Dear GGs

So much happening on this thread! I've really enjoyed catching up with everyone's posts of the past few days. I've had a bit of a social whirl lately - bookclub and my turn to lead the discussion which is always a challenge, then a few different occasions catching up with friends for various meals over the weekend. I hopped on the wii tonight and it told me it had been 6 days since my last workout - where did the week go?? The wii clearly has realised it needs to lift its game if it wants my company - it gave me a wii age of 37 *doing the happy dance* :carrot: Can anyone tell me about Costco? It is just about to open here, and I'm curious as to how it works. Apparently there's a membership fee - is it worth joining up?

Rie - what an accomplishment doing the grouting on your tub! I agree - you do some minor refurbishment in your home which makes everything around it looks daggy, so then you have to fix that, and so it goes ... ack! :p What a great reaction from your aunt - very satisfying to know that your efforts had a visible effect. I hope all is OK with your friend Sean, it sounds like a very spiritual mystical ceremony.

Mustang Karen (love your new moniker!) - all your travel plans sound so exciting - it's very good that you've ended up with the "right" DH to enjoy it all. How cute is Sissy sitting out in the hot hot sun?? But I think I would be inside with Ginger and the aircon! :cool:

Mary - your new eating plan sounds just the ticket for you. I guess the mini meals would be helpful in managing the diabetes by keeping your blood sugar pretty stable. I hope all gets sorted with your son and the loan, very annoying that he doesn's seem to appreciate the good deed you have done for him. Lots of nice travel plans for you too!

Marie - oh dear, sorry to hear you were dreading the pool party. I hope it went better than you thought - often you have the most fun when you least expect it. I hear you on the scale - but you know what, sometimes I feel I just don't need more bad news! ;)

Donna - your SamCat sounds quite the gentleman! My kittehs are very interactive too - they are quite convinced I can't do anything without their help :D The crones circle made me laugh - I live in a wonderful neighbourhood which one of my friends dubbed "the witches' coven" 'cos we are all such close friends. So, the idea of the crones' circle really appeals to me. My fantasy DWCC (although I am renowned for not doing camping ...) would be like a yacht because my favourite place to be is by the sea. I think you will be glad with your decision to pass on the teaching gig - that sounded very tough for little reward. Hope your sister is doing OK, and glad your computer recovered from the vicious virus.

Lynn - you're very dedicated - keeping up with your punishing training schedule with a dodgy knee. Fingers crossed all works out with your DD and SIL moving close to you.

Tea Granny - that's my greatest challenge too - trying to make reasonable food choices in the face of so much temptation when I'm out and about socialising. Here's hoping we find a happy balance.

Gayle - WTG on enjoying the continuing ed and working your way through it. It's soooo tough combining studying and working.

Karen3 - love love love the quote ... I've put it on a card on my bedside clock - so I can read it first thing in the morning and keep the thought throughout the day. :)

Wannabe - welcome to this lovely supportive group! You're so right - baby steps will get you to where you want to go. I always want to run before I can walk, it's so frustrating!

Rosey - thank you for your pep talk - I reckon you have nerves of steel for going to the supermarket when you are hungry, accompanied by people who buy very tempting goodies, and you hold the line and make healthy food choices. WTG! :carrot: Sorry to hear your DH is so unwell - I hope he recovers quickly. Gizmo is too cute! Your nieces have had such a terrible time, they are very lucky to have a place of safety in your home. It will probably take them a long while to learn that there are some people they can trust.

NCNancy - your DSD sounds like a real charmer, not! Well, you know that the people who matter will welcome you at the DWCC. Sorry to hear that your lunch was a disappointment - I hope the company was good!

Z - I had a giggle at your DH's handyman abilities. Sounds like my BIL - but my sister always says she didn't marry him for his handyman abilities ;)

Well, it's getting very late and it's a school night so I better close here - apologies to everyone I have missed. I've learnt my lesson to not leave it too long to jump in on the discussion - it's very fast moving here! :o

Toodles!

