I just realized I forgot to post an entry regarding the Black Friday experience. I did really well, I got everything on my list and was home by 11:30, and had my rebates submitted by 11:37.
I started out at Meijers at 4 (a little late this year), but they had 99 of the tv I wanted, so it was no sweat. Had a blast hanging out in line with people I'll never see again, including a couple from Cedar Rapids, IA, who decided to stay over an extra night in spring-tucky so they could do their shopping here and have less chance of getting shot. Meijers was pretty tame, considering we could wait inside. Next year I'm considering doing the Best Buy line if they have something I want.
Which reminds me, BB did the coolest thing this year, and let us order stuff online Thursday at the Friday prices. I got the printer I wanted (which I would have missed out on had I waited in line, they only had 10 at our store), paid $8 shipping, but missed all the traffic and people at the store, which was fine.
Anyway, after I was done at Meijers (5:05) I headed to Joanns to wait for their 6am opening. There was a whole crowd of people waiting to get into Office Depot next door, so I stood outside by myself at Joanns just for comedic effect. One person in line at the fabric store, 50 at the office place. I was literally in and out of Joanns in 30 minutes. I think most people go to the store on the east side because the people are friendlier, but it really paid off to be on the west side that morning. I got 32 yards of fleece for the Feitshans Project, and that should just about finish us up for the year (yay!).
After Joanns I headed to Menards and called the Russian to find out where he was....oh yeah, just got up (after I called him at 6!) and was on his way to Menards. I directed him to Meijers to see if he could score some more play-doh stuff for my mom, and they were out. So he came to Menards and shopped for stuff in the store while I literally stood in line for an hour and a half! Halfway through I started regretting my decision to hit this Menards in particular...they only have 6 checkouts, and it was terribly slow, but the crowd was fun and we had a great time throwing stuff up and down the aisles to each other.
After Menards we went to Sam's Club for free breakfast and dog toys (or so I thought). They had plenty of the breakfast, no toys, but I ended up picking those up in Marion the next day. Anyway, I went to the other Joanns after that, got some more fleece and then headed home. Pretty successful day as far as BF goes...
Oh yeah, I got up Thursday morning and went to Meijers for Christmas lights in their ad ($1 a set, better than anybody else) and ran into a coworker. I hung out with him in line for awhile and found out that the girl in front of him was from CENTRALIA (!) and had driven to Springfield for the nano ipod ($99 for the 2-gig). She lives in Carbondale, and had to be in Centralia by noon for lunch. I think she probably made it, but holy cow! That's crazy! (For those of you paah, Centralia is about 2.5 hours from Springfield)
I can't wait for next year, but I hope the deals are better. There just wasn't anything that really got me super-excited this year, other than the Meijer tv deal, and that was for my mom ($99 for a 20" lcd, best deal I found). My mom and the Russian and I went to C-dale on Saturday and were amazed at how few people were out, it was kind of sad...what happened to the whole hustle and bustle thing?
I'm almost done with my shopping at this point. I need a couple of gift certificates and some stocking stuffers and then I'm calling it quits. Hopefully I can finish up this weekend in STL when we go see Mannheim.
Anyway, if you haven't already, sign up for an account at gottadeal.com...they have deals all year, and it's always nice to have free shipping, right?
BTW, the link on the front page for the pearls is supposed to get me a free set of pearl earrings soon. Ha! We'll see...I'm just testing it out...go to
100% this link to sign up for yours :) the Russian saw it and thought he was supposed to buy them for me for Christmas. Hahaha! Sorry Carl...
Let the holiday begin :)
Here's the short list of things I'm thankful for:
1. The Russian made it safely to Missouri and back today (on a Cessna, at that!)
2. Family, even though it's shrinking
3. Good health
4. Good brains :)
5. Gainful employment
6. A roof over my head
7. My pets
8. Black Friday!
9. Techno-gadgets
10. Adult Swim
11. Having the Christmas decorations up already, outside lights included
12. Cheese
13. The means to have things I really don't need, but really want :)
Most importantly, I'm thankful for the faith and hope I have in Jesus. Nothing in this world means anything without that.
I hope you all have a relaxing Thanksgiving, and are able to enjoy your family, whether they're related to you or not.
