Evening Ladies,
Hope everything is going well with everyone. My Christmas party was very nice tonight. Now I am working up the nerve to work out. I got my workout clothes on. That is as far I as I have gotten. I plan on going to do a 15 minute walking video and maybe 15 minutes on the gazelle.
So Ginny did you go to WW tonight? How did you do? Duct tape would an added bonus. Some rope would help too. So far we are having a pretty good week. The kids got a little mouthy today and wanted to fight but I did some comic relief. Good thing I don't do that as a second job. I don't think I would make much money.
Mouse glad to hear that your supervisor was the one to get the ball rolling with the convention. Hope everything works out for you. Great news about your dr. appointment yesterday. It is about time that you get some help from an understanding doctor. I will say my prayers that she is able to find the necessary answers for you.
Robyn and Summer hope all is going well with you two! Only a few more days until a nice deserved break.
Well if I am going to go workout, I better get moving.
Talk to you all later.
Have a wonderful Friday!
Kerry

Good morning!
Mouse- some good news!!! Sounds as though this endocrinologist has her head screwed on the right way and is at least willing to look a little deeper and not always take someone elses opinion. (gotta look outside the box, right). I do sincerely hope that this works out for you......You so desparately need some answers. Keep us informed.....when are you going to do the mouth swabs??? SOOOO, you can tell your kiddies that I pick up students from 3 private schools (one Catholic and 2 Christian) and a public school and NONE of them consider Christmas Eve an religious/legal holiday. But I had to laugh at the story.....kids are so interesting. Public and 2 of the 3 schools I drive for (the only one that is closed is the Catholic HS) will be open on Thursday.

Robyn- you crafty woman! I hope to also get some baking done Saturday. Are you feeling better?? What kind of beads do you work with?

As for me, I collapsed last nite......cold, TOM, stress and just too darned much going on to do otherwise! I am SO glad that we did DD's bday party a month ago, her bday is Saturday and Momma here is a burnout. Could not handle a party, I know that.
I did get to WW- drum roll........and lost .2#. Ok, no biggie, but I am really happy with that. I had had a cup of coffee just before the meeting, was wearing heavier clothes than last week (been cold here!) and TOM is due in about 5 days. So to me, it was like I lost a bit more...and I can see/feel the difference. I am a happy camper.
Guess I'd better gear up for another fun morning of student transportation.....whatever that is! Have a great day.
Ginny

Oooo, Robyn... got pictures of your jewelry? I'd love to surprise my TA with something! I bought her a gift card, but she's into pins...

And for the rest of you...

Kerry: Glad the party was fun. The hospital that runs my school had their annual fancy Gala tonight. I've managed to miss it 3 years running... the convention I went to last week is usually this weekend, so I'm never in town. This year, though, the Red Cross team I'm on was having their party tonight. But then the hostess' kids got chicken pox, so they moved the party to January. I'm not all that upset about missing the Gala. I don't dance, I don't have a date, and I don't have a formal dress to wear.
I could've bought one, I suppose, especially since Silohuettes had a gorgeous black and silver one I really, really liked... but ...
My real reason for not going? Every year I hear stories about how our administrators act at the party: and I don't like them sober, why would I like them drunk?! I don't find the stories hard to believe either, because I went to one end of the year party, and they were just weird. Most of our staff parties are held in bars, anyway. I never drank before the endocrine disorder, but I'm sure not going to drink now!

Oh, and I forgot the best part about the student's arguements yesterday: One of them INSISTED that the reaosn Christmas Eve was a holiday was because the Jews start Hanukkah early! I don't typically tell the kids I'm Jewish; I don't think a discussion of religious values has any place in a school setting (except a religious school)... and inevitably, with our kids, we wind up with black & white.
But this time, I just had to. I just looked at the student and said, "Hanukkah was over last night." And he says, "How do you know?!" He has to be right all the time for all reasons and situations. I just smiled and said, "I'm Jewish." I don't think I've ever had that particular child speechless before.
He could really be a nice child if he wasn't such a know-it-all.
And Ginny: The cotton swabs; I have to chew on them for 3-5 minutes and put them in a plastic tube. Then the 2 tubes get mailed to a lab in Wisconsin. Its hard to chew on the cotton for that long: not only was I sleepy because it was so late, but it dried out my mouth and made me want to throw-up... because you don't normally CHEW on cotton! I'll have the baseline bloodwork done next Friday morning before I hit the gym and then run back home. I'm dispatching from 2:00 pm (when the chapter closes for the day) until Monday, December 27th... straight through... and then again each evening until Thursday. Sometime that week I'll have the other blood tests done, including the one after I take the pills. I'm supposed to take 2 pills, then go have blood taken before 9:00 a.m.