Good Morning, just a quick read of this week-ends posts. I have to get out to the raspberry patch before the birds get there, then chirop/massage. The temps are going to reach 119 with heat index today, Minneapolis is suppose to be 124 with index. Donna, wanna come visit? :rofl: On my Maxine daily calendar the joke is fitting, "I'm not calling it humid, but if I had a bar of soap I could shower in my yard." How true around here today.
Later gators:wave:
P.S. Rie, we have our own well too but the water softner takes out all the rust. If DH lets it get too low of salt, my hair turns orange.:mad:

Monday, Monday….grrrrrr….heavy traffic, and now here I am in the office with a long day at work ahead of me. And this week is supposed to be stifling, weather-wise. Well, the AC here better keep pumping that cool air out, or I’m going home. (It’s a new – only 2-year-old building, so I suppose it will, more’s the pity.) Ah, yes, I have to join the chorus in admiration for KarenFla’s quote. Really gives you something to think on, eh?
Sis of the bride threw a Jack & Jill shower for my ds & his fiancé yesterday. Sooo, had to share the same turf with the ex at yet another family-oriented event. My kids were very careful to split their time equally between my camp and his, however (we both sat on opposite sides of the yard – it was an outdoor affair) so, while I will admit to YOU that I felt resentful that they sat with him AT ALL, I won’t make any comment about it to the kids for fear of seeming small-minded. I DO have to say, though, that considering how little time he had for them when they were growing up, he is certainly reaping the rewards of what decent and caring people I raised. Anyway, the shower was interesting, insofar as this was our first meeting with the bride’s parents. We’ve actually met her aunts and uncles on quite a few occasions, but the family is quick to point out that her parents are stubborn, insular people. Oh, joy, huh? Well, everybody was cordial enough, and I guess we’ll make it through the wedding without any nasty scenes. The bride’s sister has been dating, and is now secretly engaged to an Argentinian…secretly because her parents have only just managed to resign themselves to their elder daughter marrying a half-African-American man, and the thought of yet another non-Aryan culture brought into the mix is thought to be enough to send them over the edge completely. The two sisters are the only children they have, and neither one seems to be looking for someone like “dear old dad”. Hmmmmm.
Well, the weekend flew by – as you all know, we had the twinnies and their sis Saturday afternoon/ evening, and then yesterday, we raced out to some farm stands (sweet corn & big, fresh, beefsteak tomatoes for supper tonight!), went down to the lake for an hour, and then went home to get ready for the shower. Didn’t get home from that until 9:30 last night. Ugh. Too much activity for this old lady.
So, one more thing…and then some personals. Starting today, I am in :o boot camp mode :o – and will stay in boot camp mode for the next six weeks until the wedding. Low calories, walking at least three evenings a week, and TOTAL COMMITMENT. I plan to look quite slim and svelte at ds’s wedding, and I figure that even I can stick to something for six weeks. I was married to my ex for more than 20 years. Six weeks is a walk in the park in comparison.
Rie/Val, I’ve had those kind of cleaning splurges occasionally myself. I ahd to chuckle when you mentioned using the toothbrush. It really is the only thing suited to get into those crevices and tile grouting, isn’t it? Of course I do have to say that these cleaning splurges don’t come about too often at my house. Most of the time I am just resigned to however well dh has managed to clean, and let it go at that.
Mustang Karen, your life with your former husband certainly does sound grim. I’m so glad that you’re managing now to have some of those things that you want in life….I’d say you’ve earned them. Rock on, girlfriend! :dancer:
Mary, it sounds like you’ve arrived at a plan that’s going to work for you over the long haul. One of my biggest problems is portion size. I don’t feel like I’m getting enough if I don’t have a nice, big serving of something. I’m wondering if I might actually be able to train myself to wanting/needing less if I ate more frequently. It’s something I think I’ll play around with over the next six weeks while I’m determined to shed as much weight as I can. Even if small, more frequent meals don’t satisfy me right at first, I might adjust to them, don’t you think? Anyway, even unsatisfied, I WILL. NOT. EAT. ANY. MORE. than what I’ve allotted for myself. Grrrr. My gosh, Mary…you are still having hot flashes and such? I had them for about a year back when I was in my mid-fifties, and then my periods stopped altogether and the hot flashes went away as well. It must be genetics or something, because my sister’s transition was pretty easy, too. She swore by taking lecithin capsules from the time she turned 40, but I never took any, and I had just as easy a time of it as she did.
Marie, I think you’re right on target with knowing which kiddo you can loan money to, and which you can’t. I determined a long time ago NEVER to loan to any of them, though. If they needed my help, and I could swing it, I gave them what they needed. If I couldn’t give it to them without having it repaid, I didn’t give in the first place. After my divorce from their father, I was on my own for several critical years. My share of the proceeds from the sale of our house, for example, went for college for the two youngest – the house proceeds as well as lots of what I earned. The policy of giving only what I could reasonably afford to give has saved a lot of heartache in the long run. My kids, I think, are for the most part, older than yours, though, so mine have been on their own longer, and are all (knock on wood) pretty good at managing their money. Must’ve learned from me how to live on shoestrings when necessary. :yes:
Certainly glad to have you back, PT – you’re right – it definitely seemed like a month to me, as well!
Omigosh, Lynn. Did I miss one of your posts where you said your dd and sil might move to FL ???? Oh, they can’t do that! The house across the river might be nice, though. Is it a two-family, or does it have an in-law apartment?
Tea, yep – the constant weighing tends to be very discouraging for me, even as my clothes start to bag and sag. I do it (weigh in, I mean) as little as possible.
Congrats on finishing up your Continuing Ed credits, Gayle….you must be glad to have them out of the way for another year. Do you have to get them annually, or is there a longer period in between?
Hi Rosey, I figured your dh couldn’t have been feeling well – after all, he’s usually a lot more helpful to you than he has been lately. I hope he’s doing better now…for both your sakes!
How was your weekend, Freda? Hope your pleasant weather continued. We had two very hot sunny days. Normally, I like to stay down at the lake for a couple of hours at a time, at least, but couldn’t manage any more than an hour on Saturday and Sunday. I thought I’d have heat stroke if I stayed out there any longer than I did.
I hope you’re feeling better, Bobbi? Maybe you could hire your dh out to give massages? Hey – we might even let him come to our double-wide crone circle. Just to give massages, though. Then he’d have to leave. :nono:
KarenFL – I am sending that quotation to some of my friends – and to some co-workers. It’s SO apropos for us here in the salt mines. Even made me smile, which I don’t often do when thinking of work.
Lyn, how was the Cape over the weekend? If I could have, I would have been on the beach somewhere with everything submerged but my head!
Hey Koala! Nice, as always, to see your post in the mornings here… a Wii age of 37!!!! Now, that’s just toooooo much! Couldn’t you have made an old, out-of-shape crone like myself feel better by at least reporting 47? Yikes. Now I’m going to be pondering that all day today as I nibble on my starvation rations.
Nancy! Wherefore art thou? Show yourself, woman! You’re being missed! :(
Okay. I probably skipped someone that I’ll feel terrible about skipping, but this is getting ridiculously long, and I should really try to do some work today…
Have a nice day, everybody!
Z