And I also hope you're all out of my way Friday morning! Heh. The Russian is going BF shopping with me for the first time. I need him for blocking and reaching the high stuff! We'll be heading down to the burg for the weekend that night.
BTW, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra show was phenomenal. I can't wait to see them again next year! Next stop: Mannheim Steamroller in STL December 3rd.
free wi-fi @ Peoria Civic Center ROCKS!!!
5th row, center aisle...
22 minutes to go
Still in a funk about the elections. Ironically, I'm more upset about the new Chatham Bed N Breakfast (aka Chatham public library) than anything else. I hope their architect is better than the last one.
Shhhh....listen. Do you hear that? It's the sound of liberals everywhere jumping up and down on their cash registers. Yep, it sure sucks to be a conservative in Illinois today. People north of I-80 have elected a felon, a mobster and an alzheimer's patient to run the state. I guess we can consider that the mobster will protect the felon, and the senile guy can say he doesn't remember any of it.
And the Chatham library referendum passed. I once thought that Chatham was supposed to have the greatest schools south of Chicago, but now I'm concerned. It seems that people really do believe that you can build twice the house and have the same budget. Lots of head-scratching here...I think it's time to get away from those people, before their magic math starts to rub off. I hope none of them are shocked in 2 years when the library needs a 3rd referendum (in as many elections) or else they're going to have to start closing at 3pm everyday. Somebody needs to get rid of that library board, quick, before they open a restaurant.
Don't even talk to me about the house and senate. Virginia wants to elect a pedophile-porn writing man to office, remind me never to go there on vaca.
I need some Tylenol.
Shhhh....listen. Do you hear that? It's the sound of liberals everywhere jumping up and down on their cash registers. Yep, it sure sucks to be a conservative in Illinois today. People north of I-80 have elected a felon, a mobster and an alzheimer's patient to run the state. I guess we can consider that the mobster will protect the felon, and the senile guy can say he doesn't remember any of it.
And the Chatham library referendum passed. I once thought that Chatham was supposed to have the greatest schools south of Chicago, but now I'm concerned. It seems that people really do believe that you can build twice the house and have the same budget. Lots of head-scratching here...I think it's time to get away from those people, before their magic math starts to rub off. I hope none of them are shocked in 2 years when the library needs a 3rd referendum (in as many elections) or else they're going to have to start closing at 3pm everyday. Somebody needs to get rid of that library board, quick, before they open a restaurant.
Don't even talk to me about the house and senate. Virginia wants to elect a pedophile-porn writing man to office, remind me never to go there on vaca.
I need some Tylenol.
Election day...one of my favorite days every 2 years. Hopefully you'll all being good little people, and fulfilling your civic duty today. (Mostly, I hope you're all voting for JBT, but no matter what, PLEASE don't vote for Whitney.)
In an effort to keep me from being a total political junkie, the Russian is dragging me out to see the Borat movie tonight. Not that he really has to pull too hard, I've been waiting to see it since I saw the first YouTube preview. However, I was kind of looking forward to staying home and yelling at the tv. Oh well.
The only things I'm really interested in are: the gub race...let's face it, JBT probably doesn't have much of a real chance at this point, but I still voted for her, still love her, and am thinking about getting some bumper stickers made that say: don't blame me, I voted for Judy. Also interested in the local library ref, I voted against that one. I just don't really think it's the library's place to be the meeting place for all of Chatham. And I'm not sure they know how to be fiscally responsible. Anybody who can say they're going to more than double the size of their current facility and somehow have the same utility bills, well, let's just say they're probably not Mensa candidates.
Other races of lesser interest: the SOS office. I've been watching Dan Rutherford's ads, and I gotta say, I really like the guy. I don't think he's got a chance of winning, but he's got energy and it'll be interesting to see what he does for the next 4 years. Talk about whose yer daddy! heehee!
I had to vote for Lisa Madigan...I know, I know. Honestly, I think she might be a little further to the right than JBT, and she has done a pretty good job where she's at. And it's always nice to vote for a winner, I'm afraid she's the only winner I could vote for today. :(
We did the electronic voting thing today, no problems there. Gary says there was an old guy behind him who got really confused, he couldn't figure out which way to put the paper ballot in the printer. Presumably that's one of the reasons we have election judges, and hopefully problems will be few (although that's not what I'm hearing).
