Friday Coffee Klatch!

[lhall]

Good Morning Klatchers & Lurkers!!

Today is pretty busy, but it just seems like Friday's are going to stay that way. It's towels & sheets day for the laundry, we're reading with students in Ginger's class, going to Harry's and the grocery store, and then walking Ginger home from school. Whew! This afternoon Grammie & Gramps are picking up to the girls to go stay at their new house (sort of) so we have a child free weekend! Mariel has finally figured out how to use the computer mouse so she's been going to town with her Winnie the Pooh games. :D

Tomorrow we'll probably use the movie passes I got for helping out with the neighborhood party, then it's a church softball game (even if we haven't been to church since June), and maybe out to eat. I guess Al and I will try to make church this Sunday then we'll pick the girls up from Grammie & Gramps's house. MIL/FIL bought a house that BIL & family live on the main floor. MIL/FIL are finishing the basement to be a place for them. It's good size, but they sold their house and had to move. Last time I talked to MIL the basic plumbing was done, but it needed electrical work before they could sheetrock. They can't do anymore plumbing, etc until the sheetrock is up. I'm sure lunch on Sunday will be interesting. :D

I didnt' get much work done on the kitchen cabinet doors this week because of the rain. I really need to finish those up. I want to finish before the end of September.

Finally, My dad *thinks* his place in Florida is ok. He's got a place in Titusville. He talked to a neighbor who was headed back there (from GA) earlier this week. The guy said he's call Dad if there was any damage to his place and Dad hasn't heard from them.

What is everyone else up to?

Leigh

[sassysu3]

Morning Leigh (and all others to join in later :D )!

Kids free week-end Leigh? Nice. Hope you enjoy the movies & the softball game!

We're waiting to hear if our friends will be driving up from Sarasota to stay during Ivan. My Dad lives in Tampa, so I'll be calling to see what his plans are also!

So most of our doings will probably be centered around getting the place ready for guests...and I love Harry's! I go to the one in Gwinnett. However, I had DS at North Fulton Hosp. and used to live in that direction and went to the Harry's that way too.

Saturday night we're going with some friends to the Cheesecake Factory! YUM!

Have a great (and safe) week-end all.;)
Susan

[clairea]

Good morning Leigh! Your weekends always seem so busy! Enjoy your child-free time.

This morning I am volunteering at DS school for a couple of hours, and then I have to take the cat to the vet. He has been having seizures:( I also have to meet the insurance adjuster about my squished car after the storm. I think a lot of our weekend will be spent trying to clean up the yard after the storm too -- I love all the trees in our yard, but it sure is a lot of work! DD has her first soccer game tomorrow, and DS has baseball on Sunday.

Hi Susan! You posted while I was typing

Claire:)

[Robyn1007]

Good morning all!

Wow! Leigh, you are going to busy but I'm sure it will be nice to have a child free weekend!

I am looking at a fairly busy day at work today because I think my partner may be out sick so I have to do both our jobs. Tonight I want to relax since I haven't slept well this week and got no sleep over last weekend.

Speaking of, I had a wonderful weekend visiting my honey. I really am falling for this guy. Part of me thought it would be easier if we discovered this trip that the connection wasn't really there so that we wouldn't be forced into the long distance thing but that certainly wasn't the case. I already miss him like crazy and hated that I couldn't be there for his birthday this week. We are hoping that he will make it out here in October.

This weekend I will be helping a friend move tomorrow and we will together mark the anniversary of September 11th. She worked in the WTC and was flying to San Francisco that day. Two days prior she changed her flight from 93 to something else. It will be a tough day for her and I am glad I can be there to be support. Sunday I plan to relax!

Okay, I guess I am talkative this morning. I better run get ready for work. Hi to all who follow, I'll try to check in later!

Robyn

Editing to add hi Susan and Claire, you posted while I was! Claire I hope you get things worked out with the car and Susan I hope your friends make it up to you okay.

[gertdog]

Good morning!

Leigh, enjoy your kids-free weekend!

