Diana, your Saturday sounded like a lot of fun!

Judy, I hope the storm doesn't affect you too much and you don't lose power.

Gayle, that must be so frustrating!!!

I didn't go to work today... I could not fall asleep last night. I had some sleepytime tea before bed, did a word search with Scott, and then did some reading... it was about 12:30 and I still wasn't tired but thought I need to try to sleep. At 1:30 I got up to take an Advil nighttime, which has a little bit of sleeping aid. I had a bit of a headache, which was probably just from not being able to sleep. By 2:30 I still hadn't slept a wink, so I turned on my lamp and started reading again. At 4:30 I closed the book and tried to go back to sleep. I think I fell asleep somewhere around 5, and my alarm went off at 6. I was exhausted, my head ached, and I just didn't feel safe driving on an hour of sleep.

This insomnia just seems to keep getting worse. It will affect me for 3 or 4 days in a row, and then I am fine for a month or so, and then it happens again. On Friday night, one of our friends we were out with says she takes sleeping pills every single night or she just won't sleep. Scott made a joke about her being dependent on them, and she said "Yeah, I don't care" and that's what I DON'T want. I worry if I go to the doctor and get prescribed something for it, I will start to NEED them to sleep.

It is 9:30 pm right now, and I don't feel tired. I just made a whole teapot full of sleepytime tea, so hopefully a few cups will knock me out tonight. Here's to hoping!

Lindsey, make sure that you're not getting caffeine in your tea. Caffeine is one of the major things that keeps me awake. Also.....make sure that you're not exercising before you go to bed. I find that if I take a Tylenol PM....just one.....that it helps me fall asleep when I'm having trouble......which is more and more lately. I've also found that if I sleep with a bar of soap.....any kind......I sleep better. It sounds silly but it does work. I have restless legs and the soap helps but it also helps at other times too. I hope that you can find some relief.....insomnia is not fun.

Gayle, we do have a good time and Glen does an awesome hayrack ride!! It gets pretty wild.....so wild that it concerns me that someone may get hurt sometime. That's what draws the kids to want to come out here!!

We have a group coming again on Saturday. It's my son's youth group from church. We talked to their youth pastor and he's expecting around 70 kids!! That will probably be our largest group. They'll just be here for the evening.....not most of the day. I'll probably stay in the house because we'll have kids in and out all evening to use the bathroom and I like for someone to be inside. I worry about things getting stolen. I have some expensive jewelry that I would hate to lose. (I just bought a safe at a garage sale but I haven't got it put in yet so I won't have to worry about it. I do hide my jewelry but that still makes me nervous.)

I hope that everyone that's involved with Sandy is safe and sound. I know that Gina was worried about some trees in her yard. The winds are suppose to be so bad......I sure hope the trees are ok. I'd hate to hear that one fell on her house. There's also Brenda.....I'm not real sure where she's located but I hope she's alright......And Judy.......I'm not as worried about you knowing that you're on a mountain......but it would not be fun to be without electricity. How is your daughter and her family doing during the storm?

I'm not feeling the best today. I think that I've caught whatever Dean had a while back. Stuffy nose mostly and a bit of a sore throat. I've taken some meds so hopefully they'll kick in soon. I've GOT to get garage sale stuff ready. I didn't get much done yesterday because that was when all of this started and I just felt too cold to go down in the basement to work. It's a little bit cooler down there than it is up here. We have a Pastor/Board something or other this evening.......maybe I can stay home from it......we'll see.

I've got to get some Halloween candy. We don't have a lot of kids that come but the grandkids will probably show up.....or maybe I'll just bake some cookies and have hot cocoa!!

I think that Dae Lynn and I have figured out what Dean.....and Karlie's problem was yesterday.........it was a FULL MOON!!! Karlie got into so much trouble yesterday......it's almost funny what that girl does to get into trouble and Dean was just awful yesterday too. He's a lot better this morning. That's good since I'm not feeling good. Ornery little guy!!!!

Well, it took until midnight but I DID fall asleep last night and slept until 6 this morning :)

Diana, caffiene really affects me too. If I have any caffiene after about 7:00, I am awake all night. So in the evenings I only drink Sleepytime tea - it has no caffiene and has herbs that are supposed to make you fall asleep. It actually does work almost every time!

That is weird about the bar of soap! I haven't heard that one before!

I would be nervous too about things being stolen. It bothers me when people wander around my house, especially if I don't know them well.

I hope everyone on the East coast is staying safe!

I thought of another thing to help you fall asleep when I was laying in bed with the song "Hi-ho....Hi-ho....it's off to work I go......." going through my head!! Does this show that I too am having trouble falling asleep? LOL Think of a beautiful serene place then with each breath count backwards from 100. I rarely make it to 75 before falling asleep.