Still working on Feroz's latest riddle. I really preferred Logix 1 to this one, the answer seem more arbitrary. I dunno who could think that 0-0=0 is related to ozone, but whatever.
That's all, folks!
Election day...one of my favorite days every 2 years. Hopefully you'll all being good little people, and fulfilling your civic duty today. (Mostly, I hope you're all voting for JBT, but no matter what, PLEASE don't vote for Whitney.)
In an effort to keep me from being a total political junkie, the Russian is dragging me out to see the Borat movie tonight. Not that he really has to pull too hard, I've been waiting to see it since I saw the first YouTube preview. However, I was kind of looking forward to staying home and yelling at the tv. Oh well.
The only things I'm really interested in are: the gub race...let's face it, JBT probably doesn't have much of a real chance at this point, but I still voted for her, still love her, and am thinking about getting some bumper stickers made that say: don't blame me, I voted for Judy. Also interested in the local library ref, I voted against that one. I just don't really think it's the library's place to be the meeting place for all of Chatham. And I'm not sure they know how to be fiscally responsible. Anybody who can say they're going to more than double the size of their current facility and somehow have the same utility bills, well, let's just say they're probably not Mensa candidates.
Other races of lesser interest: the SOS office. I've been watching Dan Rutherford's ads, and I gotta say, I really like the guy. I don't think he's got a chance of winning, but he's got energy and it'll be interesting to see what he does for the next 4 years. Talk about whose yer daddy! heehee!
I had to vote for Lisa Madigan...I know, I know. Honestly, I think she might be a little further to the right than JBT, and she has done a pretty good job where she's at. And it's always nice to vote for a winner, I'm afraid she's the only winner I could vote for today. :(
We did the electronic voting thing today, no problems there. Gary says there was an old guy behind him who got really confused, he couldn't figure out which way to put the paper ballot in the printer. Presumably that's one of the reasons we have election judges, and hopefully problems will be few (although that's not what I'm hearing).
Still working on Feroz's latest riddle. I really preferred Logix 1 to this one, the answer seem more arbitrary. I dunno who could think that 0-0=0 is related to ozone, but whatever.
That's all, folks!
Here are 150 things about me you should (or more probably, shouldn't) know.
1.Do you like having your picture taken?
Doesn't matter
2.Have you ever done a photo shoot, professional or non?
yep
3.If you could go anywhere in the world where would you go and why?
New Zealand, for the garnet sand
4.Who would you take with you on this little adventure?
the Russian, unless he complained a lot :P
5.What would you say is the most daring thing to do in a lifetime?
fall in love (ditto)
6.Would you ever do that?
yep
7.Have you ever done crossword puzzles?
yep
8.Ever actually completed one?
yep
9.Pick up the closest book and write a sentence at random from it.
If you can establish the solid record accuracy discussed in Chapter 14, you may set branch stock items replenishment quantities under the "push" system and develop as high as 12 turns on branch inventory dollars. - Gordon Graham's Distribution Inventory Management
10.Do the same with a lyric from either a cd or the radio.
blue eyed dressed for every situation
moving through the doorway of a nation
pick me up and shake the doubt
baby i can't do without - Yaz, Situation
11.Have you ever tried to analyze your own dreams?
I'm sure I have
12.Would you put up posters in your room?
I'm a little old for that
13.Can you sing?
I *can* sing...the question is can anyone stand to listen?
14.Do you ever sing to yourself while doing everyday tasks?
Yep, especially if I get a song stuck in my head.
15.What's your favorite color of post-it note?
pink, I guess. I like the rainbow pack
16.How many cassette tapes do you own?
I think I have 5 left.
17.How many cd's do you own?
too many to count
18.Ever bought a cd for just one song?
I try not to...
19.What would your perfect day consist of?
road-tripping to the New York fabric district
20.Have you ever lied to get off the phone or out of talking to someone on line?
of course...however, my grandma takes the cake. When I was a kid and one of her friends would call her up to chat, after 10 minutes or so she'd make me go outside and ring the doorbell so she could say somebody was at the door and she had to go. LOL
21.Have you ever written a survey?
probably
22.How about a song? If so share it.
sung to the tune of "row, row, row your boat"
park, park, park the truck
in the parking lot.
find a good spot, find a good spot
or you will get shot.