Susan, hope your friends and family are all safe from Ivan. How much longer does hurricane season last??? And- I agree about Cheesecake Factory- YUM! The one near here always has a huge wait- hours- so we never get to go.

We're hosting supper club tomorrow night. DH and I have a lot to do before then! Our living room is still filled with half-unpacked boxes, we need to vacuum, I need to shop and bake some bread, and I also need to go pick up the table and chairs I rented. There are ten people in the group and we have one table that seats four! Our theme is California wine country and I'm looking forward to relaxing with a glass of wine tomorrow night when all the work is done. I suspect Sunday will consist of clean-up, reading the newspaper, and relaxing.

[sassysu3]

:D Well, I'm enjoying a little down time in front of the computer, after having a nice run this morning with DH. So, I get to keep up with the posts coming in...
Claire! So sorry to hear about your car - bummer! I hope all gets taken care of without more trouble than it already is...:( and sorry about kitty.
Robyn~I bet you will have a full day if your partner is out...maybe you should hop over to gerts supper club dinner for some of that wine! :p
I have already been thinking about the anniversary of 9/11 :( .
Gertdog~did you guys recently move? I'm with you on the boxes...that's what I worked on yesterday in case we have week-end company.:rolleyes: UGH! Moving can be such a grind. Have a great dinner! Wish I could come!:p
Susan

[Gracie]

Good morning!

I have a long to-do list for this weekend! I inheirited a dresser from a friend so now I'll have space for all my clothes. We moved the dresser in during the week but I haven't done anything with it yet so now I have to get out the fall/winter clothes, put away the white shoes (it's after Labor Day! ;) ) and fill up the dresser. This time of year when it's still warm but you can't wear all of your summer stuff is the hardest time for my closet - I need almost everything! At least come October the tank tops and shorts can be put away.

Getting the dresser to my house meant putting down the seats in my Jeep and I normally look like I live in my car so car cleaning is also on the list. I have a pasta maker I got at a yard sale in the spring that is still in my car.

Then I want to make an effort to redo Phase I of South Beach and cook and eat right this week so there's menu planning and cooking. On top of that I owe all of you and most of my other friends our construction pictures to be updated and completed online now that everything's done.

Leigh - sounds like a fun weekend. What movie are you going to see? Do you and Al play in the softball game?

Susan - how nice of you to have friends stay during the hurricane. I can't even imagine that sort of weather bombarding you all the time. We get hurricane remnants up here and those can be bad enough, but luckily the most we have is zillions of leaves in the pool from all the wind.

Hi Claire! Does your DS ever use the Red Sox baseball? At least he has a souvenir from a "good" team!! :D

Robyn - sounds like your guy is a keeper. Good luck with the relationship. How far away are you two?

Stephanie - are you making anything other than bread for supper club? All I can think of for that theme is wine, bread and cheese! Is the house starting to feel like it's yours?

Hi to anyone posting now!

Loren

[gertdog]

Okay, Leigh's busy this weekend but I think Loren's to-do list wins the prize this week! :D

Originally posted by Gracie

Stephanie - are you making anything other than bread for supper club? All I can think of for that theme is wine, bread and cheese! Is the house starting to feel like it's yours?


I'm making grilled flank steak with rosemary aioli, and a CL recipe called Ziti with Chard (it also has tomatoes and lemon zest). Others are bringing CL's Tomato and Goat Cheese Strata, Spiced Nuts, Grilled Zucchini Salad, and an apple tart TBD. Plus a few mystery contributions that I'll find out about when they arrive!

Susan, yes, we moved in at the beginning of August. I thought hosting the supper club would be a good incentive to get things unpacked. Leave it to me to wait until the day before. Please do join us for dinner- we've got plenty of food and wine!

Robyn, I'm so glad your trip to Colorado was a success! :)

Claire, I hope the vet can help with your cat's seizures. :(

[Kayaksoup]

Good Morning everyone!

Stephanie, your supper club menu sounds excellent!

