Hi all you Crafty Ladies...Here's our new hang out for the next couple of months.

Cheryl

Morning Ladies...

Faye...I'm so sorry to hear that Jack has to have a double bypass, but so thankful they found the blockage.

Money is always an issue, but they can't squeeze blood out of a turnip!! Take care of Jack and yourself and try not to worry about anything, it will all fall into place.

Wish I could give you a great big hug, but here's one through cyber space(((( )))).

Rosey...Sounds like you know what Faye is going through. Jim has been pretty healthy except for his diabetis and getting bowel obstructions cause by previous abdominal surgeries.

Never made it here yesterday. I had my 6 month check up/teeth cleaning with the dentist. It's never a good day, I have had such bad experiences with Dentist that it really stresses me. I have sensitive teeth, so my mouth hurts after a cleaning and I have a death grip on the chair during the process, so my hands/fingers hurt also. The good side, no cavities.

Fall is sure in the air here, what a difference a week makes. Had to close the windows this morning, I was cold! Thought I would never say that after our very hot, muggy summer. Not complaining, I welcome it with open arms!!!! The start of Labor Day weekend, we are going to be in the 60's with rain. Hope it holds off, so the girls and I can get the yard mowed.

Jim goes in for another therapy session this morning and I need to get some grocery shopping done since this is payday and get the car filled with gas. Gas prices are down to 2.75, so we are very happy to see that. We were 3.00 last week. They say heating oil has not gone done, so I need to call and see how much it is and get locked in for a price in case it starts to rise. Hope it is another mild winter by North Dakota standards!

Well, the school bus will be here soon and I need to get Jim up and moven. Have a good day ladies.

Oh! I was down a pound yesterday. Switching to the core plan is working better for me.

Cheryl

Evening Ladies...Just dropping by for a quick Hello. Pretty busy weekend so far for just staying home. Was hoping to get the yard mowed, but it has rained the last couple of days. It is suppose to be nice tomorrow, so maybe we will get to it. Had a friend over yesterday that wants to learn to quilt. Showed her how to cut her fabric. So she was busy doing that while I finished sewing for the quilt I'm working on. I'm almost ready to start doing the final cutting before I start putting the quilt together. Well it is getting late, so think I will head off to bed.

Cheryl

Hey Cheryl, hope you are having a nice day. Our group seems to be pretty absent and a lot. What's with that?

We have been trying to get some chores done that I can't do like put some stuff up in the attic, shampoo carpets upstairs (I have trouble getting the big shampooer dragged upstairs) etc. Like Jack says, this whole thing is surreal and he said he is still feeling like, he is going to wake up from a dream and realize he doesn't have to have this done. Unfortunately, that is not the case.

I have been working on SB menus and a shopping list for the end of this week. I have to stay on a strict budget with this surgery mess though so I can't buy a lot of expensive stuff and the stuff I buy has to last and I have to EAT it if I buy it. No wasting stuff. I hate going back to being like this where I have no money to just spend a few bucks if I want to. We did that for 30 years and it was no fun. Hopefully, we can get this done by the end of Sept and by the first part of December he will be up and at em and ready to go back to work again.

I need to run and get chores done ladies. Lots to do today

Faye

morning everyone.. the sun's shining today.. i was sure tired of all the rain we have had this summer.. im a hunting widow meaning my hubby has gone to the cabin to moose hunt.. an annual event for us.. hes crazy about hunting..that gives me some "me" time and im queen of my domain kinda nice for afew days but then im lonesome.. my dd knows how i feel and surprized me last night with chinese take out and a new water color paper tablet and the brushes i needed as a just becuz i "luv" gift ( ive wanted to try watercoloring but didnt have the right paper and with the dh gone its a perfect time to try).. shes so sweet and i was feeling some blue..we chatted for awhile and it was nice..Faye.. i dont know where everyone else is.. ive been posting in 3fc's for several yrs now and people come and go.. it makes me sad and annoyed at the same time as u just get to know someone and like them alot and then puff they are gone.. but we dont know really whats going on in there lives so i just miss them .. in the mean time im here and you are here and cheryl is here..sry you are pinching pennies.. i have to do that all the time as we are on a fixed income and if im not careful on pay day we are broke for the next 3 weeks i plan on working on my card order today and then try to paint.. ill let you know how i do.. i can see what i want but making my hand do it is another story; i have watched a show on pbs called painting wild places and got me inspired..anyways ladys have agreat day and give your smile away to a stranger today as that just might be thats persons ray of sun(((( ))) rosey

