Everyday Chatting & Waffling {2025} Let's get to know each other!

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Day two of working from home under a "wearable" electric blanket that Randy gifted me. I feel like an eskimo at my laptop, but it's better than going outside today! LOL!!! I only take off the blanket (it even has a hood) when I have virtual meetings and have to be on screen. LOL!
 
Hi All!
I'm LilyAnn. I used to design here under the name "A Fish Design." And along with that, scrapped our life. That has come to a halt but the scrapping bug is hitting again. Hopefully I'll get to scrapping again soon.
I've been married to my husband Jeff for 25 years and have known each other for at least 5 years prior. We have two loving children. Molly (23) is living with her boyfriend of 4 years at his house with his father and brother and his girlfriend. She is a hard worker and currently has 3 jobs. She works at the library a couple of hours a week. Works as a soccer couch a couple of days a week and her newest job is as a pre-school teacher assistant. She did get her masters in education.
My son Philip (19) finished his first semester at college and hasn't done well in his classes. He's undecided whether he wants to go back or find a job. He's come into his own at college and found a bunch of friends that he hangs with. His poor grades are not because of too much socializing but because he is a slow learner with extended time allowed.
Jeff is still working the graveyard shift as a security guard for CitiField (the home stadium of the Mets). It makes for our time together limited because he sleeps during the day.
I've been working as a clerk/typist for the last 4+ years at the County Department of Health in the oil tanks department.

Christmas was quite with only 6 of us. My family, my daughters' boyfriend and an old friend from HS ate dinner and played games. Very low key. New Years was even quieter as Jeff had to work. Molly and her boyfriend (Eric) came over at 9. They taught us how to play Catana. We toasted the New Year in and finished the game and went to bed around 1:30.

I still have Post Herpetic Neuralgia from the Shingles from last year. Thank goodness the pain is no way near as intense as it was between August and October but the pain is constant.

I think this is long enough. HaHa. Hope to be more active this year. Stay safe and be healthy. Happy New Year.
 
Wearable electric blanket, Shana?!? I need to know about this! Sound delightful!


LilyAnn! So good to hear from you again. Hope you're feeling a bit better. I remember you were one of my very first CTs.


Love and Blessings
Carla, in MN
 
Carla, yes... here is the Amazon link to the blanket Randy got for me. However, if you search for "wearable electric blankets," you'll see a ton of styles and designs. He was able to find one during the Black Friday sales, and I'm so very glad he did!

I braved the roads this morning... I left super early to avoid traffic, but it still took me more than twice the time to get to my office due to the icy roads. A semi-truck that was going the opposite direction caught fire this morning, so I saw a ton of emergency vehicles headed that way to help. Scary... should have stayed home under my blanket! But at least I'm at the office now... will most likely be the only person here for a couple of hours. Time to get to work!
 
Hi Lily Ann! Good to see you here again! :) Glad you could make it.

Shana, you are brave! I haven't been out of the house (except to shovel) since Saturday! But I'll go out today 'cause the gym is open and I need a workout. :)
 
breoni said:
Day two of working from home under a "wearable" electric blanket that Randy gifted me. I feel like an eskimo at my laptop, but it's better than going outside today! LOL!!! I only take off the blanket (it even has a hood) when I have virtual meetings and have to be on screen. LOL!
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LOs are definitely needed...lol
 
I am always so interested and intrigued to hear about snow and the related issues, so foreign to me here downunder in this hot dry inland area. Are any of you impacted by the wildfires in California? The news reports are devastating. We call them bushfires here in Aus and we are in the dangerous season now....hot dry summer, hot dry windy weather.
 
Hi everyone, I will go back through & catch up on the New Year post after work today.
Things got a little hectic in the last few months of 2024 with illness, work & our car being smashed into while parked out the front of our house which set us back a bit. Even though we were insured it didn't cover a replacement car but I am thankful for a few things, 10 minutes earlier I would have been in the car with my daughter & if the car wasn't out the front the poor driver would have gone through the front of our house.

