Apples2

Laura..congrats to Nels on is 2nd belt...great photos. Better get your A$$ in gear and get those presents wrapped. LOL Hey Great...don't worry about not being able to remember in your drugged state of mind. We are enjoying your silly posts (just kidding).

Laura...maybe it wasn't a PB after all. Maybe I just choked on a Dust Bunny. God knows there's enough of them around. My house takes a back seat during harvest and then to get sprung about Christmas at our house tonight. Oh well, it's getting done. Been up since 4am and tackling it. Have my appetizers made and ready to pop in the oven later today. Just have to roll the meat and cut the cheese. (No pun intended but I have been known to be the QUEEN since LB surgery). Linda...I have a HUGE Santa collection also. Will post picks if I can figure out why my card reader keep shutting itself off. Sorry about you crappy day yesterday. Tough love is difficult. But, you just gotta let them figure things out on their own. Hit bottom and work their way back. Love my DS's but no room at momma's house unless there is a desperate need. Both have been (somewhat) renting or owning and on their own since 18. I didn't want them to go but, looking back, YAHOO! Hey Julie....hope your snotty situation clears up. Having fun, Eva? Who wouldn't in SF? Gotta go.

Janet...forgot to answer...I PB'd on stupid cereal. I eat cereal every night b/4 bed. Always wondered what you girls were talking about when you said you had to run for the nearest restroom. Now I know. I feel like a real bandster now.

Janet...yeh...I think the place we are going looks pretty good for the price. Foo drinks by the pool, outlet shopping, happy times making memories with the girls. Only downfall is the distance from the airport. Most of the places close to the airport had really bad reviews when I looked at them. We will make it work. Something for everyone going to think about. I will have time to pick up what everyone needs in their condo. Water, the basics to snack on, liquor to "snack" on, etc. I will compile a list and pick up on my way to Orlando. Just want everyone to start their own list (we can share certain things) and so when the time comes, I will be prepared. I will throw in spices, etc. if we happen to cook. I'm thinking I'll pick up eggs and sausage, etc. for breakfasts and deli meats for lunches. Whatever you guys feel you need and cannot travel with. That's one thing I love about you, Janet. You put it out there when you feel like you slipped up. I really never see it as an error. I see it as the body needing a craving fulfilled. You fulfilled and and are back riding the horse at the gym! Gotta go. Dust Bunnies are calling.

Mornin' Girls...decided to hop on quick while I'm in the middle of tasks. Laura...happy you made your decision and and good decision at that. Your dad is going to have you and Nels around. Don't worry too much about DH. I've had to do the same thing as you because he absolutely could not join us. They are not as sensitive as us women when it comes to things like that. Good news on your dad and don't worry about him taking a week off chemo for the holidays. Good to hear that he is speaking for himself and making his own dicisions on his health. Take care and safe travel to you and Nels. One the gloves..wish I would have known ahead of time, I could have sent him some John Deer mittins. OK..just flying by the seat of my pants here cuz don't have time to go back and re-read. Cheri...sorry for your struggles with family and school. Enjoy your vacation time. Let your daughter run with Christmas. Maybe she enjoyed Thanksgiving so much that she decided to take over but does not know how to tell you. Linda...great photos. I was going to post almost that same pose with MY santa the other day. I have a life sized Santa in my kitchen that sings and dance. I found the first night we had him that the motion detector Santa is naughty. Got up at 3am for a drink of Water and her started singing and dancing. Did not know if I would get my heart restarted. Anyway, could not post cuz my card reader somehow shuts itself off and I cannot figure out how to restart. We have Vista windows and our computer is just a couple of months old. Guess I will have to call the tech guy. I want to post Chirstmas photos. Alayh is sooo pretty. Can I have her? Deb...hope you can make it FL. Bring the styro balls....I'll bring the glitter..Janet you bring the glue! Janet...already mentioned to LauraK about FL and she is a no-go. Darn. Great...you sound so happy to be home (as I would also). Try not to panic about the unfill. If I was in that situation I guess I would just avoid all sweets if that's a problem for you during the holidays. I think you said you always crave salty. Just avoid what you can and don't worry about a few days. You will get your level of fill back. Just hope it does not take you too long. Take care of yourself, and, don't listen to me...I am in a panic about having Christmas tonight and don't know what I am talking about. Julie..hope your cold is better. You are going to have such a fun Christmas with Mimi. OK...can't take time to talk to everybody but read all the posts. Have another Christmas party at my house on Monday at 3pm. At least I will be semi-ready for it after today. Hope you all have a great weekend.

Oh Yeh...experienced my first PB about hour ago. So, that's what they are like..

