USMB Coffee Shop IV

[gallantwarrior]

Ugh. I'm picking out Christmas gifts right now, and as usual, I just can't decide. Part of my problem is that I have a specific budget which leads me to search for the best possible deals all day.

I have a few things already set aside and will probably buy for the locals before Thanksgiving. As loathsome as I find sending gift cards, the cost of sending packages is prohibitive, so my family gets cards with gift cards enclosed. I might send one small package, but I cannot afford more. I quit sending gifts a couple of years ago when it cost me double to send the Easter gifts as it cost to buy them. Screw that!

At this stage of life, Hombre and I and those we love have everything we need and most of what we want and buying gifts for special occasions is pretty much a semi-stressful obligation of buying 'stuff' that nobody needs or particularly wants. So those gift certificates are the way to ensure that you can give a gift that will result in the person being able to get themselves something they really like and can use. I love getting them. And am more and more less reluctant to give them.

Two of my friends will be receiving these because refrigeration is a premium and these are some of the oldest ways to keep butter fresh:

 

[Montrovant]

Well, my birthday/Christmas shopping is done. I had $230 to spend and ended up spending $230.10. I'm pretty good at getting just about to the exact number I set myself when I make online purchases.

I got the Christmas gifts I wanted for this year, including some stuff for the little one I hope she will not get tired of right away. I got a little badminton set, just a cheap thing to put in the backyard, but she and I can both get exercise playing it. I also got her a big box of Legos. I used to play with Legos a bunch as a child and they will engage her mind more than premade toys, hopefully.

I also ordered Win7. I'll probably dual-boot the new PC, using Windows for games and Linux for everything else. I think I'll go ahead and get the Win10 upgrade, but if I can put an ISO on disk or flash drive for later, I may just go back to 7. I don't like Microsoft looking at the contents of my PC.

Have you ever considered making gifts? There's a lot of satisfaction in making your own things and they are often far less expensive than store-bought.

I can't really see making anything someone would want, other than the occasional thing for the little one. I made her a castle out of a lawn mower box a couple of years back, she kept that until just recently. That is about the extent of what I can do with my combination of skill (or lack thereof), access to tools, materials, and workspace.

We got a used playset for the little one not too long ago and stained the wood before putting it together. I am going to try and stain the neighbors' playset before Christmas, assuming I can find enough time when they are all away from home. Hopefully they'll visit relatives between now and Christmas time. That's the only non-purchased gift I have any particular plans for this year.

 

[gallantwarrior]

My daughter has agonized over how, when, where, or why to address the issue with the older gd. My daughter's husband is the only father this girl has ever known, or ever needs to know. The sperm donor was an abusive asshole. Lots more to the story, but that belongs to my daughter. If I had known then what I learned later, the young man would never have had the opportunity to marry and have other children.

Left out breathing, I'm sure it was just an oversight.

Nah, some people are simply not worth prison time. Karma often assures such creeps get their comeuppance.

 

[Montrovant]

Anybody know where this house is? Hombre and I visited a similar underground house in the Scottsdale area years ago, but I don't think that was this one. Plus that terrain doesn't look at all like Scottsdale.

]

That is Villa Vals in Switzerland.

It's in this list of unusual, hobbit-like homes. Real-life Houses That Look Like They Belong in the Shire

It has its own website. Villa Vals

You can also see it described here. Villa Vals | Subterranean Luxury in Switzerland

Beat me to it. It's listed along with a bunch of others on this page: Earth Ships

I had no idea -- was going to say "Photoshop" at first.
I have a Firefox extension that lets me right-click and choose "search image on Google" that returns a list of where the picture appears. Then you just choose the one that rings true.

I thought it was a photoshop at first, too. The proportions on the outdoor shot look wrong to me.

 

[gallantwarrior]

Well, my birthday/Christmas shopping is done. I had $230 to spend and ended up spending $230.10. I'm pretty good at getting just about to the exact number I set myself when I make online purchases.

