Daily Ooos: December 4-5: Weekend Edition

[faerywings]

Good morning and happy weekend!
As you surely guessed by seeing me in this thread, I did survive shopping yesterday. It was a little touch and go but I toughed it out. ha! The day didn't get off to a good start. Jaida threw up a few more times before I left and it had blood in it. I made a big batch of white rice and took some chicken breast out of the freezer in between cleaning up after her. The store wasn't too crowded when I got there but it didn't take long to fill up. Then my mom called me to say that she was running late- the milk she had in her cereal was bad (she has no sense of smell so this happens occasionally) and it upset her stomach.
I think I did pretty good- I found some stocking stuffers for the family and a few of them are really funny. Not anything I would spend much money on. One thing I got was this stuffed pirate on a spring for Scott. Yes, it looks as odd as it sounds. It was on clearance for less than a dollar. How could I pass that up?
I also went to the sporting goods store and picked out a fantastic pair of sneakers-- they have some crazy tech that stabilizes your ankles. I thought- pfft. No way will that make a difference. Then I tried them on. Holy cow!! It did!! Now I am 100% stoked to get them. That made my mom very happy and relieved.
Gary ended up taking J to the vet. She stopped throwing up (I would have just waited but well- he did what he felt was right) but he also saw a small growth in her ear. $125 later, it is "feed her rice and chicken for a few days and keep an eye on the growth."

Cait has an appt for Evie on Tuesday also. Her foot and ankle have been swollen and while the foot is not swollen anymore her ankle still is. As long as she has the appt, she is bringing the big girls to discuss end-of-life care for them. It sucks but she is tough and loves them more than just about anything.

This weekend is going to be busy. FP this morning and then I am going to start organizing the gifts into separate boxes so I can see who has what and where I need to fill in more. Tomorrow we are going to Arlene's to celebrate Hanukkah together. Of course, there is also the 12 Days party happening here!
So, lots to do!!

Big hugs!!

 

[faerywings]

@tanteva Usually I have a hard time converting new avatars to the person but yours is an easy one this time LOL!!!!
Hope that you are enjoying the day of sleeping and relaxing today

@LSlycord CONGRATS!!!!!!!! That is amazing news for Syd!!!
*whispers* I know that you want her to go wherever she will be happy. But as a mom who has one kid stressing a lot of student debt, I do hope that she goes where is it also financially smart. Don't tell her I said that though...

In all seriousness, I know that she is going to do great things wherever she lands.
Look at those lemons, they look delicious.

@taxed4ever Chilly with blue skies is acceptable weather *G* How was the hair appt? Relaxing, I hope.
I bet you are very excited about having the family with you soon <3

@bcgal00 That was super nice of you to explain to your neighbors about the sump pump, I am guessing that they need one.
You are one special lady-- they will treasure the photo that you took of them
My heart always breaks for you when you talk about how hard it is for B to get the proper care. If she is getting worse, would they try to get her into the unit sooner? Poor J, no wonder she is so stressed. tell her that we are all sending love to her.
Here is the video that Caitlyn sent me: https://www.instagram.com/p/CW_kbrnJdOp/
Maybe that will cheer B up?

@BrightEyes you have been busy! Absolutely adore your avi! Absolutely jealous of the temps. We are stuck in the 30s and you know how I feel about that
Meanwhile, @tjscraps is laughing her butt off thinking that 30s is downright balmy

@Cherylndesigns Yay! 2 nights of solid sleep, sounds like Heaven! Love your avi and siggie! Rat babies are little and soft.
Bwuahahah!!! Why am I totally not surprised that you pulled the wreath apart and redid it? haha!!

Waving to all of you!!

 

[tanteva]

I really do look like myself on the avvie, don't I @faerywings

Still super tired ... even though I got a good night sleep. We haven't had time to go grocery shopping all week, so we went today. Just got home. Made the mistake to say to Urban, that I had no plans for dinner today, and what did he want? ... Now I have to make tacos! *sigh* Not that I don't like tacos, I love it ... just hate making it. It feel's like 8 hrs of chopping veggies. LOL

No real plans for the weekend. We need to try and see if we can get the new washing machine installed. Otherwise we really have to get really inventive with what to wear for work next week. LOL I have a really nice week coming (oh, no ... what will happen now???!). Only work 6 hrs on Thursday. Will try and use all my free time to catch up on stuff (read cleaning) that I have been avoiding.

In Sweden there's a long tradition on TV to make a "Christmas calender" on TV. Every year (since 1960) from the 1st to the 24th of December they run a TV show, with a 15 minutes episode every day. It's a huge thing, and basically everyone watch them. I really love this year's so far. It's based on a series of books about a family of thieves, where one son wants to be an honest person, and tries to get the family to stop thieving. Really cute and fun (lots of puns, I love puns - like the cop's name is Paul Iceman, and things like that). Anyway - the "julkalender" is a big tradition and really fun and nice. Everyone has their own favorite, and there can be long discussions why one year's was better than another. The old ones are all available on DVD and some you can stream from the channel's app.

