Hugs to all -
Tina

Deb

I'm on my way to work, I have to take sis to the hospital tomorrow for the biopsy.

Theresa, I'm glad your little guy is feeling better.

Will make another post Wed.Looks like I've got some catching up to do.

Gotta run,
LIFE IS GOOD,
Annie

Susann

Theresa-Wonderful news about your DS. I know this makes the upcoming holidays much more enjoyable. Glad the prayers were answered. God is good.

Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving.

Shirley

~Kimberly

remy
mellen
carol
theresa
tina
sue g
deb
shirley
susann
annie

micke, you'll be missed this month, but please, don't be a stranger. stop in and chat as usual :)

maryanne/earthly

Nancy

WELL TIME TO SIT BACK FOR THE NIGHT WITH A MOVIE .
GOOD NIGHT ALL
SUSIE

Sandlapper Rose

Sue (great idea on the state item)
Nancy
Trish

and looking forward to seeing you next year, jeanne :)

maryanne

maryanne

Got to go get ready for Thanksgiving! I like the cooking but dread the cleanup!
and its rainy here too-BLAH!

~Kimberly

TWAS THE NIGHT OF THANKSGIVING!

Twas the night of Thanksgiving, but I just couldn't sleep
I tried counting backwards, I tried counting sheep
The leftovers beckoned - the Dark meat and white
But I fought the temptation with all of my might.

Tossing and turning with anticipation
The thought of a snack became infatuation.
So I raced to the kitchen, flung open the door
and gazed at the fridge, full of goodies galore.

I gobbled up turkey and buttered potatoes,
Pickles and carrots, beans and tomatoes.
I felt myself swelling so plump and so round,
Til all of a sudden, I rose off the ground.

I crashed through the ceiling, floating into the sky
With a mouthful of pudding and a handful of pie.
But, I managed to yell as I soared past the trees...
Happy eating to all, pass the cranberries, please.

May your stuffing be tasty. May your turkey be plump.
May your potatoes ' n gravy have nary a lump.
May your yams be delicious. May your pies take the prize.
May your Thanksgiving dinner stay off of your thighs.

MAY YOU ALL HAVE A BLESSED THANKSGIVING!

Shirley

a big WELCOME to

kim
jules
diane

maryanne

amy...........jeanne-..............nancy+
anita+........jules+...............remy+
annie+.......julie..................shirley+
beth...........kimberly+.........sue+
carol+.......laura..................susann+
char...........marsha...............susie+
deb+..........mary ellen+........theresa+
diane+.......maryanne+.........tina+
janell.........maureen.............trish+
jeanette......michelle-

looks like column 3 is the winner :)

look forward to hearing from the rest of our members. if i missed someone on the list, let me know. if someone is no longer a part of the group, let me know that too.

LAURA....where are you?

maryanne

Susann, I didn’t receive anything in my yahoo mail yet.

I took sis yesterday for her biopsy and her doctor told us that he was 80% sure it was sarcoidosis, but we would know for sure next Monday. Of course he told us to call Monday morning because it takes a couple of hours to get there and that if the results are not in, there is no sense in making the trip.

Hubby and I were going to have Thanksgiving today because I volunteered to work tomorrow. When I got home this morning the Turkey is still frozen so I will work on unthawing it, and he will put it in the oven for us tomorrow. I said I would volunteer for 6 hours. So we can have a late Dinner.

Well, much to do, but with just the two of us, I just know we will have turkey for the next few days. I’m not complaining there are so many that have nothing

LIFE IS GOOD,

SUSIE

ANNIE DO YOU NEED ALL OR ANY OF THE PLAYERS INFO SHEETS?

"OUR BLOOMIN FRIENDS PLAYERS "

AMYBABYBOY/AMY
Beth B Kodiak/Beth
BrittneysGran/Shirley
CedarNest /Nancy
DANCINGMOON/TRISH
Debbya/DEBBY
DizzyDaffodil /SUSANN
EarthlyDelights / Maryanne
Faith in Frogs/Char
Giverny4me/SUSAN
GRANNYMARSH/ MARSHA
HummingbirdDaisy/TINA
Irish_Rose_Grower /Maureen
Klickitat/Jules
LIL_GREEN_THUMB/KIM
LUNAMOON/JENELL
Mellen/MaryEllen
Micke/Michelle
Number 1 Angel/Jeanett3
NYVOICES99/ ANITA
PATTY2257/PATTY
Raggedyann/Annie
Remy/Remy
sandlapper_rose/jeanne
SassyD/DIANE
Sguanzon/Sue G
Skholer/Susie
TastefullyJulie/Julie
Theresa24/Theresa
Veeja11/Carol

MAY YOUR STUFFING BE TASTY, MAY YOUR TURKEY BE PLUMP.
MAY YOUR POTATOES 'N GRAVY HAVE NARY A LUMP,
MAY YOUR YAMS BE DELICIOUS,
MAY YOUR PIES TAKE THE PRIZE,
MAY YOUR THANKSGIVING DINNER
STAY OFF OF YOUR THIGHS.

GOBBLE TIL YOU WOBBLE.........

AND IN ALL AND FOR ALL THINGS GIVE THANKS.

susie

annie, positive thoughts being sent your way. as for the turkey, if you cut it up into sections as opposed to leaving it whole, it will defrost quicker as well as cook quicker. not sure if you are opposed to that, but it's a helpful hint to tuck away for future use.

it's been raining here all day, it's cold and damp and yucky out, but my house smells absolutely incredible. pies are now cooling and i made this centerpiece, which is no longer edible, but looks nice, out of bread dough that is shaped like a cornucopia. it cracked in some places when i was trying to get it off the form, so i patched it with glue. i'll get better at it and perfect it for next year :) this year it will have to suffice to just hold the other rolls and bread. one of these days, i really need to take a bread-making class.

my soup is made, veggies cleaned and prepped, the table is set, the place is clean...like annie says LIFE IS GOOD.

be back later and if not, everyone have a wonderful thanksgiving!
maryanne

Trish...glad to see you!