Loren, good luck with the to-do list. I am sure if I had a car it would look like I lived in it. A friend of mine had at one time a dozen real cups and mugs on the floor of her car!

Claire, I hope your cat is ok. Hopefully the vet will be able to identify why he is having seizures and fix the problem.

Hello, Leigh, Robyn, Susan and anyone else
:D

Today is going to be a day of recovery for me. LAte night last night with a good friend and I have no idea what I am doing up. I might make a batch of plum and ginger jam. Maybe do some menu planning. Figure out what to make my mom for her birthday....

[Robyn1007]

Loren, He is about 1500 miles away! :eek:

Susan, I like your idea but thankfully my partner is here!

Stephanie, YUM!

Linda, Sounds like you had a blast.

[lhall]

Wow, only 9 posts so far!

I'm done with the shopping, but still have laundry to fold & dry.

Stephanie,
Your supper club sounds fun!

Loren,
Pictures, we want pictures!

Robyn,
I'm glad you had a good time! I hope he makes it out to visit you soon! (((Hugs))) to your friend.

Linda,
I'm jealous of all the jam you make!

Claire,
I like the trees in our yard too. I bet the previous homeowners did until Opal hit in 1995 and knocked down 20 of them some into the roof. I hope things move quickly with your car. (((Kitty)))

I hope I didn't miss anyone, gotta go make PB&J for Mariel. :D


Leigh

[tbb113]

Not much planned for the weekend here. Today is Michael's first JV game and he thinks he may be starting since the real starter is injured. He plays OL/DL (third string) but is the second string punt snapper (I have no idea what the real position is...he is the guy that snaps the ball to the receiver so someone else can punt the ball). Guess I need to learn more about football than the little bit I know (4 tries to make 10 yards) :o

Then I have dinner at the "I" restaurant, have some new people signed up so will see how it goes. Saturday, I'm getting my hair trimmed and then my Mom and I are going bra shopping (assuming she is up to it). We both need bras .... Sunday, I'm planning on taking the younger son clothes and shoe shopping.

Robyn glad the weekend went well and glad to hear he is willing to fly out to see you next time. Good luck

Stephanie have a great supper club. Menu sounds great.

[lhall]

Loren,
No, I don't play softball just Al. I have problems with my achilles tendon so running or walking too much is not good. I can't even use a stair machine. :rolleyes:

Tyra,
Go Michael!! :D

Leigh

[clairea]

I'm back from the vet. Thanks for the good wishes, everyone. The vet thinks the seizures are idiopathic, so the only possibility is to try to control them with medication. Right now DH and I are trying to decide whether we can afford the expense and hassle involved in medicating a cat several times a day:(, and accept that he is still going to have some seizures (which result in cat urine spots wherever he has them). The only other alternative is to have him put to sleep. If we go that route, though, I will have to find another vet, as this one (who we have never seen before) said it was really just a matter of convenience and he wouldn't put a cat to sleep for that. He pretty much made me feel like a terrible person:(

Loren, Ethan loves using the Redsox ball! He won't let Emily touch it though:D

Robyn, you sound so excited. DH and I had a long-distance relationship for a while. It is hard, but it also makes the time you do have together really special.

Claire

[Robyn1007]

Claire, excited is definitely part of it! I am glad that it is mutual though, last night I got a message from him with just a smiley face when he got out of the concert he went to. I am glad to hear that long distance can work (though my mom and my mentor in college both went through it successfully too). Sorry to hear about your cat, I don't know what I would do either!

Tyra, Yep, sounds like you better get a football tutor so you know what he's telling you about!

[sassysu3]

Gert~I'm with you on the "incentive" push. I've been running around the place all morning hanging pics and window treatments...before the prospect of having out-of-town guests, I was dragging my feet.:rolleyes:

Gracie~Clothes transition! I know what you mean..out with the white, but still need the sleeveless!

Kayak~Hope you have a smooth recovery ;)!

Robyn~ Gotcha' on your company :p .

