ZombieWife

I hope this is okay, but I kind of wanted to start a thread where we can just gab a bit. I know you all better here than I do on a main board.

What's going on with all of you?

Highs?
Lows?

Sillies?

Movies, television, books?

Hobbies?

I'm just wondering how you all are doing this time of year.

Thank you for reading!

ZombieWife

For me, I'm finally taking a breath.

I'm in my 3rd year at graduate school (MFA in creative writing).

I was given my own college class to teach this semester (beginning creative writing). Boy what an eye opener! I loved it, but all the work. Eesh!

January I start my last semester and will defend my thesis at the end of March. After that, who knows? A job! Some job! Please!

DH is working at a restaurant and hates the company. He's looking for something else.

We all have chest colds. It happens to me at the end of every semester. My immune system takes a huge nose dive. I hope I can shake it by Christmas.

The skin below my daughter's nose is so chapped! I cannot get her to stop licking it and picking at it (and a runny nose does NOT help). Bleh.

I've been watching Gilmore Girls reruns on Soap net.

We're seeing TRON on Tuesday. YAY!

That's my rundown. What are you all up to?

Planning for the holidays?

Watching any guilty pleasures on television?

Baking?

itisatruth

Chit chat ~ I like the idea

For now, I've got albondigas (meatball soup) cooking because it's raining a LOT and I love it on rainy days, and trying to get things ready for tomorrow, but I'll check back in tomorrow.

ZW, great to hear about your progress in school! A MFA! Niiiiiice.

ZombieWife

What in the world is meatball soup? It sounds SO GOOD.

I always get the crockpot out for chili or chicken and dumplings when it's cold. I'm in Colorado, so the cool is finally starting to come our way. (Been a mild winter!)

Sunshine2

I am finally winding down before Christmas. Yeah!

I went to a market yesterday and we had a freak storm which caused a lot of damage to a lot of people's goods. It is in a parking garage and it was scary watching all the water coming towards us from outside.

I have recently finished A Thousand Splendid Suns and it was one of the best books I have ever read. I highly recommend it.

We are in the midst of summer and I wish the hot flushes would disappear!

FGB

I've finished all my xmas sewing. My living room is a disaster. I think I want to clean it up, so when I come home xmas eve, after visitng kids, I can sit back and enjoy my little apt for a nite w/no sewing messes. I might even pick up a little xmas centerpiece, since I didn't get a tree, I miss the pine smell.

Just a few more things to do before I'm ready for xmas. Gave presents to friends and coworkers (combined, not seperate) yesterday, and they loved their presents. I did find things that each would love, and enjoy that so much.

Been watching sappy xmas movies. Expecting another 8-10 inches of snow tomorrow and Tuesday. Third week in a row, last week was 18 inches. Trying to think of reasons to enjoy it. Getting too old to keep shoveling car out, this summer, if I stay in this apt, I will clean garage out so I can put car in it. Lots to get rid of!

Looking forward to the new year, this year has been hell! But I'm sure I'm not alone in that!! HAppy holidays to all, you all rock! Hugs, FGB

ZombieWife

One of my favorite movies to watch over Christmas is the Family Man with Nicholas Cage (I think that's the name of it). For some reason, I always get sucked into watching that!

CatsPajamas

What a fun thread! My house is a general disaster area with christmas card stuff over here, wrapping paper over there, and all the ingredients for hot cocoa mix spread far and wide. My cats like to be involved in whatever I do, and I noticed some white paw prints on the floor where they must have walked thru the cocoa mix spill-over.

I will work today and tomorrow for sure, but then taking some time off with my older son before he heads out of town for Christmas with his dad. I may get him to don a Santa hat and go out with me while I deliver the Christmas Cocoa and mugs to my clients! He did it years ago as a teenager and might enjoy doing it again. We'll see.

My favorite Christmas TV is still How The Grinch Stole Christmas. I laugh and cry every single time I see it. That little dog Max is my favorite character...Will Farrell's Buddy the Christmas Elf is a close second!

