Mindless Chat Monday

After today I'll be in full holiday mode. Going to spend the next 2 days with family and friends. Looking forward to seeing everyone. Just have to grab one last gift for my brother then I'm done! Very rainy in PA today but warm, so I won't argue with that.

-9F, getting up to -3F today.  Uff da!!!  We are not even considering "wind chill" yet.

Extend family get together went very well.  Santa (also known as cousin Donnie)  showed up.  The kids went nuts.  My daughter made some apple punch that was  definetely never going to freeze.  I noticed that my brothers appear to be getting old.  This wouldn't  bother me so much, except they are all younger than me.  Several of them inherited their hair from Dads side, an d have shiny areas and large foreheads.  I got my hair from Moms side.  It's all there.  White as snow, but all there.

@JackieG

I see Johnny stopped by to wish us a Merry Christmas. lol

Yay for long-lost members, grumpy though they are. LOL

Plenty of cold, snow, ice, and assorted winter fun here. Not nearly as cold as Doug's neck of the woods though.

Buddy has a vet appointment at 5:15p today. He seems to be peeing a lot again and his appetite is lacking.  Please keep a good thought for him.

I'll keep Buddy in my thoughts, Tina.  Let us know.

Good thoughts for Buddy.  The Midwest really seemed to get socked with bad weather.  Meantime, it was 62 degrees here yesterday and the rain washed away almost all of our snow.  Still a bit of the grimey stuff left at the curbs, but todays 40's temps and rain might take care of that.  I was fine with the PRETTY snow, but that was the first to go, all 15 inches of it.

Glad to see Johnny stopped by.

I'm actually off most of this week, although I'm doing a little work.  Would likely be too bored if I did nothing.

Packages to wrap.....I used to create works of art, now I just do it to get it done......

Glenda, years ago I took the time to wrap gifts so they looked extra special, too.  Now I use gift bags for nearly everything.  Not only do they save a ton of time (which is the best part), but they're reusable, so they save money and landfill space, too.

Doug, sounds like your family gathering was lots of fun.  Seeing family and friends show the signs of aging can be jarring, that's for sure.  As for your hair comment, when I get really tired of the time and expense involved in coloring my hair, I think of my SILs and MIL who have very thinning hair and I think, "A head full of grey hair is better than not having enough hair!"

Sending some good vibes to Buddy -- I know you'll keep us posted, Tina.

I missed Johnny yesterday -- I hope he finds his way to another chat soon!

Busy weekend for me.  Friday night was a gathering with some former coworkers (lots of desserts and some carol singing).  Saturday I saw "American Hustle" with my friend for her birthday.  I enjoyed it, but I'm not sure it deserves the rave reviews I've been hearing.  The 1970's hairstyles and clothes were worth the ticket price.  Christian Bale is almost unrecognizable.

Yesterday I went to Portland with some friends to tour an historical house called Pittock Mansion.  Built in 1914 -- very beautiful, and every room decorated for Christmas. Amazing views of the city from where it sits high in the west hills of Portland.  We did some shopping in the Pearl District, we each found a sale item or two that we weren't even looking for.  Then dinner at a fantastic Greek restaurant -- we shared 6 or 7 different plates, from salads to eggplant to calamari.  Delicious!!

There ARE people here!  I thought maybe I was in a wrong section or something when I visited yesterday.  There always use to be a daily chat so it kinda threw me off.

Let's see...Hello Jackie, Michelle?, Doug, Tina, Glenda, and Tracey.  

Been so long since the last time I was here I'm scared to ask what's new!  

Tina, good thoughts for Buddy.  Clearly you haven't fried a steak for him yet.  FOR SHAME!

So, as many of you know, I'm not a big fan of the holidays.  <<>>  Yeah, that sums things up for me I guess.  I haven't been in the Christmas spirit for almost 5 years now and with each year that passes I tend to enjoy it more and more.  Not having to deal with the hustle and bustle of the insanity out there and not having to stress on things other than school is rather enjoying.  I have almost 3 weeks off for winter and  I ain't doing much.  

I changed my mind.....fill me in on what's new!  

Merry Christmas or for Johnny bah humbug, lol!  Good to see that the student has gotten his head out of the books long enough to say Hi :)

It's been crazy here and I have missed catching up with everyone. Doug I am so tired of the cold and wet and it is nothing like what you have had.   Even Jackie and Callie have had some cold stuff this year. 

We will go to Tulsa to see the family Christmas day but will be back at work on Thurs. 

I hope everyone stays safe and warm,  best wishes to all

I'm late for the day's party. Hi Johnny!!!  Tina - I hope Buddy is okay.

I spent all day yesterday baking cookies. They all turned out great but the cherry & white chocolate shortbread cookies are to die for!! I think everyone will be very happy with their goodies. It did make for a long day but DH was working and I had Christmas carols playing, so it was fun. Today I made the lasagna for tomorrow's dinner. All I'll have to do is bake it, make the salad and garlic bread and enjoy. SIL is bringing cheesecake, so I'm off the hook for dessert. I'm really looking forward to our 1st Christmas gathering in the new house. Our entire development has a tradition of putting out luminaries to line each yard on Christmas Eve.  It should be beautiful.

If I'm not able to pop back on, I hope everyone has a beautiful Christmas!

It's so flipping cold. 15 degrees and I have no power. I am currently staying at a friends cabin which doesn't have power but it does have a fire place. Last night the fire place kept us warm but tonight the fire actually feels cold. Not sure how I will sleep tonight. If the pipes in my house don't freeze I will be shocked.

The power Co is saying no power until after Christmas for most people. There are too many downed power lines and as they restore some lines others fall because of the weight of the ice and wind. We also have another storm system moving in. This hasn't been a fun week. Brrr I need to figure out how to make this fire warmer.

Holy cow, Julie . . . I can't imagine having no power in temps that low!   Thank doG you have a fireplace.  I hope you have a TON of wood to burn.  How awful that power might not be restored before Christmas.  So many meals will have to go uncooked (or the recipes modified to be cooked on an open fire or a gas grill).  Good thing you have multiple dogs.  Isn't that where the phrase "three dog night" came from -- that it's so cold, you need 3 dogs on the bed to stay warm?

Johnny, you're not alone in your bah-humbugginess.  I've not enjoyed the holiday season for a few years -- being across country from family and my oldest friends has always been sad, but for a while we had friends here who were also transplants without family, so we spent holidays together for a few years.  All of them moved far away, so it's just me, DH and my MIL.  Not exactly a festive crowd.  Anyway, I hope your studies are going well, and I hope you pop in to say hello more often.  This new format is not making me super happy (I'm so techno-idiotic), but it's even worse that many people have not come back since the change.

Cathy, you're making me hungry describing your cookies and lasagna meal!  Enjoy celebrating in your new home.  I'm sure it'll look lovely.

Ginger, nice to hear from you, too!