EWP group?

[jstmee]

Angelina, I liked your added input. I laughed like heck. I began to think of all the nuts in my family and decided that I may be the nuttiest. In jest of course. I can relate to what you are going through. My DH and I moved back to his hometown. I think the main reason was for him to get to know his dad and make heads or tails out of it. I am glad we are here, but he definitely has issues with it. He does the silent treatment every now and again and every Saturday morning he's a yelling man (my DH), because he thinks everyone should be cleaning on Saturday. Of course, I wasn't brought up that way so I don't like to clean on Saturday and if he tells me what to do I'll do the opposite.

I hate the feeling of walking on egg shells. With my first husband, he got very difficult around the holidays. I think that happens a lot, much PD to you and prayers.

Thanks also for the advice on my medical stuff. I am keeping my plans with the first Doctor and I have a second appointment with the other Doctor that I will cancel if I like this group.

Elaine, sounds like you have a grand Thanksgiving coming up. I am having Thanksgiving dinner at my house, but I'll will try to scale down a bit cause of us going away. Your musical talents are awesome. I performed in plays in high school and college. I sang in the chorus mostly and I love to sing. I don't have any special voice but to me, I sing to the heavens.

Rider, good job on playing hooky, I hope you took full advantage of it. You probably needed it badly.

I have 2 children shipped off to one friend, my daughter at another friend and my little boy and the puppy to memere and pepere's, French for Grandma and Grandpa's house for the day after Thanksgiving when my DH and I make our trek to Boston. I can't wait to get down there and finally get things going. The waiting is the hardest part. heee, I won't be saying that after whatever procedure will take place. I am looking forward to the drive down with my DH we'll have some together time to have some discussions.

Maybe I'll start dreaming about WDW again......................visions of Tinkerbell flying across the sky...................
SG, we all need to gather around Angelina and give her a group {{{{hug}}}}...... and prayers to her family.

Rider

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

Well ladies, I have posted 4 days of our trip so far on the Trip Boards. I thought it was better posted over there as I am a neat freak and would not want to clutter up our beautiful suite with reams of stuff. They ramble as do I but you can read them or not and the 'delete' key is a wonderful thing. Imagine life if you could have such useful appliances to deal with everyday situations and people?

Angelina, I have read that before and it is so true. Now if you all don't have any nutty relatives it just might be that YOU are the nut on your family tree. Myself, I am not only nuts but PROUD of it!!!

I am curious. Is your DH happy with you being a stay at home mom? Does he realize that is is hard work and not just a walk in the park? My DH insisted on me staying home as he was/is the jealous type (ridiculous) and very proud of the fact that I did not have to 'work'. Yeah, right. I remember the years with no adult contact and how lonely it was and given my choice I would have worked outside the home. I like people and like helping and doing useful things. I manuvered the best I could under my circumstances. I truly believe that no one person can be all things to anyone else and maybe you need some time to do something for yourself so you will not be so dependent upon your DH's mood? Just a thought. Not knowing enough has never stopped me from giving advice before. LOL All kidding aside, I tell my kids that I cannot help giving advice BUT I do not get mad if it is not taken so forgive me and just know that I give a hoot.

Helena, do you hear me knocking at your door? I have to have a piece or three of that Challah and will gladly wait for the flan to get done. Is there nothing you cannot do? I plug in a mean breadmaker. I am such a neat freak that I cannot stand putting my hands in dough and such and make my dough in the machine although I do take it out and shape it and bake it in the oven most of the time. I am tickled that you and Luis liplocked in my backyard. It is nice to have such memories for those moments that are not quite as perfect as will happen in any long term relationship. Bet you make beautiful music together though.

I think I am going to have a sick boy on my couch tomorrow. My little guy was barking up a storm and was not his usual self. It is easier for my DD to go to work with a sick kid when it is a grandma watching out for him rather than a daycare person, no matter how wonderful she is. My oldest grandson did so well in his play. He had a couple of speaking parts and since he is so shy it was great. I taped it all and will make copies for all the others who could not be there. Each child could only invite 3 people and if my SIL had not had a bus trip I could not have gone either. Great Grandma trumps us all, rightfully so.

