Wait I remember that when you actually reach this elusive number things disappear and a door to a new page opens
Perhaps that is where my witty missives have gone
Jo
Good Gospel Coalition piece on pain (“Don’t downplay the pain”):
~ … So we grieve and acknowledge our suffering without cheapening the pain as if it’s something we should call good in and of itself. But we also don’t lose heart, because we’ll find strength, comfort, and reason to endure as Jesus enters it with us. We find life in him even within the depths of darkness.
It’s not the pain that transforms us. It’s Jesus’s presence in the pain. The truth Paul shared with the Corinthian church remains true for us:
Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. (2 Cor. 4:16-18)
In the darkest places, may we one day find we’re standing on holy ground, not because of the pain but because we’ve experienced Jesus’s transforming power in it. ~
So the flocks of woodpeckers are in the neighborhood. Haven’t attacked my house yet, but they are getting ready.
So, I called for the third time the fella who can take care of this and told him we had talked before. He said he was too busy and gave me the name of someone else. Wow, that’s the first time that has happened. Took a lot of courage for me to call him for the third time.
Got the guy with the blinds to give me 30% off so now I need to go pay my deposit.
Then I have to buy my ticket to the Nutcracker which I don’t really want to go to, but it is granddaughters last performance.
Kathaleena – This morning, you mentioned having a very difficult time resisting books. That reminded me of when Hubby and I would go to Costco, he would go off to find what we needed, and I would make a beeline to the long book table. 🙂
Son’s girlfriend got a promotion. To celebrate from a distance, he sent her flowers. When I asked what kind, I heard him say “Plastic.” I cringed and thought, “No!” I thought maybe he meant silk, not good, either, but better than plastic. I got clarification. He straightened me out. He’d said, “Classic.”
Morning! Snowy and icy but the sun has arrived with blue skies! Winter Wonderland we have around here!
Now I must drive a half hour east for a ladies Christmas brunch…hoping for clearer roads by the time I head out.
Janice such a sweet gesture and a delight for his girlfriend I am certain. This relationship sounds promising!!
Woodpeckers erggg!! The nuthatches peck on our stucco even though we have placed nesting boxes all around in strategic locations. The Hairy Woodpeckers hit the vents on the roof trying to attract a girlfriend!!
It’s still in the 60’s here with rain and fog so it feels like Sleepy Hollow as I imagine that to be.
I have been on our prayer call line this morning for two hours. It is such a blessing to have friends who gather to pray. We had six today.
I ordered some books and a hanging shelving unit for the back of the door. Amazon delivered on time, overnight between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. Art remembered to check at 4 a.m. when he got up to use the bathroom. I know those delivery hours are expedient, but it seems it gives more opportunity for theft and even harm to the drivers.
As usual, the product turns out to be smaller than the picture shows. They must have used narrow doors for the photos of the hanging shelving units. It looks half the size of what I expected. I should have measured to better undertand sizing.
We will have way double digits wind chill. I would prefer to stay in. However, it is beautiful out and we will dress appropriately. Thank God for advances in warm clothing! I do love the coziness of winter and the beauty. I hope you all have a good day.
My appetite is slowly returning, which should help with the weakness and strength issues. Just a slower process than I would prefer. My wife is such a great help to me, and I thank God daily for her. The kids are on mandatory 10hours a week OT, so they’re not around much right now. I will see the visiting nurse again tomorrow and the Dr Friday.
Cold here but sunshiny! We definitely will have a While Christmas because with our temps this snow isn’t leaving anytime soon.
The drive out east yesterday was a white knuckle event. Thick ice and the plows seemed to have forgotten rural dwellers. But once I got to my friend’s home a lovely time was experienced by all.
Praying still for you all Aj. ❣️
Heading over to the charter school to donate a Van De Graaff generator to the science teachers. It was used only once when husband taught physics. They are happy to replace their broken one!😊 ⚡️
Good morning, all. A beautiful day here. Hearing the sound of a chain saw (23 year old son cutting willows back from the deer fence), the chipper (18 yo son chipping the willows for mulch), Christmas tree getting set up (17 yo daughter), and husband is off for coffee with 23 yo daughter where he will enjoy a conference call with daughter, her New York boy friend and his counselor before helping her read and sign her lease for the apartment. Meanwhile, my dad is resting after his weekly fingernail trimming.
Christmas always sneaks up on people, but this year is worse because Thanksgiving came so late.
I walked out in the cold with many layers: short sleeve t-shirt, cotton cable sweater, a lined sports shell/windbreaker, and a long zip up hooded sweater vest. I also wore sweat pants with cuddle dud liners. The cold wind blew, and I felt cozy inside all the layers.
At first I thought no one was out, but then I ran into quite a few dog walkers. In this neighborhood, I have not seen any dogs in sweaters. If I had a dog, it would have worn a sweater today.
I saw a few clips of the Daniel Penny interview and thought that he reminds me so much of our son’s friends. I am so pleased with how that all turned out.
