Sudokuaholics Anonymous 10

Thanks Trica...I was right in my thoughts about the nuts...would think they'd add a lot. I forgot to ask is the fruit juice from the canned fruit used? And I couldn't agree more about the fresh pineapples keeping things from gelling correctly. I will most certainly be trying this soon.

Didn't count before posting, but in keeping with the season I send this to all:
Peace on Earth...in all seasons and for all time.
Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkahs, Happy Kwanzaa, or any thing that you deem to celebrate...including a Bah holiday is fine with me...just enjoy and share in a peaceful way and realize that we all are more alike then we are different, yet we are allowed to believe whatever we find brings us comfort! Peace!

Morning..
The recipe looks ok, Tricia, not sure about it being called Congealed :)
Well one more sleep, will I be ready,
ummm from where I sit and type..
NOPE!! Way too much to do still.
I'll be back later..

Your Horoscope - Taurus
Your professional year may be in its final days or even over if you're already on holiday, but Venus' return to your career sector ensures that it's still game on. Here until the 14th January Venus will spend the holiday period with Neptune, planet of dreams and fantasies, for the last time in your lifetime. This begins the extremely important phase of cementing your professional dreams and desires, once and for all.

Heidi, I am already on FB and know the risks. I am thinking if I set her up, she can play games and talk to other people and maybe not call me 100 times a day. I know someday I will miss her but she can drive me nuts.

Mamacita, I don't know if FB can survive both of us. The only way to find out is to try it
I agree with your sentiment that we are more alike than different. My students are learning that this year. I am monitoring an online geography class. The focus is mostly on "human geography." I am able to answer a lot of questions. My students are mostly African-American (about 99%). I am the only Jewish person most of them know. I answer their questions, when they ask. One young lady brought me a gift and made a point of wishing me a happy Hanukkah. I was touched.

Tami - I have to admit to the fact that I have only met a few Jewish people in my lifetime. Brisbane only has a very small Jewish population, who choose to live close to the CBD. Melbourne on the other hand has a larger Jewish population.
I went to a private non-denominational high school which was where I met those few (probably only 3 or 4 girls).
Earlier though, I had a school teacher in primary school who not only was Jewish but had survived a concentration camp. I didn't understand this fully at the time although Mum did try to explain it. She was a wonderful teacher with perfect English (although a German speaker by birth) and I must admit that I was one of her favourites even though I frustrated her by my constant talking in class (me??). I think of her often but have lost contact over the years and even if still alive she would be late 80's.
Mrs K often had a haunted panicky look about her, which I realised later would have been as a result of her indescribable experience during the war.

Checking in, not much to say.
Love you all.

Cyn, I have cousins in Syndey. We made contact about a year ago. They were unknown to me until then. Then her family left Hungary, after the war, they went as far away from Europe as possible. I guess the US was too close. I was told there is a large Jewish population in Sydney.

Not much to say here, either, other than my back hurts.

There probably is too, Tami. Sydney is a far more cosmopolitan city than Brisbane. June may know more about that.
But until I started talking to you on here, I had very little idea of Jewish customs other than what I see on films because I never see or hear about it first hand.
This site has made me more 'cosmopolitan'. Hehe!

I think we have all learned a lot from this site. I feel much smarter knowing some of Aussie slang I have learned

I was sitting here quietly reading posts, cat was on the computer tower asleep and she fell off! Long way to the floor, about 4 feet I think. She hit the desk first and slid on to the floor. What a noise. what an actor she is, looking with acute interest at a piece of paper on the floor, batting at it with her paw, anything but looking at me. See Mommie? I really wanted to be on the floor, I just took the express route hehehe.

She is currently only part way back up, on the table that holds the printer, not yet ready for such dizzy heights.

What a silly cat!!! "I meant to do that!"

Afternoon all,
Yes Tami, large Jewish population in Sydney. I had several Jewish friends when I lived there - dated one of them for a couple of years and met more... The mother of the boy I dated lost her parents to a concentration camp. She and her brother were shoved under a table to hide them when her parents were taken and later smuggled out of Europe. Hungary rings bells actually. His Dad was English though.

MizT, Nomnom was like that and now Dimmie. Maybe I'm anthropomorphising but it's funny to think of a cat feeling embarrassed.

Gail, more thoughts to hubby's friend, I'm hoping that there has been some positive progress overnight.

Mamacita, I'm so glad doctor's visits are easier now. Babies have a lot of those!

I don't think 2011 has been an unusually bad year. In fact I feel incredibly honoured to have felt so much loss and pain this year. It means that I have made a bunch of friends who matter a great deal to me and when something bad happens to one of them it's like it happened to me too. Imagine how much I wouldn't have felt if I didn't know you all? Good as well as bad.

Having said that, I hope for all of you that next year there is less pain to share...

Had to google anthropomorphising Zusy.

Forgot to say I was glad to see Heidi and MizT checking in as I opened my news program today to see the headline 'killer blizzard' hits parts of the US.. with a picture of the middle.

Hi everyone!
I'm still alive - just busy. Finishing work tomorrow for 2 weeks. Yay!
I'm sending my loving thoughts to you all.