Claire~Sorry about the kitty situation...that's really tough.:(

[lhall]

Loren,
Spring & Fall are always rough for me. I've just come to the realization that I have too many clothes! :D :D We have a storage closet in our bonus room that's full of clothes for the off seasons. DH also needs to go through his stuff since we both know his mother will never stop buying him navy & khaki colored pants. He must have 6 pairs of each of those colors. :rolleyes:

Susan & Stephanie Repeat after me:
"company is coming, must clean house, must be spotless" :D :D :D

I'm just as bad! Half the time I wear myself out with last minute cleaning.

Leigh

[Kayaksoup]

Ugh, still in pajamas...

Hi Tyra. I really didn't understand anything of what you said about football, but I'll send a big cheer for your son:D

Susan, thanks for the recovery wishes. Its coming along nicely;) Although reading about all your cleaning/hard wrok is starting to make me feel guilty..

Claire, sorry to hear the news about your cat. It is always a hard decision to make. Our family chose to medicate our dog when he was diagnosed with diabetes, but we always wondered if we were just being selfish in prolonging his life.

Leigh, I think i am caught in a horrible jam-making addiction. I don't NEED jam, but there is time, there is fruit, I just can't stop myself..

[Gracie]

Claire - I'm glad Ethan enjoys the ball. Good luck with the cat.

Leigh - that's too bad that you can't walk or jog. I'd go out of my mind if couldn't get in my walk every night. I go with a friend so half the time it's the mental help I get (venting!). I have at least 6 pairs of khaki pants, 9 pairs of khaki shorts, umpteen plain gray crew neck tops, etc. I really think I have Gray Shirt Disease. I can't pass them up! :D

Tyra - the guy that snaps the ball to the punter (or to the guy that holds the ball for the field goal kicker) is called the Long Snapper. Really. Any football questions, just ask me. I taught DH all he knows, too. I grew up going to Baltimore Colts games with my dad who had season tickets and took me (he must not have had any friends!).

It is really quiet here today. For any of you that I turned on to Mummy Maze, my new fave is Bespelled - also at MSN Games. You can keep a game going for hours!

Loren

[tbb113]

Glad I have a source for my questions other than my son :) Fortunately I have an older brother so at least I can throw the football without embarrassing myself and I can catch it as well. Michael is doing okay for the short punt distance...but the longer distance is hard for him since his shoulder is hurt as well. I guess during the game they ace bandage him first so it doesn't hurt and he can play. I'm pretty impressed ... they have a team trainer and an orthopedic at the practices and games so the guys don't get hurt by playing with injuries.

Claire: sorry about the cat and the car. Its hard to make a decision for your animals when they are ill.

[MrsReber]

Originally posted by gertdog
Okay, Leigh's busy this weekend but I think Loren's to-do list wins the prize this week! :D



I'm making grilled flank steak with rosemary aioli, and a CL recipe called Ziti with Chard (it also has tomatoes and lemon zest). Others are bringing CL's Tomato and Goat Cheese Strata, Spiced Nuts, Grilled Zucchini Salad, and an apple tart TBD. Plus a few mystery contributions that I'll find out about when they arrive!

Susan, yes, we moved in at the beginning of August. I thought hosting the supper club would be a good incentive to get things unpacked. Leave it to me to wait until the day before. Please do join us for dinner- we've got plenty of food and wine!



Hmmm, you're not all that far from me... :D

[colleency]

Good Day, all!

Loren - I pretty much wear the same clothes all year. A few more long sleeves Dec-Mar is the only change. Luckily, I don't own any white clothes. :)

Tyra - I have an older brother, and I still don't know how to throw a ball! Or what any of those terms mean, and I even had a cousin that played for the Detroit Lions. He was a football player. He did football things. :o

Linda - so far, I've only made the pineapple preserves, and I did those wrong!

Robyn - Write letters! DH and I didn't live all that far apart when we met, but we were young and poor, so we couldn't afford the phone calls. We wrote each other the most wonderful letters, and I kept them all in an album. I treasure those letters even more than I do photographs.

