Awwww… So cute!!! Am I allowed to squee at cute couples, or just kitties?
Someone PLEASE STOP ME from eating all the cookies!!!
Geez, Haze, at least you could share! 
Happy Friday everyone!
Those are very nice pictures, Sean.
Big congrats to Rigsdaughter!
I’m supposed to be coming up with something for dinner, but I’m not hungry. My stomach is on FAHR! However, the hubby and kids most definitely want dinner, so I’ll have to throw something together.
Y’all have been way too chatty in my absence, so I had to skim to get caught up. At any rate, hugs, commiserations, etc to all who need them.
We were supposed to go Christmas shopping this evening, but Mr. Taters bailed and has decided he wants to go in the morning. :rolleyes: I had kind of wanted to get it done tonight, and spend tomorrow decorating the tree and house. Oh well…
Work was boring. The only reason I didn’t just take a day of leave was because I was the only one there from my branch. One person is TDY, one was out on her RDO, and my boss was using a day of “use or lose” leave. This left me. I had all my work done by 9:00 am. At lunch, I ran my lunchtime reports, and then I had nothing to do again. Time just draaaaaagggggggggged. At least it was only an eight hour day today.
Sigh, I guess I should come up with some kind of dinner.
Sorry your work day was boring, Taters. (Wanna borrow mine? Never boring.)
You two make such a cute couple, Sean. Congrats, once again.
Did I ever congratulate rigsdaughter on the BU acceptance? I’m pretty sure I didn’t… Congrats!
I like your new glasses, McUne. They really suit you.
Hank, you must eat all those cookies to pay for the fact that I am going to have to make those muffins for the brunch I’m going to on Sunday. 
I’m making a test batch tomorrow. (Did I say thank you? I didn’t know what I was going to take; now I do.)
I was completely unmotivated at work today, taxi (too late for you to see, of course); and I actually started to post here a while ago, but got distracted.
Happy Weekend, everyone!!!
GT
Well I would, if y’all were here!
I really liked the Christmas cookies, but they’re rather fragile and the cookie cutter I bought was too big, with too many fiddly bits that kept falling off (it was a Christmas tree cutter, but rather intricate; for a cookie cutter anyway). I managed to salvage a fair amount. I think what I’ll do is bake the gingerbread cookies tonight, then whichever seems better I’ll bake another batch of tomorrow.
The recipe is here, by the way. Seriously, they taste lovely - they have a tinge of lemon and are quite light and tender for cutter cookies. Most of the cookie cutter cookie recipes I’ve tried turn out too stiff and heavy for my liking. (Or maybe that’s because I made them in my less experienced days.)
gt, glad I could help. I must spread the sinfulness around so I don’t feel as guilty.
Thanks for the compliments on my glasses! 
ARGH!!!
I’m so freaking frustrated with my dad…I just don’t know what to do anymore. He has diabetes, is an alcholic, and doesn’t eat. Yea, great combination there. Especially when you come in, freak out your 13 year old daughter falling against a freaking fall, hitting your head, talking like your dying and then go downstairs to freaking drink so more, and she’s the only one awake, my other sister (15) was sleeping and Ma was at work!!! Thank God I was online when she messaged me on MySpace. I live over 3 hours away so couldn’t do anything, other than get ahold of mom at work on one phone and calm my little sister down on the other phone.
I freaking hate that he refuses to get help and pretends that all is fine.
ARGH!!!
With that I go to bed.
:: hugs for McUne ::
Ah, parents. Can’t live with them, can’t abandon them on mountain tops like they used to.
Aw, hey, sorry about your Dad, McUne. You do look great in the glasses, though.
Thanks for sharing the pics, Sean - you and (the soon-to-be) Mrs. SF make a cute couple; love that fisherman’s hat, btw.
I hope Haze comes back and includes a link to the recipe for those sugar cookies!! The past couple of years I’ve just used refigerated Pillsbury to make my cut-outs for Christmas, but the real thing just tastes better, imho.
Work was okay today - I had some training in the am, then worked on security clearance paperwork in the pm. The training was supposed to be online, but I went and sat with the trainer at her desk; when I took online training before (with a headset), people kept interrupting me (I guess they thought I was listening to music). Heh, guess I’ll have to make a sign when I’m taking training. I need to make a Do Not Disturb sign for when I’m working on other things! At any rate, TGIF.
Not much on the agenda for this weekend, but will be out on Saturday for a bit in the afternoon (ahead of the weather, hopefully!) to do some Christmas shopping. I’m also ordering stuff for my Dad and brothers online this weekend.
:smack: I iz stoopit.
The recipe is here.
For the record, the dough was still a bit sticky when I took it out of the fridge. I had to use a lot of flour to make it workable, but the cookies still turned out okay.
Home and tired.
Nice pic, Sean. I’ll have to post one soon.