I got the Christmas gifts I wanted for this year, including some stuff for the little one I hope she will not get tired of right away. I got a little badminton set, just a cheap thing to put in the backyard, but she and I can both get exercise playing it. I also got her a big box of Legos. I used to play with Legos a bunch as a child and they will engage her mind more than premade toys, hopefully.

I also ordered Win7. I'll probably dual-boot the new PC, using Windows for games and Linux for everything else. I think I'll go ahead and get the Win10 upgrade, but if I can put an ISO on disk or flash drive for later, I may just go back to 7. I don't like Microsoft looking at the contents of my PC.

Have you ever considered making gifts? There's a lot of satisfaction in making your own things and they are often far less expensive than store-bought.

I can't really see making anything someone would want, other than the occasional thing for the little one. I made her a castle out of a lawn mower box a couple of years back, she kept that until just recently. That is about the extent of what I can do with my combination of skill (or lack thereof), access to tools, materials, and workspace.

We got a used playset for the little one not too long ago and stained the wood before putting it together. I am going to try and stain the neighbors' playset before Christmas, assuming I can find enough time when they are all away from home. Hopefully they'll visit relatives between now and Christmas time. That's the only non-purchased gift I have any particular plans for this year.

Maybe you could learn to spin, weave, and felt wool? Makes wonderful gifts, especially for cold climates. How about baking? That's a great way to put together some ice gift baskets at relatively low cost. And who doesn't like cookies and cakes?

 

[gallantwarrior]

Anybody know where this house is? Hombre and I visited a similar underground house in the Scottsdale area years ago, but I don't think that was this one. Plus that terrain doesn't look at all like Scottsdale.

]

Looks like an Art Nouveau hobbit hole.

 

[gallantwarrior]

Anybody know where this house is? Hombre and I visited a similar underground house in the Scottsdale area years ago, but I don't think that was this one. Plus that terrain doesn't look at all like Scottsdale.

]

That is Villa Vals in Switzerland.

It's in this list of unusual, hobbit-like homes. Real-life Houses That Look Like They Belong in the Shire

It has its own website. Villa Vals

You can also see it described here. Villa Vals | Subterranean Luxury in Switzerland

Damned! I nailed that one, didn't I?

 

[saveliberty]

They need a landscaper.

 

[blackhawk]

 

[gallantwarrior]

Bad hair chickens?

 

[Montrovant]

Well, my birthday/Christmas shopping is done. I had $230 to spend and ended up spending $230.10. I'm pretty good at getting just about to the exact number I set myself when I make online purchases.

I got the Christmas gifts I wanted for this year, including some stuff for the little one I hope she will not get tired of right away. I got a little badminton set, just a cheap thing to put in the backyard, but she and I can both get exercise playing it. I also got her a big box of Legos. I used to play with Legos a bunch as a child and they will engage her mind more than premade toys, hopefully.

I also ordered Win7. I'll probably dual-boot the new PC, using Windows for games and Linux for everything else. I think I'll go ahead and get the Win10 upgrade, but if I can put an ISO on disk or flash drive for later, I may just go back to 7. I don't like Microsoft looking at the contents of my PC.

Have you ever considered making gifts? There's a lot of satisfaction in making your own things and they are often far less expensive than store-bought.

I can't really see making anything someone would want, other than the occasional thing for the little one. I made her a castle out of a lawn mower box a couple of years back, she kept that until just recently. That is about the extent of what I can do with my combination of skill (or lack thereof), access to tools, materials, and workspace.

We got a used playset for the little one not too long ago and stained the wood before putting it together. I am going to try and stain the neighbors' playset before Christmas, assuming I can find enough time when they are all away from home. Hopefully they'll visit relatives between now and Christmas time. That's the only non-purchased gift I have any particular plans for this year.

Maybe you could learn to spin, weave, and felt wool? Makes wonderful gifts, especially for cold climates. How about baking? That's a great way to put together some ice gift baskets at relatively low cost. And who doesn't like cookies and cakes?