I use the bar of soap quite a bit for my restless legs. I have NO idea how it works but it does. They say that the feet are one of the most absorbant areas of your body.......but I have no idea what they absorb from a bar of soap!!

I'm feeling slightly better, I think, than yesterday......or it could be that I started out taking meds first thing this morning!! Either way I'm headed to the basement soon to work on garage sale stuff. The ad is coming out in the paper tomorrow so we're committed!! Wish I could snap my fingers and have it done!!

I feel even worse this morning. Bummer! I haven't hardly gotten anything priced for the garage sale. I may just sit things out and tell them to make an offer. Hopefully I'll feel better by Saturday so I can be there. I've gone down to the basement every day and do a little but then give up because I just don't feel like working on it. I'm ready to just sit back and be sick.....not having to worry about a garage sale......but I'm committed to help.

I've been watching FOX news and the devistation from Sandy and what the people are dealing with. I hope that Gina's work is understanding and let her stay home. There is such a shortage of gas and such long lines to get any. Even to drive anywhere looks awful. Hugs Gina!!

Diana, I'm so sorry you are sick. You just must feel terrible. I hope you feel better soon. I know you must really badly if you don't feel like getting ready for the garage sale. Sometimes we do just need to lay in bed and be sick.

I'm going to Oklahoma tomorrow. Gary's niece is having a baby and her baby shower is Saturday. I'm looking forward to seeing all his family. It's supposed to be cold up there, I gotta dig out my warm clothes! :eek:

Drive carefully, Gayle!! Have fun with your family! Too bad that the shower is before the baby is here because you won't get to hold him or her. It will probably be a while before you'll get to see him or her otherwise.

I think that I feel a little better today. It would have been nice to have been able to just lay around but I haven't been able to this time. I hope it doesn't linger on because of it.

I finally felt well enough last night that I went to the basement and got some things priced and I'm heading back down there again in a little bit. We're taking it all into Dae Lynn's this evening and are getting it all put out on the tables in the garage so in the morning all we'll have to do it pull it out. Glen will be there to help with all of the lifting so things should go pretty good. We'll get tables from the church. I'll be so glad when this is over. I know that Dae Lynn will too. She's been so busy lately. But it will be nice to have all of that "stuff" out of the basement too!!!

I'm looking forward to that "extra" hour on Saturday night!! Don't forget to "FALL" back on Saturday evening!!!

Thanks for reminding me Diana! So, we get a extra hour???

Hope your cold gets better!

Quite a few people fro downstate hage come up here since we have electricity, heat, etc. Ir's a mess down there!!

Gayle, I hope you had a safe trip today!

Diana, I am glad you are feeling better and got some things done.

Judy I'm glad you weren't affected too badly with the storm!

We had a snow day today. We had freezing rain last night and then overnight we got about 6 inches of snow - and even more in the city. The government's highway hotline said this morning that for all highways surrounding the city, "travel not recommended" and even though Scott was ready to go, I convinced him to just stay home for the morning. He said he can drive in bad weather and I told him he might be confident, but he can't control everyone else and it was ICY out there... what if another car or truck slid into his lane? So eventually he relented and stayed home. Just before noon, the advisory was lifted, so we drove into the city this afternoon and I picked up my laptop so I can make up today's hours over the weekend. Scott was just going to take a sick day. I don't have any sick days left! He gets double the sick time I do.

Tomorrow if the roads are any better (forecast is more freezing rain and snow) we are heading to a town a couple hours away to visit some friends! She was the MC at our wedding and her husband is big into cars and motorcycles so he gets along well with Scott. Hopefully we can have a good visit!

Today I finally gave the dogs and bath and got them all groomed. It had been awhile and they needed it so bad. I was checking their teeth and OMG....they look horrible. So many are lose too. I just can't afford to have them cleaned right now. By the time I do, they probably won't have any left. Joey only has eight teeth left after they pulled some the last time his were cleaned. He's also lost some weight and is down to 3.0 lbs now. I'm going to get some canned dog food and mix it with his dry. Hopefully I can put some weight on him.

It wore me out so I'm sitting doing nothing since I've had my bath.

Lindsey, I can't imagine having the snow and ice like you do!! I love the snow but that's only because I don't have to get out and drive in it!! I hope you had a good time with your friends!

Janet, so sorry about your dogs teeth. I need to take Jazzi and Reuger in and have theirs cleaned too. I'm just horrible at not making appointments.

I AM finally feeling so much better! Wouldn't you know that the morning of the garage sale I was better!! At least I wasn't out in the cool weather being sick. I didn't get everything marked so I just told people that came that I had been sick and didn't get everything marked and to make an offer.......that our goal was to get rid of stuff. It ended up that Dae Lynn and I made over $500 and we were pretty evenly split on what we made. We were both really pleased. I was so very tired by the time we were done. Glen came and helped us pick everything up. Our church as a Mercy House where they help people in need and also a free garage sale on Thanksgiving weekend so we have places to take what we didn't sell. I kept a few things to sell at the flea market.