{{{{McUne}}}}
Okay, I need new glasses. The only time I wear the stupid things is when I have to concentrate on the computer screen for long periods of time - which I haven’t had to do for a while, but I just took on a translating job and after doing a page my eyes are killing me.
Geez, Mom. Did you have to pass on your bad eyesight gene to me? Couldn’t you pass on your eat-whatever-you-want-and-stay-skinny-gene instead?
On a completely different note, I think Cloud Maiden’s cat, Biddy, likes poetry. I was reading T.S. Eliot’s “The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock” out loud on the sofa, and the entire time she stared at me intently. Halfway through she jumped onto the sofa, seated herself next to me, and continued to gaze at me with an interest that was rather unnerving. Olive, on the other hand, was contemplating how she was going to take down the Christmas ornaments.
::quasi-driveby::
I’ve been paying bills, filing, reconciling stuff for the last 5 hours. (And I’m still not done.)
Ok, back to work!
Ah, the joys of self-employment!
Off to work, because that is what most people do at 0456 on a Saturday morning!
(bleh)
Me too.
Up, caffeinating, suddenly aware that a week from today, we’ll be heading to Florida. :eek: I’ve got a metric buttload of stuff to get done before then. Why didn’t the calendar make a more diligent effort to keep me on track? Dammit.
Sean, I forgot to mention that **FCD ** loves them Greek fisherman’s caps, too. He had a white one that he loved - instead of a plastic sweat band (how dumb is that??) it was cotton. Unfortunately, it got all frayed and raggedy, and we haven’t been able to find another. We’ve been looking for years! I found a white one on line, but it had the stupid plastic band. Maybe there’s a way I could attach a strip of cotton without making it too tight?? And you and the future Mrs are just a cute as can be.
No baking or decorating here - this is the Grinch house. The only indications of festivitude will be the few gifts I’ll wrap today. I’m hoping a future grandbaby will make the season fun again, because right now, it mostly aggravates me. I swear, every time I leave my office and traverse the hallways, the speakers are spewing out yet another sappy version of Winter Wonderland, which gets me singing “… walking in my winter underwear…” OK, that part amuses me a little.
Today, we’ll take care of the trash and recycling, put the seat in the van, and maybe do a little tidying. I’ve got to make a list of all the stuff we need to remember to do or to pack, and I’ve definitely got to do some laundry. Also need to check the forecast for Ocala so we know what to pack. And take out a third mortgage to pay for the gas for the trip…
Ho ho de-flippin’ ho…
Sorry - caffeine hasn’t kicked in yet.
Hope all you Saturday workers have a not-too-horrid day. Hope those of you with icky weather stay safe and warm. Hope all of you have a good day.
MWAH!!
Good morning, Mumpers! I’m sorry some of you have to work today.
I believe I shall finish decorating my Christmas tree today, and do a bit of shopping. It’s probably a silly gift, but I’m getting Mr Rebo a Mr Beer. Homebrewed beer, baby! He’s so hard to buy for. Anything he wants he gets himself, hence the gift that he never thought he’d want! Or something.
Yesterday I gave $5 to a homeless guy. His sign was tiny and said “hungry.” As I handed it to him, I said, “Go eat.” He said, “Yes, ma’am.” I hope he did go eat, he looked pretty bad. I know I’m probably just enabling his addiction, but sometimes I get the urge. I think I’m gonna go by McDonald’s and buy some gift cards to distribute to the corner beggars.
Must get more coffee! Have a great day!
I think that’d be worth a few Karma points - Good on you!
I, too, am going into work for a few hours, then salon, then a few errands, then a party. I’m meh about the party, but it’ll get me out of the house.
One item that doesn’t need to go on my list - I just now remembered to have my mail held while we’re gone. So that’s handled. I love that I can do it on line.
Which reminds me - I need to order another box of checks from my credit union. I hardly use them any more, but every once in a while, I need to write a real check - like to pay our boat slip rent. And since we’re over 50, we get them for free, so yay! Off to their site…
Are you impressed with my productivity as I sit here in robe and slippers?
It that amuses you, then try singin’ this next time. 
You loved it and you know it!
Sean, just wonderin’…
HOW’S THE HAID THIS MORNIN’???
BTW does the future Mrs. Factotum know she’s marryin’ the poster child for straight middle aged white guys?
Up and all caffienated here. Also all cleaned up. As soon as ol’ y’all know who gets himself all purtied up we’re goin’ to get some breakfast. That will be the extent of activity pretty much until this evenin’. The annual cookie party is this evenin’! YAY!!! This is the one where we have dindin at a friend’s house who goes into a bakin’ frenzy this time of year. Dessert is cookies that we decorate ourselves. It’s always a hoot. Plus, we get sent home with trays of cookies and other homemade goodies. YAY!!!
Later Y’all!
ETA: Rebo I think Mr. Beer is a great gift. Also, let me add that buying those gift cards is worth good karma points.