Fruitful Friday

[ellyphant]

LOL, thanks Harmony! Love that word "fetching." I bet you and Dgd have really bonded by now!

Happy Anniversary, Lucylee!

I need to add an avatar one of these days. Can anyone tell me how to do that?

Okay--Sorry for LO's strep and for your DB's bad results on shoulder. My kids were always on amoxicillin for strep. They called it "pink medicine."

Harriet--Your DD's high school sounds excellent!

[Sunny]

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY LUCYLEE & DH!

OKay...sorry LO is sick and your trip cancelled. Your dbro's job is strenuous; I can see how it would be dangerous for him. ((Hugs)) for both LO and dbro!

Helia...I like hearing about how schools are doing things now, since all my dkids are long done with school. Of course, we still have 8 dgkids in the school systems - three are in high school, the other five from 5th grade to 1st grade. It has changed since my boys were in school.

Ive...I'm sorry your hand is hurting today. ((Hugs))

Harriet....hope your dd14 has a nice time at University Day.

Harmony...you might as well put your suit on and have fun with dgd2 in the pool!

BookSaver...hope your sale is good tomorrow. Wish I could be there!

Dee...not good to hear about benefits going away for retirees. Glad dh's are still good!

Elizabeth...good luck with job hunt!

Scattered...Kathryn/Dh...Elle...Twins' Mom...Lilac...Blessedw2...Sadie & Everyone...hello! (apology if I missed someone!)

I can't use the dining room table again today; dh is baking again. I wanted to make a pattern from a couple of things I bought at the craft sale last Sat. So I've used the smaller folding table I have set up in family room for my sewing machine. Not as much room, but it worked out all right.

[lucylee]

Well, good gracious... I see I didn't even say hello yesterday... and only have time for a quick wave now!
We are going heading to Nashville, going to celebrate our anniversary by watching Vanderbilt defeat the Tigers, I guess...

Today is our anniversary. 33 years. And tomorrow ds will be 29. Boy... it is amazing how time gets away isn't it? 33 years ago, I couldn't even imagine having ds, and being sooo obsessed with him... much less that I'd be sooo thrilled to be sitting here now, waiting for dgs to wake up, LOL!

Last night, we watched Atlas Shrugged Part I on dvd. We're going to try to see Part II tomorrow night.

I need to cuop...

OH! Thank you all so much for the anniversary wishes! I just started seeing those. Y'all are sooo sweet... and I feel bad that I can't get cuop well enough to respond to everything!

But (((OKay))) ooohhh... I am so aggravated for you!!! I am pouting, too!!! Phooey. Sometimes there's just no way around things, is there? Grrrr...

[lucylee]

Can't even see topic review in editing window...

More (((hugs))) & prayers for dbro, OKay...

helia, did I miss something -- the "arena" style conferences? That sounds really odd to me. Were all the teachers in one big area? Good grief.
Sorry you're so frustrated with that particular teacher. I hope parents don't leave my room feeling that way when we have conferences...

(((Ivy)))

(((Harmony))) I'm still amazed at how well you're doing w/dgd! Just hang in there! Maybe you can get lots of rest when she goes home.

Happy for Harriet's dd getting the opportunity to tour the university!

I must get busy and get clothes from ironing lady ready to put away. The cleaners where she works always insists on putting little paper cleaners tags in every item... and dh insists on taking them all out before he puts them away.
DH is not home -- he and ds are doing music at a local gathering, and they took dgs with them, but I picked him up and brought him after school.
Well, after school + ironing lady + gift store to get dsisil's bday gift + bank.
Ddil is sleeping after working two nights in a row. She'll be home alone all day tomorrow & Sunday, and then will work again on Sunday night.

[helia]

I'd love for my kids to have you as a teacher, lucylee! Knowing you, I bet parents leave conferences thinking you are diligent and you care.