After I got done with the garage sale I went to the grocery store and picked up stuff to make a couple of dishes because our church had a church dinner on Sunday......so I had to get them made when I got home.......plus we had another hayrack ride with Feyn's church youth group. They had probably 50 kids and several adults. I went down by the fire to visit but my legs were hurting so badly that I just couldn't stay so I came back up to the house, curled up in a blanket, and watched tv.

I still have some congestion in my sinuses but I'm so much better than I have been. The weekend was just crazy!! It feels so good today to not have the garage sale hanging over my head. Today I have laundry and cleaning to do so I'm just sticking to that. I was going to get started painting Jaci's room but I've decided instead of getting that done I'm going to get the basement straightened up for the holidays. I still have a few things that I got out when I was doing garage sale things that I wanted to keep instead of sell and some things to sell other places....ebay and flea market......so they need to be put away until I can get to them. It's always something!!

I was so glad to see Gina post on FB. I've been worried about her. The conditions sound awful there and I wish that there was something I could do. Do you think that sending a jar of gasoline would help??? LOL I'd probably get arrested for something like that!!!!

Send a can of dry fresh air Diana! Good that you are feeling better and that the flea market was a success, and that it's finally over! How is that beautiful baby?

We had a drop of snow Linds. I don't know how you do it! I guess you are a true Canadian, and used to the weather. I hope the weekend was fun. Have you gotten your wedding photos yet? I hope I didn't miss seeing them!

Janet, you put Day 4 on fb. What happened days 1, 2and 3? What are you counting for? I have to take my 3 in for their teeth, but one at a time. Little Miss Sophie is in heat again, so she will be spayed when she is finished. She is too small to be mated, and I really don't want her to go through a pregnancy. What if something happened to her? Annie lets her hump her all day! I keep telling her to get off though. Poor Annie! But, maybe I should just mind my own business. She wouldn't dare do it to Max!

I have been trying to find all of my music files, documents, pix, etc. on my computer to back them up on flash drives. I gave up! I am doing a free trial on an online storage system. Maybe they will make it easier for me to figure out where all the different files are, and I can back them up from there on flash drives. I want an online back up system also, so if this is good, I will keep it. I think it's about $5/month. My computer is on it's way out. Only one or two usb ports still work, but I am trying to stretch it out for another year.

Nothing much else is doing here. I have to make dinner - I try to make a few days worth at one time. I could do some laundry, have to brush the dogs to check for ticks, and write a story for a writing workshop on Thursday. I can't get through to Jessie today. Our phone company sometimes gets flaky. She did fb me, saying that they are all fine. She didn't call me back all weekend! She said they had a crazy, busy weekend. I think she does not realize that she ought to check in with me, seeing that I live alone! Just venting!

I hope everybody is good!

I think that Janet's counting on FB goes along with the days of the month. I think that people are writing what they are thankful for for the month of November. I know several others that are doing the same thing.

Judy, you sound busy! I think that some of the things you do sound like so much fun!! You must live in a community that has a lot to offer as far as activities.

I forgot to mention that yesterday was my son, Feyn's, birthday. He turned 38!! It seems so strange to have a son that old!! I was only 17 when he was born. He is such a wonderful man.......someone who is a leader. He works hard and has never caused trouble. I'm a proud Mama!!

Today is election day so don't forget to vote!! I'll be going to town in just a little bit to do my part!

I am so much better than even yesterday!! My sinuses are almost cleared out!! Yay!!

Judy, I haven't seen the baby for more than a week because of not feeling well. I didn't want to spread any of what I have had to any of their family! I hate spreading germs and sickness and I'm always very cautious! I may stop and see the baby on the way home from town if they're home.

I have been very remiss is posting here of late! So sorry. My life has been so hectic, and it doesn't show any signs of letting up! The end of the semester is a busy time. I can hardly believe that I only have 4 classes left (my class is on Thursday and of course, we don't have class on Thanksgiving). My students are finishing up various projects and then I have to grade them. I think I'm ready for break.

Alas, I'm still working on things related to Gary's death, it seems there is a never ending list of things that have to be done. I sure hope I'm nearing the end of them!

Emma's birthday is Saturday and mine is Sunday, so I am going to Houston Friday afternoon. I'm really tired and would love a weekend at home, but I would n't miss the joint birthday for anything. We are going to Galveston to Moody Gardens - it's more than a garden, there are lots of activities, aquarium, paddleboat rides, etc. The weather is supposed to be perfect - probably a little warm, but that's OK!

