Dental cleaning today was good. My next appointment will be in April. I kept my dentist that is In Branson. Gives a chance to get out of the house. and today was a good day for that.
not doing personals today. I'm using my phone.

Morning all. Happy Hump Day. Even with a vacation day on Monday, this week is dragging. It’s our lull time, and with the admin out, it’s quiet here.

My weekend…

On Saturday, the weather was decent and I got out in the yard to empty the windowboxes and the hanging flowerpots of their soil and to bring in the shepherd’s hook and planters indoors. I also blew the leaves off the patio and covered the patio set. Then I blew some of the leaves from the lawn onto the flower beds. Our tree didn’t start losing its leaves until after the final date for leaf pickup, so there’s really nothing else to do with them. Hopefully they won’t blow back onto the lawn.

So we’ve put two new parts in the stove and it’s still not working. And when bf reconnected the electricity to the stove, it was displaying a code. He learned the code was an issue with the control panel, which is big $$$ to fix. So we are now going to replace our stove. It was 14 years old, so I don’t feel bad about that. Just not the best timing. Tonight we're going shopping for a new stove.

Saturday evening was the block party – the dinner party with appetizers/entrée at one house, dessert at another. It wa nice. Not as many attendees as in the past. And certainly a lot fewer than all the houses in the two blocks that are invited. Oh well. It’s still a nice thing to do, and nice of the two houses that hosted it.

Didn’t do much Sunday – including no workout and no laundry.

On Monday I took my mother grocery shopping – 3 stores. Hauling all her groceries up to her unit was a chore without her grocery cart, which wasn’t opening properly. I’d also grabbed the wrong set of keys to her place and the security fob on that key ring to get me into her building didn’t work because it was the one we’d (read: BF) misplaced and so we reported it lost and it had been deactivated (and then, of course, bf found it). So after I was done with the grocery unloading, I went to the village’s administrative office (another building in the complex) to get it re-activated. But they gave me a form for my mom to sign to authorize that, so I had to walk back to her unit and have her sign it and then go back to the office and turn it in before they finally activated it. Long story just to say that I was whooped when I finally got home. If I’d shopped by myself at three stores, I wouldn’t have been tired out – it’s just that there’s a lot of standing around while my mom picks out what she wants. The standing tires me out.

Yesterday after work I worked out at the fc. I’ve been looking at the park district and school district offerings for fitness classes. I saw a deep stretching class that interests me a lot, but it’s on Monday at 7:30 pm. I’m not crazy about classes that start later than say 7 pm…but I think I’m going to register for this one anyway. I’ll just have to make sure I don’t plant myself on the sofa before this class – if I do, I won’t want to leave the house, LOL. I’ll just get home, change into workout clothes and do some chores or errands before this class. And I’m thinking it shouldn’t be the type of class where I work up a sweat, so I won’t have to shower afterwards. Just shower in the morning as usual.

Enough of the rambling, onto personals…

Susie – You are almost done with work for the year!!! Wonderful! Hope you don’t have to work at home while you’re taking the rest of your vacation. – Good job on the WL!! You’ll do really well now that you’ll have the time to exercise daily.

Ceejay – I understand you missing Miley. Is she happy in Florida?? --- I hope you’re getting the sunshine we’re getting today. It sure does raise the spirits.


Happy – Yum, the soup sounds tasty. We have some leftover rotisserie chicken that I have to use up. --- Oh gosh, sorry to hear that your teeth are such that a group of dentists are studying them!!! But on the positive side, I hope they come up with a good plan for them. --- Re your house down south – I guess it’s just wait and see if the new owners get those extra $$$ they’re asking. Asking isn’t getting! As for the Chicago area – our housing is behind the rest of the country as far as housing values go. Bleh. I just have to remember it’s not just an investment, it’s shelter. --- I’m sure you’ll enjoy the party once you’re there. -- I drive my car to the train station parking because bf’s schedule is sort of sporadic and picking me up was an issue at times.

Shad – Love, love, loving the photos from your travels! Thanks for posting them on fb.

