Good Morning, Flowers! It is sunny and -6 degrees as I type. I have "lunch bunch" this noon since we had to cancel last week because of the storm. My plan is do sort through (pitch) the pile of catalogs and write some Christmas cards before I go.

The lady, where I subbed for card club last night, has Christmas in every room. She has shelves of Santas, moving Santa displays, Santas of every kind everywhere, and a lots of lighted village pieces. I asked her how long it took her to decorate and she said that she and her husband do most of it over a weekend. She had glass Christmas dishes instead of the usual paper; she likes to do fancy "cooking" so had lots of different finger foods that were all home made. It made me wish I'd gotten some of my "stuff" out -- maybe I will this afternoon.

Susan -- What is a Chinese gift exchange? I hope you had fun! Did you take a covered dish or eat out first? Either way you are lucky you didn't have to get into a cold car! Our town is small enough that by the time I get to where I'm going the car has warmed up.

"Gma" -- I'll bet Jack had as much fun as the kids when he played Santa. I would love to hear Thomas play his violin; I'll bet he is good! Enjoy the program -- I wouldn't like the seating arrangement either! I hope you continue to be on the mend with your cold.

I need to get the rest of my day going so it looks like I accomplished something when Bob comes home for lunch. Have a nice day!

Jean -- from Iowa!

Good morning to you all! It is cold and cloudy here but we aren't expecting any rain and certainly not any snow.

T's program was really cute last night. I will try and get Jack to download the video of his violin solo and post it. Get this, Jack videotaped the whole program last night, came back sat down and said he didn't get any of the program but T's solo. I asked him what happened and he said he forgot to put on the record button! Brother, husbands! It was just so cute with all the kids. T did a small speaking part then was part of the chinese dragon, which he almost forgot to do, but all in all a cute program. It got really hot in the gym though and I was dizzy so we had to scoot out as soon as it was done and get out into the cooler air. I am still getting over this cold and had a terrific headache all night last night. I just hope it clears up soon so I am over it before Ruth gets here.

Today is wrap presents day and clean bathrooms or at least start on some of the stuff. I have clinic tomorrow afternoon so won't get much done. We are going to go out and look for a tree, but if they are ridiculously expensive we will just haul our big fake tree out of the attic. It is a beautiful tree, just very, very big.

Jean: Have fun today. Who won card club, you and your partner? Thomas is much better on his piano than violin and he had a couple squeakers last night, but did a very nice job. Jack did have fun with the boys, but the santa suit is hot and he started peeling it off as he left the church. I guess the man who always did their santa, refused to do it anymore. Jack may be in it for at least a couple more years.

Susan: I too want to know what a Chinese gift exchange is. Sounds like fun.

Maggie: Those new style wallets are really popular this year. I saw them all over the place at the carrousel of shoppes this year. Kelly bought herself one with her initial on it. With all the junk I carry in my wallet, I am not sure I would ever be able to close one of them.

Well gals, I need to get to work and get morning chores done, breakfast and then get upstairs and start to work on stuff. Have a great hump day all!
Faye

Good morning to you all! I probably made the chair person for the clinic mad because I emailed her this morning and said I couldn't work, but I am still not feeling up to snuff and shouldn't be around kids with this cough. I wanted to wait and see if it improved and thought it might, but I am still coughing and it is breaking up and I don't want to give any kids this stuff so I am not going in. I hate doing it last minute, but I imagine they will survive. After all, I probably got it from one of the kids who came in last week! lol

Jean: I really miss playing cards. Jack taught me how to play double deck pinnochle years ago, but I have forgotten how to play that. I can still play Euchre and Pitch, which are similar, one played in the north and the other out in Texas, but there is no one to play with around here. Tom and Kelly are not card players. There isn't a Euchre club here as no one knows how to play it here. Jack wanted me to learn bridge, but seems way too complicated to be fun. We are fairly cold here and it was chilly yesterday all day.

I still have so much to do and am really running out of time. I am going to get the bathrooms done today and finish T's sock so I can wash and dry them and wrap them. I have two gifts of Ruthie's to wrap and the socks and then all the stuff is wrapped. I did it yesterday.

Part of the problem of not getting stuff done is this cold has moved into my head now and I have a terrible headache all the time. All you want to do is sit very still or sleep. I have slept in the chair for 4 nights now because I can't sleep lying down. I am at crunch time so headache or no headache, I have to get cleaning done. We didn't even go and look at trees yesterday because I just wasn't up to it.

You all have a good day and keep warm and dry today!
Faye

Good evening, ladies! It's down to 33 and we have a 90% chance of snow on Saturday.

