Christmas Countdown - 2012

[Christmasstar]

We finally had some snow last night...then ice. Everything around here looks like it is covered in that sticky frosting. I managed to get to church to set some things set up, but nothing is thawing much. Now I'm curled up in a comfy chair with MMC and a cup of tea. What a great way to spend the afternoon!

we have snow here too, but it is to go up to 5c tomorrow and rain. At least is was here for our Winterfest celebrations this weekend!
http://www.stratfordwinterfest.ca/

 

[MerryCarey]

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

The version by Harry Humphrey is kinda creepy ... his Santa laugh sounds almost sinister! But the 1922 version (I think it's Ernie Hare) isn't so bad.

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!

There are tons of crochet instruction videos on YouTube. You might want to get a "how to" book at a craft store, then see the YouTube videos for demonstrations. Sometimes craft stores will have crochet classes. I learned partly from my mom and partly from books. It's not terribly difficult or mysterious---I find it easier than knitting. Give it a whirl!

 

[Meceka]

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.

That would be a cool radio program!

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.

I am making a blue afghan, no snowflakes, though. That is one I will do for myself and I don't have time for that right now.

Good evening Christmas family !

It is snowing here at a pretty good clip and I am inside sitting on the loveseat with the fireplace roaring. The Christmas lights which are always on the mantle are lit and my tree is on as well. I am listening to Music Choice - Classical Masterpieces. They are playing Mozart's piano concerto no 27 in B-Fla Major -and it is beautiful !! Of all the composers Mozart is my very favorite !!! Though I also Love Beethoven and so many others xo

I, too, love classical music - Tchaikovsky is a favorite and just about anything that features the cello. One of my all-time favorites is Ravel's Bolero - I can still picture Torvil and Dean ice dancing at the Olympics.

A relaxing day today. I am getting tired and bored with having to maintain my weight and went on an eating spree today - all comfort foods. I know one day does not mean weight gain but the thing is, I keep doing this. It is my pattern. I maintain weight loss for about two years then go wild. I really do not want to do that because I don't know if I would lose it again with my age and all. It felt good though to eat EXACTLY what I wanted (including cookies that aren't diet !! Shhhhhh!!) I signed up for an extra storage plan with Apple for my Ipod through Icloud. I don't understand how Icloud works or what it is. There is now 15 GB in Icloud but my overal Ipod just has 3.9 GB left. I hope the plan is worth it !!

I have the same problem with my e-readers. Yesterday I "bought" 238 free books and novellas - good thing there is storage on Cloud on Amazon!

Work called me tonight because radiology was way way behind. So I got on and typed a couple of hours and I work tomorrow morning too. The new schedule of 8-1/2 hours Mon-Thurs, then off Friday, work Saturday and off Sunday is NOT going to work. That extra half an hour KILLED me this week. I know it shouldn't have but it did.
I am not a Spring Chicken any more and in fact, this is one old dog who is pretty bad at learning new tricks. I hope I can find some resolution with my company. I asked if I could just work 38 hours a week and still do radiology on Saturday. I mean afterall, 38 hours is practically 40. I don't see what the major issue would be but I haven't heard anything back yet.

A major change to your schedule would be hard to get used to - I hope things settle down for you and it goes smoother in the coming weeks!

I just love my Time-Life book of Christmas !! There is another book I think you all would like that was a gift to me from my David several years ago. It is called "Christmas - Penhaligon's Scented Treasure of Verse and Prose" and it was edited by a lady named Sheila Pickles. It is circa 1989. It is just beautiful.

I'm going to have to get both of those books now - thank you for the recommendations! I'm glad that you love your Time-Life book!!!

Christmas family please know that you are ALL always in my thoughts and prayers as well as your babies and furkids xo Again,I can't thank you for all enough for taking me under your wing and accepting me - this is something I am just not used to. I would be so lost without you all xo

I know the feeling, CM3 - know that you and your fur kids are in my thoughts and prayers, too!!!

I haven't seen anything from Snowflake for a long time. I believe she was having problems getting on. I am praying for her and her baby, Harlowe. My Wish is a jolly old guy !! You would never know he is 15 - it is an honest-to-God miracle that he is still with me and doing so well.

Yay - I am so glad he is doing well!!!

((((HUGS)))) CAH, Gabulldawg, Seawaters, MerryCarey, MerryMistletoe, Christmasstar, Xmas, Made, Coach, Binger, Crown, Jennifer, Auntie, Bradmac, Illiam, Sugar, Shellie12, Meceka, Lauriebear, Ella, O'Malley (though he probably would not let me hug him!), Snowball, Palmar, Mouse, Bo, Harlowe, Penny, Snickers, Hobbs, Daisy, Chico, Gomez, and all my Christmas family xo

Thank you for always thinking of us - it is greatly appreciated!!!

