Dec. 11, Sunday

[karlinann]

Good morning all you lovely people. I cooked bkfst this morning. Biscuits & gravy, bacon and cinnamon apples. Can't you just smell the wonderful aroma coming from my kitchen? LOL!

Yesterday afternoon I put the oven on self-clean and the fumes were so bad we had to go out on the lanai and work on a jigsaw puzzle. My oven is sparkling clean and I love it. It was worth all the fumes.

Have a blessed day.

[ladyebug]

Good Morning, karlinann!

Good Morning, Everyone.

Nothing like a clean oven. I know what you mean about the fumes, but sometimes it's just necessary. I bought an oven liner years ago and have yet to use it. I can keep the oven floor clean, but the back wall with the fan, lost cause.

I didn't cook breakfast, but I did make a punch bowl cake, or trifle, for church. Don't know why we got up at 4:30, but John cleaned out the ashes and I made the dessert, so we are clicking along.

Hope everyone has a lovely Sunday.

[Mayebarnes]

Good morning

have been up "forever".. awake at 3 with leg spasms.. (mostly ankles)... up to stay at 4am..the spasms stay away when I am upright???.. tired from yestesdays baking with Bethany.
We had a wonderful time...seldom get one on one time with each girl.. .. she dived into mixing the dough.. by hand.. .. and we ended up with good buns ....
We talked over where to have the Christmas eve get together... Tradition is here at my house... but Karen was willing to have at her much bigger house... (plus get all the work shifted to her ) but Bethany and I both got teary eyed at ending Tradition ... so for this year.. it is here.. but agreed next year will start a new tradition ..( no more oyster stew . )... at their house...
and that she would come over on Christmas eve Sat and help carry dishes .and set sweeper .and set up card tables. etc etc etc.. ... I feel much better too ... just making decision is a relief.. and now i can get into full swing of getting gifts organized. .decided on Vegetable soup for this year... got the big roast and the bag of bones at the butcher shop .. will cook bones and get broth made ...maybe even precook the roast in the slow cooker ,cool and cut up ready for the soup.. ( freeze everything until the 22nd.)

i too have a clean oven,, had to scape out the burn on apple pie spill.. not the sides.its an older elec. stove and I have been hoping something would go wrong so I would have excuse to get a new Gas stove.. but..........the darn thing just keeps on working .. not even a burner has quit!... and now getting to the place that , why replace it.. the next owner might prefer electric. next owner might be just around the corner... ??????

Hi Elaine . Karlinann,, Im coming to your house for breakfast!..

Hi to you all ..be back , maybe this evening ... but since this is Granddaughters cookie bake day... who knows when you will see me next. should be fun..

[maxie]

Yep...need to clean the oven here too. Andrew wants to make cutout cookies today so need to mix up a batch of dough. Every kid wants to icing a cookie so we will! Texted Sierra but got a bla bla answer and if (IF) she shows it will be spur of the moment because she has a paper due Monday and all the working she has been doing and then the new boyfriend that she has never mentioned to us. No matter to us if she comes but it will the first year of her life we have not made cookies. Some things I miss but always having mommy dearest in the room gets old. Yesterday the boys got the train running. Hurray! I still do not have any packages under the tree but I can when I want. Yesterday I picked up the last gift card and the last gift arrived in the mail. All is wrapped but the newest one. I cannot believe it took me so long to finish this year. Jon is working on reorganizing the basement to leave Andrew a place to set up some tables to run his lego trains and buildings. That will clean up the boy cave and maybe make it a decent room. Jon goes back to work tomorrow. I know Drew enjoyed having his dad around but this grandma will be glad to have the quiet back during the day. Of course that means back to cooking...always a down side. It is so dark and gloomy and the furnace keeps running so must be another cold morning. Sun would be nice but glad we are missing the snow storm to the north. Need to mix and chill the dough. These little masterpieces will be eaten by morning and that is good. You know,I think I read someplace that if you eat a cookie real fast there isn't time for the calories to count...but you gotta be fast!