Lots of paper work done today but not much more. Only one doorway has been completed as we speak. Maybe one more before I sleep? I will spending Thanksgiving Day cooking for Friday. Maybe some shopping on the weekend. I am getting savings bonds for my Fab Four as I cannot get them gifts. I want them to know that I thought of them in case I am not around when they get big enough to come a hunting. Have to check the closet upstairs to see what I have already bought too. Am I the only one who buys stuff and then forgets it?

What a wonderful idea going to DW with Helena. Don't think DH would go for it tho. He would not let me stay with my mother when she was dying so I don't quite see me getting to go off to have fun without him. You younger ladies beware. (grim grin)

I think a dip in the jacuzzi might brighten me up enough to get some more work done before I cave in. The stars are bright and I do believe I hear the sound of calliope type music coming around the bend. It had BETTER be coming and not going!!!!! (smile)

Slightly Goofy

 

[angelina]

'Mornin, everyone. It's coldddd, here! (for us, anyway.) Are those ovens warming up? I got off easy this year, just dressing and maccaroni and cheese, my sister's doing the rest. I thought I'd use some of those pecans I shelled Sunday and Monday in some pralines to take to her house tomorrow.

SG, I'm not sure if he's happy or not. It's been 3 years now, the first spent in a fog or morning sickness, the second with a newborn who was high maintenance, and the third with a pair of toddlers who aren't content to sit and play with blocks. In a way, I think he's glad that I'm able to stay home with the kids, and the two oldest are in a good Catholic school making good grades. He never had to take them to day care and peel them off as they screamed "Mommy, Mommy" so he can't relate to that at all. On the flip side, the laundry's not done, dishes pile up in the sink, and things are wrecked most days when he gets home. He doesn't realize that I clean up the SAME stuff over and over. I know he thinks I sit home doing nothing while he slaves away. He also feels like when the weekend comes he should be able to come and go as he pleases, and sleep late, too, so he has the nerve to act injured if I ask (get it, ask) him to watch everyone so I can go out by myself for a while. Which I rarely do, because it's not worth coming home and hearing how unhappy everyone was while I was gone. However, this is what I signed up for when I quit my job and decided to stay home, so I can't gripe too loudly. Like being married and having kids, it sounds like a piece of cake until reality hits. A friend who used to work when her kids were young said it takes about a year to get a system going. I just don't know which year that will happen. TeeHee.

 

[helenabear]

Hi everyone! Hope you all had a great Turkey Day! Ours started out hectic. The fridge downstairs was set to the highest setting so the turkey we bought was slightly frozen and we dind't find this out until this morning. So dinner was 30 minutes late but we ate at two.

SG, I am flattered that you imply I am able to do many things. Really making bread is so much easier with a 1/2 horsepower Kitchen Aid mixer. It does all the hard work for me and all I had to do was braid the bread. That was easy It also did a wonderful job of the 10 pounds of potatoes we had for mashing. It surely made my life really easy. The familiy was well fed and that is all that really matters in the long run.

Well my family is all here and they are watching my grandmother's 90th B-day video so I had better get off the computer I hope you all have a great day!

 

[jstmee]

Happy Thanksgiving to all! My turkey decided to make his appearance 45 minutes late also, everything else was ready except "Tom". But, that enabled me to wash some extra mixing bowls before the meal. We had a good time. It was just us and my in-laws. Helenabear, I cooked 10 lbs of potatoes just for the 4 kids.

Angelina. How many children do you have and what ages? I must have missed that somewhere? I have been both a stay at home mom and working mom and believe me it is much easier to work than stay home. At one time I had 4 children ages 4 and under. You will survive, how well, I can say, but you'll get through it, Tee hee hee.

Just today my mother in law brought a letter from her sister remarking about how in love my DH was with me when we first met and she even made the remark that I wasn't good at housekeeping maybe but I was good with the kids and a good wife to my DH. Two out of three isn't bad. You are right about picking up the same things over, and over and over and over and over again. my DC are 13, 13, almost 10 and 9 and it's still the same way. I get depressed about being a stay at home mom, then I think of the commitment I would have to make to be working and not be able to take time off for a childs play, or field trip and I have decided in the long run this is a much better way.

My DH would like the house kept up, but I am too strong willed to let this bother me too much. Last week I hired a woman to clean, the house was sooooo beautiful, but it only lasted for a day or two. With kids it doesn't take long.

Well, I am heading off to the jacuzzi, after all the cooking and dishes I need some R&R. I also have a sore neck from sleeping wrong so I might call Bo over to give me a good shoulder, neck message.

