Fashion

[PAlady]

Good morning ladies, hope all is well.

Again, we are getting snow, the weatherman said it wasn't coming until 1 or 2 today and it started at 8:00 this morning. It isn't a hard snow "yet", but it the kind that turns the road slick in a short period of time. Glad I don't have to go anywhere today. Not sure how much we are supposed to end up with, we were very close to the line so I am hoping the major snow stays south of us.

Since it will be an at home day, I need to get some cleaning and organizing done. I guess I have no excuse today. Not much more going on here, Jean, I hope you have heat. I wasn't sure if you got your furnace working yet.

Have a good day everyone.

[LindaLatte]

Good Morning! Thanks for getting us started Susan. Hope the snow/ice doesn't get too bad there. I heard on the news that DD's area (in Maryland) will be getting snow and worse yet ice. I do hope Jean has her heat back.

In answer to twinny's question from yesterday -- I can't really say that I like Arizona or Maryland better. I am happy that I grew up and lived in the DC area, and I value all the cultural, educational, work, and other opportunities I had in that area. But, it was a rather high-priced, high stress, and congested area compared to where we live now in Arizona. DC/Maryland will always be "home" to me, but there are many wonderful things about living here. Unlike some/many, I prefer the hot weather to cold weather. I could live without snow and ice very well. I also like the fact that we have so many sunny, dry days here when I can take advantage of swimming and other "summer type" activities. It is also much less expensive to live here, and the pace is slower. I do miss the museums, etc. in DC as well as the shopping opportuntes. Not that I need to buy anything, but it is nice to have many more options as you do there. There are many low cost/free options for "classes" and recreation here, which I really enjoy.

The reason the dryer won't be here for quite a while is that it was back-ordered or something Kathleen. I wanted to go ahead and buy it now because they had a special sale going (quite a savings).

The party we attended yesterday evening was a lot of fun. I met several new people, including a friend of the hostess from Missouri who is staying with our friends. The lady is a publsihed author (novels), and I am trying to find one of her books. Our local library does not have copies. The hostess plays the piano beautifully, and she played quite a few songs for the attendees and several of us enjoyed singing.

Our "pool friend" who had cancer/chemo was at the party, and she seemed to be doing well. Such a very nice lady. She told me an interesting story -- when she learned she had cancer she thought she was about to die, and donated lots of her "stuff" (dishes, you name it). After her first round of chemo the doctor told her that she would never get rid of the cancer, but she was doing okay and might live for quite a while longer. So, she feels she has a new lease on life. I asked her if she regretted giving away her things, and she said no -- it is great to go to have only things that she loves, no clutter. I need to learn from this lesson.

After church, I am hoping to make it to the gym today as well as do my ironing. Still haven't quite finished my weekly financial stuff, and we have an "ice cream social" to attend this afternoon. I also need to make some muffins. Hope I am not being overly optimistic about what I can accomplish.

Waves to all of our posters and readers. Hope you have a good day and stay safe.

Hugs,

Linda

[KonaKat]

Susan--Thank you for starting the thread. Hope the weather doesn't adversely affect you. Have "fun" doing your cleaning and organizing. As you said, in this type of weather, the options are limited.

Linda--I have done that with an appliance...bought it on sale but waited to have it delivered when it became available. Why wait for the sale go off and pay more? I'm glad you enjoyed your activities yesterday and more to come today. Your friend has a great outlook on life.

In my area we are preparing for what they are calling "stormageddon." It is tracking on schedule according to what the weather report gave last night on an hour by hour schedule. I'm in the area expected to receive a half inch of ice followed by six to eight inches of snow. We are in a power failure zone. It is official that this is the longest rough winter on winter in terms of number of episodes. It began shortly after Thanksgiving with one event after another. I have my flashlights ready, weather radio ready, and battery-powered devices charged. I went through a state-wide ice storm several years ago in which power was out throughout most of the state. It was a week before I got power restored.

Knowing that this storm was coming, a friend and I went to the city to have lunch at the Outback and then pick up some shelf stable food items at Walmart. The shelves were getting empty but I got what I needed to supplement what I already had on hand. I left with a bill of $69.

I want you to know that I made a purchase yesterday. I bought a new microwave at Lowes, one that has great reviews. Mine is losing its power so eventually it was going to bite the dust. I just decided to get it now to have it before the other one died. It is an inconvenience to travel an hour and a half just to get a microwave. I'll probably start using the new one this week and prepare the other one for Good Will.

I'm currently watching "Extreme Cheapskates" on Discovery Fit and Health. I'm in favor of saving money but some of these people are going to the extremes. One person was going dumpster diving behind a pharmacy to dig out OTC drug items whose expiration date had expired and the pharmacy had tossed them. Another joined medical studies in which he was paid big bucks to participate. Others negotiated prices down, so if a bill came to $11.57, he would offer $11 even.

I'm off to have lunch and then read some. Titan has arrived but I'll return later this afternoon.

Have a great day!

