Coffee and...Part 32...! :-D

Thanks M5 and okus. Yeah, M5, I think I probably CAN imagine what you said as I'm the one who told my mother-in-law that the only thing that name brought to MY mind was syphilis! Luckily she had a good sense of humor and just sat there and giggled ---- then proceeded to tell the rest of the family what I'd said. Anyhow, thanks again. The only recipe I'd found before was seriously flawed. It called for a ridiculously small amount of liquid and was just inedible, even for those who LIKE English "puddings". I guess you're probably right, okus. There's so much sugar in most processed foods here that it wouldn't surprise me that the catsup is sweet. I hardly ever use it so never noticed. I usually try to avoid processed foods and tend to make things "from scratch" though I'm not above the occasional junky snack.

Balvenie, you can't seriously think that you're boring us! Most of us are probably green with envy though. I bought some cordless tools for my husband last Christmas, but when asked questions by the helpful store attendant had to confess that the sight of my husband with a power tool in hand made me shudder! I'm always afraid that he'll lose an appendage or two or inflict serious damage on anything within range. If he ever reads any of these posts, I'm in big trouble.

Don't know whether or not I'll get a chance to post tomorrow, so Happy Birthday, Sarv (just slightly early.) Apologies to anyone I've forgotten. Goodnight.

Wow again. I gotta stay home so I won't have to read an hour every night. Balvanie, no you don't bore me, I just have spousal envy. My DH is talented in machinery type things, fixing lawn mowers, chain saws etc, but hasn't a clue about carpentry or even minor home repairs!! He has just completed sanding, priming and painting his horse trailer, and it looks like a professional job. I have the ideas, but no one to carry them out!!

Love hearing about your reading material. I have read all of the "Cat Who" books, read Jance, Rita Mae Brown, The culinary series of Dianne Mott Davidson. I am a voracious reader, keep a book going all the time, especially in winter. There are several Gardening mysteries by various writers that I enjoy also.

Don't tell me the moon changed and we are back to the "slip and fall" thing. Hope all your scraped knees, and injured body parts heal well and fast.

Had a busy day, took DM and DMI to Dr. this morning, brought them home and I had just enough time to drive to a dentist appointment. Went to Wally world and the grocery, plus the drug store and got home in time to prepare supper. How does hamburgers and french fries sound. To me it was a gourmet meal. Sometimes that means something easy and quick. LOL. Those stuffed shells sound wonderful. I just might have to make some soon. Made Eggplant Parmesian last weekend, and DGD (who is 9) just loved it.

Been following the weather news of Rita. Just heard that there is a gas shortage and higher prices. Said prices may reach $4.00 per gallon if it puts the refineries out of commission. Don't you think the Arabs are sitting over there laughing at us?

I have a house cat, and she just loves it when a package comes, so that she can play with the boxes and wrappings. Sometimes after playing with them, she will just crawl into the box and make it her home until I remove it (sometimes forceably)

Well I am looking forward to a day that I can spend in the garden. Need to do some clean up. Tomorrow may be the day, although they are forcasting rain tonight and tomorrow.

Well I am off to bed, hopefully to dream. Will check in bright and early in the morning. Since I have been so slouthful lately, I will leave Blueberry muffins on the counter early.

Night everybody

Blueberry muffins! Count me in! Dripping with real butter, none of that margarine for me, it's too close to plastic for human consumption! I prefer more natural things. Some people have called me a health food nut, that's ok, but I think that's the reason I am fairly healthy and active. After all, it you use good materials to build a building it's a better building than one built with cheaper stuff.

Speaking of buildings, Robert, your house is looking good. I love the rustic style and lots of light. Having lived in western Wash, I know that you need all the light you can get. Do you have skylights too? I think the little round ones (sort of a sky port thing) are great, lots of light from just a small hole in the roof.

Today I loaded up 2 horses and drove a couple of hours to meet with friends who sell adjustable endurance saddles. We met at the fairgrounds in Ontario, Oregon, right next to the Idaho border and halfway between their place and mine. They fitted one saddle to both horses, I test rode it on both horses, bought it and I'm back in business, so to speak. The saddle I was using on these two made their backs sore, can't have that. Anyhow, the trip and fitting consumed most of my day. In a couple of weeks I will take those 2 horses and ride them on a 5 day 260 mile series, alternating riding the horses each day, a real test of the new saddle. Did that make sense? The plan is to ride one horse on days 1,3 5, and the other one on 2 and 4.