 

[LSlycord]

Good morning! I spent some time in the gallery this morning...boy is that place rocking! I am so intimidated by all of the beautiful work. But I am challenging myself to work through the intimidation and just get better with practice! LOL

Brian and I had coffee on the lanai around the fire. Then we noticed how the lanai really needs a good cleaning...the smoke from our morning fires has made it kind of gray. Why is it that everything always needs to be cleaned? And I hate cleaning. Oh well, add it to the list of my December tasks. So many lists of to do things...need to create one of @tanteva 's tada lists.

Weather is 58 degrees and warming up but lots of fog. We had planned to go to St. Augustine to watch the Christmas parade but it was so foggy and damp that we decided to skip that.

And Ona had posted about Amazon shoppers. I confessed that I use Amazon for everything. With Prime, I really don't worry about shipping so I just order whenever I want something. That took me awhile to reach that point but I'm here now...lol. So this morning I order luminaries---our neighborhood is having a night to display those. Can't wait! I'm thinking that we will take a walk through the neighborhood that night and just enjoy. In Iowa, we would have driven due to the cold but I think we will be fine walking here. Also ordered some ice cube trays so that I can freeze some of the juice from my lemons.

 

[tanteva]

Good morning! I spent some time in the gallery this morning...boy is that place rocking! I am so intimidated by all of the beautiful work. But I am challenging myself to work through the intimidation and just get better with practice! LOL

Oh, the comparing game! I'm guilty of that too at times. Thinking my layouts are so much worse than others, why on earth are they so CRAZY that they let ME be on the team!??? But also: I'm working really hard to not let those feelings control me. And when I need a boost, I just go to the gallery, and look at my older layouts - then I can see for myself what a progress I've made.

 

[LSlycord]

@faerywings I am so glad that you found shoes that will stabilize your ankle. And I know your mom was beyond thrilled! Worth going to the mall for sure! (That's the kind of thing that you can't figure out on Amazon.) Thanks for the words on Sydney. It's going to be an interesting 3 months while we work to figure it out. And you know that I mean "we" because I certainly have opinions. The great thing about our relationship is that, while she listens and values my input, she has plenty of confidence in her decision making ability and will wind up doing what is best for her. I love what a good mama Cait is to her rats. She is definitely in need of some baby rats.

@tanteva I am glad that you got that chance to sleep in. Of course, after a trip to the grocery store, you may need a nap. Nothing wears me out quite as much as the grocery store, especially when I need to come home and cook.

@taxed4ever I have never made a lemon meringue pie but I do have a new crust recipe that I want to try out so it just may be a lemon meringue pie this weekend! My brother had a girlfriend in high school that made the best lemon meringue pie from scratch so I have just never tried it. That's been more than 40 years so I guess it's time to break away from that memory.

@bcgal00 I am so sorry about the struggle with Bailey's health and getting her the care that she needs in a timely manner. Hoping that Jen can work some magic there.

@BrightEyes goodness Kay! How are you finding time to do anything other than scrap? I am seeing your beautiful pages pop up consistently in my Facebook feed. You are on fire! And your post reminded me of how much I like the Winds of War series. I was looking for a place where I could stream the series but couldn't find one. I loved the book so I may get that and re-read! Once I read it while vacationing in Hawaii. That really brought it to life for me.

@Cherylndesigns love your avi and your sig. Looking mighty festive!

 

[LSlycord]

Oh, the comparing game! I'm guilty of that too at times. Thinking my layouts are so much worse than others, why on earth are they so CRAZY that they let ME be on the team!??? But also: I'm working really hard to not let those feelings control me. And when I need a boost, I just go to the gallery, and look at my older layouts - then I can see for myself what a progress I've made.

Good advice! When I look back on my first layouts (and I do remember them with so much pride) I can't believe how much I have improved. Thanks for that reminder!

 

[taxed4ever]

Morning ladies and Happy Saturday! We got our first snowfall last night . Not a huge amount but enough to cover the ground in a blanket of white. DH and I are going to be out shopping for a new set of bedside tables, not exactly exciting but it will be nice to have them for the spare bedroom upstairs. My hair appt. was very nice and I had a great chat with my hairdresser, she is such a sweet young lady! Glad to have my cut and colour done, it feels so much better! Our new laptop arrived just before I left to get my hair done and so the afternoon was spent setting it up and dealing with the windows 11 update. I am not a fan of the windows operating system and would much rather have a Mac, but oh boy they are way to expensive! I managed to get my silhouette software loaded to the new laptop and it works great! I tried it out by cutting a cute little 3D village made of heavy card stock. It will be a great centre piece for my table! It holds battery operated tea lights, so I need to get a few of those today. Hope to spend some time here at the O, ohhhing and awwwing at all the beautiful layouts and getting some commenting done! Hopefully a layout done too. I need to get my AVI changed also. So much to do and not enough hours in the day!

@faerywings - Glad you survived the Mall shopping trip! Your new sneakers sound fabulous, hope the really do help your ankle out! Sorry that your fur baby has been throwing up so much, but at least you know how to get that under control! Sounds like you will have a busy weekend, but nice to get everything organized and then you can see what else you need to get done!

@tanteva - I so love your new AVI!! It makes me smile everytime I see it! Hope that you enjoy your tacos and that it won't be 8hrs of chopping LOL.

