[flaggies]

G'day all,

Firstly that is great news Slavika, you must feel relieved. It is good when a doctor takes the time and actually listenes to your concerns.
That weight will move but I have heard if you are on insulin it is a lot more difficult. Good luck! I do agree, you have a loveley dil. I think we all did very well with the choices our children made.

Ann I am with you, I love men's choirs. There is quite a famous one 'The Maastrichter Staar' http://www.mastreechterstaar.nl/ , they come from the same town as Andre Rieu.
I don't call that 'meddling' but looking out for people you care for. Sorry to hear about Holly's sleep apnea diagnosis, hope she gets used to the apparatus quickly.

Glenda sounds like you had a lovely weekend with Kyle, Shanna and McKenzie.

I miss Alan but we do talk 2 or three times a day using Skype. As you know we have a video and I can always see a few Muslim ladies walking past Alan's desk. They probably wonder who that uncovered hussey is that he is talking to!!!!
I am getting heaps done whilst he is not here, which is great. My delivered meals are yummy.

It is Allah's birthday today and a public holiday in Malaysia being a Muslim country. Easter is not recognised or celebrated.

Trudy made me aware that the link I post to the website of the girls was incorrect, I misspelt the url, this is the correct one www.adam.com.au/mariascholz.

Have a great Easter all,

Cheers
Maria

[creations]

Just rejoined WW. I'm a 61 year old grandmother who needs to lose 120 lbs. I've been overweigh most of my life. I love junk food and know what foods to eat but don't. Its spring time in Michigan with at least 3" of snow due tomorrow.

Judy

[Karen L]

Hi all , Was just reading all the post. Haven't been here in a long time. I just haven't had the energy to even post for some time now. Plus I've been so depressed. Not sure what was going on. I did talk to my doctor about it and he ran some more blood test and found that I have low blood iron. He made me an appointment with a blood specialist. I don't see him until Tuesday so I figure I just need iron (the appointment was made in February) About the depression The doctor asked if i wanted to try some antidepressant medication. But I told him may not until I find out what is going on with my blood. I have began to eat meat again. I was doing mostly chicken and turkey and then not so much. and I have started to feel more like myself. Plus my Mom is still here and it does get to be tiring. If we go shopping at the mall She needs a wheel chair and that doesn't help my back or knees. She is leaving on the 8th of April. I will be sorry to see her go but I need some space too. I did go and sign up for SS. I will get my first check on the 30th of July.

Glad every one seem to be doing fine.
Karen

[flaggies]

G'day all,

Welcome Judy, doesn't sound much like spring to me with all that snow forecast!

Nice to see you Karen sorry you have not been well and feeling depressed.
How much longer is your mother going to be staying? I must admit there would have been no way I could have had my mother stay for that lenght of time. When she was still alive, I would have her just for an overnight visit and that was plenty, I am sure she was as happy to go home as I was to see her go home!!!

It was my birthday yesterday and the kids had me around for dinner. Matilda made me a beautiful chocolate birthday cake! Before Alan left for Malaysia he had organised with Peta to buy me some skin care. They bought me the most beautiful stuff called Jurelique, not sure if it is available in the States. It is a bit too pricey for me but lovely to receive as a gift.

You will have to have a laugh at this, my sister (the one I do not get on with) is very wealthy and yesterday she called in for my birthday with a 'gift', a secondhand crappy paperback with the $2 price still written in pencil in the front!!!!! I have no problems with second hand books, I buy them regularly but I guess I would not buy one as a gift unless it was a book that the person specially wanted and I could not buy new.
The book in now in the bin!

WE are having beautiful Easter weather and the heat has finally gone.

Hope you are all having a great Easter,

Cheers
Maria

[painter5]

Happy Easter everyone. Haven't been here in a while. Having some computer problems.
We went to my niece's this morning for brunch. It was nice and sunny for a change so the little ones could hunt eggs outside. Maria this is the niece that just spent 2 weeks visiting the wineries in Australia. She loved it and was in Adelaide for a day. She loved your big indoor market and was there for the Fringe [?] Festival. She visited some nature preserve by you. She said it was so very hot[106] She had a big pile of pictures of everywhere. The pictures of the vineyards were wonderful. One of them doesn't use any chemicals at all. That is an interesting present your sister gave you. Happy Belated Birthday.

We have been busy with D's parents. His dad is undergoing tests for his heart and is mom just wants to be in her crypt. This is very depressing to hear all the time.

D has a new part time job working for a funeral home. They like retired police and fire who are used to bodies. He has done a few pick ups and worked a couple of funerals. He likes the guys he works with-they have the same kind of sense of humor he has.

Karen hope you are feeling better. You are smart not to take any anitdepressents till you hear the blood test results. Soon your mom will be gone and maybe you can get back into your regular routine. Yea on getting your first SS check.

Welcome Judy. You can do one lb at at a time. I am in southern Ohio. We just got over a big snow a few weeks ago. I guess you had one at the same time.

The snow was a big one for here but it was great in that it melted by the end of the week. We got a couple of snow days from school. Last week we had a nasty rain and my basement flooded. Had to pull up some carpet and toss it.

Hi Ann and Glenda and Suz and Slavika and Trudy and Gloria.
Hope all is well with you. Now I am going to go back and read what has been going on.

[suz]

Morning Ladies
Survivor the garden is for our own stuff and the extra we sell We fiqured if we could sell the extra then we could cover our costs and get a little extra We were out at a seniors dinner the other night and we got talking to some friends about our green house and starting our plants and by the time the conversation was over there were a few interested in some veggies from us

Judy Welcome These are a great group of Ladies here I joined this group about 6 months ago and was welcomed with "open arms" So you live in Detroit My husband is originally from "down River" and the oldest Daughter lives in Milan and my brother lives in Ann Arbor and is a professor at U of M
My DH and I live ic Canada

The veggies we started are already up and doing well we had to put some in larger pots already Thats scary as we are about 2 months away from being to put the plants in We are planing to put one of our raised beds in early salad stuff so as soon as we can it will be planted then we will put a cover on it at night and during the day if its warm the cover will come off It will be nice to have fresh stuff from the garden again

Maria Your 3 little gr kids are adorable all my gr daughters are grown up and the 2 that have there own kids all had boys

Hope everyone is doing well Take care Suz

[creations]

Actually I'm in Lincoln Park,lived downriver most of my life. Went to our son's for dinner yesterday. Eating wasn't too bad. Had fun playing with our granddaughters. Will start weighting in on Wednesdays this week. Husband is off Thurday and Friday,so that's like our weekend.

Everyonr have a good week.

Judy

[Lizziepie]

Hi everyone, and it sounds like Ester was nice for everyone. We had a very quiet day.

Maria: Glad you are enjoying your delivered food. The only plans like that here that I know arout are Nutri-system and Jenny Craig, and they are a bit pricey for whatyou get.
Oh- happy birthday a few days late. Nice that Matilda gave you a lovely birthday cake.
I was interested in your comment about Allah's birthday. I was always under the impression that their Allah was their version of God. So the God we know never had a birthday, He has always been. So must be Allah is someone different. What do you know about all this? We of course celebrate Jesus birthday, asGod's son. So is Allah their God's son?

Welcome Judy; I'm from Florida, formerly from northern New York State. Now we are Fl. residents. Just think about losing one pound at a time and try to find yourself some 'new' junk foods that will suffice as a substitute. I like the Quaker Mini Rice cakes.

Karen: I'm sorry to hear you haven't been feeling well. When you mentioned iron defficiency, I was reminded of Phil. He has to have an iron infusion once a month. Iron pills won't work for him. And I can always tell when it is time, as he is tired all the time, grumpy, and has even less energy than usual.

It is nice to have your mother visit, but I can understand that after a while you just need your own space, and pushing a wheelchair is not easy. I did some of that when we went to visit BIL and SIL in Bonita Springs.

Peggy: Nice to hear from you, and sorry that you are having depressing times with your inlaws. It is too bad that they just can't enjoy the time they have. But I guess some folks have always been dissatisfied with their life, and it just gets worse as one gets older.

