No tomorrow is not the busy day..Tues. is. You would think I could remember one thing...the reason we flew home. Geesh.

Angie- Stand your ground, you deserve the help. I was the one who always decorated and DH sat and enjoyed the "fruits" of my labor. Now that it is just the 2 of us I do very little decorating and he has even been known to do a few things. haha

Katiecat- I, too, envy you the trip to SF. Sounds like a fun time. My DD just moved to Santa Rosa. She has lived in Sonoma and Petaluma. We hope to make another trek into "the city" when I go out to see her in the Spring. I love to visit CA. (up there and San Diego where DS lives)

Jane- I envy you having your shopping done. It is so hard for me to get into the groove when we are not going to be with family this year. I am still trying to convince Mom to go back to LV with us, or at least fly out for Christmas. The teenage grands can't even tell me what they want. I think that is a sign that they have too much.... Then the little 5 year old GS wants IT ALL!! Hubby and I are going to donate to charity this year and just exchange a few small things.

Marti- Have fun with Jhanai. Sounds like you are feeling better.

Cristi- Hi and get some rest!!

Katy- I still have a Lego explosion here when the grands come over. I have my oldest sons legos and the teens still like to mess with them. The 5 year old thinks they are just for him when he comes. LOL

Michelle, EM, Susan, and all other JL's...talk to you all soon. Hopefully from sunny Las Vegas. This midwest weather is the pits! I know Jane, you are waiting for snow and I hate snow! Bah humbug!

Connie--Missed your post. Hello, and hope your injury heals quickly.
Have fun with the tree and the DGD.

Good morning, ladies,

Katiecat - a really big yay for the 23 pounds down. You're doing just great. Is Tim still on the wagon, too?

Marti - where'd you go??

Angie - YAY for you putting your foot down. Sometimes the fam can be clueless. Especially the guys. Remember when we got Fern out of the nursing home and brought her home? I had a long talk with Neal and Katie beforehand and told them that I'd have to have help with her. They left every bit of her care up to me before, and it just about did me in. No, I don't have one single gift wrapped, believe it or not. Usually I have them all ready before the tree even goes up. I'm having trouble this year, and think it's because of the house. It sure doesn't feel like home.

Sue - we're going to scale way back on the gift giving next year. The kids all have too much, anyway, and since we'll be on a fixed income, I've already warned everyone. Have to save some $$$ for trips, lol. Hope your aunt's surgery comes out ok tomorrow. Yep, I'm looking for snow. I love it! And also, my son is in the snow removal business this year, lol.

Connie - have fun decorating the tree today with Chloe. Hope your face is feeling better today. You might want to put some vitamin E on the injury so you won't scar.

Cristi - hope you get rested. Won't be long until you get to see Josh again, right?

Saw a movie on (free) HBO yesterday that was really good. It was a Stephen King movie starring Johnny Dep called The Secret Window. Freaked me out! Had a clementine and salad as my movie snack, btw.

I need to clean and do some laundry today. Also must to go to town and get a sympathy card. The sister of a (sort of)friend died, so I need a card for that.

Have a good Monday, and I'll see you on the flip side.

Okay here goes my first attempt to join in with everyone...

Jane: Thanks for making me feel welcome, I loved Biggest Loser too and the Secret Window freaked me out..but Johnny Depp is hot even when he is psycho!

Marti--yeah for 2 lbs off-2 more closer to your goal

Earthy Mom-- yeah for your 5!

Angie- I did the cloth diapers too--saved disposable for going away. I stayed home with the kids until they went to school and I wouldn't have traded it for anything. Money was tight but everything got taken care of.

Susan- I had a similar experience with a girl I was supervisor of--anytime I corrected her she went to the director who had close ties to the family she married into and I was told to be "nicer"--became unbearable so I put in a transfer even though I loved my job and everyone else but this person who got away with doing nothing(hid her work, rude to phone customers,played on internet all day instead of doing work then allowed to come in for overtime by the director) --long story short-due to a shuffle to make due with those left after a downsize- my supervisor got moved to a different area which he loves, the person I had problems with got moved to a different area and is still able to get away with doing nothing and I am in charge of my area and everyone is happy now because they don't have to deal with her banging stuff around and losing her temper.

Mary Kate- The Dickens Fair sounds cool. In Lancaster PA there is a place called the Mt Hope Winery and in the summer they do a renaissance theme, October is a Edgar Allen Poe theme in the different rooms and Nov & Dec is a Christams-Dickens theme. I went to the Christmas one years back with my husband and a group from a previos job--we had a great time. My husband and I have been talking about going back--there was also a great pretzel place where you could watch them being made before your eyes and then you could buy a batch in a beautiful tin.

Em- never heard of "Irish Twins' but I like it and don't think it should be offensive to anyone--my mother was rasied Mennonite (think Amish but with electricity & cars) she is one of 8.

Connie- what kind of puppy do you get? hope your eye gets better quickly, we used Merederma on a scar my daughter had and it worked well. You have to allow for the wound to start to heal before you begin to apply it.

