Good morning gals! It is not as chilly as it was yesterday. I was cold all day and even put a log in the fireplace, which we rarely use (to point out that fact, Jack opened the flew and a dead bird fell into the fireplace EUWWWW!) but it was nice and cosy and I hurt so bad in my joints yesterday that it was comforting for me.

Ok, Maggie, it is Thursday, better get in here and check up!
Gloria, hope the mouse was good to you!

Gail: I like to shop, but I hate the huge Christmas crowds. Everyone seems to get so rude. I remember as a kid going to downtown South Bend, when it had big department stores, movie theaters etc and just loving it. We had a fish market where you could smell the fish when you drove by, a Planters peanut store, which I always wanted to go into and get goodies, but my parents couldn't afford it. We had a S S Kresges, which eventually became Kmart and it was like the Woolworths, Ben Franklin type store. That was always fun, because you could spend your allowance in there easily and come out with cheap goodies like pop beads, remember them? They had a luncheonette and we used to get grilled cheese sandwiches there. We also had a store called Inwoods, which always smelled like fresh dirt. I guess because they sold a lot of plants and flowers. Gosh all that takes me back. Our big store was Robertson's which is like the Goldsmith's, LS Ayres, Macy's of today. We got to go and sit on Santa's lap every year and go through "winter wonderland." It was one of those old stores with the "doorbell" sounds to indicate different things and it was the first place I ever rode on an escalator! They had a tea room and the only time I ever got to go there was on a home economics field trip in 7th grade. I felt so grown up. Now all the kids of today have are malls and what kind of memories do you have with those?

Jean: It is pretty pathetic that school administrators don't even keep their own home in order. The rich kids here get into trouble all the time and of course, depending on who you are, get off. Remember the story several months ago about the girl who shoplifted like $2000 in clothes and her mom worked for the mayor and they changed the police report? She never was charged as far as I know, but the cops involved got suspended for it and it had come from the mayor!

Well, I need some breakfast and I have cleaning to do upstairs and need to get to it, I guess.

Have a good day, gals!

Faye

It's still hot in the office. We now have a fan going. It's just circulating hot air though. One positive thing about it though is I'm drinking a lot of water.

Faye, I don't shop like I used to. It seemed that I was always at the mall. Now I go about once every two weeks. And when I do go I'm not there long. I made a list of the rest of the Christmas shopping and I've discovered I don't really have that much to buy. Oh golly...the first escalator I rode on was at the "big" Sears store in downtown Norfolk (VA) when I was a little girl. That was a big deal. Stores of my childhood was Roses which we called the "dime store" because you could go in there and buy a lot of stuff on a kid's 50 cents weekly allowance. I would go in there while my Mom was at the grocery store next door. For clothes we shopped at Smith & Welton and through the Sears and JC Penney catalogues. I remember when the first mall was built in Virginia Beach and THAT was a really big deal!

Jean, I was just thinking that myself--where has the year gone to?!

Okay Maggie....where are you?!

Hi Ladies -

I would like to join you all - again. I have been lurking for awhile trying to get myself straightened out. My scales go up and down as the emotions go. It has gone up too much. Haven't gained my weight all back yet. So I need to get busy. I have restarted back at WW and managed to maintain over Thanksgiving.

You all have been reminising about all the old stores. Wow, that brought back memories. Mine, of course, involves food. When I was little and we visited grandparents in Michigan, Grandpa and I would walk to the Ben Franklin's 5-10. He would give me a quarter. Then we would walk to Saunder's ice cream store. I know it was really good but I mostly remember the walks with grandpa.

I don't have internet at home right now. Supposed to get it next weekthen I can visit more often. So I try to come visit from work. Boss is keeping me very busy these days.

And I need to get. I have to have this illustration done when boss gets back from work.

I hope you all don't mind me joining in.

Good Saturday morning to everyone. No snow here, thank goodness, but we did get some rain last night. Enough to gunk up all the leaves on the deck so I have to wait to clean them all out again. Geez, I feel so bad about that!

Joyce: Nice to see you here. I am not working my program at all right now, but I still come here every day and visit with these ladies. It is fun, enjoyable and keeps you up. You should do it even if you aren't working on your weight loss. They can inspire you to stay at it.