I'm off to the Urologists this morning for a more thorough check. :( She should have my past records about my previous surgeries by now too for more info. I passed one week on my new eating plan pretty easy and my weight has dropped so starting my second week today. I won't celebrate until I am back down to 158 but it is nice to see the scale dropping back down instead of going up!

I'll try and check in again later on.

The doctor visit wasn't as bad as I was expecting, however ever since I feel like I have another UTI. She gave me a 500 mg tab of Cipro just in case and had me take it before I left her office. She said although my bladder has dropped some since the last surgery I am not retaining a lot, but because of it dropping, I feel like I am. So she said it is up to me about the surgery as she doesn't feel this problem is causing the UTIs and I told her no surgery, I've had enough! She didn't mention the hormone cream and I forgot about it too until just now.

Marie - thanks for the tip on the bread maker. I'll think about it. I see almost all the reviews are great. On browsers, I always loved FF until this last upgrade and now I prefer Chrome too. Glad your pool party went ok, although it sounds like it had it's exciting moments.

Jess - The new eating plan is working well and I'm starting my second week today. I have always tried to eat very balanced and one thing that seems strange with this plan is that I don't feel it is balanced right now. I guess I could have more low-glycemic vegetables with some of the mini-meals but I am trying to keep it as much like the MF plan as possible. I do have beef vegetable soup now and then for a mini-meal but most of my vegetables come from dinner. I miss fruit but I add little bits now and then and I intend to add more fruits and grains in later on. This am I had a low-cal yogurt for breakfast. I threw in 2 T cereal so I got 116 calories and 22 carb gms. Then (3 hrs later), I drank 1/2 can Slim-fast, so I got 90 cal/11.5 carb gms. My lunch will probably be a little vegetable soup. I have always eaten 3 regular meals with snacks in between but the difference now is that I only allow myself to have 200+ calories at dinner whereas before my breakfast and lunch would have that much and sometimes even my snacks! The way I'm now eating is keeping my calories and carbs for the day MUCH lower and yet I never really feel very hungry because I eat so often. I'm so afraid of slipping up though...like I have done so often, esp as I'm a little bit down right now due to family issues. I often succumb to eating for emotional reasons but so far I have not. I have failed too often to be really optimistic I guess, but hopefully I have found something I can stick to.

Koala - We have a Costco membership...it's around $50 a year..and we really like it. Since it's just the two of us, there are many many things we do not buy there but there are also things we almost always buy there. We mostly shop when the coupons come out and stockup on certain things. Some things I can get better prices by shopping sales at regular stores but on many things Costco's prices are very good. Because everything is large, it is hard to get out of there without spending quite a lot. That's our biggest problem. Went the other day and spent $115. That's a big chunk of our grocery money but we won't have to buy those things for a long time. We also buy other non-grocery items now so am sure we save enough to more than make up for the membership fee. They are very good at accepting returns and my dh gets our tires there usually. He says they aren't always the cheapest but are competitive and the warranty and after service is good. Plus we just enjoy shopping there...they are always handing our samples and then we share a slice of pizza before we leave. We call it our cheap date! ;) Of course my new eating plan hampers me a bit ...last time I only took a water sample.:^: It is very easy to rack up too many calories there! BTW once when we were traveling we got a one-day pass to Sams and we WERE able to buy. Not sure but you could ask whether Costco does that too.

I'm back from massage and Dr. Bones. He said my vertebrate is gradually moving in the right direction. I can tell because I had a good last week, 4 days no headache, 2 days slight headache and one day ball buster migraine. That's a great week for me.
Marie...Funny you should mention this recipe, we're having this tomorrow since we have garden tomatoes ready. I found the recipe in my cooking light magazine. I'm going to post the recipe now and come back to finish my post.
As to the smell of baking bread, YUM! I sold my bread maker because I couldn't control myself. I'd eat 1/2 a loaf when it came out, no kidding.Summer Tomato, Mozzarella, and Basil Panini with Balsamic Syrup.
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 (8oz) piece Cuban bread, cut in half horizontally
1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
12 large basil leaves
5 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
2 med. tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray
1. Bring balsamic vinegar to a boil in a small saucepan over med-high heat; cook until reduced to 3 Tablespoon (about 8 min)
2. While vinegar reduces, brush cut side of top half of bread with oil. Top evenly with basil, cheese and tomato. Sprinkle evenly with salt and pepper. Brush cut side of bottom half of bread with reduced vinegar; place on top of sandwich. Invert sandwich.
3. Heat a large grill pan over med-hight heat. Coat the pan with cooking spray. Add sandwich to pan. Place a cast-iron or heavy skillet on top of sandwich, and gently press to flatten. Leave skillet on; cook 3 minutes on each side or until cheese melts and bread is toasted.
4 servings
Glynne...How much weight have you dropped since you joined WW? I went a few years ago and loved the meetings, pep talks and recipes. I made my goal and quit, it's can be very helpful if you stick with it.Val...A couple days ago a gal on the radio gave out her 'no mosquito' hint. She grows catnip, takes a leaf and crushes in her hand and rubs on all exposed skin. She said it works! Her cats love it too.Lynn...I'm surprised your doc lets you continue training if you need cortisone shots. Good luck on that.