Yes, arena style conferences means the teachers are grouped in areas of the school, mainly the library and the cafeteria. Teachers sit at tables, and the parents stand in line to talk with them one-on-one, with all the other parents milling about, yes. This is the first time they've done this kind of conference first in the fall; scheduled private conferences will take place in December, which strikes me as pretty late in the school year if there is a significant concern or issue. Of course, it is true that most teachers are willing to make an appt. with you if you'd like to do that, and many do seem to respond well to questions through email, too. In the past, they have held privately scheduled conferences about now and arena style ones later in the fall, which I've never attended before. I don't know why they're doing it this way this year; maybe they are wanting to decrease the number of private conferences b/c it was a drain on the teachers' time?? We probably won't bother with the private ones now unless some issue comes up. Many teachers here do seem to respond well to questions through email, too.

This is my 5th year in a row with this high school, and I feel I know it pretty well and so maybe that is why I feel free to complain. LOL! I do fundamentally believe it is a great school; I know the kinds of Universities it sends kids off to each year. It is definitely not perfect, though. But neither am I or my kids -- just to keep perspective and humor.

[Elizabeth]

Well, I decided to be good and go home to sew the cat crate cover rather than join the knit/crochet group. I really wanted some company tonight, but I would do better to eat a good dinner (noodle soup cooking), get some things done (including job search stuff), and go to bed early. Friday nights are kind of lonely for me, I don't like being divorced. I've got plenty to do tomorrow though!

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

In for the night after a wonderful day.

Had a slow start, then connected with my sister at 11:10 and we decided to go our separate ways and meet up at 4 to go see our uncle.

Dh and I went up to Unc's (it is easier than calling) just to give hugs, visit for 10 minutes and say we'd be back later. The provincial pension department called and I handled the call for my uncle since he's so deaf. They wanted to confirm he was still alive and that he'd be home tomorrow and they are sending flowers as a present. He says he'd prefer cash! I said someone would be home and after hanging up realized it is the municipal voting day so he'll have to go out and vote. So I'll swing by in the morning and wait for the delivery while he goes to vote. He says it won't do him any good to vote but he may as well not miss voting now since he always votes.

Dh and I then went to the thrift store and found a nice all-season coat with liner for $17, scarf for $1 and then took the ferry across for underwear (no luck) and a cap (no luck.) I had lunch and then we took the ferry back and I went down for my nap while dh went over to the mall and found a cap and gloves ($20.) So he didn't spend the $100 he had to spend but that is fine. Of course we still have to launder again tonight in case his suitcase doesn't arrive overnight. So far the website is showing "Item located, pending confirmation" but that doesn't really say where it is. And once it gets back to Toronto, it has to be walked through Customs by someone before it is put on a plane to Nova Scotia. So even if it is in Toronto, there's only 1 flight tonight that it could realistically make.

After my nap, my sister showed up at the hotel (she was out walking so rather than wait for our phone call, she just swung by) and then we went up to Unc's, visited, then out to dinner and then back to his house for ice cream and berries.

He was in fine form tonight. Today he went to the grocery store, hearing aid place and renewed his driving license for another 5 years. He's a quick as a fox and has an excellent sense of humour. Some examples:

He had this wooden/string puzzle. Dh asked if he could look at it and Unc said yes, but no-one has been able to get it. Within 8 minutes, dh solved it, then returned it to new and went through it slowly to show Unc.

U: I'm going to have to go back to school to get smarter.
DH: I consider you smarter than me.
U: Of course I am - I got you to do the puzzle for me!

My sister said he was 'looking good'. He asked, "What's the difference between looking good and good looking?!"

When we first greeted him today, he said, "In a couple of days I'll be celebrating my second 100th birthday!" (Funnily enough, the Pension lady understood that completely, her sister has two birthdays too!)

The neighbourhood threw a big party for him on his actual birth date (tomorrow is the official date due to the error.) We were talking about his sister-in-law's 100th birthday. She suffers from Alzheimers and he was saying her daughter said that when my aunt returned to her room after her big party, she had no memory of the party. Then he said, with a delightfully sly grin, "If I get a party, I'll remember!"

He paid for dinner for us and then we were talking about dh only working 3 weeks this past year. When dh works for full pay he makes a lot of money and he told my uncle what the paycheque was for the last week he worked. My uncle said, "Good for you... do you think there's any way I can get the credit card receipt back and let you pay for dinner?!"