[twinny70]

Susan, We had three different snow storms pass through our area yesterday. First one gave us 1" of snow, second one gave us 4" of snow & when we woke up this mnorning we had another inch of snow. My DH spent most of the day yesterday outside cleaning up the mess. Thank goodness we don't have sidewalk, just a driveway to clean up. 6" of snow really made our snow piles stack up. Today wind chill is minus 20 & tomorrow they say minus 20-30. they say we should hit 30 degrees by thursday. That sounds like a heat wave to us.

Linda, I know what you mean about different prices in different parts of the country. Our DS & DIL live in the Boston area. DH & I go out there for three weeks each year and it is a totally different lifestyle than we have in our small S. WI town. The traffic takes getting used to as do the $$$ of eating in a nice restaurant. He has been there for about 17 years and loves it. They both have good jobs there and no children, so they manage nicely. We could never afford to live out there. It is fun to visit them as we love the beaches and there are many great ones. Plus they treat us like royalty when we show up. Just think how much more you will enjoy the dryer when it comes. The party sounded like fun too. Your cancer friend has such great outlook on life. Only do you appreciate the phrase "living life one day at a time" when you are dealt with a chronic illness. Prayers to her.

Jean, Yes you have been dealing with a very unusual winter too. They said that on Thursday we broke a record for being cold from 185 years ago. I don't want to break that record ever again. Glad you did have a nice lunch out & restocked your shelves. I can't imagine being that far from groceries etc. Glad you did bite the bullet and get a new microwave. I couldn't live without mine for even a day or two. What did we do before we had one? Nothing going on today her either. I think DH & I will start getting our tax stuff together, so we can go see our tax lady one day this week. I hate that job. It is sunny, so it makes the house feel warmer today.

Hugs to all of you out there.

[Rock_chick]

Hello friends!! Susan, thank you for starting us.

Linda I'm glad you got a great deal on your dryer.'

I woke up to birds singing and opened the door to the perfect temp outside, though foggy and humid. DH and I left at 8am to go help Kayla - she needed a new doorknob on her bedroom door at the new place. We ended up loading up 3 vehicles before we headed over there. It started raining while loading and by the time we were done I was soaked. Thank goodness I looked at the weather before I left and brought a hoody. DH installed a new door knob then we bought groceries for her before grabbing lunch and heading home.

I am doing some chores around the house in my footed pj's. Thinking about a nap.

[KonaKat]

Twinny--I think many of us will be happy to see better weather and temperatures. I noted Kathleen said on FB that the temperatures were dropping in her area also. I used to think I was the only person in America not to have a microwave, but now I consider it an essential. I bought the one yesterday to replace one I bought in an emergency when my previous one gave up the ghost after many years of service. It was an inexpensive one which I knew I would use until I felt I got my money's worth as well as time to research brands to find the one with the dimensions I needed, wattage and features. When I read the reviews on the new one, I decided it would be my reward for not buying anything non-essential for two months.

I do hope your weather improves. That constant shoveling of the driveway can be a challenge to the heart. I also hope you health remains good, so that when great weather arrives, you can enjoy to the fullest.

[twinny70]

Rock Chick, I always like fog in the winter time as the temps are very mild. I remember all of the years our DS & DD were in college and moving every year. Glad they are nicely settled in their homes.

Jean, Yes the snow can be heavy when it is a daily thing. One good thing about the bitter temps this year is that the snow has been light & fluffy. I get my next infusion on Friday, so I trust in the Lord that it will sustain me nicely until the next one. This disease certainly keeps me humble, which is not such a bad thing. I feel sorry for my DH as he has to pick up the loose ends around here when I can't do it. I can't wait to be able to start traveling. I want to go to Branson in early June before it gets hot. Haven't been there for about 6 years. We usually don't travel in July & August, as the heat bothers me just as much as the cold weather does this year.

Hugs to all of you.

[Rock_chick]

Twinny, we were giggling that she lived in this area "2 moves ago". Luckily she is young enough to have lots of help! We were glad to help her get started. This area is nice and she gets the master bedroom and bath, and there is a big fenced in yard. It's very cute out back. I hope it works out for her.

[twinny70]

RC, Sounds like your DD has a really nice place. Our DD did meet her Prince Charming while in college. They lived in the same large house. 5 guys upstairs & 5 gals downstairs. They dated about 5 years as he is 3 years older than DD is and she wanted to get her degree too before getting married. They will be celebrating their 18 wedding anniversary in August. We were lucky to get our 3 wonderful grandchildren from that storybook romance. Look what you have to look forward to!

[kittyfan]

Brr. I grabbed a sweater and coat when I left for church. By the time services were over temps were dropping. I was meeting a friend for an event at the local playhouse. ""Annie"" was the final show. My friend is a teacher. She had several students in the cast/crew. Annie was fabulous. Quite a lovely voice. Daddy Warbucks shaved his head for the role! It was much colder and wet as we left. By the time I got home ice was forming on the gate. Happy to be home and snuggling in for the evening. Dogs are getting cozy.