Good morning gfs... Just took the dogs for the morning walk/jog... it's not too cold outside, but thats with windbreaker on and a winter hat! Beautiful morning with the sun starting to peep up over the horizon! The farmers were out last night when we went for our evening walk harvesting the last of the corn.. my guess is it's corn used for dog food and other fillers...

So a friend of mine is getting married this Saturday, I wish him all the best. I miss him, but hope this is nothing done in haste, they've only been dating a few months. He's level headed and careful in his decisions.. so I pray he did so with this.

I hope every one has a wonderful humpday. I hope to do personals tonight, yesterday I was just so wiped from a hard day at work...

Good HumpDay morning, LORI, and all our other Beachers.

It's supposed to be back to rain here, so it's probably coming for you next, Lori! Enjoy that weather now while you can. I'm going to finish going through my closet and drop a load off at Goodwill on my way to work. Some of these clothes I'm finding it hard to part with. But I've had them for years and they're just taking up space. I'm in a decluttering mood these days, so now's the time.
Maggie has a friend coming over for the afternoon, we plan to make papier mache turkeys and a cornucopia. Then it will be time to pick up Audrey for gymnastics. That about wraps up my day. I haven't even thought about supper yet.
How's your day shaping up?

Cottage, I'm not sure what the weather is suppose to be like today, haven't caught the news yet...

As for the clothes, why not put it on freecycle... Goodwill charges almost new prices, sometimes higher for the used clothing they offer unless it's a "color tag" sale... freecycle, I didn't have to do anything but post, and left the bag outside and they picked it up! Simply told what sizes were in the bag and "must be willing to take entire bag, freecycle what y ou don't want or can't use" that way I didn't have to bother with bringing in twelve diff people till the bag was gone (HUGE lawn garbage bag full).

Lori, the freecycle thing might work if I could be home, but I don't like the idea of giving my address to strangers to come pick up something. There are too many unreputable people out there. The Goodwill stores here usually put pretty fair prices on everything.

Loriann and Cottage, thanks for the reminder re clothing. Yes, Freecycle is easy but I sometimes wonder if the folks really need the clothes. I suspect they get sold sometimes. Goodwill, on the other hand, supplies clothing free to street people and families who have been burned out.

Brrrr! It's 23ºF out there this morning. The back room was very cold. I may have to move her bed into the kitchen soon for the night. She loves to sleep at the foot of my bed but I sleep better alone. Maybe I'll give it a try.

Brilliant day arriving at the moment but cold and maybe freezing rain is scheduled for tomorrow. Good neighbour Moel stacked half my firewood yesterday afternoon and will probably finish it this morning. I may bundle up and help him out. I think I owe him a pie!

Disney and I are off to the clinic today, resuming our pet therapy visits with the Day Away programme. They will be glad to see us. I'm sure. I am not going back to the nursing home until after Christmas as I need a little break.

Time for another coffee and a dog cuddle. That's our new winter routine as Disney is cold when she comes in. I am still thinking of the doggie coat - maybe after Christmas. On the other hand, I could just BUY one!

Have a good Wednesday!

Good morning It's mighty chilly here too. Guess I just have to accept that it's that time of year

Lori - I can't believe you go out and walk in the cold mornings! I'm impressed. I sit here and shiver waiting for it to warm up a little. Can I borrow a little of that morning energy?!

Cottage - Sounds like a fun project for the afternoon. I've been on a slower decluttering kick for the last few months. I'm slowly working my way through 2 households worth of stuff. Moving from a whole house to a 4 room apartment has been interesting. Having storage space made it too easy to keep a lot of stuff though.

Ruth - We've got the freezing rain thing in the forecast too. Yuck! Hate ice more than anything. Have fun at pet therapy

I love freecycle for cleaning stuff out of storage but donate all my clothes to the same thrift stores I shop at. I usually sort the really nice stuff for the hospice thrift store which is more high end and the usable but not quite as nice stuff for the local anti-poverty agency's store. Our winter coats and boots are donated directly to a separate program.

Today is an upside down day for me. I have two meetings tonight. Luckily they are in the same building! Of course I have a full list of things to do this morning including a walk.