Hey GGs,
Just wanted to check in while I’m having a good day. KarenFL, it seems so coincidental that you would post that quote just now. For the last couple of days, I’ve been thinking that I’m starting to slip into depression. I’d really like to think I’m feeling the way I do just because of having DSD around, but I really don’t think it’s that simple (I wish, because she’ll be going back to school in about 3 weeks).

About 11 years ago, I went through what I decided, from things I’d read, & seen on TV, must be depression. It’s really hard to describe, unless you’ve felt it (& I think maybe several of you GGs have?). Just performing the slightest of day to day tasks (like paying the bills, or washing dishes) seemed to take the greatest of effort. I could find no joy in anything - I would ask myself “if you could do anything in the world, & had unlimited resources, what would you do that would make you happy?” And I couldn’t think of anything at all that would, & that was scary. But, even more scary, no one else could see that anything was wrong! I was still functioning “normally”, even getting up & going to work every day, while inside I just felt despair & emptiness. This really doesn’t explain it, I guess you have to experience it to understand. Anyway, to shorten this sad, sad story, somewhere I’d heard about taking St. John’s Wort for depression, & I figured it wouldn’t hurt to try. After a couple of weeks, I started feeling better, & in about a month I was feeling pretty good. I stopped taking the St. John‘s Wort, & in 2 weeks the sad feelings started coming back. So, I went back to taking it for another 4 or 5 months, stopped again, & I’ve been ok until now.

Lately I’ve been putting off things that needed to be done, until the last possible minute. And, some days I dread even turning on the computer, because it seems to require more of me than I can give. I’ve noticed on the weekends, I can’t think of anything I want to do, so my SO has been having to come up with ideas (that’s very unusual - it was always me dragging him out of the house). Today I’ve been feeling pretty good, & got several things done I’d been putting off for weeks. But, now I seem to be losing momentum, & I haven’t really “talked” to you all, & I need to get something fixed for dinner. I feel guilty leaving like this, this has been all about me, me, me, & I haven’t even commented on your posts. But, DSD will be home soon, & I don’t want to be sitting here “pouring my heart out” when she’s around (obviously she must factor into how I’m feeling, somehow). And Donna, I don’t let her read the GG stuff (though I guess there’s nothing to stop her if she wanted to, but I don’t think she’d bother)! I just can’t seem to stop myself from talking about the “doings” here, because this site has become so important to me. I really want to thank all of you for being here! Now, I’ve really got to stop & see if I can get back online (I just got bumped off), & post this before the “turdblossom” (thank you Rie!) gets home. Oh, almost forgot - I started taking St. John’s Wort yesterday, just in case.
NCNancy

Donna...the guy that fixes my computer told me he got a nasty virus from Face Book. You just never know where it sneaks in.

Quote:

This computer virus I picked up (way under the radar of my virus scans) was nasty, nasty! It attacks the operating system

KarenFla...perfect quote...I too will make a copy of it and send to my DD. She's in the middle of a nasty divorce, her soon to be ex has never built her up, never told her what a great job she does, etc. It's always been about him and what a super person he thinks he is. But Narcissus people like him fall into the catagory of a**holes.
Mary...makes sense to me, if your eyes stay open, you're rested enough. I keep the bedroom door closed at night so Charlie doesn't sneak in. He thinks he's a crowing rooster because he sits outside the bedroom door and starts whinning when it get light out. There's been times my eyes don't want to stay open. I can yell at him to shut up and go back to sleep but usually I just get up.

Quote:

I want to sleep until when I open my eyes, they stay open. If they still want to close, I need more sleep.

