Sounds like fun - what book? Do you have a fireplace? We are having a cold north wind, too; only here when we have a cold north wind, it only gets down to 60. You mentioned the weather, and yes, it's been wonderful - exactly the kind of weather I came here for, except it's a little too chilly at night in the winter, but I have a heater that I run when it's too cold. I've been interested in virtual worlds ever since I saw the movie, Tron. Right now my virtual reality worlds include Second Life, OpenSim, and The Sims2, which my granddaughters gave me for Christmas. I'm glad for it as they play it and it will give us more to talk about. Today, I'm giving two links to a couple of pictures of Sims2 that I put up on Photobucket. copy and past the address into the browser window: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v199/explorer/The%20Sims/Sims02copy.jpg and http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v199/explorer/The%20Sims/Sims01copy.jpg The avatars, or computer-represented people, can walk around in the picture. It's sort of like an interactive movie. They do things, but the player can influence their choices. The second image is of Cassandra Goth and Peter Halliwell. They moved in together and are having a baby soon. I built and furnished the house they are living in. I love building and creating - virtual 3D art. I've put a copy of the first link below in the useful link box. Tomorrow I'll put up some pics of OpenSim or Second Life. In those I have virtual galleries. I'm still working on art in first life, too. And of course for virtual worlds, there is always meditation and painting :) Cyan Co. who created Uru that I played for several years are releasing the code to the fans, so that will be available again soon, too. At least I'm hoping so. In first life, I'm working on my art and trying to get an exhibit ready for the hospital here and maybe for one of the galleries. I get very tired and sometimes discouraged, but still going :) BJ, I'm glad you like the cards. I'll try to get those up on a site soon so others can see them, too. That's all I can write today, but I'll try to get back more and be more involved again. I work on my eating, too, and maybe will share that. I think this is a wonderful forum and that the people here have done the best job I've seen with supporting each other and caring. See you soon Amy Here is a link that might be useful:

Good morning goils-- Yes, I am among the living, and have missed you all like crazy!!! I have finally gotten a computer for me at home (I can't log on at work, and trying to get to the library is close to impossible!)So, I get to check my emails, and play on here to my heart's content-- Life is good, but so swamped. The company that I work for is a division of a larger corp, and the women that started it are wanting to separate from the main company and run it themselves. Since I am the financial guru, I've been putting in 80 hours weeks since January, and there is no end in sight. I am in the interviewing process for software vendors/tech support, and I am in over my head on this, as I am so not good with computers. However, since the accounting/HR software will make or break my working life, I want to be in on the discussions. One of the CPAs is giving me a fit, but apparently she was like this to my predecessor (which was a big factor in her leaving), but I just won't take it and roll over. We spent an hour on the phone yesterday day about something she screwed up with our AP, which resulted in us almost getting a utility cut-off in one of our group homes. My boss told me to put the bills on the company credit card because we didn't have much choice, and I did (I paid the bill through our weekly AP; corp screwed up the payment; we don't know where the check actually went to; and the utility was due to be shut off on this past Monday. I never heard a peep from corp until yesterday morning (Thursday) when she called b!tching that she has spent all of this time (?? wtf?)working on this issue, and then found out that I had put it on a CC. Alrighy, the the games begin....) I'll be glad to get rid of that insufferable cow. I'm still auctioning; we have one tomorrow. It's