Chit Chat for December 2022

[Gail Norusis]

#145545

Hi All.
Adele DD sent an email this morning to us all saying she had a cold. Maybe you missed it.
We went to kind of an unusual Christmas concert last night I can’t even describe it.
It was a combination of Victorian, the Beatles and Egyptian. lol
Not your usual Christmas fare.
Adele, tell Bobby I said not be a Grinch! You need all the cheerful colorful stuff that you can get this year.
I too am doing quite a few gift cards this year but also presents mixed in.
Lachlan is the one that is really hard to get stuff for. I wish they made gift cards for the occulus.
Plus I haven’t seen a lot of him lately as he has been spending a lot of time at Adam’s. Adam got him a bearded dragon that he keeps there.
I guess he’s getting to an age where he needs and wants more of that male influence.
Since neither Greg nor I came from a divorced family I have a hard time knowing what they might be feeling about things. They never seemed upset when their parents split but i always felt there must be an underlying sadness. But I have always been afraid to talk to them about it and they never brought it up. So it’s kind of something that is there but not there. It would be different if one person in the divorce was bad but it was more an instance of people falling out of love or more probably marrying too quickly without really knowing the other person.
Isn’t it strange that there is no handbook for two of the most important things that we do in life-marrying and having children. We just have to jump in and do the best that we can.
I have all my Christmas boxes out and can work on decorating and get some done every day. I hope to get done earlier this Christmas. We’ll see. lol
Gail

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[Colleen]

#145572

Hi Gail,
I know what you mean about kids with divorced parents. No matter how bad things are at home kids still love both their parents and do not understand why they separated. Then if you have one that talks bad about the other that makes it worse. It is hard to talk to them about any of it.
That concert was different. Who were the performers? I think that we all need to do something different and try to enjoy it. That will be one experience you will never forget.
I love the picture of the Christmas tree by the fire place. That is really pretty. I wish we had a fire place. My mom and dad had one in their family room upstairs and one in the basement. They had a family room down there also. I miss that.
I do not have one Christmas thing out yet. I cannot believe that I don’t. I need to get started and maybe we will all cheer up. We need to get this place decorated. I will have to get my grand daughter over here to help me. Once she gets started you can’t stop her.
That is about all from here. Have a great day and stay safe.
Colleen

[Colleen]

#145573

Hi Adele,
I am glad that you are getting some things put up for Christmas. I agree Bobby needs to quit being a Grinch. He should be putting up the decorations. It will make you feel better.
It is hard to find things for kids. They are getting older and their tastes have changed. My one grand is into computers and I cannot understand all that stuff.
It is hard to get rid of all Gary’s stuff. You are doing such a good job getting that done. I like the Salvation Army also. They seem to do such good work for everyone. I like them better then red cross.
I did some shopping yesterday with my oldest daughter. We had a good day. She helps me pick out the stuff for her kids and Brook’s. Grayson is getting hard because of his age. I get things for him that he is either too old for or too young. You would think with all the grands I have I would know by now.
Well that is all from here. Have a great day and stay safe.
Colleen

[Gail Norusis]

#145711

Hi Everyone,
Just thought I’d drop in with a progress update.
I am moving along in my decorating.
How come it takes me four times as long as it used to and I do less. lol
I still have to do the foyer and the fireplace mantel and put the village on the piano.
We didn’t get the new railings put in yet so I guess i will just go ahead and decorate the old ones.
I have a couple more wreathes to put up and have to change the batteries in the lanterns on the front porch and put the bows on them.
We still have to put up the tree in the family room but that’s small and doesn’t take long so I’m hoping to be all done by the time the weekend is over.
Jenny got her new couch. I am so excited to see it and sit in it and see if it is easier for me and Greg to get up off of. lol Her other one was so low and with my bad knees it was a struggle to get out of.
However, we won’t be going over tonight as she is having her Christmas wine party exchange thing. She always invites me but there’s all the young girls there so I don’t want to cramp their style. lol
It’s snowing like crazy right now here. it looks kind of pretty. I can say that as it will be forty tomorrow so I know it will all melt.
Shopping’s done except for a couple of gift cards and sending Omaha steaks to Brent and Tynasha.
Now I have to wrap and send cards. So far we have gotten only one Christmas card this year. Except for the ones from businesses or the places we give charitable donations to. I know people send less and less but i still like to send some pretty cards to people. I guess I will keep doing it until I can no longer hold a pen.
Adele, will JJ be able to stay with you over Christmas break from school?
Colleen, are Melissa and the kids coming in for Christmas?
Gail

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[Colleen]