Shirley that poem & tag are too cute!

Annie wishing the very best for your sis!

Sue I hope you and everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Earthly, no worries! You Will Succeed!!!! I have faith in you!

Wishing you girls the very best, hopefully with your families!

Sassy

Theresa,
I'm so glad your boy is ok! I'm sure he is happy to be able to be a regular boy again too. They have so much energy!

Trish,
It is good to have you back! I would rather have Roast Beef too. I'm a like the whole dinner but the meat person too. My crazy Italian grandma used to make an entire Turkey dinner and an entire Italian dinner with huge home made raviolis! Talk about a bunch of people having to be rolled out the door, lol.

Maryanne,
I'm absolutely sure your house smells fantastic!

Annie,
Your frozen turkey reminds me of the story my mother told me of her first thanksgiving she hosted after buying the house.
I guess no one told her about taking the turkey out way ahead of time to defrost. Everything was cooked and the turkey would not. Everyone got there and she is trying to keep things warm on the stove(there were no microwaves then!) so now things are starting to get old and dry and the turkey isn't cooking,lol! They ended up eating the meal wihout turkey. Everyone was ok especially since thankfully she was such a great dessert maker.

I hope you all have a wonderful day with your families.
Remy

Remy - So sorry to hear about Little Girl. I know how you feel - only my dog wasnt that old. =-(

Lotz O' Love to everyone
Happy Thanksgiving!
~Kimberly

Remy,So sad to her of your Lady passing.My thoughts are with you.I know all too well the pain you must be feeling. Hugs

Kimberly,Sounds like you did a wonderful job cooking for your Thanksgiving.I am so stuffed I can hardly breathe yet reading your Menu made my mouth water all over again : )

Hope everyone else had a marvelous Thanksgiving!!

Better hit the hay.3 A.M. is gonna be here before I know it.Anybody else hitting the early sales?Good luck if you are.Have a Great weekend everyone!!
Nancy

Remy -Sorry to hear about Little Girl. It's so hard to lose a pet. Hugs to you.

Nancy-Hope you get lots of good deals in the early morning sales. My DD called and said it was a nightmare where they went. I was soooooo glad I decided to stay home.

Beth-Yes we can save lots of money by staying home. I want to get at least one more flower bed cleaned up and mulched today. It's such an accomplishment to see them all neat and tidy when you are through.

Got to get busy and work off some of all that good food I ate yesterday. Going to hang out clothes, I love hanging clothes out to dry on the clothesline, especially sheets.

Shirley

I got back home late last night & then spent the whole day to day with my neice I thought we were going for lunch & chat but we went for manicure , brow wax, hair ,
& Facial
then we went to this store for a whole new look she said out with the old & in with the new she had me trying on more cloths then I had in my closet I think :( I got my exercise changing clothes , anyway lets just say I will be making payments for 3-4 Mos:( How can ya say NO when your haven so much fun she loves to spend & she can sure fine the bargains :)) she had coupons for everything we did today :)) I never thought much of coupons till I went with her today I had my 1st cup of star buck coffee
free today & I have to say I sure would not pay the
$2.?? for the cup it was very very strong I can do that with my cheap folgers :))) .

& my xmas pal is going to get a very special gift :))
found some really neat gifts today so it was will
worth going :))
fun day out .

Remy : it is sad to loose a pet If you ever want another I have 4 very cuddle birds that need good homes :)

well have a great night ladies its time for me to sit
back & watch a dvd I got today :)

susie

Carol,
Chub Chub is adorable!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! ;)

Trish,
Nice to see you back!

Deb

Deb

remy, i'm so very sorry about lady. i know what she meant to you. my hazel is one year, november 1st, and she was just the most incredible dog. i cried non-stop for a week. i went to work, on the train, sobbing like an idiot, worked that way all day and came home the same way. eventually it got better. it's so sad, but it really does get easier. sending big ((((((((hugs)))))))).

carol, be patient!!!! I AM TAKING SIGN UPS until the 1st, if you read my notice. besides, i don't think everyone has had the chance to sign up yet.

i'm still wondering what happened to laura. she disappeared. hasn't answered emails, been on the threads. i sure hope everything is alright.

here are our players for the december/christmas swap so far in no particular order:

jules
mellen
remy
carol
susie
nancy
kimberly
diane/sassy
theresa
tina
sue
deb
trish
shirley
susann
annie
anita
patty

i'm debating whether or not this is going to be a secret swap. haven't decided it yet.

carol, both dogs are cuties.

hey remy, if you read this, do you have a pic of the outside of grand island? i'm making a scrapbook for jessica for christmas and that's one i don't have. if you do, can you just email it to me and i'll print it? thanks :)

be well,
maryanne

Susie sounds like you had a grand day, I could do with one of those shop-a-holic relaxing days too. :)

Remy, I am so sorry about your furbaby.
Winter is here folks, it's been down into the teens last couple of nights. Brrrrr! Time for hot teas and cocoa! I can't get over those Starbucks prices either Susie! DH doesn't drink coffee, and I can't see making an entire pot for me (I really would be dizzy!) so I usually only have it at work.

I managed to stay home & avoid the crowds and sales. It was a struggle. Figure with the money I saved not buying all those "great deals", I can afford reg price. It's inssane, I know, but after 10 years in retail - ran a toy store - I sometimes miss the rush & excitement of Black Friday. Okay, not all of it, just some of it. LOL!!

For my December wish list, there is some extra info on my web page that might help my partner. And I love fruitcake or chocolate. Don't really need it, but I sure love it.
Hey y'all have a good night,
Susann

Michelle,
Sorry to hear about your pet. It is hard. Lady was old, so I know she lived a long happy life, and I'm ok. When Thor died of cancer, that was really really hard. I cried and cried.

