Oh gosh, Anj. I sure hope it wasn't overload from all those emails--then I will feel sort of responsible for having you check them. ;o( I am clueless when it comes to computer stuff, thank goodness my DH is really good at it so solves any problems that come up on mine. Hope you get it figured out soon and haven't lost any of your saved items. Luvs

Ok, not sure what happened or if it's gonna stick, but the meter guy came today to change out our old meter for a digi meter and the lights went off and on about 4 times while he was doing that. I came in to use my computer after having been gone all day and all my files and things are back on my desktop! I sure hope they don't disappear again. I had turned my computer off and on a few times, but it didn't work. Guess it needed a surge or something. ha Anyway, glad I didn't lose anything important and I hurried tonight and copied the rest of my important things to disk just in case it goes whacko again on me! ha At least I hope I got them all. Funny how you can only think of the things that you really want to keep when you can't get to them to save them. Now that I can get in there to save what I wanted to, I'm drawing a blank. ha

Anyhoo, I did my final shopping today. DH and I got a new digi camera for our gift to each other so I hope I can get some better photos of my stuff from now on. Finished up the kids shopping and now I just have to figure out for sure what I'm doing for neighbors. May just find a little something at the store to give out this year instead of painting. I'm just giving up on having any time for painting until after Christmas. Just don't feel like stressing myself out with it this year. ha I've got quite a few projects that I'm gonna work on while the kids are out on Christmas break. It's just all sneaked up on me too fast this year. ha Too bad. I like to give more personal things.

Anyway, I'm gonna pop some popcorn now and see if DH will watch a movie with me. Have a good weekend. ~Anj

Wow! that is wonderful Anj. I'm so glad everything came back. One of those unexplained mysteries, huh?

I know what you mean about not remembering what you have until you no longer have it. I had saved lots of cute graphics from those freebie sites but then DH switched me out to a different computer,and now I can't find them. Don't miss them until I want one for a project or email! LOL

Glad your shopping is pretty much done. Mine too, except I'm stumped on the same thing you are--what to give the neighbors. I KNEW Christmas was coming, so why didn't I get some projects ready for gifts??? Now I'm looking at getting something from Starbucks or Hickory Farms. Didn't really want to spend too much. Also thought I might make my peanut brittle--but I did that one year already. Do you think I could pass it off as a "tradition"? You know, like some people always make fruitcake. LOL Then when I come up with good painted projects for them, I could give both.

Boy, we need to come up with a good use for those decorated tins. I was at the TS and there are sooooo many of them in all sizes! They must not make good flower pots or the gardeners would have all snatched them up I'd think. Not that hard to put a coat of spray paint on them and then paint a design. But I don't know what to use them for. And I have to admit, some of the designs already on them are pretty nice--better than any I could paint!

I had cleared some of my old "work" clothes out of the closet. Saved a couple of suits, but most of it is not the kind of thing I wear now.(Jeans and t-shirts) So when I dropped them off, I had to go in and hunt for treasure! I found another really pretty rose plate, and then a neat rose cup. Couldn't find the matching saucer, so I found one that coordinated with it--only to find I had a couple at home that went well with it too. Found a really pretty glass butter dish and got a cute dish with card designs on it to save for my card playing friend, and a nice dish for a candle I had bought for another friend. Then some books for me and GD, and a cute paper mache house decorated for Christmas and a glass tree topper in red that will be great for my Valentine's stacked plates this year! I spent $13, and felt so happy with my treasures. LOL I keep telling DH that he is lucky I am so easily pleased--I could be out there at the high dollar stores instead!

How's the bathroom progressing? Did you get the tile picked out? Are you installing it yourselves or having it done? Know you are anxious for it to all be done.

My project for the New Year's is to do some painting. When we bought this place, we just painted all the walls white. We were busy with redoing floors and installing cabinets, wiring, copper piping, etc. at the time. Now it is all needing to be spruced up and I want to do some color on the walls. Think about a grey/green for the living room and maybe a soft gold for the family room. Those should look good with my oak pieces. Then maybe the guest bathroom and my bedroom and bath later on. The ideas are there, just need the energy and determination to get it done.

Better go check the other forum, I'm enjoying seeing everyone's Christmas decorations. I'll catch you later, and again, I'm so glad your computer is okay.

Luvs

Hey Luvs~ I'm thinking of doing some pralines to give as my neighbor gifts too. My DM makes them and they are soooo nummy so she said she'd teach me how to do it. May do a combination of that and toffee?? I'm not sure, but just need a little something. We have a lady that brings us her homemade fairy rolls every year that we love so hey, if your brittle is the best then I see nothing wrong with giving it every year.

I have a bunch of tins here at home already. I was wondering the same thing. I just use mine to pack up my ornies and smaller items in every year. Works out good and nothing's gotten broken that way.

Our bathroom has come to a standstill. The guy who was doing it for us and DH had a falling out. But we do have another guy who is gonna come do it now, but it probably won't get done until after Christmas. If there was a door on that room I'd just shut it so I wouldn't have to look in there! ha We have all the tile bought and ready to go. DH is gonna help the new guy lay it. Oh well, I've just resigned myself to it getting done when it gets done and no stressing over it. It will be nice to have 2 bathrooms again. It's difficult for 6 people to use one teeny bathroom, but ya do whatcha gotta do.

It sounds like you got some fun deals at the TS. My DM is off this week and is gonna go out shopping with me so we are gonna hit a few this week I hope.

I think your paint colors sound so nice. It will feel so good when you get it done. I really don't mind painting. May go over and help my SIL paint one of her rooms this week. She got laid off and is using the time to spruce up their house.

Anyway, I'm on the computer to try to find a picture of a cell. DD has her project due tomorrow, but she couldn't bring her book home for us to look at the picture. Some kid brought a gun to school on Friday so they ran the other kids out of the school and told them to go straight home....with no books or coats. It's freaking 20 degrees outside. I mean I realize they were trying to get them to safety, but why not open the school on Sat for them to come back and get what they need? Now DD has no coat to wear tomorrow morning for school and they make them stand outside until the bell rings. She'll just have to wear a bunch of clothes and her hoodie jacket and I'll try to drop her off close to when the bell rings so she doesn't have to stand outside long. We couldn't do her project before now because she is doing it with a cake and those don't last long around our house. ha Guess I'd better quit procrastinating and get to it. ~Anj