A Good Afternoon to you all, ...I got up early and decided to go up and sew while everyone was sleeping. Got to do that for 3 hours before the gang decided to get up. I all done with the sewing for now, I'm ready to start pressing and doing the final cutting. It's a very lazy Larbor Day for us. Hubby and I have already taken an afternoon nap. Feel asleep while watching a movie, guess we needed it.

Faye...I have to really follow a budget even now. Jim get's paid once a month, just like the military. We do get foster pay on the 12th, but I don't like to relie on it. I buy all our meat at Sam's Club, bring it home and rewrap it for just amount we need for each meal. I plan out all my menu's and write them on my calender. I always have staples to fall back on like macaroni, beans, rice and ect... I can always throw together a quick soup or stew with the staples.
Bet you will be glad when next week is finaly here and Jack's surgery is behind you. Everything will turn out fine and we are praying for you both.

It seems like we have really slowed down on this thread. I'm hoping after this holiday, that we will see a few more come back. I know that Linda is working on a project for work, and I do n't know what happen to Brandy. Oh well, we are here.

Rosey...How sweet of your daughter to bring you watercolor paper and brushes. How did it turn out? Jim is jealous that your Hubby is moose hunting! I have never eaten moose, but I love elk, deer and bear.

Well girl's, I need to do a few more post at other sites. Have a good day.

Cheryl

Good morning girls! I was going to stay in bed for an extra hour or so, but the dog came upstairs and was doing his little woof woof so I would get out of bed and put him up on the bed (our bed is really high and I bought him doggy stairs but he is afraid of the stupid things) I also heard Jack leave for work (we have a wrought iron storm door and when the weather cools it slams when you go out it) so I decided I would just get up and get around.

I did a lot of cleaning yesterday while Jack was shampooing the living room carpet so all I have to do today downstairs is mop the floors. I plan on doing most of the upstairs tomorrow then on Thursday I can tackle the pantry and clean out the fridge to get ready to go on SBD after I go to the commissary on Saturday.

Keep the prayers coming. I hover over Jack like a vulture. I ask him a 100 times a day if he is feeling ok. He has become really quiet, which isn't like him and I know he dwells on this, but there is not much I can do. I at least have the finances in order I think.

Cheryl: We also live on a budget, but since Jack went to work for the city, our income tripled so I was able to buy things as I wanted them etc instead of running out of money before the next payday. We lived like that for 30 years. Believe me, I can do miracles with money if I have to and went into my budget spreadsheet and fixed everything so it was paid up until Dec using the money we have, the money he will earn before he goes in for surgery, our Navy retirement and the one month of mortgage by dd and sil are going to cover. We feel very fortunate money wise now. When we moved down here Jack's income at his last job was $1700 a month GROSS and he makes more than that in one paycheck now with the city. We thank God for what he has given us and allowed us to have.

Rosey: Hope you are having fun with your presents. I have also thought about trying to learn to paint, but I never have followed through with it. Jack has a friend that is a big hunter. I am getting on my on this one. I find nothing wrong with hunting or fishing if you are planning on EATING what you hunt or fish etc. I think it is deplorable when people sport hunt. It is like kids taking bb guns and shooting innocent birds in my opinion. I hope I am not stepping on toes, but it is a sore spot with me when people take guns, bows and arrows, etc and shoot animals because it is fun to do. I know your hubby is almost assuredly one that hunts and uses his kill as does my husband's friend. We are not wild game people, but we have had some deer sausage and I had a friend who made steak fingers from deer and they tasted pretty good. I had something at the Bellagio in Las Vegas at their buffet that was an ususual meat, but for the life of me, I can't remember what it was. Boy I am getting old!

Well, I need to put dishes away out of the dishwasher and get these darn floors mopped. I will be so glad when we have the money and can start getting our wood floors put in, but that is going to have to wait until late next year now.