My weekend won't be super-busy. I'm mostly working on making a costume for DH to wear for a tv spot he's doing on Monday. There's a show called Screen Savers on a channel called Tech TV, which we don't get. But they're interviewing him and showing the interior and exterior of the car. They've asked him to wear a costume, so of course he wants a new one. It will be a fighter pilot costume.

Hopefully, we'll be far enough along on the project to break away from it a little on Sunday night. The cast and crew premier for the movie we have bit parts in will be playing at a studio in Hollywood.

[tbb113]

I think I learned to throw a ball in self defense. We had a big backyard and if no one was around to play with...my brother picked me. Having two boys, I'm glad I can play catch without embarrassing myself :)

So...what is the movie? You can't just tease us that way. Do you have lines or is it just crowd/background?

[colleency]

My brother used to make me play D&D with him when there was no one else to play. :D

It's an ego movie (somebody with money wanted to be the star of a movie) about a comic book hero. DH and I are in a party scene, a walking-by scene, and a car scene. I have about 4 lines, but they didn't tell me what to say until right before I had to say it! Apparently the special effects are fun. It's supposed to be a cute little movie. We're in it because we're friends with the director. Shawn also did a lot of the props and took over the art direction towards the end of filming.

[Gracie]

Colleen, you have the most interesting things going on! I can't even imagine whipping up a costume over the weekend but you are always sewing something wonderful and elaborate. It sounds like you are Shawn have totally the same interests. Did you meet him acting?

It is still boring here! Another hour and a half (I'll skip out a few minutes early but not too many)......

Loren

[tbb113]

Originally posted by colleency
My brother used to make me play D&D with him when there was no one else to play. :D



I have a younger son that make me do things like that. Newest one is playing Risk GodStorm (http://boardgames.about.com/cs/risk/a/godstorm_pre.htm) I'm such a good mother :)

[colleency]

Originally posted by Gracie
It sounds like you are Shawn have totally the same interests. Did you meet him acting?

I guess you could kind of say that. We met at a Renaissance Faire.

Luckily, most of the costume he's wearing Monday is already made. I just have to add pockets to the jumpsuit and make a vest and flak jacket. I was supposed to do it last weekend, but it was too hot to move!

[lhall]

WooHoo the girlies are gone! :D Ok, so I'm not that excited. MIL/FIL just left with the girls & the air matress. They only have one room that's liveable (i.e. finished walls.

Colleen,
LOL! My older brother also got me into D&D. I played a lot more then he did though. I even did some playtesting. Sounds like a fun weekend for you.

Tyra,
My mom used to tell this story if me coming in the house in tears because "I couldn't play with the boys" Football, baseball, basketball...you name it an I played it. :D

Claire,
Somehow I missed responding about your kitty. How often are the seizures now, and how often will they be with meds?


Leigh

[tbb113]

Leigh: I played with my brother some, but I actually remember spending much more time with my own friends playing more 'girly' things like bike riding, roller skating (with the clip on skates), jacks, and of course dolls. I was never really athletic (and unfortunately still don't exercise).

I'm always that excited when the boys leave for the weekend. Its hard to get private time when they are home and I feel slightly guilty when I run errands, etc and leave them stuck at home on the weekends. Mind you they don't mind and they sure don't want to come with me :)

[clairea]

Leigh and Tyra, I would love to have a few kid-free weekends! My parents do take the kids when they can, but they live in Arkansas so it isn't very often. My in-laws live fairly nearby, but have told us that the kids are too much work:( for people their age (not yet 60).

Thanks for all the good thoughts about my kitty. Leigh, I am seeing seizures 3-4 times a week, so I am sure it is more frequent than that since I am hardly ever home during the day (I think I am no longer a stay-at-home mom, I am a stay-in-the-car mom;)) They don't really know what would happen with the medication, as it is apparently just a matter of balancing the number of seizures vs how sedated the medication makes him, so the best case is that we could significantly reduce the frequency of the seizures but he would always be sedated. I'm not sure that is really much of a life for him.

All this talk of football, etc -- I was (am pretty much still am) a total girly-girl. I'm having to learn about all these "boy" things for Ethan.