Anyone I missed--I am sorry- I will eventually get the hang of this--

I have my snowmen out and stockings up and some other little stuff--Hubby wants to get another live tree to plant after Xmas is over-- Both my 18 year old daughter and 20 year old son don't live at home but are both coming Christmas Day.... It's really been hard this year since Teri (my daughter moved out to start college) my kids have been my world for so long (they both call me everyday) I need to find something besides food or watching tv while grazing to fill my time up when I am not at work--hubby is always tinkering in the garage--working on a "hot rod" at the moment.

Good Afternoon Ladies--

Was busy yesterday decorating the house. James got a cute tree and Jhanai & I decorated it! (James had to leave for work.......) My house still looks in turmoil this morning. I need to put things away back to the shed and tidy up.

Jane--I was watching shows on free showtime yesterday while decorating. I didn't see that one. One movie I watched was "Stepford Wives" I've never seen it, and didn't even know what it was about. Pretty good. Both James & Jhanai knew what it was about!!

Angie--Good for you for standing your ground!! Doing everything yourself kind of get you out of the spirit of things and who wants that? I'm glad your boys started decorating the tree. Whether its only partially decorated or not, at least they got the point and did something. Maybe you should partially wrap the gifts??? Go w/the theme? (Just kidding...sorry)

MaryKate--The Fair sounds magical. I really wish Oregon had more things going on for the holidays. Sometimes I wonder if we're the scrooge of all states and don't do anything. That or I just read or hear about any festivals. One year we did have a "No Christmas Tree" display going on in Eugene. No company was allowed to put up a tree. Crazy.

Connie--Oh my goodness...you poor thing. I hope the wound heals quickly. Be careful w/your eye. That just sounds so painful to me!! I'm sending you a get well hug!!

Michelle--So, with your grandma and her sister marrying twins....did a lot of the family look very similar? I work w/these two girls who were best friends through highschool and they married brothers. (not twins) and all the kids look like siblings!

Sue--Things are changing around here w/the gift giving--holiday gathering. For one, I don't even think there is a family gathering at my grandpa's this year. Most family are going to the spouses family (you know the trading of years to spend w/family) and that left a lot of family out of town this year. If nothing goes on this year....that will be the first in 34yrs. Makes me sad.

Julie--Want to send you a big welcome!! Your town sounds like a fun place to be around the holidays. The Edgar Allen Poe would be fun! I guess I'm just going to go on a hunt for the perfect town to move to during the holidays.

Hello to anyone I may have missed. I have to get my house in order. And eat some lunch. My tummy is growling at me. Tomorrow is Jhanai's band recital at the hult center. Looking forward to that! I bought her this really pretty blouse for her to wear. Everyone had to wear white tops and black pants. I will try and get photos that are clear enough to see while she's on stage. Hopefully I get a good seat! (Can you believe I have to pay to watch her play??)

Ok..better get going.
Have a great day!

Cristi--And there you were typing away while I was typing away! It was Matt who won the biggest loser. He looked incredible. They all did. (except that one...she didn't even look like she wanted to be there) I was very impressed and inspired thinking "With a little discipline...if they could do it, I can do it!" So we'll see.

Better get to the house cleaning! Just wanted to say hi to Cristi! Hi!!

brrr its cold outside....minus 34 tonight...Im going to go learn what that means down in the states...you will all be impressed!...lol Anyways Tan and i were suppose to go sing,,,i think,,,opening my mouth will freeze my tongue...hmmm don't a good thing.
Tree is decorated,,,Monte and Tanner. Will get Brandon to do something...bring down all the huge containers..
Jane, we are at the point in our lives where no one needs anything...I want to sometimes just say we should donate our gift money to a charity instead.

Marti,,,did James bring home a real tree? I went out and bought a new one recently. ITs huge,,,almost too big. Have to go buy a new star,,,no one could find the star,,,can't remember if I tossed it out last year.

Hello Jules...and a big welcome! This is a great place to come and hang out...

Cristi,,,Korea is far! So your card took 5 weeks? wonder where it went...? Travelled the world!

Anyways should go and do some grocery shopping...brrr
will be back later...

A super quick hello to all my lady 'loser' friends

I've lost an inch off my bust, waist and hips. and Five pounds with a week being OP. Wonderful!

But its going to be a busy next couple days, just didn't want you all to think I dropped out or anything.
Take care you all and love,

EM

Morning ladies~

Not a lot going on today. Man is it COLD! Brrrrrrrrr...it's a big 11 degrees! Tomorrows high is supposed to be 14 and maybe 1-6 inches of snow-ICK! There was a time I liked the stuff but having to drive in it makes it icky and of course tomorrow will be my busy day. Hopefully we don't get a lot of it this winter. You can have the snow Jane, I'll send it your way.

ANGIE~yes, Korea is a long ways off! And I am hoping that's not where he goes. They keep telling him different places but until he actually gets that official letter nothing is set. So we will see. Glad you didn't get out in the cold especially since you were sick not too long ago.

