[gma22]

Good morning everyone. I took out the trash and it is sameo sameo, hot and muggy. Jack said he has been working on a rewiring project on and off for weeks and it is in a building that is not cooled so he says he only works on it about 30-45 minutes at a time. I guess those buildings in this heat get up to around 120-130 degrees. He always takes lots of water and they have ice and water available there at the plant too.

Dr Pang said looks like I have a fungal infection so I am supposed to use the anti fungal cream on it until I go see her in a month and see if that works. My hands are pretty much healed up so I didn't have much to show her here, but my feet are awful. I have a physical in a month and I have to go this morning and get the blood tests done for cholesterol and such so my breakfast is going to be way late. Drs sure don't believe fatties much about losing weight. I guess it is for a good reason. She said I was 10 lbs lighter when I saw her last, which was way over a year ago but I had been in the hospital and lost about 25 lbs not being able to eat. So, I guess I will just have to prove it to her, huh? I had a moron take my bp and it was higher than it should be. She asked me about my taking my meds and I told her yes and tried to tell her the nurse didn't listen to me about the cuff, but it doesn't matter. I know the meds are doing what they are supposed to. I have a bp cuff here at home.

Not much else going on here. Just doing cleaning chores and knitting.

Have a good hump day all!
Faye

[Jean]

Good Morning, Flowers! The sun is shining brightly and I can tell the humidity is way up today. I've got my "to do" list ready to go and am online to stop the newspaper while we are gone. The site doesn't like my new email or password so will have to muddle through the automated phone system which I hate! My knee is a little tender this morning but I think it is from stretching the muscle -- I've done my morning exercise and ice routine. I have pt tomorrow and Friday.

"Gma" -- Thank you for starting the new thread today. I hope Jack gets to take lots of breaks away from the hot building he has to work in. Where would you pick up a fungal infection? I hope that the cream will work and your feet are looking good soon! I have one arm that is slightly larger than the other so the bp readings are sometimes different. When I was at the doctor's office the other day my reading was good, but he didn't even mention anything about it. I have labs in August and will meet new doctor then. I will have to decide if I like him well enough to take my clothes off for him. Enjoy your day!

I'm off to start on my "to do" list for the day. Have a great day and !

Jean -- from Iowa!

[Maggie]

GOOD AFTERNOON MAGNOLIAS

It is a rather humid day here in the heartland but I am staying inside this day so I won't be out in it. The air is on and so are the celing fans whirring away. Got to get one put up in the dining room. It and the bathrooms are the only rooms without them. There is an elaborate lighting fixture in the dining room and we just haven't tackled it yet. We are going to re-do the kitchen floor sometime soon. It is a light linolium that is is terrible shape. We want to extend the wood look floring that is in the dining room through the kitchen to the back door area. It will look nice and stay looking nice for that stuff is indistructable. Well it is supposed to be anyway and I am easy on floors. I made those Wanna Be Cinnamon Rolls this morning and Will wondered why we didn't have them more often. They are good and are really good with a skiff of that WW cream cheese spread on top while still warm. Only 3 1/2 points that way each. It is one of the recipes that I have posted. They make a good brunch with grapes and boiled eggs. Low point and satisfying. My glass order arrived and I have all my glass organized according to color and am ready to start another building. I also have the stuff in my bread machine to make up a batch of sourdough bread dough which I will shape and bake in my convection oven. I am making grilled pork chops and green salad with tomatoes for dinner. That is the plan.

DONNA Muggy here also. Jack is smart to do his wiring in that building in spirts. No need to get sick doing it. So there is a fungus among us. Wonder how you contracted that. I used to get a little spot on the side of my face that the doc gave me meds for that would get rid of it and it kept coming back and finally one day it forgot to come back. Hope your meds work well and it is gone soon. I had a friend that contracted a case of fungus on the bottoms of his feet while in Viet Nam jungles. That foreign kind never goes away. His feet on the bottoms looked like sponges. I am sure glad they can treat the local kind we get. I get different readings in my arms so always just hold out my right arm for them to use for the BP cuff. Once I was in a place that had a chair set up for BP and it was for the left arm. I just got up and set in a chair without arms and held out my right arm and smiled and didn't say a word. She just looked at me surprised and complied. Then she said, "Oh I see your record says your BP is always taken on your right arm." I said, "Yes, because they read different and it would mess up the records to change back and forth." Always remember that they work for us and when feasable we can have it our way.

