Sudokuaholics Anonymous 11

Greetings to all, and wishes for a Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukkah, and the best of the winter season. I SHOULD be cleaning the house, writing Christmas cards, wrapping presents, etc. I think I will need to go 'cold turkey' from the computer for the next few days or week in the hopes of accomplishing all that needs to be done. I will be thinking of all of you and sending wishes for good health and happiness in the coming weeks.

I'm also sending positive thoughts, healing energy, prayers, , and {{{{{HUGS}}}}} for each of you and your families and loved ones. In case I don't get back here before Christmas,

In the end, only three things matter: how much you loved, how gently you lived, and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you. ~ Buddha

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

Feel better soon, Mama, Heidi, June, and MizT, and any others I've missed.

So good to see you here again, Nola! And now to bed.

The Christmas tree is FINALLY decorated! Quite a relief!
I'm afraid to ask IH to help me. I can see one of two results... he'd either do the worst job he could possibly do; so I'd never ask him again, or he would break most of my blown glass icicles and blown glass animals that I decorate the tree with; so I'd never ask him to help again. It's easier and MUCH less stressful to do it myself.

Lovely day at my sister's today, wonderful food, fun gifts to do the 'take away' game with. there was more swapping of gifts around after the game was over than during hehehe.

Same with food. We cook enough to feed 2 or even 3 times the number expected, then after we all get leftovers to bring home. I had cornbread dressing and turkey, with cranberry sauce leftovers for dinner tonight.I somehow forgot to get anything sweet from the desert table, but I had a taste of 3 different things after lunch. A tiny slice of pecan pie, a square of chocolate fudge, and a chocolate chip cookie. all were excellent!

It is late, I am tired, eye lids are getting heavy. More later. till then I leave hugs for each of you, with extras.

We went out to lunch today for Ken's birthday. We went to Mooney Mooney on the Hawkesbury River. Kate posts lots of photos of that area. We ate too much so will need very little to eat tonight.
Please you have your tree decorated as you like it Heidi.
Tricia your day also sounds like it was a good one.

It's almost 9:30 pm. I just got up for the first time today. The head and back were killing me. The pain has eased up somewhat.

Heidi, so sorry you needed a day in bed today, but glad you were able to take the time, and that it has helped the back and head some. Continue to feel better.

I did not sleep all day, just all afternoon. At 3 pm I was so sleepy could not keep my eyes open. I laid my book aside, and next I knew it was 8 pm! But I did have a productive. I designed Christmas Cards on the computer, printed and folded them, then designed, printed, cut and folded envelopes for them. Not the best job ever, I could not find my glue stick, must get another to keep on hand. I addressed and delivered the 20 something cards. I did have a few purchased cards, so not as big a job as it could have been.

the cards I printed had a pear with holly and ribbon. As I got on the elevator one of the many times, Dave was there, and offered me a pear. He had received a box of fruit from his brother. I gave him a pear decorated Christmas Card. That somehow struck me as funny.

I baked my desert for tomorrow's Christmas lunch here at EP, it did smell good in the oven. Impossible Chocolate Cocoanut Pie, love that recipe, so easy. I washed the kitchen floor, it needed a bit of cleaning because I drop things when I cook. So I guess I had a fairly busy morning.

I still have to decide what to wear tomorrow. Might do a rerun of what I wore to Christmas Party yesterday. Black or white slacks and a red blouse that has scattered red sequins over the front. I was amazed how much I had shrunk since last I wore that shirt, probably at Christmas last year. but the style is OK to be a bit large, and it sure is comfy.

JUNE, your day out sounds lovely. what was on the menu for your lunch? Was it just the 2 of you lunching today? It sounds like a lovely way to celebrate a birthday.

Heidi, I am with you on the 'easier to decorate the tree myself' thing. Al could not understand why I wanted the wires of the lights hidden, his idea was to just wind a string around, then hang ornaments on the exposed green wire. I solved that idea with a pre wired tree, but still, decorated it myself. He would put up the outdoor tree, one with bare white branches and clear lights, he had build a place to sit it on the corner of the deck railing, then put up the lights on the rail and hand rail. He wired it so I could just turn on the front porch light and the decoration lights came on, NO going out to plug in lights in the cold or rain. If he were present when I decorated the tree, he would offer suggestions, move that one up a branch, or too many blue ones in a clump. Saved me from having to back away and look at the overall design.

