Christmas Countdown - 2013

[Christmas-A-Holic]

brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
it was -17c when I got up and has gone all the way up to -16c with a wind chill of -25c (-13f), and it is windy!

I work tonight and then off until Saturday. I really wish my boss would stagger my days out more evenly during the week She gave me 6 days in a row, one off one on and then 4 days off. Will have to talk to her, again.

For now I have a turkey roasting in the oven making the house smell great, memories of Christmas!

What time is dinner???

Seawaters!!! Get the jet ready!!!

 

[judesmama]

Mmmm.. Christmasstar.. I don't even eat meat and I want to coem to your house!!

 

[snowflake22]

brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
it was -17c when I got up and has gone all the way up to -16c with a wind chill of -25c (-13f), and it is windy!

I work tonight and then off until Saturday. I really wish my boss would stagger my days out more evenly during the week She gave me 6 days in a row, one off one on and then 4 days off. Will have to talk to her, again.

For now I have a turkey roasting in the oven making the house smell great, memories of Christmas!

Brrrrr!!!!! ❄

It is -9 here right now.

I was hoping for it to at least get above zero, so I could take Har for a short walk so she could do her business.

Stay warm & cozy!!

I can almost smell your turkey!! I'll make some stuffing, and Adrian will make his homemade cranberry sauce if you want some company




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[snowflake22]

Brrrrr!!!!! ❄

It is -9 here right now.

I was hoping for it to at least get above zero, so I could take Har for a short walk so she could do her business.

Stay warm & cozy!!

I can almost smell your turkey!! I'll make some stuffing, and Adrian will make his homemade cranberry sauce if you want some company




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It looks like I'm not the only one

Yes, we need the Lear jet!!


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[made582]

For now I have a turkey roasting in the oven making the house smell great, memories of Christmas!

I'll trade you some leftover ham for some leftover turkey after dinner tonight!!!

 

[made582]

It is -9 here right now.

We've had a heat wave over the last couple of hours here. We're up to 8 degree's!!! I'll try to send some of the warm air up your way.

 

[Christmasstar]

What time is dinner???

Seawaters!!! Get the jet ready!!!

6pm....we will also need cranberries, potatoes, vegies and dessert

 

[judesmama]

The town 10 minutes away (and all the surorunding areas!) got snow last night, like 1.5 inches! Not a lot but still, some! We got - NADA! Not even a flurry! Boooo!

I have been scoring some great deals lately... My CVS and Rite Aid both had 75% off Christmas lights... My Hallmark had 90%!!!!! off ornaments... scored big-time..> Big Lots and Macy's - also 90% off...

 

[Christmasstar]

The town 10 minutes away (and all the surorunding areas!) got snow last night, like 1.5 inches! Not a lot but still, some! We got - NADA! Not even a flurry! Boooo!

I have been scoring some great deals lately... My CVS and Rite Aid both had 75% off Christmas lights... My Hallmark had 90%!!!!! off ornaments... scored big-time..> Big Lots and Macy's - also 90% off...

that happens here all the time with the snow.

great deal on the Christmas stuff!!! :thumbsup:

 

[xmastidings]

Xmastidings, I have known a few who suffer from SAD and it is very real. Vitamin D is very helpful to take since the sun gives that to you that naturally and in most places the sun is not out much during the winter. (Maybe that was mentioned in what you posted, I probably should read the whole thing!!! lol) I know it did mention about the sun and for quite a few years since all the warning of skin cancer have come out people are in "fear" of the sun but in reality WE NEED SUN! It is key to good health but not to overdo it! I have had skin cancer and now know the dangers. I do allow myself some sun without skin protection for a short time when I get out but not allow myself to abuse it and burn. I notice how much better I feel when I do.

I think it's weird how I have a whole lot more energy and feel more chipper in the winter than I do the summer. The summers here are just miserable and drains everything out of me so I sometimes feel a little blue mid summer, not depressed but just really blah! It might help that where I live we do get a lot of sunshine during the winter even if it's chilly. I can tolerate the cold a lot better than that heat!

Thanks for sharing that article. It is important and might be a good idea to post in our Holiday Health Forums! I have the link in my signature below if you would like to start a thread there for all to see! =)

Thats a terrific idea, I'll do that!

I'm sorry to hear that you have developed skin cancer. Ironically, I have a doctors appointment tomorrow to have myself checked out. My primary care doctor didn't like the way some things looked in my annual checkup.

