December Determination ~ Week 3

[Rusty]

December Determination ~ Week 3

Good Monday Morning Friends,

So sorry I couldn't get into chat yesterday to say Happy Birthday to Lav and hello to Chill, Dill, Papmom and Mr. G.

G-good to see you....I feared that I had scared you away for good. Perhaps since it's summer in Australia, you are still trying on swimwear?:H

Chill-enjoy your last day of work. I enjoyed reading of your last AL Christmas as well. I also applaud you for navigating your relationship with NotMcDreamy. He sounds like a really good person, though, and lucky to have a friend like you.

Sooty-Are you going to be our bus driver for 2011?

Rustop-I loved your quote this morning as always.

Star-I love your attitude about being AF over the holidays. I have the same plan. I also loved your stewed chicken recipe and will try it out this week.

A wonderful AF Monday to all those that I have missed: Lav, Paguy, Rebirth (I miss you...where are you, girl) LBH, Papmom, Cyn, Shelley, Dill, SD, Dewdrop, Raven!

I'm off to the gym to work out my holiday gluttony. No wonder gluttony is one of the Seven Deadly Sins. OINK OINK. And then Christmas shopping.

I'll check in later.

[dill]

December Determination ~ Week 3

Hi Rusty! Sorry you couldn't get into chat with us. We'll have to do it again some time soon. You might want to practice in the meantime!

Star, that Chicken recipe sounds delicious. I will definitely try it. When you make it, do you use boneless-skinless or bone-in, skin on pieces? Old fashioned recipes usually call for bone in, skin on, I think.

Rustop, Chat isn't difficult. MWO has set it up so that it is very easy. Try it sometime. We'd love to have had you with us yesterday. Even Sooty was on with us!

Hi G, good to see you. I envy you the summer time weather. Could you tell us something you might be doing and highlight the weather aspect of it? Talk about the sun and warm sand or something?

LBH, time for you to come back! Tell us about your trip.

Sped? SD?

I have two days of work this week than I am off for Christmas until Jan. 3rd. Yay!

[Rusty]

December Determination ~ Week 3

Dill-

I spent more than an 1/2 hour getting on Chat yesterday and I couldn't get it to work. I have practiced before. Chat can be difficult if your computer settings are such that you don't know how to change them...I tried god-only-knows-how-many-times....not just this time, but previous attempts.

[dill]

December Determination ~ Week 3

Rusty, do you have anybody that you can go to for technical help? I hope so. You would love chat.

Have a great day, Rusty. I must log off and get to work.

[Rusty]

December Determination ~ Week 3

Hello Friends,

I won't be logging on or lurking for a few days. I really want to maintain the balance I have in my life between MWO, work, family, friends, and working out. I haven't done a good job lately. Here's wishing everyone happy AF days.

[cyntree]

December Determination ~ Week 3

Hi all - Happy Monday Morning -
I wrote to you all late Friday or early Saturday, I forget, and that was the last I could log on. Spent Saturday in agony with a migraine, and yesterday had a brunch and a dinner party to give, so.....I missed the whole chat thing, didn't even know it was going on..sorry!

Happy Belated Birthday, Lav!!! You deserve the best in life, and I wish you all the best in the coming year.

Chill - great job on getting those extra hours in so that you can do the yoga - didn't that feel great to you, that you could affect the situation? You are so impressive.

Rustop, Sooty, so sorry for the bad weather there - please be careful walking and driving. (Sooty - you had better find a way to get crosswords on line!) Hope the weather clears up for you.

Loved hearing about all the recipes and family traditions! That's kind of what I meant when I suggested a communal 'virtual' celebration. Glad that chat worked out for some of you, but I know that it can be frustrating -- maybe we have enough frustration this week coming up? I would like to make a Determinators Virtual Holiday space -- have already started....Lav has put up the twinkly lights (watch out birdcages!), Dill is putting out the pretty, fragrant tea lights, Star is making her fragrant chicken paprikash (and wrapping all the presents), PA is bringing stuffed cabbage, Sooty's starting us off with carrot-turnip soup...PMoms dog are all dressed up and getting us to roll on the floor laughing with her pups' antics....
oh darn, gotta go - HB up and tumbling around....more later....

