Good morning all. I just have not be able to get in here and post. I am sorry for being so remiss. We are sunny but quite chilly in the low 20's at the moment.
Jack said there were two fire trucks next door when he went out to unlock the gate at 6 AM this morning. No smoke and no hoses but no ambulance either so don't know what was going on. Too cold to go out and watch!
We had a fun lunch with Thomas. We talked a lot about college. He is getting offers now, but he wants to go to the University of Chicago and major in economics so I imagine that is where he will apply for his first choice. We talked about where he was in his class. He said though his grades are excellent, he doesn't want to spend 15 hours a day trying to be one of the top ones. His granddad told him nowadays colleges look at the SAT's and ACT's for the most part not class ranking or grade point average. He will do fine. He is taking them both the first of he year. Can't believe he will be a senior next year. They grow up so fast.
I got a text and vm message Sunday that Jackson got his stuff. I couldn't answer the phone as we were vacuum packing meat as we had just come back from the commissary so when I could I just texted her that I saw and heard it and wished him a Merry Christmas.
I put some spare ribs in the crockpot for dinner tonight and we will have a veg and a baked potato I think. I was going to put on a couple yeast rolls but we shall see.
Jean: I am not a wine drinker much at all. I really have found I only like one kind, Martini and Rossi's Asti Piedmont. It is more like a champagne as it is a sparkling wine. I do cook with burgundy or masala though. Brrr you really have it cold. I do not envy you. We are supposed to start warming up into the 50's for day temps soon. I am looking forward to that. I hope Bob's ankle is doing much better. Tough when it is hard to walk and then have bad weather on top of that. We are having ham too. I found one at Swiss Colony that was smaller. No one has bone in hams that are for 2-4 people. I am making yeast rolls, frozen corn, au gratin potatoes and crème brulee for Christmas dinner. First time making crème brulee so we shall see how it comes out. How are things coming with cruise plans? We checked on the cabin we reserved and they have upped the price $3000!!! Ridiculous! That's why we always book so early.
Everyone have a nice day. I am off to get some house chores done.
Good Afternoon! The days are marching right along and I feel like I am big time spinning my wheels. The sun is shining and it's 39 degrees outside! I went to get my nails done this morning and then made another trip to the grocery store. Just when I think I have everything I need someone asks for another food for Christmas dinner. I did fix a casserole for lunch thinking leftovers for a couple days. I had planned to bake cookies but just sat down for a few minutes after doing dishes. I have bell practice later so cookies will happen tomorrow, I hope.
"Gma," Bob's ankle is better but he is still favoring it when he walks. I bought some ibuprofen for him and left the bottle sitting on the counter. This morning I asked if he was still taking it and he said he would put a couple in his pocket and take them to work. He forgot and asked for the bottle this noon; it has mysteriously disappeared! I know where I left it and he claims he never touched it. He even looked in the refrigerator! Meanwhile he decided to try an Ace bandage for support and bought more ibuprofen. I have heard of creme brûlée but not sure what it is. I got a call this morning that our flight time leaving Omaha is a half hour earlier than the original reservation, which is ok with us. I'm going to call after Christmas and see if I can reserve seats together and pay for our checked luggage. We booked two excursions which have gone through as well as the final payment. Ouch in December! We are getting cruise deal emails almost daily. Do you use your phone to check email when you get off the ship?
I have clothes in the washer so need to get them in the dryer and another load started. Hope you enjoy a nice rest of the day!
Good Morning! Taking a 10 minute break from wrapping gifts. Why, oh why, do I leave everything till the last minute?! Grrrr! I should know better but I do it every year! Hoping to bake cookies this afternoon. Cleaning tomorrow and one last trip to the grocery store. Will make food on Saturday and go to the 3:00 Christmas Eve service. We aren't having a service on Sunday which kind of surprised me.
Good afternoon! I haven't stuck my nose out today so have no idea how cold it is. I'm still having some colon problems so have stuck close to home the last few days. I imagine it will settle down. I have had a lot of stress the last few weeks and now issues with my sick brother Jack and I have been trying to help with. I am worried about him but he is now living in Indiana and is alone.