A little about me, My name is Sam, I am a 2nd generation signmaker for about 30 years now. My husband & I have run our own small business for about 20 years. I live on the Gold Coast in sunny Queensland, Australia although today is rainy & overcast & a nice break from our summer heat.
Hubby & I have been married 26 years & we have 5 kids, 1 girl & 4 boys ranging in age from 21 to 11 years old. My eldest is studying to be a nurse, my 20 year old is studying business & accounting but is currently in Japan on a ski holiday, my 19 year old just finished a gap year & is hoping to start work as a mechanic & my 2 youngest are still in high school, they are both into robotics & have entered & participated & won several competitions over the years. We have 1 big need rottweiler named Lucy who features in much of my scrapping.

I started back in 2003 or 2004 making forum tags for a crochet group I was in on msn messenger with the user name 3-little-helpers & from there I began making my own kits with the name sams scraps & had my own store for a while with a friend but we closed as we both had life events preventing us from keeping the store running for all the designers. I began CT work on & off for a few designer friends who were still selling kits & then I found Gingerscraps & have been a member here for a few years, my kids were still quite young so my participation was on & off & just hoping 2025 is the year of Sam!

I hope everyone is well & 2025 is off to a cracking start
 
Happy new year everyone.

im Sherri, I’m in alberta Canada, I have far too many health issues and not enough spoons for any given day. I was taken to get my hair cut on Saturday, which turned out nicely, but coming home trying to climb three outdoor stairs I fell a few times, setting me back even further. Yesterday I had a doctors appointment, I need to go every two months for them to be assured I’m still alive. The thought of climbing the same stairs terrified me, but with my sons help we did it without a fall.

‘’my oldest daughter Alexis is 24 and my main carer. She is off on a new adventure travelling for a bit.

‘’my son is 21, has autism, and we are struggling to get him settled for life.

‘’our Christmas was very low key, each of us had one present under the tree which was wonderful this year. Kids and I played games all Christmas Day, and we had a simple meal.

‘’New Years again was games with the kids. My resolution or wish really is not to be hospitalized in 2025.
 
Sherri, I know what you mean about that fear of falling. We had a pretty big winter storm over the weekend and since then my mother has not left the house because she is so afraid of falling. I mean there is quite a bit of ice outside, so I get it, but it gives me a feeling of knowing where you are coming from.

Me, I am in the last week of a politics class as I work toward my degree. For some reason, this is the first class that I have felt really disconnected from. I just don't enjoy it, and I can't even manage to find a spin on it that makes it palatable. I am trudging through it because I don't have any choice. Still though, it is almost making me irritable. Believe it or not, I would much rather be taking my daughter's biochemistry class than politics.
 
Jill, I am happy to report that there is no photographic evidence of me in Eskimo mode! LOL!

Ane, good for you for getting to the gym. I feel like I’m such a Goldilocks when it comes to working out (can’t be too hot, too cold, or too humid…LOL). Most days, I go to our nearly deserted shopping mall and walk there. If I walk both levels of the mall, it’s about a mile and half. So I try to walk that route a couple of times to get all my steps in for the day. I’ve also acquired free weights so I can work my arms… haven’t started using them yet, but they are ready for me.

Sam, so sorry to hear that someone smashed your car! So glad you and your family weren’t hurt!

Sherri, good to see you. I love that Alexis is off adventuring again. It’s so fun to follow her on FB! I know what you mean about the fear of falling. You should have seen me walk from my car to my office door this morning… tiny little steps, looking for any patch of dry pavement or grass where I could get traction. There are times I just want to wrap myself in bubble wrap because I do NOT want to fall. I had a dear friend who fell on the ice a couple years ago… she put her hands out to brace herself… and broke both arms! For the next several weeks, her arms were in casts in such a way that they stuck out from her body. She couldn’t do anything for herself… had to rely on others to help her eat, bathe, use the restroom, everything. Egads.