Maryanne,
I remember Julie writing that she couldn't be in Nov. or Dec. swap awhile ago. I bet she hasn't written thinking she didn't need to.
I had a couple of e-mails before Thanksgiving w/Laura about a bracelet for my Godmother, but I haven't heard from her. Maybe she went somewhere for the holiday?
I'm going out shopping with my sister-in-law, the photographer, today, I'll ask her about the house if she's got any shots. We're going to go to Vidler's 5 and Dime. It is a cool locally famous shop in East Aurora(the Arts and Crafts movement town). Anything old fashion that you could possibly want, they have it.

Carol,
Those puppies are adorable! I would steal one(not paying all that money, lol!) right throught the sceeen if I could.

Patty,
Nice to see that you can be in a swap again!

Susie,
What a wonderful day you had! Coupons are great. I love coupons, just ask Maryanne.

Susann,
I will never go shopping on Black Friday. I would probably end up punching someone, lol. I once went to a big after hours sale because I was managing a restaurant in a mall, so I was working crazy hours near christmas. I remember thinking great a late night sale. Well, the women were frigging animals, the pushing and grabbing. I hated it! I really can't take it specially after being nice to customers all day. So I just stay home: )
Remy

Michelle~
So sorry about your loss.

I hope that everyone had a great Thanksgiving..
We are hopefully gonna get our tree this weekend so that I can start decorating. I love snowmen. This year I think our tree will be Silver. Max has a small tree in his room that is trains. I just love this time of year.. No snow yet, and as a matter of fact, it was 60 today.. Strange.

Well I will try to hop back on later, I have much housework to do..
Laura

I hope everyone had a great holiday, I know I did.

Beth, so good to see ya post, It has been a long time, hope all is well with you and your family.

Remy, sorry about the loss of your baby.

I take sis back for the test results tomorrow,we are keeping a positive attitude about this.

Gotta run, I have another 12 hr shift tonight.

LIFE IS GOOD,

laura, glad to see ya post. i was getting worried about you :) i wasn't sure if you had gotten my box, but i read the last november post and see that you did. sure hope you enjoyed the things i sent.

annie, positive thoughts being sent your way. i'll say and prayer and light a candle. what a wonderful sister you are.

susann, i put up a similar tree. as a matter of fact, i put up several trees and each one is themed. one of the rooms in my house is all decorated in birds/birdhouses, so a tree decorated with birds and such goes in that room.

i'm debating pulling all the christmas stuff out this year. i am not one of those people that can just open a container and put a few things out. i'll go digging for everything and before you know it hundreds of santas and snowmen and angels and everyhing else is out. i get tired thinking about it this year.

my dogs are changing. getting better all the time. gracie actually lets me pet her now. beth, how are you making out with yours?

i just finished the last piece of pie from thanksgiving. i made an apple, pumpkin and my mother made a coconut custard. i also experimented with a pumpkin roll which was filled with this delicious creamy mousse. however, i forgot to take it out with the other desserts. when i was getting take home plates together, i remembered it. at least everyone took some home. it certainly was delicious.

i refuse to go out on black friday too. watching the news and seeing all those people out there 3, 4 and 5:00 in the morning. and then the ones that hurt each other to get to the stuff first. nothing is worth that. i did that one year, the day after christmas, to go to a store that carried a line of santas that i was collecting. only did it once, never will again. if i am getting up that early to go anywhere, it's fishing or a great road trip.

be well all,
maryanne

be well,
maryanne

Oh susie,I sure wish you could give one of your tiels directions to fly here.I would absolutely Love one.Actually a Girlfriend for my boy tiel Emmet.He needs a woman! LOL

Carol those are the cutest little Butterballs I have ever seen.I vowed I would never get another dog after I lost my precious Buff 3 years ago.I really don't think I will ever get over losing her.She was just like one of my kids.I still get all teary even typing about her : (

susann,That tree sounds like it would be right up my alley : )

Maryanne,I always seem to go overboard with my Christmas decorating.I have soo much stuff its ridiculous.

Laura,I used to have a Silver Tree and Loved It!Almost bought another this year in fact, but decided my green one will have to do for one more year.

Anne,Keeping positive thoughts and prayers for your sister.

Hope you all have a Great Week!!
Nancy

In general, I'm so excited over this swap and can't wait to find out who my partners will be.

Good morning ladies....Going to Curves and work off some of this Thanksgiving weight...I cannot resist all the good food on these Holidays.

Shirley

Deb

Annie - Keeping you and sis in our thougths and prayers.

You gals just crack me up. I love reading all the posts.

Nancy - I went out Black Friday as well. It really wasn't all that bad. We usually go every year. If I seen a crowd like they show on the news, I'd just leave. No sale is worth getting trampled over.

We ended up at the in-laws for Thanksgivng. I realized that my mother in-law just lost her mom this year, and her and FIL would be the only ones there. I would have felt very selfish and disrespectful not going. After all, the only reason why we was going to stay home, just us, this year, was because I wanted to just spend a quiet day remembering my mom and dad. So, Sunday night, we had our own little Thanksgiving. I cooked a nice turley up, homemade cornbread stuffing, homemade baked beans, sweet potatoes, greenbeans, corn, homemade bread, several pies (strawberry rhubarb, pumpkin and pecan), mashed potatoes, giblit gravy, fudge (yummy), chocolate chip cookies, blah, blah, blah, LoL. Caleb and I spent the entire day in the kitchen. It was so nice. I made all the dishes my mom use to make. After we were done eating, we started pulling out all the Christmas decorations. We got on tree up and was pooped. So we are finishing (continuing:-)) that tonight.
I just dread taking all that down in January.

Can't wait to find out who my partner is for this month. I am so happy this year...really enjoying the Christmas spirit. Last year, the only reason why we even drug out one tree, was for the kids. It feels good to be back in the swing of things.

Sending hugs to you all -
Tina

Remy - sending you gentle hugs. Sorry for the loss of your baby.

Remy, I, too, am sorry to hear about your sad loss. I know how it feels.