Janice – Heidi has naturally longish fur which keeps her warm in the cold weather. But last winter, she had had a grooming and haircut shortly before the cold weather came. At night in bed, I could feel her shivering. (I keep the temp very low at night.) So I bought her a cute doggie Christmas sweater to wear at night, and that kept her warm. 🙂
I am now fully retired from teaching, though a few years sooner than I’d hoped. I had my last session at the community college. The reason I’m done is the remote learning doesn’t work for me. I told them I’d be willing to teach classes with students in the room, without any students attending via Zoom.
Thanks for the birthday wishes! It is a true blessing to make it to 71! Good thing I don’t plan to have a cake. 71 candles would mean having them poking out from the sides, too! Fire Hazard!!!!
Every year I forget to remove my birthday from public view on Facebook. I have spent the whole morning responding to people’s birthday wishes and memes.
Another beautiful Idaho good morning to you all. Sceptor are not used for tripping either. They are a regal tool used for noble purposes.
I now need to get up at five rather than five thirty to ensure I get my exercise in each day. Now that husband is seventy, he is busier than ever. They are off to Lewiston for GED practice and to have the repair people revisit the repairs they did a couple days ago.
-17 here this morning and hubby needed to be in for a lab appointment by nine. These temps usually hit us around New Years Eve. The sun is nice on these bitter days.
Another happy birthday to Janice. You are just a couple of yrs. behind me, so my cake would be brighter. 🙂
Hey Janice, when I signed up for Facebook, I used a fake birthdate, and it’s coming up. I just googled how to hide it, and it was confusing and I couldn’t find it. (Why on earth do they make it nearly impossible?) But I worked around it by changing the fake birthday to the end of November so that I won’t have to worry about it. 🙂
Hey Janice, when I signed up for Facebook, I used a fake birthdate, and it’s coming up. I just googled how to hide it, and it was confusing and I couldn’t find it. (Why on earth do they make it nearly impossible?) But I worked around it by changing the fake birthday to the end of November so that I won’t have to worry about it. 🙂
I’ve joked that our granddaughter will tell her children, “When I was a child, we celebrated Christmas for a full month!” This year and last (and hopefully for years to come), the kids have come for Thanksgiving and an early Christmas. Because our nurse daughter sometimes has to work the holidays, both years we have celebrated Thanksgiving on Friday and Christmas on Saturday.
Our six-year-old granddaughter was impatient from the time they arrived to get to the presents, even though we’d already be opening them weeks early. So Friday evening she came to me with a comment she probably thought was subtle. She said, “Do you want to open presents tonight or tomorrow? Because it’s up to you to decide, Grandma.” Never mind that we’d already said “Tomorrow” and that her grandpa was sleeping. It was all up to me, and of course I must agree with her that presents cannot possibly wait!
Our younger daughter had already decided that she was going to make a separate small trip to spend Thanksgiving with her sister’s family (even though they were all here together then), and that trip will come this weekend. So they will have another early Christmas.
But they still have their family Christmas to go, and I imagine probably also something with the grandparents on the other side. And my sister-in-law didn’t think that her mom (who’s in therapy after her stroke) bought a wide enough selection of gifts for the grandkids, so she supplemented their presents; when our younger daughter stops to visit, she is supposed to also take those gifts from great-grandma with her.
All that gifting gets confusing, Cheryl. I think our little family has put too much emphasis on gifts through the years. Probably because we have so few people it means we each get more presents to open to fill up the time typically spent on the gift event. It also means I end up wrapping a lot of little things in addition to a few larger items.
We still use mostly wrapping paper instead of gift bags. Does anyone still do that? I feel we are in a dwindling minority.
You just have a living tree in the back yard by now, Dj! We have some of those here. I have a holly bush/tree in the front yard that I have been thinking of cutting down. Perhaps the leaves would be too sticky for Miss Bosley to want to get into. All it needs is some red bows on it to be beautiful, along with hanging candy canes 🙂 I was envisioning hanging canines to ward off the cat.
I just wrapped a bunch of gifts, Janice. I like wrapping paper for children. Less temptation to peak and the opening is more fun I think. The beauty of gift bags is that they can be reused. In fact, I am reusing a Christmas one I just received with a gift in it. My daughter and a friend reused a gift bag for each other’s birthday for several years. It was a lot of fun to find something that fit.
We were -38 this morning, but it should be much, much warmer tomorrow. Not much wind, so that was a blessing.
Work took me out for lunch today for my retirement (officially done December 31st) and they gifted me a lovely clock made from a slab of birch tree that the beavers took down on camp property. Our site manager made it but it was a collaborative effort among the full time staff. It has the Kadesh flame burned onto it and a brass plaque for my over 10 years of work.
Tomorrow will be the last Kadesh Christmas party at my house 😔. The house is decorated fully so I will just need to set the table and roast a turkey, make a sweet potato dish, cranberry sauce and the gravy. Thankful my husband will be around to help out with everything.
Wow! Kare! Such a special gift/treasure. So unique and fitting since you will have “time on your hands.” Not. No one has extra time with retirement. It might even prove a busier time than when employed.
I nosed around Facebook and was able to change my birthdate viewing to “Only me.” I prefer that to putting a false date that wastes people’s time who might be inclined to wish Happy Birthday to show kindness to someone they follow because they enjoy their posts, but they don’t know personally.
It’s 38° now as the temp is creeping up. I am wearing my new L L Bean bootie slippers and enjoying them greatly. For years Art has enjoyed LL Bean slippers so I decided to splurge on some myself for a birthday gift.
