I will second that. For the first time in 19 months I will have a full time job! I've been working part time and going to school for what seems like eternity. It is not a permanent position (6 month assignment) but it could become permanent. And best of all it is with my former employer - Ameriprise Financial.

Plus it is getting cold and it is no fun being out of work! LOL

Teresa

Chase- enjoy that fire and wine. Give those babies lots of kisses.

Teresa_ Congrats on the full time job.

As for us, everyone is finally on the mend here, so I finally have some time to spend in the kitchen this weekend. Apple Pie Jam and apple butter are on my agenda.

Clinking with my diet Pepsi.
Linda

Good for you, Teresa, I hope that job works out to be permanent for you.

Sharon, have fun with the family and those new babies.

I've got the urge to just stay home too. It's been a long week, a new boss, lots going on. Today about 4 o'clock I wanted nothing more than I just wanted to come home. I just might stay here until Sunday!

I do need to find all my medical and pharmacy receipts for Elery, so he can submit them for his flex-fund reimbursement, that might be a good weekend project.

It's 33F here right now, and has been snowing off and on all day. I'm on my way to the kitchen to make some gingerbread waffles and I think tomorrow I'm going to bake some wild rice bread with some of the wild rice Teresa sent me.

Annie

Sharon, that sounds like a great week-end - I always enjoy spending time with new grand nephews/nieces - I have one each so far.

Good luck with your new job, Teresa. I feel confident that things will work out well for you. It's always a comfort to work with someone you are familiar with also. I was laid off for a while and got hired back by my previous employer, who never wanted to let me go in the first place, but the economy dictated otherwise at the time.

Enjoy your time in the kitchen, Linda. Do you have an apple tree? We will be doing the final harvest on ours this week-end.

It's hard to believe that it's snowing where you are, Annie, as we've been having a major heat wave with temps in the mid 90s. Today it was only 87ð, but I expect it to cool down a bit this week-end. I can't do as much when it is too hot. I would like to try some gingerbread waffles. Have you posted the recipe before?

I'm going to be staying in and finishing up (I hope) what I started last week-end, as the house has been in a state of disarray since then. I got the one computer only as far as the dining table and am not quite ready to switch it out for the one in my bedroom yet. I'm also going to have to write my oral surgeon and demand a written quote for the work he wants to do and postpone it for another month, since I had to get a new starter for my car this week.

Cheers to everyone!

Lars

Chase - enjoy the fire and red wine and himself - sounds like a perfect evening!

Teresa - congrats on the job

MO2D - Apple Pie Jam sounds fantastic, a freind just told be about Carrot Cake Jam, I think that is in my future, maybe I can make an entire pantry of baked prosucts in jam form LOLOLOL!

"It's 33F here right now, and has been snowing off and on all day" OMG I am so jealous!!!! It was chilly and windy and overcaast here today, felt like it might try to flurry but never actually got there. Good luck with your new boss AND the paperwork!

I am finally catching my breath after the crazy past few weeks, Halloween and Election Day need to be further apart! Costumes and candidates.... LOLOLOL!

Tonight I took a few kids over to the football game and another mom is staying with them and bringing them home later. In the meantime I am doing some much needed straightening up and made some snackies to nibble with a cocktail.

Tomorrow both boys are going to Birthday parties at 2 different lazer tag places.... and both are having friends sleep over after the Birthday parties - should make for a night of giggling and a big breakfast in the morning. Pancakes, bacon, fruit salad, juice, hot cocoa, etc. Sunday is football and relaxing and looking at floor samples to replace the last remaining area that has yucky w2w carpeting.

Have a happy and safe weekend all!

Alexa

Chilly this morning--57 degrees! Annie, I don't envy your snow. Chilly works for me.

Hubs will be at a car event out of town. Here in town is the biggest art show of the year. Yeah!!!! Love it. Go early to the farmer's market. Get a good parking space, shop, then walk over the bridge to the art show. Probably scoff down a coffee there and just mosy through the displays, armed with cash and wearing woolies.

Everyone, have a great weekend!

TGIF and *clink* with my bowl of Cookies 'n cream ice cream. LOL

Just wanted to share that after six agonizingly long months, the custody case for my daughter has ended. I am now the sole permanent custodian of my daughter. Her father has a continuing drug problem that will eventually be his complete downfall. His other 2 children are now in foster care because of this ongoing problem. It's a sad, sad situation. Thank God my daughter is not involved in it any longer!

So, that said, it's now 51ð in Florida and we've got the heat on for the first time this year. It's finally starting to feel like autumn and we're enjoying it.

That is great news Pat!

"... especially for an old retired broad!"

Sharon, speak of her respectfully please. She's a favorite of mine.

Good on the job, Teresa. That's a relief. I hope others will soon be doing as well.

Elery is a lucky guy. Spent most of my week doing paper work and I hate it. No one will do it for me.

Jim, clinking with a nice Malbec.

Clinking here with my Pepsi :) I am enjoying some quiet, maybe not for long, as the kiddos get to sleep. Trying to play catch up with the house and need to pick up the yard. Even though it is supposed to be in the 70's all weekend, which here in Nebraska is rare for November. Winter will be here unfortunately. Thanks to you all, I made my first Pennsylvania Dutch potpie:) I had made a roast over the weekend and used the leftovers and made beef potpie. Boy is it yummers. Put it in freezer in 2 gallon bags, as it is more grilling weather than pot pie weather around here.