[karlinann]

Maxie I love the way you think!

[BarbCA108]

Good morning, all. A semi-clear day coming up for the first time in a week. Will get out and soak up a bit of sun. I hope to anyway. WW says partly cloudy.

Made a nice lamb stew for my dinner. I really wish we could get better lamb here. I cut up shoulder chops which is a pain. Loin chops are out of sight expensive.

Really not much to report except my oven needs cleaned, too.

Everyone enjoy your holiday prep.

[bethina]

Morning!!! I will be so glad to have my house back! I went up stairs to prepare my food for Bible Study....green beans in bacon grease with onions...I went up in my pajamas....Apprently while I have others living here with me I need to have clothes on when I go up stairs...including a bra! My sister told me this morning....oops IF it was such an issue why didn't some one tell me before now! The first thing that goes when I come home from work is that...so I guess I will just stay in my room all the time...and if they ask why I will tell them I don't want to get dressed. I almost always have a tank top and tshirt and shorts on...and if there is an extra person other than the nieces in the house I am more likely to throw on a hoody. Is there a difference about the guys running around in their pajamas and and the nieces doing the same?

Hopefully this afternoon I will have the house to myself!

The other thing that made me mad was my uncle is here with my parents...and he mentioned going to breakfast...as soon as I got excited about going with them..They all said they probably were going and blah blah......my uncle even told me they probably weren't going when I was up early with the cat and stayed up for a bit. I decided to go back to bed thought they weren't goingit....WELL they went to breakfast....saying I wasn't invited...because I wasn't going to work on my sisters new house and they couldn't come the 5 minutes back to bring me back here. Sorry to make it so hard for anyone and I am sorry for the rant....I am just ready to not need to share my space!

[Paula A]

Oh, I thought I was logged in and something went wrong...
I had a wonderful visit and dinner out with an old friend last night.
Becky is still down with her arm infection but it is getting better.
I have to go get ready for church.
I have a picture on Facebook of my granddaughter driving with her dad, Stuart, with her permit!

[cookielady]

Afternoon all!!!! We've got a bit of snow around here.

Yesterday was good. A new customer came to get a list and some samples. Come to find out that she was my Uncle Glenn's prom date back in the day. Got all the cakes & pie & CC cupcakes made & delivered. Then it was onto cutting out all the sugar cookies. Ended up with 27 doz. Was totally wiped after that, so it was each for his own for dinner. Made hot dogs & mac and cheese for Blaise & me. Kathy & Jimmy stopped by for a quick visit. Once they left, a customer came to pick up her cookies and an elderberry pie. I'm starting to get holes in my freezer, which I'll fill again with the new orders.

This morning we went to church & SS. Pastor ask Blaise to come light the candles & he was thrilled with that. Came home and started baking off the sugar cookies. Almost done. Think I'll start the laundry and finish making the pot of chicken & rice soup. I cooked the chicken yesterday, but ran out of energy to complete it.

Have a good one all!

[karlinann]

Lordy, girl, you are wearing me out with all that baking and I didn't get to lick one single bowl.

[JoGee]

Good afternoon.
I'm so glad to have the tape off my face and tube out of my throat. They have me back on clear liquids, Jello.... don't know if I'll get past the broth. It's warm & good. Jello is ok. Ice chips are cold, they hurt.

They found a heart problem though. Also one of my meds is insulin. Not that that's all going to be permanent.

Our PCP called and is transferring us to another PCP.
Not nice so close to our spot. The heart doc returns to be sure I'm still doing okay tonight.

TG E just went to eat. He's a noise box sometimes, and hospitals are too quiet for him. I quieted him a couple of times, and got "a look". So I'll let him be.
Well, I guess I'll return to my broth.

Just to let you know I'm alive and well-ish. Still don't know when I'll be going home..

Have a good day.