#145720

Hi Gail,
You are a lot further with your decorating then I am. I still do not have one thing up. I have to get started this week-end and finish by Monday. Ron’s sister is supposed to spend the night one night next week so it would be nice to have the house decorated. She is having a pace maker put in and is not sure if she should be home by herself after they do that. We will see what they say.
That will be nice to sit on a couch that you will not have trouble getting up from. I sit in a recliner at home all the time. It makes it easier to get up and down and put my feet up when they are swollen or hurt.
How much snow are you supposed to get? We had one snow already this year and it may be the only one that we have. It is fun to have snow now we can watch our little Grayson play in it. Next year he will be able to sled down the hill in the front yard. It is not very big but big enough for the kids to have fun.
Melissa and the kids cannot be here Christmas day but they can New Years day. They are supposed to spend a week but I do not see how she is going to do that with the kids in school. We will see.
I am not done with my shopping yet. I have never been this far behind before. I have got to do better next year. It has just been a crazy year this year. We are doing our dinner different this year. I am making the ham and the mac and cheese and the girls are bringing dishes to pass. So I will not have to do a lot of cooking this year. We will see how that works out. Where are you having Christmas this year?
Well that is all from here. Have a good night and stay safe.
Colleen

[Gail Norusis]

#145745

Hi Colleen,
We will have Christmas here. Usually Jenny has Thanksgiving and I have Christmas. Until I get too old and then she will have to do it all.
I’m glad people are bringing dishes to pass at your house that will make it easier.
I’m glad Melissa can make it for New Years. It will be good to see her and the kids. Ethan must be so grown now.
I just have to put up the Christmas village and the family room tree and we will be done with decorating unless I find something that I missed.
Greg’s business partner had a pace maker put in last year and it is amazing. He is monitored for it 24 hours a day through his phone. Technology is so far advanced. I couldn’t believe it when he told us about that.
Greg has a recliner. I usually sit on the couch and put my feet up on an ottoman. I never really liked recliners for some reason. I guess maybe because I like to sit on a chair with my legs curled next to me and couches are better for that.
We didn’t get much snow. Just enough to cover everything and make it look pretty. It’s all melting right now though. It’s supposed to be 40 this week and turn colder next weekend.
Gail

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[Colleen]

#145784

Hi Gail,
Ron keeps thinking of things that I should fix for Christmas. He was the one who told the kids that I need to have some help for Christmas dinner. They are going to think that he is not serious. I guess that he cannot make up his mind.
Ethan is really getting to be a man. His voice is deep now and he has a facial hair. He has to shave every morning. He will graduate from high school next year. Time is going by so fast.
Wow that is amazing that they can keep track of the pace maker with his cell phone. It probably makes it easier on the people that have one. They do not have to go to the doctors office as often as before. They are really coming up with some amazing things.
It is nice to see the snow even if it is for just a day. It is so pretty. We had a lot of snow the day after Thanksgiving and it stayed on the ground for a few days.
Well that is all from here. Have a great day and stay safe.
Colleen

[Gail Norusis]

#145883

Hi Colleen,
Tell Ron if he keeps on thinking of new things to make for Christmas he will have to make them himself. lol
I hope you got some decorating done.
I am deciding what to make for Christmas.
Really it’s only the adults that care-the young kids don’t really care about the meal at all.
We are getting some more snow here. Not a lot but enough to coat things and make them look pretty.
Brent said he got a lot-so much so that roads were closed and he stayed home from work.
have a great weekend.
Gail

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[Colleen]

#145901

Hi Gail,
I may have to have Ron do some cooking for Christmas. He can think of more things he likes on the holidays. He likes a lot. He has things that his mom use to fix and mine. So I think that we will have to have meals that one day are his moms recipes and the next my mom’s. Then it will not be as much cooking. lol
We have not had any snow yet but it is really cold here. They are saying that we may have snow here on Monday we will see. It is supposed to last until Christmas. It will be interesting to see if they are right. I finally got my shopping done and do not have to worry anymore. Ron and I did the lst of the shopping yesterday so that was nice.
Well tha5 is all from here. Have a grea day and stay safe.
Colleen

[Dianne Danielson]

#146039

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!
Hi Ladies,
Sorry I haven’t been on here this month. I had a bad cold earlier but I’m fine now. We’re having the coldest temps we’ve seen in yrs. Right now we’re at 14 degrees. No snow, yet, but some is coming later today, followed by freezing rain. It’s supposed to move out Sat. & normal rain comes in. It’ll be a balmy 54 Christmas Day. We’re getting the back side of the polar express you guys are getting full on.
Please stay safe everyone.
I realize it’s gonna be a hard holiday season for you, Adele, & Colleen. I’m sending lots of hugs & love.
I’m playing Home Alone right now.
They’re having a Christmas dinner downstairs & I’ll be going down in a little while.
Well, that’s all I have for now.
Take care, stay safe & stay warm.
dd & Snowball

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[Gail Norusis]