You know, I know we all were not on the same side of the election and some of us are happy and some sad this morning. What I love about all of you is that we can stay great friends through thick and thin. I don't know what I'd do without you all. You helped me so much through the loss of Gary. Love you all!

Judy, we got our wedding photos 6 weeks after the wedding :) I did put an album on Facebook with all of my favorites!! We just got all of the pictures on a disk and I haven't had the time or energy to figure out which one(s) we want up in our house to have them printed!

We had a great weekend visiting with our friends. They had SO much snow there!! The only downside was when we were leaving and Scott accidently locked the car while it was running and the keys were inside! And all of our stuff was inside except us and the dogs. We had to call someone from the nearest city to come out an unlock it for us - it was running for about 45 minutes before we could get in! So needless to say, we were home a little later than expected lol.

Gayle, I hope you have a great time this weekend in Houston!

Diana, I am so glad you are feeling better. I hope you are able to spend lots of time with the baby now to make up for the time you missed being sick!

Lindsay, I've locked my keys in my car too with it running. Luckily, my new car won't lock from the outside when the car is running.

Another busy day, didn't get home till late - it was dark when I made it home. I just hate it when it's dark when I get home. I can't get outside and I feel so confined. I am READY for this semester to BE OVER. Too much drama with students and too many PROBLEMS. Ok, I'm done with my rant.

Hope everyone is having a good week!

I haven't posted much here either Gayle, not sure why though. Mostly nothing really to write about. I think FB has pretty much ruined posting on other sites, at least it has for me. There really hasn't been anything interesting to share.

An awful lot of my posts were ragging on my husband, but I've tried to be mindful of that. It doesn't make things better so why do it?

I do come here and read, but then can't think of anything to post. Nothing new is going on that I can think of. Hope all is well with all of you.

Sorry I have been AOL too. Lots of things going on. Got our son Dustin and his new bride moved last night. They have alot to learn. I know they just want to be out on their own but they could have stayed at our house and saved money. But you know you can't tell them. So they are renting a 1/2 of a duplex. it's about 15 20 minutes from our house. The rent was in their price range. They were suppose to move in on November 1st. But landlord didn't have the carpet or tile laid. The place was a mess. It took all day Saturday to Clean the kitchen so much crap on the cabinets and such. The sunday I cleaned the Bathroom. UGH....It was nasty.
The landlord should have done the cleaning or given them a big break for us cleaning.
But of course not. Plus they were using the electric and water while they were painting and laying the carpet and tile. Did they pro rate that. NO!. They are learning the hard way. They both have horrible allergies. I was cleaning windows last night. Asked them what they were going to do this summer. It has baseboard electric heat. No Air. They had not thought of that. Another lesson learned.
Signed a 1 year lease. I hope they can find something better when that year is up.
Thanks for letting me vent. I am on my own again in this big house. Such is life.
Everyone have a great weekend.

Linda, I'm sure that your kids are just ready to be out on their own. We know that financially it would be better for them to stay but they are proving they are adults. I'm sure you loved the company. I felt the same way when Dae Lynn and the kids lived here. It was hard when they left but now Glena and I are really enjoying the peace and quiet. It helps to have Dean during the day......I miss him terribly when he's gone. He's my little buddy!!

I did finally make it over to see the baby but he was being fed and wasn't too happy so I didn't get to hold him for long. He's not gaining weight. Jaci did the same thing after she was born. I always had trouble with breast feeding so I finally put her on the bottle and she did so much better after that. I don't know what's going on with him......because Tammy has always breast fed with no problems. I'm sure he'll start doing better soon. Jed's fine in every other way so I'm not too worried.

I've been working on laundry still. I'm about all caught up.....Yay!! I have a shelf that I had custom built in our last house that I brought with me. It's been in Jaci's room and I moved it out in a small hallway between the bedrooms yesterday. I'm going to get some pictures copied off, framed, and arranged. You'll be able to see them from the living room.

I'm sorry that I haven't been on for a while. I've been pretty upset over the election results. I know that we don't talk politics on here but I really don't see that Obama has done a good job or will in the future......Enough said.

I agree with Gayle, we know that we have different opinions.....especially on voting but it's nice that we can have our differences and remain friends. I love all of you!!

Well......I'm off to find picture frames.....lace doileys........and other what nots for my shelf!!

Linda, I'm sure they just want to be on their own too. It's an adventure for them, and no matter how bad the place might be to others, it's their first place together and it will be full of memories for them!

Diana, I have followed the US election pretty closely (and have for the past elections as well) and it always amazes me that for countries as close as we are, the whole political thing is completely different in our countries. It is so interesting to me to see what sort of basis presidents are elected on, and the issues that are important to the American public compared to the Canadian public.

