Super Saturday

[Harriet]

Had to make an executive decision when the book dd's English teacher says they all MUST have in their hands Mon was not available in any library in our entire system and they own 25 copies. Then assumed, well, buying it here at B&N is not so bad - nope. They have 3 on backorder already and will require 3 to 5 more business days. So I threw my hands up and made a next-day (gasp$) Amazon order. I'll just send a note Mon saying it is ordered and we expect it in time for her next class. Lady at B&N says teacher may as well cancel lesson - it's not possible.

Then I triple-checked availability/shipping/cost on 4 more children's gifts and Amazon won out for that, too, with free shipping.

So now the 6 children's gifts for the party of the 17th are purchased and 3 are here ready to wrap. 3.5 other children's gifts purchased.

Dd and I made a grocery run and I walked with my ddad. At grocery she spotted "the two meanest girls in school" so I went out of my way to smile at them brightly and they looked away. I guess they are equal-opportunity disdainers and do not practice age discrimination. Makes you just want to run up to that mother and say, "save your daughter and her friend, they are slipping to the dark side!"

[DeeClutter]

DD and I went to S A M' S mid-morning. Picked up a gift for a family (whom we normally don't buy for but it was just for them!). Now I need to go back and pick up one for each of DS's families and DSonIL wants me to pick up one for DD.

Made a call to the hotel with the indoor water park (up home). I ordered coupons from there about a week & a half ago. They're still not here. Also have not received our auto insurance bill (due on the 21st). Called there too.

We're all going to watch the lawn-mower races in Avon Park tonight. Something different.

I'm having trouble with my feet -don't know if it's athlete's foot or what but feet were unbearable a little while ago and felt like something I've used had burned them badly. So I soaked in cool water for a while -much better but still there. I know diabetics have trouble with the nerve endings sometimes and I've had some from time to time, but this has been absolutely putting me through the ceiling!

BSugar is still doing very well! Making me happy.

Have most of my Christmas cards done -however still have to write a letter for some. Need to get going on that.

Supposed to 'be' at a meeting at our church up home tomorrow, but as far as I know our pastor still hasn't set up her Skype. All set up on my computer. Really was hoping for tomorrow.

[Indiana]

It is a super Saturday. Yesterday was just busy.

I walked Jake, read for 1 hour while they cleaned my suite in front of the fire next door to me in the library, supervised maintenance soften the shutting of my door, then a few hours later make it stronger, spotted decorating the tree to see where lights or bulbs were needed. It doesn't sound like much but the tree took a long time. It is a 25 foot tree.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

I had lunch and then used my food processor to grate 3 lbs of cheese (3 kinds) to mix together and then put in the freezer. We'll be having a lot of things with cheese melted on top in the near future!

That lead to having to do all the dishes because the food processor was a mess. I need to make a cabbage salad tonight with it and then it can be put away for another 5 months or so (I don't use it often!)

We went over and cleaned the church. Basically, shoveling and putting down grit (the snow hasn't melted as we thought it would), dusting the pews, redistributing the hymn books that had been spread out more for the concert, tidying the choir loft and putting the last of the moved things back where they belonged. Then I vacuumed the traffic areas. We only have to vacuum once each month so most people do the basement one time, and the upstairs the other. We'll do a good job upstairs next week as well as do a quick job on the basement and then do a good job on the basement the following week. We only have 4 more services upstairs before we move down to the basement for winter. Dh and I only have to do the cleaning until Christmas Day so it should be an easy month for us as long as it doesn't snow too much or if there is a funeral.

Now I should be working on paperwork but I think I'll play gin for a while first. Dinner is leftovers so that is easy.

[Twins' Mom]

We had a great time walking around at the street festival - lots of art galleries open in a very cool area and lots to see. Especially enjoyed poking around in a "junk" business - literally junk - and walking through galleries. There was a dog parade this morning, so lots of four footed friends were about. Not a good lunch experience - tried a new latin place and food took probably 45 minutes to come and was only so so. We made up for it by going to chocolatier later for cake.

