Good Morning! The sun is hiding today and the wind continues to blow. I don't have to go anywhere today; I'm hoping I can talk Bob into bringing home bread and milk after work this afternoon. I'm washing farm clothes this morning and have other laundry to do, after I run the cleaning cycle. Tomorrow evening we are going to a Harvest Supper and then a concert with Amanda's parents. Sunday I play bells at church and then the rest of the day is mine.
Maggie, the coffee mugs sound like a very nice gift. I'm sure your friends will enjoy them. I'm glad your back is feeling better. It sounds like you wil have a warmer Christmas when you are in Texas.
"Gma," your snowmen idea sounds cute! What is the neurosurgeon going to run for? If that was on national news, I missed it. Our small "berg" has been recognized as being #1 for diversity. What the reporter failed to mention is our crime rate is sky high and we have more police officers than cities three times our size, plus the added expense for our schools, medical facilities, and the list goes on. The cases of animal neglect here is rampant.
The church youth group made apple pies as a fund raiser. Mine is baking and going to be my lunch. I will offer Bob something else to go with his. Hope everyone's day is going well and you enjoy the rest of it!
Good morning everyone. Cool and crisp this morning and going to be a cool day today but sunny.
I have my hair apt at 1 PM so will leave around noon and Jack is leaving right now to go over and wait for them to open up at the place he gets his hair cut. He hates getting his hair cut so he is over there so he can be first in line. Tomorrow is commissary day, yippee!
Monday is my mammogram and possible sonogram. Hopefully they find no spots again so I don't have to do anything but the mammogram. This place takes forever to do it, but they are very thorough.
Tuesday Jack has off for Veterans' Day but nothing planned for us unless I want to go to the mall and goof off. I need to clean house.
Halfway done on my Snowman. Here is the picture from the pattern to show what it will look like finished. I have about 25 rows to go to be finished and I know it fits as I slipped the knitted part I have done over the bowl and it fits fine.
Jean: His name is Ben Carson and he is going to run for president. He made it official last week. I like his politics a lot but the only thing that bothered me is he started as a democrat, then independent. He was honest about it though and said outright he was a democrat because he had been raised to believe they were the only ones willing to see blacks correctly. He didn't stay there long as his political view didn't match up so he went independent as he thought it left him freer to make decisions but then said he knew if he wanted in the political ring he would have to change to republican, which he did. He is fairly conservative from everything I have read. Hope you enjoyed the Harvest Supper. What did they serve? Was it a church concert or something else?
Well gals, I need to get a move on. I have cleaned up breakfast dishes, did a load of laundry, which is in the dryer and I need to shower and dress so I can leave later for my hair appt. Have a great Saturday. Faye
Good Morning! The sun is shining, the wind is blowing, and it's a cold 33 degrees outside. The weather people keep trying to second guess the cold front moving down from Alaska. We aren't supposed to get "anything," meaning rain and/or snow until Monday. I changed the sheets on the bed and now need to decide what I'm wearing to the Harvest Supper tonight. Will also get clothes ready for church tomorrow. I slopped apple pie juice on the floor yesterday and then proceeded to step in it because I didn't see it. What a sticky mess!
"Gma," sounds like you and Jack will be looking spiffy together. The Harvest Supper is the traditional Thanksgiving dinner with turkey, potatoes and gravy, corn, dressing, a relish tray, rolls,, cranberries, and a choice of different home made pies which we choose on the way to our table. It is served family style and everything is served twice. I notice our water park joint is advertising a Thanksgiving buffet with both breakfast and dinner items, for $16.95. We ate there for Mother's Day several years ago, and the buffet is set up in a different room away from the dining room. They let the food pans get empty before bringing out more and people got tired of waiting. Not very good planning on their part. The snowman is really cute! You do good work!
I need to check the washer and keep moving. Make it a great day and enjoy!
I had my quarterly check up for the research study (the low carb diet and COPD) at Johns Hopkin Friday. We had some interesting discussions. One thing that was brought up is that the obesidy epidemic began the same year as the low fat diet was introduced. Low fat is not working because it isn't satisfying so people end up eating more. The body also requires fat for absorption of a lot of vitamins so if you have a salad and fat free dressing, you are losing the nutrition. Most of us in my low carb group have reached a point where it is automatic and we are maintaining with little effort.