Sorry have not been posting. Crazy busy. Crop is out but there is so much to do the next week to wrap things up. Been on the road running farm errands the last two days. Long days and short nights. Too many of them the last couple of months. As far as what we do after the harvest is over....we are concerned since we had such a late harvest that it is going to be pushing it to leave here on Jan 15 for FL. Tax appts, farm analysis, wrap the other business up for the year, meet with partners of our other business, etc. We will make it work. Having family Christmas at our home tomorrow late afternoon. This is quite the surprise for me but will do my best to be ready.... Hi to all and most likely will not post the next couple of days. MMMMMMMMMMMWWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAA...that was me blowing a big Christmas kiss many directions to all my friends here.:smile2:

(Horns Blaring...) HARVEST IS OFFICIALLY OVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good Evening Everyone...No time to post tonight. Hectic day and now just winding down. Going to go do my two crosswords and veg. Hit the ground running about 4:30am and tomorrow should be about the same. Did get a couple more Christmas goodies baked b/4 hitting the road. DH keep finding more ppl he wants to give it to. Don't mind but told him today a little warning (and let me pack it). He just grabs one container and out the door he goes. Nice large Tupperwares are going missing. I always buy the holiday plates to deliver on. Well, I have about a dozen diff kinds of goodies and when he runs with the whole thing, that cuts into the varieties I like to have on hand. Lori...sorry about the unfill issues but you were smart to take care of it right away. Just be as strong as you can when you are unfilled. Turn to healthy things when you can. Order a veggie tray from the local supermarket to have on hand. Hang in there. Thanks for filling us in on how things are going. Nighty-Nite...will talk tomorrow. No responding to all the posts...sorry.

Melissa...sorry it took so long for me to respond...was on the road today. OK...this is the way it is....3-3BR condos. If there are 3 to a condo, each person's price is about $105. If you have more to a condo, you just split it more ways. 2 of the bedrooms have (2) twin beds and the 3rd bedroom has a king size bed. There is a sleeper sofa in each condo also. As far as I know, we have not planned any activities. I figured that is something we can discuss once we get there. I was thinking maybe we would just hang out and visit most of the time. Just thought we would leave it open. It's so difficult to coordinate something like that and please everyone. So sorry your job is so stressful. Try to do something relaxing during your down time. Bathtub and a book? That would be my thing. Take care. Let me know if you have any other questions.:biggrin:

So happy DH came out OK. He has a tendency towards palyps (sp?). He's been getting procedure done every three yrs for 12 yrs now. Family history. First time he had 5 very large, three yrs later 4 large and this time one small one. Cleared for not another one for 5 yrs. His uncle passed away very young from colon cancer. Just good he went in and now we can breath easy. Doc says he was VERY clean. Should be for getting up every 15 min. The jug did the job but he definatelly did not start early enough yesterday. We will both be getting some good sleep tonight. Even after being put under, he has been at a dead run today. Can't tell an ole' farmer anything! Yes, have seen photos that JoAnne as posted here. They are to die for. She is quite talented. Phyll...we'll hopefully be reading about your 2nd knee recovery soon. You've done so well with your first one.

Meredith...What a difference 80lbs makes. You have done wonderfully and look so happy. Way to go! Hey, what's wrong with having fun and staying up till 5am? I love a good party! I've been party trained for a long, long time. Even though I cannot abide in liquid bliss much anymore, I can still party. Do it while you're young and enjoy. Linda...I, too, am amazed at how well you are doing. I'm confused...DSS? is in the hospital, right? Not DSD? Would have loved to be a fly on the wall to watch the cooking making with your 3 yr old. She probably did better than I did yesterday with my white sugar cookies. They ended up be very festive bars. Got ticked at them. But, the bars turned out so good...looked like they were meant to be. Lori...hope things are going well. Hang in there. You are just going to progress a little every day. I know it's tough, painful and a lot of work. But, never again will you need to go through having painful knees. Julie...you just made my week with your posts saying you do not have the pain like you have in the past. Hope it only gets better from here on out. We were on the road by 6:15 this morning to get DH in for his procedure. Got home about 11:30. He stopped long enough to have some date bread that I made yesterday (he drooled all day yesterday...in between whines) and could not wait to taste it with a cup of coffee. Then he was on a full run to harvest the rest of this corn. Bitterly cold and they are all working out in it. JoAnne...will you be my mom and make me a quilt like you are making for DD? LOL. I LOVE quilts and have 2 or 3 on every bed in the house, plus, most of my rooms have them hanging on the walls. I don't make them though. I sew but never learned quilting. I have a friend that makes the most beautiful ones. I admire you for your talent.

Thank you for the answers to our perplexing problems, Phyll! Once a nurse, always a nurse!

And Janet...I was wondering the same thing as I was watching DH drink and then gag on that crap. I am not sure how they could expect us to drink that much. Anyone here have a colonoscopy since being banded???????????

Janet...I explained the puppy chow in my previous post. It's just plain gross but we all have diff likes and dislikes. I'm just not one for eating sweets unless it's my not-so-sweet protein bar. Great...just wanted to post to wish you luck tomorrow. Take care of yourself and don't be afraid to ask for help from the family. Get yourself a little bell and use it often! You will be in my prayers. Wish I could just drive over to your house to help you out!

