Christmas Countdown - 2012

[Holiday]

Good morning! Happy Leap Day! Happy Hump Day! Happy Pines Day!!! There are so many things to be happy about, I just had to wish you all happy, happy!!!
Can you believe it is the last day of February already? This has to be the fastest Jan/Feb in history... Must be the nice weather we had pretty much all winter. I hope we don't pay for it later!!
It sounds like there are several of you sick! I hope everyone is feeling better. I am fighting a chest cold as well - need to get rid of it so I can go on vacation!!! I've loaded up with Airborne, Zicam, Thera Flu, Vit C, Halls & lots & lots of water with lemon!!!
All of you with winter weather - stay safe!! It's hard to imagine - we have almost 60 degrees & sunshine now - after storms last night! What odd weather we are having this year!!

Have a great day everybody!!

 

[Seawaters]

MC, Xmas, and everyone who is expecting serious driving conditions, please be careful. Bradmac, I hope you get to feeling better. You sound just like Hubby!!! You better quit teasing Nancy or you will be fending for yourself! LOL!!!

I have three appointments today, so we are leaving early and will stop and have breakfast at IHOP. I should finish up early this afternoon. "Happy, happy, joy, joy," she said facetiously!!!

Have a great day, everyone. What a milestone in just one day!

 

[xmas365]

Off to work I go, and it just started snowing, tiny flakes but the storm is here.

See you later tonight! Have a great day!

 

[Christmasstar]

Just listening to news about a tornado in Harrisburg, Illinois. The destruction they are showing is so bad. My prayers are with all those effected by this.

 

[snowflake22]

Well I posted a few days ago that I was in the market for a new car, I also said I was going to wait until near the end of the year. Well I just couldn't wait!!! After some research and online searching, and agonizing if I should do it now, I did find a pretty good deal on a 2009 Toyota Camry. I was afraid that if I didn't jump on this I would regret it. I know it is a very dependable car and has the highest safety rating, and will be much better on gas than my Grand Prix was. I have mixed emotions about the whole thing, I love the car, and am happy with it overall, but as I said in my original post, I hoping to go another year or two before having to do this. But all is well, it's a good car and I am very happy with it.

Congrats on your new car, SIT!!

good a.m. my mc family!! gotta go into work today, it's been so slow i had my regular Monday off & tuesday also. wednesdays are usually half days so i ain't complaining.
my allergies have been totally whacked lately so i cleaned this house top to bottom, dusting, sweeping, mopping, etc. the cleaning, of course, did a number on my allergies but in the long run they should get better.
my daffodils are in bloom now. they're so pretty.
i take my Daisy into the groomers this morning. she's a toy poodle & is in desperate need of a cut. since i'm only working 1/2 day i thought it would be a great time to get her all cleaned up. she hates to be there so i try to make it as short a visit as possible. maggie(choc.lab), diva(rescue), & mickey(rescue),all got their baths on Sunday so their good to go. i hope this cuts down on the allergies too. i think they're all getting their spring coat & w/ all that shedding we did a little extra on them. we usually bathe all of them 1x a week. our white cat holly...well that's another story. she doesn't like to get bathed or anything.she's not very nice, you can't even pet her for more than a second or she'll bite/attack you, & it hurts. i have the scars to prove it. i tell everyone, she allows us to be her owners, feed her & clean up after her, that's it.
i hope ya'll have a great wednesday & hope to see ya'll tonight @ the pines.

I hope you're feeling better soon, merry!! Darn allergies!
Your furchildren are lucky to have you, btw!! I have nothing but respect for people who rescue their animals, or adopt from shelters. Any animal lover is good with me, but it takes a special kind of person to rescue :smile:

Winter storm warning, with heavy snow expected by late afternoon ... I'm already frightened about the drive home. I think there's going to be a heavy workload today, so leaving early may be out of the question ... hoping the roads stay manageable until I can get home. Wish me luck!

Good luck & be safe!!

MC, Xmas, and everyone who is expecting serious driving conditions, please be careful. Bradmac, I hope you get to feeling better. You sound just like Hubby!!! You better quit teasing Nancy or you will be fending for yourself! LOL!!!

I have three appointments today, so we are leaving early and will stop and have breakfast at IHOP. I should finish up early this afternoon. "Happy, happy, joy, joy," she said facetiously!!!

Have a great day, everyone. What a milestone in just one day!

