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Post by Mini Mia on Dec 8, 2018 20:51:31 GMT -6
It's Winter here again. It's so cold outside it hurts to be out in it.
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Post by Phalon on Dec 9, 2018 10:00:41 GMT -6
Ohmygosh!!! It's cold here too!
We were (according to the forecast!) supposed to get into the 30s with clear skies and sun this weekend. Instead, it's been in the 20s with cloudy skies and lots of wind. We didn't get the snow either that was predicted for the latter part of the week; it did snow, but was just flurries and didn't amount to anything but a dusting. I was downtown the other day doing a little shopping (after my post office flub) and felt as if I was going to blow away, and Friday night - it was one of those nights when you wonder why you even ventured outside!
It was just Hubs and I though, and he suggested we go out to dinner. Fine by me, even though I started to prepare to cook! He suggested the family-owned Mexican restaurant in town; even finer by me - I love their food and we hadn't been all summer. I gave a call ahead - they always close for the winter just before Christmas, and don't open again until Ice Breaker Weekend, our town's winter festival in February. The family that owns the restaurant aren't exactly Snowbirds - those people who fly south to warmer climes for the winter. They go home to....Germany during the coldest months of the year. The husband is Mexican, the wife is German, and I'm guessing the restaurant is the only Mexican restaurant around with goulash and schnitzel on the menu - the wife's specialties.
We got in just in time - they are closing after this weekend. We parked about a half a block away, and the short walk might as well have been a half a mile - we were frozen through-and-through by the time we walked through the door! It was well worth it though - they always greet you warmly when you walk in the place, and the food is delicious! Very glad we went before they closed for the season.
Many of the other places I went to while shopping last week are closing, or drastically reducing their hours after Christmas also. Ah, winter in a summer tourist small town - no one left but the locals! At least instead of parking half a block away, soon we'll be able to - as Hubs' has said since the day I met him in reference to getting a good parking spot - "park right in front of the snack-bar!"
Or walk - if the wind ever dies down enough that you don't feel as if you're going to blow all the way to Detroit.
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Post by Mini Mia on Dec 9, 2018 21:38:05 GMT -6
When it gets this cold, I wish I had a huge underground cellar where I could horde months and months worth of food so that I didn't have to get out to go grocery shopping. People had it hard back in the old days, but they also had the ability to stock up for times like these.
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Post by Phalon on Dec 10, 2018 7:37:39 GMT -6
I don't mind grocery shopping in the winter...more than I mind it any other time of the year, that is. Grocery shopping any time is not particularly one of my favorite things to do, especially since the local grocery store closed; I still dislike going to the big box-store.
Grocery shopping in winter does present some challenges though - pushing a cart loaded with groceries through a snowy parking lot should be part of the triathlon; the third part of the event could be the mad-dash to get the fresh produce from the store to the car, drive home, and get the produce from the car into the house, without any of it getting nipped by freezing temperatures. I always have more fruit and veggies turn bad in winter than in summer - and it does so very quickly.
And the second part of the winter grocery-shopping triathlon? To make it through the entire store without having a hot flash!
I have to grocery shop today....and I must remember to take off my coat in the store! The last couple of times I've been grocery shopping, I've ended up having a hot flash at the check-out counter, after being inside for an hour or so with my coat on.
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Post by Phalon on Dec 10, 2018 12:53:06 GMT -6
OMG!!! The SUN!!!!
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Post by stepper on Dec 10, 2018 18:25:45 GMT -6
Twice over the weekend I tried going to the big grocery store off base to look for a couple of pumpkin rolls. The real problem was parking - no matter what time I looked on which day, there was almost no parking. Really. When they moved a few years ago they doubled the size of the parking lot, but now days it's still not big enough. And when I did finally get in, there were no pumpkin rolls and no signs of tangerines anywhere. Sigh. What has happened to the tangerines? When I was young the stocking always had a tangerine (a favorite of mine), but it seems you have to get them closer to Halloween now - and sadly - they are hard to find when there are any of them around.
