Hello,

Its 15 below zero and sooo COLD here. 25 below when the wind comes up. Do I like going outside NO WAY!!!

Luvs, I totally relate to painting when your not in the mood. I think this is why I haven't don't any lately. I just don't feel like I have much spare time right now.

Anj, I'm still feeling terrible that I traded the books you wanted. What's your weather like? We didn't get much snow and with this cold weather we could loose most of our trees this year.

I just posted my pink tree over on the Holiday forum and will post it here if you'd rather. Let me know.

Hope you all stay warm and I'll be back on WED. Punk

Punk, how do you handle such cold weather? I'd be afraid just breathing would be hard. Hope you have a really warm coat and boots--I'd be wanting to just stay home and hibernate, but I know you have to go to your work place. Sure hope it doesn't stay this cold and that your trees make it. It's 42 degrees here and I'm complaining about how cold it is! Just not used to the cold anymore. In fact I'm looking forward to crawling into bed with my electric blanket!

Luvs

It's still cold here.
Luvs, we just bundle up. We have electric matress pads that we can use but we don't seem to need them when it's this cold cuz the heats up. Also keep a warm blanket in the autos just in case. Sometimes I keep water and crackers in there too. Our power bill was only $111 last month so that was pretty cheap.

Have had DGD the last couple days and she will go with her daddy tomorrow when he comes up. Us girls got our hair all cut and high lighted last evening so that was fun. We
leave Friday for Vegas so I'm getting excited as it draws near. I need to start packing tomorrow after work so I don't forget anything. It will be so nice to be in 50 degree weather soon.

Are any of you painting on a new project? I don't see me doing any painted gifts other than what I've already painted for this year.

Things are slowing down here and I hope some new ones will join in and help us out.

Punk

Hi Punk, I'm excited for you to get to go on your trip to Vegas. Know you will have a great time--for me, it's fun just to go into each casino and see the decor--some are pretty amazing. Can't wait to hear your report when you get back.

I've got a little project I will probably do in a day or so--but I've got more items now than I can display and really feel I need to give my neighbors something different this year--I did painted items last year for them. I've painted more projects for myself than I can find places to display them--so hard to get motivated to make even more! LOL Although I usually love painting Christmas things. We'll see if I have some time left over after all the decorating and shopping.

So is Belle still sleeping or what? LOL Maybe she'll get a chance to chat with us tomorrow.

And Anj hasn't been back on--hope she's feeling lots better too.

Sure wish more people were posting pics of things they've painted for Christmas--even if not this year.

Gonna head over to Holidays--there are sure allot of people posting on there now that we don't normally see. Don't know if they normally just lurk or if they are coming over from other forums just so they can show off their Holiday decorations. I'm sure it will die back down to just the regulars after the holidays are over.

Have a great trip.

Luvs

Hey gals....Well, it's gonna be 1 degree here tonight. Only got up to about 12 here today. Brrrrr. Punk, I could never live wherever you are honey. I'm about froze to death as it is. ha I dread going out to take DD to school early every morning. We got about 9 inches of snow yesterday and it was supposed to continue for the next 2 days, but it dispersed or went in another direction thankfully.
Oh, Punk, don't worry at all about those books. I'm glad they went to someone who will have fun using them!
Belle~ congrats to DGS!
Ya'll, I haven't bought gift one! and there are only 14 days until Christmas!! I'm freaking out. Luvs knows I usually have the biggest part of my shopping done by Thanksgiving. ha DH and I have a date night planned to try to go get it all tomorrow night at one swipe. Still leaves the parents to buy for and stocking stuffers and neighbor gifts. I'm thinking of trying to make those cinnamon roasted almonds like they sell so expensively at the movie theatre. I did finally get my house and the tree decorated today. I didn't put out hardly anything like I usually do, but all I can think is if I put it out I'm gonna have to put it all up again in a few weeks and I'm just making more work for myself. ha A cute Santa cow did make it up on the kitchen shelf though. ;) I do love him! I need to take a picture of him to share if I get the ok. hint hint
Luvs~ how's the workin girl? Did ya have a good day? I am feeling lots better thank you. I think I had some kind of virus since I've heard that some other people around here had the same thing.
I am hoping to get to paint something tomorrow. I'm looking thru my books tonight and going thru my wood pieces to see what it's gonna be. I still need to take pics of my TS finds too. I didn't forget. Cya tomorrow. ~Anj

Hi Anj, So glad you are feeling better. I know how you feel about the gift buying--I need to get started on mine too. Usually, I at least have neighbor gifts ready by now--but I'm still looking for inspiration! LOL

