I hooked up my DVR/VCR and I can't seem to get it programmed. I can program a VCR without a manual, but this thing is hard. I called Toshiba and they said that I needed a cable or satellite box. I don't have either. They said an old VCR would do. I tried that and can't get it to work. I think I did something wrong, but customer service is closed. I guess I'll have to wait. I'm not desparate to use it, but I do need to record my shows next week.

I have to tell you about Queenie. Today she had on a skirt, blouse and vest. I could only see her from the waist up. She informed me since it was so cold, she had on black stretchy pants under her skirt and trouser socks. The skirt came down to her ankles, so you couldn't see the pants. It really wasn't that cold, and if it is so cold, why wear the skirt? It's not like she's Pentacostal. She's Episcopalian.

I hope everyone has a Happy New Year. Maybe I will get my DVR programmed before this time next year.

I have finally arrived in the 21st Century. My sister and brother-in-law gave me a DVR/VCR combo for Christmas. I have a DVD/VCR combo, but the VCR does not work. I wanted a DVD recorder. I didn't realize that my TV was as out of date as it was. I haven't had it that long, I don't think. My brother-in-law told me to hook it up to the auxillary plugs on the back. They are colored coded. My TV didn't have auxillary plugs on the back. I went to Best Buy so I could see a floor model of my DVR/VCR and I explained my problem. No problem, they have an adapter that I can buy. It was not very expensive. I bought it, brought it home and hooked everything up in less than 15 minutes. I'm good to go. Now all I need to do is program it to record my shows: Gossip Girl, Desparate Housewives, Ugly Betty, Lipstick Jungle and To the Manor Born. As you can see, I only watch quality programming. I'm going to test out my DVR by attempting to record The Barefoot Contessa.



There's a sweater at LL Bean that I think I want. It is the navy/natural birds-eye cardigan. I have a $10 gift card and it is on sale. I need another sweater like I need a hole in the head, but I want it. I told myself before Christmas that if it went on sale, I was going to buy it. Now I'm having second thoughts. What do you think?

Today is the first day for me to be back on South Beach. I felt hung over all day long. My clothes were beginning to get a little snug. I thought that a few weeks on Phase I of South Beach would help.

I felt so sorry for Queenie today. Her boss's act devoted to her, and she is devoted to them. She told coworker and I that they didn't get her anything for Christmas. She said that they have not even mentioned it. She put a lot of thought into their gifts and even bought their children gifts. I know that her feelings were hurt really bad. Maybe they have her something special, but haven't given it to her yet. I hope they are not so sorry to forget her at Christmas.

I will be glad when the holidays are over and life will be back to normal. And, I don't have to watch reruns of my shows on TV. Don't get me wrong, I love Christmastime, but by the time it gets here, I am ready for December 26.

I hope that everyone had a good Christmas. Our family did. We had a nice meal on Tuesday night. Wednesday, I had to take my mother to the eye doctor for her follow-up. Her eye is healing fine. We worked at the store Wednesday evening and Thursday during the day (yes, we are always open Christmas Day, except if it is on Sunday). It is always nice to see people that we don't get to see except for the holidays.

Yesterday, my mother and I went to Huntsville shopping. We hit Barnes and Noble, J Crew, Talbots, Belks, Dillards, Staples, Publix and The Fresh Market. We did all those stores in about 4 hours. Lunch was Chick-fil-A drive thru. At J Crew, I bought a green cable knit crew neck sweater, 2 pairs of socks and 2 bangle bracelets. At Talbots, I bought a change purse, a necklace and a bangle bracelet. At Barnes and Noble, I bought the set of Nancy Drew movie DVD's. I got the ones that star Bonita Granville as Nancy Drew. I just love those movies and can watch them over and over. Last night we had to work again at the store. One nice thing about the holidays being over is our schedule will finally get back to normal (I hope).

I hope everyone enjoys the remainder of the weekend.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!