Dorann, good luck with your class. Ugh… the thought of having to take a class about politics would be my personal nightmare. Bless you for going through that as you earn your degree. When I completed my undergraduate degree, I had a couple of classes that were required that I did not enjoy… I was never so happy to complete my statistics (aka sadistics) course!!!

Today is the fourth day that local schools have been closed. We haven’t had any mail or deliveries since Saturday (and everything will be closed today in honor of President Carter’s funeral). Tomorrow, I’m hoping we get to spend time with our daughter and her boyfriend, my dad and his wife. Randy and I are taking this group to a dinner theater since we missed all the Christmas festivities due to us being sick, then had to reschedule again due to the ice storm. But it looks like Mother Nature will cooperate with us so we can see some of our family.

Have a great day, everyone!
 
Jill said:
I am always so interested and intrigued to hear about snow and the related issues, so foreign to me here downunder in this hot dry inland area. Are any of you impacted by the wildfires in California? The news reports are devastating. We call them bushfires here in Aus and we are in the dangerous season now....hot dry summer, hot dry windy weather.
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The fires aren't anywhere near us up here. It would take 3 days of driving to get to Los Angeles from Cincinnati, but my sister lives in Northern California, about 6 hrs from the fires. We're definitely praying for those affected by the fires.

I had to go to the office yesterday and today, but tomorrow it's supposed to snow again, so we're all working from home again. My kids didn't have school at all this week.
 
LilyAnn said:
Hi All!
I'm LilyAnn. I used to design here under the name "A Fish Design." And along with that, scrapped our life. That has come to a halt but the scrapping bug is hitting again. Hopefully I'll get to scrapping again soon.
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Hey, isn't it your birthday?! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
 
Robyn, my son hasn't had school at all this week either. Well, he had non-traditional instruction all week. My daughter had virtual classes Monday and Tuesday to start her last semester of college, then in person Wednesday and Thursday, and tomorrow she has to be on campus for her first class and then the other two are virtual meetings. My nephew has had traditional snow days (ie no non-traditional instruction and the days will have to be made up later). This weather is really getting crazy.
 
Our schools were closed all week, too. We got another small snowstorm last night, and there have been tons of accidents this morning again. My sweet hubby drove me to work and I was very thankful. I've changed all of my appointments today to virtual meetings, so I can stay at the office until this afternoon. I'm also hoping that our mail service reconvenes soon... we haven't received mail since Saturday.

Does anyone have any fun / warm weekend plans?
 
Shana, thanks so much! I know what's going on my after-Christmas list. (my birthday is coming up! *hint Freddy* Ice is the worst! Glad you're safe!
Good idea, Jill! We need a layout Shana!


We have lots of friends and family in Cali, but no one impacted directly yet. Lynnie?


I can't say that they're "warm" plans, Shana, (it's actually snowing here, but no ice) but I'm playing hooky today (with permission) to go play with paper and my girlfriends south of town about 1.5 hours for the entire weekend!!! I'm so excited! Best part is that the proceeds actually go to the church that we're retreating at for their pre-school.


Y'all have a WONDERFUL weekend! And Happy Birthday yesterday Miss LilyAnn!


Love and Blessings
Carla, in MN
 
Robyn, my oldest lives near Dayton! Don't know why I didn't mention that before. We went to the Cincinnati zoo/botanical garden a few months ago and loved it.

Shana, we haven't had any mail since Saturday either. So weird! I'll bet you had a bunch of snow today. It's been snowing for about 12 hours here, just light stuff though.

Carla, you lucky duck! I hope you have fun at your paper crafting retreat!

It's actually supposed to warm all the way up to 35 here tomorrow. No wonderful outdoor or indoor plans. Just shopping and doing indoor chores, I suspect.
 
breoni said:
Our schools were closed all week, too. We got another small snowstorm last night, and there have been tons of accidents this morning again. My sweet hubby drove me to work and I was very thankful. I've changed all of my appointments today to virtual meetings, so I can stay at the office until this afternoon. I'm also hoping that our mail service reconvenes soon... we haven't received mail since Saturday.