Jack should be home soon. He has tomorrow through Monday off because Christmas eve and Christmas are on the weekend. They were having a lunch but I don't know whether Jack took stuff or not. He wasn't going to. He's gotten burned contributing a couple times so he usually doesn't participate.
Jean: The thing to remember is put your phone on airplane mode before you go on the cruise or you get charged big roaming charges. We get free internet so checking email is not a problem on our cruise. Our first cruise the bill for roaming and data was almost $200. You'll get charged all that and international rates at ports. I would check when I get on the ship. They can give you more info. I didn't make any cookies this year. Wonder why Christmas is cookie making time? Crème Brulee is basically cooked custard then you torch sugar on the top so it is crunchy. Hope you have a great time with your family.
Happy Friday! It started snowing huge snowflakes this morning and I'm guessing we have over 3" at least. It is a pretty snow but not the most convenient timing. I had planned to make one last trip to the store and ordered raspberry/chocolate, amaretto, and plain fudge from the candy shop for pickup this morning. Bob was kind enough to be my chauffeur. I made the party mix this morning and finished wrapping the last couple things. After lunch will make cookies and pick up the clutter before I clean bathrooms.
"Gma," I hope you are feeling better today. I thought I would visit the phone store after Christmas to find out more about using the phone while being gone. I don't plan to call anyone but would like to keep in touch with email if I can. I certainly don't want to break the bank in doing so. I would probably torch the whole kitchen if I tried your dessert.
Hope you all enjoy a nice day and have a Merry Christmas if I don't get in here tomorrow!
Merry Christmas, ladies! I got up to dense fog but by the time I came out of church, it was gone. It will be in the 50s today with sunshine.
Glory, Norah, Irene and I will have Christmas dinner together. We always have a good time.
My days are back to normal - the Y in the morning, housework and fun in the afternoon and evening. I feel so much better when I exercise. I still get tired more than I should, but its getting better.
Donna, I hope you are feeling better. Is Jack pain-free now?
Good morning to you all. I hope you both had a lovely Christmas. We had a lovely dinner just the two of us and my crème brulee was great for a first try. I think I overcooked it just a bit. It tasted great but wasn't as creamy as it should have been. It was more like custard pie without the crust.
We had decided not to get each other Christmas presents because we put the money towards our cruise next year, but Jack disobeyed and bought me a beautiful diamond and sapphire tennis bracelet. It is little x's and o's like kisses and hugs.
We are dealing with trying to help my brother out and it can be so hard long distance. He had part of his foot removed because of diabetes, is in the midst of a nasty divorce, lost his job and his kids are mad at him because of his mom I guess. Anyway, he contacted me needing some financial help so of course we did. He wanted to borrow some money, but ladies we do not do that. Jack and I have a policy that if we feel we should and we have the money, we just give it to whoever needs it. We do no loan, we give. I have seen too many hard feelings over loaning money. I just hope this tides him over until he can go back to work. He says he has a new job he starts the middle of December once the doctors release him. He has a heart condition now to boot and has to take medication for it too.
Jean: The Royal Caribbean ships have wifi you can purchase for the week or if you are a suite guest you get it for free. We have a suite next year so we will get it for free. It can be pricy to buy. Find out from your carrier about the countries you can do it for free.
Susan: Glad you are back to normal health. We were 70 yesterday and again today. I had to turn the fans on in the house because of the humidity. Jack does not have constant pain, but will have a little soreness when he has to use the hand at work. The tendons and such have to be stretched out and aren't completely yet. He doesn't have that pain though. He still shakes in that hand and it might never go away. There isn't a clear medical reason for it.
Everyone have a good day. I am going to try and get some cleaning done today.