Goodnight all......

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

You guys think you had trouble with your Tom turkeys. Mine woke up grouchier than usual (DH is named Tom LOL) and very upset that I had not managed to do all that I usually do for the holidays. ie I don't have any outside decorations up and I did not cook him a big meal today. I am still trying to get over vacation and I was sick and I am too busy to do it all especially with a 'retired' husband who takes the term much too seriously. Grrrrrrrrr!!! I am seriously considering sticking HIM on the top shelf of the refrigerator for awhile. (grin)

Jstmee, your mil sure tried to mess with you today. I am glad to see that you took it with good humor. My mil had women who called the house for a couple of years after we were married and she would not tell that he was married. I guess she was trying to hedge her bets. LOL She wasn't a bad woman she was just watching out for her son and I admired that. WTG on hiring someone to help with the cleaning. In business they teach that delegating is good and running a home is definitely as important. One thought though, might your kids chip in to do some of the housework for an increase in their allowances? Would be a win win for everyone and they would appreciate what you do a bit more. Just a thought. I could not get my kids to clean their rooms let alone the rest of the house myself. I learned to either walk quickly past their doors or close them so I could not see anything. Unless something live crawled out I ignored it. (smile) My DS turned out to be very neat and when he was a bachelor you would not have known it from his apartment. My DD keeps house enough to keep major illness away but she is not as fanatical as I am and I am glad. I would rather see her enjoy her family rather than kill herself cleaning. I have no problem with how others do or don't do stuff. I am only nuts in my own home. (Mostly) (silly grin)

I made 3 kinds of potatoes for tomorrow. One garlic potato, one Fufu (Bomba's sent me the recipe) and one plain old batch of white taters. Pumpkin and Lemon pies are done. Only have to do the ham and Indiana Beans tomorrow. Have the cheese platter to do tonight and I am going to make the Pumpkin/Cheese Soup early in the morning. Another Bomba's recipe. If anyone would like these or the Pecan Maui Maui (sp?) or Watermelon Rind Salad I have those also. They give you a request sheet at Bomba's and then they email you with the recipes. Neat.

Helenabear, I do not imply that you are multi talented. It is just a fact that you are. I have a huge mixer too but it is a pain to set up so I do not use it. My new kitchen has a corner cabinet that is accessible for me to reach all my other appliances though. I have to reorganized a couple of slide out trays and I might be able to accomodate the mixer. Have loads of Christmas cookies so I had better get cracking. Do you have a breadmaker? I love mine and use it all the time. My DH does not like store bought bread.

What a wonderful thing to be watching your grandma's 90th birthday video. I can just picture you all right now. Warms the cockles of my heart, whatever they are.

May you all have sweet dreams and get to stay in bed a bit longer in the morning as a reward for all the nice things you did today. I will have my day tomorrow. BTW, if I take out the top shelf of the fridge do you think I would have room to ahhhhhhh stuff the 'turkey"? LOL

Slightly Goofy

 

[CathyCanada]

Hey there EWP friends!! Just popping in to catch up on everyone's goings on and hope that you all had a Happy Thanksgiving.
Read a few pages back and just wanted to send hugs to Wendy and Angelina. Heck let's have a group hug. I'm sorry for what you are both going through and hope things start looking brighter soon.

Elaine, nice to be so musical. I can't carry a tune in a wheelbarrow but I do love to sing.

Linda, welcome home! You are missed, as always. Does anyone else see Linda as the kind Aunt who is like the glue that binds us together? A sweet, kind soul you are.

I'm the crazy cousin who runs in, says hi, checks what is in the fridge and runs out.
Just wanted you all to know that I was thinking about you.
CC

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

Crazy Cousin? Nah, WM Cathy C. I think of you as Auntie Mame. An important member of the family who is out and about having great adventures so she cannot be home all the time but when she is able to visit it is a cause for celebration and a time to catch up with what she has been up to. Speaking of which - what HAVE you been up to lately? Details, lots of details. Please?

Yep, I am the aunt who comes over to ask how you are doing and cleans the kitchen while doing so. I like neatening up others lives. It kills me when a friend has a problem that I cannot solve. Everyone in here is so kind and friendly especially to each other. Even on days that Jstmee does not post I am sure that each and every one of us is thinking of her and sending good vibrations her way.

