"Ouch! You tried to throw a Icy Snowball at laurey but they reflected it! Maybe you should be a little more careful next time..." Thanks! The icy snowball is so pretty on my HA. ;)

Sorry for late responses - somehow life has gotten so busy!!! Lucky for me it's all good busy - so many things to do and places to go. :-)

- not just lag,, 503 errors and outages. But you will be very proud of all your gifters because they have continued through it all and keep making great progress. Hope you're enjoying yourself.

Almost vacation time!!! I hope your time off is fun and relaxing.

- old family recipes are the best So wonderful for you to have your great-grandmother's box full of them.

I love deviled eggs - and I found out last Saturday that I like them even better if they're made with Siracha. :-)

Be careful with those cows!

Nice you're getting your dog all safely settled in the yard.

On Xmas eve and Xmas I will be putting lots of scratch cards into the donation center and also a lot of fairies since I don't need the achievement and have been throwing them into my vault. I will post here when I do that but wanted to give Sharks a heads up to watch for it. :D

SECRET SANTA SHARK!

Sign-up by the end of today.
Info HERE

Nom-nom-nom!

Santa Shark

jawsome

falls into the tank All back from holidays, good fun but good to be back too! :)

We went round some Xmas markets and had a really fun time. We got delayed travelling due to the snow, but nothing was cancelled, only running late.

Will look forward to it! Are you doing anthing fun for the weekend?

We had some snow last weekend, enough for airports to be closed for the day, so pretty bad for us. Everything's gone back to the regular rainy and grey at the moment though. xD
Hope the weather is behaving better for you now!

Aw, thanks. The background is a layered up mix: then then All beind the base layer.

Hope you and the internet are feeling better now! xD

We definitely need some artists on this job, new Shark Tank logo for all! Sadly I can only do the words side of things...

Dandybunnies trill softly The Army thanks you.
;)

Also loving the new ornaments, fairy & Goth trees for all next year!

Aw, no problems at all, real life things must be the priority, especiallly when it's a bit challenging.

I am very sorry to hear about Chris' problems with work, and I hope that things will be OK for the both of you. I know there's not a lot we can do online, but you are most welcome to vent either here or on sMail any time.
Best of luck to Chris for job hunting.

A bit of occasional bargain hunting here does us good! I've not been paying enough attention to prices to work out which is the best time of year for the best rates on the seasonal items, but I sometimes remember to check and catch a good one.

That's very organised for the Charity tiers! I think I am much more of a scatter-achievement type - they randomly happen when I have not been paying attention!
It's a bit weird how some only pick up/appear when you refresh them in the achievements section - I don't know if that's a bug or just a system thing.

Biking can be a good, low-impact exercise, so that might actually be helpful for the lungs & breathing. Hills are always a challege!

Clothing planning is becoming a weird one - you can't tell if it's going to be freezing cold here or rainy & warmer - layers or waterproofs or both.
Most of the snow has melted and I think we're just back to grey. No more White Christmas predictions at any rate!

In real life and on here, my wishlists are so sprawling and massive, I can still have a lot of surprises as I can't remember half the stuff i put on them... xD Hope you can get the blanket sorted, but it will depend on how things are with your craft space and space in general. There's a lot happening, so maybe Chris will be OK about having to wait.

December birthdays are a challenge - I htink we have all ours shopped for now.
Both Xmas and birthday wrapping paper are next on the list - I'd love to be as organised as you and have lots ready and waiting.

Emergency cheesecake stash! Nothing wrong with some extra food there. Hope you managed to use everything.
Also - power to the fudge! Certainly worth re-checking the receipe (or finding a new one), it's weird sometimes I miss out lines either in the ingredients or the instructions - just from trying to be speedy - and end up with some strange stuff... xD Hoping for Cinnamon buns for this festive season.

Hmm, definitely worth keeping an eye out then, with the temptation of other dogs & animals around and about.

Yeah, I am quite surprised that shops still do the £1 clothing, but I guess if it's old stock they are happy for any charity money they can get for it.

Sometimes you can drop in lucky with some of the dolls at the charity shops too. My niece has some of the larger dolls - about 18" or so, I think as well as the smaller ones. She is curretly wanting clothes and shoes for the small ones - they're about 5" tall or so. Sewing for them is harder than Barbie sized! And Xmas wrapping for the 'dolls tree' is also hard work. But fun!

Fingers crossed you can work something for the festive holidas next time then. And at least you have some time to prep for another year, if everyone is coming to yours then.
(Whatever can be pre-made should be!)

If it's going to make it easier for you, then an all year, seasonal tree would be the better option. Plus it's a nice excuse for some little seasonal crafts, maybe using local things like leaves and twigs/small branches and drying flowers and so on.
We've ended up with our mini tree in the kitchen this time round. And we got a glass pickle from the Xmas market so he has pride of place there now.