Sounds like many nice Thanksgivings were had in this wonderful group. Ours was, too, until hubby pulled a muscle in his back after the big dinner. We were at my sister's house in SE Iowa along with my parents. My BIL and DH were out cleaning out cars when DH reached just a little too far with the vacuum. And that was it. We stayed another night, but instead of heading for MO the next morning, we went home. He has had muscle pulls with lower back spasms before but nothing like this one. For the first 36 hours it was taking him a full two minutes just to get from the bed to the bathroom--a matter of 10 steps. Have been waiting hand and foot on the poor guy cuz he just can't do anything. Needless to say, I didn't go shopping although I did have plans to do that. I love shopping on that Friday. I just go with a positive attitude and a smile on my face for everyone. I always smile and greet lots a strangers. I actually get the same back although once in awhile I'll get a funny look. That makes it fun, too. Anyway, I stayed home from school today, too, because I wasn't comfortabel leaving hubby alone. He is finally some better this afternoon so I should be able to go back to work tomorrow. In spite of all of this, the food on Thursday was tremendous as was the company.

I am so thankful to be a part of such a wonderful, caring, and fun group of women. We all come from such different backgrounds and "places," but yet we seem to come together here as such a cohesive group for the good of everyone. Not for the good of just a more popular or powerful few. I hope that we can always keep it this way, and not let anyone ever try to come in and try to change us. I love that when we are happy others are happy with us, and when we are sad others are there for us, too. And when we are goofy, most others just jump right in on it!!! I just want you each to know that I am thankful to you and for your part in this group. ((Hugs)) to each of you, Mary Ellen/Mellen

Hi sweetheart! I thought of you alot of this holiday. Hope DH has a speedy recovery. You and I know all too well how back pain can hinder a person.
Rick told me of his runin with you and Judy, LoL :-)
I do apologize, ha! I'll give him a slight swat for you, hee hee.
Please feel free to stop by after school for a cup of coffee (or orange juice :-))anytime.
Did you have any plans for Solstice this year? Maybe all this should be in an e-mail, LoL.

Still drudging decorations out........ I want to go make some more cookies. Has anyone ever made "jello cookies"?
They look good, but I am not a big jello fan.

Well wishes to all -
Tina

Sorry Maryanne, I didn't even see this thread until now. I'll have to sit out until January though. Just so busy this time of year.

I also forgot to send Carol anything for the make up box!!!! I'm good for a plant gift certificate whenever it's needed though.

happy birthday char, come out come out whereever you are (notice that rhymed?)

tina, i never heard of jello cookies. shots, yes - cookies, no. i personally like jello and there is always room for it. still patiently waiting for your pictures.

shirley, you must just go to curves for the socializing. you certainly do not need it!

where is everyone? wondering if anyone else is going to sign up.

we had that silver tree when i was a kid. there was even that funky colored light wheel. as kids, we hated it. wanted a real tree. as adults, we know just how retro it is and would love to have it. too late, gone, gone, gone.

we just finished the last of the thanksgiving leftovers here. i didn't keep a lot for myself, i love it going out the door with everyone else. pie was done yesterday or so now it was just down to meat and potatoes. i'm not opposed to leftovers, but if i had to keep it all, the dogs would really be eating a feast. we have so much food, it's crazy. there's just a little italian cream liqueuer left -- didn't pack that in anyone's doggy bag! going to have to force mysef to indulge in this leftover :)

is amy (amybaby) still a part of this group?

laura, of course you can play. and my sister is doing much better. they still haven't given her a definite diagnosis, but for they ruled out anything related to the heart, thank God. thanks for asking. put down the dust cloths and come back and chat with us.

i seriously think this is the only scrapbook i will ever make. it's so time consuming yet fun, but a lot of work.

remy. how are you feeling since the last operation? are you getting stronger and able to do things on your own? i wasn't looking for julie, it was laura, remy. get off the meds! lol

i just read that there is an entire site devoted to bashing rachael ray. i'm not a fan, but i can't imagine wasting the time, energy or emotions.

i think i had more to say, but i can't remember it now.

be well,
maryanne

BTW, the website I mentioned a few weeks ago is--

www.ltdcommodities.com

I've ordered from there twice now and have not been disappointed. What I have received from them has not been "trashy." Most things come in 1 week the rest is there in 2 weeks.

Maryanne, what did I do? I love you, too, you know. You've always been there.

Scrapbooking--no creativity nor patience for it. I kept all of Robert's high school things in a plastic sack thinking I might "do something" with all of it. I should have known better, though. I've been to a couple of scrapbooking parties, and I was bored and couldn't think of what to do. Pretty bad, huh?

I've never had jello cookies, either? What are they like? Maryanne's kind of jello is yummy, though. Oh yeah. Umm, so is jello cake. I love that stuff. Jello that is served in the hospital is really good, too. They must use juice instead of water because it is so full of flavor.

I'm done saying a lot of nothing. Night all. Mary Ellen

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Char. I hope it was a good one: )

Annie,
I sure hope the test results were good.

Maryanne,
I think I am taking too much meds! I don't remember hearing about your sister. Well, I'm glad to hear she is better and it is nothing with her heart. I am feeling better, but I have to remind myself I can't do anything physical. I hate being a lump, you know what I mean? I tried to play with Creton outside this evening and didn't hurt my self, but I had to take a pill. It is taking a long time to type this, lol. I keep reminding my self that I will be all better very soon!
I asked my sis-in-law about a pic of Grand Island and she only has one where she is dead center in the photo. She's good looking, but I don't think you want the photo, lol. I'm going to try and remember to take the camera and take a shot or two for you!
I also have only heard of Jello Shots. Ok, I've had them not just heard of them: ) Last time was at my bachelorette party so long ago...

Tina,
That's so nice that you went to the in-laws and of course it gave you reason to have another great meal! And as Maryanne asked, where are the pics?

Mellen,
I'm sorry to hear about your hubby! I hope he gets better soon.
That is so sweet what you said about everyone: )
I have the same scrapbooking problem as you. I keep saving stuff though, lol.