My goodness, that sad face on the chocolate lab looks just like how Bo was when he first showed up here. He is getting quite white now, but this dog could be his twin!
Love this, by the way. And like Seawaters mentioned in her post, it could go for cats, too!

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!

I didn't write down how much of everything I put in it, but I will try to come up with a list of all the ingredients I used. I actually used the wrong spice and it was Mesquite potato soup - it was still yummy, though!

Good Morning MMC!!!!!!! It is a cold icy morning here in central Indy and we are headed to a high of 25 degrees. I was going to go to the grocery store this morning but I think I'll wait until tomorrow. The ice should all melt by then since we are supposed to hit 50 tomorrow afternoon. I hope everyone is having a GREAT DAY!!!!!!!!!!!


Dawg- I hope you enjoy the last couple of days with your family.
Seawaters- Praying for you.
MsChristmas- Praying for you too.
Bradmac- Get the sasuage and egg biscuits ready. I'm on the way.
Coach- Meet you at Bernie's.
Sugar- Stay safe in all of that snow.
Shellie- I hope your neighbor heals quickly.

Freezing here, too. My road is still icy - snowmobiles have been racing up and down it today. I guess the riders need to make the most of it as it is going to start warming up again here tomorrow, too. Stay warm and I hope you are over your headache!!!

A quick update on my niece. She went to the doctor yesterday and he said that he didn't see any swelling and that he thinks most of her pain is from the way she is walking. Her feet are kind of angled inward so he said that is putting more stress on her knees. So he just recommend that they stay in Physical Therapy. Then my sister took her to the physical therapist and the first thing she said was that my niece's knees were really inflamed yesterday and that she completely disagrees with everything the doctor just said. So my sister doesn't know what to think.

Can she document the swelling with digital pictures so that her doctor can see the differences? I will definitely keep your niece in my prayers!!!

I 1000% agree with this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! All my furchildren are everything to me. I think I need them as much as they need me! #5 cracks me up. Talk to me sometimes? I talk to my pets all day long and I sing to them! ha ha! American Idol judges would throw me out but my furchildren seem to like my singing. My doggies wag their tails when I sing.

My fur children mean everything to me, too!
When I was cleaning out one of the drawers in my dad's bedside table, I came across a few cassettes. This was shortly after he passed away in 2005 and I finally got around to listening to one of them last year. The one I picked out was of my dad singing a song he made up about his dog, Bruno. I know he was singing it to Bruno at the time and I have such a vivid picture of that happening - it is priceless!
Dogs do so love to be sung too - plants do, too!

 

[brittd19]

Well my dear friends, I am mighty embarrassed... I will be sending out the Christmas cards on Monday. Hope you guys aren't upset I feel bad that they're now more like valentines versus Christmas greetings!!! Ahh *sigh* :/

On that note, thank you to everyone that I received cards from, they're all beautiful!! In fact I still have them out, along with my Christmas tree





Merry Christmas to all & to all a good night!

 

[Meceka]

There are tons of crochet instruction videos on YouTube. You might want to get a "how to" book at a craft store, then see the YouTube videos for demonstrations. Sometimes craft stores will have crochet classes. I learned partly from my mom and partly from books. It's not terribly difficult or mysterious---I find it easier than knitting. Give it a whirl!

Crocheting is fun and once you have mastered the few main stitches, it is easier than knitting. Knitting is more relaxing to me - there is something about the clicking of the needles and the following of a pattern that makes me feel as good as if I did the BalletCore workout. I easily lose all track of time - it is a great hobby for stress relief, not to mention the cool accessories you can make people!!

 

[Meceka]

Well my dear friends, I am mighty embarrassed... I will be sending out the Christmas cards on Monday. Hope you guys aren't upset I feel bad that they're now more like valentines versus Christmas greetings!!! Ahh *sigh* :/

On that note, thank you to everyone that I received cards from, they're all beautiful!! In fact I still have them out, along with my Christmas tree





Merry Christmas to all & to all a good night!

Hi, Britt! Good to see you posting on here again!!! My tree is still up, too

 

[iliam]

Good evening Christmas family !