@LSlycord - I really hate that everything needs to be cleaned too!! Seems like that is all I do . Around here everything gets green from all the rain and damp air. It gets so bad that we could power wash the decks a few times a year! Ugh!! How nice to be able to have coffee and a fire on the lanai, I miss having our coffee outside in the mornings, its just a bit too chilly to do that now LOL. You will have to let me know how your lemon meringue pie turns out, it is one of my faves!!

Ok I am off to get some breakfast and get going with our day, wish us luck with finding a new set of bedside tables, perhaps a pair of lamps to go with them also. Enjoy your Saturday everyone!

 

[tanteva]

For everyone who needs to channel their own inner Grinch - the photo is a filter from Snapchat - just search for grinch among the filters and you'll find it. The more the grinchier

 

[BrightEyes]

Morning, gals. I did a @faerywings thing early this morning... woke up at 3AM and took me a long time to fall back asleep. Haven't done that in ages, thank goodness. Gave it up when I woke up again at 5:30. Sure hope that was just a fluke as I usually sleep right through the night.

I took some time off to relax last evening and spent it watching a couple of my 'new to me' DVDs. I saw 'The Philadelphia Experiment' when it was made in 1984 and enjoyed just as much when I saw it last night. I had been looking for it on DVD for the past few years so it was a real treat to finally get it. My 2nd DVD was 'Taking Chance' (HBO - 2009) with Kevin Bacon... the true story about a Marine officer escorting the body of marine Lance Corporal Chance Phelps home after Phelps died in Iraq. It was a very moving story of the journey and the honor and tribute paid along the way. Having been a military (Navy) wife, I was really moved by it... Be warned - it can cause tears but yet it is so up-lifting to see how he was honored even in death. So glad I picked up the DVD.

@faerywings - loved the LO of the kids graduating for Momma O's challenge. I need to decide what moment I am going to scrap for her challenge. So sorry that J was so sick. Wow, glad that you found the sneakers with the ankle support!!! Great gift from your mom.

@LSlycord glad you were able to sit on the patio and enjoy it.... too bad the fire smoke caused it to look dirty. Oh, I remember those foggy winter days in FL well. Good choice to not go when it is foggy like that. BTW, love your new Avi... so nice to see your face clearly. I was going to suggest that you squeeze the lemon juice and put it in ice cube trays and freeze - but sounds like you have done that. Good luck on making a lemon meringue pie. Yes, I have been busy as can be scraping like mad. Thanks for the nice words.

@taxed4ever Not sure to say congrats on the snow or not. Good luck on your hunt for the nightstands and lamps. BTW, loved the photo from your walk - it looked so peaceful.

@tanteva Yes, it is good to look back at some of your earlier works and realize how far you have come. That should lift your spirits.

Off to get my shower now that the house is warmer. Have a great weekend.

 

[Cherylndesigns]

Good morning! I'm up a little bit earlier than usual - have had my coffee with Chuck - Adrienne doesn't come down on the weekends, because she spends it with Roger. Chris, @faerywings glad it was worth going to the mall. Ugh I hate those places. I don't mind the perimeter, like you shop. I used to love to go to the malls and walk. They had mall walking hours in Michigan - opened an hour early just for walkers. It was quite a big thing - they had the markers and everything. Unless you were a "walker", you didn't even notice them, but you know, people like to know how far they've walked. We only had one mall in Ft. Myers, but I would go there and walk because it was air conditioned. Haha Too hot there for me for speed walking.

I KNEW you'd love that I tore my brand new wreath up. It you don't like it - tear it up, right. It looks great now after I added it to another wreath that I already had. It's about twice as big as it was before I "did surgery" on it. I'm really happy with it, now. I had a bunch of artificial grass that I had used for my fall porch decor and it was the final touch! My Zebra Grass was WAY too messy to use. Glad you found some shoes that felt good. That's hard to do! I hate trying to find them. If I find some I like I just reorder when I need to. LOL Speaking of, I can't find my "slopping around boots" anywhere. They HAVE to be in somebody's car, or at somebody's house. I'm infamous for starting out in boots/shoes and ending up in the flip flops that I stashed in my bag and took with me. So, I ordered a new pair - hope they fit. Of course, Amazon doesn't sell the ones I'm missing anymore.

I'll bet the babies are SO minute! I can't imagine how tiny their little legs and feet are.

Linda @LSlycord your weather sounds about like ours - it's a little cooler today, it was 79 yesterday! It's going to get chilly again, but we've sure enjoyed this warm spell.

I'm going to go get busy. Adrienne wants to go get our nails done later - I really don't NEED a pedicure, but will get it touched up, and I MIGHT get a mani. My nails are still looking a little "ridgy" after finally getting my gels off after the original shut down and all of the nail salons closed. That was brutal! I never thought they'd look decent again.

Waving to all and happy Saturday!