Good Afternoon! The sun was out this morning, then disappeared, and now is shining brightly just in time to go down. It rained most of yesterday but the temperature held steady above freezing. The wind was awful yesterday, and blowing hard again today; 50 mph gusts according to the tv. The kids made it here and back home safely, too much food to eat, lots of nice gifts, and a most enjoyable day for everyone. I did miss my stepfamily but talked to them on the phone. Beth's power went off right after they got home so they spent the night at her in-law's house.
Susan, I'm glad you are feeling better and able to get back in your normal routine. We leave here, for Florida, on Feb. 16th, and the cruise on the 17th. Now that Christmas is over I need to regroup and get clothes organized. It's hard, for me, to think "warm/hot" when it is snowy and cold here.
"Gma," your Christmas gift from Jack sounds lovely. We are going on a Princess cruise. At least I think that is the company. I haven't looked at the information for awhile. I need to do some serious deep corner cleaning. I know I don't clean as thoroughly as I used to and really could tell when I did a touch up before Christmas. Without Sonny it is surprising how much less fur there is.
My dryer is buzzing so have another load to fold. I neglected doing laundry getting ready for Christmas so need to catch up. We are counting money at church tomorrow and I have a haircut scheduled too. Then I need to pick up the gift shop money and get that deposited. Hope you all enjoy a nice evening!
Good morning to you all. It was near 80 here yesterday and back into the 50's today, but that is ok too. I just can't take those freezing temps much anymore.
As usual, with Jack home I got not a thing done except changing the sheets and doing a load of laundry. I sat and paid bills just now and plan on heading upstairs and get some cleaning done.
I have a waxing appointment on Thursday so guess I will go in the morning and get my nails done then get some lunch then go to the waxing place and get it done. Next week should be my last eye appointment from my cataract surgery.
We are going to have to go commissary shopping on Saturday this time as they won't be open on Sunday. Guess I will have to sit and make up a menu and list a bit earlier than I usually do.
Jean: I hope you enjoy going on a cruise. I think it is either a love or hate thing. I could care less about the ports now as we have been both eastern and western. I just enjoy all the activities on the ship. One of our favorites is the trivia contests they have. We did come in 3rd on the last one we did and the one before that we had another couple we didn't know as part of our team and we won that one. You get little gifts from the ship. It isn't anything spectacular. I gave ours to the boys. I believe Princess is the fancier version of the Carnival ship brand. There are some new things on the ship we are going on next year. They have a 10 foot slide and an adult water slide. They have a rock climbing wall, a zip line and an actual place you can surf! They have several pools and hot tubs and even an adults only area. They have soft serve ice cream machines you just walk up and get choc or vanilla or swirl ice cream cones for free. They have several shops to go into though most of them are upscale like Michael Kors or Coach or uppity jewelry stores. They have a casino and a place you can do karaoke, which the younger people really get into. They have this thing I am not real sure about understanding. It is a mockup space ship and you are locked in with all the others and as a group you have to figure out the clues to get yourself out (the door unlocked.) Jack is all excited about it, me I am not so sure. I like those kind of clue things but not sure about it. Of course they have new ice skating show, water diving type show, Broadway show, (Grease,) another production show about Christopher Columbus, a comedy show and a bunch of nightclubs. One of the things I always enjoy is the night they have the oldies singers. They sing a lot of 60's songs and you can dance. They also have new menus for the dining room. Lots of food places too. You can get free coffee about anywhere, but for fancier stuff they do have a Starbucks where you can buy coffee. They have a Johnny Rockets, a Sorentos pizza, ice cream shop, hot dog place, a café that has the best roast beef sandwiches I have ever had, another café where you can get finger type sandwiches and desserts 24/7. They have the dining room, the buffet, and I think about 4 specialty restaurants you can choose from. Those you pay a fee for per person. So, you won't go hungry. We have booked a suite so we can have room service 24/7 with a complete menu. Non suite guests have a limited menu selection but it is 24/7. We eat most breakfast room service if we do room service. Since we haven't been on this ship and it is brand new it will be a fun new experience. We have been on 4 cruises and not once played mini golf, which I really like to do. They have ping pong and pool and a card room and a library. One of the things I find that is neat is you can literally eat anywhere on the ship. You can take food or drink anywhere and eat and drink. So if you want to just sit somewhere on the ship, you just leave your plate, napkin, glass whatever where you are sitting when you are done and walk away. Someone comes and cleans it up! We always feel like we get a lot for our money.