JEAN That is good that your knee continues to improve. I can always tell when it is muggy outside because I have a knee that wants to ache. I love it certain times of the years when I am pain free. I don't like to take my clothes off for any doctor and am glad that I am not required to do so very often. Did I answer your question about where we plan to go when Will retires . . . Yesterday I know I did once before things got whacky and don't remember (I can go check) if I told you it was that we haven't yet decided.

SUSAN Hope your day is going well with you and you are breathing easily.

Type at y'all later. bye bye

[QuilterInVA]

Good afternoon, ladies. More RAIN!

Well, the kitty was waiting for me when I came home last night. She wasn't around this morning when I brought the paper in. I'm praying she finds a good home but not mine.

Faye, I wonder where you got the fungus infection. A question that will probably never be answered. Poor Jack, of course you say it might be a bit beneficial to weight loss to have to work in a sauna.

Jean, How's the knee? I have 4 bags to put out on the curb Monday for the DAV Thrift Store to pick up.

Quilting Bee tonight - dinner before so FUN!

[Jean]

My Iowa sister called this afternoon, and the AZ sister has been put in the hospital with a major urinary infection. She felt fine on the drive to Iowa, Sunday, and Monday. Tuesday she didn't feel all that great and got worse as the evening went along. They went to the ER in a neighboring city that connects to Mayo; they sent her home with antibiotics. She got worse during the night and her fever shot way up so back they went and she was admitted. I'm not sure what that means for our MN jaunt this weekend. I suppose that any bug will put her system in a mess. We may be making a flying trip to see her if they decide to head back to AZ.

Maggie -- Cinnamon rolls sound delicious! I will check out the recipes. I haven't been very good about that and your are doing so good in posting new ones all the time. I'm glad your glass order arrived. I just got a package delivered by UPS and I swear it was tied on the back of the truck because it was so dirty. I didn't want to pick it up let alone lay it anywhere in the house. I took it out to the garage to open it!

Susan -- Perhaps the kitty thinks you are its new home. My knee is kind of sore tonight, but I just finished the stretching exercises. Bob is hauling out the latest pile of junk from the cabin -- tomorrow is garbage day and we usually just have one bag. The guys will be surprised! Have fun quilting tonight!

I'm off to iron! I have pt first thing in the morning and then I need to make a final run to the grocery store unless we go see my sister.

[gma22]

Good morning ladies. I didn't feel too hot last night (I have been on the edge of getting this stuff Jack has I suspect) so I took some medicine and went to bed. Fortune was again terribly restless last night jumping off the bed then barking to get back on but Jack did not want me coming downstairs with him so I stayed upstairs until around 3:30. I went to the bathroom and decided just to come down and sit in the chair and listen to an audio book. I wanted to figure out our pts for dinner so gathered that stuff up and did the pts then said to heck with it and decided to balance my checkbook and post.

Jean: I do so hope your sister is able to bounce back from this. Cancer patients are so immune suppressed that they can catch or develop all sorts of things and have a hard time fighting them off. My prayers are with her that she can make a full recovery. I need to get out in the garage and take a load to Good Will. I have bags of books and such and there are a couple things Jack needs to take and dump because the trash people won't pick them up.

Susan: I wondered the same thing as I have not had a pedicure in at least 6 months, haven't been swimming anywhere or into a shower or such lately where I might have come in contact. Then there is the fact I have it on my hands and she said it was foot fungus. Kelly wants me to get her to give me a referral to a dermatologist and I think it would be best to go see one so we shall see what I can do when I go next month for my physical. My hands have improved greatly, but Kelly says the type of eczema she has will improve then start over again.

Maggie: I thank you too for all the recipes. I really need to get some typed up and posted as there are a couple that are very tasty. I am zooming right along with the throw and it is going to be very pretty I think. I sewed two of the sunflower buttons to the two finished corners and they look really cute.

I should work on cleaning the house today if I can. I don't feel totally up to snuff, but it has come around again and I don't want it to get harder down the road somewhere. We shall see. It isn't actually dirty and definitely not cluttered so I imagine if I don't feel great it will still be there when I feel up to it. I noticed I have sort of a dull sinus type headache and stuffy nose a bit of a scratchy throat. Jack seems to think since I haven't kissed him I shouldn't be getting it. I told him he has coughed in the car and then put his hands back on the wheel, coughed in the house, etc and I don't always catch it with lysol or sanitary wipes so yes, I could be getting his stuff.