Heidi, I have hand blown icicles also, from 2 different sources. One set of them are so thin and fragile looking, but much sturdier than they look. when the children were toddlers, I had plastic icicles, the glass ones came once they were big enough to know not to touch.

I should put the photo of my great nephew with Santa on my timeline on FB. He was the cutest th

I should put the photo of my great nephew with Santa on my timeline on FB. He was the cutest thing, not a bit afraid, gave him the biggest smile. I said it was because his grandpaw has a white beard, so that was normal to him. this Santa, out in rural area north of Birmingham had a real white beard. I have seen more Santas this year who had real facial hair, I think it is great.

OK, although it is now 10:30 pm, I think I need a bite of dinner fore trying to go back to sleep. Lunch was before 3 pm.

wishing you a great 2eek leading up to the day, may your house be filled with good smells and good cheer. Hugs to each of you, with extras.

Laura was to come here today and we were going to the City tomorrow to see all the decorations. When there was no word I rang her and got the 'We will have to do it next year as we have other plans'. I just wish her father had told her to phone me and let me know. She will be with her other Grandmother tomorrow (as she was today) as 'Mama needs lots of help'. I was so disappointed.
I did a lot of clearing out today. Went through the pile of recipes that I have collected for about 50 years. Threw a lot out that I will never cook. I think a lot that I have kept are really in the same category. They will remain and you never know. One out of a magazine was dated 1966.(I have made that one)

Look at it this way, June. Laura is sounding like a normal, kind of inconsiderate, kid. That means that she's adjusted well to life without her mother, I think.

I still have a drainage tube in my right ear. Right now it's hurting like fury. It's making all sorts of popping and crackling noises (other people can hear them, too!) and that whole side of the head is aching. I suspect that means a sinus infection. Great time of the year to have it... right before Christmas.

I called my doctor and she's calling in a prescription for something into the pharmacy. This is getting to me. I tried putting an ear plug in that ear before going outside and feeding the cows (for protection). I said that I tried. It sounded like a machine gun going off in my head, so I quickly pulled it out.

I also tagged the first calf of the calving season. We weren't supposed to start for another month and a half. Oops. It's a nice big heifer calf.

Good Monday Evening from here. Well I went to the doctor's today and she was satisfied that I was getting better, but that I wasn't all the way back just yet. No hospital (YAY) but must continue with the meds for another two weeks and then back to see her...I can live with that.I do feel a lot better and think the additional meds will help.
My grand daughter posted my Christmas decoration pictures, at least most of them to my fb timeline if any one wants to see them...and I changed my profile picture to my Mom, and my grandie when she was Angelique's age and myself.
June, sorry you were disappointed about Laura's not being with you to share plans made...it's hard when both Grandparents are alive and nearby to split the visits fairly...and by all means, kids should learn how to communicate changes of plans. I hope it's that simple and not just a lazy or sneaky way of not including you guys at this time of year. BTW, sending belated birthday greetings to Ken...glad you two had a nice lunch to celebrate.
Heidi, your body really needed that bed rest and I'm happy that you felt a bit improved after resting all day. Sorry about your joining me with the sinus infection derby...no fun. Hoping improvement comes quickly. Congrats on the early arrival of a healthy heifer calf. Hope all that follow will also be healthy and little trouble.
Tricia, your parties have sounded like so much fun this year and you go girl...enjoy yourself.Let me know about your posting pictures on fb so I can be sure to see the little fellow enjoying his visit with Santa.
Okay...still a few things left to do so I'll post this for now and hope to get back before the big day. Peace.

No hospital visit is VERY good, Mamacita! Congrats!!!

Hi, Sudoku Friends!

Just a quick drop in to say Hello and wish everyone a beautiful, joyous, and Merry Christmas. There's still MUCH to be done, so I probably won't get back before the big day. May all of you be blessed with good health, good friends, much love and prosperity in the coming year!