I guess that with me being of German, Irish and English descent, I'm very fair skinned and burn so easy, I don't tan at all, I get red, peel, get red again. My wife tans, and so do my kids, she's Italian and I jokingly tell my kids that they're mutts (healthy) and they also have some olive oil in them....lol

I guess it all stems back to when we were kids back in the 60's and early 70's, runnung around all day with our shirts off, short pants in the sun. They just didn't know about all the hamful dangers of overexposure to the sun back then like they do now. My wife's grandfather went thru a year of putting on, like some kind of an acid like cream on his face and arms, to burn off some of the (skin nasties) "as I call them", and it worked. He said it was painful, but it did work...

My thoughts are with you and I hope that your ordeal with this, is a minor one and that it was caught early. Now a days, I wear a hat all the time and use sunscreen alot.

 

[xmastidings]

The town 10 minutes away (and all the surorunding areas!) got snow last night, like 1.5 inches! Not a lot but still, some! We got - NADA! Not even a flurry! Boooo!

I'm complete agreement with you, it seems like the I-95 corridor (2 years in a row) is a big bust and we usually get nailed with some kind of storm/ norreaster coming up the coast and this year again (so far) is a big dissapointment in the snow category..... I wish for some snow days.....

 

[xmas365]

Sorry the Ravens gave you bad memories. I remember the Super Bowls when the 49ers and Bengals played. They were both great games, both very close.

Montana to Taylor 34 seconds left. NOOOOOOO! :sad:

Most of the 90's and the early 00's give bad memories for Bengals fans. cheesy

 

[xmas365]

Good afternoon!
It's another cold cold day in Norway.
Almost -20c today (-4f)
Its ICE inside our window in the hall and in our bedroom....
(we live in a old cold house, and are hoping to buy another one this spring/summer)

My FIL is still with us. Barely..
He is in hospital, and today they are moving him to palliative care..
Where he will spend the rest of his life...
Thomas is there when ever he can, and they take him home almost every day.
And bring him back to the hospital in the evening..
But they have to watch over him every minute, and my MIL is so tired, sad and helpless...
My FIL is only 65 years old. He was so full of LIFE, always with a smile on his face..
It's so hard to belive this is hapening!
There is not much left of my FIL. He needs a miracle and he needs it NOW!
So please keep him in your prayers... ♥ Thank you

Him and the rest of your family are in my thoughts.

 

[xmas365]

Only two more:

My favourite:

That is all. I hope you enjoyed. I apologize for not taking more. We were in quite a rush to get a cab... and we may have had a few drinks in us already, too.

Beautiful, anytime you get Christmas pictures this late in January is always welcome. Hmmmm, maybe we need an off-season blossoms type thread, something like "Off-season Surprises"

 

[xmas365]

Good Morning MMC!!!!! Umm. It's cold. Really cold. As in we don't even have a temperature. That's right. It's 0 degree's. We've warmed up a little. It was -3 earlier. So I'm bundled up in a blanket in front of the heater with a cup of coffee and the dryer going. If I can ever convience myself to get up, I'm thinking about doing some baking. Banana bread sounds good and maybe some blueberry muffins. I also bought a ham to cook for dinner today. So I need to decide what to make with it. I hope everyone is having a GREAT DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!

Stay warm!

Those cold temperatures will be here tomorrow morning, suppose to be -2F when I leave for work.

 

[xmas365]

Brent, thanks for the lovely pictures!

We had a relaxing day yesterday up to a point. Slept in a while, then relaxed in the morning with our hobbies. There's a complex afghan pattern that I try every few years, but I can't get it started. It's set up on a base of 635 chains (you crocheters will know what that means!), and even though I follow the instructions exactly, the first row NEVER comes out correctly. Well, I spent a few hours on it yesterday and STILL couldn't get it to work. (And I'm no novice---I can usually figure these things out or find a way to MAKE 'em work---but this pattern always beats me.) I even figured the number of chains out mathematically, thinking that maybe the pattern gives the wrong number of chains, but it seems to be correct---so I just can't figure out where the problem is! I may fool with it a little more before I give it up again for a while. The picture of the afghan is so gorgeous I really want to make it, if I could figure it out. But I'm already in the middle of a different afghan, and I have a kit for another afghan arriving tomorrow, so I will probably drop it if I can't make any progress this evening.

