Hi Guys! Well, after the light dusting of snow that we had yesterday. It snowed last night and it's sticking now. The little ones bundled up in snow pants and the rest and headed out. They got their fill of snow, had hot choc and brownies and are vegging out now. On Friday, we hosted the neighborhood teens for a couple of movies, pizza, dino-nuggets and chat about whatever teens like to talk about. Then we built a fire and roasted a few marshmallows. After driving everyone home, we enjoyed the fire until it burned out. Tikanas: How's the vegan meal planning coming along with DS? I have to check out the cooking forum, I guess. Saturday, I spent fixing up a leg-o-lamb for company. I served it with roasted peppers and onions, with a big greek salad on the side. Appetizers were yellow and orange peppers wrapped in prosciutto and Soppressata salami and Asiago cheese bundles. It was all yummers and then we had a few pistachios and tiny, tiny brownies for dessert, along with some homemade hot buttered rums-----HEY!- it IS winter time here! I have been good with my diet and exercise all week and am down a pound. I decided to have fun one day a week and not beat myself up about it. From the beginning of the year, I just made myself a deal that, during 6 days of the week, I'll pose the question, "Is this GOOD for my body?" before I eat anything. The 7th day, I don't have to ask the question or go traveling on a guilt trip. I am tired of spending the last 8 years on a diet and am seeing how this works for me. The winter snow brightness has brought DH's mood back out of the depressions he faces in the winter overcast here, so things around the house are cheerier for now. Besh -as Jimmy Buffet would say, "I WANNA GO WHERE IT'S WARM!" lol. Just some constant sunlight would be great! Raeanne~ I have to thank you for the card, you sweet thing. You always brighten my day. You are such a thoughtful gal. ((((((((((Love ya)))))))))) Thanks so much. I am here today; I have at least 12 loads of laundry to do. Our family company left and there are sheets, towels, bedding, etc, etc, etc. I wish I had a BIG table to fold on! Why are laundry rooms so durned small? Marci~ I am supposed to read some specific books for the Expressions in Writing class I'm taking. I'll pass them on to you if they're good. One I read this summer was Knight in Rusty Armor. It'd be good for lots of guys I know to read! It's very easy to read and cute and reflective. In other news, my ex has decided to marry the girl he left his most recent wife for. They keep getting younger. (((SIGH))) Anyway, almost exactly 1 year after he divorced the last one, he's marrying again. I fear he'll never settle down, but he is super committed to our 2 girls, and they to him, so that's the best I can hope for. Neither DD is big on marriage, though, and I can see why! NHSuzanne~ Sister Gift with Words - You paint a calm picture. Thank you for the vision. My thought on the birthday exchange is that it should be easy. We're all busy chicks and we want to stay connected with ease. But I'd love to have a b-day pal and then ANOTHER pal that I could send cards and trinkets to on and off over the year. Fun mail is FUN mail! I'll go with the flow as long as I don't have to organize it! ------- ((((THANKS MARCI and MADDIE for all you do!)))))) Joanne and Gretchen! LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU! Thanks for checking in! Well, I better get something done around here! PS: John, we miss you -- still.

What I fun thread! I'm late to the party but a few thoughts. 1) Re the poster above: I think pearls, and diamonds, do go with anything. I would say though, that right now, white pearls are less popular. I say this as someone with quite a large collection of them; they were always my favorite. But in the last five years or so I pretty much only wear my oversized grey south seas pearls. 2) In re "investment". Sorry, not really, not at all. Jewelery has some of the most egregious markups in retail. It can go in and out of fashion, also potentially eroding value. And it can be easily damaged. We recently liquidated a family estate, and I was shocked to hear that some of the diamond rings were quite highly devalued because "they had been worn 'too often' and had damage (not visible to the eye". That was news to me, that I am damaging my diamond by wearing it. 3) Girls and jewelry. My girls were both born very close to Christmas. The thought of trying to buy them gifts just a few weeks later was maddening and wasteful. So, starting when the first turned one and second was newborn, I buy them each a piece of fine jewelry each birthday. They cannot wear it -- it is kept in a safe -- but they get a great deal of enjoyment from it just the same (every few months they beg us to take it out and try it on). They will receive the jewelry to wear on their 16th birthday. I try to buy "timeless" things, and items I can see both a 16yo and a 46yo wear. 4) Watches. I wear mine for decorative purposes. In fact, given how wildly expensive the maintenance is on luxury watches (several hundred dollars every 2-3 years), I am considering letting them go and using them only for jewelry! What a crock these sellers are. 5) Everyday jewelry. I wear my engagement ring and wedding band. Usually with diamond studs but I have a lot of earrings I switch out. My engagement ring is a round diamond in a square basket setting, copied from my grandmother's ring. I lost my wedding ring, which was a rolling ring with two gold bands and one pave diamond band. I lost it about 18 months ago, but I kept thinking it would show up. I am so bummed. I just recently bought a plain gold Cartier wedding band with the little screw motif. It's simple but a little different, and it goes with my favorite daytime watch, which is the iconic gold/stainless Cartier tank with the little screws. This thread needs photos!