#146060

Hi Everyone,
Well it’s two days tp Christmas. It seems like after Thanksgiving we turn around and it’s Christmas in the blink of an eye. Got wrapping and card sending done and now it’s cleaning and meal prep.
We were lucky and ducked the blizzard that was forecast and now just have to contend with the frigid temps and blowing snow. When I got up it was minus 11 with wind chills of minus 33. Now that’s bitter cold. Time to get a fire in the wood burner. I would say we only got two or three inches of snow. However when you live in the country and there are winds the roads can fill up ten minutes after they were plowed. I know schools were cancelled and even without a lot of snow many times they will cancel for frigid temperatures too.
DD, I’m glad that you are feeling better. I love your pictures. The one reminded me of when you often would see trains under the Christmas tree. Greg said he had one built by his grand father under the tree. I never got to see it because the bad SIL went in and stole it without telling anybody when she was visiting Greg’s mother once. She was the one that was always trying to take other stuff from Greg’s Mom’s house when she visited. Anyway, I wonder what happened to the train and she is now gone and her kids and grandkids are mostly grown up too. I would hate to see it discarded in a trash bin somewhere.
I know Greg has many things saved that were made by his grand father but they have no value to anyone but him so I know some day when we are gone the kids will get rid of all that stuff. Oh well-that’s the way of the world now. I know I wanted my grandmother’s china so much and my mother gave it to me when she got older. But I know my kids will never want it-twenty five years ago it at least had value as antique but I doubt that’s even true anymore. Well, I’m not going to worry about that stuff now.
Piper’s birthday was Wednesday-the shortest day of the year. So as my Dad used to say now the days will start getting longer again little by little. He always said that every year so I always think about him on that date. He died in 1982 so it’s been forty years now. The kids were babies so they have no recollection of either grandpa as Greg’s Dad died a couple years later. I always found that a little sad as I have vivid memories of all my grand parents. I don’t mean to be maudlin I guess as another year comes to a close i am reflecting on the past a bit.
At least the sun is shining this morning even if it is unbearably cold.
Anyway as Christmas approaches I want to wish you all a blessed, peaceful, warm and lovely holiday.
Sending love, hugs and prayers to you all.
Gail

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[Colleen]

#146068

Hi DD,
It is really good to hear from you. I am glad that you are feeling better. This weather is horrible. It is below zero here but at least the sun is shinning and the wind has died down. I hope that you are keeping warm where you are. We are doing the best that we can. Not going anywhere until it warms up again. I am glad that we have all the things we need for Christmas and do not have to go back out.
I hope you have a good dinner there where you live. That is nice that they do that. Are you going anywhere Christmas day? We are having people here. So at least we will not have to go out. I am not good with all these temps under zero. This is going to be a hard winter. We have snow on the ground and it will probably be around for a long time.
I hope that you have a Blessed Christmas and stay safe.
Colleen

[Colleen]

#146070

Hi Gail,
I was wondering how you were doing there. Your weather is usually worse then ours. We have about 2 inches on the ground and it is below zero here. The
only nice thing about today is the sun is shinning but it is not warm enough for the snow to melt.
You never know about kids. I have a mister and Mrs. Santa Cause that my mom mad and I was surprised that Danyielle wanted it. She can set it by her fire place. I think that Aliza will like that. Danyielle is the one that said that she would not take any of the Santa’s in my collection but I guess now that her kids are older and they like to decorate so I guess she likes things like that a lot more. My mom made them so that be why she wants of them.
My mom use to say that also. She always said that the older we get the faster time goes by. I cannot believe that I have two grand kids that are in their twenties. It is hard to believe. I am great grandma already and it does not seem like I am old enough for that. Oh well it was bound to happen.
I wish you and your A Blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Colleen

[Dianne Danielson]

#146124

Hi Ladies,
I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. I know the weather has been/is horrible back there. We got just a small taste of it the past few days. We got the backside of the polar express & it shut down
Portland starting Thursday. Mostly freezing rain/ice which is far worse than snow. It’s kind of a blurr since the holiday was on the weekend. the temps were single digits in most places. We almost got that low, teens at night. But the regular Pacific rain has returned & we could see plenty of wet weather this week. Soggy city, instead of Rose City. Plenty of snow in the higher elevations/ mountains. Skiers will love that for the next holiday weekend coming up.
Gail, that’s a shame about those trains. They’d be worth something, esp. to a collector. Oh well, water under the bridge. It just irritates me no end when people steal from their family members.
I don’t know about the rest of you but I’m kinda glad the holidays are almost behind us. Guess I’m getting old too. It takes me so long to get the place decorated, then the days just flyyyy by so fast. I don’t know where this yr went!! Now I have to take it down & put it away. Ugh. I’m not sure I’ll be able to do it next yr. Everything is getting harder to do!!!
Well, that’s all for tonight. I hope everyone has a safe NYE & New Years.
dd & Snowball.

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[Colleen]

#146197

Hi DD,
We had a good Christmas. It was cold and but the roads were not as bad as they had been. I am glad that we could get together. I am sorry to hear that you are going to get ice instead of snow. I would rather have the snow and no rain and ice. It is supposed to warm up here and then start raining. At least it will not be ice.
We still have more company coming. My youngest daughter is coming Friday so we will have another dinner. It will not be as good as the one we had Christmas. It will be good though.
Have a good day and stay safe.
Colleen
p.s. The santa with a mask is like the one my brother gave us the Christmas before he died.

[Gail Norusis]

#146338

I’ve started a new discussion for January. See you all there.

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