We had a nice takeout meal last night from Terra Terroir. We split a large gourmet burger and an appetizer of roasted Brussel sprouts. The burger was made from a mix of short ribs, brisket, and ground beef. I knew we would have plenty if we split it! Miss Bosley loved her bites that Art generously shared with her.
I have noticed that these blended meat burgers are trending in the upscale restaurants in our area. I ordered well done but medium well would have been more tender.
Well, the only place I go on Facebook is our local photography club (I hadn’t been on Facebook at all since before I married in 2011, and was only on it a few months back then, but I rejoined a few months ago in order to keep up with the photography club); I couldn’t find a way not to include my birthday or to make it private, so I used a false date. Googling the instructions on how to make it private kept coming up with conflicting counsel, none of which worked (they would instruct you to go to tabs that no longer exist), so I think that Facebook’s constant changes work to keep it nearly impossible to do things other than the official Facebook way. At any rate, changing the date to the end of November make it a non-issue this year.
I guess another way to do it would be to change your birthday to Feb. 29, because that won’t come up again until 2028. 🙂 Somehow I suspect Facebook would still let people know your birthday is this week!
Janice, love my LL Bean “high top” moccasin slippers, they’re well worn now and I will probably need to replace them; love the outdoor-worthy soles on them too, they’re versatile for quick a quick backyard or porch dash to do something in the mornings.
Went to my surgical follow up this afternoon. It destroyed me. The 25 minute car ride each way did me in. It was all I could do to make it thru and get back home. They did remove one drain. I took some Tylenol and am gonna try and sleep a bit.
Go to your Facebook page. Look for Edit Profile. Hit that.
At the bottom of the page, hit Edit Your About Info
See Basic Info- hit Edit
In the Birthday section you’ll see, Month and Day (Numeric Day) and to the side a little box to use to set privacy to “Only me” On the next line you will ee the year of birth ( numeric) with a box to the side to set privacy to “Only me.
That is how I did it. I am almost blind and figured it out so there can if I can.
Thanks, Janice. That’s basically how I got to it the other day, except that once I get to “change who can see” it doesn’t allow me to do anything. No boxes to check, it just transitions to a screen where it shows all my friends. Same thing today.
Thanks, everyone. Last night’s party was so fun. We ranged from a two year old to a couple of 59 year olds and all decades in between. A very fun Christmas dinner for 15 people. I am so very thankful for my home where we can host so many. When we purchased our home, we prayed that it would be a gathering place for many and despite being so far out in the country we have had many gatherings of Bible study dinners, work dinners, and just friends. Last Christmas one of our Kadesh YRPLs (year round program leaders) said our home was so relaxing and peaceful. Such a great compliment from a young man in his twenties.
Cheryl, I wonder if the boxes are off the screen too far to the right to be accessed? If you adjust your screen size, either more narrow or wider on the right side, maybe you can find the boxes. It’s worth a try.
I just watched a clip of a police officer shooting at a drone in NJ. It appeared the bullets went around it. I was wondering if AJ has seen any since more are near him.
Janice someone here in CO was talking about seeing drones in our skies. We haven’t seen any in our dark skies here but this whole business is rather perplexing. Why would a government such as ours allow this activity? They can take out aircraft in restricted air space over the WH and our defense installations in seconds but allow this to go on? Something definitely not kosher!
Happy Sunday, Y’all. We had a Sunday school lunch and white elephant/dirty Santa gift exchange afterwards. A whole lot of fun for everyone.
I had saved an unopened pack of I ♡ SPAM socks and put a can of SPAM with them for one gift. That was a hit. Someone else got a 3 pair pack of TACO socks. Several got variations of hot chocolate powders.
Our other gift we gave was a Scripture Notes journal and an Illuminated Proverbs journal. A young girl got those but wanted to trade them so that eventually happened. I got some fashion jewelry and Art got a large scented candle.
We spent a weekend visiting our youngest daughter’s family. Her youngest son is in two high school choirs, so we went mainly to take in the Christmas Concert. It was lovely. They finished in their traditional way, which is to have the choirs surround the audience and sing, “Peace,” while the audience joins in at a certain point singing, “Silent Night.” It reminded me of when my middle daughter sang in her high school choir. They always ended by inviting all alumni on stage. Everyone, including the audience, was then invited to sing, “Silent Night.”
Let me rephrase that: We attended a normal funeral where something odd happened. We were singing “Silent Night” when the lights went out. There had been freezing rain earlier, so probably a tree branch fell on a power line, knocking out electricity to half the small town. Everyone continued singing like noting happened. The funeral home had windows so there was barely enough light to see, but the man reading the obituary and testimonials had trouble.
Good Monday morning! It is a day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
I hope everyone can smell the coffee or the roses. ‘Tis the season for stuffy noses! My friend called around 7:30 a.m. knowing she could reach me then. She has a sinus infection. Normally I cook Art’s eggs then but he had PT at 9 so I could wait.
Peter, that was odd! And I once attended a wedding for a former housemate where a storm knocked the power out. That was freakish and seemed almost like an omen.