I hope everyone is able to find some quiet joy this holiday season.

Cats

parentneedshelp

I did the dreaded Mall yesterday, got my little boy's picture's done and then my granddaughters. then the both of them they turned out so good.... still have not even started my christmas shopping yet.. (i always wait until the last couple of days never learn my lesson) LOL... but with only having to worry about 2 little ones, my 4yr old and my granddaughter my other 3 kids are grown so they are easy.. Gift cards or money is all they want.. 22, 20 and 18 can't blame them... LOL... made some mad chili last night it was so good.. no better time than when its cold out of course here in FL that does not happen to often.. anyone have any good baking ideas for christmas cookies??

cece1960

Italian sausage in the crock pot last night.

I'm just about ready for Christmas dinner, picked up the meat yesterday. I always do a standing rib roast and a ham...a treat for the family.

I had my grand daughter all weekend and she wiped me out, but we did manage to decorate a gingerbread house, listen to Christmas music, bake cookies and make snowflakes ( that was the first hour lol) She giggles everytime she hears that "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer"

Just a few more days of work and then off for the holidays. Yipee!

beautifulgirl

Well my 2 yr old son just brought me a bag of hamburger buns. Apparently he thinks he would like one however the interest will only last until he takes a bite of plain bread, lol.

I have an online business and have several items to ship today. In addition I still have to make sure that Santa finishes getting stuff for the kids .

I also have an early steps coordinater coming over at 2pm to approve my son for services when he transitions into the school system so I have to clean my house a little, haha.

Have an awesome day everyone.

Barbiebg32

Love this thread. It's light hearted and fun just what we all need..........Snow??? What's that?? Not in Texas. Todays high is 77 and mid 70's all week. I got a brand new pretty purple coat and I can't even use it. LOL but that's ok because I can't stand being cold.

So my high for the week is I passed my finals for school with 100's. So all A's this semester. (im going to school for social work. The plan is to get my MSW.I still have a long ways to go, but I'm enjoying finally being back in school after all these years.)
my other high this week was watching my daughter play Mary in the church pagent last night. She made such a great Mary. Definitely a proud mama moment. <3

My girls are so excited for christmas which makes me excited. Even though my oldest wouldn't sit on Santas lap for the first time this year. She says she is to old for Santa. They grow up so fast.

I would have to say my favorite christmas movie is buddy the elf. It always makes me laugh.

This week I have decided to enjoy Christmas and put all my stresses and worries in to one basket and hide it away for the week. Just enjoy my girls and time off with my family. I hope for yall to do the same and have a blessed Christmas. †

ZombieWife

All the food talk is making me super hungry.

I swear, I'm getting more sick. I thought I was getting better. My glands under my neck/throat are super sore and my entire face hurts. I think it's probably a sinus infection. Ew.

We just finished our Christmas cards last night and they will go out today.

We didn't do presents for anyone but the kids this year. Money is just too tight!

My mom and stepdad are coming to stay with us for Christmas Eve. It's a good and bad thing as my mom can drive me batty (as can my stepfather). But, more good than frustration!

Staying on a diet over the holidays is just nonsense. Nonsense!

itisatruth

It is soooo gooooood ~ it's one of those things that's better because it's from your childhood: my mom always made it on rainy/cold days so now I do too. Like with baking.....or crockpots....anything to warm the house up a bit and get it smelling good! It's made with ground beef meatballs, potatoes, carrots, celery, cilantro, onions, red chili or chili powder, salt, pepper and other things like zucchini, if you want. PM me if you want more details. It's a Mexican dish...and you can get it in Mex restaurants but it's never as good as homemade.

MissTara

Absolutely love this thread and reading what everyone is up to, and the joys in you all's lives!!!!