Well, I am going to sit and knit until Jack comes down for breakfast. Have a good day all. I am hoping the post office delivers T's birthday present today so I can get it wrapped.

Faye

[QuilterInVA]

Had an interesting article in the newspaper today.

YOU Docs Daily - Dr. Oz
The online edition of their daily newspaper column
When Downsizing Your Meal Doesn’t Work (And When It Does)

Back in the day when telephones were big and food portions were small, there was no obesity epidemic . . . or supersized caskets, extrawide toilet seats, or Big Man recliners. So you’d think that in a world of Thanksgiving-every-day-sized plates of food, downsizing our portions would downsize our waists, too. But new research says “not so fast.” True, you do need to shave a bit in many spots, but other areas of your meals need to expand. Here’s where to go big, and where smaller is smarter:

Good things aren’t always in little packages. Those dainty, 100-calorie packs might not be doing your waistline any favors. In a study to be published in the Journal of Consumer Research in October, researchers saw that restrained eaters -- chronic dieters who are triggered to eat by emotions or visual cues, not necessarily hunger -- tend to eat more when small foods were in small packs (two mini cookies in four small bags) than regular-sized foods in regular-sized packs (four large cookies in one bag). That happened even if the calories were exactly the same in each.

Why? Most people, whether they’re restrained eaters or not, think that small bags feel like diet food. Yet, oddly, they also think little bags of mini foods contain MORE calories than regular-sized bags of regular-sized food. Researchers think the tension between those ideas creates stress that makes restrained eaters lose their control faster than a freshly rehabbed starlet in a New York City nightclub.

Fortunately, it doesn’t take willpower of steel to get your control back: Thinking of food as something other than food (meaning M&M’s become buttons, marbles, or painted rocks; marshmallows become clouds; pretzels become logs) helped restrained eaters eat more like people without this emotional charge around food. Much better: Eat food that doesn’t come in packages (broccoli, string beans, peaches, apples, and other vegetables and fruit).


Supersize your salad bowl (carefully). Keep the volume, reduce the calories. Trading heavy foods (pasta salad, cheese) for fresher, lighter ones while leaving portion size unchanged, and using only lemon and vinegar for dressing is a great way to feel satisfied when you leave the table and when you look in the mirror. That means filling up on foods that have a lot of water, such as tomatoes, cucumbers, greens, carrots, grapes, oranges, jicama, radishes -- almost any veggies you eat raw, and most fruit. Eating high-fiber, nutrient-dense foods like these also helps you feel fuller longer and reduces the urge to overeat.

Downsize your dinnerware. If you’re served unhealthy foods in large containers, you’ll eat up to a third more than if the foods were served in smaller containers. One famous study found that people ate more popcorn from a big tub than a small one . . . even when they thought it tasted bad. Apparently, we’ve learned to think that availability, not hunger, should dictate how much you eat.

So change availability: Swap your planet-sized serving plates for the 9-inch size. That way, even if you have what scientists call “completion compulsion” (and many people do) -- meaning you don’t think you’re full until your plate is clean, you’ll still come out ahead. And never eat directly out of a box or carton: Remember “economy” size may be a money bargain, but it’s rarely a calorie bargain.

Shrink your serving spoons. When you use a large serving spoon to get your dinner to a generous plate or bowl, you're more likely to help yourself to over 50% more food than when you use smaller utensils and dishes. Try using martini glasses for ice cream, small coffee cups for cereal, and petite salad forks and dessert spoons for all your meals.

Cut restaurant meals in half. While 76% of restaurant chefs in one study thought they were serving “regular” portions of steak and pasta, what was on the plate was two to four times bigger than a serving size should be. A serving size of many foods is about the size of a fist. The goal is to shrink your stomach -- it really will shrink -- over a month by never overeating and by eating smaller portions at each meal. Soon, you will find it a habit.

Keep in mind that how much you eat isn’t only about what’s on your plate. Dim lighting increases comfort levels and lowers inhibitions, which might encourage you to eat more. Keep the lights up when you sit down to dine at home (you do sit down, right?). And turn off the TV -- eating in front of it causes people to down more calories than in quieter, less distracting environments. Instead, tune in to your spouse, your friends, or the nice herbs on those vegetables.