My mother's eye is doing well. She has been very diligent about putting in drops. It rained from Wednesday until Saturday night. Yesterday was cold and sunny. It got down to 16 last night (yes, it gets that cold in Alabama). I came back to Birmingham early so as to avoid any chance of icing. Since I got back early, I went to Publix and The Fresh Market. I thought I would get that over with. I forgot a couple of things from Publix and had to go back tonight...in the cold.

Tomorrow I get off work at 2:00. Then I'm on my way to my mother's house. We have decided to have our family Christmas dinner tomorrow night. I have to go home, make two pans of brownies and cook smothered pork chops in 2 hours. I hope I can get everything done in time. My mother will do most of it, but she cannot lift anything heavier than 10 pounds.

I don't know if I will be blogging in the next couple of days or not. Just in case, I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and/or Happy Hannakuh.

Candy Cane Meme

Preppy Sue has tagged me for a Candy Cane meme. The instructions are to copy, paste, answer, add a question, then tag the 3 bloggers with the most recent updates on your blog feed/roll.

1. What is/are your favorite Christmas Movie(s)?Home Alone and Christmas Vacation.

2. Favorite Christmas Song? Josh Groben's O! Holy Night and the Soundtrack from "A Charlie Brown Christmas"

3. Favorite Holiday Memory?As a child, going to my grandparents house and there being tons of people there. Of course, my grandparents have long gone as well as some of the people that were always there.

4. What is your favorite cookie/treat to make? Creme de Menthe brownies

5. Have you ever made an igloo? No, afraid not

6. Do you love Starbucks?I don't drink coffee, but I love their Peppermint hot chocolate

7. What makes the perfect Snowman? Remember, I live in Alabama

8. Not sure what happened to #8 so we'll move on.

9. Best gift you have ever received? When I was young, I received a red tartan plaid shoe bag that I used to carry my ballet shoes to dance class. I thought I was a big girl with that shoe bag.

10. What is the snowman's name on Rudolph? Don't know, but his voice is Burl Ives.

11. Silver or Gold?Both

12. What is your favorite Christmas decoration? Wreaths

13. What's your Christmas decorating style? Williamsburg

14. Do you hang stockings? no

15. How many days do you celebrate Christmas?Throughout the month of December! From the Sunday before Christmas until Christmas night.

16. What was your favorite ornament on the tree as a child? We never had special ornaments. My mother always had everything to match. All of the ornaments are identical. The only bad thing with that is now my sister and I have to have everything to match. When I suggest something different, they both look at me with a look of shock

17. Where will you be spending this Christmas? I will be at my mother's house from December 23 until December 28.

18. When do you open presents? Christmas Eve night after dinner.

19. Real tree or artificial? Artificial (we all have allergies)

20. Is there any chance you'll have a white Christmas? Not in Alabama. It's supposed to be 50 on Christmas Day

Okay, I'm tagging...All of my followers who have not done this yet.

My mother's eye surgery went fine. We had to be there Thursday morning at 5:00 am. They did not start the surgery until 7:30. We were on the road home by 10:30. When we got to her house at 1:00, both of us headed straight to a bed. I slept solid for about 2 hours. Yesterday, she was fine. Her eye was just red. Her follow-up appointment is Christmas Eve. The appointment is not until 10:50, so we don't have to wake up quite as early.

I worked at the store last night. Every day's a full moon there. Last night, a woman came in and she was talking on her cell phone. She was standing in front of the cash register, talking loud enough for everyone to hear. When she finally hung up, she said, "I was talking to the Lord. Sometimes, I have to put him on hold, but he doesn't mind." I thought, "She was talking to him on her cell phone?" I think she might have been a little bit crazy.

Our family still has not decided when to have our Christmas dinner. We usually eat it on Christmas Eve night and have the leftovers on Christmas Day, but my mother and I have to work at the store Wednesday nght. We thought about Tuesday, but it does not seem right. We may have it Christmas Day. My mother and I were discussing last night that we may not have ham or turkey, but smothered pork chops. My sister's foster son has a 15 year old brother that is in some kind of home an hour away. My sister and brother-in-law get him for the holidays. The home was not going to let him come up here for Christmas because there was a boy that had no where to go and they wanted the brother to stay there with him so that he won't have to stay alone for the holidays. My sister told them to send him to her house. We decided that we would put all the leaves in the table and have a great big family dinner, just the seven of us. We need to go somewhere today and get the 2 boys some little something for Christmas. I think we are going to open our gifts tomorrow so that the 2 boys don't have to watch us.