Had a very successful shopping day yesterday, as usual. I'm finally at the point of having enough clothes in my size for cold weather. I even found a lovely pair of gray slacks for DP's gallery reception Friday night. The trips are so much fun. My best friend has been coming with me forever and we have been bringing her now 5 year old granddaughter with us since a few months after she was born. Chloe actually looks forward to the trips and is a born bargain shopper She's also very entertaining when stuck in the car for 7 hours!

Okay, time to get moving. Have a good day Chicks

Good morning chicks,
Just wanted to pop in and say hello before this day gets away from me like yesterday did. No matter how much I get done, there is still so much left that it's totally overwhelming, but I just try to focus on the task in front of me and not think about the rest. Until I wake up at 3AM!

Doing okay getting back on the beach, although not stellar.

Happy hump day to everyone. To me it just means half my week is gone and still too much to do! I think I will end up working through the weekend as DH arrives next Tuesday and I'll need to take the afternoon off to pick him up at the airport and don't want to be too distracted with work for his homecoming.

Someday soon, I will get back to doing personals...
Until then, greetings to all!

Lori - I'm sure that you're friend was calculating in his decision about the marriage...why wouldn't he be? This is one of the most important decisions one can make in their life. I wish him all the best.

Cottage - Are you making a paper mache cornucopia? That sounds adorable. I've been trying to find a craft that Calvin can do for the Thanksgiving table - I think we've landed on placemats.
Also, about giving your address out to people on freecycle - I'm usually rather wary as well. I always meet the person at a random place in town or have DH take the item to work and they pick it up outside of his office door.

Ruth - I'm so envious of your neighbors helping you out. I wish we had a neighborhood like yours. It must be nice to have that kind of goodwill. Stay warm, dear!

Cyndi - !! About time you're in for more than a second! I've missed your posts. I donate my clothes to the same thrift store I frequent as well...it is next to a lot of really well-off neighborhoods and the selection is always top notch. Lately, I've been taking my nice stuff to a consignment shop - putting the money earned into our Christmas fund. Glad shopping went well for you. Have fun at your meetings!

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Not much going on today other than a trip to the repair shop to get DH's car horn fixed....apparently it hasn't been working in about a year and he just now tells me (oy, men!). Hopefully MIL is home so we can kill two birds with one stone with the long drive over there.

MIL and FIL are almost positively splitting up - not that I blame them much. After having FIL over for dinner the other night and hearing his side of things, I'm not too motivated to try and keep them together. One thing that does concern me though is how often we're going to see the rest of our family...I'm too old to be going through the trials of divorcing parents!! I went through it when I was 12 and never thought I would have to go through it again. I'm just thankful that DS is still young enough that he really doesn't understand...although it is sad to watch him at MIL's house run around the house looking for his grandfather and not finding him. Double oy.

Ah yes, and it is also pouring outside. Lovely.

Good morning chicks, yet another misty day out there, I am feeling like I live in Seattle. Good news is the sun is supposed to shine tomorrow.

Lori good for you on your morning walks, not sure I would be that motivated in the dark.

Cottage I miss crafty projects with the kids. Now it has been replaced with baking with DD which is equally rewarding but not good for the scales!

Ruth buy that poor baby a coat.

Cyndi Hope your meetings aren't too painful.

Schmoodle here's hoping there is a break in work soon so you can have some "me time".

Zeff Sorry you have to suffer the pains of the divorcing IL with the new baby coming.

Me slowly getting there, actually found the laundry room lastnight and was able to do some much needed washing! Found my scales too and was scared to step on them this morning but seems the move and not so stellar eating hasn't done too much damage in fact I have somehow managed to lose, now that I am back on track things should be good to go!

Have a great day chicks!

Morning, all! My coworker brightened my morning with a stack of funnies that were also heartwarming--she liked them so much she printed them out instead of forwarding. It was nice to chuckle over them together.

Plus, the sun is shining! But the month seems to be flying by and I have SO much to do before the holidays hit.

Hope you are all doing well and staying healthy!

Cottage, I don't know if it's more work than it's worth, but if your clothes are still in good condition, you might try selling them through a consignment shop. They'll sell what they can (and give you money for them) and then donate what they can't sell to charity (and give you a receipt). I did that with most of mine and made a decent amount back, which was great.

Good morning everyone!