 

[bcgal00]

Good morning ladies. I've spent the last few hours hanging out with the dogs, D slept in as he was out late (guys poker night) and I was cleaning up after Taz who got sick twice (I caught him chewing the sticks a few times yesterday at the park and it upsets his stomach but he does it anyway). I've been outside quite a bit with the dogs and now I'll work on a CT page and then hop in the shower. I've got cleaning and organizing to do today and tomorrow. Darrell and Jen will move furniture around, I want to put the tree tucked in beside the TV, it might be a better spot, a little more out of the way of the dogs play area. I don't trust putting it in the living room as the dogs wresting and jumping would topple the tree I'm sure. Later today Jen and I will go to the Lumagica Xmas display event and not bring Bailey as we're unsure of her triggering, especially in public. I'll take some pics with my phone, it'll be fun to scrap them.

@faerywings Yes, I'll show that IG video to B and she will love it. Glad you found runners you like and is it the runners that have the extra support or is it a brace/stabilizer that you use with the runners? Either way, glad you found something that sounds good.

Like Chris and Cheryl, I don't really care for the mall anymore either. I can't believe I would spend whole days just wandering, browsing and shopping. Now I like to have a plan, pop in and out to get what I want and even better, if I can shop online or just visit one store without having to enter a mall, that's even better.

@taxed4ever Good luck shopping!

I'd better get a move on. Have a good day everyone!

 

[tjscraps]

@BrightEyes you have been busy! Absolutely adore your avi! Absolutely jealous of the temps. We are stuck in the 30s and you know how I feel about that
Meanwhile, @tjscraps is laughing her butt off thinking that 30s is downright balmy

Hahahaha we've been having a mild winter, but yes, 30's isn't a bad temp for the winter. Today was our first pretty cold day, at -20'C (about -5'F)

Having a busy day trying to get some stuff ready for Christmas - I'm around just not 100% around lol I got some bad news from the dr yesterday, so I'm still taking that in. It's likely very minor and can be fixed with a day surgery procedure, just I'm a worrier and worrying about the what-ifs if that doesn't fix it all.

 

[felis]

Hi girls!
My past two days was irrevocably lost after I catch some kind of cold, or one of these seasonal affective disorders or just was bitten by a vampire (yes I'm still reading The Vampire Diaries series, on the book 5 at that point, but my symptoms match). I had to go to the office and waiting outside at cold morning and come back with that brain fog that I was mentioned, which grew up in total muscle exhaustion and nose bleeding (I told you it must be vampire ). I'm mostly sleeping at the last few days. Barely was able to make a basic cleaning at the cats house. And I'm so unsatisfied how boring become my photos for the Instavilage gardening fest as I know that my ideas are good, but had no energy and creativity to present them at artsy way, which is what the jury is looking for! So so disappointing!

OMG, Linda, open heart surgery that sounds so scary! Sending you hugs and healthy vibes!

Chris, I'm always want to see Hanukkah celebration, what it's looks like? Isn't it takes multiple days?
Poor J, did they tested her for lymph tumor? Life really sucks this month!

Eva, that Christmas TV show sounds as an awesome tradition!

Trudy, the stores for furniture are my favorite! I hope that you'll have nice time in exploring and will find the perfect bedside tables! Don't forget to show us the card stocks!

Cheryl, show us a pictures of your wreath up!!! My english is very limited to can give me right impression just by description !

Rae, have fun on the Lumagica Xmas display! I hope that this will distract J from her worries at least till you are there! I'm asking you the same as I asked Chris, why you needs so big tree? We have small one that is easy to put on high away from the pets.

Trina, sorry for the bad news! {hug!}

 

[faerywings]

hellooooooO! Happy Sunday to everyone. How is the weekend going for you? I feel sort of shocked that it is Sunday, myself. I did a lot yesterday and at the same time, it was simply not enough. It didn't help that I had several texts with my dad and two (torturous) phone calls with my mom and dad. I apologized to my kids in advance when the time comes that they try to help me in my old age and all I do is frustrate them.

My dad's hernia surgery is on Dec 17. That is making both of them a bit more bonkers than usual, especially with the holidays coming up. I offered several times to come down prior to the surgery to give them a hand and they poo-pooed me, they had it all under control. (HA!) I texted my dad to say that I was coming down one way or the other. [insert a ton of texts trying to figure out what day would work for everyone and we finally got it settled]

Then my dad called to ask about how to send a link to my mom from his laptop to hers. *That* was fun. /s Then I had to talk to my mom about Caitlyn's gifts, we spent more time on Amazon and I think she is almost done. *I* am more than done if we are talking mentally LOL
J seems to be back to normal, thank goodness. I am glad that I didn't steam clean the carpets last week when I wanted to because I would have to do them again.

We are all going to Arlene's in a bit. It is neat to be able to celebrate Hanukkah with everyone. I am making Hanukkah Donuts to bring. There was a box mix at the Christmas Tree Shop so it should be easy enough- if a little messy.

The party is off to a fantastic start!! The Gallery is just amazing too

HAGD! xoxo

 

[faerywings]

@tanteva LOL, the Grinch avi is going to make me smile every time
Thank you! Finally, someone who understands my hatred for tacos. So much food prep and for me, very little reward. I am not super crazy about them. I usually make a taco salad. the kids love them- I use turkey for us and "beef" crumbles for Cait. What do you use for the meat?
Shhhhhhh!! Don't jinx yourself about the upcoming week. *knocks wood again and again for you*
What a neat tradition to do in Sweden. Have fun!