I love to sing also Cathy C. Check the lane next to you for the fluffy lady with the fluffy hair who has her head reared back, mouth wide open, howling at the moon. I love to sing but having compassion for my fellow humans I confine it to singing while driving - alone. LOL Think Murphy Brown and you will get the full effect.

This is our Thanksgiving celebration day and I have everything but the Indiana Beans done and they have to be done nearer dinner time. Have some health problems so I cannot go like a house afire. I plan carefully and fix things ahead of time so I can keep on ticking. Not too sure how the Pumpkin Cheese Soup from Bomba's is going to come out. Just added the cheese and am to add the cream later. It is an awful large amount. Want me to bring some to the suite tonight? DH does NOT do leftovers. Could someone stop by Canada (not Cathy) and pick up some Pretzel Bread to go with?

Slightly Goofy/Linda

 

[helenabear]

Hi everyone! I hope everyone is well today and not at all worn out from yesterday (or in SG's case I hope you are just fine tomorrow). We had a nice busy day and now I feel how I ran around yesterday. I don't see how some can do this and then run out first thing in the morning to do shopping. Then again I could be feeling more run down due the allergic reaction I seem to have to something at my dad's house. The moment I walked in yesterday I plugged up. And of course thanks to my angel Gwen, I was up way to early this morning... "But Mommy I just had to play with you" she said to me

You know I truly believe music can save the soul. Whether you are a wonderful musician that others pay to hear and play with all your heart. Whether you sing with all you soul to a song on the radio or something along those lines or even if you just are listening to music and just let it soak in, I believe it has some truly remarkable almost healing like powers. I read somewhere a medical study showed that those who sing with their heart into their singing usually get less colds & other minor illnesses than others who don't. Now they didn't say you have to be good at it, so sing away everyone!!! (Okay I still think if you are too shy to sing just let your body soak in the music). After spending so much time on musical instruments & singing (thanks mom ) I really do notice the difference between those who preform with compassion and those who don't. I dated a guy in high school whom had never had a girlfriend before. He was a wonderful musician technically but something still was missing. I told him one day to play this beautfiul ballad like he was playing it for me and the music sounded so different. His music teacher even told him he had noticed a difference in his playing & personality once he began to play with emotion so I completely believe that it can help relax and heal around when done correctly. I ramble about music too much sometimes because I guess I love it so. I did just learn to play the song "Hero" by Enrique Iglesias on the guitar, so feel free to stop by anytime to listen. I may not sound the best but it will come from my heart

Cathy you are no crazy cousin. You are like my cousin. She is always busy doing things for others but she does like to check in every once in a while to say hi to make sure everyone is doing just fine, but I wouldn't call her crazy at all. She is a wonderful person probably much like yourself in many ways. SG's description of you seems to be similar to my cousin, so two of us can't be way of now can we

SG, I hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration today. It isn't what day you celebrate but it is more of when the family will be together to celebrate it. And don't you wear yourself out like I did yesterday. My family was all willing to help at certain points but somehow it wasn't when I could have used them the most. My arms even hurt today from handling a 14 pound turkey so much So be careful and take it easy. And once again you have made me blush. I thank you for your compliment about my multiple talents. I guess coming from a very competative family, I always think that what I do is not that great as there is always someone who can out do me. Not a very good way to think I know, but unfortunately that is what having a competative family does to you. You realize you aren't the smartest, prettiest or best at anything no matter how hard you try and you just live with it. That is one thing I have learned from my family though is not to try to expect to much of others and praise people when they do wonderful things. They could have made only okay gravy but if someone tried the best they could, then that gravy goes from being only okay to wonderful since their heart was in it. As for a bread machine, I do not have one. It would be nice to have one maybe so I don't have to sit at home and watch my bread while it is rising and the like but at the same time I like making bread and Luis doesn't complain about store bought bread for his sandwiches. But I think if someone got me one I would use it. My mixer is so big that it just stays out on the counter all the time. Between the turkey and moving my mixer yesterday my arms got a good work out

Jstmee, that sounds like an awful thing to bring up to you, especially around a stressful day like Thanksgiving! But pick up on THE most important part, you DH was very much in love with you right from the start. The rest was to follow I will tell you my mother stayed at home with us. Our house may not have been the neatest or cleanest but she loved us and took great care of us. And let me tell you the ablity to come home to someone every day after school more than made up for a slightly untidy home. The day she was not there after I came home from school even at age 16 really was a shock to me. So I am grateful to have had the opportunity to have my mom stay at home for us. It was always reassuing to know she was there, so don't get to down by anything anyone tells you. Staying at home is harder than it seems I think. Oh and angelina the same things I am saying to jstmee I think are perfect for you. I am sure it is hard when he doesn't understand what exactly you do all day. Sometimes I think people should switch for a day to see that the other's day may not be as easy as it looks. I truly think those who can afford to stay at home with the children do them a great justice as they don't (as you said angelina) have to peel children off of them crying for their mother or father. I am sure you will eventually get your groove soon & things will look up!