Good morning from beautiful Idaho. My dad is fed and back to sleep. I did my exercise while husband cooked and cleaned. Husband and youngsters are off to GED class this morning. We are expecting a bit of snow. I am too mature to get involved in races.
We have been at two places that had a band performing only to have the power go out. At one the leader of the band lived next door. He just went and got some acoustic instruments, and they performed by candlelight.
At the second my husband’s jam group had opened for another group. They all played acoustic instruments except for the bass player. Our bass player happened to have his big stand-up bass, so he leant it to their player. The show went on with flashlights and whatever could be rustled up. I
Just wondering if I made a faux pas regarding my birthday lunch. I had the nice offer from the restaurant for buy one get one free at the brunch/lunch spot. I asked my friend if she would go with me and we could take our other older friend. Earlier this year we three had been out at very nice restaurants for their birthdays. I assumed we’d do something for my birthday. After plans were set, I opened it up for others in our Bible study group to attend realizing with the holidays and short notice that most would be unavailable. A few came, one toe enjoy the meal, and another stopped by with a gift and card.
Now, another friend is doing the same for her birthday. She has a free meal at another restaurant for her birthday and has invited others to join her, paying for their own meals.
My friend commented on how she would never invite people to her own birthday get together and if she did she would pay for their meals because that was how she’d been taught by her generous dad.
When I’d opened up for people to join us for lunch, I’d indicated that each would need to pay for their lunch. Was I wrong to do that? Just wondering if I am wrong or if my friend has skewed expectations.
Janice – On one hand, I think that what you did was fine. On the other hand, I think it would have to be done diplomatically, and there are some who would take offense. But they would probably be the ones who take offense easily anyway.
Wandering Views 
Wait I remember that when you actually reach this elusive number things disappear and a door to a new page opens
Perhaps that is where my witty missives have gone
Jo
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wow, it happened. A new room or world has opened
would someone describe it for me?
jo
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how childish.
But Jesus dis say, except you enter as a child…
mumsee
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did
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Another beautiful day here with just enough snow to track a cat. Or nine of them.
mumsee
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Monday on the blog!
We are in for some offshore winds (again) in the next few days — which means elevated fire danger. When will we get some rain?
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Snowing and 23 degrees. Perhaps it is time to write Christmas cards. They have been sitting on my desk for the past three weeks. 🎄⛄️
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Once you hit 200, the page is full and opens a new one.
I’m home resting comfortably with my love. Exhausted, but improving, and thanking God.
Allen
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Thankful you are home and I know Cheryl is relieved too!! Praying as you settle in on this blessed winter’s day.❣️
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Thanking God, Aj.
Rest up, enjoy the peace of being home.
____________
Good Gospel Coalition piece on pain (“Don’t downplay the pain”):
~ … So we grieve and acknowledge our suffering without cheapening the pain as if it’s something we should call good in and of itself. But we also don’t lose heart, because we’ll find strength, comfort, and reason to endure as Jesus enters it with us. We find life in him even within the depths of darkness.
It’s not the pain that transforms us. It’s Jesus’s presence in the pain. The truth Paul shared with the Corinthian church remains true for us:
Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. (2 Cor. 4:16-18)
In the darkest places, may we one day find we’re standing on holy ground, not because of the pain but because we’ve experienced Jesus’s transforming power in it. ~
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/downplay-pain-suffering/
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So the flocks of woodpeckers are in the neighborhood. Haven’t attacked my house yet, but they are getting ready.
So, I called for the third time the fella who can take care of this and told him we had talked before. He said he was too busy and gave me the name of someone else. Wow, that’s the first time that has happened. Took a lot of courage for me to call him for the third time.
Got the guy with the blinds to give me 30% off so now I need to go pay my deposit.
Then I have to buy my ticket to the Nutcracker which I don’t really want to go to, but it is granddaughters last performance.
Jo
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It turned out foggy here today because it got warmer. Missing the chill now.
Still so happy that AJ got home. But not nearly so happy as he and the Mrs. Real are!
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Kathaleena – This morning, you mentioned having a very difficult time resisting books. That reminded me of when Hubby and I would go to Costco, he would go off to find what we needed, and I would make a beeline to the long book table. 🙂
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AJ – What a relief it must be to finally be home! For both you and Cheryl!
May God speed the healing process, but in the meantime, follow doctor’s orders. 🙂
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We sometimes have woodpeckers peck the house, deck or shed, but never had flocks of them. How long will they stay around?
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Thrilled and thankful AJ is home. Prayers continue.
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Son’s girlfriend got a promotion. To celebrate from a distance, he sent her flowers. When I asked what kind, I heard him say “Plastic.” I cringed and thought, “No!” I thought maybe he meant silk, not good, either, but better than plastic. I got clarification. He straightened me out. He’d said, “Classic.”
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Lol, Janice. How nice of him.
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Good morning, all. Another beautiful day here.
mumsee
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Morning! Snowy and icy but the sun has arrived with blue skies! Winter Wonderland we have around here!
Now I must drive a half hour east for a ladies Christmas brunch…hoping for clearer roads by the time I head out.
Janice such a sweet gesture and a delight for his girlfriend I am certain. This relationship sounds promising!!
Woodpeckers erggg!! The nuthatches peck on our stucco even though we have placed nesting boxes all around in strategic locations. The Hairy Woodpeckers hit the vents on the roof trying to attract a girlfriend!!