Good Evening! I spent a good part of the day at church working on the contributions. The copy machine wasn't copying as it should so the repairman came to work on it. We didn't balance so did what I could to help with that, then I couldn't copy the checks anyhow. I had to leave for a haircut so went back after lunch to make the copies and do my computer part. I made that deposit and took the receipts back to church for the accountant to work with tomorrow. Stopped by the hospital to pick up gift shop money and have that ready to deposit tomorrow. Bob offered to cook supper and I didn't hesitate to take him up on it!
"Gma," 80 degrees would be a big shock right now but I think I could do it! The wind finally died down to a breeze and it was really nice this afternoon. The streets are a mess because they didn't plow after it melted so now have frozen ruts all over. I really have no idea what to expect on the cruise. I know it is a smaller ship and food is readily available any time. We booked two excursions but now I don't remember where, only that they are both tours with stops at famous landmarks. I need to get out all the information and sort through it.
Tomorrow is my morning to work in the gift shop so won't get much done around the house. A 98 year old neighbor died and the visitation is tomorrow night so will go to that. She had been in a nursing home for over a year but I used to teach with her daughter who now lives in the house. I am heading for bed, I am tired tonight! Hope you have a wonderful Wednesday!
Good morning to you all. I canceled my waxing appointment this morning as I have just not been sleeping well and have a headache from it. I don't exactly know what to do except to maybe take a sleeping aid tonight. I took a couple Tylenol for the headache and after a shower will try to take a nap.
We had a humdinger storm all afternoon and evening but seems to have moved through. The temps seem to be back in the 50's.
Jean: Hopefully you'll have great excursions. Guess things should get back to normal next week as all the holiday stuff will be over. Jack said the plant is quiet as a majority of the employees are using up their vacation time. Both the other techs are on vacation so he has very little to do. How's Bob's foot doing?
Well I better get a shower and see if I can nap a bit. Have a good day!
Good Afternoon! The sun has been shining brightly all day but the wind is also blowing hard. We are in a wind advisory until this evening. I spent the morning sorting through gift bags and gifts, then writing a couple thank you notes along with church birthday cards. With the holidays it's hard to second guess when mail will leave town on any given day let alone be delivered locally. I personally think it is so stupid, in a small town like this, that the local mail is shipped two plus hours away to be processed and then brought back here to be delivered. I have most of my odd Christmas decorations moved close to the tree so maybe will undecorate that tomorrow.
"Gma," I wish I knew the answer as to why we sleep better some nights than others. Last night was good, for me, the night before I was cold in the middle of the night so put on my sweater. The house thermostat is always set the same at night, same blankets, same pillow, etc., etc., etc. I hope your headache is gone and you had a nap this afternoon. Bob figured out that wearing a fitted tie shoe felt better than the boots he usually wears (he likes them because they keep his ankles warm ). His arch area did turn black and blue a few days later but it never did swell.
I have a load of towels to fold so better get to it. We've eaten most of our Christmas leftovers so have to think about something for supper later. Life would be so simple if we didn't have to eat! I'm going to have to break down and go to the grocery store in a day or two unless I can talk Bob into going. Hope you all enjoy the rest of the day!
Good morning everyone! It is chilly outside this morning but looks a bit cloudy. Hard to tell yet. I know we are supposed to get some snow the end of next week so I made sure I had no appointments to go out to alone. I am not about to slip and fall someplace and be alone.
I just finished balancing the checkbook and such and put a load of clothes in. I am going to try and get something done today. I have a queasy stomach so will eat a few soda crackers which always fixes it right up. I am having a lot of allergy issues this year and I guess swallowing stuff in the night or whatever makes my stomach queasy on and off.
