Hi kids.

Well it's been a while since I started a chat, just wasn't in the mood for a long time. Well now I'm bored out of my tree, so time to start something up. ;)

There's no topic, there's no theme, there's just me wanting to reconnect with all my old friends and new friends too.

Everyone is welcome.

Should I get the party started? My mind is on Christmas. It's not that far away. I'm panicked, I haven't even started my shopping. Okay, not entirely true, I ordered one gift for Jared, a longboard skateboard, his biggest wish. I'm still searching for a gift for Sydney. A while back we ordered a cabbage patch kid, something she has been wishing for, but the order fell through, the online company went out of business. At least I got my money back, but that doesn't solve the issue of the cabbage patch kid.

So that's what's on my mind.

What's on yours?

I'm bored as well. No patients tonight. Well, I do have 2 babies, but their with their mommies.

Don't bring up Christmas, that stresses me out way too much and makes me sick to my stomach.

I'm stressed about it too J. I wish that we'd win the lottery already. I don't know how we're going to afford Christmas this year, but we're doing our best. I'll be making homemade gifts again, for family and friends. The kids are only getting one store bought gift, the rest will be homemade.

Anything on your wish list J? I have time to make and send something if you tell me what you want. No larger than a bread box though, k? ;)

Now that I'm retired, I was thinking of working on my Christmas cards, but then I thought twice about it and decided to wait until the last minute like usual.

I edited a story by Joel who has Asperger's and who's in my writers' group, and it has been accepted by an autism magazine.

A major rift in my family of origin may be on its way to healing.

I just baked blueberry muffins and ate two while they were still warm.

My older baby turns 40 on Monday.

We plan to bring in the two feral sisters from outside, so they will spend the winter indoors this year. They are a year and a half old and spayed and fairly well socialized now. The three indoor boy cats are muttering.

It's after 2 here, so I'll be heading for bed in a few minutes.

Blueberry muffins? Now my mouth is watering. Did you make them from scratch? Darn I want one.

We are digging a grave in our yard for Indy. If all goes to plan, which it hasn't been, we'll be euthanizing him on Friday. We've been planning this every Friday for over a month though, so we'll wait and see. Actually, if I want to be technical, we've been planning this for over a year. :(

Now here's the morbid part, but still worthy of a bit of a chuckle. The night before last Indy went outside in the yard for a pee. It was midnight. We were all inside. I went to check on him (he always goes back to the garage after he's done) and he wasn't there. I told R to go check, make sure he's okay.

Well it was dark so R took his flashlight, headed out into the yard, and couldn't find Indy anywhere. Finally it occurs to R to check the hole/grave. Sure enough, Indy's in the hole, he's resting, he actually looks happy. Rod had to jump in and haul him out.

The good news is that the hole is wide enough, just needs to be a few feet deeper, and Indy seems to approve.

I've been thinking about Indy a lot and check FB for mention of him. I had to put my cat Thomas Jefferson to sleep a year ago last March, and I still think of him and cry. He was my version of Indy.

The blueberry muffins are cold now. You wouldn't want one. Cold. Nasty. Ick. No, you can't use the microwave to heat it up. Stop! Sit down!

Betty Crocker helped me make the blueberry muffins. They're pretty good.

Time for bed. Good night!

It's never easy to make that final decision, but we know it's time. We've known for a long time. R was the one that wanted to wait, but I think we've waited too long. He's so old, so weak, can't even get up by himself anymore. It's past time.

The last 4 weeks have been stressful. Every week R says it will be this Friday, and then he changes his mind. He wants to have the grave dug before we do it, which I agree with, but this week by week planning for the worst is getting to me. I hate this part of having pets in my life. Why are their lives so short?

He's my baby, just like Thomas was yours. He's such a big part of our lives, our first pet together, but not just a pet. He's a member of our family, and this will be so hard, but it's long past time.

I'll be making a grave marker next week. I'm making it out of oak. I do wood burning too, so I'll burn in his name, date of birth and death, and I'd like to include a nice quote. I'm still looking for something appropriate.

The fact that he fell into the grave was a bit of a sign to me. R said he looked so comfy laying in it, he wasn't upset or stressed out about being stuck, in fact, he was sleeping. I told R that this is a huge sign that this week is the week, before it snows and makes digging further even harder. So far he agrees. I'm hoping that this time we go through with it. I want to be able to start grieving, and not just planning on the grief, if that makes sense. I know that no matter what death is around the corner for our Indy. This waiting is going to be the end of me.

Sorry for the morbid talk.

Now hand me a muffin, I can too nuke it.

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Originally Posted by Wondergirl

Betty Crocker helped me make the blueberry muffins. They're pretty good.

Time for bed. Good night!

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Good night sweet WG. Sleep tight.

Night WG!