Annie – Fingers re the job applications.

Okay, off to post. Have a good day everyone!!

Laura
Yes Miley is in Florida. Niece sent me a picture of her napping. She said she and the other cat is getting along better than the first day so that nice. She and the dog has also became reunited. I think all is good. I remember helping my friend out with her grocery shopping. It got too me one day. That was the final straw for the decision to move to MO.

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Not much going on here. Spent the night at the condo with sis last night. This morning I went to Walmart and to Bed, Bath and Beyond. Mainly to look around but i did buy a couple of things. It was a beautiful day to be outside.
My cousin,who has recently moved to FT Leonard Wood Mo, and I have been in contact and we are on a mission to locate cousins. He located one in MS and I found one in Wyoming. I found her quiet by accident. I'd gone to Ancestry dot com to order a couple of DNA kits for gifts and it said that I might have some new relatives. One was a cousin on my mom's side in which I knew but the other one I was hesitant to respond to but did and it was her. Except for me being overwhelmed on Monday about the dentist appointment, it's been a good week. Not for food and or exercise though. I keep saying next week.

Good morning ladies,


Yesterday was the Thrift Shop Christmas party which I did not go to after all. I have been feeling like I'm coming down with something the last 4 days and decided to opt out of it. Was sneezing, felt queasy and just generally out of sorts. DH went to camera club and I just stayed home and vegged out. I had to go sit with him at the hospital when he got his pain shot and I wandered into the gift shop. They have such cute things. I got a couple of decorations for Christmas - will just decorate mantles and upper surfaces where Bimmy can't get to them. She is pulling the shoe inserts out of my shoes and dragging them around the house, keeps banging her paw on the water bowl sloshing water out of the floor and then she licks it up off the floor. Argh that cat! The other night she pinned me in bed - both of us were flat on our backs, legs in a v shape with a cat each buried up against us. I woke up to such knee pain!


I ordered baklava from this fantastic bakery in Michigan with intentions to take it it to the party yesterday. Even paid $15 for 2 day shipping. Now I have a big tray of it. DH didn't care for it so he said to take it and sell it at the Senior Center Cookie Walk on Saturday. There's 63 pieces so I can make up small plates with 4 - 5 pieces each. I have also figured out what cookies I will be making. Had to talk DH off the ledge this morning. He made a mistake with the Senior Center stuff and as is typical for him, he gets frustrated and walks away from this. He is not the volunteer I am and in all fairness to him I do rope him into community service! If I am a fanatic about structure and order, he is even worse so this whole loosey goosey way of doing things tends to get to him. I told him to go in and talk to the directors about his frustrations - don't just throw your hands up and walk out cold - that isn't fair either. He left a while ago - we'll see how it goes. He is also frustrated with our truck. We have had an ongoing problem with the display that they can't seem to diagnose or fix even though the Service Manager saw it happen right before his eyes. Last time he took the car in for service they busted his left side mirror and never said anything about it. He took it in for service and they forgot to order the part. They were supposed to call him to reschedule and all he gets is the sound of crickets in the forest. This service is as bad as the Toyota place close to us that caused him to trade in the car on a tantrum in the first place. I still think we should stick with Toyota up in Duluth where we were happy with the service even if it is a 90 minute drive.


Christmas is a week and a half away. I am going to TRY and send out some Christmas cards even though I'm not feeling it. Depends on if DH stopped at the post office and got me stamps LOL. He wants to go to a wildlife sanctuary this weekend and I really don't want to go. It's a 3 hour drive, it's basically out in the woods - nothing around it and that makes me immediately panic about having to use a restroom. I don't want to say no to him too many times but this really ain't my thing and I sure could use the time at home, especially if I was alone to focus on stuff. However if I refuse he will (justifiably) feel that I am making time for making cookies for the senior center and doing stuff for others and neglecting him. Sigh.


Ceejay - how nice to connect with long lost relative. Yes, it's kind of nervous to contact people you aren't sure of but when you connect, it's really nice. I envy the mild weather you guys are having. We have a light cover of snow - it's supposed to get to 40 degrees on Sunday which is very unusual for us. Not sure if we will have a white Christmas but it would be nice to go out shopping in mild weather. Hope you enjoy your holiday with your sister.


