My dad and Kristin dancing
Me and son dancing
Jake and Samantha at alter being silly

I will try to get to personals tomorrow. Finance meetings are over and will have one day before LV meetings start on Thursday. End of year is h*ll.

GOOD MORNING CHICKS.
KIND OF CHILLY ALREADY. JUST TURNED UP THE HEAT A NOTCH. MORE THAN LIKELY I WILL NOT BE POSTING TOMORROW. WE'RE GOING TO TRADER JOES AND THEN JEN WANTS TO SPEND THE DAY TOGETHER AND EAT DINNER WITH RICHIE.
NOTHING NEW YESTERDAY. DID SOME WORK AND LEFT.
SAME OLD SAME OLD IN THAT DEPARTMENT
HAVE A GREAT DAY.





LAURA...I HAD A LAUGH YESTERDAY. "THE PRARIE HOME COMPANION".....
I WAS SURFING CABLE AND LO & BEHOLD THERE WAS THE MOVIE!!
I CRACKED UP. I FORGET THE GUYS NAME OFF HAND BUT HE WAS THE OLD COWBOY AND HAD JUST DIED.
I SAW KEVIN KLINE. TOO FUNNY. TALK ABOUT A DYSFUNCTIONAL GROUP. btw~ YOU DID NOT SOUND LIKE A SCROOGE.
THEY KEPT UPPING THE PRICE OF THE GIFT HERE UNTIL THE WHOLE IDEA FELL APART.
I JUST CAN'T BELIEVE THEY CANCELLED THE PARTY HERE.
THANKS FOR THE DEFINITION OF 6 DEGREES.
I KNEW I HAD HEARD IT BEFORE. LOL
HOPE THE MUSCLES AREN'T TOO SORE FROM THE BARRE EXERCISES. OUCH!





CEEJAY....MAYBE OUR MOTTO FOR 2013 SHOULD BE NO NEW FRIENDS!!
I ALSO HATE THE MOVIES WITH THE LOUD VOLUME.
IT MAKES MY HEART RACE. lol
I LOVE DVDs!!! aLSO LIKED HARPER & DOLVETT.
THEY ARE BRINGING JILLIAN MICHAELS BACK THIS YEAR.
THERE WILL BE 3 TEAMS AGAIN.




HAPPY......NOT EVEN IF IT IS A POSSIBLE WORLDY CHICK AM I GOING TO MAKE A NEW FRIEND!
SOMETHING ALWAYS GOES WRONG IN THE END.
I GET THAT COFFEE SMELL FROM THINGS DOWNSTAIRS IN THE OFFICE KITCHEN. MAYBE IT'S A WOMENS THING.
MEN HAVE LESS ACUTE SENSES OF SMELL I HEARD.
IT'S EXPENSIVE TO EAT OUT. A FRIEND OF MINE WAS BIOTCHING ABOUT A DINER -TYPE PLACE CALLED JOHNNY ROCKETS.
NOT SURE IF IT'S STILL OPENED. SAFE TRAVELS TO DULUTH




ANNIE....THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE PICTURES.
THEY CAME OUT GREAT. LOVE THE ONE WITH DAD ESPECAILLY.
WHAT A GREAT KEEPSAKE.
GOOD LUCK WITH THE MEETINGS AND HOPE THE REST OF THE WEEK GOES OK

WAIT TILL JEN WAKES UP AND I TELL HER WE FORGOT THE HOUSING MEETINGS ARE TOMORROW AFTER TRADERS!!
I JUST GOT THE "DON'T FORGET" EMAIL FROM MY BOSS!!! HA!
AND THEY WILL BE LONG ONES TOO.
WE DON'T MEET AGAIN UNTIL THE END OF JANUARY.

THis site is acting rediculous here at work, jumping up and down, can barely keep up with it. I will try to post tonight from home. Sassy has her final vet appt for shots. I have her scheduled for Friday, December 21st to be spayed. That way I can pick her up that evening and be with her all weekend long through CHristmas. God love her. I feel so badly for doing that to her. SHe is so little.

Chat at cha tonight, hopefully!

Love and hugs

Good morning ladies,

We took a ride into Duluth yesterday - picked up a few things at the Home Depot store. I wanted to look at the Christmas decorations but DH said they were seconds and rejects and were not for sale.

man I HATE HATE HATE this adverts that mess with the postings here.

Ok, trying again. We did have dinner at Olive Garden (Italian restaurant). Certainly got more for our money this time. I had an appetizer and the salad and told them to box up my entree right at the kitchen. We had an early dinner so I ate the ravioli later that evening. Yum it was good. Most of what we get around here is burgers or fish so it was nice to have something different. Today I have to run errands in town then when I come back I have some laundry and picking up to do. Still debating about what / if I want to decorate.

