Hello Readers United!

Remember me!  

Merry Christmas.
Lets go back to normal size!

Donna H.
I sent an email out to everyone today to wish you all a Merry Christmas.  I got yours back.  Please send me your email address to:  donna40m@gmail.com   Maybe there is a problem on your provider.  Anyway I just want to make sure I can reach you.  Thanks.
Amanda, I love the snow pictures.  However, glad it isn't me!  I do wish we would get some rain we have less than two inches through the end of this year.  The weather year starts in July but we don't usually have rain until sometime in October.  We are in drought mode which means problems come summer.  Hopefully  the new year will bring us rain.

Just wanted to let you all know I'm alive.  Soon I will come back to try to catch up a bit.

Merry Christmas to all & to all a Good night!

Donna M

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

So, its been a little snowy here this week.  This pic was at work on Tuesday, when it was snowing again (for the record, today was the 3rd time this week - Sunday, Tuesday, Saturday).  I love how it looks on the trees.   Trudy, did you see any clips from Sunday's Eagles game?  It was a great snow-bowl:-)   Tons of fun to watch them play in it, and even better since I was home in my nice warm house!

Do I remember November?  Lets see, I worked, went to visit two more colleges with Aurora (way closer than that first one in NY - although its still the front runner), and had 5 days off at Thanksgiving (the best part).  Its still crazy at work and I have 6 days to get as much done as possible before Christmas shutdown.  Vacation can not come soon enough!  I have book club this week - we are reading Skipping Christmas by John Grisham.  Just found out the movie Christmas with the Kranks was based on this book.  Who knew?   We are doing bc at The Melting Pot - a nice holiday celebration.  I've never been, so will let you know what I think.  I am also going to a party on Friday - one of the girls I went to school with is hosting it.  Should be fun.  Its going to be a busy week!

DonnaH  --  Did you read Reconstructing Amelia?  What did you think of it?  I enjoyed it.  Could really feel for the mom in this.  Glad the wedding ceremony was nice, despite a bratty child.  What were they thinking bringing her?  And who makes everyone else suffer like that?  I did not regret the "no child" rule at my wedding, esp since it was at night when must young children would normally be going to bed.  Wow, 22 people for xmas eve - you are better than me!  I don't think I could fit 22 people into my mobile - lol.  Sure wouldn't be anywhere to sit.  Glad you don't have to do all the cooking, even more so since it looks like this has been a busy month for you.

Trudy --   Happy belated Birthday!  How was the show you went to?  No doubt, you had a great time.  It was nice that your friend was in town to visit.  Never a bad day at Epcot, imo.  Sorry about the whole health insurance deal.  Ours went up in October because of David's work being bought out (I had no notice, thank you very much) and it will be going up again in January - ugh!  Also, our dentist doesn't take this insurance, so I will be on the lookout for a new one again.  Happy happy joy joy. 

If I am not back on here before Christmas, I wish everyone a happy one.  Anyone got plans for New Years?  I don't - yet.  I guess we shall see.  I will leave with one more picture  . . . this is from today.

 Amanda

Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas

Wow, Trudy, you've had a busy summer and fall. 

I've actually been reading quite a lot, too.  I've gotten all my Christmas-themed books together, and am reading "Christmas" like crazy.  I'm reading A Bridge to Dreams by Sherryl Woods right now.  It's a novella in with 2 other authors.  The one I really wanted in this book was Sister of the Bride by Susan Mallery.  It's part of her Fool's Gold series.  I also have the Fool's Gold Cookbook by Susan Mallery as well.  Never thought I'd be "reading" a cookbook.  It's got a few pages of the story, then a few pages of recipes, then more story, more recipes.  It's actually quite annoying as very few of the recipes are what I would try. 

There's one recipe called Easy Pull Apart Elephant Ears which seems to be one I might try.  It's mentioned on about page 4, and the recipe is on page 88.  Grrr. 

Gabapentin causes swollen ankles?!?  I'm on gabapentin too, for neuropathy in my feet due to my diabetes.  One of my ankles has been swelling a bit the last couple of weeks.  It's the ankle I hurt when I fell on the stairs to the soundroom at church back in spring.  I'm not due to go back to my Dr. until next Feb.  If it gets worse I guess I'll have to see him sooner.  When I saw him last month, he was actually on vacation, and I saw his partner.  He changed 2 of my meds, and totally messed up the gabapentin one, to the point that I had to go back to the dr's office and get a new one written up.  But the two changed ones have brought my bg down almost to the point where it should be.  It's in the high 7's to low 9's now, instead of over 11 like it was before.  It really should be below 7, but I'm thinking that's just a pipe dream that I'll likely never achieve.  (Our 7 is the same as your 100)

The arthritis in my left hand (I'm left-handed) is getting to the point where I can't even roll out the dough for my special Christmas cookies.  My daughter and her friend came over last week and mixed up a batch for me.  I put it in the fridge to cool, and yesterday my daughter came back and between her and Hardy, we got half the batch baked.  I've got 4 gallon ice cream containers full now.  Tomorrow she's coming back to help me bake the other half, and then we'll also mix a batch for her.  Hardy was rolling the dough out, and he pressed so hard that he broke my rolling pin.  {:-D  So Joy had to rush home and get hers.  My job was to take the pans out of the oven and take the cookies off the pans.  Hardy and Joy did all the rest. 

I just sat down and added up all the people who will be here for Christmas Eve.  22.  We do pot-luck, so I don't actually have to do all the cooking, but I do still have lots to do.  We've already gone to 6 special Christmas parties and one school concert.  2 more school concerts and I think we're done. 

We're having a candlelight Christmas Eve program, and they want my candle sticks.  I've got 24 x 5 foot tall candlesticks that I made.  They stand on the floor and have a sort of handle thing that fits over the ends of the benches to hold them steady.  Drape some greenery on them, or a pretty red bow, and they look quite elegant if I do say so myself. 

Oh my!  Have I ever been chattering on.  Many apologies! 

I hope every had a very good Thanksgiving.

Merry Christmas! to everyone.  {:-)