Hi!
Somehow my computer was miserably messed up this am. First of all, I did not even have/see Kerry's post from Thursday pm, and then when I tried to submit my own post from Friday am, I was booted off. And all day I was thinking that my post never even got here.....big surprise to me to see that it actually went thru. But I have seen stranger things happen.

Kerry- glad that your Christmas party was fun. You are so inspired...going for a workout after that! Good for you. Pardon my ignorance, what is a gazelle ? Yes, I know you have mentioned it before, and I have not asked. Just curious. Hope you got your workout in both yesterday and today. Keep up the great work!

Mouse- well, I could make a ton of jokes about you being a cotton mouth.....but I think I will pass on that. You picked the absolute best reason for not going to the holiday party- I had a similar issue with my former job. (guess you do not fall into the category of being a brown noser......never ever thought that!). It is tough to socialize with people who love to kick you around, and most wise that you do not do so. I think you only stand to lose. Love your Hannukkah story......I enjoy watching the face of a person who is shut down in such a manner......guess I just find it interesting.

Today was long.....public dismissed at 11:45- which I knew was going to happen. At the end of my run, I had a 1rst grader who had noone at her stop......so she stayed on my bus, finished the run with me and I backtracked back to her house again. Still no mom......(mom must have been shopping and also had a Dr appt). So she came back to the office with me......fortunately she did not get upset, guess she trusts me.
We chatted about what Santa was going to bring her.....favorite holiday songs....light stuff like that. The school contacted her uncle, who picked her up at the office. But all that pretty much chewed up my time off for this afternoon- I had only a few minutes to throw lunch down my throat and head out again for the remainder of my afternoon.
Well, I am tired and better get some sleep.......today is Dd's bday....mom is a burnout.......so what else is new!
Have a good day/ night/whatever.
Ginny

Oppssssssssss I forgot, a belated happy anniversary to you and Dh, Robyn!

Good morning!
Got some sleep last nite, and I feel a bit more refreshed. Dd is in good spirits, being her birthday and all.....she LOVED the bed we got for Felicity (American Girl, I picked up the bed in perfect condition on ebay......could not see spending $120 for a doll bed!) and the other things she got. At least for now, she is a happy, easy to please child (please, Lord, let it stay that way!).

I won't bore you with my life......hope that everyone is having a good weekend. Try to find some time to yourselves....even just a 15 minute walk or to relax for a few minutes with a book. I know it is tough..... I managed to squeeze in a 15 minute walk, just parked the car and walked around town to finish my errands.
Gotta go make birthday cake!!! Have a great day.
Ginny

Hey ya'll! Had a wonderful time with my dh last night. We dropped the kids off at CampGrandma's, went to a restraunt that we had never been to, ate the wonderful seafood buffett like little piggies (I did drink water instead of something with an umbrella! hehe), found coconut cake (like from our wedding!) at the dessert buffett, drove around looking at Christmas lights, talking...TALKING (wow!) about stuff..nothing..everything.. just spending time together! Then we ended up three towns over at a bar playing pinball and drinking beer (sooo much for my no umbrella!) (My family will drive 100000 miles to play pinball.... we own several!). Then ended up at Barnes and Noble buying books and junk for stockings.... and then went and got the kids and drove home. Sent the kids to bed! ....and went to bed ourselves by midnight! WHAT A WONDEFUL anniversary!

Today I've made 4 batches of candy and am getting ready to go bake some of my world famous cookies! Tonight I have chocolate pretzels and raisins to mess with!

I work with glass beads mainly. (Some $$$, some cheeeeep! All depends!) Altho, for the boys I uses seashells and some bone. I do not do much with seedbeads and weaving at allllll! I am addicted to black and clear beads. I have 3 huge boxes of beads...all sorted by colors and shapes, of course! I also kinda love blues, purples and red..... oh shucks, I've got tons of beads in all sorts of colors! LOL See what happens when you get me talking about beading?!

