Good Planning Tuesday

[OKay]

Medical Billing story continues.....

I call supervisor but was told she wasn't at there. I told the person who answered the phone that I knew that was told to customers, I've heard it myself many times but I also knew the supervisor was there and she was 4 hours late to call me back. The person then admitted that the supervisor was there, but she was in "The President" (said with a hush tone) office. I replied - OH Great!! Please transfer me to the president office. I could tell she really didn't want to do it, but she did. I spoke with "The President" and she assured me this matter would be taken care of and admitted they lost a batch of payments during that time period! She gave me her direct phone number and said to call her if I ever heard anything again about this account. Hopefully this is the end of it!

[BookSaver]

The bad news is that it is snowing.
The good news is that it skipped the rainy in-between step they were predicting, so the roads should not be as slippery for DH to drive home.

I've completed a stack of chore cards and am ready for a shower. Then I will get back to the kitchen and put together more soup mixes for DMIL and ourselves. Also, sausage with green & red peppers for supper.

Tonight I need to plan meals for the next couple of weeks, to see if there are any last-minute additions to Thursday's shopping list. DH is taking vacation days between Christmas & New Year's, and I would like to minimize the number of times we go out for fast food.

I think I have figured out a dressy outfit for Christmas. (Assuming we come home from my sister's early enough on Christmas Eve, I can wash the outfit and wear it again to the IL's on Christmas Day.) I will try it on tomorrow morning to make sure all of the pieces work together. I may have to add a new pair of tights to my shopping list.

I am assuming that most of Thursday will be taken up with shopping, because I do not want to have to go out again Friday. Probably should decide on something in the crock pot for supper.

Friday I will finish wrapping everything (including the tags -- no writing them in the car on the way to the party this year!) and make fudge.

[Emptynester]

Hooray for OKay and the battle of the medical payments. You rock girl!!!!

Today I tried to get the kids' Christmas presents mailed by was fouled by my printer. I go online to USPS and print the mailing labels and pay for the postage on line. Then when I go to the post office - I just say Merry Christmas when I get to the head of the line and walk away. But I printed a sample and then only 2 of the 3 printed. If I wouldn't have printed the sample - I would have been ok.

We had to leave at that point - so now we are home and I have changed cartridges, cleaned and print heads and successfully printed a test page. But I am apprehensive about printing the labels again. I've already canceled the print job 3 times and they have to send an email each time.

Other than that - the one year odyssey of getting the title of the MH from SD DMV to our Credit Union has finally come to an end with them calling me to say it has been received.

Time to clean the kitchen in anticipation of a baking day with my new Kitchenaid mixer tomorrow. Bread, Christmas cookies and anything else I can think of. YUM!!

[Sadie]

Hello dear ladies,

I've been whittling down my weeklies so didn't post earlier. I worked on some decluttering and some major dusting.

DH needed some work done on a work coat so I called and asked him where the coat was, says he has it with him so it will get put back on the list for another time.

Weather wise we've gone back to warmer temps but cloudy skies.

Going to reward myself and read for a bit in my recliner.

Waving to all!

[lucylee]

* * * HAPPY DANCE * * *
I HAVE MY VACUUM CLEANER BACK!!!
I have done the kitchen/den/dining room, plus the computer room and "guest" bath. I will try to get our bedroom & bath, plus the laundry room later tonight, when we get home from nursing home.

We are going up there b/c ds is playing -- his monthly "gig," -- and I am hoping to see my kindergarten Sunday School teacher, who is 96 years old, and would still be living in her own home if she had not needed a hip replacement recently! She had her great-grandson living with her, but was really managing amazingly well until this happened. Her granddaughter works w/me, and they hope she can return home after her 21 days rehab.

With ddad, still so far, so good.

I have to tell y'all something. Dmom was telling me the other day that ddad was really bragging on me, for all sorts of things.
She said, "I know you worry all the time about him being upset with you about something, and I just have to tell you this... He is really sooo proud of you. He just can't help it when he starts telling you something he thinks you can/should improve... It doesn't mean he doesn't think you're doing good already..."

I told her I KNOW sooo much what she is saying. I hear myself saying the same things to ds all the time. It's like, I think he's "practically perfect in every way," but if he would only listen to me he would be absolutely perfect, you know??? LOL.
The thing is, I just can't imagine that ddad feels that way about ME... that's I'm "practically perfect in every way" to begin with. But I think he DOES. He just has a hard time expressing himself on the good things. At least w/ds, I think I tell him fairly often that I think he is pretty wonderful.
I'll still worry about ddad being irritated w/me all the time, but it was nice of her to tell me what he said.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Lucylee My dad's highest compliment was 'not bad.' One really has to read between the lines with someone like that! (Luckily, I could 'feel' him as well as listen to him - maybe that's where I learned to feel what people were thinking.)