[Maggie]

GOOD MORNING MAGNOLIA FRIENDS

It's another sunny day here in the heartland and our air conditioner hasn't kicked on yet so it must be a cooler day also. "They" say it is supposed to up in the 90's somewhere the rest of the week so we shall see. Ragg Mopp is such a nut. He has started making a pile in the middle of the living room floor of all his toys. He was keeping them in one long curving line before. He gave up keeping them in a box. Dumped his box and played it to shreds. He entertains himself so nicely. I am so glad he isn't a furniture eater for he doesn't do anything "bad" when left alone.

DONNA FAYE Don't get sick! And your correct in saying you don't have to kiss someone to catch that. It is in the air. I do think that is a good idea to see a specialist for your fungus. It may be one of those things that you can keep abaited with meds targeted to it and those specialists know their stuff. Please do post a picture when you get that throw finished.

SUSAN Thanks for posting that article. It is a good reminder and review of what WW has been trying to get us to get ingrained into our noggins. It is what works. The author put the whole program down in a nutshell so to speak. Well done.

JEAN Got your garage cleaned out? That must be a chore with your knee bothering you. I do hope your knee is much better this day. This humid weather does a number on my knees. They don't like humidity. I am thinking more and more about retireing in the 4 corners area ~ much, much dryer there.

Take care Magnolias. I am going now to cut glass. Type at y'all later.

[Jean]

Good Afternoon, Flowers! We had a major thunderstorm and wind go through for about a half hour early this morning. The sun was shining when I got up and it was like night time when I got done with my shower. The wind was strong enough to tip over my big potted plants on the deck. A neighbor has a branch/tree limb on top of his house. Bob went over but it's too big for one man to lift off. I hate these storms when it gets so dark and you can't see what is going on outside! I went to physical therapy this morning and will go again tomorrow morning. I still hurt more in the evening and especially if I have been up and down the stairs often -- like doing laundry and getting stuff together to pack.

"Gma" -- I hope you don't catch Jack's "cold." Did you happen to see the news report on ZICAM medications for the nose? It would be tough not to be able to smell anything, good or bad. I am waiting for an update on Julie today. Last night my "mom" called and the doctor said they would keep her in the hospital for 3 - 4 days to be sure the infection was under control.

Susan -- Thank you for sharing the article with us. I definitely have completion compulsion because of all of the starving children in China. That never made any sense to me when I was a kid! It is definitely WW friendly!

Maggie -- My garage project is on hold right now. I've been trying to get clothes washed and ready to pack for MN. Also have some clutter and dust/fur hunks that need attention inside the house. The garage will be here when we get home, I'm sure! We are having the ceramic tile underneath the cupboards taken out while we are gone and then new counter tops put in after the 4th. I'm not cleaning any cupboards or drawers until the guys are done making their mess. When I was in 2nd grade my best friend's family moved to AZ because her mother had arthritis so bad. Bob's sister said that so many people with various ailments have moved there that the ailments seem to migrate to other people who are natives.

I've spent way too much time on the phone today. Amanda's mom called with some airline ticket "deals" and after we put all the information in, they were "sorry" but all the seats were full! We tried several different combinations and all had the same results. I find it hard to believe that the planes are all full for Feb., 2010!

I need to get busy! Have a great "rest of the day!"

Jean -- from Iowa!

[QuilterInVA]

Good evening, ladies. I think we need to start on the ark soon.

Faye, I hope you don't get sick but it's hard not to catch something like a virus when you sleep in the same bed. Foot fungus is also called some fancy latin name but ringworm and it can occur on any part of your body. Do see a dermatologist and get something definite.

Maggie, I love to hear the Ragg Mopp saga. I might be enticed into having a dog if I could get one like him...but I won't be getting any more pets after Cupid. I'm afraid they might outlive me and I spoil them so no one else would want them. It's nearly 90 and so humid!

Jean, I hope your sister improves quickly and can join you in MN. You and Bob are doing a super job at de-junking. I need to do more this weekend for Monday's pick-up.

Well, I'm off to quilt a little. Have a good night.

[gma22]

Good morning ladies. I sound like a broken record but it is going to be another scorcher today. I just wished the darn pool was opened as this hot weather has surely warmed it right up. I am going to go over tomorrow and see if they open it up after 9:30.

Susan: I seem to be ok and not down with the virus. It is more likely these are allergy symptoms. I can always tell because inside my ears will itch and drive me nuts. I have a small not really even scratchy throat, runny nose, etc all classic signs of allergy. I too will not be getting another pet when Fortune passes. For one thing it is way too hard on me when they die. Fortune is totally spoiled rotten, as Kelly can attest, but he has no one to compete with attention wise here in this house.