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Post by Mini Mia on Dec 10, 2018 19:14:59 GMT -6
I think the Halos have overtaken the tangerines. I love tangerines. I got some Halos and Green Apples today for the Santa bags. And I got a lot of candy to go with the fruit. I need to have them ready for after the Christmas play, when Santa drops by to chat with the kids and give them a sack. This year I wrapped the box in Christmas paper. Never thought to do that before. So, now it will look like Santa is reaching into a big present and pulling out the bags. I need to fill and staple the bags, and get them to the Church Fellowship room. Then I gotta dig the Christmas Cards out of the wrapped box in the vestibule and lay them out per family. I'll tie them up Sunday afternoon, just in case late cards are dropped into the box Sunday morning. And then my job will be done for another year.
I put on my Winter coat, but I knew with the temps in the 40s it probably wasn't a good idea. I had to take it off in the store, and I never put it back on, even when I went outside. I would have been miserable the drive home.
The days are in the 40s & 50s this week, with rain moving in Thursday. I'm going to try and get the bags done tomorrow to keep them out of the rain. Usually, I do them the night before they get passed out. And if not for the rain, I'd probably have put them off until this weekend too. I ran out of the pretty white lunch sacks, and can only find the brown ones. They were always brown before, so no big deal. I guess Mom just happened to see the white ones and took advantage of a nice change.
I'd be thrilled if the groceries came to me. If everything came to me, actually. I've been known to be called 'Dirty Sally.' Because I don't want to go nowhere, and I prefer to keep to myself. And I forgot to stop by the pharmacy today, so I'm gonna have to get out again soon. Maybe next week. Should probably go through the car wash then too.
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Post by Mini Mia on Dec 11, 2018 18:03:41 GMT -6
Made another trip to town. Got stuff I forgot yesterday ... and didn't even think to get some apples for the oatmeal. I found an overnight oatmeal cookie recipe, and I just happen to have raisins, so I'm gonna try that. I like raisin oatmeal cookies much better than apple pie. Plus, I'm gonna try 1/2t cocoa to see if it's less rich, and doable. I got a big container of rolled oat, and a gallon of milk, so other than the apples I should have everything I need. Plus, I'm gonna try the toasted oats again with Stevia to see if I can get it to something I'll eat. My friend says Stevia tastes nasty, so I may have wasted my money on that. But, the only way to know is to try it.
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Post by moonglum on Dec 13, 2018 1:29:42 GMT -6
It's 4C here this morning and still dark. Took the dogs out yesterday and the wind chill factor made it feel below freezing. The 'hounds' look cute now that they've been to the groomers, even more so when they've got their little coats on. All is quiet. Vox is still asleep and youngest daughter has just left for work. Heard from eldest daughter yesterday. They will we arriving on 21st from up north and spending xmas with us. The house will be hectic and crowded then, 6 adults, 3 dogs and 2 (maybe 4) children. Sheesh, I think I'll move into the workshop!
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Post by Phalon on Dec 13, 2018 8:23:02 GMT -6
Oh, I know, I know! Pick me!
Want to learn a bit out the confusing world of loose-skinned citrus? Some of this I know from Hubs' job; I asked him a similar question a couple of years ago when Halos (and Cuties) first started hitting the grocery stores. Some of this I had to drill to verify I was repeating it correctly.
All tangerines are mandarin oranges, but not all mandarins are tangerines. All clementines are mandarin oranges, but not all mandarin oranges are clementines. (For a comparison consider that all cherry tomatoes are tomatoes, but not all tomatoes are cherry tomatoes.)
All Halos are mandarin oranges; All Cuties are mandarin oranges. Halos and Cuties are brand names, like Sunkist is a brand name of oranges. Both Halos and Cuties use different types of mandarin oranges in their packages. When buying Halos, you may be getting clementines, Murcotts, or Tangos, depending on the month you buy them. When you buy Cuties, you could get clementines or Murcotts, depending on the month.
What is a clementine? It's a tangor - a hybrid cross between a tangerine and an orange.
What is a Murcott? It's a variety of tangerine.
What's a Tango? Tangos are a tangerine developed from Murcotts for the purpose of extending the season - essentially it's a late-season tangerine.
What you get in your bag of Halos or Cuties depends on the month you buy them - first come clementines (Nov-Dec), then Murcotts (Jan-April), and lastly Tangos (Feb-May). Depending on where they're grown, the months they are available varies slightly.
What's interesting is clementines and Murcotts have been around since the early 1900s; Tangos are relatively new, developed about 10 years ago. There are other varieties of tangerines, of course, but since everything seems to be branded nowadays, it's very possible that your mom, Stepper, put either clementines or Murcotts in your stocking - back then they were just called tangerines.
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Post by Phalon on Dec 13, 2018 9:02:24 GMT -6
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Post by Phalon on Dec 15, 2018 9:37:38 GMT -6
It's been very moorish here the last couple of days (or what I imagine the weather in the moorlands to be like). Temperatures are above freezing, in the high 30s and low 40s, with dreary skies, rain, and a lot of fog. The rain quit yesterday morning, but instead of the fog lifting, it grew thicker throughout the day. Running errands in the afternoon, it was so thick all I could see were lights - headlights, taillights, and traffic lights - the actual cars and surroundings were just hulking shapes, their details lost in the fog.
By evening we were under a dense fog warning, with advisories to stay off the roads, and closings of various events along the coastline scrolling across the bottom of the T.V. screen. I had plans to out for drinks with a couple of friends, who I get together with once a month or so, and we decided to put our gathering off until after Christmas; I had planned to walk the few blocks even before the fog, but they both come from outlying areas with lots of winding roads on the way to town.
The fog has lifted though, and this morning sun is shining!
It sounds like a fun job, Joxie, and a nice thing that your church does. Hope you have a wonderful time.
Oh, and for future reference - I was looking for plain cellophane gift bags while I was at Walmart this past week; I figured they'd be in the party supply section, but all they had were printed bags. Another customer, also looking for something she couldn't find, told me she just saw the plain ones in the candy making aisle (I never knew there was such an aisle), and showed me where to find them. There were all kinds of bags there, including plain white paper bags.
And yes, I agree with your friend - stevia is gross. I've never had it in packaged form, but occasionally we'll sell the plants at the nursery in our herb section. The leaves in my opinion, are sickly sweet, and I would imagine, processed, it would be even more so.
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Post by Mini Mia on Dec 15, 2018 19:30:23 GMT -6
I never think to shop for next Christmas' supplies after Christmas. I should probably do that. I probably won't though. Brown bags have always been used, but I guess Mom just happened to see the white ones one day and decided they'd do. I 'wrapped' the box I put the sacks in. That has never been done before, and I probably wouldn't have done that if not for your comments here. It's just the one box, 40 sacks ... One image is pushed all the way up, and the other all the way down to get the whole contents on display. I put the fruit in first, and then the candy. This year I even got those powdered drink boxes and put one 'tube' in each sack. Never did that before, but this year the Dollar General Store didn't have as much candy on display as in the past, so I needed something. I was wishing I could find those little wax bottles, but alas I did not. And then I saw the boxes and went ... ... hmmm ... why not?
http://instagram.com/p/Brbeb_vl-45
I Googled Stevia, and it did say not to use the leaves. I really hope I didn't waste my money. I didn't want to go with the artificial sweeteners. Stevia is supposed to be so much better than those.
It has been gloomy and rainy here for around three day. I was bitching in my head about it, and then realized it could have been snow, ice, icy rain, sleet ... and decided to be grateful it was rain. It's supposed to be over. I didn't want to get the Santa sacks out in it, so I loaded the dual recliner with the 40 bags today and filled them. Mom always did it on the Sunday afternoon of the day of the play. Always interfering with my afternoon nap. I've filled the bags at home the night before since she's been gone. I'll load them into the car tomorrow and set them in the Fellowship Hall. Then all I'll have to do is grab the box of Christmas Cards everyone fixed up and sort them into piles for each family and tie them up with yarn. Mom always did one red and one green, going down the rows. I'm thinking of using both red and green per each pile. Those don't take as long as the bags, so I shouldn't lose too much nap time.
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Post by Phalon on Dec 17, 2018 6:33:09 GMT -6
It's pretty! It's probably weird, but I love wrapping gifts. Atypical of my personality, I think, but everything has to be just so - patterns lining up on the seams, sharp creases, and perfect corners - everything perfect except for the occasional cat hair. The cat too, loves that I love wrapping gifts - it gives him another chance to try to mess up what I'm doing - I usually wrap presents while sitting on the living room floor, and when I roll out the paper, don't you know that Ranger has to lay all over it, rolling around as if he's wallowing in cat nip.
Oh, shoot! A text just now - the stockings are done, the stockings are done!!! Off to Xena Sis's for coffee and to see what she was able to do.
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Post by Mini Mia on Dec 17, 2018 18:32:26 GMT -6
I'm not a good wrapper. My perfectionism is very deflated.
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Post by stepper on Dec 17, 2018 20:23:45 GMT -6
I'm not so sure it's atypical of you - I'd be more likely to chalk it up to the artist in you. After the descriptions of wreaths, the Christmas baskets, the heart tree, and your descriptions of the house renovations and your touches you added, I think you have the eye for that kind of stuff and wrapping presents perfectly fits right in. The Christmas wreaths sell so well because you make them that well, the house turned out so nice because you made it happen, and the presents look so good because of your efforts. Good for you! People can look at a pile of presents and know which ones I wrapped - mostly because they looked like a two year old tried but had too much fun in the process. Cat hairs might actually be an improvement.
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Post by Phalon on Dec 18, 2018 8:07:52 GMT -6
That's very kind of you to say, Stepper. Everyone has something they enjoy doing, and that kind of stuff is what I like. Wrapping gifts though, in a way, clashes with how I typically view most tasks - I have no patience for things that take precision. I like to cook, but don't like to bake because it requires measuring (remember it was just a couple of years ago at Christmas when BP thought cookie cutters were called "shapers" because "homemade" sugar cookies in this house come from a tube!). My boss loves to quilt; she says it's relaxing. It would drive me insane. And sewing - I would seriously have a difficult time even trying to find a needle and thread in my house; Xena Sis took her sewing hobby and turned it into quite a nice little business.
Speaking of quilts and sewing - OMG! The stockings turned out beautiful!!! I knew they would, because Xena Sis is a stickler for detail, but she went way above what I imagined - they are works of art! I got all misty-eyed when I saw them; seeing me, she got tears in her eyes too.
BP's going to love it. I don't know if guys care about this type of stuff, but the Boyfriend's will certainly appeal to LX's sentiments - Xena Sis took a small bit of LX's hideous stocking that had her name and date embroidered on it, and sewed it on the Boyfriend's stocking, patchwork quilt-style.
Same!!!
Oh!! You're talking about those little bottles that are Swedish fish-sized, and shaped like pop bottles; you bite off the top and there's about a sip or two of sweet liquid inside? I didn't know they still made those! Talk about nostalgia - I remember getting them trick-or-treating as a little kid!
That was me last Thursday. I had planned to walk downtown to run errands, and maybe do a bit of Christmas shopping, but it rained the entire day. B!tching in my head, like you said, until I read an article with an accompanying map about the snowfall since November in Michigan - here, we are in the 12-to-24 inch range. In parts of the Upper Peninsula they've had an average of 80 inches so far - one town has already seen 100 inches of snow!
It's below freezing, but the sun is shining this morning!
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Post by Mini Mia on Dec 18, 2018 19:22:43 GMT -6
I haven't seen them in years, but I'd seen them sometime in the last few years ... can't remember how/when I saw them. Maybe it was just a rare, limited-time type deal. Anyway, it's probably best I didn't find them ... as a kid I hated that they were so tiny, and only had a sip or two. The Crush grape powder tube had 2 servings, and would last longer.
Everyone has their talents, and hobby preferences. Me. I love to type. I love to 'design' a page. I have people who come to me when they need resumes. I loved any classes that dealt with typing and learning office work. Sadly, I flunked shorthand. Very sad day for me, because I sooooo wanted to master it. Even more sadder, my typing speeds were not the least bit impressive. And, sadly, yet again, I'm not good at math percentages and the like. I loved the dictation machine, figuring up the payroll, filling out work invoices and the like. But, I didn't go to college. My sister and I were discouraged from considering going to college. (I would have gone for art, my second choice after figuring I shouldn't try for a secretarial degree.) It was too much money, and Dad was a firm believer that a wife didn't have/need a job. (It was how he kept Mom from being able to leave him and support herself and us girls.)
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Post by moonglum on Dec 19, 2018 3:32:24 GMT -6
It's been raining on and off for the last 3 or 4 days now. Temps overnight are up now to 8-10C. The day temps are around 10-12C but the wind makes it feel much colder.
Same here.
I do too. I love the quiet, being able to think without distractions and then seeing your thoughts on the screen, warts and all. I still type with two fingers only. I tried to teach myself typing once but never stuck with it. I get on quite well though using just two fingers, the problem I have though, is I'm staring at the keyboard most of the time and not the screen while I type. Then when I read it back, cringing at some of the mistakes. It's quiet here now. The youngest daughter is still in bed and her partner is at work. Vox is in bed with a bad back. She had spinal surgery a number of years ago, two of her discs had to be fused together. Now and then she gets back pain and can't move without it hurting. So, looks like I'll be walking the dogs on my own this morning.
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Post by Mini Mia on Dec 19, 2018 18:28:57 GMT -6
My sister and I got a typewriter for Christmas one year, and Dad drew the keys on a poster board. My sister was content to use two fingers, but I was determined to learn the proper way. Mom had taken typing lessons in high school, so she helped me out. I was soooo bored at the beginning of typing class in high school being taught to learn key placements and which fingers to use when typing. Although, I did learn a wee bit that Mom hadn't taught me.
We had to use one finger and pronounce the letter as we typed it over and over again. And then it was two letters over and over until we learned those placements. The problem is that they teach you to use your right index finger to hit 6 & 7 ... and that works, as long as you're using a normal keypad. It does not work if you're using a split keypad. They split the keys between 6 & 7, so you have to retrain yourself to use your left index finger to hit the 6 instead. IIRC, there are free online sites that teach typing. Some even have games you can play as you're learning. --- Should you be interested in learning.
The days are nice and warm, but the nights feel like Winter. That will probably change once we get into January. That's usually the coldest month of the season.
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Post by Phalon on Dec 20, 2018 8:12:12 GMT -6
Joxie...
HA! I never even sipped them. I liked to pop them into my mouth, and chew the wax until the flavor of the liquid was gone.
It's sad that you were discouraged from going to college - even sadder still that that was how your Dad kept your Mom under his control. Though I knew they would have helped financially to send me to college, one of the reasons I joined the Army was the (what I think was called back then) the G.I. Education Bill (the other reason I joined was to travel); the military doubled whatever money I put into an education fund to be used when my tour of duty was complete. In addition to that, I took college courses at night the whole four years I was in the service; the tuition was greatly reduced for active-duty military. When I got out though, instead of using the money from the fund for a four-year college, I used it for travel school. While I don't regret it, I've thought about compiling all those college courses I took back then, and those I've taken since. Aside from the math requirements (the only math related course I took was personal finance), I know I'd have more than enough credits for an Associate's Degree, and with the horticultural courses I've had to take through Michigan State University throughout the years, I would be pretty danged close to completing a Bachelor's. The problem though, is I never stuck with one college - some of my college credits are from Park University, some from University of Maryland, others from various community colleges wherever I happened to be stationed, and others I can't even remember, in addition to the MSU horticultural credits. To compile all of these, especially since I don't have transcripts from 30 years ago would be a huge - maybe impossible - task.
But given that...
It's obvious, one of my hobby preferences is learning in a classroom setting; I still love going to lectures on various topics.
Hey, I got a typewriter one year for Christmas too! It must have been a popular gift back then. I can still remember what it looked like - it was a "real" typewriter, but made for a kid, and was blue and orange, with white keys. In her 20s and 30s, Mom worked for "Ma Bell" in the secretarial pool; she taught me the basics of how to type. Much later though, in 9th grade in junior high, typing was a required course (although there were two options - typing and something else that I can't remember, because I took the typing class). Back then, I remember feeling it was a waste of time, but in reality it was time well-spent. I've never had a job as an adult that hasn't required a great deal of typing.
I don't think there is even such a thing as a typing class now - instead, in both middle school and high school, computer courses are required to graduate.
Moonglum...
That's Hubs...which although he's very adept with the two finger typing method, I think is kind of weird, because he works on a computer for a living. Ninety percent though, of what he types is numbers, using the number keypad which he does very quickly. Although I type using correct finger placement, I still have to look to type numbers, and have never used the number keypad at all.
Poor Vox!!! Hubs has had a bulging disc since I met him; all these years later, it's still not herniated (and therefore surgery isn't warranted), but occasionally it'll get so inflamed that, like Vox, he'll end unable to move without it causing him a lot of pain. It usually takes a couple to a few days of being very ginger in his movements before the pain eases. I hate seeing him go through that, and hope Vox feels better quickly.
It was a gorgeous day here yesterday, and quite a bit warmer than it has been. It's suppose to rain today (and it sure looks like it's preparing to do so now), then change to snow tomorrow. Could be we have a white Christmas.
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Post by Mini Mia on Dec 20, 2018 19:00:54 GMT -6
I don't know that I ever thought of that, but we probably would have gotten into trouble for chewing the wax anyways.
I don't really remember when women were allowed to join the military, but being blind in one eye would most likely have kept me out. And anytime I mentioned applying for a job somewhere, Dad would tell me it was too hard for me. After Mom died, her best friend since third grade told me she always though Mom and Dad held me back. Although, Dad said the same thing to my sister, but she ignored him. I believed him for a long time, and didn't go after what I wanted ... only what wouldn't be 'too hard' for me.
This might be what our typewriter looked like: goo.gl/images/bGYZ8i -- goo.gl/images/gUUhtQ
It started raining last night, and is still gloomy and rainy today. The day temps aren't bad. Supposed to get up to 60F a week from today. Better enjoy it before January gets here.
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Post by moonglum on Dec 21, 2018 1:15:23 GMT -6
I think I'm a bit too long in the tooth to try to learn now Jox. I'm happy enough using two fingers for the small amount of typing I do.
It's raining here. Temps overnight are 10-12C and the rain is that fine misty rain that won't let up. Looks like it's going to be a typical British Xmas, wet!
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Post by Phalon on Dec 22, 2018 9:01:11 GMT -6
Parents want to protect their kids from pitfalls, and want them to succeed in whatever it is they choose to do - but unfortunately, sometimes in doing so, the parents become overprotective, unwilling to let their children do anything that might result in failure, even if it's just a minor setback in the big scheme of things.
And now, it's official. Time to dust of the winter thread.
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Post by Mini Mia on Dec 22, 2018 19:54:04 GMT -6
It comes off as not believing in their children. I think it's why I hold back. Why I tend to sabotage myself if things are going well. Why I haven't dared to put myself out there. And I need to learn to not hide my head in the sand and face the challenges that will, hopefully, get me what I'm wanting. Or show me the new path to take.
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Post by stepper on Dec 23, 2018 22:24:22 GMT -6
I'm sorry you experienced that, and hereby state that so far as I can tell, you are capable of overcoming any adverse circumstance, and every difficulty that life can throw at you. Anyone who can cope with overseeing a web site/page can cope with darn near anything. Please don't allow that part of your past cause you to underestimate yourself. Look at your recent past – you were a trusted person and a strong hand at helping your mother when things got difficult. You really can do what needs done. Your father was wrong. “Too hard” doesn’t exist for you.
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Post by Mini Mia on Dec 24, 2018 1:08:47 GMT -6
stepper: Thanks. Those nasty voices can take a toll ... gotta kick'em to the curb.
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Post by Phalon on Dec 24, 2018 13:17:59 GMT -6
Not to mention, in addition to what Stepper said, buying your own car and driving it, dealing with the finances and renovations to your Mom's house, taking over your Mom's responsibilities at church, and probably dozens of other things. Big and small accomplishments all go on that resume of life, titled "Been There, Done That. Next!"
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Post by Mini Mia on Dec 25, 2018 0:29:51 GMT -6
It's so much easier to focus on the negative ... I gotta stop doing that.
Thanks.
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Post by Mini Mia on Sept 28, 2019 16:22:03 GMT -6
Even though the temps are still in the high 80s & 90s, it’s still pretty clear it’s Autumn. The end of this week and next weekend will bring in temps of 70s/50s. The grass has stopped growing, the corn is brown, and the soybeans have patches of yellow and brown. So, it is officially Autumn.
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