24.Is your VCR flashing 12:00 all the time?
nope
25.Do you read your horoscope?
nope
26.If so, do you base your day on it?
nope
27.Would you rather chew gum or use mouthwash and why?
chew gum, it lasts longer than mouthwash.
28.Do you floss?
yep
29.Are you addicted to napster like me?
limewire
30.How many times a year about are you sick?
physically sick? maybe once.
31.Ever been in an airplane?
yep
32.If so where were you flying to?
lots of places. I used to commute via airplane
33.What radio station to you listen to most?
ethel or fred
34.What color are your shoes?
black
35.Was fuzzy wuzzy a bear?
yep
36.Do you know how to play dominos?
not only do I know how, I am the reigning QUEEN of dominoes! :P
yes, Carl, I am. :) And there will be a rematch, Christmas eve!
37.Or do you think I just mean pizza by that?
nope
38.Speaking of pizza, what's your favorite kind?
antonio's chicken and broccoli with tomatoes and green olives
39.What color are your eyes?
green
40.How many surveys have you filled out this lifetime?
too many to count
41.Describe your bedroom, include all details.
it's a room...at the back of our house, with 2 closets, a bed, 2 night stands, 2 dressers and a dog crate.
42.Name one person your life is made better by.
the Russians
43.Would you or have you ever shaven your head?
not my whole head, but part of it.
44.How about someone else's?
heh, that's kind of how the Russian's haircut got started. sorry about that...
45.Can you do math with ease?
I guess so
46.What size is your computer screen?
17"
47.If you could only talk to one person online who would that be?
probably my mom. I can talk to Carl anytime :)
48.Name your favorite type of music and why.
I dunno, I like lots of kinds, just no country or rap (appropriately abbreviated to crap)
49.Are you a vegetarian?
not right now
50.How about an aspiring actor/actress?
uh, no
51.What famous person dead or alive would you interview if you had the chance?
Ronald Reagan, to find out if he really did have alzheimers before he got out of office.
52.Which movie can you watch and say the lines along with the actors?
Christmas Vacation
53.Name one your passions in life.
good silk fabric
54.What's your least favorite time of day?
3pm. Still 2 hours of work left, and I'm sleepy
55.Who's your favorite member in a band - singer, guiter, bass, drummer, and why?
I dunno, maybe Dave Grohl? Dave Navarro? David Draiman?
56.Do you use hairspray or gel?
hairspray, mousse, bouncy cream, etc. I'm a product whore.
57.Describe your favorite meal.
turkey and dressing. Then a nap.
58.What color is the inside of your head when you close your eyes?
I just see tv static.
59.Ever listen to classical music?
yep
60.Have you ever said lol in real life without thinking about it?
No.
61.Do you find you use internet language when writing notes irl (in real life)?
Yes
62.What songs would be on your ideal cd? (unlimited)
There's not enough room on this server for that list.
63.Say one thing you've learned today.
Queensbury and Kingsbury are both on the Jubilee Line.
64.What is the best present you've ever given someone else?
I gave the Russian a leg lamp last week. Does that count? haha
65.What is the best present someone else has ever given to you?
That's tougher...the Jeep? The quilt frame/machine? I dunno, too many to decide on one.
66.So hey, what's your full name?
Tomi LeAnn
67.Describe yourself while drunk.
mildly drunk - amusing, silly and happy
moderately drunk - funnier, crazy and a little too daring
drunk drunk - annoying, like all drunks.
68.How big are the windows in your house?
the biggest one is 12'
69.Do you wear a watch?
every day.
70.What's the kinkiest thing you've ever done with someone else?
*censored*
71.What's the largest age difference between you and someone you've dated?
I dunno, 15 or 20 years maybe?
72.How many mirrors do you have?
Including bathroom mirrors (not handhelds) there are 5 mirrors in our house.
73.Write one sentence stating what you want people to say about you after you've passed on.
Wow, what a way to go!
74.Have you ever sailed?
yep
75.How fast can you run?
depends on what is chasing me (ditto)
76.What do you believe in?
God
77.How long does it take you to get ready to go out?