Good luck at your appointments today, I'll be thinking of you~ xo

 

[Minta]

Good Morning Gang.... it is raining and miserable here and all I want to do is go home pop in a christm scent in the tart warmer, curl up on the sofa and watch Christmas movies.... think maybe tonight I can convince my kids to watch a christmas movie to 2 with me.... I seem to have Christmas on the brain alot this week. Guess maybe I am telling my self I need to takle a break and enjoy something christmassy....

Cant believe are down to the 300 day mark already .. time is really going by fast.

Hope everyone has a great day today.

 

[mgramsey]

I am so sorry to hear this. I had really hoped for good news, as I am sure you were too. Will she go through radiation or chemo? Thinking of her and your family during this time.

No treatment is planned for now. Doctor feels it would do more harm than good at this point.

 

[Christmas-A-Holic]

My apologies! Seems that SIT is keeping up better with the Countdown than I am! I will try to catch up later.

As far as the new car goes, my dog just doesn't know what to make of it. He has heard the same car pull up in the driveway forever and now hearing a new "sound". He seemed a bit confused! He always knows when it's time for Wayne to get home from work because he stares at the window 10 minutes before he arrives and slightly growls in anticipation. It was funny to see his reaction when he came home from work yesterday.

You all have a great day! :thumbsup:

 

[Snow-in-Texas]

My apologies! Seems that SIT is keeping up better with the Countdown than I am! I will try to catch up later.

As far as the new car goes, my dog just doesn't know what to make of it. He has heard the same car pull up in the driveway forever and now hearing a new "sound". He seemed a bit confused! He always knows when it's time for Wayne to get home from work because he stares at the window 10 minutes before he arrives and slightly growls in anticipation. It was funny to see his reaction when he came home from work yesterday.

You all have a great day! :thumbsup:

The dog knows the sound of when I set the alarm and the horn would beep on my old car. This one just makes a beeping noise, not the car horn beeping. So that will take some getting used to for him.:lol:

 

[brent]

******* MILESTONE DAY *******


Good Morning, my Peak-of-the-Week Comrades.

Yes.
It's time once again to get in your car and motor to Holid....
I mean to the Shispering Pines.

Carl says everything is ready for this week's theme of "Leaping Through the Window".

Indeed!
Another Milestone has been reached. And on Leap Day, no less!
The 300-Day Window to Christmas 2012 has been thrown wide and the view of double 200's is great!
Days to the Season: 258
Days to Christmas Day: 300

Join Carl and crew today for a fun-filled visit to our friendly resort of choice.
Don't know exactly what parlor game Mr. C has planned but apparently it involves jumping through the 'Pines' French windows to capture something with 200's in it.
(Do you think the door prize could be $200? Or better yet, double-$200??)

It just keeps getting warmer here in the morning.
We are starting today at 49 degrees with the threat of rain.
(Seems like warmer weather almost inevitably brings rain with it this time of year.)

Have a Wonderful Wednesday, Everyone!
Enjoy yourself today.

Can't wait to jump right into the 'Pines. And, this time I mean it both literally and figuratively! It is always a wonderful feeling to hit a Milestone. 299 will look excellent tomorrow on the countdown. Thanks, Crown!

 

[Christmasstar]

Big open house tomorrow at the 'Pines!!
The theme is "Leap Forward Through the Window".
I assume Carl is combining Leap Day with the 300-Day Window Milestone marker.
No telling what he has planned.
Regardless, you don't want to miss it!

 

[brent]

Good afternoon, everyone!

It's been a relatively slow day at work. But, I've found some time to get a few other things done. Much like those on the northeastern US (mainly MA) coast, we are in store for a winter storm this evening. We should receive about 10-15 cm of snow. Plus, they are stating that winds will be at about 35 km/h! About 22 mph... I'm guesstimating.

Yesterday was a decent evening. I managed to finish all my homework at about the same time Kim returned home from work. From there, we hung out and watched the Bruins vs. Sens game. Bad result for the Bruins. And simultaneously, the Kings vs. Wild game. Thankfully, the Kings pulled off a nice 4-0 victory. They really need to keep winning if they want to make the playoffs. They have the talent, just need to learn how to score - but I have been saying that all season.

Tonight, Kim has Pilates and I have the gym! I'm excited for the gym. It will be my first workout with heavy deadlifts since I blew out my back! I tried some last week (a little heavy) with my new belt and they felt great. So, tonight, I will return to pursuing my goal by the end of the off-season (end of April). I do not know what else is on tap for tonight... We will see when it happens!

Have a great Wednesday, everyone! Enjoy the 'Pines! We are once again, descending towards the weekend!

 

[Crown 84]

.....It is always a wonderful feeling to hit a Milestone. 299 will look excellent tomorrow on the countdown. Thanks, Crown!