Then we went out for lunch. Then we came back and booked our vacation air travel. Then we called our favorite hotel and found out that they were totally booked during our vacation dates! So we booked some different dates with the hotel, and changed our air travel to match. (Luckily, we were able to do that because we were within the 24-hour window where we could change without paying a penalty.) That took all evening, because we kept running into snags trying to book our air travel online, and wound up doing it by phone. But we finally did it. Now I just have to get my new vacation dates approved at the office ... What an evening that was! But it's a relief to know the reservations are in place.

I hope you can figure out the pattern, and I am glad you got your vacation plans set.

 

[xmas365]

How many dishes are there to make a series out of it??? =)

You can make anything with bacon, I have made chocolate covered bacon, prime rib wrapped with bacon, and I have had a bacon sundae. They have made things like meatloaf with bacon topped with...more bacon, burgers, a turkey wrapped in bacon It goes on and on.

 

[xmas365]

I have a confession to make.....

The last of my decorations came down and was packed away last night... If I was 5, I would have a boo-boo lip going right now; sniff.... it's sad to say goodby to them for another 10 months.

SAD - I learned something about this last night about it, it's true... it really does exist! Read below:
Recurrent Winter Depression Could Be a Sign of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

The blues are an unfortunate part of the holiday season for many people. Some individuals suffer from depression more acutely during this time of year due to the pain of lost loved ones or from the stress and pressure that Christmas can bring. Others, however, can find no obvious cause for their low mood, or for the reason that their mood seems to lift as soon as the weather warms and the snow melts away.

Individuals who experience these recurrent depressive episodes often show a seasonal pattern, commonly known as seasonal affective disorder, or SAD. Individuals with this subtype of mood disorder appear to be responsive to the total quantity of available light in the environment, with a majority of them becoming depressed in the fall and winter when less natural sunlight is available. Features of SAD include fatigue, excessive sleep, craving for carbohydrates, and weight gain, and individuals with this disorder often show clear disturbances in their circadian cycles, with weaker 24-hour patterns than normal individuals.

Although the cause of seasonal affective disorder is not clear, one possibility is that seasonal changes in light may alter the body's underlying biological rhythms that regulate such processes as body temperature and sleep-wake cycles. Another possibility is that some parts of the central nervous system may have deficiencies in transmission of the mood-regulating neurotransmitter, serotonin, during winter months.

SAD develops in women more often than men, and nearly half of those affected report that episodes began during childhood or adolescence. Prevalence rates for seasonal affective disorder suggest that winter SAD is more common in individuals living at higher latitudes (northern climates) and in younger people. Seasonal affective disorder can, and sometimes does, cause depression during the summer months as well.

A trial of intense light therapy, called phototherapy, often helps relieve depression. Phototherapy typically consists of exposure to 2 -3 hours of artificial light a day. The artificial light apparently supplements the low amount of sunlight the individual otherwise receives. Phototherapy does not help all individuals with SAD, especially those who are more severely affected. Antidepressants are sometimes prescribed to treat more severe episodes of SAD, and are often even more effective if treatment is started prior to the onset of expected symptoms.

If you experience episodes of depression that seem to cycle with the seasons, you should consult your doctor about being evaluated for seasonal affective disorder. You do not need to suffer though the holiday season. Help is available.

I still have my lip going.

 

[xmastidings]

You can make anything with bacon, I have made chocolate covered bacon, prime rib wrapped with bacon, and I have had a bacon sundae. They have made things like meatloaf with bacon topped with...more bacon, burgers, a turkey wrapped in bacon It goes on and on.

Ugggg, Bacon gooooood!!!!!:thumbsup:

 

[MerryCarey]

Well, that means leave me out of crocheting if it involves math! I didn't do so well in math at school! :lol:

No, you don't need to be a math whiz to do crochet! Get that right out of your head! Most of the time you just follow the pattern. No math required.

But a calculator is helpful if you want to mess around OUTSIDE the pattern. Say you have a pattern for a large afghan that is based on a multiple of 4 stitches (i.e., evenly divisible by 4). You think it would make a great baby afghan instead. So to make it smaller, you would make the starting chain shorter, but it would still have to be a multiple of 4 stitches. So if the large afghan had a starting chain of 340, you could make a smaller one by starting with a chain of 280, or 200, or 240 ... any multiple of 4 would work.