45 minutes or so
78.Do you shower daily? If not how often?
yep
79.What one thing would you change in your life if you had the power to do so?
I'd bring my dad back to life and give him a new heart.
80.Describe the ideal superpower and what you would do if you had it.
oooh...should I fly? or be invisible? or have super-sonic hearing? or x-ray vision? or be really fast or strong? No idea.
81.Are candles romantic or a fire hazard?
that depends entirely on the location.
In my bedroom - romantic
In a haybarn - fire hazard
82.Name something you've done in the last 24hrs no matter how big or small.
drove back to Spfld from my mom's
83.Do you wear necklaces, bracelets, anklets, earrings, rings?
my wedding and engagement rings, and sometimes a necklace.
84.What colors are you wearing right now?
black pants, black shirt, crazy colored jacket
85.How often do you change the sheets on your bed?
whenever they need it
86.Have you ever gotten lost? If so explain.
not since I got a gps
87.What's on your computer desk?
at work: tiny gong, pda, calculator, notes from current projects, lands end catalog, african violet, phone, electric pencil sharpener, monitor, speakers, tape, paperclip cup, pencil cup, stapler (not the red swingline)
at home: monitor, more catalogs, printer, pencils, not sure what else
88.How many folders are on your desktop at the present moment?
57
89.When you're talking do you ever use your hands to do quotation marks in the air when saying certain words?
Uh, no.
90.Which landmark would you climb if you could?
Kilimanjaro
91.Do you own or have you read, or thought of reading any self-help books?
I'm sure that I have
92.Ever seriously questioned your sanity?
who hasn't?
93.Can you breakdance?
I can break stuff while dancing if I try real hard
94.What's in your fridge right now?
I'm not at home, so from memory: flour, wheat germ, milk, apples, the usual little bottles of stuff, cheese, some lemons, pomegranate juice, eggs, butter, vodka, grenadine, not sure what else.
95.How many people do you live with?
2
96.Have you or would you ever do anything more than kiss in a public area?
yep
97.What is the strangest thing you've ever done?
strange for whom? every time we drive past a cow pasture, the Russian moos and I yell "grow up nice and beefy!"
That's pretty odd for you probably, but perfectly normal for us.
98.Name an instrument you've never played but would like to.
can't think of any...I've played a lot of instruments.
99.Have you ever been on tv or the radio?
yep
100.What is the worst thing anyone could ever do to you?
I dunno, who writes this stuff?
101.Are you a fast typer?
yes
102.How high have you counted before getting bored?
1.
103.Describe how you sleep. (ie. your position and/or how you fall asleep)
on my stomach, diagonally across the bed if I can.
104.Are you straight, bi, gay?
Straight
105.Do you ever do something else while on the computer? If so what?
yak on the phone, watch tv, listen to music, run the embroidery machine
106.What is the most expensive item you own?
my house
107.How about the least expensive?
free office supplies from the state fair
108.What's your favorite card game to play?
nerts! I LOVE that game!
109.What do you do online?
Feroz's riddles. Up to level 53 on logix 2!
110.Name some stores you've bought clothes in before.
it'd be easier to name stores I haven't bought clothes in before.
111.Have you ever read a book and not understood it? If so which one?
I'm sure I have, but I'm pretty good about further research when it's needed.
112.Have you ever watched a movie and not understood it? If so which one?
Santa Clause 3. Rather, I can't understand why we watched ALL of it. Save yourselves!!!
113.Do people pick up your slang language more than you pick up theirs?
I dunno, maybe.
114.Are you easily influenced by other people, or currant trends?
I'm easily influenced by advertising
115.What makes you unique in your own opinion?
personality
116.Name your worst quality.
I can't remember names worth a crap.
117.Name your best.
I'm pretty generous with my sewing skills.
118.What would you like to do with your life?
still figuring that one out
119.Do you blowdry your hair?
usually
120.How many clocks are in your house
not including watches, tv's, vcr's, etc: 8 upstairs, 1 downstairs
121.Are they all set on the same time?
geez, I have no idea. I hope so.
122.Have you ever intentionally set a clock ahead or behind the actual time?
I used to do that
123.What do you think about when you first wake up in the morning?
Dog, move!
