Good morning ladies! Man, sometimes I hate men! I sent all that BBB stuff by email to my son because he had paid to have it done. He calls me and tells me he called them and they will be out this morning to redo it at 9 AM! He says that he has worked for a long time with customer service and you have to handle people with kid gloves to get what you want! Well, he smooth talked the receptionist and she did it and NOT the snot of an owner. Hope she doesn't get canned over it because the owner, who is a real you know what of a woman, said she wouldn't redo it. She also lied and said the bill hadn't been paid and I ask my son yesterday and he said it was paid awhile ago! Anyway, out they come today and I am going to make them hook up the dryer vent and turn it on and I am going out and check the vent myself and if it isn't working I want to know why! My son said if they didn't fix it to call him before they left because he wanted to talk to them. Good luck if they send out the same dopes because their accents are so thick you can barely understand them. I hope they don't send the same two because I am none to happy with the way they did things last time then told their boss something that wasn't true.

Gail: I am pm'ing you the address as we aren't supposed to do links on the posting page. Sounds like you had a nice quiet day of work. Good for you! I know that a lot of ladies think they would like to retire and sit around at home, but then when they do, they get bored prettty quickly because it is such a big change to their lives. I have been trying for several months to get started with Red Hatters, but I haven't been able to go to the lunches when they are scheduled. I am bound and determined to do it for December though. As for Jack, the elbow and thigh went away but during the night a patch came up on the other thigh! I wonder if we connected the dots would be get a picture? I shouldn't tease him. It is bothersome to deal with, poor thing.

Susan: Your friends are going to adore getting quilted gifts from you! I wanted to get more knitting done for Christmas this year, but I think I started too late. Maybe I can get some stuff for the adult women done for next year. I would like to try and make them shawls or shrugs. I think my dd would like the shrug and maybe some socks, though I haven't tried to make either of them. Good after Christmas project to start on to practicing get the technique down. We are going to dd's for late breakfast, then play games, then to Cracker Barrel for lunch than back to her house and just kind of snack and such and watch movies etc. She does the Black Friday thing. I think it is insane. She talked me into it one year when she was a senior in high school. Now this is in Indiana and it was colder than a snowman's nose out! We stood outside Target for an hour before they opened! I had to go pee so bad I can't believe I didn't wet my pants. We were pretty close to the front, but good grief when the doors opened, you would have thought they had one Cabbage Patch doll and everyone wanted it! We got trampled! She loves it! I start looking for online sales back around August and start buying online. I usually get some pretty good deals and a lot of times you get free shipping. I think I am going to start buying diapers and wipes and such for the baby when I go to the commissary each trip and then haul them all up to their house when she has her baby shower. Get different size diapers, boxes of wipes, baby shampoos etc and she will be all set for awhile. If I get one of each every time she will be stocked for quite awhile.

Jean: Shame on you being happy that kid got arrested! I bet you are dancing to school now! It was bound to happen the little dirt bag! The stockings are just beautiful. They are needlepointed. I think they usually retail for like $35 apiece without the monogramming. The neat thing is they have matching mantel hooks that are like $7 apiece or something. I can't wait to order them. I have no clue what I am going to get the adult kids for Christmas. I don't have time to knit the women anything and my son in law is sooooo difficult to buy for. I have sent a request out to my son and dil, but haven't gotten anything back. Of course, I sent it to Jay so maybe I should send it to his wife instead!

It is so balmy this morning, the AC kicked on. It is raining cats and dogs so they will surely make a huge mess dragging that vacuum hose through my house.

Well, got some chores I want to finish before they get here at 9 so I better hop to it!

Have a great Wednesday!

Faye

Good morning everyone. It is sure windy this morning. We have a window in our bedroom where the screen doesn't fit tight and it was clanging to beat sixty along with the chimes I have out on the deck to keep away the birds.

I have one side left on the baby sweater and I am done with it and can put the buttons on. It is so soft and white and fuzzy. I have started another baby blanket, but this one I am making smaller more for a stroller, then I decided I am going to go ahead and make another fuzzy blanket to go along with the baby sweater and a hat and give her a couple bought things for her baby shower. I am giving her the blue set for Christmas because dodo son forwarded the email to her I sent him showing him the picture! For the fuzzy baby blanket, I think I am going to use all the pastel colors that are made for this type of yarn and just stripe it.

Jean: I believe we got the vent issue solved. The guy was here yesterday morning and worked from the outside of the house in on the vent. He came into the house about 20 minutes later and I ask him if he was getting anything out and he said, "Oh yeah, there is a bunch of stuff in there." He said it looked like a bird's nest! I imagine no one has cleaned the thing in 20 years! He also told me there was no water in the vent. They worked here about 90 minutes getting stuff out of the vent. He told me when he got ready to leave it was blowing good hot air out of it. The first bozos didn't even check the vent or put my dryer hose even back on! I emailed his boss, the nasty one and was nice and told her he did a great job, etc etc, but I also told her to talk to him that he could tell her there was still a bunch of stuff left in the vent and that it had no water in it. I also told her that if she talked to her receptionist I think she would find that my son had made arrangements to be billed for it and had already paid it some time ago. She hasn't had the guts to email me back though. When Jack tried to get her to get someone to come back out, she hung up on him! Jay didn't talk to her, but the receptionist and the receptionist sent the guy back out. I think she at least owes us an apology, but of course, we won't get it! The catalogue with the stockings is white with a big red front that says catalogue sale, lowest prices of the season and was delivered the end of October. I may not be getting my stockings because most of them have already sold out it looks like. I may try and find out if I can get them at the sale price if they become available. Bummer! You have a real piece of work for a principal. Wonder what he would do if you had a real discipline issue while the asst is gone, tell the police he was sorry but he didn't handle the discipline to please come back when the asst principal was there? What a jerk!

