Hi Folks Been so busy this week - just didn't get a chance to try and log in - why is it so difficult to get on here now? DD and SIL are in the Dominican to stand up for their friends (who were the maid of honour and bestman in Sept.) Just the four of them went and so they are having their honeymoons together. I have my two dogs back for the week so it has been lovely (and comforting). DH and DS have been travelling back and forth to see my Mom to keep me company. She is about the same but a new frailness is there. It is very hard for my Son but at the same time he wants to spend as much time with her as he can. He certainly manages to bring a smile to her face and that's what's important to both of them. I got my Christmas/Happy New Year gift Besh. What a great package and thank God not too Feng Shui. A great(easy read) book on Move your stuff, change your life. (as Besh says - "What else would you expect from a librarian") I've started reading it and it's a "fun" book. A great candle with candy canes inbeded in it. I'm waiting to burn it in May ( I know that sounds weird, but if my Mom is still here we are going to have a little Christmas then). A beautiful decoration - a giant snowflake. and my tacky decoration - too funny - an orange ball filled with tic tac mints - get it "tic tac" for tacky. Again, only a librarian with a twisted sense of humour would come up with that one. It was great to get this last week, it really picked me up. Thanks again Besh. Count me in on the Birthday exchange. Hi and Hugs to all So nice to see Amy and Patti and John (briefly) checking in. I lost a bunch of weight before daughters wedding, for some reason lost a couple of pounds during the holidays (weird) and have lost another couple of pounds in the last couple of weeks. So all in all I can't complain - I stay at 115 and a size 8. I'm lucky though that my DH does all the cooking is a health fanatic. DH is back working - he is building a plant about 90 minutes away from where we live and will back producing tobacco products around March. (I know for those of you who are non-smokers this sounds unusual) - I have never smoked, nor does DH but we live in a free world, free to make choices. Even my Mom who now has lung cancer has no regrets about smoking and would still smoke if it wasn't for the Fire Safety Rules in the Nursing Home. I'm just glad he is back working and in the industry that he knows so well. It makes for a much happier camper! Take care everyone and thanks so much for all your prayers and HUGS for both me and my Mom. Joanne

Happy B'Day Donna! Hope I'm not too late. Hi Everyone, I know I've been away for some time. Had a very bad bout of winter depression - I think EVERYTHING caught up with me and my yakking energy just died. I've been seeing a psychologist at the hospital to talk about things and I just love her. Also did a pre-registration for a fall course - group therapy, education - to relearn how to think about things. As for weight loss - FINALLY BACK ON TRACK. I'm starting all over again at my start weight of 147 - my goal is anything from 135 - 140 and MAINTAIN (that's the hard part). This is year 3 of my overall weight loss plan. I started at 162 a few years back. I am 5'3", medium frame so any extra weight hurts. My hips still grind, I get back spasms from the weight I carry now so my health is telling me off. Please accept my apologies for being MIA for so long. I had to recoil and recover some more from life. But I'm back to rattle everyone's cage again. As for work - I cannot get office work nor any type of response in Ottawa - Canada's capital city - you have to be 'french' and have a government security clearance of 'secret' to get anything I used to work at. I don't care anymore - Ottawa can get stuffed as far as I'm concerned. I returned to college in the winter and started taking web design courses. I now work at home part time, through hubby's work contact, doing very basic grunt web work. It's a small start that I am very, very grateful for. A long project with a lot more to learn to stay employed. New software support books to read, learn. At least it gives me something extremely important - HOPE. And it's progressive in continued education (e-learning, internet, home study courses...school...). Gosh this has been such a long road for me over the last 5 years coming home from Scotland. I still miss my Mom. It has been 10 months...but seems longer because the Mom I lost left a few years ago when her body started slowing down. I don't feel like crying anymore - I like to remember our fun moments and how much she gave all of us. Being adopted I think I was blessed to have the parents I had. As for my sisters (long story for anyone who doesn't know me...) they are part of my therapy discussions. I have to let them go for my sanity. I love them, always will, wish them happiness in life and pray one of them finds a way to let go of her inner pain. It's a shame but it's the only way right now I can take care of myself. Geez, look at me again, babbling non-stop. I'm working on eating smarter, smaller meals during the day and drinking more water, less coffee. My sleep is still erratic but that's just me. Today we're going up to an unseasonal 25 degrees or about 80F. So I'm heading outside shortly to work in the garden. It's time I got my butt back here, eh? LOL to all of you, Peggy

Thanks for your comments, everyone. I have been going non-stop since I posted this, with 2 soccer games, a baby shower and a kid's birthday party on Saturday, and my son's First Communion and ensuing party on Sunday. Thankfully, my in-laws made the ham and a fantastic lasagna, along with eggplant fritters for the party yesterday. I made a ceaser salad with homemade ceaser dressing, Sol's honey rolls, shrimp cocktail, pineapple upside down cake and Amish Friendship bread. My mom made insalata caprese and a blackberry cobbler. And I purchased frozen Torta Stella from Costco as an additional appetizer. We had 17 adults and 4 kids. Everything turned out so tasty. Nothing quite like a homemade lasagna from an Italian mother-in-law. And when I get her recipe for those eggplant fritters, I'll be sure to share. They were inhaled! Nancy

Jen, Last years sign up said this: You may pick what ever you want for your block. My only requests is that you do not make your block request to hard. This swap is open to all levels of quilters and we do not want to discourage new quilters from joining. My sign-up says this: You may pick what ever you want for your block. The blocks would be "beginner friendly",,,no appliqué, unless a person asks for a Quilters choice of block and the maker wants to do appliqué... This swap is open to all levels of quilters and we do not want to discourage new quilters from joining. So I guess the rules changed; but very little. I know that some of the beginner quilters (we are getting some signing up) Could not make this block. On quilter cache the three red pins stand for the hardest block on the sight: Several types of assembly, or many little pieces, set-in seams, etc. = Three Pins! RED pins mean all or some appliqué! I hope you still join the swap. Vicky