We are snowed in today! All highways around the city are supposed to be awful and the government highways hotline is recommending no travel. We had an awful time getting home last night with the icy roads and no visibility. But we got here safely and I am happy to just be stuck inside and watching the snow out the windows :)

Lindsey, I love to be home when it snows......all safe, sound, and warm!! I guess that we had a few flurries yesterday but that was all. The temperature sure dropped while we were at church. It was so nice that we didn't have evening church so Glen and I were just home in our pj's.....all nice and warm. It was such a relaxing day.

Saturday was our last hayrack ride. It was the youth group from our church and the one that is the hardest to do. Whenever we have the hayrack rides we let everyone come up and use the bathroom. I always stay in the house with this group because they are so bad. I had kids beating on the bathroom door......like 3 year olds yelling that they had to "pee"! I had hay EVERYWHERE......none of the other groups left hardly any hay. The toilet overflowed and nobody bothered to tell me.....until the man in charge came up to let me know. He saw the hay everywhere and sent a girl up to clean it up. She didn't do a very good job but it was better than it was. He also had them pick up their trash before they left.....which they don't usually do. Personally I hope that we don't have this group back again......and that's sad to say when it the kids from your own church.

I watched Dean all day on Saturday because Karlie and Dae Lynn had a JBQ meet. JBQ stands for Junior Bible Quiz. It's where the kids memorize questions about the Bible and are quizzed on them against other teams. Karlie and Madelyn, another little girl from our church, tied for first place in points....and with another little boy, they won first place!! I practiced with Karlie a little bit and, MAN....she is really good!! If they interrupt a question then they have to finish the question AND answer it too.

I just found out that Thanksgiving is NEXT week!! I didn't realize that it was THAT soon!! I guess I should look at a calendar more often!!

Diana...you're so funny!!! I knew it was coming up fast. We've been invited to Rick's cousin's house for Thanksgiving, but we are declining. I'm going to go ahead and fix a turkey, small ham, potatoes, crock pot stuffing, rolls, veggie tray and noodes.....oh...and let's not forget dessert! I'm not fixing a lot of anything since it will just be the three of us, but we've decided we would enjoy it more at home. That way the guys can get up and go hunting, come back to eat and rest and go back out again.

The both get Thanksgiving off, but then Rick is taking Friday and the whole next week off for vacation. SUCKS for me. I usually had the holidays to myself (and Ricky when he was in school) and now it's going to be totally different! I don't sound nice do I? He has more days to take before the end of the year or he'll lose them....it just better not screw up my Christmas time off. I'm trying to talk him to to going and seeing his brother in Kentucky, but I don't think it's working.

Well.....I guess that we're celebrating Thanksgiving on Friday evening......THIS Friday evening. Jaci and Nate......and Dae Lynn and Damon were going to be gone so the kids decided that we wanted to have everyone together so Amy talked to all of them and got everything all worked out.

We're going to have chili.....either as soup or with baked potatoes so nothing will be traditional as far as the food. I have to bake the potatoes and make a dessert so that will be easy enough.......So I guess that Glen and I will be alone on Thanksgiving day. There's a restaurant in town that serves a traditional dinner so we may go and do that. We'll see.

I have a cousin, Ruth Ann, that I've invited with her son, Brandon. Our dad's were brothers. She's like me in the sense of only having one brother......and he's on drugs and in an institution. Her mother was an only child so she really doesn't have any family now besides us. We always have room at the table for a few more so I hope she comes.

Dean's been so cute today!! He watches Doc McStuffin on TV. She is a doctor for toys. Anyway we have some toy doctor things and he's been diagnosing me......I have "doc-osis"!! He checks my heart and says "Thump....thump!!" He even checked Glen over this morning!! He's really starting to use his imagination and it's so cute!!

Mom and I are going to Houston to be with the kids for Thanksgiving. I hope mom does OK, she sometimes gets confused in a strange environment. Because she broke her leg last year, I didn't take her to Houston very much. I may sleep on the couch in her room just to be sure she doesn't get up and fall.

i've been really tired this week. The time change always bothers me, but it seems like it is worse this time, or something is causing me to be really tired.

Austin will be CRAZY this weekend. We are having a Formula One auto race here on Saturday or Sunday (I'm not sure which day. LOL!). They usually have Formula One races in Europe, and I think this is the first race in the U.S. in a long long time. So, we will have LOTS of Europeans here - they've already begun to arrive. There are lots of streets downtown that are blocked off, there are festivals and all sorts of things. Myself. I'm staying as far away from all the hoopla as possible!!!

