Mary, we already live in Carthage that has the 3 Chinese buffets... then we have the Sirloin Stockade, another buffet then there is Roots 66, another buffet. And that isnt counting all the regualr walk in sit down and fast foods!! Carthage loves to eat!!! LOL!!!

Hi Everyone,

Never got to South Jersey yesterday. I called my friend's daughter & DF had a doctor's appt. So, I am going down this morning.

REALLY cold here today, but sunny.

P.S. KarenFla...I have my hubby hooked on dry honey nut cheerio's too. Last night we had a cup of dry Peanut butter cheerio for a snack besides the yukky cake I made. Have you tried the peanut butter cereal?
I was hungry for some old fashion gingerbread cake and whipped cream like my mom used to make. I found a recipe on allrecipes.com, rated 4.5 stars. It called for a whole cup of molasses which I thought sounded like waaaaaaay too much. But since it was rated so high, I put it all in. Yuk! It was terrible. Then I got to thinking about it and I used black strap molasses, not the regular kind.

Gayle, how exciting that your youngest DD and family will be visiting. I bet you are so excited!

Carol Sue, OMG on your prep. That had to be just horrendous. Since I get to do it again a week from tomorrow for the hysterectomy, I will think of you and that I’m not in nearly as difficult of a boat.

Lynn, I’m glad you have been able to see your friend and that she still has memory of you. I did like reading that her family has added the adult day care to her routine as that gives them relief. Alzheimer’s is such a hideous disease.

Donna, there is so much prep stuff before the surgery because the insurance demands it. Then there’s the fact that 50 is the age that colonoscopies are warranted. Combining the two facts, there are hoops to be jumped. And Miss Blizzie is doing fabulous. There has been no labored breathing for about 5 days. We decided she had a cold and she’s doing fine. I’m making her listen to Jackson Browne’s STAY again. I sing it loudly to her. BelovedKai was a pain to fed this morning and David laughed as I described just how odd she’d been. Kody is acting elderly and he is worrisome. Miss Sasha, the bravest doggie on earth, is doing wonderfully. She is amazing. I look at her and wonder how she survived and being that she did, how she ended up being the sweetest girl. She should be mean, frightened, standoffish, temperamental. Instead, she’s sweet and cuddly. I don’t understand why but I do appreciate her tremendously. Ask about my dogs and I can go on and on and on…

Zoe, you will love being retired. The Vermont consulting will be enough. Before you agree to consult with the group you currently are employed and irritated by, think long and hard. Do you need the money? Do you need the stress? Would you rather relax by a lake with your twinnies? And I very much wish we weren’t on opposite coasts. BTW, about 4 years ago I started my weight loss at 212 pounds. Definitely obese.

KarenMO, if all the house sales go through you are going to be stressed. But I get why you won’t start packing yet. VA loans have a lot of hoops. DH and I have never used ours because FHA was easier and cheaper.

Brenda, welcome. I’m pretty sure I missed welcoming you to the group over the past week.

KarenFL, I’m with you on instant gratification. I go to Home Depot when I’m getting a new appliance and ask what’s in stock. No washer would have me finding any store around that had one I’d like and in stock. I never, ever want to go to a laundry mat again in my life. BTW, it seems a bunch of my family is visiting your state. May parents have been in Panama City the past 4 weeks and I just found out my sister is in Vero. I think they should have invited me and I’d have come to your house and show you what a good houseguest is like since your “friends” of last month were atrocious. And without a doubt, I’m very much in awe of my surgeon. I’m very glad he’s the surgeon assisting my GYN for the hysterectomy. I now have immense trust in him.

Mary, you mentioned you’re weaning yourself off Estroven. Does that mean that HRT makes sleeping difficult???? Since you had the offer on the house in December, how much longer before the bank decides whether the sale will work?

Bobbi, be thankful the too much molasses cake was yucky. Now you won’t eat it.

Not much else in my world. The last pain cycle is beginning and at least knowing will be the last one is kind of nice. I updated my diet blog for the couple people that mentioned I hadn’t done it in a while. Mostly I chatted about the fears of instant menopause and maintaining my weight loss.
Marie

quicky....Marie, you'd love the book The Good Dog by Susan Wilson. It's not a silly querky book but about a disfunctional man and a pit bull who end up together. I couldn't put it down. k3

ps spell check hates disfunctional...must be new English?

I have lost 3 lbs of my 9 lb gain. This is rediculous. If I had not let myself gain that 9 lbs and had still lost the 3 lbs I would be in the 170's which is my current short term goal. Ok, Carol, don't look back, just keep looking forward. Better days are ahead!

Marie...I googled whether it was safe to feed my wild birds the gingerbread cake, answer was yes. They even had a recipe for a gingerbread house that you sprinkle with bird seeds before you bake it. I have taken the whole cake out and put on the covered bird bath. Now to watch and see if they spit it out too.

A new recipe just came out of the oven, this is a jelly roll gingerbread with whipped cream (fat free cool whip) rolled up in it. I used applesauce instead of the butter so it's lower calorie.
I also wanted to cry with you when you wrote about your little talk with Ms. Blizzard. I'm feeling weepy just thinking about it. We've had to put more than one dog down and my all time favorite dog died when only 5 years old due to blood cancer. Her name was Tiggy Winkle and she was beautiful, now I'm going to cry again. sorry!

Good Mornin everyone, More snow today like we dont have enough already!

Thanks for all the new welcomes i saw today. this is a fun group. Love all the girl talk.

I live in Girdwood, Alaska,,, you can look up www.alyeskaresort.com,small Hippie town about 40 miles south of anchorage ak.

Yes wild game is great Bobbi

I stayed the same this week~ thought i might after a big loss of 4.5 last week. Gotta do better this week! Cant reach my goal this way

Hi Everyone,

Just made some blueberry “cheesecake” parfaits. FF cream cheese; FF sour cream; SF Cool Whip; Splenda. Satisfies my “sweet tooth.”

Lynn

Hi Bobbi,

I did some reading about dealing with Alzheimer’s folks. Basically, don’t ask any questions – just tell stories. When they talk, just listen & don’t expect it to make sense. Also, don’t correct inaccuracies. For example, my DF will say things like – “I never was able to read much.” She used to read several books every week. At first I would debate these types of statements. Now I just say a lot of “Hmmms.”

My “retirement” was forced. I had to retire to take care of my DH after his stroke. The first two years of retirement was caring for him. The next few years were mourning his death. I did a lot of searching around for things to do. Actually got too busy. In the past year, I have kind of settled into a pattern. I am still busy, but limiting my activities to things I REALLY love.

Hi Marie,

Because you mention “instant menopause,” I see that you are getting your ovaries out. When I had my hysterectomy, I kept mine. I am VERY sorry I did. For the past several years, doctors have been monitoring some cysts on one of my ovaries. If I ever need to have surgery to remove, it will be a BIG problem. BC it is so long since my hysterectomy, the ovaries are all entangled with other stuff & doctors have warned me it would be difficult surgery.

Hi Carol Sue,

ALWAYS focus on the positive – CONGRATULATIONS on 3 lbs lost!

Hi Rie,

You know you are always welcome to grouse here. If not here, where? We all take our turns being grouchy. I am sure you had your reasons. Glad you are feeling better.

Hi Brenda,

Why do you call Girdwood a "hippie town?"

Lynn

Lynn,
Girdwood is one of many in Alaska. Old hippies young hippies tree huggers granola's whatever you want to call them. Nature loving,free spirited,open minded,live and let live type of community. Cant say my husband and i fit into the mold of a hippie but we are nature loving,peaceful minded and feel life should be lived without all the stresses so many deal with in society today.simple living i guess you would call it.


Come visit someday if you havent been to Alaska its a very very beautiful piece of america and a there is no place like it. I grew up in Southwest Missouri and love to visit my family there but could never at this point in life live there again. Ive just learned there is so much more out there.And while i can I want to experience all i can.

Hope your day is good and this explains why Girdwood is called a hippie town. Ladysheets

Thank you, Brenda,

It sounds WONDERFUL to me. Are there any months when you get mild weather? I am NOT like my DD & SIL - they LOVE Alaska in the winter with LOTS of snow and ice. I'm a Spring-time kind of gal. Nice, comfortable 70-degree weather.

Lynn