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It’s still in the 60’s here with rain and fog so it feels like Sleepy Hollow as I imagine that to be.
I have been on our prayer call line this morning for two hours. It is such a blessing to have friends who gather to pray. We had six today.
I ordered some books and a hanging shelving unit for the back of the door. Amazon delivered on time, overnight between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. Art remembered to check at 4 a.m. when he got up to use the bathroom. I know those delivery hours are expedient, but it seems it gives more opportunity for theft and even harm to the drivers.
As usual, the product turns out to be smaller than the picture shows. They must have used narrow doors for the photos of the hanging shelving units. It looks half the size of what I expected. I should have measured to better undertand sizing.
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I’ve been off for a few days (avoiding Big Sister’s scepter), and delighted to return to find AJ’s home. So happy for that!
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Isn’t it great, Kevin? No offense to the one who beat us over the head with the scepter to get to 100 first. And glad you are back, too, Kevin!
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It’s turned chilly here, again. I get the happies when I feel a chill in the air. I appreciate a lap cat more♡ I enjoy baking♡ Life is beautiful♡
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We will have way double digits wind chill. I would prefer to stay in. However, it is beautiful out and we will dress appropriately. Thank God for advances in warm clothing! I do love the coziness of winter and the beauty. I hope you all have a good day.
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It’s gone down to 42° at almost 11 a.m. it always seems backwards when a day chills down after the sun comes up.
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My appetite is slowly returning, which should help with the weakness and strength issues. Just a slower process than I would prefer. My wife is such a great help to me, and I thank God daily for her. The kids are on mandatory 10hours a week OT, so they’re not around much right now. I will see the visiting nurse again tomorrow and the Dr Friday.
Just pushing on, with the Lord’s help.
Allen
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Mandatory 10 hours a week? That’s 50 hours a week? Wow.
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Cold here but sunshiny! We definitely will have a While Christmas because with our temps this snow isn’t leaving anytime soon.
The drive out east yesterday was a white knuckle event. Thick ice and the plows seemed to have forgotten rural dwellers. But once I got to my friend’s home a lovely time was experienced by all.
Praying still for you all Aj. ❣️
Heading over to the charter school to donate a Van De Graaff generator to the science teachers. It was used only once when husband taught physics. They are happy to replace their broken one!😊 ⚡️
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Good morning, all. A beautiful day here. Hearing the sound of a chain saw (23 year old son cutting willows back from the deer fence), the chipper (18 yo son chipping the willows for mulch), Christmas tree getting set up (17 yo daughter), and husband is off for coffee with 23 yo daughter where he will enjoy a conference call with daughter, her New York boy friend and his counselor before helping her read and sign her lease for the apartment. Meanwhile, my dad is resting after his weekly fingernail trimming.
mumsee
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I know how to wield a sceptor, it is not for bopping people alongside the head.
mumsee
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Hang in there AJ. So glad you’re home, hospitals are no fun.
Slow day, but have an online meeting to cover at 6 p.m.
Why is Christmas coming so fast and my tree is still sitting in the backyard?
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Christmas always sneaks up on people, but this year is worse because Thanksgiving came so late.
I walked out in the cold with many layers: short sleeve t-shirt, cotton cable sweater, a lined sports shell/windbreaker, and a long zip up hooded sweater vest. I also wore sweat pants with cuddle dud liners. The cold wind blew, and I felt cozy inside all the layers.
At first I thought no one was out, but then I ran into quite a few dog walkers. In this neighborhood, I have not seen any dogs in sweaters. If I had a dog, it would have worn a sweater today.
Feeling like Christmas!
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I saw a few clips of the Daniel Penny interview and thought that he reminds me so much of our son’s friends. I am so pleased with how that all turned out.
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just made it back from trip to San Francisco
now I am off to an indoor soccer game. This is the only time I see this family
rest and recover Aj
blessings
jo
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Janice – Heidi has naturally longish fur which keeps her warm in the cold weather. But last winter, she had had a grooming and haircut shortly before the cold weather came. At night in bed, I could feel her shivering. (I keep the temp very low at night.) So I bought her a cute doggie Christmas sweater to wear at night, and that kept her warm. 🙂
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Congrats, Jo, on reaching 200 without getting run over by a Jeep or tripped by a scepter.
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Good to see you’re home AJ. And good that the appetite is improving.
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I am now fully retired from teaching, though a few years sooner than I’d hoped. I had my last session at the community college. The reason I’m done is the remote learning doesn’t work for me. I told them I’d be willing to teach classes with students in the room, without any students attending via Zoom.
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY JANICE!
Allen
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Happy Birthday Janice! I am thankful to our Lord for His precious gift of YOU!❣️❣️🎂
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Happiest of Birthday greetings, Janice!
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Thanks for the birthday wishes! It is a true blessing to make it to 71! Good thing I don’t plan to have a cake. 71 candles would mean having them poking out from the sides, too! Fire Hazard!!!!
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Every year I forget to remove my birthday from public view on Facebook. I have spent the whole morning responding to people’s birthday wishes and memes.
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Happy birthday, Janice ( just to add to the chaos).
mumsee
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Let’s try this again.