Suz: your garden starters sound very strong and healthy. It would be nice to h ave fresh spring greens. Do I remember that you do mostly organic, no pesticides. That would be great, since I have to wash everything so carefully.

And it sounds good that you were able to drum up some business when you went out. And then satisfied customers tell others and before you know it you will have quite a going business.

Are all your house refurbishings finished now?

We are going to be cold again, for us, tomorrow, and then it is supposed to warm up and be more seasonal. I hope so. I thought I had put my jeans away, but it was not to be.

Today we took our car to a body shop, for a minor repair. We were parked in a parking lot, I was in the store, and DH in the car. This gal came sailing into the spot next to us, over shot the mark somehow, and hit the driver side of the car. It is not major, but since DH was in the car she couldn't leave, and so did the insurance thing. So her insurance is paying for the repair, and we have a rental car for over night. At no expense to us.

Little by little the 'snowbirds' are heading north and before long we won't have such heavy traffic. I can hardly wait.

We had a nice quiet Easter. Went to 7:00a.m. Sunrise service here in the park, then went to our church by 8:15 to practice for the regular service at 10:15. We had Bible Study inbetween and then a very nice service. We had reservations at a new restaurant, and had a very nice meal. Then home to just 'veg' all afternoon.

That's it for now. Hi Slavika, Trudy, Gloria, Glenda. Hope all is well with you all.

Ann :

[survivor]

Wow, everybody has been here. Peggy and Karen, I have missed you guys. First off, Karen, who knows why we go through these spells of being a bit depressed. But it sounds as if you have been a bit overtaxed and perhaps by not eating right. I am a vegetarian, but I so get protein with all the soy products I eat and the nuts, but if you don't eat right, your energy will go right out the window. And I know it is wonderful getting your SS check, it is just another one of those milestones, meaning we are getting older. So, I hope you find your answer soon. I was on antidepressants during cancer because "they" said I should be. I think we should take whatever helps us at different times.

Peggy, you have had so many snow days. Will this make your school year last longer? And your D's job at the mortuary, sounds like he has a sense of humor that lends itself well to that job. I would imagine it would take a macabre sense of humor. Glad he is enjoying it.

Maria, I hope your birthday was wonderful. So you smell wonderful, huh? Glad your meals are yummy. The story of your wealthy sister just floors me. Must be the way she got to be wealthy. And I am glad the book found its rightful resting place - in the bin. So Alan is probably enjoying looking at you on Skype. The women around him are pretty buried in their clothes, aren't they?

Judy, so nice to welcome you. I am 63 and a grandmother also, but living on the plains of Oklahoma. What is so fun about this site is we find out what our world is like without leaving our chairs. So, you are also a snow-bunny, living with lots of snow. Eventually, that should end. This has been a long, cold winter here too.

Good to talk to you all,
Glenda

[creations]

Just wanted to thank everyone for the warm welcome.

Ann,where are you in Fl. My parents had a place in Englewood. Enjoyed going down there ar Easter.

Judy

[flaggies]

G'day all,

Ann I got it wrong it was the birthday of the prophet Mohamed not Allah! How annoying about the person being so careless and hitting your car
Pleased you had a lovely Easter.

Peggy good to 'see' you, it must be very depressing when you are trying to do the right thing with Doug's parents and you get that sort of response.
I am glad your niece enjoyed Adelaide, it was unfortunate that she came when we had the record breaking heatwave. The Fringe Festival is a bi annual arts festival and always has lots of interesting plays and exhibitions. Every time we intend to really take advantage of the many performances but alas we went to just 3 items this year.

Suz pleased your veggies are coming along nicely. I had a veggie garden years ago and I did really enjoy it. I now have a small garden and really no room to have a proper veggie garden. I plant tomatoes most years but with our water restrictions it really is not worth it.