Sped, please check in!? Miss you RB and SD - take care everybody, more later ---

[Lavande]

December Determination ~ Week 3

Good morning all!

It is morning, isn't it? So dark & cloudy at the moment, hard to tell.

Thanks for the chat yesterday afternoon kids, I really enjoyed that. Next time we will have to recruit Rustop, Rusty, rebirth & other who were missing.

Work is awaiting & I just found out I have to return a gift I bought for EB. Apparently his other grandparents had the same great idea. So, I'll get on the road for now & will check in later.

Have a great AF Monday!
Lav

[sooty]

December Determination ~ Week 3

Hi everyone, chat was brilliant last night, I really really enjoyed it and it was lovely that so many of us showed up. Great fun.

Well we've had more snow - about another 4 inches and its still falling. I am so fed up with it now. There are some nice things about it I suppose but not many. There's a little thrush on my patio as I type this and his feathers are so fluffed up against the cold he looks like a little barrel hopping about in the snow.

Ok better get on, I started a big house clean this morning, I've done upstairs and need to start on downstairs now. You can tell how bored I am!!!

Catch you all later
love sooty

[Dewdrop]

December Determination ~ Week 3

Hi everyone and sorry I missed you all in Chat sounds like you had a good old ?chat?. My DIL is Polish and we have visited her family and they have visited us and I do know what you mean about their lovely pastries.

I?m trying to keep away from the sweet things over the holidays so I bought a bag of carrots today and sliced them up and will eat them if and when I feel an urge to have something sweet. I?ve also just made a big pot of Carrot and Lentil soup so that?s on the hob and I?m going to have a bowl of it if I feel peckish. I have lost a stone since I stopped drinking and I don?t want to spoil my healthy eating pattern by developing a craving for chocolates and cookies

We have had more snow too, and the forecast is for it to get worse Wednesday to Friday so a white Christmas is on the cards. I was hoping to be snowed in today but no luck I am working until Christmas Eve and then off until the 13th January and so looking forward to the time off. There are so many things I want to accomplish that I really need to sit down and draw up a list. I appreciate what you are saying Rusty about needing time away from MWO to catch up; I am finding at the moment I am torn in many directions. It?s sometimes difficult to get the work/life balance sorted but especially at this time of the year.

I am so happy though that I am AF and I feel I have so much to look forward to in 2011. Finding this site has really changed my life and that?s all down to the community and the people here who touch so many lives. Isn?t it just amazing that this community from all over the world can have such a positive impact on so many. I?m really grateful and humbled to be a part of it :l

Have a lovely Monday evening

Dewdrop :h

[sdlovespackers]

December Determination ~ Week 3

Hey all!!

Happy belated birthday Lav!! :bday7: I hope this next year brings you much happiness and joy!!! You deserve every bit of it!!!

Sped--Hang in there....please, if you do, I will....I'm feeling it too!! Truly! I felt like the last few months of work, as hard as they were, I made it through sober. Trying to handle this stuff with my family...it's killing me. I've decided to go see my dad...he finally emailed me (only me) and asked to if I would spend the holidays as a family..."bury the hatchet" so to speak. I said, I would not bury the hatchet...things needed to be talked out...honestly, I know we'll get there he'll pretend everything is fine and then piss me off by saying everything was all my fault...but thanks for coming for Christmas! Why is it I have so much anxiety being around my family...not just my dad...it's my sisters as well??? SO STRESSFUL!! I just want my regular routine back....and the holidays haven't even really started!:H Just stick around....I'll keep lurking as well!!

Dill--You are so lucky to be getting out early...we go to school through Thursday!!! Today every town around us for 100 miles or more has shut down...not us, not our school....we're still here getting dumped on...I'm not sure how I'm going to get out of the parking lot!!! Parents are just coming to get their kids saying how ridiculous it is that we haven't called off school!!

Well...speaking of school....I need to get to work...I'm sorry (once again) for not addressing each of you!! I'm thinking about everyone of you!!! Stay strong in your journey...you are all doing so well!!!!
SD:l

[Guitarista]

December Determination ~ Week 3

Hiya folk's!