No, Alty, nothing on the wish list, well except to win the lottery, but I can't do that if I don't buy tickets.

I wish hubby would get a job, that would really help. Oh, well, he tells me that I shouldn't worry, that he has it all under control.

Okay then. I'll go to work and not worry. He can do all the worrying. I'll just do the shopping.

Luckily Rae understands what is going on. Too bad Johnny doesn't yet. We've had tremendous christmases in the past. We've had money. I don't know how the little one would understand going from literally 50 or 60 gifts down to just one.

I'm sure they'll understand J. I sat down with the kids the other day and told them that this Christmas was going to be tight, that we wouldn't be able to go overboard.

Jared took it harder than Sydney. I was a bit surprised by that. I though that at 12 he'd understand better. He does understand, but he's having a hard time with it.

Sydney didn't care about gifts at all. She said that she doesn't really want anything other than a cabbage patch kid, and if she can't have it she's fine with that. She just wants her family to be together. Way to pull on my heart strings.

I can't help you with the lottery, but I could make you a wicked cool key box. :)

Mum was upset because she can't spend much on Christmas this year.
I have told her many times it doesn't matter but she still feels bad.

I have been scouring e-bay for gifts, you can pick up some cheap stuff on there, and even better, stuff you can't find here in Aus so it's unique.

I intended to do paintings for a lot of people but I have left it a bit late now, only half way through one and that's going to still take at least a week to finish... I'd better get cracking!

I'd give anything if I could give Rae an IPad... but I don't think I could find one cheap enough. :(

I snapped a pic... urgh... scratch that last comment, I'm nowhere near half way :o

That's gorgeous Shazzy! You are so talented!

I think I'm going to bake my grandmother's cookies this year for presents. I've never done it before, but it's worth a try.

I love getting cookies for Christmas. Our one friend does it every year. Another friend used to do the cookie switch.

The cookie switch is fun. You invite friends over, usually around 12, more is better though. Each person makes a dozen cookies per person coming. So if you have 12 people coming, you make 12 dozen cookies.

At the party each person gets a dozen cookies from everyone there. So you end up with 12 dozen different cookies, or other treats (doesn't have to be cookies). All your baking done in one fell swoop. :)

I'm going to be making Christmas decorations with my lathe. Yes, decorations out of wood. I think I have a picture.

Attachment 33837

It will take a while but not too long. :)

Hi all. I also wasn't in the mood for chatting for a while, must be catching. Not sure if it's me or if the site just feels different now, even in my normal skin...

Have been quite busy and trying to find bargains as I have much to buy with not much cash. Just had daughter's birthday. Son's birthday is just before christmas.

Also just bought a gift for son's gradutation, still need an outfit . His university is so darned posh. Not that I'm into trying to keep up with the Joneses but I'll have to make a bit of effort. Primark Jeans just won't cut it. Some of the parents are coming in private jets and helicopters - how the other half lives lol... Had to book a room, for the night before, so we will get there in time. Oxford is not a cheap place to stay, there's nowhere to park, and everywhere gets booked up so fast. Good job he's only doing it once - it's costing an arm and a leg.

I was moaning about the bad timing of having kids in November and December when it comes to expense. After a few minutes thought, my daughter (22) worked out that her birthday is 9 months after mine, and our son's is 9 months after her dad's. 'Oh good', she said, 'it's a relief that your parents only DO IT on their birthdays.' LOl!

Just started some baking, only to realise we are out of eggs - at 2am - so have to leave it half done till tomorrow. No night time munching for me now. :(

Those wooden decorations look really beautiful Alty, boy you're clever if you can make those. Best I ever managed was little knitted snowmen with pockets to put chocolate coins in.

Q, you just made me laugh. My kids are both fall babies, August and September, so we like to have sex right before Christmas. Tis the season to be jolly. ;)

The decorations aren't hard to make if you have a lathe, which I do. Without a lathe it would be impossible. My mom made little snow people for our fireplace mantel. We had a dad, a mom and a baby. No chocolate coins though. :(

Believe me, I know when people have sex. I have it down to a science. September and November are the biggest months for babies.

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Originally Posted by J_9

Believe me, I know when people have sex. I have it down to a science. September and November are the biggest months for babies.

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I believe you. When Jared was born they didn't have room in the nursery because there were so many babies born that night. It was also a full moon, which the nurses actually confirmed is one of the busiest times.

In Canada you can pre-request what type of room you want after delivery. There are private rooms (lush, regular bed, nice furniture, really pretty, feels like a hotel room) then single rooms (regular hospital room but only one bed) doubles (2 beds), and then 4 to a room. My first choice was a private, second choice single and then went down from there, 2 and then 4. I put in the request 3 months before Jared was born. I didn't have a choice, I ended up in a 4 bed room because they were so packed. I was lucky to get that bed, some women that came in after me had to stay in the hall. :eek: