Trying to stay in touch here...but work's been very busy this week...they may even wrap up session today! *crossing fingers*

Got our tree yesterday...it's 11 feet tall!....DH is already b*tching that we WON'T be getting a tree that big next year! *L* We don't have it in the house yet, we'll tackle that job tonight or tomorrow night...I've got to buy a stand for it, neither of the 2 we have are big enough! I got a good deal on it, one of my coworkers has a tree farm & it's one he had cut for a special order & then didn't need, so I didn't pay full price for it. Getting the lights on it should be interesting.

Vicki - hope you're feeling better soon

Bailey - hang in there...you had to make a tough decision, but I'm sure you did what was right for you & that's what's important.

To everyone else, sorry I don't have time to address all the posts directly. Hope you are all having a happy holiday season so far!

LE

HELLO!

3 pages of posts again - my are we the posters!! I FINALLY got my Christmas china out yesterday & am using it. Usually I like to have it out on the 1st, but I guess the 5th is not bad. It makes me smile to see it & use it.

Happy - what is IALAC that is says below your name?

Jul - I've been to Big Cedar Lodge! Nice place. ~ I have a couple blockbuster certificates to get. Found out today they don't sell them online. Bummer. ~ I have packing & shipping to do too. Probably should do that early next week - don't want anything to be late!

Lauren - glad that your cholesterol has dropped! That's always good. ~ Next week! I'd be nuts! (OK, so I'm already nuts!).

Bailey - no list yet?? Oh my! You best get going girl!

Legal - I have a very tall tree too! They are so fun!

have a great day all!

RABBIT

Well, It is almost 4pm and I am out of bed finally!!!!Feeling rather yuck with the throat and swollen glands...Hopefully better soon!!!I just need Advil and I would be better!!!!!

Lauren--Congrats on the cholesterol thingee!!!!That is wonderful!!!

Bailey-I am with U on the CHristmas gifts!!!My intentions were good...made lists..started shopping and then stopped...I did do toysrus.com with free shipping and racked up on the kids gifts!!Even bought birthday things since there was no tax or shipping charges!!!Lot cheaper than the store!!!

Well, off to bed!!!I could get use to this life!!!!NOT!!!!
RR

LE: I'm envious of your 11 ft tree. I love tall trees...wish I had taller cealings. There is still a little sap mark on the ceiling from last years tree.

Rabbit: Thats wonderful that you enjoy using your christmas china so much. I would ask for some for christmas but my DH would remind me that I don't use the good china that often as it is.

Bailey: it usually doesn't take me long to christmas shop. We make glass so we give glass. I also keep a stash of things that I've traded for with other artist thru out the year, so when I get ready to wrap I just open up the dormer storage box and pick and choose who gets what, and then I go out to the studio and pick some glass off the shelves. I really only have to buy for my two boys and my 5 nieces. The nieces are easy everyone gets a book (Amazon.com) and an ornament. By the time those girls are out on their own they will already have enough blown ornaments for their first tree. The one year I did not give glass and spent tons of time shopping...everyone got mad that they didn't get glass. Oh well....

I really should do a little house cleaning. I'm just having such a hard time moving today. Been feeling like I'm getting the flu so just spending alot of time on the couch.

- jul

Hi All,

HELP!! I am completely out of control!! The Ferrero Rocher chocolates have been calling me...and I've been answering every time!! I stopped at the A&P on my way home last night to pick up some things to eat for the next week, and there they were, all different little...and big...containers of them. Looking soo pretty in their display!! I bought a cute little plastic container of 16 I think. It's about 12-15 minutes from the store to home, depending on the lights, and I ate almost all of them!! I was like a mad woman, I could not get enough of that luscious chocolate hazelnut crunch!! They had Godiva icecream, the small cartons, on sale buy 1 get one free...they had choc. hazelnut truffle flavor...I had to try it. Right inside the entrance, where the carts are, they had Yodels and Funny Bones 2/$4...I caved and got one of each. I got home, completely disgusted with myself, and through it all in the freezer...hopefully I'll forgot about it. UGH!! DH saw the icecream and said to me, aww, is it that bad? Not like I'm PMSing...freaking AF is here!! What is the matter with me? Am I just getting my kicks in before the new year?! I haven't even thought about resolutions yet...except that I want my nails back in January. Lean Cusine's were on sale buy1/get 1 free, I stocked up...but did not bring one today. Now I have about 10-12 LC's in my freezer. I feel really pathetic, because even with all this mess, I've still be researching how much cholesterol, and other things you're supposed to have per day!! I really need to get myself together and DO what I've been researching!! I have not stepped on the scale, and I'm afraid to!!