I stopped in town on the way home to get something for dinner, bought a whole chicken and baked it with just salt and poultry seasoning. I looked at the baked chickens in the deli department, just 2 pounds but ready to eat, then went and bought a 4.8 pound chicken for about a dollar more and there is enough left over for another meal. Love those leftovers, they save me a lot of time. We had a few ears of homegrown corn, a fresh from the garden cucumber and a saute'd dish of yellow squash, onions and mushrooms with butter, salt and pepper. Ummmm. I love summer meals! Sometimes I add fresh tomatoes to the squash dish but didn't have a ripe one today. It's a bad year for tomatoes, there are lots of green ones that I will ripen on the table in the basement, not the best but better than the supermarket variety. I thought it was from too much nitrogen in the soil, but everybody in the area is having the same problem this year.

Tomorrow I need to pick the grapes (birds are getting too many) and spend the day making grape juice.

I've been watching the Hurricane Rita progress and am concerned about friends near the eastern side of the storm in costal Louisiana. I hope they get out of the way while there is still time. All I can do at this point is pray for them, I've already told them I think they should leave.

Time for bed, my eyelids are getting heavy.

Well up early again as usual. This arm pain is driving me nuts!! I have a chiropractor's appointment this morning,so after that I plan to work in my garden. Everything has revived after we had some rain, so I will work on washing my seed trays and getting them ready.
Yesterday someone said they were having dirt delivered, since I still have not had the opportunity to get mine, see if they will come by my house and deliver some here!!

Robert glad to hear that there is another "desparate housewives" follower. I am one too. BTW your carpentry work is beautiful.

Well off to do my chores, so will check in later.

SARV, there is a big birthday cake on the counter for you. Happy Birthday. Okay everybody grab a piece of cake, but wait until Sarv blows out the candles. Fire marshall won't let them put candles on my cake!! LOL

Happy Birthday Sarv!!!!!! Enjoy the seeds, they should be there today I hope.

I'm off to do some digging. There are bulbs out there hiding in the ground just waiting for me. This is a great way to transport plants, without the bulk of pots and dirt. I will try to mark the packages so I know what I have, but knowing me, in the end there will be many just thrown in a bag and put back in the ground up there as a surprise to myself. Oh yes, I got the BB replacement bulbs yesterday and they are cooling in the beer fridge now waiting for the move.

I have been out gathering seeds and putting them away. Knowing I have grown these plants already and can succeed at seeds will be very gratifying.

About thoses bulbs. This grew from a bulb that was in the old yard. It sat in the ground over there hiding and just ended up in a pot of cannas when I moved. I don't even know what it is, but it's sure pretty and is one of those "surprises".

Well, better get busy diggin.
Molly
:^)))

I already had two pieces of cake - everyone help yourselves please!! Gosh I don't feel any older than yesterday - age must be just a state of mind!! I am making myself go off to the old exercise joint- gotta keep things moving or they lock up!

Received a call from my good friend - she is 6 mo older than I am and we always laugh about our ages and how we just can't believe we are THAT old!!

Oh, goodie = seeds in the mail!! Thanks Molly.

Been watching the Rita news - oh my gosh, now a bus explosion - what next.. And talking about $4 a gallon gas. I will be staying home and bundling up this winter for sure!!

Gotta run.....(to the bathroom) then exercsiing!!

Happy Birthday Sarv!!!

I'm up but not doing too good, I'm so stiff and sore from all the walking around yesterday. My feet feel like they are 5 sizes bigger than they really are.

BTW, if I'm gonna be a GOB, somebody better tell me what it means, lol.

mg

Happy Birthday, Sarv!

I'm off to Boone in an hour or so, be off the computer until Sunday night. Won't even have TV to follow Hurrita.

Y'all have a good weekend.

Have a safe trip darius, we'll miss you.

mg

Happy Birthday, Sarv, may you always be in good health
Maria

Mornin!! Just turned my keyboard over, seems someone has been sitting at my 'puter and leaving crumbs. Have to enlist one of the sleulth cats to find out who....lol. Dcat, you're listing the books I love to read, I go through a couple a week in summer, and winter ooo boy! I have a hard time keeping enough reading material on hand so I don't get snowed in without a good supply of books. DIL and DD are the same way, down to two or so new books, gotta start hunting so you don't run out! I just bought $30 worth on half.com, came in two boxes, most in pretty good condition, but averaging $2.50 a book is a good deal. Squirrels store nuts, nuts store books.