I hope everyone enjoys the remainder of the weekend.

I have added the Followers gadget on the right side. Feel free to click to follow my blog.

We had fun at our little party this morning. I got a clear glass tea pitcher. I bought Williams-Sonoma kitchen towels for the person whose name that I drew. I ended up eating the sausage biscuit from McDonald's.

After work, I stopped by Publix to get some 12 packs of Pepsi products for the store (we don't have a Pepsi man, so we buy them on sale and sell single cans). While there, I bought a black and white cookie. They are usually so good, but this one was too sweet. The frosting was messy.

I'm going to have to cut back on my eating. Tonight, I tried on my camel wool skirt. It was a little bit tighter than it was a few weeks ago. The Monday after Christmas, it's back on South Beach until I lose what I've gained.

It may be a couple of days before I post again. I am going to my mother's house tomorrow evening and will be there until Sunday. I have to take her to the Eye Foundation for eye surgery on Thursday.

Enjoy the remainder of your week. I will probably be back Friday or Saturday.

All the presents are bought, wrapped and packed for the trip home. I have mailed my Christmas cards. Hopefully, I can cruise into Christmas. Tomorrow is the girls' party at work. We draw names and bring our own breakfast. I'm still trying to decide between McDonald's Sausage McMuffin with hash browns and Panera's chocolate chip bagel with raspberry cream cheese. I'm leaning towards McDonald's. It will stick with me longer.

I found the best blog today. It is Etiquette with Miss Janice. I spent all afternoon reading her posts. Shhh! Don't tell my boss. I shouldn't be reading blogs at work, plus he'll make me practice what Miss Janice preaches. Check her out.

Yesterday while in Publix, I noticed these pizza like things in the bakery. It was pizza dough with a mix of different cheeses with toppings and no sauce I was going to get a couple of Lean Cuisine pizzas but decided on these. They were less expensive than the frozen. I got a pepperoni, a mushroom and a cheese. They are so good. I may have to keep a couple of these in the freezer.

Saturday, I decided to wash all of my Isotoner and Aris gloves. I have 9 pairs of gloves lined up on a towel in my living room. It looks wierd, but I will have clean gloves for when the weather gets colder. I found gloves that I forgot that I had.

Have a nice Tuesday.

I you live near a Lenox outlet, you may want to check it out. The one here at Watermark Place is closing at the end of January and everything is 40-50% off the outlet price. BFF bought 5 Solitare bowls for $18 each. She said that there is some ticky tacky things, but if you look good enough you can find some deals.

It is finally Saturday. This has been a long week. The mail guy only worked on Monday. He has gout (sp?) in his foot and knee. I had my year-end review. I was extremely pleased. My boss praised me for taking whatever "goofy" job and doing it without complaining.

We got plenty of rain, but no snow. I was glad. I had a lot to do. I didn't have time for snow.

Last night after work, I went to Belk's and Talbot's. At Belk's, I bought a goldtone Napier bracelet that was on sale (don't laugh, but I love cheap jewelry, especially Napier and Monet). At Talbot's, I bought a ruby colored leather wallet and eyeglass case. Everything at Talbot's is 30% off. I may go to the other Talbot's and see if they have any mittens or gloves.

BFF is having her Christmas party tonight. I think I'll stop by the Galleria on the way to her house.

I hope everyone enjoys the remainder of their weekend. If you go holiday shopping this weekend, stay safe.

It's still raining. I have been awake for about 2 hours and it has been pouring since. The weather service has issued a winter storm advisory for later in the day. They were saying on the news that people should have enough cash and food for 72 hours. It's going up to the 50's tomorrow. They are going to cause a panic.

The mail guy at work has been out sick for the past two days. His knee is extremely swollen. I hope he's back today. I'm not sure about going to get the mail in the pouring rain. I'm dressing down just in case. I'm wearing some old cordoroy pants and a turtleneck.

Have a good day and hope I don't wash away.

CRAZY ALABAMA WEATHER

I kept my eye on the weather overnight. I went to bed with the radio on. The weather alert woke me up a couple of times. The last time was at 3:43 am. We were under a severe thunderstorm watch with possible winds of 60-70 mph. The storm passed through a little after 4:00 am. It is 63 degrees outside now (6:30 am). Two counties to the west is an area that is under a winter storm watch for tomorrow. They are predicting snow showers for tomorrow morning both there and here. By the way, the high this past weekend was about 40 degrees. There are several schools that are delaying opening because of storm damage. One is closed because of all of the damage. Is the weather where you live this crazy? I'll let you know how much snow we get tomorrow. Ha!

I am almost finished with my Christmas shopping. All I lack is my brother-in-law. I have part of his. He requested some homemade Chex mix (nuts and bolts). My mother and I are going to make him some next weekend. I need to find a large container to put it in. I really don't want to go to WalMart until after the holidays.

Have a good day and stay safe if the weather is bad in your area.

I thought I looked cute this morning - I had on my favorite RL black tweed skirt, RL red merino wool turtleneck, Talbot's black flats and black tights -until I got to work and realized the tights were not black, they were NAVY BLUE. I was self conscious all day. I'll be more careful tomorrow.

I got so much shopping done this weekend. I have all of my Christmas shopping done except the person at work and my brother-in-law. I'm going to try to take care of that tomorrow.

I went with my mother to her high school graduating class's Christmas Party Saturday night. It was about 30 degrees outside so I wore my charcoal gray cashmere Chesterfield coat and my Burberry scarf. When I started to get into to the car, she said, "You're not wearing that coat are you?" I asked what was wrong with it and she said that people don't wear stuff like that anymore. I said, "They do if they're cold!" I haven't figured out what was wrong with the coat.

Boy, Gossip Girl was a shocker tonight. We're going to have to wait until January to find out what happens.

The weirdest thing just happened. A man that has been coming in the store for years walked in and held his arms out and said, "Give me a hug." It struck me as weird. I hugged him but was not comfortable doing so. He said that it made his day better. I don't want this man to make me feel unconfortable. Maybe he'll want to hug my mother and the other girl.

I still haven't figured out who sent me the invitation to the party. It's not a customer where I work, BFF has never heard of them, coworkers have never heard of them and my mother has never heard of them. I wondered if it was a mistake, but it had my name on the front of the handwritten envelope.

Last night on the way to my mother's, I stopped at Chick-Fil-A and bought a Peppermint Chocolate Chip milkshake. BEST.MILKSHAKE.EVER. If you like mint and chocolate together, I highly recommend it. I have been wanting one for over a week. I told myself if I was good on my eating all week, which I was, that I could have one Friday night. It was also my reward for getting through two weeks of mail duty.

I know this sounds weird, but to me McDonald's is my Christmas go to food. I grew up in Huntsville, Alabama and there were only 2 McDonald's, one on North Memorial Parkway and the other was on South Memorial Parkway. We rarely ever went there because it was "all the way over on the Parkway". We always went there for lunch after the Christmas parade. So now when I have a holiday activity, I always stop by McDonald's for a cheeseburger, fries and a Coke. (remember, in the South, all carbonated beverages are called "Coke") . It is sort of nostalgic.

I think I am going to start giving our Northern readers some lessons in Southern language so that they will not be confused when us Southerners talk Southern. Today's lesson:

Coke - any type of carbonated beverage. Types of coke are Co-Cola, Diet Coke, Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Dr. Pepper, and of course TaB. The person that works for Coca-Cola or Pepsi is called the "Coke Man".

Bobs - peanut butter and crackers that come 6 to a pack. A good snack is a Coke and a pack of Bobs.

Krystal - fast food restaurant chain headquartered in Chattanooga, TN that serves small square hamburgers that are steamed with small diced onion, pickle and mustard on a small square bun. The #1 is 4 Krystals, fries and "Coke". In the South, it is a challenge to see how many Krystal's one can eat.