Yesterday we hit a deer on our way to work. I knew it would happen sometime. There are sooooo many deer on our highway. Every morning there is at least one dead deer on the side of the road. Anyways, we are lucky it was just a small one. I was looking at my phone, reading the news, and Scott swore and hit the brakes and it was just a weird feeling. I looked up and just saw it bounce off the front of the car. I felt so bad for the deer I wanted to cry. We needed to make sure it was dead but I didn't want to get too close. I called the RCMP in the city and they said at our location, we'll have to call the local RCMP. So Scott called there and there was no answer - he left a message. I found out later the local RCMP is only staffed on Tuesday and Thursday from 1-4 pm. Great hours for the police!!! So Wednesday at 7:30 am wasn't going to do much good. The deer had gone across the highway and skidded into the ditch. It was laying there still and didn't look like it was breathing.... I really hope it died on impact and wasn't in pain. It was just an awful feeling. Normally we are supposed to call the RCMP and they come check it out or get a conservation officer out to kill the animal if it is not dead. It's illegal to let an animal suffer.

Anyways, so that was the unfortunate highlight of my day :(

On another topic, Scott and I might be taking on another job. We have been talking for months with a company that works with exchange students. A few months ago our local newsletter said they needed host famlies for some exchange students, and by the time we talked to them, they already had homes. It was okay with me, because I don't think we're ready to raise teenagers yet! Anyways, yesterday they contacted Scott and asked if we'd like to be the Area Reps for our town. Basically we conduct in-home interviews with potential host families, write reports about the people, their living conditions, take pictures of the home etc. and send it to the company for review. They make all the decisions, we are just the middle man. We would also meet new students at the airport, and do orientations with the students and their host families. We'd be required to follow up monthly and write and submit a progress report to the company. We also have to be available to the students and the host families to talk to about any concerns. Also, if there are local students interested in an exchange, we'd meet with them and interview them and their families and do an orientation if they go through with it. The pay is very little but I think it would be a cool thing to do, and we'd meet more people, and help out a lot of kids! It might be more fulfilling than my day job, without having to actually change careers! It really would only end up being maybe 2-3 hours of our time per month, per student.

We haven't answered yes or no yet, but we are meeting tonight with local families and three German exchange students that are attending the local high school. We are already basically signed up to be an "extra" - we're around to help out if needed and if an emergency comes up we are able to take a student for a few days if the host family is unable to. So it's just a good chance to meet everyone!

I'm kind of excited about it all :) I was really nervous when Scott wanted to BE a host family, but now that we are able to be in a different role I think it could be a good fit for us!

That sounds like alot of fun. International students can be so interesting to visit with. It will be good for them because you'll be close to their age and be easy to talk to. Cool!! I would love to be able to do that!!

We have exchange students that come to high school in our community. Jaci was friends with a couple of them. They were really sweet kids!!

I don't have Dean today. Last night after The Alley, when I took Karlie home, she complained that her stomach hurt and she didn't fell good. I guess that she really didn't feel sick since they kept her home today. I hope that it's a short lived thing because tomorrow night is when the family is all coming over and I'd hate for her to miss out.

I finally stopped at Feyn's last night and held Baby Jed!! He is sooooo cute!!! He's finally starting to pick up a little weight. I guess the doctor was concerned about that. He makes so many faces while he sleeps and little noises too......just like I remember Feyn doing. I was able to hold him to my hearts content so I'm a happy grandma!!!

I'm so glad you got to spend some time with baby Jed!!! And I hope Karlie is feeling better soon!

We had a few exchange students when I grew up too, and I am still friends with one on Facebook :) I knew her when I was about 15. I actually was supposed to be an exchange student when I was in high school as well. I had the forms filled out and the medical done and everything. I just had to submit it and have a host family found in Scotland, where I hoped to go. HOWEVER, my boyfriend at the time basically said he would be so depressed and would stay in bed all day every day until I came home and he could talk to me again. We had been together for about two years. His mom also said she didn't know how a kid could go away for that long and be away from family. I decided not to go, to keep him happy. I didn't tell my parents it was because of him or his family though, I made up some other excuse. A year later, he broke up with me and I found out he had been cheating on me for a year! THEN who was depressed? That was my biggest regret from my teenage years. I am glad I finally got to see Scotland with Scott! If I had not gotten another opportunity I'd be kicking myself for the rest of my life!

Instead of kicking yourself.....it sounds like you should be kicking the boyfriend!!! LOL

Today I'm trying to get cleaning done and some cooking. The girls pretty much have everything taken care of so I don't have a lot to cook. We're having chili....and a potato bar. I need to go to the grocery store too. Wish ya'll could be here.....it will be a fun evening!!

Oh Diana I wish I could be there too! Sounds delicious!!!!