I've had 3 Christmas parties in 4 days. The on today was the last one, as much as I enjoyed them, I'm tired of juggling points. I received several more gifts. I particularly like one I received last night at Bee - a journal for next year and a pen with a note to sit down every night before I go to bed and write down I blessing I received that day. Some days will be easy and some will be hard but there is at least one every day. I thought that was really a neat idea.

Faye, one thing I received is fingerless gloves that my friend made for me. She gave me the pattern so if you'd like to have it, let me know. They are very easy, use normal yard and bigger needles than socks. She says she knits them when her husband is driving because she doesn't have to follow the pattern anymore. I've been wearing them and they are quite warm. Are you sure you don't have bronchitis? Not that the doctor does anything for it anymore, they just tell you to wait it out. My doctor did tell me to get Dilsen cough syrup and it is quite good, but a little expensive.

Jean, did you get to the mall and enjoy children's program at the church? Sounds like a nice way to spend the day.

Maggie, maybe I'll come to your house for New Year's Eve. I'll probably be in bed by 10 with a good book and a few sudko puzzles. New Year's Day I'm going to Glory's house for a day of quilting to start the new year off right.

Goodnight!

Good morning all! I am finally on the mend I think. I coughed several times last night, but it is very productive now so everything is as it should be. I am sleeping, which of course is good. The headache seems to be gone as is that balloon feeling of a head cold. I still have quite the runny nose, but I have that pretty much all the time because of my allergies and it seems to be more clear than the other now. I guess just in time for the holidays and the relatives and all that.

Maggie: I have had those cookies and don't like them. They are basically meringues and I think they taste like sawdust. When we lived in New Mexico and Texas we would have rolled tacos and spanish rice for Christmas. I loved it! I have no idea what my bil's family is planning for Christmas dinner. She has such a huge family they can't sit together and eat that's for sure. No one knows how to play the old card games anymore like Whist, Canasta, that sort of thing. I really like playing "bid" style card games except for bridge. I thought about taking bridge lessons, but when Jack bought me a book and I started reading I felt overwhelmed with everything you have to know so gave up that idea fast. I do wish they had some sort of card clubs down here as Jack and I would probably join. Bridge is popular down here with the country club set and the international contract bridge association, blah blah blah blah is home based here in Memphis over by the airport.

Jean: Unfortunately, I am running out of tomorrows. Ruth will be here tomorrow night and though her room is pretty much ready for her, I still have quite a bit to do before then. We decided to just put up our artificial tree tonight instead of paying big bucks for a real one this late. I usually put up my tree the weekend after Thanksgiving and take it down the day after Christmas or the weekend closest. When Christmas is over, I want to be done with it and move on into the new year. Hope you had a grand time in Sioux Falls and enjoyed the kids program. I keep waiting for my dil to post a video of Jackson's on facebook.

Susan: Email me the glove pattern as it is something I would like to try new. I am sure hooked on socks I have to say, but part of that is because like your friend, I have this pattern memorized so can whiz through when I feel like it and it is easy to cart around, even take in your purse. I am still working on my friend's sweater and I have my summer one to finish too besides the socks.

I better get a move on gals. I want to get morning chores done, the rest of the cleaning except for the kitchen, which I will do after finishing the kieflies tomorrow. They take at least 2-3 hours to do. At least Ruth's bus doesn't come in until 9:40 at night so I have all day to finish everything up. On the flip side is we have to go downtown to that nasty bus station late at night, ugh!

Have a grand day and weekend! Faye

Good afternoon, ladies. In the 30s today. That is cold for us and extra cold for December. Rain starts tonight and turns to snow tomorrow with 1 inch accumulation expected. I'm not going out today because the nuts will be in the grocery stores stocking up like we would be snowed in for a month.

I forgot to tell what we do for our Chinese gift exchange. We all bought a gift in the $10 price range. When we arrived at the party, we put numbers into a basket, one for each prize - 1 to 13 for us. After dinner, we each drew a number. Then the person with 1 took whatever package she wanted, opened it so we could all see. Then 2 could take 1s prize or select another wrapped one. Prizes could be stolen 2 times. The last person to select it got to keep it. We all got a nice gift and had a lot of fun.

Faye, I'm glad you are starting to feel better. Try not to overdo. I'll scan the pattern and email it to you.

Hi, Jean and Maggie.

This is the day I'm cleaning out the refrigerator and washing it down with clorox. It's not my favorite job but the housekeeping fairies didn't come this month. :-(

Good morning to you all! I have been up since 3 am and didn't go to bed until near 11. I guess I will have to try and sneak in a nap sometime today if I find the time. I am at least feeling a bit more human. I still have some cold left, but I don't feel like I did and have very little congestion, but a very sore nose at this point.

