I was all alone last night as Ted's back in Ottawa again. Ugh. I'm going out this afternoon to finish the last bits of shopping for Christmas, and that will be it, all done.
Spam question for you. I have had 3 e mails form someone who claims to be a solicitor from the UK telling me I have been left one million, one hundred thousand pounds from some German person I've never heard of. My spam filter says do not reply. What the heck? How does that scam work? Anyone know? Bran?? I forwarded the whole message to my spam filter guy who will review it, but my curiosity is killing me. It can't be legit, right?
KaeEll, a lot of these scams work by promising you that they'll transfer the funds to you, and all you have to do is provide them with your bank account information. Yeah, right! Other times, they want a fee up front, but usually it's the account information they want.
I'm impressed that you're nearly done with your shopping. I still have no clue what anyone is getting!
I know you'll miss Ted. I always hate it when Jim is out of town too, no matter what the reason.
Today, I'm keeping an eye on my friend in Florida, and her mother. Liliane had gall bladder surgery yesterday (went fine), but Irene, who is elderly, was home alone, and worried to death. Almost exactly six years ago, Liliane's older sister died on the operating table while having gall bladder surgery, so needless to say, both Liliane and Irene were a bit freaked out that Liliane had to go through this. And, of course, Liliane is down there "taking care" of her mother, and now she's the one who's out of commission for a little while. Irene doesn't always hear things properly, or completely understand what she's being told, so I kept trying to get information about the surgery, etc., and pass it to her while she waited at home. I was able to connect with Liliane in recovery, and then told Irene how to reach her daughter. I knew that she wouldn't be completely reassured until she heard Liliane's voice. Apparently, Irene couldn't stop crying when she spoke to Liliane.
Anyway, Liliane is being sprung from the hospital sometime today, and we ALL very much relieved that this is over with. What a terrible time she's had lately...
As for me, I think that I've finally recovered from Thanksgiving, and now need to get my Christmas tree up. That thought all by itself makes me want to climb back into bed! Need more coffee...
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"It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities"
(Dumbledore to Harry Potter)
I am reading an article about a guy who was out hunting. Managed to shoot a 9 pointer and was about to get the deer and apparently the deer got him. The deer attacked a little, the guy ended up with I think it said 7 staples. And he ended up having to shoot the deer 2 more times. I am reading the comments and their are all these people saying that the guy got what he deserved and that hunting is so horrible, some even called it murder. Its kind of irritating. The only thing I agree with is that this guy needs more practice at a range. It shouldn't take 4 bullets to shoot a deer.
Anyways, not much going on. Am a bit sleepy today. Had a toss and turn kind of night last night.
I still have quite a bit of shopping left. But I think I am going to try and get all of my stuff from online. The less I have to step into the stores the better.
Okay, so for our church dinner next week I am planning on tomato soup with grilled cheese. Only problem is our minister is lactose intolerant, and he told me that not a lot of people like tomato soup. I think that he just doesn't like it. So I thought of maybe doing a thing of chicken noodle soup as well. But what kind of sandwich should I do with that?
Shelly, you could always do a deli meat sandwich, ham or roast beef, with mayo and lettuce, or an egg salad, or tuna or turkey or chicken deli meat. Lactose intolerance is such a huge pain to deal with. I honestly think it's over-diagnosed, but that's just MHO, lol. Anyway, my d-i-l uses hummus instead of mayo on her sandwiches for moisture. Personally, I don't much like it, but the kids do and there's no milk product in it.
Moore, thanks for the spam info. I ichatted with Tony this morning and he told me that it's a really common thing and a big scam. Ugh, eh?
I don't know if you guys have read anything about the drama up here in our capital, but OMG, such carry-ons. Looks as if we'll have a new PM very soon, and that arrogant jerk, Stephen Harper, will be out on his ear. It will be the first coalition government our country has had since WWI. EEEEK. The other 3 parties here have given him a vote of non-confidence over some scandal in campaign funding. Strange bedfellows as the Bloc Quebecois teams up with Liberals and the NDP. Strange goings-on.
By the end of today, my shopping will be all done! I got Tony and Karin a big 7 quart slow cooker from the Hammacher Schlemmer catalogue, the theatre tickets for my parents, a dress and doll for V, cash for Mike and Nick (no sense trying to buy either of them anything, picky, picky guys) and a new suit for Ted. Q's present will be fleece stuff from Joe Fresh and my friend Christine is going to Buffalo tomorrow to the Oshkosh outlet and will pick up some overalls for me to give to Q as well. She has 2 little step-grandkids ( from her husband's first marriage) to shop for.
Moore, how on earth did a woman die from gall bladder surgery? Geez, so scary!
I am completely envious over your Christmas shopping, KaeEll. Great gifts for everyone!
As for the surgery death, I abbreviated what happened a bit.
Liliane's sister hadn't been to a doctor in something like twenty years because she was phobic about it. She was finally in so much pain from her gall bladder that she was forced to go, and surgery was planned. When she went in for her pre-op blood work, she was told that her potassium level was low, so they sent her home, and told her to take the weekend to eat lots of bananas, etc.
Of course, in the OLD days, before medical insurance companies refused to pay for so much as an extra five minutes in a hospital, she would have been admitted before surgery, and given the proper drips to get her adequately prepared, under medical supervision. But, of course, this isn't the case anymore.
She spent the weekend in bed (and I'll also say here that she was a very large woman), and I don't think that she followed instructions properly. Anyway, she returned to the hospital on Monday morning for the surgery, but never fully came out of the anaesthesia. At some point, she was put on a respirator. Liliane was frantic. Her mother was down in Florida by herself, her father had died a few years earlier while on a respirator, and now her sister wasn't waking up and was also on a respirator. She came by that night, and told Jim and me that she didn't think her sister was going to make it. Of course, we reassured her because we just couldn't believe that she wouldn't recover.
Well, she didn't recover. The following day, they took her back into surgery again to remove a massive blood clot. She lived near Annapolis, MD, so I jumped in the car, and drove up there to be with Liliane and her sister's husband while they waited. I had JUST arrived at the hospital when the doctor called all of us into a private room, and told us that Liliane's sister hadn't made it through this second surgery.
Just awful... All those years she avoided doctors, and then her worst fears came to pass.
__________________
"It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities"
(Dumbledore to Harry Potter)
Yeah, well our minister is kind of a wimp. Like I said, when he told me that most people didn't like tomato soup...I think he was just saying that because he doesn't like it. I mean I have never met someone who didn't like tomato soup and grilled cheese. Its like the ultimate comfort food. Especially when it is cold outside.
I can't do the hummus thing, we are on a budget. Have to be cheap.
I swear that I have sudden onset of adult ADD! Shelly, I forgot to say anything about soup and sandwiches...
First of all, I also think that grilled cheese and tomato soup is the ultimate comfort food! What concerns me is that grilling all of those sandwiches might be a pain, but if the church kitchen can accommodate your needs, then it might be okay.
The chicken noodle soup is a great idea too. Choosing sandwiches that you can make ahead may make things a bit easier on you. Thin sliced ham is always a good choice, with a slice of cheese. Easy and inexpensive.
We love egg salad, and that's certainly inexpensive! I don't know how popular it is these days (especially with your picky minister), but it's another suggestion to keep in mind.
How about chicken salad? You could buy an already-cooked chicken from the deli, and make your own. Another inexpensive do-ahead option. Add a piece of lettuce to the sandwich! LOL...
How many people to you need to feed?
__________________
"It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities"
(Dumbledore to Harry Potter)
Shelly, you could also make a huge pot of split pea soup. We all LOVE that in our house, and if you use the dried peas, it's SO inexpensive. I always add some carrots and potatoes too. It's cheap, filling, comforting, and great during the colder months.
Or, you could make some black bean soup, which might be a little different, just using cans of black beans, beef broth, some garlic, and maybe a little squeeze of lime, and some cilantro. Easy and inexpensive too.
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"It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities"
(Dumbledore to Harry Potter)
What a horrible story about your friend, and you said that Liliane came out perfectly okay yesterday? How scary. My mom and my grandma before have always had trouble coming out of anesthesia. I always say its because we all suffer from insomnia so when a doctor gives you something that forces you to sleep, our bodies like to take advantage of it and sleep while we can.
We have to feed like 35 people. And about the grilled cheese. We have a fairly large griddle and my friend Richie said he will cook all the sandwiches right as we are getting ready to eat so that they don't get soggy. Or we could start them 5 minutes prior. I think it could work and that everyone would love it.
I talked to Liliane a little while ago, and she was getting dressed to leave the hospital. A neighbor was picking her up at 11:30 a.m., so just about now! She sounds good.
It's good that you'll have help with the sandwiches. I think that they'll remain nonsoggy for as long as you need them to because you won't be wrapping them in foil, or anything like that, which would create steam. Maybe you can put them on a cookie sheet, uncovered in a warm oven.
I wish I had a nice, big griddle. No, what I really wish is that I could demolish my kitchen!!
-- Edited by Moore ideas at 11:32, 2008-12-03
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"It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities"
(Dumbledore to Harry Potter)
Haha, I think everyone wishes that. Mine is way too small. But in typical military house fashion we have plenty of cabinets. I think that storage is the first thing they think of when building these houses.
I am tempted to tell Mike to just make his own dinner
That all sounds very interesting.... but I trump you all! I saw something today, something so shocking, so mind altering, you'll never recover! Check it out!
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"If you were looking for something clever or witty or funny here, you've come to the wrong place."
Sweet little fella, lol. What was he doing out of his cage, running around like that?
Shelly, hummus is cheap, cheap, cheap! All you need is a few tins of chick peas and a couple of handfuls of cilantro, some lemon juice and zest, tahina, soya sauce, garlic, and yoghurt, throw into blender or food processor, and voila. It's probably less expensive than mayonnaise. Anyway, grilled cheese sounds good. You'll have to let us know what you finally decided upon for that dinner.
Ew. Hummus. I've had it on pita chips and a sandwich, and didn't like it either time. I'll have dinner with Brandon on this one. LOL. Grilled cheese and tomato soups sounds so yummy Shelly. I may make that for dinner tomorrow night!
Moore, so glad your friend was ok! How scary.
Kae, stay far away from those net scams. Terrible, awful things.