I guess I better get going and get some work done. I want to clean upstairs bathrooms. I didn't get anything accomplished yesterday because it was raining and I didn't want to mop the floors and have gunk tracked in, which they did anyway.

Have a good Thursday. Only one week until

Faye

Good evenin'!

We have a really nasty storm going on outside right now. Wind. Rain. Flooding.

Faye, you are a knitting machine! I hope everything turns out okay with the workmen and that everything is working properly. Thanks for the URL.

Jean, is Bob a good cook? My DH tends to stick with the outdoor cooking.

Beth, hi! I look forward to getting to know you.

Not a whole lot going on. And that can be a good thing!

Later...

Good morning, had a doctor's appointment this morning. I've not been doing real well with my eating lately and it showed up as a 4 pound gain and my blood sugar is over the top so I have to go tomorrow for a 5-hour gloucose tolerance test. I've battled insulin resistance for awhile now and all may not be lost if I get myself back on eating good stuff and forgetting the treats that crept in (I mean things like too much bread and crackers, not dessert, love my bread).

Went by the social security office and got my Medicare straightened out...at least they said it is. I'll believe it when I get the letter and the correct id card.

We had storms and tornado warnings all day yesterday, but it is a beautiful day today - cool at 53 degrees however.

Good morning everyone. I awoke this morning with the cough and sneezes so gave it up and came downstairs. I brushed the cat night before last and have had allergy stuff ever since. Poor thing doesn't get the treatment he should because I know I will pay for it everytime I groom him. My dog needs his shots and is going to have to wait until after Christmas to get them so I am going to have to groom him myself. I bought some clippers and he is getting a good bath and haircut tomorrow. I am not allergic to him.

I got my buttons yesterday and am itching to get started on T's Beatle sweater. The buttons are so cute! The are a nice big size for littler hands too. I bought the yarn yesterday too. I am only waiting for the patch and it should be here hopefully before Thanksgiving next week. I have 4 rows left on the bottom trim and 6 neckline trim rows then the white fuzzy baby sweater is done and I can sew it up. I am so though. I bought these adorable buttons for it; all winter things. I have a snowman and his hat, scarf etc is etched in Navy, then a sort of maroon and white winter hat, a mitten of the same color, 3 small white snowflakes than a navy hat and mitten. I wanted to put the snowman, the navy hat and the navy mitten on the sweater and the hat is missing. I can't find it anywhere and am going to have to use the maroon ones. I also have a sign that says "let it snow" on it, but it doesn't have a shank or holes and I think is for scrapbooking use . That would have been cute with the snowman. Maybe the stealing elve will put it back!

Gail: Have you ever knit a sweater where the button holes are vertical instead of horizontal? I always read through my patterns several times before I start them and I have read this sweater pattern for Thomas over and over and couldn't figure out how the front placket went on. I posted at the knitting forum and one of the expert knitters there who helps everyone out, explained just enough to me that I saw that instead of the placket being knitter side to side from top to bottom, the stitches are picked up along the length and knitted out so the buttonholes are put in vertically! I am actually getting the hang of this! I was a very naughty girl though and bought the stuff below for myself yesterday. I will probably end up making my dd a handbag of another pattern for Christmas and saw this felting booklet. I have never felted but it doesn't seem all that hard. I love the bag on the front and that going to be mine, mine, mine!!!!!

Jean: I was the errand running fool yesterday, then went and picked up Jack at work, came home long enough for him to take a shower, then out again so he could get his haircut and we went to our favorite burger place, Hueys, which is smaller sports bar and then came home. I thought I had posted earlier in the day and didn't even look back here last night so lost out on a whole day. My favorite at Applebees is their chinese chicken salad, yum!

Susan: Hope you can get a handle on the sugar. You have sure had a rough year of it! Today is our 34th wedding anniversary and I told Jack out of all the stuff we have had to go through the years, I think this year was probably the toughest. I hope we can be totally healthy and really get in shape get ourselves motivated and lose all the weight we want to.

Jack has actually had 2 days with no swelling. Now I wrote that so he will swell up like a reconstituted raisin, you watch. My take is that slowly his body is readjusting and this stuff for the time being may just stop soon. The areas swell less, last shorter and now it looks like the frequency may be diminishing. Sure hope so.

Well, I am going to put the clothes in the dryer, then unload the dishwasher and finish up the baby sweater. I have the "oh what fun" commissary run today and it is going to be a huge nightmare because of it being the last weekend before Thanksgiving and just a couple days after military payday. I am so looking forward to it you know!