Garrison Keillor - ok, had to look that one up before it drove me crazy. I tried listening to him when the Prarie Home Companion and Lake Wobegon (?) were so popular and I just never got into it. Now I can let it fly back out of my head

Mel - Pretty little cart full of flowers you have there. My cart is just full of frost this morning I got the cutest little miniature poinsettia plant at the store yesterday. I will have to take a picture of it. It's adorable. I hope I can keep it alive. Wasn't 6 Degrees of Separation a movie with Will Smith and Stockard Channing? They do a funny spin off of that concept with Kevin Bacon - the actor. They say that every actor in the business can be traced back to someone who played in a movie with Kevin Bacon. It's pretty funny. And I think we ate at a Johnny Rockets diner once - in the airport at Las Vegas I'm thinking???? You're making me remember stuff from long ago this morning Good luck with those long, boring meetings tomorrow.

Annie - thanks for the pictures. Looks like it was a great wedding. Cute dress that you have on. Hope work is not too horrid for you.

Ceejay - we rarely go to the movies anymore for the same reason - volume way too loud. Don't give up on the food logging - I know it can be a pain but it's so revealing when you are watching things and I think it really makes one more aware of what's going in the mouth.

Guess I'd better get ready and get on with the day. Talk to you later ladies...

Annie - I was having alot of problems typing my post too. Grrrr.

Happy
Logging my food is a pita but you are right it sure lets you know how much you are going over. When I think of Deluth I think of Georgia. That's where my niece lives. I've put out a small amount of decorations which has really lifted my spirit. Think you should put out some also.

Mel
Ah, meetings after food shopping. Maybe you can get together with Jen after that. Or spend all day tomorrow with her. I would like to have some sister time myself.

Annie
Those are very good pictures. Glad that there was no drama at the wedding.

Laura and Shad hello

-------
Up this morning at 7.30. I've got to get back into that 5.30 a.m. groove for work Sunday morning.
I rode the bike last night for 20 minutes. I'm trying for 30 minutes tonight.
I was barely out of breath at 20 minutes.
My dvd has been shipped, so I'm hoping that it will get here Saturday.
Cleaned out the fridge this morning. I want to clean out the car this afternoon.
Bought myself a Christmas present. I'd been seeing those Ninja roasting ovens advertised on t.v. I didn't find the Ninja but I bought a Rival at Walmart. I also want a tea maker but didn't see those.

Morning all. So everyone's having problems with this site today? It seems to get hung up when I try to navigate from page to page. When I post and it gets hung up, it seems like it happens when someone else apparently has tried to post at the same time as me. Maybe it's a coincidence - I'm sure it's those ads.

Happy - Wow, $12 for a burger!! That's like hotel room service prices, LOL. I've had malts, but I prefer shakes. Now you've got me thinking of Happy Hour at Steak n Shake - half price shakes! Glad you enjoyed your meal at Olive Garden. Very good idea to have the entree boxed right away. I always (belatedly) think I should ask for a to-go box right when the entree comes because they usually are way too large to eat in one meal. More and more frequently, bf and I will share an appetizer or each have a cup of soup and split one entree and it's enough.

LOL re the decorations being seconds and rejects! Re heating plastic - nope, not gonna do it. I don't use my plastic storage containers for that anymore, and I notice in the sale ads that there seems to be more glass storage container sets being offered now. Re the sneakers - I went to Rogan's (shoe store on Dundee in Buffalo Grove - was it there when you lived in AH?) and tried on a bunch of sneakers. Found the one that felt good, price $70 at the store, $46 online. Yes, the store always has a "buy one, get 50% of the 2nd pair" deal, but it still didn't beat the online price. And bf didn't find a pair of sneakers he liked in his size/preferred color, so we didn't have a 2nd pair. And I really just wanted to focus on a pair of sneakers, not start looking at snow boots, dress boots, etc.

Gonna have to look up watercolor pencils, never heard of that. I have a little set of pastels that I don't even know how I ended up with them. I always think I'd like to play with those - the colors are so intense. Have you done any painting/drawing in the past? I'd like to take an art class sometime - maybe sketching.

Never saw the Six Degrees of Separation movie, and, yes, heard of the Kevin bacon variation of that theory, lol.

Ceejay - Sounds like a good vacation - naps, letting someone else do the housework. I don't usually find the volume at the movie theater too loud. Guess I'm a bit hard of hearing, or I prefer it a bit louder when I'm trying to decipher foreign accents.

Annie - Great photos! Thanks for posting them. Sorry your year end work is a PITA. I'm sure Sassy will be fine. Nice that you'll be home with her after it's done.