Arlene...never heard of the "trash" with Chex but we have the plain old Chex mix around here on holidays made with peanuts and pretzels. Also puppy chow made with Chex. (Choc covered Chex coated with powdered sugar). Linda....sounds like you used to bake for the holidays like I do. I truly enjoy it. It's a good way to let ppl know you appreciate them also. Julie...I used the regular loaf pan size for the two different breads. I just tripled the recipes x 2. I just gotta ask this question. Why, Oh why are men whiney when they think they don't feel well or don't feel well? I've got this big strong farmer who works himself silly every day. Well, he had to start drinking the gallon of crap about 3pm today for his colonoscopy at 7am tomorrow. (love the guy...just don't do well with whining). Us women are so different when we don't feel well. Heck, I think I was scrubbing the floor on my way out the door and dialated to 8. I just don't get it. Phyll......are guys whiney when they are in the hospital too????? Or, maybe you were never a floor nurse. I'm just waiting for him to slip and call me Mommy.

Great...thanks for the Ann Taylor "lesson". I have about 10 Ann Taylor items in my closet and maybe 15 Loft. Anyway, yes, Loft is a little trendier whereas Ann Taylor is actually more "tailored". Just as Liz Claiborne pieces are made by different designers...so are the Ann Taylor. Good going on watching on what to do at work. I was worried you would screw up that new knee. How nice of your DS to take you to lunch to get your mind off things. I'd probably choke on my coffee if my DS that lives around here would suggest lunch. He's considerate of his momma but has never done anything like that. He's good to me in so many ways so not a complaint when it comes to him. Well....I screwed up my sugar cookies and got so ticked. Took the 1/2 cooked batter, threw in a cake pan and made a crust. Topped with a soft boiled toffee and topped with Heath bits. Actually turned out pretty good for being such a mess b/4. Now working on the gingerbread men. We'll see how that goes. Laura...I'm sorry you are going through so much. There are probably going to be many things with your dad the next few months that you will have to be careful with. Making the calls and letting family know about his situation is only natural. Something I am sure I would have done also. Try to be patient and don't beat yourself up. Take care of yourself.

The fact that we found the end of the rainbow?

OMG, JoAnne...ironic that you posted today. I was thinking of how I miss you just a couple of hours ago and wondering how you were doing. You must of somehow read my mind. So happy to see you posting and that you are still on track with the LB. Merry Christmas to us! JoAnne is here!

Janet...Ok...now I feel I belong and fit in. Now that I know what palenta and tamales are. Thanks for the links. And, have NEVER whatched any food shows. Don't ask me why...just never have. Thanks for the explanations. I am sure you are a good cook if you have the patience to make those tamales. I think I would like polenta and might just try it soon. Can you put hotdish on it? (wink)

Two ovens and, yep, I have a professional Kitchen Aid mixer....Good guess!

Could it be a very red (orange) sunset?

Forgot my 3rd question....what is the diff between Ann Taylor and Ann Taylor Loft?

Is it an eruption from a volcano?

Mornin' All.... First questions...what the heck is polenta???? Here in MN, if it's not 10 different kinds of starches slopped into a big ole' casserole dish we won't eat it. We don't take well to"new fangled" foods the rest of you more well-rounded gourmets. All we have to hear is that it is stuffed in an animal gut and we're good to go! Second question...Eva mentioned making tamales and delivering them to friends and neighbors? Is that a tradition in the south and what is a tamale? Janet....be careful, girl. One of these times you are going to go to bed and will have a pan burning on the stove. I can just see your obit now...."She died from One Pot Wonder asphyxiation (sp?). May she rest in peace". Great...hope you are home already and did not have too taxing of a workout at work. Hope I didn't sound too harsh last night about the ladder situation. Omitted my LOL from that last post. Try to do things today to keep you busy. Let me see.....can you say Ann Taylor Loft? Laura...wonderful stories about SGM and the lady at karate the did not know you. I know that I can really tell the diff in your photos...especially the last couple of times you posted. You are a beautiful woman. Hope your DH is home by now. Welcome Moonlite! Hope you come back and fill us in and visit often. Jewel...I'm proud of you for letting MIL know what is going on. Stand strong...remember, you are doing this for you and it's important you go forward with what you want. Femme...being swollen makes a person wonder what the heck kind of damage they did sometimes. I was irritated one time for a couple of weeks from just being stuck a little on a boiled egg. It took me awhile with soft foods (about a week). Hope it eases soon. 12 loaves of pumpkin/cranberry bread and 8 loves of date bread made and cooling on the counter. DH is going to deliver to friends and neighbors this afternoon. I will deliver to my little ladies tomorrow. DH is on clear liquids today (colonoscopy tomorrow) and needs to be away from the kitchen table and stay busy so will send him on the trip around the neighborhood. Have some gingerbread dough ready to roll out and decorate for the little ones on Christmas. Might make some plain white ones too but depends on the time I have. So much fun. Have I ever told you guys that I love to bake????????????????????