Ok, it took me way to long to type all this! I should leave it "as is" the next time I take a pill, so you can see how many corrections I have to make!
Talk to you all soon,
Remy

once we hear from luna, jeanette, maureen, marsha and amy (not sure if the last two are still active members), i'll then be able to assign partners.

mary ellen, i'm sure you figured it out, but i said that because of the warm and wonderful words you wrote :) girls from my old job always ordered from that ltd. there's another company similar whose name escapes me.

remy, LOL, only heard of jello shots!

jello cake. is that when you poke holes into a cake and pour jello into it? that's the only jello cake i ever heard of.

tina, how wonderful to have your very own special thanksgiving and to spend that time with your daughter cooking in love and memory of your mother. this year was my first year without my uncle and i got lost in the moment of my own personal memories the night before while i was preparing, and then all our thoughts of him around the table the next day.

too much to do today, not much of what i want to do, rather what has to be done.

be well,
maryanne

Mellen-I feel the same way about the group. Well said.

Can't wait to see who our partner will be. Ladies let Earthly know one way or the other if you are particapting this month.

Shirley

Well, Happy Birthday to all the other Nov. Girls..
Also Maryanne, I asked you where in Highland your sister lived because it can't be too far from me.

Hope everyone is doing great..
Remy did you gt my email?

Laura

just waiting to hear from jeanette, maureen and marsha so partners can be assigned

be well,
maryanne

Happy Birthday Char! Hope you had a nice day. No worries about my box, it is still November, and I am the original slow poke myself.

Anne/Raggedy, I read the posts here even when I can't write, have been following your sister's ordeal and I am praying for you both. Take care of yourself too. (((((HUGS) ))))

Remy, honey I was sorry to read you lost your Lady-baby. 16 years is a long life for a pup must have been due to her fabulous mom ((((((((((HUGS)>>>>

Carol is flaunting her puppies! lol seriously they are so cute you will probably have people fighting for them...

Shirley, I had to laugh at the picture of the scale hiding from the lady....I have to go for my quarterly Rheumatologist appt. in 2 weeks and I am seriously wanting to avoid that scale! I swear the scales in the Dr. office always add 10/lbs.

Tina isn't great when the daughters get to that age when the cooking/tradition gets to be important to them? My daughter and I always made gingerbread men from scratch, this year she bought a wilton gingerbread house kit so we could do it together...to make sure we had time to do it since we lost track last year.

RE: scrapbooking....God Bless the people who can do that. Too sanitized for me. Years ago I started keeping all kinds of memorabilia in big plastic boxes. This year I organized them with the idea of o.k., now I am going to scrap book. As I started going through them I realized I like to hold the photo,(metro pass, foreign currency, kids artwork,) pass it around, rather then glue it in a "forever place". So I bought (lots!) of overly expensive yet classy boxes to keep them in so I can just pull them out as the mood/season permits and if the box is laying around people are more likely to go through it and its always a new conversation where as, to me, a structured photo album wouldnt see as much use. My view of Italy was different than my daughters was different from my sons etc. For example I have the Christmas pix out and will make a few vignettes with photos/stuff from that box for one of the Christmas trees... My categories are one All Christmas box, then by every 3 years, because that represents where we lived at that time.

Mellen, God Bless all teachers that do IEP's! I feel for you baby! My son's IEP is coming up shortly here, by the time his teacher gets everyone together and documentation, its a summit meeting. 8 people invited, we might get 3 but she's the only one that matters to me so its cool. And she has many other students she does this for. I remember how busy it is this time of year for teachers what with the paperwork due and the students ready for break(teachers too right?)

We have not been up to much here, I started my "ring bell" volunteering for Sal. Army in front of my favorite Wal Mart. This is my small thing I am able to do every year since I am fortunate that I am able to stay home. (Then after 4 hours I come home get my celebrex and put my feet up and fall asleep with 2 cats on me and Otis by my feet and we all snore till the family comes home and laughs at us....lol) I love to people watch, and I love the little ones that come to put their coins in they are so sweet and look so proud. I have elementary age kids that take their own money and tell me "oh good your here, I do this every year I was looking for you..." the teens in their "tall tees" who come strolling up looking all cool then give me bills. Then their is the little man who gives me peppermints every year---he is so cute, the man who gives me a bible tracts all the time, but no money but looks like he has alot of money,(giving bible tracts to sal army people seems kind of redundant although I am Catholic but how does he know that....) and all the people who look like they have no money and give me dollars, sometimes I feel like they need it more, but of course I just say thank you. This volunteering has been good for me, taught me to try and not be judgemental of people on appearances.
And then sometimes there is the Toys for Tots marines who come and stand by me and tell me about their moms and homes and we commiserate about the military being as I am a Navy wife, they are maybe 19 years old, I like to converse with them and look through the toys 'cause I am nosy. ;P One thing new the marines are doing this year is collecting gift cards from Best Buy for the teens who usually get left out at Christmas time, I thought that was a good idea.
Ciao Y'all

'We cannot all do great things, but we can all do small things with great love.'----Mother Theresa

i think i already had you signed up. i could just be so confused (again) with all the sue's that are members of this group. so now, all the sue's are participating.

as it stands, we are still waiting on maureen, marsha and jeanette.

remy...i was in a store today and heard a woman call to her shopping companion "remy". i had to go look! it wasn't you

be well,
maryanne

Laura,
I didn't get your email. I sent you one. Try sending me one back. I wonder if you went to my spam and I deleted you.
Carpeting is a good gift! Gary as been trying to win me an antique side table on ebay, lol. He isn't having any luck. Oh it is to get rid of the tv tray that the lamp in the living room is on! There is a nice one at the local auction on Monday, so he told me to go win it.

Klickitat,
I sent you an email too. Let me know if you got it.

All the sudden I've been having email problems: (

Shirley,
I don't think a scale would be afraid of you! but the cartoon is funny.

Susan,
That's great that you volunteer like that. You really can't judge people by how they look! I've done many a fund raiser and you're right, the way people look is no indication of the money they will donate.