Dinner is done. Dh made up french fries and baked fish. I made up a batch of nuts and bolts for him. He's really enjoying them this year. The first batch (12 cups) is almost gone. The power went off in the middle for 15 seconds and lots of brownouts right now. Our bad weather isn't to hit until tomorrow.

I have weekly kitchen chores to do. That should only take about 40 minutes. I'll watch tv while doing the chores. Dh will watch a movie tonight so I might go to bed before him. I'm really tired and tomorrow is a concentrated day. I intend to get the weekly cleaning done. The weather will keep me at home. I should run out for milk now but we can keep our milk to a minimum tomorrow if necessary. We have 1.5 quarts left (plus 2 more quarts in the freezer.)

[Nancy]

Okay hoping that resolves this issue for you!

Dgkids had fun sliding in the kitchen w/sox on counting this for mopping!
Watched star wars w/ dgson he explained a lot of it to me.
Ate too many snacks but had a bunch of fun!
gkids just left dgd will be back tomorrow dgson might be if so I told him to bring the next two star wars movies!
Dgd likes the phonics video we have.

H. said when he called about the concrete delivery job they said that they did not get the contract and will not be hiring the position he had hoped to fill.~sigh~ oh well.

[Sunny]

Today's theme fit right in with my plan for today. We had an early morning call set up with visiting nurse then head out to get some much needed shopping done. We did well, getting most of it done. One or two more outings should take care of it. We still need a few little things for the dgkids' stockings.

Twins' Happy Hanukkah!! I followed the link to the new house plan. Craftsman style is one I've always liked. This one looks like it would be easy to live in and the bonus room would be great for your crafts.

Harriet remarked a few days ago about dh getting around better. He is!! I've caught him 3 or 4 time walking through the house without any support.....the cane was in another room!!

*^*^*Happy Dance*^*^* for OKay for victory over the medical bill!

MT enjoy using your new mixer!

Lucy, so nice to hear about the compliment from your ddad! Also nice that you have your vacuum back!

This post sat here for a few hours since I had to take a break and had a nap - my stomach was a little queasy, but is ok now.

Cookies....I made the mini ladylocks yesterday and they needed filled so I put on my Christmas apron and whipped up the fluffy filling. I used the cookie shooter to fill the cookies and dh dipped the ends in colored sugars. They look so festive; these are my favorite of all!

Dh just put on "Home Improvement" with Tim Allen. Think I'll go watch with him.

P.S.
Harriet, how can three sweet children raised by such sweet, thoughtful parents feel slighted?? Never happen!!!

Kathryn, I'm so glad you had a good day! We can all use those kinds of days....

[Harmony]

Hi, I'm back from the stores and that should be the last trip out for me, at least for Christmas shopping. Lucy, bring the vacuum over, I have dirt!

OKay, congrats for getting that billing straightened out. Remember, I'm the one who got turned over to collections because billing place refused to acknowledge my mailings telling them what to do with DH's bills when he fell off scaffold. They were determined to turn it in to workers comp, I kept telling them private ins. and after we were in collections and I explained and they dropped the charges, over a year had gone by and I think they just had to write it off cause it was too late to submit. Stupid billing people, apparently they're everywhere!

Harriet, I printed out what you wrote. Why does my mind not conjur up something sweet like that when I'm confronted, instead of going to "oh, something's going on they don't want us, blah blah blah...?

One daughter is spur of the moment, other is perfectionist, and juggling things with these 2 is not easy. DD2 is upset about having anyone in her house like it is, doesn't she know we just want to be in the same room with DGKids, no matter how bad the room looks. Their tree is up, surely there is a space around it for us. And if she didn't have the time, I would have brought entire meal up with me, gladly!

I'd be willing to bet anything DD1 has something before or after church going on she didn't want to say...which is why she's been trying to pin us down.....

DH hates all this drama and has declared he's not going now. Sat or Sun. Absolutely positively not going. What about all these gifts? Don't know, don't care. So all the drama continues......and I'm sorry I've begun to rant again. I will go away and be quiet.

[Indiana]

Science factoid...

Today was the shortest day of the year.

Winter officially arrives Wednesday evening at 11:30 PM CST, when the sun will reach it's southern most position in the sky. Days will (very) slowly start getting longer starting tomorrow through next June!