Today is tea with my friends. Casper and I have been watching the ducks on the water behind my house. Uusally we have a pair that comes every year but this year there are 8-10. I guess they brought their friends or maybe the children are visiting. LOL
Faye, that snowman is so cute! I'll keep my eye out for info on Ben Carson. The Republicans might be wise to run him if they really want the presidency since it would move the black vote to them.
Jean, how was the pie? That was a good idea for a fund raiser. I've got to dig out some gluten free recipes for the holidays and try them out.
Maggie, the mugs will be a wonderful gift to receive. You always have the best ideas for gifts like this.
It is a windy day here in the ♥-Land but nice in the house and I have plenty to do to keep myself occupied.
I got some of those wooden puzzles that are only about 1½ inches across in various shapes. I cut out the instructions for each of them and then placed them in the coffee mug along with all the other things I had before mentioned. They look so cute and the person can sip their hot chocolate as they play with the puzzle. I now have 6 of them all ready. I have all the gifts we have accumulated for the season wrapped and in the closet now waiting for the holiday to come and they can be delivered. Those shot gun toilet plungers are a hoot and were easy to wrap for I had some large rolls of paper left over from last year. We got two of them for a couple guys at the museum that work with the guns and do re-enactment. It is not easy to buy for those that have everything already that they need so we give them fun stuff. I am so glad to get everything we have purchased so far wrapped and in a closet ~ keeps the cat from playing with the bows. One of the reasons I am so early getting all this done is that I was afraid that the things I ordered wouldn’t arrive on time if I waited or they would be out of the product.
SUSAN Interesting about diets. I do add oil as advised to my drink since I am on a low fat sort of program.
JEAN Apple juice is sticky on a floor ~ I have had that experience before. Your Harvest Supper sounds like a lot of fun.
DONNA FAYE What a cute container for the season. We shall see how Ben Carson does.
Good morning all. It is in the 40's this morning and we will be heading to the commissary in 3 hours or so.
Jack got his buzz cut yesterday and I got my hair cut and colored. It is so nice to have it done again. Only problem is a sore throat as usual. My hair is so fine it flies all over the place when it is cut and ends up in my nose and throat if I am talking to her as she cuts. I kept pulling pieces of hair out of my mouth but as usual some got done in my throat. I have been drinking a lot trying to get it washed out, but this morning my left ear is sore and left side of my throat is a bit sore. It will go away in the next day or so as it always does.
Susan: I agree with you that research is showing people need to eat protein to keep hunger away and healthy fats too. Problem is, going low carb is extremely difficult because people are not only used to it, but addicted to it. Most people our age were raised on a lot of carbs, pastas, potatoes, breads, etc, and giving them up or changing them drastically is pretty hard for people. It can take weeks to get over the addiction and the majority of people give up thinking they just can't give the stuff up. You can, but you have to be very patient.
Maggie: I have been shopping for Christmas too, but still have all of Jackson's stuff to get. She hasn't sent me a list yet so I can't start on his. I am giving the teenager money. I think he would prefer it and he is careful with his money and doesn't spend it on stupid stuff. I mean the kid saved his money and built his own computer! We got gift cards for the kids and their snowman bowl as far as the family is concerned. I gave my stylist a hat and mittens I knitted her and a Pandora style bracelet. She loved it all so I am glad about that.
Jean: They keep saying this weather front from Alaska is going to be wicked. I know they are predicting highs here of the low 40's by next weekend so I guess we are on our way to winter. Hope you enjoyed your dinner.
Good Afternoon! It's a cloudy, gloomy day in my corner of the world. Church was very long this morning! The bells played almost at the beginning of the service which was good. We sounded "awesome" according to the comments afterwards. We had communion, new members joined, and a baptism plus the sermon. There was an 80th birthday coffee, between the two services, for a gentleman who bakes pies. There were two different kinds of cake, two different kinds of cookies, as well as the usual donut holes the church provides every week. I was told the birthday guy did the baking! I've read the paper and picked up the kitchen after lunch thinking that may be the extent of my efforts for the day. Last night's Harvest Supper was delicious as always; as soon as we got out of the car we could smell it, and we were almost an hour early. The concert was enjoyable with a guy singing some familiar songs; he could really play the piano and had a drummer with an electric bass player to accompany him.