huge, but I'm tired, and not looking forward to it. Well, kinda--I just know it's going to be a loooong day. Well, I've lost 15 pounds since the beginning of February, and I am down about 25 pounds from my highest known weight. I bought a pair of jeans last fall that fit a bit loose, but now I can pull them down over my hips without unzipping 'em. My BIL is getting married on Memorial Day weekend (well, the last I heard), and I want to be down about 15 more pounds. (I'm trying to be realistic here). Let's see--I am trying to buy a car. Good Grief. What happened to car prices? I haven't bought one since '96 (Rog got the truck in '01), but geeze louise--10 years car loans? Why?! I'm looking at a used Camry because I want to pay cash (I hate car payments wit ha passion), but I just laugh at some of the prices. (No, I don't want to buy the real estate that the lot is on, I just want to buy a car.) I may have found one, but it's white (which is the one color I specifically did not want), and with this work schedule, I can't get up to the dealer to see it. Rog's cousin owns a dealership (yep--more $$$ than above, and a nice guy to boot), but for some inane, really stupid reason, hubster doesn't want to go to him. (It was OK to see cousin when *he* wanted the truck, but ohhhhnooooo, we can't go when *I* want a car. Go figure.) Hope this finds everyone well--happy birthday Patti! (Dee--lovely job; I couldn't have sang better myself! LOL) Love and hugs, Maddie

Hi guys! Good to see everyone checking in! Patti~ Congrats on the grandbabies! Hope you get to hold them soon. How are your relatives in Texas doing? Are they okay with the weather and all? Amy~ Well, I'm glad you hung in there with your friend. I bet you were the voice of peace and reason for him and helped him through his rough times. LOVE the photos! Absolutely serene and beautiful. I can imagine NHSuzanne and SP riding through the wooded trails! NHSuzanne~ You little brat! You're making me really envy you with all these end of the summer trips and time outs with friends. JK! Have a great time and bring your foot warmers!!!!!! Raeanne~ Shame on you for falling asleep! Morgan the magician's assistant went this time! In her family moment (brought to the viewers by Febreze fabric softner), her mother said there was a spa appointment waiting for her. She'll probably get a LOT of ribbing for THAT one! Anyway, I was glad to see her go instead of our fish monger from Washington! :) DeeMarie! Jam packed weekend, I see! Make healthy choices! In answer to the QOD: Friday: Went to donate blood, but hematocrit was too low - under 35. So I'll try again in a week. Then went to a furniture consignment shop and picked up a cool perfectly round mirror, cast iron 6' tall candle stand, and a cool red shallow bowl. Now it's paperwork at the title company, grocery shopping, and working on a new design. After school, I am taking the girls to Corpse Bride, the new Tim Burton/Johnny Depp movie. I can't wait. Then I might throw a steak and some spinach on the BBQ to give my red blood cells a boost. Saturday: Gotta get party junk for the my DD's party next weekend, so I'm going to Archie McPhee's, the cheap magic store. The kids love it and I do too. Tomorrow night, it's my company yearly Holiday party. WAY too busy where I work between Thanksgiving and New Year's, so they do the party in September. Just remembered! Gotta pick up my dresses from the cleaners! YIKES! The company is hiring a hypnotist, so it ought to be a gas. Sunday: YARD! YARD! YARD! LAUNDRY! LAUNDRY! LAUNDRY! I have to get my yard completely weeded b4 winter rain comes and get bark sprayed to keep the springtime weeds down! I might even get a burst of energy and work on the garage a little. It needs it---badly! Check in people! We wanna hear from you! MARCI! Have your little ones handcuffed you and held you captive? BESH! Have the junior high kids over-run the town and tied all the adults to the witch burning stakes? JEN! How did the ear operation go? Did our little 'Miss' get her Dora the Explorer boots? TIKANAS! You said you'd be back soon!!!! COME BACK! KYSUSIE! JOANNE! Aand all the others I missed! And MADDIE, if you're back - give us a story or two!