I know this may be difficult for most of you to believe, but I think that BJ may have outdone herself with this Christmas exchange. Top of the package had a card with an endowed lady riding a stationary bike "Merry Christmas"; inside read "And a Snappy New REAR" Ahhhh, yesÂthe fun begins! First up --Fridge MagnetÂWashington State License Plate "Got Rain?" The rest of the gifts are wrapped in gold paper with handwritten notes to give me a hint as to what is inside. "For the Best Sticky Chix!" Â Rub With Love Tom Douglas Chicken Rub w/ Roasted Chicken recipe (Maddie, you are invited over for this!) "ItÂs a Mariner Kind of Day" Â Scottish Christmas Ultimate Sports Ornament "The Pasta You Get Here, The Better" Â Space Noodles (yummy, cannot wait to boil these babies upÂ.maybe do a pasta salad to go with the Sticky Chicken!) "Stay Healthy" Â World Famous Farm Breakfast Oatmeal Snoqualmie Falls Lodge (DH loves itÂit will be part of our Christmas Eve breakfast, Beege, and we shall raise our spoons in a toast to you!) "For When things are too Hot to Handle" Â Two large Seattle oven mitts. Too cool, and they even protect my arms from burns (which I often get in my oven!) Will be prominently displayed on Christmas Day when bringing the food to the table! "Hee, Hee, Hee" Â Two more fridge magnets which boldly state: #1 Fan (Seattle Mariners) Donna "CAUTION! Tacky Ornament Inside" Â (not!) A space needle! Really cute, and now I wonÂt have to buy one upon my visit to Seattle. (ItÂs a tradition that we buy an ornament wherever we travel). "The OfficeÂA Serious business place..____________.." OMG! 50 Hilarious Prank Notes (Office Memo Stickers) Absolutely adore them! For those who donÂt know, BJ has been sending me drop-down funny note pads for years. They always brighten my day, and the housekeeper gets a kick out of my notes to her which feature a woman leaning over the stove to state "Does this turkey make my butt look fat", etc. "Wait a minuteÂsomethingÂs fishy around hereÂ" A box of Wild Alaskan Smoked Sockeye Salmon!! Pass the bagels and cream cheeseÂ.itÂs gonna be a breakfast orgie!!!!! BJ, you are one amazing person. So inventive and so thoughtful. Again, I must tell you how impressed I am with your energy and spirit. Thank you so very much for making this holiday special and fun for all of us. Everyone is invited over for Christmas breakfastÂ.h*ll, stay for dinner too!

They are all frying pans in our kitchen except cast iron & those are skillets. We use the term spatula very generically. It can mean either the SS spatula to turn the pancakes or the silicon to get the brownie batter out of the bowl & into the pan. The only one that gets its own special name is the off-set spatula. Girls were not allowed to take shop in my HS. I didn't take HE because I hated the thought of sewing. I did not have to take typing because my home teacher had taught me to type 120 WPM by the time I was 12 by watching the evening news sitting on the side of the bed & typing what I heard. She focused me on speed/accuracy only. I had to learn formatting on my own. My HS had a girl's softball team but I don't even remember if they had competitive games against the other district HSs? If so, they sure were not hyped like the guy's sports. I was unable to do things like cheerleading or dance because practice was after school & I had a school arranged job from 12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. The job was in lieu of my taking HS classes. I only went to class until 11:30 taking whatever I wanted. All I took were foreign languages (French, German, & Spanish) & a couple literature classes. Dad would not pay for my college unless I became a nurse or teacher...that's all girls should do outside the home. I had trouble applying to colleges 'cause I didn't take the regular HS classes. I took the entrance tests & did great but it was always the same, "Tricia, so how many years of science did you take in HS?" Me, "I did not take any science, history, math, etc. in HS". College entrance counselor, "Oh", followed by a sigh & stare. I puttered around taking various college classes on my own for several years but with no real direction. Didn't matter to me 'cause I had a great job as an international traffic coordinator for a large pharmaceutical company shipping to 102 countries using all those foreign languages I'd learned. A decade later, my current DH, without my knowledge or consent, submitted an art portfolio & application he'd put together of my drawings to an art & design school. I'd gone out to get the mail one day & saw a letter from this school. Thinking it must be an advertising brochure I was anxious to look at it as a fun diversion from cleaning the house. It was my acceptance letter. I phoned DH. He said, "Happy Birthday, honey!" And so began my life as a fine arts student. I just purchased 3 new silicon spatulas. For some reason, when it was just me doing the cooking all I needed was one. Now that DH is our primary cook he needs three! :) /tricia