Laura - we had the same issues with our stove which was put in with the house here in 2001. It was a good Whirlpool oven but several repairs did not fix it. And it smelled of propane which really scared me. I am loving my Kitchen Aid oven and refrigerator tho. I think you might like the deep stretch class - I'll bet it will relax you and get you home and ready for sleep. I do know what you mean though about heading out of the house at 7pm in the middle of cold dark winter. I hope you will like it. Bummer on all the back and forth about Mom and the key fob. You sure got your steps in for the day but what a hassle! I know what you mean about waiting around while she picks out her groceries. Is she still buying way more than she needs or did that calm down? Hope you have a quiet 2 weeks at work and can relax and gear up for the new year. Are you still considering making a career move?


Annie - after much hassles and threats I got a notice that they are finally shipping my surprise to you. However I think it's getting mailed from Mars so it probably won't get there in time for Christmas. Are you finished with going into the office now? Hope you can relax and enjoy this time with your family and if you get down - reach out to your support system. Think positive.


Shad - am enjoying the pictures of Tasmania you are posting. Looks like you are having a good time. It's been a while since you got to travel. Wish I had some of your heat though!


Susie - hope work isn't too hectic and you are on track with your TOPS group again. Our leader is out recovering from shoulder surgery and I am eager to restart again. Are you busy with holiday activities with friends and the kids?


Well ... I have to get to bingo early tonight - we are going to put the game patterns into sheet protectors so that people don't mark them up and ruin them like they do. Trying to think of something for lunch when DH returns so we have a bigger lunch and maybe just soup for dinner. And I have to get the cookie dough assembled and into the refrigerator to set, flip the laundry, do the dishes, pick up some stuff, clean off the buffet so I can put up Christmas decorations and get myself cleaned up and ready to leave in 3 hours so I'd better quit the computer.


Later chicks

Afternoon all. The company holiday party is today at 3 pm. It's in our building, so nice to just take an elevator (or is it 2?) to get there. I plan to get there early and leave early enough to catch my regular train. It's employees-only and a buffet, so not a big deal.

I received my January - March parking permits (hang from rear view mirror) in the mail, so I'm all set for that.

Last night we went to our electronics store and bought a new stove. I honestly cannot recall 100% which brand - I think we chose Samsung. But it'll be nice. One new thing is an extra burner in the center that's larger and intended for a griddle. It'll be delivered next Wed. Bf intends to return the new parts he bought for the old one, so we won't be using the old stove. So until we get our new stove, it's the microwave, toaster oven, and/or Griddler (like a George Foreman grill). Or perhaps even our electric roasting pan. And no-cook foods and meals out/carry-out. Lately we don't even cook much, so it won't be a huge inconvenience The critical thing was to get the new stove delivered before Christmas Eve.

Tonight I'll get myself to the fc for a workout.

Ceejay - Sounds like Miley is settling in. How interesting to find "new" cousins. My BE workout buddy from FL recently came across someone through his work with my same first and last name. I think my last name is unusual, so I was surprised.

Happy - LOL re Bimmy. Oh the mischief. == Yum, baklava! I buy a piece to take home every once in a while when we go to the Middle Eastern place for lunch. It's a good thing that restaurant isn't close to home!! If it were me, I'd use the baklava as an excuse to skip the cookie making....== What a PITA re the auto service department. Bleh. == Can't blame you for not wanting to go out to the middle of nowhere in the cold. You and your dh need to find a shared indoor hobby. === Re mom's shopping...she still buys a lot, but I have to remember that unlike bf and I, she's eating every.single.meal at home. I'm pretty sure she rarely uses up her whole café/restaurant allowance that she's charged for as part of her monthly housing costs. So compared to bf's and my grocery shopping, yes it seems like a lot. == No career change yet. I'm staying put at my current employer until I'm eligible for retiree medical benefits - next summer. Then I'll seriously consider a move to a job closer to home. Currently I'm still mulling doing something different within my current employer - looking at every job posting. Though I'm not all that interested in the industry, I think learning more about the business by doing something in another department would be a good change. I'm ready for change, even if it's just a new boss!! Or should I say, especially if it's a new boss, lol. I'm reluctant to approach HR with questions - just don't trust them. And I really don't even know which person in HR to even go to about it...