Talked DH into going to the Sugarplum Craft show about 45 minutes from home today. It was fun, and he actually did pretty good about letting me take my time to fondle and enjoy all the decorations. Gosh, there were some cute gingerbread things and lots of wooden stakes with words on them like Joy, Hope, etc. Would you believe a simple stake with a large cutout of a star and the word Joy on it was priced at $14.99? I just can't see paying that much for something so simple to make. There was also some cute gingerbreads in three sizes stacked together and tied with a ribbon and they were $14.99 too! DH was really surprised at how high the prices were. I told him now he knows why I go to the shows and often don't buy anything--but I still enjoy looking and just the fun atmosphere of it. There were some cute picture holders made with those round computer cd's and scrapbooking papers. They were linked together with the letters on each one to spell FAMILY and a cardboard square covered with pretty paper attached that you could put your own pictures on. Does that make any sense. They were $12.99, and of course I figured I could make my own--like I'll ever get around to actually making them! LOL

Speaking of prices, remember the long narrow mirror that I painted the coffee cups on? My friend has it in her shop and priced it at $29.99. I had figured maybe $14.99. I'm curious to see if it sells. It ended up raining all day the day I drove out there--not crazy about driving the freeways much anyway let alone in the rain! And not one single person walked into the store that day! I felt really bad about that, but it just wasn't a very pleasant day for shopping at all. In fact the shop across the street with all the roses and white furniture that I love wasn't open at all that day. On top of that, she had warned me that there was no heat in the store--so I took our little space heater with me--but it was still pretty chilly. Think I'll enjoy doing that more when Spring comes! LOL

Anj, you are right about the decorations. I thought I was getting an early start, but I've still got the family room to decorate and need to put the boxes and all the things I've removed away out of sight until it's all over. Then I'll have to put it all away! Ugh! I think I'm getting to the point where I'm going to start scaling back too. I love looking at it, but hate the work required to do it!

I would probably be finished, but my little friend ended up at the emergency room on Sunday afternoon, so I've been going to visit her once and sometimes twice a day this week. Her daughter will be here from Oregon by Sunday, so that will be a big help.

Oh, DH just told me to be sure to tell you that not only did he go to the craft show with me, but he even took me out for dinner tonight to the Red Lobster. LOL I think he's trying to get some brownie points or something. ;o)

Sure you can show a pic of the Christmas cow. It just seemed like a good thing for your kitchen. I've got my painted jar that I should show a pic of too--I love it!

Our temps are in the 40's and 50's here, and I'm freezing--don't envy those of you with those zero and below temps at all. Just remember that it is only going to last a few months! Anj, did you ever get one of those "natural light" lamps? Just wondering if it makes the dreary winter days a bit better by using it.

Good luck with your shopping, and enjoy your date night. I'll be back tomorrow.

Luvs

I'm Back!

I thought our weather was cold until I read your posts Punk. We have endured nightly lows of between 3 and 5 degrees and not reaching above 32 degrees since Friday. We don't usually get this cold and I don't like it...everything hurts! It is supposed to get up to 35 deg., today so far it's up to 23 deg. Our pond has at least 4 inches of ice and the stream is frozen solid. The "S" word is in the forecast. Thank goodness the wind has been still.

Thank You all for the kind words about my bragging....DGS and football. I was really excited for him.

Luvs...isn't it fun to have the dogs wake you up so they can go outside? And if yours are like mine, the earlier the sun raises the earlier they want out.

I sure hope your little lady is doing better. Sounds like you had a long day at work, but "no sales days" are not fun.

I understand you tired feet after decorating-I worked at it for days and still not happy with the end results. And I swear that I am taking pictures of everything this year so that I know where it goes next year, and everything from one area is going in one tub. It also sounds like you had a great time at the craft sale and don't forget to take pictures with you phone for use later.

Punk...I would gladly take your power bill! Do you heat with electricity? Our monthly bill is $223.00 all 12 months. But then we have two shops and the house.

Hope this reaches you before you depart for Vegas...have a great time and bring back loads of money!

Anj....glad to hear that you are feeling better and you can keep the snow. Several years ago we informed the kids that we were doing money or gift cards instead of gifts. Our youngest step GS is 17...in some ways I don't like this but saves them from having to return things.

We have had a real time with our power, Sun, Mon and Tues., it "blinked" about every 10 minutes. Try watching TV when it has to download every time it blinks and no computer. Talk about withdrawal...then our internet provider here in WA was out for Wed and Thurs. I had over 200 emails, read and deleted for every and then a bunch more appeared.

So....here I am writing a book! DH is off to town, prepping for a banquet at our lodge. He is cooking prime rib for 100 people. Hope there are scraps! He has made several boxes, a box candle holder and a square bowl....so maybe I will do some prep work myself. So I'd better get moving..