Mel - Sounds like a busy Thursday for you. Hope the meetings don't go too long. I liked that Prairie Home Companion movie - I thought Kevin Kline's character was so funny. So the cancelled party - was that the one for the tenants/seniors, or was it for the building staff?? Either way, too bad about that. We're not having a big holiday party at work, but they just sent an invitation for a holiday luncheon. It's on a Monday and I'm pretty sure I'm going to take a vacation day that day - why wouldn't they have it on a Wed? I'm sure there are a lot of people using up their vacation days by taking Fridays &/or Mondays off. There's also an all-employee meeting that day, but I still think I'm taking that day off. Bad scheduling decision if you ask me...but they didn't. PS, love the flower cart photo!

==
Nothing much too report for me. Didn't do anything last night. Bf made meatloaf for dinner - tasty. Bf's keen on unlocking our iphone 4's, selling them, and buying iphone 5's. This made me cross with him because I'll have to figure out (again) how to upload my photos and whatever else I have on there without losing it and making sure it can be transferred to the new phone. I just hate iTunes. I have a lot of stuff in the "notes" app that I don't want to lose. Sigh. But I know I will like having a faster phone, so I will get through it.

Probably will exercise tonight, be it a class or a gym visit. And I guess give the iPhone sync/backup a try.

On the bright side, today is my Thursday because I'm taking vacation on Friday. I might also take Monday off work - still have two more days of vacay to use that haven't been scheduled yet.

TTFN!!

Ceejay - yeh, the food logging has been very helpful for me. When you don't log it and you know you're overeating, not knowing how much over is a form of denial, and then it makes it easier just to continue.

Happy - I agree with Ceejay - do a little bit of decorating, it'll make you smile when you see some of your favorite things on display.

Good Evening/Morning Shaddie....

What a whirl wind I have been in since about last Friday. Finally settling down a bit. Poor Curtis has a terrible cold so I have been babying him for the past several days. Vicks rub on the chest and throat, extra C, ibuprofen, and mucinex. He seems to make it through his day but totally exhausted in the evening...dinner and bed. Bless his hard working heart and job.

Sassy's vet appt was a bust. They got mixed up on her shots so when I got there, she was already caught up...so I left work an hour early, rushed home, got Sass, then hurried to the vet. I received a free nail clipping for SaSS for my time. Better than nothing and she needed her nails clipped in the worst way.

LAURA....meatloaf is my go to when I cannot think of anything else to make for dinner. I do make an excellent meatloaf. Samantha used to request it for her birthday dinner....she has moved on to more time consuming items like fried chicken. Enjoy your day off on Friday...I am looking forward to the four days at Christmas, even tho taking care of my lil Sass after her surgery.

CEEG...enjoy your vacation even tho you have to work on Sunday...just makes you appreciate your days off even more. Hugs

HAPPY...OMGoodness, 12 bucks for a burger? Holy Crap! I can buy enough beef to make burgers for 12 people with that. Next time pay half the price and come to Annie's kitchen...sure to get great service and free extras! Decorate to your hearts content. It is all about you sweetie.

MELLIE...have fun with JEN at TJs and then dinner with Richie. I honestly think TJs is a bit expensive, but have such great fresh produce. I truly stick to my grocery list when visiting that store and do not stray at all from the list due to high prices. I do like to go when they have the free try-a-bites. Friday's are good for that.

SHADDIE...interesting article on honey. I am still working on a jar of my brother's beehive honey that he canned himself. Taste great to me, but in my eyes, honey is honey as I do not use it that often. I like all my beverages natural with nothing added...iced tea, coffee, hot tea, etc.

JAVA...glad you keep up with us by lurking and even jumping in now and then. Have a great holiday...

CHELLE...sorry your weekend played on your emotions. Maybe not a good idea while in this rebuilding, recovery time to expose yourself to times with the ex and his momma. Maybe just schedule a bit of time, but not too much with ex-MIL. Just sayin'. Don't make all this any harder than necessary...hugs to you sister.

Hello to all the worldlies...just heard the washer of towels go off, want to dry and fold before bed.

Have a great day/night.

Love and hugs

Letting my heart rate settle down. I rode the bike for 30 minutes and I've logged my food.

Annie
Sending healing vibes for C. Hope he feels well soon. At least Sassy got her nails done while she was at the vet.

Hi all,

Think I will post tonight instead of tomrorow morning. I got somewhat tricked into working today. Got a call asking if I would create some invoices that could be emailed for a recent order. Then could I maybe help with a technical issue? Of course it could not wait until I was working tomorrow - had to be done today. Since I had to run some errands in town, it wasn't too much out of my way. I thought I'd be there 30 minutes tops. Turns out since I was there could I mind the store while they did a delivery? Ok... I was actually there 3 hours. 3 HOURS. I was miffed actually because I had alot of things to do. My very young coworker was funny - she said but you get an extra 22 dollars. I'm sure to her this is gold but not to me - she could not comprehend that having to get things done was more important than a few extra bucks. I also got conned into coming in for a while next week one day on one of my other days off to be the person who understands when the technical guy explains something. I think Ceejay and I need to be locked into a room with a stern teacher who will drill it into our heads that we need to think of ourselves before saying yes to things we don't really want to do. The art of saying NO NO NO

I guess my sister ears were listening tonight - guess what we had for dinner - Meatloaf Didn't come out too bad but I did get a late start on it an consequently I let DH convince me to have dinner downstairs in front of the tv. I got distracted and ate too much. Bleh. Won't make that mistake again.