MARTI~you are right...with a little discipline I think we all could do it! No, I KNOW we can! It really was amazing the amount of weight they all lost, very inspiring. I definitely am a fan of Biggest Loser now. That's odd that you should have to pay to see Jhanai's recital, but I know it will be worth every penny! Is the money going to go towards charity or just the school? Or do you know? Hope you get some pics, would love to see them! I know Jhanai has grown a lot since the last photos we've seen. Would also love to see your cute little tree! Did you guys get a noble fir this year? Those are the prettiest trees!

EM~WTG on being OP for the week and the inches and pounds off! You are doing an awesome job! Are you following a specific plan/program? I'm not sure if you mentioned or not, probably missed it somewhere. Being gone for a few days and then trying to play catch-up I miss things.

Hi to everyone else


As I said, not much on the agenda today, just trying to stay warm! Should have had V start the fireplace before he left for work. The thing with that though is it warms up the kitchen, dining area and living room fast and keeps it really warm and then the furnace stops coming on so the rest of the house gets cold. But I love a fire sometimes...it's a gas one and I don't like messing with it otherwise I would do it myself. Anyway...going to dust and vacuum and do a load of laundry. Took me forever to get it all done yesterday and I want to stay on top of it. Well...take care ladies and I hope everyone is having a wonderful, warm day!

Afternoon Ladies, well almost noon!

Cristi--Yep, we got a noble fir! James went and picked it out. It's a shorty & a fat one, kind of like me! I'm not sure why we're paying to watch the kids play. But the place they are performing at is a performance hall. I'm assuming it's so the school can afford to play there. It's only 6.50 so it's not a biggy. I'm a big fan of biggest loser too. Don't forget they start again in January! That one should be an interesting one to watch! Looked at the photos! Thanks for sharing those w/us!

Em--Fantastic on the loss of everything!! That is one thing I should really do....measure myself. But I just haven't. Have fun whatever it is that you're doing and pop in when you can!

Angie--I love the real tree's. So we get one every year. We have an angel on top of our tree. But this year I kept looking at our angel wondering "Did she shrink?? She looks smaller than usual!"

Not much going on w/me until the recital. James won't be able to go tonight, in fact, he isn't even home from work yet! That RR really gets me sometimes! Can't we just win the lottery so he can stay home? (oh, you mean I gotta play first?)

Ok...going to get myself dressed. Have a great Tuesday!

Hey everyone...
Em,,,good for you about your loss.

Marti,,,I ended up going out and buying a star last night...couldn't find our angel. Bought a santa hat and a mini tree for my desk. I had bought these tiny lil decorations a while ago..and thought a mini tree with tiny decorations would be cool.

Cristi...its very cold here,,,and have bundled up so much I can barely bend my arms,,,lol

Im going to and watch a movie under the blankets...lol
ttfn

Hi ladies!

Cristi - 1st of all, thanks for the postcards! I've been through Atlanta, and the traffic really is like that, lol. Also, thanks for sharing the photos. He's such a handsome soldier, Cristi! And you look great, too. I so hope he gets Fort Riley for your sake. But he may be looking for something a little further from home. Let's just pray it isn't Korea! Yep, I think your snow is headed here. We had a dusting of it this morning, but are expecting several inches on Thursday.

Marti - I saw the Stepford Wives this weekend, too. I saw the original back in the 70's, and it was a big topic of conversation everywhere for awhile back then, lol. Hope you have fun at Jhanai's recital. Did you mention which instrument she plays?

Angie - stay warm, hon. Neal is a geomorphologist and teaches earth science at VU, and says that celcius and fahrenheit temps are equal at minus 40 degrees. Yikes, that is SOOOO cold, Angie!! Your office will be so festive with the decorations you bought.

Em - way to go on the inches lost.


Reading about Christmas the way we do at this time of year, I have to say I'm so glad none of the Jaded Ladies say "Xmas"! And do you know Lowe's is now selling "holiday trees" instead of Christmas trees. They caved to the pressure, I guess. But isn't Christmas all about Christ??

Off my soapbox to say I've had a busy day. I made cookies for the big family Christmas party Saturday, and then had Terry and his family over for supper. I don't get to see them as much as I'd like.

Take care and I'll see you later.

Just a quicky before I head out for the recital.

Jane--Jhanai plays the clarinet. She's all excited and keeps asking me to make sure I get there early to get a ticket. For goodness sakes, they better let me in or they'll have a disgruntled mother on their hands!!

Angie--Your office is going to look cute w/the little tree! Our department can't have a tree,not even a little one. No room. But the reference department where I'm cross training has a little one. But it's kind of hidden...can't really see it. Kind of hard to do in a lab environment.

Ok...I'm off to the recital. I got my camera and I'm ready!

Take Care!

Thought I'd pop back in and mention that there's a link on the 3fc home page of the Philly mod meetup. It has a photo of the mods who went, and gives a run-down of what we did.