Christmas Countdown - 2012

[AuntieMistletoeDear]

Happy birthday to Mr. O'Malley! Hope he gets all the cat nip he can stand!

Oh no, poor Mr. O'Malley cannot handle his catnip. He had a bad trip once and we never want to experience three days of guarding him from shadows and noises that were causing him to cave under the loveseat every time his tail twitched. He did have a nice day though. A friend that has a JK class mentioned it was O'Malley's birthday and four or five of her students made a play fort for him out of a box. It was so sweet. They've all heard stories and seen a few photos. Without ever seeing him in person, they too have grown to love him.

Good morning, MMC!

It is so cold out, only 5 degrees right now. BRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!

My road is still ice - not going anywhere again today! Good thing I stock up on cat food cheesy

I am going to make chipotle cream of potato soup later this afternoon. I have been experimenting with various potato soup recipes as I have quite a few potatoes I need to use up in the coming months . What I don't eat, the outdoor cats gobble up, so nothing goes to waste. If the recipe is a good one, it goes in my Christmas planner for go-to meals during the holidays. I have been working on the planner a lot of late - it is such fun!

Anyhow, work starts in a few minutes - the morning went by too fast!

Have a MERRY day and stay safe and warm!!!!!!!!

My husband loves anything with the word chipotle in it. I make a yummy potato 'n corn chowder, but the recipe is never exactly the same because I like to do a little of this and a little of that instead of following an exact recipe.

Have to get through the afternoon yet, then WEEKEND! Snow is due tomorrow, so I guess we'll settle in and fix some lunch and dinner at home. We had an inch or so of snow last night. On the way to work I played a CD I made a while back of some pre-1920 Christmas/winter recordings to go along with the snow. It was almost like Christmastime again! Some of the old recordings are so much fun ... like the record of Santa speaking to you through the phonograph. Someday I might put together a radio program featuring them.

I remember Santa on the phonograph, it's kind of spooky.

 

[sugar142286]

Good morning to all!

I have today off work! Yippie! Movie day for me. I havent had a day to myself in a long time. How is everyone doing? Anyone getting ready for this Christmas yet? We had a bad storm hit with blowing snow and white-out conditions yesterday. 32 car accident on the 402. CRAZY. It seems like when we get snow everyone but me forgets how to drive. Well, back to my movies. Wanted to pop on in and see if everyone is being good LOL. Ill be reading posts today too!

Hope you enjoyed your day off! Did you watch any Christmas movies!? :-D

32 car pile up?! That is crazy. It sounds like an interstate that we have here in Pa. Hopefully there wasn't many injuries or anything serious!

 

[sugar142286]

Oh, Sugar!!! You don't need to reply to all the posts. Sometimes I reply, sometimes I don't. But I always try to press the "Thanks" thingy!!!

I will simply say thanks to that! :-D

 

[AuntieMistletoeDear]

Well, now that he's seven years old, we've gone from living with a toddler to living with a teenager.

Lots of cattitude!

 

[sugar142286]

Ahhhh - I just found some pictures on my computer from Christmas!

- These are plates my mom and I bought this year. I love them! I love anything that has to do with Santa or snowmen lol.

- This one was Christmas morning, lol. My brother is 24 and I am 20, we were still so excited to open presents. I miss that little gingerbread house (top left) - you stick a candle in it and the smoke comes out of the chimney!

- This is a small tree that we have in the kitchen. There used to be white lights on it but my parents replaced it because we love colored over here. This was so nice to gaze at while I ate dinner!

These pictures make me miss Christmas so much! I don't even care about the presents, I will just take staring at my decorations and watching Christmas movies. Everyone really is in a better mood during the holiday season. I am about to go in Christmas movie withdrawal, I might have to watch the Santa Clause 2 or Jingle All the Way tonight!

Finding these pictures made my Friday even better. Two classes today and then hopefully I can relax for the weekend. We are supposed to get anywhere from 1-5 inches of snow tonight, so we will see what happens!

Have a good, safe day everyone.

Thanks for posting your pictures! It just made my day! We have 6 inches of snow here right now in my part of Pa and it's still snowing. I leave my winter themed things up until at least March or until I put my Easter stuff up, so it makes me still feel somewhat Christmassy!

 

[sugar142286]

am the same. i alawyas try and read then all and press the thanks thing to
And sometimes i will answer if i feel i need to like in sickness or congrats things like that or if i just have a smart answer lol

Lol...Shellie...I like your way of thinking!

 

[AuntieMistletoeDear]

Taking my mom out for lunch today for the first time since Christmas. She and my dad are heading South next weekend for two months to get a break from the cold and snow. Sometimes, it's so deep, walking is like plodding through the desert (something Carl the camel should recall). It's hard for my mom since her stroke four years ago. It affected her vision to some degree so she can't navigate as well and her memory isn't as good as it was, but she's doing pretty good all things considered.
Our family likes to deal with sensitive issues with a touch of humour so early on during her recovery my dad prompted me to remind her how much she enjoyed ironing before her stroke. She didn't fall for it. I reminded her I was her favourite. She retorted that if she had played her cards right, each one of us would have wound up thinking we were #1. No fooling her.

It's too cold to take my camera for a walk, but I'll snap some winter pics as soon as I can.

Have a great day!

 

[sugar142286]

I am going to make chipotle cream of potato soup later this afternoon. I have been experimenting with various potato soup recipes as I have quite a few potatoes I need to use up in the coming months

That sounds sooo good! If you liked it, do you mind posting it under the recipe section? I love stuff with chipotle and so does DH.

I've been looking for a spin on potato soup. Thank Meceka!

