It's Cold, It's the Holiday Season, and I Want a Gift.

It's cold. I'm dressed for the swimming pool, and knowing I'll be standing outside the front doors to the YMCA for at least five minutes. I'll be wearing my heated vest, though. That helps a LOT in these sub-zero temps. The weather is great, but the cold has settled in to the Frozen Northlands and we're only in mid-December. 

I have this brand, I'm pretty sure. I've been using 
it for two years now, and I wear one of them 
almost continuously throughout the winter months. 
It works great. We're back to our normal sub-zero 
temps now, so it's nice to have that extra warmth. 

Last year was the winter that Jack Frost forgot. I felt extremely fortunate in that regard, since I wasn't able to shovel at all after my cancer surgery (the one time I tried set me back over two weeks and that was only 1/2" of snow on Valentine's Day). We'll see what happens over this Winter, but so far it's a lot of cold with some snow - last week's snow was a total PITA to get off the driveway. 

All holiday cards have now been mailed - international and 
domestic. Sharon's gifts are also on their way to her. I hope 
she, Cathy and the cats will enjoy them. Now I can concentrate 
on DH, Chickie and Chickie Mama. 

I'm dressed for the pool, and ready to go swim. I have some email addresses that I need to add to the store's data base on my desk - I'll probably get to those tonight or tomorrow. DH has been in a "mood" (i.e., cranky). He's been repricing our precious metals, as you know. We're through with all of the finished findings and into the footage wire. There's nothing like footage Gold Filled wire to dampen your day. It used to be quite affordable, but is anything BUT affordable now. 

DH is in the middle of repricing all of our precious metal 
findings and wire. It's a HUGE job. We used to stock a 
bunch of materials for our customers, but then the market 
went out of control. We used "adders" then, adding a 
percentage to the base cost to bring items to current market 
pricing. That grew cumbersome, however, and we wanted 
to get things more up-to-date. It's been an intense project 
of more than a month now, but we're almost done. 

I know it's just general stress, but he strikes out at me (verbally - any physical strike and I'm seeing an attorney). We're sparring almost every day these days, and it's annoying. I'm sure that other couples go through similar crap when they're under stress, but it's not fun to live through. Still, we push through. 

The Thermaworks Instant Read Thermometer has 
gotten the best reviews over the years. Yes, it's 
$100. But, I think it's probably worth it. I've wanted 
one for years, and asked for one for years. I doubt 
I'll be receiving it this year, but it never hurts to ask 
Santa for something special. 

I have an Instant Read Thermometer on my holiday gift list. I've had it on my list in the past and didn't get it and I doubt I'll get it now either. It is a rather specific item, and it's expensive. But there are some things that can be done with an Instant Read Thermometer that can't be done with any other kitchen tool. So, I keep adding it to my holiday gift list, and he keeps complaining about how I want more crap in the kitchen. The kitchen, actually, is in great shape. I keep it that way quite consciously. I work in that room a LOT. So, speaking of work, it's time to wrap this up, bundle up, and head to the pool for my work out. Have a lovely Tuesday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini.