A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Banter Hall CoffeeHouse 2140--is it Spring yet???

YOU get to make a "Santa List"??? Gee---I don't.

well I do get to make a list, but it is just for the gift exchange we have with my family (we draw names--one person, one gift)

I don't get to make a Santa List--I have been getting jiped--can I have my gifts made retroactive???

Now THAT would be cool.........

Merme, as someone who makes there living teaching music-mostly kids, and mostly guitar- and has done for a very long time indeed, may I strongly suggest that you get Maxi a steel-string, rather than a classical which is often what the music store suggests for kids, and get them to switch the strings to extra-light ( the 1st E willl be a .010).
The thinness of the strings for a young beginner means the tension to get them up to correct pitch is far lower, and learning speed is increased by around 20%.

Yes, Cricket, the band leader (of the award winning marching band AND jazz band for our state) encourages the kids to play with the guitar hero during open activity times.

Junie ~ Retroactive gifts would be super!

Pete ~ I sent you a pm.

Loz ~ I bet playing guitar hero on the DS is adorable!



Merme

thanks a.pete for that tip i'll have to check that out.

hi folks, this is my one post for the night. hands/fingers/wrists/etc aren't working today

Sorry Jiffy.

Last year for Christmas my nephew got a guitar.....a really nice guitar. I didn't know he could even play at all! Imagine my surprise on Christmas morning when he played Good Riddance(time of your life), by Greenday! So good! He taught himself how to play.....I love watching people play instruments of all kinds.

I'm, brrrrrrrr, freezing tonight. Just took a shower and it's cold in here even with the heat turned up.

Getting ready to count my change up for Black Friday!

sorry your parts aren't working well tonight jiff.
and man, merme....sounds like we are all making up for lost time with you! :ding: your response sounded like a one armed paper hanger.
my son has started band this year and is playing alto sax. the teacher his class has is a well known sax player that has done back up...or what ever you call it... for some very well known singers. (I won't bore you with the name dropping) the school is very lucky to have him.

oh, and NO carol. I don't get to make a santa list. I guess I was being a bit sarcastic. gift giving in my opinion is for kids. even before we had kids, me and hubby didn't exchange gifts with each other. we used to put our 'extra' money together and buy stuff for the house for christmas. new carpet, bed set, sofa....stuff like that. christmas is so monetary these days, it depresses me.

Cricket ~ people have been lamenting that for hundreds of years. Don't let it depress you! Christmas is what you make it. If excessive spending is all that counts, then Christmas will be all about excessive spending. If, on the other hand, it's all about the joyousness of loving God & one another and giving our very best, then it takes on a whole other flair. Streamlined or frilly, Christmas is an awfully sweet season.

Like the Who's in Whoville taught Christmas comes in the heart even without decorations, feasts and gifts.

Alto Sax is a great instrument! I'm glad your kid is learning it.

Jiffy ~ I'm sorry you are not at your best tonight!!

I had cheese grits with a dash of garlic for my dinner.


Merme

My brother can play drums and alto sax. My sister can play clarinet.Musical talent isn't in me. My talent is gardening.

I try to keep my head up about Christmas! it IS all about what you make. hubbies fam is crazy, with the extravagant gifts, trying to outdo each other and the swearing. I just want to crawl in a hole each year from thanksgiving through new years. BUT, I don't. I hold my head up high. we spend limited time with the in laws and always have something special each holiday with just us. we have a calm peaceful time. put God first, and we TRY not to bad mouth 'the others'. (that was the term me and hubby used to use to refer to them when we spoke about them around the children. they soon learned who we were talking about so we had to stop) ha ha

Good for you for not allowing the behavior of other people to spoil YOUR joy in the happy, holy season, Cricket!

I'm off to bed now because I'm too cold and cranky to keep sitting in my chair.


Merme

buenos noches, merme...same for every one else still up tonight.
I'm off to bed myself.
isn't it odd how the house stays at a constant temp, but you can still feel how cold it is outside by how cold your feet get while your inside? Is it just me? strange!
I've loaded the coffee pot for in the morning. first one up push go, please.

Jiffy I hope tomorrow is a better day

goodnight every one

I just decided on another Christmas present for Maxi.

I have a very large plastic bowl I use for my baking. When it is not in use, I store all my baking supplies inside of it so all I have to do is pull out that bowl and I'm ready to go.

Trouble is, Maxi doesn't like to eat popcorn from the bag so he always swipes my baking bowl, dumps it out, and puts his popcorn in it. Well, then I have to clean it, gather up all my stuff again and put it away!

So... I'm going to shop for a popcorn bowl for him and then fill it with everything needed for a popcorn/movie night. Popcorn packages, those mini cans of soda, an inexpensive dvd, etc.

He'll be delighted AND he'll leave my baking bowl alone! What a good plan this is!


Merme

Sweet dreams, Carol.
That is a wonderful gift, Merme! The best kind of gift!

That is a good plan Merme........I like it! How about some boxes of movie candy? I always like the sno-caps, always have to buy them. I think he'll like your idea. And if you have a Walmart near they have a $5 bargain bin of DVDs.

But we had better finish up this coffee house soon so Loz can get rid of it. Maxi is a reading member now!