Hellos to the rest of you!! Hope you're all having a good week!!

Off to post this and get freshened up for the party. TTFN!!

Got to decline emails from a couple of places. Nothing from the in person interview. I guess the answer is no since I have not heard anything since I interviewed around October 26. I mean really people. Applied for another position today... Not sure if I want to do it.

Lost my post

Annie
Think I would do a call back with the in person interview. Good luck.

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Not much going on this week end. Went to church. The kids had their play which was good. Went to an open house after church which was beautifully decorated, then to sissy for lunch. I wish I hadn't. She's got a spur under her saddle and she is not controllable. I offered my apologies for the offense that she said I was guilty of and that's not helping. I'm expecting to be booted out of the house. I had planned to go there for Christmas but have changed my mind.

Afternoon all.

I squandered another 3-day weekend, so now I’ll be running around like a nut to prepare for our Christmas Eve gathering with the family. Cleaning, shopping, cooking. Good thing I have the two weekend days to prepare. Such is life for a procrastinator like me. But I did enjoy my time off.

On my day off on Monday I had a dentist appointment. It was kind of a waste because all I needed were the elastic bands for my nightguard/anti-snore device. Those have to be ordered through a licensed dentist. However, my dental office wasn’t familiar with my specific brand of device, so I had to make a visit so they could see it. They placed an order for the bands and will have them sent directly to me, and it shouldn’t be a big deal in the future.


I’ve registered for the deep stretching class. It starts January 7th.


We put up the Christmas tree last night and will decorate it tonight. Yes, that’s sort of late, but we’ve never been the type to de-Christmas on 12/26 - we enjoy the tree straight through at least the first week of the new year.


Our new stove was delivered today – yay for that!

==

Annie – Okay, maybe a company can’t respond to all job applicants, but if you actually interviewed with them, they should have the courtesy to get back to you one way or another. I agree with Ceejay – you should call them.

Ceejay – Gosh, I sure hope you’ve cleared things up with your sister!

Susie – Are you enjoying your time off? After Friday, I’m off through New Year’s Day.

Shad – So how did you enjoy your trip? Love that fb pic of the furries R & R – I do believe they missed each other!

Happy – I like the “simple formula for living” you posted on fb. I saved a screen shot of that…

Dee – Are you ready for Christmas?? How is the baking going? I’m going to try to find a bit of time over the next couple evenings to prepare some cookie dough and hopefully do some baking this weekend.

Okay, I'll get this posted. TTFN!

Evening
nephew stopped by unexpectedly this morning. he should have been at work but said he'd called in sick. bathroom issues. told him thanks a lot dude give it to me.
I think things with sis and me are okay. still a bit leary. nephew said they have dealt with that from a very young age. guess it was my turn. all I can say is that I will keep my distance for awhile. it actually made me so nervous I contacted my doctor to see if I could double up on my med. he told me no and sent an rx to the drug store. called me yesterday morning and asked if they could set up a wellness evaluation. If he ask me to see a therapist I will. more later. time to put the phone on the charger.

Holy cow have I been the slacker! I had a post I was working on but the computer installed updates overnight and I lost my browser screens. It's been heads down busy - I've noticed that Monday - Thursday are super busy and just like you regular employed people I am looking forward to Fridays once again because I have the weekend to myself - that is if DH doesn't have plans for things.