I have to say I am glad the holidays are over. It is what it is at our house and that is sad, but frankly it isn't fun and I miss the family together. The problem is, I am also not going to put up with family disagreements that turn into shouting anymore and it seems that is what happens every year. I was blunt about it and now of course there is anger, but I just can't take the attacks anymore. It is supposedly our fault for everything and as no one will listen to us they keep playing the same old record so to speak I am done trying. I keep up with the boys and that's it. We are supposedly too close to each other, (Jack and I) and have no space to love our children. How can you fight against that? Makes me cry to think about it so I just have to push it back in my mind and try not to. I am hardly going to start separating myself from Jack just so my kids are happy. Phooey!
Jean: My lack of sleep the night before last was my leg. It ached so much and nothing I did seem to help it. I finally got it to feel better with a Meloxicam and a heating pad. It usually hurts in the thigh area about the bad knee. It will ache something fierce and you can't get comfortable. I started out in the bed last night and got too hot and came downstairs and slept in the recliner the rest of the night. We have a ridiculous set up for the USPS here as well. We have a post office a mile from our house, but our mail goes to the one over by the airport, which is probably 7-8 miles from here at least. When something comes into town, it goes to the main post office, then to our post office, then to the post office by our house then back to our post office. Half the time delivery is held up a day because they don't log it in proper or something. It will say it is out for delivery then ends up being at some other post office entirely and isn't delivered until the next day. It's always a mess. Glad his ankle is coming along. Yeah, boots don't give good support most of the time. Jack has to wear them for work and hates them. He has to have them with specifications like for protection from electrical, steel toes, etc. He gets an allowance to buy new ones every year or so, but we end up paying the difference because he buys special running shoe style ones. He doesn't like the boots. As long as they have the protection against electrocutions and the steel toes and such they are ok for him to wear. The things wear a ton though. I would be exhausted in about 2 minutes wearing the things. I am making meat loaf, green beans and mashed potato for dinner tonight. We have commissary tomorrow so I have to get my menu and list written up today.
Good Afternoon! It's hard to believe another year is almost gone in the history book. We had another sunny, but windy day, today. I went to the grocery stores this morning. I ended up going to both because one doesn't carry the soup mix I wanted and the other doesn't put their celery in plastic bags. Both stores carry Dole brand celery so not sure about the bags. I just don't like the idea of other people handling something I'm going to eat even though I will wash it first. I sat down and filled out my 2017 calendar this afternoon. Now I need to do the one I keep in my purse. Beth keeps telling me I could do all that on my phone but I just as soon have the paper copy.
"Gma," I hope the crackers worked their magic for your stomach. I do the same thing! I hope someday your family will be able to get together again. Being an only child, and Bob's family living so far apart, we have never experienced any family arguments. Just from reading Dear Abby and listening to friends talk, I feel very fortunate. I always felt the spouse came first in a family. Have you ever seen the meatloaf recipe using Stove Top Stuffing? Beth has tried it and said it was good. My meat loaf never turns out the same way twice. My mom made good meatloaf, but not me.
The dryer is buzzing so have another load to fold and put away before Bob gets home. Hope you all enjoy a nice evening!
Good morning gals. Didn't get real cold last night and I got hot so had to turn on the little fan overnight. I had another lousy night of sleeping so imagine I am going to be dragging today.
We have commissary day today. I have a lot to get and with it being New Year's Eve I imagine the place is going to be packed today. I just hope they have the cashiers to handle it. I don't want Jack blowing a gasket.
They sent me a different color pill for my hbp so I spent the last half an hour trying to identify it before I used it. I kept putting in the wrong number on the pill so it came up with no results. White pills can be hard to see the number and these are generic to boot. I finally got it right and they are the right ones so I then put my weeks worth of pills in my pillbox and took everything back into the kitchen to store. I went to put my pillbox on the little shelf we put them on and it dropped and bounced under the big metal shelving unit. Pills all over and I can't get to them so Jack is going to have to get down and get all of them. GRRRR! Not a great way to start the morning.