I'm just sick of myself right now!!

HI ALL!

Just checking in. Starting a new week today - whew! I always like to start fresh.

RR - atleast it sounds like you are done with the kids shopping!

Jul - Yes, I love my Christmas china. I have the Spode tree pattern. I've been collecting it for awhile now. I don't have regular china. We decided not to get any since we probably wouldn't use it much. ~ Cool that everyone gets glass ornaments! They are so beautiful, I'm sure. I see some in catalogs & they are so nice.

BFB - studying to be a legal secretary sounds great. Should be interesting work.

Lauren - oh no! You have to just say no & walk away from the sweets! (so much easier said than done). Try not to go to the store hungry - if you don't bring it home, you can't eat it. Be strong!

RABBIT

Good Afternoon!!!
Feeling much better...Did go back to work but took it easy!!!!

Lauren--I would never even drive close with my buggy to those little round demons in the store!!!That is pure temptations!!!I am with Rabbit~bloat on water before shopping!!!!Of course, now with the chocolate giving me the yacks..it would be a great time to buy!!!!!!Good Luck getting it back on track!!!!!

Have a great one!!!BFB-Good luck with the studies!!!!
RR

Hi All,

OK, I'm sick of myself and I refuse to let it go any further!! I am going to get myself back on track!! I need to take control of my life in all aspects. I guess I am feeling the end of the year, and almost a whole year of marriage. I can't believe it's been almost 9 months already!! I am feeling the pressure because I only have 3 weeks to find a place to live...that's gonna go really fast! I have to let the mgmt. company know by Jan. 1st officially that we're leaving. I am having problems getting my dear loving DH to get motivated though. I am really in take charge mode, and he's not. I want to start getting things done, in all aspects...the tree decorated, the Christmas cards written and sent out, the wedding pic to the newspapers, pics made for everyone for presents, find a place to live, get DH's debt under control, etc...I'm sure you can all relate in some sense! In fact, I'm gonna go take the comic books away from his grip and talk to him now!

Have a great day all!

Hello Everyone,

I can't believe I didn't post all week . Haven't been doing well on the weight loss thing, although I haven't been near a scale in a month I can tell. I'm with LBH I NEED to get back on track, I just can't seem to get motivated.

Met my folks to go mall walking and Christmas shopping this morning. I'm done except for one gift. In K's family we draw names and this year they decided to drop the limit to $20, I know I have expensive tastes, but what do you buy for under $20???? . I'm going to have to get creative and I hate that.

LBH - I always seem to eat more the week of, and it's that I'm hungry it's not just cravings. Definately never shop hungry it's a diet killer. Good luck getting back on track, and on the FHA, I bought my first house that way since my credit stunk, but I had payed off my debt.

Rabbit - You obviously love Christmas, it is so heartening to see (or hear).

Happy - what Jul said about the sideboard, although to expand, I thought I wanted a buffet, but when I went shopping the stores around here called a buffet the piece under a hutch which I just thought was part of the hutch , the piece we got is 6 ft long and has 3 drawers across the top with three doors underneath. It looks absolutely georgous in the dinning room.

RR - Hope your feeling better. And I say since your sick let DH do the shopping, I decided that was the good part of having a husband .

Baily - Welcome back!! Sorry you had to go thru something like that and glad you're hanging on.

