Tea Party Thursday

[Harmony]

Helia, I looked at my camera and couldn't see what it is set at. It is a s o n y and I don't like it because all it has is little pictures / symbols for the different settings, etc., and no words to explain...I leave that all to DH as he's figured it out (mostly). When he has a minute I will ask him.

Still cleaning. DH (who has been home mostly all this week) remarked about my cleaning non-stop...like who does he think has been doing all this??? Anyway, he is running the sweeper now and I moved all the chairs & stuff in the way around. But I'm with OKay, he doesn't clean like I do, so I must not look under the bed, etc.

Both bathrooms cleaned. Must still do the office bath. New towels put out, found 1 more mat to wash. I am filing a stack of stuff in the office, until he makes it back here with the sweeper. I was just too pooped to do anything on my feet for a few minutes.

[DeeClutter]

Think I've had that one before a couple of times (recently), Harriet. One saying direct deposit declined, etc. I too sent it right to SPAM! Do not pass go!

This has been 1 of those days. Tried to straighten out the mess between our credit union checking account/electrial company up home, bought things at drugstore and they rang up twice, then home to find an email from Med Co (AGAIN!?!?!). This is a new script for me and of course after my Dr. sent in the script, they now say my insurance won't cover this drug -been getting it for several years now. Here we go again. I still have info (been putting stuff into a notebook) from the last multi-week snafu so will call her tomorrow. (Supervisor, MT)

Okay, will be praying hard for things to go smoothly, well and finally! All this is so unfair to you!

Still no snow forecast up home for the forseeable future.

So glad I was able to spot a problem in our account at the bank. Steady vigilance no doubt!

[Elizabeth]

My script conversion worked, a few tweaks are needed, but basically ok. I have an art class tonight and so I can't do any Christmas shopping, unless they have nice candles at Cracker Barrel. My paycheck has now been put in my new account, so i can start closing out the other. I leave for Alabama in one week and as usual I don't have enough time for anything. It doesn't help that I will have DD9 next week. I so need more time.

[Nancy]

I've had lunch sweet potato rounds fried and an egg. Had a "cookie crisis" melt down this morning. Before granny duty got under way, we've got the seeds ready for day two of drying, mixed up more cookie dough hoping for better results from these ones than the last. Dishes have been unloaded. The one test cookie I did from the cream cheese trail mix batch h. said was good. H. is a bit under the weather today.

Snow is now mixed with rain and it's all melted, signs of side walk chalk art are nearly gone now.

Dgd is happy I saved the day by 'finding' the video she wanted to watch in the VCR. From the last time she was here, h. had not thought of that!

Lucy my china is a lot like yours only with out the center flowers. I think my dsis got her's from Betty Crocker coupons.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Took a nap after making the phone call. My appointment with the jaw doctor will be the same day as my yellow fever shot.

Got some more of the Christmas cards done, need to do more before we go to the party so we can hand deliver at least the hosts' card. I had two buy stamps for 3 at the general store but on of the three was standing in front of me in the line so I just passed it to her.

We went from there to get dh's dinner and he's watching a runaway train movie now. I'm trying to stay motivated and hoping to get his nuts and bolts made before the party. Would be nice to take some as a hostess gift as well. If not, some candles will do.

[BookSaver]

Hello villagers ~

Happy Birthday, Indiana!

After several days out of the house, I have been enjoying Apron Day today. Several cards flipped to "completed" and went out to lunch at the truck stop before going to the post office.

Soup is simmering on the stove.

Tonight I will do some more chores and also wrap the little gifts I got for co-workers. I want to deliver those tomorrow morning because I think the college girl is leaving Saturday for vacation with her parents.

I think I already told you about the bow-tie snack bag clips and the 2 ornaments I bought for co-workers. Those will be attached to little bags of gourmet popcorn that I bought from a brand new locally-owned store. The male co-worker is getting southwest jalapeno style because he told me a couple of weeks ago how much he likes really hot spicy flavor. All of the female co-workers are getting the much safer combo of caramel & cheddar cheese.