We met the exchange students last night and they were great! They are three girls, and with the exception of one, you wouldn't even know they aren't from here. One has a slight accent, but the other two sound just like us and they all have great English skills! The host mothers are great as well, and it was a good gathering. Scott and I are going to fill out the papers this weekend to be reps. I guess the reasoning for it is that one of the girls had issues with her host family, so after an agreement, the area rep took her in to her own family. That's a conflict of interest, so this one girl needs a new area rep. But the woman who does it now told us that we are welcome to take over repping all three if we want to, because she is busy enough with hosting the student now, and working, and having two of her own little kids at home. So we'll have to decide on that!

We have a busy weekend ahead! Scott has a doctor appointment tomorrow about his heart, and we have to take the car in for the insurance stuff for hitting the deer. I also want to get Christmas decorations up outside our house because the weather is supposed to be nice - you know, Canada-nice lol! Below freezing, but not too much below freezing :D On top of that we have lots of shopping to do and I have a full weekend of job-work to do for a project I need to have done by Wednesday. I am so glad I set up a real home office last weekend so I don't have to take over the dining room table anymore!

Even though my office closes for a week and a half over Christmas, I am going to work through that break too if I am given permission from my boss. I need to save my banked and holiday time for our Africa trip. So basically I won't get a chance to rest until March! I'm sure it will be worth it though. I guess I have turned into a workaholic!

Hope your Thanksgiving was nice Diana. This morning I went to the grocery store to get what I'll be making for Thanksgiving Day. Pretty much the usual, just not as much. Not sure what else I'll do today.

I went to the local craft show this morning. It's so fun to look at all the pretty things. I only bought things for Christmas gifts. Before the craft show, I took mom out for breakfast at Cracker Barrel. That's her favorite breakfast spot.

Like Janet, I need to go to the grocery store for some thanksgiving things. Brooke got almost everything already but Abi asked if I would make noodles so I need to get the things for that.

I love Cracker Barrel!! Yummm.......

We had a nice Thanksgiving. It ended up that Dean was sick and Dae Lynn felt like he needed his Mom so they all ended up staying home.....except for Karlie. It ended up that they were all sick the next day so it was for the best that they didn't come. We've got something really contagious going around.

I got to hold little Jed for quite a while.....he's so adorable!! And my Mom got to hold him for a long time too. She really loves it when the kids are little and cuddly.

Feyn and Tammy got here late because they went and had pictures taken. I can't wait to see them. Since they got here late everyone was pretty tired and we mostly sat and visited.

Before we ate Glen said the prayer.......and during the prayer I was pestering Amy and we ended up in a pushing match by the time the prayer was over.....and was laughing at the end! We looked up and everyone was looking at us......and someone said "Did you catch that?".........and Amy was able to remember the last few words said......something about July. We were able to finally figure out that Jaci is expecting!! I was so excited!! I felt really bad that I wasn't listening to the prayer and spoiled it!! But I think that I recovered pretty good!! She's 7 weeks along and the sonogram shows a strong heartbeat so everything looks good!!! She's due July 3rd!! Yay!!!

I ended up keeping Karlie overnight and we went to an auction the next morning. I never had to worry about where Karlie was at.......because she was right beside the auctioneer handling everything that was being auctioned off!!! That child loves to be the center of attention!! If they were selling chairs......she was sitting on them!!! She loved going!! I bought a few things but not what I intended to buy. I bought a lawn mower, a diamond ring, an antique beaded purse, some antique jewelry, and an old drying rack. It was fun and a beautiful day out!

Congratulations on being a new grandma! Your baby is having a baby! We will have our thanksgiving on Thursday. I finally got my grocery shopping done. I made noodles tonight and they are drying on the dining room table.

I already told you how happy I am for Jaci!!! Such wonderful news!!!

Today I'm getting things made for tomorrow. Have bread drying for the dressing since yesterday, eggs are boiled, veggies needed in recipes are cut, diced, etc., so all I have to do is ad them. Here in a bit I'll make the deviled eggs and I think I'm going to go ahead and fix the stuffed mushrooms today. We all love them heated up just as much so it will be one less thing to cook tomorrow. I may even make the noodles today. I will peel potatoes and put them in water in the fridge so I just won't have much to do tomorrow at all.

I'm feeling better about the holiday....I miss Mom terribly and try to stay busy so I can fight off depression. I know you understand Gayle, I'm sure it will be so sad for you to go through your first holiday without Gary. You're in my thoughts and prayers.

Hi Janet. Yes, it's really hard without Gary but we talk about him a lot and talk about what he would be saying or doing or eating if he were here and that really helps. His birthday is next Thursday and I will be in Austin alone and I know that is going to be hard.

Diana, a new grandbaby! How exciting!!!

I have been working my butt off. It is only Wednesday and I have already worked 10.5 hours of overtime this week, and I am working more tonight. I am sooooo sleepy. I hope I can get everything done early and go to sleep at a normal time.