Thanks for all the well wishes the other day .

Looks as though I have a small fracture in the bone on the side of my big toe/foot and a pulled calf muscle and lots of brusing. Nothing really that can be done just stay off of it and elevation and the more I do for it the faster the healing so looks like it's all on me .

Seem to be finding myself in a depressing slump since I got hurt but I am trying real hard to get out of it.

Hope everyone is doing well

Hmmmm, maybe I'll just wait until I have time to take all this stuff to a thrift shop, most of it is still in great shape. I have 28 tops and one pair of capris, and most of it is from Talbots, so I guess I should try to make a few extra dollars from it all.

It's been a satisfying morning so far. Besides cleaning out my closet, I cleaned my bathroom and have the shower curtain and rugs in the washer, and I just gave the refrigerator a good cleaning. I'm on a roll, but I have to get to work soon, so that's enough for one day. Jake is getting hamburgers for his supper tonight, and I'm going to have a bunless veggie burger and roasted carrots.

Gee, the sun just popped out! So much for the weather forecast.

Good morning all!!! Happy Wednesday!

Lori - You go girl!!! Great job getting out there and walking, despite the cold weather. Hope all is still good with the job!

Cottage - What ever you end up doing with the clothes, I'm simply glad to hear that you're recycling them, instead of just throwing them away. Have fun with the paper mache.

Ruth - Good to hear that you're continuing the pet therapy. I'm sure Disney loves it!

Cyndi - Glad to hear that you found some great clothes on your shopping trip. Have fun in your meetings tonight!

Schmoodle - Hey there! Hope all is well with you and the kids. Has your dh come home yet???

Zeff - Sorry to hear that things aren't going to work out with your in-laws. I just hope that things can stay amicable for everyone's sake.

Stephanie - Good job getting back on the scale! And good to hear that you're maintaining!!! Keep it up!

Laurie - Hope you're day of joy continues!

Gonnabe - Sorry to hear that you hurt yourself. Be sure to take care of that foot so that you can be back on it quicker and then get back into your routine! Hang in there!

Me - Had a fantastic time in Colorado Springs with our friends and their kids. The weather was great, very cold, but it never snowed. We had a great time at the zoo, in the city of Denver, and just spending time with our loved ones. Didn't eat too poorly, but I did indulge a little when it came to sweets. The scale wasn't too bad....but I really need to work on it so I can reach my goal by next March. Came home and got everything ready for today. And this morning I talked myself into getting right back into the routine. It felt good. Tonight we've got laundry that needs to be done and the dining room table is a wreck! That must be dealt with.

Have a fantastic Hump Day, Ladies!!!
BLESSING!!!!

My SIL and I are making plans to do Thanksgiving at her house instead of the tradition of having it at MIL/FIL. It will just be awkward there.

We've been emailing and searching recipes all morning. We're putting twists on and updating old recipes, it should be quite the feast. If everyone shows up, we should have about 14 people. I just placed an order for a turducken and we'll make another turkey on top of that plus a big roast (DH threatened to abscond from the family if there wasn't a roast present). All that meat combined with about 10 side dishes and a buttload of desserts...mmmmm...

We're kind of going overboard, but Christmas is going to be very low key this year with the new baby coming just days afterwards. I have to get all of my good food in at Thanksgiving!

Anybody have any good salad autumn-y salad recipes? I'm already doing a dried cranberry and broccoli salad but I would like another green salad as well to cut the richness of all the other food.

This is our side dish list so far:
Praline sweet potatoes
carrot souffle
cranberry orange sauce
some sort of green beans (there are only a few people that really love traditional green bean casserole, we're going to improve on the recipe a bit)
2 salads
corn casserole
roasted brussels sprouts with pecans (a surprise for DH)
Chipotle mashed potatoes
Cornbread dressing (although I like actual stuffing...so, maybe we'll do two)
Spinach and Artichoke dip (appetizer)
Hot crab dip (appetizer)

I looooooooooooooooooooooooooove Thanksgiving and planning is half the fun!

Zeff I know where I am coming for Thanksgiving, make that 15 people! My MIL Thanksgiving meals leave alot to be desired, runny sweet potatoes, under cooked noodles, burnt biscuts..........I guess the good thing is I won't eat as much.