Well I have lazed around way to long today. I was going to head to the store a little later to pick up some non-essentials for around the house. Fortunately we don't have much left over from yesterday. 14 pounds of turkey feeds 9 adults nicely as did the 10 pounds of potatos. I do have a good portion of one challah left but I might feed some of it to the birds & squirrels to help move it out of the house. I am not too fond of left overs myself unless I plan for them and some of what was made are things I would really eat much of anyway. I hope everyone enjoys the coming weekend!!!

 

[angelina]

Happy Day after Thanksgiving, everyone. I was feeling kinda lonely, I didn't get any e-mail updates, so I checked the site and had a lot to catch up on! I was up at 4am and entered the fray at Wal-Mart at 4:30 to get my ds a bike for his birthday in January. What a madhouse! I did get the bike, though. The sale started at 6am and I was on my way back home by 6:10.

I love hearing what everyone cooked for Thanksgiving dinner. I'm curious, didn't anyone fix sweet potatoes or dressing to go with your turkeys? The pumpkin and cheese soup sounds good, SG. Let us know how it turns out. We ate at my sister's yesterday, and I fixed some things for us this weekend, but we're frying our turkey tonight. I can taste it now.

Jstme, I have 3 children, Nicholas (almost 10), Meg (8), and Lauren (2 1/2). Thanks, everyone, for the group hugs and PD. Things are better, yesterday dh was in the back yard throwing balls for the two older ones,and the baby ran around picking up the ones they missed. Things are getting better, but still not back to normal. He took Meg with him to work today, and tomorrow they're going hunting.

I love the comment from your MIL, Jstme. I don't have inlaws in any way, shape or form, I got off lucky, I guess, but yours reminds me of Doris Roberts'character on Raymond. If nothing else, my husband and I laugh ourselves silly over that show. Reruns come on here at 10:30, and we usually don't miss it.

It's time to swap out a load of laundry and get the turkey ready for tonight. Take care, everyone.

Angelina

 

[helenabear]

I'll pop in quickly and give a run down of what we had:

Turkey
Stuffing (mine)
Stuffing (my sisters, vegitarian)
Cranberries
Corn
Green Beans & Almonds
Challah
Corn Muffins
Mashed Potatoes
Two kinds of gravy (vegitarian and turkey gravy)
Brownies
Pumpkin Pie

We opted out of the sweet potatoes or yams this year as hardly a soul in my family likes them.

Angelina, I hope things continue to go forward and not backwards. I hope all is well with everyone else!

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

Bye, Bye Miss American Pie, Drove the Chevy to the levy but the levy was dry. Yes, music does save the 'mortal soul' HB. I was tickled with your quote. Years ago a young friend of my son's was trying to impress me with his 'coolness' and was telling of his favorite song. Imagine his amazement when this old lady joined in!!! (grin) I put on some old Motown music and do my housework. Seems to go faster. Lucky thing we live in a huge old house that can withstand my bouncing around in time to the music. LOL BTW, HB. Is it possible for you to put a sound thing on your computer with some of your music?

Our menu was

Baked Ham with Honey Glaze
Pumpkin/Cheese Soup (from Bomba's) (not too good and made far too much)
Fufu (sweet potatoes and mashed pot with spices from Bomba's) (very good)
Garlic Potatoes
Plain Old Regular Mashed Potatoes
Indiana Beans (green beans, bacon, onions and small potatoes fried)
Cheese and Cracker Platter
Devilled Eggs
Homemade Bread and Butter
Pumpkin Pie and Lemon Merigue Pie

There were only 6 of us and my DH will not eat leftovers and I knew that my DD and family were probably still stuffed from their Thanksgiving meal the day before and they had others to go to also so I kept it simple. I just don't feel like cooking for days for a half hour meal and everyone rushing off and then another few hours of cleaning up. I would prefer to go down to the church and serve meals to the needy. It would leave a better taste in my mouth but my DH insists on having his holidays.