124.Which browser do you use?
firefox
125.Do you bite your nails?
sometimes, I go in phases.
126.Would you ever leave little notes to your gf/bf?
yep
127.Ever been to a farm?
uh, yeah. my mom owns a goat farm.
128.Tell me about your dream last night.
I can't remember, which is really sad, because I woke up laughing to myself about it.
129.Ever seen a shooting star?
yes
130.Do you have a secret that NO ONE else knows?
probably
131.Do your days fly by or seem to last forever?
it depends on what I'm doing
132.Have you ever stayed in a fancy high class rich hotel?
Yes
133.Have you ever stayed in a rent-by-the-hour motel?
nope
134.What in your opinion is the best advertising slogan out there?
Talk about who's yer daddy
LOL, I still crack up when I see this ad (political, Rutherford for secretary of state, talking about Jesse White hiring his daughter and then tripling her salary)
135.When they start sending rockets to the moon for us civilians, will you be on the list to go?
I hope so
136.How are you feeling right now?
sleepy
137.Have you ever written anything on your skin?
yes
138.If so what?
all kinds of stuff. Phone numbers, item numbers, little tattoos, names (see 116)
139.Which website do you frequent most often?
organizedchristmas, reefcentral, the logix riddle site, brighthand, geocaching.com and christianity.com
140.What color are most of your clothes?
I seem to have a lot of orange shirts. but I have more brown pants than anything.
141.Do you own any plants?
yeah, I propagate african violets
142.Are things as bad as they seem?
not usually
143.Describe the nicest thing anyone has ever done for you.
the Russian does nice things for me all the time. I couldn't pick just one, except for that day he said he'd stick with just me forever. :)
144.Ever looked directly at the sun?
who hasn't?
145.Have you ever made a pin hole camera to watch the eclipse?
No, I'd rather just stare at the sun. Heh.
146.What's your favorite cereal?
Fruit Loops or Capn Crunch
147.Who/what do you miss?
my dad
148.Name something you just can't forget no matter how hard you try.
the Limbo song
149.Describe the worst fight you've ever been in whether physical or verbal.
physical: never
verbal: I'm sure there was a bad one somewhere, but I really try not to argue
150.Say something about yourself you've never told anyone before.
I dye my hair.
Hahahaha!
I give up. I'll give you all a little measly update to what's been going on at casa kimble. Nothing.
Well, sort of. Let's see...we had the shop hop, which was a smashing success as always. Much fun was had driving around central Illinois, buying fabric as if there would never be any more. I really liked the shop in Morton this year, at least I think it was in Morton. They had some really neat wool items (not for quilting) that I fell in love with but for some reason didn't buy. I'm planning a trip back up that way for the week between Christmas and New Year's. I had a great time visiting with friends new and old in Bloomington (where The Treadle is always a highlight). Once again, my trust gps didn't fail me, and I saw some really pretty colors.
What else? I picked up my new Juki and have been playing with it (very little, actually). The frame is still set up, and I know it works, but right now I've been spending every free minute on the hat and scarf project for Feitshans. So far we've made at least 62 hat and scarf sets for the kids at FA, but it's still not enough. I'm hoping to hit 100 by the end of November, and then we'll reassess and see what we need more of. I've recently been asked to switch from hats to headbands for the boys, which should not only be faster, but use less fleece, too. We're getting really good feedback, and this is a project I foresee doing every year (though, hopefully not like this year, at the last minute!). There's a big fleece sale this coming weekend for Veterans Day, and I'm planning on making the most of it.
That's pretty much it...this weekend I went down to visit my mom, and we did the "holiday open house tour". This consisted of going to her local junior college to a craft fair, then hitting every open house between Hburg and Paducah, then to the mall and finally to Trees and Trends, and a Christmas Shop on the way back. I didn't make it to Hancocks (sniff, sniff) but after the shop hop I really didn't need anything anyway.
And my hair is red now. Well, more like burgandy. The Russian asked "so what, were they out of all the other colors?". Heehee! It matches our oak tree after the leaves turned. Next stop will be for white stripes in it, probably around Thanksgiving.
Oh! I almost forgot, the biggest news: Feroz came out with another riddle!!! We're at level 51 out of 60, go check it out! The Logix Riddle II