No, you're not the only one, Annie. My sympathies on the staff search. My staff is actually stable at the moment (!).

Nothing exciting here. I have today off and the big event of the day is to change DH's bandages for the first time and help him get a bath. He's already getting antsy with five more weeks of 'no weight' to go. Gonna be a lo-o-o-ong five weeks.....

Tomorrow is work. There's a huge craft show going on in Spokane this weekend, so Liana and I may try to get away for a few hours on Sunday.

It's supposed to snow here tonight....ugh. ~Clink~ing with my second quad Americano. Have a good weekend everyone.

Wow. Brings back memories and I'm so glad I don't have to worry about hiring/firing and other staffing issues any more...Although I'm not sure it's that much different than full-time parenting, at times...

My weekends don't bring much change or break from my weekly lifestyle, but I wouldn't change it for the world.

I could like snow...Things slow down and get so quiet and pretty. (Then it melts and gets 'ugh.')

I think our weekend will revolve around readying to host Thanksgiving...our first big holiday meal in our new home, using our fabulous kitchen. And my sister will finally get to see my house!

Happy weekend everyone!

Happy Weekend everyone!

Started the weekend off with a trio to the dump! How fun is that!

Tonight we head to the cottage as soon as Meredith gets home from work. She is really looking forward to vegging out, seems working for a living is stressful! LOL

Loads up snow up north so she and Clive are going to take the snow machines over to the marina for their checkup. I'll stay home hookin' and cookin'!

No clinking tonight as we'll be on the road...but I'll tip a glass of wine to you all tomorrow night!

Be safe and be warm...

Happy Weekend everyone!

Things are a little stressful here these days. DH's company is selling his brand, so we're feeling a lot of tension and things are very much up in the air. I would appreciate any good thoughts from my friends.

Other than that stress, and the fact that I feel like I can't register for any January classes until I feel more stable, we're having your normal hockey and birthday party filled weekend. Yay. And I say "yay" without a bit of sarcasm. Really.

AM

Raising a cup of Tazo "Wild Sweet Orange" tea (highly recommended!) to you all!

Spent the AM picking up pecans with a friend. It was in the mid 70's yesterday, but the wind is blowing and it is a damp 50's now and expected to drop into the 20's for the first frost of the year tonight. One bonus of the hurricane is that we've got plenty of firewood!

After I warm up with my tea, I'll be making pesto with my basil before it's a goner. Pulling more stuff out of the rubble of our barn (Gustav casualty) and hauling it to the road for trash pickup. Then we're going out to a little restaurant in our little town for supper tonight. Driving into Baton Rouge to Whole Foods to shop for the week on Sat AM.

Then WooHOO.... going to the airport to pick up my youngest son who's a sophomore away at college.

Best wishes all! Spend the weekend resting up for the marathon cooking that I know many will be doing on Wednesday and Thursday!

Grace

Happy Friday to everyone!

Getting a bit cooler here in land of the eternal spring as well. There's an Arctic blast coming down over England and part of Europe and I think a bit of that has trickled down to give us some rain and chilly air. But we always need moisture in the garden as otherwise we have to use the hose and sprinkler every day. Luckily I changed our bed to the winter flannelette sheets last night!

I went to Pilates this morning and we have arranged that next Monday after our class we are all going together up the highway to a nice restaurant for Duck A L'Orange as an early Christmas celebration dinner. Poor Wolf and other hubbies will not be part of it as it's a ladies only affair. So I will have to think of a really special Sunday dinner with leftovers for him on Monday.

Nothing planned for the weekend other than reading a couple of the local Island English newspapers and catching up on letter writing and ordering online Christmas gifts.

Clinking with my glass of sparkling water! May you stay warm and dry!

SharonCb

Lake effect snow warnings here in upstate NY. Staying warm now, but that will change as I head out to 4 hockey games this weekend.
Yikes! Fire up the cocoa.
On a happy note, my 17 year old son is heading home from boarding school for the thanksgiving break.
Jo

Sitting at work eating my lunch. Antsy to get out of here!
Tomorrow is a full day of craft bazaars in our local community. Annual thing, lots of fun and this year I'm going all by my lonesome, so can decide how long I stay at each one (about 25 different locations). Marathon!
Sunday is church, work around home and maybe make my Peach Pie and Cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving. I can freeze them.

Still sipping coffee and lemonade, but will clink later with a glass of wine!

Happy weekend to all.

Deanna

It was overcast this morning on the Jersey Shore, but the sun came out at lunch time to take a bit of the chill off. Oatmeal for breakfast, the second half of a Wegman's sub for lunch, and we'll have dinner at our favorite Chinese buffet.

This morning I drove over to the vegetable market for the ingredients for four quarts of cole slaw for the church bazaar. I'm a little annoyed with myself for not taking the bicycle, but it was pretty chilly.

We made the cole slaw this morning, there's a 6 lb. turkey breast in the oven as I type this and we'll bake a double batch of chocolate chip cookies after dinner tonight, all for the bazaar. Neither of us is fit enough any more to help with the setup or tear down so we help with the food.

We'll work in the kitchen at the bazaar tomorrow, and do absolutely nothing on Sunday.