Have a goodnight everyone!
Remy

susan, i admire your volunteerism; however, i am anti-SA. (talk about holding a grudge) i had always put money in the bucket and the first year i was married, when a friend and i were coming out of the gallery, i slipped whatever (can't recall) into the bucket. my wedding ring came off. i noticed it immediately. asked the guy to open it. he said he wasn't allowed. cops a few feet away, asked them to come over and witness his opening, etc. so i could get my ring back. bell ringer still said no, he wasn't allowed. my friend went off to call SA for them to come and no one would. said they had to wait for this guy to be picked up at the end of this shift (or something to that effect) - keep in mind this is a work day and i'm out for lunch long past the given time. police write a report, we exchange all the information, SA supposed to call me that day when they open the bucket so i could get my ring. no call from them, many calls from me, no one knew anything about my ring or would return it. gorgeous ring too - crappy husband, but always purchased great jewelry. i'll give anywhere, to anyone, but never again have i given to SA.

so remy, are you calling me cute too? :)

i got an email from carol that jeanette is sitting out this month. so we are waiting on maureen and marsha. since we haven't seen marsha around since the summer, i might just assume she's not playing anymore. i remember maureen saying she was leaving and then deciding to stay, but haven't seen her in a while either. in any event, i'll still assign partners as of the 3rd.

be well,
maryanne

Lunamoon,Man you have really been having great weather! Cold here now!! grrrrrr

Carol,What a beautiful snowfall.We are still waiting for our first.The COLD has gotten here 10 degrees roght now so the snow won't be too long a wait.

Happy Belated Birthday Char! Hope it was a nice one!!

Shirley,I had that cartoon on my fridge for a long time.Everyone that saw it just busted! Too Funny!

Laura,I would Love if my Greg gave me carpeting.Mine is still old 50's shag in the livingroom.Hey I guess its coming back in style so maybe I can wait a few years yet! LOL

Remy,Hope Gary wins the side table for you on Ebay.They are soo cool!

Mary Ellen,That was so sweet what you said about everyone.My sentiment exactly.I get such a warm feeling when I think of all the great gals on here.Would love nothing more than to meet you all someday : )
Take good care of your hubby.Hope he is on the mend!

I always feel I am forgetting someone.Don't mean to leave anyone out.Think of you all often but when I get on here my mind sometimes goes Blank : (

Oh I am soo excited to see who Maryanne lets me play Santa to!!
Take Care All!!
Nancy

Sorry if I am intruding with this post. I just REALLY need to feel like I belong somewhere. I'm the oddball of my community, a "liberal" Navy wife with no current desire for kids on a base full of conservative families with babies! So people tend to avoid me since they believe we lack common ground to chat about. And maybe it's true. Hopefully I have more in common with you all! :D

My Thanksgiving was enjoyable for the day of the feast. We partook of a dinner offered by a local church. It was a Godsend to be able to do so, since food is very costly here in Hawaii and we are a family of 2 people. The smallest turkey I could've bought would have been 17 lbs.

That's just insane for two, unless you both LOVE turkey. I used to, but these days I don't care for it much since it contains tryptophan which makes me sleepy, and I'm already drowsy due to medication side effects. Turkey can konk me out!

So I partook sparingly of the Church bird, and enjoyed the heck out of the 5 grains of corn (a Thanksgiving traditional opening course), homemade pumpkin pie, grape tomatoes, baby carrots, dill dip, home-raised yeast rolls smeared with artichoke-cheese mousse, cranberry sauce (from a can but still great), cornbread dressing, gravy, slightly overcooked ham, and baked mac n cheese. Yep, eaten in that order! :)

The next day I had food poisoning and so did DH. :( Some of the potluck meal must have been improperly cooked or improperly stored. Well, it was still great having been able to share the community meal though! Did I mention that I'm very lonely? Being there with those folks helped me feel better for a bit.

The puppies Patches and Chub Chub are adorable!! I have a furbaby too (4 yr old terrier/shepherd mix). I lost a 3 yr old poodle suddenly just before I joined GW years back; I needed to expand my hobby to help myself cope with the loss.

I would also go to Curves to work out if I could afford it! But I am an unemployed Navy wife and he's enlisted, so I have to make do with the (ugh) ordinary gym they have here on base. I feel self conscious around all those built men and buff women, so I usually avoid the gym and go swim or walk instead. At Curves, I wouldn't worry about how I look.

I have issues with Salv. Army too. I donated all I could to them every year, even when money was very tight. Then one year I became homeless and got referred to their shelter. Well, I have a form of epilepsy that causes atypical behaviour when I seize (it's partial seizures). I also have post traumatic stress disorder.

Between the symptoms of these 2 ailments, I was "behaving oddly" but harmlessly. (I was walking around the shelter's gardens and the wildflower field nearby; whenever my brain acts up, flowers calm me). I finally came out of my seizures around dusk. Since I failed to collect 5 contacts on a job search form that day, they kicked me out of the shelter.

They claim to help homeless people. Well, apparently not the ones who are sick and really need the help! I was not at risk of harming me or another, so a mental hospital was NOT an option for me. SA knew that, and they STILL threw me out on the street. If they had wanted to help, they would at least have helped me get medical care for the epilepsy.

I am medicated and housed now, and much better than I was then. I thank the Creator every day that when I got kicked out of SA, a noble and nerdy bookstore clerk took me in and let me sleep on his couch in trade for cooking and cleaning! I was there for 3 months, until I had gotten regular Chinese herbal medicine for the epilepsy and a warehouse job that tolerated my occasional seizures.

If I am allowed to be in the swap, I'd love any of the seeds on my want list and/or Peat pots for starting seeds that dislike transplanting.

Or a garden gnome or a fairy! Especially love those little fairies on metal stakes that have mobile wings. They don't sell any here :(

Or a gift card to Lowe's (which has the best value on containers and the best potting soil for sale in my area):
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productList&category=Gift Card s&Ne=11000&N=0+1000994

Or check my want list for a few more ideas. :)

I already have 3 nearly unused sets of garden gloves (I don't like to use them) and 4 dusty, blank garden journals (I don't use them; my journaling is done on my computer). Prefer a gift that has no scent (I'm allergic to nearly all commercial perfumes and fragrances).