Gail: Are you talking about Lynnhaven mall or was there one before that in Va Beach? We were stationed there when we married in 1972 and I don't remember a mall at that time being there, but we didn't have two pennies to rub together so we wouldn't have frequented it anyway. I finished my dd's roll brim hat and I am posting the baby hat I made to go with the blanket I am knitting for my dh's friend at work. I am 3/4 way done with dd's scarf then the Christmas projects are finished.

Does anyone remember Robert Halls? My mom used to get our Easter outfits there every year. I grew up in a town of 1600 people and we had a dime store where you could get all kinds of stuff because a lot of people didn't like going to the "city." We also had a grocery store my great uncle owned with penny candy galore. I still remember all the yummy gumballs you could buy back then. I liked the sour tasting yellow and red blotched ones and they had these aqua colored ones that were rolled in sugar that sure did taste good.

I am including the baby hat I just finished for my husband's friend at work. I am part way done on another blanket. The brim of the hat is the color of the blanket. I can't wait to be knitting stuff like this for my own grandbaby again. I did this in a couple hours and I don't know if Gail feels this way, but I don't much care for knitting with tiny needles. Makes your hands hurt too much!

You ladies have a great day today and stay dry and warm!

Jean: Have fun with the grandkiddies!

Faye

Good Morning!

We are back! Actually got back on Thursday about 1PM but I had picked up a bug Wednesday and was definitly not up to par. It was a 24 stomach bug and took its toll of my energy. Then I started laundry and am still at it. Tried to look at my emails and found something wrong with the computer. I could not stay on line. If I unplugged my modem and then replugged it I could get on line for maybe a couple of minutes but couldn't go from front page to any other site. Called the Service Provider and they sent someone over on Fri. AM and he told me it could be my computer or my modem. Modems are cheaper....bought a new one and as was suggested called the SP before installing and ran into a glick but this time on their end. Bottom line was this AM all is well.

We had a wonderful trip. The weather held beautifully everywhere we went. First stop was in Newark, DE...I think that's somewhere near you Gail...am I right? Then on to Fayetville, NC; then to Savannah where we stopped for lunch at Paula Dean's The Lady & Son's Restaurant....mmmgood! Last stop was Disney and the Government Hotel on the property was incredible. Picked up DH's scooter and was off and running. Met up with DS & extended family and didn't stop for 5 days. The kids were such fun to watch as they interacted with the Disney sights and Characters. Then it was time to leave for Raleigh but first a second stop in Savannah. Did a little walking around but that was curtained because of DH's knee. Did get to Paula's a second time and we also went out to Tybee Island to her brother's place...Uncle Bubba's. Both were great and I enjoyed the Southern food. At Uncle Bubba's we had Charbroiled Oysters with Parmesan cheese......to die for.

Raleigh and Thanksgiving was all that Thanksgiving should be. The kids were great and that Catalina was so funny. For a while she would go from room to room saying in a very serious voice. "That's a shame!" Don't know what that was about but at almost 4 maybe she didn't either.

Left there on Monday and stopped overnight at Annapolis and then 2 days in Mohegan Sun. No I didn't lose more than I planned. Did have fun watching the people and they had entertainment in the 'mall' section that included Carolers and Jugglers, etc.

Now we are back and it is SNOWING! I want to be in the South!

I haven't had much time to read the posts but hope all of you had a great Holiday and a great Sunday.

Gloria in MA....back the the washer, dryer.

Good morning ladies! It is 41 and cloudy right now, but it was like 70 last evening! The house was colder than outside!

Gloria: Oooh, I am so jealous, Paula's! I watch her show on the food network all the time. She is a true southern gal. Uncle Bubba's is a partnership with her brother, Bubba I guess. They were making oyster stuff this last week on one of her shows. Sounds like you had a great time! It is always good to get back home even when you are anxious at the other end for time to go fast so you can go to wherever you are going.