Later: well, I (pardon me) "passed the golden stool", so I imagine I might be going home in a day or two. Gotta get my feet "un-swolled", and they'll have my paperwork ready. Yay!
I told them that chicken broth would do the trick, but they didn't believe me!

[JoGee]

Yep...need to clean the oven here too. Andrew wants to make cutout cookies today so need to mix up a batch of dough. Every kid wants to icing a cookie so we will! Texted Sierra but got a bla bla answer and if (IF) she shows it will be spur of the moment because she has a paper due Monday and all the working she has been doing and then the new boyfriend that she has never mentioned to us. No matter to us if she comes but it will the first year of her life we have not made cookies. Some things I miss but always having mommy dearest in the room gets old. Yesterday the boys got the train running. Hurray! I still do not have any packages under the tree but I can when I want. Yesterday I picked up the last gift card and the last gift arrived in the mail. All is wrapped but the newest one. I cannot believe it took me so long to finish this year. Jon is working on reorganizing the basement to leave Andrew a place to set up some tables to run his lego trains and buildings. That will clean up the boy cave and maybe make it a decent room. Jon goes back to work tomorrow. I know Drew enjoyed having his dad around but this grandma will be glad to have the quiet back during the day. Of course that means back to cooking...always a down side. It is so dark and gloomy and the furnace keeps running so must be another cold morning. Sun would be nice but glad we are missing the snow storm to the north. Need to mix and chill the dough. These little masterpieces will be eaten by morning and that is good. You know,I think I read someplace that if you eat a cookie real fast there isn't time for the calories to count...but you gotta be fast!

Maxi, you think the way I'd like to live!

[Lovey1]

JoGee.... glad that it looks like you'll be home before Christmas. Our family is having Christmas next Sunday and then on the 25th we all leave for Florida for 9 days. We have a 5 bedroom vacation house rented so our 4 kids, their spouses and our 4 grandkids will be doing the Disney thing, plus one day at Sanibel Island. Because I have bad arthritis we will have to rent a power chair for me to use at the theme parks. This is a first for me and I find it to be a little sad that I am realizing the toll arthritis is taking on me. I am grateful though that at least we can afford to go and that our whole family will get to share this experience together. Now..let's see if we are all speaking to each other after this trip..LOL!

Bethina - I am so sorry your feelings got hurt by your family. Sometimes family can hurt us even without knowing that they did. I hope they make it up to you later.

It's a gloomy looking day in S E Illinois, but at least it isn't snow or icy. I know that I can't expect to go all Winter without bad Winter roads, but I am selfishly hoping that the bad weather holds out until after mid January. I am a 'worrier' and I worry about my family driving to and from vacation on bad weather conditions. Does anyone else worry about such things? Wish I could cure myself of that!

[karlinann]

Lovey, I'm a worrier too, but I've adopted the theory that if it's out of your control you shouldn't waste precious time worrying about it. You are showing that you care about them and that is human nature. My mom always said, "Be careful" before we went out the door.

[Lovey1]

karlinann - I have good friend that constantly tells me to turn my worries over to God. I am doing better, but still working on that!

[boffler]

Busy day, a lot accomplished, almost done with Christmas shopping, got some wrapping done, buckeyes made and dipped, Christmas cutout cookies made need frosting (grandkids WANT Grandma's goodies) cooked supper yesterday but not today, having some canned homemade veggie soup....love it with cornbread, a southern 'thang'..Rufus still not good, will call vet tomorrow, I can't keep doing this, afraid I might have a hard decision to make...See you all tomorrow morning. Lots of snow here...

[JoGee]

Good going, boffler. Sounds really beautiful there,
I'm worn out from "Hospital Christmas" days.
Today's RN is a young married man who is Native American, one of the nicest "kids" you could want to meet.
He sure keeps his unit in shape, clean, etc.
Girls can no longer count on their cute looks in this field,, if they're bringing in young men like this! And not for their looks. They get stuff done right.