Opted out of golf today, foot still uncomfortable, no point in annoying it. So I'll take a swift run through the household dust and clutter and catch a senior price movie this afternoon. DH off to the Jefferson Swap Meet, so he'll be gone all day. He got 4 free tickets for a ball game tonight so we are taking DS and DIL to take their minds off their house buying paper wars. That also eliminates making dinner!!

Robert the windows and your carpentry work are making us all look askance at the non-carpenters we picked ....what were we thinking? The last time I asked DH to do any kind of wood working, he made a closet into a shelved storage unit, which would have been a good thing had he not used 3/4" plywood for the shelves. That was the last thing I ever asked him to construct. He's ok with engines and power tools but woodworking is not one of his talents.

The high school I went to was so small we didn't have a Home Ec.class for the girls, so some of us took wood shop, and I learned to use power saws, drill press, etc. It was fun, and I made a lopsided book case, but often thought it would be a great hobby if I could learn to make square corners.

We tried the old farm house rehab thing once, spent quite a bit of money, but I don't think I would attempt it now. It's a lot of work, and best left to younger people with strong backs and a good supply of patience. It's amazing what you can discover under previous attempts at updating. In our bathroom I found, underneath some ugly paint and contact paper, plaster walls that had a tile pattern pressed in. It couldn't be salvaged so we ended up putting up wainscotting half way up, and found a vanity that looked like an old dry sink. It ended up looking really good, but took hours by my DS to get the old broken ceramic tile off the floor, etc.

Stripping wallpaper can be fun if it comes off easily, but if they stuck it right to the plaster or drywall, it can be your worst nightmare. My last effort was so labor intensive I ended up buying a steamer to get it loosened. If you haven't used one, it is messy but does a bang up job.

Wow. This season of Lost is getting off to a creative beginning. I do think you have to see all the old episodes to make sense out of the convoluted plot, what with the significance of the numbers repeating, and the interconnections between the players and the past. Fun to watch. I'm going to check that site, mg, thanks for the link.
Again, Happy Birthday, Sarv! Enjoy the sunshine, rain tomorrow.

Well, if I'm going to loaf all day, I'd better get started......

MG,

GOB: Grand ole Broads.

Darius, have a safe trip.

Molly
:^)))

Grand Old Broads!!! And if you aren't officially OLD, you are a GOB in training. Buncha posts made while I was babbling!!!

TY TY,

You can just imagine the acromyms I was coming up with. Well, ok, maybe you can't, I really shouldn't be left alone in my brain unsupervised.

mg

GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SARV!!! (Save some of that cake for the rest of us...would ya, huh? LOL)

I'm reading *most* of the posts but catching up is a lot harder than I expected. I see that Molly has a new plan in place for a residence, I see that the 2X4 has changed hands a couple of times...I see that I must be the only GOB who hasn't picked up a book in several years...I see that Robert is still making us ALL jealous with his handywork...past-ies and stuffed shells (not to mention the 'syphlis' "dessert") made for good conversation AND a lot of LOLs coming from behind this keyboard!

I see that Darius is off on another 'road trip' (Have fun and drive safely!) I seem remember that somewhere along the line, we've started up again with trips and falls, sore body parts, feet that are 5 sizes bigger than they should be...AND I spied JODY!!! (Welcome to the GOB coffee break sessions...we're happy you joined us!)

I'm sure that there are a lot of things that made an impression on me as I read them but they've all fallen through this sieve I call a 'mind'. LOL

My north garden is down to its bare minimum stage now. Yesterday DH (BLESS HIS HEART!!) came out and helped me move a mountain of container plants out of the garden and under the carport where I could more easily do the cuttings and repotting chores in my immediate future. He also dug a few holes and helped me clean up the mess I'd been making as I ripped failures from their pots and tossed them into an area designated 'trash'.

As I looked out my kitchen window this morning...I realized that I have had quite a successful gardening season despite the lack of rain and the intolorable heat of the summer. Instead of seeing the 'worn out' sadly exhausted garden of this time year (...heck MOST of the gardens weren't even here LAST year!) I saw a continuation of blooms and promises of what next year will hold.

That vision is one I wanted to keep so I couldn't help but start to write a 'word picture' of what I saw. Who knows, maybe when I've finished it I'll post the essay in one of the general forums so you all can see. :-)

All in all...I'm super satisfied with my accomplishments for this year. And I'm fully ready for winter.