--Doug

Happy Friday to everyone. I hope you don't mind me joining in. It is very, very cold in VA today. The wind chill is what is making it feel so cold. They were calling for flurries but we didn't get any in my area. My Mom and I were going to do lunch today but since the weather wasn't so hot, we decided to do it another day. So I did some much needed laundry and am working on some clean up/reorganization of some closets, etc.

Tomorrow, going down to donate some stuff of Dixie's (my dog that passed away 3 weeks ago). The shelter needs food, leases, etc. and I have plenty of that along with treats. Then myself and friends are heading down to shop in Occoquan. I love that small town and I have my eye on buying a Jim Shore Santa w/sleigh and reindeer (4) to put on my fireplace mantel. They have a wonderful Christmas shop there. We will have lunch down there also.

Sunday is up in the air. No plans set in stone.

Everyone enjoy their weekend.

Dixie, of course you can join right in!

I still have just a few things that belonged to the WeinerDog. His license and name tags, his collar and his favorite toy. Everything else went to the local shelter and were greatly appreciated. Hugs to you, I know it'll be hard.

Annie

Annie thank you! We also decided to keep her collar and tags along with her food bowl. I just don't want to let it go. My husband made up a really neat slide show along with music about her. Every time I watch it, I ball but there are some laughs too.

I am another that is glad that it is Friday. Mom has been staying with us and took the girls to her house for a movie tonight and to stay with my sister. Hudson is a month old today and has gained 2 pounds since his one week check. Dr said that he is well on his way to being a football player like his daddy. I had to take Hayden to the doctor this morning, he has been on antibiotics for 17 days, 2 different ones and still is sick. So he got an antibiotic shot and has another antibiotic to take for 10 days and breathing treatments. He has pnemonia and also one ear is still infected.

So raising my Pepsi to everyone.

Stacie

TGIF here too. It's a balmy 55° here in NW Florida.

I just got out of pastry class - we got out early as the Chef has DVT (that's deep vein thrombosis) and isn't feeling well.

Yesterday was the very last day I had to cook this semester in the student restaurant. In fact, I don't have ANY cooking left in the student restaurant. Only one more short semester and I'm done! Can't believe it's almost over.

Tomorrow I'm helping one of the Chef instructors with a party for his sons' soccer teams. We're cooking hamburgers & hot dogs at a local park. Erin will go with me and play. She'll have a large time as the park is very nice.

Otherwise - it's nice and quiet around here - Mom is gone to my sister's for two blessed weeks! Solitude galore for me! Just me & the dogs....

So......everyone have an excellent and relaxing weekend!

Annie, that is a nice kick-off of the TGIF thread. The food and wine show will be fun. Don't sample all 600 beers and wines. Maybe only 300 or so. Definitely learn to make mozzarella.

Automobile registration, licensing, insurance and inspection issues were the work of the week for this old retired guy. What a mess! One catch 22 after another. Have you read Parkinson's Law regarding the Law of Expanding Work (work expands to fill the amount of time alloted for it)?

Then there was the continuing saga of the shrinking IRA. Where will it end?

None-the-less, my attitude remains up beat for no good reason except for the smiles and kind greetings of my friends, on-line and about town.

Clink (Old Grand Dad, appropriately enough).

Jim

TGIF one and all!

I have company in from out of town again this weekend. Crazy busy schedule here so I may be hit or miss for the next week or more.

Went out for dinner tonight at our favorite steak and seafood place. Tomorrow is a mini TG with family that couldn't make it for the real deal and wanted to visit with DN before he reports back. Tomorrow night is a great college football game party....OU - Tech. Go Sooners!!!!

Sunday is prep for more company next week and TG.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

David

TGIF to all!
Jimster, I have never heard about Parkinson's law, but boy does it ever apply here!
Let's see, my day began before 8 when the Bosch repair guy called to say he'd be here between 10 and 1pm! WHAT THE HECK?
I told them that I needed an early appt. gave them plenty of time out to schedule and they gave me the requisite 4 hour window of 8-12. I grumbled, but said I really needed the first appt so I could go to WORK! What a novel idea.
I guess the one who promised shouldn't have so I canceled the call. How the heck can I work? Also it's their 3 or 4th service call for the same problem and the washer is only one year old! Grrrr...

Anyway this weekend kicked off nicely as I was able to squeak in a hair color appt at 5 and afterward DH met me in Beverly Hills for dinner at a new (to us) restaurant. Italian food and nice. It kinda felt like a date! LOL
Tomorrow morn I'd better hike over to the paint store and choose the right white for our dining room. We're painting this coming week for a dinner that's being held here on the 2nd. I've got paint samples on the wall (which I hate), so I'm committed to finishing the paint job now.

Then I'm going to try and fit in a Costco run and be home by one when the grands are coming over to spend the next couple of days. I know I'm gonna hurt, but I love having them here! Probably will invite my parents over for dinner and then Sunday we'll take them to visit DMIL.
Lots going on with my parents and MIL, but suffice it to say that carving myself up into pieces wouldn't be a bad idea!
No wine for me, at least white wine for awhile, I had a battery of new allergy tests and came up allergic to white grapes among many other things. Tuesday I meet with the doc to find out what my new "diet" will consist of. More on that later on.

AM- I'm sending positive thoughts that all will be okay with DH's job and your hectic life can continue undisturbed.
Dixie- hugs to you, I still have Zeke's collar too.

Have a great weekend everyone!!