Claire

[gertdog]

Somehow I managed to let my errands take up the whole day, which means I'll be making up work on Sunday. :(

I did a bad thing, too. I had run into the mall to get something at Williams-Sonoma, and I went through the Macy's entrance. When I was leaving Macy I got sucked into the accessories department. It appears that the colors for this fall are mauves, plums, and pinks. I bought a bright pink purse! What is wrong with me? I never make impulse purchases, but I was walking through and saw all those bright colors, and thought about how every handbag I own is black. Next thing I knew I was handing a pink purse to the saleswoman. :rolleyes: I'm going to leave the tags on for a few days to make sure I don't get a bad case of buyer's remorse.

I wish I knew how to play D&D. I remember asking for the basic game as a kid, and I think my Dad didn't think it was a girl thing to do, so I never got it. Ditto the basketball hoop I wanted. :mad:

[Robyn1007]

Stephanie, KEEP THE PURSE!!! It sounds adorable!

Colleen, We write a lot of emails but what I really wish I could print out are the text messages I get. They really are sweet! The costume sounds interesting.

[colleency]

Robyn,
Write actual physical letters on paper! It really is special. Just try sending him a quick note in the mail. It is so sweet to receive something in the mail other than a bill! I'm actually glad that we weren't able to speak on the phone. It forced us to be creative!

Stephanie,
I, too, am making forays into girlie-girlness. I always carried a backpack style purse. A friend of mine's mom just gave me a purse of hers she found in a box. It was brand new in 1953, and she never used it. It's little and tube shaped and red! So not me, but I absolutely love it. It makes me feel so feminine and pretty to carry it!

Claire,
That does sound like a tough decision about kitty. I don't think the vet is taking all the factors into consideration. If the poor thing is going to be drugged all the time, then it is a question of quality of life. Some people are forced to stay alive longer than their quality of life would dictate. I would be sad to think we've done that to our pets, too.

[tbb113]

Stephanie: Another vote for keeping the purse. I've been using a bright red canvas bag all summer and it makes me smile when ever I look at it. How often can you say that about your purses? :)

Robyn: I agree with Colleen. Emails are great for quick notes and keeping in touch, but a real letter is something special.

[Robyn1007]

Okay, okay, you've convinced me. Of course, he did get a birthday card this week but maybe I'll just write something tonight and mail it, you're right, it would be nice to get a letter.

Colleen, I love the sounds of your new purse and real vintage!

[SueK]

Stephanie - keep the purse! I was at the mall today (with the main goal being to buy the baby a winter coat) and Kaufmann's was having a great sale, and of course to get to the baby dept you had to go through the women's dept....need I say more?

I ended up with both a red AND pink purse! I think I watched too much of the "What Not To Wear" marathon last weekend and now feel as if I have to break out of my "everything I own is black" rut. :) Of course then I felt compelled to get something new to match each new purse.......I did end up getting the baby two new coats, though! :)

[tbb113]

Originally posted by SueK
feel as if I have to break out of my "everything I own is black" rut. :) [/SIZE]

I did that a few years ago. I made a conscious decision not to buy anything that was solid black. Amazing how many pieces of clothing you can just skip right by on the racks when you've made that decision.

[gertdog]

Originally posted by SueK

I ended up with both a red AND pink purse!

Ha! I definitely don't feel bad anymore! :D

I plan to bring the purse to the NYC Klatch next Saturday so I can say "I'll be the one with the bright pink bag." :)

Perhaps my next venture should be to purchase a pair of shoes that isn't black or brown. Hmmm...

ETA: DH just got home and is working on the yard, so I better go look like I'm working on clean-up for tomorrow too! Have a good weekend, all!

[tbb113]

Go for RED shoes. I've been dying for a pair for the last two years. I can live through you :D I almost bought a pair of short red boots during the Nordstrom pre-season sale, but they didn't have my width. Maybe I'll still break down and get a pair.

I'm almost out of here. JV game starts at 4:30 so I need to get going.