Stop and visit, talk all you want. Pt. 2

LOL Ky! No need for bifocals here yet, but it will be nice to see again. At least the mixer is bright purple so I can see it LOL

I've been doing most of my Christmas shopping online since 2004, Tori had been in the hospital for over a month in Sept/Oct, and she was home with me full time (she missed a year of school) so I had to do my shopping online that year. The convenience of it was so amazing.... the last 2 yrs our Xmas has been rough,due to finances and stuff but this year, well, I'm so glad its not an issue this year.

Pretty roses, kwan. I was going to ask if it was your anniversary but KyWoods beat me to it. Happy Birthday, BTW. I had to laugh when I read the name of the restaurant you went to. Buca de Beppo!
Now what on earth does that mean in Italian, I wonder?
Glad the new glasses are on the way, Woofens. I've been wearing glasses since I was seven and I certainly couldn't read very much without them now, especialy the fine print.

Glad to hear that finances aren't a big issue for you and your DH this year. I think the one thing that really causes a lot of stress in most people is the financial issue---worrying about how you are going to pay this bill or that bill, etc. My DH worked hard for many years and made us a good living--he owned his own company and we were able to travel and to enjoy some of the "extras" that we wanted. However, now that he is retired, we have to watch our pennies a lot closer than we did previously. We don't eat out nearly as much as we used to do before he retired. We didn't realize how spoiled we were "back then"! Retirement is an adjustment for us but we are managing and finding out that we don't "need" nearly as much as we thought we once did. :o)

We usually take the kids "out" to dinner every Sunday night. The way Mike works, we (he and I) can't get out by ourselves hardly at all. He works from 7 AM til 9 PM through Saturday and 9 AM til 5 PM on Sundays. We meet at the station where he works Sunday evenings around 5 and leave from there, and usually his son Jason joins us too. It makes it really nice to have a true "family" meal, and also teaches the kids how we expect them to act when we are out. I have taken one or more of the kids out to the car before dinner was over, because of their behavior, but usually they learn from that LOL Act up, and no dessert, and you gotta listen to Mom gripe in the car until everyone else is done :)

After Christmas, we are gonna have to tighten up the finances a bit, but right now, things are smooth for us and I'm so glad we're not struggling.. Jess mentioned the other day that her kids were gonna have a better Christmas because I paid her phone bill, and it really made me appreciate the years I spent struggling to make ends meet and find the extra to do things like Christmas and the like. $77 doesn't seem like much when you have it, but when you don't, its alot of money. We are planning on helping her at Christmas also, but she doesn't know it :) Makes me feel good to be able to do it, because I have been in the situation more than once that there wouldn't have been Christmas for my kids if we hadn't been helped out.

Mike is hoping to buy a gas station here locally (there is one for sale close to us) and be able to work for himself again (he used to own a station but is now working for someone else). If he does that, I know things are gonna get not uncomfortably tight, but a lot tighter than they are now. But it will be worth it in the long run. We get really double whammied at holiday time, as my kids birthdays are September, October, November, and December. Sop if he gets the other station at the first of the year, at least we won't have to worry about birthdays or anything for a while LOL

A belated Happy Birthday, Kwan! And does your DH have a single brother like him, fiftyish?? LOL

LOL KY!

And I forgot to say Happy Birthday to Kwan also... so....

Happy Birthday :)

HI, Marsue. "Buca De Beppo" means "Joe's basement". We had to ask the first time we went.

I need new glasses, too, but gotta wait 'til spring. (sigh) Oh, my, what fun aging is.

The clean-up in the office is a MESS!. But, at least, I have the desk cleared off and a bunch of crap off the floor. Boy, I can be a pig. this room is the catch-all for what we don't want to look at right away. And then, we never get a round to it. Running on nothing but coffee this morning. (Now, I guess, it's afternoon.)

Brother called and wants me to find a Wii for him. Ha! I said. Good luck! LOL Stuck now looking online. NOBODY has them, not until after Xmas.

Antbody have a suggestion? Looked at Costco, Sam's, Target and the manufacturer.

Good luck with the office.... and better luck with the Wii. I saw a lady posting on our local buy sell trade group the other day asking for one, no one here has them. eBay might but you'd pay an arm and a leg (at least) for it.

I'm looking for (all all goofy things) a John Deere Barbie doll LOL Found it locally for $30, but I don't wanna pay that much for a barbie doll that will be naked by Jan 1 and stay that way LOL (why are kids barbie dolls always naked???)

You girls posted before me! LOL Thanks for the belated wishes! And DH has two brothers. One already married and the other you don't want to get near! He's insane.

Good Golly! Just checked ebay and you don't even want to know! LOL

LOL I figured. I didn't go look... now I have to out of morbid curiosity :)

Forgot to say, kwan, that there is nothing like having company coming to motivate one to clean one's house! LOL
"Joe's Basement"!! LOL sounds like a great place to eat!! --really!!

I'm not looking for a Wii but have you tried Circuit City, Best Buy, etc?