Jean: I had fun with the hat and bought an extra skein of the white so I think I will make a pair of booties to match the hat and blanket. The yarn is too expensive just to lay around and I don't want to make a trip out to Michael's just to get a refund for one skein. Maybe Robert Hall's was an Indiana store, who knows? I just know there were all over Indiana when I was growing up. Strictly clothing for the whole family and nothing else. I imagine groceries, even if they could afford to sell penny candy for a penny, would go belly up with all the kids thieving these days. I would have no more thought of stealing something than the man in the moon. Course, I would probably have gotten beaten half to death for doing it if I did! I had a high school teacher, who was an elderly man, tell me I was the most honest student he had ever known. Somehow, I don't think I carried that absolute honesty into adult hood!

Well, gals, it is off to the dreaded commissary this morning. Have a great day.

Faye

Happy Monday!

I'm really perky this morning--I've been guzzlin'...drinkin'...sippin' I mean...coffee all morning long. My favorite coffee in the whole wide world: Dunkin Donut Toasted Almond coffee. Just love it! We have two boxes of Jo in the backroom. I'm probably going to be bouncin' off the walls soon.

Joyceeeee! Nice to see you here! Bless your heart--I've rejoined (we won't count how many times) WW on December 1. Oh yeah...we're gonna get through the holidays with a nice maintain or hopefully with some lost pounds. I'm doing the core program and so far I'm doing pretty good. Getting away from the frozen entrees and all that processed food has really helped me. I feel like I have so much energy...but that might be from the coffee I'm drinkin' this morning.

Welcome home Gloria! YES! Newark, Delaware! I work in Newark, Delaware--at the university. Oh gosh...you had so much fun! I love DisneyWorld. I'm echoing Faye--I loooove Paula Dean's cooking show. I just lover her very very southern accent. So much fun you had!

Jean, we're gonna get some snow this afternoon and into the night. Do you hear the dread in my post? 5-8 inches. I am so not ready for this! Hubby has the snow blower/thrower/whatever the heck you call it, out and gassed up. I don't mind it snowing if I can stay home but I really hate driving in it. And I have a dental appointment (my last visit for the bridge--I get the real thing today!) at 4:15pm...right at the start of rush hour traffic mixed in with snow.

Faye, I'm not talking about Lynnhaven Mall...although that is great mall; however, the first indoor shopping mall in Virginia Beach was Pembroke Mall, at the corner of Virginia Beach Blvd. and Indenpendence Blvd. When that mall opened THAT was a very big deal. There were strip shopping center of course but not an indoor shopping mall! Oh yeah...I remember Robert Hall's! But gosh that was a very very very long time ago! I'm still knitting on Heather's shawl. I'm almost half way done. Then I have to knit two squares for the pockets. I'm really loving this pattern. It's a rectangular shaw. I want to knit a shawl for myself. OH! Oh! Get this! My darling sweet husband ASKED me if I would knit him a scarf! Now this comes after me listening to him tease me about my knitting the first year I started knitting--he has changed his tune now! I told him to "get in line"! I have requests for knitting items from others. And I'm a slow knitter.

Okay...gotta go but hopefully I can get back in here.

Morning gals! Hope you are all doing well whether with snow or without! None here, thank God, I would freak!

Gail: Good grief, I forgot about Pembroke Mall. Actually, it WAS the mall we went to when we first got married. See, it has been a very very long time and the old brain just ain't what it used to be! I remember picking up a hitchhiker in front of the mall one time, a guy that I thought was a woman until he got into the car, then I freaked that my dh would kill me if he ever found out. Thirty three years later, I still have never told him! Luckily, it was still the days when it was relatively safe, and the guy was very very nice, actually.

I am hurriedly reknitting T's hat. Kelly was here yesterday and said she thinks his head is too big so I had to change to a different pattern and am redoing it. Luckily, the yarn is not very expensive, actually quit cheap and I can knit pretty fast if I am doing something simple. I have it about halfway done and should finish up this evening after I go and get some more yarn to finish it up.

I spent Sunday wrapping dratted presents and am still not finished. I have about 4 packages still coming through the mail or UPS that are Christmas presents to wrap. I have to get some tissue paper for my gift bags and rewrap one of the gifts because it tore right out of the bag (I think my dh did it putting it in the closet for me) It is these magnetic toys sort of like Legos or tinker toys type thing and they are heavy so were probably just too heavy for the bag.