Positive thoughts, healing energy, prayers, {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, and for all of you and your family and friends!

Greetings friends. I am up for intermission. Today was another great day here at EP. Tanya was here early to help set up the room for the Christmas Lunch. I think she had a good time doing that. One of the newer resident's brother does party planning. He came with lime green gorgeous table cloths and bows for the chairs, and with a live Christmas Tree and red Christmas ornaments, and shallow red plastic bowls. With the addition of florists foam and some live white flowers, they turned into magical center pieces. He used the tree for greenery, stripping branches from the bottom up, and had a 3 foot tree left. Out in the garden, where I had put it after it did not sell in the rummage sale, was a tall slim flower pot, the same shade of lime green. He washed it up, put the top of the tree into it, and decorated it with the remaining red ornaments and live white flowers. It became the focal point of the desert table.

Tanya took a lot of photos of different residents. the food was delish, the Christmas program by the sponsoring church short but very sweet. After the meal, a group of EP residents who have been joining the weekly sing along with a young man who brings his guitar weekly (also drives the bus for the walmart trip) they did a selection of Christmas Carols.

One of our residents announced that the residents had planned a pot luck lunch for anyone who would be home alone on Christmas. there are already 17 people signed up to attend, she announced. Many like me go to family gatherings before or after The Day, so it is good they are banding together. As Dave said today, no one should be alone on Christmas.

Tonight another group, the Magic City Carolers, came in to sing carols with us. A long and delightful day. I fell asleep in my chiar after I got in and had a sandwich for my dinner. that is two nights in a row, getting to be a habit.

I looked back on FB to find the photo of great nephew with Santa, but it has aged off. Maybe if I go to my sister's timeline, or his dad's, I can find it and share to my timeline.

At our Saturday family party, my sister Edna said, how wonderful, this Christmas, no one in family is sick. This morning, my nephew was at the doc with the flu. Said that came on the quickest of any illness he had ever had. Tonight Joy was at the urgent care, micro-plasma (walking pneumonia). I hope both will be much improved by Christmas Day, or both my and sister's Christmas Day plans will have to change.

Niece had to phone 6 pharmacies to find the Tamiflu the doc had ordered, it seems every pharmacy is on back order for it. I am not sure what Joy has for her medication. Nephew is isolating himself from family. None of them had got the flu shot yet. I hope he was not contagious when he was at the party Saturday, nor Joy either. We have kindly asked Edna to never make that remark again .

I am getting sleepy once again, so back to bed for me. Hugs to each of you, with extras, till later.

The Christmas lunch sounds wonderful, MizT.

The medicines the doc sent me are working. The crackling, popping and banging in my head has stopped, and I have a steady stream of yellow fluid coming out of the ear. I still have a headache from the pressure, though. Oh, well. If I'm doing this well in just over 12 hours, I should be a lot better by Christmas.

Off to run errands!

OK ... errands run. Dropped off a Christmas present to my best friend. Paid the electric bill. Stopped at the pet shop for bird food, bird supplies, Christmas presents for the dogs, and a present for myself... another baby cockatiel (this one is a white faced - a mutation I didn't have) . Then I hit the grocery store for all the supplies needed to get through the week. On the way home, I gassed up the truck. Now I'm off to lay down because my head in general, ear specifically, are aching badly. And it's raining outside.

Heidi, I am glad the meds have helped. You did a lot today, for a person who is well. For someone sick, above and beyond the call of duty. I know, dear, if you did not do it, it would not get done. Hope you can stay in tonight, it looks like you and I both are in for a long soaking rain.

Well, now 6 of the 15 present at Christmas Dinner last Saturday are doctor diagnosed sick. Five flu, one micro-plasma. Half of my sister's family sick. they are calling off going to David's family Christmas, could still be contagious, the ones sick and even those not sick. Poor great nephew, age one, is also sick. I hate to see babies sick.