I don't have a digital camera to show you any of my work right now... but I'm going to get one for Christmas! I tried to scan the two that I made on Thursday...If that works I'll post here.... I sent Summer an anklet a while back.... She said that she liked it! This fall I sold 60+ bracelets to a girl who runs a scrapbooking retreat company. I can NOT believe that I didn't complain about THAT here! 60 bracelets for the 1st of October....and a new job at a new school??? Dear MEEE... but I got it done, of course! Hehehee...

I've never made a pin Mouse..... but I bet I could.... LOL! Bracelets are my favorite...altho I have an order waiting for the first of the year for a 16 inch spiky coral choker. (NOT my style!) I have 1 bracelet that I've made for myself. BUT there are over 100 of my creations out there somewhere ...hehehehe. SEEEEE WHAT happens when you get me talking about beading!

I'm off to bake...the oven just "beeped"...it is preheated!
Have a productive, wonderful weekend!
They are calling for snow on Monday.... I'm getting up at 6 tomorrow to go grocery shopping! JUST IN case!

take care,
Meeeee

Robyn- sounds as though you had a wonderful anniversary! I am so happy for you.....a great day/evening for you and your Dh. The one thing I miss most in our marriage is talking too- really talking- the kind where you really get the feeling that your Dh really knows something about you on more than a survival mode. n Congrats, congrats, congrats!!!!!! Gee, guess we asked the wrong question about beading.....but it sure sounds as though you enjoy it! (a healthy diversion, in my book!) I would love to see some of your creations, when you get a digital camera up and running. What kind of cookies did you bake?

I got some baking done- had to make Dd's bday cake! And I made some cookies too.
SImply amazing, Dh went with me and both of our Dd's to a county run homestead built in the early 1800's that was decorated for Christmas. It is sort of a living museum- some kid crafts and kid geared activities. I am amazed that he went (we used to do this kind of stuff all the time B.K.) (before kids) But he went.....I am so glad he did......restored a bit of my faith in him as he has been so ornery recently and so much of the person I married is no longer there.
Nuff of that.......guess I'd better get myself moving- I want to take a short after dinner walk. Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend.
Ginny

Wow... you were all so productive today. Want to guess what I did? I SLEPT. ALL DAY. Literally. And how very unusual for me unless I take medication that makes me sleepy... I feel like hibernating. I got up just in time to eat dinner and go to swim lessons. I will be very busy tomorrow to make up for my sloth today: have to bake for the school bake-sale, make a card, go swimming and grocery shopping; all before it snows! And then everybody went out for sushi afterward, and I like going out with them, they're fun people to be with. Yea... I get told that there is something wrong with me for not wanting to socialize with my co-workers at school, but its the PEOPLE. I *love* going out for Sushi or Pizza with the people I teach swimming with. The pool manager can be really funny, and some of the stories the other people tell are just as hilarious. I'm probably going to go to the after-holiday party the gym is having. They don't do it in December because the gym is pretty evenly split between people who are Jewish and those who are Christian, so there is no time during the month to have the party... so they do it on January, and its on a Sunday night too so that the Jews who celebrate Sabbath can attend. They have a funny set-up though: you have to pay a $10 deposit, which you get back if you go! I've never heard of such a thing before!
Ginny: That museum sounds neat... we have quite a few of those types of places in Lancaster, and nearby... I've been to a lot of them because my mom is a history buff. Whenever she had time off during the summer, we'd pack picnic lunches and off we'd go. I went to so many... but my all-time favorite is the Smithsonian. I can't wait for Spring, because I figured out how easy it was to take the Metro to the Smithsonian on the weekends!
If they can get me recertified as a life-guard soon, I'll be working Saturday mornings at the gym too as a guard. See, I just love my gym: how many FITNESS CLUBS would hire somebody who looks like me to be a life-guard?! I'm definitely not Bay Watch material!

1/2 a tub of cool whip
1 egg
1 chocolate cake mix

Mix the 3 ingredients together well.... the dough is very stiff... roll into balls.... roll into 10x sugar, bake 12 minutes at 350. don't have clue what they are called but MANNNN they are tasty... NOT a diet food. moist and quite yummy. you can put any kind of cake mix in there and viola you have a new flavor. Not a gourmet recipie by a long shot!

It is 2:30.... in the morning.... I've just returned from a night of Holiday shopping. Kmart was having some amazing sales.... on everything from TBone steaks to boys pajamas! Got some of each!