Well stay tuned to this channel, then!
(And you're welcome.)

 

[MerryCarey]

Thanks for all the wishes for my safety---I'll be needing them! It's already snowing pretty good here, and I've got a 2-hour-plus job coming in this afternoon, so I can't leave early to beat the worst of it. And they've just upped the number of inches expected. Grrrr ...

I'll add my wishes for safe trips for anybody else who is stuck with driving in this.

 

[MerryCarey]

As far as the new car goes, my dog just doesn't know what to make of it. He has heard the same car pull up in the driveway forever and now hearing a new "sound". He seemed a bit confused! He always knows when it's time for Wayne to get home from work because he stares at the window 10 minutes before he arrives and slightly growls in anticipation. It was funny to see his reaction when he came home from work yesterday.

He'll learn to recognize the new car very quickly! When Mr.'s golden retriever was living, she'd come running to meet us when we visited Mr.'s parents. When we showed up in a new car, she growled and barked until she realized who was driving. And for some reason she would always come to the driver's side first, even though I was usually driving instead of her old buddy Mr. But after that first time, she always recognized the car afterward.

 

[shellie12]

Seawaters;425921
I have three appointments today, so we are leaving early and will stop and have breakfast at IHOP. I should finish up early this afternoon. "Happy, happy, joy, joy," she said facetiously!!!

Both all goes well with your appointments goodluck

As far as the new car goes, my dog just doesn't know what to make of it. He has heard the same car pull up in the driveway forever and now hearing a new "sound". He seemed a bit confused! He always knows when it's time for Wayne to get home from work because he stares at the window 10 minutes before he arrives and slightly growls in anticipation. It was funny to see his reaction when he came home from work yesterday.

Hi all furbabies must do that. scooby knows the sound of our jeep . and when we go out he sit on the sofa and look out.

 

[shellie12]

Thanks for all the wishes for my safety---I'll be needing them! It's already snowing pretty good here, and I've got a 2-hour-plus job coming in this afternoon, so I can't leave early to beat the worst of it. And they've just upped the number of inches expected. Grrrr ...

I'll add my wishes for safe trips for anybody else who is stuck with driving in this.
PLease be so carfeul and take it slow and the same to anyone else that is getting snow or storms

 

[merrymistletoe]

Winter storm warning, with heavy snow expected by late afternoon ... I'm already frightened about the drive home. I think there's going to be a heavy workload today, so leaving early may be out of the question ... hoping the roads stay manageable until I can get home. Wish me luck!

please be as safe as possible merrycarey! you too xmas, don't go doing donuts in the roads!!!!

 

[jennifer91]

I just made cupcakes! I mentioned them before, they are made with brownie mix and have chocolate chip cookie in the center. I can't start a topic in the recipes forum since I'm not a platinum member, but I will post it here if anyone wants to give it a go. It's very simple and delicious!

Chocolate Chip Brownie Cupcakes:
Makes 24 cupcakes

You will need:
- 2 packs of brownie mix (use your favorite brand!)
- 1 pack of chocolate chip cookie mix (same as above!)
- A container of chocolate frosting (or white icing if you don't want them to be super fudgy)
- Cupcake liners
- 2 twelve cup Muffin pans

Instructions:

- Preheat the oven to 350°F
- Make the brownie mixes in one bowl
- Make the chocolate chip cookie mix in another bowl
- Line each cup in the muffin pans
- Take the chocolate chip cookie mix and roll it into 24 balls, each about the size of a half dollar
- Set the cookie balls onto a plate and put them aside
- Stir the brownie mix one last time and have it ready to use
- Fill each liner about halfway up with brownie mix, slightly under if anything
- Drop one cookie ball into each muffin cup
- Cover each cookie ball with the remaining brownie mix
- Bake for 18-20 minutes
- Take them out of the oven and let them cool.
- Ice them with the frosting!

Typical cupcakes with cake mix only tell you to fill the individuals cups up about 3/4 of the way total, but you can do a bit higher since they do not rise nearly as much. Oh - and if you want, feel free to make either of the mixes or the icing from scratch, this way is just much easier and very quick. I'm a chocolate lover so of course I had to do chocolate fudge icing

I am going to go snack on cupcakes and study for a test now! Have a good day!

MerryCarey - Please stay safe and be careful driving!

 

[trackrebel]

making my plan for kandice b - day...thinking of some donuts, cupcakes, a chocolate cake and a cheesecake....and sausages and potatoe salad for dinner.....yummy...will remind me of christmas....since that is our traditional christmas eve dinner