Susan, I have tried to like low fat salad dressing and it just has no flavor in my opinion. I finally decided to use less and go back to the regular dressing. Do you have squirrels to entertain Casper? I haven't seen my one with the broken tail for a few days and I'm kind of worried about him. The other squirrels kept chasing him off the deck when he came to eat. The pie was delicious! It is baked at 400 for 30 minutes and then at 350 for 45-60 minutes, until it is bubbly around the edge. It also says to bake it on a cookie sheet in case it bubbles over. I've never seen a recipe with two different temperatures during the baking time.
Maggie, I just have no imagination for coming up with gift ideas until I see what someone else has done. We've given our "big" kids money for several years along with some little wrapped item. The grands are all into electronic things so they may get money and clothes this year. Maddy really wants a cell phone but her mom says no, so I can't do that. I have a hard time with 11 year olds having phones but a lot of them do. I read where a lot of gift cards never get used so think maybe the green paper would be good. I tell the kids not to get us anything because there is nothing we need and they should spend the money on something they need or want for their house so the whole family can enjoy it. They do anyway.
"Gma," I hope your sore throat is better by now. I guess the only way to avoid that is to keep quiet. I knew your gifts for your stylist would be a hit! It feels like winter has arrived here. One weatherman said the snow will be north of us along southern MN, I hope so.
I do need to fold a load of towels and put them away. Enjoy the rest of your day!
Good morning to you gals. I have my mammogram at 10 and will be leaving here 9 so will be going in just a bit.
I have started a couple loads of laundry and have one in the dryer that I will have to work around today. The mammo place takes about 3 hours usually so it is an all morning thing for sure so won't have much time at home before I have to go out and get Jack.
Jean: I always think that as I am a blabber mouth to my stylist. Here is a website that has some cute ideas for homemade stuff if you want to try it. Hopefully the link will work. If not email me and I will send it to you that way. http://www.howdoesshe.com/18-creativ...ar-gift-ideas/ The one great thing we got for Christmas was the gift certificate for onboard shopping on the ship from the kids.
Good Afternoon! The wind is blowing big time, the sun is hiding, and it's another cold day in my neighborhood. Church counting took longer this morning because of Friendship Fund collection yesterday and various other fund raisers going on. Each go into a separate account. The hospital was a busy place this morning, and I was in and out faster than usual. Bob took the deposit for me so I wouldn't have to make another trip into town. I'm going to be "on call" for a week, to check the paperwork and balance the register, because the volunteer director will be out of town. For whatever reason she and the buyers planned a 25% off Christmas sale on Wednesday. That gives me a headache before it ever happens. The buyers will be there to work so I'm glad about that. The dishwasher and dryer are both doing their jobs right now.
"Gma," hope the mammogram is A-OK, and all is well. Do you go to the hospital or a clinic for that? You know I was kidding about talking too much, don't you? Thanks for sharing the link! There are some cute ideas and I sent it on to Beth and Amanda for teacher gift ideas.
I have towels to fold and another load is ready for the washer. Hope you all are having sunshine and a marvelous Monday!
Good afternoon, ladies! 60 degrees today. The leaves have all turned and are now falling off very fast. I guess winter is on the way. The last 3 days this week are only supposed to be in the low 50s.
I had applique at Bella today. We have some new members and that is nice. One of the ladies who works at Bella brought in a trash bag full of fabric she no longer wanted. Needless to say, it was all gone when we left.
Faye, I hope your mammogram is great. Do you get a digital one? When I had mine in July i also had my bone density done and I had both and was out in 30 minutes. Love those mason jars! I bookmarked the page to see if I can figure out something to make for my Glory Bee friends.
Jean, Looks like the volunteer director is smart - plan a big sale and then leave town and leave it up to the others to do. I hope it doesn't give you a migraine!
Maggie, how many pieces are in those puzzles? They sure are small.