We are loving the car. Unc loves it too. Dh discovered that the headlamps get sprayed when you clean the windshield but couldn't figure out the mechanism so had me pull the lever when he was outside the car, watching. Two little robot arms come up and spray the headlamps, then go back into the bumper and it is very amusing to watch. When Unc got out to open the garage door when we got back to his house, dh asked him to watch to see what happens. The delighted/amused look on his face was priceless and my sister said, "That was worth the extra money for the upgrade to see that!"

The car has heated seats in the back as well as the front so I'm really enjoying it. We are going down to Unc's boyhood area on Sunday (it is also the area where my father, Unc's BIL, grew up), so while my sister and I were in the store buying dessert dh invited him along. Dh knew I was planning to ride in the back on the way back since I'll be resting so inviting Unc wouldn't affect me badly. And Unc jumped at the chance.

He's in better shape today than he was 2.5 months ago (and was better then than he was the year before.) But he is still blue and doesn't really want to be alive. Part of me wonders if this is part of a final energy rush and that he'll die in his sleep in the next week. He says when he talks of dying it makes his neighbour sad and she tears up. I said it doesn't make me sad because I know that's what he wants, but that I do cry a bit each time I leave him to go home because I'll miss him. Then I gave him a hug and said "I love you" and he said he loves me too.

So our visit is off to a wonderful start. And I'm holding up although I will have to watch my energy level closely. Dh had me back to the hotel by 8:15 and that was good. We'll be up until 10 but in bed and hopefully asleep shortly after.

[lucylee]

Thank you for those sweet words, helia!

Well... I think we're about ready to head out... see y'all tomorrow.

[Ivy]

Good Evening Villagers!

I hope Mr. & Mrs. Lucylee had a GR8 day today! ♥ ♥

I washed and dried 1 load of socks and underwear, they're in the dryer, in need of getting folded and put away.
I read a lot today, I'm almost done with a 2nd hand book DD bought me on writing.
DH came home from the grocery store, so I helped him put away groceries, then we listened to music and just sat and relaxed.
I got 1 letter and 1 magazine today in the mail. 1 article in the magazine's about winter emotional eating and how to lose weight over the holidays. I tore out the article, tore out recipes for pen pals, and purged the magazine.
It's been raining on and off with a gusty breeze. Thunderstorms are forecast for this weekend with heavy rains and high winds. DH won't go buy gas for the generator right now, because he's waiting for the price on gas to come down a bit more. He said he'll wait a few more days. I hope we don't have a power outage and have no generator gas. But it's not cold, we have light outside later, and have lanterns and I can wear my head lamp, just in case.
I looked at Ravelry again, and found a nice slouch had to make DD. It can be solid or striped, so I'm probably going to make 1 solid color.
I rested my hand today, so it feels better tonight. I'll wait to crochet until tomorrow. No sense in pushing it.

Kathryn, I'm glad you had a wonderful day!

Elizabeth, How many cat crate covers do you need to sew?

Helia, It sounds like Lucylee would be a good teacher for your kids. It's too bad we cannot wiggle our noses and make magic happen like on the old show, "Bewitched"! Is LO better tonight? I hope so.

OKay, I hope your dbro can find a new line of work, if that's what he's supposed to do now. It sounds like he's been loving what he's been doing and it sounds so exciting, too!

(((((Harmony))))) Get lots of rest, when she goes home.

Lucylee, 33 years of marriage is just GR8!

BookSaver, I hope tomorrow's sale is a good one, too!

Dee, It's terrible when retiree's benefits they deserve after working so hard for a company, get cut. It makes me so angry when people put in so much work, for so long, are dedicated, do a good job for years and years and then the company cuts.

Waving to Scattered, Elly, Twins' Mom, Lilac, Blessedw2, Sadie, and Nancy and anyone I've forgotten, too.
Have a great Fruitful Friday Night!

[helia]

I forgot to tell OK that I too am sad about the news of her dbro. and the shoulder surgery.

Dfriend R ate with us tonight and is hanging out with us now; S has large group meeting for her group Friday nights, so he often hangs out with us Friday nights. We just got take out, QDoba, and ate at home. I have not stayed on WW points today. Oh, well. I wonder if the gray wet weather is related to that? I did get in a jog in the wet cold weather, but it was short - just 25 minutes.