Take care everyone!

Belle

Belle, I'm glad your computer is working again, we miss you when you are gone. Sounds like you have some good surfaces to paint on, how nice your DH makes those for you. I have quite a few things I could paint on, but just haven't felt motivated for some reason. Maybe it's the fact that I already had more decorations than I could find places for! LOL

I can't imagine cooking for 100 people! I have trouble cooking for more than six! Hope the dinner goes well, and it is good that your DH will do things like that.

My two dogs are golden retrievers so you know they love being with their people. I'm always afraid we would trip over one of them if we let them in the bedroom at night, so we close the door. They'd be right on the bed with us if I let them, but the older one is such a bed hog, sleeps stretched out full length on his side across the bed--doesn't bother him a bit if we can't turn over or if we're hanging on the edge! LOL

My little friend is feeling lots better, bugging me to take her home each day when I go to see her. They don't have her up and walking yet since she's still pretty weak, but she's eating good and working with the physical therapist each day. Her daughter will be here Tuesday, they couldn't find a reasonable price on a flight, so are driving instead.

I had a nice lunch and gift exchange with some gals I used to work with at the bank yesterday. We try to stay in touch and get together every couple of months. So fun to laugh and chat--and we've all known each other so long that we can pretty much talk about anything. That's nice too.

Can't wait for someone to come up with some pics to share. I always like to see even pics of older projects as people dig them out to decorate with for Christmas.

Well, I need to run the vacuum and get ready for our little GD to come spend the day, so I'd better get off here.

Luvs

Good "Warmer" Morning

It is actually above freezing! We didn't or haven't gotten any snow, seems to be falling in the northern and southern parts of the state and just plain missing us...hurray!

We have water running down the wall between our kitchen and pantry walls. DH thinks there is no air movement and something about condensations freezing and now thawing, so out come the new drop down ceiling and then I don't know what. Just another bump is life.

Luvs....glad you little lady is doing better and that her family will be there soon. Maybe they will figure out that it is time they take charge, maybe it's time for Mom to move to Oregon. Becoming the "parent" to your own parent is never easy, but sometimes must be done.

We have two mutts. Tracker looks like a white great Dane with spots and Hunter is jet black with a graying muzzle. We used to have a light on his collar we could turn on when he went outside at night. That way we could see him in the dark. We also have two cats, one in and one out. Although out outside cat finally figured being inside during the really cold weather isn't really so bad after all. This morning is the first time it has been above freezing in over a week. The "teens" happen here once or twice a winter but only for several days not this 2 and 3 and 4 degrees for a week. Please remind me of the cold if I complain about the rain.

I am going to try and do the prep work today on 3 projects. While DH was being Chef,he came home with enough leftovers for two days, I painted one wall of our living room. It is a pale blue but not quite what I had in mind so I am going to lighten it and try again and I am adding one other wall (they are next to each other) as well as the hall beyond the archway. This will leave the shorter TV wall and the library/computer room the off white. Really wanted to do a green instead of blue but I have a very blue kitchen and you look right up from the kitchen and see all of the living room. Just couldn't see the two colors meeting each other. I so want to get a love seat to replace our large couch, then I can bring something taller into the living room, right new is it so blah! The couch was donated and is a really great couch but just two big for our space. DH and I are giving each other a new recliner for Christmas this year and maybe we can add a love seat.....sure hope so!

Isn't it fun visiting with old friends....and to be able to catch up as it is was only yesterday. The "gals" and the Dr., we worked for get together each Easter. It is always so special, although I see the Dr., as he is my Dr., as well as a friend.

I took a look at your pictures and they are all great and I just might take some to post as well. It is always fun seeing how others decorate.

Anj and Punk....hope you are both well and just busy or in Punks case off having fun.

Well....better get moving!

Belle

Good hearing from you Belle, looks like it's just you and me for right now, huh? I just came up with the idea of showing items we've painted and use as part of our Christmas decorations to keep our forum moving a bit. Sort of hoping some other's might be tempted to join in. ;o)

Sorry about your water problem--you are right, if it's not one thing it's usually another! Hope it will be an easy fix.

You are so ambitious to do all that painting. I've thought about doing some all year but just hate the work involved to take everything off the walls and move the furniture. I did wash some of the walls so I could at least feel they were clean again. Isn't it funny how when we do one thing it just leads to another? Hope you will enjoy your new recliners. I like to buy things for the house like that too.

Well, I don't have much to write about so will stop for now. Can't wait to hear all about Punk's trip, and to find out what Anj has been up to. Bebe hasn't posted for awhile either, wonder how her big Christmas party went? Maybe we will hear from all of them soon.

Luvs