 

[sugar142286]

Hey Christmas Family .....I got my copy of The Time Life Book of Christmas and it is WONDERFUL !!!!!

I am so glad to hear you like it. I have so many books to read right now on my Nook, but when I get caught up, that is on my list of books to get!

 

[sugar142286]

Having a date night with my girlfriend which I'm excited as she's been so busy as of late with studying as she just started her nursing program.

Hope you guys had a great time!

I can remember those days of being so busy with nursing school. It will fly by so fast for her and you both. It seems like so long now, but it will be over in no time. Is she doing 2 or 4 years? I did 2 years, to become a RN, then went back and did another to so I could get my BSN (a bachelor of science degree). It felt like at the time it would never be over, but looking at it now, it flew by. Is she doing clinicals at the hospital yet? That was when it got really bad for me. At my school, it was crazy. I would sometime be up until 2 or 3 finishing paperwork for clinical and I would have to get back up to get ready at 5. I would have to leave by 5:30. It was horrible. Just tell her to take a take a deep breath, she is doing great, and just keep doing what she is doing. It will all be worth it in the end. I love what I am a doing now. :-D

 

[Crown 84]

Good Morning, Weekend Wanderers and Christmas Comrades.

Welcome to yet another Weekend and yet another count figure:
Days to the Season: 297
Days to Christmas Day: 339

Milestone #2 looms just 3 weeks from tomorrow.
At that point a QUARTER of our journey back to the Christmas Season will be complete!
How can this mark come so soon?
Well, remember we have been running the Season count since last Nov 13!

Well, the rains are falling as I type this and the dog lies dejectedly on the floor, unable to take his coveted morning walk.
But dealing with a soaking sheltie is not my idea of a great way to start a weekend!
The temp, at least, is an acceptable 52 degrees.
Hopefully this will clear away and we will have a nice afternoon.

Allrighty!
The weekend has begun!
May you have a Wonderous One along with the ususal Sensational Saturday.
All in the spirit of the Christmas Season, of course!

 

[sugar142286]

In 4 short weeks we will be leaving him at the sitter 5 days a week!! it's kind of a wierd feeling but I guess it gets easier with time.

You and Brandi can only be the judges of how handle your time away from Jordan and how long, etc., but since your going back to work, you will obviously have to, like you said.

In time, as you said, it will get easier. Taking advice from a mom who just went back to work 3 1/2 months ago, it does get easier. I will tell you, the thing I think that makes it easier for me, is that I can come home every morning and see the smiles on my kids faces or hear the talking to me, etc. I know that they've missed me. It does get hard because I know sometimes I miss little things here and there, like the first time he rolled over or something like that, but I know that he'll do it again. I tell myself that I am working to make a better life for the both of them and when I see them when I get home, it makes it all okay again! ​

 

[sugar142286]

Must remember to get some yarn before the snow starts ... my stash is almost used up, and if I'm stuck indoors, I must do some crochet ... I need some white to finish up a blue and white afghan with snowflakes on it.

That sounds so pretty! I wished I would have learned to crochet. All three of my grandmothers knew how to (one being my great-grandmother). They all passed before I was 14 and at the time I was only interested in things that I was a 14 was.

Now, I don't even know he would teach me. I am sure I could find a class or something. Heck, I could probably find something on the internet to teach me!

 

[sugar142286]

Ok, guys, it's 5 o-clock somewhere...right here!

I'll be at the store all day tomorrow, so I'll try to check in from there.

Have a great weekend, everyone! cheesy

Does this mean you're making us all breakfast, too? cheesy

Hope you have a great weekend as well!

 

[sugar142286]

Hey everyone!
Final exams, final presentations and this course will be over on Monday! Then maybe I can exhale..until the next course starts anyway.

Tell someone that you love them today. They may already know it but they'd probably like to hear it anyway. It's currency in their emotional pocket

Good luck with everything!

I just loved this! I always tell my DH, "love you", but as soon as he gets up, that is the first thing I am going to tell him today. That put a huge smile on my face! Thanks! :-D

 

[sugar142286]

from our government website: parental benefits can be paid for a maximum period of 35 weeks. The payments must be made within 52 weeks of the week your child was born or the week your child was placed with you for adoption.

It is part of a government program to help support the family. I have heard of couples splitting this time, mom takes the first 1/2, dad the second. Their jobs are also guaranteed to be there for them when they return.

Woozers. There are a lot of people here that do take off 12 weeks, but have to do it without pay because they don't have enough sick, vacation, and holidays to use while they are off. With both of my babies, I only had 6 weeks, like Dawg's girlfriend did. I had to take 5 weeks without pay. It stinks, but that's the way it is in the USA.

Thanks for sharing!

 

[sugar142286]

and you should be sorry for not being here and missing us, your own fault!!!
Good thing we love you anyway.
:razz:

Aww, thanks! I love you guys too!

 

[sugar142286]

We have family in the province of Quebec that have done the splitting of the time like that. I was able to take a month off when both my boys were born, thanks to FMLA.

That is so nice. DH took off is much time as me because of how many sick days he gets a year, plus his vacation, etc. His was paid though or he wouldn't have done that. It made it really nice for him to be off with me too.

 

[sugar142286]

Coach- If the Colts hire Jim Tressel as their head coach I don't think I'll be able to support them anymore.

Yea, what are they thinking. They're just opening a can of worms for themselves.

 

[sugar142286]

Taking my mom out for lunch today for the first time since Christmas. She and my dad are heading South next weekend for two months to get a break from the cold and snow.

Have a great time at lunch today.

That sounds like a lovely trip. I pray for safe travels for them!