You know good healthy competition is not a bad thing IMHO. It spurs us on to bigger and better things. I am very competitive. Not a sore loser mind you but I enjoy playing games and winning when I can. Mondays and Thursdays are the highlight of my life at the present. Have not won any trivia games since I returned but I am rested up and rearing to go on Monday. I enjoy families that have so many interests and things to share. I would love to be a fly on the wall at one of your family gatherings.

Angelina, if you check your settings on your User CP I think you will find that you do not have the box checked to get a message when a new post is up. I think they disappear once in awhile cause I know I have had to go in and correct mine a couple of times. We would not want you to miss any of our deathless prose. LOL Did I understand to say that your daughter, Meg, will be going hunting tomorrow? What kind of hunting? My father provided many a meal from his hunting when I was growing up. He also trapped and hunted 'sang'. I am glad that things are getting back to 'normal'. I sometimes think that the holidays cause so much stress because of all the expectations of a 'picture perfect' time and it just does not happen that way and if it does it is a lucky circumstance and not a 'planned' event.

Speaking of toxic mother in law things I think the worse thing my mil ever did was call me and tell me that my husband was talking to some woman at the hospital when my fil was dying. We had been married many years at that time and while my DH is lazy as all get out and is not perfect he has never given me any cause to doubt his fidelity. My DH likes to talk and prefers to talk to women but not in a bad way. That was as close to mad as I ever got at her, not for MY sake but even if he HAD been doing something wrong she should not have ratted him out IMHO. I did not even tell him what she did until a couple of years ago. Did not think it was worth it all. When we first married my DH sold his property he had near his family and I had kind of thought it would be neat to live in the family compound. Have to admit he was right and I have been thankful for that fact. A bit of distance is good in most circumstances. My oldest grandson would love it if we would move out by him and his family but I would never do that. They live in the country about 5 miles from here and it is handy to have us in town. We live right behind their church and near the school so they can drop by anytime. I have several rules I have made for myself as a parent of grown kids and mil. One is that I do NOT drop by unless invited. I keep a pad of paper and if I think of something I want to say or ask I write it down so I can do several things in one call instead of calling several times. In short I try to act like I would have liked my in laws to have acted. I will tell the FIL drop the trou story another time. Interesting family I married into. (grin)

I am doing Christmas cards today. I have them all addressed. Next I sign, write the notes and put the little goodies into some of them. I bought some great bookmarks and small ornaments this year. Want to keep the mail down for the poor mailman, not to mention the cost of postage. Cookie doughs come next. Would be neat to make the cookies while the boys are here. Their mom used to be my cookie kid. She loved to make them and my DS loved to eat them.

Anyone up for a tour of the resort Christmas decorations tonight? I love the tree at Dixie Landings. They had it up when we were there but now that I am reading that they are closing the resort it might not be open. How very sad. Maybe somene else has some info on decorations I have not seen yet?

Slightly Goofy

 

[angelina]

Hi, everyone. SG, I'm sorry the pumpkin cheese soup didn't turn our like you wanted--it sounds so good. I would love a bowl of cheese soup from LeCellier, I got the recipe from the web site, but it is too hot and muggy today--bad weather is headed this way. We didn't fry our turkey last night, we went to my mom's instead, so we're frying it tonight instead. And, yes, Meg was supposed to go with her dad this morning, but she opted to spend last night with all of her cousins, which is just as well because of the weather. Oh, by the way, they hunt deer in the winter and fish for red snapper and other salt water fish the rest of the year. See, I told you my husband is really involved with them, something I'm very thankful for.

I very nearly did all of my Christmas shopping yesterday and this morning, although I need to return a couple of things for the kids that are too large. I've never been finished with my shopping before, it seems too good to be true. Just forgot to buy the wrapping paper. I'll go back out this evening to return things and pick up some paper while I'm out.

I would love to tour the resorts with you, SG. I heard about DxL and PO, but maybe it's just a vicious rumor. One of our best vacations was Easter at DxL, I can't believe they would close it for good, maybe just to renovate some things.