@LSlycord Isn't the gallery awesome?? Don't be intimidated, your work is incredible too.
Sure, sure-- keep bragging about how warm it is. Although you have been through much colder winters living in the Midwest than I have.
If I can give any advice, my kids are both very happy that they went the college route that they did. Community college, then a 4-year commuting. Now Cait is in her last semester of Grad School starting in Jan.
The financial part ends up being a bigger factor than you think it will be. It s kind of like a wedding--if I could go back in time and not have a big wedding and use the money for a house, or if I could have registered for more practical things- my China gets used maybe once every 5 years, for example, I would. I think a lot of kids graduate and don't realize how much debt they accumulate. Staggering amounts of debt.
Obviously, everyone has different savings and financial help so I am speaking *very* broadly. And unfortunately, many of my kids' friends graduated during the pandemic and now are having a difficult time finding a job in their field. That colors all of it.
As always- take anything and everything I say with a grain of salt, YMMV. I just sometimes think that in HS everyone is so gung ho on the "follow your dreams" part and doesn't always take into consideration how debt will play a huge role in their lives for a long time. It sucks but it is reality

That said and hopefully did not offend, you and Syd have a great relationship and I know that you both will have good, thought-provoking discussions and she will make the best decisions for her. High 5's to you both xo

yes, the baby rats will be a nice thing to have. Liv is still very happy- chuckling like mad when I gave her some of Jaida's chicken. But the tumor is making it very hard for her to walk so while I don't know what the vet will suggest on Tuesday, I know it won't be long.

@taxed4ever Congrats (???) on the snow. How is the laptop, getting everything installed? How neat to have the Silhouette software running properly too. I bet you will use that a lot!
I want to see a photo of the village you made, please
Not enough hours in the day is right.

@BrightEyes I just adore your avi! How did you sleep last night, better??
Your DVDs sound very riveting. So happy that you enjoyed them and relaxed. Buwhahah- that is how I felt with Trudy's snow! LOL!!

@Cherylndesigns Isn't it funny how we used to like malls? The mall is 5 minutes from where I grew up and everyone would go and wander around. Window shop, people watch. Now I hate it.
The wreath sounds fab- can't wait to see it!
That is what I will do with the sneakers. I will reorder them online until they get discontinued. Then have to shop in person, complain about that, then go back to reordering online LOL
Did you ever find the lost boots?

@bcgal00 Why do dogs insist on eating things they know will make them sick? *eye roll* How is Taz doing, all better?
It had to be so disappointing to go to the Christmas display and not bring B Were you and J able to have a nice time and get some good pics?
The sneakers have some built-in support system, the brand is Brooks Adrenaline. Would never believe it would work if I hadn't felt it myself.
If/when Caitlyn gets the babies, you know I will have lots of pictures to share with you and B

@tjscraps (((((((((((hugs)))))))))))) You have been getting slammed and I wish I could do something to help. I could tell you not to worry but ha-- that is the pot calling the kettle black so I won't waste my words
Just know that we are all behind you, sending big hugs!

@felis Yuck!! Sorry that the vampire bit you. Are you feeling any better today? Sending you some virtual tea and honey along with healthy vibes
yes, Hanukkah last 8 nights, I think tonight is the last night. Scott went down to celebrate last night. I celebrated once with my friend across the street but this will be the first time with Arlene and Leah. They light candles and pray, thanking G-d for the miracle of the oil lasting 8 days. Scott and Leah get competitive with Dreidel, each of them complains the other cheats

Hope that everyone has a fab day!

 

[tanteva]

Nothing like doing stuff in the last minute! Tomorrow is the last day to get letters in the mail in order for it to get there in time for Christmas. That is: for letters going outside of EU. I have one pen pal in the US and one in Sri Lanka. Those need to be finished today. Then I have 2 pen pals in Germany, 1 in the Netherlands and 1 in Finland - those are within EU, and those must be mailed by Dec 10. Then I have a couple of Swedish pen pals, and their letters doesn't have to be in the mail until Dec 21. I haven't even written a Swedish letter yet.

Can I just say: I LOOOOOOVE Vicki's newsletter templates. Made it so much more fun to write a letter:

December Letter

• tanteva
• Dec 5, 2021
• 1
• #cheeryo #christmas #vicki robinson designs newsletter vicki robinson newsletter templates

Nothing like doing things in the last minute! Tomorrow is the last day to get this in the mail...

I'm going to use these a lot! I'm so happy that she made them in A4 format as well, so I can print them. Need to figure out some settings on my printer though, I guess, cuz it turned out a little bit greenish & a bit wonky. Will have to do this time though, don't have the time to figure it all out. Now I need to go and finish the letters with some personal notes & the envelopes.

Cooking will be easier today. Have leftovers from yesterday, and I'm going to heat a can of Heinz baked beans, and stir in the leftover mince from yesterday, and serve with rice. John will get chicken nuggets instead (he could eat chicken nuggets every day of the week LOL) Oh, and Chris @faerywings - I buy a soy based vegan ground "beef". It's a Swedish brand, that we prefer. Actually, we eat a lot of soy based products. Easy & lazy.

@felis There's one vampire that can bite me anytime!

