Hi Guys! Well, after the light dusting of snow that we had yesterday. It snowed last night and it's sticking now. The little ones bundled up in snow pants and the rest and headed out. They got their fill of snow, had hot choc and brownies and are vegging out now. On Friday, we hosted the neighborhood teens for a couple of movies, pizza, dino-nuggets and chat about whatever teens like to talk about. Then we built a fire and roasted a few marshmallows. After driving everyone home, we enjoyed the fire until it burned out. Tikanas: How's the vegan meal planning coming along with DS? I have to check out the cooking forum, I guess. Saturday, I spent fixing up a leg-o-lamb for company. I served it with roasted peppers and onions, with a big greek salad on the side. Appetizers were yellow and orange peppers wrapped in prosciutto and Soppressata salami and Asiago cheese bundles. It was all yummers and then we had a few pistachios and tiny, tiny brownies for dessert, along with some homemade hot buttered rums-----HEY!- it IS winter time here! I have been good with my diet and exercise all week and am down a pound. I decided to have fun one day a week and not beat myself up about it. From the beginning of the year, I just made myself a deal that, during 6 days of the week, I'll pose the question, "Is this GOOD for my body?" before I eat anything. The 7th day, I don't have to ask the question or go traveling on a guilt trip. I am tired of spending the last 8 years on a diet and am seeing how this works for me. The winter snow brightness has brought DH's mood back out of the depressions he faces in the winter overcast here, so things around the house are cheerier for now. Besh -as Jimmy Buffet would say, "I WANNA GO WHERE IT'S WARM!" lol. Just some constant sunlight would be great! Raeanne~ I have to thank you for the card, you sweet thing. You always brighten my day. You are such a thoughtful gal. ((((((((((Love ya)))))))))) Thanks so much. I am here today; I have at least 12 loads of laundry to do. Our family company left and there are sheets, towels, bedding, etc, etc, etc. I wish I had a BIG table to fold on! Why are laundry rooms so durned small? Marci~ I am supposed to read some specific books for the Expressions in Writing class I'm taking. I'll pass them on to you if they're good. One I read this summer was Knight in Rusty Armor. It'd be good for lots of guys I know to read! It's very easy to read and cute and reflective. In other news, my ex has decided to marry the girl he left his most recent wife for. They keep getting younger. (((SIGH))) Anyway, almost exactly 1 year after he divorced the last one, he's marrying again. I fear he'll never settle down, but he is super committed to our 2 girls, and they to him, so that's the best I can hope for. Neither DD is big on marriage, though, and I can see why! NHSuzanne~ Sister Gift with Words - You paint a calm picture. Thank you for the vision. My thought on the birthday exchange is that it should be easy. We're all busy chicks and we want to stay connected with ease. But I'd love to have a b-day pal and then ANOTHER pal that I could send cards and trinkets to on and off over the year. Fun mail is FUN mail! I'll go with the flow as long as I don't have to organize it! ------- ((((THANKS MARCI and MADDIE for all you do!)))))) Joanne and Gretchen! LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU! Thanks for checking in! Well, I better get something done around here! PS: John, we miss you -- still.

Hi Guys! Thanks for all the nice b-day wishes and personal emails. I have had a lot going on, but also felt like I got so far behind here at the "garden" that I felt like I couldn't catch up---so I kept putting off checking in. I know Maddie and Dee Marie know how I feel about that! Sometimes time slips away so quickly and then it seems very uncomfortable to try and catch up. I knew everyone here would say, "Just hop back in!" But even so, I wanted to read everything and know exactly what was happening. I keep thinking I'll have time to read the few months I've missed, but it'll have to wait for my yearly trip to KY. I'll print and catch up while in the airports, and getting some time in the bluegrass state. This year, I am taking my oldest DD with me, so it will be a little different! Joanne~ I haven't rec'd the package yet, but the mail system and connections between our 2 countries is not super great yet! Anyway, I'm sure I'll get it soon. I have had a LOT of negative change in my life in the past few months and hopefully, with the summer arriving, the light will be brighter and I will be able to understand more of why I was planted on the earth for. I've had a bout with depression and adjustment and couldn't get it very together for a while. Me? Yes. Imagine that! I was surprised myself. It's nice to be "home" here though. Checking in and seeing that I was still welcome means more to me than any of you can ever imagine. Thanks so much for the emails and all. You are truly an amazing group of friends. Always there. Never invasive. Perpetually accepting. All I can say is wow. PS: Raeanne: Thanks for the link, sis, but I hadn't forgotten how to get here! But you KNEW that was the key for me. Smoochies and Huggles. And Dee Marie, you too. And Tikanas. And NHSuzanne. And everyone. You are simply the best.