I'm too lazy for all that!

 

[TemplarKormac]

Hey guys!

Coming in to say hi!

Merry Christmasgivingoween!

Hello, youngster! How are you doing? Fill us in about how things are going for you...enquiring minds would like to know. (OK, I'm interested.)

I'm doing better since the Dawgs won tonight. Overall I lost my class ring back in June, got it replaced. My youngest brother came to see me for a couple weeks. I hadn't seen him in almost five years.

I've been watching tons of anime, gaming hard and doing enormous amounts of housework, got an electrician to overhaul the electric system and installed a new ceiling fan and circuit breaker. So, I've been spending a lot of time helping my grandmother spruce up the house. Next up? The plumbing. And a diet. I got a new T-Shirt that would look good on a slim figure.

Planning to start my artwork back up soon, too. Winter seems to bring out my best art. So I'll post those on my Deviant Art page when I get going, feel free to look through my past drawings if you like.

JadeHarvester on DeviantArt

 

[ChrisL]

Anybody know where this house is? Hombre and I visited a similar underground house in the Scottsdale area years ago, but I don't think that was this one. Plus that terrain doesn't look at all like Scottsdale.

]

Wow! I love it! I'll bet is very energy efficient too.

 

[ChrisL]

Happy Sunday everyone!

 

[blackhawk]

 

[ChrisL]

That's great!

 

[Foxfyre]

Good morning all. Slept through the vigil posting last night but there were no changes. Becautiful fall morning here--at long last the trees are just beginning to show some color now. We have a house guest - Sally the Shih tzu - for the next 10 days and she already has Hombre pretty well trained so they're out for their morning walk. We'll play hooky from church this morning so she won't feel abandoned on her first day here. Coffee is good. Hope everybody is look forward to a good day.

 

[Foxfyre]

Hey guys!

Coming in to say hi!

Merry Christmasgivingoween!

Hello, youngster! How are you doing? Fill us in about how things are going for you...enquiring minds would like to know. (OK, I'm interested.)

I'm doing better since the Dawgs won tonight. Overall I lost my class ring back in June, got it replaced. My youngest brother came to see me for a couple weeks. I hadn't seen him in almost five years.

I've been watching tons of anime, gaming hard and doing enormous amounts of housework, got an electrician to overhaul the electric system and installed a new ceiling fan and circuit breaker. So, I've been spending a lot of time helping my grandmother spruce up the house. Next up? The plumbing. And a diet. I got a new T-Shirt that would look good on a slim figure.

Planning to start my artwork back up soon, too. Winter seems to bring out my best art. So I'll post those on my Deviant Art page when I get going, feel free to look through my past drawings if you like.

JadeHarvester on DeviantArt

Your drawings are good TK. With the right foot in the door, you might find a market for those.

 

[ChrisL]

Hey guys!

Coming in to say hi!

Merry Christmasgivingoween!

Hello, youngster! How are you doing? Fill us in about how things are going for you...enquiring minds would like to know. (OK, I'm interested.)

I'm doing better since the Dawgs won tonight. Overall I lost my class ring back in June, got it replaced. My youngest brother came to see me for a couple weeks. I hadn't seen him in almost five years.

I've been watching tons of anime, gaming hard and doing enormous amounts of housework, got an electrician to overhaul the electric system and installed a new ceiling fan and circuit breaker. So, I've been spending a lot of time helping my grandmother spruce up the house. Next up? The plumbing. And a diet. I got a new T-Shirt that would look good on a slim figure.

Planning to start my artwork back up soon, too. Winter seems to bring out my best art. So I'll post those on my Deviant Art page when I get going, feel free to look through my past drawings if you like.

JadeHarvester on DeviantArt

Your drawings are good TK. With the right foot in the door, you might find a market for those.

I haven't gone to the site, but TK has a thread here somewhere with some of his artwork because I've looked at it before. He is pretty talented.

 

[blackhawk]