Have a wonderful Saturday girls!

Faye

Good Sunday morning all! I woke up to the night sweats, kicked the fan into high, went to the bathroom and tried to lay back down, but said to heck with it and came downstairs.

Jean: Poor Bob! I hope he is getting to feeling better. We are keeping out fingers that maybe his new "plumbing" is being accepted better, even if the parts are "reconditioned" ! He is going on day 3 with no swelling. He is still going to the allergist and getting tested just to make sure. Butterscotch was a hoot yesterday. Jack was sitting in the recliner and he climbed up and sat between his legs facing out. Jack and I were talking about how he is "my" cat even though I used to hate cats. He leaned over to pet B and the cat turned around and tried to nip him! Jack said, "Ok, ok so I am not your favorite." Later on, I was sitting in the chair knitting and he climbed back up facing me, and I said to Jack, "Look." I put my hand out and fooled with him under his chin, which he totally allowed even though he doesn't like being scratched under the chin. We just laughed about it all.

Maggie: Good grief, you rebuilt the thing. Sounds like you are enjoying it though!

I finished the baby sweater, put on the buttons and hated them so took them and my loops off and decided just to leave this sweater open. I am going to make a hat to go with it and if I get time before the baby gets here I will make another fuzzy blanket. I also finished one of the bed throw pillows for my niece's new room and am almost done with a little triangular matching one. All I have to do to it is sew it up and stuff it. I can than get started on the Beatles sweater and get it done.

Ooh boy, the commissary was nuts yesterday as I knew it would be, but I didn't have to stand in line, which was amazing considering how many people were there. They also start carrying a huge amount of stuff for Christmas and they stick it all out in the aisles along with all the Thanksgiving stuff so you are dodging and weaving. They carry a bunch of foreign goodies too and I found this really cute solid chocolate santa that is Norwegian or something for Thomas in regular and white chocolate I think I will get him for his stocking. They have other cute things I can get to stick in there too.

I bought him these nifty pen type things at Michael's when I was there. They attach to each other and the paint or ink that flows out then mixes together and makes another color. I think they said there are 15 or 20 color combinations besides the base colors. I thought it was kind of a neat thing. I also got him this tiny clear lucite type snowman ornament that has his name on it for his stocking. Hopefully his turtleneck will be here next week than all I have left to get him is his 2 video games and his chess set. I haven't even started with the adults, though I found these cool battery chargers in the Sharper Image catalogue I am getting for my son and my sil. They will charge up anything from your car battery to your cell phone or laptop without having to have an electrical source. I think it said they were good for 500 charges on the battery. It comes with a charger for it that you can plug in too to recharge its battery. They travel so much I thought it would be good for the cells and laptops and such to have it on hand like in an airport or something.

I don't have a lot to make for Thanksgiving this year. I am making a blue cheese and olive cheese ball, 2 chocolate pies, one of which goes to work with Jack on Wed
and I think that is it. I bought everything else premade to take to my dd's and we are going out for actual dinner to Cracker Barrel. We did that a few years ago and it was really nice, no clean up! Besides, if you are not in a turkey mood you can order whatever you want! We don't care about the leftovers so it was great. I bought muffins, juice and fresh fruit for breakfast then a sausage and cheese tray, another cheese ball, couple kinds of crackers, chips and dips and then the pie. I don't even know what my dd is making or buying. We will probably just do light snacking for the evening.

I probably should get going on morning chores. Have a good day everyone and talk to you tomorrow!

Faye

Good Monday morning girls! I have tons to do today because I lazed around and knitted yesterday. The good thing is I have the back to the Beatles sweater almost done. I am not sure I like the reverse stockinette though, but that is what the patterned called for and I am notgoing to rip it all out and start over. The black border and white sweater look so sharp. I can't wait to get it done.

Jean: Hope Bob is feeling a little better today. Jack had intestinal cramps all day yesterday. I think it was trapped gas because I quized him on stomachache, nausea, feel like vomiting, etc, etc. He said all he had were the cramps. He had a bit of heartburn in the middle of the night and took a Zantac and that seems to fix all of it. Sounds like the super heros were pretty much all there. Sounds like everyone had fun. We are doing our dd's birthday on Thanksgiving. Her birthday was last Thursday and our anniversary was Saturday. She was out of town so we are just going to celebrate on Thanksgiving. Hope her gift gets here. Penney's is supposed to get it here in time. Like Thomas, she is a redhead and I bought her this lovely fern green turtleneck then this vivid turquoise wrap blouse I thought she might like. I am giving her the receipt and she can return whatever she doesn't like.

I made an olive and bleu cheese cheese ball yesterday. Good taste, but the combo of the olives and the bleu cheese makes it awful salty. I also made this snack mix for Thomas that is cashews, pretzel sticks, Cheerios, Rice Chex and M and M's then covered in milk chocolate. It was supposed to be white chocolate, but I didn't buy enough so I used a bag of mild chocolate chips, melted them and mix them in then spread it out to dry.

I guess I better get a move on. The house is not going to clean itself and I need to get going on it. Have a good day everyone.

Faye