I heard from Joy last night, she received 2 injections, and pills. Nurse practitioner said she would not be contagious after being on antibiotics for 24 hours, so hopefully we can have our Christmas Day Lunch here together. That is if she feels well enough. she said she is just totally exhausted. she took today off work and turned off all electronics, including her phone, so she could sleep the day away. for some reason she feels she MUST work Wednesday and Friday, I hope she is able.

I just had computer close down, a power glitch from thunder storms in the area. Luckily when I signed in again, my half finished post was still here, that has never happened before. I think I will post this before I do loose it. this storm will be around for hours by the looks of radar.

Of course the storms leave me feeling I have been hit by a truck, and in need of comfort food. Tanya left chocolate covered cherries here, I have had two if them. Not sure they help the hurt, but they do taste good. I think I shall thaw some soup for dinner. It is not cold today, in fact it is very warm for December, but very damp, the kind that penetrates, and hot soup just sounds good to me. Meds are not very effective now, but to achey to go to sleep and just sleep through this, bummer.

Doctor's office phoned me yesterday, left a message with Tanya who had come up to the apartment for a bit while the lunch was in progress. Of course she forgot to tell me, and cannot remember all they said, other than to call about an apointment. I have phoned, left a message once again, and no return calls yet. Their communication syste m is the pits. I might have to go down once again to find a real live person, not these messages that never get returned. Not happy about them at all. so much better at PCP doc office, so I know it can be handled better than they handle it.

OK, off for some diner, hope no more of my family gets sick over night. Will check in with you again soon. Hugs to each of you, till then, with extras as needed.

Your sister really put the curse on everybody's health, MizT. Shame on her.

Feeling a little better.About a teaspoonful of yellow fluid drained from my ear once I laid down. The headache is about half what it was.

Now to work on supper. New Orleans style red beans and rice, and some of our own burger. Simple, but satisfying.

Wishing all my Family and Friends
a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

I will need to be up early tomorrow to set the table and organise the food. I ordered three lobsters. When I went to pick them up today they wanted to charge me an extra $10 each. They said the ones I ordered were frozen and these ones were fresh. I dug my heals in and got them at the ordered price. I was debating to have baked vegies or salads but I think the salad will win.
I will have 1/2 lobster mornay, oysters, prawns and ham. I will do some mashed potato with the lobster.
Then Christmas pudding and Brandy custard.

I will take this opportunity to wish you all a Joyous Christmas.
And that you are all well enough to eat all the goodies and enjoy good company.

A very Merry Christmas to all my Sudoku friends. May this time of year bring peace to your heart.

I'm still not done everything for Christmas and I have a nagging feeling a lot won't get done. I had a fall this morning and landed squarely on my butt. It only hurts when I breathe, but nothing seems to be broken. It took me 10 minutes to get up. I have arthritis in the tailbone and hips, so I expect I will be very sore for a few days. I am such a clutzy old broad!

We are having mild weather and the snow might be gone for Christmas. Like MizT, we are expecting storms and lots of rain.

We had a very stormy night here last night. Water was bucketing down. I even got an alert on my weather app on my phone, flash flood warning. we were also under tornado watch. I did not hear of a tornado near us, but some really bad tornado weather in Mississippi, just a few hundred miles west of us.

Joy is trying to work today, mainly because if she does not work today and Friday she does not get paid for Christmas Holiday. that just does not seem right. I do hope she set herself for slow mode today

I have cleaned kitchen to have it ready for the cooking here today. Tanya is on her way. I had some turkey parts in the freezer, put those in pressure cooker to make some really flavorful turkey broth for the dressing. Just canned chicken broth is not enough, if you ask me.

My fridge is already full, not sure how I will fit in the dressing once it is made today. Lots of dibs and dabs in plastic containers, hope we can clear a lot of those for our lunch today.

I had an inspiration yesterday. I had opened a can of whole berry cranberry sauce to go with the last of the dressing from my sister's Saturday lunch, and was wishing I really had some orange cranberry relish, my favorite. I had some really good oranges, so I decided why not grate some orange and add to the canned sauce. Grating was not easy, but I got enough to do a taste test, yummy! So I put rest of the orange into the blender, then added the pulverized whole orange, peel and all, into the sauce. It is yummy and I imagine it will only bet better as it sits in the fridge. Much less expensive than the purchased orange cranberry relish and makes more of it too.