Another beautiful Idaho good morning to you all. Sceptor are not used for tripping either. They are a regal tool used for noble purposes.
I now need to get up at five rather than five thirty to ensure I get my exercise in each day. Now that husband is seventy, he is busier than ever. They are off to Lewiston for GED practice and to have the repair people revisit the repairs they did a couple days ago.
mumsee
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I just spent what was left of the morning talking with my childhood friend who lives in AL.
What a treasure to have friends. While talking to her, my friend in CA called so I need to call her back. I am not used to talking so much!
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-17 here this morning and hubby needed to be in for a lab appointment by nine. These temps usually hit us around New Years Eve. The sun is nice on these bitter days.
Another happy birthday to Janice. You are just a couple of yrs. behind me, so my cake would be brighter. 🙂
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Hey Janice, when I signed up for Facebook, I used a fake birthdate, and it’s coming up. I just googled how to hide it, and it was confusing and I couldn’t find it. (Why on earth do they make it nearly impossible?) But I worked around it by changing the fake birthday to the end of November so that I won’t have to worry about it. 🙂
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Hey Janice, when I signed up for Facebook, I used a fake birthdate, and it’s coming up. I just googled how to hide it, and it was confusing and I couldn’t find it. (Why on earth do they make it nearly impossible?) But I worked around it by changing the fake birthday to the end of November so that I won’t have to worry about it. 🙂
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Happy birthday, Janice!
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I’ve joked that our granddaughter will tell her children, “When I was a child, we celebrated Christmas for a full month!” This year and last (and hopefully for years to come), the kids have come for Thanksgiving and an early Christmas. Because our nurse daughter sometimes has to work the holidays, both years we have celebrated Thanksgiving on Friday and Christmas on Saturday.
Our six-year-old granddaughter was impatient from the time they arrived to get to the presents, even though we’d already be opening them weeks early. So Friday evening she came to me with a comment she probably thought was subtle. She said, “Do you want to open presents tonight or tomorrow? Because it’s up to you to decide, Grandma.” Never mind that we’d already said “Tomorrow” and that her grandpa was sleeping. It was all up to me, and of course I must agree with her that presents cannot possibly wait!
Our younger daughter had already decided that she was going to make a separate small trip to spend Thanksgiving with her sister’s family (even though they were all here together then), and that trip will come this weekend. So they will have another early Christmas.
But they still have their family Christmas to go, and I imagine probably also something with the grandparents on the other side. And my sister-in-law didn’t think that her mom (who’s in therapy after her stroke) bought a wide enough selection of gifts for the grandkids, so she supplemented their presents; when our younger daughter stops to visit, she is supposed to also take those gifts from great-grandma with her.
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All that gifting gets confusing, Cheryl. I think our little family has put too much emphasis on gifts through the years. Probably because we have so few people it means we each get more presents to open to fill up the time typically spent on the gift event. It also means I end up wrapping a lot of little things in addition to a few larger items.
We still use mostly wrapping paper instead of gift bags. Does anyone still do that? I feel we are in a dwindling minority.
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Happy Birthday Janice — and happy fake birthday, whenever it is or was, to Cheryl …
Abby would need an XL dog sweater.
And she would look pretty silly in something like that, it would embarrass her.
My Christmas tree is still in the backyard …
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You just have a living tree in the back yard by now, Dj! We have some of those here. I have a holly bush/tree in the front yard that I have been thinking of cutting down. Perhaps the leaves would be too sticky for Miss Bosley to want to get into. All it needs is some red bows on it to be beautiful, along with hanging candy canes 🙂 I was envisioning hanging canines to ward off the cat.
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I just wrapped a bunch of gifts, Janice. I like wrapping paper for children. Less temptation to peak and the opening is more fun I think. The beauty of gift bags is that they can be reused. In fact, I am reusing a Christmas one I just received with a gift in it. My daughter and a friend reused a gift bag for each other’s birthday for several years. It was a lot of fun to find something that fit.
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I hope you will find just the right hobby(ies) or volunteering to make your retirement a true joy, Peter. Congratulations.
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Fake FB birthday here as well. That’s how I tell my real friends from my non-real friends. 🙂
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We were -38 this morning, but it should be much, much warmer tomorrow. Not much wind, so that was a blessing.
Work took me out for lunch today for my retirement (officially done December 31st) and they gifted me a lovely clock made from a slab of birch tree that the beavers took down on camp property. Our site manager made it but it was a collaborative effort among the full time staff. It has the Kadesh flame burned onto it and a brass plaque for my over 10 years of work.
Tomorrow will be the last Kadesh Christmas party at my house 😔. The house is decorated fully so I will just need to set the table and roast a turkey, make a sweet potato dish, cranberry sauce and the gravy. Thankful my husband will be around to help out with everything.
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Happy birthday, Janice and happy retirement, Peter!!
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Happy Birthday, Janice!
Happy Retirement, Peter!
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Happy Retirement to Peter, and also to Kare!
Wow! Kare! Such a special gift/treasure. So unique and fitting since you will have “time on your hands.” Not. No one has extra time with retirement. It might even prove a busier time than when employed.
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I had a good birthday continuing on with lunch today with friends.