I don't think I can even tell you what else is new, because my brain is stuck on work! It's good though, I need the extra overtime knowing I now need an extra week off next year for my brother's wedding. I have to ask permission to work over the Christmas break as well. My friend who works in a different department at my company said they were told they could not work even if they have work to do. So if I DO have to use holiday or banked time while the office is closed, at least this overitme now can be used towards that. Such is the life of a workaholic!

Had a busy day getting ready for tomorrow. Deviled eggs are made, potatoes peeled, dressing is ready to mix up and put in the crockpot, mushrooms ready to be stuffed, turkey and ham ready to be cooked. Noodles ready, and rolls out to be warmed. I cheated this year....the band at school was selling pies for their fundraiser so I bought a pecan pie for me, strawberry rhubarb for Ricky and Rick bought himself a sugar creme. I think everything will be easy tomorrow, since basically it's just putting it in the oven or on the stove.

Enjoy the day everyone!

Not the same.

What's "not the same," Janet?

Congrats Diana!!! What a wonderful surprise! I remember when Jaci was Homecoming Queen, and so cute in that school show. Now, she will be a Mama!
You are a very lucky woman! So many babies, so much love!

Linds, don't stress over work days. Life is short....enjoy! I feel for you about the deer. I hit one last year, but I only got it in the hip, and it ran off. There was NO damage to my car, so I figured I didn't hurt it much. Whew! I felt sick though.

I made Thanksgiving in my house! Jessie made the stuffing and the veggies, and I made the turkey, potatoes, cranberry sauce, etc. The kids and I were so excited, facebooking each other back and forth! Kass woke up yersterday morning, and ran into Jessie, asking her if she called me yet to make sure I got up to make the turkey!

The turkey came out perfect! That was s bit surprising since they so often are too dry. I found a food thermometer, and that did the trick I think. Well, maybe the ton of butter I used in the stock and basted it with helped too!

It was a wonderful day. At the end, of course, Steve took some off the pleasure out of it, but I refuse to dwell on it.

My dishwasher died two days ago, and then my sink was leaking from a pipe!
I got the good paper plates so I wouldn't have to wash dishes. We even used plastic forks and knives and cups! There weren't too many dishes at the end, and I washed them in the bathroom sink. Steve had rigged up the drainpipe in the kitchen so I could use the sink, but I really didn't want to take the chance of a flood.

I was soooo tired after I finished cleaning up! Jessie had put everything away already, and took tons of food home. It was a really good day! The kids were wonderful.

I am going into Oneonta to Sears to pick out a new dishwasher. On Black Friday! Help! I know what I want, but I would like to see what is on sale anyway, and see this Maytag I want. It got really good reviews.

Gayle, I know you must miss Gary so much. You are always in my thoughts.

It sounds like everyone had a good Thanksgiving with sooo much food!! Glen and I were home alone......well, I was alone......he was out harvesting soybeans. The weather was nice and there was work to be done and since we'd already celebrated with the kids he worked. I ended up fixing a nice supper for us. I really missed not having turkey though!!

I started taking the wallpaper border down in Jaci's room. Dark purple with a star border just isn't for me anymore!! I picked out a medium taupe color. I'm excited to get the room painted and get the furniture in it. I want to have it done before Christmas gets here and I don't think that it will be a problem to have it done by then.

We took the Tahoe in to get repaired. A "service 4-wheel drive" warning has been on for some time. We had it repaired a while back but obviously it didn't help. We got it back this morning and the warning is still on. I guess it's going back again. We've also had problems with the AC and heater for some time. It's been in before on that but again, it's not fixed. If it can't be fixed this time then I'm going to try and talk Glen into trading it in. Not having an AC or heat is not fun.....oh, it works off and on......but on the off times it's running the opposite of what it's suppose to.

My brother, Delaine, came over yesterday. It was his birthday and he was in town to see his girlfriend and since they were fighting he came out to see me while he cooled down. I really don't enjoy my brother. All he wants to talk about is himself.....and a lot of that is bragging. He doesn't talk much about his kids.......just himself. He tells me how much he loves this girl that he's fighting with........but then he tells me how he's attracted to this other girl and he talks all about her. My brother is soooo much like my Dad......and I don't mean that in a good way. My Dad also liked to talk about himself. I was so relieved when he finally left.......after 2 or 3 HOURS!!!! It's so sad when you only have one sibling and you can't hardly stand to be around him!!! BTW......he's already been married 4 times and is working on his 5th and I can already tell that it's not going to work and I mentioned that. UGH!! Sorry but I could go on and on.......believe me, Glen's already had an ear full of my fustration!!!

On a better note.......I went over the other day and got to hold Little Jed!! He's so cute!! He's starting to fill out and was smiling a little. He makes a lot of expressions with his face and little noises all the time......so cute!!