Have a super day girls!

Faye

Morning ladys.. still quiet around here.. havent started the painting yet tho..i have my nose in a good book..not much housework to do either with just me here i hate housewrk anyways..about the hunting.. alot of people feel as you do Faye..let me say we are not those kind of hunters.. we use what we take and share with our kids.. we smoke, can process and have suasage etc made from the moose if we are lucky to get one..and we eat it all..hunting is alot of hard work but my dh loves to be in the woods and enjoys the process..hes hunted since he was a teen..we have never killed an animal for fun or waste..and i dont like those that do and neither does my husband..but hunting is apart of our life style here in alaska and alot of folks depend on it to supplement there food stashes.. actually we prefer moose to beef...an no u didnt step on my toes..but folks who get really wound up about hunting should think about where those neat packages of meat come from in the stores?.. am sry your hubby has to go thru the surg.. i can imagine how he feels and u too.. when will the surg be done?as far as budgeting im the queen of creative financing.. and can make a $ go along way but my youngest dd is even better than me..i have a well stocked pantry and freezer and when a good sale comes up i buy extra or a case.. plus a full freezer.. when my kids are havinga money squeeze they come and shop at moms..well ladies not sure whats on mu agenda today but i need coffee ill check in later have agreat day((((((((hugs)))))) rosey

Rosey: Boy, I must have made a mess of that explanation. Please don't misunderstand what I said. I am all for hunting if you use the meat, etc. I have no problem with the killing. I believe God put animals on this earth to FEED and clothe us. I just think that people that do it because it is fun to shoot an animal, need to be on the other side of the rifle sight! I think it is sick when people go on Safari so they can hunt Tigers and shoot them or elephants so they can proudly display what they shot. I think there is something wrong with someone who finds it pleasurable to go out into the woods so they can creep up on a deer, shoot it and then cut off its head to put in their trophy room leaving the rest of it to rot on the ground. Even those that go fishing and bring back a fish and instead of eating it, hang the darn thing on the wall of their office so they can say, "I caught that." We have SEVERAL friends who hunt deer, rabbit, squirrel, etc (moose are a little scare in southern TENN, ) and feed their family and friends with the hunt. It is the sport thing that gets my goat. When I say sport thing, I know your hubby and men and women like him ENJOY hunting. I mean, I don't expect them to hang their heads and complain that they have to take a gun out into the woods. I was just talking about people who ONLY go out to kill an animal for the sport of it. I hope you understand and don't think I was coming down on your hubby for hunting. That is definitely not what I was saying. I agree with you about those that spout off about killing animals but go into a pricey restaurant and sit down to lamb chops, beef whatever. I guess I just think that if you are going to kill an animal at least use it is some way, the skin, the meat, whatever. Don't just go out there and blow it away because it was fun to see the thing keel over making you a big he man or something. I hope you understand what I am saying.

Faye

Hi Faye.. no offense taken .. i agree with you we hate those kind of hunters to..rosey

Evening Ladies...Glad you all had a good weekend. I was so happy to see today get here and the girls back in school. What I thought would be a pretty quite day, wasn't. Had to take Jim to theapy this afternoon, went to lunch and then back home for a quite evening alone. Not to be, got a call from the girls school and they could not be found when they are suppose to be at a volleyball game.
So Jim and I hop in the car and drove the 13 miles to school to look for them. Found them, and they are grounded!!!
I am down another pound to what my ticker says. Doing the happy dance. Jim got the VHS/DVD player hooked up today, so I can start working out with Richard.

Faye...Glad you got everything worked out money wise before Jack goes in for surgery. Jim is like jack, he is making more money now than he did when we lived in Oregon. I'm pretty tight, I give Jim so much each month to go towards the car we are restoring, put some away for savings/vacation and we are saving to put in new flooring. Took me almost 3 years before I replaced the broken microwave, and now we need a new TV. I will probably put one on layaway at WalMart next week. Will see how the finances are.