LE - 11 ft . We only have 8 ft ceilings and I'm allergic to real trees so the 7.5 ft plastic will have to suffice.

BFB - Hang in there and good luck.

Jul - Homemade gifts are always the best. I have a couple handblown ornaments from Greenfield Village glass shop and I love how they sparkle on the tree.

I don't remember who asked, but I sew mainly quilts. I'm also planning to make the window treatments for the house, the people who lived here before obviously didn't believe in them, it kind of reminds me of that blinds comercial..

Well now that I've written a novel, I better go find lunch (need to go grocery shopping).

Have a great weekend all!!

- Tech

I'm back again!

Did not get very far with DH, he thinks he's getting sick, because he's tired and achey. He doesn't have a fever though, so I gave him more OJ and a couple Advil.

I got online and checked the paper for today's rentals. Found a couple that sound good. Unfortunately they are through Home Hunters Brokers. Are they nationwide? I remember years ago calling them about a place and they said well that one's not available, but we have this...and it would be ridiculously expensive. Maybe they've changed, but I won't believe it til I see it! There was a 2BR cottage in Mendham, a hoity toity town (Whitney Houston lives there!) LR, DR, Kit, W/D hook ups, cat ok for 1150./mo. plus all utilities. That's an incredible price for around there, that's why I'm sceptical, but I called and asked for details and they guy said their fee is $175, good for 4 months to find us something. The only other thing we pay is the regular security (1 1/2 months rent) to the landlord. So DH says OK call back. So we're gonna go meet this guy and sign up, then see the house, he said we could see it today. If he said we couldn't see it today, or it was gone, I would've said screw it to them. Hopefully this is on the level. And if something doesn't work out with him, we've lost $175, but I guess it could be worse.

Still feeling motivated... Have a great afternoon all!!

So I guess I'm talking to myself today!!

We went to the Home Hunter's office and registered with them. The way they work it is, they are just a liason between the home owner and the renters. He printed out a sheet of listing in the areas we wanted, then he called the guy who owns the house in Mendham. The guy wanted to ask us some questions, so I spoke on the phone with him. What it is, is like an old summer camp like complex. It's 5 houses on the property, little cottages. There's one in front and 4 behind it. The one in front is a family w/three kids. The one that we are looking at is a couple that just had a baby a few months ago and are moving to AZ. The other three are single men, one's been there 10 yrs., one 5 yrs., one 1 1/2 yrs. He tried to call the tenants but they weren't home. He said he would've met us over there to show the place, but they have a dog and he has not met the dog, so he didn't want to go into a house where there's a dog he hasn't met. I agreed that wasn't a good idea. He's going to get in touch and tell them that we want to see it tomorrow between 10-2, whatever's best for them. We have the address though, so we drove by it. It's gonna be really small, and I don't know that we're gonna be happy in that set up...parking stinks, and it's really rustic! If it was the front house, it would be ok, it's a little bigger and set away from the others. he had another listing in Morris Plains, which is the town I really want to live in, but the location is on the main drag and it may be a PIA. I may call there tomorrow though, to see about it.

I'm sure you're all sick of hearing about my day... Just waiting for some good TV to come on!! (Like that'll happen on a Saturday night!) In other news, it's been wet-snowing here since around 2 this afternoon!! There was some sticking to the grass, but I think it's changed to pretty much rain now. They originally were calling for snow tomorrow, not today!

I'm also here because I'm trying to stay out of the freezer! I had a little of that icecream I bought, but didn't go overboard. Think I'll go surf around a little! Hope everyone's having a great night...or at least more exciting than mine!!

Wow Lauren, I didn't realize just how hard it is to find a place to live till this week. I know of 2 families that have had their houses pulled out from under them (renting month to month, no contracts, only 30 day notices needed) and they are having hard times finding any place to move to. Good luck I'll be thinking 'happy hunting thoughts' for you.

We're actually going to get to go to church in the morning! First time in ages since we've traveled for shows so much. Everyone will probably greet us like first time visitors and no one will remember us!!
- jul