Rusty, no, you haven't scared me away! :H Good job going for the life balance thang.

Dill, our summer here in the south east of Oz has been very slow to kick off. We're still getting a lot of rain, (we need it) and this morning i've got the bloody heater on as i write! So no new swimwear Rusty. I just throw a pair of short's on and in i go.
However, summer will be along soon enough i'm sure, and then i'll be going for long, relaxed swim's in Port phillip bay here, dodging the odd jellyfish and shark. Sea water is so relaxing i find. I just love being immersed in it. Grey skies can be challenging, but we have to remember that just above them, and not far away, are blue skies too.

Have a great week everyone!

[Lavande]

December Determination ~ Week 3

Hey Mr G - good to see you!
ps: I don't care what you're wearing like Rusty :H
Just kidding Rusty!

Hi SD, thanks, I had a good birthday with HAPPY people around me, no grumps :H
Whatever you decide to do about Christmas with your family - take care of you first!

Hi Dewdrop!

I just wanted to tell everyone -
I ALMOST RAN OVER A GOAT TODAY :H
No kidding! The dumb thing just ran right in front of my car but I missed him. Living here in cow country I am always alert to stray animals in the road.......deer, the occasional loose cow or horse but a goat? No way!

OK, so much for Monday...........
can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.

[rebirth]

December Determination ~ Week 3

Hi folks,

Not feeling so great recently.

Been a difficult few days for me as I am still getting harassed by this particular woman. She keeps using different email addresses to get through. She is now threatening to tell my work collegues that I attend AA meetings. Cant believe how malicious she is. I am trying to rise above it but enough is enough.

I am going to report her to the police first thing tomorrow. This harassment has to stop as it's starting to get me really down

[paguy]

December Determination ~ Week 3

Good Evening Friends:

I just finished my Christmas shopping - Rambo style! I really don't have much shopping to do and I managed to get it all done at 4 stores. And, there were NO crowds and very little traffic. I was amazed and feeling relieved that is over and done with...

Rusty - I know the challenges of balancing work, family, friends and MWO especially this time of year. There just doesn't seem to be enough time. Take care of yourself and hang in there. Keep the stress meter on low.

Lav - You really do live in cow and goat country! The only time I've ever seen goats in the road was down in Curacao - and they were like rabbits - everywhere.

Rebirth - Sorry you are continuing to be harrassed. How unfortunate. I hope the authorities can take care of things for you. Fortunately, this disturbed person has left an electronic trail of her missteps. Good Luck.

Dewdrop ? I completely agree with your sentiments about the effectiveness of this global MWO community. It?s nice to know that Lav is just down the road a bit from me chasing down goats in Pennsylvania, Papmom is up in Massachusetts where I used to live, Rusty is in the cheese capital (Wisconsin), SD is in South Dakota (educated guess), Cyn (not exactly sure where you are ? New Mexico?), Dill is to the left of Pennsylvania somewhere in Ohio, Sped (Indiana and New Mexico?), Star is somewhere in the Midwest, Dewdrop and Sooty are in Scotland, Rebirth holds court with the Royal family in England?Mr. G hails from Aussieland and guess what? We all have a common thread and are fighting the same demons day in and day out. It makes me realize that no matter where I am at any point in time, there are at least a handful of other folks who have either struggled or continue to struggle with Alcohol ? so, we are not alone. Whether I?m at an airport, the supermarket, work, church, or a shopping mall ? there are people just like me everywhere

Now I?m gonna? have a cup of pumpkin spice tea and a couple of cookies (biscuits) before I head up to bed and continue reading my latest novel.

Good night folks!

[cyntree]

December Determination ~ Week 3

Good night/morning all -
PMom - meant to tell you earlier today that the thing I think is best for immune support it Oil of Oregano (not the spice), buy it in capsule form, not the liquid (yuk!). I've tried Echinacea, Goldenseal, etc etc for years, but only this has been a sure-proof way to stay healthy - I buy the brand 'Gaia'.

Lav - seriously, a goat?

RB - sorry to hear about these troubles - good luck tomorrow --- stay good to yourself.

Sped?! Check-in please - miss hearing you -

Take care all -