Rosey...Jim hasn't hunting in years, but would love too if he had the time and new the area. We have only been in North Dakota 8 years and with the wide open spaces and the weather changing in a blink of an eye. I would hate for him to get caught in a blizzard out in the open. We have in the pass 7 years gotten 5 deer with our car and one raccoon. The raccoon ruin my Audi, knocked the old filter off and froze the engine. The deer have ruin two cars beyond repair and the rest we were able to fix. Out of the five deer, we were only able to keep one. We live on a 10 acre farmstead and have deer that graze in our lower pasture at night. We have a very nice 4 point that visit's nightly and eats the corn. Yummy!!

Well ladies, it's getting late so I best get ready for bed.

Cheryl

Good morning ladies! I was going to try and sleep in for an hour or so, but when Jack got up I couldn't go back to sleep so I just got up and did my daily chores. Now all I have for cleaning today is to wash out the fridge and freezer and get it all spic and span for company. Do they even make Spic and Span anymore????

Jack has little blips of chest pains to remind him about his surgery, but nothing catastrophic. He had one yesterday that he said came and went in about a second. We have a nice mess again with the insurance. Now the stupid preset dr that issues the referral is refusing to issue one unless Jack goes to his primary care physician and that physician requests it. Jack is pretty hot about it. He was able to get squeezed in on Thursday, but I would make bets he loses his temper. I mean, like he would want his chest ripped open and his heart fooled with if he didn't NEED it? Sheesh!

I am just plodding along trying to get the house spotless for company. Don't know how many people are going to be here and they are going to have to fend for themselves food wise if they don't want SBD food for dinner. I imagine they will eat out a lot, which is fine by me. I can't really afford to feed a ton of people with this tight budget anyway. I sat down and paid bills today and boy my checkbook cried when I was finished. Part of the stuff I have paid through Oct and part just for this month, then the end of this month I will pay another month's on the ones I only paid for Sept etc. We will have full paychecks until Oct 8 than nothing until 2 weeks after he goes back to work so I have to make all this work. The worst is the CCards as you can't pay those darn things ahead. I have a spreadsheet I use that has the bills listed each payday I need to pay then I make an X beside the payment when I send it off. So, I decided I would just subtract the extra ccard payment in my checkbook so I don't use the money, but then don't cross it off until I actually pay it online. It took me about 2 hours to rearrange everything and get it all set up to pay ahead without missing things that aren't paid every month, ie my life insurance, which is paid quarterly or our health insurance which is also paid quarterly. Those are the things I was afraid of forgetting. I went over everything with Jack a couple times and he was sort of my checks and balances that I didn't miss anything.

I am going to fix baked steak in the crockpot tonight with some mashed potatoes and some green beans. When I go on SB on Sunday, no mor potatoes for me, but Jack still eats them.

Well, gals I need to go and start cleaning the fridge shelves etc. You all have a great day today!

Faye

Afternoon Girls...Just a quick pop-in for now. Had my Weight Watchers weigh in this afternoon and I'm down 4.7 lbs!!!! My scales had me down another pound.
Feels GREAT to move the ticker. I will be back later to post a longer post.

Cheryl

Just a quick peek in this morning. I wanted to get my upstairs cleaning finished this morning. I have a bit of a headache (not sleeping and worrying I feel is most of it) so I want to try and get rid of that if I can.

Cheryl: I wouldn't want to have to deal with teenagers again for anything. I don't know how women who have large families every make it through. I have enough with my two making sure I knew where they were and such. That doesn't mean they didn't pull the wool over us once in a while. Any parent that says their kids never tricked them are delusional, but all in all they behaved pretty well. I never got called to the police station or anything like that.

Everyone have a great day and try not to work too hard! I am trying to get the house all ready for company and trying to make sure I don't forget anything. We don't have people here very often so I am a little stressed out about it all.

Faye

Hey ladies.. sry i have been missing.. ive been sick with a nasty flu bug..chills fever and aches like someone beat me with an ugly stick..im better today just not tip top..cheryl congrats on the loss thats awsome..sry the girls gave u a fright..i was a much better mom to todlers than teens..my girls gave me all my grey hair but you know what they turned out to be the greatest adults so i guess i did something right.. so has anyone had time to do any crafts lately.. my card mess is sitting there waiting for me been to yucky to do anything..did manage to load the dishwasher this am tho.. tomorrow will be better i hope.. anyways have agreat weekend (((((((hugs))))) rosey