Just got in from the land of orange groves and double wide trailers. It was good, actually! I went to get granny first, and I made her cry because I gave her a rotary cutter and self healing mat... she quilts by hand and she's lost her rotary cutter and never had a self healing mat. Her hands shake now and she has trouble cutting in a straight line with fabric scissors, so I thought that would help, and she was really touched... now I just have to get her that Bunn coffee maker she's been talking about. She had a bunch of quilt blocks spread out all over the sofa so she could show me what she has been working on. She's always so happy for me to see her work, and I am so shocked that she insists in quilting by hand at her age... she thinks machine quilting isn't really quilting. I strongly disagree! I brought my Dyson to vacuum for her since her vacuum is so awful. I took the hose off the Dyson to get under her couch where the upright part was too thick to reach and heard a SLURP. The incredible suction of the Dyson pulled in an entire quilt block! And, I was nowhere near it with the wand, I still don't know how it happened. It happened so fast, I didn't even see it, just heard it. I had to open the dust bin up and retrieve it.... I apologized, but she wasn't upset at all... we both got a really good laugh out of it. It didn't even get dusty! Once I realized it didn't bother her, I laughed so hard I cried, and so did she... it took me a while to gain enough composure to retrieve the quilt block from the cleaner. I sucked up enough bobby pins and straight pins to start a factory... not to mention thread a fabric scraps.... I could make a whole quilt with what's in the dust bin. I also brought my new tiffany style lamp to show her and she really liked it. She gave me a card that was really sweet, and apologized that she didn't have any money to buy me a real present... I told her that was silly and love was all I needed (I buy myself enough "stuff")... she said,"Well, that's good because you got plenty of that" (meaning love). It was really sweet. Then we went to my uncle's and the food was ready.. they smoked chicken, grilled chicken, and BBQd chicken. The also had a salad, and baked beans with sausage. It was all REALLY good! My aunt made me a cake (just want I needed!).... it was a boxed yellow cake with store bought icing. I didn't get any salad and they were wondering why... my grandma told them I was dieting and that I love salads (which I have never said because it isn't true), so after eating the other stuff, I had a plate of salad (had to pick the tomatoes out, at least they had ranch dressing). They gave me a card and more mylar balloons (what is up with mylar ballons) and pictures of me as a kid all dressed in halloween costumes and such (remember they were the ones that raised me from 6 to 19). There was another aunt there, another grandma (not the one I was close with... the one I brought was the one I was close with) and my little cousin that I was raised with (she's 19).... we talked a while and ate and then granny stood up, which his her signal that she was ready to go home. I was too at that point.... the aunt was getting annoying (she just doesn't know when to shut up and "picks" on everyone... except me, because I haven't been back in their life long enough yet) and their spoiled black lab was begging for food and trying to lick my face the whole time. So, I took granny home and we talked a while at her place... I looked at her sewing machine and fixed the tension and wrote down the model number so I can download an print a manual for it.... she wants one and it didn't come with one when she bought it. She had trouble letting me go, she didn't want me to leave... she's so bored/lonely living out there, so I promised I'd call and be back soon and started home. It was a good day. The aunt gave me a tupperware cake carrier (turquoise!) to take the cake home in and told me to keep it... it was my little cousin's, exes and he never came to get it after they broke up. That is great because I can keep that one and give Larry my gray and white sterilite one! Oh yeah, and I popped those mylar balloons (my "car scissors" are so handy!) and threw them in the trash at the gas station on the way home. I didn't need them bouncing around in the car during the 50 minute drive home, and they would have just been one more thing to carry home. I tried to find some child to give them to, but there weren't any! I hope they don't go to the gas station later for some chewing tobacco and see them in the garbage (there's only one gas station in that town!). I'm throwing aunt's cake in the trash too because I just don't have room for it. They sent me home with lots of food and I will enjoy it for a few days... I don't have room for 3 cakes, but I'll make room for the chicken and baked beans, even if I have to throw the milk and eggs out! So, yes, a good day, I'm surprised and happy :) Larry is on his way over to try some of the Publix chocolate cake and see his nephew (Jasper the cat) and watch some Lucy :0) I guess I'd better vacuum the cat hair off the sofa (he hates cat hair) and dig a place on the couch for him to sit.... oh yeah, and wash a dish so he can try the cake.... I've been lazy with the housework lately! Thanks again everyone.... by the way, Larry said that isn't the Paula Dean recipe, but one of several he found on Google for the coconut cake. Oh yeah, the Publix cake tastes as great as it looks.... under that dark brown chocolate top layer is a lighter brown layer of mousse like frosting.... man it's good!