Jean: I imagine my niece left very, very early this morning, but my bil did say that it is an express bus for the most part only stopping twice before hitting Memphis so she probably left an hour ago or so. Glad the program was a success and Dairy Queen is always a good choice. Have you ever had the cortisone shot? Jack has been told that the shot itself and even afterwards is pretty painful. He went to the doctor on Wednesday about his hand and hip and such. She is sending him to a hand specialist as she has no clue what is wrong with his hand and basically told him to take ibuprophen for his hip and not much else. His hand is becoming increasingly worse and seems to give him more and more trouble so we need to find out what is causing the problem. He had some difficulty with getting the tree out of the attic last night.

I sure wish we had somewhere we could just sit the tree and cover it then bring it out and decorate it every year instead of having to dismantle and put it back together when we want to use it. It is really a very beautiful tree, looks pretty real actually and since it is up and decorated just lovely. I can now move on to cookies this morning.

When I get finished posting I am going to go out and start on the cookie base. I have to roll the balls out and they are pretty hard having been in the fridge for 24 hours. You take out a few at a time as you don't want them to get really soft or they don't roll out nicely. So I am going to get them rolled out then when Jack gets up we can have breakfast and I can make the filling, which is basically a merinque with ground nuts folded in so you don't want it made too far ahead and when it is made, you must do all the cookies at once. I have 4 1/2 dozen this year so it won't be too bad I guess.

Susan: No hurry with the pattern, whenever you have the time. I did my fridge right before commissary shopping last time so it is fairly clean. I also cleaned out the pantry again so it is fairly straightened out. Jack just slings stuff so I am forever looking for stuff in there. Hope you didn't get the snow. I know how difficult your area can be with snow. It is sort of like here, every nut in the city is panicking. It is chilly here, but dry, thank heavens.

Well gals, I need to get cracking on those cookies. You all have a great day. Lots to do to finish up today and be ready for Ruthie when she gets here tonight. Faye

Good Morning, Flowers! It's a cloudy day in my corner of the world but at least it's not snowing . . . yet. I am going to finish my last couple of cards today. I finally gave up and typed a 2 page letter to a retired teacher that has moved away. I know I can type faster than I can write! Other than that there is laundry, ironing, dusting, and vacuuming. I also need to check my cookie recipes and make my grocery list for Monday.

"Gma" -- I can almost smell your cookies baking! I've had a request for the cookies w/the chocolate kiss on top. I was up at 3:30 -- long enough to eat a couple crackers and take a Tylenol! I forgot to take any when I went to bed and my knee was sore enough I couldn't get comfortable. I don't know if the doctor moving it around made it more sore or what, but it does feel better this morning. I'm not keen on having a shot of any kind in my knee. Bob's dad used to get cortisone shots in his shoulder; he always said it hurt like he** at the time, but felt so much better afterwards. I hope Jack will get relief from one!

The dryer is buzzing so I need to switch loads. Have a great day!

Jean -- in Iowa!

Good evening, ladies! It has rained since yesterday and is now down to 32 so I suppose we may see a snow flake or two tonight. We have heavy fog already.

I went to WW this morning and am happy to report I'm down 2.8 this week. I'm happy about that. I've enjoyed my parties and been satisfied with how I've gotten though the parties.

Faye, I love those cookies. Fortunately they haven't been a part of any of my gatherings. I hope you get your niece without problems. She'll be tired for sure.

Jean, try the Tynelol for Arthritis. It helps me more than the regular.

I made a huge pot of vegetable soup today. Right now I'm fixing a sweet potato, ham and sauteed cabbage for my dinner.

Have a good evening!

Good morning to you ladies!!! I am finally feeling on the mend though I coughed a lot while talking to Ruth last night. She got here right on time and there is a lot more security than there was years ago. They have big hulking, don't mess with me guys too, though the one black guy was really very nice.

Bless her sweet heart. She kept me up until 2:30 this morning talking. My bil and sil have screwed up that poor child so much I could shoot them. Like I said she has twin siblings, a boy and a girl that are 14 and he is daddy's favorite and she is mama's favorite and my poor niece is left out completely. She is a nice girl and a very talented writer though my brother is pushing her to take math and science classes in school which she struggles with. I told her talk to her dad about it and see if them can come to terms. I told her to nicely remind him that it is better to have a daughter make good grades because of stuff she likes than poor grades to make dad happy when she can't do the work.

Jack just got home from running an errand so I need to get breakfast going. Have a great Sunday and I will talk to you later.
Faye