Yeah, if you don't need the shelves immediately, it's good enough to keep eveything just stacked up until you're in a place to get what you need. Though saying that, we have family who were able to get free furniture items from a scheme/website called Freecycle here in the UK, so freebies are still around.

Here you won't often find fabric in the second hand shops either, so that usually has to be bought new. And some of the 'budget fabrics', really look and feel like it! A lot of the thrift type stores here will not sell electrials, and only a few sell larger items like furniture, so you have to pick and choose where you look depending on what you want. Next week I'll be looking for stocking fillers like books and small items in the local charity shops, so fingers crossed for good hunting!

Hope you are able to get some TV for the winter too, if nothing else settling down with TV and a mug of something hot is good for you.

A couple of people I know with migraines have odd food triggers, like cheese and red wine and dark chocolate. I guess trying some things and maybe keeping a food diary could help you work it out? Good luck!

I'll hang on to see the images you posted - photobucket has been a bit of a pig with this, so I have been putting non personal stuff on imgur recently, just so it displays ok on here.

Sharky waving Yay, good to see you. Just catching up on everything after being away for a week. SO much to read!

And Xmas wrapping prep - though I will try and put it off to next week if I can. xD

How are you doing?

I am prioritising the board here for my Sharks first, but did check in on the Gifting one (which I will update after I get some dinner down me grumbling tummy ) and thanks so much for everything you've done there!
Stellar work. ⭐

Looking forward to it! :)

Ah, thanks for the reminder! I love secret santas!

That is great to hear :D happy you had a good vaca hugs Ahhh I almost forgot to sign up! I better do that now!

Hey and Hi everyone! Been busy the past few days. Sorry I have not been chatting.

I love your HA! So pretty and festive! :)

Posting the Santa Shark info again here in case anyone is too lazy to click on an extra link posted up above :)

If you'd like to participate in this year's Secret Santa Shark, please sMail either or with the tier you'd like to join (listed below), and we'll add your name to the list.

If you are taking part in our holiday event, be sure you can accept gifts from non-buddies!

Sign ups end at 11:59 pm on Friday, December 15th. You can sign up for more than one tier! Just let the appropriate user know

Gifts must be sent prior to December 25th. Secret Santa Sharks will be revealed on the 26th (probably).

Please make sure that your gift is sent through the Gift Center and that you click the "Send Anonymously" box. Make sure to add that the gift is from the Santa Shark!

Thanks to everyone who has signed up so far! (and a second ping about this to make sure that anyone who wants to sign up is indeed included )

We will send out the list of Secret Santa Sharks sometime tomorrow, so please make sure to sign up ASAP if you want to participate!

- smiles hello to show big sharky white teeth and waves madly - glad your vacation went well and very good to have you back.

Aw thanks - I had some very big shoes to fill. :-) Hope you enjoy the "song".

Awe thanks Hun hugs I wish I had that dress in rl :D

Absolutely loved the song, quite inspired! I have finished the catch up and feel like my hands are falling off, but all worthwhile.

Thanks hun, I was all out of copy&paste energy. xD
Looking forward to Santa Shark Secret-ness!

Good to see you!
It's a busy time of year for many folks, just as long as you're doing OK.
:)

- Wow! That was a LOT of name adding!!! Great job getting caught up so quickly.

creaking fingers & wrists The things we do for admin... xD

I am trying to keep up to date as much as possible as I think I'll be out for part of Sunday, only for 5 or 6 hours, but easier to catch up if I can be organised now!

Getting ready for new pet slot: Member For 5 years, 11 months, 3 weeks, 2 days excited

[edit] Send to Minion Zoo (You have 244 there already) Thank you donation corner!

& Thanks for reposting about Santa shark! Woo!

Woo, I'd come to your house and wrap gifts, I love doing that! I used to be a tape junky and think almost every seam needed to be sealed shut but I'm much better now. hides the many boxes of tape

I'm doing good! Life has been really busy over the last few months, now Christmas and New Years should be the last hurdle until my niece is born in March. Hopefully you can easily get caught up on what you've got to read! My intentions are to be on Subeta a lot more again but.. I don't want to say that too loud cause it feels like I'm tempting fate, lol.

Beautiful HA! Congrats on early big 6 years and another pet slot

Trying to get Emily all caught up on her school work so she can relax over the break :D

Thank you ❤

Family recipes are amazing! They already have changes and notes on them that make the recipe better, and most of the time they have been prepared many times. I need to make the time to sit down and look through the box to see what's in there. I also have many recipes from my mother-in-law, some of them are dishes that Chris grew up eating at home.