My DGS wants a Guitar Hero III game. My DGD told me she thought it cost about $150.00. Yikes--for one game!!! Guess I'll have to call DGS's mom and find out what else he wants. :o))

Good advice, Kwan--I've had enough of the insane ones. That's why I've been alone the last four years! Every once in a blue moon, if I hear there are still good men, I think, well maybe...but then I always turn and run back in. LOL

OUCH, OUCH OUCH! Boy I"'m glad my kids aren't into video games! My oldest wants an XBox 360, but I told him no LOL

Amazon has them, but

Looked at Amazon. OUCH some more. THEY want $450.00!!!

He's on his own! LOL

LOL I understand! I typed ouch after my post above about Amazon, guess the gremlins got it. I hate high ticket items like the Wii and XBox 360. Really really hate them

I have a Super Nintendo, a Sega, and a Playstation 1 that we play here LOL

We only use our PS2 now. Lots of fun stuff there. DD has just gotten herself a PS3! $600.00!!! I said, "WHAT, WHAT, WHAAAAAAAT?!?!?!?!?!"

Well, there's something to be said for being single, KyWoods. I was single for four years after my divorce from first hubby before I found my soulmate to whom I have been married for almost 24 years now. I enjoyed being single but I was ready for re-marriage when DH came along. Almost missed him, though, due to lack of understanding between us about the meaning of "lunch vs. dinner". LOL You can read about that story on the old "colloquialisms" thread, if you like.

There's a good man somewhere out there for you if you want one. You just have to be patient and wait for him to show up!

My DH and I often talk about what it would have been like if we had met when we were in our early 20's. We both had volatile personalities back then so we might very well have killed each other! (we have mellowed in later years--ha!) LOL Once we did find each other, though, we soon learned that neither of us could live without the other. Believe me, we tried a few times, which is how we learned we didn't want to live apart. Now my DH says if I leave him, he is coming with me! LOL

Yes, OUCH about the Wii and the PS3 and the games!! OUCH

KyWoods, too funny! Yes, the insane bro lived with us for two years. Aweful. He broke stuff and blamed ME! He ate only what we told him was for us, never helped out. When he was in his car accident, (drunk girl, 1am, him not driving, she came onto the freeway THE WRONG WAY!!!) he broke three ribs. The next day, he waited until noon before getting up. DH went downstairs to check on him and found him still in bed and waiting for someone to help him to the bathroom! I know broken ribs are painful because I had one once. But it's not THAT bad! Roll out and get up! He didn't shower for three days and boy did he smell. DH had to tell him to go shower! Ugh!

Okay, rant over.

This message was edited Nov 30, 2007 1:22 PM

We're all entitled to a good "rant" now and then, kwan! DG is a good place to let off steam about unfavorite relatives and no one gets hurt in the process! LOL

AGREE!!! LOL

Now I gotta get some food. WAY past time to eat. See you soon.

Good morning everyone. Snow again last night. About 3 inches so far and it's still falling.

Projects all over the house today too. Still have to finish cleaning the office but it's almost done. Now for the coffee.

Morning all. Hope everyones AM is going well. I woke up to 2 of my 3 little ones squalling, they had knocked over a dresser mirror that was in Jeff's room ( pulled away from the way t o let the paint dry.) Jeff was stuck under it and the foot board of his bed (which gouged a big hole in the freshly painted walls) Thank goodness the mirror didn't break, he would have been cut to shreds. They were told to not mess around in there until the furniture was moved back. The mirror is toast I think, it was cheap to start with and all the staples holding it together are pulled out of the wood. Sigh. I'm just so glad they weren't hurt. Jeff is complaining his stomach hurts, I'm not sure if something landed on him or not, but he doesn't have any marks. So I'll be keeping a close eye on him just in case.

Its 23 degrees here this AM, I need to go into town and do some stuff when the kids dad comes to get them. Not sure if I'm going to go or not. I really need to as the weather is supposed to take a turn for the worse tomorrow. Snow in the AM, then rain all day, then snow Sunday evening through Thursday. They are predicting delays for the schools Monday morning. Mike and I have discussed it, and decided that if the roads are too bad for me to take the kids to the bus stop, they don't need to go to school. I've got 4 WD, so if I have problems on the roads, the kids are staying home with me. There is a big hill I have to go up right after leaving home to take the kids to the bus stop, so if I can't make it up the hill on my side of the road, then we are coming back home.

I really need to do the dishes, and pick up the around the house, fold laundry, all that mundane stuff that I hate to do. We are out of forks, so its really time to do the dishes LOL (I haven't let them go til they are nasty, we have been using a lot of paper plates so there aren't that many, mostly silverware).

Well, I'll pop in later. Hope everyone has a great day.

Hugs
Janis

Misty, are you out there somewhere? Hope everything is okay.

Janis, well wishes go to Jeff. I hope he's going to be okay, too. And I agree with the kids staying home if it's too scary to drive. No sense risking your lives, is there.