With that said, I'd better get out there a take cuttings from those beautiful pink geraniums that look SO nice with my Sweet Carolines (sw. potato vines) so I'll have good plants to set out in the spring.

Hope you ALL have a great day.

SMILE..."it makes people wonder what you're up to." :-)

~julie~

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to SARV... **and many more** I'll have a piece o that cake please. Great breakfast food. I need to go to the store and buy some more healthy stuff.

M_Gayle, LOL I relate to that remark you made: " I really shouldn't be left alone in my brain unsupervised." Sometimes I think that if folks knew the scenarios that were playing in my brain they'd probably send for the guys in the white coats. But at least then they'd know why there is a quirky smile on my lips.

Yesterday was the long trip to the 'big city' of Grand Junction [location of nearest big stores, like Home Depot, Target, the -'Marts, Sears, Michaels, Pier One, and the place we're getting the new siding from. The two hours up go fairly fast, the two hours home get longer 'cause we're tired. LOL

It was a fairly successful trip, we choose the siding, got the price lists, and DS was pleased with that. Found vinyl boards to use for window within the shower surround, hoorah !! ~ bought a new microwave that is going to have to make the return trip circuit -- it's too small now I see it in place and tried out my favorite dish use. RATS! it's already back in its box. Found some of the smaller items on my list - like those little easels to hold the fancy dishes upright on my new GLASS shelves. I used to just drive a big headed thumbtack into the shelf bottom. LOL

I too belong to the ranks of big time reading folks. And understand about the attachment to old books. I live in a library (well almost, when you count the # of books that live here with me). I haunt yard sales this time of year buying the cheap paperbacks that will get me thru the winter. I watch tv over the top of the pages of my latest sleuth book.

Robert, wish that marvy building of yours was on my property. You and my DS have the talent and attitude that lets y'all create these wonders.

Okay, who sent that bad moon here? I caught my foot in the handles of a full plastic bag from the shopping trip.... did I say 'trip'? yep, but caught myself so only my shoulder hurts - not my face. Later folks, have a good one. ~Blooms

Blooms, just stepped on a rake that I had left lying there, got a knot the size of an egg on the side of my head. If it had hit any place else I would have been injured, head is so hard that it isn't that bad!!LOL.

Going to DM to use some roundup on the wild onions that are coming up in my nice freshly created bed. Even if I kill the other stuff, I am going to get rid of the onions.

Will check in later to see who has done what. Everyone stay safe and vertical today.

Shoot!! and here I was thinking horizontal might be safer.

I am afraid to walk around, who is the next one? LOL
Maria

I *was* going to go outside...but from here I can see a cultivator laying on the ground...just waiting to catch me with my mind on something Blooms said. hehehe

~julie~

Just heard on the news that a bus with evacuees caught on fire?
Seems they were patients with oxegen that may have caused the fire. Many died if not all
Maria

OMG!!! Does it never end? How horrifying. (Makes that cultivator look like a 'walk in the park' doesn't it?)

~julie~

happy friday, gobs!
and happy birthday, sarv!
and safe trip, darius!

it is an absolutely beautiful carolina day.
blue blue sky, lower 80's, dry air. haven't even
had to use OFF this morning - a real treat.

taking a short break from potting plant swap goodies.
finished with the begonia grandis, AJ sedum, and
acuba. there's 25 pots so far, and i've gotta do
the ajuga, bee balm, & buddleia yet. the liriope's
being cut into clumps and tossed in plastic
grocery bags - ya can't kill that stuff :) oh, and
a lot of sky blue salvia - i think that's what is,
anyway. i'm gonna throw in some of the cuttings
i did this spring - hollies, waterer spirea, and
hydrangeas. i got a little carried away with the
propagation bug.

M5: love the "squirrels store nuts, nuts store books" quote.
i wrote it down because ...