Yes, Loz, there is a super Wal-Mart just two towns away. I will look for their discount dvd bin! I also like the idea of movie candy. Sno-caps are great! But for movies I also like jujubees & good 'n plenty!

Tina I always try to think of clever gifts for the kid. I am also thinking of making him one of those shrug blankets because he likes to wrap up in the evening. You know the kind I mean? The blanket with arms in it so it stays up around your shoulders and you can still use your arms.


Merme

Yes, Maxi is a reading member now but he is only here on weekends until I move to S Portland, so we are safe talking about him for now.


Merme

It's dinnertime for me.This is the last week of driver's ed.Next week, I take the written exam!

Good for you, Enrique! Let us know how you do on that exam!

Merme

I'm reaaly happy today because I received the first seed catalog of the 09 growing season yesterday.I'm going to quickly place an order and by the weekend,will be on it's way and then the long wait for the seeds to arrive.

Any movie candy is good movie candy.

Good luck with your driving and test Enrique.......I remember all that like it was yesterday. My teacher had me go out on the main road my first time in the car. I looked at him and said, are you sure? (I'd never driven at ALL at the time).

Heading to read..........currently working on Swallowing Darkness by Laurell K Hamilton!!!!! Wow is she good!

Night all.

Goodnight, loz! Enjoy the reading and stay warm.


Merme

You will do well on the exam, Enrique. They want people to pass it. They want people to know the important things about being on the road. So they don't try to trick you or such with the questions and answers.
And congrats on your seeds!

Here's a strange thing for you to consider as you drift of to bed, folks-
( and remember I'm sitting down here on the other side of the World sweating and sitting in just a pair of shorts typing this...)- Imagine growing up with Christmas being songs about dashing through the snow, and the frost deep and crisp and even, and shop displays with elves and fake snow... while red-faced sweaty Santas ring bells on street corners and Christmas day is often spent at the beach...

That's not weird to me aussiepete

I'm going to be tanning myself in the sun on Christmas day and maybe jumping into the outside swimming pool

P.s. I'm also typing this in shorts and a thin t-shirt

Ok friends---Good Morning----

I just tried to copy and paste a Coffee pot graphic for cricket---I wanted to tell her I am the one to start the fresh coffee she made up last night----

But no graphic---when I do it---all that pastes is a webkinz message someone posted in reply to one of my questions of a few days ago---strange huh???

Here ya go Carol and Cricket,,,,,,, Coffee's ready! and Good Morning!

Diane--Bless you---

I hope you have a nice day....how is your new job going???/

Well I hope

Good morning.I woke up early to take a shower,but when I turned on the faucet,no water came out.Tuned out my siblings played a trick on me last night.Theyu shut off the water valve so I would't be able to take a shower.I'm going outside to go turn on the water.

I better take a shower and go to school.

Good morning, everybody! I'm ready for some of that coffee y'all made earlier.


Merme

Hi ,
I just got up too- slept in a little bit this morning- later start time for Joseph today- have I said how much we hate block schedules at his school- don't know why they can't just start and stop at same time every day...
Mom went to doc again yesterday... she has had so many UTI's I asked them to see if we maybe had something else going on- so they are checking to see if maybe she has a kidney stone or something else going on too... and we are doing another round of antibiotics too..
We are having another nice day today and then it drops at least 30* tomorrow and may snow again.... really strange weather for us but going to enjoy today!
Well off to make some breakfast and get my shower- fold the laundry... start making my grocery list .. got my ads today and more coupons to cut out- going to stock up on groceries ... replace my spices - I have coupons and they are 1/2 price so good time to do it... and will have fresher ones for the holidays.
Nana

thanks for pushing go on the coffee pot this morning carol. and thanks angleblossom for the cool graphic. I got off a bit early today. I'm supposed to be paying bills, but I keep putting it off.
interesting visual of you guys down under celebrating chirstmas at the beach and the sweaty santa! how confusing it must be for the children.

Coffee for all

THAT's what I like to hear.....

Yeah, but as Hadeda ( Hi Hadeda :) )pointed out above Christmas in summer has a charm all it's own, and I imagine that the main summer holidays are over DEC/Jan in South Africa just as they are here.

Hi all,
The summer Christmas brought back memories of when we moved from Alaska to Az... our first Christmas was very different for us- as a family we just didn't feel like Christmas so we drove down to Mexico for the weekend, went swimming and just walked around Nogales... bought so me stuff and hung out-- we were more ready for it the next yr and then we had a tree and decor and all... was very different for us at the time.... lived in AZ for 30 yrs or so and never had a white Christmas there - now we are in Colorado and have them most of the time... I prefer the white Christmas I think.... just seems more "right" LOL!
Nana

I just had a coffee. It's about 30 degrees out and I've been out for the past 3 hours putting up lights outside. WHEW. What a job! I'll have to take a picture to show you all! As you put yours up I'd like to see them too!

Tonight calls for chicken noodle and grilled cheese.......I need nice hot soup.

I too hope for a white Christmas. I'd love to get 3 feet of snow on Christmas Eve so we were all snowed in for the day.

HI to everyone by the way...........