 

[bcgal00]

Good morning ladies. Had a fun time with Jen last night. We enjoyed the outdoor Christmas display event and took a few photos of each other. I'll enjoy scrapping those. We agreed that although we missed having Bailey with us, it would have been a disaster. She is way to verbally volatile right now so bringing her out in the public would have been hard on all of us. We had a nice relaxing stroll all around the park and enjoyed the displays, it was really peaceful and not too crowded (b/c of COVID restrictions). Then, since we didn't have B with us, Jen suggested popping into the casino there (I didn't even know there was a casino there b/c I hadn't been out that way in over 10 years). We ended up staying 4 hrs and had a blast. I lost all my money, Jen suggested we take turns hitting the spin button on the game she was playing so I agreed and we had fun, my spins won a few hundred dollars for her. Then we moved to another game we've never seen, she put those winnings in, and said if we win anything with doing our taking turns game, then we split the money. So we each won bonuses and good spins so were up $400. She cashed out, split the money and said go play for a bit. We each went off and played different machines and an hour later when it was time to go home, she was up a few hundred and I was up $600 (minus the $200 I gave back to her that she shared with me earlier). It was fun to have that unexpected gambling adventure with Jen b/c I wasn't planning on gambling again for quite a long time, it just doesn't make sense to go now that D is retiring and income will decease. So that was a fun finale to my gambling time.

I better cut this short, I'll come back later. D is looking for the lightbulbs and I need to go find them for him

 

[Cherylndesigns]

Good afternoon! I'm loving reading all of your posts - Eva @tanteva I especially love "Bite Me - Please". Hahahaha

Felis @felis I saw your cute garden on IG and loved it! I might do something similar - what a creative idea and I hope they like it better than you think they will. Using the old windows is a wonderful idea. I love old windows and have one hanging in my house - I have a wreath hanging on it. Here's a picture of my front door wreath and my window with the wreath handing on it.

 

[Cherylndesigns]

I'm back - Adrienne came down for coffee and we ended up sorting all of my stuff that I had in this huge trunk/coffee table. I'm boxing up my fall and Halloween stuff to take up to her house and we found more of it in the trunk. I even found some more of my Christmas stuff in the trunk. I had been looking for my tartan plain tablecloth and it was in there! My house is a "plaid explosion". Hahaha

Chris @faerywings I put the Bat Call out (we have a "Ranch Group" on our phones. Adrienne remembered that I did, indeed, leave them in her car at some point. YAY! Now, she just has to FIND them. I knew they had to be in somebody's truck. We ruled ours out yesterday. I went ahead and ordered another pair, so if I find mine and don't like the new ones, I'll send them back.

We went and got mani/pedis yesterday (she has acrylics) then went to the local department store to shop a little bit. I'm done, so I just helped her find things. We love that store - it's locally, family-owned and they know us. I had some slippers that I'd gotten for Chuck and they didn't fit, but I'd lost the receipt. They didn't care. They know us by now and here's the coolest part (old school) - you pay with a card and they ask if you mind getting "cash back". They don't have to pay to run the card that way. YES! I love cash back. haha They have some amazing deals in there - I mean really nice, flannel shirts for $9.95! I wanted to get Chuck another one (he loves the western snaps now) and they were out of those. Getting pretty picked over at that price. On the other side of the coin, they're also very pricey. I asked the owners about the shirts with snaps and she said they go first - all the men love them!

I got that same sweet guy for my pedi - it was amazing. He also gave me a pedicure - no gel or acrylics for me. I haven't had a regular manicure for years.

Can't wait to see the babies, Chris.

I'm going to go see what I can get done. Adrienne and the kids are bringing dinner down and we're eating here. Looking forward to that, but I need to get everything straightened up. We're almost ready. The house looks pretty at night with the tree on and the fireplace lit. Covers a multitude of sins. LOL

Hugs to all.

 

[BrightEyes]

Yikes, it is afternoon already and I am still in my PJs. Spent a lot of time doing the scavenger hunt game... still looking for a couple of them. Will go back to it later on. @tanteva - I hear you about printers giving the page a wonky color... I printed out the scavenger page and it is all pink and blue! Need to clean the printer heads as I haven't been using the printer much lately and the heads get clogged up a bit if not used every few days. But as my printer is a tank type... it is worth the extra ink to clean them frequently.

@faerywings Sounds like you have had a stressful time with trying to help your mom and dad. I forgot that your dad's surgery was coming up so soon. Will be keeping him in my prayers. Enjoy the time out for the party. Yes, I did sleep much better last night - all night long.

@faerywings and @tanteva ... can't understand about all the chopping for the tacos??? I chop up onions, tomatoes, lettuce and grate the cheese which only takes a few minutes. I use a taco seasoning pack on the browned ground beef. I do 'soft tacos' - just in and out of hot oil for less than a minute on each side of the corn tortilla - so they can fold over the ingredients easily. Usually served refried beans with them. Also love a taco salad - with the meat over a lettuce/tomato/onions salad on a bed of crumbled crisp tortilla chips. Either one is a 'fall-back' meal when I can't think of anything else to fix.