Angelina

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

Dear Angelina

Ahhh, under that sweet exterior lies a vicious streak. Don't worry I will be your bodyguard. You will need it after everyone else hears that you have almost all your shopping done and are in the process of having them wrapped also. LOL I used to be more organized when I was a busier person. Funny thing but true. You probably have to wrap the stuff as you get it so the kids won't see it. I had a son who confessed later in life that he used to unwrap things and then re wrap them. I finally found a place to hide the present where no one would look to find them - - - in the cleaning supplies!! I am not kidding either. (grin)

There is a lot to be said for a man who is involved with his kids. My DH barely knows the kids names. I remember how upset our daughter got when she was a teenager and realized that he did not know how to spell her name. No better now, when they come over he goes to the bedroom to watch tv. He does like the 4 year old but gets frustrated if he does not do what he wants so that does not go well often. No, I never leave him alone with a child. IMHO the best present a parent can give a child is to love and respect the child's other parent.

The boards that I read seem to think that DL and PO were being closed cause of lack of business but there was one post that said that SOG was always overbooked and they might be going to make DL and PO military also. I miss PO. I was always willing to pay extra to stay there but I don't care for any of the other moderates. Can't think of one we have not stayed at so we did give them a chance. A friend who is even more of a Disney nut than I is headed that way today. She knows every nook and cranny better than anyone I know. Her mom is my very dear friend.

It is cool and rainy here, perfect soup weather. Eating leftovers today while I get my Christmas cards and shopping list all done up.

Have a great evening all and hope to see you all when the sun goes down for our resort tour.

Slightly Goofy

 

[jstmee]

We are back from Boston.

Our Thanksgiving menu:
Turkey
Stuffing
Mashed Potatoes
Cranberries
Beets
Green Bean Casserole
Acorn Squash
Corn
Peas
Sweet Potatoes
Gravy
Apple and Pumpkin Pies

I usually have a couple of ethnic Polish dishes "my mama showed me how to cook" but didn't feel like it this year. The nice thing was though, on Thanksgiving day when I came upstairs my 13 year old son was cleaning all of my grandmothers china that was given to me. It used to be a tradition to use it for holidays, but I didn't want to be bothered so it was such a sweet gesture on his part to prepare it all. Got tears in my eyes.

Boston went well. I was floored by what they want to do though, denial is such bliss .
96 hours of Chemo followed by 5 1/2 weeks of Radiation ending with 96 hours of Chemo. He'll discuss with his colleagues this week to make sure this is the best path to take. He said that the disease I have is very persistent and that he'd like to take aggress action against it before it invades other parts of the body.....It's now just on the top layer. I think I've been in a daze since then, but we will get through this and carry on.

So glad to hear that every one is going good. SG I must have missed the recipe request area when we were at Bomba's.

Helenabear, I bought my daughter 10 an Acoustic Guitar for Christmas, we'll see how she does. I want her to have any oppurtunities she wants. I remember taking violin in 3rd grade and getting a D, so that was the end of that. I was so mortified with the grade I think that discouraged me. Singing brings peace to my soul. Definately

Angelina.......hope times are getting better. What type of bike did you buy for your son and what size, my 9 year old son needs a new bike also.

IASW hope you are having a nice weekend.

Bye for now, have a good remainder of the weekend.
Wendy

 

[angelina]

Well, the oil is heating and the turkey is ready to go in the pot. I rented Christmas Vacation and Weekend at Bernie's to watch after dinner, we could use some laughs. SG, this Christmas present thing is really strange, I don't know how it happened. I just got out the plastic and went to town. I still don't have wrapping paper, the weather is getting bad here and I don't really want to brave it. The safest place to hide gifts is in the trunk of my car. There's a way to lock it from inside with a key and no one can get in. Anywhere else is fair game here. The things I ordered from the web are still in the boxes locked up in the storage room, and my husband's things are at my sister's.

Jstme, I can imagine that the past few weeks have been overwhelming for you. I'm praying that all goes well.

The bike I bought for my son is a 26" mountain bike, but I honestly can't remember if it is 12 or 18 gears. I'll let you know, though. He's pretty tall for almost 10, and the 24" fits perfectly, but I'm afraid he will outgrow it by summer, so I went ahead and got the larger bike. If he really doesn't like it, I will keep it for myself, it was too good a deal to pass up.