Nope Kwan, there isn't .... and I found out a couple days ago, the bus driver they have, well, he is nearing retirement. My niece rides his bus in the mornings, and she says he is really bad about clipping signs and mailboxes YIKES I'm going to be watching him closely..... he dropped my kids off the other day without turning on his lights.... so I'm wary. I've filed complaints about bus drivers in the past, and won't hesitate to do so again.

And now its over an hour since I posted and I'm still sitting here on my behind. I feel lousy :( Think when the kids leave I'm gonna dope myself up with some dayquil and crawl back in bed. I'm so tired of this pharyngitis :(( Called the ENT this week, their computers were down and they never got back to me, so I guess I'll start a new list of phone calls to make Monday. Its been 3-4 weeks now that I have had it this time, and the 5th time I've had it since August.

I'm not familiar with Utah at all, Kwan, do you get snow every year? I guess I assumed it was more like Arizona and New Mexico. Not much for geography. LOL

Hugs
Janis

Here in northern Utah, we get snow every year. One of our state mottos is "The Greatest Snow On Earth.". People come from all over the world to ski and snowboard here because of our famous powder snow.

Here's from 5 minutes ago.

Oh, yeah, I meant to ask you guys something too...... I was on the phone with a friend of mine in Iowa, and mentioned that I had ordered the grave blanket for my nephew's grave. She had never heard of a grave blanket. So I googled it for her, and found out a little bit about why we place grave blankets, but she said they don't do that in Iowa. So, have you guys heard of grave blankets? and is it a tradition you follow? I need to go pick my nephews today or Monday and place it, I plan to take a couple pics, I can post them if you want, unless you find that too morbid. I buy his blankey every year, and we don't do a traditional Christmas one, we get blue and white.

I know, strange thing to ask about, but I was wondering :)

Janis

I've never heard of grave blankets. What are they used for?

Well, duh for me LOL I knew that. Guess my brain isn't in gear. The winter Olympics were just there. How would that have happened with out snow?? LOL Blond moment ( and I'm a redhead LOL)

Don't worry, Janis. Blond moments come to us all! LOL How's your boy doing?

They are made of live pine boughs, and decorated and then placed over the grave.
This is what I found online about them
Traditional grave blankets have been around for years, and are made from live pine branches, pine cones, baby's breath, and ribbons or bows. A grave blanket might have a centerpiece representing something special about a loved one -- a special occasion or hobby, a favorite pet or talent.

History tells us they were used to decorate grave sites in the winter, when flowers were not available or too fragile to withstand the bitter cold. Traditional grave blankets were used in the late fall and winter and were most popular during the Christmas season. They are designed for decorating the grave site for a short time and are then removed after the holidays. They are to the grave what the wreath is to the door.

In recent years, grave blankets have been used throughout the year, often to commemorate the birthday of the deceased, an anniversary, Mother's Day, etc. The use of the grave blanket is not exclusive to any part of the country, though they were first used in colder areas.

I got that from http://www.publicradio.org/columns/prairiehome/posthost/2006/01/

Here are a couple beautiful pictures I found. http://www.degoeysflowers.com/files/Asst_d_Pics_for_Website_022.jpg

Janis

He is arguing with his sisters, so I'm assuming he is OK LOL

I can't wait til their dad comes to get them

How interesting--and lovely! I never heard of this before, either, so now I'm enlightened. Thanks, Janis.

Going somewhere special or just Saturday with Dad?

And I've seen those before here, I just never knew what they were called.

I DO learn something every day! LOL

It really must be a regional thing then. I'll post the pictures of my nephew's when I get it

Janis

Just Saturday with Dad. He gets them every other Sat and Sun from about 1 til 5 or 6. He can't keep them all night as he lives with his mom. He got a DUI back in October so he can only come get them, take them to his mom's and bring them back home. He used to take them to the movies every time he had them.... they miss that. He's a good guy when he is sober, and a great dad, but he knows if he drinks around them, I'll make it so that his visitation with them is supervised. I don't want my kids exposed to his alcoholism. They know he has a drinking problem. I have been upfront with them about it.

Good for you and good for him for realizing he needs to stay sober around the kids.

It's still snowing. Don't know if I'll make it out of the driveway! Hmm...may stay home from work today. I have 4WD too but...

Glad Jeff is okay, Janis.
I never heard of grave blankets, either, but it sounds like a lovely tradition. Around here everybody puts "saddles" on the head stones. Some cemeteries require that all flowers, decorations, etc. be up off the ground so the people who mow don't have to pick up all that stuff in order to mow. That is why people use the florist's saddles.

Oh, kwan, your photo is lovely but it makes me cold! Brrrr!
High of 65 for us today with plenty of sunshine. :o)

DGD and DGS and two of DGD's friends and I are going to a "barn-warming" today. It is a benefit for a charitable organization that provides pony rides for disabled children. Door prizes donated by local businesses will be given away. Should be a good time.

Y'all have a good day!