Yesterday we had our Christmas lunch celebration at the Senior Center - almost a hundred people served. It was really nice. Very festive. Good to see so many people enjoying the place. I spoke with the directors this week - they are still uncovering messes from the former director. Makes me angry that she still has a job - what a cheat. They did a Cookie Walk / Bake Sale on Saturday. That was fun too - they made over $1500 so that was a great idea. So many cookies. I did buy a box - DH ate his and I'm finding that after 4 days old cookies like old fish just don't taste good. All that sugar was not pleasant to me either but some of the cookies were really good. My one guilty pleasure was macarons a lady hand made and another made mer mer - yes I can't spell it - meringues - oh that goodness spell check can figure out phonetic spellings


I went to the oral surgeon again this week. They took the CT scan, impressions and pictures of my mouth. Still nothing yet on a treatment plan. Dragging it along... The girls jammed the metal impression tray into my lower jaw where there was soft tissue - it hurt like #$)(@%*&#( and they did it 3 times. I wanted to punch them. Now the back of my gum where my wisdom tooth would have been is scraped up and sore. Thanks dummies.


Looks like I will clean up and decorate for Christmas over the weekend and then take it down 2 weeks later Cards are still sitting on my counter waiting to be made out. I will wish you all an electronic Merry Christmas instead. My sister got my gifts for my Mom at her house and she said she wants to keep the big digital clock. It's the size of a tablet and has big letters with the time, day of week, time of day (ie morning, afternoon, evening) as well as the date. I could use a reminder like that. I constantly forget what day of the week it is and as for the date ... phissssh - have to look at the computer for that one


I started taking my CBD oil pills 12 hours apart twice a day max dose and I do think it's helping. I did notice I'm not walking as wonky. Not picture perfect but not looking like one of the deer out there with the broken leg. (we have 2 like that who are doing remarkably well for having a useless broken front leg). Not much else going on. Christmas will be quiet. I have to figure out what to make for Christmas dinner - we usually have a prime rib but I'm not in the mood for that. Will shop Sunday and figure it out. I spent a ton of money on things this month, with the stock market tanking like it is - looks like next year we tighten up the belt and wallet again. Oh well, this was a good year of plenty and I'm glad for that.


I have to get ready for a lunch meeting with some of the shelter people today and then it's back home for a bit and then off to bingo tonight. The jackpot is over $1,000 and it getting close to being winnable (you have to cover all the numbers on your card in a designated number of ball number draws. Tonight is a cover all you hit with us calling 59 numbers or less. That would be a nice pot / holiday bonus for someone. Only thing I hate is we have people who only show up when the pot is high like this and I hate it when one of them wins over someone who comes regularly and supports us. But it should be a busy night.


Ceejay - sorry to hear your of the issues with your sister. It's hard dealing with someone so volatile. Just decide what you want to deal with and like you say, lay low when she gets more excitable than you're willing to deal with. Hope you have a nice holiday and Sis gets the bee out of her bonnet so as not to ruin everyone's time.


Laura - good for you for signing up for the stretching class. I am vowing more exercise come January too. Hope you like your new stove. Ours has the middle long oval burner / griddle too. I was excited about it but don't like it. It's awkward to use the griddle and the worst part is that the flame doesn't really go high enough to properly cook something like pancakes or eggs. The griddle sits on the middle of the racks and honestly gets in the way of the pots so I just put it off to the side. I might use it if I had a large pot of soup to simmer or maybe as a pseudo keep warm element but although I like everything else on my stove, the griddle definitely needs to be rethought... Still it will be a nice thing to have a brand new clean stove and oven to cook that Christmas meal. I smiled at your procrastination. high five - I'm right there with you You'll get it done, what you don't doesn't need doing. Also you are wise NOT TO TRUST HR people - remember ... they work for the company NOT for you as we are all led to believe. Sad but true. Piece of advice from someone in management who saw the dirty side of things and the mask they show to the employees. Even if they are basically good people at heart, the company does have the control on how things go down.


Annie - I am sorry you are in limbo over the job interviews. I always tried to give people some hint of whether I was interested in pursuing them or not but I know today people don't care about those things. They are often rude about your time and effort so I look at it as this is how you'd treat me, maybe I don't want to work from you. I wish there was an easy way to get a job like going into a store shopping and you bring a tag to the front and they match you with a job. People need to have income - don't you get it companies????? Still wishing you all good things every night as I go to sleep. Don't let it get you down.