I got all of my Christmas shopping done pretty much last month. I dread the malls and shopping centers during any kind of rush so I avoid it as much as possible, lol. I get to have my nephew (which is my brother/add/alcoh's son for a few days) which is nice because I rarely get to spend time with him due to him living a few hours away. My teenage son is going to his Dads when school lets out tomorrow, he will be back Christmas day. That gives me some time alone.....which I will use to watch all the shows on my DVR that I have not had time to watch! Xmas day I head out of town to my parents where we will have dinner with the family and have the kids open the gifts & eat till we waddle home!!

My fav Xmas movie is the same as Zombiewife's *The Family Man* with Nick Cage. I cry everytime!! I also am partial to *National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation* Got to have the laughs with the cries, lol.

I wish everyone a blessed holiday & FGB send some snow over here to Tulsa will ya???

itisatruth

Ugh.....just spent a while commenting to everyone on what's been written, only to have a power failure & lose it. At any rate, I wish I could sew, the Grinch is the BEST, I dislike mall shopping & all the food talk is making me hungry too! Oh, and little kids make this time of year so much more "Christmasy."

Today begins my vacation....we got over 7 inches of rain over the weekend, when we only average around twice that much for the whole year & it's still raining!

So, instead of go out in it, it's just me, my dog, and my two cats who refuse to go outside. Wish the dog used the litter box too so I wouldn't have to drag him out every couple hours.

I'm debating whether or not to bake (I usually give out boxes of sweets) and have to finish my Christmas cards today so they make it in time. I got to "M" in my address book a couple weeks ago, but ran out of time/motivation. Now I have no excuse.

Since we're still behind on money, it's been a challenge to be creative - but fun too, considering two years ago we were in a far worse place. I'm thankful for where we are today. It's the non-monetary things that are really important - our health, RAH's sobriety, a roof over our heads.

Oh, and I'm super excited about seeing my son this year for Christmas; first time in over 3 years he's been able to make it!

Wishing you all peace & joy this holiday season!

Live

A Thousand Splendid Suns is an excellent and memorable book.

Family here is too spread out geographically..so all I needed to do was Christmas cards and really I didn't even need to do that. I only sent them to a very few of close family anyway. We gave up the gift exchange years ago...and it frees others up of the stresses too. Those with kids can focus on their kids.

I would like some snow for Christmas. And I am going to go to the library today or tomorrow. We have been eating well in early celebration for over a week now. Have some tremendously thick pork chops thawing now. Love that George Foreman grill and Montreal seasoning. Makes everything quick and easy (which is the only kind of cooking I seem to be able to manage anymore!)

I might try my hand at some pastries for the season..has been many a year since I have. Homemade noodles are always a treat too. I will just see where my stomach leads me! LOL

itisatruth

Thanks for the reminder, Live, I totally enjoyed that book too and wrote about it in my first, lost post. But, I didn't like it as much as Kite Runner. Seems, many books I've read lately have been about women suffering at the hands of men/their culture...and maybe it says something about where I'm at today, but it makes me mad that women were treated so badly, and in fact, still are in parts of the world. But that's another subject.....

Seeing where your stomach leads you.....hmm, that could be a very fattening place for me! LOL.

Miss Tara, good for you getting your shopping done early! Wish I could say the same! Enjoy your well-earned time away from the craziness in the malls!

Live

I read The Kite Runner first was enthralled by it and so sought out other writings by the same author. My other half watched the movie The Kite Runner and I watched out of the corner of my eye but it seemed like the end of the movie was different than the book and destroyed the primary theme of the whole thing.

I think I am of the age and state of mind that I don't care about my waistline very much anymore. Gluttony is my favorite sin. I can talk about it in public.

I only went into the mall once to get Christmas cards..couldn't get in and out soon enough. whew.

Midnight Mass will be my huge starry celebration of Christmas. I love it.

FGB

Live,
Let me send you some snow from MN! We've already had over probably 3 feet, with another 6-8 inches coming tonight!! Sure it's pretty, til you have to drive somewhere, or clean off the car!! LOL, sending some your way!! Hugs, FGB