Hope I am not butting in somewhere I don't belong (story of my life so far)- Thanks for listening!

grovespirit :You will Have contact veeja11 for the info sheet this is however a yearly /monthly robin .

Maureen is sitting out this month from the emails I received & from the post here is all the players who will or will not be playing this month Hope this helps you earthly so now you can pick who sends to who.
we can now get the xmas swap going :))
OH I forgot AMYBABYBOY Her emails still being returned
so she may be haven computer problem "s & might not be able to get in contact yet so she might still want to join latter & we can keep that option open for her ok .
IF I have forgotten anyone or have you marked wrong please let earthly know .

OUR BLOOMIN FRIENDS XMAS SWAP
HOSTED BY: EARTHLY DELIGHT DEC 2006

EARTHLY DELIGHT
REMY
VEEJA11
HUMMINGBIRDDAISY
DEBBYA
THERESA24
MELLEN
RAGGEDYANN
MICKE --------SITTING OUT
DIZZYDAFFODIL
KLICKITAT
SGUANZON
BRITTENYGRAN
LIL_GREEN_THUMB
CEDARNEST
SKOHLER
DANCINGMOONS
SANDLAPPER_ROSE -----SITTING OUT
NYVOICES99
SASSYD
FAITHNFROGS---SITTING OUT
BETH_B_KODIAK--SITTING OUT
TASTEFULLYJULIE-- SITTING OUT
PATTY2257
LLBEAN
LUNAMOON
GIVERNY4ME
GRANNYMARSH- SITTING OUT
NUMBER_1_ANGEL--SITTING OUT
IRISH_ROSE_GROWER--- SITTING OUT
AMYBABYBOY/AMY ????

NOW I Have been ask to Remind This Group Of A Feel
Guidelines of the group .
Being that we are all friends we still Have to let
the group Know .

#1 when a box has been mailed :so the gal receiving
can be on the lookout for it . & the box dose not sit out in the weather for 2-3 days before finding it .:(
Please If your going to be gone for a few days
can you post here so that your parner will not
send the box while you are gone .
or be sure to have your mail carrier keep the box
till your return .

#2. PLEASE :Take 2-3 MIN"S TO
Let the group know your box has arrived
& what you received in the BOX.

#3. If There is a problem with the box PLEASE Contact
CAROL :)) or Myself or the Hostess May also be able
to help .

As I Said if I have forgotten anyone or your not going to be playing please let earthly Know this or post it here .

also I would just like to say that although we may not be able to send plants ,There are many types of Bulbs out there to help beautyfy :)) our gardens every state has many type so look to see what might grow in someone else state & keep in mine that it might be perinnial there its annual in the north but many of us have container gardens :)) & would love like a tropical
out door bulbs :))) that we can start in the house this winter .

we all love baked goods , cookies, fudges, ect ect ,
just pack so that hopefully they won't be crumbs :(

oh & Klick I have my fruit cake ready for January
MOM's favoret it will be ready by then .:))

well ladies this long winded old lady is ready to go
for the day have a great one will try to check back in when I get home .

susie

let the BELLS RING :))

Susan-My hat is off to you for doing all the volunteer work that you do. WHEN I retire I want to do volunteer work also. If my DH retires I will probably have to work forever, I don't think we can live with each other being together 24-7's. I do better having time AWAY from my other half. I agree about the scales in the doctors office. I think those nurses just want us to weigh more. LOL

Carol-Snow already? Don't really care for snow but LOVE looking at snow pictures. Does that make sense?

Maryanne-What are you going to get that precious Bubba for Christmas? Hope it's something extra special. On the other hand if I retire I could borrow Bubba to live with.
I guess I would still be bugging SA for my ring. I hate those kind of things, they just eat at me night and day.

I'm doing a complete re-decorating theme in my living room when Christmas is over. My DD said she would help me paint so I told her I am selling everything in there and buying new furniture and accesories. She painted her bedroom and then did something over the paint with a glaze, I think it's called 'ragging on'. It is just beautiful and looks like a professional did it.

Nancy-I'm ready for my name too.

Hope everyone has a fantastic day.

Shirley

I have one more night to work then I am off till Monday night at 11p.m. work 12 hrs then off till Friday night.

We have good news. Sis does not have cancer, she does have sarcoidosis. She will be treated with predizone that might play havic with her diabetes so she will have to check her sugar 4xdaily. Our family feels so lucky and blessed.

If I've missed a bithday, I'm sorry, so Happy Birthday to all this month.

I didn't trade all summer so I'm looking forward to the Christmas exchange! :O) :O)

Going to get some sleep, they are predicting 6-10 inches of the white stuff, and although I do like snow I hate driving in it. I know there is a ditch somewhere with my name on it.LOL

I think volunteering is so rewarding, and I do when I can.

LIFE IS GOOD,
Annie

Deb

i'm starting a new thread as i have assigned partners.
looking forward to this swap. can't believe we are almost at the end of yet another year!

maryanne

Sue, you have a fruitcake already?!? Yay!

So when do we hear about our swap partner??? *grin*

Annie,
Great News!

Carol,
I can't believe you got snow!

Maryanne,
Lol! you are adorable too!

Klickitat,
Do we win something special if we have the worst gift of all the fruiticake gifts? Because I think I have a winner, lol.

Nancy,
Gary gave up on ebay! He told me to go win my own table at the local antique auction. They put out the flier with a pic of one and mention of a couple others. He doesn't have the patience to sit through it all, lol.

i'll check back for pictures because i just can't picture the combination.

maryanne

Maryanne--what the heck is a red baron hat???? Is Bubba participating in the Christmas swap? What is his wish list...