Stacie

Gosh, it's Saturday already. I had dinner at a wonderful little French restaurant in the Bella Vista section of the city tonight. I had to dust off my high school french. It was wonderful. My appetizer was mushrooms and duck heart! The entree was a sea bass quenelle. Merveilluex! The place was small and very friendly. One young woman had her baby daughter with her and the baby was fussing, so we passed her around to the different tables so Mom could enjoy her meal. The baby's name is Hermine.

Anyway, I will probably sleep late tomorrow, then rake leaves. No plans for tomorrow night.

On Sunday I am going to a luncheon for donors to our library system. The guest of honor is Tracy Chevalier, who wrote Girl With a Pearl Earring, and more recently Remarkable Creatures, which is supposed to be fabulous although I haven;t read it. There will only be 25 guests at the luncheon, so I hope I get to chat with her.

So this weekend is far better than most! Oh, Saturday night (tonight!) I will turn the lock back and change the battery in the smoke detector, and you should, too! Have a great weekend, all.

Oh, here's the restaurant where I ate tonight. So much fun.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bibou

TGIWeekend, everyone. Congrats on the job, Teresa, and congrats on the kid, Pat....I'm glad it's finally over for you!

Whirlwind indeed. It's been a crazy week. Left Monday morning at 7 am for a two-day meeting in Boise (competing for my piece of $3M for broadband and computer grant that was awarded to our state). Tuesday got in at 5 pm and I raced to the library to do my election clerk duty of supervising the counting of our ballots for a building bond, which failed. (We did get a simple majority... if we weren't bound by a super majority of 66 2/3%, we'd have us some bigger digs.)Got home at 2 am Wed., and back to work by 10. I had to leave early, though, in order to take possession of my new Forester...let it snow!

Yesterday I treated myself to a long, relaxing massage. Today is work, and it's a bag sale for book sale day, so we will have some major traffic. When I get home, we'll clean the last of the cabbage and kale out of the garden because it's going to start raining, then get cold...ick.

Tomorrow will be catch-up day at home...it looks like a tornado went through.

Clinking later with a hot cider spiked with bacardi.

Katie, my house looks likew tornado alley, too! Hard to clean on crutches.

But that is all going to change. Went to the doc on Thursday to get my stitches out. I told him I had been walking a little on the foot and asked if I could really do any damage. Although he didn't "technically" give me the green light to ditch the crutches, he did say that if I am going to walk on it, at least don't put my full weight on the big toe.

So I am free of those nasty sticks, but am taking it slowly. A little cleaning and cooking each day until I am fully healed.

Congrats to those of you with good news and sorry to hear some of you have snow! None here....yet. I am sure it won't be long.

Happy weekend!

Linda

Phew, Katie, I'm exhausted just reading about your schedule! Did you also make it to an ERate seminar? They've finally simplified the process for Priority 1 users! (shop talk, sorry!)

Pat- congratuations on resolving the custody issue. You're lucky that the judge did the RIGHT thing!

TeresaMN, congrats on the new/old job! Did your recent schooling help you to grab the position?

Chase/Sharon-- enjoy those new babies, I love their names! Nevertheless a weekend with your kids should be great!

Alexa- no wonder the kids hang at your house!

Annie- happy birthday to Makayla and I hope the new boss is working out ok. It's always stressful when things change.

Lars- hope the computer issues work out-- we're rewiring with a central hub, hopefully all will work. Sometimes you cross your fingers and hope for the best! I didn't realize that we could grow apples in our moderate climate.

Mom2- those jams sound delish! Let us know how they turn out!

Stacy- hug those kiddos!

Now I'm tired from writing. No construction this weekend :(, but finally chose wood flooring and the flooring installer so we're on the right path! Painting and staining prep should begin early next week! We're babysitting for the little guys tonight and meeting with a high school friend this afternoon. Art show for DGS#1 tomorrow and maybe a movie! I'm ready to take a breath and relax! Work will be intense MTW, but we're off on Thurs and Friday. Hurray, I can finally fit in a haircut!
Clinking with my coffee!

Oops, Pam I forgot to comment on what sounds like a memorable evening!
Linda- we cross posted, but glad to hear that you're off crutches! Take it easy...

Thanks all! It is a relief to have a job again, even though it's temporary for now. Once I am back in the door I will have a better chance of applying for any other positions that are posted.

Yes Ellen - the recent schooling helped get me the job. I never thought I would be out of work for 19 months. Of course I never thought I would head back to school and take up running at the age of 55 either! When did Grandma Moses start painting? LOL

Teresa

Ellen, there are hybrid apples that will grow here - our tree is a Fuji Apple that has been bred for warm climates. It's the only major tree that we are keeping, and we have already gotten rid of all of the other trees that were not appropriate for this climate. I replaced them with papaya, white sapote, mamey, and banana in the back and with silk floss and agaves in the front. I'm keeping my Meyer lemon and Bearass lime trees in the wine barrel planters in front of the hot tub for now, and they are putting out plenty of fruit. I may plant them in the back yard eventually, but I think they have enough room in the planters, which are very large, heavy, and somewhat difficult to move. I need to have planters because of the large amount of concrete in the back.

What is this about rewiring a central hub? Is that for outdoor lighting?

Lars

The hub will be for the cables (tv & Internet) and router throughout the house. I don't really know all of the stats, my DS spec'd it and we hired a low voltage electrician to do it!