How deeeeelicious! :cloud9: I haven't checked the thread and I've come back to so much news and banter! I savored each post as I drink my cawfee!!

Bagz: I hope you make mucho dinero in the smelly soap shoppe!! It sounds like you're on your way to a banner year!! mmmmmm Cinnamon Rose Hips, sounds puurfectly divine! I have mulberry candles burning night and day during the season.

CowP: :yikes: Dreadful news about LCPs DD... It's good that she is close to her Aunt and Uncle - support makes such a difference.I think it was sweet that DS actually sat to play a game with you! Those are the moments he and you will remember.

Kiwi: What!!! You're in NC!!!! How did I miss this! I thought you were going to Bastin!! How ironic that you are here and I am leaving.. 2 ships passing in the night... I received a lovely DVD in the mail yesterday -- DD is truly gifted! I love it!!!! What a thoughtful gift Kiwi.. :hug:
Sorry no ham/barley/shroom soup recipe here... I do have a killer cream of chicken recipe.
We are outta here at 2am "tomorrow" trying to beat the rain and holiday traffic back to NJ. Too funny, as I thought to myself when DH made this proclamation that I will be traveling ala kiwi time.:lol: I plan to wear sensible shoes ... I'm a clog girl myself. slip on slip off, low heel and wide for my platypus feet. :sumo:

Suggy- I hope yer feelin better! You must be on pins and needles waiting on news! I visited bloggette and why is it that Far off land looks so purfectly charming????

Cherry- Have a wonderful holiday with the boys... hope you're able to slooooow down this coming year~

Wabby darlin' - I hope you find some solace and joy in surrounding yourself with those you love and Kayden's first christmas :hug:

:xcheer:Thankyou for sharing your daily doings, joys and sorrows with me :grouphug: I'll try to pop in when I can

My friend in Californiay is having gall bladder removal stuff on Dec 26. I want to send her something cheerful. Looking at the flowers online, I keep thinking they're boring. Is it me? What should I send her? If I had surgery, I'd want a stack of magazines and food but what can gall bladders removed people eat????

OH CARP ON A STICK. :mad: I posted a long winded reply (yeah, like when am I anything but long winded) and it disappeared because I'm not permanently logged in on this computer. I suppose this one will disappear too. :tantrum:

Anyway, I don't know what gall-bladder-less people can eat. I like flowers myself. Not to eat.

Wish I could visit Bagzie's store. Although I must admit that being in the South is rather pleasant. Rainy today, but not cold. Swimming was fun. DD went with us. We had to meet all my mom's friends as usual.

re: the DVD. We ran out of them before we left home (mostly we ran out of time), so I can make more after we return home, if those of you who didn't get one would be interested. Not all of what is on it will be of interest to everyone, but hey, that's what the Fast Forward button is for.

Can't say that I quite believe that lcp's travel is being paid for by scholarships. If so, she must have some kind of private "scholarship fund". Maybe her family is some kind of mob. :tape:

Gotta go wrap some more presents.

Kiwi

ooh that's a hard one..my gfren had her gallbladder removed , but she eats whatever she wants :dunno: dunno if she's suppose to though. Like you I would like a basket full of mags, trashy kind...National enquirer, Star, The Globe (must keep up with the latest alien sightings, the doings of Britney sans unnahweah, and who's gay and whos not) Sudoku book, crossword book, and the latest best selling book... I MADE MYSELF A GIFT BASKET :woohoo: Could be cheaper, but more work to put one together..
or how bout a Spa and Bath type of gift basket?
This is a cute one http://www.shopbuildabasket.com/prod...=12720&cd=PMTX

Shots I LOVE that idea and actually called them ... takes business days to get something from them to her. I'll go look for another one closer???

Cowie. I did a google search for something similar, and no go-- they have the doc bag but filled with junk food... then I thought maybe a big soup/tea mug filled with teas, soup etc... Here's a site that has something ...it looks a little "thin" but you could call the site to customize the gift--or maybe they have the cute doc bag you could fill?

http://gift-baskts.stores.yahoo.net/getwegiba.html

Shots I have looked at another site also and it has made me give up puncutation All of these gift basket businesses are in New Jersey Isnt that strange I wonder if lcps trip is paid for by gift basket vendors

Her dad was an attorney and youd think he would have paying for her education but that is denied

The gift basket industy is run by the mob, so a lot of them bein in Jersey makes sense-
Ah yes "CARP on a stick.. and call it dinner!" (Dh hates when I say that as it induces a scrinched up face followed by an Ewwwww. This delights me.)

lcp is an enigma wrapped in a puzzle :chin:... Whadda I know , but I never heard of scholarship money for 6 week trips ... will she be doing research there - is she a language major? Methinks something strange is afoot and I shall now :ziplip:

international studies something or other major
i am still looking
furniture arrives tomorrow and room needs cleaning
woe oh woe

Wow this is like IM ... both on line same time... the planets have aligned. :yoga:

hmm international studies--traveling internationally... Who knows :dunno:

I think it's time to rent a moving pod. Place in driveway. Store all junque in it. and Viola, uncluttered clean house.

Houston, we have a baby!
 

Wheee! I just became an aunt for the fourth time. The little beauty's name is Sarena Marie and she weighed in at a hefty 8 lbs 10 oz. We're all very happy.

The gift basket industry is run by the mob?? Well, that explains everything.

Congratulations Aunty Sugar P! I'm glad you got word. Were they affected by all the problems there?

I agree that lcp's deal sounds a bit weird, but then... I don't know if you've heard our story. We stopped paying for DS17's private school at the end of the last school year due to the large number of classes he was failing and the complete non-communication from the teachers. They then worked out some kind of under-the-table deal with him, while keeping us in the dark (we wanted to send him to public school.) Now, he's some kind of charity case to them, and now, some anonymous family is paying for his second-semester tuition because he's "so deserving." We were hoping he would learn the value of hard work, but he still doesn't have a job. I have no idea if he's brought his grades up. I guess what he's learned is you have to charm the rich people and you get what you want. That's the long way of saying lcp's thing is probably entirely legit... people are weird. I'm sorry about her dad, though. How sad.

Sorry, still feeling ranty. Grr.

Hope everyone has a great Christmas!

Thanks for saying that Cherry. Nothing this girl says has ever been disproven but it's just that most people in my experience like to say "look at this" and show you something to back stuff up. That is unthinkable about your ds. He's a minor! How can they do anything without parental consent?

Wow! Those are some thorny teenager issues! It's frightening that someone could just supplant you as a parent in a way, but life gets awfully complicated sometimes. And it doesn't help that it is like getting blood from a turnip to get a straight answer from a teenager sometimes.

I did what I hope is the last of my Christmas shopping tonight, helping Target close its doors at 11 PM. I hope everyone is on the way to a lovely holiday in whatever way you celebrate it. My wayward brother is showing up tomorrow, and much as we would like to smack him in the head now and then, we will be delighted to see him.

Speaking of brothers, I can't help but share this crazy website with you all. My youngest brother is crewing (photographing? videotaping?) on a sailing voyage and the boat has a blog. The owner of the boat is this ex-hippie party guy who publishes a sailing magazine. My bro is the long haired overgrown teenager on the left (he's 40+ but if he ever grows up I'll be sorely disappointed) in this pic.

Tata
Kiwi

The whole family sails?? And some sail seriously by the seashore. I bought a box of See's chocolate for Christmas. Wabby knows about See's. DS and I are enjoying it but I think of it as mine. Honestly, moving from California one thing I regretted was not having See's. Another was losing my mechanic. They had good sour dough bread there and delis. The temperature was nice. That's probably it.