Zoe...We'll all help you look quite slim and svelte at ds’s wedding. You can always eat a large lettuce salad before your meals. Now that we have lots of garden lettuce, I'm doing that and sometimes it back-fires on me. I'm too full to enjoy my entree. Try putting 1/2 fresh orange on your lettuce and spray it with Wish Bone Salad spritzers, I use the Raspberry Bliss. Yum-0. The salads aren't quite so monotonous and 1/2 orange doesn't add that many calores but tons of flavor.

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and will stay in boot camp mode for the next six weeks until the wedding. Low calories, walking at least three evenings a week, and TOTAL COMMITMENT

KarenMo...thanks for filling us in, we were curious if he ever found you after you left. Good thing you got rid of that controling freak.
Rosey...So now we know why all the kids want to come to your house, you had a day care center and lots of activities to keep the little rug rats occupied. As to DH...they're all are big babies. They should all go through child birth once and see how much fun that is.

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on 2 antiobiotics and bland diet. poor guy,id rathe be sick than him as he dosent handel it well.being sick doesnt give a person the right to be nasty and when hes sick he is thatI

An email from Tana French -

I just got the email below from my favorite new mystery writer. I had posted on her website about how much I love her books -

Dear Lynn,


First of all, I’m really sorry for taking so long to get back to you – life got ahead of me for a while there, and I’m only just starting to catch up. Thank you so much for taking the time to e-mail me – and I’m delighted you liked the books! It makes my day to know someone’s reading them and enjoying them.



I’ve just handed in Book 4 – it’s called Broken Harbour, and I think it’s due out in spring 2012. Scorcher Kennedy, Frank’s old friend and rival from Faithful Place, is the narrator this time; he’s investigating the murder/attempted murder of a young family on one of the half-finished ‘ghost estates’ that litter Ireland today.



All the best,



Tana

Nancy...I'm so sorry to hear of your lows, sounds like depression to me. My DH went through the same thing about 15 years ago and I put him on St. Johns Wort. That's been around for a few years and can be helpful if you're not clinically depressed. If St. Johns stops working for you, go see a doctor. My DH finally did and what a difference it made in his life after he got on meds for it.

Quote:

I would ask myself “if you could do anything in the world, & had unlimited resources, what would you do that would make you happy?” And I couldn’t think of anything at all that would, & that was scary. But, even more scary, no one else could see that anything was wrong! I was still functioning “normally”, even getting up & going to work every day, while inside I just felt despair & emptiness. This really doesn’t explain it, I guess you have to experience it to understand. Anyway, to shorten this sad, sad story, somewhere I’d heard about taking St. John’s Wort for depression, & I figured it wouldn’t hurt to try. After a couple of weeks, I started feeling better, & in about a month I was feeling pretty good. I stopped taking the St. John‘s Wort, & in 2 weeks the sad feelings started coming back. So, I went back to taking it for another 4 or 5 months, stopped again, & I’ve been ok until now.

Tea...I'd like to hear about your salad recipe using lambsquarter too. Val's right about the farmers having a hard time getting rid of it.
Koala...we don't have Costco or Sam's Club in our area. I don't remember who said it didn't pay if you have a small family. (I think it was donna)
Rochester, Mn. is the nearest and that's 60 miles one way. Once I retired from work, I started cooking everything from scratch and wow, did that cut down on grocery expense. Are you able to plant a garden and freeze veggies?
One last thing, I make lemonade using one packet of lemon Kool-Aid mix and one whole lemon.
Wash the outside of the lemon, then use your zester to take all the yellow off the peeling. Put zest in a 2 Quart pitcher. Then cut the lemon in half, put in microwave for 30 seconds. (releases juice easier) I use an old fashion glass lemon juicer like your moms and gramas used. Squeeze out all juice and pulp, add to pitcher with zest, one package of Kool-Aid and water to make 2 quarts. I sweeten it with liquid Stevia but you can use any sweetner of your choice. The fresh lemon makes a cheap package of kool-aid taste like fresh.