Julie88: if i don't write it down, it's lost through the sieve :)

blooms: i'm one of those peering-at-the-tv-over-a-book types,
too. and i have to tell ya that all of the "stuff" that i
got rid of lately? none of it was books :) i've still got
most of my OLD college textbooks, and every paper-back
i've ever read. plus all the kids' books. and ancient sets
of encyclopedias. but, there's just something very warm
comforting about being surrounded by books.

aria - you mentioned having to part with your 1,000 books when you
down-sized. i think that'll be the hardest part of any down-sizing
i do.

i BEGGED to take woodshop in high school, but it was a no-go. had to go the home-ec route. i'd already been making all my own clothes by the time i was in the 7th grade, so home-ec was truly a waste of time. wood and/or metal shop would have been great. was glad to see when my daughter started high school, every option was open.

ok, back to work!
marsha

It was awful for me to part with books I have collected since the age of 18. Marsha, but there was no place to keep them and did not want them some where in the cellar, they would have gotten moldy.
I did keep many reference books, and all my garden books collection plus the cookbooks, I guess in all there must be 200
I still have.
Maria

Gosh, another thanks for the BD wishes. Did I tell ya that I had fiddle-faddle heath bits for breakfast (after the cake) Man was it good!! I'm gonna eat what I want today - suffer the consequencces tomorrow I guess.

I never buy any books except gardening books. Our public library is only 3 mi from our house and I LOVE to go there and spend the afternoon. They have comfy chairs and I catch up on all the magazines I am too cheap to buy (as I can never get rid of them!!) I read ALL the time - book in the jon, another in the car, and one by my chair. I cannot get enough!! The problem is that I can never remember what I did or didn't read!! Our library used to have a sign out card in the back and I could check to see if I read it, but now with the computer, I never know!! When we have a girls weekend out , one is a librarian and we always ask her to read to us (are we silly or what??) I belong to a book club, but when we get together we seldom talk about the book - just eat and gab.

I need to go our and put some thread on my heavenly blue morning glories- I want to save the seed for next year. How come they don't reseed? I have grandpa otts and they come up like weeds!! Heavenly's along with Scarlet Ohara's are my favorites.

I did the bleach thing down my drains (2x's) and they do smell better - actually they smell like bleach!!

I've had CNN on all morning - gotta turn it off and do something...

Take care everyone!!

just dashed in to grab my camera, one of my hummers is getting very brave, she just landed on my finger!!! I held my hand real still up by the feeder and she sat and ate. flew off and then came back again! oh wow that is just the coolest thing ever!

mg

Just nipped in to say happy Birthday to Sarv.

My nephew, who has the family warped humor gene convinced my sister years ago that hummers had no legs and had to keep flying all the time to survive.

Had to get off the couch and check on DG.

Back to loafing.

Want to wish Sarv a great birthday today!!!
Enjoy all your goodies you have to eat for the day!

mg, that hummingbird sounds so neat. He actually landed on your finger? Oh my, that would be a great pic to take!
I have a birdbath this year now finally and only have seen 1 bird take a bath there. I am not sure if it is because the 2 cats I have around keep them away but would love to see more birds use it.

I am just like you, Sarv. I love to read anywhere and anything. I even read the cereal boxes, lol. I can't do as you guys do with reading while watching TV tho. I have to use the close caption to watch TV so during commercials, I read tho. I need to look up the author Balvenie talks about. Am not sure if I have read that one yet.

All you guys have such fun, exciting lives compared to mine. Mine seems so boring. Just going to work, work in the garden, go to Farmers Market on Sat. and that is about it. Don't have a whole lot of money right now with 2 kids graduating, etc. So stay very close to home. Would love to go visit my older son in AZ tho this fall but will have to see about funds.

Will be heading to what is call here, Fall Festival tomorrow. They have lots of food, music, arts & crafts, and of course, a plant sale. So shall check that out real good in the morning.
Have a good weekend, all.
Carol (DR)

Happy Birthday Sarv, enjoy all the goodies! Hope you get to pick you meal for the evening we do here and my guys always want steak on the grill. For me.....anything I don't have to cook!

I am a book collector too. Got started by my neighbor growing up, in fact when she died her children had a box of her books for me that I still have most of today. I love Gene Stratton Porter, she wrote at the turn of the century, (not this one, lol). She was a naturalist and wrote about the swamps and wildlife of Northeastern Indiana and then some out west books. She also did illustrated books that are way out of my reach price wise. Magazines are so hard for me I have way to many and am learning to throw some out. I do keep all my Birds & Blooms, Garden Gates (finally have all of them) and my dad is giving me all his NYS Conservationist's which go back to the 1940's. I have a ton of National Gardening, Country Living and Organic Gardening that I am trying, not to hard, to toss. You never know when you might like to go through them again. My DD is a reader also and we would fight over new books reading them at the same time, teasing each other all the while. DH and DS try never to let a book cross their path! I need to read like I need to breath, I even memorized the back of the Joy dish soap bottle washing dishes as a kid! "One good squeeze will produce a billowy amount of suds significant for a normal amount of dishes". I am pathetic to have remembered that for over 40-45 years!!

Have a good weekend all, I am sure we will all be praying, and watching the tube to keep up on Rita. It almost seems like we are living in a science fiction movie.

Joy

Any Gobs bulb experts? Can you help me? http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/546726/

Thanks,
Molly

mg- I've always want a hummer to land on my hand - they buzz my head all the time. In fact I often mistake them for a bee!! Ours are still around, but not visiting the feeders much at all - I thought they had left for the winter, but saw one last night.


Oh, I just remembered a funny one about books. I have one sister - 4 yrs younger than I. Growing up, she was a major pain in the arse- wimpy, whiney, scared of her shadow. People always got her nice books for her birthday. I remember being so jealous (older sis ya know) Anyhow, one time I gathered up all her books and crossed out her name and put mine in bold letters (even her bible!!) What in the world was I thinking!! To this day I come across books that are really hers - with my name in them!! We laugh about it now, but man did I get in major doo doo for doing that!

DH just came home with another mushy card...he spends hours picking out just the right one. Little does he know that I have given him the same one for years - just save the envelop and give it out the next year. He is dense sometimes....Anyhow, he said - oh the candle I got you for your anny (on Wed) was for your birthday too. I thought he was kidding~~~HE WASN"T!!!! To heck with the 2x4 - this one deserves a 2x10....

Gonna go up to MIL for my weekly visit - I probably shouldn't as she ususally ticks me off

New DIL just called to wish me a happy BD. She never sends cards now that she has my son - before that I got flowers, cards, candy from her....hmmm something fishy me thinks!! It is up to him (DS) to get DH and I gifts- that's ok - he gets nice things - but always late. DH birthday was in July and he still hasn't gotten his gift (a woodchuck trap) Ahhh, life makes me laugh....

I'm thinking I want a chicken alfredo pizza for din din - DH is snoozing already - think I will leave him a note and bamboose for awhile.

LOL Sarv, same card for thr other half? LOL
Maria

Back when the $$ were hard to come by DH and I would go into a card store and find the perfect anniversary cards and give them to each other read them and put them back where they belonged!! Strange things we do when we are young.

I have a scrapbook in it is every card my husband ever gave me on special occasions, Birthdays, Christmas and Valentines. The old ones from the 40's are really nice.
Maria

LOL...the Birthday/Anniversary card. My favorite was the one my DH gave me. A postcard sized POST-IT folded in half. On the outside "This is a Birthday Card" On the inside "You can redeem this card for ...." something personal. hehehe I carried THAT card in my wallet for a *very* long time. A couple of years ago, I gave it back to him. I don't think I ever "redeemed" it. :-D

~julie~
Sarv...I'm thinking 4X4 ought to do the trick...the 2x10 would be too hard to handle. ;-)

Okay, I can't help myself now. I have to interject this memory.

My X went to Victoria's Secret for those special occasion gifts. He bought the same shorty gown, every time, same style, same color, same exact gown, all in extra small.

I'm sure he wondered why I never wore them and I'm sure I wondered why he never noticed my hip bones didn't show anymore and that x small was no longer in my vocabulary.

That's okay ladies, I won't need that 2X4, I did say he was my X.

I can have a blow out sale of Victoria Secret Lingerie on Ebay and make a few bucks. Well gee whiz, they have never been worn and a couple still have the tags on them. If I ever do this, I will have to link yall the ad because it will be a doozy.

Molly
:^)))

favorite in the clothing stories:
young husband gets young wife a pair of Jeans
Now this lady is an easy 16 and the darling man had got her a 10
She opened them, held them up and reached out to hug him and said:
I love you, you actually think I could fit into these.. you are my hero.!
How great is that?

pretty darned great :)

Couple years back DH asked me what I wanted and I said no gift, just a "date" every month to go somewhere, for dinner , or a play, or whatever...so he made me this nice book, all printed out with a coupon for every month. As I recall, I redeemed the November coupon, and I bought tickets for a play. December, we went to a group outing (barely qualifies) January we went to a basketball game. February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October. Asked every month would you liketo go to... ....and got a "no", so I now refer to that as my Joke Book. At least I did until this spring when I threw it in the trash barrel in the garage, right on top where he could see it.

Every year I ask him what he wants for his birthday and he says nothing. Guess what he's getting this year?