Ceejay - good going on the bike riding. Sounds like you have enjoyed your vacation. I think you and Laura are right about some Christmas decorations cheering up the place. I sure would love some garland and lights - got a few places that would look great in but that's a bit ambitious for right now. I do admit to sticking my nose and smelling all the lovely pine wreaths and natural Christmas trees I see out at the stores. Love the smell of balsam and Frasier fir trees. Ahhh. I'm sure Duluth, MN is a far cry from Deluth, GA - both in scenery and temperature. Duluth sits right on Lake Superior so it has stunning views of the water. And it's a very hilly town too. Not as bad as San Francisco but rolly enough that I can't imagine driving around there in the bitter winter snows. They must take outstanding care of the roadways.

Annie - sorry to hear that C is sick - hope you can avoid it. Sounds like there's no time off to get well and he just has to muscle up. Poor guy. Good thing he has such a nice person to take care of him. You must not be putting enough spicy peppers in your cooking lately Believe me, there's no way we would have stayed if we knew the burgers were 10 and 12 bucks. Should have known - no prices on the menu board. And yes, I'd like to visit Annie's kitchen sometime but you need to turn down the heat for me and Mel I think we'd all have a grand time cooking at the commune. God bless you for being able to take your drinks au natural. Milk is about the only thing I drink plain. And water of course.

Laura - oh my Steak and Shake's half orange, half chocolate shake. My one guilty indugence in the summer - but I had to work out extra hard to earn that one. Just looked - nearest S&S is in Milwaukee - 6 hours away, ok you can talk about it all you want As for Olive Garden, we did enjoy our meals but both felt that they have reduced the portions substantially. At least from what we remember them being. DH got the Zuppa Toscano and there used to be large pieces of kale, sausage and potatoes. He said his dish (which might have been from the last of the pot) had only tiny pieces of sausage and kale in it and no potatoes to speak of. His pasta and bell peppers was smaller than half the plate. Not that smaller portions are a bad thing, they just never reduce the price to match. As for your question,I have not done any painting other than those ceramic / plaster houses and figurines you get at Michaels. Watercolor pencils caught my eye - you rub the pencil on paper and then pick up the pigment by brushing a wet small paintbrush over it which you then apply to a sketch or drawing. And in some cases people trace a picture using a carbon pencil and then paint and layer the colors using the watercolor pencils. It looks really interesting. I do like to draw - always have - not that good at it but like singing and music - I do it anyway for myself. I kind of agree with you about the volume at the movies - the speaking parts now that you mention it do seem to be quieter but the music sometimes - just booms and blasts one out of their seat. I do want to see that new movie with Barbra Streisand coming out on the 19th - Guilt Trip. I hope it's funny and not just one of those where the best part is the trailers they show. Bummer that you will miss the luncheon at work. I know in the past some people voted for a Monday luncheon so that people would have more time to make a dish on the weekend, rather than the limited time on a worknight. Also they never wanted it on Friday so that there would be several workdays left to eat all the leftovers.

Boy oh boy am I rambling. And sniffling too. Hope I am not catching C's cold. I think I'm going to take a slug of Nyquil and hit the sack early. Tomorrow starts 3 long days of work I am not looking forward to. I'll be packing Christmas tins full of popcorn. LOTS of Christmas tins. Oh well - goodnight ladies. Hope you all get a good sleep. And a bit of quiet time for you too Shad.

Gotta get ready to go home tomorrow. I will then be able to chat to you all. It's been a bit hectic around here last couple of days. Seems that the budget has caught a few by surprise. Haven't heard anything about coming back after Christmas yet, but the GM of WBS (who I am working through) will be up here next week. Probably get to hear then. Still haven't made up my mind although it really is money for jam most of the time. Catch you all on the other side of the Great Divide tomorrow.

SHADDIE....safe travels...home sweet home!!

HAPPY...you and CEEG, both are ones for getting "tricked" into working...that stinks...but then again a little extra cash. Can't wait till we all meet at the commune to cook and bake...What a great plan...

Sissy text me this morning at 6 am and asked that I not bring Sassy over today and she would explain later. Wonder what is up. Curious to find out.

Have a great day worldlies!!

Love and hugs