They're an odd shape for wrapping, but I don't have any bags or boxes the right size so will have to improvise.

Must go stir the soup and then cuop. BBL.

[Harriet]

Your top 10 news stories of 2011

This is both a vote and a game of sorting click-and-drag news stories, to see if your guesses for top 10 news stories would match with those voted in by 31,000 people so far. Votes count until the end of day today and then CNN will use this as part of their end-of-year coverage. I got the top 3 in order but then fell apart, although my number 4 was their number 8 and my number six was their number 10. Otherwise, the last half of my top ten were not even close. (Of course, I'm right and everyone else is wrong.)

Dmiddlegirlcousin called and asked me to take her to pick her car up from service place in the a.m. so I'll do that as I take dd to school. She's a sweetie - she's sort of my flower-child free spirit cousin.

BookSaver, you are creative enough to make me think those presents will look well-wrapped and interesting! I've had a couple fun challenges to gift wrapping this year. There is a dinosaur whose nose is sticking out the side of one!!! (you can't tell unless you pull him out from under the tree. If little fingers find him, I'll just say something inside there needs to breathe!) Another looks like a tall, neatly wrapped gift in a thin bag, but in truth one-half of it was just unwrappable, so its embarrassing bottom got "clothed" inside the bag. For a stack of tumbling (rounded) blocks packaged in a crazy-shaped tower, I found a shipping-type box sooooo close to size and there was just NO other box. So to make it work I cut the cardboard at a couple places and nestled the widest part in - voila! a wrappable thing!

Another gift surprise is that dd13 wouldn't let me turn OFF the Little Einstein loud and bright musical light-up turtle. So we don't know WHAT it might do as it's unwrapped or shaken! She thinks this is great.

[Elizabeth]

Good night everyone! I am off to eat then art class. If I am lucky Cracker Barrel will have gifts for two of my friends. If I am luckier than I can imagine, there will be something for another.

[Harmony]

Harriet, I'm always very cautious about "on" or "automatic" gifts I send through the mail. I have visions of something making a noise en route and the bomb squad blowing the whole thing up!

Elizabeth, what do you do at your art class?

Wow I don't know if I could come up with 10 news stories. 1st one's gotta be the war...oops sorry...

Boy, you should see my apron. It's had quite a workout the past 2 days. Into the hamper tonight for sure. Bedroom, back hallway and office have been mopped. Last mat outside drying. It may take a while, it didn't spin properly. I chopped and cooked the veggies for tomorrow's dinner. Was going to make the country gravy for it but don't have enough milk. I'm making a couple turkey pot pies. Someone is bringing munchies for beforehand, one's bringing a salad, and someone else is bringing dessert.

House looks wonderful. I even got to my venetian blinds in the bedroom. After tomorrow's dinner I can focus on gift buying and sending out some cards. I am finally catching up with it all and making progress. For a while I wasn't sure I ever would.

[Harriet]

Cracker Barrel is a very gift-y place, Elizabeth! Hope you find lots. Do you have family in Alabama?

Oops, Harmony, I didn't explain that very well so I edited. They give you 20 suggestions of news stories to click and drag into the order you think are the correct rank of top 10 importance to the year.

We think we missed a new Big Bang, but we have it on auto record, so it is not lost. We are just so busy. Dd is deep, deep into math. I have been putting gift tags onto presents, some bows and ribbons. Also sweeping! I am trying to prioritize so that the things that must be prepared for Sat are done, but the rest of Christmas is allowed to slide a while. Dsonil will be in misery if I am not ready for him to pack the Durango with all our gifts, the food, etc., because it is a puzzle with 3 in carseats. He's already in misery, actually, because HRH "doesn't have to go" to the party (staying to take care of my ddad). Isn't it awful to have an in-law "son" feel this way... ... he is always so unhappy at dfirstils.

I need to get "Open Tomorrow!" tags and "Don't Open Until Christmas" tags on grandsons' gifts.