I've never tried Siracha, I think it would be too spicy for me. My mom made deviled eggs with the dry ranch dressing mix once. They weren't bad, they just tasted different from what I'm used to. I've also seen deviled eggs with bacon added to them--I'm surprised that Chris hasn't asked me to make those yet.

I preg-checked 46 cows todays. Took me 3 1/2 hours and ended with no injuries. I taped my elbow and finger this morning to provide some extra support. Now I'm just sore and tired.

I'm glad she is settling in to her pen and the yard as well. During the day we let her out to run around and play with the kittens. However she still plays a little too rough with them or she thinks she can get away with eating the cat food. When she gets caught she runs to her pen and puts herself in timeout.

Thanks for understanding. Things are getting better, but I've been stressed out about the whole no income for an extended period of time issue. Chris has credit cards that he is fine with using, but I don't want the bills to rack up too much. Since I've been stressing out so much, I've got knots in my neck and back that have led to a week-long headache. With all the free time Chris has now, he's been able to do some electrical work for my parents and his parents, so that's brought some money in, enough to cover rent and internet bills. Honestly, I'm glad that Chris doesn't have the job any more. His boss was never thrilled about him being in the National Guard or about his upcoming deployment. Chris feels that his ex-boss was looking for a reason to fire him (the boss is rich and misuses his position in the company), and that reason ended up being that calling in sick 2 days in a row was just too much as was taking off 7 days of work in 3 months. 3 or 4 of the days he took off were for drill and the company legally has to give him those days off (so in a way Chris was discriminated against for being military). Chris has applied for some jobs and has an online interview sometime before Sunday.

I've found its best to buy new Christmas decorations after Christmas as things are either 50-75% off. The only problem with waiting for the sales is that what's left goes quickly. Last year I stocked up on Christmas cards at Walmart, I think I got at least 6 boxes.

I'm only organised with some achievements. Most of the time, I'm just looking through the achievements and buying the corresponding items that are cheap. I've noticed that, its rather annoying and sometimes a refresh doesn't reward the achievement. I still sometimes have the issue where the items or prizes for an achievement don't load and I just get the spinning circle of doom.

If I'm biking on flat ground, I have no problems, but hills are another thing. I bike as far up the hill as I can, then I get off and walk. Chris has tried to pressure me into biking all the way up a hill (duplex we rented was on a hill), and I did that once. Burning lungs and light-headedness soon followed, so he never told me I had to bike all the way up the hill again. I've tried running, but I've got a bad knee that feels like its turning to jelly after running 200+ yards.

Its getting to be that way here. Its always freezing cold in the morning, but then starts to get warmer in the afternoon. So I layer up for chores, then start to slowly lose the layers throughout the day. However, colder weather has moved in and there is a chance for rain/snow this weekend. It sort of rained here yesterday. We've got snow predicted on Christmas Day here, some predicting 26+ inches of snow. Whether that is true or not remains to be seen. I've taken the 'I'll believe it when I see it' approach to weather forecasts.

I think I have too many wishlists! But with the item limits in wishlists, it's become necessary to sub-divide my categories. I don't remember most of what's on my wishlists, but I am reminded whenever I go through the lists. Craft room is still a mess as funds are limited to put in new shelves. Cutting table is still buried under a pile of boxes and boxes still line the wall. I think Chris will be understanding, we've both had a lot going on. Weekends are my best chance to relax and work on crafts, but every Sunday this month is filled with traveling and Christmas parties.

I would think birthdays on Christmas Eve or the day after Christmas would be the biggest challenge, what with determining how many gifts to give as its so close to a gift giving holiday. I bought Christmas wrapping paper after Christmas when it was on sale. I found paper that had kittens on it and just had to grab some. I also look for paper that has a vintage look to it, but its hard to find. I just need to get a better storage option for the paper as its just in plastic sacks at the moment.

Cheesecake mini bites are all gone! We ate a few (I had one due to my dairy limitations), and we gave the rest to my in-laws and Chris's brother. We've just got the pie left....and fudge. The fudge is sweeter than I remember it being. If I make another batch, I may try using my stand mixer to see if that gets everything mixed together better. I've swapped ingredients that have similar names before and added them at the wrong time. Made a batch of pumpkin chocolate chip cookies come out a little weird. My mom and I will be making Krumkake and Christmas Crack tomorrow. Then I need to figure out if I am going to bake anything to take to a Christmas party Sunday, or just buy something on the way there.

I wish more thrifts here still had bargains on clothing and other items. It seems like some thrifts are trying to also be antique stores with there pricing on older/vintage items. There was one thrift store I shopped at a few times that was called Bargain Hut (or something like that), but it seemed like it was a combo of antique store and thrift store as it had older items in the front priced high, then cheaper things in other rooms. It went out of business early this year, and my mom and I never really found any bargains there.