Grovespirit, sorry about your experiences with SA. They are just not equipped to handle anything more than basic needs. Half the employees at our shelter are former homeless. The point is they won't turn anyone away from the table. RE: "Navy wife what a life!" It is a misconception that the military is full of conservative people. In my experience (23 years)I met equal amounts of lib/mod/conservatives. You just don't talk politics. Which was kind of nice. Some of my best friends I've made in life I still have are military wives, conservative (opposite of me, I think I am mod at present) had kids, didnt have kids, whatever. You can't hold that against them especially if you live on base! The saying goes it takes the first year of an overseas tour to get used to being there, the second year you begin to enjoy it, the third year you don't want to leave...(Hawaii is considered overseas tour for anyone reading this) Even if you don't get picked up from this exchange feel free to email me if you want to talk. ;)

Shirley selling the furniture and remodeling sounds like a great idea! I want the people from that HGTV show that come in and collect up your stuff and sell it at auction to come to my house. I never know what to charge for stuff. I would rather do the painting part. Love that.

Annie, I am glad you have a definitive diagnosis, at least there is a plan that can be implemented, thats great. Was your sister exposed to something to get the sarcoidosis? Is that considered autoimmune or scarring? Be safe driving in all that snow...

Remy, thats so sweet your husband took you to SPCA! Welcome Sammie. And I went to the auction link and now I want to come and bid on some stuff! You should have a good time there and don't forget to report back on what you "score"!

Happy Belated Birthday Char

what a great gift.

the new thread is posted...go see who your partner will be

maryanne

Remy - Comgratulations on Sammie!!!

Annie - God is good isn't he. Now your sister can concentrate on getting better. Is there a specific treatment for her?

To everyone else - Happy December!!!! :-)

Hugs to all -
Tina

carol, what's a bully stick? also, is grove joining us? let me know, i think she'd make a real welcome addition if she is interested in a yearly thing.

maryanne

Shirley,
Is there anything special you collect or want for Christmas?

Deb

It actually isn't that hard taking care of these guys. They pretty much take care of themselves. Sometimes I think they are too samrt for their own good. They may be like this however, because they haven't ever been away from us, and always have someone spending time with them.
I am just so happy that they are going in groups so far. If I could find someone who would love them like I know Maryanne will, who would take two at a time, that would be great. If I had more room, I'd just keep'em, LoL. DH would KILL me :-)

Duchess will go in after the new year sometime to get fixed.
I think I want to breed Sissy once before we get her fixed. One of Dh's friends has an adorable jack russel with great markings and we are talking about next fall, breeding them.
Carol - Do jacks tend to have big litters?

Yep, just one dog and one cat left to fix, and then of course Sissy once she has a litter. Whew! LoL

I will post a pic of our newest addition to the family shortly. He is so cute. He thinks he needs to be with me every second of the night. SO now I have Sissy sleeping on my feet, Clarence (the new baby) sleeping on my pillow and Domino (our black cat with two white dots) sleeping on my stomach or back. Hey, who needs an electric blanket around here! :-)

Theresa - Maybe we could work out something to meet your mom. We are meeting earthly half way and we wuoldn't be that far from Detroit at one point. Maybe all three of us could make a plan.?.?.?
Just something to think about.

Remy - You do NOT have a big butt. I, on the other hand, well, lets not go there, LoL.

Tina

I figure it would be better to post pics on this thread because it is done instead of slowing down the new one.
Here's a couple of pics of Sammie. She has light brown eyes, but of course the flash messed that up.

This one you can really see her ribs. We'll fatten her up soon enough: )

Remy

About big butts, LoL, I had made the statement one time that my butt was crawling up my back, and one of my friends said "and what does your shoulders think about that", ha!
As long as they don't start crawling down to meet it, we're all good :-)

Have a wonderful night!
Tina

Tina, I am going to have to borrow that butt comment, its hilarious, between gravity and menopause butts give up I think...

DH lets me know when I am carrying my butt on my shoulders. He says it happens quite a lot more than it used to.... Now what the heck did he mean by that?!?!

Remy...He is beautiful!

Theresa

Earthly I am working on your box and having tons of fun with it. I don't recall ever sending to you in a swap.

Putting up my tree today. Hope to get done before going to a Ladies Ministry Christmas Supper.

Remy-Sammie is a beautiful dog.

Tina-Dobermans are my favorite dog and Jack Russells are my second favorite. I bet those puppies will be darling.

Shirley

Ok Tina Talked Me right into it just let me know when you gals are going to all meet up & I would love to adopt
one of your babies also :))) .
Most of all look forward to meeting gardening friends :0
love the idea :))
thresea when you going to be here in michigan ??
flint is about 1 hr away from me anyone want a birdie :))
they are albino's :)) will try to get new pictures tomorrow of them .

I love female #2 & male #'s 3 &5 :)) No I can't have all 3 but would take 2 :))) :))

just let me know time & place I can be there :)))

well been a long 2 days going to lay back have a great evening to all .
susie

i'm in the middle of rearranging my entire house. i must be nuts.

Susie, I don't know the dates yet that I will be there but definitely at least for Christmas weekend. I just talked to my mom who said she can't do much driving to go get a dog but if you do happen to go meet up with Tina and Maryanne, maybe you could pick up one for me and I could pick it up from you in Michigan? I know that's alot to ask...but it's a thought. If it's too much trouble, I TOTALLY and COMPLETELY understand!
Where are you in Michigan again? My parents live in Linden.

Theresa

not sure where tina & mary will be meeting have to find that out . if that dose not work out I have a very tame bird that needs a good home :)))

as soon as I know then will get back with you .
have a great evening everyone
susie

Susie - I don't mind if the bird is a male. I'll take one!
2 if you have them. Any grey ones left?
I can bring a cage.

I want to thank you all for giving the pups a loving home. They are so precious. Now I will not have to worry about them. Bless your hearts.
I/we look forward to meeting you gals!

Well, I have felt yucky for 2 days so I think I am going to lay down.

Good night,
Tina

Tina Just the one albino right now needs a home the others are spoken for since last night :))
so bring that cage .

Now I have to change a few things here for my new babies.
have a great day to all .
susie