Susie - I hope you are enjoying your time at home doing all sorts of holiday stuff as I imagine you are.


Shad - looks like your trip is wrapping up - seems like you had a great time. Thanks for all the pictures.


And with that I will buzz out of here. I need to find an envelope of paperwork that I was working on for the shelter. I think DH tossed it thinking it was junk mail even though I told him several times it was not. He is getting quite absentminded. It's happening to me too. We make quite the pair although it can be maddening at times.


Anyway - wish you all speed in this busy weekend getting ready for Christmas Countdown. I will be back before Tuesday so will catch up later ladies.

Not much going on this morning. I need to go back to WM for a bit more shopping.
Happy
What are CBD oil pills? Just looked them up online.

Bump

Hello Everyone!


I have been off work since last Friday and I am so enjoying it. Most of the time I can't think what day it is; I have to look at my phone to remind me. I have been busy with things at home, mostly wrapping and trying to keep things picked up and in place We don't do baking anymore except DH bakes some cookies on Christmas Eve just to have around.


I haven't been on my work computer at all since last Thursday at 3:00 p.m. It feels great!


Happy: I love to play bingo but I haven't played it in years. That sounds like a nice pot of cash for someone to win. How is your mouth feeling? My mouth is very sensitive and I have to remind my dentist and assistant to be very gentle when cleaning my teeth or doing procedures. I scraped the top of my mouth last week with a tortilla chip and it is still sore.


Some friends of ours have been using CBD oil for about 6 months now and they swear it makes a big difference. I will say I don't hear them talk as much about their stiffness and soreness...and they seem to want to move around more than they did.


Laura: I will be interested ot hear how the deep streatching class goes. I know I could use more stretching....when I take the time to do it, I always feel better. Let us know what you think of the new stove, especially with the griddle piece in the middle.


Annie: It is so hard to sit and wait when one is job hunting. My brother-in-love, James is also looking for a new job and he is experiencing the same thing. It is frustrating for sure. At this point nothing will start happening again until the 3rd or 4th week of January due to the holidays.


It's nice that you are keeping your brother busy and talking to him a lot. You are a great sister!


Ceejay: I'm sorry to hear that your sister has been difficult to deal with. It sounds like she has had this dispoistion most of her life and maybe it comes from depression? This time of the year can make everyone more tense. Hopefully she will calm down and things can even out.


Shad: You have seen some beautiful sites on your travels. It looks like it was a very nice trip.


Dee: Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your DH!


I'm about to go get on the treadmill and get the workout in. It is DH's last day of work and he said he plans to leave around 1 p.m. so I want to be done with my things around the house and my workout. We need to go to the grocery and I want to get that done before it is too late in the day.


I'll be around off and one......I wish all of you a very Merry Christmas!

Dealing with jury duty again in January. Hoping for the best.
Sis and I are on speaking terms. I can forgive but it's hard to forget this. I'm trying to put it behind me. I am going to have a good Christmas regardless.

Susie
Glad you are enjoying your tie off. You definitely deserve it.

Hello's to the rest.

Evening all. I'm now off work through the 1st.

Thursday was our department party. Well, all the departments that report up to the boss's boss. It was nice. Friday was a short day. Office closed at noon, but i ended up staying til one in order to get a few more things done.

I did some shopping and cleaning today and it'll be more of the same tomorrow.

Happy - I'm glad the cbd oil is helping you. How was bingo? Our new stove has the oblong center burner, but has a separate griddle that sits on top of it. I suppose it could get in the way if you're using the griddle and also cooking on other burners...but it could be good for the odd grilled cheese sandwich . I also think the oblong shape of the burner could be handy with certain size pans...

Ceejay - I'm glad you & your sister are talking again. I guess you need to develop a coping strategy when her behavior becomes a challenge.

Susie - Glad you're enjoying your time off. Lol re not knowing what day it is...I'll probably have that issue next week.

I probably won't get back here for a few days. If so, i wish you all a lovely Christmas!