Something is beeping in the kitchen, best check to see what is calling for my attention. Hope each of you has a wonderful Christmas Eve/Christmas Day, or just a very great mid week. Huge hugs to each of you, with extras.

Wishing you all a Healthy / Happy Festive season.

The dressing is mixed qnd resting in the fridge, for bqking in the morning. The turkey just out of the oven, golden brown. My house smells sooo good!

I am ready for a nap now, it has been a long day for me. Still grey, drizzly and turning colder. So happy I do not have to get out tonight.

Hugs again for each of you and a very Merry Christmas.

I still have a headache and earache, and the ear is still oozing. A lot. No wonder I'd been feeling so rotten.

We have had a lovely Christmas day. Lots of good food and presents. It was 31*c but a storm came through about 5pm so some nice rain and it has cooled down. Just Ken and I now and we will not need much to eat.
Merry Christmas to those that still have to celebrate the day.

everybody!

I just got up and gave the dogs their presents. They got 12 large smoked pork leg bones, 10 smoked beef bones and 4 stuffed toys. I always get extra bones because a few of the dogs like to hide some bones for later. Bygetting extras, everybody gets something.
I haven't seen Gil yet. He drove off to check on his goats as I was getting up. There are very few presents under the tree to open since the main present for both of us is new mattresses and box springs. He wanted to get the cheapest made. I bought some really good ones instead. The look on his face when I told him how much I paid was priceless. I thought he was going to have a heart attack. Apparently, I spent about 10x what he expected. He always expects that things will cost very little.

This afternoon we've been invited to share Christmas dinner with good friends. I'm looking forward to it, though I still can't hear well.

Just a quick visit to wish each and every one a very Merry Christmas and a blessed, fun and Happy New Year. Must shower and get ready to join family and friends for dinner....Santa left so much stuff here and Angelique has had a great time thus far. Her behavior has not been the greatest, but in our talk, I told her she had been good a lot of times and Santa wanted her to know that he liked it when she was good, so she got lots of presents...but not the special ones due to her misbehavior, but since he took her note asking for them, he'd remember for next year if her behavior improved...she seems to like and understand the need to work on improvement...I hope so...LOL.
I hope all will find rest, peace and joy among your gifts this year and good health takes over for all of us next year...Raised glass to good cheer to all...Peace, Joy and most of all...LOVE.

The food has been stored away in the fridge, both girls left with their 'to go' packages of turkey, gravy, dressing, broccoli with cheese sauce, and other goodies. the bag of discarded gift wrap has been taken down to the dumpster. I think everyone at EP had lots of presents by the look of all the trash taken down today , I had to go to the back-up dumpster, our regular 2 are full to overflowing.

there is cocoanut cake and coffee left, think I shall have a small slice and a warm cup of coffee, and put my feet up a while. It was a good day, enjoyed it much.

Hope all is well with all my friends. Best wishes for a Happy Happy New Year.

Heidi, are you taking antibiotics for your ear? It sounds awful. I do hope it is not doing permanent damage to your hearing.
Mamacita, I hope you are enjoying dinner with your family. I have lost your Email and the old one I have bounces back so I have to give you my personal Good Wishes on here.
Tricia, sounds like you had an enjoyable Christmas and good food by what you have sent home with the girls.

My new mouse, installed, is the bestest present of all!

Yes, I'm on antibiotics for the ear. And antihistamines. It's still oozing a LOT, though, and driving me crazy. I would guess that the fluid loss from the ear is down to about a half teaspoon a day now. And I can't hear anything from that ear but a snap, crackle and pop sound. The headache is getting a bit better every day, which is nice.

Heidi, I do hope that your ear clears up very soon. I think all that would drive me crazy. Luckily I seldom get a headache though I do have a bit of tinnitus. Not enough to worry me though.
I guess the new mouse has made a big difference to the use of your computer Tricia?
Thanks for dropping in to wish us all a Merry Christmas Nola. Nice to see you posting. How is life up North?