Does anyone have any fun / warm weekend plans?
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Today we made our own version of Starbucks Spiced Caramel Apple drinks. Pages will happen, for sure!
 
AJsRandom said:
Robyn, my oldest lives near Dayton! Don't know why I didn't mention that before. We went to the Cincinnati zoo/botanical garden a few months ago and loved it.
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Oh so fun! Another amazing (and free) thing to do in Cincy is the art museum. It's a full size museum with some amazing pieces!!
 
Robyn - I've recently gotten into jewelry making too. Right now I'm working with wire, copper, elastic and chain. I have a few different camera charms for bracelets.

Wish me luck, we're heading to the legion this afternoon for an afternoon of a dice game, meat draw tickets and to 50/50 draw which also has an additional "chase the ace" component where the 50/50 winner chooses a card from the face down pile and if they select the ace of spades they win the big cash prize. Sure hope myself or one of my friends win it today.

Time to get dressed and get Remi out for a walk before we go out for the afternoon. HAGD everyone.
 
Rae, I went to our legion a few months back and won for the first time twice, steaks and stewing beef. Good Luck!
 
breoni said:
Jill, I am happy to report that there is no photographic evidence of me in Eskimo mode! LOL!
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Happy Monday, all! We had a good weekend. Took my dad, daughter, and their SOs to a dinner theater where we saw Nunsense, the Musical. The food was good. The musical was... okay. I then spent the rest of the weekend at home. I cleaned out all my dresser drawers and got rid of a ton of things I was no longer using. I also finished my 2024 album and got it ordered through Shutterfly. Very happy to have that complete. Now I just need to finish the second album of our big trip.

As I've been in a huge purge mode lately, I've decided to try my hand at online selling through Ebay. That site makes posting things a lot easier than I anticipated, so was happy for that. I've already sold a half dozen items. I let the site's algorithms tell me what price each item should be listed at... sometimes it suggests something so incredibly low, and other times I'm surprised at how high it suggests I list something. Regardless, it's a great way to get rid of good items I'm no longer using and I can get a little extra spending money.

Hope everyone has a lovely week!
 
We are fairly close to the fires, but not in a danger zone. The five main fires surrounded daughter Karen, but none were blowing in her direction. It has been a worrying time for friends, though.

I belong to a charitable organization called the Daughters of the British Empire. Yes, we know the empire is long gone, but the organization is very old and encompasses the Commonwealth of Nations, and it is too complicated to change the name. We support retirement homes across the country. One was established in 1930 and is in Sierra Madre, close to the Easton fire that decimated the Altadena Area. The home and its 35+ residents were in the Evacuation Warning area for that fire and we were very concerned that the elderly residents would need to evacuate. Fortunately, that warning has been lifted.

More concerning is our British Commonwealth Chapter. There were 20 ladies in that chapter, 11 of whom lived in Pacific Palisades. Of those, we have confirmed that five lost their homes, two are still standing, and the rest don't yet know. They are such lovely women and we are heartbroken for them. Even the ladies whose homes are standing will rent for the foreseeable future. They cannot see driving through the decimated areas each day to get to their homes. We are still coming to terms with what has happened to them and trying to find a way to help them. We are a 501(c)3 organization, so the women cannot benefit directly from funds we raise for charity, so we have to be careful how we help them.

Anyway, I have spent the last week updating our women across the US and juggling loads of stuff for the organization. I am still babysitting 4 days a week and coping with my injuries from my fall last month. The face is only lightly bruised and my wrist is sore, but usable.
 