We had plans to go to the range with some friends today to pop a few caps but since the wind is blowing so hard we had to change our minds and cancel. I really wanted to work some with my newly required and worked on S&W 22 handgun. That will have to wait for another day though.
We have reservations for the animals to be boarded at the Vets the 23 through the 26th of December while we are going to Texas. They only can take so many animals in so we called as soon as we could to get them taken care of there.
Will’s white blood count was up sufficiently so he can have a chemo treatment tomorrow. It will be his 4th one and so just 2 more to go.
I received the neatest cook book today called Taste of Home, Best of Comfort Food Diet They have lightened up many of the favorite comfort food recipes in all categories including the crock pot. For dinner I am making the “Hamburger Corn Bread Casserole.” At the bottom of the recipes they give the nutrition values plus they also have the Diabetic Exchanges. It is a good sized book with 512 pages.
SUSAN There are 6 to a 10 little pieces to put those wooden puzzles together. They are small and a good challenge for sure. Some of the folks may just look at the directions and not take them apart.
DONNA FAYE Those snowmen will turn out so cute and filled with yummy goodies will be a big plus.
JEAN Besides that web page there are so many good ideas of making gifts in magazines. I have a small booklet that has all kinds of recipes to put into quart jars.
Good morning gals and thanks to all the veterans who have served and protected us!
I doubt I get much done with Jack home today. I never seem to get work done when he is home. Maybe I give myself an excuse, who knows?
I am going to try and finish up the first snowman this week and finish Thomas's toe on his sock so I can launder and block them.
Maggie: Hope you all have a nice time next month when you go to Texas. Do the dogs do ok being kenneled since they aren't caged at home and you guys aren't traveling a lot anymore?
Susan: That website has a lot of cute stuff so meander around it and I bet you find some wonderful things to make for friends. No, I don't think so as I am not sure what a digital one would be like. I know they took scads of pictures since I had surgery in February and I was there 2 hours as they were really busy and backed up. Everything came out fine this time so don't have to go back for a year.
Jean: Yes, but I am a blabber mouth when I am around people. I hate to talk on the phone pretty much though, which I find funny. That is pretty crummy putting stuff on sale then not being there. Ahh well, what can you do.
Good Morning! The sun is shining, the wind has calmed down to a breeze, and it was 14 degrees. when I came downstairs this morning! We are having our share of the Arctic cold front. The weatherman says low of "6" tonight. I am NOT ready for this! There is just a dusting of snow and I'm hoping it disappears so Bob can finish the leaves. I have a haircut this afternoon and more laundry to do.
Susan, I think winter has officially arrived! Bob dug out the cats heated water bowl this morning but didn't have time to mess with the birdbath. There is a squirrel out there and it looks like he is picking away at the ice. For some reason they won't drink the cat water. Actually, the volunteer director lines up the volunteers to work in the gift and coffee shops. She does the gift shop end of the day paperwork and removes the excess money from the register. She can help customers but she works with all the departments in the hospital so she is on the go constantly. She's my first "go to" person if I need help or have a question.
Maggie, how long does it take you to drive to Texas? I'm sure your furry family will miss you but it will be nice for you to get away. Have fun with your new cookbook!
"Gma," our bank is closed today, which kind of surprised me. Our local stores have a Christmas open house this weekend, and the gift shop buyers wanted their sale first. They put together some pricey arrangements; too big for my rooms as well as more than I would spend. We have a few women who live in large homes on the lake, and change decor often. I know it is still "early" but wish I had least had a start on Christmas shopping. My card club quit exchanging several years ago, as did friends and extended relatives. I was never the one to bring it up, but it does make the holiday less stressful. Since local shopping is so limited I try to plan a trip to Sioux City before December. We do get to Sioux Falls for Ian's Nov. birthday but weekends at that mall and surrounding shopping area is beyond crazy so I don't even consider trying to shop there.
Well, I need to get a move on! Enjoy a terrific Tuesday!
We went out for lunch about 2:30 to Applebees for they honored veterans today with a free meal of their choice. Will had his treatment this morning.
We have decided we can go to our friends for Thanksgiving after all and since she is a manager at the place we ate we were able to deliver the message personally. Will has his treatment that week on Monday and will be OK to go visiting on Thursday.
