Chatbug Karen

One more traditional gathering to attend and it will be time to relax. We enjoy getting together with friends we have known since BK (before kids). They didn’t have a party last year and we didn’t know what to do with ourselves!

I have a problem though. I need ideas for what to take to this New Years Eve party. What do you like or better yet what do you look forward to eating at a New Years Eve party?

Besides good food, we play games and watch movies. Mostly we catch up on what each of us has been doing. It seems we don’t get together enough to just sit and talk.

It gets harder each year to stay up until midnight. We do it to be polite. LOL We stay a little bit longer once the clock strikes midnight. We don’t want to zip out at the stroke of the clock. Some day we may have to bring our pajamas and stay the night. Now, that would be a hoot.

Happy New Year everyone.

So, what did everyone receive for Christmas this year? Did any of you receive a Wii Fit? I sold mine. I didn’t want to feel that dread every day when I saw the box sitting there unused. I admit it. I am an exercise drop out.

I wonder what the most popular gift was this year. Was it perfume or replica watches? Most families give practical gifts like pajamas and socks. Dads receive ties and moms receive earrings. Is that how it is at your house? What was the most popular gift for toddlers and preschool aged children? Not having any that age, I feel out of the loop.

I know of families who don’t exchange gifts at all. They donate money to a charity or they buy gifts for a family and make their Christmas brighter. So many people barely have money for food and utilities. It is nice that their lives are made better if only for a moment.

Tomorrow begins a new week. I hope to get my Christmas decorations put away.

One more Christmas Dinner! I am grateful that my friend, Tina, wants to have us over for dinner. Our friends are here from Georgia and this way we can all get together and share what has been happening in our lives. Our Georgia friends just recently moved there so they will have lots of stories to tell, I am sure. They recently moved from Indiana to Michigan and when that job didn’t work out, found themselves moving to Georgia. They keep smiling even though I am sure they are terrified of what the world has in store for them. More people will be experiencing this as our economy struggles to gain its foothold. All of their kids and grand kids live here so they came back for the holidays to visit. Gotta keep a stiff upper lip for the kiddos.

We had snow but it warmed up and made water puddles. Of course, today it got cold and so now we have ice. Fog is rolling in as I type this. I am glad we don’t have far to travel this evening.

Tomorrow might be a day of sewing for me. I received two new quilt books and some fabric that I can’t wait to put to use. I have a purse request to finish and a binding to put on my civil war quilt. I may not know which to do first! LOL

I hope everyone stays safe and warm tonight.

Dragon Naturally Speaking software is being talked about all over the web. This amazing voice recognition software is easy to incorporate into your blogging routine. Create emails, documents, write lists and recipes. The software is extremely accurate as you may have noticed in the demonstration video above.

If you are like me, you have so much going on during the holidays that your real job gets pushed to the back burner. I have been talking about buying Dragon Naturally Speaking Software and now it is coming down to the wire for getting the best deal. Dragon Naturally Speaking software is being offered at amazing discounts on each of the versions of the software, Preferred Edition, Standard Edition or MacSpeech Dictate which uses the Dragon NaturallySpeaking Voice Recognition Engine. These offers expire on 12/31/08. Buying Dragon Naturally Speaking Software now also allows me to save on my taxes. I can take the expense as a business deduction for 2008 but only if I purchase it before December 31st. I will choose the $50 Coupon Code- DNSMSBG -Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 Preferred to fit my needs. Here are the other coupon codes that are available.

$50 Coupon Code- DNSMSBG -Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 Preferred
$25 Coupon Code- DNSMSBG -Dragon Naturally Speaking 10 Standard
$25 Coupon Code- DNSMSBG -MacSpeech Dictate

If you are not familiar with Dragon Naturally Speaking, check out the videos to see how it works. You will be amazed at how you can incorporate this software to make your blogging experience easier. The time saved is the feature of which I am looking forward. Check out what my friend, Brett, has to say about the software.

You will wonder how you managed without this software. You will be able to cook while speaking and have your words recorded as you go. There are so many ways this software will enhance your productivity. Don’t let these special coupon deals pass you by.

This post was sponsored by Nuance.

For months I have been working on buying gifts that would make each recipient smile, thinking of groceries I needed to buy and beds to get ready. All too quickly it is coming to an end. Wow. We had such a nice time visiting with the kids and the rest of our family. We worked hard to remember my brother in-law’s passing on Tuesday yet not let it cast a black cloud over our moods. That is what Doug would have wanted. He really loved Christmas.

We opened gifts last night while Stacy, our daughter, was on the webcam. It felt as if she were right here with us. She took her turn opening gifts right along with us. She didn’t get to share our Chinese food but I heard that her ham was pretty tasty. She takes after her dad and is a great cook.

It sounds like all we do is eat and I think that might be because we DO eat all the time. Today we had a terrific brunch with a breakfast casserole, cinnamon rolls, bacon, eggs and toast. Our nephew and his girlfriend joined us. After we ate we watched a home video that was filmed around 20 years ago. OMG! We laughed so hard. I want to get out all of our videos and watch them. I need to find a way to put them on DVD’s.

This afternoon was spent trying to nap and working on a quilt. I hope that everyone had a blessed holiday.