Jean: Hope Julie continues to improve. No, I didn't read about Zicam. Jack uses Nyquil and I just take cough syrup if need be and my honey and vinegar cure for a sore throat. I think we are going to hang in there a few more years and when Jack retires, take his buy out sick and vacation time money and replace cabinets, countertops and flooring. We may need to be part of that direct buy showroom thingy to afford it though!

Maggie: I am going to put a couple recipes on your thread when I get done here, I promise. I do thank you for all your recipes for us to use.

Everyone have a good weekend. We are staying home and staying inside more than likely.
Faye

[Jean]

Good Morning, Flowers! More rain in my neighborhood this morning. I'm off to PT and then we are heading east to see my "sister" and her husband. The whole family is coming today; they have decided to return to AZ when she is released from the hospital rather than take a chance on MN. I feel bad because I know they were looking forward to it.
I still have packing to do and forgotten groceries to pick up. The groceries may wait until we get to MN.

Sorry this is so short. I'm not very "newsy" this morning!

Hope you all have a good day and the sun is shining on you! I know it is up there somewhere!

Jean -- from Iowa!

[QuilterInVA]

Good morning, ladies - here's something different - the sun is shining!

Haven't done anything since last night so nothing new to report.

I added some recipes to our thread this morning. I finally figured out how to export them out of MasterCook. One is for No Pasta salad that has no pasta but is wonderful on a hot day.

Faye, allergies are nasty things! Glad it isn't a virus. I hope they open the pool this weekend. Ours is open 7 days a week now that school is out.

Jean, I'm sorry they have to go home instead of coming to MN but it's probably better for your sister. I'm sure February is one of the prime months for travel to Hawaii but you'll find something.

Maggie, making glass today?

Have a great day, I'm going outside to enjoy the day.

[Maggie]

GOOD AFTERNOON MAGNOLIAS

WOW the morning just scooted away. Where does time go when it passes by? This Sunday is already pot-luck Sunday and Will has requested I make a crock pot of my "famous" Cowboy Beans and a loaf of sour dough bread like last time. I can do that for I know last time everyone enjoyed them and they go nicely with anything anyone else brings. Our Schwan man came this morning and so now we have a freezer full of yummy stuff. They have some new freezie cups that a are half the points of their older ones that I didn't see in the catalogue anymore. I have a lot of the older ones in the freezer still becuse they came 12 to a box and I have only eaten half of one for that was 3 points worth. They are like sorbet. They are screaming lemon and I really like them. So I ordered a six to a box of the new lemon Italian ice ones and a six to a box of the cherry. A whole one of these is only 3 points. I also got some 1 point raspberry and orange cream bars. Oh and I did order some real food items, meat and berries and such. And they have been running a special and so every time we order during a given time we get ten dollars off the order. Plus we had coupons for dollars off some of the items on our list. Works for us.

JEAN Have a safe trip. Hope your sis is steadily doing better. She has a good attitude about it and that is wonderful. Be safe.

SUSAN Yep, I am dong glass this day. Looks like your recipes are good ones. I like the ones that folks have actually tired.

DONNA FAYE Your recipes also look yummy and I will try them. It would be nice if they would open that pool up. I do understand your not wanting another pet after Fortune meets his demise. We will think twice about getting another one also. At least we will not get a high maintenance one like Ragg Mopp. It would have to be some short haired little one like a doxin and I would bathe him at home and he wouldn't need a trim. Don't get me wrong, we don't mind ole Raggs needing a haircut and bath every two weeks now but with the economey going south, who knows what we will be able to afford. I am one of those who believes if you own a pet you should take care if it.

Everyone have a lovely afternoon, what's left of it. Be safe. Type at y'all later.

[gma22]

Good morning ladies! Guess I spoke too soon. About 1 pm yesterday I started feeling icky and by 4 o'clock was coughing my head off and had a scratchy throat. I got very little sleep last night and what I did get was in the chair. So, this is going to be short and sweet.

Jean: Have lots of fun with the family and hope your sister is doing much better.

Susan: Thanks for the article and the info on the fungus. I look forward to checking out the recipes and see what you posted.

Maggie: We only get Fortune groomed once a month, partly because it is expensive, but also because he has allergies and scabs up so the doctor doesn't want him bathed too often as he says all dog shampoos dry the skin somewhat.

Well, gals, I am going to try and get down a bowl of cereal and then try and nap. One of the things that goes along with this is a vicious headache. Have a great weekend!
Faye