I finally got my refund for my Cubs bracelet that didn't fit. I would have kept it and used an extender or switched the beads to a longer chain but it had this quirky fastener I had never seen before on it and you couldn't take either end off so I couldn't get them off and back it had to go. I will just have to make one myself I guess, but it was so darn cute.
I wonder how much you can take off for charitable giving on your taxes? We never have before, but I have given a lot this year and we do a couple monthly things. We don't itemize either. Guess I should ask Jack as he does the taxes.
Jean: I make easy meatloaf. Just hamburger, onion, bread crumbs, egg, salt, pepper and ketchup. I saw one last night where they put mozzarella in it and Jack said he would eat it that way. Sometimes I put worchestershire sauce in it, but that's about it. We ended up just having a hamburger last night. I get lazy sometimes and I did a lot of housework yesterday and laundry and was pooped. I'll have to check out the stuffing recipe. Jack likes Stove Top. I miss Stuff n Such. They quit making it years ago, but it was an Uncle Ben product and really good. My sister's first husband was a drunk and they married when I was 11. Every year at Christmas there was upheavel and we would get in the car and drive bar to bar to find him. He was a mean and violent drunk on top of that. So, I sure didn't want that as an adult, but though it has nothing to do with alcohol, seems like ever year with the kids eventually they would get in an argument with Jack about something and there you go. I always tried to play peace maker and divert it and they made fun of me so the last thing that happened, which was the day after Kelly's ex fil died, I stood up for myself and told her off. I never had and so now they see it as us against them and frankly Jean, I am not going against my husband and side with them. I was told I should just, "Move on." Hard to move on when it keeps being brought up and half of what is said isn't even true. Ahh well, it is what it is. It makes me sad, but I can't handle the emotional upheavel. It makes me physically ill. My best friend is an only child and my support team so to speak. When we were kids she and her parents took me away from the rotten stuff in my home life a lot and she is my sounding board now. I hate having to run store to store, but we have to do the same thing. They don't carry my soda at the commissary so we have to get it and Jack's flavored creamer at WM, then we have to get his Kuerig coffee things at Krogers as they have the best selection and he gets his lower fat ice cream there. So we have to run around too. We usually break it up in a couple days though. We will do the commissary run today and the Kroger and WM thing on Monday as Jack has the day off. The commissary is always closed on Mondays.
You all have a great day and weekend. We are getting a bunch more rain today it looks like. UGH! I hate shopping in the rain.
Steel Magnolias #21
How are things coming with cruise plans? We checked on the cabin we reserved and they have upped the price $3000!!! Ridiculous! That's why we always book so early.
I thought I would visit the phone store after Christmas to find out more about using the phone while being gone. I don't plan to call anyone but would like to keep in touch with email if I can. I certainly don't want to break the bank in doing so. I would probably torch the whole kitchen if I tried your dessert. 
Merry Christmas, ladies! I got up to dense fog but by the time I came out of church, it was gone. It will be in the 50s today with sunshine. 
it is surprising how much less fur there is. 
The wind finally died down to a breeze and it was really nice this afternoon. The streets are a mess because they didn't plow after it melted so now have frozen ruts all over. I really have no idea what to expect on the cruise. I know it is a smaller ship and food is readily available any time. We booked two excursions but now I don't remember where, only that they are both tours with stops at famous landmarks. I need to get out all the information and sort through it.
I spent the morning sorting through gift bags and gifts, then writing a couple thank you notes along with church birthday cards. With the holidays it's hard to second guess when mail will leave town on any given day let alone be delivered locally. I personally think it is so stupid, in a small town like this, that the local mail is shipped two plus hours away to be processed and then brought back here to be delivered. 
I have most of my odd Christmas decorations moved close to the tree so maybe will undecorate that tomorrow.
The house thermostat is always set the same at night, same blankets, same pillow, etc., etc., etc. I hope your headache is gone and you had a nap this afternoon. Bob figured out that wearing a fitted tie shoe felt better than the boots he usually wears (he likes them because they keep his ankles warm 