Thanks for all the Birthday wishes yesterday.
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And a beautiful good morning to you all. Or I expect it will be once the sun makes its appearance.
mumsee
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I nosed around Facebook and was able to change my birthdate viewing to “Only me.” I prefer that to putting a false date that wastes people’s time who might be inclined to wish Happy Birthday to show kindness to someone they follow because they enjoy their posts, but they don’t know personally.
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Welcome to another Friday.
Mrs L didn’t include her birthday or made it invisible when she set up her (hardly used) FB page.
As for retirement – I put on new tires (re-tired). Actually, I am now only working for the cave instead of teaching and the cave.
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It’s 38° now as the temp is creeping up. I am wearing my new L L Bean bootie slippers and enjoying them greatly. For years Art has enjoyed LL Bean slippers so I decided to splurge on some myself for a birthday gift.
We had a nice takeout meal last night from Terra Terroir. We split a large gourmet burger and an appetizer of roasted Brussel sprouts. The burger was made from a mix of short ribs, brisket, and ground beef. I knew we would have plenty if we split it! Miss Bosley loved her bites that Art generously shared with her.
I have noticed that these blended meat burgers are trending in the upscale restaurants in our area. I ordered well done but medium well would have been more tender.
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Well, the only place I go on Facebook is our local photography club (I hadn’t been on Facebook at all since before I married in 2011, and was only on it a few months back then, but I rejoined a few months ago in order to keep up with the photography club); I couldn’t find a way not to include my birthday or to make it private, so I used a false date. Googling the instructions on how to make it private kept coming up with conflicting counsel, none of which worked (they would instruct you to go to tabs that no longer exist), so I think that Facebook’s constant changes work to keep it nearly impossible to do things other than the official Facebook way. At any rate, changing the date to the end of November make it a non-issue this year.
I guess another way to do it would be to change your birthday to Feb. 29, because that won’t come up again until 2028. 🙂 Somehow I suspect Facebook would still let people know your birthday is this week!
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Winning dog photos: https://www.popsci.com/environment/dog-photography-awards-2024/
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Love the dog photos! And captions. Thanks for sharing, Cheryl.
Too many I loved — but I was partial to the dog carrying the rolled-up newspaper 🙂
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Janice, love my LL Bean “high top” moccasin slippers, they’re well worn now and I will probably need to replace them; love the outdoor-worthy soles on them too, they’re versatile for quick a quick backyard or porch dash to do something in the mornings.
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Went to my surgical follow up this afternoon. It destroyed me. The 25 minute car ride each way did me in. It was all I could do to make it thru and get back home. They did remove one drain. I took some Tylenol and am gonna try and sleep a bit.
Allen
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So good to hear from you AJ! Rest up and get your energy back. We’ll keep praying. :–)
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I think I forgot to say Happy Retirement to Kare, too. So. . .
Happy Retirement, Kare!
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To set birthday so it will not show on Facebook:
Go to your Facebook page. Look for Edit Profile. Hit that.
At the bottom of the page, hit Edit Your About Info
See Basic Info- hit Edit
In the Birthday section you’ll see, Month and Day (Numeric Day) and to the side a little box to use to set privacy to “Only me” On the next line you will ee the year of birth ( numeric) with a box to the side to set privacy to “Only me.
That is how I did it. I am almost blind and figured it out so there can if I can.
I hope that can help someone here at the least.
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I did that on my Android phone. Maybe it’s different on a pc or laptop.
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Sorry for my typos. I don’t have my super duper prism glasses on so struggling to see what I am keying in.
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Good morning, all. A beautiful day here. Or should be when the sun arrives.
mumsee
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Thanks, Janice. That’s basically how I got to it the other day, except that once I get to “change who can see” it doesn’t allow me to do anything. No boxes to check, it just transitions to a screen where it shows all my friends. Same thing today.
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Thanks, everyone. Last night’s party was so fun. We ranged from a two year old to a couple of 59 year olds and all decades in between. A very fun Christmas dinner for 15 people. I am so very thankful for my home where we can host so many. When we purchased our home, we prayed that it would be a gathering place for many and despite being so far out in the country we have had many gatherings of Bible study dinners, work dinners, and just friends. Last Christmas one of our Kadesh YRPLs (year round program leaders) said our home was so relaxing and peaceful. Such a great compliment from a young man in his twenties.
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raining and very fierce wind here. Very scary as I’m surrounded by tall trees which are moving
tonight is the Nutcracker and the storm is supposed to be done by then
jo
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Cheryl, I wonder if the boxes are off the screen too far to the right to be accessed? If you adjust your screen size, either more narrow or wider on the right side, maybe you can find the boxes. It’s worth a try.
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I sent my drone up to check for wild drones but all I found was son chopping firewood.
mumsee
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Congratulations on your retirement Kare. The Lord has gifted you with the warmth of hospitality and through that so many have been blessed! ❣️
Be careful out there Jo! We have chilly temps and wind but no new moisture😊
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I just watched a clip of a police officer shooting at a drone in NJ. It appeared the bullets went around it. I was wondering if AJ has seen any since more are near him.
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Janice someone here in CO was talking about seeing drones in our skies. We haven’t seen any in our dark skies here but this whole business is rather perplexing. Why would a government such as ours allow this activity? They can take out aircraft in restricted air space over the WH and our defense installations in seconds but allow this to go on? Something definitely not kosher!