 

[CathyCanada]

Every time I pop in here I just want to give you all a big ol' hug. Wendy hang in there, I know the going will be tough, but the tough get going, right? And Angelina you have almost FINISHED your shopping????? I am soooooooooo jealous!!! Christmas cards? I think I will be writing them on the 24th. Sigh.. I'll stop whining and remember what a great time I had in Sept./Oct. since Linda wanted an update.

Went to the AKL for 2 nts with my husband followed by the 7-night Disney cruise and there were 3 of my friends on the ship too so we had a blast. Came home for 8 days and then took my kids (Meg 17 & Patrick 12) and my Mom on the 4-night Disney cruise. Leaving on Wed. with Meg for a Mom/Daughter trip to WDW and the DIS convention. Meg flies home on Sat. and Sun morning I leave for ...yep you guessed it another Disney cruise! I am training some of our new agents on selling the cruise and what it entails.
So I will REALLY stop whining. I love reading about you ladies and loved your Thanksgiving dinner menus since we celebrate Thanksgiving in Oct. up here in Canada.

All the best to you all, stay well!
Cathy

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

Dear Jstmee

What a sweet and loving child you have. It must have warmed the cockles of your heart. It always wonderful to see that you have managed to teach your children something. Gee, you didn't feel like cooking more than what you listed? I got tired just reading the menu. (grin)

I know that it seems insurmountable to do all that they want you to do but think of it as a mountain you must climb to see a beautiful sunrise. I am so very happy that you did not listen to the jerk who told you to wait. It is best to take a proactive course in making sure that they get it all. It sounds as if they have caught it in time and will be able to get it taken care of. One good thing (gotta have a good thing somewhere) is that after you get thru all of this and someone tells you that they are going to tear you a 'new one', you will be able to tell them that it has already been done. (goofy grin) OK, truth is that I am an ornery broad.

Our server at Bomba's is the one who told me about the recipe requests. I will be glad to send you whatever you want if I have it or I can send you the email addy of the lady who is in charge of sending the recipes. The Fufu will be repeated. It is a lighter fluffier version of mashed sweet potatoes. Cost me $4 to buy a bottle of corriander so you bet your sweet bippy I WILL make that again.

IMHO more evil has been done in giving grades in Art, Phys Ed, Music etc. I believe kids should be given free reign to try things without being criticized or graded when young. Feel the same way about writing and poetry. I can bounce out a poem on a moments notice and while I never did my children's homework when it came to poems they were both hopeless so I wrote them for them. Did not seem fair for them to be graded on something so subjective. I had a rule , one minute per grade. In the 3rd grade I wrote what I could think of in 3 minutes etc. I did not help with other writing because that would have prevented them from learning but poetry is something you either can or cannot do. My Ds was very small when young and wanted to play basketball. They would not let him play, he sat on the bench all the time. He got discouraged and stopped. Later he shot up to 6 ft. 5 and they came begging. It pleasured him no end to tell them "No".

When will you start treatment? How far is Boston from where you live? Has your DH arranged so he can be home more? Questions, I got questions. (grin)

Angelina, you must have come in the same time as I did. Was answering Jstmee and when I hit reply there you were. How pretty you look this evening. You did not have to dress up for our evening jaunt but it will sure dress the group up.

I find it interesting that people take nice healthy turkey meat and then fry it. Don't blame them a bit though as I love fried food better too. Save me an emu leg please?

Slightly Goofy

 

[angelina]

SG, I am still laughing at what you said about healthy turkey. If you've ever had it fried, you'd understand why we do it. Once you pump it full of creole butter and coat it inside and out with cajun seasoning, then drop it in the peanut oil, you'll never want it baked again!!! It's not batter fried like chicken. Usually, it's so juicy we can't tell if it's done or not and drop it back in the fryer for another few minutes like we just did. We're all starving.

Once again, I checked all of the settings and I should get the updates but I didn't, so I'll just check it myself.

Yes, Cathy C, I was in a shopping frenzy this morning--I still don't know what happened! I AM almost finished, all but 2 presents for family and a couple of teacher gifts! And it's not even December yet!! Even my dad had to call me tonight to make sure he heard right. I'm always out there Dec. 24th getting last minute gifts, but not this year.
I WILL probably be wrapping, though.

I wish I did look pretty, tonight. I look like I've been in a fight--makeup smeared, hair hanging straight down--power shopping is hard work!

 

[CathyCanada]

angelina, you are making me drool with that description!!! And just apply directly to my hips if you please!!

Good for you about the shopping, I really AM jealous!
CC