Gotta get to bed. Will talk to you all tomorrow!
Sorry to go on and on about my beads!

take care...
meee

Hi!
Never thought I would get here again this weekend, but then I did not know that Ds had another appointment with his pitching coach.......so Dh and Dd are with them and all is peaceful here for now.

Robyn- you night owl! Glad you caught some great sales. Doesn't that make you feel good? We used to have a Kmart here, but with their downsizing a year or so ago the one closest to me closed and it is very inconvenient for me to get to the other one. I do miss the store, they carry lots of stuff that Walmart does not. Your cookies sound yummy......for the coolwhip did you use fat free or regular? THe other ingredients I almost always have here....never know when you need to make a cake in an emergency! Did you get any beading done, like you wanted to?

Mouse- I never thought that you were antisocial. I totally understand about not wanting to socialize with the particular individuals that you work with. They do not sound as the types that are really your friends, or would even be pleasant for you to be with. And in my book....and I am not known for being a diplomat....if it is not in your best interest, why bother? Sounds like you will be having fun with your swimming friends in January. I thought of you the other day.......a box arrived at my house (Wednesday afternoon, I think) and it was obviously a pie that had been shipped. It was addressed to Dh, and he does get all kinds of gifts from contractors that he does business with, so I brought it in the house and thought little of it. Well, when he got home, he laughed and said that my birthday present had arrived early........it seems as though when he was cleaning out the truck (after totalling it 2 weeks ago) that he found an old ad (probably 10 years old, from one of our trips to Lancaster) that he had torn out for ShoeFly pie. I love the stuff, (he hates it) and he ended up taking a shot at that the company was still in business. They were and he had one shipped here for my birthday. Ok, it has to be a million points per slice......and I am allowing myself a tiny piece each day. But I know that you are familiar with the area......and might appreciate my silly tale. Onto another subject......sounds great that you can be hired as a life guard. Big so what that you do not look like Pamela Sue or any of those other silicone infested, collagen injected mutants! What it is all about is that you are capable, right??? And that your heart is in the right place......and I think you pass with flying colors in all of those categories. So, get recertified and congrats.
Ok, I have babbled enough. I am fighting the blues these days. PMS is here (tralalalala lalalala), I am stressed out...sick of crabby kids (two of my own!), this time of year tends to be rough for me (anniversary of my fathers death was 12/16 and while I do not dwell on it it tends to silently linger in my thoughts for a day or so) and money is so tight. We just bought another truck to replace the one that met its demise.......got a great deal on a used vehicle (not enough time to explain now) but it really wiped out our savings at not the best time. And Dh seems to want to spend like it is growing on trees. Grrrrrrr.....nuff of me bellyaching.
Guess I'd better get off this computer and do something productive.
Have a good Sunday!
Ginny

Here is one of the bracelets I made on Thursday.... I used the scanner!

I'll be back...got lots to do....

Ginny... I used the regular cool whip.... I'm not sure what it will do with the other IF anything....I just never have the time to want to SEE!

I didn't read the rest of your post! Read only the first little bit while I was waiting for the photo to load.... will be back!

Take care!
meee

Gee Robyn, the bracelet is so pretty!! A nice color combination, just enough to provide contrast but not enough to overwhelm. VERY pretty! And it looks like one of those projects that do not take too terribly long to do.......me, stupido meo, I go for the time consuming stuff......so that I never get it done! Anyway, it is a beautiful and a great gift! I am going to try to make those cookies with the ff coolwhip and see how it goes. When I do I will let you know how it turns out.

We have some snow/ice due for tonite......can't decide if a delay tomorrow would make me happy or not....so much to do!
Gotta go. have a great nite. (BTW, I did get that walk in, 2.5 miles)
Ginny

I somehow burned the corners of both pans of brownies. The others are okay, and its snowing and I don't have any more stuff to make them.... I use a mix for the base, but I don't put eggs or oil in them, I use plain yogurt (this time) or applesauce, egg whites, and then add peanut butter/chocolate chips in one, and white chip sand mint extra in the other. Maybe if I cut them up and take them out of the pan nobody will notice??? The bake-sale is tomorrow!!!!

Your cookies sound good, Robyn... but my brownies really ARE healthy. And I love your bracelet. Its gorgeous. I taught my female students how to do beading my first year there for some reason, and we made some bracelets and other jewelry, but it was harder for some of them, and they prefered making the plastic beaded animals where you follow a pattern...

I did get my swim in, at least, and the grocery shopping done (mostly).