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Just think “Chinese escaped weather balloons” and it all falls into place.
mumsee
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Happy Sunday, Y’all. We had a Sunday school lunch and white elephant/dirty Santa gift exchange afterwards. A whole lot of fun for everyone.
I had saved an unopened pack of I ♡ SPAM socks and put a can of SPAM with them for one gift. That was a hit. Someone else got a 3 pair pack of TACO socks. Several got variations of hot chocolate powders.
Our other gift we gave was a Scripture Notes journal and an Illuminated Proverbs journal. A young girl got those but wanted to trade them so that eventually happened. I got some fashion jewelry and Art got a large scented candle.
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We spent a weekend visiting our youngest daughter’s family. Her youngest son is in two high school choirs, so we went mainly to take in the Christmas Concert. It was lovely. They finished in their traditional way, which is to have the choirs surround the audience and sing, “Peace,” while the audience joins in at a certain point singing, “Silent Night.” It reminded me of when my middle daughter sang in her high school choir. They always ended by inviting all alumni on stage. Everyone, including the audience, was then invited to sing, “Silent Night.”
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We attended an odd funeral in Iowa yesterday.
Let me rephrase that: We attended a normal funeral where something odd happened. We were singing “Silent Night” when the lights went out. There had been freezing rain earlier, so probably a tree branch fell on a power line, knocking out electricity to half the small town. Everyone continued singing like noting happened. The funeral home had windows so there was barely enough light to see, but the man reading the obituary and testimonials had trouble.
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Good Monday morning! It is a day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
I hope everyone can smell the coffee or the roses. ‘Tis the season for stuffy noses! My friend called around 7:30 a.m. knowing she could reach me then. She has a sinus infection. Normally I cook Art’s eggs then but he had PT at 9 so I could wait.
Peter, that was odd! And I once attended a wedding for a former housemate where a storm knocked the power out. That was freakish and seemed almost like an omen.
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So close and yet so far. Only 7 more posts to 300. Let the games begin. (I’ll let the ladies have at it and stay out of the way.)
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Good morning from beautiful Idaho. My dad is fed and back to sleep. I did my exercise while husband cooked and cleaned. Husband and youngsters are off to GED class this morning. We are expecting a bit of snow. I am too mature to get involved in races.
mumsee
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That would be terribly childish.
mumsee
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Though I would not be surprised to see certain others slipping into second childhood.
mumsee
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But I have a very important job. I hold the sceptor.
mumsee
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Yes, we are all too mature around here for that! And we don’t have enough fingers and toes to count that high.
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unbelievable, Janice, that you would try to slip in like that.
mumsee
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son in law fell off a ladder. Multiple injuries but he will be ok
jo
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attended and worked a lovely funeral yesterday. She was 96. To listen to the testimonies was an inspiration
she called grands and nieces and nephews just to say I love you
jo
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Sounds like a good example she set for others, Jo.
mumsee
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I am quite adept at slipping in and out, Mumsee. I just don’t want to slip down!
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See how mature Peter is about these things? I still think he should be the one carrying the scepter.
Anyway, belatedly, happy birthday, Janice! And congratulations on your retirements, Peter and Kare!
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Nope. That makes no sense.
mumsee
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We have been at two places that had a band performing only to have the power go out. At one the leader of the band lived next door. He just went and got some acoustic instruments, and they performed by candlelight.
At the second my husband’s jam group had opened for another group. They all played acoustic instruments except for the bass player. Our bass player happened to have his big stand-up bass, so he leant it to their player. The show went on with flashlights and whatever could be rustled up. I
It just added to the show. 🙂
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Thank you, Kevin, but I don’t want the scepter. Too much responsibility and I wouldn’t want anyone think I’m playing favorites.
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And try as she might, it looks like mumsee missed it by that much (said with index finger and thumb held ever so close together).
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Right there. I can handle the responsibility and after fifteen children and their charges of favoritism, I am not rattled by such claims.
mumsee
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Just wondering if I made a faux pas regarding my birthday lunch. I had the nice offer from the restaurant for buy one get one free at the brunch/lunch spot. I asked my friend if she would go with me and we could take our other older friend. Earlier this year we three had been out at very nice restaurants for their birthdays. I assumed we’d do something for my birthday. After plans were set, I opened it up for others in our Bible study group to attend realizing with the holidays and short notice that most would be unavailable. A few came, one toe enjoy the meal, and another stopped by with a gift and card.
Now, another friend is doing the same for her birthday. She has a free meal at another restaurant for her birthday and has invited others to join her, paying for their own meals.
My friend commented on how she would never invite people to her own birthday get together and if she did she would pay for their meals because that was how she’d been taught by her generous dad.
When I’d opened up for people to join us for lunch, I’d indicated that each would need to pay for their lunch. Was I wrong to do that? Just wondering if I am wrong or if my friend has skewed expectations.
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Navigating the social landscape is difficult for an introvert!
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Janice – On one hand, I think that what you did was fine. On the other hand, I think it would have to be done diplomatically, and there are some who would take offense. But they would probably be the ones who take offense easily anyway.
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