You know what? The blogging world is a great place. Just when I am feeling low and wondering why I take the time to blog my feelings, I receive an award from an admired friend.

Kathy at Lofty Matters always seems to know when I need a kind word. She has often dropped me an email to say hi. I love reading all of her blogs. She is a terrific writer, whether she is writing about technological matters or about the birth of her new grandson. Her posts are always interesting. To have such a great writer, such as Kathy, bestow an award on my blog is gratifying. Thank you Kathy.

I started this blog as a way to record what goes on in my life. I think that the best thing that has come from this blog is the friendships I have gained. It has also allowed me a source to put my feelings down as in the case of the loss of my brother in-law yesterday. I have had bloggers pray with me that my daughter would make it through her push ups while in basic training. My life is out there through this blog.

This Award is presented to bloggers who display consistency in any one or a combination of these conditions:

1. The Blogger manifests exemplary attitude, respecting the nuances that pervades amongst different cultures and beliefs.

2. The Blog contents inspire; strives to encourage and offers solutions.

3. There is a clear purpose at the Blog; one that fosters a better understanding on Social, Political, Economic, the Arts, Culture and Sciences and Beliefs.

4. The Blog is refreshing and creative.

5. The Blogger promotes friendship and positive thinking..

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The Blogger who receives this award will need to perform the following steps:

1. Create a Post with a mention and link to the person who presented the Noblesse Oblige Award.

2. The Award Conditions must be displayed at the Post.

3. Write a short article about what the Blog has thus far achieved – preferably citing one or more older Post to support.

4. The Blogger must present the Noblesse Oblige Award in concurrence with the Award conditions.

5. The Blogger must display the Award at any location at the Blog
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I am passing this award on to:

1. Table for Five

2. My Thoughts Ideas and Ramblings

3. I Know Everything, Just Ask My Hubby

Yesterday was a day that was full. Full of tears and memories. My husband’s older brother passed away. He had ALS and had been going downhill for a little over a year. We had a friend who died of this awful illness and she suffered with trying to breath and eat and it was horrible for 5 years. Fortunately, Doug had only just begun to have those issues. Yesterday, he told his wife, Sandy, that he was tired and not ready for his bath. He wanted to take a nap. With that he closed his eyes and was gone.

Doug did not want to live confined to a bed but you would never hear a complaint from him. He was always smiling and talked about politics, the weather and how he wished he could be in Arizona. He loved their home in Arizona and loved getting away from our cold Indiana winters. He was a graduate of Purdue University and was a pilot in both the Air Force and for the government as a civil service employee. He flew KC-135 tankers all over the world. He served in Vietnam and Iraq. We sure are proud of the service Doug gave to his country. It was fortunate that he was stationed at Grissom Air Force base right here where his family lived. His only other assignment was when they lived in Riverside, California.

Doug loved to play golf and read. He enjoyed his little wiener dog, Jasper until he passed away a couple of years ago. That dog ruled when it came to who slept where. He especially enjoyed scuba diving and took trips with his son, Jim, to warm places where they could get into the water and check things out.

Doug enjoyed 5 years of retirement. He played golf and was able to help his mom, Betty, keep her computer up and running and fixed things around her house. He was always available to help his mom and even helped put displays together in our floor covering store. Doug and Sandy were very neighborly in the little addition they lived in here in Indiana and were just beginning to get used to their new home in Arizona.

My husband feels like a big hole is inside him and especially feels outnumbered as the girls in our family are beginning to outnumber the guys. He is sort of the guy in charge and is not sure he wants that title.

We are all going to miss Doug. He was a good brother, friend, husband and dad.

“Star Wars” – an a cappella tribute to John Williams. This video has been nominated for a People’s Choice Award for “Favorite User Generated Video”. It is awesome!

One of my most favorite things to do during the holiday season is to bake cookies. I have a wonderful recipe for cut out Christmas cookies. I have accumulated many cookie cutters over the years and it is fun to get them out once a year. It is like greeting an old friend. Okay, maybe not that sweet but it is fun. LOL Buy.com has a whole set of Christmas cookie cutters at their website that you might want to check out. Their sale prices are unbelievable. That set would make a great gift for newlyweds and is only $16.50!

Here are some hints that I have found that make making Christmas cookies a simple and fun task.

Cookie dough is much easier to work with after it’s been refrigerated for at least half an hour–and the cut-outs will hold their shape better if the dough is cold.

* Keep cookie cutters from sticking to the dough by misting them very lightly with cooking spray.
* If you’re cutting out delicate or large shapes, roll out the dough on parchment paper, lifting off the scraps; slide the paper directly onto a baking sheet.

If you need to mail your cookies:
When making cut-out cookies for mailing, choose fairly sturdy shapes without too many pointy edges.

* Pack decorated, dry cookies in a flat, sturdy container with a tight-fitting lid. Line it with parchment or waxed paper.
* Pack a selection of cookie shapes in a single layer, fitting them together as closely as possible. Now pile more cookies into the container, stacking same-shape cookies on top of each other.
* When the container is full, put wadded-up pieces of wax paper or unbuttered air-popped popcorn into any empty spaces, then seal the lid. Wrap the container in bubble wrap, and pack it into a box. The cookies should arrive fresh, beautiful and full of home-baked love.

Happy Holidays everyone!