@Cherylndesigns Love the new Christmas wreath!!! The grasses just add to it!!! LOL over your 'window' wreath - so clever. Great price on those flannel shirts - DH loved to wear them in the winter.. and also loved the shirts with the snaps on them. Not surprised that they sell out quickly (and are pricey)... the same here. Glad you cleaned out the trunk and found more Christmas and fall decorations plus your plaid throw. Had to LOL over you putting out a 'bat call' about your missing boots.

@bcgal00 Glad you had fun at the Christmas event... think it was wise to not take B given how she is doing right now. And WOW... so glad you both won at the Casino. I hear you about not going once hubby retires... Yes, things change when that happens.

Time to get some lunch... all the talk about food made me hungry. CYL

 

[tanteva]

@faerywings and @tanteva ... can't understand about all the chopping for the tacos??? I chop up onions, tomatoes, lettuce and grate the cheese which only takes a few minutes.

It's just that chopping is sooo boring. I chop onion, bell pepper, cucumber & sometimes tomatoes. And opens a can of corn. I know, it's not much ... but I really hate it. LOL Love eating tacos though ... so yummy.

We use these:

Mini Taco Tubs 10-pack | Santa Maria

Små skålformade tacoskal som gör att du kan äta många tacos med olika fyllningar!

www.santamariaworld.com

 

[felis]

Good afternoon! I'm loving reading all of your posts - Eva @tanteva I especially love "Bite Me - Please". Hahahaha

Felis @felis I saw your cute garden on IG and loved it! I might do something similar - what a creative idea and I hope they like it better than you think they will. Using the old windows is a wonderful idea. I love old windows and have one hanging in my house - I have a wreath hanging on it. Here's a picture of my front door wreath and my window with the wreath handing on it.

View attachment 362209

View attachment 362208

@tanteva I couldn't be more agree with you, Ian and Nikki are one of mine role models!

@Cherylndesigns Cheryl, thank you for sharing the pics, your decoration is awesome! I told you I can't imagine it well enough via description. It's so much more prettier! And it is brilliant idea to use window frame as board for expositions!
Also did you make these Christmas trees and how?

Oh, yes my family is much into reusing old materials and sustainable living. And I'm flattered that you liked our brassica cage. Thank you for the kind words!

Wave to the other girls, my apologies to not have personals for you, but I'm still very weak and tired.

 

[LSlycord]

Good evening. Slow moving day. Both kids worked and are finishing up finals this week so they are both slammed for school work. But both will be done by Wednesday so it will end soon.

I did a grocery store run. Didn’t shop for the week but can make it through a couple of days. Found out that the football teams of both major universities in Iowa are coming to Orlando to play in different bowl games. We live about 1 1/2 hours away so my best friend from high school is going to fly down for a few days and stay at our house. She will go to the game with our family and then we will just hang out. Have some other friends who are talking about coming down as well so that makes me happy.

While Brian and I were talking around the fire on the lanai his morning, I asked if he thought that we should get a gas fire pit for each other for Christmas. He laughed and pulled up what he had saved on his phone…a gas fire pit. He was going to get it for Christmas. The solo stove with the real fire will be moved out to the backyard and that will help keep the dirt down on the lanai.

@faerywings I could never be offended by anything that you say. And you have walked this path before me so your advice is so valuable. I agree with you on community college. I am so grateful that Shaun is taking this path. He really doesn’t know what he wants to do and this is giving him a chance to figure it out slowly without burning through a lot of money. And Syd will graduate high school with an AA in addition to her high school diploma with $0 cost to us. For that I am incredibly grateful. So if she has a choice for a good school with a bachelors degree and possibly two majors and no debt, I am going to really encourage that path. I also agree on the weddings…it takes so much money to get started these days, use that money toward a house.

@tjscraps I am sorry to hear about the doctor’s news. Even an outpatient surgery is stressful, especially this time of year when everything seems so much more stressful than normal.

@tanteva love that you are getting in under the wire. I too am a professional procrastinator. I have definitely passed it on to Sydney. Drives poor Brian crazy.But it how I roll.

@Cherylndesigns i love what you did with that wreath on your front door. And I love old windows used for decor…so really love the one hanging in your house with the wreath.

@felis I sure hope you start feeling better soon. Sending healing thoughts.

@bcgal00 what a fun way to end your gambling finale. So glad that you and Jen had some fun.

Ok I am off to bed. I’ll see you ladies in the morning.

 

[Cherylndesigns]

Yikes, it is afternoon already and I am still in my PJs. Spent a lot of time doing the scavenger hunt game... still looking for a couple of them. Will go back to it later on. @tanteva - I hear you about printers giving the page a wonky color... I printed out the scavenger page and it is all pink and blue! Need to clean the printer heads as I haven't been using the printer much lately and the heads get clogged up a bit if not used every few days. But as my printer is a tank type... it is worth the extra ink to clean them frequently.

@faerywings Sounds like you have had a stressful time with trying to help your mom and dad. I forgot that your dad's surgery was coming up so soon. Will be keeping him in my prayers. Enjoy the time out for the party. Yes, I did sleep much better last night - all night long.