Watching SEC game next.

[Nancy]

Harriet how much ahead time did that teacher give for that book? It really irrks me when things come home from school that make families have to shovel out $ each week for this that and the other thing for school; seems like they have a pizza party, fund raiser etc. every week this month it's especially challenging to come up with extra $ for things!

I did my ex. on the ex. bike earlier in the day; watched a show on PBS about a diet from the mayo clinic and they said people had the most success with a log for food, ex. notes to track things in. I've had lunch; watched part of a movie with h.; took a nap, bagged up 6 bags of leaves it was rather nippy when I did that. I am in denial about kitchen duty! LOL!

[lucylee]

Ditto -- when was book announced? I suspect NOT too long ago, b/c dd does not seem like the time to wait till the very last minute to tell you about these things, Harriet. (((HUGS))) for you both. This has been a tough year, hasn't it?
And phooey on those mean girls. How does anyone have the audacity to snub someone's friendly, smiling mother? Good grief.
If I make my students buy a book -- which I haven't done in several years -- I give them a general warning the first few days of school -- "One thing that makes advanced English different than standard English is that you will be required to buy one or two paperback novels. If that is a problem, see me ASAP while there is still time to change your schedule." Of course, if I had EVER had anyone say he/she was determined to take advanced English and couldn't possibly afford the novel, I would probably have worked out something else with to provide the book.
Then, later in the year, when I see when I'm going to be able to start the novel, I'll give them at least two weekend's notice before the book has to be IN THEIR HANDS.

We just got home from funeral. It was a nice service, and dcousin certainly seemed to appreciate our making the effort to go. Dbil ended up riding with us, b/c ddil backed out. I think she found out this morning what all the talk about morning sickness was about. But she seems to feel much better now. Told ds she wanted to go to T*co B*ll when he called her. (DH said she MUST be feeling better. He's not much for Mexican food even on the best of days.)

I got almost half my shopping done last night. Pretty impressive, if I do say so myself. And, before I went to bed @ 1:00 a.m., I had everything in boxes -- not wrapped, but separated by person -- and had redone my list to see what I still need to purchase. I don't really know when I'll get my next shopping day in, but one more day ought to take care of everything.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Off to bed. Nothing is getting done here so dh and I decided bed is the best place for us. (Just bed, in case any of you were wondering!)

[Harriet]

Ugh, Taco b after morning sickness. Yes, that girl is pregnant.

Book - This is The Giver by Lois Lowry. First announcement had been there were enough copies at the school for everyone. (This is a single class for this teacher; her other classes won't be using it.) But through the week supplies had not been produced. It was Thurs that teacher asked if anyone had their own copies from older siblings to add to what school could supply, but dd didn't take this hint to start scrambling. By Friday the class was told no copies from school after all, please secure your own. I'm thinking another teacher already had dibs on the books the school owns, and lots of other teachers in the area teach from it, too, so it's perpetually gone from library shelves. When I saw library system owned 25 I thought no hassle, but... wrong.

I exercised for 30 minutes.

My gift purchases are at 9 out of 24 but that doesn't count dd13, who is still a child of our hearth! (with a stocking!) Got a good lead on another present this evening from a news story. (A book)

[Harmony]

You are all so far ahead of me with this holiday prep. I've still not done anything. Not one thing.

Last eve. we went to friend's house, she has an open house each year at Christmas time. I try to borrow from her enthusiasm to get myself started!

Yesterday a boat load of bills came; I guess because of Thanksgiving everything got done at once. I spent the morning at my desk, well about 3 hours. That's all done and also Monday chores are set up and ready. Bank and tag office.

Got sucked into watching a movie on tv with DH. I don't watch many movies, but this one was very good. It was a German movie and we had the translated closed caption on so I couldn't just keep working and listen. After that I spent a lot of time sewing.

I really need to get caught up around here.