Anne...nice you get an advanced copy of Laura's book.

My nose is sore...Dr. took the whole thing and will let me know Wednesday if it is cancerous. All in all, it was a good day and we ate lunch at the Red Lobster...it was close to their offices.

May everyone keep warm and have a good week. Our Christmas cactus are blooming, pictures tomorrow.

Hi Everyone, Finally got to sew on Sunday while Bob watched football games, a verynice sort of quiet day & evening..
Yesterday I dropped off one of my machines for a sewing buddy to "play" with...She's debating which new "toy" to buy..then we both ent to our Guild meeting where the girls were sewing our Logo labels on the charity quilts that were made by all of us..they were piled up very high, didn't get a final count..All were for Carolina Comfort....
Today I'm playing games on the cp...waiting for Bob to come back from the Recycling Center then we're going to Belk's to see what's on sale.. I'm going to Bingo tonite..no dinner..so we'll have a big lunch somewhere in town...
I watch the tutorials that MSQC posts on Friday's and I'm making on of the quilts..it's very easy..it's called "Swirls & Twirls and I have 10 of the large blocks done..it's a new technique that eliminates bulk in the intersections...
QNS, I hope you're feeling better after the your surgery..hope all goes well with the outcome...
Bev, Do you stay in your PJ's all day like I do sometimes???
Jan, do you have a recipe for a white bean chicken chili? Progresso has come out with it ($$$$ very expensive) and it is very good and I tried to copy it and it turned out too spicy/hot...I would like to try making it again from scratch but
I don't want to end up throwing it out again...
Carriem, Take it easy when you can...I'm wondering what size blocks Laurie made for the quilt in the new book..Think she might tell me if I ask her??? Hmmmm..
It's supposed to get very cold here tonite...not as cold as some of you are experiencing..but still cold...
I'm supposed to be going with a group of ladies to a grand opening of a Publix supermarket tomorrow morning but with an expected temperature of 24* and no heavy jacket, I will have to pass on that..I'll go later in the afternoon..there are only 2 supermarkets in this area and now we'll have a third one...Back home there are 7 for me to shop at...
Bob is back and it's time for us to go shopping. see ya later gators!!! H.

As we rushed out in the cold yesterday at the clinic, a young lady was coming in saying to herself, " I don't know why anyone would choose to live here...its too cold!

My driver looked at me and said, "See, she thinks its cold, too!"

"Nope," I replied," try Alaska, it's cold there" Or try the Dakotas, MN, or around the lakes, in Chicago, or Buffalo, NY., where it is really cold. Hardy people live there, as across Canada, too.[ATTACH=CONFIG]499323[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]499326[/ATTACH]Dh Christmas Cetus or Catii in bloom.

QNS, pretty, pretty blooms on the cacti...the only time I have blooms on a cactus is when I buy them :D
Just got back from shopping and found out that the store is having a bigger sale tomorrow so I had them hold everything in my cart until tomorrow when I'll return to purchase & maybe get some more stuff !.

Winter blooms to chase away the doldrums. Poor DH is already tired of winter. Went to town today--car temp was -10° Centigrade! aka 14° F. Bookwork yesterday--nothing else done. The 2 day marathon of beef canning wore me out so weekend was not productive, but have 20 qts, 10 pts of beef and 15 qts of broth to make plenty of stew and hot dishes with. Kiddos tried to sled the hill south of the house, but not quite enough snow yet. Thanksgiving visitors start coming in on Saturday and I have a house to clean and kid proof yikes! Gotta go. Have a great Thanksgiving if I don't get back by then.

Beautiful blooms, QNS. I love Christmas Cactus--we need some beauty during this time of year. It is so bleeping cold here--it was 4* this morning and never made it above 18* with gusty winds. Wind chill is -9-------and it's only Nov. 18!! Hope this isn't a precursor of what's to come. And it's snowing. Can you tell I hate winter?

The work calendar was changed--I only have 2 more work days til The End!!!! 16 more hours in a uniform then I can have a bonfire and dance around it. I'm so excited. I still haven't told my boss yet. But the office is closed the last 2 wks of Dec and the Medical Assistant that works opposite me will take my hours so they don't have to hire a replacement. Did high school sports physicals tonight; I won't miss coming home smelling like stinky feet.

Anne, no recipe for your chile; I've never made chicken chili, always use beef. My neighbor sent over a large bowl of ham & bean soup. She used about 5 different kinds of beans. I have to get that recipe--it was so good.

Stay warm everyone. QNS, hope the biopsy report comes back clean.

Hi everyone!

I am having a good time at my son's. The grandchildren are such a joy.

QNS, Cactus is beautiful, my mom could grow them and with her green thumb, everything bloomed. She had fuschias, azaleas, gardenias, camelias.

Jan - there is a mix (at least here) that is called 15 Bean Soup Mix. It is wonderful! I always use this bean mixture when making Ham and Bean Soup. Here is my recipe:

Fifteen Bean Soup

[TABLE="width: 100%"]
<tbody>[TR]
[TD]1 pkg 15 Bean Soup beans
2 quarts water
1 ea onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced[/TD]
[TD]3 ea bay leaf
1 lb ham, diced
15 oz chopped tomatoes with puree
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper[/TD]
[/TR]
</tbody>[/TABLE]
Procedure
1 Rinse & pick over beans, separating out small stones, etc. Cover beans with hot water and bring to a boil for two minutes; remove from heat. Let stand 1 hour. Drain water, rinse beans and proceed with recipe.
2 Add water to beans and onion, garlic and meat and simmer slowly uncovered for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
3 Beans also can be prepared in a crock pot, but use "high" setting. Beans are done when tender.
4 Add tomatoes and cayenne pepper and simmer 30 minutes more. (Do not add tomatoes earlier because it will stop the beans from cooking properly.
Servings: 8