@faerywings and @tanteva ... can't understand about all the chopping for the tacos??? I chop up onions, tomatoes, lettuce and grate the cheese which only takes a few minutes. I use a taco seasoning pack on the browned ground beef. I do 'soft tacos' - just in and out of hot oil for less than a minute on each side of the corn tortilla - so they can fold over the ingredients easily. Usually served refried beans with them. Also love a taco salad - with the meat over a lettuce/tomato/onions salad on a bed of crumbled crisp tortilla chips. Either one is a 'fall-back' meal when I can't think of anything else to fix.

@Cherylndesigns Love the new Christmas wreath!!! The grasses just add to it!!! LOL over your 'window' wreath - so clever. Great price on those flannel shirts - DH loved to wear them in the winter.. and also loved the shirts with the snaps on them. Not surprised that they sell out quickly (and are pricey)... the same here. Glad you cleaned out the trunk and found more Christmas and fall decorations plus your plaid throw. Had to LOL over you putting out a 'bat call' about your missing boots.

@bcgal00 Glad you had fun at the Christmas event... think it was wise to not take B given how she is doing right now. And WOW... so glad you both won at the Casino. I hear you about not going once hubby retires... Yes, things change when that happens.

Time to get some lunch... all the talk about food made me hungry. CYL

Thanks so much, Kay! I was thrilled to find my plaid tablecloth now to round up my boots. LOL Glad you like my wreath and window. I just finished my big bow for the inside wreath. I haven't made one for awhile and am really rusty. The first one I made was too big, so I took it apart and re-made it. I'm going to have my hubby help me tie it on in the morning. I've been going to add the bow since I got the wreath and am just getting around to making it.Yes, thos snap shirts are the berries!

 

[Cherylndesigns]

@tanteva I couldn't be more agree with you, Ian and Nikki are one of mine role models!

@Cherylndesigns Cheryl, thank you for sharing the pics, your decoration is awesome! I told you I can't imagine it well enough via description. It's so much more prettier! And it is brilliant idea to use window frame as board for expositions!
Also did you make these Christmas trees and how?

Oh, yes my family is much into reusing old materials and sustainable living. And I'm flattered that you liked our brassica cage. Thank you for the kind words!

Wave to the other girls, my apologies to not have personals for you, but I'm still very weak and tired.

I'm so glad it helped your visual. It's hard to explain things like that, better to show the pictures. No, I didn't make the trees. They could probably be made though. They're big cardboard "cones" with burlap glued over them. There are vines and little bells wrapped around them. The other trees are just splarkly trees, not sure what they're made from. I bought a set of 3 of the burlap trees - different heights and also have some adorable "bottle brush" trees. Have you ever seen them? They're like the bottle brushes that you wash bottles out with, but they're made into Christmas trees. They're not in the picture I took - I have little trees all over the place.

I LOVE your garden fence and am going to put that idea into the back of my mind. I know there are lots of windows around here in these resale stores that I can recycle. Ava loves old windows and doors, too.

 

[Cherylndesigns]

Good evening. Slow moving day. Both kids worked and are finishing up finals this week so they are both slammed for school work. But both will be done by Wednesday so it will end soon.

I did a grocery store run. Didn’t shop for the week but can make it through a couple of days. Found out that the football teams of both major universities in Iowa are coming to Orlando to play in different bowl games. We live about 1 1/2 hours away so my best friend from high school is going to fly down for a few days and stay at our house. She will go to the game with our family and then we will just hang out. Have some other friends who are talking about coming down as well so that makes me happy.

While Brian and I were talking around the fire on the lanai his morning, I asked if he thought that we should get a gas fire pit for each other for Christmas. He laughed and pulled up what he had saved on his phone…a gas fire pit. He was going to get it for Christmas. The solo stove with the real fire will be moved out to the backyard and that will help keep the dirt down on the lanai.

@faerywings I could never be offended by anything that you say. And you have walked this path before me so your advice is so valuable. I agree with you on community college. I am so grateful that Shaun is taking this path. He really doesn’t know what he wants to do and this is giving him a chance to figure it out slowly without burning through a lot of money. And Syd will graduate high school with an AA in addition to her high school diploma with $0 cost to us. For that I am incredibly grateful. So if she has a choice for a good school with a bachelors degree and possibly two majors and no debt, I am going to really encourage that path. I also agree on the weddings…it takes so much money to get started these days, use that money toward a house.

@tjscraps I am sorry to hear about the doctor’s news. Even an outpatient surgery is stressful, especially this time of year when everything seems so much more stressful than normal.

@tanteva love that you are getting in under the wire. I too am a professional procrastinator. I have definitely passed it on to Sydney. Drives poor Brian crazy.But it how I roll.

@Cherylndesigns i love what you did with that wreath on your front door. And I love old windows used for decor…so really love the one hanging in your house with the wreath.

@felis I sure hope you start feeling better soon. Sending healing thoughts.

@bcgal00 what a fun way to end your gambling finale. So glad that you and Jen had some fun.

Ok I am off to bed. I’ll see you ladies in the morning.

Thanks so much, Linda. I'm glad you like my decor. I'm really happy with my front door wreath after re-making it. I love the natural grasses.

You guys are so funny - each going to get each other a gas firepit. I love gas anything - our fireplace is gas and we even have a remote for it. Haha