Ken's birthday today. We now have Laura for a few days so she has decided we go to the Lobster Shop (Gail you and Cyn have both been there) for dinner so she can have lobster. I have bought Lobster tails for Christmas lunch. There will only be six of us so need something to make it special.
I had asked if Ken could bring his mother here to see us sometime Christmas morning. Today I was asked if they (##Sil bringing her) could come at 8am. That is before Laura or Belinda will be here!!! I get on well with Ken's Mum and she is quite distressed about what has happened over Christmas other wise I would have told them not to bother. We will take Laura to see her great Grand Mother on Christmas Eve.

Happy Birthday to Ken

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all on SA..

Happy Birthday Ken!! I hope he likes the lobster shop too.

June, we're down at Xmas too as my mother won't be here for the first time since we got to Oz. She might come up next year so she can see the great grandkid, though she may make it a different time of the year..

Vicki, hope that means we'll see a little more of you!

June, I seem to have less time at the moment. I'm always driving someone somewhere, picking up something for someone, and there's still one gig to go!

I like the lobster shop :)

Happy Birthday Ken

Morning all. Coffee is ready, help yourself.

Ken. Hope you have a great birthday.

Ken!!!!

aggggggggggggh, just lost a post, thankfully not too long a post.

Suzy, the blizzard is far morth of me, although it might affect daughter in connecticut as it moves east. Here, it is unseasonably warm, rainy, and very humid. Humidity is 96%, temp is 68*F outside, and it is 75*F inside. I have sweat running down my face and back, most uncomfortable. Will I have to turn on the AC on Dec 21?
OH goody, today is the shortest day of the year. that means tomorrow the days start to get longer! I do not like the January days, they seem darker and more gloomy than December, I have to work at staying busy and not getting as glum as the weather.

I finished another pillow for Joy, 2 to go. I might make it.

I did read, remember only a bit, Happy Birthday Ken is one, repetition helps the memory!!

I must move wet chothing from one machine to another now. Too too many of my clothes needed attention to wait till no rain. I will use the dryer, that is what it is for.

Hugs to each of you, with extras.

Laura made sure she got every last scrap of her lobster. Left left the chips! Ken and I had steak.
Yes there is a large Jewish community in Sydney. Especially around Bondi. Our family had some Jewish friends (since 1930). Originally from Russia, then to Scotland and must have come to Australia over ninety years ago.
We also had a Jewish family living across the road from us here. They were from Austria. We were friendly with them but I did not know their history.

Thanks for the birthday wishes for Ken. He has met some of you and met others on Skype so I have passed on the messages.
MizT, I would not like that humidity. The back of my neck would be very wet!

This site just proves to me that if you get to know people, you find out we are all pretty much the same. We may have different beliefs but we are all human.

I'm probably too late to wish Ken a happy birthday on the day but I hope he had a good one. Laura does have expensive taste, not that I have had to buy it myself.
The weather here is warming up and forecasters say we may have the warmest Xmas ever.
Hope Rolanda and Peter have a wonderful holiday.

We're having unseasonably warm weather here, too. Temps in the mid-50's (54℉ or 12.2℃ right now) and upper 30's at night. We're not due to have a frost until Christmas eve, but no snow.

Hi All,
Weather here warm and rainy...not at all like December....but I'll take it.
Tami... Ho-ray for Human-kind!!!!
Suzy,loved your comment about the year and your feelings...beautifully said!
Glad Laura enjoyed her lobster...it's one of my fav's too.
Sending belated but sincere birthday wishes to Ken...hope your steak was deliciousness!

I need to vent. I don't know if anyone remembers a problem I had with a friend earlier this year. She was at my house, had a little too much to drink, and started saying nasty things about hubby. She moved back to Florida a few months later and we met for coffee over the summer. She tried to explain that she was on medication and should not have had any alcohol. She made excuse, tried to explain, but never apologized. I just received a holiday card from her. Stress the word "I." It was only addressed to me. No one else. What do I do? I have known this person since 1981. It is obvious she wants to be friends with me, but can't seem to accept my husband of almost 18 years.

Tami... if you still want her friendship, have a straightforward talk with her. Explain what bothers you about that behavior, and why. Tell her that you'd like an apology, and why. Tell her that you need her to consider your hubby and boys as an important part of your life. If she can't accept that, then ending the friendship is her decision, not yours.

Tami, I agree wholeheartedly with Heidi...You must let her know that you and hubby are a unit, and that while you value her as a friend,you will not be pulled and pushed apart. If that isn't something she can handle, it becomes her problem...you can add that you hope she understands the vows taken 18 years ago are scared...'no man can put asunder' a man and wife.

Morning

Holiday begins

♪♫♪ We're all going on a summer holiday.
No more working for a week or two, or more
Fun and laughter on a summer holiday.
No more worries for me and you.
For a week or two.

We're going where the sun shines brightly.
We're going where the sea is blue.....

Good Morning All.
Tami, wise words from Heidi and Mama.
Hope you all have a great day.

Have a great holiday Rolanda.
I am about to lose access to my computer. A small someone wants to use it!

Rolanda, have a great trip. Hope you will take lots of pictures.

Thanks for the wise words. I still don't know what I want to do. It is a little more complicated than I posted and I don't know if I can type what I really need to to have anyone truly understand.