It snowed just a light skiff here last night and it hasn’t melted yet for it is in the mid 20˚s and cold for sure.
I have a roast and potatoes in the crock pot and the smell is a killer. I cut lots of holes in it and inserted slices of garlic in them then poured a packet of onion soup mix over the top and poured a small amount of water over it. I then thick sliced some pink potatoes and piled them on top of it. Now it is probably all done and so I will take it all out of the crock pot and make some gravy with the liquid.
JEAN To where we are going to Texas it takes about 7 hours. The dogs do quite well with where we leave them but Cecil gives us the cold shoulder when we get back for he doesn't get to play with his dogs. The workers there take the dogs out and play with them.
DONNA FAYE It is hard to do much traveling with Will having to have his treatments we have to sick around here. They will be over in Dec so we can do some more when the weather permits.
Good morning to you all. Very chilly this morning, in the low 30's. Hopefully it won't last long.
Talked to Jay last night and Jackson too. Jay clued me on what he wants for Christmas so am waiting back to hear which video system they have so I can go ahead and get it. Target has a buy 2 video get one free until Sunday so I am hoping he lets me know so I can get the free video.
I have dr appts galore in the next couple weeks. Dr Wheat my surgeon is next Tuesday, my endometrial biopsy is next Friday and I am waiting for my referral to go back to see Dr. Edwards as she wants to see me again even though my mammogram was fine. Then I have my 6 month check up with my regular dr in Jan or February depending on when I can get in.
Jack went back to work today.
Maggie: I know Will be glad to have his chemo over. Glad you have a place to go for Thanksgiving.
Jean: I guess the banks are closed because yesterday was a federal holiday. We didn't get mail either. I am wondering whether or not they will pick up trash today or will it be Thursday. I told Jack that when the house downstairs is done then I will go back to decorating. Right now there is stuff everywhere and no room to do anything. After the first of the year we will start doing clean out with furniture and wall décor and books and stuff. I am going to buy these rolling commercial shelving units for the dining room to get started on that too. It will make a lot of stuff so much easier to get to and deal with and then it will be the first area to get new flooring. We have finally decided on what we are going to do so all I have to do is have the money to do it.
Well gals, you all have a great day. I am going to go and get breakfast. Faye
I'm glad your back is feeling better. It sounds like you wil have a warmer Christmas when you are in Texas.
What the reporter failed to mention is our crime rate is sky high and we have more police officers than cities three times our size, plus the added expense for our schools, medical facilities, and the list goes on. The cases of animal neglect here is rampant.
I will offer Bob something else to go with his. Hope everyone's day is going well and you enjoy the rest of it! 
The Harvest Supper is the traditional Thanksgiving dinner with turkey, potatoes and gravy, corn, dressing, a relish tray, rolls,, cranberries, and a choice of different home made pies which we choose on the way to our table. It is served family style and everything is served twice. I notice our water park joint is advertising a Thanksgiving buffet with both breakfast and dinner items, for $16.95. We ate there for Mother's Day several years ago, and the buffet is set up in a different room away from the dining room. They let the food pans get empty before bringing out more and people got tired of waiting. Not very good planning on their part. The snowman is really cute! You do good work!
Sunny and a Lovely Saturday
Your Harvest Supper sounds like a lot of fun.
I knew your gifts for your stylist would be a hit! It feels like winter has arrived here. One weatherman said the snow will be north of us along southern MN, I hope so.
Thanks for sharing the link! There are some cute ideas and I sent it on to Beth and Amanda for teacher gift ideas. 
when I came downstairs this morning! We are having our share of the Arctic cold front. The weatherman says low of "6" tonight. 
Have fun with your new cookbook!
I know it is still "early" but wish I had least had a start on Christmas shopping. My card club quit exchanging several years ago, as did friends and extended relatives. I was never the one to bring it up, but it does make the holiday less stressful. Since local shopping is so limited I try to plan a trip to Sioux City before December. We do get to Sioux Falls for Ian's Nov. birthday but weekends at that mall and surrounding shopping area is beyond crazy so I don't even consider trying to shop there.