought this house was to stay here for 10 years and then move back out to the country. We've been here 2 1/2 years and I am so glad we decided not to move a while back-don't know what we were thinking. Anyway, we spent about 3 hours looking at a few homes, didn't see them all. Maybe next weekend we can go look at some more. Came home and got some yardwork in before it got dark. But it was nice to actually spend some time with DH. Today I am working on my scrapbook pages. I have it all on the table and am hoping to be finished this week so I can start on Josh's Army album. I've been buying stuff for his album since he joined the Army and bought the Army album a couple of months ago just never started it. Then i need to get back to Carrie's. Okay, yakkity, yak....I am babbling now. It's too quiet here today with no one home but me and Ernie dog. And it's a cloudy, rainy day, kind of depressing. Anyway...

Take care ladies, and I hope everyone is having a good weekend!

Hi ladies,

Sue - I just love Elder Beerman's. They have a good selection of just about everything, don't they?

Marti - I'm with Jhanai, I like the movie and book The Notebook, too.

Cristi - I'll just be glad when the test results come back on Mary. Did you mean March - May is the cutoff date for Josh to come home for R&R? I love looking at new homes, too, and went through a lot of model homes before we selected a floor plan we liked, where everything was almost right, then we still had to make changes with the builder. I think the thing I like best about our house is the alcove off the master bedroom which makes the room huge. Well, of course the stone fireplace is Neal's pick, lol. Did you get any work done on the scrapbook pages?

Well, it's so quiet at home today - none of the kids or grandkids are around. I do believe I'm going out to buy a few more Christmas presents. One thing I got for Neal is a jigsaw puzzle of our area, with our address being the center of a 6 mile radius. He'll love that! I sent off for it at personalcreations.com , and also got a wall hanging for Terry and Gina with their names on it. It's 10 weeks until Christmas - I better get a move on, lol, I'm running behind.

Have a good day, chickas,