Truckin' - Grateful Dead (Working Man's Dead) On the Road Again - Willie Nelson Can't Find My Way Back Home - Blind Faith Raeanne - Be creative and think outside the box. You can use buttons, scraps of paper, ribbon, lace, stamps, etc. Tear edges of paper as opposed to cutting and layer papers for different effects. Make pockets with paper and slip things into the pockets. You can glue, staple or fasten things down with brads and/or eyelets. Make good use of your computer. Print sayings, quotes or definitions, headings etc. on your computer. Layer in unusual ways. Make things stand out by using Pop dots to raise them off the page. (I found mine at the $ store.) Cruise the dollor store or the bargain bins for little odds and ends. (I found packages of small wooden letters for 25¢.) There really is no right or wrong. It is your book and an expression of your ideas. Just have fun with it. If you need help along the way, email me!! Gotta run, Marci

Name a topic you find controversial. Politics What is your occupation right now? SAHA - stay at home auntie What color are your socks right now? Sandal, no socks. I used to only wear socks from Dec to Feb because my feet were only cold in the dead of winter. Times sure have changed because now I need socks Oct to April and during the coldest months I wear 2 pair at once. What are you listening to right now? A lawn mower outside & the fridge humming inside Can you drive a stick shift? Yes, a high school boyfriend taught me in his brother's car (without permission of the owner!) Last person you spoke to on the phone? One of my sisters How old are you today? 49 for a few more weeks What is your favorite sport to watch on TV? I hate all sports and don't watch any of them willingly. Now if the question was what sports are often shown on the TV in my home the answer would be baseball, golf, basketball & football. What is your favorite drink? Water, Lipton tea Have you ever dyed your hair? I've been paying someone else to dye or highlight it for years. I have never attempted to do it myself. I have helped my sisters dye their hair. Hey, if I mess it up it's not my head! Favorite food? I love many things (fruit, veggies, breads) but if I had to pick a last meal it would be Silician pizza from a specific local place. What is the last movie you watched? Angels & Demons. We were on vacation & it was rainy so we went to a movie, which is a little unusual for us. We might go to see 6-8 movies a year so it's funny that I have a just released movie to name. We have never rented a video for no specific reason. I guess because DH is usually watching sports and I'd rather read. Favorite days of the year? Any sunny, warm day. How do you vent anger? I guess it depends on what is causing the anger...nothing too dramatic but maybe my DH would have another opinion on this. What was your favorite toy as a child? I had one Barbie - this was back in the day you had one doll & multiple clothes. My friends with daughters tell me now-a-days girls will have multiple Barbies. I knew a family with 3 girls and they had 65 Barbies! The Mom said it was because they were rather cheap so for birthday gifts people would just buy them another doll & not just an outfit. And she, the mother, used to spend an hour a week redressing the dolls because she couldn't stand to see a pile of naked Barbies on the floor. To each his own, I guess. What is your favorite season? Summer. Cherries or Blueberries? I will happily indulge in either Do you want your friends to e-mail you back? yes, I hate to sign on and not have any new mail but I detest those FW:FW:FW kind so I'd rather not have anything than those. Living Arrangements? Just DH in a 2 story house When was the last time you cried? Last week but it was a bittersweet kinda cry not a blubbering snot-fest. Don't remember the last BSF. What is on the floor of your closet? Shoes, relatively neatly arranged. And a box of baking soda to absorb stale odors. What did you do last night? Went to a wine tasting party. We all drew a country out of hat and brought wine & appetizer from our country. I had Germany so I bought a Riesling (named Way Kuhl - it was very tasty) and Tilsit cheese, pretzel rolls from Wegman's & German chocolate cake (I cheated and used a box mix for the cake but homemade frosting). What are you most afraid of? Something harmful happening to a family member, global diasters, and snakes (I'm still kinda freaked after opening a recent posting on the other side a week or so ago. Yikes, I was not expecting that...I thought maybe a garden gnome or fountain. But no hard feelings. It's my phobia, not your problem). Favorite dog breed? Never had a dog myself so no favorite. Thru family members I've been exposed to Goldens, Labs & an Australian Cattle dog, which were all very nice dogs. Favorite day of the week? Every day is a good day for a SAHA How many states have you lived in? 4 - Mass, Rhode Island, NJ, Pa Diamonds, pearls, art jewelry or costume? I have little interest in jewelry so 3 years ago when a necklace caught my eye my DH said we should buy it for your anniversary present. Coincidently, it has 13 diamonds and it was my 13th anniversary - it must have been fate. He, in turn, had an ice cream from Cold Stone creamery as his present. Everyone left the mall happy. Fashion or comfort? Comfort, but I don't believe in wearing sweat clothes unless I'm going to, at, or returning from the gym.