Glenda I did have a lovely birthday and also a nice Easter. I had the kids for breakfast Easter Sunday and went to see my eldest sister yesterday. It was nice to see her, she lives an hour drive away from me but we talk regularly on the phone. It is nice to be able to talk to her when my other sister turns up with such ripper birthday gifts!
Alan is doing well but the novelty is starting to wear off and he is missing everyone home.
Maybe this WILL be his last contract.....

Judy do you attend weight watchers? It is an ongoing battle this weight business but as long as we keep being aware it really does impact on our eating patterns.

Nice to see so many posts.

Cheers
Maria

[Trudy]

I had my family here on Easter, we had a lovely day. We hid a few treats and books around the house for the grandchildren, they enjoyed the "hunt". Before everyone left I had a feeling I was coming down with something and sure enough today I have a cold. I ache all over and feel rotten.
Nice to meet you Judy. I am another Canadian on the board who is on the never ending weight loss journey.
Sorry to read you are not feeling well Karen. We read so much about red meat not being the best choice, but we need the nutrients it provides. I am trying the soy alternative in Chili and Spaghetti sauce, so far those are the only two recipes I tried. I found the soy a bit "rubbery".. ?? Glenda, how do you find eating it?
Happy Belated Birthday Maria. Sorry I missed it.

I am going to call it a day, my head is pounding..

[suz]

Morning Ladies
Judy I thought LP was a suburb of Detroit!!!

Ann We do not use any chemicals in our gardens but I can't call it organic as I will not pay the goverment anywhere from 500 to 1000/yr to tell me I do not use chemicals, so we use "All Natural" It is because "organic" people have to pay and they also feel because they have to pay to be called organic that they charge such high prices I actually charge less than the grocery stores

It is still very cold here and we had about another 1/2 unch of snow Sunday night and we are supposed to another 2 to 4 inches later today and over night I am so tired of this weather Hurry up warm weather

Take care Suz

[Lizziepie]

We woke up this a.m. to 40 deg. temp which is cool for this time of year, and we are told the themometer won't go much above 60 here today. I was brave and walked this a.m. anyway.: Then came back to have some lovely hot cereal for breakfast. I put it on low when I go to walk and when I get back it is all done. this time a 5 grain cereal. Sort of like Red River Cereal, that you Canadian gals might know about.

Using the web search I found my specialty shop in Kingston, Ontario where I always used to buy my spices, etc. and so by email and telephone they sent me the things I needed, including the 5 grain cereal. So yesterday I cleaned out my spice cupboard dumping all the stuff that was old and had lost it's oomph. But I did make a mistake in my order I asked for oatmeal instead of rolled oats, so have some lovely oat flour type, so now I'll have to make some oat bread.

Suz- I sure don't blame you for not wanting to pay the extra fee for the word 'organic'. All natural covers it very well. With all the snow, it is a good thing you have your greenhouse to keep the plants safe and growing well before transplant.

Judy: I live in Winter Haven. It is really about the center of the state. Many places in Haines City, which is where our Dr's are, are called Heart of Florida this or that. I think I am probably the oldest of our group. maybe Gloria runs me a close second. But that is what is so nice about everyone, age is not that important, it is the weight struggle we all go through, and the way we can support each other.

Trudy: So sorry that you have the dreaded spring cold. I hope it doesn't hang on too long. Get well quick. Your Easter sounded fun, with the children having the hunt for goodies.

Maria: Glad that we got the birthdays cleared up. I don't know much about Mohammed and not sure I really want to.
Maybe this trip was the one that Alan needed to finally be truly retired and no more contracts. He had spent enough time at home between contracts, to really get the feel for the retired life.

We still have our rental car. I will be glad to get ours back, as I don't like this one much. It has very touchy brakes. It takes some getting used to, for sure. We should get ours either today or tomorrow I suppose depending on the work done.

Hi everyone like Slavika, Karen,Glenda, Peggy that I missed. I hope you all have a lovely day.!

Ann

[creations]

Yes,I'm a member of WW. Just rejoined last week for about the 20th time.

We are having a windy day. Suppose to have snow changing over to rain. Hope its over and done with by this afternoon. Have quilt club tonite and I don't drive in the snow.

Judy