I've got some 18" dolls, but I don't have any extra clothes for them, just the clothes they came with. I only have three dolls that are smaller than barbie dolls. One is the kid sister of barbie, the other is a Hermione Granger doll, and the third is a vintage thin plastic doll that's about 3 or 4" tall. I imagine sewing for the small dolls is difficult, I'd hate to try sewing anything for the tiny vintage doll that I have.

Its up in the air until next year as to where the one family Christmas will be held. The family won't start discussing it until October and then start asking more questions in November and the weeks prior to the party. Even if it is held at Chris's aunts house again, I probably wouldn't go, as I don't enjoy driving in unfamiliar places. Then when Chris gets back from his deployment, we can offer to host the party at our place. We'd just have to decide if we want to provide lunch or not, as the meal would be on us.

It will be much easier for me if the tree is up year round, at least while Chris is deployed. I've put this tree together and taken it apart by myself for many years when my parents had it, but I always had help putting the box away. I've got some fake birds that I can set in the tree and a few farm related ornaments that aren't super Christmas-y that could stay on the tree. My parents have a pickle ornament but they've never put it on the tree.

When Chris and I lived in the city, there was a shop called Restore that sold furniture at low prices (I can't remember if they also offered things for free). I suppose if I needed to, I could use wood that been stored in the barn for years, but I think its thicker than what I need.

Most of the fabric you find at the thrifts here are the 'budget fabrics' or the jersey knit fabrics. I think all the thrifts here sell electricals and a variety of furniture items, you just don't know for sure if the electricals work or have everything. Ooh, good luck!

I've been watching a lot of Netflix recently, but I need to start watching some of the Christmas movies that I have. Maybe I'll put one in tomorrow and work on Christmas cards or wrapping gifts.

A couple years ago, I wondered if anise seed was giving me migraines. I had made some peppernuts, and I was always getting headaches hours after eating them. I should probably just start keeping a food diary so I can figure out what foods upset my stomach and I'm not playing a guessing game (waking up at 1 or 2 am with stomach pains is not fun).

Howdy sharks - tis I, the flakiest shark that constantly disappears. Things got a little hectic - I got my licence and a brand new job! Training was in another town so I've been dead tired and a little stressed, but I'm finally settled down a bit more and can get back on here to chat. Hope everyone's lumi has been going well so far.

- family recipes are amazing. And to me, even more than the notes which improve the recipe, they come with all the memories of family times together and people no longer with us, as well as the tastes and smells we grew up with.

If you don't like spicy then Sriracha would almost certainly be too spicy for you. Although, the deviled eggs I had didn't have enough of it to be spicy, just yummy. (All that mayo and egg can really tame the heat if you only use a little sauce)

Yay for 46 cows checked and no injuries. Good idea to use that extra support.

Self administered doggie timeouts - she must be a very sweet dog. :-)

I went to a Christmas party last night. It was nice but at the same time a bit emotionally rough. I used to live 5 min walk from where they held it... whereas now it's around 1.5 hr travel to get back. I don't miss living in the old place, but I do miss the community & neighbourhood. The music was too loud (even with earplugs) so that tired me out. I left while dessert was served, didn't want any. We got meals from a restaurant... couldn't eat the greasy fries or coleslaw (digestive issues). The sauce I wasn't fond of & didn't like the bun. That left the chicken. Luckily, this occurred last year (first time they had ordered out instead of making a delicious meal from scratch... but less work this way). So this year I was prepared... I brought brocoli (with herbs) and rice (mix of wild & white with chicken broth). I ate a small portion of the quarter chicken so I brought the rest home. It'll make a few meals :) Normally we get to chose something from a pile of gifts (e.g. tea & honey)... this year they changed it up, we got $5 gift card for Tim Hortons. Those of you that are unfamiliar... it's a place known for it's coffee & doughnuts. I've had a doughnut craving for a while & very rarely eat some so this is a nice treat :)

I have some good news... I've been working hard with others to get help for housecleaning & meal preparation so I can function better without having to rely on the help of friends/family. I've been awarded the max financial help (still have to pay part of the salary, but it's not as bad as paying all). I'll be getting someone to start helping me out hopefully the week of Christmas... it's just a matter of scheduling (waiting back to hear from the cleaning company). It'll be less stressful for everyone this way & I'll be more autonomous while getting the much-needed help that is required for me to function. Yes, my finances are already stretched but that's when I take the time to ask myself what are my true priorities? For now, it means having someone change the bed at least every 2 weeks otherwise my health suffers. So, other things are put to the side. Instead of feeling that I'm getting less due to my health deteriorating... I try to appreciate what I'll get & be able to do with the much-needed help.

Congrats on the license & job :)

I apologize to those I haven't replied to, I've been dealing with a lot at home. You're in my thoughts, squishy hugs