Good afternoon, ladies! I haven't had a chance to catch up with everyone yet, but I did want to tell you all my good news! My Great Grand-Daughter was finally born yesterday (January 12) around 1 PM EST. She is perfect and beautiful and looks so much like her mother. Unfortunately, her mother will not allow me to post any photos online, but I will as soon as she will allow it. I am on cloud nine right now! 8 pounds of gorgeous sunshine!
 
bcgal00 said:
Robyn - I've recently gotten into jewelry making too. Right now I'm working with wire, copper, elastic and chain. I have a few different camera charms for bracelets.

Wish me luck, we're heading to the legion this afternoon for an afternoon of a dice game, meat draw tickets and to 50/50 draw which also has an additional "chase the ace" component where the 50/50 winner chooses a card from the face down pile and if they select the ace of spades they win the big cash prize. Sure hope myself or one of my friends win it today.

Time to get dressed and get Remi out for a walk before we go out for the afternoon. HAGD everyone.
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Rae, I hope you had a funtastic time! My husband and I are members of the Mississippi Elks Lodge 1120 and we go at least once a month to the Friday Steak Night. I also take my mother on Thursdays to play a bit of Bingo. We never win but we have a great time together.
 
breoni said:
Happy Monday, all! We had a good weekend. Took my dad, daughter, and their SOs to a dinner theater where we saw Nunsense, the Musical. The food was good. The musical was... okay. I then spent the rest of the weekend at home. I cleaned out all my dresser drawers and got rid of a ton of things I was no longer using. I also finished my 2024 album and got it ordered through Shutterfly. Very happy to have that complete. Now I just need to finish the second album of our big trip.

As I've been in a huge purge mode lately, I've decided to try my hand at online selling through Ebay. That site makes posting things a lot easier than I anticipated, so was happy for that. I've already sold a half dozen items. I let the site's algorithms tell me what price each item should be listed at... sometimes it suggests something so incredibly low, and other times I'm surprised at how high it suggests I list something. Regardless, it's a great way to get rid of good items I'm no longer using and I can get a little extra spending money.

Hope everyone has a lovely week!
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Shana, I have sold a ton of paperback books on EBay in the past. I haven't used them recently but I need to! Extra money is always a good thing!
 
Hey everyone! *waves*

Shana, I haven't considered selling on eBay for a long time. Our high school band does 2 "yard" sales every year and we usually have a pile of stuff for them, but they are far apart and we don't like the stuff piling up in our garage. We are slowly purging and this could be a good way to get rid of stuff in between. I'll ponder that.

Lynnie, I'm relieved to see you're ok. It's so heartbreaking to see the footage of the devastation and I pray daily for those affected. I am glad you are able to help.

Carla, that's great news about your great-granddaughter! I look forward to seeing pictures of her when you can share.

It seems I've picked up hubby's cold. Hi is pretty bad, with lots of coughing. Mine isn't that bad and I hope it stays that way. My new class is interesting--we're studying Renaissance philosophy this week. Have been keeping myself busy otherwise and had a nice, relaxing weekend with shopping, chores, reading, some TV, and church.
 
I spent the weekend wrapping up the politics class. I am so incredibly glad that is over. Now I have a week before my next class starts. The next one is on social problems, so it should be pretty interesting. Paul finally went back to school in person today, and it is so hard to believe that he will be graduating high school in just a few months.

So, one of my biggest fears is that Kathryn's college graduation and Paul's high school graduation will be at the same time. I really hope that doesn't happen but as the time draws nearer, it is looking a lot like they will be on the same weekend, and possibly the same day.
 
Good morning, all! It's still cold in Kansas. LOL.

Ebay has been fun, but also it takes a lot of time. It's a rush when things sell, but the majority of what I've posted hasn't had any views at all. So I'll give it some time and then will probably end up just donating the entire lot to a local charity shop. Ha.

For those who would like to see my completed Shutterfly book for 2024, here is the link. I also threw together our Walt Disney World photos into existing templates at Shutterfly so I could get that book done super fast, and you can see the Disney album here if interested. Now I need to get to work on the album for my nephew's high school graduation!
 
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