Debbie Cakes - The box says Little Debbie. Also headquartered in Chattanooga. They can be bought 10 small to a box at the grocerry store or individually at convenience stores. They make Oatmeal Cream pies, brownies, holiday cakes, Swiss Rolls. My favorite are the Fudge Rounds and I can eat almost an entire box of Swiss Rolls in one day, if they are fresh. They also have a Thrift store in Collegedale, TN which is a favorite stop for our family.

If us Southern bloggers ever mention something that is confusing, just ask me and I will try to explain it the best I can.

It's time for me to eat a snack. I think I'll have a Coke (diet Dr. Pepper), and I think I'll eat a Snickers bar instead of a pack of Bob's.

I hope everyone has a good weekend. Stay warm where you are. It is in the 20's here now.

Today, I received an invitation to a Christmas Party/Open House. I have no clue who the couple is that invited me. It is an RSVP thing and I am afraid to call. I'm afraid that I'm supposed to know these people and it will show that I don't have a clue as to who they are. I'm goint to start asking around. Surely somebody I know knows these people.

I am sick over Tommy Tuberville, Auburn's coach. He will not be back next year. It is like a "Mini Apocalypse". Just because he had one bad season, they get rid of him. My brother-in-law said, "The sun can't shine on the same dog's but every year." I think that is true. I feel like I've been kicked in the stomach. All of those Alabama fans are gloating. Whenever Tuberville comes to my hometown, he always takes time to stop and visit with my sister and brother-in-law. We think he is a class act.





I just finished a great book, Poisoned by Gilt by Leslie Caine. It is the fifth murder mystery that she has written about interior designers Erin Gilbert and Steve Sullivan (Gilbert and Sullivan). The others are Death by Inferior Design, Fatal Premises, Manor of Death, Killed by Clutter and Fatal Feng Shui. I highly recommend all of them. The next book that I am going to read is Eggs in Purgatory by Laura Childs. She writes the Tea Shop Mysteries, Scrapbooking Mysteries and now Cackleberry Club Mysteries. I have read all of the Tea Shop Mysteries. I haven't read any of the Scrapbooking Mysteries. I highly recommend the Tea Shop Mysteries also.

This morning, I was relieved to see that Pink Cupcakes and TaB was not listed as one of the Eleven Lamest Blogs.


Yesterday, Birmingham's mayor was arrested and indicted on 101 Federal charges. There was not much on al.com about it today...but on my way home from work on the Red Mountain Expressway, there was a billboard that said "Mayor Lankford Indicted". It was an advertisement for the Birmingham News. Apparently, The Birmingham News is not a big fan of Mayor Lankford. Apparently, A Trip Down South is not a fan either.

Today, Queenie had to leave early. Her cough drops weren't working. Working for what, I don't know. She didn't act like she was sick.

Today was awful at work. When I got back from the post office, I fell between the parking deck and the building. I was trying to carry too much. I had on rubber soled shoes and my foot started dragging on the concrete and I felt myself starting to fall. I gave into it so that I wouldn't fall flat and really hurt myself. The only injuries that I have are the joints on my right pinky and the finger next to it. They bled pretty bad. Tomorrow, I'll either ask for help or carry everything in one at a time. Queenie has not helped much with the mail, but she is quick to criticize when something gets in her mail by mistake. If she complains tomorrow, I'll tell her if she can do better, she can have at it.

Yesterday, my mother and I bought ingredients for chili. We cooked a pot of chili to have for dinner. It was a dreary blustery day and chili sounded perfect. Right before we started to eat, my sister called and invited us over to her house. My brother-in-law had cooked real food, as in, green beans, mac and cheese, pork chops, fried potatoes and biscuits. We cooked some frozen crowder peas and took over there. It was so good. I brought back some chili for lunch and dinner. I need to curb my eating. I don't want to gain too much weight over the holidays.

Did anyone watch Gossip Girl tonight? I hate to say this but Vanessa is growing on me. I know a lot of people don't like her. I heard that someone was going to get killed off. I was hoping that it would not be Vanessa or Jenny. I won't ruin it for those who did not get to see tonight's episode.