I made the yummiest augratin potatoes and a baked ham yesterday for dinner. I couldn't find anything I liked so I made up my own recipe for the potatoes and they turned out fabo. Of course, they aren't exactly lowfat, but a treat once in awhile is ok. You could use margarine and the lowfat velveeta to cut calories though. Unfortunately, Jack made himself a lunch of potatoes and ham for today and picked up the container that had ALL potatoes in it and took it to work so he is having potatoes for lunch I guess! lol They only have half an hour for lunch so they can't go anywhere and get back in time as they are out in the middle of nowhere. I called him to warn him about it and he just chuckled. He loved the potatoes though so hope he enjoys a lunch filled with them!

Boy the commissary trip was awful. First I had to drive way out of the way because of construction closing on the interstate over the weekend that had traffic at a standstill, then I started checking out and the guy decides to tell me the system is down and they can only take checks or cash and all I have is my bank card so I make them stand and wait while I go and get money out of the ATM (thank goodness there is one in the commissary as there was quite a line of disgruntled customers doing the same thing as I) then he didn't tell the baggers I wanted plastic and they put everything in paper, which is so much harder to carry in. All in all, not a good trip at all.

Well, gals, going to get some lunch and fold my load of clothes and get them put away.

talk at ya later

Faye

I hate to brag but......not very often could I say that I have all my Christmas shopping and wrapping done at this early date....I did it this year because we bought most everything at Disney.

Told everyone that this was to be a light present year what with the trip and all and everyone is getting ONE gift. Usually I end up with 2 or 3 for each of the 9 GKs. The only thing I need to get is candy for the little cellophane bags that I include with the kids gifts. As we are going to the Commissary on Thursday....that dreaded commisary, Faye... this will be a big trip ... we probably won't get back until after Christmas maybe just before DH has his knee surgery on Jan. 6.

GAIL: How come you didn't hear me yell out the window as we went by. I thought you might be nearby as there were signs for the University. Was looking out our hotel window at I95 Northbound on Sunday night about 4 PM and it was backed up solid for a long while. Glad I was all snug in our room.

Jean: The bell concert must have been very nice especially with the flute etc backing up your beautiful music. As for misplacing that photo....stop looking and it will pop up...at least that works for me most of the time. Just a little senior moment.

Joyce: Welcome back. The more the merrier! As for old stores I'l bet except for Robert Hall non of the east coast stores would be familiar to you mid western or southern folk. We had Anderson Little which was similar to Robert Hall but did carry ladies clothing. Jordan Marsh was another department store that changed to Macy's and now has bought out my old favorite and alma mater....Filene's. Worked there for 8 years many moons ago.

We went to the Gardiner's Guild Decorated House yesterday and it was beautiful. However, too fancy for my taste. The sun room had a Tropical Isle theme and they had a couple of copper monkeys that the decorators had placed Santa hats on. The Master Bedroom was beautiful and one of the decorators had loaned them her fur coat....light mink and it was placed on the bed and ornaments strewn about. Lovely. The owners were an older man about 70 and a young wife about 45. No kids but 2 dogs. Can you spell trophy wife. Hmmmm.....is that catty of me>

Gloria in MA....on that note I will leave you and get on to my next chore.....think I will throw the dice to see which one I will do.

Good Afternoon

::yawning:: We had horrible winds last night. It would have been a hurricane if it was by the ocean. 90 mph winds in my little part of town. I small airplane blew over at a nearby airport. A truck blew over down south of here. The temperature is about 32 so the wind chill is not nice. It snowed Friday night so that snow is blowing and causing slick roads and white outs. But I am snug and warm in my office. ::yawning::

I had a good weekend. Didn't do anything special. Just cleaned house. Knitted. Laundry.

And tonight, we are going to my mom and dad's. My niece (in the Navy, ship stationed in Japan) brought herself home as a surprise to the family. I guess she didn't tell her mom and stepdad and just arrived at home. Tonight she is meeting her dad at my mom's. He doesn't know she will be there. Should be fun.

I hope we get our internet hooked up tomorrow then I can visit more when I am home. Haven't had the computer on in a few weeks. I wonder if I can remember how. LOL

I better get back to work. Boss is going on a trip tomorrow so I need to get these graphs, etc, ready.