((((HUGS)))) CAH, Gabulldawg, Seawaters, MerryCarey, MerryMistletoe, Christmasstar, Xmas, Made, Coach, Binger, Crown, Jennifer, Auntie, Bradmac, Illiam, Sugar, Shellie12, Meceka, Lauriebear, Ella, O'Malley (though he probably would not let me hug him!), Snowball, Palmar, Mouse, Bo, Harlowe, Penny, Snickers, Hobbs, Daisy, Chico, Gomez, and all my Christmas family xo

Thanks CM (((hugs to you as well)))

 

[iliam]

Check these: "Where Will You Be Christmas Day?" and "Voices of Christmas Past." No serious Christmas music enthusiast should be without either.

Thanks DJ, can't wait to find and listen to these!

 

[iliam]

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.




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.



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

Oh Auntie, that was just adorable. He has a new fort, who needs cat nip

 

[iliam]

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

Sugar, I hope you don't mind but I shared this with her. She is very excited and hasn't started clinicals yet. She is very nervous but also excited. She is get her BSN as well but luckily this isn't her first degree so it'll only take her 3 years to complete the entire thing because some credits have transferred. I'm sure it'll be over before she knows it!

 

[jennifer91]

Just read that Penn State's Joe Paterno is dying right now, he is said to be in extremely grave condition.

This makes me sad as I am a student there.

 

[Christmasstar]

Well my dear friends, I am mighty embarrassed... I will be sending out the Christmas cards on Monday. Hope you guys aren't upset I feel bad that they're now more like valentines versus Christmas greetings!!! Ahh *sigh* :/

Yeah!!!!
Christmas cards in January!! Love it.
:dance::dance::dance:

 

[Christmasstar]

Sugar, I hope you don't mind but I shared this with her. She is very excited and hasn't started clinicals yet. She is very nervous but also excited. She is get her BSN as well but luckily this isn't her first degree so it'll only take her 3 years to complete the entire thing because some credits have transferred. I'm sure it'll be over before she knows it!

My sister teaches nursing at the University of Vermont in Burlington. She loves teaching and has won awards for her innovative ideas. She should be back from Bangladesh with a group of student nurses soon.
http://www.uvm.edu/~cnhs/?Page=faculty/maltby.html

 

[merrymistletoe]

We finally had some snow last night...then ice. Everything around here looks like it is covered in that sticky frosting. I managed to get to church to set some things set up, but nothing is thawing much. Now I'm curled up in a comfy chair with MMC and a cup of tea. What a great way to spend the afternoon!

oh sounds wonderful...enjoy bells!

Just read that Penn State's Joe Paterno is dying right now, he is said to be in extremely grave condition.

This makes me sad as I am a student there.

oh no, sorry to hear this. i pray joe pa is @ peace.

 

[gabulldawg]

Well just about to log off for the night,just wanted to tell everyone goodnight and I will talk to y'all tomorrow. I hope we don't loose power,it seems we do everytime it rains now a days,we are about an hour away from some strong storms. I need the rain though,me and the family are going to watch tv tonight and in the morning I take mom and sis to the airport,I have enjoyed the visit so much,I look forward to June when they come back hopefully this time with dad!! Have a good night everyone!

 

[xmas365]

Maybe the hurt foot isn't so bad, I am not shoveling, the wife is for a change. cheesy (jk) I usually do it every storm, but this snow is fluffy and not to bad, but I feel I should still be out there doing it.

 

[made582]

Ice storm last night and tomorrow night they are talking about tornado's. Only in Indiana.

 

[made582]

Well my dear friends, I am mighty embarrassed... I will be sending out the Christmas cards on Monday. Hope you guys aren't upset I feel bad that they're now more like valentines versus Christmas greetings!!! Ahh *sigh* :/

On that note, thank you to everyone that I received cards from, they're all beautiful!! In fact I still have them out, along with my Christmas tree





Merry Christmas to all & to all a good night!

Yeah!!!!
Christmas cards in January!! Love it.

I agree with CS!!!!!!!!

 

[Christmasstar]

Well just about to log off for the night,just wanted to tell everyone goodnight and I will talk to y'all tomorrow. I hope we don't loose power,it seems we do everytime it rains now a days,we are about an hour away from some strong storms. I need the rain though,me and the family are going to watch tv tonight and in the morning I take mom and sis to the airport,I have enjoyed the visit so much,I look forward to June when they come back hopefully this time with dad!! Have a good night everyone!

good night

 

[Christmasstar]

Maybe the hurt foot isn't so bad, I am not shoveling, the wife is for a change. cheesy (jk) I usually do it every storm, but this snow is fluffy and not to bad, but I feel I should still be out there doing it.

take you blessing were you can! :dance: